Chapter 14: The Bleach World's Art Style Gradually Warps
No matter how abstract the scene before him was, it was no excuse to stand by and watch. Ichigo Kurosaki let out a great shout:
"Let go of that boy!"
Ichigo charged forward, leapt into the air, and delivered a flying "Rocket Kick."
Given his physical condition, if this kick landed solidly, it would send even a bull flying. To his surprise, it was as if Grand Fisher had eyes in the back of his head; with a side-step slide, he caught Ichigo's mid-air leg, twisted his waist, and prepared to hurl him away!
Ichigo hadn't expected to miss, but his superhuman reflexes gave him room to recover. He bent his trapped leg, pulling his upper body inward to grab Fisher's shoulder and neck, interrupting the momentum of the throw.
Fisher raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Oh? Nice reactions, kid. Interested in being my bodyguard?"
Ichigo instinctively swallowed hard and replied, "With your skills, I think a bodyguard is redundant."
Though young, Ichigo was sturdy and heavy, yet Fisher held his leg with one hand, using it as a fulcrum to hoist him up effortlessly, as if he were lifting a bottle of mineral water.
Fisher chuckled. "You're wrong there, kid. Being a corrupt politician isn't easy these days. Too many people want my head. Having a bodyguard—even just a disposable meat shield to block bullets—is quite nice."
Hearing this, Ichigo looked closer and was shocked to find that Fisher looked incredibly familiar! Familiar to the point of being someone he saw every few days—specifically, the face of the man on campaign trucks, blasting a megaphone through the streets to beg for votes.
Ichigo couldn't help but yell, "Hey, you over there! Who exactly did you piss off? This guy is the boss of one of Karakura Town's oldest political dynasties!"
Uryu Ishida was still shaken. "How should I know?! The moment he got out of the car, before I even saw his face, he Kabedon-ed me and started ripping my clothes!"
Before Ichigo could ask more, Fisher smiled thinly. "Interrupting my quality time with Uryu makes me quite unhappy. Kid, brace yourself... I'm going to use a bit of strength now."
In the next instant, the muscles in Fisher's arm swelled; veins bulged like angry dragons. Sensing danger, Ichigo instinctively tensed his muscles.
Fisher exhaled sharply and unleashed the throw he had been building up! The raw power was so immense that Ichigo couldn't hold onto Fisher's neck. His vision blurred, and the ground rushed up to meet his face at high speed.
BOOM.
Ichigo was slammed straight into the ground. The impact was so violent that cracks spiderwebbed across the concrete.
Are politicians these days really this good at fighting?
The same thought Uryu had earlier now echoed in Ichigo's mind. But it didn't last long; a split second later, a gust of wind approached, and Ichigo scrambled away, narrowly avoiding a heavy stomp from Fisher.
"Heh, you've got a sturdy body, kid. Too bad you're not as pretty as Uryu, or I might have enjoyed a double dose of 'passion' tonight..."
Fisher wore a half-smile. Ichigo stood up and wiped the blood from his nose. His pupils still flickered with spiritual light; if he hadn't instinctively used Blut Vene, that last hit would have sent him to the hospital for three months. The blow had ignited Ichigo's temper. He spat out some blood and snarled:
"I've got a sturdy body, and even sturdier fists. Die, you pervert!"
"I'll play with you for a bit, kid—call it a warm-up before my night with Uryu."
With that, Ichigo charged with clenched fists. Fisher simply shook his head, unbuttoned his shirt cuffs, and met the attack head-on.
Ichigo had never formally studied martial arts, but his reflexes and strength were elite. From years of street fighting, he had become a "Master of Brawling"—an expert who honed his skills through raw violence rather than tradition.
Yet his pride-and-joy strength hit a wall. Fisher appeared obese, but his power was exaggerated, his strikes as fast as the wind, and his combat technique was remarkably refined, possessing an indescribable bestial ferocity.
"If this guy wants to take out a political rival, does he just charge through the front door and fight his way out?!" Ichigo grew more alarmed as the fight went on. Uryu, watching from the side, finally couldn't take it and shouted, "I'll help you!" before charging in for a "righteous" two-on-one.
The thought was noble; the reality was cruel. Fisher didn't fear the pincer movement at all. Within a few exchanges, he landed a heavy blow on Ichigo's stomach, sending him flying. The brave Uryu, who had contributed zero damage, was caught and slammed against the wall once more—a Third-Degree Kabedon. Then, with a sinister, arrogant grin, Fisher's hands began to roam.
SHRED.
For the second time today, Uryu's shirt was torn to pieces!
Seeing Fisher reaching for his pants, Uryu let out a scream like a stuck pig, struggling with all his might while yelling: "Ichigo! Stop holding back! Use everything I taught you today and blast this fat bastard into dust! AHHHHHH!"
Hearing Uryu's distress call, Ichigo stood up again. The light of Quincy power began to swirl around him as he whispered:
"Sorry. If he were doing this willingly, I might not do this... but now, I can't hold back just because you're a 'human.' Don't worry, I won't hurt you too badly!"
As a shonen protagonist, Ichigo had a certain naivety; he valued fairness and hated bullying the weak. Even now, he planned to restrain himself.
But facing the now-supernatural Ichigo, Fisher laughed out loud:
"Kid! I didn't expect you to be a martial artist who knows the ways of 'Qi'! It seems I'll have a pleasant night after all—provided... you can keep me entertained!"
Fisher struck Uryu's stomach, causing him to collapse and gasp for air, effectively removing his ability to flee. He then turned to Ichigo. A radiant glow manifested around Fisher; his obese body swelled until he was an impossibly muscular juggernaut!
"He's so strong!!!" Ichigo's pupils shrank. From Fisher, he felt a bloody, tragic "Battle Qi." No words were needed; Ichigo knew Fisher was a peerless warrior who had survived countless slaughters!
As Ichigo braced himself, Mo Yu—sitting in front of his computer in a higher dimension—tilted his head in confusion.
"What? A martial artist who knows 'Qi'? Fisher, did you run off to a King of Fighters training camp this afternoon for some extra lessons?!"
Baffled, Mo Yu checked the footage recorded with Fisher as the lead. He found that after being sealed, Fisher used his flesh-disguise to replace a famous corrupt politician, used his connections to track Uryu, and eventually made his entrance. There were no other outside factors. Mo Yu looked to his "Omniscience" for the truth.
Two words surfaced in his mind: "Hogyoku."
Following that thread, he realized what happened. Although he controlled the Hogyoku's permissions, its core mechanism still functioned by interpreting external wills and manifesting them. The Hogyoku had interpreted Mo Yu's intent too "comprehensively"—reading his surface thoughts but also his deep-seated associations.
When Mo Yu manipulated Rukia to seal Fisher, his mind had been full of fighting manga like Kengan Ashura and KOF. The Hogyoku read those deep thoughts and, while sealing Fisher, added extra traits and power. The strength of a Menos-class Arrancar, even if compressed into a human form, remained far above a mortal's—especially when Fisher was allowed to tap into decades of accumulated Reishi.
Thus, "Corrupt Politician and Master Martial Artist Grand Fisher" was born.
Mo Yu decided it wasn't a problem. His "Security Guard Workplace Drama" had simply evolved into a "Supernatural Battle Drama." A bit of high-quality action would only help the views.
"The Hogyoku's limit is beyond my expectations. I need to develop this further!"
As Mo Yu mused, the standoff between Ichigo and Fisher reached a boiling point. Just before the clash, Ichigo suddenly asked, "Hey... are all politicians these days as good at fighting as you?"
Fisher didn't mind the chat. "Whether the rest are like me, I don't know. I recently suffered a mysterious attack and lost most of my memory. Aside from my name, status, and Uryu's name, I've forgotten almost everything..."
Hearing that Fisher was an amnesiac, Ichigo's momentum faltered. He didn't know what to say. But his pity only angered Fisher:
"What is that look?! Are you pitying me? Foolish!"
Fisher stepped forward, his figure chasing like thunder. Before he even reached Ichigo, his hands pushed forward as if holding wind and lightning. A purple-black energy blast the size of a person erupted! Ichigo retreated, manifesting his Quincy bow and firing a rain of arrows.
The slender Quincy arrows were shredded by the energy blast, only acting as a slight delay. Ichigo planned to wear down the blast while retreating, but his flight only drew Fisher's roar:
"Even if I've lost my memories, so what?! Feeling the strength tempered through a thousand trials, feeling the will within that power... that is enough to feel my true self! As long as I clench my fists, the accumulation of blood and sweat is never lost! To run away is a disgrace to a martial artist's 'Purity'!"
Fisher's rage exploded. He pushed his hands again, firing a second and third blast that merged with the first, increasing its speed and lethality into a "Finisher" grade attack.
Caught off guard, Ichigo was hit by the triple-fused blast and slammed into a wall, causing the structure to collapse. He tried to struggle up, but his injuries were severe; even with Blut Vene, he lacked the strength to stand. Fisher walked over slowly, looking down at him.
"Your 'Purity' is too low. You want to protect someone with that? Laughable. Farewell, overconfident kid!"
Fisher raised his hand to deliver the killing blow. Within Ichigo, Old Man Zangetsu sighed and prepared to step forward. Once he relaxed his suppression of Ichigo's power, Fisher would learn the meaning of 24K "Gacha-Cheat Purity."
Just as Zangetsu was about to manifest, a figure appeared beside Fisher, catching his descending fist. Then, a bestial roar rang out:
"First: Never act on impulse! Second: Never overlook a single bad deed! Third: Always judge fairly and beautifully! The Demon Muscle Man, Supreme Chief Justice of the Fighting World, has arrived!"
Looking at the figure with the bone mask and muscles even more exaggerated than his own, Fisher narrowed his eyes, feeling a flicker of instinctive fear. He masked it, saying coldly:
"Hmph. Whoever you are, do you intend to stop me?"
The beastly, growling voice replied:
"Bullying a newcomer who just entered the fighting world is no feat. A strong man should have the grace of a master. Give him a few days. Then, we shall have a magnificent duel with Uryu Ishida's virtue on the line!"
Fisher weighed his options and snorted. "Fine. I'll look forward to seeing what this 'low-purity' brat can become in a few days!"
Fisher turned, gave Uryu a lingering look, and got into his luxury car, departing quickly.
Ichigo let out a sigh of relief and lost consciousness.
End of Chapter
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium