It seemed a single beating was no longer enough to wake this idiotic brat up. Rukia felt an inexplicable surge of irritation. If the situation allowed, she definitely wouldn't let Ichigo off lightly, but unfortunately, the situation did not.
"Stand down, Ichigo."
"Huh? What are you talking about!"
Ichigo was in no mood for jokes. Just as Rukia thought, he knew that to deal with the guy inside him, he had to go find Hirako. Right now, he was no different than before.
He wasn't terrified of being unable to protect his comrades; telling Chad to leave meant he was fully prepared to die rather than let the Arrancar hurt Chad again. Furthermore, he wanted Rukia to leave as well, considering she had lost her Shinigami powers in the World of the Living.
"I said, leave this to me and get out of here." Unfortunately, Rukia wasn't joking with him either, even if what she was doing now was essentially throwing his own words back at him. "What you just said was too hurtful."
"Acting like that means people who shouldn't have to die might end up sacrificed before the battle even begins."
In truth, having Chad leave first wasn't an issue in itself. She believed Chad understood that participating in a battle of this level with his current strength was practically suicide.
But Rukia didn't have the time to waste words with Ichigo right now. Even though he clearly didn't think of Chad as a burden, the words he spoke sounded incredibly harsh. There was no guarantee Chad wouldn't do something foolish.
Even if he wanted to protect Chad, letting him wander off aimlessly like that was utterly foolish. He was one of the Arrancars' targets, after all. No matter which battlefield he stumbled into next, he could easily create an opening for the enemy to exploit against their allies.
Chad could die, or Shinigami might suffer unnecessary casualties trying to protect him. Even Ichigo, fighting without the will to win, could die. All of these sacrifices were completely avoidable.
No longer expecting Ichigo to snap out of it immediately, Rukia only hoped he could calm down as much as possible. Cowardice was better than continuing to push himself recklessly. Since he was already covered in scars, he should put down his heavy burden for now. This time, she would be the one to protect this lost idiot, just as he had once done for her.
Looking at Rukia, clad in a Shihakushō and standing in front of him with her blade drawn, Ichigo felt a bit dazed.
It was just like the scene from over two months ago when he first met Rukia. It was also at night, and this person who called herself a Shinigami, looking like a little girl, held a sword and shielded him behind her back with a resolute gaze.
"Your... your Shinigami powers have returned?"
Before Ichigo could finish his sentence, Rukia suddenly shoved him away with her palm. A white shadow instantly flashed in front of her. The Arrancar who had been confronting Ichigo earlier seemed to have noticed his opening and decisively struck.
"Rukia!" Ichigo shouted loudly, staring at the two figures obscured by dust and smoke. He had no idea if Rukia was alright, as he hadn't even noticed the enemy launching an attack just now.
"I'm fine!" Rukia's response put Ichigo slightly at ease.
She was fine, but the situation wasn't exactly great. With such speed and immense power, it was truly hard to believe it came from the person in front of her—someone with a slightly gaunt figure, wearing what looked like a giant white cloth hat on his head.
Also, was that a hand? Rukia stared at the object pressing against her blade, which resembled a sharp awl. *Does this guy think he doesn't even need to draw his sword to deal with us?*
*Arrogant!* Rukia gritted her teeth, stepping back with her right foot to launch a counterattack. Unexpectedly, the opposing Arrancar halted his assault at the exact same time, violently sweeping his right hand upward and sending Rukia flying backward.
Being in the air was the most dangerous position, but that was only true in Soul Society. The air in the World of the Living contained many impurities, allowing Shinigami to completely rely on Reiryoku to fight in mid-air.
Exerting force from her waist, Rukia forcefully spun around in the air. She stepped on the empty space, raising her Zanpakutō high with both hands, and slashed down heavily toward the Arrancar on the ground.
*I was only defending hastily just now, so I didn't slice your hand right off. Let's see if you dare to catch it with your bare hand this time!*
As if able to read Rukia's mind, the Arrancar competitively raised his right hand horizontally above his head to block. Rukia's heavy, descending slash only made him bend backward slightly; it didn't even break the skin.
Without waiting for Rukia to think of a countermeasure, the opponent delivered another kick. Rukia, who originally intended to retaliate with a kick of her own, felt her heart suddenly tighten. The fact that he could block her Zanpakutō barehanded meant his body was practically a weapon everywhere. Meeting that kick head-on would definitely not end well.
Pressing her left hand firmly against the flat of her blade, Rukia used the leverage to narrowly dodge her opponent's upward kick, flipping her entire body behind the Arrancar.
The Arrancar hadn't expected Rukia to respond this way, or perhaps he was caught slightly off guard by her sudden change in tactics. He only finally reacted when she landed and thrust her blade at him again.
Turning his hand while raising his left palm vertically, he was just about to grip the blade in his hand when he realized his closing fingers grasped nothing but air.
The seemingly fierce Rukia was like a bee resting on a flower's stamen—the moment there was any sign of disturbance, she immediately fluttered away, darting through the air. Cautious, yet unable to resist the temptation of the flower. *What an interesting woman.*
"Arrancar 16, Di Roy."
*Di Roy? 16?* Rukia thrust her sword again. Although she didn't understand what the number 16 meant, nor why the opponent suddenly stated his name, her ingrained etiquette compelled her to respond. "Squad 13, Kuchiki—"
"You don't need to give your name," Di Roy said, tilting his head to dodge the incoming blade. Immediately after, his right leg swept out like a whip. Rukia had no choice but to block with her sword horizontally, but she was still kicked away by the blow.
"If I had to ask for the name of every single person I'm about to kill, it would be far too troublesome."
Di Roy explained with a smile. In a place like Hueco Mundo, death was far too common. For every life there, death might only happen once, but the slaughter was innumerable. Probably no Hollow would waste their hard-won rationality to remember every single... kin that died by their hands?
Even telling the other party one's own name was meaningless. But this was a form of etiquette, an etiquette unique to Hollows. Food did not need a name; you only needed to remember the name of the one who killed you, because that would be your name from now on, and you would view it as an honor to die without regrets.
At the very least, this was Di Roy's etiquette, and the etiquette of everyone under Lord Grimmjow's command. After all, they had all once become a part of the King, and the King had always been their pride, never changing!
Death was sometimes a blessing, and also a glory. Now, Di Roy was willing to bestow blessing and glory upon Rukia's otherwise meaningless death.
But this was inevitably a bit of wishful thinking. No, Rukia completely failed to understand this so-called etiquette unique to Hollows. To her, it simply appeared as her opponent's disdain.
She might not be able to defeat the opponent even if she gave it her all, but even if she lost, she had to lose with her enemy's respect!
"How about this: you just need to remember the name of my sword."
Rukia held her Zanpakutō in a standard grip with her right hand, seemingly to let Di Roy get a clear look at the blade. As she slowly turned her wrist, she softly chanted, "Dance!"
"Sode no Shirayuki."