Friction! Friction!

Like the claws of the devil!

Even as Ichigo tried with all his might to activate his Hollow state again, it was useless. In less than half a second, his mask shattered completely.

After exiting his transformed state once more, his Reiatsu was depleted and his breathing grew shallow. Now Ichigo was utterly exhausted, like a candle in the wind, his life force flickering.

When Orihime and Uryū reached the top of the dome, they witnessed a scene that filled them with despair.

In his Segunda Etapa form, Ulquiorra had wrapped his tail tightly around Ichigo's neck and lifted him high into the air. His black claws were aimed directly at Ichigo's chest. Ichigo's limbs hung limply, his strength completely gone.

After sensing their familiar Reiatsu, Ulquiorra turned and addressed Orihime in a cold tone:

"You are here, woman! Soon, you will witness the moment your companion, in whom you placed such high hopes, is killed. Because of the so-called heart, you remain stubborn and unwilling to surrender. It is also because of this heart that you are injured, bleeding, and will return to nothingness. The facts prove that your heart has changed nothing and holds no meaning."

While speaking, he condensed a black Cero Oscuras and blasted a hole directly through Ichigo's chest. The devastating beam cut through flesh and bone with terrifying precision, leaving a smoking void where Ichigo's heart should be.

This hole matched exactly the Hollow hole on his own chest. This was his unique mark—not the mark of a hunter on its prey, but the imprint of the void upon one it had devoured.

With this mark, his opponent would, like him, become part of the void completely.

This was the end!

Facts had proven there was no such thing as a heart.

What Ulquiorra didn't realize was that Ichigo's defeat wasn't due to lacking talent or strength. It was because Ichigo operated under various restrictions, including his Substitute Shinigami badge and his self-imposed limitations.

Ichigo had used the rational power of his Shinigami abilities to suppress his instinctual Hollow powers. Ulquiorra had used Hollow power to overcome this rational restraint, and in doing so, had awakened something he neither understood nor could match.

Seeing Ichigo fall helplessly to the ground, Orihime rushed forward to heal him. Her eyes wide with horror, her face pale with shock.

Ulquiorra turned and blocked her path, stating calmly, "It's useless! Your power isn't sufficient to save his life. He is already dead!"

"Licht Regen!" Uryū, dragging his injured body, didn't hesitate for a moment. He leaped into the air and fired a barrage from his Ginrei Kojaku at Ulquiorra.

"Take this, Ulquiorra—a three-hundred-meter radius of holy arrows of destruction!"

The endless rain of arrows engulfed his enemy, buying time for Orihime to reach Ichigo. Thousands of blue energy arrows illuminated the night sky, briefly outshining even the cold crescent moon above.

But for Ulquiorra in his Segunda Etapa form, this assault was merely a "drizzle." After the arrow rain subsided, he emerged from the dust completely unscathed and remarked coldly:

"Uryū Ishida, I thought you were the most level-headed of Ichigo's companions. Why do you choose to destroy yourself?"

"I am level-headed, which is why I can fight you without hesitation." With this single statement, the "Last Quincy" attracted enough hatred to last a lifetime.

But his strength proved insufficient. In just a few moves, Ulquiorra knocked him to the ground, leaving him unable to continue fighting.

Orihime was on the verge of collapse. Ichigo was dying, yet she was powerless to help. Beside her, Uryū lay coughing blood, and she could do nothing for either of them.

With tears streaming down her face, Orihime cried out desperately: "Help me, Kurosaki-kun!"

Ding! Password correct! Orihime Inoue has successfully performed a summoning! She has summoned the top-tier Pure Love Berserker!

The effect of this cry was comparable to the most powerful activation phrases in any universe—a legendary ultimate move.

Then, Orihime watched as Ichigo, having unleashed something from deep within, rose to his feet.

This time, what Ichigo had unleashed wasn't just power—it was a dark universe unto itself.

His short orange hair lengthened into flowing locks of a much darker shade. More terrifyingly, the "Hollow hole" in Ichigo's chest remained.

His face was completely covered by a hideous bone mask, and most of his body was encased in white bone armor. A pair of horns curved forward, razor-sharp and menacing!

Compared to his previous masked form, Ichigo now possessed a cold, alien beauty without distortion—like a being from another world, radiating an otherworldly shock.

His eyes remained closed, his breath chaotic—like a dormant volcano, sending chills down the spine.

This was Ichigo's most violent, primitive Hollow state—a complete return to his original, instinctual form.

The Vasto Lorde Ichigo had arrived!

Completely unhinged!

"Kurosaki..." Seeing this transformed Ichigo before them, Orihime and Uryū were shocked and bewildered. The spiritual pressure emanating from him was unlike anything they had felt before—not even Shiroha's overwhelming presence had this primal, untamed quality.

Ulquiorra turned to look at the horned Ichigo and spoke in surprise:

"Impossible! How could you still be alive? Who are you? Or rather, what are you?"

He couldn't understand how this opponent could rise again and again. Was it he or Ichigo who possessed high-speed regeneration?

The Shinigami had survived by transforming into a Hollow before. What had he relied on to stand up this time?

Vasto Lorde Ichigo said nothing. He simply extended his right hand, and Tensa Zangetsu, which had been embedded in the ground, immediately flew into his grasp.

He swung the sword casually, and the resulting air pressure shattered the rocky ground and sent Orihime flying backward.

At the critical moment, Uryū dragged himself forward to catch Orihime as she was thrown away, nearly coughing up blood again from the strain.

Ichigo didn't even glance at Orihime and Uryū as they tumbled across the ground.

He looked skyward and roared, his red Reiatsu rising like a wild dragon, covering the heavens and shaking the earth with incomparable violence.

"I'm speaking to you. What's your answer?" Ulquiorra stared at the frenzied Ichigo and said coldly, "It seems I can't communicate with you through language. In that case, I'll kill you again."

He didn't care how his opponent looked or how strong he'd become. Until now, he'd merely been toying with his adversary. The power of Segunda Etapa was overwhelming—he hadn't truly exerted his full strength yet.

With this thought, Ulquiorra raised his right hand, and the tip of his black claw began condensing the Espada's unique Cero Oscuras once more!

Across from him, Ichigo lowered his head, and between his horns, a red light began to gather as well...