[New Fanfic Is UP!! Uma Musume: Rising From the Countryside to Legend!!]
Adjusting her glasses, Lisa said coldly, "How is that possible? I only want to become stronger! After all, to take revenge on that man, I need overwhelming power!"
Hirako Shinji, after a round of discussion with the others, turned to Ichigo and said,
"We can provide you with a place to train. But in exchange, you need to teach us how to use the power of Hollowfication!"
They had all seen it with their own eyes—Ichigo's power just now had far exceeded their understanding of what Hollowfication could offer.
It wasn't something their half-baked Hollowfication could even hope to compare to!
Ichigo nodded. "Sure."
Seeing Ichigo agree, Hirako grinned.
"Then we're comrades now, Kurosaki Ichigo. Welcome to the Visored!"
"Huh?" Ichigo blinked in confusion, but before he could say anything, Hirako continued.
"Let me introduce our members. The twin-tailed blonde loli is Hiyori Sarugaki. The one sipping coffee over there is Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi. That guy with the silver short hair and tank top is Kensei Muguruma. The green-haired girl in a tight suit is Mashiro Kuna. The guy with the afro and glasses is Love Aikawa, and the one arguing with him is the sultry Lisa Yadōmaru. The chubby one is Hachigen Ushōda—we usually call him Hacchi. Lastly, there's me—Hirako Shinji!"
After meeting all the members of the Visored, Ichigo nodded in acknowledgment.
Lisa, no longer arguing with Love, turned to Ichigo and asked,
"Since you've shown such overwhelming strength, tell us—how did you do it?"
All the Visored were looking at Ichigo with eager eyes.
They needed strength—only overwhelming strength could give them a chance to take revenge against Aizen Sōsuke.
Seeing the desire in their eyes, Ichigo gave in and explained how he came to wield Hollow powers.
But, in truth, this wasn't something that could be achieved just because he explained it.
Some people instinctively reject the power of Hollows and simply cannot accept it as part of themselves.
Just like now—when Ichigo said that he had completely fused his Hollow powers with his Shinigami abilities and treated them as one and the same—several of the Captain-level Shinigami frowned.
Aside from Hirako who could barely accept it, both Love and Kensei looked like they couldn't accept it at all.
Especially Kensei—he looked completely stumped.
Even Hiyori had a look of outright rejection.
However, Mashiro, Hacchi, and Lisa all wore thoughtful expressions.
Mashiro, in particular, looked as though she had just experienced an epiphany.
A second Zanpakutō appeared at her waist!
It was clear that her spirit was incredibly strong—she had instantly accepted the presence of her Hollow power.
"Shiro-pon!" she exclaimed happily.
This shocked Kensei.
He knew Mashiro was carefree, but he hadn't expected her to be this carefree!
All the other Visoreds were equally surprised.
Hacchi and Lisa, who had thought they were quick to adapt, were amazed at how Mashiro had surpassed them.
"Ehehe, Ichigo, your method really works! That kid just handed over his power to me!" Mashiro gave Ichigo a thumbs-up.
Even Ichigo was a bit stunned.
He thought he was already insanely fast at mastering Hollow powers—but Mashiro had just done it effortlessly?
Her sudden success triggered more reactions.
"No wonder she's the only one among us who can maintain Hollowfication for over fifteen hours without any training!" Hacchi said in admiration.
Inspired by Mashiro, Hiyori tried as well—but her Zanpakutō showed no reaction, and her spiritual pressure didn't increase at all.
Ichigo shook his head.
"There's no point forcing it. Mashiro succeeded because she had a good relationship with the Hollow within her. Her power is built on emotional connection."
"The rest of you see the Hollow as just a tool. Under those conditions, there's no way you can claim its power as your own so easily."
Then Ichigo turned to Mashiro and said quietly,
"Shiro, focus on refining your Hollow powers for now. In this area, your talent even surpasses your ability as a Shinigami."
Indeed—for her to maintain Hollowfication for fifteen hours under forced subjugation conditions was already extraordinary.
It was possible that she was more suited to being a Hollow than a Shinigami.
Mashiro nodded innocently.
But Ichigo couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her than met the eye.
Hirako, eager to improve his strength, turned to Ichigo.
"Go find a place to train. Hacchi, stop your own training for now and reinforce the barrier!"
"No problem," Hacchi replied. "I'll make sure the spiritual pressure stays contained."
Ichigo nodded.
"Then I'll be going."
With that, he flash-stepped to an open clearing, pulled out Muramasa, sat cross-legged, and placed the sword across his knees.
This was something White Ichigo had taught him—Katana Meditation.
Using this technique, he could enter his inner world and strengthen the power of his Zanpakutō.
...
Inner World
"Muramasa! I've found a place where I can freely release spiritual pressure. You can continue now!" Ichigo called out as he arrived.
Muramasa, Zangetsu, and White Ichigo instantly appeared beside him.
"Alright, I've been itching to get started," Muramasa replied.
The desire to grow stronger was etched into the very core of every Zanpakutō.
Zangetsu nodded.
"I'll handle the synchronization."
White Ichigo looked at Muramasa.
"You've already experienced Hollowfication, so I don't need to teach you how to merge with Hollow power. Just remember—don't absorb it too quickly, or you'll lose control."
Muramasa nodded.
He watched as White Ichigo's Hollow energy wrapped around him, then drew his Zanpakutō and guided the energy toward it.
The moment the Hollow power touched Muramasa's blade, Ichigo's body outside released a tremendous spiritual pressure.
It disrupted the other Visoreds who were trying to connect with their inner Hollows.
"This spiritual pressure… Hirako, is that the one you picked?" Rōjūrō asked.
Hirako shook his head slightly.
"No, it wasn't me. Kisuke Urahara chose him. And besides… he's one of us."
Hiyori, unimpressed by Hirako's cryptic tone, smacked him with a slipper.
"Baldy, are you sure he's immune to Kyōka Suigetsu?"
Hirako nodded.
"Absolutely."
"Kyōka Suigetsu… that damn Zanpakutō!" Hiyori cursed, then vanished in a flash step.
Meanwhile, Lisa was getting more and more interested in Ichigo's spiritual pressure.
This pervy girl was clearly experiencing love at first sight… or maybe just lust at first sight.
...
Inside Ichigo's Inner World
Thanks to his prior experience with Hollowfication, Muramasa's fusion with the Hollow power was going smoothly.
Ichigo's aura grew stronger as the fusion progressed.
Zangetsu, however, began to feel uneasy.
He was considering whether he needed to upgrade his own power—if he didn't, he might end up being overshadowed by Muramasa and White Ichigo.
But he was conflicted.
He didn't want Ichigo to fight, so he was reluctant to grow stronger.
He was caught in a mental loop.
Ichigo, unaware of this internal drama, just watched Muramasa with anticipation.
Soon, over two-thirds of the Zanpakutō had been covered in white material.
Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief—but then White Ichigo's expression changed.
"Something's wrong. Muramasa, you need to speed up!" he shouted.
Muramasa froze in confusion.
Ichigo turned to Zangetsu and saw that his expression was grim.
"Yes, speed it up. I'm having trouble maintaining balance," Zangetsu admitted.
He hadn't realized his power wasn't strong enough to maintain equilibrium anymore.
Control over Ichigo's inner world was slipping.
White Ichigo's influence was rising rapidly.
Muramasa, being an outsider, had little authority within the inner world.
But as he merged with the Hollow power, his influence increased.
Ichigo couldn't sense this shift—no matter who controlled what, in the end, they all had to obey him.
"What's wrong? Do you need my help?" Ichigo asked.
"Lend me your power," Zangetsu said without hesitation.
"Alright."
Ichigo connected his energy to Zangetsu, and the moment he did, peace returned to the world.
Muramasa's fusion entered its final stage.
Now over 80% of the blade was covered in white substance.
The rest could be done slowly.
Meanwhile, outside...
Hacchi hadn't expected the spiritual pressure released during Katana Meditation to be this overwhelming.
He had to Hollowfy just to maintain the barrier.
Hirako, growing anxious, asked,
"Is he done yet?"
Lisa, noticing the spiritual pressure was beginning to recede, smiled.
"It's almost over. Look!"
Indeed, Ichigo's blue aura was gradually fading.
Hacchi wiped sweat from his face.
"Damn, Ichigo's too strong. He didn't even fight, and his training caused this much chaos!"
Hirako grinned.
"That's a good thing. Even though I want to take revenge on Aizen myself, we all know our limits. The stronger Ichigo is, the more hope we have."
The rest of the Visoreds nodded in agreement.
Rōjūrō said,
"When Ichigo's done, I'm going to ask him for guidance."
Hirako nodded.
"Yeah, we'll only know if we've improved through real combat."
At this point, Ichigo's spiritual pressure had stopped leaking—he was about to wake up.
The Visoreds assumed the second sword at Ichigo's waist was simply his Hollow power manifested as a blade.
They forgot that Ichigo had once pulled a massive sword out of the void.
After all, in all of Soul Society, no one truly had dual Zanpakutōs.
Even Kyōraku and Ukitake's blades were, in essence, one sword.
Hirako, who understood this truth, naturally mistook Muramasa as something akin to Mashiro's case—a secondary blade from Hollow power.
Still, Ichigo was curious.
Why did Mashiro have a second Zanpakutō, but he didn't?
He didn't ask, though.
He sensed Zangetsu was hiding something from him—or maybe he just wasn't ready to hear it.
As for White Ichigo, he had always been honest.
Muramasa had secretly told Ichigo this once.
Honestly, Muramasa really was the most loyal Zanpakutō one could ask for.
(End of Chapter)
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