"Training… inside the Dangai?"
"Hōgyoku Aizen, that monster… he actually erased the Cleaner by force!!!"
Inside the First Division.
Led by the Head Captain, the Shinigami captains stared at the newly revealed footage before them.
Every single one of them fell silent, exchanging glances—stunned for a moment—before shock flooded their faces.
The Dangai.
Put simply, it's the corridor that connects the World of the Living, Hueco Mundo, and Soul Society.
Normally, because the Dangai is vast beyond measure, even a Shinigami of the Gotei 13 still needs a Hell Butterfly's dedicated guidance when passing through.
Otherwise…
You can get lost far too easily.
Trapped in endless darkness—effectively lost forever.
And in addition.
Roughly every seven days, something governed by rules will appear within the Dangai: the Cleaner.
It's like a sanitation crew.
Its job is to "clean up" any souls that remain in the Dangai for too long.
So, in a sense…
The Cleaner is invincible—a rule-bound phenomenon.
No one expected it…
And yet Hōgyoku Aizen actually eliminated it.
That only made the shock even greater!!!
"Hmph…"
At the foremost seat, the Head Captain planted both hands on his wooden staff and said in a deep voice, "Still… just as Isshin Kurosaki said, the Cleaner disappearing is actually a good thing."
"Otherwise, the training ahead might not have been able to continue…"
In the old man's profound eyes,
a fierce curiosity burned.
Yes.
Even the Head Captain was curious.
He wanted to uncover the process—how Kurosaki Ichigo and "Zangetsu" would grow stronger.
After all…
His own power
had been stalled at the pinnacle of Shinigami strength for over a thousand years.
If he could—
through the footage that was about to be revealed—
gain new insight and break through…
Then perhaps even the Head Captain
could grow stronger through watching, and become one who transcends!!!
——
At the same time,
under everyone's focused gaze,
the ranking video continued playing—
"Ichigo…"
"No time for long explanations. You only need to understand one thing: inside the Dangai, the density of time is far higher than outside."
"And the numerical difference is about two thousand times!!!"
"In other words, if you stay here for two thousand years, only three years will pass outside!!!"
Facing the camera,
Isshin Kurosaki's voice
came through clearly, word by word, carrying straight into the real world.
After hearing it,
the audience finally understood that time gap…
During the brief hours when Hōgyoku Aizen and Gin Ichimaru
headed for the true Karakura Town—
why Kurosaki Ichigo could become stronger at light speed in such a short time.
So that was it…
A time difference.
Relying on the Dangai's different flow of time to train, causing a massive surge in strength!!!
"Ha…"
"So this is basically cheating again, isn't it?"
"A time-multiplier cheat!!!"
With his hands in his pockets,
Grimmjow muttered with envy in his eyes.
Damn it!
Another cheat!
And one that had never been revealed before—an entirely new method!
How was it that every time…
all the benefits, all the "experiences,"
were enjoyed by Kurosaki Ichigo alone?
Even the Cleaner being gone—
and lining up perfectly with a time bug—
and only Ichigo running into something that convenient!
It was hard not to feel jealous!!!
"So that means…"
"Once again, it's because of Aizen-sama's assist that Kurosaki Ichigo gets the chance to trigger this time cheat…"
Szayelaporro lifted his eyes, his expression complicated as he spoke.
His gaze drifted toward the throne, equally complicated.
As expected.
Aizen knows everything—always calculating, always predicting.
That kind of "family treatment"…
Even if they Espada knelt on the ground, Aizen might not even bother to look their way.
But Kurosaki Ichigo?
Anything that happens to him always seems to have Aizen's hand behind it!!!
"It can't be helped…"
"It's not that Aizen-sama is biased…"
"It's just that we ourselves are lacking. We don't have a one-in-all-eras talent like Kurosaki Ichigo—something on the level of the Soul King…"
Among the Arrancar,
the one who worshiped Aizen most—Zommari—
immediately began rationalizing it away for himself, offering an explanation on Aizen's behalf.
And when he mentioned Kurosaki Ichigo,
there wasn't even a trace of hostility in his voice.
Clearly…
As the ranking video continued,
and revealed more of the complicated entanglement between Aizen and Ichigo,
it wasn't only Zommari.
The other Espada—and the Arrancar—were gradually accepting it:
Kurosaki Ichigo,
as the protagonist,
was not Hueco Mundo's enemy.
He was someone outside the Gotei 13—a future candidate for the Soul King's seat!!!
So,
continuing to target Kurosaki Ichigo was meaningless.
With the Hueco Mundo "dungeon" already over,
from here on,
the key spectacle for Hueco Mundo's viewers—
as the natural enemies of pure-blood Quincy—
was watching "Zangetsu's" potential
continue to be unlocked… and watching Ichigo grow stronger again,
until, finally…
at the end of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc,
he would cut down the "Soul King Yhwach" with a single strike and end the chaos of the Bleach world.
——
At this moment,
in the footage,
after a brief explanation,
the camera closed in as Isshin Kurosaki—face grave—took out several special tools.
Then, with practiced ease,
he hurled them hard into the stacked currents around them.
And he also used his own spiritual power as a foundation,
establishing a fixed barrier within that cramped space.
"Ichigo…"
"Next, before my spiritual power runs dry, I'll do everything I can to suppress these currents!"
"Based on the timing… it should be about two thousand hours. Just under three months!!!"
"During that time, you absolutely must force out the truth about the 'Final Getsuga Tenshō'…"
With a solemn expression,
after handing down those final instructions,
what followed—
under Isshin's guidance—
was Kurosaki Ichigo placing "Zangetsu" flat across his knees, adopting the posture of sword meditation.
And the camera,
following Ichigo's thoughts and consciousness,
entered once again—
into that long-unvisited, special inner world within his soul!!!
——
"Gin…"
"Do you think something new will happen in Kurosaki Ichigo's inner world this time?"
"Will White appear? Or Yhwach's fragment? Or… will they show up together?"
In Las Noches,
Aizen's eyes remained calm as he watched the screen dim with the scene transition, and he spoke first.
"Well…" Gin Ichimaru narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think it'll change much."
"Even the world-shocking horned Ichigo has already been revealed!"
"There's no way 'Zangetsu's' blade spirit still has some new form, right? That would be too absurd…"
Gin said with a smiling squint.
Normally, for any ordinary Shinigami—
even including captains—
a Zanpakutō has only one spirit from start to finish.
Once manifested, it rarely changes shape so freely.
But Kurosaki Ichigo's "Zangetsu"?
Just White alone
already had two different forms: the horned form, and "White Ichigo."
Not to mention the existence of Old Man Zangetsu.
As the embodiment of Ichigo's Quincy power, he also counts as a blade spirit.
With just that,
it's already enough for a three-player card table.
If, in a moment, the video revealed yet another brand-new form—
one the audience had never seen before—
whether of Old Man Zangetsu or of White…
Then you could practically start a full mahjong table.
The blade spirits could sit there, passing tiles around, and over three months
take turns keeping Ichigo company—pulling all-nighters for dozens of rounds—and still have time to spare!
However,
the instant Gin finished speaking,
the video brightened again, switching fully into the inner world.
But…
the first scene that entered the viewers' eyes
was completely different from the previous bright sky and clear weather.
This time,
the entire inner world
was flooded by seawater!
Every skyscraper had sunk to the ocean floor!
And Kurosaki Ichigo himself—
after opening his eyes, not reacting for a few seconds—
immediately choked on a mouthful of water,
bubbling frantically as he struggled and swam.
Then,
in the next instant—
as the camera moved downward,
aiming at Ichigo's feet—
a black arm appeared and suddenly seized him!
As it flung him hard into the distance, a strange, mocking voice rang out without warning:
"Calm down…"
"How embarrassing. In here, you should be able to breathe."
In the next moment,
as the camera shifted—
no longer centered on Ichigo, but on the figure opposite him—
a presence the audience had never seen before appeared:
a young silhouette, completely cloaked in a black robe!
The moment the viewers saw that,
the audience—who had been locked in, immersed—
instantly widened their eyes.
Every single person, without exception, wore the same stunned expression.
They were blindsided by the reveal!!!
"What the hell?"
"What… is going on?"
"Another new character?"
"No way—does Ichigo's inner world spawn enemies?"
"Why is it that every time he comes here, it unlocks someone new…"
"How many secrets is this Zanpakutō 'Zangetsu' still hiding?!"
The audience felt numb.
Staring at that mysterious black-robed man—still hooded, face not yet fully revealed—
everyone was at a loss for words,
shaken yet again!!!
"Damn…"
"There's another expert?!"
Inside Urahara's shop,
Tessai Tsukabishi's eyes practically popped out of his head.
He stood there, slack-jawed, his worldview overturned again.
This was ridiculous…
Just having White and Old Man Zangetsu—
two powerful blade spirits—
was already enough for Kurosaki Ichigo
to clear Hueco Mundo and Soul Society back-to-back.
And now…
another one appeared out of nowhere.
A new, unseen, unfamiliar blade spirit.
Was this implying…
that in the future, even the Shinigami "empire"
would get speed-cleared by Ichigo alone the same way?
It was absurd!!!!
"Heh…" Kisuke Urahara shook his folding fan lightly and studied the figure as he spoke. "That black robe… it looks a lot like Old Man Zangetsu's."
"This new one… could it be Yhwach in his youth?"
Even as he voiced the guess,
Urahara himself felt it was outrageous.
It was like the story was getting more and more unhinged.
He'd thought the truly terrifying Quincy hidden in the Wandenreich
would be revealed later…
And if this mysterious figure really was who he thought—
then the reaction on screen would be pure farce.
——
And indeed.
In the footage,
staring at that unfamiliar presence,
Kurosaki Ichigo's reaction was basically the same as the audience's.
Startled, he gripped his Zanpakutō and demanded warily:
"Who are you…? Only Old Man Zangetsu should be here!"
"Oh? A demand?"
"To speak like that to the one who's teaching you how to breathe—what arrogance…"
The figure raised a hand,
and yanked the hood down hard.
The black-robed man's face was revealed: dark eyes, and hair drifting long in the seawater.
It was exactly as Urahara had guessed.
He looked strikingly similar to Old Man Zangetsu—
a youthful Yhwach!!!
The instant that reveal hit,
it was like a nuclear bomb had gone off.
In the real world,
it triggered an enormous uproar!!!
"???"
"No way… that's His Majesty!!!"
"How His Majesty looked when he was young—before any of us were even born!"
"This is top-secret material that only exists in the Empire's archival records—and it's being exposed inside Kurosaki Ichigo's soul space!"
"What kind of relationship does he have with His Majesty?!"
Silbern.
Inside the Ice Crystal Palace.
In that moment, the vast palace fell deathly silent.
The Sternritter—
and the other imperial guards, every pure-blood Quincy present—
all dropped their jaws.
Staring at the youthful Yhwach, shocked and bewildered…
their knees even started to buckle as if they were about to kneel!!!
Thousands of years ago…
This was the history of the pure-blood Quincy race itself!
And now this legendary image
was tangled up with Kurosaki Ichigo and the Zanpakutō "Zangetsu" too!
In an instant, the pure-blood Quincy felt as if the fog had lifted.
They couldn't even tell anymore:
Was it Aizen, or Yhwach—who was "leveling an alt"?
Because right now,
it looked like His Majesty's "fragment" had plenty of screen time too—
running through Kurosaki Ichigo's entire growth process!!!
"Gulp…"
Gerard Valkyrie swallowed hard.
With a serious face, he spoke in disbelief:
"Could it be… that so-called power of the Final Getsuga Tenshō
is something the young His Majesty taught Kurosaki Ichigo?"
"And that would mean, indirectly… His Majesty used the other man's hands to defeat Aizen?"
"His Majesty, Aizen, Kurosaki Ichigo… the relationship between those three is getting more and more complicated…"
Gerard fell silent, speechless.
Watching this far, he finally understood.
From start to finish,
the story of the Bleach world—
all the power struggles and all the chaos—
had only three truly core figures:
those three.
As for the other strong ones…
To be blunt, they were all supporting cast.
Tools that existed to push the plot forward.
The "plot armor" was way too important!!!
"…"
After realizing that,
Gerard and the other pure-blood Quincy beside him
could only sigh in resignation.
Mentally, they took a massive hit.
What else was there to say?
Even the youthful Yhwach had become Kurosaki Ichigo's helper at the drop of a hat.
So then…
in the future, when the Thousand-Year Blood War breaks out—if they meet Ichigo in battle—
wouldn't they have to drop to their knees on the spot
and shout at Kurosaki Ichigo:
"Ancestor-grandfather?!"
It was beyond insane.
(End of Chapter)
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