"Holy shit!!!"
"That Getsuga Tenshō is way too big!"
"It's overflowing off the screen—there's not even enough room for it inside the ranking footage!"
"So this is it…! This is Kurosaki Ichigo and dual-wield Zangetsu's real combat power—the power they were always supposed to have!!!"
In that instant—
The audience across the entire world went slack-jawed.
Every last person stared at the screen, stunned into silence by that gigantic, crimson crescent-shaped slash wave!
It was so overwhelming that even Soul King Yhwach's pressure—
Was suppressed in that very moment, forced back until it seemed to shrink into a corner.
It gave everyone the same illusion—
That if this blade came down…
If Soul King Yhwach kept sitting there arrogantly without moving…
Then maybe—in the blink of an eye—his defenses would shatter…
And he'd be cut down on the spot!!!
This was the strike Ichigo unleashed with everything he had—
With his wife at his side—
A single blow that shook the viewers to their cores!
And it sparked an uproar so violent that the entire Bleach world instantly boiled over, arguments and exclamations roaring like a tidal wave:
"Damn it…"
"This is insane!"
"Kurosaki Ichigo is still the same as always! The more he fights, the stronger he gets! Every setback just makes his next battle even more terrifying!"
Inside the Silver City, within the Ice Crystal Palace—
Beneath long green hair, Candice's face had gone deathly pale, her eyes filled with unmistakable terror.
And she secretly felt grateful.
Because back when her future self fought Ichigo…
Zangetsu had only just finished upgrading not long ago!
At that time—
Ichigo clearly wasn't proficient yet!
He still hadn't fully mastered—
Or truly brought out—
The power of that god-tier Zanpakuto!
Otherwise…
Back then…
It wouldn't have been as simple as "one versus eight" ending in a wipe.
It would've been—
The entire Sternritter.
All their strongest fighters combined…
Would've been completely blown apart by the same kind of oversized crescent slash wave shown in the footage!!!
"His Majesty… won't get hurt, right?" Gerard Valkyrie propped his arms up as he spoke, his tone—shockingly—starting to waver.
It was the complete opposite of his usual attitude—
That unconditional faith and obedience toward Yhwach!
Yes.
Right now—
Staring at a screen filled with that crescent slash wave—
Even Gerard couldn't help feeling chilled to the bone.
He even started to suspect that—
Even if the power of his Schrift made him practically immortal…
He could still be—
Split in two by a single strike!
And after being cleaved apart—
Because of the sheer gap in spiritual power—
His injuries might never recover!
And then he'd be finished—killed outright by Ichigo's dual blades!
That was why, despite himself, he couldn't help worrying about Soul King Yhwach.
And yet…
Among them all—
Only Haschwalth, standing atop the high platform—
Kept the same cold, composed expression from start to finish.
That frosty face never changed.
He remained completely confident in Soul King Yhwach's power!
Because in Haschwalth's eyes—
Now that Yhwach had devoured and absorbed all of the Soul King's power, replacing him and becoming the new Dark Soul King—
There was no way he could be killed so easily!
Even if dual-wield Zangetsu was the strongest Zanpakuto in history—
Killing the Soul King in a single exchange?
It sounded absurd!
Haschwalth dismissed it instantly.
———
Sure enough—
The outcome that followed—
Was exactly what he'd imagined.
That massive crescent slash wave, right as it was about to hit—
Was repelled by the dark torrent bursting out from Soul King Yhwach's body!
Even more terrifying—
From start to finish—
His seated posture never changed!
Soul King Yhwach didn't stand.
He didn't even rise.
He merely released his pressure—
And effortlessly ended the suspense, forcing Ichigo back and shutting the entire moment down.
And during that backward slide—
If not for Orihime's shield—Sōten Kisshun (Twin Heavenly Return Shield)—blocking in front of him—
Then…
Ichigo might've been injured right then and there!
That single scene—
Once again highlighted the absolute difference in power between Soul King Yhwach and Kurosaki Ichigo.
And because of that—
It sparked another wave of furious discussion:
"Even an attack on par with Mugetsu—an oversized Getsuga Tenshō—doesn't even qualify as a scratch?!"
"Soul King Yhwach's power… is way too outrageous…"
Inside Las Noches—
Ichimaru Gin narrowed his eyes grimly, his tone carrying a faint, unsettled surprise.
Because in the previous round—
At the end of the ranking for the Zanpakuto "Kyōka Suigetsu"—
Soul King Yhwach had appeared once already.
And back then, he'd even briefly had three short one-on-one exchanges with Xuelan.
But at the time—
Because there hadn't been an opponent of comparable strength to serve as a reference—
The audience felt fear…
Yet they still couldn't truly grasp just how invincible Soul King Yhwach was.
This time was different.
Through this round of ranking—
Ichigo, his "Zangetsu," and all the battles and hardships leading up to this point—
Most viewers had already accepted one thing by default:
That Zanpakuto was invincible!!!
And precisely because of that—
After what they'd just witnessed—
The oppression Soul King Yhwach exuded instantly hit maximum intensity.
It suffocated the world's viewers—
It made them feel like they couldn't breathe.
That was the most terrifying part.
"Gin…"
"Don't jump to conclusions yet…"
From atop his throne—
Even Aizen's gaze flickered slightly.
He, too, felt deep wariness toward the overwhelming, tangible torrents of black spiritual pressure flooding the screen.
But Aizen remained rational.
He thought it through—
And reminded him calmly:
"Don't forget what Ichigo has relied on most in his past battles."
"Aizen-taichō…" Gin understood immediately. "You mean… Hollowfication?"
"Exactly!!!"
Aizen gave a small nod, neither confirming nor denying anything further.
His voice carried anticipation:
"Even though, in this state, Ichigo's spiritual pressure is indeed far below Soul King Yhwach's—he can't break through his defense."
"But…"
"Once he stacks Hollowfication and multiplies his power…"
"Maybe the gap won't exist anymore…"
Aizen always believed—
Dual-wield Zangetsu's power was limitless.
It had to be at the Soul King level as well.
It was just that…
Ichigo needed to stack it like piling dishes—
Hollowfication first, then Shikai—
Only then would he truly have a chance to break Soul King Yhwach's defenses.
———
Next—
As Aizen watched with expectation—
The video footage fast-forwarded again.
On the cross-shaped throne—
Soul King Yhwach, the emperor, finally rose to his feet, black spiritual pressure surging violently around him.
And yet—
To everyone's surprise—
Even though the dark torrent was vast beyond measure, like an ocean of darkness ruling this entire place—
Kurosaki Ichigo still gripped Zangetsu—
And charged forward without fear.
He let his figure—
Be blasted back again and again by that black spiritual pressure!
He was forced backward repeatedly, leaving fresh traces of injury across his body!
"?!"
"Did Ichigo just give up?"
"Why does it look more like he's actively trying to kill himself?!"
"Even if he tried the same thing a hundred more times, he still wouldn't be able to get close to Soul King Yhwach, right?!"
Inside Las Noches—
Grimmjow furrowed his brows in confusion.
He couldn't figure it out at all—
What the future Ichigo in the footage was trying to do.
Was he relying on protagonist plot armor—
Trying to brute-force a frontal clash with pure stubbornness?
But if he couldn't break the defense, then there was no meaning in doing this!
He'd only end up—
Covered in wounds from head to toe!!!
"Yeah…"
Even Yammy couldn't stand watching it anymore.
Half disappointed, half anxious, he cursed:
"Damn it! What the hell is Ichigo thinking?!"
"Either Shikai or Hollowfication… that's the only hope he has to turn this around! There's no way he doesn't understand that!!!"
Yammy was getting frantic.
He practically wished he could control Ichigo himself—
Make him go full throttle immediately, dump every skill and finisher at once.
Otherwise…
As spectators—
They would only get more and more restless.
With every second that passed, the pressure Soul King Yhwach radiated would crush everyone harder, until they couldn't breathe at all!!!
But—
Just as Yammy finished complaining—
The next moment made every viewer's expression snap and change.
Something utterly unexpected—
And thrilling—
Happened!!!
"Kurosaki-kun…"
"I think there has to be a reason… for why you're insisting on doing this, right?"
Standing behind him, tugging lightly at the corner of his clothes—
Orihime asked with complete trust in her voice.
"That's right…"
Ichigo looked back.
Their eyes met.
He nodded firmly.
"There's something… I want to awaken—by pouring Quincy spiritual pressure into it!"
As he spoke—
The camera moved down in sync—
Focusing on the blade-form Zangetsu gripped in Ichigo's hand.
And then—
The originally black blade—
Turned visibly white before everyone's eyes!
And a vast power erupted outward from within!!!
"BOOOOM—!!!"
A shockwave swept out.
The screen shook violently.
Even the transparent viewing panel looked like it was about to explode apart.
It scared the audience so badly that people instinctively ducked and covered their heads, stumbling back in panic—terrified they'd be caught in the fallout.
At the most nerve-wracking moment—
Another senseless disaster struck the viewers yet again.
"This power…"
"It's so strong!!! Those dark torrents are getting suppressed in reverse—they're retreating until only half the screen is left!!!"
Inside Urahara's Shop—
Kurosaki Isshin sprang to his feet, voice trembling with excitement.
Yes.
At that moment, the screen was no longer swallowed entirely by darkness.
Instead—
Black and white split the view cleanly into two halves.
Two forces clashed and collided right along the center line!
From the look of it—
They were evenly matched at last, finally fighting on the same level!!!
"Heh…"
Urahara Kisuke rubbed his hands, clearly relieved, grinning as he said:
"If I'm not mistaken, Ichigo has Hollowfied."
"This is the combat posture we viewers know best!!!"
And just as those words left his mouth—
As the explosive shockwave gradually dispersed—
Ichigo's appearance after Hollowfication—
The first time since obtaining dual-wield Zangetsu—
Was finally revealed:
His orange bangs—
No longer hung down over his forehead.
Instead, like in his Hollow states, it looked as if he'd used gel to spike everything straight up.
Most striking of all—
On the left side of his face, black vertical markings spread downward.
And even his eyes—
In the moment of Hollowfication—
Flashed rapidly into a sharp, yellow-gold glare!
On the other side, though—
He still looked the same as usual—
Wearing the black tailcoat-like outfit from his Bankai state.
The only difference—
Was the horns rising from his head.
They stood tall, imposing, and fierce—an aura that made him look utterly commanding!!!
It made everyone believe—
Without the slightest doubt—
That with this brand-new combat form—
Kurosaki Ichigo truly could—
Under the gaze of the entire world—
Force a brutal reversal.
And in this highest sanctuary—
Defeat Soul King Yhwach outright!!!
(End of Chapter)
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