Ulquiorra had his own reasons for making such claims.
He firmly believed in the power of Hollows. In his opinion, they were the perfect embodiment of the void. Thus, their power was perfect.
Even someone as strong as Aizen had to rely on the Hōgyoku to gain Hollow abilities, which further validated his perspective.
Next, Ulquiorra seized Ichigo and began beating him mercilessly. Now Ichigo was like a sandbag, with no power to resist. Blood spattered with each impact, staining the white stone of Las Noches' dome.
The gap in strength between them was too vast—like the difference between man and god, between mortal and devil.
But even so, Ichigo refused to surrender.
Ulquiorra found this puzzling and questioned Ichigo again about his thoughts. His emerald eyes narrowed with genuine confusion at the human's persistence.
Facing Ulquiorra's interrogation, Ichigo answered with great difficulty: "You asked why I don't put down my sword when the gap is so big? Because I knew you were strong from the beginning. Now, I've just confirmed it with my own eyes. But even so, I won't give up! I must defeat you!" His voice was raspy but carried unwavering determination.
Seeing that Ichigo was more stubborn than expected, Ulquiorra unveiled a new form—the ultimate technique of the Cuarta Espada—and declared victory:
"Ichigo, you say this because you've never witnessed true despair. In that case, I will show you. This is the true form of absolute despair!"
Green Reiatsu surrounded Ulquiorra, vast as an ocean and heavy as a mountain.
Looking at this inconceivable sight, the wounded Ichigo was stunned. The gap between them was already enormous, yet his opponent could become even stronger. The intensity of this Reiatsu was terrifying beyond words.
At that moment, Uryū was carrying Orihime from the ground up toward the dome.
Suddenly, both felt their vision darken and their bodies tremble. Even breathing became difficult.
All around them swirled a dense green Reiatsu from the Espada. It was extraordinarily terrifying, crushingly heavy, and immensely powerful!
"What is this? Is this also Reiatsu?" Uryū exclaimed in shock. His glasses glinted in the eerie green light as sweat trickled down his face. "This surpasses the spiritual pressure of every Arrancar I've encountered before. 'Huge' and 'powerful' aren't adequate descriptions."
"Such dense Reiatsu seems to have materialized into something tangible—like an ocean hovering above! We must hurry and reach the dome!"
After saying this, he utilized the Quincy's ability to manipulate Reishi and accelerated toward Ichigo's location.
Atop the dome, emerald Reiatsu enveloped Ulquiorra's body like a blade.
He whispered, "Resurrección: Segunda Etapa! Second stage of Resurrección! Among the Espada, only I have mastered this form. Even Lord Aizen has never witnessed this state."
Now, Ulquiorra had horns protruding from his head, wings extending from his back, and a spiked tail behind him.
His body became wilder, stronger, more primitive, and increasingly demonic. His Reiatsu grew more condensed, more pronounced, and more overwhelming.
A viscous black substance flowed from the Hollow hole in his chest, staining most of his body black.
It was a shade of black that represented darkness compressed to its limit—indescribable, somber, and absolute.
This blackness embodied the fear, despair, depression, and heaviness born from the deepest darkness. This power negated the existence of all order and light. It was the ultimate darkness—the purest nothingness.
This was the power of Segunda Etapa—the essence of Hollows and Ulquiorra's true form.
Ulquiorra didn't need to use Segunda Etapa. Against Ichigo, who was vulnerable to a single strike, such an extraordinary technique wasn't necessary. His first Resurrección would have been sufficient.
But to force Ichigo to admit defeat, to crush his faith and reduce him to nothingness, he chose this path.
This actually contradicted Ulquiorra's principles. Previously, he would have disdained using such methods against his opponents. When facing weaker enemies, Ulquiorra would rather keep his hands in his pockets than unleash power needlessly.
This demonstrated that the meaning of his existence was being threatened. He spoke at such length and released Segunda Etapa precisely to validate himself, because this form could manifest Ichigo's deepest despair.
However, Ichigo, his Bankai coat in tatters, still chose to stand before Ulquiorra.
His right hand holding Tensa Zangetsu trembled, but he showed no intention of letting go. Blood flowed freely from countless wounds, yet his eyes remained defiant.
"Seeing my current form, do you still intend to continue fighting?" Ulquiorra regarded his stubborn enemy coldly, thinking to himself: "This one hasn't been overwhelmed by fear to the point of unconsciousness. He's acting on his own will. Yet there's no determination to sacrifice his life in his eyes. In other words, he believes there's still hope of victory. This isn't despair—it's hope and blind faith."
He felt the other's attitude was somewhat irrational. Was it so difficult to accept reality? Were all Shinigami this obstinate?
Ulquiorra finally grew weary of the exchange.
He said coldly, "Facing such an absolute power gap, you still haven't surrendered. Then I'll reduce your body to dust. This will make you realize you never had any chance—your persistence is meaningless."
After speaking, Ulquiorra extended his black hoof-like foot and pressed it against the rocky ground, while stretching out his right hand—now a black claw—toward Ichigo.
His figure vanished instantly.
He rushed at Ichigo bare-handed and struck him with a single swipe of his claw.
Ichigo's body flew backward like a baseball hit for a home run. Along his trajectory, he crashed through several enormous, thick stone pillars.
The pillars atop Las Noches' dome were extraordinarily hard and difficult to destroy through conventional means.
Yet these massive, majestic columns couldn't even withstand the aftermath of their battle. Under such powerful impact, the pillars resembled sand fortresses on a beach—crumbling at the slightest touch. Clouds of white dust billowed into the air with each devastating impact.
After entering Segunda Etapa, Ulquiorra's speed became extreme. Following his initial strike, he immediately continued his offensive, giving Ichigo no chance to react.
In the next second, he pressed Ichigo's head with his black claws and dragged him forcefully across another huge pillar.