CH 173: ULQUIORRA

The moment Gojo awakened, Ichibe wasn't the only one to notice his presence.

Sitting alone on the throne of Las Noches, Aizen felt the spiritual pressure that was completely different from what a Shinigami should be able to release.

'So he succeeded.'

Aizen mused silently. Ever since their fight in Soul Society, Aizen knew that Gojo was an ambitious man who would not tolerate stagnation.

He was sure that, like him, Gojo would follow the path of transcendence.

'Did he use the Hogyoku?'

Aizen immediately denied this idea. In this world, only Kisuke had more knowledge than him about the Hogyoku and he could not feel any kind of resonance.

This could only mean that Gojo had found his own path and was already near success.

For a moment, Aizen couldn't help but be deeply impressed.

It took him hundreds of years of careful scheming to even create a Hogyoku that was in fact incomplete but Gojo found his own path in just 30 years.

At this moment different kinds of feelings fought in his heart.

He was elated to see someone walk such a Path.

He was sad that it wasn't him taking the first step.

He was envious because of the incredible talent Gojo had shown.

In the end, Aizen sighed and stood up, taking his part of Hogyoku with him.

In an ideal world, he would have obtained the one belongings from Kisuke and then fuse them to obtain a perfect form.

Sadly, such a reality did not exist.

He had to make do with what he had at hand.

Aizen knew that it wouldn't be long before Gojo came looking for him.

As it was, while he was sure they were more or less equal twenty years ago, now the difference between them was a little too much.

His chances of winning were awfully slim.

Aizen was not the kind of man who would helplessly wait for death.

He would fight and struggle in order to survive if necessary.

Aizen hadn't been sitting and doing nothing during those 20 years.

He had prepared a failsafe and it was time to bet on it.

For an instant, he thought about those mysterious people who had come in contact with him but dismissed the idea from his mind.

They thought they had hidden well, but since he was also a participant in the event that happened nearly 150 years ago, he could never mistake that special power for anything.

Aizen could accept losing if he was outmatched. But he would never beg for help.

"Well then, let's go."

—-

While Aizen was making his last preparation and Gojo was getting used to his power,

Zaraki was having the time of his life.

Fighting and killing so many Arrancar had reminded him of the good old time when he was living in the Zaraki district.

The district from which he took his current name.

Saying that life there wasn't easy would be the understatement of the year.

This was why, even back then, something had always disturbed him.

It was during one of his fights that he met Yachiru who was then a baby.

But…How did a baby manage to survive in the 80th district?

In the first place, how could a baby stay unscathed and without a stain of blood even staying in such a slaughterhouse?

How come a Bady wasn't afraid of his murderous spiritual pressure?

Those were questions Zaraki was asking himself continuously for some time now

In fact, there was already a growing hunch in his mind.

But Zaraki did not want to acknowledge it. So this hunch would stay a hunch for as long as possible.

…At least that was the plan.

"Hey, Grimmjow, do you feel it?"

Grimmjow who had become pretty used to his life with Zaraki stood up with a concerned frown.

He recognized the spiritual pressure of the guys coming at them.

"Ulquiorra and Yammy "

Grimmjow did not bother saying anything about fleeing. Nor did he bother giving the number of the approaching Espada. He knew that even if Zaraki knew how strong Ulquiorra was, it would simply make him more excited.

Grimmjow always thought that he was a battle maniac, but compared to someone like Zaraki, his thirst for battle was very mild.

'How ridiculous. To think I would find myself in such a situation.'

There was no doubt that he was now a traitor. But nothing was set in stone yet. He had two options.

Betray Zaraki and join Ulquiorra in helping him take down Zaraki or stand aside and watch Zaraki fight.

This choice would determine his life. But weirdly, he wasn't worried at all, nor did he hesitate even one moment.

'Zaraki, I choose you!'

"Hey Zaraki, I recognize the two incoming Espada. Of two, there is one who isn't particularly strong and another who is basically at the top. Will you take one or the two?"

His question was clear, he was wondering if Zaraki wished for him to take care of the weaker one to let him deal with the main plat.

Zaraki grinned malevolently, "Isn't the answer already evident!? Haha, let's them come!"

'As I thought.'

Grimmjow nodded and looked down at the weird little girl, "What about you, Yachiru? Do you want to take shelter? The fight might be incredibly destructive."

Yachiru stayed silent for a while before pointing forward, "I will stay and watch Ken-chan."

Grimmjow frowned, 'Here again.'

Most of the time, Yachiru acted like a kid full of joy and energy. But, whenever Zaraki would fight, she would change and would eagerly watch him fight. As if she was waiting for something to happen.

He didn't know what she waiting for and didn't want to know. But, it didn't matter to him.

Since even that fragile little girl decided to stay, then he couldn't exactly flee and leave them, right?

Either way, he should be strong enough to protect the girl should anything happen.

Now that everything was ready, they just had to wait. Thankfully, the wait wasn't long.

The moment Zaraki's eyes landed on Ulquiorra, he shivered. His mouth even began to water and he gulped down with difficulty.

He could feel it, Ulquiorra was strong very very strong. So strong in fact that he couldn't help but wonder how good it would feel to cut down such a formidable foe.

"Hahaha, I can't wait!!"

This fight promised to be something worth remembering.