Chapter 653 Where White Sand Flies, Hollows Also Live On

Before the aftershocks of the explosion had even settled, both figures reappeared from the churning flames.

For the first time, Yu's fully demonized face showed genuine surprise.

Makoto had already explained Arrancarization and Resurrección to them in detail.

But Yu truly hadn't expected that this bat-like Vasto Lorde, after completing Resurrección, could transform once more.

This completely exceeded his previous understanding of Hollows...

'Did Hollow Resurrección, like Shinigami Zanpakuto release, also have two stages like Shikai and Bankai?'

At that moment, Ulquiorra in his Segunda Etapa form condensed another Lanza del Relámpago.

Pale green lightning crackled between his palms, casting flickering light on his cold face.

In truth, Ulquiorra's inner shock was no less than Yu's.

After all, the Lanza del Relámpago was currently his strongest technique after awakening Segunda Etapa.

If even this couldn't overcome his opponent, just how strong was this Gun Hollow's defense and vitality?

But this shock wouldn't make him retreat.

If once wasn't enough, he would try again.

Instantly, Ulquiorra gripped the spear with both hands and once again exploded with astonishing agility and speed.

His figure traced a lightning-like trajectory through the air, each change of direction breaking the sound barrier, leaving rings of white vapor.

Yu, with his much larger form, instead soared higher into the sky, nearly level with the cold moon above.

He didn't chase Ulquiorra's figure. Instead, he aimed all of his countless gun barrels at the entire area below... indiscriminate carpet bombing.

Countless dark red Ceros poured down like rain, blanketing the ground in a sea of fire without end.

This was an attack with a range so vast it was impossible to fully evade.

One relied on agile maneuvers to find an opportunity for a decisive strike.

The other relied on carpet bombing to turn the entire battlefield upside down.

Their combat styles were completely opposite.

But if this continued, not just this area, but half of Hueco Mundo could be caught in the crossfire.

Under Yu's map-wide bombardment, Ulquiorra, wielding the Lanza del Relámpago with both hands, performed extreme evasive maneuvers through the gaps in the barrage, his figure weaving like a ghost between explosions and fire.

But the opponent's attack range was simply too vast. No matter how fast he was, he couldn't remain unscathed in such a dense hail of fire.

His hands were struck by multiple Ceros simultaneously. Both arms, along with the yet-unthrown Lanza del Relámpago, were blasted to pieces, turning to ash in the flames.

Yet almost at the same instant his arms were severed, Ulquiorra's right hand had already completely regenerated under High-Speed Regeneration.

His entire right arm regrew from the shoulder in the blink of an eye. The newly formed hand raised its index finger, aiming at the Gun Devil high above.

Dark green to pitch-black Reiatsu condensed at his fingertip, forming a chaotic black flash. The surrounding space warped slightly under that energy.

Gran Rey Cero!

Yu hadn't expected Ulquiorra's High-Speed Regeneration to be this fast even in this form.

He knew that many Hollows, upon evolving, often sacrificed certain abilities in exchange for greater attack power.

High-Speed Regeneration and Hierro were among the most commonly discarded abilities. Trading regeneration and defense for more terrifying offensive power was a common evolutionary path.

But Ulquiorra, even after achieving Segunda Etapa, hadn't shown any weakening in any aspect. On the contrary, he had improved across the board.

The Gran Rey Cero shot through the air.

The Gun Devil raised his left arm to block, but the chaotic black flash exploded violently the moment it touched his arm. The impact was far stronger than he had anticipated.

His sky-covering, colossal body staggered in the air, sliding back hundreds of meters before barely stabilizing.

Below, Ulquiorra's arms had fully regenerated within two seconds.

Without any pause, he condensed the Lanza del Relámpago for a third time.

The lightning on the spear's tip was fiercer than before. The air around it was ionized into a brilliant halo.

He flapped his wings and charged at Yu once again.

"Damn it!"

Yu couldn't help but curse.

His patience was wearing thin. He temporarily forgot the mission to bring Ulquiorra back as a research subject and prepared to go all out to destroy him.

Countless gun barrels on his arms merged simultaneously. In the grinding of mechanical gears, they formed a colossal main cannon, its muzzle large enough to swallow an entire city.

Dark red energy condensed furiously deep within the main cannon, its brightness escalating sharply as he prepared to release an ultimate Cero capable of wiping a nation off the map.

Just before that devastating attack was about to fire—

A voice came from the edge of the sky, piercing through the roar of explosions and the crackle of thunder, reaching the ears of all three.

"Stop."

As soon as this was said, Yu's killing intent immediately receded by half.

The dark red energy in the massive main cannon rapidly dimmed, and the muzzle slowly shifted direction.

Ulquiorra was also startled.

His hands gripping the spear froze mid-motion, though the lightning on the shaft still crackled.

"Good work, Ishigami. Come back."

The voice continued, adding, "Ulquiorra Cifer, Yammy Llargo, come as well."

Ulquiorra and Yammy were both stunned.

'He knows our names?'

On the other side, Yu had already reverted to his normal form from his full Gun Devil state.

He stretched his neck, shot the two a cold glance, and said impatiently, "Don't be ungrateful."

With that, he turned and walked toward the direction the voice had come from.

Ulquiorra was silent for a moment, then withdrew from his Segunda Etapa state, returning to his normal form.

He became the pale, gaunt young man again.

He slowly sheathed his Zanpakuto at his waist and said to Yammy, "Let's go."

This time, Yammy didn't argue.

After witnessing that battle, he had finally seen just how far he was from true strength.

Yu was already terrifying enough. The being who could command such a monster was beyond Yammy's imagination.

Not long after, the three returned to Las Noches.

Compared to the previous era under Baraggan's rule, Las Noches had undergone earth-shaking changes.

After Psykos's modifications, the entire palace, though still lacking a day-night system, was now nearly indistinguishable from the grand white palace that Aizen would later build during his rule of Hueco Mundo.

Upon entering the main hall of Las Noches, aside from Nel and Harribel... two Vasto Lorde whose names Ulquiorra had at least heard of—

His and Yammy's attention was almost immediately drawn to Psykos, Beam, Pochi, and all the other completely unfamiliar faces that nonetheless radiated Vasto Lorde-level energy.

'So many Vasto Lorde...' Yammy couldn't help but swallow.

He had indeed heard that Makoto had gathered numerous Vasto Lorde-level Menos Grandes around him. But seeing them in person, the number was even more exaggerated than the rumors.

'In the entire history of Hueco Mundo, had there ever been such a dense gathering of Vasto Lorde in the same place at the same time?'

'And these guys actually seemed to be getting along quite well.'

Just then, Yammy noticed an unusual presence.

Next to Pochi was a crudely drawn teddy bear dog with white Hollow bone armor covering its genital area. Based on its size, it should also be a Vasto Lorde.

But unlike Pochi, whose mask covered his face, this one's mask was actually worn on its crotch. Anyone could tell at a glance it wasn't any kind of decent character.

"I never expected that awakening power through protecting a companion would happen to you."

Makoto, seated on the throne, looked at Ulquiorra with a smile.

The original work never explained exactly how Ulquiorra awakened Segunda Etapa... it was simply revealed during his final battle with Ichigo.

But seeing with his own eyes that Ulquiorra had awakened this power out of a desire to protect Yammy, Makoto was genuinely surprised.

'Wasn't this kind of 'breaking limits for someone important' script supposed to belong to the protagonist's team?'

'Why was a villain pulling this move too?'

"...Protect."

Ulquiorra repeated the word, his eyes still showing confusion.

Makoto saw his bewilderment, smiled, rose from the throne, and said in a warm, guiding tone:

"If you can't find a meaning in living for yourself, that's fine. You can also try living for others, right?"

If a modern person heard these words, they'd definitely think it was complete bullshit.

Isn't this just manipulation?

But for someone like Ulquiorra, these words were actually quite fitting.

Although their personalities were worlds apart, Ulquiorra was, at his core, quite similar to Naruto, or to Haku beside Zabuza.

They both started out unable to find meaning in their own existence, believing themselves to be worthless, until they met someone who recognized them and gradually began to live for others.

That was also the opening Hiruzen used to implant the strongest genjutsu... the [Will of Fire]... into Naruto.

And now, Makoto was going to emulate his own teacher, turning Ulquiorra into a Bleach Version of Naruto.

Seeing that Ulquiorra still didn't fully understand, Makoto walked up to him, patted his shoulder with moderate force, and, mimicking Hiruzen's kindly smile, declared:

"Las Noches is a place where everyone can live in harmony. We are all family."

"Where white sand flies, Hollows also live on."

As his words fell, the main hall fell into a brief silence.

Ulquiorra was quiet for a moment, then repeated Makoto's words: "Where white sand flies... Hollows also live on."

A feeling he had never experienced before was quietly awakening within him.

That instinct was driving him to make a choice.

Finally, Ulquiorra looked up, met Makoto's eyes, and nodded.