''Don't you like to open holes in my chest? What are you running from!"
Ren's toes barely touched the ground as he propelled himself forward. He closed the distance between himself and Ulquiorra, gripping his blade tightly in both hands and slashing with relentless force, forcing his opponent to evade.
At this time, Ulquiorra had yet to attain his Resurrección form. Though Vasto Lorde were the highest-ranked Menos closest in appearance to humans, they were still fundamentally monsters—ravenous predators driven by an insatiable thirst for blood.
Ren, however, was different. Though he too belonged to the Hollow race, he had first obtained the Asauchi left behind by Ito Hai, then sent a clone into the Soul Society to train at the Shin'ō Academy, learning the arts of combat and Zanjutsu.
Despite being a Hollow, Ren could not wield Kido. However, his mastery of swordplay and Hakuda compensated for it, allowing him to bridge the gap between himself and stronger foes.
This was why, despite possessing lower spiritual pressure than Ulquiorra, Ren remained undeterred. He had "tools" at his disposal and knew how to wield them—an advantage that enabled him to challenge a so-called "primitive warrior."
Ulquiorra found himself forced onto the defensive under the relentless storm of Ren's attacks, retreating step by step.
Then, in a sudden motion, the massive bat-like wings behind Ulquiorra unfurled to their full span—over two meters wide—and slashed toward Ren with blinding speed.
Ren barely managed to react, but the razor-sharp wings still grazed his arms. Seizing the opportunity, Ulquiorra delivered a powerful kick to Ren's chest, sending him hurtling backward.
"Bang!"
Ren crashed into a massive tree trunk, toppling dozens of trees in the process. A dense cloud of dust and debris billowed into the air.
But Ulquiorra was not finished. He raised his right hand, extending his index finger. A dark green Cero crackled at his fingertip before launching forward with destructive force.
Amidst the swirling dust, Ren emerged, gripping his blade tightly. A wisp of black and red spiritual pressure coalesced at the tip of his sword. With a sharp swing, he unleashed a Cero of his own, meeting Ulquiorra's head-on.
"Boom!"
The collision of the two attacks created a massive explosion, shaking the very foundation of the battlefield. A towering mushroom cloud rose between them.
As the smoke settled, Ren coughed, brushing off the lingering dust. "Tch... Looks like my spiritual pressure is still slightly below that of a true Vasto Lorde. I guess that's to be expected from a mere Gillian like me."
The clash had left Ren at a disadvantage—his injuries evident.
In the distance, Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes as he watched Ren's wounds close within seconds.
"You…"
He stared in disbelief. It was rare to see such advanced regenerative abilities outside his own.
Ren scoffed. "What's the big deal? Speed regeneration isn't exactly uncommon these days."
A smirk formed beneath his mask as he dusted himself off, then surged forward once more, blade in hand.
"You've got more to show me than that, don't you? Let's see what you're really capable of!"
Electric arcs of dark gold flickered along the edge of Ren's Zanpakutō.
Ulquiorra narrowed his gaze. He wasn't one to be outmatched. Gripping his weapon, he summoned a spear composed of deep green spiritual pressure, its deadly aura crackling in the air.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Sparks ignited as their weapons clashed repeatedly, each strike more intense than the last. Both combatants were forced to retreat, but their eyes burned with an unspoken challenge.
"Gran Rey Cero!"
This time, both warriors escalated the battle, unleashing their strongest Cero.
Ren gripped his sword with both hands, dark gold and black-red energy intertwining at the tip, while Ulquiorra gathered deep green and black spiritual pressure at his fingertips.
"Boom!"
A colossal explosion erupted across the battlefield, far surpassing anything before it. A wave of destruction swept through the darkened jungle, leaving devastation in its wake.
Outside the battlefield, Goat-faced Hollow Perk and the strange fish-like Hollow Chiva Barnes, who had been awaiting Ren's return, recoiled at the overwhelming force.
"So… this is the power of a Vasto Lorde-level battle…"
As Ulquiorra remained focused on the clash, Ren suddenly vanished from sight. He had slipped beneath the battlefield, using the cover of destruction to launch a surprise attack from below.
Then he unexpectedly drilled out from the underground behind Ulquiorra and slashed directly on his back.
"Puchi!"
The Zanpakutō, carrying the power of thunder, carved a deep wound across his back, exposing bone and even severing his left bat wing. But in an instant, the torn flesh and muscle began to regenerate as if nothing had happened.
Ren, however, was not about to let him recover so easily. A massive whip of lightning lashed down onto the wound!
"Ahhh!"
Ulquiorra cried out in pain but reacted immediately, ignoring the agony as he thrust his hand straight toward Ren's heart.
"Damn, are you really that persistent?"
Fortunately, Ren had prior knowledge of Ulquiorra's tendencies. He knew all too well that this Espada had a strange obsession with exposing his opponent's heart. Ren's high-speed regeneration was formidable, but it had its limits—it could not yet restore vital organs. If Ulquiorra succeeded in piercing his heart, it would be disastrous.
"Clang!"
Just as Ulquiorra's pale hand was about to make contact with Ren's chest, something unexpected happened.
The centipede-like armor that had formed on Ren's back stretched forward at lightning speed, transforming into a protective layer of white bone to shield his heart.
Instead of being impaled, Ren caught Ulquiorra's outstretched arm, gripping it tightly before slashing down with his blade. A massive wound extended from Ulquiorra's cheek down to his waist in an instant.
Exhausted, Ulquiorra collapsed to the ground. His body worked rapidly to heal itself, flesh and blood knitting together. However, Ren had done more than just wound him—he had chipped away a small fragment of his mask.
The moment the piece fell away, the air around Ulquiorra changed. Rather than weakening, his spiritual pressure deepened, growing heavier, more potent.
"Is this... a Resurrección?!"
Ren reached down, picking up the fallen fragment of Ulquiorra's mask, his gaze shifting toward his opponent, who was undergoing an unexpected transformation.
"Ulquiorra, you are defeated. Feel the new power I have given you—power that transcends the boundaries of Hollows!"
Ren's voice echoed through the battlefield as he declared, "From this day forward, I will be your king! The only king!!!"
"This evolution, this path to true strength, is my gift to you!"
After making his dramatic declaration, Ren turned and left without looking back.
He had to leave. Now.
It was true that Ulquiorra had been bested, but Ren himself was at his limit. His spiritual pressure had nearly run dry. His real goal had already been achieved—he had cracked Ulquiorra's mask, triggering his evolution.
Besides, considering he had just gone head-to-head with a Vasto Lorde as a mere Gillian, he was more than satisfied.
If he didn't leave now, Ulquiorra would soon adjust to his newfound power, and by then, escape would no longer be an option.
Unlike Adjuchas who risked regression if they lost portions of their masks, a Vasto Lorde of Ulquiorra's caliber would only ascend further. His incomplete transformation into an Arrancar had already begun.
In the original timeline, Ulquiorra had become an imperfect Arrancar by accident. It wasn't until Aizen used the Hōgyoku to refine the process that he attained his true Arrancar form, becoming the Cuatro Espada.
Ren had never expected that he would be the catalyst for Ulquiorra's early evolution.
Ulquiorra, still recovering from battle, knelt on the ground, absentmindedly running his fingers over the newly exposed skin where his mask had cracked. His spiritual pressure, rather than diminishing, was surging beyond its previous limits.
From the shadows, Perk and Chiva Barnes watched as Ren emerged alone from the battlefield.
"How... how did the battle go, my king?" Perk asked weakly.
Ren scoffed, "Hmph, stop talking and move!"
With that, he used Sonído, vanishing into the night jungle with his followers in tow.
Before long, Ulquiorra—now more familiar with his incomplete Arrancar form—stepped out of the jungle as well. His gaze followed the direction in which Ren had disappeared. He stood there silently for a moment before murmuring to himself:
"Are you... my king?"
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