[Ichigo Kurosaki felt his very soul shattering as he heard Orihime and Chad's words. Cold sweat poured down his face like a waterfall, his entire body trembling with a mixture of rage, despair, and disbelief. His eyes were wide with horror as the full scope of his defeat became crystal clear.
But Orihime wasn't finished delivering the killing blow to his psyche.]
["Kurosaki-kun," she continued with casual certainty, as if stating the most obvious fact in the world, "when we fought against Aizen-san in that final battle, remember? Tsukishima-san was right there beside you, fighting just as hard as you were. You two worked together as the perfect team to finally defeat him."]
["If it wasn't for Tsukishima-san's support and strategy during that fight, you never would have been able to land the final blow," she added with genuine gratitude in her voice. "He saved your life multiple times during that battle, and now you're treating him like this? I don't understand what's happened to you, Kurosaki-kun, but this isn't the person I know!"]
[Ichigo's spiritual pressure flickered and sputtered like a dying flame as her words hit him. Not only had Tsukishima stolen his friends and family—he had even stolen credit for Ichigo's greatest victory, the defining moment that had shaped his entire identity as a protector.]
["That's... that's not..." Ichigo stammered, his voice barely a whisper. "I fought Aizen alone... I was the one who... it was my victory..."]
[But even as he spoke, he could see in Orihime's eyes that she genuinely believed every word she was saying. To her, Ichigo was either lying or suffering from some kind of mental breakdown. In her timeline, Tsukishima Shūkurō was the co-hero of their greatest triumph.]
The chat erupted with outrage and disbelief from those witnessing this ultimate insult:
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: What the hell?! Someone just randomly appeared as my replacement and I'm supposed to accept that?!
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: If this really happens to me in the future, then it's completely normal for me to be desperate! No normal person could endure something like this!
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: Damn it... why did this guy replace me in everything?!
[The current Ichigo was indeed furious as he watched his future self's complete psychological destruction. He couldn't stand the thought of such a thing happening to him!]
[Sōsuke Aizen]: Indeed, having some random individual suddenly claim credit for defeating me is absolutely intolerable... The only one qualified to defeat me is Kurosaki Ichigo. Why should this inexplicable Tsukishima Shūkurō receive such recognition?
[Sōsuke Aizen]: This makes me feel profoundly dissatisfied. Kurosaki Ichigo, you cannot admit defeat so easily! Hurry up and crush this pretender!
[Sōsuke Aizen]: Only by doing so can you put an end to this complete farce.
[Kisuke Urahara]: Absolutely! Otherwise, I won't be able to bear watching this any longer. The person who fought alongside Kurosaki Ichigo to defeat Aizen should be me! How did this Tsukishima Shūkurō somehow insert himself into that role?
[Yoruichi Shihōin]: Defeat him quickly, or Kurosaki Ichigo really will be driven to complete despair.
[Byakuya Kuchiki]: For Kurosaki Ichigo to become a mere stand-in for someone else... anyone would be devastated by such treatment.
[Rukia Kuchiki]: He obviously contributed the most to every victory, but now he's being treated as a supporting character while this Tsukishima Shūkurō is hailed as the primary hero. This is beyond ridiculous—it's like calling a deer a horse!
The Shinigami of Soul Society found themselves unable to tolerate this situation any longer. This Tsukishima Shūkurō had become so outrageously offensive that their hatred for him was reaching boiling point! They desperately wanted to see Ichigo defeat him and restore the proper order of things!
[Kenpachi Zaraki]: This is pissing me off! Some nobody taking credit for battles he never fought? I want to cut him down myself!
[Ikkaku Madarame]: The audacity of this bastard! Acting like he was there for Ichigo's greatest moments!
[Yumichika Ayasegawa]: Such ugly deception offends my aesthetic sensibilities. Beauty should never be corrupted by such falsehoods.
[Rangiku Matsumoto]: Poor Ichigo... having your entire life story rewritten by a stranger. I can't imagine anything more horrible!
[Tōshirō Hitsugaya]: This goes beyond simple memory manipulation. He's stealing Ichigo's very identity and achievements.
[In the projection, Ichigo had indeed reached his absolute breaking point. Grief and rage had transformed him into something almost unrecognizable—a berserker driven by pure desperation and fury.]
["ENOUGH!" Ichigo roared, his spiritual pressure exploding outward with such violence that the entire villa shook. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS NIGHTMARE!"]
[His Fullbring armor blazed with black and white energy as he launched himself at Tsukishima with murderous intent. For the first time in his life, Ichigo Kurosaki was fighting not to protect or save someone, but to kill with absolute finality.]
["I'LL DESTROY YOU!" Ichigo screamed as his enhanced blade swept toward Tsukishima's neck. "I'LL ERASE YOU FROM EXISTENCE!"]
[Tsukishima barely managed to raise his bookmark weapon in time to deflect the blow, but the sheer force sent him skidding backward across the floor.]
["My, my," Tsukishima said with that infuriating calm smile, even as blood trickled from a cut on his cheek. "Such violence, Ichigo. Is this really how you want to treat an old friend?"]
["FRIEND?!" Ichigo's voice cracked with hysteria. "YOU'RE NOT MY FRIEND! YOU'RE A PARASITE WHO STOLE MY LIFE!"]
[During their increasingly vicious battle, Tsukishima took the opportunity to explain his ability in greater detail, confirming much of what Ginjō had theorized.]
["You're right that I alter memories and insert new ones," Tsukishima said as he gracefully dodged another of Ichigo's devastating attacks. "But you're still not grasping the full scope of what I can do."]
["My Book of the End doesn't just change how people remember the past," he continued, his bookmark weapon clashing with Ichigo's blade in showers of sparks. "I don't simply edit their recollections like some kind of mental video editor."]
["The truth is far more elegant than that."]
[Tsukishima's smile widened as he saw the growing horror in Ichigo's eyes.]
["I don't give them false memories, Ichigo. I give them true memories of an alternate timeline—one where I was always part of their lives from the very beginning."]
["Your friends didn't have their memories altered," Tsukishima explained as he continued their deadly dance. "They genuinely lived through experiences with me. Every emotion, every shared moment, every bond—it's all completely real within the timeline I've created."]
["In their reality, we truly are old friends and family members. They've experienced years of genuine affection, trust, and companionship with me. Those feelings aren't artificial—they're the natural result of a lifetime of shared experiences."]
[Ichigo's attacks became more wild and desperate as the full implications sank in.]
["That's impossible!" he gasped between strikes. "You can't just... create an entire alternate history!"]
["Can't I?" Tsukishima's voice carried a note of genuine pride. "My power operates on the level of causality itself. I don't just change the effect—I change the cause that created the effect."]
["And here's the truly beautiful part," Tsukishima continued, his tone becoming almost conversational despite their lethal combat. "Eventually, even you will be affected. The longer you exist in this timeline, the more your own memories will begin to align with everyone else's."]
["Soon, you'll start to remember our friendship too. You'll recall all the times I helped you, all the battles we fought together, all the moments of trust and camaraderie we shared."]
["And when that happens, you'll wonder why you ever fought against me in the first place."]
The chat exploded with horrified realization:
[Mayuri Kurotsuchi]: Causality-level manipulation?! That's not memory alteration—that's reality revision on a universal scale!
[Kisuke Urahara]: If he can truly alter the causal foundations of past events... then this is power that rivals the Hōgyoku itself!
[Sōsuke Aizen]: Impossible. Such ability would require transcendence beyond normal spiritual existence. How could a mere Fullbringer achieve such heights?
[Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto]: If this is true, then we're not dealing with a simple enemy. This is a threat to the fundamental order of existence itself.
[Retsu Unohana]: The psychological implications are staggering. To know that your own memories might eventually betray you... it's a special kind of hell.
[Ichigo's response to this revelation was pure, animalistic fury.]
["NEVER!" he screamed, his spiritual pressure reaching heights that threatened to tear apart the villa around them. "I'LL KILL YOU BEFORE THAT HAPPENS! I'LL DIE BEFORE I LET YOU STEAL WHO I AM!"]
[His attacks became increasingly reckless and suicidal as desperation overcame strategy. This wasn't just a battle for victory—it was a battle for the very essence of his identity and existence.]
["I don't care what it costs!" Ichigo roared as he poured every ounce of his power into a final, devastating assault. "I don't care if it destroys me! I'll end this nightmare even if it kills me!"]
[The sight of Ichigo—usually so protective of others—fighting with such self-destructive abandon was deeply disturbing to everyone watching. This wasn't the heroic young man they knew. This was someone whose spirit had been broken so completely that death seemed preferable to surrender.]
[Tsukishima's casual confidence never wavered, even as Ichigo's attacks grew more dangerous.]
["Such passion," he observed with mock admiration. "But passion without purpose is just noise, Ichigo. And you're making a lot of noise for someone who's already lost."]
["The battle was over the moment I cut your first friend," Tsukishima continued. "Everything since then has just been the inevitable conclusion playing out."]
["Your friends will always choose me over you now, because in their reality, I'm the one who's always been there for them. I'm the one who earned their trust and affection through years of genuine care and sacrifice."]
["What have you given them lately, Ichigo? Confusion? Violence? Fear?"]
["While I've been their constant companion through every triumph and tragedy, you've become the unstable element that threatens their peace and happiness."]
[The words hit Ichigo like physical blows, causing his spiritual pressure to flicker and waver as doubt began to creep in alongside his rage.]
[Is he right? a small voice whispered in the back of Ichigo's mind. In their timeline, he really has been the better friend. He's given them the support and care they needed, while I've only brought them confusion and violence.
Maybe... maybe they're better off with him than with me.]
["NO!" Ichigo roared, physically shaking his head to dispel such thoughts. "Those aren't real experiences! Those are lies you've forced into their heads!"]
["Are they lies if they feel real to the people living them?" Tsukishima asked philosophically. "Are stolen memories less valid than original ones if the emotions they generate are genuine?"]
["Your friends' love for me is absolutely authentic, Ichigo. It's based on countless shared experiences, acts of kindness, and moments of mutual support. The fact that I created those experiences doesn't make the resulting bonds any less meaningful."]
["In contrast, their current fear and confusion regarding you is also completely genuine. From their perspective, you're a dangerous stranger who's threatening someone they care deeply about."]
["So tell me, Ichigo—who's the real villain in this story?"]