Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Chapter Thirty

The next day…
Karakura Town

The small town seemed quiet as Ichigo walked down the street, Tatsuki walking beside him. It'd been a long few days for the Substitute Soul Reaper. After his sudden fatherhood was revealed to Tatsuki, he had to explain everything to his best friend. It'd taken him almost the whole day to tell Tatsuki the truth about Asahi, Halibel and his double life as a Soul Reaper.

Tatsuki was unsurprisingly very angry at Ichigo for a lot of reasons.

Had little Asahi not been in the room at the time, Tatsuki would have given him her full fury and then some. She was hurt that Ichigo would keep such important stuff in his life from his best friend and it didn't help that Orihime also kept this from her. However it was clear to her that Ichigo was just trying to protect her from the harsher realities of his life and after hearing everything he'd been through she could understand. That said, she still wanted to punch him.

The friends had decided to go for a walk to discuss things more. Ichigo had left Asahi in the care of his father and sisters while Halibel went to talk to Kisuke. What she wanted to discuss with him, Halibel didn't say. She only told Ichigo that it was important and vital to their upcoming battle. Tatsuki wanted to go talk to Orihime about Halibel stealing Ichigo away but the girl was in the Soul Society training with Rukia, so that was a conversation that had to wait.

"I gotta say, you've changed," Tatsuki said. "Never pictured you as a daddy. That must have been a shock when she showed up at your doorstep knocked up."

Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "Tell me about it. I thought I was going to have a heart attack right there."

Tatsuki was silent for a moment before she asked what had been on her mind all day. "So…are you going to marry her?"

The statement made Ichigo stop in his tracks. "What?"

Ichigo's confusion made Tatsuki want to punch him more. "Are. You. Going. To. Marry. Her?" she repeated. "For crying out loud, Ichigo. You put a baby in her and you made her leave her home. Least you could do is put a ring on her finger. What exactly are you planning on doing after this is all over?"

"I…uh…" Ichigo stopped to think. "I…haven't really thought about it."

Shaking her head, Tatsuki sweatdropped while staring at Ichigo. "Seriously?"

"Look, a lot has happened and I haven't really thought about what to do after we beat Aizen and deal with the captains. Right now Halibel and I are just focusing on coming out of this alive."

Tatsuki would have bopped Ichigo upside the head for his lack of thinking but the expression on his face told her all she needed to know about his fears for what came next. "Are you guys going to be okay?" She looked down at her hands and cursed her uselessness. Ichigo was going through so much and yet she couldn't help him or Orihime at all.

"Don't worry, I-"

A shudder in the air stopped the pair. A massive amount of spirit energy was heading their way. Even Tatsuki could feel it. Ichigo cursed himself and grabbed his combat pass. "They're here!" He popped out of his human body and handed it to Tatsuki. "Take my body and find somewhere safe!"

"What about you?" asked a worried Tatsuki.

"Don't worry. This is what me and Halibel have been training for. And we're not alone. Our friends will help us too."

Nodding, Tatsuki took hold of Ichigo's human body and watched him leap into the air. "Good luck…" she said as Ichigo dashed away.

Ichigo steeled his nerves as he headed for the source of the disturbance. A Garganta was about to open up and he knew who was coming. "I just hope the captains will help fight," he said as he moved as fast as he could…

Meanwhile…
Orihime's Apartment

Isane was on her communicator speaking with Squad Twelve. "Yes. Thank you!" She hung up and turned to her captain, already out of her Gigai. "The R&D department have confirmed that a large group of Arrancars are coming. They'll be entering the World of the Living any minute now!"

"How big?" Unohana asked. The apartment was empty save for them, with Orihime in the Soul Society and the Tres Bestia staying on the mountain to train Chad.

The lieutenant's expression was grave. "Too many. We know that there are at least one or two Espadas but…"

"But?"

Isane shook her head. "They said that the vast majority of the Arrancars' spiritual pressures were…strange."

"Strange how?"

"They weren't sure but…they said their spiritual pressure was similar to Ichigo Kurosaki's."

Unohana narrowed her eyes. "That is unusual."

"You don't think…that Ichigo…"

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions," Unohana warned.

Isane popped out of her Gigai and readied her sword. "We should go and provide Ichigo assistance and-"

"No."

Captain and lieutenant turned to see several figures slip in through the opened window. "Captain Kuchiki. Lieutenant Abarai. Where have you been?"

"Renji and I have been keeping an eye on the town with Captain Soi-Fon and Lieutenant Omaeda." As if on cue, the Squad Two captain and lieutenant slipped into the apartment to join them. "Where are Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto?"

"They are with Ichigo's family. I assume you've been informed?"

Soi-Fon scowled. "That Ichigo's father is Captain Shiba. Yes, he informed us. Just another headache for when this is over. Isshin has much to answer for."

"That is for another time," Renji interrupted. "A bunch of Arrancars are about to come crashing into Karakura Town. We should go help Ichigo and-"

"No."

Isane and Renji were surprised. It wasn't that Byakuya had said no. It was that all three captains had said no. "Captain?" Isane asked Unohana. "Why aren't we fighting?"

"Squad Twelve was able to identify one of the Espadas. It's the one who appeared before who defeated Ichigo and his Hollow," Soi-Fon explained, adding much disdain in her voice for that last part. "Aizen and the rest of his forces are not coming. That means that the Espada who attacked Ichigo is coming for revenge."

Renji couldn't believe this. "Captain! Even if Ichigo is their target, we should still help him! There are more Arrancars this time."

"Head-Captain Yamamoto's orders are clear," Byakuya sternly replied. "We are not to help Ichigo. After that…incident," Byakuya bristled from the memory of Ichigo Hollowfying, "we can no longer trust him as an ally."

"What of Captain Hitsugaya?" Unohana asked.

"Since Isshin was his former captain, he will try to help them despite orders." Byakuya shook his head. "Our orders are clear, Renji. We are to stand by and wait to see how thing's progress. Unless Karakura Town itself is in danger, we will not help Ichigo or his friends. Until they try to siphon the Spirit-Enrichment Zone, we will wait."

Isane looked at the three captains in shock. She was not informed that this was the plan. "Wait for what?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Soi-Fon glared at the lieutenant. "We'll wait it out and watch Ichigo, his Hollow friends and the Espadas kill each other."

Meanwhile…

High above the town, a Garganta ripped the sky asunder and opened up to reveal the void behind it. Out of the Garganta first was Barragan. The weeks that had passed since his previous journey to the World of the Living had only added kindling to the fire that was Barragan's rage. Hatred seethed out of every inch of the kingly Arrancar as he stood over the town, his eyes staring right at Ichigo Kurosaki's house. "There will be no escape this time, traitor…"

Behind him walked Szayelapporo, a white cape draped around his slender form. "I must say, this is even better than I expected." He used his Pesquisa to detect the presence of multiple powerful entities. "So many subjects to experiment on. I must say, your decision to give up the first time has really worked out in my favor."

The look Barragan shot the pink-haired man made even the number eight Espada shiver. "Watch your tongue, Szayelapporo. I spared Yammy my wrath because of the boss. Here, you will not receive such mercy."

Barragan's anger at Ichigo and Halibel had been stewing for weeks ever since he was forced to retreat. Aizen had only fueled his fire by stating that the intended attack to wipe out Karakura Town would not take place until the Hogyoku was fully awakened. While the man hinted that he was plotting something for Ichigo in secret, Barragan would wait no longer. He was going to have his revenge on Halibel and her student, with or without Aizen's permission.

Pushing his glasses up, Szayelapporo stared at his superior. Normally he would not call an Espada's judgement in question since he was almost at the bottom of the totem pole but he could not sate his curiosity with silence. "Lord Aizen was still planning on having Ichigo Kurosaki join our forces. What are you going to say to him once you've killed the boy?"

"That we have one less obstacle in our path to destroying the Soul Society," Barragan simply stated as he stomped forward. "And if a supposed ally were to fall to me, wouldn't that mean he wasn't fit to join us?"

The logic made sense to Szayelapporo, even if it was just sophism. "Well, at the very least it'll give us the chance to see what fruits my experiment will bear." He turned his head and smiled at his experiments behind him. "I must say, things turned out better than I expected."

Out of the Garganta came Barragan's Fraccións: Ggio, Findor, Charlotte, Poww, Nirgge and Abirama. The six Arrancars were no longer wearing their usual uniforms. Instead they wore black versions of their outfits. But that was the tamest bit of their new appearances.

"Grrrrrr…" Ggio growled as he looked out onto the town. His face was covered in black and red marks that traveled down. His eyes had no pupils or irises anymore. Instead all he had were white blank orbs in his sockets, though he could still see fine. The other Fraccións were in a similar state, covered in black and red markings while growling in a bestial state.

"Hmm…" Szayelapporo frowned. "I suppose weaker Arrancars will not be able to control themselves with all that power surging through them. I'm interested what happens in combat."

"I care little about what becomes of them," Barragan callously said, keeping his back to his men. "They have no need for their minds. They only need to be unleashed upon my enemies." He finally turned to address his men. "The traitor, the Soul Reaper and their spawn are mine. Bring me the heads of their allies."

"RAAAAAAHHHH!" the six men roared. Even without their minds, their loyalty to Barragan was still absolute. The Fraccións scattered in different directions, each heading for Ichigo's friends.

Barragan gave his fellow Espada a glance. "And what of you?"

"Oh don't worry. I'm not nearly brave enough to try to stop you. Just be sure to bring me a piece of Ichigo Kurosaki."

"You will be lucky if there is even a speck of him when I'm finished." Barragan ignored his companion and stomped away. He didn't want to use Sonido to get to Ichigo's house quickly. He wanted Ichigo to know he was here and that he was coming for him and his family.

Watching Barragan leave, Szayelapporo smiled. "Well, I guess it's time for me gather some more data." He looked back at the Garganta, at the countless eyes that stared back at him from within the void.

"Well? Shall we go and pay our latest guinea pig a visit?"

Meanwhile…
Ichigo & Halibel's Training Grounds

The Tres Bestia and their protégé were in the middle of a three-on-one spar when they felt a dark presence in the air. "What the hell?" Apacci yelled, her chakrams in her hands. "What…what is that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Mila Rose spat, incensed by Apacci's cluelessness. "It's Barragan! He's back! He must be here to kill Master Halibel and Asahi!"

Chad, sweating and panting from the training, looked confused as he honed his senses on the intruders. "I'm feeling a lot of…Ichigo?"

Sung-Sun shared his confusion. "He's right. It feels like…an army of Ichigo?" She could sense Barragan clearly but the others…

Mila Rose looked up at the sky. "I sense two strong Arrancars heading our way. They'll be here any minute." The lioness Arrancar felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Chad. "What, Yasutora?"

"We should split up. I'll take one. You three take the other," Chad said, looking at his teacher with determination.

Apacci slapped Chad on the back of his head. "Are you brainless? You can't fight them one-on-one! Aizen's did something to them. We outnumber them four to two. We should fight together and-"

Mila Rose put a hand up and stared Chad in the eye. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't concerned for her student, especially after she shared her bed with him several times. But the look in Chad's eyes told him he was determined to prove himself. "You're serious?" she asked. "You could die."

"I was prepared when I went to help Ichigo in the Soul Society. But I ended up not helping him at all and I went down too easily." Chad put a hand on his chest, to the scar Kyoraku gave him. "If I can't fight now, then I don't think I'll ever be able to have Ichigo's back again. Let me do this." He looked at the Tres Bestia, his eyes going from Apacci to Sung-Sun and then to Mila Rose. "Let me fight."

A tense silence filled the air before the three sighed simultaneously. "Fine," Apacci said. "I guess it'll be a good chance to see how much you've improved since we started training you."

"Oh? Are we finally warming up to our student, Apacci?" Sung-Sun teased.

While Apacci and Sung-Sun argued, Mila Rose looked at Chad before giving him a nod. "Good luck." She leaned forward and gave the teen a quick kiss, making the strong human blush. "Try not to die." Nodding, Chad took off and headed for the other side of the mountain. No sooner did he leave, the three felt the two presences heading for them split up. "Guess Chad's idea of splitting them worked."

"Good. Now it's three-on-one. This should be easy!" Apacci grinned.

BOOM!

A comet fell out of the sky and smashed into the mountain, landing fifty feet away from the three. As the dust cleared, the Tres Bestia readied themselves as a figure emerged from the crater.

"Great. Just great…" Apacci groaned. "Of the six, we get the fruitcake."

But Mila Rose and Sung-Sun knew something was up immediately as Charlotte Coolhorn stepped into view. His body was covered in red and black markings that ran across the exposed part of his chest and his arms. The three felt a twinge of fear as the effeminate Arrancar looked at them with the eyes of an angry beast. "What has Aizen done to him? Why does his spiritual pressure feel so much like Ichigo's?" Mila Rose asked.

"RAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"Here he comes!"

Meanwhile…
With Chad

Chad heard the loud roar on the other side of the mountain but had to pay it no mind as the other Arrancar that had landed towered over him. 'He's huge…' he thought to himself. It was very rare for Chad to have to look up at anyone. He was puzzled by the red and black markings all over his face but paid it no mind. He figured it was some trick of Aizen's.

Poww clenched both his fists and teeth as he stared down at Chad with his blank, white eyes. "Grrrrrr!"

Already Chad had his left and right arms transformed. 'This is it. Moment of truth…' Chad knew that Apacci was right. The four of them stood a better chance of fighting together rather than Chad fighting one-on-one. But after the defeat at the hands of Kyoraku, Chad knew he had to do this. He had to prove he could fight. He failed in in the mission to save Rukia just like he failed to protect Ichigo in his fight against Barragan. If he couldn't face the enemy now, he could never raise his fists to help his friends again.

Putting up a boxing stance, Chad looked at Poww with the same determined eyes he gave Mila Rose. "Bring it."

With a bloodthirsty roar, Poww threw a fist brimming with spirit energy. Chad retaliated with a powerful right fist of his own. The two brawler's attacks met, their fists slamming together and causing the entire mountain to shake from the clash…

Meanwhile…
Kurosaki House

The three Soul Reapers inside the home all stopped what they were doing when they felt the massive wave of power that had arrived in Karakura Town. Toshiro cursed as he leapt off the couch and looked at Rangiku. "They're here!"

Isshin stormed out of the kitchen. "I sense it too. And a big one is heading straight here." Isshin scowled. "It must be the one who beat Ichigo to a pulp before."

Rangiku pulled out her phone and read the message that the Soul Society sent her. "Captain…" Her eyes widened as she processed the words on the screen. "The…the Soul Society is ordering us to stand down!"

"WHAT?!" Isshin and Toshiro shouted.

It didn't surprise Toshiro but it still disheartened him. 'The Arrancars must be here for Ichigo, Halibel and their baby. And it looks like the Soul Society has given up the viewpoint of Ichigo being their ally in this fight.'

Toshiro felt himself torn. On the one hand he knew his duty as a captain and that he was to follow orders. But on the other was Ichigo and his family. Even if he felt that Ichigo's loyalty was questionable, he couldn't just abandon Isshin and his daughters. He knew that he had to fight. "I'm going to fight," he told Rangiku. "This might be Ichigo's fight but Yuzu and Karin are Humans. And it's our job to protect them."

The strawberry blonde nodded. "I understand, Captain. I'll stay here and guard the girls."

"I'll go too." Isshin pulled out a glove, the same type of glove Rukia used, and pushed it to his chest, popping out the Human shell he'd been staying in all this time. "Where's Halibel and Asahi?"

"I've got her," said Halibel as she came down the stairs, a sleeping Asahi in her eyes. "So they've come." Halibel looked down at her baby and frowned, torn between going to fight the enemy and staying to protect her daughter. "I know I must stay and protect my Asahi but…" the new mother sighed. "I can't fight Barragan and protect her at the same time."

Halibel decided to swallow her pride and do something she never thought she'd do. Walking up to Rangiku, she held out Asahi. "Promise me you'll protect her."

Rangiku looked at the woman, surprised by this show of faith. Halibel had been cold to both her and Toshiro while they were staying with them. But the look in Halibel's eyes told Rangiku that she trusted her enough to ask for help. 'She must know how much danger Asahi is in if she's asking us to protect her baby.' She held out her hands and accepted Asahi. "I swear I won't let anyone touch her."

"I will hold you to it." Halibel pushed herself out of her Gigai and stood in her Arrancar form. "Else you will have me to contend with." She ignored the two male Soul Reapers and headed out the door, eager to confront Barragan before he could reach the house.

The Espada didn't make it far before she saw something fly towards her. She drew her sword and readied herself as a figure rocketed towards her. 'This spiritual pressure. It's just like Ichigo's. Did Lord Aizen do this? No…' Halibel shook her head. 'Szayelapporo. I'm certain he had a hand in this.'

The Arrancar approached Halibel and slammed into the blonde. As the impact sent Halibel skidding backwards, she saw who her attacker was. "Ggio Vega!"

"RAAAAAAAH!" Ggio screamed into her face. "TRAITORRRRRRR!"

Black and red energy pulsed from his body and he pushed her away from him. Such a thing would have been hard to fathom; a mere Fracción pushing an Espada back was hard to believe. But the Reishi-juiced up Arrancar had grown stronger thanks to the experiment.

Still, Halibel stood her ground and gripped her sword. "I will cut you down. And then your master will be next."

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Meanwhile…
With Isshin & Toshiro

High above the Kurosaki House stood the current and former Squad Ten captains. While they waited for their enemies to come. "We should split up. Draw them away from the house," Toshiro suggested. "Asahi and the girls don't have much spiritual energy and it looks like they're going after all of Ichigo's allies."

"Am I to assume you're an ally?" Isshin asked with an eyebrow raised. "Looks like none of the other three captains seem willing to lend a hand."

Toshiro felt a twinge of shame. "I know. I'd have thought that at least Byakuya would stick up for Ichigo."

"I've known him longer. Trust me, the only stick he has is the one up his ass. All he cares about are orders." Isshin felt two strong presences close in on them. "We should split them up. Get them away from Rangiku and the girls."

"Agreed." Toshiro started to take off before he stopped for a moment. "And…Captain Shiba?"

"Yes?"

When Toshiro turned his head, Isshin saw a genuine smile on his face. "It's good to fight alongside you again."

"The feeling is mutual…Captain Hitsugaya."

Toshiro darted off immediately, not wanting Isshin to see his face go red from embarrassed pride. Isshin chuckled before taking off in the opposite direction, strengthening his spiritual pressure to lure the Arrancars away from the house.

The plan worked and Isshin was satisfied when the attackers split up and one came straight for him. Unfortunately, the massive wave of power told Isshin that whatever Aizen had done to his men, it'd powered them up considerably. No sooner did he land in a wide uninhabited construction yard did his attacker come in for the kill. Isshin drew his sword and countered the charge, pushing back his opponent. "And who might you be?"

His opponent, Findor, was not in the mood for talking. "Grrrrrrrrr!" His white mask had a similar red and black pattern that Ichigo's initial mask had, his body burning with power that felt identical to Ichigo's. "Power! More power!" the insane Arrancar screamed.

"The hell is up with you?"

With a feral scream, Findor took the blade on his wrist and smashed it against his mask. With part of his mask destroyed, Findor's power skyrocketed. "POWERRRRRRRRR!"

Isshin frowned as he prepared himself. "Guess I got the craziest one…"

Meanwhile…
With Toshiro

Toshiro was just as pleased to see Isshin to see the Arrancars move away from the Kurosaki house. "I hope Rangiku will be okay…"

He landed in a small grassy field and waited. He stretched out his senses and detected the other three captains and their lieutenants all together but not moving. "They really have given up on Ichigo." It didn't surprise Toshiro after seeing Ichigo Hollowfy into a Vasto Lorde that the Soul Society would decide that they couldn't trust Ichigo.

But after talking with Halibel and spending time with her and Ichigo, Toshiro had come to understand that Ichigo was not a bad person. Even if his judgement was within question he was merely the victim of circumstance. And despite his reservations about Halibel, he realized as he observed her that she wasn't inherently evil despite being a Hollow. 'I understand the Soul Society's position but…this is wrong. It's wrong to just let Ichigo fight Aizen alone hoping they'll kill each other. I wish the others understood this.'

The captain had no time to contemplate on the inaction of his fellow captains when the Arrancar who'd been following him smashed into the ground. "His spiritual pressure is almost the same as Ichigo's. What in the world has Aizen done to him?"

Out of the crater jumped out Abirama. The man's tattooed body was now overtaken by a roadmap of black and red markings, his blank eyes staring at Toshiro with such heated bloodlust it reminded the small captain of Kenpachi. "KILL YOU! KILLYOUKILLYOUKILLYOUKILLYOUKILLYOU! KILLLLLL!"

Abirama swung his sword in a downward chop, forcing Toshiro to jump back. "So it looks like whatever Aizen did to you robbed you of your sanity. I'm almost sorry to have to kill you."

"KILLLLLL!" screamed Abirama as he charged again.

"But I'm not that sorry. Reign over the frosted heavens: Hyorinmaru!"

Meanwhile…
Urahara Shop

Yoruichi opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch. Kisuke was already outside ahead of her. "Looks like the enemy moved faster than we anticipated," she noted.

"Indeed. What quick pawns Aizen has…"

The shop was completely surrounded by a whole hoard of Arrancars. Yoruichi noted how irregular and misshapen some of them looked. All of them looked bizarre and barely resembled humans.

The largest pair in front of them stepped aside as their master approached. Kisuke tipped his hat up to get a better look at the pink-haired bespectacled Arrancar, obviously the leader. "First meetings usually warrant an introduction," he said with a sly smile.

The Arrancar gave a quick laugh. "How rude of me. Forgive my lack of manners." The Espada gave the shopkeeper a respectable bow. "I am Espada number eight: Szayelapporo Granz." Standing up straight, Szayelapporo fixed his glasses and smiled. "And you are Kisuke Urahara." He glanced at the purple-haired woman behind him. "And I assume you must be Yoruichi Shihoin?" His lips formed a wide smile. "It is quite a pleasure to meet you."

"Charmed. What are you doing here?" Yoruichi bluntly asked. "Are you here for Ichigo and Halibel?"

"Not at all. That's Barragan's show. I merely decided to take advantage of a golden opportunity to see my experiments in action."

"Ah," Kisuke tilted his head back as it became clear. "So you're the one who pumped up Barragan's men with Ichigo's spiritual pressure."

"A clever observation. Your intelligence is to be commended," Szayelapporo praised. "But enough about your half-breed ally. I'm here because of you."

"Oh? And what would you possibly want from a candy store owner?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Szayelapporo tapped the side of his head. "I'm interested in that big brain of yours. I have dreamed of experimenting on a captain-class Soul Reaper. And who better fitting to be my test subject than the man whose intelligence is supposed to rival both myself and Lord Aizen." He gave Yoruichi another glance. "And I can think of a few ways I can experiment on your friend there."

"At least buy me dinner first," Yoruichi teased as she cracked her knuckles. "Wow, Kisuke. Looks like you've got an admirer."

"Yes but I think Mayuri will get angry if anyone dissects my brain before he gets a crack." Kisuke took a step forward and started to draw his sword from his cane. "My apologies, Mr. Granz. But I'm going to have to ask you to get off my property."

"Oh really?" Szayelapporo grinned. "Unfortunately for you, I don't need consent when I obtain my test subjects…"

With a snap of his fingers, all of Szayelapporo's Fraccións lunged for the pair…

Meanwhile…
High above Karakura Town

Barragan marched along in the sky, his footsteps booming like thunder. He gripped his axe in his right hand so hard his knuckles were turning white. If he wanted to, he could appear at Ichigo's house in less than a few seconds. But he chose not to. He wanted to fan the flame of hatred inside of him with every step so that when he reached his destination, he would unleash all his fury onto the traitor and her student.

Sensing someone headed his way, Barragan's march came to a stop. "So you've come back to die."

In front of him emerged Ichigo, already dressed in his black Bankai jacket and gripping his black blade. "Barragan!"

The Espada and Substitute Soul Reaper locked eyes and stared each other down. Barragan's body began to burst with red spirit energy, the sheer power of it astounding Ichigo, who in turn released his own black and red energy. "There is no escape," Barragan told his enemy. "Halibel will not save you this time. You were but a worm compared to me last time. No matter how stronger a worm gets, it is still a worm."

"Talk all you want!" Ichigo shouted back, unintimidated by the Espada's strong power. "I won't let you kill Halibel or Asahi. I will stop you! And then I will stop Aizen!"

"Stop me?" Barragan narrowed his eye. "You can do nothing. I am a king. I am a god. And you will know this god's wrath!"

Ichigo blinked and saw Barragan standing right in front of him. The kingly Arrancar held his axe over his head. "Die, worm."

And then Barragan brought the axe down.

To be continued