"Too damn cool…"
"New-look Ichigo Kurosaki—his charm and aura are maxed out. All that boyishness is gone, and he's way more manly now…"
"I'm seriously jealous of Orihime Inoue. She's gonna be eating real good from now on!!!"
Karakura Town—out in the suburbs.
On the Visoreds' turf.
Watching Ichigo's handsome, heroic figure slowly emerge from the storming airflow on the screen…
Mashiro Kuna,
Lisa Yadomaru—
those two veteran pervs instantly got mesmerized!
Their eyes went hazy, practically turning into heart-shapes—so turned on their underwear wasn't even dry anymore!
Compared to before…
this Second-Generation Zangetsu upgrade added way too much charm to Ichigo.
Especially once his power returned, his gaze became even more confident, and his whole body gave off that mature-man hormone vibe!
Even through a transparent light-screen…
it really was ridiculously easy for other women to get completely captivated by him!!!
"Heh…"
"Seeing Ichigo Kurosaki getting stronger and stronger in the future…"
"I'm genuinely, sincerely happy for him!!!"
Beneath that flat-brim cap,
Shinji Hirako bared his teeth with a bright, hearty grin as he offered his congratulations.
Just earlier—
when Ichigo's Fullbring power got stolen—
as someone who still hadn't even properly met Ichigo yet but was already considered a future comrade…
Shinji had genuinely worried for a moment that Ichigo would take too big a hit, his resolve would shatter, and he'd spiral into total collapse!
Thankfully—
that worry was completely unnecessary.
With Zangetsu upgrading and evolving…
Ichigo's combat power was far beyond what it was back in the Hueco Mundo arc—stronger by an insane margin!
Shinji even felt that—
even if he went all-out, facing a normal, baseline Ichigo…
he honestly might not be able to gain any advantage at all!!!
"So, if that's the case…"
"Then this guy named Kūgo Ginjō should get taken out pretty soon."
"And this so-called Fullbring arc should be basically done airing any minute now…"
Kensei Muguruma stretched lazily, speaking with an easy, relaxed tone.
Even though—
Ginjō really was special.
As the leader of the Fullbring organization,
he was a rare human powerhouse who had both strength and scheming brains.
To be honest, he really was hard to deal with!
But…
he just had to mess with the protagonist!
And Ichigo's backing included the entire Gotei 13!
So, from the very beginning—
the sides were already decided.
Ginjō's defeat was only ever going to be a matter of time!!!
———
Sure enough.
What played next…
was exactly that—the later part of the fight fully showcased just how terrifyingly strong Ichigo's combat power had become!!!
"Release—!!!"
To counter Ichigo's pressure,
Kūgo Ginjō released as well, a powerful aura exploding out of his body.
And his appearance—
amid the surging spiritual-pressure shockwaves—shifted into another, more Hollow-like form!
Pure white hair.
No Hollow mask on his face—
but there was a striking red cross-shaped marking.
And behind his body—
there were wing-like, light-formed structures drifting and moving freely!
That distinctive design instantly caused a stir, boosting Ginjō's presence.
He hadn't even properly raised his weapon yet—
and at the very tip of his blade, he condensed and fired three shots of overwhelmingly powerful Cero-like blasts.
Inside Las Noches—
the entire Arrancar legion turned their heads in an instant!!!
"Hm?"
"I underestimated that guy…"
"Looks like this might actually be a fight on the level of 'a thousand blades'…"
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez raised an eyebrow in surprise, hands in his pockets.
Watching the full-screen explosions from those light-beam blasts,
he could only feel shocked.
He could sense the sheer power in Ginjō.
And it refreshed his ingrained stereotype about humans yet again.
So it wasn't just Ichigo alone.
There were other strong ones hidden in the human camp too!
In fact—
if he hadn't run into the protagonist…
if Ginjō had been allowed to keep growing…
sooner or later, he would've earned a seat among the strong in the world of Soul Reapers!!!
But right after Grimmjow said that—
what Ichigo did next was even harder to believe.
He raised a hand.
Didn't move an inch.
Faced with the incoming blasts—
Ichigo's eyes were calm, with absolutely no intention of using Second-Generation Zangetsu to block.
Instead—
he caught it barehanded!
In front of everyone watching, he tanked it with one hand, completely uninjured!
And the moment that happened—
it immediately made people recall that scene from back then, under the dome of Las Noches—
when the horned Ichigo fought the black-winged demon.
That powerhouse had used the same posture—
crushing the enemy's ultimate move with his bare hand and shattering that black-winged spear—Lanza del Relámpago (Spear of Lightning)!
Nobody expected that…
now…
after so little time had passed…
a normal, baseline Ichigo—just in Shikai (initial release), not even using Hollowfication yet—
could recreate that legendary moment!
It was completely beyond expectations, and it absolutely blew the audience's minds!!!
"Tsk tsk tsk…"
"Captain Aizen… Ichigo Kurosaki is terrifyingly strong."
"At this level, when he joins the Thousand-Year Blood War later…"
"Those pure-blood Quincies of the Wandenreich…"
"Even those arrogant Sternritter elites will still get absolutely manhandled by Ichigo…"
On his throne,
Gin Ichimaru opened his eyes slightly,
and deep within his gaze, intense admiration rose up.
That single scene alone
was already enough to prove Ichigo's current combat power!
The Espada—
couldn't even break his guard anymore.
And above that…
only Transcendents even had the right to fight Ichigo!
No wonder he was—
the most gifted training prodigy the Bleach world had ever seen!
In under three short years—
he'd already reached the pinnacle of what a Soul Reaper could be!!!
"Gin…"
"You're right…"
"When the gap in power is this huge, the outcome is already decided. Ginjō's role is over."
"And after watching this fight…"
"I'm even more excited to see just how strong Ichigo will be once he puts on a Hollow mask."
On his throne,
Sōsuke Aizen's eyes flashed as he spoke meaningfully.
Right now,
in his Soul Reaper state,
Aizen could clearly feel it too—
with Second-Generation Zangetsu in his hands, the threat Ichigo posed was enormous.
That oppressive pressure…
was something even Aizen couldn't dismiss lightly.
Not to mention—
after Hollowfication,
Ichigo's combat power would multiply again!!!
———
In the end—
Shunpo (Flash Step).
A flicker of his silhouette.
In Kūgo Ginjō's stunned gaze—
Ichigo closed in with Second-Generation Zangetsu in hand and slashed once at close range!
"Shhk—!!!"
A line of blood shot into the air.
Ginjō crashed down heavily, grievously wounded.
His eyes were full of unwillingness as his power dispersed…and he was defeated!
And that battle—
between two Soul King candidate figures—
ended with Ichigo's return as the victor!
The Fullbring arc's broadcast
also ended here, drawing the curtain closed!!!
———
"Heh…"
"Now that this arc is finished…"
"Next, it's finally time for the main course…"
Inside the Urahara Shop,
Kisuke Urahara shook his folding fan with a face full of anticipation.
"The Thousand-Year Blood War arc's biggest highlight is watching Ichigo save the world all by himself!"
"And also… whether that 'Zangetsu' of his will keep upgrading and evolving the way I predicted!"
"Will we see a Third-Generation Zangetsu born!!!"
Even now,
Urahara's conviction was firm.
Especially after seeing Second-Generation Zangetsu—
he was even more certain that in the future Thousand-Year Blood War arc…
it wouldn't just be Fullbring power—
but all of the various powers inside Ichigo—Soul Reaper, Hollow, pure-blood Quincy, and more—
merging into one!
That would forge Zangetsu's true form!
And it would absolutely be twin blades—
one symbolizing White Ichigo, and one symbolizing Old Man Zangetsu—
forming a harmonious path together… an invincible existence that would feel like a cheat code!!!
"Twin-blade Zangetsu?"
Yoruichi Shihōin's beautiful eyes shimmered with anticipation.
"A divine weapon like that… should have its stats maxed out, right?"
Back then…
people believed the Head Captain's Ryūjin Jakka (Flowing Blade-Like Flame)
was the strongest Zanpakutō in terms of raw attack power!
But now—
Yoruichi believed that after this ranking finished…
no one would think that anymore!
Ryūjin Jakka—
was already a relic of its era.
Now, Second-Generation Zangetsu—and even… the soon-to-be-revealed Third-Generation twin-blade Zangetsu—
those were the true "current patch" divine weapons!
The only Zanpakutō in the future that could actually break the defense of Soul King Yhwach!!!
———
Very soon—
not long after.
Under the eager gazes of Urahara and the others,
the darkened screen quickly lit up again.
The transparent light-screen flickered.
A new segment began to play—
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Evening.
At dusk.
Somewhere in Karakura Town's city area—
up in the air,
one blue spirit-particle shell after another—condensed from pure-blood Quincy weapons—
kept firing into the sky!
A chain of explosions erupted!
And through the smoke and shockwaves,
the audience could make out Ichigo Kurosaki's fighting silhouette.
And across from him—
that guy who was shouting provocations while clearly having the outward identity and appearance of an Arrancar…
yet held a Quincy weapon in his hand!
"?!"
"That guy is…"
"Azkielro Ebern!!!"
"Why is he holding a Quincy weapon?!"
"Even his fighting style is completely warped for an Arrancar!"
"He's a traitor, isn't he?!"
Inside Las Noches,
an uproar erupted.
Hollows and Arrancar stared at the screen for a few seconds, stunned—
then their expressions twisted into fury!
They had zero tolerance for the word "traitor"!
At the same time…
everyone instinctively pulled their gaze away,
trying to locate Azkielro Ebern inside the crowd immediately—
to drag that shameless traitor out on the spot!!!
"Oh my…"
"Captain Aizen… so that's how it is."
"In the original timeline, after you were sealed away and imprisoned in Muken…"
"Hueco Mundo turned into a scattered mess again—and even the Arrancar started betraying you and defecting to the Wandenreich…"
Gin Ichimaru's eyes narrowed into a sly arc as he deliberately added fuel to the fire.
At that moment—
while he was talking—
Azkielro Ebern's figure, trembling violently, tried to curl up in a corner…
but he was still found.
Then other Arrancar brutally hurled him into the middle of the hall.
He knelt there in terror, right below the throne!
"A-Aizen… my lord…"
From sheer, overwhelming fear,
Azkielro Ebern was completely broken—his face turned sallow and bloodless.
Faced with this sudden exposure of the future, even he looked utterly stunned.
But the ranking video's footage…
was something that would truly happen.
Which meant—
no matter how hard Azkielro Ebern tried to argue or lie—
the traitor label
was already proven.
And especially with Hueco Mundo's ruler present—
this kind of betrayal
was absolute treason, a crime worthy of death!!!
The harshest punishment was inevitable!!!
"Tch…"
Before Aizen even spoke,
Grimmjow's face turned vicious as he mocked with clear killing intent.
"Azkielro Ebern… you piece of trash!"
"As an Arrancar, you shamelessly betrayed Hueco Mundo—then you went crawling to the Wandenreich instead!"
"Becoming a dog for those pure-blood Quincies—looking for death!!!"
Compared to Soul Reapers—
strictly speaking,
Quincies were the natural enemy of Hollows! Completely incompatible—unable to coexist—only able to annihilate each other!
So this only made Azkielro Ebern's crime even more obvious.
It was unforgivable!!!
"Hand him over to me for the execution."
Before the other Espada could even judge him—
Ulquiorra Cifer, who had been influenced by the battle under the dome and stayed silent ever since…
spoke flatly.
The moment those words left his mouth—
his figure was already in front of Azkielro Ebern!
"N-no…"
"Lord Ulquiorra…"
"Please, spare me… that was just a clip of footage…"
"I never had any intention of betraying Hueco Mundo or Lord Aizen!"
His voice shook with terror,
mixed with unmistakable sobbing.
Azkielro Ebern was never one of "their kind."
He was a sinner who deserved death!
And executing a traitor in public
was also clearly a way to vent the humiliation and resentment Ulquiorra had bottled up ever since getting brutally beaten down by the horned Ichigo!
"Ulquiorra—well done."
From atop the throne,
Aizen's approving voice rang out.
"Your loyalty is as excellent as ever. You haven't disappointed me…"
"That's enough about the traitor."
"I assume everyone present…"
"…won't produce a second Azkielro Ebern."
Aizen's mouth curved into a faint smile.
Even though he knew full well that he no longer truly intended to manage Hueco Mundo—
those words,
once they reached the Arrancar,
still made cold sweat break out across everyone's backs.
One by one, they lowered their heads and affirmed their loyalty to Aizen!!!
———
Meanwhile—
in the footage, the future Azkielro Ebern's words could be heard again, as he fought Ichigo and kept pressing him:
"Ichigo Kurosaki—understand this!"
"If you don't release it…"
"you can't defeat me at all…"
In an instant—
most of the audience spotted the problem.
It outright exposed Azkielro Ebern's intent!
And it shocked them.
So even this outsider Arrancar—
after defecting to the Wandenreich—
also believed he had a method to plunder a Zanpakutō's power?
If that was the case—
then the Wandenreich's true powerhouses…
just imagining it would be even more insane!
No wonder…
in the Thousand-Year Blood War,
the Gotei 13 lost so horribly at the start.
This kind of power-stealing method…
was an absolute hard counter to all Zanpakutō!!!
(End of Chapter)
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