Chapter 7: Battle
[PREVIOUSLY]
With a roar resembling a growl, a single gigantic eye opened in the center of his face. At the same time, a massive amount of Reiatsu was released from Ikomikidomoe's body. A dazzling light enveloped the area.
"_________"
... ....
Soon, the characteristic static sound of Sonidos was heard.
"Hehehe, I see you escaped my 'gift.'"
An entire part of the Cúpula de Las Noches had been erased along with a section of the outer areas. The only reason the palace still stood was because the Espadas had launched Ceros simultaneously to weaken the massive force of the giant's Cero.
Even so, they still suffered damage from the surprise attack. Anger and irritation were evident on the faces of all the Espadas.
With just one attack, Ikomikidomoe had managed to earn the enmity of all the Spaniards present.
This was the beginning of the battle, and the battlefield was already set.
"Well, well... hello, my brethren with broken masks..."
All right… MAYBE Ikomikidomoe was FURIOUS and just wanted to vent at someone... just MAYBE.
Despite all his previous bravado, Ikomikidomoe wasn't STUPID. He knew that if he allowed Aizen time, he would end up cornered by the "Rei do Keikaku" from Bleach. That's why he was here to simply "send a warning."
[PRESENTLY]
"IKOMIKIDOMOE! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Baraggan's roar echoed through the place. From where he stood, Ikomikidomoe could tell, even without truly "seeing," Baraggan's face wrinkling with fury.
This brought some joy and laughter to Ikomikidomoe.
"Isn't it obvious, old rival? I'm returning the favor! You attack my home, I attack yours!"
It was easy to hear the muttering of "insolence" from the old Vasto Lorde.
"You dare break our agreement, Ikomikidomoe?"
This made Ikomikidomoe tremble with irritation.
"Don't give me that nonsense, OLD MAN. You and your group broke the treaty first! I'm just returning the favor," shouted Ikomikidomoe as he observed the Espadas surrounding him. They had not yet gone into their Resurrección, which was a good sign for him. Whether it was arrogance or caution, he neither knew nor cared. His "eyes" scanned the ranks, confirming what he needed to know.
Among the nine present here, three others were at a distance, observing. Those could only be Aizen and his lieutenants. If they wanted a show, he would give them one.
"ENOUGH TALK, OLD MAN! THIS BASTARD HAS COME TO CHALLENGE US! LET'S CRUSH HIM ALREADY!"
The eager (desperate) Octava (Eighth) Espada, Nnoitra, shouted, veins visible on his face.
"Baraggan… Pikaro… Dordoni… Nelliel… Szayel… Aaroniero… Cirucci… Ganterbaine… Nnoitra… Count completed… hehehe…" This was better than Ikomikidomoe had expected. He had come here simply to demonstrate his strength. But he wanted to confirm his hypothesis above all. Seeing these Espadas proved his theory; he was somewhere around 100 years before Ichigo was born and the canon Espada emerged. This would make his work easier.
However, Ikomikidomoe had not accounted for the Espadas also being vigilant of him.
"PRAY, SANTA TERESA."
"Recite, Gamuza!"
"Whirl, Giralda."
"Burn, Dragra."
"Rip Off, Golondrina."
"Langosta Migratoria."
Their Reiatsu flooded the courtyard like a muddy stream. Of the nine Espadas, six had already released their Resurrección.
However, as if interrupting even the passage of air, a change was observed in Ikomikidomoe. At first, he seemed to receive the attacks from the Arrancars from all sides without making a single move. Then his body began to emit concentrated Reiryoku.
At the same time, a massive amount of Reiryoku was released from Ikomikidomoe's body. A dazzling light enveloped a part of Las Noches. This was no longer a Cero like the one that devastated Las Noches; instead, it was an explosion of Reiryoku with himself at the epicenter.
The ground exploded; the tiles of the palace courtyard flew into the air due to the force of the blast. The Arrancars close to him were severely injured, though the damage was somewhat reduced due to the shield of winds and Ceros the Arrancars used to protect themselves. The explosion was so widespread because the increase in Reiatsu expanded it outward.
BOOOOOOM.
The desert was devastated. The contained explosion affected everyone. But despite this, the Arrancars still stood. Ikomikidomoe felt he ought to applaud them; unlike before, he had not held back his explosions.
Yet his surprise lay before him: the Octava Espada, panting heavily.
"So, is this all you've got?" The mockery was strange, considering his entire body was scarred and bleeding, with his arms gripping his crescent-moon scythe through gritted teeth in sheer effort.
Ikomikidomoe couldn't help but laugh.
"For someone so small, you are quite clever."
Yes, he would grant him that. Even more so because he managed to cut him before his explosion of Reiryoku was launched. And even point-blank, he survived.
"DO NOT GET DISTRACTED IN THE FIGHT!"
Ah, yes, there were those. Despite his massive body, he used *Sonido* effortlessly, to the point that its echo sounded like the scream of a nightmare. For this reason, it wasn't difficult to dodge Ganterbaine's massive destructive strikes.
However, the Espadas no longer underestimated him. As soon as he reappeared, he was surrounded by fresh attacks—
"It's unfortunate that this isn't a one-on-one battle. I haven't had one in so long. But let's dance together!"
Dordoni complained as he unleashed his ability.
"Spin, Giralda."
Dordoni was engulfed by two tornados resembling snakes, each ending with a bony bird-like beak. The winds twisted together, surrounding Ikomikidomoe and trapping him.
"You… insolent insects!"
The embedded single eye on Ikomikidomoe's body glowed once more, firing a Cero outward and blasting away the whirlwind that had trapped him.
'DAMN IT! This is getting risky! Just a little more, and they'll corner me.'
The tornados dispersed into a massive gust of wind that obscured vision. But then, the metallic sound of a blade rang out, passing dangerously close to his eye.
"Damn! It's truly frustrating to have to use the appendages I once discarded."
The one complaining was Cirucci. Now in her Resurrección, she had transformed into something akin to a giant bird, resembling a swallow, with iron blades as feathers.
The blades, vibrating at an extremely high frequency due to body modifications, pierced Ikomikidomoe's eye as he was momentarily distracted by a second whirlwind and an energy explosion from Ganterbaine, along with Ceros from the Pikaro.
Ikomikidomoe let out a furious roar. His blindness and subsequent confusion lasted only for an instant. But that brief lapse was enough to create an opening for the Arrancars.
A low voice belonging to Neliel was heard above the violent storm.
"Lanzador Verde."
The fierce spear spun and formed Reiryoku as it was launched directly toward the enemy. This weapon, capable of piercing even Nnoitra's Hierro, the most impenetrable among the Espadas, lodged deeply into Ikomikidomoe's single eye, prompting a scream of pain.
"You… you… you bastard!"
"DIE, BASTARD!"*
In the skies, like a demon, Nnoitra leapt, his four arms wielding four massive and sharp scythes, each piercing the ancient Hollow's Hierro*l as he writhed under the unrelenting attacks from all sides.
"I'll destroy you!"
As a massive amount of *Reiatsu* began accumulating in front of Ikomikidomoe, he felt the familiar Reiatsu of Baraggan. The bastard was charging a massive attack of Senescence. Ikomikidomoe tried to create a flesh shield using his ability but stopped abruptly.
Ikomikidomoe was puzzled by the sensation of being paralyzed. He couldn't move his limbs or use his abilities. Then, a voice was heard—the voice of someone who had been hiding until now.
"It took some time to make the adjustments, but thanks to Baraggan-san's report, I was able to create a paralyzing poison, imbued into Nnoitra's blades. What do you think of my gift, Hollow-san?"
That voice belonged to Szayelaporro Granz!
Of course, the damned scientist had prepared some countermeasure! That explained why he had felt weaker after Nnoitra's initial attack!
The massive, hyper-gigantic form of Ikomikidomoe just moments ago had now shifted. He had curled his limbs inward, adopting a spherical shape, sitting perfectly still in the sands of *Las Noches.*
The next instant, a white mist poured out from the space around the colossal sphere. From that mist emerged an infinite number of small creatures with wings.
Though described as "small," this was only in comparison to Ikomikidomoe's massive form. These creatures, resembling Adjuchas in outward appearance, began flying in the air like a swarm. Then, as if in a protective response, they attacked the Espadas directly.
Like one of the plagues of Egypt, the violent swarm of hundreds surrounded and assaulted the Arrancars.
__________________________
At a distance, Aizen watched everything alongside his lieutenants. Tousen remained silent, while Gin seemed amused by the situation.
"Well, Lord Aizen, do you think we should interfere now?" Gin questioned, his characteristic smile on his face.
Aizen quickly responded.
"No... things are getting... interesting."
____________________________
'Damn it! I underestimated that stupid scientist! I knew it was strange to be getting beaten by these weaker versions of the ESPADA! Enough playing around!'
The swarm of Adjuchas and Hollows created by Ikomikidomoe quickly surrounded the Espadas, who were struggling to react and counterattack the seemingly infinite number of Hollows that filled the skies.
"Tsk." Nnoitra's scythes swung, tearing through each of the creatures. Meanwhile, Dordoni and Gantenbainne joined forces to unleash massive attacks that devastated the area.
Nnoitra and Nelliel could be seen shielding themselves as they attacked the surrounding swarm.
At a distance, the Espadas who had yet to enter the fight finally took action.
"FORNICARÁS!"
"GLOTONERÍA!"
"ARROGANTE!"
Szayel's tentacles restrained the swarm while firing multiple Ceros.
Meanwhile, Aaroniero devoured every Hollow caught in his tentacles.
Baraggan remained eerily calm, his Senescencia ensuring that any Hollow near him rotted away.
But the situation was growing increasingly worrisome. Despite the Espadas eliminating the ever-growing numbers, it was clear that the sheer quantity of Hollows created was overwhelming.
As long as Ikomikidomoe could recover with the Reishi in the area, these Adjuchas would continue to reappear, no matter how many times they were eradicated. At this point, their numbers far exceeded three digits, and the countless Hollows that kept multiplying were the true origin of the problem.
Unless Ikomikidomoe was eradicated, how many of these creatures would the Espadas have to face? If he could spawn dozens every second, within just a few minutes, he would have an army numbering in the thousands.
Even this was an optimistic estimate. It was impossible to deplete the ancient Hollow since he fed on the surrounding *Reishi* to restore his physical and spiritual energy. In Hueco Mundo, where *Reishi* was infinite, he essentially had an endless army.
Facing this head-on with only nine individuals was practically impossible, considering their limited physical and mental endurance and their forced cooperation.
However, direct attacks against Ikomikidomoe were out of the question. As the epicenter of everything, he was surrounded by a fog of flesh shields.
Attacking him directly would be asking to be surrounded. Even without this defensive measure, the sheer numbers were overwhelming. To act, they would need to do something on the scale of eradicating all of Las Noches.
In short, the problem was quantity.
Succumbing to his massive numbers, inducing dissent within Ikomikidomoe's trap, reducing the numbers to create openings, and simultaneously improving their abilities—this strategy had many advantages. But even then, the issue persisted:
The quantity.
The time needed and the effort to overcome this were monumental. The task seemed so distant that it felt almost unreal.
There was no denying it:
Ikomikidomoe had the upper hand. A mere vast lord would have been obliterated by the nine Espadas, but here was this Adjuchas, single-handedly forcing them to give their all to cut through time and energy.
After clearing another handful of Hollows, Dordoni landed next to the panting and sweat-drenched centaur, Nelliel.
"Phew! This is getting unpleasant. At this rate, we'll just exhaust ourselves."
Nelliel, standing beside him, nodded in agreement with Dordoni's statement.
"If we keep fighting like this, it will only serve to sap our strength until we're completely spent."
"But that's no reason to give up."
Looking at Nelliel, who had said this, Dordoni smiled faintly. He straightened his shoulders as he took in the scene.
"That's right. LET'S GO, NINÕS(Boys)! LET'S GIVE IT OUR ALL IN THIS BATTLE!"
With an unusual air of seriousness for an Arrancar, Dordoni threw himself back into the fray.
For the first time in the fight, the Espadas were setting aside their differences and uniting against the massive enemy.
Baraggan advanced toward Ikomikidomoe, covering the area with his *Respira*, clearing a path toward the sphere in which Ikomikidomoe was hiding.
Taking advantage of this opening, two types of attacks were unleashed:
1. Reiryoku-based attacks (*Ceros*, Balas, and elemental/conceptual attacks) from Pikaro, Szayel, Baraggan, Dordoni, and Nelliel.
2. Physical attacks that exploited the opening created by Baraggan, launched by Nnoitra, Gantenbainne, Cirucci, and Aaroniero.
All nine attacks struck their target in a massive concentrated *Reiatsu* assault, creating a curtain of smoke and explosions resembling human nuclear warheads.
For any singular being, this attack would mean absolute death, leaving no trace. Everyone felt Ikomikidomoe's Reiatsu diminish until it was completely gone.
He was dead...
Feeling his Reiatsu disappear, the Espadas breathed heavily, their bodies trembling. They had expended nearly all their *Reiryoku* in the final attack, and even some, like Szayel, were terribly injured, their regeneration hindered by Ikomikidomoe's earlier attacks.
"Ha! MUHAHAHAHA! LOOK, OLD MAN! WE WON!" Nnoitra was the first to celebrate the victory, raising his blades in euphoric laughter.
While he wasn't the only one satisfied, he was the most vocal.
Everyone slowly began letting their guards down. The victory had been hard-won.
The more sociable Espadas like Nelliel and Dordoni congratulated each other, while others like Gantenbainne and Cirucci nodded silently. The Pikaro flew in joyous celebration.
However, a voice shattered their moment of victory.
"Listen, everyone… don't you think it's strange that Aizen-sama is still standing there, watching everything?"
Baraggan's warning made everyone freeze. He was right—Aizen was still observing them, his unnerving smile intact, alongside his lieutenants.
Their doubts were soon answered when they heard a familiar voice from ahead.
"Incube el fallecido, Ikomikidomoe!"
He had uttered a *release phrase*. And thus, 'he' was born.
Accompanied by a furious tornado of Reiatsu, a creature emerged. Though much smaller than its previous form, it was still the size of a small house. Its Reiatsu was even more condensed than before, as if it had been greatly compressed.
It remained a white aberration, exuding an aura of pure destruction—a beast seemingly specialized in killing, with a world-ending presence that left no room for survival.
How did Ikomikidomoe survive that attack, you ask?
Ikomikidomoe possessed unique abilities as a Hollow. One of these was the ability to DEVOUR and ABSORB anything containing Reishi or any *Reiryoku-based attack. Another was his ability of "Creación"(Creation), which allowed him to create infinite minions from his body using the Reishi he absorbed.
Using these abilities, he could heal his wounds by absorbing *Reiryoku* attacks and defend against most physical damage by covering his *Hierro* with artificial Hollows, using them as flesh shields.
And now, before them all,
Round two had begun.