Bleach: Starting as a Vasto Lorde

Chapter 294: Burning Pride

Ulquiorra’s response was immediate and rather predictable — the same Sonído trick to appear behind and press his lance against Kazuya’s throat. The move would’ve caught Soi Fon off-guard, but Kazuya...

“Who are you holding, huh?”

The words came from behind Ulquiorra. His eyes widened imperceptibly as he felt the burning steel touch his neck. At the same time, Kazuya in his grasp dissolved into embers. Unlike Soi Fon’s technique, it wasn’t an afterimage. No, it was a flame clone given temporary life by the scythe form of his Shikai. Imbuing clones with life and presence for a short while was a child’s play for his evolved Shikai.

Cornered, Ulquiorra reacted by unfurling his wings with explosive force. The sheer velocity of the motion sent a gust that forced Kazuya backward. Yet not before the scythe had carved a smoldering ring on the Espada’s neck. His regeneration kicked in, allowing him to appear as if he took no damage.

Surprise flickered across Ulquiorra’s typically stoic features. “You’ve become much faster in so little time. How is this possible?”

Kazuya rested the scythe across his shoulder, casting a glance toward Nelliel and Yammy’s standoff. “Well, I’ve been training with the toughest woman in the world. She’d probably kill me if I showed zero improvements.”

Ulquiorra nodded in understanding. Even he trained from time to time. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have reached this level. “At least now you’ll not be trashed like your friend.”

Fighting Soi Fon drained some of Ulquiorra’s energy, however, he was still confident in coming out on top in this battle. After all, he had clashed head-on against Kazuya without his Resurrección last time.

Kazuya laughed. “You can’t back up your big talk.”

The two eyed each other sharply before they both disappeared—moving so fast that none could follow their figures. Their clash began with a resounding boom as Ulquiorra’s lance met Kazuya’s scythe in a shower of sparks. Ulquiorra matched him strike for strike.

But as they clashed, Kazuya’s growing familiarity with his scythe put more and more pressure on Ulquiorra. The dual blades arced and sliced with more speed than Ulquiorra’s lance could handle. He had to let his Hierro-covered claw block and parry attacks his lance couldn’t block. The flame scorched Ulquiorra, the wounds closing near instantly.

Neither man got the edge over the other. However, one could spot the ease with which Kazuya wielded his scythe. There was not a single hint of panic in his movements whether it came to dodging the lance aimed at his face or his heart. Ulquiorra’s attacks packed more power than Unohana’s training form, but his crazy mentor was so much faster with her sword that it wasn’t even a comparison. Unlike with Unohana, his eyes could trace each stab of Ulquiorra’s lance coming at him.

Trading blows with the released-state Ulquiorra was a breeze for him.

The lessons Unohana carved into his flesh had all massively boosted his awareness and senses.

He had the leisure to counter-attack and utterly destroy Ulquiorra but he refrained from it. He didn’t want to alert Aizen with too much growth. His goal wasn’t to kill Ulquiorra, after all — it was to stall time for Nelliel to conclude her battle with Yammy.

“You are like a different man,” Ulquiorra remarked between exchanges. “Now it makes sense why Lord… is interested in you.”

“Tell your Lord to stop fantasizing about me,” Kazuya replied. “I’m only interested in ladies, Shinigami preferably.”

Ulquiorra looked at him in disdain and feinted left, then struck from the right, only to be met by one of Kazuya’s flame clones intercepting the blow. The clone dissipated upon impact, providing just enough distraction for Kazuya to launch an offensive.

“HAAAH!” He swung the scythe in a wide arc, flames erupting along its path. Ulquiorra dodged narrowly, the heat singeing the edges of his attire. The move created some distance between them, though both knew it was only for show—they could close the gap in an instant if they so chose to.

“Is there a limit to your regeneration?”

Ulquiorra frowned in disgust. “Hollows usually sacrifice their regeneration for greater raw power. I made my own choice… It’s always amusing to see those who attack me despair over the futility of their attacks.”

The despairing face of Soi Fon flashed through Kazuya’s mind. She would’ve lasted longer in her battle if she acted rationally. Instead, she had made the stupid decision to compete with Ulquiorra in power.

“I’m guessing your friend over there chose power over regeneration.”

Ulquiorra looked over to Yammy, whose left arm had been ruthlessly cut off by Nelliel. The spiritual pressure around Yammy grew with his rage. “Idiot… He recklessly rushed into a fight with her — a Vasto Lorde. He could’ve saved himself the humiliation if he developed his Pesquisa like I told him to.”

“She is one powerful lady.” Kazuya rubbed his chin. “Hugging her might be a bit... challenging with those legs, though.”

Ulquiorra seized on Kazuya’s momentary distraction, hurling his lance like a bolt of green lightning. Kazuya tilted his head at the last instant, the projectile slicing past and exploding an old structure. Debris rained down.

Kazuya acted as if luck had saved him. “Nah, I’ll pass on her. She’s not worth breaking the taboo… Ulquiorra, let’s end it fast. I gotta go back to my ladies before my resolve breaks.”

“RAAAAGH!!!” A massive explosion of Reiatsu drew their attention. Yammy’s release sent earthquakes across their surroundings.

“Huh? He is massive…”

Ulquiorra had enough of Kazuya looking all distracted. He formed another lance and used Sonído to slip past senses. His lance made a green streak as it lunged at Kazuya’s heart. But the target burst into flames.

“Surprise!” The real Kazuya dashed through the flames produced by his clone and smashed his fist into Ulquiorra’s face.

The solid smack sent Ulquiorra down to the ground. Just as Ulquiorra’s wings steadied him, he saw five Kazuya dashing at him with grins. His eyes couldn’t tell the original from the fake — they all exuded the same Reiatsu and carried the same physical attributes down to their scent.

“Ludicrous…”

Ulquiorra used Sonído to retreat from the menacing group and hurled his javelins at them. But every one of Kazuya dodged the javelins without much effort. After all, they all shared Kazuya’s speed. They caught up to Ulquiorra soon and clung to him, restricting his movement.

“These cheap tricks,” Ulquiorra scoffed and blasted three clones with his wings. “They are useless.”

Kazuya, who hovered behind Ulquiorra, had his Reiatsu completely restrained. Not even Ulquiorra could sense him standing there. Still, he knew he had to act fast and use this opportunity to deal heavy damage.

‘Here it goes!’

{Make Unohana proud!} Nami’s voice echoed in his mind.

Eyes filled with concentration, he imagined Unohana’s technique and mimicked it. Six simultaneous slashes ripped through his own clones and slashed open Ulquiorra’s back. His scythe left a searing cross-shaped wound.

Ulquiorra let out a sharp cry, more of surprise than pain. His flaring Reiatsu destroyed the leftover clones.

“And for the final touch.”

Ulquiorra wasn’t decisive enough to retreat at the first chance. Kazuya’s heel came down and struck Ulquiorra directly between his shoulder blades. The impact sent Ulquiorra plummeting toward the ground, but he stabilized with his wings. Kazuya gave chase with Shunpo and landed on Ulquiorra’s back, his momentum driving Ulquiorra into the ground.

Kazuya firmly planted his heel in Ulquiorra’s back and grabbed the giant bat-like wings. “I’ll take these as my prize.”

The Espada struggled, but the earlier wounds had slowed his reactions. And quite frankly, he was outclassed as he suffered one heavy injury after another. “No—”

With a fierce pull, Kazuya tore the wings clean from Ulquiorra’s back. He threw them away and flash-stepped back to the air. Blood sprayed and covered Ulquiorra’s white uniform as he stumbled forward, collapsing to his knees.

“These clones are pretty useful for battle.”

It was a little unfortunate that he needed his Shikai to utilize Nami and Tsubasa’s flames.

{Exorcism complete!} Nami cheerfully giggled. {Or not…}

“Be careful, Father!”

Ulquiorra’s wings regenerated slowly but they weren’t as strong and solid as before — they were merely ornamental.

Kazuya grinned. “It’s a good thing Soi Fon made you reveal your trump cards. She also softened you up for me. I’ll let her know her defeat wasn’t for nothing.”

Ulquiorra looked up, his expression unreadable. Despite his injuries, there was no fear in his eyes—as if he had accepted his death a long time ago. “You remind me of someone…” he whispered. “Someone I intended to kill using this form of my Resurrección.”

His spiritual pressure ramped up as a dark green and black aura manifested around him. Before Ulquiorra’s Segunda Etapa transformation was completed, another massive Reiatsu flared nearby. Both fighters turned their gaze toward the source.

“Lanzador Verde!” Nelliel yelled, hurling her lance at Yammy.

The weapon drilled through Yammy’s Hierro and a hole through his colossal belly. He let out a roar of agony, his movements shaking the earth like earthquakes.

Kazuya couldn’t help but smile. Nelliel had flawlessly accomplished her job.