CHAPTER 48: MENOS II

*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPPPP*

"... It's… It's coming out… !!" Ichigo exclaimed in shock as he looked at the hollow ripping the space apart and putting its head out.

"Wha…W-W-Wha… What is it sister!? That incredibly huge hollow…!? stammered out Kon who was in Ichigo's body.

".….. Ah… that is… MENOS…!!" Rukia answered back slowly as she looked at the gigantic hollow.

"... Menos…?" Kon repeated, still looking at the hollow.

"It's a gigantic hollow that's born from hundreds of hollows that pile and mix together… However… that thing… is only something I've seen as an illustration in a textbook…!!"

"The Great Hollow, MENOS GRANDE!!" Rukia declared.

'I mean, is it really that great?' Houryu who was watching all this was thinking with a funny look on his face.

Kon was still in shock as he listened to Rukia's explanation when she continued, "An inconceivable story… for that thing to come out… Those are under the jurisdiction of the special forces…! truly a lone shinigami cannot oppose it…!"

'I mean, I could wipe that thing out from where I am, even with my eyes closed, so is it that I am too strong, or the shinigami's are too weak." Houryu thought as he listened on.

"It's huge… such a ridiculous bulk!" Ishida exclaimed as he watched the menos come out of the space tear.

"Heheheh… something that huge just makes you laugh… I'm doubtful about whether it really is a hollow…" Ichigo said as he also watched the hollow.

"UWAAAAAAAA"

"UWGGGGGGG"

"OWAAAAAAA"

The hollows still alive began to make worshipping sounds with their hands raised up, prompting the menos to notice them.

It shifted its eyeballs to look at the hollows before suddenly shooting out it's tongue and impaling three hollows with its long, sharp tongue, shocking all the onlookers before pulling its tongue back with the hollows still impaled on it, into its mouth and then biting down.

Ichigo and Ishida looked at this scene, shocked out of their minds.

"WHA… It's eating it's fellow hollows… what a guy." Ishida finally managed to say, when suddenly Ichigo who stood beside him began to laugh weirdly.

"...What's so funny, Kurosaki?" Ishida asked Ichigo before continuing "… There's no way we can figure out how to fight that sort of monster…"

"With this guy… WE'LL CUT AND CUT AND CUT AND CUT WITH ALL OUR MIGHT TO TAKE HIM DOWN!!"

"THERE'S NO OTHER WAY!!!"

"LET'S GO ISHIDA!!" Ichigo shouted and then ran forward (like an idiot I might add) towards the menos.

'What an idiot.' Houryu thought as he watched.

'With a brain like that, he has to have some heavenly daddy that is working his ass off to keep him alive.' Houryu thought as he finally brought out… a bowl of ramen from his spatial earring and brought out a pack of chicken drumsticks for Sylvia.

On his bowl of ramen, written in bold letters were the words "ICHIRAKU RAMEN."

Houryu then brought out a pair of chopsticks and used it to pick the noodles and brought it to his mouth,

"Too good." he exclaimed as he took the first bite.

Meanwhile…

"Wa… W-W-W-Wait, Kurosaki!!" Ishida shouted after Ichigo who had run off towards the menos.

"Ichigo?" Rukia called out a bit confused after seeing Ichigo running forward but then seeing the direction he was running to, she shouted again, "Q… Quit it, Ichigo!! You can't fight…" when suddenly Urahara appeared in front of her with his back to her.

"Urahara!! YOU… What's the meaning of this!! You intend to kill Ichigo!?" Rukia shouted and accused Urahara who had popped out of nowhere to block her.

"Of course not." Urahara answered back coolly.

"THEN MOVE ASIDE…!! If you don't stop him… It's not an opponent Ichigo can fight against!!!" Rukia shouted again at Urahara as she tried to get away and call out to Ichigo.

"That's no good… I can't do that Kuchiki-san… Please watch quietly." He said again and then with a quick movement of his hand, Rukia collapsed to the ground.

'Is this… A binding spell…!? My body…' Rukia thought as she collapsed to the ground.

"This battle is a crucial battle… As crucial to you… As it will be for him." Urahara said again as he watched Ichigo who was now close to the menos's feet.

"AAAAAAAAAGH!!!" Ichigo shouted as he dashed forward and then jumped up at the ankle of the hollow and then slashed at it but could only make a small gash on the ankle of the menos grande.

The menos grande felt a little sting on its leg and looked at the ant by its feet that had caused the sting and simply kicked it away.

Ichigo was sent flying back to where he started by the hollow's simple flicking of his feet.

"KUROSAKI!!" Ishida shouted as Ichigo came rolling back to his side.

"I told you so!" he shouted again as he shot an arrow at the hollow's face, but the arrow hit the menos around the neck but couldn't even penetrate through the black cloak of the menos.

'Shit… As I figured, I can't do much damage at this rate…! Ishida thought as he looked at the non-damaged hollow even after getting hit by his arrow, he then turned and ran towards Ichigo who was still lying on the floor.

"Are you okay, Kurosaki!!!" he shouted as he got close to him.

"Yah… I'm not too bad…" Ichigo sat up and said, with blood pouring down his forehead.

"Jeez… what were you thinking…!? How were you trying to take him down with that!?" Ishida asked as he knelt beside him.

"Well… I wondered if I could cut his feet and work my way up, Then the head would fall down last…" Ichigo answered back.

"...Like Jenga, huh…" Ishida commented.

Houryu almost spat out his ramen when he heard Ichigo's reasoning, "I mean, there is stupidity, and then there is that."

"Jeez… How was your brain constructed…?!" Ishida asked.

"That is the real question here." Houryu said while nodding as he approved of that question.

"Now stand up! We'll rethink our battle plan." Ishida continued before gripping Ichigo's sword.

Immediately after gripping Ichigo's sword, his spirit bows suddenly swelled in size becoming a lot bigger.

Ichigo's spiritual power was flowing through the sword and unto Ishida's bow making it become a lot bigger and more powerful.

'I wonder if that happens for everyone that Ishida guy touches or is it just Ichigo?' Houryu thought as he enjoyed his ramen, his attention already shifting from the "show" and unto his "Ichiraku ramen."

As Ishida noticed the power flowing through the sword and into the bow, he started thinking up an idea that could be used in this fight against the menos.

In a building a bit away from the fight scene were Orihime and Chad watched the ongoing fight as they debated among themselves and within themselves on their future choices after seeing all this and after everything that had happened.

"Sado-kun… What are… we supposed to do…?"

"..........…."

Chad on the other hand just looked on as he didn't have an answer to Orihime's question.

Back at the fight…

"OK!! PREPARATION COMPLETE!!"

"NOW WE CAN FIGHT HIM!" Ishida declared as he and Ichigo stood in most ridiculous with him kneeling and pulling his bow with Ichigo's sword strapped on top of his head and Ichigo holding the hilt of the sword and standing behind him.

"You are an Idiot… Aren't you…? Ichigo asked Ishida as he stood behind him.

"WHAT!!!" Ishida shouted back and then went on to explain his reason behind this ridiculous position as how he wanted to use Ichigo's spiritual energy to boost his arrows so they can kill the menos.(A/N:who somehow didn't attack them all this time, but don't mind me.)

Ichigo also shouted back saying he doesn't control his spiritual energy and all the story behind it, when suddenly the spiritual energy coming from the menos began to rise pulling them out of their conversation.

Ishida quickly turned back to the menos and wanted to use his idea to attack the menos before it could do anything, but Ichigo had already run off towards the menos… again.

The menos suddenly began gathering condensed spiritual energy into a ball in front of the mouth part of his mask and then fired it at Ichigo.

Ichigo quickly put up his sword to block the attack, blocking the ray's from reaching him.

Suddenly his spiritual energy began to rise as well before he finally swung his sword upwards, sending the cero away in a God knows where direction and also a slash at the menos, injuring it and almost cutting it in half.

Everyone watching this scene was amazed except two people.

The menos grande quickly grabbed the edge of the crack in space and began to pull it around himself like a curtain when suddenly it froze…

Someone had appeared on his long nose with a sword in his hand and his white air blowing in the wind with a gaze of death coming from his gold coloured eyes.

"You think, you're big shit now, cuz some hollows were praising you when you arrived… HUH!!!?" Houryu asked as he gazed at this "piece of fresh meat."

The menos was trembling from a deep primal fear ingrained in its mind but could not answer the question since it was not intelligent enough to talk.

Houryu just raised his sword and slashed horizontally cutting through the hollow's mask.

He then jumped to the ground and then turned his head towards Ichigo with his eye's now beginning to swirl.

"Now you."

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The chapter ended up being very long as I wanted to make sure that our MC made his appearance even though it's only a few lines but… good cliffhanger though, if I do say so myself.

Nobody has gotten the reason he appeared though. I haven't mentioned it yet, but you're welcome to continue guessing, though this time there is no extra chapter prize as this chapter stressed me quite a bit.

Hints are in the chapters above and if you can guess it correctly, I can think about an extra chapter next week instead.

Good luck finding out.

Also, gimme those powerstones, Muhahahah!!!