An Overly Friendly Host (2)

10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven

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Four days passed in the blink of an eye since Ichigo's fight with Grimmjow. He had been honing his handling of his powers since. It was regrettable that the Hollows in the Menos Forest hardly posed a challenge to him, if not at all. Ichigo had hoped to find some Vasto Lordes, but Aizen had drawn every one of them to his side.

Regardless, the time spent in Hueco Mundo was a fruitful one. Ichigo's handling had gotten better. He could incorporate all of his powers into his fight. The improvement he appreciated the most was his defense. In addition to his thick Reiryoku, he had Blut Vene and Hierro to protect him. Only old Captains like Retsu could scratch him using their Shikai. Ichigo could even receive a Bankai blow and not suffer from anything.

Enough to say, Ichigo was excited to learn his Bankai. Quincy Zangetsu told him whatever idea he had of his Bankai should be forgotten. He had paved his path and should never think about a predetermined path. The cryptic message Quincy Zangetsu told him made Ichigo wonder if Quincy Zangetsu knew about his past life.

"Don't you think it's a bit quiet here?" Ichigo mused aloud.

"Indeed. The activity sure is tame," Yoruichi agreed.

"With how oppressive your Reiatsu is, I am not surprised they are deterred, Ichigo-kun," Retsu commented with a soft smile.

"I have to agree with Kurosaki-san. Menos Forest has never been this quiet. While Hollows tend to leave strong Hollows alone, they won't deliberately hide. That is at least until one of the stronger ones decides to conquer the territory or…" Ashido trailed off.

"Or?" Yoruichi quirked an eyebrow.

"They left the forest which is very unlikely," Ashido continued.

Instead of dismissing the concern, Ichigo spread his Reiryoku. He could detect some Gillians and Adjuchas in the forest, but their numbers were significantly less than the day before. Ichigo didn't even focus on killing them, only using them as target practice, so the decline was peculiar.

Deciding to be a bit fancier, Ichigo used the Spirit Ribbon (Reiraku) method. As soon as he accessed the realm, various Reiraku sprouted up. The majority of them were ragged black ribbons that belonged to Hollows. To his surprise, he saw five red ribbons instead of four. A Shinigami was hiding nearby.

Ichigo knew it had to be either Gin or Tōsen. Whoever it was didn't matter. What made Ichigo curious was if they were planning to kill him. He could feel the enormous Reiryoku a particular Arrancar was exuding, but he didn't think it would be enough to take him down. But maybe Aizen was not so smart if he thought he could take Ichigo down with sheer number.

Only one Espada has this many Fracción: Barragan Louisenbairn. The accompanying Shinigami is the snake bastard. Well, let's pull them out, shall we?

Ichigo pulled the red ribbon belonging to Gin. He could immediately pinpoint the Shinigami's location. Ichigo drew a horizontal line with the shorter Zangetsu and added a vertical line on top of it with the longer Zangetsu. A cross-shaped black energy wave shot in the direction where Gin and the Arrancars were hiding.

A pillar of black Reiatsu rose into the sky as Getsuga Jūjishō hit its mark. Ichigo watched calmly as the impact blew his hair and ruffled his clothes. A group of fourteen people was revealed when the rampaging Reiryoku died down. Out of the fourteen, only Barragan remained unscathed as he had used his Fracción as a shield. Gin suffered from a minor burn but was otherwise fine. His grin was slightly strained, though.

"I have to praise Aizen's genius for inventing a device to hide your immense Reiatsu," Ichigo remarked.

"Would you say that to Captain Aizen directly, Ichigo-san?" Gin asked mockingly.

"Didn't know we were on the first name basis already, Gin," Ichigo quipped.

"I am friendly like that."

Ichigo laughed before sending a Getsuga Tensho at the group using the longer Zangetsu. A large black wave of Reiatsu came at the group at a speed eyes couldn't keep up. One of them fell victim to the attack. It was Barragan's Fracción whose name he didn't bother to remember. Ichigo pointed the longer Zangetsu at the group who just settled their footing. A beam of whitish-black Cero shot at them, disintegrating them before they could scream.

"Woah, ruthless, aren't you, Ichigo-chan?" Gin remarked.

"I will leave that guy to you girls," Ichigo said to Retsu and Yoruichi, ignoring the mocking snake.

As Retsu and Yoruichi set out to incapacitate Gin, Ichigo materialized his Heilig Bogen using Zangetsu as the medium. Hundreds of Heilig Pfeil rained on the group of Arrancars. Barragan took five of his selected Fracción and distanced themselves from the onslaught of arrows. Ichigo only managed to take one of the selected Fracción down.

Dematerializing his Heilig Bogen, Ichigo located Barragan. The Espada was not trying to hide, so it was a quick affair. To Ichigo's amusement, the arrogant Espada took out a throne and sat on it. Ichigo cackled as Barragan looked down on him. For someone who lost to Aizen, the Espada sure was haughty.

"Eliminate him," Barragan commanded.

The selected Fracción immediately assumed their Resurrección form. The released Reiryoku sent waves of wind blasts that made Ichigo's hair sway majestically. Ichigo smirked as Ggio Vega, the nimblest of the group, dashed at him. Ichigo coated the longer Zangetsu with Cero and swung it when Ggio was in front of him.

Being too fast sometimes brings misfortune. Ggio couldn't stop his advance, thus receiving Ichigo's blow in despair. Ggio flew away as a wave of whitish-black Cero engulfed him. His bisected body fell lifelessly when the Cero disappeared. The haughty look on the Fracción's face disappeared. They finally realized their opponent was above their pay chart.

Buzz!

"Don't disturb us."

The Fracción widened their eyes when Ichigo appeared in their rank. Before they could react, Ichigo slammed Zangetsu into the ground, exploding it and throwing the Fracción away. Barragan remained where he was but stood up from his throne. Anger burned in his eyes, causing Ichigo to smile gleefully. The look suited the arrogant Espada better.

"You will die, ant!"

"Funny, I thought about saying that to you."

Barragan clasped his hands. A dome engulfed him and Ichigo when he spread his hands. Ichigo felt his movement a little sluggish. Barragan punched him, but he blocked the punch by crossing Zangetsu. The force of the punch was enough to send Ichigo away, though. Ichigo stopped his launch and calmly settled in the air. He watched as Barragan retrieved his axe.

His Fracción flanked him again. Ichigo clicked his tongue at the stubbornness of the Fracción. They could barely fight but still thought they could do more than annoy Ichigo. The young Shinigami positioned his twin Zanpakutō in a cross, creating a gigantic black crystal Heilig Bogen before him. The string of the bow pulled back and a cross-tipped gigantic arrow materialized. When the arrow was released, it turned into a whitish-black beam.

"Longinus!"

Boom!

Barragan and his Fracción didn't have time to move. As soon as the arrow was released, it hit them. They did everything they could to withstand the arrow—erecting barriers and reinforcing their Hierro. Ichigo watched in satisfaction as his self-made technique created a gigantic pillar that pierced through the ceiling of Menos Forest. He wondered how well Barragan and his Fracción fared against his technique.

After a few seconds, the pillar rapidly shrank before completely vanishing. Ichigo looked at Barragan and his little group and only found one living Fracción on Barragan's side. The said Fracción was also dying as Barragan's Resurrección form decayed the Fracción's body rapidly. Barragan paid no mind to the withering Fracción. He flunked his Gran Caida to the side, ending the pitiful Fracción's life.

"Be honored I show you this form, bug. Be honored that my glorious visage is the last thing you see before your death!" Barragan announced.

"A bit conceited, yeah?" Ichigo chuckled. "Well, why don't we play some more?"

Ichigo ran a hand down his face, causing a curled-horned Hollow Mask to cover his face. Ichigo's Reiryoku soared, making the skull-faced Arrancar take an instinctive step back. Ichigo laughed menacingly as his calm and vast Reiryoku turned savage and domineering.

Retsu and Yoruichi who were watching over the battered Gin couldn't help but turn their heads in Ichigo's direction. Gin was smirking but panicking inwardly at the sheer power Ichigo displayed. The rival that Aizen had always been looking for had been born. The four-eyed scientist could forego his plan and fight Ichigo if he was truthful to his desire.

"You like playing king, don't you? Why don't I show you how to behave like one?"

Black markings ran down Ichigo's body as he embraced his Hollow power. Ichigo felt complete. He wanted to uproot a mountain, but an arrogant Arrancar would also suffice. A whitish-black Cero formed between Ichigo's horns. Barragan erected a purplish-black dome and finished it as soon as Ichigo's Cero hit it.

"Everything but me will wither in the end. Your Cero is also no different, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

Barragan had addressed Ichigo with different names throughout the battle: ant, bug, and his name. It showed Barragan's rising respect toward Ichigo. After a long time, Barragan finally felt threatened. Ichigo had become another Aizen to him—someone he begrudgingly feared. It made him angry.

Boom!

However, the powerful Cero spoke the truth he didn't want to admit: Barragan Louisenbairn was outmatched. He looked at Ichigo balefully as Ichigo's corrosive Reiryoku dispersed. He had lost his left arm but didn't bother to register it. Ichigo's sneering visage filled the abyss hidden in his empty eye sockets.