Bleach: Heart of a Hero

by Blackdrag-rose

Hueco Mundo: Unexpected Development

"Okay, before we do anything else, you three have to explain what this 'Dios Hueco' is." Sombra stated, though at the same time he and his friends took a seat in the area that they had been in before Nel, Pesche, Dondochakka, and Bawabawa erupted from the sand like they did, where he also noticed that the three strange Arrancar sat near him as their pet rested near them, "What in the world is it, and why did you suddenly feel the need to kneel before me?"

"There are four classifications that Hollow go by; ordinary Hollows, Gillians, Adjuchas, and the Vasto Lorde," Pesche replied, revealing that he had to be the more intelligent member of their group, or at the very least he was the speaker since Nel had problems speaking at times, "that's all the classifications that Shinigami and their allies know about, but they're also wrong in that regard. All Hollows, and this extends to Arrancar as well, are aware of the existence of a fifth classification, one that is only filled once every one thousand years by a chosen Hollow, and that classification is the Dios Hueco, or the Hollow God, a creature that all Hollows inherently know about after years of wandering the sands. This special Hollow, though they need to go through the evolutionary process like every other Hollow, is even stronger than a Vasto Lorde, and they have the power to command every Hollow in Hueco Mundo, as we all instinctively know to follow this creature when one is created, even if it meant war broke out between us and Soul Society. Your power and aura have the makings of the Dios Hueco, which is why we knelt before you back there, and it's only a matter of time until you can exert your will over all those that call Hueco Mundo home with just a glance if you so desired... and then there's the small lizard Hollow that's still resting on your shoulder, as he felt your power and no doubt feels safer being near you."

Sombra glanced to the shoulder in question, finding the little critter that he had picked up while he was explaining part of Hueco Mundo, or rather the spirit particles, to Ichigo earlier was still there, and it didn't look like it wanted to leave just yet, so he focused on the matter at hand.

"So, let me get this straight," Ichigo spoke up, taking a moment to cut into the conversation, since Sombra was clearly thinking about what he had been told and was trying to understand it in his own way, much like he had done with all the other information that he gathered before a fight, "There's a fifth classification to what a Hollow can become, but this specific classification is only supposed to have one Hollow form every one thousand years and, when one does appear, every Hollow and Arrancar in Hueco Mundo will heed it's call once it unlocks it's full powers? The three of you, despite thinking that we were bad guys a few minutes ago, are more than willing to assist us, but only through the means of assisting Sombra, since he's the one you'll be swearing your services to until he decides that he no longer needs your help? What's to stop one of the Espada from telling Aizen this and warning him of what is coming his way?"

"I bet Grimmjow's tried to warn the other Espada by now," Sombra commented, as Grimmjow was the only Arrancar that had felt his true power, even if it was just a fraction of it, and had to have warned the others about what he was capable of, but at the same time he knew that they might still be in for a fight, "Still, to consider and accept the fact that there's another classification, one that's even stronger than a Vasto Lorde and capable of commanding the entirety of Hueco Mundo, would normally sound strange and unreasonable at the same time, yet I can tell that Pesche isn't lying about what's going on. To think that I'll have the power to command every Hollow here, whenever I actually unlock the full powers of the Dios Hueco, sounds amazing... and yet it might make things too easy for us if they kicked in early."

"I believe that your powers are only just awakening, now that you've returned to Hueco Mundo." Uryu stated, as he had been thinking about all of this and had come up with a decent idea as to why this might be happening, even though Sombra might have already thought about it as well, "We'll have to wait and see what happens in the future, after you've had the chance to really test the limits of your new powers... and maybe we'll catch Aizen off guard in the process."

"Still, we've got to rescue Orihime and Sora." Sombra said, as that came first for him, though even as he thought about it he had to wonder if that was the reason that Zangetsu called him 'Lord' when they were trying to get the Visored to understand what Ichigo was asking of them, before he stood up and glanced over at Las Noches, "Do any of you know how we can get to Las Noches faster, instead of running the entire way there?"

"We can ride on Bawabawa!" Nel stated, to which the snake-like Hollow moved it's head in a happy fashion, like it heard it's name and was happy to be called upon, though at the same time this told Sombra that they would be able to conserve their energy for what was going to happen once they breached Las Noches' walls.

"I shall give you the death that you so rightfully deserve," a voice said, causing the assembled group to glance around for a moment, as they were curious as to what they had heard, but as that happened Nel pointed at some moving sand that was nearby and everyone turned to face it.

Sombra watched as the sand started to form a large body that was made from the sand around them, only turned a darker shade to separate the creature from the area around them, and he easily determined that it was the upper part of a body, as arms formed moments later and a head followed after it, complete with a Hollow mask. Once the creature stopped forming Sombra was able to see that there was some sort of loincloth that was wrapped around the area that was connected to the sand, which also happened to be made of sand, the creature had some sort of bracelets that were around it's wrists, and it's head seemed to resemble those sand castles that he had seen children make back in the World of the Living. For a moment Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka seemed concerned about something, meaning that they knew who the Hollow in front of them was, but then they remembered that they were standing in the presence of the most powerful creature in all of Hueco Mundo and they stood their ground, just like Sombra was.

"Okay, what's this thing?" Ichigo asked, as he was growing tired of things happening to them before they even got inside Las Noches, even though the encounter with Nel and her brothers, since Sombra was okay with them calling themselves that, was actually a benefit to them thanks to the ride that they would take once the latest problem was taken care of, to which he grabbed the handle of his Zanpakuto and readied himself.

"This is the Guardian of the White Sands, Runuganga." Pesche stated, his tone indicating that he was a protector of some kind for the area around Las Noches, which made sense to Sombra since Aizen likely didn't want his base of operations to be left vulnerable.

"I just received word that there were invaders heading towards Las Noches." Runuganga stated, to which the group was able to determine that it was male thanks to the voice that came out of it, and at this point Sombra wasn't going to question how a Hollow could be made out of sand, before he glanced down at them and stared at Nel's group, "But to think that worms like you would work together with them. Unforgivable! I shall turn the lot of you into desert sand!"

"Actually, we're helping the rightful ruler of Hueco Mundo return to his throne." Nel replied in kind, surprising some of the group with the fact that she was able to say all those words without the usual child speak that she had used since they met her, telling Sombra that if she got serious she'd be able to speak like an adult.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" Runuganga asked, his tone suggesting that he didn't believe the words that Nel had said, meaning that he hadn't felt what she and her brothers had felt when Sombra called forth a good portion of his power earlier, but there was a simple way around this situation, "Please, there hasn't been a Dios Hueco for the last thousand years, and it is unlikely that one wou..."

Sombra focused his mind and the area around them shuddered once more, because he was going to see if he could persuade the creature that was in front of them to move to the side and allow them to pass, otherwise he was simply going to blow the Guardian of the White Sands away with a Cero. After a few seconds he relaxed and withdrew his reiatsu, as there was no need for him to go much further, because the moment he did that Runuganga bend over like someone that had taken a hard punch to the gut or something, and, at the same time, Nel's group looked at him with a look of excitement on their faces. Ichigo and the others, however, were still caught off guard by the sheer power that he could command at a moment's notice, which was why they were thankful that Sombra was on their side and not on Aizen's side, but before anyone said anything Sombra stepped forward and approached the Hollow that was in front of them, as he wanted to ask it a question before they got underway.

"I was not aware of what I truly was before I came here, but my power is no joke." Sombra said, though at the same time Runuganga lifted his head and stared at him, where Sombra was sure that he could see a hint of fear in the Hollow's eyes for a few seconds, before he continued talking so he could get to the reason that this was happening, "My name is Sombra, and right now I'm a Vasto Lorde ranked Arrancar that's coming into his powers as the Dios Hueco, the Hollow God as it's called, though at the moment I intend to reach Las Noches and take Aizen down. Now, you can either move to the side and allow us to pass to our destination, or you can stand in our way and attempt to stop us, but personally I'd go with the first option, that way you live to guard the home of your new ruler."

"Your power... is on Aizen's level..." Runuganga stated, his voice showing that he was debating about switching sides already, as normally he would have called Aizen's his 'Lord' and nothing else if he spoke his name, but now, after having been proven wrong about the existence of the Dios Hueco, there was only one thing for him to do, "Very well. I shall do as you suggested and back off, to protect Las Noches for it's future ruler. What would you have me do with the other two intruders that are on the hill over there?"

Sombra didn't need to be told that there were more people near their location, though at the same time he glanced in the direction that the reiatsu was coming from and smiled as he found both Rukia and Renji, wearing cloaks over their normal Shinigami attire, standing on top of the hill in question... though with a single movement of his head they started moving down towards where Ichigo and the others were located, allowing him to turn back to Runuganga.

"They're with me." Sombra said, informing the giant Hollow that he had been expecting them for some time and that they were allies of his, to which Runuganga bowed his head in acknowledgment and disappeared into the sand that he had pulled himself out of, to see if there were any other intruders that he needed to be tangle with and report what they were doing to the new master of Hueco Mundo.

"Rukia! Renji! What are you guys doing here?" Ichigo asked, though he could hazard a guess that they were here to help them save Orihime and Sora, mostly because all of this had been planned out by Sombra the moment the Captain-Commander told them to come back to Soul Society.

"Isn't it obvious? We're here to assist you guys." Rukia replied, though at the same time she smiled, because if it had been Ichigo making the move to attack Hueco Mundo on his own, and Chad, Uryu, and Sombra had been attached to him to prevent him from doing something stupid, she would have had a rant for him, but with this all being part of Sombra's plan, as he expected them to return at some point and had Urahara have a gate locked into the area near him, she wasn't about to complain, "Though you should have waited for us before you reached Aizen's fortress, so we could all go in there as a team and not be separated by some unknown obstacle. Besides, who was that creature that you were talking to and who are these guys?"

"That was Runuganga, the Guardian of the White Sands," Sombra answered, though at the same time he smiled as he high fived Renji and patted Rukia on the shoulder, showing them that he was happy to see them, while the lizard that was still on his shoulder jumped to the ground and scurried off into the sand, "He's turning over a new leaf, now that I've shown him my power and informed him of what's going on, which is something that I'll have to tell you guys about before we reach Las Noches. These are our new friends Nel Tu, Pesche, Dondochakka, all Arrancar that don't serve Aizen, and their pet Bawabawa, whose going to be assisting us in reaching our first destination."

"Okay, you need to explain what's going on at the moment." Ichigo stated, to which he pointed an accusing finger at Sombra for a few seconds, as he was getting tired of being out of the loop and having things happen that he didn't know about until a certain point in time, and he could tell that Rukia and Renji were slightly confused as well.

Sombra took Nel's offer of riding on Bawabawa to get to the walls of Las Noches and told her that both Rukia and Renji were his friends as well, meaning that they weren't going to hurt her or her brothers, before they all climbed on the Hollow's back and let him move towards their destination. From there he summed up what he had learned so far, telling them that the fortress they were heading to was Las Noches, that they had entered Hueco Mundo through an underground area, and that there was a fifth classification to what a Hollow could become, only that there was one of the final type every one thousand years. Rukia and Renji were shocked when they learned of the Dios Hueco's existence, as it seemed to go against everything they knew about Hollows, and yet part of it seemed to match since Rukia said something about a Hollow attack a thousand years ago, with a powerful Hollow that the Captain-Commander had been forced to destroy to turn the tide back in their favor. Nel then confirmed the story by revealing that all Hollows, after a few years of wandering Hueco Mundo, gained the knowledge that the older Hollows had, and that the battle Rukia was talking about had indeed occurred, as it was remembered by all in Hueco Mundo as their greatest defeat... but that still didn't compare to the shock that graced Rukia and Renji's faces when they learned that Sombra was next in line to take the throne of Hueco Mundo, giving him another reason to defeat Aizen.

Once he finished explaining the situation to Rukia and Renji, however, Ichigo asked about the cloaks that they were wearing and Rukia revealed that they had been told to wear them so they could protect themselves from the sand and dust that were in Hueco Mundo, and that the person responsible for giving the cloaks to them was Byakuya. Sombra wasn't surprised to hear that, not like Ichigo and the others were anyway, because it made sense that the Captain of the Sixth Division would want his little sister to be safe, especially after what happened in Soul Society where she was nearly executed on Aizen's orders. Rukia also told Ichigo that Byakuya was only under orders to bring them back to Soul Society and that they were free to do whatever they wanted upon their return, which was why they went back to Urahara's shop almost immediately upon their return and used the second Garganta that Urahara opened to get to Hueco Mundo, in time to feel the power that rolled off of Sombra's body. There was also the fact that Byakuya felt that Ichigo would never be able to survive on his own, like there was the possibility that he and Sombra would get separated at some point, and that his personal reason for allowing her and Renji to assist them was to keep them all alive until it was time to come back to the World of the Living, which allowed Ichigo more than he was willing to admit at the moment.

Despite the fact that it took them some time to reach the wall of Las Noches, giving them more than enough time to go over what they had learned since their arrival in Hueco Mundo, everyone was up to date on the situation and were ready to disembark from Bawabawa's back once he reached their destination... so when he came up to a stop by the wall group jumped down to the ground and approached the wall that was in front of them.

"What's with this wall?" Rukia asked, though at the same time she stepped forward and placed a hand on it, because if Aizen was mimicking Soul Society in terms of how big Las Noches the walls would be next to impossible to breach, but then her eyes widened for a moment, "It doesn't seem like the wall is made from Sekkiseki stone, which is what the gates that fell when you invaded Soul Society are made out of, meaning that there's no barrier protecting Las Noches."

"Good, then we can open a hole in it." Ichigo said, though Rukia had only a few seconds to get out of the way as both he and Renji readied both their Zanpakuto and their reiatsu, before they swung at the wall in front of them and blasted a small sized hole in the wall, opening the way forward so they could proceed, "Did we break through?"

"Of course." Renji stated, to which he sheathed his Zanpakuto, which reverted from it's Shikai form back into it's sealed form, before he held a hand out towards the hole that they had created in the wall, where a slight smile appeared on his face as he felt something that would make things nicer for them, "I can feel a breeze."

"Did we need to blast a hole in the wall?" Nel asked, to which she pointed in a different direction for a few moments, causing a few of the others to glance in that direction as well to see what she was talking about, "Dere's a door down that way, three days from here."

"Sorry Nel, but using the front door is sort of impossible at the moment." Sombra commented, to which Nel turned towards him for a moment, as she was curious as to why he would say something like that, before he turned his full attention to the hole that his friends had made in the wall, "Blasting our way into Las Noches is about the only way we can do things at the moment, though four of us did something similar when we were invading Soul Society to save Rukia, so it's not like this is new to us. Still, since there's a chance that more of Aizen's minions might be wandering the area outside Las Noches, I think it'll be safer for you and your brothers if you come along with us, because at this point anyone that hasn't seen the truth will consider you traitors and try to destroy you... and, if you do come with us, there's a greater chance of you being unharmed by the time we complete our mission."

"You aren't seriously considering letting them come with us, are you?" Ichigo asked, because while he could sort of understand part of Sombra's plan, as most of what he had heard was smart and made sense, he wasn't sure if bringing Nel and her 'brothers' along was a smart move.

"Ichigo, I know you can't sense it, but Nel has some incredible power that's just waiting to be awakened," Sombra said, though at the same time he glanced over at the little Arrancar for a moment, as she and her brothers were tending to their pet while he talked, and he could only imagine that she had been a powerful Arrancar when her mask had been whole, something that Orihime would be able to fix in no time once they saved her, "But for now we should focus on the task at hand, and that's infiltrating Las Noches and seeing if we can't figure out where they're keeping Orihime and Sora."

Ichigo sighed for a moment, as Sombra's senses were never wrong, and decided that he might as well follow his lead once more, to which Nel put a smile on her face as she, Pesche, and Dondochakka followed the group into the hole that had been blasted into the wall of Las Noches. It wasn't long after they entered the passage that Nel accidentally fell through an open hole in the side of the tunnel that they had broken into, an old vent or something, and Sombra jumped down to make sure that she was okay, before everyone else followed suit and landed behind him, though that was when some fallen stones and rubble fell down to prevent them from heading back up the stairs they ignored. For a moment Sombra considered that one of the Espada was trying to push them to a specific area, as that was what he'd have one of them do, and shelved the thought as they continued moving, only for Ichigo to comment a few moments later that it was pretty dark down here. Renji apparently had a solution for that, as he claimed that if you tweaked a Kido spell you could use it in any situation, though when he went to use Shakkaho, Hado Number 31, the group found that since he skipped the incantation, and Rukia even added that Renji was terrible at Kido in general, the sphere he tried to create was much smaller than he was hoping it would be... and Sombra was tempted to try it for a moment, since he had never considered doing something like that before, but then decided against it, since his attempt was likely going to be far superior to Renji's and that would only bruise his ego more than it already was.

A few minutes later Dondochakka stopped and declared that he spotted something shiny, which turned out to be a metallic door that was far newer than everything else they had found in the ruined area that they were following, and Ichigo swung Zangetsu at it and blew it up, revealing a staircase on the other side. From there Ichigo charged forward, as he was following the path that their chubby friend had discovered and was breaking down every door that was in his way, until eventually he stopped as he smashed his way into a brightly lit room that had five passageways for them to pick from, making Sombra wonder if his earlier thought had been correct.

"A crossroads... how interesting." Uryu commented, though at the same time sweat rolled down the side of his face for a moment, as this wasn't something that they were anticipating, and he also noticed that Sombra was the only one that wasn't concerned about the situation, which made sense given his powers.

"We sure picked a good spot to come out in, huh?" Renji asked, though he hated what they had found, because since there were five paths that meant that one of them was going to end up with Sombra following behind them and assisting them in some manner, and that was likely going to be Ichigo, though that was before they all felt several reiatsu emitting from the five passages they could pick from.

"Let's not waste any time arguing about what we're going to do." Rukia said, to which the group turned towards her for a moment, as she knew what they needed to do and was sure that they could get the job done easily, "There are five paths we can take, so the five of us should split up and Sombra can follow after whoever he desires."

"Rukia, that's insane! We can't split up!" Ichigo stated, though he was beginning to wonder what had gotten into his friends, because he knew the strength of their opponents and knew that this wasn't going to be easy if they separated from each other, "Our enemies are the Espada! It's way safer if we stick together!"

"Ichigo, just drop it." Renji spoke up, to which he stepped between Rukia and Ichigo for a moment, as this wasn't the time nor the place for them to be arguing about what was going on at the moment, especially since they needed to find and take out as many of the Espada as they could before Aizen realized what was going on, "It's insulting to a soldier when you worry about protecting them on the battlefield."

"Besides, that's not something that someone like you would say," Rukia added, as this was one of the few times that she had seen genuine concern in Ichigo's eyes, for her and the rest of his friends, those that weren't at Sombra's level anyway, and while she did appreciate the gesture she also knew that now wasn't the time for it, "Ichigo, Renji and I can handle ourselves, just like I'm sure that Uryu and Chad showed you their power so you would believe in their abilities as well, before you even came this far. We didn't come here to be protected by you!"

"Still, to be on the safe side, allow me to do this." Sombra said, to which he waved his right hand at the group and his horn glowed for a moment, allowing him to perfectly sense their reiatsu and where they were standing, before he blinked out of existence and reappeared behind Ichigo, when he had been standing behind Rukia a second ago, "Good, it works like it's supposed to. If you guys are in a really tough situation, like you're in a fight against an Espada that you cannot defeat, please don't hesitate to alert me, because you guys are my friends and I don't want to see any of you die while we're assaulting Aizen's forces... though I have faith in your abilities and know that you'll only really call be over to you if you really need my assistance."

"I... guess I can work with this." Rukia replied, though she wasn't sure what was more surprising, the fact that Sombra had that much faith in all of their abilities or the fact that he was using powers that weren't like what a Shinigami or an Arrancar used, but then again he was on a completely different level and might have some unique powers that had never been documented before.

"Okay then, we'll split up and each take one of the passages." Ichigo spoke up, as he was used to Sombra doing a Kido spell or using a power that no one else had seen him use before, just like whatever power he had demonstrated to them to prove his point, before determining that this was still a bad idea and had no idea why he was still going through with it, especially when their opponents were going to be the Espada.

"I've also got something that will bring us good luck, and maybe make it so we don't pester Sombra." Renji added, to which the group turned towards him once more, as it appeared that he was being serious about what he was talking about, before he placed his hand in the middle of them all, "It's a ceremony of some kind that the Gotei 13 used to to before a big battle, though these days most Divisions don't do it anymore and only get taught it when they're still learning how to become Shinigami... but I figured that, since we're going up against Aizen and his Espada, that now might be a good time to give us some extra luck. Just place your hands on top of mine and I'll get the chant started."

Ichigo stared at Renji for a moment, wondering what had gotten into his mind as well, before sighing as he raised his hand and put it on top of his friends' hand, which was followed by Chad, Uryu, and Rukia adding their hands to the pile as well, while at the same time Sombra observed them since it was clear that this was for the five of them.

"We at this moment head into the decisive battle." Renji recited, speaking the ancient chant that he had talked about, while at the same time the others focused on their hands and let him have his moment, as they all felt that they were going to agree with the chant by the time they were done with it, "Have faith that our blades will not shatter. Have faith that our hearts will not waiver. And even if our paths should diverge, we all share a heart of iron. Swear that even if the ground beneath us should be rent asunder we will live and return to this place again."

The moment the chant was over the five of them moved their hands down towards the floor, like they were breaking the connection they had formed, before turning around and headed down the passage that happened to be behind where they were standing, and in a matter of seconds they started to disappear from Sombra's sight. A few seconds later Sombra sighed and followed after Ichigo, leaving the choice of who they wanted to follow up to Nel and her brothers, since he had the feeling that they would be joining the battle later on, though Ichigo only glanced at him with a smile on his face as he noticed him catch up in a matter of seconds. Ichigo was clearly used to his speed, since they had trained together for a few days when he helped his friend master his control over his Bankai, before Sombra focused on his senses on the passage that they were currently running down, though as he suspected Nel and her brothers were following someone down the passage that they had chosen, as he could hear Nel following behind him, could feel Dondochakka chasing after Renji, and he felt Pesche tracking Uryu... and, at the same time, he could already tell that the Arrancar that was supposed to be guarding the area that they had entered was already following them, but their opponent wasn't that much of a threat.

It took Ichigo a few moments to realize that Nel was following them, since she was being quiet and not shouting his name, something that Sombra guessed was because she was in his presence since he was the Dios Hueco, but when he did notice her he turned around and attempted to catch her when she jumped into the air... only for the eye sockets of her mask to glow as she accelerated through the air and slammed into his chest, knocking Ichigo to the floor for a moment as Sombra stopped beside them.

"Why didn't you tell me she was coming up behind us?" Ichigo asked, as he knew that Sombra had felt Nel coming up the passage behind them and was curious as to why he had decided to say absolutely nothing about her, but as he carefully got off the floor he noticed that Sombra was focused on something else, "What is it?"

"I'm studying our enemy." Sombra replied, as there was no use trying to hide the fact that he was keeping a close eye on the Arrancar that was following them, studying their movements for when they decided to attack the three of them, but he would be ready for the attack the moment their foe showed themselves, "Besides, if I keep sensing everything for you, you'll never develop the same abilities that I have... even if your version of it will be weaker than mine. There's also the fact that you won't have to worry about Pesche and Dondochakka chasing after us, as I can tell that Pesche is with Uryu and Renji's got Dondochakka as company, so they won't be piling on top of you anytime soon."

"Wait, you said that you're studying our enemy?" Ichigo inquired, though that was when his own senses alerted him to what Sombra was keeping track of, to which he glanced up at the ceiling of the passage that they were in, as it seemed like the Arrancar in question wasn't even bothering to hide himself, "Hey! Come on out and face us!"

As Ichigo said that, and appeared to get serious, Sombra watched as the Arrancar in question shattered one of the beams that they had been using to follow them and continued down the passage that they had been following, but before he, Ichigo, and Nel could follow after their foe the Arrancar slipped on something and crashed to the floor some distance in front of them. The Arrancar used the smoke that erupted from their landing to point at the trio for a moment, to which both Ichigo and Nel stared at it with a look of disinterest in their eyes, before the Arrancar started to make a couple of movements with their body that looked like they were dancing, causing Sombra to raise his eyebrow for a moment. When the smoke cleared Sombra found that the Arrancar in question was male, based on his build, and that their foe had blue eyes and black hair, which was styled to look like horns in some places, a van-dyke beard and mustache, while the remains of his Hollow mask was a plate of some kind that rested on his forehead, which also had some horns. The Arrancar's attire was also customized, just like all of the other Arrancar he had met so far, and that was in the sense that there were fringes on the forearm portion of his sleeves, he had a red sash tied around his waist, he had oddly shaped shoulder pads under his jacket, and there were three openings down the front of his jacket that revealed a bit of his black undershirt.

The Arrancar remained in the final pose that he was showing them when the smoke cleared for a few moments, giving the three of them some time to stare at him in whatever manner they desired, though eventually he was forced to open one of his eyes and see what they were doing... and immediately locked onto the looks of disinterest that Ichigo and Nel were wearing at the moment, which seemed to enrage him.

"Hey, wait! What's with that reaction!?" the Arrancar asked, to which he turned his full attention to Ichigo and started waving his finger at them, showing Sombra that he didn't much care for the disinterest that was in his and Nel's eyes at the moment, before beckoning to himself for a moment, "You have just witnessed my magnificent entrance!"

"'Magnificent'?" Ichigo inquired, though while he stared at the Arrancar that was standing in their way, someone that he knew they were going to have to fight to move forward, Nel remained in the same disinterested state that she had been in the moment the Arrancar fell down to their level, "Didn't you just slip a few seconds ago?"

"You're pretending to be so calm!" the Arrancar added, showing that he either didn't care for what Ichigo was saying or that he was so caught up in what he was doing that he couldn't hear what was being said to him, before he focused on the one person that wasn't paying attention to him, "Anyway, at least make the little one beside you pay attention and make eye contact with me!"

"Trust me, I'm not pretending to be calm." Ichigo said, as this was getting them nowhere fast and he wished that Sombra would cut the Arrancar down so they could move forward, because there was no telling where Aizen was keeping Orihime and Sora, or what he was doing to them, before he focused on Nel once more, who seemed to snap out of the state that she had been in earlier and focused on their enemy.

"I guess that's the difference between our senses of style... it has nothing to do with you, someone that's about to be defeated in battle." the Arrancar stated, apparently calming down while he spoke, which was good since they might be able to get some information out of him before a fight broke out, before he shifted his left arm towards himself as he readied himself for something else, "Prepare yourselves, invaders, for I, Arrancar Ciento Tres , Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio, shall crush you all here!"

"Ciento Tres, meaning One hundred and Three," Sombra said, to which his eyebrow remained raised as he thought about what they had learned so far, between Grimmjow's attack on the World of the Living and what Nel had told them before they invaded Las Noches, before he turned towards Ichigo and Nel, "Didn't you tell us that the only ones with multiple numbers, save for the Diez Espada, were the Numeros?"

"Yeah, those with two digits." Nel replied, nodding her head to indicate that she knew what she was talking about, while at the same time the look in her eyes told him that she had on idea what Dordoni was even talking about, who was getting annoyed that they were ignoring him, "I've never heard of an Arrancar with three digits before."

"Interesting. That means that there's another classification that we missed," Sombra stated, though he had the feeling that he knew what the missing classification was, considering that Aizen already had allies in Hueco Mundo before he even found the Hogyoku, before he turned towards Dordoni once more, "So, what exactly does it mean for an Arrancar to have three digits, instead of the usual one or two digits that all the others seem to have?"

"Those with three digits, of which there are ten of us, are the Privaron Espada," Dordoni answered, as he was actually surprised to find that the person that he was talking to, and didn't seem to pity him like the Shinigami and little Arrancar were doing, was interested in learning more about him and what he was, "In Spanish our name means 'Deprived Sword', and in Japanese we are the 'Ten Fallen Blades', depending on what you feel like calling us, and we're former Espada that have been officially demoted and stripped of our rank, to which we are assigned a three digit number and sentenced to live here, in Tres Cifras, meaning Three Digits. Each of the ten Privaron Espada that currently call Tres Cifras home were part of the original Espada that had formed when Lord Aizen claimed Hueco Mundo as his base of operations, but we became obsolete when he gained the Hogyoku and started creating Arrancar that were far stronger than we ever were... and Grimmjow would have joined us as the Ciento Once Arrancar, had Lord Aizen not had plans for him."

"I see. Since your former Espada, and I can tell you still have your power, that means that you are stronger than some of the Numeros that we fought in the World of the Living." Sombra said, as he knew that some of the Arrancar that his friends had fought during Grimmjow's invasion had been around Dordoni's level, meaning that he knew exactly what Ichigo needed to do to win this fight, "Ichigo, if you want to fight him you'll have to use your Bankai. He's too strong for you to take in your bas..."

"I can take him without using my Bankai." Ichigo stated, though at the same time Nel got off his shoulder, as that was where she had been resting the entire time, and moved to Sombra's side, who was standing off on the side now so he could observe what was coming up next, before he grabbed Zangetsu's handle and prepared himself.

Dordoni seemed excited about the idea of a fight and even charged at Ichigo accordingly, but since Ichigo did the foolish thing of keeping Zangetsu wrapped up in the cloth he failed to cut his foe, not that it mattered since the dance moves that Dordoni had been using to show off his poses was actually how he fought, as he was more than capable of dodging Ichigo's slow attacks. Even when Dordoni slipped on a rock and hit the wall Ichigo still couldn't touch him, though that was because he stopped to laugh at how clumsy his opponent was as Sombra brought his palm to his face, as he honestly couldn't believe that Ichigo was doing this, and that even prevented Ichigo from avoiding the fallen rock that fell on his face and then proceeded to laugh at Nel when she got hit as well, since she laughed at him in return. A few seconds later, when Dordoni was ready to resume their fight, Ichigo sighed and undid the cloth around Zangetsu's blade, indicating that he was being a little serious about this fight, and charged back into battle once more, which only resulted in him getting cut on his right shoulder as Dordoni appeared behind him, causing shock to appear on his face. In retaliation for that Ichigo gathered his reiatsu and launched a Getsuga Tensho right at his opponent's back, intending to defeat him while he was distracted... though that was followed by Dordoni surprising him once more by kicking backwards and shattered the wave attack like it was nothing, all with a smile on his face as he turned back towards Ichigo.

"My, my. Didn't your mama ever teach you not to judge people by their appearances, nino?" Dordoni asked, though at the same time he turned around so he could focus on Ichigo, as that was the person he wanted to beat at the moment, while taking note of what Sombra was doing, "It's like I told your friend over there, those that call Tres Cifras home are the Privaron Espada, though if all the variations of it I told you don't work out then consider this, we're also called the 'Fallen Espada' since we were demoted to having three digits. Our skills are on par with the lowest of the newest Espada that Lord Aizen created, like Yammy or Aaroniero for instance, so there's no reason for you to underestimate our abilities and fight without using your full power."

Before Ichigo had a chance to do anything Dordoni continued his assault, kicking at Ichigo and forcing him to either use Zangetsu to block the attack or dodge it with his own skills, though that also allowed him to flash after Dordoni and found that his own attack was avoided completely. A few moments later Dordoni grinned as he jumped into the air and raised his right foot towards the ceiling, allowing him to smash through four of the beams in the process, before he descended towards Ichigo and attacked him, who used his Zanpakuto to block the attack, though that was what Dordoni was expecting as he forced his foot into the ground and kicked up some dust in the process. From there Dordoni spun around and kicked Ichigo into the wall that was to his right, knocking him into a whole new room in the process, before shifting his stance and kicked Ichigo in the chest, sending him into the wall to the right once more, where he stood there for a few seconds and stared at his opponent as Sombra and Nel stood at the entrance of the new room.

"Your reactions are slow and your defense is weak." Dordoni stated, to which he landed on the ground and stared at the area that he had knocked Ichigo into, where he found that his opponent was stuck in the rubble of the wall, "You can't even handle a change in footing! I can't do this! It's almost like I'm fighting a baby! Nino, do as your friend suggested and use your Bankai. In your current state you won't be able to do anything against me, much less defeat me in battle."

"There's no reason for me to do that." Ichigo replied, though at the same time he moved his arms and shoulders to get himself out of the rubble that he was stuck in, before he glared down at his opponent once more, who seemed really eager for the battle to get interesting.

"Why? Your friend was right that you need it to beat me." Dordoni said, as he didn't understand his opponent's desire to not use the power that would allow him to fight on equal footing with him, and he could tell that the Arrancar that was watching them fight was annoyed with something as well.

"The Privaron Espada aren't Espada, right?" Ichigo inquired, though as he said that he smiled, as he knew that he could still beat his opponent in his current state to win this battle that he was in, even if Sombra believed that he should have used his full power to win the fight quicker, before he flew through the air and raced towards his opponent, "We need to defeat all the Espada, so I can't be wasting my Bankai on enemies that aren't even Espada! That's why I'm going to defeat you without using my Bankai!"

"I understand your feelings, nino, but don't underestimate me!" Dordoni stated, catching the attack that was coming his way like it was nothing, and in all honesty he wasn't too impressed by Ichigo's skills, before he pushed his opponent backwards and grabbed onto his Zanpakuto, which he partly pulled out of it's scabbard, "Whirl! Giralda!"

Not a few seconds later Dordoni was surrounded by a twister of some kind for a few seconds, showing that he was releasing his full power to entice Ichigo to do the same thing, but as that happened Sombra watched Ichigo to see what he did in response to the power that his foe was using. When the tornado faded away, and Ichigo avoided the incoming attack by nearly being hit in the process, Sombra noticed that not much had changed since the Arrancar had released his Resurreccion, though what he did find was that Dordoni had gained a large horn on each of his shoulders and armor that started at his feet, as it headed up and wrapped around his calves, before jutting out at his waist with two more spikes, and his mask had extended to frame his face. A few seconds later Dordoni barely did anything as the opened horns near his feet started pouring out wind that formed two large cyclones, which eventually formed two faces at the very end of them that also happened to have a Hollow mask of some kind, meaning that this was his special ability, all while he was lifted into the air and stared down at Ichigo. When he swung his legs in a kicking motion the wind based Hollow that was connected to that leg raced towards his target, punishing Ichigo accordingly as he was pushed through the air and knocked around like he was a plaything, before Dordoni knocked Ichigo down into the floor and laughed when he landed nearby, as this was too easy for him... all which Sombra sighed in annoyance and Nel looked like she was going to break down in tears, since she considered Ichigo her friend.

Sombra told Ichigo that he needed his Bankai to fight someone that was an Espada, even if they were one of the Privaron Espada and were weaker than someone like Grimmjow, and his friend was proving just how stubborn and foolish he was about what was going on around him, as he should have known that Renji and the others needed their full power, and even their Bankai, to defeat the Numeros that came with Grimmjow.

The next few minutes were painful to watch, as Sombra witnessed Ichigo get knocked around, kicked multiple times, and laughed at by Dordoni, who was clearly using his full power against him and yet he still didn't seem to care or desire to use his Bankai, still clinging to the ridiculous notion that he needed to save it for the 'real' Espada. At the same time that this was happening, despite using his full power, Sombra could tell that Dordoni had heard of Ichigo's Bankai and wanted to see it for himself, and he had to assume that they also knew about his Hollowification as well, since someone had to have been watching them all while they fought earlier. Even with those light attacks Dordoni called out for Ichigo to use his Bankai, otherwise he was going to die a very painful death for ignoring what Sombra had told him, and he eventually grabbed Ichigo with both of the wind Hollows, holding him up in the air so he could stare at him while he considered what he needed to do to convince Ichigo to unleash his power on him. When that happened Ichigo seemed to understand the situation that he was in and made the movement to unleash his Bankai, by leveling Zangetsu with his opponent, but before anything happened he flashed through the air and tried to cut Dordoni in half, only for his opponent to block the incoming attack as it came down on him... and he even stopped Ichigo from firing a Getsuga Tensho by knocking him backwards through the air, which was when he moved his hands around until they formed a symbol in front of his mouth and Sombra felt his reiatsu spike.

"Naughty children have to be punished." Dordoni declared, to which four red strands of energy gathered in the square area that his hands had formed, generating a red Cero that was clearly going to be used against Ichigo, before he fired his attack and let it race towards where Ichigo was laying.

In the next few seconds Sombra found something amazing, Nel used the same acceleration type ability to get down to where Ichigo was laying and put herself in front of the Cero, where he, Ichigo, and Dordoni watched in shock as she started to draw the attack into her mouth... though a few seconds later, when she had swallowed the entire attack, she was forced to expel it and Dordoni barely had time to register what was going on as his own Cero was fired back at him and detonated the moment it reached him. Sombra found that Nel's ability was definitely interesting, as he hadn't seen something like it so far, but before he said anything he flashed down in front of Nel to be sure that she was alright, and to stop the Bala from hitting her, as he extended his left arm towards Dordoni and caught the attack with ease, shattering it before it could hit anyone. When the smoke cleared it was revealed that the left side of Dordoni's Hollow mask had been broken in the process of taking his own attack, and that he was bleeding from what had just happened, but he frowned as he realized that a new challenger was going to oppose him.

"Nel, stand back and make sure Ichigo stays where he is." Sombra said, to which he stood up and put a few steps between him and his friends, before facing Dordoni, as it was time to end a fight that should have been over a long time ago, and the only reason it lasted this long was because Ichigo was being dense, "I'm going to finish this fight in an instant so we can move forward."

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, as it wasn't fair that Sombra was stepping in when he could still win the fight without having to resort to using his Bankai, but before he could say anything the air shuddered for a moment as Sombra readied himself... and this time around he not only drew Shokyo, which rested in his right hand, but he also drew Rey, which took his left hand, something that he had never seen his friend do since he got his Arrancar Zanpakuto back.

"This reiatsu, it matches all the reports we have on you," Dordoni stated, though the look in his eyes told Sombra that he was more than ready for what came next, especially since there was something that Sombra needed to do before this fight got interesting, "All you need to do now is activate both your Bankai and your Resurreccion, to unleash your full power in a single instant, and we can really get this fight started."

"Sorry, but there's no need for either of those to be used right now." Sombra said, to which he sighed as he shifted his hold on his Zanpakuto, as a few seconds later the blades were facing behind him, causing both Ichigo and Dordoni to look at him with confusion written on their faces, as this was the first time they had seen something like this, "I will, however, honor you by raising my reiatsu to the peak of what it should be in my base state, and then I shall show you the new technique that Shokyo, Rey, and I have been working on... Kaiten Kenbu."

Ichigo's eyes widened as Dordoni started laughing like he had lost his mind, as he seemed pleased to fight someone of Sombra's level, even if Sombra was holding back a good portion of his full power, though as that happened Sombra seemed to disappear for a moment. In the following few seconds he watched as six diagonal lines, three going from the right side to the left side while the other three went in the opposite direction, appeared on Dordoni's chest, surprising the Arrancar for a moment since he hadn't seen the attack coming, before blood burst out of them and he toppled to the ground as the wind disappeared. As Dordoni fell, and his Resurreccion shattered, Sombra appeared a few steps behind his foe, where he sighed and sheathed his Zanpakuto, before turning around and walked over to where he and Nel were waiting for him, though they were still shocked over what Sombra was able to do.

"Sombra... what in the world was that?" Ichigo asked, though at the same time Nel bothered him by wiping some of her drool on one of his wounds, which seemed to heal it like the ointment that he had borrowed from Ikkaku during their invasion of Soul Society, before he focused on his friend as Nel tended to him.

"Kaiten Kenbu, or Revolving Heaven Sword Dance," Sombra replied, telling him the technique name and the version of it that was translated, just like everyone did for him when they told him their technique names, "it's something that the three of us, meaning Shokyo, Rey, and I, have been working on during our own training. If I were to slow my movements down for you, since you likely missed the opening part of the technique, you would see me moving around slightly before I made my move, which was when I approached my target, spin around a few times, and then deliver an equal number of slashes with both of my blades, such as four or six for example, before appearing behind them as they finally realize that they were hit to begin with. Despite the power I used, I intentionally held back, because there are a few things that I want to ask Dordoni before we move forward... especially since he knows his way around this area and we don't."

Ichigo had no idea why Sombra cared about that, since the exit was nearby, but he guessed that it was possible that the fallen Arrancar had some worthwhile information for them and he let Nel do her thing on Dordoni, though she did tell them that there was a good chance that he'd die soon after she was done, since there were a fair number of wounds that needed to be healed and they didn't have a lot of time to properly tend to them. Fortunately it didn't take too long for Dordoni to regain consciousness and stare at them, clearly showing that he was surprised to still be alive after all the power that Sombra had used against him, but in the end he ended up smiling as he revealed to them that he now understood why so many were scared of Sombra and the power he commanded. At the same time he also said that it made sense for them to spare him, since they were in unfamiliar territory and that he might know the way forward, which was information that they needed, but the reality of the situation was far different and he knew that one of them would be displeased with what he had to tell them.

"If you're looking for the way to the main structure of Las Noches, you won't get it from me," Dordoni stated, to which he noticed some raised eyebrows and prepared himself to reveal the reason behind why they wouldn't be able to get the path from him, "Sure, I knew the path that we would have normally taken to get to Aizen's part of Las Noches, but at this point in time Gin has likely changed the path with the controls, so you'll just have to follow the exit over there and see where he sends you... unless you feel like bursting through a wall and running towards the center of Las Noches."

"I see. Well then, that means we'll just have to press onward." Sombra replied, to which he sighed, as it seemed that they would have to rely on his senses to be sure that they knew where their enemies were located, before standing up and turning towards the exit, "I noticed that you didn't say 'Lord' Aizen this time... does that mean..."

"I formally recognize you as the new Lord of Hueco Mundo, for as long as I live," Dordoni said, though at the same time he coughed as he collected his Zanpakuto, before beckoning to the exit that the group needed to go through before a certain group arrived, "Now get going and take Aizen out... I'll stay here and make sure no one gets by me."

Dordoni watched as Sombra nodded, as he seemed to sense the incoming threat as well, and before he knew it both he and Ichigo, who was carrying the little one, were running down the hallway that served as the exit for this room, to which he turned around and stared at the hole in the wall that had been created during the first part of the battle. That was soon followed by a number of robed figures, with round skull shaped masks covering their heads and their leader being the only one that possessed horns, appeared before him, though he was thankful to still have his weapon at the ready since he knew they were coming.

"Hello there, Exequias." Dordoni said, though at the same time he drew his Zanpakuto from it's scabbard, as his senses told him that they weren't here to assist him, especially when he was so soundly defeated by a single enemy, but that didn't stop him from making sure that the true ruler of Hueco Mundo escaped with his companions, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"We're under orders to kill any intruders, wounded or otherwise." the figure with the horns stated, telling Dordoni what was going on at the moment, though he was the only one that talked among the entire group, making him wonder if the others were mute or something, "I cannot say on whose orders we're acting."

"I can assume that you want me to step aside, and I won't." Dordoni replied, to which he quickly uttered his Release Call and the name of his Zanpakuto once more, taking on his true form once more as the members of the Exequias drew their blades the moment their leader did, but instead of attacking them he turned around and kicked the entrance of the tunnel, destroying the opening entirely, before grinning at his enemies, "The true ruler of Hueco Mundo must not be interrupted in his mission to take what is rightfully his... and I will gladly die making sure you don't take another step towards his location."

Dordoni knew it before the battle even started, that he was going to strain his body and succumb to his wounds, but at the same time he fought on anyway, kicking at the members of the Exequias that attacked him and knocked them down with all his might of his Resurreccion form... though when his wounds opened minutes later, and blood exploded from them once more, he fell to the floor with a wide smile on his face, as he did everything in his power to stall the Exequias, and he faced his death with no regrets.

Comments

[TheArcticWolf]

Oh my gersh things are going insane! Sombra is literally gathering followers with every hollow he meets here.

[CaioCoia]

It would be cool if you even add the OST of the songs when starting battle, there is a lot of music OSTs on Bleach in case of fighting Espadas. XD

[prism heart]

I wonder if adult Nel will try to get Sombra to date her? It would lead to some funny interactions between her and Yoruichi

[Night_Moon60606]

Kiten Kenpu? since when did Sombra join the Oniwaban Group?

[ManOfTheVoid W-D- Gaster]

Dordoni NNNNNOOOOOOOOO

[Spellflame]

9224281

[Black--Soul]

Magnificent how loyal Ainz Pawn are, he did very well for himself.