Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck vs. Nnoitra Gilga

 is a fight taking place during the Invasion of Hueco Mundo between former Espada #3. Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck and current Espada #5. Nnoitra Gilga, who had previously been battling a fatigued and injured Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki prior to Nelliel intervening.

Prelude
After defeating Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez in their final fight, Ichigo Kurosaki retrieves Orihime Inoue and Nel Tu and brings them to the sands below, where he decides to go help Rukia Kuchiki and Yasutora Sado next. However, Ichigo is interrupted when a heavily bloodied and panting Grimmjow confronts him once more, with his Resurrección resealing itself due to his injured state. Despite Grimmjow's refusal to give up, Ichigo easily stops his next attack and insists that Grimmjow let it go for now so he can battle Ichigo again later. Suddenly, when Grimmjow refuses to do so and breaks out of Ichigo's grip to attack him again, Nnoitra Gilga's Zanpakutō slams into his chest, causing him to collapse while Nnoitra pulls his Zanpakutō back and tells Grimmjow to die already since Ichigo is now his prey.

With a grinning Nnoitra resting his Zanpakutō in the sands and approaching him, an unnerved Ichigo demands to know who Nnoitra is and whether the latter is an Espada. Suddenly, a prone Grimmjow curses Nnoitra, who is annoyed by the former still being alive and leaps into the air to slam his Zanpakutō down onto Grimmjow, only for Ichigo to intercept it with the sword of his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu. When a surprised Nnoitra questions what he is doing, Ichigo counters that Nnoitra is the one who needs to explain himself since he is attacking someone who cannot move, leaving Grimmjow speechless as Nnoitra disengages and criticizes Grimmjow for being so pitiful that the man who just defeated him is now protecting him. After Ichigo introduces himself, Nnoitra sarcastically promises to try to remember his name until Ichigo is dead before attacking him.

Battle
While the impact of Nnoitra's strike shatters one of the broken buildings nearby, Ichigo leaps out of the resulting dust cloud into the air, but quickly finds himself struggling to hold back Nnoitra's Zanpakutō with both hands on his own sword when Nnoitra follows him into the air and swings it at his side, leading him to mentally observe that Nnoitra is incredibly strong despite his thin frame and that the Zanpakutō itself is extremely heavy. Sending Ichigo crashing back down to the sands below, a manically grinning Nnoitra brings his Zanpakutō down once more, forcing Ichigo to block it by holding his sword overhead, and when a concerned Orihime calls out to Ichigo, Nnoitra has Tesra Lindocruz appear behind her with Sonído and restrain Orihime.

With Ichigo frantically calling out to Orihime, Nnoitra instructs him to stay focused on the battle and slashes his Zanpakutō near Ichigo's head, which Ichigo barely dodges. Ichigo demands that Nnoitra let Orihime go, only for Nnoitra to express amusement at Ichigo's assumption that he can win if Orihime is free and stick out his tongue to reveal his Espada tattoo of the number 5, leaving Ichigo shocked as Nnoitra explains that this means he is a lot stronger than the opponent Ichigo only just barely defeated and that Ichigo himself is doomed. After admitting that he has already forgotten Ichigo's name, Nnoitra swings his Zanpakutō down at a stunned Ichigo's face. Upon evading this by leaping into the air, Ichigo springs off the outer edge of its blade toward Nnoitra, who ducks beneath a slash of Ichigo's sword and commends how well he moves.

However, when Nnoitra deduces that this is not Ichigo's first time facing a hafted weapon and Ichigo declares that this is the second time he has done so, a bemused Nnoitra simply slams the handle of his Zanpakutō into Ichigo's back instead, sending him careening into the sands as a restrained Orihime protests that this is not fair due to Ichigo's injuries. In response, Nnoitra denies this mattering since inequality is to be expected in battle, which is born of that and intolerance, and elaborates that making an enemy for any reason causes one to enter a battle until someone involved stops breathing.

Reprimanding Ichigo thinking he could cause a commotion in his enemy's backyard without being noticed as a bad joke, Nnoitra invites him to continue attacking because he knows all of Ichigo's tricks from his battle with Grimmjow while Nel cowers in fear behind a nearby chunk of wall. As he pants in exhaustion, Ichigo rushes toward a grinning Nnoitra, who calls him slow and jabs his Zanpakutō forward. Despite this, Ichigo sidesteps the vertical blade, to Nnoitra's surprise, and stabs at Nnoitra's head with his sword, only for Nnoitra to casually grab the blade with his left hand and let it grind along his palm without injury until it reaches the base, where he mocks Ichigo over the sword only appearing to be sharp.

After questioning why he even bothered to dodge it, Nnoitra headbutts Ichigo directly in the face, sending him crashing into a broken building that is further destroyed by the impact. Nearby, Tesra continues restraining Orihime and warns her against even thinking of fighting him since he can easily destroy the hairclips comprising her Shun Shun Rikka despite their immense power, which he has only refrained from doing so already because Sōsuke Aizen owns that power and has ordered the Arrancar to not destroy it unless Orihime attacks them with it. With Tesra concluding that she has incentive to not resist, a concerned Orihime realizes that she cannot see Nel, and when Tesra asks her if something is wrong, Orihime denies this, but Tesra notices that the Arrancar who was with Ichigo and Orihime is now missing.

Upon detecting Nel behind a nearby chunk of wall, Tesra destroys it with Cero Córnea, which sends Nel tumbling along the sands by this while Orihime calls out to her. Coming to a halt, Nel sees a battered Ichigo hurtle through the air above her and is petrified when Nnoitra approaches him. However, Nnoitra stops midway and identifies Nel by name, to the shock of Ichigo and Orihime, before specifically recognizing the estigma across her nose, though he is bemused by her raggedy condition and wonders if her broken mask is tingling while a stunned Ichigo questions if he knows Nel. Nnoitra admits that he was wondering what Nel was doing here and infers that Ichigo brought her here, only to realize that Ichigo does not know who she is. With Ichigo expressing confusion at this, a grinning Nnoitra identifies Nel as Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, a former Espada, to Ichigo's astonishment.

When Nnoitra mocks Ichigo and Orihime for being tricked into believing that Nel was a helpless child, Nel meekly denies this, and with Nnoitra turning to face her and assuming that she has somehow forgotten, Nel insists that her memory is fine and that she was never an Espada. In response, Nnoitra lifts his foot to Nel's face and asserts that she is annoying in a new way now because she bores him before attempting to stomp on her, only for Ichigo to move between them and bash Nnoitra's leg away with his fist. As Nel begs him to believe that she was not trying to trick him, a smiling Ichigo assures her that he knows this and begins to remind her that they are friends.

However, Nnoitra interrupts him by kicking Ichigo hard in the side of the head, sending him flying away while Nel calls out to him in concern. Nnoitra observes that Nel really has lost her memory and admits that he should not be surprised since her head was cracked open the last time he saw her, and when Ichigo picks up on this in disbelief, a grinning Nnoitra grabs Nel by the head and proclaims that he was the one who cracked it open, causing Ichigo to lunge toward him in rage. Though Nnoitra strikes Ichigo in the ankle with his Zanpakutō, Ichigo pushes through the pain and slashes down at Nnoitra's chest with his sword, only for Nnoitra to remain completely unharmed and remind Ichigo that he cannot be cut prior to delivering a powerful upward kick to Ichigo's jaw that sends him flying through the air to land several meters away.

Looking down at a struggling Nel, Nnoitra muses that she was annoying in the same way Ichigo is now, which is why he cracked her head open and dumped her in the desert. With Ichigo demanding that he let her go and Nnoitra telling him to shut up, Ichigo lunges toward him once more, but Nnoitra simply holds Nel in front of him, startling him just long enough for Nnoitra to slam his Zanpakutō down onto Ichigo and smash him into the sands below. After tossing Nel away, Nnoitra kneels down next to Ichigo and expresses disdain for people who do not know they are beaten before grabbing his sword hand and slowly bending it to the side in an attempt to break Ichigo's arm, causing him to groan in pain. Suddenly, a screaming and concerned Nel emits a powerful explosion of Reiatsu behind Nnoitra, who turns in shock to see an adult Nelliel glaring at him in the clearing sand cloud.

When Nnoitra observes that she has regained her old form, a silent Nelliel immediately moves behind him with Sonído, only to grab Ichigo and move him several meters away rather than attack a startled Nnoitra, who curses at her. Upon being asked by Ichigo if this is really her, Nelliel confirms this and thanks Ichigo for giving her the opportunity to return to this form by bringing her here and protecting her, which she wants to repay him for. Though Ichigo panics at the idea of her fighting Nnoitra as she stands up, a smiling Nel looks back and assures Ichigo that this will be over quickly while the wind blows up the back of her tattered shirt, revealing the number 3 tattooed on her back, to Ichigo's astonishment.

Nelliel rushes toward Nnoitra with her Zanpakutō in hand, and despite Nnoitra preparing to defend himself, he is shocked to find himself cut horizontally across the chest by Nelliel and attempts to attack her in turn, only for Nelliel to casually kick the blade of his Zanpakutō away in midair and slam her leg into the side of his neck, resulting in Nnoitra hurtling back across the sands. Angered by this, Nnoitra comes to a halt and fires a Cero from the tip of his tongue at Nelliel, only for her to stop it by holding out her hand, drawing the Cero into her mouth, and firing it back at an intimidated Nnoitra with Cero Doble, resulting in a massive explosion engulfing him. Upon seeing this, a concerned Tesra releases Orihime and frantically rushes past Nelliel toward Nnoitra's location while calling out to him, leaving Orihime to approach Ichigo with the intention of healing his injuries.

With a stunned Ichigo continuing to stare at her, Nelliel turns around and suddenly embraces Ichigo in a strong hug, causing his bones to begin creaking while Nelliel tearfully expresses relief at him being okay and Orihime warns her that she is killing him, though Nelliel continues to embrace Ichigo despite his eyes rolling back in his head. However, Nelliel is interrupted and alarmed when Tesra is thrown into a nearby chunk of rubble hard enough to smash it, causing her to look over her shoulder at Nnoitra, who emerges from the smoke with his right arm bloodied and part of his hood burned off as he berates Tesra for letting go of Orihime. Noticing Nelliel's expression, Nnoitra infers that she is wondering how he can believe after being hit by both of their Ceros at once and admits that he should have been anticipating her Cero Doble technique since he had forgotten it, but warns Nelliel that the Espada have become much stronger in the lengthy time that she has been away from Las Noches and that the tattoo on her back no longer means anything.

Shortly afterward, Nelliel is thrown back across the sands by Nnoitra, who grins while closing in on her for an attack. However, the two of them end up holding their respective weapons inches from each other, where Nnoitra questions why Nelliel did not strike. When Nelliel returns the question, Nnoitra insists that he stopped because she did and backs up while musing that he cannot help recalling the past when fighting Nelliel because she is exactly the same after all this time. Meanwhile, when Ichigo tries to intervene, Tesra kicks him away and grabs Orihime by the throat.

After recalling having been defeated and spared over and over by Nelliel during her time as an Espada whenever he challenged her, Nnoitra clashes with her, reminds Nelliel of her calling him a beast unfit for killing, and asks her how it feels to be killed by a beast, which she narrows her eyes at. Remembering Nnoitra striking her down with a surprise attack and casting her and her Fracción out of Las Noches years ago with the aid of Szayelaporro Granz to take his revenge on her, Nelliel kicks away Nnoitra's Zanpakutō by the blade, sending him skidding several meters back, and when Nnoitra claims that she does not know when to quit if she is still resisting, Nelliel holds out her own Zanpakutō and laments having to use this so soon after regaining her original form due to the strain it will impose before preparing to activate her Resurrección, to Nnoitra's shock.

With Nelliel's Zanpakutō emitting steam from the blade, an alarmed Nnoitra curses and rushes toward her, only for Nelliel to successfully activate her Resurrección, Gamuza, creating an explosion of Reiatsu that pushes Nnoitra back and clears to reveal Nelliel with a centaur-like body and a long, double-ended lance. After flipping the lance over in her hand and rearing back, Nelliel performs Lanzador Verde by throwing it with tremendous power like a javelin at Nnoitra, whose attempt to block it with the blade of his own Zanpakutō proves unsuccessful when it pierces through the blade and into his shoulder with enough force to send him hurtling back several meters through the air into a large rock.

Following this, Nelliel confronts Nnoitra, whom she tells that the battle is over. Suddenly, with Nnoitra contesting this and Nelliel promising to not kill him, Nel reverts to her child form in a burst of energy that completely dissipates Gamuza, to the shock of those watching. Seizing upon this, Nnoitra stomps on a confused Nel's head, laughs maniacally, and proclaims that she is finished. Nel is kicked hard in the stomach by Nnoitra, sending her hurtling limply several meters across the sands, and when Ichigo frantically rushes after her, Nnoitra grabs him by the head and slams him face-first into the sands as he asserts that they are all doomed because Nel was their last hope while transformed.

Aftermath
When Nnoitra tells him to take over here and do as he wishes with Ichigo and his friends since they are as good as dead, Tesra releases Orihime, who is immediately grabbed by Nnoitra, and activates his Resurrección, Verruga, transforming him into a massive and heavily muscled boar-like warrior. With a stunned Ichigo staring at him, Tesra deliberately places his right hoof over Ichigo's left leg and stomps it down, breaking Ichigo's leg at the ankle and causing him to scream in pain. Upon seeing this, Orihime calls out to Ichigo in concern, but is cut off when Nnoitra shoves two of his fingers into her mouth and tells her to watch quietly because her supposed savior is about to be reduced to chunks of meat.

Tesra continues brutalizing Ichigo with powerful punches as Orihime watches with tears in her eyes. When Tesra holds Ichigo aloft by the head and sees defiance in the latter's eyes, he takes Ichigo's right wrist between his fingers and snaps it in two with his index finger, prompting Ichigo to howl in agony prior to being thrown several meters away by Tesra. With Nnoitra musing that Ichigo is finished and Orihime panicking internally, Tesra walks over to Ichigo and attempts to finish him off with a downward punch. However, Ichigo is left astonished when the blow is intercepted and a voice observes that he looks like he is on the verge of death as 11th Division Captain Kenpachi Zaraki stands before him with his Zanpakutō blocking Tesra's fist. With a stunned Ichigo wondering if it is really him, Kenpachi confirms that it is and wonders if the beating Ichigo received scrambled his brains.

Upon seeing Kenpachi, Nnoitra immediately throws aside Orihime and kneels down to perform Indice Radar on Kenpachi, only to be left alarmed by what he senses. Pulling his fist back from Kenpachi's Zanpakutō, Tesra questions who Kenpachi is, and when Kenpachi remains silent, Tesra decides to simply kill him if he is not going to answer and attacks Kenpachi, but Nnoitra frantically warns him to run instead just before Kenpachi cuts diagonally through him in a single slash, severing his fist in the process. After Tesra's two halves fall to the ground, Kenpachi calmly wonders who is next and turns to Nnoitra, whom he infers is his next opponent. When Ichigo asks him why he is here since Soul Society was supposed to be staying out of this fight, Kenpachi simply kicks Ichigo away to get him out of the way, to his and Orihime's unnerved surprise, and reveals that Kisuke Urahara was ordered by Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto to stabilize the Garganta and secure a safe route to Hueco Mundo for the captains at the beginning of the conflict against Aizen.

After Kenpachi notes that Urahara was confident he could finish the three-month plan in one month and that this was only hindered by Orihime being abducted, 11th Division Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi pops out of his haori and concludes that Kenpachi has come now that the route has been secured, leaving an annoyed Kenpachi to complain about his promise of being able to handle this alone being left unheeded since they also sent 12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, and 4th Division Captain Retsu Unohana with him. Following this, Nnoitra attacks Kenpachi, who blocks the former's Zanpakutō with his own and observes that it took him long enough, and the two fiercely introduce themselves to each other.