The moment Sasuke's voice fell, violent black lightning arcs erupted from the blade with an ear-splitting roar, illuminating the entire district in flickering, stark light!
Any Hollow that dared approach him was instantly torn apart by the overwhelming power of the black lightning.
"Takemikazuchi, Roaring Thunder Form!"
The Zanpakutō in his hand was completely engulfed by the violent black lightning, as if he were holding a living thunderbolt.
If the Swift Thunder Form used to break the Kyubi's seal was about converting lightning's power into ultimate speed and conceptual sharpness, then this Roaring Thunder Form was the complete, unrestrained release of lightning's most destructive force.
Without pause, he pointed the tip of the blade, wreathed in black lightning, towards the sky.
"Heaven's Lament!"
A terrifyingly thick pillar of black lightning shot up from the blade's tip, tearing through the air, and exploded high above!
The next second, the entire sky seemed to weep in response.
Centered on the battlefield, the sky was rapidly shrouded by gathering dark clouds. Countless, dense fragments of black lightning rained down like divine punishment upon the horde of Hollows below!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The thunder was incessant. Each bolt of falling lightning precisely pierced through a Hollow's body, tearing it apart.
In just over ten seconds, the once-crowded swarm of Hollows was completely wiped clean by this black thunderstorm.
The dark clouds dispersed, the lightning faded, and the world returned to silence.
Sasuke slowly sheathed his sword. The electrical arcs on the blade had vanished, as if the world-destroying scene moments before had never happened.
"Hey…" Kurosaki Ichigo stared dumbfounded at everything, then looked at the now-ordinary-looking sword in Sasuke's hand, his face full of disbelief, "Your sword… why did it turn like that?"
Sasuke turned his face slightly, glancing at him with a look of utter superiority, his tone dripping with arrogance.
"This is Shikai. A power only those who know their Zanpakuto's true name can use."
"The Zanpakuto changes its form and abilities in response to its wielder's call."
"Shikai?" Ichigo repeated the word, not fully comprehending. He looked down at his own plain, oversized sword, a flicker of longing in his eyes.
Beside him, Uryu stared fixedly at Sasuke, his expression extremely complex.
The apocalyptic thunderstorm had completely shattered his pathetic self-esteem.
However, before they could fully process the shocking scene, a terrifying pressure descended from above.
The sky was torn open by a massive black fissure.
A head, as huge as a mountain, slowly stepped out from within.
Following it, a monster comparable in size to a skyscraper, clad in a black robe and sporting an elongated, pointed nose, slowly descended from the fissure.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Ichigo's voice trembled.
"Impossible! How could that 'bait' have this effect?!" Uryu stared at the fissure in disbelief.
The mere presence of the monster, its immense Reiatsu, was suffocating everyone present.
"A Menos Grande…" Rukia leaned against a wall, her face pale, her voice filled with terrified disbelief, "A Gillian-class… How… how can it appear in a place like this!"
She looked at the confused Ichigo and explained.
"Listen, Ichigo! That's a monster formed by hundreds of Hollows devouring and killing each other, then merging! Its power is far beyond any ordinary Hollow! Even a Captain-level Shinigami must take it seriously!"
Faced with this enormous Reiatsu, Sasuke's expression finally changed.
"Dammit, I used up too much Reiatsu during training..." He cursed under his breath, instinctively positioning himself in front of the others. His dark eyes were locked firmly on the colossal beast in the sky.
"You nuisances, get out of here. Now."
"What did you say?!" Ichigo retorted instinctively, but the moment the words left his mouth, he realized Sasuke wasn't being provocative.
The Gillian's hollow mask turned towards the ants below. It slowly raised its hand, and an ominous crimson energy began to rapidly gather before its long, pointed nose.
Cero!
The destructive power contained within that energy made everyone's scalp tingle.
Without the slightest hesitation, Sasuke released his Zanpakutō once more.
"Takemikazuchi, Roaring Thunder Form!"
Violent black lightning once again wreathed the blade. He pointed the tip directly at the sky, pouring every last bit of his Reiatsu into it.
"Raiko!"
Three bolts of black lightning, thicker than any before, tore through the atmosphere, spiraling as they shot towards the apocalyptic crimson beam!
Boom…
Black and crimson, two utterly different forces of destruction collided mid-air, erupting in a blinding flash of light.
The stalemate lasted less than a second.
Having expended too much Reiatsu during training, Sasuke's black lightning was slowly, inch by inch, consumed by the vastly more powerful Cero.
"Guh…!"
Sasuke was thrown back as if struck by a massive blow. A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips as his body and Zanpakuto were sent flying like a broken kite.
"Sasuke!" Ichigo and Rukia cried out in alarm.
"Damn it!" Ichigo's eyes widened with fury.
That guy, who had always been so infuriatingly arrogant, had just been critically injured... protecting them?
An intense feeling of powerlessness and hatred for his own weakness completely ignited Ichigo's soul at that moment.
"I have to... get stronger!"
"I have to pour all of my power... into this sword!!!"
The power within him seemed to hear his call, beginning to expand uncontrollably!
Blue Reiatsu coiled around his massive Zanpakuto, causing the entire blade to hum and vibrate!
Above, the Gillian, seemingly dissatisfied that its first attack hadn't annihilated its opponents, began gathering a new Cero.
The pillar of crimson light once again poured down towards the ground!
"Oaarrgghhh…!"
Ichigo let out a roar that sounded almost inhuman. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he mustered every ounce of his strength and swung with all his might!
Boom…
The blue slash and the red Cero collided head-on in the air once more!
This time, it wasn't a one-sided crush.
Blue and red, the two forces madly pressed against each other, the resulting energy storm shredding everything around them to pieces.
"Go back...! Go Back!!!"
Ichigo's Reiatsu continued to erupt. His Shihakuso tore apart inch by inch, his body becoming covered in blood, but he paid it no mind. He simply squeezed the very last dregs of his strength into the blade.
Finally, the golden slash began to visibly, forcefully, push the massive Cero back!
The repelled Cero merged with Ichigo's slash, slamming mercilessly into the Gillian's mask and chest.
"Roar!"
The Gillian let out a pained shriek. The massive explosion left a hideous, enormous scar across its mask.
It seemed to feel fear. Letting out a final roar of frustration, its colossal body slowly retreated back into the fissure in the sky.
The fissure closed behind it.
The world returned to a deathly silence.
'What exactly is that guy...'
The severely injured Sasuke struggled to lift his head, just in time to witness Ichigo's earth-shattering feat of repelling the Cero.
The tomoe in his Sharingan spun violently before finally losing all their light as he completely lost consciousness.