Chapter 23: Transformation and Instant-Kills Are the Irresistible Specialties of a Soul Reaper
Inside Ichigo Kurosaki's body, Old Man Zangetsu maintained his eternally stylish pose, standing indifferently and overlooking everything. However, beneath his tea-colored sunglasses, his eyes shimmered with a faint, strange light.
As Ichigo's Purity continued to climb, the scenery of his inner world underwent constant mutation. The landscape of skyscrapers was shattering, replaced by rugged mountains constructed of bone and metal. These mountains interlaced to form a majestic range that propped up the earth, while rivers of fire flowed through the valleys. Sudden claps of thunder boomed, creating a rhythm like a surging tide.
If the previous urban landscape, occasionally covered in storm clouds, symbolized the "ordinary human" side of Ichigo's heart, then at this moment, his inner self was being filled with Ultimate Purity.
The mountains of bone and iron formed the foundation of his soul, the rivers of fire were his burning thoughts, and the thunder was his passionate roar.
Witnessing Ichigo evolve from a confused mortal to such a formidable powerhouse in just a few days, Old Man Zangetsu felt a faint sense of gratification. Of course, he felt it would be even better if the mountains of bone didn't suddenly take flight to smash into the ground like meteors, if the rivers of fire didn't spiral into the sky as tsunamis, and if the thunder didn't fall as an all-encompassing electrical storm.
The mental imagery was powerful but disordered and violent—a sign that while Ichigo had transformed, he was still unstable. Or rather, since Ichigo now fought like a "Reishi Madman," his inner world had turned just as "mad" as he was.
At that moment, driven by Ichigo's peerless will hungering for power, waves rose once more within the inner world. Old Man Zangetsu felt an irresistible suction force trying to pull him out.
Zangetsu frowned slightly. It wasn't that he was unwilling to respond, but the pride inherited from Yhwach made it impossible for him to tolerate Ichigo "dragging" him out in such an irreverent manner. Thus, Zangetsu lowered his gaze toward the edge of his cloak—toward White Ichigo, who had broken through the suppression and poked half his body out, only to be beaten into a coma earlier.
"Ichigo... since you desire power so greatly, then make good use of your power..."
Zangetsu further released the power of suppression. In the next instant, a slightly illusory figure was pulled out from Ichigo's body.
In posture, it looked exactly like Ichigo wearing his Shihakusho (Soul Reaper uniform), but his body and clothes were entirely white. This figure was quite strange; despite radiating an absolute aura of majesty, it appeared to be in a deep sleep upon manifestation.
Ichigo didn't know what was happening, but his Purity told him that this was his power. Following the enlightenment born of Purity, Ichigo pushed this white figure forward without restraint:
"Power! Go all out and blast the enemy into oblivion, dammit!!!!"
Disturbed by Ichigo's will, the pure white figure slowly opened its eyes. The eyes were black with yellow pupils—like a lion or a tiger—possessing a savage and violent aura that could swallow the world!
The owner of those eyes looked around in a daze, seemingly not understanding what was happening. But before he could react, he found his body flying forward uncontrollably, moving faster and faster until he became a meteor.
At this time, Grand Fisher was ready:
"Kurosaki-kun! To think your Purity could break through again in such a situation... what a surprise! I won't disappoint you either; I will crush you utterly with my strongest Fist of Purity! ORA ORA ORA ORA...!"
Before the white figure could react, it was subjected to a forceful "Ora-Ora" barrage from Fisher's iron fists of peerless Purity. To use a manga metaphor, he was "Ora'd" for three whole pages—thousands of punches in the blink of an eye.
With his face nearly beaten swollen, White Ichigo finally snapped out of it. He let out a roar of grief and indignation:
"Ichigo! You animal! If you're going to call me out, at least wake me up first!!!"
Caught off guard, White Ichigo tanked Fisher's entire combo. His already illusory figure was blasted apart, but he possessed an extraordinary nature; before dissipating, he launched a counter-attack. Using his hand like a blade, he left a deep gash on Fisher's body.
The edges of the wound were jagged, as if gnawed on by a beast. Even with Fisher using his peerless Purity to push his High-Speed Regeneration repeatedly, he couldn't fully recover instantly.
Seeing this, Ichigo's aura became even more savage. He burned his Purity recklessly, vowing to turn the impossible into the possible:
"It's not enough! It's still far from enough! More! Stronger power! Get the hell out here and go all out with me! Let us slaughter and fight, dammit!!!"
Inside Ichigo's inner world, Old Man Zangetsu felt a summoning force even stronger than before. He raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze again to White Ichigo—who had just been brutally beaten back into the soul, clutching his face in pain and feeling dizzy. Zangetsu smiled slightly and shifted the summoning force onto him:
"Beast. Your King is still calling for you. Go..."
"Wait, WHAT!?"
Whitey turned his head in shock, but before he could ask, he was sucked away with a whoosh.
Outside Ichigo's body, the phantom of White Ichigo appeared again. Before he could regain his senses, he heard Ichigo's manic roar:
"My power! Use your strongest killing force to slay the enemy completely, dammit!!!"
Seeing his body about to fly toward the enemy again, White Ichigo lunged and grabbed Ichigo's arm, screaming at the top of his lungs: "YOU ANIMAL! STOP IT!!! I am not a Qi blast! Stop throwing me at the enemy like a cheap disposable projectile! Let me teach you how to use me...!"
Ichigo hadn't expected the power summoned by his Purity to possess such sapience, let alone offer to teach him. He didn't overthink it; in his mind, Ultimate Purity was a power that made the impossible possible, so making power talk was just a minor trick.
White Ichigo gripped Ichigo's hand and transformed into a streak of light, merging into Ichigo's body.
"Watch closely. I'm only teaching you this once. This is how I am used..."
In the next instant, Ichigo froze. The bone mask on his face suddenly cracked. The cracks spread like wildfire, and in the blink of an eye, the mask shattered. His hair turned white and began to grow rapidly until it reached his waist.
In the basement of Urahara's shop, Shinji Hirako watched in shock: "Why did Kurosaki-kun suddenly deactivate his Hollowfication?"
Kisuke Urahara frowned deeply, checking the data on his instruments. "He didn't deactivate it. On the contrary... his Hollowfication has evolved even further."
Watching the scene in person, Aizen felt a bolt of lightning strike his mind. He couldn't help but cry out internally:
"Is this... a Second-Stage Resurrección at the level of an Espada?"
The bone mask shattered and turned into a liquid-like substance, flowing over Ichigo's body to form a white combat robe. Finally, atop his head, pitch-black horns manifested like a crown.
Fisher braced himself. Although Ichigo had lost the mask that symbolized a Hollow, the dangerous aura radiating from him was increasing frantically—surging and exploding until it reached an utterly terrifying level.
Even the heavens seemed shaken. Vast clouds gathered, forming a rolling vortex with Ichigo at the center. In the next instant, the transformed Ichigo looked up and let out a roar.
The vortex of clouds was blasted apart. A terrifying sonic wave echoed through all of Karakura Town. The martial artists watching the battle were aghast; the sheer pressure of the soundwave made it impossible to maintain their balance, forcing them to stumble.
Fisher wasn't terrified; instead, he felt confused. From Ichigo's roar, he sensed an irrepressible sadness. He couldn't help but ask:
"Kurosaki-kun... why are you so sad?"
Ichigo lowered his head to look at Fisher. A bizarre double-voice escaped his lips, as if two people were speaking in unison:
"This power is stronger than I anticipated. Simply maintaining this form has pushed my Purity to a precarious brink. But what truly makes me sad is that this pleasant match has reached its finale. You can no longer provide me with enjoyment. Fisher... you will die very soon..."
Fisher's pupils shrank, and he grew angry. "Kurosaki-kun, if you think you can shake my fighting spirit with such words, I can only say—"
Fisher didn't finish his sentence, because he saw Ichigo take a single step forward.
Was it really just one step?
Fisher couldn't be sure, because Ichigo's figure had completely vanished from his senses. No, more accurately, after taking that step, Ichigo's silhouette split infinitely, filling Fisher's sight, hearing, and spiritual perception.
By the time he regained his senses, Fisher had no idea how many punches he had taken. His "invincible" Hierro had been pulverized by the endless assault, leaving him lying on the ground like a tattered rag.
Ichigo's figure reappeared. Looking down at the fallen Fisher, he said calmly with his double-voice:
"That was just the prelude of a greeting, not a true attack. The next strike will be the end. Although using a full-power Ultimate on a dying opponent with zero HP seems cruel, please forgive me. This is, after all, the first meaningful slaughter for a sixteen-year-old boy who has just stepped into the world of martial arts. It is understandable to use a bit too much force..."
Gasping for breath, Fisher heard the uncontrollable pity in Ichigo's voice. He struggled to speak:
"Exploding with absolute power and absolute speed... a maximum effort dash and punch... thousands, tens of thousands of strikes in an instant... such a sharp and incredible Finisher, yet you avoided all my vitals. That 'greeting' was just because you feared I would die without even knowing how, wasn't it? Kurosaki-kun... you are so gentle... and so... ARROGANT!"
Fisher's gaze began to wander. Through Ichigo's silhouette, he seemed to recall forgotten memories.
That year, beneath the cold, sinister moon of Hueco Mundo... three figures had stood just as arrogantly, overlooking everything with indifference. At that time, Fisher was huddled among a mass of Hollows, like lowly dust, arrogantly trampled and coldly ignored. Whether he lived or died meant nothing to the truly strong...
That moment was exactly like this moment!
"Kurosaki-kun... your arrogance makes me feel hatred from the bottom of my heart..."
He didn't hate Ichigo; he hated himself. He hated the weak, powerless self that caused his opponent to feel disappointment and pity.
Clenching his fists, Fisher struggled to his feet. He took an attacking stance.
"No one gets to pity me. No one gets to ignore me. I will use power to prove that your arrogance... is a mistake that invites death!"
Fisher struck back against Ichigo's arrogance with this unyielding posture, but he already sensed the end. He knew his strength was spent and his potential had been tapped dry.
People are born different, even in the realm of martial arts.
But Fisher didn't care. With absolute will, he burned his Purity to the limit to call for... power.
In a trance, a treacherous illusion hit him. Fisher saw the scenery of Hueco Mundo again, and that sinister, Ancient Moon. The Ancient Moon grew larger and larger, eventually transforming into a majestic existence that covered the sky.
That majestic being opened an invisible mouth and took a bite.
In the next instant, a crack appeared on Fisher's chest. As the being continued to "feed," the crack spread and became a hollow hole.
Fisher could feel that greatness devouring his inner self. It was so vast, yet so cold and unfeeling. Its will was only to eat, but it instinctively chose the "hot, warm food"—the most burning emotions and memories in the depths of the soul.
As he was devoured by that being, a foreign infection occurred simultaneously. The power of a Hollow—Rot and Corruption—flowed out, infecting his whole body. Fisher glimpsed how the monsters called Hollows were born and felt the entire process of being consumed.
"If dying here at Ichigo's hands is my irreversible fate, I accept it with joy! Devour everything I am! My only request is to give me power—power that will never make Ichigo feel disappointed! AHHHHHHHH!!!"
His extreme and decisive will, through the burning of Purity, turned into a deafening roar as he prayed to that unseen, majestic existence!
In that treacherous vision, the majestic being seemed to hear a voice for the first time. For the first time, it had a reaction other than "eating." It looked at Fisher and slowly opened its mouth, swallowing him whole.
At this moment, seeing Fisher's unyielding stance, Ichigo lowered his eyes and said softly:
"Fisher. This is the final attack. Absolute Realm 50% Output... Getsuga Tensho Shun-Goku-Satsu (Instant Prison Murder)!"
Announcing the move was Ichigo's final respect. He took a step forward and transformed into a streak of light charging through heaven and earth.
The light exploded. In this instant, infinite Ichigos bombarded Fisher.
Facing the incoming destructive attack, Fisher clenched his fist with unprecedented power. In this moment, he felt he was no longer himself, but a reflection of a majestic being in the mortal world. Will and emotions that did not belong to him condensed in his fist.
"With this fist, I shall knock upon the gates of the Lunar Heaven! With this fist, I shall manifest the power of the Moon Lord in the mortal world! Take all of my power! This punch is called... The Gate of Heaven!"
Amidst his roar, Fisher threw the punch with all his might. In the clash of power and the booming roar, he gradually dissolved into ash. The shockwave of the blast expanded frantically, sweeping away all the nearby martial artists.
When the dust settled, only Ichigo remained, his long hair and black horns gradually fading. He stood in the center of the crater, looking at the spot where Fisher had vanished. He lowered his head to look at the irreparable fist-print on his chest. A raging fire burned in his heart—it was anger, but also a lack of closure.
Fisher's final punch had never truly finished. It was barely a starting movement before his body could no longer handle the power and he turned to ash.
Ichigo would never know the true magnitude of that punch.
End of Chapter
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