Despair.
The atmosphere of the viewing was heavy and suffocating.
At this moment, even Ichigo Kurosaki himself was feeling discouraged.
His eyes were no longer firm.
Instead, they wavered—uncertain, shaken, and filled with confusion about what would come next!
It couldn't be helped!
He had already used every skill and every ounce of power he had—once each, all the way through!
And his wife was right there, too.
It was practically like he had a mobile healing fountain with him, stacked with every kind of cheat and buff imaginable!
And yet…
Even so,
He was still being crushed from start to finish!
With that, even if Ichigo's personality was as lively and optimistic as ever—
It was still inevitable
That he would feel his heart sink and become dejected.
That was perfectly normal!!!
Next,
Under the audience's complicated gazes,
The ranking video continued, and the later plot was revealed—
Boom!!!
The ability activated.
An enormous amount of dark spiritual pressure,
Flowed down from Soul King Yhwach's massive palm, spreading outward like a tide.
Very quickly, it invaded
The body of the heavily wounded Ichigo Kurosaki, and then seized control of the portion of Quincy power within him!
And—
It wasn't just his body.
Even the ground around them began to crawl with spreading black patterns, the scene looking brutally violent!
It made the contrast even sharper:
Soul King Yhwach's darkness—
And Ichigo, the protagonist—
He truly had burned himself down to nothing!!!
"Sigh…"
"His power… it really disappeared!!!"
Inside the First Division,
Retsu Unohana's beautiful eyes dimmed.
Reflected in her gaze was the sight of Ichigo, after losing his power, turning back into an ordinary person again.
Yes.
His Zanpakutō vanished.
That black Hollow-like shoulder cloak was gone.
His eyes returned to black, and the broken horn above his head was no longer there.
At this moment, Ichigo Kurosaki
Could be said to be in one of the weakest states since the ranking began!
It was like he had returned to the starting line—
As if he had never possessed
Any great power at all!
And the Zanpakutō "Zangetsu" was now completely gone without a trace!!!
"After absorbing Ichigo Kurosaki's power…"
"Soul King Yhwach's presence—along with the scale of those dark torrents—has become terrifyingly more overwhelming by multiples…"
Soi Fon frowned.
Her face pale with fear, she stared at the video.
At this moment,
On screen,
The dark torrents gathered—vast, dense, and surging—centered on this battlefield, above the skies of the True World Castle!
They formed something like an irregular black mass—
A black sky-canopy hanging over everything!
To the audience,
It felt like a total declaration:
From this moment on, the entire world of the Shinigami would be taken over by Soul King Yhwach!
Ichigo Kurosaki was defeated.
Zero Division had compromised.
And as for the Shinigami of the Gotei 13—
Those captains who were still alive would fall into darkness,
One by one, they would be hunted down and settled.
Until the entire Shinigami race
Repeated the Quincies' fate from long ago—
And approached extinction!!!
At this moment,
The camera lowered.
It focused beneath that black sky-canopy—before the gigantic dark vortex—on the Soul King Yhwach, whose aura had reached its peak.
His back faced the camera.
Then, that voice that made people shudder rang out again:
"Farewell, Third Guard…"
"To me, you are no longer a necessary existence."
"And next, you'll lie there and watch in despair—
As I destroy the sights of the World of the Living and Soul Society."
When the words fell,
Ignoring the pursuit coming at him—
Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki—
Soul King Yhwach, cold and arrogant,
Walked straight into the dark vortex.
Not because he couldn't kill them—
But because he couldn't be bothered.
And the exposure of this scene
Brought despair yet again—
But it also immediately ignited intense discussion among the viewers:
"Captain Aizen…"
"This part of the plot connects perfectly to the previous ranking about 'Kyōka Suigetsu'—the future you…"
"The one where you fought Soul King Yhwach one-on-one!!!"
Beneath his pale bangs,
Gin Ichimaru's eyes spun as he recalled it at once.
He still remembered—
When that world-shaking ultimate move was unleashed—
Goryū Tenmetsu (Five-Dragon Turning Extinction)!
It shocked the world!
It left the entire global audience with an unforgettable impression—
A crushing sense of the ultimate power of that so-called "Nine Kings, Five Layers" level!
He just hadn't expected that,
Before that,
Ichigo Kurosaki would get brutalized first!!!
"Gin…"
"Doesn't that prove even more that there's still a turning point?"
On his throne,
Sōsuke Aizen's lips curved upward.
With a faint smile, he said,
"If I remember correctly… during my duel with Soul King Yhwach!"
"Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai suddenly appeared through that crack and became allies!"
"And at that time… Zangetsu seemed to have been repaired again!!!"
Just like Gin Ichimaru,
Aizen carefully searched his memory archives.
Only then did he speak with certainty.
And when those words
Left his mouth and spread through Las Noches,
The Hollows and Arrancar around him lit up instantly!
"Huh?"
"That's right… Lord Aizen is correct! At that time, Ichigo's Zangetsu appeared again!"
"What caused it? Could it be that besides Ōetsu Nimaiya, there's someone else—or some other method—"
"That can restore a divine weapon this quickly? It's unbelievable!!!"
Coyote Starrk was curious.
Tier Harribel stayed silent.
Yammy, Nnoitra, Grimmjow, and the others couldn't be bothered to guess at all—
They just wanted the video to fast-forward and reveal the answer already!
Even—
Szayelaporro Granz, the so-called smartest among them—
Behind his glasses-like mask,
Wore a confused expression.
Even with his brain running at full speed,
Racking his brains—
He still had no clue at all.
He couldn't guess it!!!
And so,
Under the intense curiosity surging through all of Hueco Mundo,
The video scene jumped again!
Only—
During that transition,
The audience noticed something shocking.
Not long after the severely wounded Ichigo was helped back to his feet by his companions—
Suddenly,
With absolutely no warning,
An attack struck from behind.
A long sword—strangely familiar, something the viewers recognized—
Slashed Ichigo across the shoulder!!!
"???"
"What is going on…?! At a time like this, could there still be another pure-blood Quincy hidden in the True World Castle? No way!"
Inside Urahara Shop,
Seeing this happen with their own eyes,
Yoruichi Shihōin, Kisuke Urahara, and Isshin Kurosaki's pupils shrank sharply.
All of them were startled, completely caught off guard!
Who was it…?
Why strike at this exact moment…?
Could there really be someone in the Shinigami world even better than Kisuke Urahara at stealing kills—
A second king of opportunistic backstabs?!
"Please, no…"
Tessai Tsukabishi said with a headache,
"In his wounded state, Ichigo can't take any more of this. This is exactly what the enemy would want…"
"That's just too unlucky!!!"
"Yes…" As his father, Isshin Kurosaki was equally helpless.
"I can only hope it's an ally—someone here to help Ichigo regain the power of 'Zangetsu'!"
Sure enough,
As soon as those words fell,
The camera slowly shifted…
Aimed behind Ichigo…
And immediately revealed the answer—
"This is…"
"Shukuro Tsukishima?!"
"It's him! He's the one who cut Ichigo with that slash!!!"
Shock.
Disbelief.
The audience screamed in unison.
Almost no one had guessed that the person on screen would be—
From that short Fullbringer arc,
Someone who was once an enemy—
And not even particularly strong—
Shukuro Tsukishima!!!
"Center-part hair. Suspenders…"
"That's the only memorable impression I've ever had of this guy!"
"Why is he here? And how can he help Ichigo?"
On the outskirts of Karakura Town,
At the Visoreds' base,
Under his flat-brim cap, Shinji Hirako rubbed his chin.
Tsukishima Shukuro's appearance—
Made him skeptical from the start.
And Shinji Hirako even deliberately wanted to look down on him.
Because—
The power of Fullbring
Was simply too small compared to the power of the Soul King!
And Tsukishima Shukuro wasn't even captain-class!
Besides,
He wasn't a doctor.
He wasn't like Retsu Unohana or Tenjirō Kirinji, with profound medical skill that could save lives and heal the dying!
In short,
Shinji Hirako just felt that
Tsukishima Shukuro showing up
Probably wouldn't provide any real help.
Unless something ridiculously wild—
Something no one could predict—
Happened!!!
At that moment,
On screen,
Ichigo Kurosaki turned his head.
Beneath his hanging bangs, his eyes were sharp as he barked out:
"Tsukishima— and Ginjo too! What the hell are you two doing?!"
Yes.
Just like the audience,
Ichigo's first reaction
Was also to think Tsukishima Shukuro was here to mess things up!
He didn't even consider the possibility that Tsukishima was here as a good guy!!!
"It's simple…"
"Ginjo told me to repay a debt. The two of us are here to help you!!!"
Facing the camera,
And Ichigo's suspicious glare,
Tsukishima Shukuro had one hand in his pocket, looking utterly calm as he smiled.
He stated their purpose.
And then—
Before the eyes of the entire world—
He used his Fullbring ability
To stage a miraculous scene
That nobody expected!!!
"Orihime Inoue…"
"Even with your ability, you can't reject a future that's been rewritten by The Almighty, right?"
"Then… if the past isn't like that…"
"You should be able to reject it, shouldn't you?"
Tsukishima Shukuro's tone was steady.
He explained it slowly, without rushing.
"Huh?"
"What… does that mean?!"
Orihime froze hard—
And Ichigo Kurosaki was stunned, too.
For a moment, what Tsukishima said almost tangled their brains into knots!
But—
After the viewers heard it
And recalled Tsukishima Shukuro's ability from the Fullbring arc—
They immediately understood!
The world erupted into excited shouts:
"Holy—!"
"His ability is that sword! Once he cuts someone, he can tamper with their memories!"
"He inserts fake experience fragments into their past memories!!!"
"No way… this ability can actually matter at a moment this important?!"
At this point,
Most of the audience had already guessed
What Tsukishima Shukuro intended to do next.
That was—
Activate his ability.
Rewrite memory.
In Ichigo Kurosaki's past experiences,
Force a rewrite—
So that Zangetsu had never been broken!!!
That way, the "fact" would exist!
And then, combined with Orihime's power—
Maybe it really could be done right here, right now:
Restore Zangetsu on the spot!!!
—
Meanwhile,
In the World of the Living, in Karakura City—
At a certain district, the Fullbringers' headquarters.
Inside the apartment,
Tsukishima Shukuro let out a relieved breath:
"Whew…"
"Good thing the misunderstanding got cleared up!"
"Ginjo— the two of us not only resolved things with Ichigo at the end…"
"But we stepped in at the critical moment and restored Zangetsu!"
"That's a massive contribution to record!!!"
By the end of it,
Tsukishima Shukuro couldn't help laughing.
Beneath his black hair, his smile was smug—
Satisfied with how the plot reveal made him look.
"Yeah…" Kugo Ginjo paused for a moment, then nodded, speaking with some surprise.
"I didn't expect our Fullbring… could actually function in a high-level battle."
"This time, the strong people of the Shinigami world shouldn't dare look down on us Fullbringers anymore!!!"
After saying that,
Kugo Ginjo also smiled.
A proud, gratified smile.
Because—
If the Fullbring arc had never aired,
They Fullbringers would have stayed as complete nobodies in the Shinigami world.
Their presence was basically zero!!!
Now—
With this scene broadcast, and with everyone "cleared"—
The way the Fullbring group survived
Wouldn't need to be like before.
At the very least, being acknowledged meant they finally had a legitimate place in the light!!!
"So next…"
"It all depends on whether Orihime Inoue can truly restore Ichigo Kurosaki's Zangetsu!!!"
Meanwhile,
On screen—
Under the eyes of the entire world—
After the conversation ended, Orihime followed the instruction.
Once again, she activated her power!
As the soft glow formed by Sōten Kisshun (Twin Heaven Returning Shield)
Covered Ichigo Kurosaki—
Only a short time passed,
Before a complete Tensa Zangetsu
Appeared clearly within the frame!!!
"As expected!" Ichigo Kurosaki shouted.
"You really can't get around the Orihime solution!"
"My future wife is seriously incredible!!!"
Inside Urahara Shop,
Watching this happen, Isshin Kurosaki's emotions surged.
Great!
Tensa Zangetsu had returned again!
And once Ichigo gripped the hilt again,
Fighting spirit burned in his eyes once more!
Next—
The story would enter the climax of the final battle!
In a raging eruption,
Ichigo would face Soul King Yhwach
In the last decisive showdown!!!
"Still…"
"It probably wasn't only Ginjo and the others helping, was it?"
Kisuke Urahara's eyes flickered.
Watching the scene shift again,
A powerful premonition rose in his mind.
With his extraordinary mind, he always felt—
Something was still missing.
A key item—
One that could restrain—
No, surpass—
The Zangetsu beyond even the "King-class Hollow" level.
And that—
That would be the true thing
That would make Soul King Yhwach
Expose a fatal weakness.
(End of Chapter)
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