After that, the ranking video continued to fast-forward.
A fierce exchange—figures intertwining, the metallic clang of blades colliding.
Through the playback on-screen, in the real world, that endless ringing kept sounding without pause.
And Kurosaki Ichigo's battle against the fused blade spirit only grew more and more intense!
And then—
In the end—
Something nobody expected happened!!!
"BANG—!!!"
In yet another head-on clash…
Ichigo was cut down again, his body slowly sinking into the depths of the sea.
And just as the fused blade spirit, seething with resentment, gripped the hilt and dove straight down—trying to strike again—
It didn't anticipate this…
This time…
Ichigo suddenly let go.
He allowed "Tensa Zangetsu (Heaven Chain Slaying Moon)" to slip right out of his hands.
Which meant—
In an instant, he was barehanded!
No way to parry, no way to guard, no way to defend!
And when that white blade expanded in his vision and came slashing down right in front of him—
Of course it hit easily!
It pierced straight into Ichigo's body!
Creating a scene that looked like…
The protagonist was committing suicide!!!
This sudden moment—
Once exposed by the ranking video and transmitted into the real world—
Immediately set off a massive uproar!
The audience was utterly blindsided, shocked all over again!!!
"???"
"Kurosaki Ichigo… killed himself?"
"No way… isn't that his soul space?"
"In theory, fighting there shouldn't cause injuries at all!"
"And with protagonist plot armor, there's no way he should lose that easily!"
"So why is he suddenly not following the script and just… suiciding the moment something goes wrong?!"
Everyone was stunned.
The audience looked completely dumbfounded.
In the first instant, every single face wore the same baffled question mark expression—
Staring in disbelief, and instinctively doubting what they were seeing!
But then…
A large amount of blood poured out of the wound, quickly dyeing the surrounding seawater red.
Only then did the audience realize—
This time, it was real. Ichigo was genuinely badly injured!
And from the look of it…
He might actually get killed by his own blade spirit?!
That was what made it so unbelievable!!!
"Wait—no…"
"I've been watching all this time, and I think I've finally figured out the 'trick'!"
"Looks like if you want to gain power—or get some kind of cheat—first you have to keep getting stabbed over and over?"
"At least, isn't that exactly what happens to Kurosaki Ichigo every single time?"
Inside Las Noches.
Yammy frowned hard.
For once, he used his brain and arrived at that conclusion.
Either he gets stabbed while "being tempered"…
Or he gets stabbed by his own Zanpakutō…
In any case, every time Ichigo got stabbed, the "cheat" showed up not long after!
So then…
What about everyone else?
All the strong people in the world of Soul Reapers—
Why not learn from Ichigo and stab yourselves?
Maybe that'll trigger a cheat too!
Even if you don't become a Transcendent…
If you get even half the effect, that's a huge win!
Hearing Yammy's "analysis,"
The other Hollows and Arrancar nearby fell silent for a few seconds…
Then all threw him a look.
Even if it sounded like it had a point, it also sounded completely insane!
Self-harm or self-abuse—
If your brain isn't broken, who would do that?!
"Yammy…"
Nnoitra sneered, swinging his scythe-like weapon as he threatened, "Why don't you be the lab rat? We'll line up, and each of us will stab you once!"
"Let's see if your strength can evolve like Kurosaki Ichigo's—three jumps and suddenly you're stronger than Lord Aizen!"
Gin Ichimaru was the first to agree. "Yeah… in that case, as the captain, why don't I lead the way…"
As he spoke,
Gin drew his blade, revealing his Zanpakutō, "Shinsō (God-Spear)."
He deliberately waved it around in front of Yammy's face a few times,
Then looked at him with that smiling squint. "Yammy… you wouldn't refuse such a wonderful suggestion, would you?"
"…"
Yammy went speechless.
The corner of his eye twitched violently.
Staring at Shinsō, he immediately recalled what he'd seen during that earlier ranking—
In the future, Gin—while released—repeatedly opening up Hōgyoku Aizen's chest…
Just thinking about it made Yammy shut up on the spot. He forced an awkward laugh and said, "Okay, okay, pretend I never said anything! Besides, our Arrancar 'Zanpakutō' are basically just decorations!"
"There aren't any blade spirits inside them! This method doesn't work at all!"
Up on the throne.
After hearing that, Aizen finally spoke, nodding. "Yammy is correct… the same method indeed only applies to Soul Reapers."
"But… I do not believe Kurosaki Ichigo was committing suicide."
"Didn't you notice how the moment where the blade pierced his body resembles the very beginning of this ranking?"
"When Kuchiki Rukia used her Zanpakutō to pierce Kurosaki Ichigo's body… and then infused him with Soul Reaper power…"
"Isn't it extremely similar? If something repeats, it won't be coincidence that simple."
His vision and his frame of reference—
Always out of step with everyone around him.
Aizen once again saw the secret first.
In his eyes, the moment this happened,
It already meant Zangetsu's twin blade spirits were giving all of their power to Ichigo!
Sure enough…
What happened next perfectly proved Aizen right!!!
——
"Ichigo…"
"So you finally realized it…"
"The final Getsuga Tenshō (Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer)… you can only obtain this power by accepting my sword with your whole being!"
Facing the camera,
Zangetsu's voice rang out clearly, delivering the answer.
"Even with the wound… I don't feel any pain at all…"
Even though his body had been pierced,
Ichigo's expression wasn't one of agony.
If anything, he looked like he felt completely safe.
"Of course!"
"Because… 'Zangetsu' is you, Ichigo…"
After saying that—
Right in front of the camera—
The fused Zangetsu's eyes shimmered with tears.
In front of viewers across the entire world,
He actually started to cry—tragically, openly!
And once again, he confessed right to Ichigo's face, admitting he didn't want to be separated from him!
The moment it happened,
The mood of the viewing turned heavy.
And over on the Wandenreich side—
The pure-blood Quincy suffered another spiritual critical hit!
"Your young Majesty—wake up already!"
"Kurosaki Ichigo is that bastard who's going to stop you in the future!"
"If you keep acting this lovestruck, we might as well all surrender and invite Kurosaki Ichigo back to the Wandenreich to be Emperor!"
"Then when His Majesty awakens three years from now, you can face him every day and confess as much as you want…"
In that instant,
The pure-blood Quincy felt like they'd been stabbed in the back again.
Damn it…
They were practically about to finish reading the next arc!
And their young Majesty was still overflowing with bromance, crying in public like that!
That kind of weakness—
It was humiliating, it killed the aura, and it seriously damaged morale!
Unbelievable!!!
——
Finally—
Under the displeased stares of the pure-blood Quincy—
After saying yet another round of warm farewell words…
In the end…
Zangetsu's blade spirit—anger surging up—after pouring in all of his power, left that white Zanpakutō inside Ichigo's body.
And his own figure…
Drifted away with the seawater, like the tide ebbing, gradually leaving the camera's frame.
"Ichigo…"
"Once you use this technique…"
"You will…"
Even though he didn't finish the last sentence,
As the scene shifted—
Continuing into the earlier moment when Ichigo used "Mugetsu (Moonless Sky)," turning his entire body pitch-black in that spectacular scene—
The audience understood what Zangetsu had meant:
Once Ichigo used the final Getsuga Tenshō (Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer)…
He would lose his Soul Reaper powers—his "account" would be sealed for a period of time!
And with that…
The exposure of Ichigo's experience—entering the Dangai (Precipice World) to train into a Transcendent—came to an end!!!
The screen of the video
Also turned completely black.
And taking advantage of that gap, the audience launched into another fierce discussion!
"I see…"
"Looks like every Soul Reaper captain could try this method too, but…"
Shunsui Kyōraku scratched his head and chuckled, teasing, "The price seems far too heavy! Losing your Soul Reaper power and becoming weak… that's a position most people can't accept."
Shunsui asked himself—
If it were him…
He'd been a captain for hundreds of years.
If he suddenly lost his power overnight, maybe he could force himself to accept it mentally…
But as time dragged on,
He'd inevitably become depressed, lose heart, and constantly miss the past.
Just imagining those days already felt unbearable!!!
"Tch…"
"Doing something so righteous, saving the entire world… Kurosaki Ichigo really is worthy of being a man I acknowledge…"
Kenpachi Zaraki bared his teeth, praising him as well.
As opponents who acknowledged each other,
What Kenpachi was truly curious about now was this:
After losing all his power—
And then, later, during that period afterward—
What did Ichigo experience…
That let him regain his strength, and even become stronger than before?
Kenpachi was extremely interested in that.
If that experience were exposed, for the whole world—
It could only help.
It would be easy to inspire people who had fallen into a low point, or those who couldn't train due to severe injury.
Maybe…
If they imitated the method,
Absorbed the experience,
They could return to their peak again someday!!!
——
And at that moment—
On the transparent light-screen—
Not long after Kenpachi's voice fell,
The video flickered, arcs of electricity flashing rapidly—
A new segment,
From the original timeline.
After the Karakura Town decisive battle ended—those days when Ichigo returned to human life.
It was seamlessly exposed next—
"CLANG—!!!"
The harsh metallic sound of blades colliding rang out.
When the screen lit up, the first scene that entered view
Was the interior of a lavishly decorated, spacious luxury villa.
Right then,
Two figures were tangled together in combat,
Engaged in an intense battle!!!
And when everyone clearly saw
What one of those figures looked like—
Instantly, viewers across the whole world, in that very moment, all went slack-jawed.
Pupils trembling, like they'd witnessed something unbelievable.
Without exception, they all gasped in unison:
"This is… what the hell?!"
"Kurosaki Ichigo?!"
"No way I'm mistaken—it's him! But what is that armor he's wearing?!"
"And the weapon Ichigo is holding… that doesn't look like Zangetsu at all!!!"
Shock.
Total disbelief.
Most viewers snapped back to the point—
Stunned by the unique look Ichigo was wearing, a design nobody had ever seen before!
Yes…
Right now.
On-screen.
Ichigo's entire body
Was tightly wrapped in a fitted black-and-white suit of armor-like clothing.
And on his face,
He was even wearing a white mask-guard.
As for his weapon—
It had become an ordinary small knife!
In other words, there was no trace of a Zanpakutō at all—Soul-Cutting Blade, Soul Reaper sword, everything had vanished completely!
On Ichigo as he was now,
You couldn't see any element related to Soul Reapers at all.
It seemed…
What he was showing now
Was a brand-new power belonging only to humans—
Unrelated to Soul Reapers, Hollows, or pure-blood Quincy!!!
Naturally, a clip like this
Caused a massive uproar.
The entire world of Bleach instantly became chaotic because of it!!!
"This is…?"
"Is it Fullbring?"
Inside the shop.
After only a few glances, Kisuke Urahara made his judgment immediately, blurting it out.
Fullbring—
A type of power in the Bleach world.
It draws out the power of something you deeply cherish,
Thereby controlling the "soul" of an object and changing its form.
Strictly speaking,
Fullbring and Hollow power are of the same nature!
And the reason it's born is because Fullbringers, before they were even born, had mothers who were attacked by Hollows!
"Then it matches up…"
"Thirty years ago, what happened to Masaki—everyone's already familiar with it…"
"But even Ichigo having Fullbring… I honestly didn't expect that either!!!"
Beside him,
Isshin Kurosaki suddenly understood, saying in surprise.
Even though
Everyone already knew
Ichigo's look right now was extremely unusual.
That black armored outfit, and that small black-and-white blade—
It easily reminded people of
White, whose color palette was the reverse of Ichigo's and represented Soul Reaper power from the opposite side.
"Could it be…"
Thinking that far,
Isshin's eyes widened sharply, excitement surging as he said:
"This time! Is Ichigo restoring his Soul Reaper power by stacking it on top of Fullbring as a foundation?!"
"If that's the case, then not only is his base power becoming more solid and stronger—"
"But after merging Fullbring, Zangetsu also essentially 'advances' again!"
"This time, it's truly—four-in-one!!!"
Isshin's expression was bright with excitement.
From the bottom of his heart, he was filled with anticipation.
Because—
An ordinary Soul Reaper, once they die, is gone.
They might spend their whole life never recovering again!
Not to mention
Fusing in another power that's completely incompatible with the Soul Reaper race—
And making the Zanpakutō not only reappear, but upgrade and evolve!
As far as Isshin knew,
In Soul Society's entire history, nothing like this had ever happened even once!
Meaning…
Next—
Unless something unexpected occurred—
In front of viewers across the entire world!
Ichigo would once again create history!
After a period of time at rock bottom, he'd recover his power and become stronger!
And his Zanpakutō, "Zangetsu"!!!
Would also upgrade into a second-generation, brand-new version!
Maybe it would even become stronger due to the fusion with Fullbring—
And its blade appearance would change into something entirely different!
This reveal was absolutely worth looking forward to!!!
(End of Chapter)
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