Bleach: Starting as a Vasto Lorde

Chapter 289: Shades of Love

Ulquiorra studied Soi Fon’s Shikai transformation with a look of mild interest. “Is that your Shikai or Bankai? Either way, it looks… underwhelming.”

Soi Fon’s response came not in words but in action. She vanished in a flash, her Shunpo carrying her through space with such speed that the air itself seemed to shear apart. She materialized behind Ulquiorra, striking swiftly at his shoulder — only to pierce empty space where he had stood a fraction of a second before.

Her opponent had read her killing intent like an open book.

“Too slow,” Ulquiorra’s voice drifted from above, where he hovered with his hands tucked into his pockets. Slowly, he withdrew his right hand and pointed at her, and emerald energy began to coalesce at his fingertip. “I’ll end you here.”

He wasn’t fond of this battle but the next one with Kazuya.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Warning bells clanged in Soi Fon’s mind. She knew the devastating power of Cero, and that destruction would be on another level when used by someone as strong as Ulquiorra. The volume of reishi and its density was much greater than any other Cero she had seen in her life. No, it was strong enough to warp the existence of the space around Ulquiorra’s finger.

She made a split-second tactical decision that would leave everyone scratching their heads — she rushed directly at Ulquiorra as he channeled Reiryoku into his Cero. Ulquiorra snorted and darted away with Sonído, which concealed his Reiatsu for a brief moment — just enough time for him to fully charge his Cero.

The warped beam roared toward Soi Fon, devouring the very light it came into contact with. She knew she couldn’t take it head-on. Soi Fon’s muscles responded before her mind could process the threat, Flash-stepping to the right with all the speed her Shunpo mastery could muster.

But even the famed speed of the Onmitsukidō's commander proved insufficient against Ulquiorra’s Cero.

The searing beam caught up to her.

‘Ridiculous…’

She twisted her body desperately, trying to save her vitals from being torn into shreds by Cero Ray. The green cero crashed into the ground, pulverizing the spot with an explosion and sending shockwaves rippling through the sand.

Through the settling clouds of sand, Ulquiorra’s eyes spotted Soi Fon standing on a dune of white ash. She clutched her right arm that was bloody and burnt. Despite her best efforts to dodge, the high-speed attack had grazed her. She might have been gravely injured, if not dead, without her flexibility and agility.

“Most Shinigami would’ve been vaporized there. You’re tougher than you look.”

Soi Fon couldn’t help but grit her teeth in frustration. She, too, had a power that left even more destruction in the wake of its explosion. However, she loathed revealing her Bankai to anyone — she’d absolutely never use it in front of Kazuya and Yoruichi unless the situation desperately called for it.

“Loss for words?” Ulquiorra asked sarcastically. “What happened to you proving me wrong? Did the Cero hurt your pride more than it harmed you physically?”

Soi Fon remained steady, refusing to rise to his bait. Two strikes — that’s all she needed to end this fight. She had to engage the battle calmly.

Her hand dipped into her sock, and she withdrew a small vial of yellow liquid. It was a healing agent, the special concoction from the Onmitsukidō’s secret archives. She poured it over her arm. The burning pain faded away, the flesh covering itself with a new layer of skin. It, however, didn’t recover the blood she had lost. She might not even get a chance to use the rest of her hidden vials.

Ulquiorra looked at her with apathy, yet Soi Fon felt disdain from his eyes. “Are you done recovering?”

Soi Fon massaged her throat, using the moment to regulate her breath. “I’m done fighting like an assassin. Let’s fight like warriors.”

“Soi Fon, you’ve got this!” The unexpected cheer came from the young man who spectated her battle with his feline companion. “Fight dirty like the assassin you are. Aim for his family jewels! I repeat go for the balls! Show him the creative violence of an assassin!”

“Show ‘em the pride of Onmitsukidō.”

The encouragement tugged at the corners of her mouth. She found herself caught between amusement and embarrassment. Though, she didn’t hate their method of motivating her. She took the fight to prove him wrong, yet here he was, cheering for her victory like a fool.

‘I’m the underdog here.’

It was an unfamiliar position – one she’d found herself in more frequently since Kazuya had entered her life. But perhaps being the underdog wasn’t so bad if she received encouragement from Kazuya and Yoruichi.

Soi Fon drew a deep breath, channeling everything into her Shunpo. Ending the battle before the exhaustion of Flash Step consumed was necessary. She arrived above Ulquiorra. With her legs in a shearing motion, she swung her right leg in a powerful arc, performing a wheel kick with tremendous force behind it.

Ulquiorra raised his sword almost casually, clearly underestimating her. It proved to be his first mistake. The impact of her Kazaguruma technique sent him plummeting into a dune.

…

“Failing Kazaguruma at that speed could’ve shattered the bones of her legs,” Yoruichi commented, pride evident in her voice. “Wasn’t that beautiful, Kazuya?”

Kazaguruma was one of the hardest Hakuda techniques as it required great agility and timing to pull it off amidst the combat.

“Indeed. She is beautiful…” Kazuya gazed at Soi Fon with unbelievable affection. “Right?”

Yoruichi slapped his face with her paw. “Your act won’t fool me. I’m not going to feel jealous.”

“Tch.”