"But when the heart was split in two, it also formed two extremes. Inaba Kagerōza inherited the hatred and ambition of the original."
"And I inherited the love and restraint."
"I... Inaba Kagerōza and I are like the two sides of a person's soul. The original was a man consumed by vengeance. If we merge, I may be devoured by him!"
Nozomi's voice grew increasingly somber, her despair sending a pang through Ichigo's chest.
"Ichigo... I'm afraid that if we fuse, I might hurt you," she said with sorrow on her face.
She didn't want to harm the one she loved.
But no matter what she said, Ichigo had no intention of giving up on her.
"I'm not leaving you behind, Nozomi!"
"Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me!"
"It's because of you... for the first time, I felt like I wasn't alone!"
"I will protect you!"
Ichigo's voice was firm and unwavering.
Seeing that she couldn't dissuade him, Nozomi reluctantly began instructing Ichigo—using her memory of Kagerōza's procedures—on how to produce a modified Soul Candy to restore his Soul Reaper powers.
Under her guidance, Ichigo finally completed a full version of a modified soul core.
It contained only his Shinigami powers—but that was enough.
However, just as he was about to use it, Nemu's spiritual clone suddenly appeared and accelerated the fusion process on the console!
"Ahahahaha!!"
Inaba Kagerōza laughed triumphantly.
He and Nozomi had fully fused.
And from that fusion... a new Yuuōji was born.
Ichigo quickly swallowed the modified soul pill, restoring his Shinigami powers to their peak.
As spiritual pressure exploded from Ichigo, Yuuōji—now with a strangely feminine tone—murmured, "Ichigo...?"
But then his expression twisted as Inaba Kagerōza's consciousness once again seized control.
"GET BACK IN LINE!"
Clutching his head, Yuuōji growled and instantly flash-stepped out of the lab.
Ichigo had clearly heard that voice—it was Nozomi.
Looking down at the glowing King's Seal on the back of his hand, Ichigo suddenly understood.
The reason he hadn't used the King's Seal before wasn't because he forgot—it was because they all forgot one critical requirement.
To use the King's Seal properly, one needs a stable captain-level reiatsu.
Back then, Ichigo didn't meet that condition.
Without a stable Bankai, how could he possibly activate the King's Seal?
"Yuuōji!"
Ichigo called out and immediately chased after him.
The two raced through Soul Society, quickly arriving atop the Sōkyoku Hill.
Not only Ichigo—his team from the World of the Living had also finally broken through the spiritual clone captains and arrived.
Rukia and Hiyori instantly recognized the new being before them—a green-haired man with conflicting expressions on his face. They understood at once: this was the fusion of Kagerōza and Nozomi.
But his presence was unstable.
On one half of his face was seething hatred. The other... sorrow.
"Are you okay, Ichigo?" Rukia and Hiyori landed beside him.
"I'm fine," Ichigo nodded. "Leave it to me. My powers are back. I will bring Nozomi back."
Yuuōji heard him and gritted his teeth.
He knew his fusion was incomplete. He quickly called Nemu's spiritual clone via a portable transmitter.
"Bring the fusion stabilizer—now!"
Everyone present understood immediately: the fusion wasn't stable.
"Hold the perimeter. Don't let him escape!" Ichigo shouted.
"Got it!" Rukia and Hiyori exchanged a glance and began coordinating with Uryū, Chad, and the others to block all escape routes.
Uryū didn't forget to offer some tactical advice:
"His so-called space movement isn't true teleportation. It's more like space folding. Every activation requires time to open and close!"
"As long as you track his reiatsu fluctuations, it's not hard to break his ability!"
Ichigo nodded.
Yuuōji was surprised—he hadn't expected Uryū to uncover the truth behind his technique.
But now, Yuuōji was no longer just Inaba Kagerōza.
"Twist, Tsukikage Uzuki!"
His Zanpakutō appeared identical to Kagerōza's original blade, save for a few ruby-like spiritual storage nodes near the guard.
But the ability—now a fusion of Ame-no-Hazure and Raikū—was something far more dangerous.
Suddenly, Nozomi began to fight for control again.
"Ichigo! Kill me!!"
While in control, Nozomi pressed Tsukikage Uzuki against her own neck.
Ichigo instantly flash-stepped forward and grabbed the blade.
But in touching Yuuōji's hand, he suddenly found himself connected to Nozomi's inner world.
"Kill me now, Ichigo. It's the only way to destroy Yuuōji for good. I've always been protected by you... but now it's my turn to protect everyone."
"Stop talking nonsense!" Ichigo rejected her plea. "I will bring you back!"
In that moment, Kagerōza's consciousness surged once again.
With a roar, he slashed at Ichigo with Tsukikage Uzuki.
But Ichigo, now fully restored, blocked the attack effortlessly.
Clang!
Two Zanpakutōs collided!
"Hmph. Kurosaki Ichigo... I must admit. Even someone like Kujo Nozomi fell for you. But someone like me—who conquered Soul Society by myself—has no need for companions!"
Ichigo raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Then why did you fuse with Nozomi? Why steal reiatsu from other Soul Reapers to create your spiritual clones? Was that all your power alone?"
Yuuōji froze.
Ichigo had struck a nerve—and lifted him by the collar.
Realizing the psychological upper hand, Yuuōji broke away with a flash step.
"I have nothing more to say. All I want is to defeat you and reclaim Nozomi!"
"Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!!"
Unlike before, Ichigo's current Bankai carried no hesitation.
With a burst of speed, he lunged at Yuuōji with a thrust.
Yuuōji, recalling his previous battles with Ichigo, thought little of this move.
He underestimated him.
And for a while, they fought evenly. Yuuōji's confidence soared as his fusion body and spiritual weapon held their own.
"Damn it... guess I've got no choice. Sorry, Zangetsu," Ichigo muttered, donning his Hollow mask.
Only through this could he fully access Zangetsu's strength.
The moment he put it on, Ichigo crashed down from above, slamming Yuuōji into the earth.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
A massive black crescent flew forward.
Yuuōji attempted to absorb it—yet to everyone's shock, he couldn't.
His blade couldn't absorb Hollow-based reiatsu!
The impact sent him flying. That arrogant grin vanished from his face.
"Impossible... only five percent of his peak?" he gasped.
Ichigo's cold smirk deepened.
"You've never seen my real power. But this is enough to finish you."
"But why is your attack so much stronger than when you were in the World of the Living!?"
"Simple. Back then, I was worried that my chaotic spiritual energy would backfire. But now, I've got nothing left to fear."
As Ichigo pointed Tensa Zangetsu at him, Yuuōji changed tactics. Brute force wasn't enough—he turned to ability.
Spinning Tsukikage Uzuki, he tried to use the same move he used on Uryū in the World of the Living.
But Ichigo—thanks to Uryū's advice—was ready.
Though to Yuuōji, Ichigo seemed frozen mid-movement, the truth was—
Ichigo had already predicted the strike's path.
He swung Tensa Zangetsu, intercepting the attack. Then, dropping Muramasa from his left hand, he grabbed Tsukikage Uzuki mid-air.
With his Hollow mask on, his eyes blazed with killing intent.
"Let go! I said LET GO!!"
Yuuōji punched at Ichigo—but Ichigo dodged easily, and in one sweeping motion, the black Getsuga Tenshō carved upward—
"GETSUGA... IN!!"
From below, the slash tore across Sōkyoku Hill, lowering its height by half a meter.
Yuuōji was gravely wounded.
Even worse, Kagerōza's consciousness began to fade within him.
Nozomi once again took over, her arms crossed over her chest, sadness on her face.
"...Ichigo. Finish it..."
But before Ichigo could respond, Kagerōza surged forward again.
He would not let this end like the original Yuuōji's failure.
"AAAAAAAH!!!"
He plunged Tsukikage Uzuki into the ground and activated his ultimate move.
"Chain Slash! Spiral Rift!!"
Ten massive spirit-beings formed from pure reishi erupted from the destroyed hilltop.
This technique sacrificed all of his spiritual power in a final, apocalyptic attack—an ability even the original Yuuōji had never unleashed.
It aimed to gather all reishi from Soul Society and annihilate it entirely.
Even far away in the Seireitei, other Soul Reapers could feel this horrifying power.
They had no idea what was happening—or what Kagerōza's true goal was.
But then... the spiritual clones did something no one expected.
They told the original captains that, though they had once wanted to replace them... they had no wish to destroy Soul Society.
On the contrary, they would sacrifice themselves to protect it.
All the clones surged toward the hilltop.
Using their bodies and reiatsu, they blocked Yuuōji's final strike.
Yuuōji, drained of power, collapsed into spiritual exhaustion.
Nozomi took control again.
She wielded a separated Ame-no-Hazure and drove it into Yuuōji's chest—shattering his soul lock and spirit core.
But even then, Kagerōza still didn't give up.
Dragging his weakened body, he staggered toward Ichigo, attempting one final slash.
Ichigo broke his blade with a single strike.
That blow forcibly separated Nozomi and Kagerōza into two distinct spirits.
One carried despair.
The other... held hope.
In the last moment of Kagerōza's fading life, Nozomi looked at him and whispered,
"If there is a next life… I'd want to be your friend."
Upon hearing that, his soul finally found peace.
Even the Soul Candy that gave him form... vanished.
(End of Chapter)
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