Chapter 197: The Final Getsuga Tenshō (Extended Chapter)
Raging flames consumed the newly formed canyon. Above this sea of fire, after the Reiatsu projectile Aizen had fired was shattered head-on, Ichigo's figure slowly emerged from within the rising inferno.
Observing Kurosaki Ichigo standing amidst the sea of flames, Aizen walked to the cliff's edge as though taking a leisurely stroll. At this moment, he resembled an Arrancar more than any actual Arrancar ever had. As the sea of flames spread outward, the surrounding space faintly displayed signs of distortion. The suffocating Reiatsu swayed with wild abandon, as though this world could be overturned at any moment.
"I see. So the attack just now caused injuries to that extent? But your left hand can no longer be used!"
At this moment, Ichigo within the sea of flames was extending his left hand to block before himself. Most of his black shihakushō had been torn apart in the previous explosion. For Shinigami, the death garment covering their body represented the manifestation of their own Reiatsu. When Reiatsu became depleted, a Shinigami's uniform would also sustain damage throughout battle.
Beyond the wear and tear on his death garment, most critically, the skin of Kurosaki Ichigo's left hand had been severely burned by the extreme temperatures. His entire arm existed in a state of serious injury.
Seeing that Kurosaki Ichigo had been wounded, Aizen no longer held back as he typically would. He leaped high into the air, dove down from the cliff, and rushed toward Kurosaki Ichigo's position.
Aizen flew before Ichigo with tremendous speed, extending his hand to directly seize his opponent's throat. The skulls on the wing ridge behind him transformed once more. They expanded rapidly, forming a cage that trapped Kurosaki Ichigo firmly within its confines.
Ichigo, caught by Aizen's grip, appeared to have lost all his strength. His arms hung limp at his sides, allowing the other party to taunt him freely. "Listen to me, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
"You temporarily broke the boundary between Hollow and Shinigami and became a transcendent being, but now you've lost that power. What a shame!"
"At present, you don't even possess the value that would make me want to understand you more deeply. You—a loser—will soon be dispatched to hell by me, a fellow transcendent!"
"After I completely eradicate you, I can finally bid farewell to such inferior existences as Shinigami and Hollow. It's over, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
"You say it's all over?"
Accompanying Aizen's hysterical roar, Ichigo's calm voice emerged once more. At this moment, Ichigo seemed to have regained his clarity of mind. He stared at Aizen and spoke softly: "Is this truly the extent of your capabilities?"
After those words fell, Kurosaki Ichigo no longer permitted Aizen to restrain him. He swung his right hand with tremendous force, and a shockwave struck outward. Aizen's wing ridges shattered, and his entire form was forced backward several steps by the surging air pressure.
"Forget it, Aizen."
"I've heard enough of your nonsense!"
"Let me show you—this is the final..."
After raising his hand to repel Aizen, Kurosaki Ichigo placed the palm of his left hand gently against his right arm and slowly exhaled. "Getsuga Tenshō!"
BOOM!
An enormous beam of blue light shot skyward, penetrating directly into the heavens. Aizen, who had finally achieved complete fusion with the Hōgyoku, stood stunned by that terrifying power.
In an instant, the Reiatsu released from Kurosaki Ichigo directly blanketed the entire canyon. That genuine, overwhelming spiritual pressure finally made Aizen realize that Kurosaki Ichigo's existence stood above his own.
After a moment, Aizen looked at Ichigo's new form with utter disbelief, unable to restrain himself from asking: "What is happening with your appearance...?"
However, Aizen's question received no answer. After releasing his Reiatsu, Ichigo merely shifted slightly, and an immense wave of spiritual pressure rolled toward Aizen in an instant.
BOOM!
Facing such overwhelming Reiatsu, Aizen had no choice but to raise both hands before his body defensively. After the smoke dissipated, his entire form was wrapped in bandages. His right hand and lower body exuded ink-like black spiritual particles that floated toward the sky in the form of smoke.
"The so-called Final Getsuga Tenshō—it means that I become the Getsuga itself!"
"The Final Getsuga Tenshō—if I use this technique, I will lose all Shinigami power afterward. The term 'final' carries precisely that meaning!"
Witnessing Kurosaki Ichigo's transformed state, Aizen's eyes widened in renewed shock. He couldn't perceive any Reiatsu within Kurosaki Ichigo's body whatsoever—just as before. Aizen understood perfectly well that at this moment, he and Kurosaki Ichigo existed like beings from separate dimensions—two-dimensional versus three-dimensional.
Not only could he not interfere with the other party—he couldn't even perceive him unless Ichigo consciously lowered his own dimensional level to enable interaction.
Impossible... absolutely impossible! Although he'd already formed a hypothesis in his heart, Aizen would never admit that the Kurosaki Ichigo standing before him had surpassed himself and become a higher-dimensional existence. If dimensions could be breached so easily, then his own tireless efforts and countless years of dedicated work would amount to nothing!
Thinking thus, bitterness and grievance flooded into Aizen's heart instantaneously. Aizen—who had always possessed such rich composure and excelled at manipulating others with words—finally couldn't restrain himself. For the first time, he cursed aloud: "How could such a thing occur? How can a mere human surpass me? This kind of thing—"
However, before Aizen finished speaking, Kurosaki Ichigo grasped at empty air with his right hand. A blade transformed from Kurosaki's essence materialized in his opponent's grip. Then, beneath Aizen's despairing gaze, Ichigo swung down the blade that silenced the entire world.
"Mugetsu—"
At this instant, the whole world fell into absolute silence. The monochrome image seemed to freeze all existence. The only thing that moved was the blade that penetrated reality itself—spreading for more than ten miles, directly tearing Aizen in half.
Not only that—the remaining sword pressure swept Aizen's severed body into its wake, and the terrifying Reiatsu instantly began dissolving his form.
Ten seconds later, the world returned to its previous coloration once more. After unleashing Mugetsu, Ichigo slowly descended to the ground. The bandages wrapped around his face and upper body also began shattering at this moment, transforming into spirit particles that dissipated into the air.
Ichigo, believing everything had concluded, was about to release a sigh of relief when he heard the sound of something falling not far away. Turning his body, he witnessed Aizen's bisected form actually lying on the ground. Under the Hōgyoku's effects, his body displayed a gradual tendency toward healing.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Kurosaki Ichigo watched as Aizen's body—severed in two—rapidly mended itself, returning to its previous appearance within a short span.
"Is he regenerating?"
Observing this scene, Ichigo didn't dare hesitate. From a distance of several hundred meters, he appeared beside Aizen in a flash. Seeing Aizen slowly rising to his feet, just as Ichigo prepared to act, a profound sense of weakness struck him. The black coloration of his hair faded, turning yellow. The last remaining spirit particles covering his body's surface also vanished from his form.
Ichigo's footsteps swayed unsteadily. He attempted to force himself to maintain his balance, but after complete energy depletion, he still collapsed to his knees uncontrollably.
"This is bad—my Shinigami power is fading away!" Ichigo thought anxiously, his brow furrowing.
Suddenly, there was movement before him. Aizen's body had completely healed, but his previously evolved form had also—under the impact of Kurosaki Ichigo's Mugetsu—caused him to fall from grace. He'd returned to his Shinigami appearance from before breaking the chrysalis.
"Hah..."
Aizen took a deep breath, twisted his neck, raised the broken Zanpakutō in his hand, and addressed Kurosaki Ichigo: "You lose, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
At this moment, the remnant of the Zanpakutō in Aizen's hand was gradually turning to powder and disappearing bit by bit. Yet Aizen spoke even more arrogantly: "Look—my Zanpakutō is vanishing. You should understand what this signifies, correct?"
"This means the Hōgyoku has rendered judgment, indicating that I no longer require a Zanpakutō—just like you who recently fused with yours and obtained higher-dimensional evolution!"
"No—at present, I have ascended to an even higher level than you, who have lost your strength. This will be the final time I speak to you!"
"It's finished! Kurosaki Ichigo!"
But Aizen's arrogant smile hadn't yet faded when a crimson light appeared on his chest, followed by several red beams emerging from other parts of his body.
"What is this? What's happening here?"
"Kidō? When was this placed?" As Ichigo raised his head and observed this scene with confusion, Urahara Kisuke's voice arrived belatedly. "It seems it's finally activated."
"Urahara Kisuke?!"
The moment Aizen saw the man before him, he immediately comprehended everything. At this instant, Aizen pointed at the man with fury and demanded: "Was all of this your doing?"
"That's correct!"
Hearing Aizen's question, Urahara Kisuke admitted his plan without the slightest hesitation. "That Kidō—I used other techniques to inject it into your body when you were most relaxed, before you'd fully evolved."
"It's a seal!"
"When I learned you'd merged with the Hōgyoku, I deduced it would be nearly impossible to kill you. Therefore, in order to seal you away, I developed a new Kidō specifically for this purpose."
Hearing Urahara Kisuke's composed response, Aizen sneered and replied: "Really? How unfortunate. Now I've evolved to a new realm. With Kidō of your caliber, attempting to seal me is nothing but a pipe dream!"
Seeing that Aizen remained immersed in his delusion, Urahara Kisuke sighed. He stared at Aizen coldly and spoke with perfect calm: "Here it comes!"
"What's coming?"
Aizen, still unable to comprehend what Urahara Kisuke meant, suddenly found the milky-white Reiatsu shell covering his entire body beginning to shatter, revealing his original form beneath.
"What... what is happening here?"
At this moment, Aizen finally panicked. If he'd been capable of self-deception before, then the scene unfolding now made him stare at his own hands, unable to prevent their trembling.
"That represents the Hōgyoku's will. The seal I injected into your body at that time—the reason it's activating now is because your power has been gradually weakening. Thanks to Kurosaki for that!" Urahara Kisuke looked at Kurosaki Ichigo, who had lost his Shinigami power, and spoke with genuine emotion.
"Because he fought against you and pushed you to this critical point, the seal I implanted was successfully activated. In other words, the current Hōgyoku no longer recognizes you as its master!"
"You claim I don't understand the Hōgyoku I created myself? No, Aizen!"
"It's precisely because I understand the Hōgyoku's power far too well that I sealed it away afterward!"
After hearing these words from Urahara Kisuke, Aizen finally broke down completely. He looked at his arm and kept muttering: "How is this possible? How could such a thing happen?!"
"This is impossible!"
However, as those words fell, the seal Urahara Kisuke had placed within his body finally activated completely. Bang! Bang! Bang! Several crimson beams of light shot forth from Aizen's body.
"Urahara..."
"Urahara Kisuke—I despise you!"
"With a mind like yours, why didn't you take action? Why did you surrender to something like that?"
Aizen, knowing he was doomed, struggled forward toward where Urahara Kisuke stood, cursing as he advanced.
"Something like that? You mean... the Soul King?"
At this moment, Urahara Kisuke closed his eyes, then slowly reopened them. "Well, you've witnessed it. But if the Soul King were to disappear, then Soul Society would be torn apart entirely."
"The Soul King serves as the lynchpin. Once that lynchpin is lost, the entire world will collapse with ease."
"The so-called world... is precisely such a construct!"
"You're spouting nothing but a loser's philosophy. The victor never speaks lightly about how the world exists—instead, they emphasize how the world should exist. I—"
Accompanying Aizen's final word—"I"—this generation's Soul Society hero had completely reached his own conclusion. His entire body transformed into three crossed sword-like objects standing upright in place.
This scene made even the sympathetic Kurosaki Ichigo unable to bear watching directly. He closed his eyes and turned his head aside.
"This time... it's truly finished!"
Urahara Kisuke placed his hands in his pockets and walked toward the Kōryū prison that had sealed Aizen away.
"Manager Urahara, at the very end... what do you think Aizen was contemplating?"
Seeing Urahara Kisuke retrieve the Kōryū seal, Kurosaki Ichigo also rose to his feet with difficulty, speaking with a lonely expression.
"Aizen? I don't know!"
Urahara Kisuke hesitated for a moment, then finally shook his head and sighed. "By the way, Kurosaki, when you went to Hueco Mundo—"
Just as Urahara Kisuke wanted to inquire about what had transpired when Kurosaki Ichigo traveled to Hueco Mundo, a series of deliberate applause emerged from behind the two.
"That was beautifully executed, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
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ok this is the end..of volume 1 but thing is this isn't a complete FIC, well I don't have the complete FIC.So you can stop here and be done with this fic, because I'll continue translating/editing the rest of the chapters I have, which is about 30-40 chaps.
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30+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces