In the chat group, Kurosaki Ichigo was being lectured by Yhwach and other father figures daily. Having grown tired of this long ago, Ichigo quickly found a way to adapt.
Sigh... anyway, this life being manipulated by others is basically unchangeable. So I'll try to think from a different perspective and focus on the positive side!
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: Oh, that's right! My Old Man Zangetsu said something similar! He told me to find the most fundamental power in my heart. I'm not stubborn - as long as this power is used to protect my companions, it doesn't matter if it's Hollow power.
[Aizen Sosuke]: You can adapt to your Hollow identity so quickly? Not bad - you have strong adaptability!
[Yhwach]: No, don't forget - besides the Hollow, there's something else inside you!
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: Oh yeah, thanks for the reminder. By the way, after I defeated White Ichigo, why didn't I see Old Man Zangetsu? I miss him a lot!
[Kyoraku Shunsui]: Kurosaki Ichigo, there's no need to worry about that guy! Just defeat the Hollow threatening your survival and forget about the rest.
[Ukitake Jushiro]: Strength is most important. Anyway, it's enough to master your power, protect your companions, and defeat enemies.
[Kuchiki Byakuya]: You should think carefully about your instincts. Remember what this White Ichigo said - don't worry about anything else, just fight bravely.
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: Oh... alright then. I can only hope Old Man Zangetsu is okay...
The Shinigami didn't want Ichigo Kurosaki thinking about the so-called Yhwach at this moment, so they all changed the subject. They wished both Yhwach and the Hollow in his body would disappear!
Yhwach merely sneered at this from the Wandenreich:
"Haha, there's no point in running away! Can this suppress the Quincy power in Ichigo Kurosaki? How naive! Sooner or later, Quincy power will definitely take the lead in Ichigo Kurosaki. When that time comes, just wait and see how the Wandenreich and the Quincy destroy the Soul Society where you live!"
[The screen continued playing. In the next battle, Kurosaki Ichigo used Getsuga Tensho to quickly knock Grimmjow to the ground.]
Grimmjow was naturally displeased and wanted to use Cero to attack Kurosaki Ichigo.
BOOM!
However, Kurosaki Ichigo was able to directly slice through the Cero with his Zanpakuto.
WHOOSH!
Then he moved behind Grimmjow in pursuit!
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
After a dazzling sword clash, Kurosaki Ichigo prepared to release Getsuga Tensho again at close range.
Unfortunately, before he could officially use this technique... the 11-second Real Man Experience Card had expired.
CRACK...
The Hollow power was gone! After his mask shattered, both Kurosaki Ichigo and Grimmjow were surprised. The two faced each other in an awkward standoff...
Grimmjow soon grinned, and regardless of the reason, directly began counterattacking Kurosaki Ichigo.
BANG!
He slammed Kurosaki Ichigo hard to the ground. Strike while the iron is hot to kill you.
Grimmjow continued fighting while talking, saying he'd seen through Ichigo's mask! Although it was very powerful when activated, the power wasn't stable at all.
At this moment, Ichigo tried to cover his face with his hands again to recreate his mask. Unfortunately, he was completely drained... No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't achieve Hollowfication again. Kurosaki Ichigo could only grow anxious!
Damn White Ichigo - he doesn't come when he should... but comes when he shouldn't!
Seeing how pathetic Ichigo was, Grimmjow smiled triumphantly and continued abusing him without restraint. As expected, he's still defeated by my hand.
Afterward, Grimmjow even seized the opportunity to press his hand directly on Ichigo's head, preparing to use Cero at point-blank range. He was going to retaliate - let Kurosaki Ichigo know what it felt like to have a big attack released right in his face.
What's wrong with copying White Ichigo's close-range ultimate move? I, Grimmjow, am a Hollow! Is it difficult to use an ultimate move at close range?
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
Grimmjow began charging energy... Ichigo Kurosaki was in danger!
As countless viewers worried and screamed in shock... the screen suddenly went dark with no more scenes appearing. The battle between Ichigo Kurosaki and Grimmjow seemed temporarily halted.
Everyone knew that Ichigo Kurosaki had basically been defeated by Grimmjow at this point. Without other reinforcements, he would definitely die.
Mocking comments floated by:
I thought Ichigo would be so strong after mastering White Ichigo.
White Ichigo: I can't bear to watch this anymore - give me the keyboard!
White Ichigo: Without my help, this is too painful to watch!Ichigo's duration is too short - only 11 seconds!
In the chat group, everyone was in uproar over this.
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: Hahahaha, what did I tell you? HAHAHAHA… This is what already happen….You're still a rookie, destined to lose to me. So what if he's a so-called Vasto Lorde-class Hollow? He's still defeated by me!
Grimmjow was even more confident now, thinking he defeat Kurosaki Ichigo and step into the ranks of Hollow Kings. As long as he could defeat this so-called Hollow King White Ichigo, wouldn't he become the Hollow King? Even if Ichigo was Aizen's perfect experiment, so what? He'd still be defeated by Grimmjow.
But this is just a thought, he now needs more power ever since losing his arm for defying Aizen. And this Projection is his path to become the King.
The Shinigami didn't know how to defend Kurosaki Ichigo at this moment. They could only say:
[Kenpachi Zaraki]: Damn it! I can't believe Ichigo Kurosaki failed like this. He must have a backup plan. Keep going!
[Kuchiki Byakuya]: Kurosaki Ichigo has always been an invincible cockroach. Maybe he'll be like when he fought me - seeming to have many difficulties, but ultimately bursting out with stronger power.
[Tier Harribel]: Hmph, if you put it that way, doesn't it sound like cheating? Can you let the Hollow in your body come out to help fight again like last time?
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: But that's impossible now! He already completely defeated his Inner Hollow before, right?
[Baraggan Louisenbairn]: Haha, he clearly doesn't have that much power but still wants to kill the truly strong. Now there's no one left to help him fight.
[Ulquiorra Cifer]: I think he should stop struggling and become the Inner Hollow's slave! If he becomes White Ichigo's mount, at least he can keep his body. Let our Inner Hollow become king of his body - this is his only way out.
[Aizen Sosuke]: Oh, Ulquiorra, what you said is quite insightful.
[Coyote Starrk]: Sigh, if poor White Ichigo was still in Ichigo Kurosaki's body, he'd be furious seeing this scene, right?
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: He defeated that Inner Hollow before, but it was too exaggerated!
At this moment, although White Ichigo was an Inner Hollow they'd never seen before, the Arrancar were doing their best to cheer for their fellow Hollow out of tribal honor. They hoped Kurosaki Ichigo would be completely possessed by the Hollow, or beaten by the Arrancar!
[Aizen Sosuke]: Yes, I'm afraid in Ichigo Kurosaki's spiritual space, White Ichigo also dislikes him very much.
After seeing his own miserable defeat, Ichigo Kurosaki was deeply distressed. Did he... lose?
He had originally thought he could seek revenge on Grimmjow, but got slapped in the face instead. He was truly unwilling!
At this moment, Kurosaki Ichigo fell into confusion again. If White Ichigo saw him again, he'd probably despise this king once more!
While everyone discussed this, the scene changed to Hueco Mundo. The audience was slightly surprised again.
Did Ichigo Kurosaki not die in battle with Grimmjow? Is he now in Hueco Mundo preparing to attack Aizen's subordinates? Were there other helpers who saved Kurosaki Ichigo? There's no other explanation, right?
In Hueco Mundo, countless Arrancar also looked at Kurosaki Ichigo in the broadcast with complicated expressions.
If Kurosaki Ichigo really comes to Hueco Mundo, then we must continue teaching him lessons! To show the power of us Arrancar. We've been defeated by various Shinigami before, which was already embarrassing... So we must torture Kurosaki Ichigo more! This is our battle to save face.
[The scene moved continuously to a palace in Hueco Mundo. In the image, Ulquiorra and Ichigo Kurosaki stood face to face, but Ichigo didn't want to fight Ulquiorra at this time.]
Ulquiorra directly provoked Kurosaki Ichigo:
"Don't you want to fight me? Even though I'm the one who kidnapped Inoue Orihime to Hueco Mundo?"
Hearing this, Kurosaki Ichigo's eyes widened in fury.
What? It was because of Ulquiorra that Orihime was brought to Hueco Mundo?
He angrily began fighting Ulquiorra:
"As expected, the reason Orihime came to Hueco Mundo was because of you bastards! You made her into a traitor!"
In the real world, after hearing this, the Shinigami were also very surprised!
Could it be that Aizen sent someone to capture Inoue Orihime to Hueco Mundo?
[Hitsugaya Toshiro]: Hmph, what a sinister Aizen! Although war means using any methods necessary, resorting to such despicable means is still too ungraceful.
[Kyoraku Shunsui]: No gentlemanly manners at all! No wonder you're a cruel and ruthless Hollow - just like what you did in Soul Society, Aizen!
[Kuchiki Byakuya]: We appeared in Hueco Mundo before, probably for similar reasons.
[Mayuri Kurotsuchi]: It seems Ichigo Kurosaki or Orihime Inoue are really important to us - that's why we went to Hueco Mundo with all our might.
The Arrancar were actually confused at this moment, not knowing why they'd want to capture an unknown human woman. Many Arrancar only knew she was Ichigo Kurosaki's companion, but her fighting ability didn't seem that strong!
Is Aizen using this method just for Ichigo Kurosaki? Well... this is very Aizen-like... creating an upgrade dungeon for his son - so thoughtful!
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: Hmph! If I were to fight, I'd only battle Kurosaki Ichigo honorably. I wouldn't use such methods. There must be a reason for this.
[Tier Harribel]: Speaking of being truly despicable, you Shinigami are the most despicable. We've always fought honorably. Not only did you fight many against one, but you also launched sneak attacks and deceived our Primera Espada.
This reflected the true character of many Arrancar. When fighting, they'd take initiative to fight one-on-one and wouldn't resort to despicable means. From Starrk to Nnoitra, then to Grimmjow - if asked to use despicable methods, Grimmjow and other Arrancar would probably be very dissatisfied and might not even listen to Aizen's orders.
As for Aizen, he said thoughtfully:
"So that's how it is. Will my future self capture this human woman? This is understandable. Ichigo Kurosaki and Orihime Inoue have a very close relationship, and Ichigo will do anything to protect his companions. But did I capture Inoue Orihime just for Ichigo Kurosaki?"
At this time, although Aizen hadn't officially launched his plan to invade the human world, the plan was slowly taking shape. So it didn't take long for Aizen to gradually understand.
"This woman's ability will definitely play a special role in the future. And to contain Soul Society's forces, I might also take this approach. In the future video, we also saw Kenpachi Zaraki and several other Shinigami appear in Hueco Mundo. After attracting them to Hueco Mundo, my battle in the real world will be much easier, right?"
Especially after seeing Kenpachi Zaraki's fighting power, Aizen didn't underestimate him. Although confident he could defeat Kenpachi directly, if Captain-Commander Yamamoto and others watching covetously were added, it would be much more troublesome. Or if Kenpachi killed one Arrancar with each sword strike, that would be very problematic!
Meanwhile, Kurosaki Ichigo also cursed Aizen in the chat group.
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: Aizen, you despicable bastard, and this Ulquiorra - if you really dare attack my fr, I won't let you go!
Ichigo Kurosaki's thoughts at this moment were simple. This Aizen has been arranging various opponents for me. Maybe later, capturing Inoue Orihime to Hueco Mundo might also be for training myself!
At this time, Ichigo had barely understood Aizen's character. He's never killed me. He must want to make me stronger through various opponents.
This feeling was really hard to describe... Should I thank Aizen for training me? Thank him for not sending a real master to kill me all at once? Or should I hate him for arranging my life?
Because his friends were being involved one after another, Ichigo Kurosaki felt very uncomfortable. Of course, he only guessed part of Aizen's real purpose for capturing Inoue Orihime to Hueco Mundo.
While countless people madly complained about Aizen, the broadcast continued.
[Ulquiorra maintained his domineering president pose with one hand in his pocket. He blocked Ichigo Kurosaki's Zangetsu with one hand, not retreating a single step or even moving his body.]
Even when Ichigo tried his best to burst out more and more spiritual pressure, it was useless.
BOOM!
After an explosion, Kurosaki Ichigo was forced back dozens of meters. He said to his new companion Nel with a serious expression:
"Nel, you'd better step back."
"It seems this guy won't let me pass easily!"
"But I'm in a hurry!"
"I must defeat him!"
Under White Ichigo's influence, Ichigo Kurosaki gradually awakened his fighting instincts and even wanted to battle Ulquiorra!
Ichigo directly used his strongest combination: Bankai plus Hollowfication.
BUZZ!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~