Not a Mob: Psycho

Entering the frozen chamber where Nnoitra had been recovering, Rukia wore an expression as cold as her surroundings as she observed the tall and lanky Arrancar encased in a thick block of ice.
*crack*
Following the initial crack, an explosion of vaporized ice spread through the area as Nnoitra broke free, shouting, "You think you can defeat me so easily, you Shinigami wench...!?" with a fierce expression on his face.
Branding his six giant scythes from every direction, Nnoitra cut off any chance Rukia had to escape, his expression and tone hardening into a ruthless glower as he said, "Die..." like an Executioner passing sentence on someone.
Showing no fear or hesitation, Rukia stood her ground, sweeping her pure white Zanpakuto in a swift yet graceful figure-eight pattern as she said, "Yon-no-Mai, Kazahana(Fourth Dance, Snow Flurry)...!"
As his scythes crashed into the invisible barrier surrounding Rukia's body, Nnoitra felt a powerful repulsive force through each handle. At the same time, frigid wind erupted from Rukia's body, chilling his body and pushing him backward as a blizzard-like tempest filled the chamber.
Losing his smile, Nnoitra used his scythes to prevent himself from being pushed back as he growled, "I knew it...there's no way such a small and insignificant woman could possess such power. You're borrowing power from that man, Yamada Ohta..."
Sweeping her sword in a casual arc, Rukia generated several blades of ice that impacted Nnoitra's incredibly durable body, her expression revealing a hint of amusement as she remarked, "You're hopeless. You condemn me for borrowing power, but everything you have was given to you by Aizen or acquired using unscrupulous means."
"Shut your mouth...!" screamed Nnoitra, extending his pointed tongue to reveal the number five had been tattooed on its surface. Golden energy began to gather at its tip, forming a Cero, but before he could unleash it, the ice and snow beneath him started to glow, the air around him freezing before a column of ice formed from the floor to the ceiling.
Slicing her sword in a zig-zag pattern, Rukia caused the pillar of ice to split and slide in different directions in an attempt to tear Nnoitra apart with the pressure and torque produced by the uniquely dense, incredibly durable ice. Her efforts were unsuccessful, but she managed to trap Nnoitra for a short while, the tall and lanky Espada glaring at her with a look he likely wished she could kill.
As Rukia considered how she could torment Nnoitra further, a slim male Arrancar with short, dirty blonde hair and an eyepatch over his right eye appeared behind her. His sword resembled a falchion with a distinctive loop near the base of the blade and a chakra functioning as a hilt guard, but it didn't really matter as Rukia's figure flicked, disappearing before the sneak attack could impact the barrier surrounding her body. At the same time, another icy white circle manifested beneath her would-be assassin, trapping him within an ice column.
Breaking free from his icy prison, Nnoitra screamed, "You damned idiot, Tesra! This is why I told you to stop following me around...!"
Throwing one of his scythes, Nnoitra attempted to free his one and only Fraccion by cutting and incinerating the column just above his head. He might have succeeded, too, if Rukia hadn't reappeared in his blind spot, her hair gaining a frosty hue as she swung her sword, seemingly in slow motion, at his waist, saying, "Go-no-mai, Shirotatsu(Fifth Dance, White Divide)...!"
Though it was only for a moment, Rukia's Sode-no-Shirayuki reached a temperature infinitesimally close to Absolute Zero, -273.15&deg;C. As a result, her sword passed through Nnoitra's incredibly durable body as if it were an illusion, the Reishi comprising it freezing and simultaneously breaking down instantly, allowing her to slice through him with ease.
"Wha-"
As the upper half of his body separated from his lower half, carried by the momentum of his lunge, Nnoitra stared back at Rukia in disbelief.
Meeting the man's gaze, Rukia coldly affirmed, "That was 'my' power. Got anything else to say before you die...?"
Catching Rukia a little off guard, Nnoita caught and supported himself with four of his six scythes, glaring back at her as just an upper body as he growled, "You sneaky little bitch...attacking from my blind spot while I was distracted? Pathetic..."
Raising her brows, Rukia stared at Nnoitra in utter disbelief as she asked, "You are genuinely oblivious to the dichotomies between your words and actions, aren't you? When you resort to underhanded tactics, it's justified, but when the tables are turned, it's somehow dishonest. Is your Aspect of Death Obliviousness? Or perhaps Narcissism...?"
"It's Despair, you bitch...!" screamed Nnoitra, scurrying toward Rukia like a feral cockroach or a mantis that had been bifurcated at its metathorax. He was much slower than usual due to Rukia's frigid Reiatsu coursing through his body, but he forced himself forward with his pointed tongue extended, gathering all the energy he could muster for a final kamikaze blow.
To Nnoita's glee, Rukia didn't move to evade his attack. He suspected this was due to her faith in Ohta's psychic barrier, but he discovered the truth when his scythes tore through her body, breaking it apart like a snowman. Unfortunately, as his Reiryoku had already reached a critical degree of instability, he didn't even have time to curse before his body exploded like a golden sun more than three kilometers in diameter...
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While Orihime, Karin, and Ichigo were awed by the devastation wrought by Nnoitra's kamikaze, Ohta had a bored look on his face as he muttered, "Quinto Espada used Self-Destruct...it wasn't very effective..."
Hearing Ohta's utterance, Karin blinked in surprise, asking, "Was that a Pokomon reference...?"
Raising his brows, Ohta looked down at the petite Arrancar and asked, "So what if it was...?"
Shaking her head, Karin waved her hands and said, "No, it's nothing. It's just...I didn't think you paid attention to things like that."
As Rukia appeared right next to him, Ohta surprised her by plopping his hand atop her head, saying, "My fiancee likes cute things."
Escaping from Ohta's hand, Rukia stared at him with pretend annoyance as she asked, "What are you going on about now?"
Before Ohta could respond, Ichigo intruded upon their conversation from beneath the canopy of Orihime's healing barrier, his expression exhibiting disbelief as he asked, "Rukia...did you really just defeat an Espada on your own...?"
Furrowing his brows, Ohta remarked, "You say that as if you're the only one capable of battling powerful foes. She might be small, but I'll have you know Rukia could put both of our asses on ice if she managed to get close enough to trigger her Bankai on top of us."
Elbowing Ohta in his side, causing her entire forearm to go numb while he stood unaffected, Rukia groaned, "I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't need you speaking for me..."
Shrugging his shoulders and spreading his hands helplessly, Ohta replied, "Whatever you say, monkey-bun..." before looking to Ichigo and Orihime, focusing on the latter as he asked, "How much longer is it going to take to heal this asshat...?"
"I'm not entirely sure..." replied Orihime, adopting an apologetic smile as she explained, "Kurosaki-kun has a tremendous amount of Reiryoku, and it flows...differently from a normal person's. His physical injuries aren't too much of an issue, but I'm having trouble repairing the damage around his Hakusui(Soul Sleep)..."
"Then just patch him up enough that he can stand," said Ohta. "You can focus on healing him further once we relocate. Loitering in the middle of a battlefield after a fight is just asking to be ambushed."
Though he wouldn't mind if 'all' the remaining Espada showed up, Ohta knew it was probably best if they conserved and stockpiled their energy in preparation for the fight against Aizen. Thus, once Ichigo was healed enough to stand, he placed everyone else inside the cloak before telling the orange-haired hero complex to follow him...
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Waiting until they reached the interior of an 'abandoned' building, Ichigo questioned, "Where did the others go? I'm assuming it has something to do with that strange cloak..."
Exhaling a light chuckle, Ohta casually revealed, "This cloak belonged to the former God-King of Hueco Mundo, Barragan. And yes, the others are inside."
Punctuating his statement, Ohta released Rukia, Orihime, and Karin from his left sleeve before extending his right to produce Sung-Sun, Mila Rose, and Apacci. Ichigo was visibly relieved by the former, but confusion and a fair amount of condemnation marred his expression when he saw the trio of Arrancar, compelling him to groan, "Seriously, man? You already have Rukia, Orihime, and Rangiku..."
"Don't make assumptions," retorted Ohta, his expression morphing into a deadpan as he gestured to the standoffish trio and revealed, "These three are insurance to ensure Chad, Uryu, and Renji aren't 'disappeared' by their Mistress, the Tres Espada. Speaking of which...how did the four of you get separated?"
"Ugh..." groaned Ichigo. However, instead of keeping mum, he explained, "We tried sticking together, but we came across a room with multiple corridors. Every time we took one as a group, we always returned to the same place. Going back the way we came had the same result, so we split up to see if we could break out of the loop we were caught in..."
"Why not just tunnel through one of the walls?" questioned Ohta. "That's how we got into Las Noches in the first place."
"That's what I said," grumbled Ichigo. "but Uryu was against it, saying it would leave us open to being attacked from behind or having the ceiling collapsed on top of us."
"Mmm...he has a point..." admitted Ohta. After all, not everyone could raise a building the size of multiple stadiums by simply willing it. Chad was barely at the level where he could level buildings with his punches, and Uryu was mainly oriented around speed, not power. They would be lucky to survive the initial collapse if hundreds of thousands of tons of rubble fell atop them.
"Let's forget about that," said Ichigo, furrowing his brows as he added, "What I want to know is what happened to Karin's body?"
Shaking his head, Ohta parroted, "Just forget about it. Besides, even if we had recovered her body, she wouldn't have been able to return to it in her current state. We most likely need Urahara's assistance or the Hogyoku in Aizen's possession to revert her to her original state."
Furrowing her brows, Karin huffed, "I'm not reverting to my human form if it means I'll have to give up my power."
Before Ichigo could raise his voice, Karin stared him down, stating, "If you want others to live an ordinary life, lead by example. If you weren't such a busybody and kept your nose out of things-"
Chopping the top of Karin's head, Ohta said, "Cut it out. Even now, your brother barely understands what's going on. If you want to point fingers at someone, start with your father, Urahara Kisuke, Aizen, and the other ancient bastards pulling the strings."
Shifting his gaze to Ichigo, Ohta added, "But she's not entirely wrong, you know? You can't blame Karin for wanting to become stronger or relying on the powers of a Hollow when you walked the very same path. If you really want to protect her, you need to talk, train together, and prevent her from making the same mistakes you did. If not, she'll have no choice but to rely on herself and others to guide her..."
"Like you...?" asked Ichigo, brows furrowed to their limits.
Shrugging his shoulders, Ohta contended, "Better me than Urahara Kisuke and those ancient Vizards that gave you the runaround. At least I advised her to wait until she reached High School before training seriously. It was your 250-year-old dad that pissed on my good intentions."
Though Ichigo and Karin had been made aware that their dad was once a Captain-Level Shinigami, the two siblings looked at Ohta as if he had said something strange, the former questioning, "What are you talking about? Dad is only in his forties..."
Reaching up to massage his forehead, Ohta muttered, "This daft mother..." before shaking his head, lowering his hand, and saying, "Sit down and pay attention. I'm only going to go over this shit one final time. After that, it's an issue you'll need to work out as a family. I have more important things to deal with than mediating your family's affairs..."
With the Kurosaki siblings eventually complying with his instructions, Ohta recounted everything he knew about their family and situation for Ichigo's benefit. The latter wasn't at his level, but if they both survived the encounter against Aizen, Ohta could see the orange-haired teen being a powerful ally in the future. Thus, even though he didn't mesh well with Ichigo's naivete, he didn't mind training with him in the future if it meant having additional assurance against Yhwach and the potential betrayal of Soul Society...
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(A/N: Nnoitra just learned what it's like to chew 5 Gum...)

After hearing Ohta's explanation, Ichigo was understandably shocked. As a matter of course, however, he felt compelled to ask, "How do you know all this...?"
"That's the difference between me and you," replied Ohta. "You focus on resolving problems, and I focus on understanding them so I don't end up being used to advance the schemes of others without benefitting in some way. As for my sources...that's my business. How do you think I ended up owning a luxury hotel while you're just learning about your heritage?"
Blinking in surprise, Ichigo asked, "You own a luxury hotel...?"
"This guy..." muttered Ohta, rubbing his forehead and combing through his hair in a self-calming gesture. Fortunately for Ichigo, now wasn't the time or place to smack some sense into him...
Shaking his head, Ohta adopted a neutral expression and said, "Anyways, we need to be ready to return once the Attack Squad arrives. Here, wear this..."
Though Barragan's Royal Mantle was incredibly useful, the experiments Ohta conducted with Rukia, Orihime, and Karin demonstrated that it was far more effective in the hands of someone with a monstrous amount of Reiryoku. Even in his weakened state, Ohta could sense that Ichigo had far more Reiryoku than him. The sooner he could recover, the more useful he would be in the coming battle.
Catching the pendant Ohta had thrown him, Ichigo asked, "Is this what gave you those weird robes? And what's with the giant ax and...is that a crown?"
"Even when you've been told things, they fly right over your head, don't they?" retorted Ohta, holding up the crown as he explained, "This is the crown of the former God-King of Hueco Mundo, Barragan Louisenbairn. The ax also belonged to him."
Furrowing his brows, Ichigo asked, "And you just took them? That's not cool, man..."
"..."
Inhaling a deep breath, Ohta resisted the urge to plant Ichigo into the nearest wall, his expression morphing into a half-lidded deadpan as he said, "Just put the damn thing on..."
Though he didn't approve of taking war trophies, Ichigo donned the ruby pendant, causing a predominately white Shihakusho to materialize around his body. It looked remarkably similar to his Bankai attire, but the colors were inverted, and the edge of his cape and hakama were incredibly worn and tattered. More notably, he gained a pure white, skull-shaped pauldron over his left shoulder, its eye sockets as black as a Hollow's hole.
As the white Shihakusho materialized around him, a bone-chilling Reiatsu surged from Ichigo's body, causing even Ohta to feel tense. However, this was fairly tame compared to the responses of Karin, Sung-Sun, Mila Rose, and Apacci. The former was able to remain standing, albeit with her body trembling violently, but Harribel's Fraccion were immediately brought to their knees, eyes wide and sweat covering their bodies as they practically prostrated themselves before Ichigo's Reiatsu.
"Huh? What's going on...?" asked Ichigo, staring at the sight in confusion instead of attempting to rein in his Reiatsu. Fortunately for everyone else, his idiocy wasn't communicable, so Ohta was able to form a barrier as he flatly replied, "Your Reiatsu is leaking. Get it under control before I smack your few functioning brain cells into oblivion..."
"Right..." replied Ichigo, closing his eyes, brows furrowed as he focused on calming his surging Reiatsu. It took nearly a minute, but he eventually got it under control, causing the bluish-white aura exuding from his body to dissipate completely.
Exhaling a sigh, Ichigo opened his eyes and asked, "How's that...?" while observing everyone's condition.
Lowering the barrier, Ohta answered, "Far from perfect, but better. Also, before you get any ideas, that pendant is mine. I'm only loaning it to you to speed up your recovery. If you run off or have it stolen from you..."
Though he was tempted to say he would make a replacement cloak from Ichigo's skin, Ohta felt like that might be crossing a line given his current company. Instead, he adopted a toothy grin and said, "Well, just keep in mind that I 'always' get what I'm owed..."
"You can cut it out with the threats," replied Ichigo, huffing, "I'm not going to 'steal' your stolen goods..."
"..."
Turning to the wryly smiling Rukia, Ohta said, "I'm going out to get some fresh air..."
"I'll accompany you," replied Rukia, taking the initiative to grab Ohta's hand and pull him out of the room. Even she was starting to feel irritated by Ichigo's behavior, so she could only imagine how annoyed Ohta was. Fortunately, while he didn't shy away from violence, he was fairly patient with those he regarded as his friends or, at the very least, didn't view as enemies...
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Nearly two hours after her departure, Harribel finally returned with a conscious, incredibly worn-out Chad, Uryu, and Renji. Ohta had been relaxing outside with Rukia and Orihime then, so he greeted the group from between the two beauties, remarking, "You guys look like you got thrown into a blender..."
Rising to a seated position, Ohta added, "Go ahead and heal them..." in response to Orihime staring at him with a silent plea in her eyes. While she did, he asked the trio what happened, prompting Uryu to explain, "It was horrible. We were making good progress in our respective searches when the floor gave out beneath us, depositing us in a strange, dimly lit location deep underground. Renji believed it was a place called the Menos Forest due to the many Gillians present, but that's when 'they' appeared..."
"The Picaros..." muttered Chad, his expression and tone the same as usual but with a distant look in his eyes. He believed he was prepared to kill any Arrancar or Hollow he encountered, but a group of children and their pets was too much...
"The Picaros..." parroted Uryu, motioning to push up his glasses, but, as they were absent, he quickly lowered his hand, adding, "I've never met such a 'menacing' group of Hollows before..."
"You're lucky they took an interest in you," remarked Harribel, standing off to the side with crossed arms. By now, her hair had nearly regained its golden luster. However, as her Zanpakuto had yet to begin rematerializing, she could only muster 10-20% of her total power.
"You call 'that' lucky!?" exclaimed Uryu. "We almost got played to death by a bunch of kids, all because-"
"Calm down, Poindexter," said Ohta. "Lashing out at chocolate tits isn't going to make you feel better. Now, tell me. Did anything else happen, or was getting bullied by brats the only thing you accomplished since our arrival...?"
Responding in Uryu's stead, Renji huffily challenged, "What have 'you' accomplished since our arrival? Other than consorting with the enemy, that is..."
Furrowing her brows, Rukia emulated Harribel's crossed-arm posture as she said, "In half a day, Ohta has succeeded in defeating no less than three Espada, one of which was the former king of Hueco Mundo turned into an Arrancar. He could have defeated many more, but he didn't want to throw the human world into disarray..."
Realizing he had stepped on a landmine, Renji raised his hands and said, "Sorry, that was my bad. I'm just a little frustrated about what happened on our end. I wasn't trying to be confrontational..."
"Yeah, whatever you say, widow's peak," quipped Ohta. "For now, just focus on recovering. Once the Attack Squad arrives and everyone is in peak condition, we'll return to the Human World."
Turning his gaze to Harribel, Ohta revealed his sharpened teeth in the form of a smile as he asked, "I trust you can help with that?"
Nodding in affirmation, Harribel answered, "It's possible, but we'd have to move outside of Las Noches to ensure nothing goes wrong. I can't explain why..."
Shrugging his shoulders, Ohta asserted, "It doesn't matter. So long as you can help us return to the Human World, I'll have sufficient ammunition to prevent the Soul Society from breathing down your necks in the future. If you could teach Strawberry and his sister how to produce one, that would be even better."
"..."
Though she was reluctant to teach an 'outsider' how to enter Las Noches at their leisure freely, Harribel knew there wasn't much to stop Ohta from visiting them if he wanted to. Rather, with most of the other Espada dead, they would need his assistance and 'backing' to avoid being overwhelmed by the Adjuchas or invaded by Soul Society...
"Very well," replied Harribel. "I will teach them how to create a Garganta, but I have a few conditions of my own..."
Shifting her gaze to Orihime, Harribel narrowed her aquamarine eyes and noted, "I've noticed that this woman's healing differs from the Kaido Arts of the Shinigami. She seems to be able to rewind injuries to a point before they were inflicted. If that's the case, there is someone I would like you to heal..."
"Is it the former Tres Espada...?" asked Ohta, having already considered using Orihime's power to that exact end.
Nodding in affirmation, Harribel replied, "Indeed. Her full name is Nelliel Tu Odelschwanch. Her power cannot compare to my own, but she has a temperament that would prove useful to the governance of Las Noches in the future..."
"Then she can wait until said 'future,'" retorted Ohta, adding, "Unless, of course, you're planning to ally with us in the fight against Aizen and want her to join in. That would go a long way towards ensuring the Soul Society doesn't try to purge you in the future."
Though she was tempted to agree, Harribel quickly shook her head, firmly asserting, "That goes against our previous agreement. I am not convinced you can defeat Lord Aizen, so I will not oppose him directly..."
Shrugging his shoulders a second time, Ohta said, "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. For now, just go and teach the Strawberry and his kid sister how to open the Garganta. We'll worry about future matters in the future."
Nodding her head, Harribel silently strolled past the group to check on her Fraccion and carry out Ohta's orders. She was briefly surprised to find Ichigo wearing Barragan's mantle, exuding an aura that was more Hollow than human or Shinigami, but she didn't dwell on it. However, after trying and failing to teach him how to open a Garganta, a skill Karin mastered in less than ten attempts, a small part of her wanted to crack his head open to confirm his Hollow hole wasn't located in his brain...
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*beep* *beep* *beep* *beep*
Hearing his phone go off, Ohta awoke from his shallow nap and whipped it out to find he had received a text from Yoruichi, asking, 'Still alive?' with a dog emoji.
Assuming that the beeping was just Ohta's alarm, no one said anything until he rose to a seated position, stating, "It looks like the Attack Squad has arrived. Let's move." while activating the phone's tracking function. If Yoruichi could send him a text, it stood to reason they had brought some kind of transmitter to enable the phone's other functions.
Before Ohta's phone could get a signal, everyone tensed as a light hum filled their heads, accompanied by the sensation of a powerful Reiatsu permeating the entirety of Las Noches as a deep, casual-sounding voice said, "At last. All the actors are in their places."
Recognizing the voice, Harribel muttered, "Lord Aizen..." while her three Fraccion instinctually moved closer to her. At the same time, Rukia took it upon herself to explain, "This is Bakudo #77, Tenteikura. Aizen must be broadcasting to the entirety of Las Noches..."
"Then we should get a move on..." said Ohta, turning to Ichigo with his left hand extended, demanding, "Hand it over." in a firm tone. The latter was a little confused initially but eventually parted with the ruby pendant around his neck while Aizen monologued in the background.
"Even I could never have imagined that the Heads of two of the Great Noble Clans would come to Las Noches," remarked Aizen. "It's a shame I can't greet you personally. However, as I have more important matters to attend to, we'll have to delay our meeting until later. Though, before I go, there is one last thing I wish to say. Two, actually..."
Though he initially wasn't paying too much attention to what Aizen was saying, Ohta perked up when the man addressed him by name, stating, "Yamada Ohta...I have given you numerous chances to remove yourself from this matter. Now, I will provide you with one final opportunity. Stay in Las Noches, and I will allow you to rule over it once I claim the position of Soul King. Continue to intervene, and should you fail to defeat me, neither you nor the people you care about will be permitted to die. You will live on for an eternity, watching each other suffer..."
As the Tenteikura transmitted information one-way, Ohta didn't bother to respond to Aizen's threat with words. Instead, the crimson triangles in his eyes exuded an intense glare as he donned Barragan's Royal Mantle and thought, ("You are so fucking dead...")
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(A/N: Aizen knows how to get people riled up o3o...)

"They look like they're having fun..." remarked Ohta, standing with his arms crossed atop a red pylon, observing the battle between Grimmjow and Ichigo from a reasonably safe distance.
"Shouldn't we help him...?" asked Orihime, standing to Ohta's right with Karin, Harribel, and the latter's Fraccion. When Rukia, standing to his left, insisted on watching the battle, Orihime and Karin also asked to observe. Harribel then requested that Sung-Sun, Mila Rose, and Apacci be let out to witness the power of an Espada in Resurrecci&oacute;n, so Ohta let everyone out for some fresh air and a show.
"We musn't," replied Rukia, asserting, "Right now, Ichigo isn't fighting to preserve his life or locate his sister's body. This is a battle to protect his pride. To prove to himself that he has what it takes to overcome a foe he has lost to previously..."
"Ichi-nii has always hated losing..." affirmed Karin, sporting a serious expression that belied her earlier rebelliousness.
"I've yet to meet anyone that sincerely enjoyed it," quipped Ohta, his eyes and senses scanning their surroundings. He could still sense the imprints he left on Chad, Uryu, and Renji moving about, so he knew they were still alive. What confused him was why they were so far away, separated from Ichigo and seemingly moving away from Las Noches...
("Could they have been captured...?") wondered Ohta, briefly considering if he should play dumb and let the trio disappear permanently. Chad was a cool guy, so much so that Ohta was considering hiring him if he formed an organization, but Uryu and Renji were self-important cunts. The latter plainly had feelings for Rukia. That wouldn't have bothered Ohta too much under normal circumstances. What irritated him was that Renji hadn't even spoken to Rukia for over forty years before behaving like an outright villain during her capture. Now, even though he didn't do jack shit to save her, he acted like he was Rukia's best friend and 'entitled' to her attention...
Observing Ohta's actions, Rukia asked, "Are you searching for Uryu, Chad, and Renji...?"
"You're getting too good at reading me," remarked Ohta, looking down at the raven-haired woman to find she had a serious look on her face.
Raising his brows, Ohta asked, "What's with that look? I'm not going to let them die. But, even if they did, they came here of their own accord. They also chose to split up with us and then Ichigo, so I have no duty to ensure their survival..."
Furrowing her brows slightly, Rukia muttered, "Ohta..." in a faint, imploring tone.
Rolling his eyes, Ohta abruptly took a seat and appeared to mediate. His actions garnered the attention of Harribel and her Fraccion, but, despite recovering a surprising amount of her power in a short period, the Rank 3 Espada showed no hostility and shook her head when she saw the glints in her subordinates' eyes. She didn't believe Ohta would ever truly lower his guard around them, and she was right. He had been seeding psychic energy into their bodies for hours, so the moment they turned on him, he would twist their limbs and rip them apart without mercy...
Focusing on the psychic imprint he had left in Chad, Ohta expanded his senses through it to get a feel for their situation. What he discovered was that Chad, Uryu, and Renji were all severely injured. Far more surprisingly, they were being ferried away by what looked like a horde of Arrancar with child-like features, riding atop a giant, worm-like Hollow...
While continuing to gather information with his eyes closed, Ohta asked, "Hey, Number 3. Is there a group of Arrancar in Aizen's army that look like kids...?"
Immediately understanding who Ohta was referring to, Harribel replied, "That's Picaro, the 102nd Arrancar. In the past, they held the position of Secunda Espada, but they split into more than two hundred individuals in furtherance of Lord Aizen's efforts to understand the nature of Menos and naturally occurring Arrancar..."
"Are they dangerous...?" asked Ohta.
Crossing her arms, Harribel considered her words before responding, "Not under normal circumstances, no. They're far from harmless, but they treat everything as a game. Unless their prey seriously attempts to injure or kill them, they regard everyone as playmates, not enemies."
"What happens then...?" asked Ohta.
"They unleash their Ceros en mass or rip their enemies apart using their Resurrecci&oacute;n form, devouring everything like a swarm of locusts..." replied Harribel.
Opening his eyes, Ohta questioned, "Any reason they might take someone prisoner...?"
Raising her brows, Harribel answered, "I'm not sure. They're supposed to be sealed in the play area beneath Las Noches, watched over and tended to by Runuganga."
"Runuganga...that sounds annoyingly familiar..." remarked Ohta, looking to Rukia for confirmation.
Nodding her head, Rukia affirmed, "It's the name of that sand Hollow that kept blocking our path."
"Ah..."
Realizing that Picaro must have escaped after Rukia froze Runuganga, Ohta paused for several seconds before looking up at Harribel, causing her to stare at him in measured befuddlement as he said, "I'm going to direct you to where my 'comrades' are. I want you to retrieve them and then return here."
"You bastard...!" growled Apacci. However, before she could lash out further, Harribel silenced her by raising her right hand and answering, "Very well..." in her characteristically deep, incredibly calm tone. She got the impression Ohta was testing her, and, once again, she was right. He had correlated the lives of Chad, Uryu, and Renji to Sung-Sun, Mila Rose, and Appaci. In other words, if she didn't return them relatively unharmed, she would lose one or all of her subordinates...
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After landing a blow to Ichigo's stomach, his nails piercing the former's abdomen and protruding from his back, Grimmjow asserted, "It's over..." before retracting his hand and allowing the orange-haired Shinigami to crumple forward.
Though he managed to catch himself with his sword, Ichigo regretted it as his intestines nearly spilled out from his core muscles tensing. He was able to get his hand over the wound, but the fetid aroma of his blood and insides caused him to become vertiginous, his vision spinning as he threw up more blood than stomach acid.
Staring down at Ichigo's sorry state, Grimmjow flicked the former's blood from his hand, his smile nowhere to be seen as he said, "It's a shame you weren't at your best before this. If you survive and aren't eliminated when that monster becomes a God, get stronger and come at me again."
Kicking some sand into Ichigo's face, Grimmjow turned around, intending to leave. As much as he 'hated' both Ichigo and Ohta, he would never be satisfied with killing them unless they were both at full power before the fight began. Only then could he 'prove' he was more powerful than them...
"Hmmm...?"
Sensing a shiver run up his spine, Grimmjow raised his right hand, using the blades along the back of his forearm to intercept a massive, ax-like weapon that resembled two crescents fused at their backs, attached to a long handle. The blow forced him back several meters and caused the bones of his forearm to creak, but he was ultimately injured.
Recognizing the unique weapon, Grimmjow deflected it into the air as he roared, "As if your cowardly tricks would work on me, Nnoitra...!"
Pulling his weapon toward himself with a large looped chain, Nnoitra, an inordinately tall and slender man with long, sleek black hair, an eyepatch over his left eye, and teeth resembling piano keys, contended, "What are you talking about? It was just a simple greeting. If you couldn't thwart an attack like that in your Resurrecci&oacute;n form, you wouldn't deserve to be the Espada ranked 'beneath' me in terms of-"
"Hi there."
Before Nnoitra could finish his sentence or turn more than ten degrees, the back of a fist impacted the right side of his neck, causing his head to conform around it disgustingly before he abruptly 'vanished,' sent flying at tremendous speeds through multiple dunes.
While Grimmjow stared at him with eyes nearly as round as saucers, Ohta looked at his left hand curiously. He was currently in his jackal form, so his striking power was borderline nuclear. His lifting strength alone was at a level where he felt little strain raising a 150,000-ton freighter halfway out of the water. Despite this, his hand hurt a bit after 'greeting' Nnoitra with a backhand.
Coming to his senses, Grimmjow lowered his body into an attacking pose, his cat-like tail flicking behind him and nails extended as he growled, "It's you. Yamada Ohta..." with teeth bared.
Raising his brows, Ohta gave Grimmjow an 'are you serious' look as he said, "Calm down, Pussycat. Thanks to the Chocolate Espada, your life has been spared. If you want to fight me, run off somewhere to lick your wounds first. I'll be ready when you are."
Though he clicked his tongue, Grimmjow didn't hesitate to tuck in his tail and run. He knew he would need to be in peak condition to have any hope of defeating Ohta. His battle with Ichigo had drained him much more than anticipated, so he would need at least a week to expel the foreign energy in his wounds and another few days to recover. If he fought Ohta now, he would be lucky if he weren't played to death...
"Smart cat..." mused Ohta. Then, turning his attention to Ichigo, he added, "I would say you owe me two favors after this, but since I destroyed your sister's body, we'll call it even."
Before Ichigo could summon the strength to retort, Ohta extended his left hand, releasing Rukia, Karin, and Orihime from the cloak, the latter seeing his condition and exclaiming, "Kurosaki-kun...!" before rushing over to heal him.
Plopping his hands down atop Rukia's and Karin's heads, Ohta directed his gaze to the latter, saying, "Watch over your brother and Orihime for me. And be sure to pay close attention to your surroundings."
Though she was momentarily taken aback, Karin recovered quickly and responded with an enthusiastic, "Right! Just leave it to me...!"
Nodding in affirmation, Ohta retracted his hands from both girls' heads, waiting for Karin to scamper over to Ichigo and Orihime before meeting Rukia's gaze and asking, "Feel like killing an Espada...?"
Blinking in surprise, Rukia asked, "You want me to fight?" before adopting a half-lidded expression and remarking, "I thought it was 'too dangerous' for us to face the Espada..."
"It would be if you were alone," affirmed Ohta, adopting a teasing smile as he added, "Lucky for you, you have a Yamada-class Anti-Espada Defense System to safeguard your perky little ass..."
Punctuating his words, Ohta gave Rukia a firm smack on her ass, causing her to leap forward nearly a full meter as he added, "Go. I already infused mental energy into your body and can amplify it if needed..."
Rubbing her ass, Rukia sported furrowed brows as she flatly remarked, "I appreciate the opportunity, but you're being weirdly insistent..."
Shrugging his shoulders, Ohta elucidated, "After hearing Chocolate Tits' complaints about him, I get the feeling this guy 'deserves' to be killed by a woman. He might actually enjoy fighting me. If it's you, I imagine he'll look like he's main-lining shit the entire battle."
"Ah..."
Understanding that Ohta wanted her to make Nnoitra 'suffer,' Rukia didn't immediately activate her Bankai. She could feel his power flowing through her, so if she wielded it properly, she could do much more than destroy a poor, innocent tree...
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"Damn that sneaky bastard...!" hissed Nnoitra, concealing himself in the ruins of a destroyed building as he attempted to force his head back into an upright position. It was currently stuck at a forty-degree angle due to the indent Ohta had left in his neck, but he was quickly recovering thanks to the high-speed regeneration granted to him by his Resurrecci&oacute;n. It also gave him asymmetrical crescent horns, four additional arms, and six large scythes, so he was looking forward to cutting Ohta to pieces once he got his head on straight.
"Tsugi-no-mai, Hakuren...!"
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(A/N: I had a bad headache the past two days, likely due to too much caffeine. I'll try to release 3-4 chapters in the next couple of days to bring the total up to 100 before or shortly after the month changes. Also, no more reminders that this isn't a harem novel. You either believe it, or you don't at this point xD...)

Chapter 88: Despair