Bleach: The Invincible Slacker from Rukongai

The inner awakening made Ichigo's wavering reiatsu temporarily stable. He defeated Grimmjow who had activated his ultimate technique. However, Grimmjow was very unwilling to accept his defeat. Even though he was forced to exit his Resurrección state due to his serious injuries, he still struggled to fight.

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow, who could barely walk, and said seriously:

"I know you want to be the king. But being a lonely king isn't fun at all."

He felt the same way. He didn't want to dominate anyone. This wasn't what he pursued. However, the power within his body didn't seem to agree.

Whenever he used the power of the Hollow, Ichigo could feel the urge in his heart. It was an instinctive desire—a desire to fight, to kill, to destroy.

Grimmjow and the other Arrancar were like a mirror, reflecting this desire and the tragedy of obeying instinct. Although these Arrancar were all powerful Espada, they weren't happy and lived empty lives. Ichigo sensed this through their reiatsu.

So no matter what, he didn't want to become a monster dominated by instinct.

Grimmjow didn't care about that and continued to weakly punch Ichigo's chest with what little strength he had left.

Just as the two were at a standstill, Nnoitra, with his scythe-like weapon resembling a grim reaper, appeared. Without saying a word, he first knocked Grimmjow down with his weapon, then attacked the seriously injured Ichigo. Grimmjow, who was already at death's door, fell to the ground silently and lost consciousness.

When he spotted Orihime nearby, Nnoitra shouted, "Tesla! Grab her!"

This Ulquiorra is so arrogant, but it's all for nothing. He can't even keep an eye on one woman, what a waste. At the critical moment, I have to take action myself.

The Quinto Espada's Fracción, Tesla, like Nnoitra, wore an eye patch. Two one-eyed warriors—one wearing a white eye patch and the other wearing a black one. One on the left and one on the right, perfectly symmetrical. Those who didn't know better might think they were a matching pair.

After receiving the order, Tesla didn't hesitate. He immediately activated his ability to restrain Orihime and threatened:

"Don't move! Although your Shun Shun Rikka has strong defensive capabilities, its physical form is very fragile. At this distance, I can break your hairpins before you activate your power. By Lord Aizen's orders, as long as you don't resist, you'll be fine."

"Who are you? Let her go! Come at me if you dare!" Seeing Orihime being held at weapon-point by the enemy, Ichigo grew anxious.

Nnoitra sneered:

"You talk as if you could beat me if she were released. You're about to die, so what's your name?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki!" He clenched Zangetsu tightly.

His reiatsu and physical strength were greatly depleted, and he was seriously injured. Moreover, the Arrancar before him exuded immense pressure. The situation was extremely unfavorable.

However, no matter how powerful the enemy, it couldn't stop him from trying to rescue his friend.

Nnoitra laughed wildly:

"You're quite strong. But unfortunately, I watched your fight just now. I already know your fighting style and all your weaknesses. So I'll only remember your name for a short time. Because the dead have no names."

At this point, he stuck out his tongue to reveal the number "5" tattooed on it and said confidently:

"Look closely—the opponent you fought with all your might until you were covered in wounds is just number six. And I am number five among the Espada. I am much stronger than him. So, you will never defeat me. You're dead!"

After saying that, Nnoitra pursued Ichigo, who was in extremely poor condition, without giving him a chance to breathe.

He was different from Grimmjow. He liked fighting, but he liked winning even more. To ensure victory, he would do whatever it took and would never pursue fair combat like Grimmjow. In his opinion, taking an enemy's head was victory, plain and simple.

So, facing the injured Ichigo and Grimmjow, he chose to attack ruthlessly without hesitation.

After a few exchanges, Ichigo was already overwhelmed and could be seriously injured or even killed at any moment.

Orihime watched anxiously from the sidelines. But now she was restrained by Tesla, her Shun Shun Rikka completely unusable, so she could only worry helplessly.

Ichigo roared in frustration, but his anger couldn't change the situation.

In his mind, White continued to laugh:

"You're really useless! You tried your best to suppress me and prove yourself. And this is the result? Give up, let me take control! If you continue like this, you'll die, that girl will die, and all your friends will die!"

To be honest, White didn't want to frighten Ichigo. It was just that this kid was too stubborn.

White kept insisting that he was Zangetsu and wanted Ichigo to recognize him. But in return, he got nothing but suspicion and suppression.

"I wanted to turn my heart toward the bright moon, but the bright moon shines only on the ditch!" White had wanted to get along with Ichigo as a Zanpakutō and guardian, but what he got in return was doubt and restraint.

In this case, White would no longer pretend. He would reveal his true nature: I am a Hollow!

Of course, even so, White still wanted to help Ichigo. But the choice wasn't his to make. After all, he was just a sword. The only one who could make decisions was the person holding the blade. All White could do was kill and fight.

As before, Ichigo ignored White and chose to continue fighting alone. However, the opponent's defense was so incredible that even his Tensa Zangetsu in Bankai couldn't break through. Nnoitra suppressed him with his seemingly invulnerable body.

"This is what battle truly is," Nnoitra said disdainfully. "Without strength, no matter how strong your will, it's useless. Your fighting philosophy is too weak, too naive. Fighting is for victory, for taking the enemy's life. This is the meaning of our existence! And in case you didn't know, my Hierro is invincible. Even if I stood still and let you hit me, you couldn't scratch me."

In his opinion, the battle between Ichigo and Grimmjow was like children playing house—meaningless. In a real fight, the winner takes the loser's life. This was the law of nature and the rule of Hueco Mundo, which must be followed.

That fool Nelliel had spared him because she was weak. As a result, he had ambushed her, and now she was probably dead in some forgotten corner. What a stupid woman! Such weak, incompetent souls were destined to be eliminated. His fighting philosophy was correct.

Facing this overwhelming enemy, Ichigo still gritted his teeth and persisted, without any retreat or fear.

At this moment, a casual and indifferent voice rang out:

"The strongest Hierro of the Espada? It seems there's nothing particularly special about it."

Hearing this voice, everyone looked up urgently and saw a man coming toward them

At the same time, a little girl peeked out furtively from behind him. She was wearing a green skirt and timidly hugging the white-clad man's leg, looking at everyone with curious eyes.

After seeing the newcomer's appearance, Nnoitra frowned and asked in confusion: "Who are you?"

The battle with Ichigo had barely been a warm-up for him, so his senses remained alert to potential threats. His perceptive instincts had been monitoring for external dangers. Yet the man before him had appeared silently—from beginning to end, Nnoitra hadn't detected his approach.

The key concern was that, in his perception, this person didn't emit any reiatsu whatsoever. The stranger wasn't wearing a Shihakusho, and there was no mask or Hollow hole visible on his body. He didn't look like an Arrancar or a Shinigami. There was something inexplicably strange about his demeanor and presence.

"An enemy?" Tesla also reacted and asked Orihime: "Is this your ally? There's no record of this person in our data. However, it doesn't matter who he is. Master Nnoitra is invincible!"

"Captain Commander Uehara!" Ichigo and Orihime exclaimed in unison.

The newcomers were Uehara Shiroha and Nel. Because his Shadow Clone Technique had surpassed the Perfect Level, Uehara Shiroha had decided to celebrate a little and demonstrate true power to these Arrancar, letting them witness what real strength looked like.

He became the center of attention the moment he appeared. His transcendent presence was so eye-catching that everyone ignored Nel, who was full of curiosity beside him.

Hearing Ichigo and Orihime's exclamations, Nnoitra was shocked: "Uehara Shiroha? It's him!"

He clenched his Zanpakutō tightly, but immediately broke into wild laughter: "Hahaha, I didn't expect you to come to Hueco Mundo. That's perfect! Your head, along with the Shinigami's, will be enough to prove I am the strongest of the Espada. Use your lives to fulfill my reputation as the mightiest warrior!"

It was fortunate timing for him—he had felt that a seriously injured and dying Ichigo wasn't enough of a challenge. He had heard of Uehara Shiroha's reputation. If he could kill this man, he would undoubtedly be recognized as the strongest Espada!

Tesla looked at Uehara Shiroha with doubt: "Is this the legendary White Devil? Why can't I sense any reiatsu or killing intent? Yet there's a strange oppressive force. What a peculiar individual. Although Lord Nnoitra's strength is impeccable, we can't afford to be careless."

He prepared himself to assist Nnoitra at the first opportunity and quickly deal with Uehara Shiroha. Even if he were to be reprimanded and punished by Nnoitra afterward, he wouldn't hesitate. After all, the opponent was the infamous Uehara Shiroha of Hueco Mundo—they couldn't take unnecessary risks.

For Tesla, protecting Nnoitra was his only mission.

Uehara Shiroha didn't take Nnoitra or Tesla seriously. To him, a provocation from the Quinto Espada carried no weight at all—the Arrancar wasn't even qualified to warrant his concern.

He merely glanced at the thoroughly embarrassed Ichigo, nodded, and said: "You finally look like who you truly are. Although you realized it a bit late, it's better than never."

Compared to natural-born warriors, Ichigo was similar to Sawada Tsunayoshi from "Reborn!"—the most approachable type. Both were born with unparalleled talents, but their personalities and mindsets were more ordinary than most people's.

Such personalities had both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was that neither would ever become tyrants, which was reassuring; the disadvantage was that they would struggle to achieve greatness. Lack of motivation was their biggest problem. Therefore, both were forced to move forward, forced to fight, and forced to become stronger.

"Heroes are made by the times"—this saying described them perfectly.

Of course, Uehara Shiroha didn't care whether they were passive or active, willing or unwilling. He only knew that both were excellent tools. Otherwise, a group of crafty veterans wouldn't have repeatedly used Ichigo to work for free.

It was for this reason that Uehara Shiroha had offered kind persuasion to Ichigo. As for these noisy Arrancar in Hueco Mundo, they were naturally marked for death.

Ichigo didn't know how to respond to Uehara Shiroha's praise. It must be a good thing to be acknowledged by someone of his stature, but too many things had happened recently, and his reactions were sluggish. Moreover, the Captain Commander was too mysterious—Ichigo couldn't grasp his thoughts.

Looking at Uehara Shiroha, who was acting as if no one else mattered and clearly didn't take him seriously, Nnoitra's expression turned cold as he smiled maliciously:

"You're completely underestimating me! Uehara Shiroha, I've heard your name. I don't know if you're truly as powerful as they say, but you are indeed our enemy. And enemies should be eliminated!"

He knew the man before him was definitely powerful. The moniker "White Devil" had come from countless slain Greater Hollows, representing mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Even though Nnoitra believed himself invincible, he didn't act rashly.

This was typical of him—otherwise, he wouldn't have waited for Ichigo and Grimmjow to finish their battle before stepping in to take advantage.

Of course, there was a more important factor that he was unwilling to admit. He sensed an inexplicable pressure emanating from Uehara Shiroha, which made him uneasy. It felt like walking in darkness toward an unseen cliff—one step forward would mean being shattered to pieces.

This was how Nnoitra felt now. He was furious at his own sense of incompetence. For someone like him, fear in the heart equaled failure and death. He should make others feel fear and uneasiness, not experience those emotions himself. Therefore, Nnoitra refused to acknowledge the fear in his heart.

Meanwhile, Tesla addressed Uehara Shiroha: "You're here to save Orihime, aren't you? But now she's in our custody—what do you intend to do?"

Strictly speaking, his actions violated Aizen's orders. After all, Aizen had commanded that unless Orihime betrayed them, she was not to be harmed, especially the physical carriers of her Shun Shun Rikka.

However, Tesla was truly loyal only to Nnoitra. This was why he had previously blocked Chad's full-force counterattack for his master. Even now, while sensing the strange oppressive force from Uehara Shiroha, he wanted to test the newcomer's resolve.

He knew that both Aizen and Nnoitra would disapprove of his actions. But he did it anyway. This was loyalty!

Seeing his subordinate acting independently again, Nnoitra glared fiercely at Tesla: "Tesla, what are you implying? Do you think I will lose?"

He wouldn't mind using hostages to threaten Uehara Shiroha. But Tesla speaking for him suggested that he feared the White Devil. Even if the opponent was infamous, even if there was something unsettling about him, Nnoitra refused to believe he could lose.

"You don't seriously think you can threaten me this way, do you?" Uehara Shiroha said with a bored expression. "I don't even care about the fate of Soul Society, let alone a mere human and a substitute Shinigami. What exactly are you thinking?"

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