At this moment, the battle between Ulquiorra and the horned beast entered its climactic stage!
Ulquiorra unleashed his ultimate technique against the monster!
"Lanza del Relámpago!"
However, since this was a move he had improvised after achieving Segunda Etapa, it proved difficult to control. He missed his target on the first attempt.
Several seconds later—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!!!!!
Behind the horned beast, the Lanza del Relámpago exploded! Powerful shockwaves swept in all directions, destroying everything in their path!
Crack... crack... crack...
It obliterated countless structures throughout Las Noches instantly! Absolutely shocking!
What surprised the audience even more was witnessing Ulquiorra produce another Lanza del Relámpago after missing his target! It seemed he could use such devastating attacks limitlessly!
Observing the Lanza del Relámpago's tremendous power, even the horned beast appeared somewhat wary.
The next instant, the monster appeared behind Ulquiorra!
Ulquiorra, who possessed the strongest Pesquisa among all Espada, couldn't even detect the movement!
Ulquiorra finally realized this wasn't the Shinigami's Shunpo... it was clearly Sonído! Moreover, this was definitely the technique of a Hollow King!
Before Ulquiorra could react, the horned beast struck him down.
CRASH!———
As Ulquiorra retreated hundreds of meters, he attempted observing the monster's movements through the thick smoke.
Seeing the horned beast looking down like he once had, Ulquiorra felt indignant.
In aerial combat, could it be that even with my great demon wings, I cannot defeat this monster?
Ulquiorra took flight, simultaneously trying to lock onto the beast's position.
However... the next moment! The horned beast used Ulquiorra's previous tactics against him!
Moving at full speed, leaving Ulquiorra's vision completely empty! No afterimage remained...
Before Ulquiorra could react, the monster that had been in front of him appeared at his right side and pressed against his head!
BANG!!!
The head-crushing technique returned!!!
Ulquiorra, whose head was seized, struggled desperately but to no avail. Like a helpless lamb for slaughter, he was ground roughly against stone pillars!
That's right! This was the vengeful White! He would never forget the pain inflicted upon Kurosaki Ichigo!
After witnessing this series of moves from Kurosaki Ichigo, no matter how slow the audience had been, they gradually discovered that he was fundamentally using Hollow techniques! Had he truly become a complete Hollow?
[Kuchiki Byakuya]: Incredible. What he's using now is clearly Hollow Sonído. It's definitely not Shinigami Shunpo.
[Hirako Shinji]: Indeed, it's not surprising he can use Cero. After all, we in the Visored can also use it, but his movement method is obviously that of a Hollow!
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: Damn. Ulquiorra seems to be in quite a predicament! This is revenge for the harm done to him before!
[Coyote Starrk]: Indeed, he clearly had opportunities to kill his opponent directly, but he keeps torturing him and even uses the opponent's previous moves identically.
[Hirako Shinji]: Kurosaki Ichigo, you're too skilled! I know so much about Hollows and Hollowfication, yet I don't understand this. Kurosaki Ichigo, will I have to ask you to teach us advanced Hollowfication techniques in the future?
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: I... I don't know what's happening! I haven't even seen this horned beast myself.
After witnessing his power in the projection, Kurosaki Ichigo was completely stunned.
Is this White really the white self within my body? But why has he never displayed such terrifying strength? Just 1/10th of this monster's power would probably be enough to torture me to death, right? Why does he always seem to lose to me?
Could it be that this White is also like Kenpachi Zaraki—a powerhouse who can't perform unless at low health?
It seemed outrageous no matter how he considered it!
Kurosaki Ichigo didn't understand White's true feelings toward him at this moment, so he could only guess randomly.
He swore secretly in his heart: I must never fall into such a dangerous state again, and I must never let this horned beast within my body emerge! Otherwise, not only will I lose my mind and harm my friends, there's absolutely no way to return to being my normal self. Then I can only become King White's vessel!
At this moment, Hueco Mundo's members finally acknowledged White's supremacy.
[Baraggan Louisenbairn]: Is this the so-called peak strength of White? Damn... I truly cannot accept this...
[Tier Harribel]: Is this the most powerful Hollow created by Aizen-sama? I am already convinced by this most powerful Hollow. He is indeed the King of Hollows!
[Nnoitra Gilga]: Has Kurosaki Ichigo's body been taken over by this Hollow?
[Tōsen Kaname]: Kurosaki Ichigo probably cannot transform back? Previously, White only fought him in spiritual space, but now even his physical body has been replaced.
[Coyote Starrk]: This is terrible. It seems we'll never be able to defeat Kurosaki Ichigo in the future!
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: Indeed, could it be that I didn't torture Kurosaki Ichigo so severely before, allowing me to preserve my life? This Hollow is even more Hollow-like than us, right?
Meanwhile, in Soul Society's captain meeting, all Shinigami discussed in surprise.
"By the way, what's the relationship between Kurosaki Ichigo and White?"
"The previous review videos consistently stated this was White's inventory, yet we basically see various perspectives of Kurosaki Ichigo."
Hitsugaya Tōshirō, once affected by Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu, even had a sudden thought:
"Is there a possibility? The Kurosaki Ichigo we thought existed before actually doesn't exist at all, and is essentially White!"
The other Shinigami drew sharp breaths.
"My god, your assumption is horrifying."
"Has Kurosaki Ichigo been pretending to be human all this time?"
"It's terrifying to consider! Isn't he just like his master Aizen, deceiving us for so long?"
For a moment, countless people fell into confusion, uncertain how to analyze this.
It wasn't their fault. Kurosaki Ichigo's condition completely exceeded their understanding of Shinigami! Even the Visored who knew about Hollows couldn't comprehend it.
Only a few people knowledgeable about White—such as Kurosaki Isshin, Aizen, and Urahara—understood what was occurring. But it couldn't be explained clearly for now... and the video would probably reveal more later, so other viewers would continue wondering!
They would all understand eventually anyway.
While everyone speculated, the video continued playing.
The battle between both sides intensified.
The horned beast circled again, appearing before Ulquiorra and swinging his blade.
SLASH!
Ulquiorra narrowly bent backward, dodging the monster's attack in a flash. He stepped back several paces, preparing to throw Lanza del Relámpago.
However, the horned beast had already reached him, grasping the lightning spear with his bare hand and crushing it!
Destroying the ultimate technique barehanded!
BOOM!—————
The Lanza del Relámpago exploded at close range, but didn't seem to release its full power. This might be because the monster subconsciously protected his friends and didn't want them affected by the explosion.
After the Lanza del Relámpago's charge was interrupted, it became simply an aggregate of spirit particles, making it far less powerful than a complete detonation.
Then, the horned beast slashed Ulquiorra's body, severely wounding him!
SLASH!!!!!
Ulquiorra's horn also broke. He fell lightly like paper, apparently having lost all fighting capability!
The horned beast hadn't finished with Ulquiorra, continuing to condense red Cero before him!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
An eye for an eye!
Such a scene made Ishida Uryū and Inoue Orihime tremble with fear... The horned beast had completely lost his humanity at this point!
Although he could defeat Ulquiorra... was this really beneficial?!
Having lost his humanity, could he still return to being human? Could he still be the very gentle Kurosaki Ichigo who often couldn't bring himself to be ruthless toward enemies?
Just like that, before countless dumbfounded eyes—
BOOM———————
The red Cero suddenly exploded at point-blank range! Ulquiorra bore the full brunt!
Moreover, the red Cero even penetrated Las Noches' dome, falling from the sky and exploding into the palace below. Las Noches suffered tremendous damage, with vast areas destroyed.
This could be called power that pierced heaven and earth! Like divine wrath—heavenly punishment for mortals!
Witnessing such a shocking blow, except for a few individuals like Aizen and Captain-Commander Yamamoto, the audience was dumbfounded and pale.
Countless viewers were certain that if they were present, they would definitely die without intact corpses!
Simultaneously, seeing such a ruthless horned beast, the captains discussed how to handle Kurosaki Ichigo in the future.
[Ukitake Jūshirō]: Although we don't understand Kurosaki Ichigo's current condition, there's no doubt we must remain vigilant against him! Even if Kurosaki Ichigo still stands with us Shinigami, if he enters this state, he may truly not distinguish between allies and enemies!
Hitsugaya Tōshirō began complaining:
[Hitsugaya Tōshirō]: When Kurosaki Ichigo powers up most of the time, Inoue Orihime seems present... I even suspect it's not Kurosaki Ichigo who's cheating, but Inoue Orihime? I even worry that if Quincy Ishida Uryū is about to be killed and Inoue Orihime shouts "Save me!", will Ishida Uryū go berserk too?
[Suì-Fēng]: Yes! You know, the people around Kurosaki Ichigo can't be viewed with normal thinking.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri also had endless complaints:
[Kurotsuchi Mayuri]: Even if you told me this Uryū was suddenly granted power by Yhwach and became second only to Yhwach himself, I wouldn't be surprised. In that case, Ulquiorra would also die miserably.
Everyone's conclusions were surprisingly consistent! Kurosaki Ichigo, or the people around him, were cheaters! Without doubt!
Meanwhile, the Wandenreich was also in uproar.
Besides being shocked by the horned beast's power, the Quincy felt deeply confused.
[Haschwalth Jugram]: Has Kurosaki Ichigo completely fallen into a Hollow? He doesn't resemble a Shinigami at all, much less a human.
Other Quincy spoke in unison, raising countless questions:
[Askin Nakk Le Vaar]: Indeed, I also want to know what technology Aizen used to achieve this?
[Bambietta Basterbine]: The image he showed before was White... so is this horned beast his true self?
[Candice Catnipp]: How did such a terrifying, powerful monster get into Kurosaki Ichigo's body?
[Liltotto Lamperd]: This doesn't seem like the Hollowfication we've seen from the Visored before.
[Giselle Gewelle]: Before this, Aizen didn't seem to have developed the Hōgyoku, yet he already possessed power to transform humans? Unbelievable.
[NaNaNa Najahkoop]: Hmph, transforming other Shinigami like this is one thing, but doing this to our fellow Quincy is truly offensive! I must teach this Aizen a lesson.
Yhwach also looked grave, observing the horned beast in the projection. He wanted to know what actions Kurosaki Ichigo should take in the future.
"This woman is incredible. It's because of her that Kurosaki Ichigo became like this."
"Should I say Inoue Orihime possesses incredible magical powers... or that Kurosaki Ichigo's will to protect friends is too strong?"
"This Kurosaki Ichigo seems somewhat different from me! Not only is he so close to death, but he's also so kind-hearted..."
Thinking this, Yhwach felt mixed emotions and extremely complicated thoughts.
In the projection:
Rumble, rumble, rumble!!!
After the red Cero explosion's shockwaves raged extensively, they slowly subsided.
The horned beast took Ulquiorra's remaining half-body and threw it roughly to the ground. He continued walking slowly, pointing his Zanpakutō at Ulquiorra's throat.
But at this moment, even Quincy Ishida Uryū, who deeply hated Hollows, couldn't bear to watch and tried stopping the monster's actions.
"That's enough, Kurosaki! Even though he's an enemy, you can't desecrate his corpse! If you do that, you'll never be able to return to being human!"
However, at this moment, Kurosaki Ichigo seemed no longer human. He didn't even possess basic emotions and reason.
He actually threw Tensa Zangetsu at Ishida Uryū!
SLASH!!!
Ishida Uryū was in danger!
Inoue Orihime screamed upon seeing this: "Ishida..."
After hearing Inoue Orihime's voice, the horned beast seemed to recover some past memories.
He murmured to himself in a voice resembling distorted electronic music:
"Protect her... I want to protect her..."
Hearing this, Inoue Orihime felt even more worried.
So Kurosaki Ichigo became such a heartless creature to save me... Not only did he forget about Ishida Uryū, but he might have forgotten about Kurosaki Ichigo himself... All he can think of is protecting Inoue Orihime.
Afterward, the horned Ichigo walked toward Ishida Uryū, preparing to kill him with red Cero.
What have you protected?
Here it comes! Dark Ichigo is born!
Horned Beast: Uryū, are you teaching me how to do things?
Ichigo: Uryū, I don't want to be human anymore!
Uryū: It was a mistake after all.
I hope there are no more horned beasts in the world!
Uryū: I hope there are no more horned beasts in the world!
In the projection, after seeing Kurosaki Ichigo about to attack Ishida Uryū, countless viewers closed their eyes, unable to watch this scene.
If Kurosaki Ichigo truly killed his companion, his image in the audience's hearts would be completely overturned.
Yhwach also frowned.
Although Ishida Uryū's current performance seemed unremarkable, as the Quincy King, he understood clearly that Uryū's power was somewhat surprising even to himself.
As a mixed-blood Quincy, he could actually avoid Auswählen! This was indeed incredible. The power contained within him was definitely not as simple as it appeared.
Yhwach originally wanted to find an opportunity for deeper communication with Ishida Uryū.
But if he was really killed by Kurosaki Ichigo, what a waste!
The two people I'm optimistic about—one is going to be killed by his companion, and the other is going to fall into becoming a Vasto Lorde?
Yhwach also felt some sighs and regret in his heart.
I hope there will be no more horned beasts in the world!!
Meanwhile, Aizen observed Kurosaki Ichigo who had completely lost his mind, also feeling confused.
Although Kurosaki Ichigo's power was perfect at the moment, his mental control was truly inadequate... Such an experiment wasn't what he had expected!
Kurosaki Ichigo, wake up quickly!
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