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"What is Kurosaki doing dragging his feet like this?! Rukia can't hold on much longer!"
"That Kuchiki girl… this is just heartbreaking to watch!"
Soul Society.
"Damn it all!"
Byakuya Kuchiki stared at the glowing screen, his gaze locked onto the image of his sister struggling like an ant in the depths of purgatory. His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Captain of the Fourth Division, Ukitake Jūshirō, looked just as grim. Killing intent bled into his voice."Those so-called sinners in Hell have clearly lived too comfortably. They've forgotten their place."
If even the usually composed Byakuya and Ukitake were this furious, then Renji Abarai's anger went without saying. Watching the replay of himself being crushed again and again by that man called Kokutō "Black Blade," he knew all too well that he was no match for him. With nowhere to vent his rage, he could only grind his teeth in silence, his chest feeling like it was about to burst.
Hueco Mundo.
"So the future Kurosaki Ichigo… actually grows to this level."
"Sōsuke Aizen stood before a spatial rift that was slowly cracking apart.". His Zanpakutō continued to swing in a steady rhythm, as if his body were moving on instinct while his mind wandered far ahead. As the cross-dimensional images kept playing, his curiosity toward other worlds was fully ignited. Right now, he was utterly focused on probing the weak points of space itself, intent on breaking through the boundaries and stepping into realms he had never touched.
…
The scene shifted again. The crimson magma receded, revealing a thick chain piercing straight through Rukia's chest. Her Shinigami robes were torn to shreds, replaced by a white prison uniform that symbolized eternal confinement.
"Ichigo… why would you…"
Before she could finish, Black Blade yanked the chain hard, jerking her up in agony.
His voice carried Hell's signature cruelty."The rules of Hell are simple, and utterly hopeless. Any soul bound by this chain is granted infinite resurrection."
"As long as this chain exists, you're not taking a single step out of here!"
Ichigo gripped Zangetsu so hard his veins bulged. His eyes burned as he answered in a low voice,"Then I'll just cut it apart with one strike."
A flicker of hope flashed through Rukia's eyes. She smiled, half-mocking."Reliable as always. So you'll cut this 'shackle' for me too, right?"
Ichigo's gaze hardened, but his reply was absolute."No. That's not happening. As for you… I'll defeat you with my own hands."
Before the words had fully settled, red-black spiritual pressure flooded his Zanpakutō like boiling blood. In the next instant, Ichigo vanished in a violent burst of Shunpo.
At the same time, Black Blade showed no mercy. He flung Rukia away.Clang!The sharp ring of metal tore through the dead silence.
Ichigo's blade crashed head-on with Black Blade's long sword. The sheer force of the impact was so immense that even the massive skull beneath Black Blade's feet sank several meters into the ground. Around the withered giant tree at the center, their figures blurred into afterimages as they clashed again and again. Sparks exploded with every collision. Each strike carried apocalyptic power, carving deep, bottomless cracks into the hardened earth.
Seizing a fleeting opening, Black Blade shot forward like a viper. His hand locked around Ichigo's throat, and he dove straight down from the air in a terrifying plunge.
"Idiot! You think you can beat me without using your mask?!"
With a roar, his muscles bulged as he smashed Ichigo into the ground like a broken sandbag.
"Naive! Challenging me with even a hint of hesitation is meaningless in this Hell!"
Under Black Blade's storm of crushing blows, Ichigo was completely forced on the defensive. Against attacks that could split mountains, he could barely block, let alone counter. As expected, constant defense led to a fatal mistake. Black Blade found his opening and blasted Ichigo away with a devastating strike.
Ichigo's body flew straight toward the massive magma pool churning behind them. Hell's magma was lethal even to a Shinigami.
But Ichigo didn't panic. He stabilized himself midair, raised his Zanpakutō high, and poured overwhelming spiritual pressure into its tip.
"Getsuga… Tenshō!"
Boom!!!
A colossal crescent slash, carrying world-shattering force, erupted from Zangetsu and slammed straight toward the magma pool.
Before that attack, the ground was as fragile as paper. It split apart instantly. The earth shook violently as Getsuga Tenshō carved a terrifying gorge hundreds of meters long and impossibly deep. Black Blade stood in its path, swinging his sword to block. Even he was forced backward by the sheer push of the attack.
"Nice one!"
Black Blade laughed wildly. While expertly dispersing the force of Getsuga Tenshō, he gathered his own violent spiritual pressure into his blade. A blinding blue aura exploded outward. A straight blue slash shot like lightning, piercing the core of the crescent and forcibly knocking it off course. The massive Getsuga crashed into the withered tree, leaving a horrifying gouge hundreds of meters deep.
Ichigo leapt up from the edge of the magma and landed in front of Black Blade.
He looked awful. One hand covered his face as the Hollow mask flickered in and out of existence. The miasma of Hell had once again stirred the Hollow within him.
This time, though, his willpower won. With a sharp shake of his head, the mask dissolved into nothing.
Bent over and gasping for breath, Ichigo heard Black Blade's mocking voice drift over.
"What's wrong?"
When Ichigo sensed him again, Black Blade was already at his side.
"What are you afraid of?"
Slash!
Ichigo instinctively swung, but only struck a faint afterimage.
"Are you scared that the part of yourself you don't understand will destroy everything around you?"
"If that's the case, then you never should have come to Hell!"
Black Blade appeared behind him again, grabbed him, and followed up with a brutal kick that sent him flying.
Then a blade came crashing down, forcing the barely balanced Ichigo to one knee.
"Your sister was saved only because you turned into a monster. Without that power, you can't do anything!"
As he roared, another blue slash swept through, blasting Ichigo away again.Boom!
The magma-scorched ground caved in, forming a massive crater. In his normal state, the gap between Ichigo and Black Blade was vast beyond measure.
Before Ichigo could even get up, a massive foot slammed down onto his chest with thunderous force.
"I told you already. When hope can never be fulfilled, the only thing that lets a person keep themselves is resentment."
"A heart of revenge is what makes me strong."
Looking down on him, Black Blade hammered those cold, merciless words into Ichigo like steel nails.
…
Another world.
"That guy is absolutely disgusting!"
Tsuna Sawada clenched his teeth as he watched Ichigo being pinned under Black Blade's foot.
"You're right," Reborn said calmly, playing with a tiny chameleon in his hand, eyes sharp. "But Ichigo is afraid of his own power. As long as he's limiting himself like this, there's no way he can defeat an enemy like that."
Never missing a teaching opportunity, Reborn continued his lesson.
"In terms of swordsmanship alone, Ichigo is clearly weaker than Black Blade. Otherwise he wouldn't be suppressed this badly."
Takeshi Yamamoto, the only true sword specialist in the group, offered his assessment.
"But that 'Shinigami' is terrifying too. The power hidden deep inside him… if it truly explodes, it might really be enough to wipe out all of Hell."
"....."