What surprised the audience even more was that when Ichigo Kurosaki reclaimed Tensa Zangetsu, the scene shifted once again.
WHOOSH!
[In another spiritual space, Ichigo Kurosaki encountered the person who best embodied fighting instinct in the world of the dead - Kenpachi Zaraki!]
The moment Kenpachi Zaraki spotted Kurosaki Ichigo, he immediately attacked!
"I came here to kill you!"
Zaraki Kenpachi's declaration left the already confused Kurosaki Ichigo even more bewildered.
"You... what did you say...?"
"Zaraki Kenpachi! Didn't our battle end long ago?"
Zaraki Kenpachi replied with excitement:
"End? A battle isn't some casual fight - it doesn't end until one opponent dies!"
At this moment, it was battle philosopher Kenpachi Zaraki's turn to teach Kurosaki Ichigo about life!
Seeing this scene, the Shinigami were equally surprised.
[Kenpachi Zaraki]: Oh, are Kurosaki Ichigo and I going to fight again? This is normal though - I wasn't satisfied with our first battle anyway.
[Hitsugaya Toshiro]: This definitely isn't an actual battle - it's Kurosaki Ichigo's mental space. It seems Captain Zaraki holds quite an important place in Ichigo's heart.
[Kusajishi Yachiru]: Haha, someone's thinking about Ken-chan! Yachiru is very happy!
[Unohana Retsu]: How surprising. Is Ichigo Kurosaki's fighting instinct slowly being awakened by his Inner Hollow? It's understandable that Ichigo, having fought Captain Zaraki, would have him in his mind. After all, he's also a monster who fights purely on instinct.
[Kenpachi Zaraki]: Hehe, is that really it? Then let me teach this kid Kurosaki Ichigo what true instinct means! I know way more than that Hollow! No Shinigami understands fighting instinct better than me!
[In the broadcast, facing Kenpachi Zaraki who wanted to fight him... no, engage in a life-and-death battle, Kurosaki Ichigo was even more confused.]
"Kenpachi... there's no reason for you and me to fight!"
Hearing this, Kenpachi Zaraki laughed maniacally:
"Do you need a reason to fight someone? Just admit it, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
"You're the one constantly seeking people to fight!"
"Deep in your heart, you desire power and want to become stronger, so you need to keep fighting and killing!"
"So we're walking the same path!"
Kurosaki Ichigo was once again receiving life lessons from a mentor. Zaraki Kenpachi's words further awakened his fighting instincts!
Zaraki Kenpachi raised his sword and shouted:
"To become stronger, we have no other choice!"
"Fight, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
"To gain overwhelming power, you must pick up your blade and cut down your enemies decisively!"
"No matter if there's a smooth road ahead or an abyss behind, you have no way to retreat!"
At this moment, after Kenpachi Zaraki's extracurricular tutoring, Ichigo Kurosaki once again strengthened his will to fight!
Fight! Fight! He wants to fight!
[The mental space switched again! Ichigo Kurosaki with the pulled out the Zangetsu that White Ichigo had embedded in his body earlier and quickly rushed toward his Inner Hollow.]
White Ichigo seemed stunned and couldn't react immediately. He simply watched as Ichigo Kurosaki attacked him with the blade...
SLASH!
This time it was White Ichigo's turn to be cut down!
Seeing the strengthened Kurosaki Ichigo, White Ichigo seemed somewhat relieved. But he still looked reluctant as he said with a grin:
"You seem to have some fighting instinct after all. You win..."
"Since I lost to you, I have no choice but to continue serving you as my king."
"But don't let your guard down - one of us is the king and the other is the steed!"
"If you become careless, I can drag you down anytime!"
"If you want to use my power, Ichigo, you'd better stay alive until I appear next time!"
That's right! White Ichigo was still grinning even now!
As he spoke, White Ichigo's body gradually began to disappear. Of course, this wasn't because he was injured or killed. Instead, he was gradually being assimilated, becoming part of Kurosaki Ichigo himself!
But in the audience's eyes, White Ichigo had been defeated.
After witnessing this, countless comments flooded by once again:
Hahaha, White Ichigo - the tsundere who says one thing but means another - is messing with Ichigo Kurosaki again!
He's obviously concerned about Ichigo but always wants to trip him up.
To teach Ichigo, Papa White has worked so hard!
Good grief, White Ichigo's acting skills are terrible this time, aren't they?He had to be symbolically defeated by Ichigo before, but now he doesn't even follow the standard procedure?It was obvious enough when he threw his Zanpakuto to Ichigo earlier, but now all the weapons have become Ichigo's?
Can't help it - Ichigo was too weak, beaten until he lost his fighting spirit and was at others' mercy. It's too difficult for White Ichigo to act out being killed by Ichigo.
White Ichigo hit Ichigo so many times and he was fine, but Ichigo stabs him once and he's gone - too fake! Don't criticize White Ichigo blindly, or where will he put his face?
At the same time, after seeing that Ichigo Kurosaki had actually defeated his Inner Hollow, the audience was shocked. Although many knew that Kurosaki Ichigo would eventually turn danger into safety... it was still beyond their expectations that it would be so simple!
Even... somewhat anticlimactic?
Are you going to convince the audience like this?
If it weren't for White Ichigo, that stubborn tsundere, constantly threatening Ichigo and claiming he would replace him as king, everyone would subconsciously think that the Inner Hollow was just letting him win!
If it were others with fighting spirit, like Kenpachi Zaraki's explosive power, people would understand. But how could Ichigo Kurosaki, who had been scolded by White Ichigo and was completely beaten down, suddenly explode and get a chance to counterattack?
People who didn't understand White Ichigo's tsundere nature continued analyzing fiercely. The analysis made White Ichigo both laugh and cry after learning about it...
In the Wandenreich, Yhwach stroked his beard and muttered absent-mindedly:
"How did Ichigo Kurosaki defeat this Hollow? Well, maybe it's because of the Quincy power in his blood? That's right! In his spiritual space, besides this Hollow, there's only my image. Maybe it's my soul that hasn't been devoured yet, secretly helping Kurosaki Ichigo in some unknown way! After all, I've been helping Ichigo defeat top warriors like Kenpachi Zaraki! Besides, this person is qualified to be my son! Isn't it normal to defeat one of Aizen's Hollows?"
Of course, for some reason, he couldn't seem to convince himself. It was obviously a good thing, but no matter how Yhwach thought about it, he felt something was wrong.
On the throne in Las Noches, Aizen was also stunned. Although he had hoped Kurosaki Ichigo could win and knew that since Ichigo could speak to him in the future, he would most likely defeat the Hollow... winning so quickly was still beyond his imagination.
Something felt strange about it...
Never mind... he turned out to be exactly the person I favored! Even the perfect Hollow I created, Kurosaki Ichigo could still defeat. Worthy of being my most perfect work! I look forward to him further mastering Hollowfication abilities and breaking the boundaries between species, so he'll have a chance to fight me in the future!
Of course, thinking about how "Yhwach" in Ichigo Kurosaki's spiritual space was gone at this time, Aizen was also puzzled.
Ichigo Kurosaki has Masaki Kurosaki's blood, so he should be able to obtain Quincy power, right? When can that Quincy power be awakened? Hollowfication of a Shinigami, or Shinigami-fication of a Hollow, should be a way to break species boundaries and evolve to a higher dimension. If we add Quincy power on top of that, will it be 1+1+1=3?
With this thought, Aizen looked forward even more to Ichigo Kurosaki's growth. He was also curious about when Yhwach's Quincy power could be fully activated!
As for Soul Society's Shinigami, after exchanging glances, they made similar analyses to affirm their own strength.
It must be that the Shinigami power in Kurosaki Ichigo's body is strong enough! Even if this Inner Hollow obtained stronger Shinigami power and could use Bankai, he still couldn't beat Kurosaki Ichigo! That's right! Shinigami are stronger than Hollows! This is the only explanation we can give!
[Hitsugaya Toshiro]: Did Kurosaki Ichigo win? Can we cheer now?
[Kyoraku Shunsui]: Oh, it seems we Shinigami are indeed strong! Otherwise, how could this aggressive Inner Hollow, who nearly killed Kurosaki Ichigo, fail so quickly?
At this moment, to make things clearer for the audience, the Three Realms Projection made an announcement:
[BEEP!]
[The correct answerers for this question are as follows...]
[The following people will receive one point:]
[Yhwach... Aizen Sosuke... Kuchiki Rukia... Zaraki Kenpachi...]
All of them were supporters of Kurosaki Ichigo!
After receiving the official response from the Three Realms Projection, many who had supported Kurosaki Ichigo secretly breathed sighs of relief.
[Ukitake Jushiro]: That's right! Ichigo Kurosaki won! It's all due to the superiority of Shinigami bloodline!
[Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni]: It's fundamentally wrong for Aizen to combine Hollow power to fight against Soul Society's Shinigami!
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: Hmph, you guys are just writing slogans here... This so-called Vasto Lorde-class White Ichigo is really pathetic. Maybe he was just a weakling to begin with, so there's nothing for Kurosaki Ichigo to be proud of for defeating him.
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: Nonsense! He's not a weakling!
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: So you're saying you're strong now, Kurosaki Ichigo? Come on, let's find somewhere to spar!
[Tier Harribel]: Lord Aizen's Hollow cannot fail like this. At most, he's just retreating briefly. He'll surely devour you next time!
[Baraggan Louisenbairn]: That's right. Winning so quickly is just an illusion to confuse you. I feel like you'll die soon enough.
Of course, the Arrancar only instinctively opposed Kurosaki Ichigo due to their positions. The Shinigami didn't care and remained happy for Ichigo.
At this moment, they were still looking forward to what Kurosaki Ichigo would become after gaining Hollow power. Could he better control Hollow abilities? Could he become stronger and fight more rationally?
The audience eagerly anticipated this and wanted to see the next scene.
While everyone was discussing, the screen flashed again. According to the audience's wishes, the Three Realms Projection quickly broadcast the battle scene after Ichigo Kurosaki integrated his Inner Hollow's power and trained.
[In the sky above Karakura Town, Grimmjow, who had broken into the real world, quickly collided head-on with Ichigo Kurosaki through spiritual pressure! Ichigo seemed to have developed a tacit understanding and came to find him by sensing Grimmjow's reiatsu.]
Seeing his debut appearance, Grimmjow was very proud.
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: Hehe, looks like it's time for me to shine! You're definitely no match for me anyway. Even if it's the so-called Vasto Lorde-class White Ichigo, so what? I also want to become the Hollow King.
[Baraggan Louisenbairn]: Hmph, does everyone want the title of Hollow King nowadays?
[Hitsugaya Toshiro]: Grimmjow, you're finished. All the Arrancar before were beaten by us Shinigami. You'll definitely be defeated by Kurosaki Ichigo next!
[Kyoraku Shunsui]: This Kurosaki Ichigo, at least in the future, can hold his own against Aizen for a short time. He's definitely not someone you can handle with your strength.
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: Are you kidding? The future can be changed! Am I a Hollow who admits defeat after seeing a few future scenes? I might have to destroy a few more Quincy in the future! Maybe after battling Kurosaki Ichigo, I'll evolve even further.
Grimmjow's Resurrección was "Pantera" (Leopard King), and he was indeed an Arrancar with a king's aura. So what if the future Kurosaki Ichigo had devoured White Ichigo? As long as they hadn't fought, no one could say for certain who would win.
Even if this so-called White Ichigo was known as Aizen's most powerful Hollow, he wouldn't admit defeat. Weren't titles like "strongest" meant to be surpassed? Why couldn't he surpass them himself?
Soon, the battle between both sides in the broadcast was about to begin.
[Kurosaki Ichigo had just mastered Hollowfication. Knowing he could only maintain it for 11 seconds, he didn't waste any time. He quickly put on his mask and rushed toward Grimmjow.]
Seeing the powerful Kurosaki Ichigo, Grimmjow was somewhat confused. He hadn't expected that Ichigo, who had been beaten by him before, could suddenly burst forth with such terrifying momentum.
And what is this mask he's wearing? It's simply unheard of! We Hollows have to break our masks to gain Shinigami power. Why is Kurosaki Ichigo wearing a mask? He's even stronger than when he used Tensa Zangetsu.
For a while, Grimmjow was thoroughly beaten by Kurosaki Ichigo.
Seeing this, other viewers were amazed.
[Hitsugaya Toshiro]: Hahaha, excellent! Kurosaki Ichigo can really defeat enemies with his own strength. Now the Sexta Espada is nothing.
[Abarai Renji]: You Arrancar have basically never won any battles, so just admit defeat! You're definitely no match for us Shinigami. Only the Quincy are somewhat troublesome.
Aizen didn't side with Grimmjow at this time, but praised Hueco Mundo's enemies...
[Aizen Sosuke]: Not bad, Kurosaki Ichigo - you performed very well. This is worthy of the White Ichigo I created! But with only this little power, it's still far from enough to become a true king. It's not worthy of White Ichigo's king status.
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: Don't worry! Sooner or later I'll completely master Hollow power. I'll also defeat you with my own strength.
[Aizen Sosuke]: Very good - you're indeed motivated, but your tone doesn't show any determination! Even if it's just a simple threat, you at least have to convince yourself to believe it!
[Kurosaki Isshin]: Okay, you're annoying, Aizen! At worst, I'll bring my son to kill you.
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: Yes! Father and son working together - our strength is invincible!
[Aizen Sosuke]: That sounds really nice! But Shiba Isshin, your strength is still lacking. You can only be a chess piece.
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: Damn it! Is no one supporting me now?
[Ulquiorra Cifer]: Well... do your best, Grimmjow.
[Yhwach]: Kurosaki Ichigo, although you can now defeat Hueco Mundo's enemies with your own strength, which is acceptable, I'm still unsatisfied that you can only rely on this Hollow's power.
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: What are you talking about? Why are you meddling in others' business again? What do I have to do with you? I'm not even familiar with you Quincy!
[Yhwach]: If you don't think clearly about your nature, you won't go far.
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: ??? What are you talking about...
[Yhwach]: Sometimes, improving strength too quickly isn't necessarily good. It's better to go far than to go fast. If you don't know the source of your power, you'll fail sooner or later! Eventually, your Zanpakuto will be broken and your mask will be shattered.
Yhwach also began philosophizing at this moment, educating his son! Relying only on Shinigami and Hollow power is a dead end!
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