Chapter One: Awakening

The endless sleep that he had lain in ended.

Ulquiorra opened his eyes, and reluctantly concluded that he was still alive. The collapsing pillars and falling stones were gone, however. No trace now remained within the sacrificial chamber of the temple. Now the floor was lined with steel, and all the bodies had been cleared away.

His hands and feet were manacled. Pulling on them, he sensed something, a small but weak presence emerging. The world had been connected again.

Even a weak hollow would be a threat bound like this.

Ulquiorra broke his wrist, pulling his left arm through. The pain was moderate, but nothing he had not felt before. As he worked on the other hand, the black portal opened, and a monstrous serpent emerged. It shot toward him, but he caught it by the through. Breaking his other wrist, he raised the hand and plunged it into the heart of the beast.

Grabbing its still-beating heart, he ripped it free as he dislocated his feet and pulled them out in turn. As the corpse fell to the ground and faded away, Ulquiorra bit the heart and drew its energy into himself. A moment later, he stepped down onto the ground and looked up to see more of the creatures coming at him.

Where was his sword?

As he ripped the head from a four-legged hollow, he glanced around, looking for it. One of his eyes caught sight of a door leading out. He made for it, slashing one hand across the throat of several other beasts. All fell dead, and Ulquiorra drew their essence into himself as he stepped across the floor.

It would be best to find some clothes. One could sustain injury walking naked.

As he reached the door, he halted and saw an image. There was a longhaired woman there, staring at the place where he was imprisoned.

"Is that him?" asked the woman. "Wow, he looks like such a beautiful dreamer, doesn't he?"

Ulquiorra walked on with no true interest. As he did, he felt the memories and abilities of those hollows he'd killed pass through him. Not all of them, but enough for him to get a sense of how things worked here. Finding a computer console, he pressed the blue open button.

Access denied it said.

Memories informed Ulquiorra that only authorized personal were allowed in her. This would make killing everyone here difficult. The screen then flared to life, and a face akin to a mask appeared before him. "So, it would appear there is at least one security measure still in place. I am Mayuri Kuroschutchi, and in this situation, I am your benefactor. Since you appear to have some small talent for brutality, I will assist you-" Ulquiorra kicked the door. It bent. Another blow sent one of them flying off, and with his bare hands, he ripped the other off the tread. Then he walked on. "-don't you dare walk away from me, you worthless animal! I awakened you to-"

More hollows rushed out at Ulquiorra, who crushed each one in turn as he walked down a hall. This one appeared to be part of the uncollapsed part of the temple. Moving along, Ulquiorra felt his energies gradually returning. "More trash."

Drawn onward through these meaningless halls of stone, Ulquiorra waited impatiently. At last, he came to what he was looking for. An elegant white blade, resting on a table. He felt that petty combination of chemicals within his brain called satisfaction. "Ah, at last.

"Mercialago."

As his hand went toward the altar, however, a field of blue energy appeared around him. A nearby console flared to list. "I will grant you access to your weapon only after you listen to what I have to say. Far too much capital has been invested in my research to let it fail now-"

Ulquiorra stepped back and raised a finger. A bolt of energy surged forward and hit the shield, only to evaporate. Several more had no more effect. Could he afford to waste energy simply to not converse with this conceited fool?

"-hmm, so you are one of them are you?" said Kuroschutchi. "Fascinating. I had suspected it, but having it confirmed is gratifying. I wonder why they chose to imprison you? It is of no consequence. I may need you, but I have time enough.

"You will get back your sword once-"

The answer was yes.

Ulquiorra turned his hand and blasted the console to pieces. "If I destroy the speaker system, he will not be able to talk. His only possible actions will then be compliance or suicide." thought Ulquiorra.

There was a resentful silence. In his deluded mind, Ulquiorra could practically feel Kuroschutchi roaring in a fury. But he opened the force fields and, if Ulquiorra had him right, stalked off in disgust.

Stepped forward, Ulquiorra took the sword and belt.

Then he realized that he still had no clothes. Looking down, he saw a number of bloodied corpses. Some had been torn in half, others merely shot. At once, he began sifting around for unbloodied garments. It was fortunate that they all wore the same regulation uniform. That meant he was soon wearing a complete outfit. Although most were physically larger than him.

Now it was time to return to his plans for survival.

Making his way down the hall, he found an unending tide of lesser hollow. They rushed toward him, blades readied. Rushing to meet them, he ducked past a sword and cleaved a neck. Parrying a thrust, he returned the attack and drove it into a heart. Drawing back to evade another strike, he cut his attacker clean in half.

The others began to flee before them. But he raised a hand and blasted five of them in the back with effortless motions. Five fewer threats to his existence. Now their power was added to his.

"For Lord Barragan, for the King of Hell!" cried new creatures.

They fared no better as he carved through them by the dozens. A blur of bloodied faces and screaming monstrosities shot before him.

"Stop him! If we fail, there shall be nowhere to return to!" said another.

More carnage as the corpses piled up faster than they could disintegrate.

"Run!" said someone.

At last, there was only one remaining, backed into a corner. It cowered before him. "No, no, please, I am your servant, I beg you, please-"

Ulquiorra quickly calculated that this one could be useful. The context was important. So he put a sword to his throat. "Answer my questions, and I will kill you last."

"Yes, yes, of course." said the creature. "What do you want to know?"

"What is this place?" asked Ulquiorra. "And why are you attacking it?"

The creature looked around. "I... when Lord Barragan collapsed the entire temple on you, it was called forbidden ground. The hollow race went into our hibernation period to recover our losses, but..."

"Take your time. You need not fear me yet," said Ulquiorra, removing the blade to prove his point.

"...these humans came here and disturbed us." said the hollow. "They found us, and some of us were awoken. But the humans killed many of us with their strange weaponry.

"The leader, Mayuri Kuroschutchi, began performing experiments on our kind. He also started sending creatures into our inner dimensions to capture more of us. Barragan, however, ordered that we not destroy them."

"Why not?" asked Ulquiorra, formulating several theories. Perhaps Barragan was having trouble awakening all his forces. Or perhaps Kuroschutchi was more dangerous than Ulquiorra had judged. Alternatively, Barragan might have viewed them as sport. He might have chosen to let them survive this long.

It all depended on context.

"Lord Barragan hoped to find a worthy opponent among them." said the hollow, though that might have been mere propaganda. "That's why he had us only defend and launch occasional raids.

"Then they started delving into this place.

"We... we knew we had to act. But Lord Barragan was loath to intervene directly. And Kuroschutchi had impressive defenses. Every time we started an outbreak, he'd seal it down and crush it. And they were getting closer.

"Then, She called us."

She? Likely not a hollow, if they were able to turn around a situation, Barragan could not. Otherwise, Barragan would have taken the credit. "Who?"

"We do not know her name, but her voice is sweet." said the hollow. "She let us into this place, giving us sacrifices and allowing us to enter this dimension.

"Now we are nearly victorious.

"We... we were going to kill you while you rested."

"I see," said Ulquiorra, judging the tactic sound. "There should be a Soul Pit near here, should there not? Barragan would want to transform the souls of these creatures into more of his soldiers."

"Yes." said the hollow.

"Take me to it," said Ulquiorra.

The hollow bowed. "As you command, great one."

And he rushed off. Ulquiorra moved after him through the halls. As they did, they came to more places of metal. Bodies were hanging from walls, dripping blood down on the ground. As they moved on, Ulquiorra reflected that they must be getting close.

Having the corpses on hand made transforming the souls that much easier.

Then they reached the guards. They howled as they saw their fellow. "You, trai-"

Ulquiorra fired a barrage of balas that burned through each one in turn. "Trash."

Moving forward, he began his work again. One threat after another was annihilated, hacked to pieces with efficient strikes. Soon the fools began to run before him. "Flee! The Fourth Sword is awake! We must flee!"

"No, stand, and fight!" cried another. "Stand and-" Then his head was cut from his body.

"Run or fight as you wish," said Ulquiorra, raising a hand. "All things return to nothingness."

A cero of green light then forward, wider than most. In one blow, it consumed the creatures. Then Ulquiorra walked forward into a wide room. And at the center was a pit of corpses. Yet the bodies were gradually melting into it. Screams of those dead resounded, and the light was lower here. His body felt uneasy, as it always had. But Ulquiorra regarded this as irrelevant information.

"Here we are, great Ulquiorra. I have brought you to the Soul Pit, as you commanded." said the hollow.

Then a massive figure descended to crush the creature underfoot. Ulquiorra quickly slid back to get some distance, setting two hands to his blade. Before him was a massive, bald man wearing white garments that bore his muscular chest. His arms were thick, and he had a mask like bone beneath his chin.

"Well, that makes this so much easier," said Yammy. "Fucking weakling."

"Yammy," noted Ulquiorra, glancing around to see other creatures emerging. "It has been many ages."

"Ulquiorra," said Yammy, "you really shouldn't have turned on us."

"I turned on no one," said Ulquiorra, sheathing his sword. "To betray an entity is to betray a principle.

"One cannot violate a principle if there is no such thing."

"Well, that shit doesn't matter at all." snarled Yammy. "We've been having all kinds of fun with these humans. Some of the females make for good sport, you know."

Ulquiorra was well aware of some of his kinds... preferences. The mild distaste he felt for it was one of the reasons he'd chosen to kill them all. Still, Yammy had preferred mostly to brutalize and maim. "Disgusting.

"Have you spent time in the company of Nnoitora?

"Nnoitora is nothing!" snapped Yammy, slamming a foot against the floor.

"You are correct in a literal sense," noted Ulquiorra, looking to the surrounding enemies. "I intend to destroy every living creature in this world. If you assist me, you will be able to satisfy your thirst for brutality. I can assure you that I will destroy you last."

"You can't take on the entire world." snapped Yammy. "You'll die for sure."

"All creatures die," noted Ulquiorra. "Survival is an act of defiance against a meaningless existence. Statistically speaking, I am more likely to succeed with your aid. And you are certain to live longer than if you face me here."

"Like hell!" roared Yammy. "One, I'm not alone! Two, you may think that because I'm the Tenth Sword, I'm the weakest! But I'm not! I'm actually the Zeroth Sword! I'm stronger than Grimmjow, stronger than Nnoitora, stronger than you! They're all trash to-"

Ulquiorra slammed one palm against the ground. In doing so, he sent a wave of green energy outward at the closely packed hollows. They screeched as they were consumed, and Yammy recoiled, skin burning.

Ulquiorra surged forward and plunged a hand into Yammy's heart. The giant gasped as he fell to his knees. Reaching out with his massive hands, he tried to grab Ulquiorra. Before he could, Ulquiorra withdrew his hand and vaulted over his shoulders. Turning around in the air, he summoned energy on his fingertips.

"Cero," said Ulquiorra.

A beam of green consumed Yammy and the Soul Pit, annihilating both. All within, it surged around and entered into Ulquiorra as he landed. Their energies and minds were his. He now perceived that many within this organization had been drafted. Sent to work on an off-world colony because they were deemed threats.

Many were in constant fear for their lives.

They need not fear now.

At that moment, a figure appeared. It was a beautiful, black-haired woman with dull eyes. She was clad in an office skirt and shirt that bared her legs and wore a low cut outfit. However, she was entirely robotic in appeared.

Interesting. It appeared Ulquiorra was being affected by these souls.

"I am Nemu Kuroschutchi, Master Mayuri's digitized assistant." said the hologram. "I've been dispatched to assist you in his stead. It would appear that you are well acquainted with these creatures. More specifically, their hierarchy."

At that moment, Yammy got back up, because of course, he did. "Damn you... you're not stronger..." He swung a punch.

Ulquiorra caught the arm and used the momentum to throw Yammy across the room to smash into some boxes. "In terms of muscle mass, you are stronger. In everything else, you are nothing." He raised a hand. "Die now and fall into the oblivion that awaits all things."

Ulquiorra fired a more focused blast and destroyed Yammy's head.

"I am picking up immense amounts of energy flowing through the surrounding area," said Nemu. "Your actions appear to be attracting massive levels of demons.

"It is advisable that you relocate."

Ulquiorra reflected that, while he was superior, even he could not fight an army. Not without significant risk. Even now, he could hear the screeching as he walked up a set of steps to a higher level and made his way into a hall. As he did, hollows came toward him from both sides.

Yet in these enclosed places, he had the advantage.

Raising both hands, he began unleashing a barrage of balas on both sides. He cut through the enemy by the dozens in the packed arena. More and more of them were destroyed. Those watching it happened realized they had better places to be. They fled back and ended up fighting with their reinforcements.

"It appears that reports of your abilities are not inaccurate," said Nemu.

Ulquiorra calculated that this entity was attempting to establish a dialogue. No doubt for her own ends. Although he found her presence less grating than her master. "What do you want?"

"Master Mayuri's desire is to reestablish control over this facility. Once that is done, research can be continued. The goal of Section 13 is to ensure the scientific advancement of our society," said Nemu. "My sensors indicate that massive numbers of hollows are emerging.

"I recommend that you leave immediately. Since this place is of no further value to us, I will activate the self-destruct sequence. I will activate green lights on this hall to lead you out."

"Do as you wish," said Ulquiorra.

So green lights appeared, and Ulquiorra followed them. As he did, he came to what the memories of those he had killed told him was an elevator. Opening it, he noted a bloodied corpse there, killed while trying to flee. Pressing the button that led up, Ulquiorra waited.

And yet he found himself curious. In Ulquiorra's experience, if was beneficial to align himself, however temporarily, with others. These 'bonds' provided an additional context. One that helped him avoid losing motivation to remain alive.

Survival was the only good, just as death was the only evil.

If Ulquiorra must pursue irrelevant curiosities to survive, so be it. As the elevator went up through layers of earth, he looked to the screen. "You seek to advance what you call science. To what end did you come to Hueco Mundo?"

"Our goal is to utilize the unique energy signature in this world for military use," said Nemu. "We intend to ensure the prosperity and well-being of the many, at the expense of the individual."

Ulquiorra considered that.

Mayuri Kuroschutchi obviously cared nothing for those who had died here. He likely viewed them merely as a means to pursue his interests. They had awoken Barragan and his kind and paid the price. Even if Barragan killed everyone here, he would surely seek to invade the world they had come from. Now their only hope for defeating Barragan was Ulquiorra. And Ulquiorra's present goal was to kill everything in the universe before it could kill him. It was conceivable that Mayuri would somehow triumph over both. But Ulquiorra doubted his vision of an ideal future would sit well with anyone.

"Your mission is a failure." was all Ulquiorra said.

The gates of the elevator opened to reveal the shifting sands of Hueco Mundo. And before him was the facility where Ulquiorra would be heading next. He drew Mercielago and stepped out of the elevator to end the lives of all who could threaten him.

A new bloodletting was about to commence.

Author's Note:

So I've been completely unable to come up with anything to write for my other fanfics lately. Most of my focus has been on playing Doom 2016. Without any ideas, I decided to use the formula presented by Doom 2016 to create a story.

Of course, I mean for this to be its own thing. Character motivations, actions, and plans will generally be completely different. I'm just really starved for ideas, and I have to post something.

On a separate note, Yammy is the absolute worst Espada.

He's literally just another generic, stupid brute. I will never understand why Tite Kubo choose for him to be the last Espada standing. Literally, anyone else would have been more appropriate. He has no character depth, no interesting personality traits, and no arc. He isn't even a good fighter.

Thus his rather unceremonious fate here.