Even though White Ichigo had already told him that Ichigo's power didn't need to be suppressed, Uncle Zangetsu was like those so-called "parents who act for their child's good" and wouldn't change his mind!
"Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu!"
The pitch-black Tensa Zangetsu appeared in Uncle Zangetsu's hand. Although Ichigo himself couldn't use Bankai right now, he didn't feel any weaker than before.
White Ichigo's power completely filled in the gaps left by Uncle Zangetsu!
It even made Ichigo feel like he had become stronger!
"Ichigo, how about we settle this with one attack?"
Uncle Zangetsu didn't dare let Ichigo keep increasing his Reiatsu. With the level of Ichigo's current Reiatsu, Uncle Zangetsu wasn't sure if he'd be able to suppress White Ichigo once they returned.
Right now, they were at best evenly matched—fifty-fifty.
However, this also meant that Ichigo's internal powers would become much more balanced. Shinigami, Quincy, Hollow—these three forces would form a stable triangle. Whether this was a good or bad thing for Ichigo was hard to say!
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
Uncle Zangetsu once again launched a Getsuga Tenshō with one hand toward Ichigo.
But the Reiatsu Ichigo erupted with now was a pure blue-white color!
The mask of White Ichigo's Hollowfication appeared within Ichigo's Reiatsu!
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
The blue-white Getsuga transformed into the shape of a Hollow mask and clashed head-on with Uncle Zangetsu's Getsuga Tenshō!
Though it appeared they were evenly matched, Uncle Zangetsu simply dropped the Tensa Zangetsu in his hand and returned into Ichigo's body.
Inside Ichigo's inner world...
White Ichigo grinned as he watched Uncle Zangetsu return, saying, "Now, you have no way to suppress my power!"
Uncle Zangetsu fell silent for a moment, then looked deeply at White Ichigo and said, "It's all for Ichigo's sake. Since I can't suppress you anymore, then so be it."
Outside, Ichigo let out a long breath. The battle with Uncle Zangetsu had caused such a disturbance that even those far away could feel the shockwaves.
Even Rukia, who had been taken to the Fourth Division by Yoruichi and Senna, sensed Ichigo's Reiatsu and awoke!
Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō were both astonished!
This level of Reiatsu—previously, they had only felt it from Yamamoto Genryūsai and Chōjirō Sasakibe!
As for Unohana Retsu, ever since they had known her, she had kept her sword sealed, so they had no idea how strong she really was!
Ichigo looked at Muramasa across from him, his voice cold. "Muramasa, it's your turn to count down."
Muramasa stared at Ichigo with a strange expression and asked, "Kurosaki Ichigo, why can you attack your own Zanpakutō without hesitation?"
Ichigo sneered. "Uncle Zangetsu is my power. Since he is my power, he will always stand with me at the critical moment! That's the trust between us!"
Muramasa listened, his eyes wide as if Ichigo's words had stirred something within him.
Not only that, Muramasa's body began to tremble, and he coughed uncontrollably. His lower half became transparent, and he looked at Ichigo with a pained expression. "Is this the source of your power? That you trust everyone so completely, trust their existence, and trust their strength...?"
The more Muramasa spoke, the more he seemed to be in pain, as if Ichigo's words had touched a deep wound within him.
Ichigo was surprised. For a brief moment, he realized that Muramasa's condition wasn't as stable as it appeared.
In fact, Ichigo was shocked by how chaotic Muramasa's Reiatsu was! If his own Reiatsu were that unstable, he probably would've been dead already!
"Enough. Looks like I've wasted too much time with you. It's time to leave."
As he spoke, someone appeared before Ichigo—Uncle Zangetsu, after Muramasa vanished.
"I'm fine now. I've finally broken free from that guy's brainwashing!" Uncle Zangetsu said to Ichigo.
White Ichigo snorted inwardly. "Brainwashing, huh? That's just an excuse for Ichigo."
"I can sense it—Muramasa actually amplified the resentment Zanpakutōs have toward their owners. That's his instinct. He wants to unleash our instincts!"
"Almost all Zanpakutōs can be controlled by him, as long as they harbor even the slightest resentment toward their masters. Muramasa magnifies that a hundredfold, a thousandfold... to the point of rebellion against their wielders."
"Ichigo, I'm sorry. I just... really wanted to know what place my power holds in your heart."
That last sentence was both the truth and a lie. In reality, Ichigo had never truly tapped into Uncle Zangetsu's power.
What he used up till now were merely simulations created by Uncle Zangetsu!
Only when Uncle Zangetsu left did Ichigo use his own true strength!
But Ichigo, who now had his three powers in relative balance, still didn't know these things. Someday, he would figure it out.
It wasn't just Ichigo fighting his Zanpakutō. The other Zanpakutōs were also confronting their own wielders!
After all, for the Zanpakutō, being manipulated by Muramasa meant they harbored some level of dissatisfaction with their masters!
That gave Muramasa the opening to exploit!
Killing other Shinigami could help vent their anger, but to truly resolve their issues, they had to confront their masters directly!
Now, a certain Zanpakutō had also found its master!
"Vice-Captain, these Zanpakutōs' movements are unpredictable!" a Ninth Division member reported to Hisagi Shūhei.
"Even so, no matter the cost, we can't let these Zanpakutō continue rampaging in the Seireitei! Deploy more personnel—keep tracking their movements!" Hisagi ordered.
At this moment, the Ninth Division had no captain. As the vice-captain, Hisagi was shouldering the burden. Though he hadn't mastered Bankai, in reality, he was practically the captain of the Ninth Division.
In fact, he might be the only vice-captain stronger than his own captain!
After all, his future captain would be the wielder of a time-type Zanpakutō that had been sealed away for millions of years.
"Yes, Vice-Captain!" The two Shinigami responded quickly.
But before they could leave, a black whirlwind swept toward them at terrifying speed!
As the black wind passed, the two Shinigami were already lying in pools of blood!
"This technique... it's you, Kazeshini!" Hisagi recognized the style instantly!
Sure enough, the figure standing within the black wind was none other than his Zanpakutō, Kazeshini!
It wasn't just Hisagi. On the way to visit Rukia, Abarai Renji also encountered his Zanpakutō!
At first, Renji didn't recognize it.
After all, the figure before him had a massive brain!
If it weren't for the baboon-like woman standing alongside a snake-tailed child, Renji wouldn't have been able to tell that they were his Zanpakutō!
"You're my Zanpakutō?" Renji looked at them in shock.
After all, when he had trained for Bankai, the manifested form of his Zanpakutō had been a baboon with a snake tail—completely unlike a human!
"That's right! We are your Zanpakutō, Abarai Renji! Your power is too weak to wield us!" the baboon woman shouted, charging at Renji!
Meanwhile, Senna also encountered her Zanpakutō, Mirokumaru!
The figure that appeared before her wasn't the monk-like image she'd imagined, but rather a woman in miko robes, holding a shakujo staff.
Senna immediately recognized her Zanpakutō—because the woman's body was surrounded by countless maple leaves!
"You're Mirokumaru!" Senna called out without hesitation.
"Yes, I am Mirokumaru. But who are you?" The beautiful, serene miko looked at Senna with cold eyes.
"Me? I'm your master!" Senna replied instinctively.
"My master? I don't remember my master's name being Senna." Mirokumaru's words were a dagger to the heart!
Right... Senna had already forgotten. Maybe it was because her life with Ichigo and the others had been so happy that she'd gradually forgotten she wasn't really a normal Shinigami or a human.
She was a collection of memories. Although those memories no longer disturbed her mind and body, her very existence hadn't changed!
And Mirokumaru... wasn't her true Zanpakutō!
"...I..." Senna hesitated, because what Mirokumaru said was completely true.
She wasn't Mirokumaru's true master. So how could she have the right to reclaim her Zanpakutō?
Seeing Senna's hesitation, Mirokumaru grew even angrier!
"If you're not my master, then die!" With a roar, Mirokumaru's shakujo staff swirled with invisible winds.
With a wave of her hand, a tornado erupted around her, engulfing the area!
Though Senna knew she wasn't Mirokumaru's true master, she didn't want to die without understanding!
She used Shunpo to dodge Mirokumaru's attack and looked at her, saying, "Stop, Mirokumaru! I may not be your master, but I don't want to fight you!"
This only enraged Mirokumaru further!
"Don't want to fight me? That's not up to you! You stole my power, enslaved me, left me no peace!" Mirokumaru roared at Senna.
"I'm sorry, Mirokumaru... I didn't think it through!" Senna lowered her head—because it was the truth.
"An apology is useless! I have my freedom now. All I want is for you to die!" Mirokumaru shouted.
Senna, however, was no longer willing to back down. She touched the red ribbon on her head and stared at Mirokumaru, saying, "I used your power—I'm sorry. But that doesn't mean I'm willing to pay with my life!"
"I have the life I love, the people I care about! For them, I won't die here!"
With that, Senna finally drew her Zanpakutō and faced Mirokumaru.
"You can leave now. I'll never interfere with your freedom. But if you want my life... I won't allow it!"
Hearing Senna's words, Mirokumaru sneered coldly. "What a joke! If you won't die, then I'll kill you myself!"
With a roar, she spun her shakujo, summoning countless tornadoes to tear toward Senna from all directions!
Senna quickly used Shunpo to dodge the onslaught, constantly casting Byakurai (Way of Destruction #4, White Lightning) to disrupt Mirokumaru's rhythm!
"Kido, huh? That's not even your own power, is it?" Mirokumaru sneered while attacking Senna's resolve.
"Hmph! I trained this myself! Not my power? Don't make me laugh!" Senna retorted confidently.
It was true—her Zanpakutō wasn't her own, but Kido was something she had learned through practice!
She was certain—this was her own power!
Mirokumaru's expression darkened at her words. Senna wasn't sure which part of her statement had struck a nerve, but Mirokumaru's aura grew fiercer!
"Devour and engulf, Mirokumaru!"
Mirokumaru roared as she unleashed her power—a technique Senna had once used herself!
A formless wind armor surrounded Mirokumaru, constantly slicing the air around her, producing a grinding "crunch crunch" sound!
But when Senna saw this move, she frowned.
Because this wasn't a technique in her own memories!
This was a method she had developed herself while sparring with Rukia—and yet, now it appeared in Mirokumaru's hands!
"This is my technique!"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]