“Hey there,” the two greeted simultaneously.
“You’ve got a sturdy build, don’t you?”
“I suppose,” Chad replied, glancing at the masks on their faces.
“Those masks…
are they Hollow masks?”
“Oh, these!” Love Aikawa brushed a hand across his face, and the mask dissolved into particles of Reishi that scattered into the air.
“It’s like a superhero thing—it only lasts for five minutes.
Five minutes.”
“It’s a Shinigami’s Hollowfication,” Ichigo explained.
“Every soul has its own limit.
Just as an ordinary soul can never become a Shinigami no matter how hard they try, the same applies to Shinigami.
An average Shinigami can’t break through their limits to master the power of Bankai and become a Captain.”
“…And the way to break those limits is through Hollowfication?”
“Pretty much.
Whether it’s the Hollowfication of a Shinigami or the Shinigami-fication of a Hollow, both are means of breaking species-defined limits.” Ichigo scratched his head.
“But there are two downsides to this method.
First, it’s far too dangerous.
Whether you’re a Shinigami or a Hollow, the process can cause the spiritual body to collapse.”
“Second, based on the successful cases, the path to breaking species limits this way is actually quite short.
Just like them, the duration of the Hollowfication isn’t long, and the increase in strength is relatively limited.”
“I see…” Chad nodded.
For a brief moment, he wondered if he, as a human, could use a similar method to increase his own power.
“Relying on external forces for power is actually meaningless,” Ichigo said, drawing the Zanpakutō from his back and waist.
“Even they didn’t master the ability of Hollowfication of their own free will.”
‘The mastermind behind it all…
Sōsuke Aizen…’
“Oh—that bastard Urahara already told you guys, huh?” Ichigo shook his head and stretched his limbs slightly before shouting toward the Visoreds, “Hey!
Let’s get this started!”
“Tsk!” Shinji Hirako clicked his tongue.
“Again?
You’ve gotta be kidding.”
“What?
Scared?” Ichigo mocked.
“You were all Captains and Lieutenants a hundred years ago; are you really this cowardly?”
“You brat, Ichigo!” With a shock of blonde hair, Hiyori Sarugaki leaped forward, her expression arrogant.
“Who the hell is scared of you?!”
“Even better!”
Without another word, carrying a large cleaver in his right hand and a short blade in his left, Ichigo launched himself forward like an arrow released from a bow.
Be severed!
Beheaded Great Serpent!”
Hiyori brushed her left hand across her forehead, and a white mask with pointed horns appeared on her face.
Simultaneously, she drew her Zanpakutō.
As she shouted the release command, the blade transformed into a massive, serrated sword, swinging toward Ichigo with a violent aura.
*Clang!*
“Too weak!”
The moment the two blades collided, Hiyori was sent flying backward like a cannonball.
A hairline crack even appeared on her mask, testifying to the sheer force of the impact.
*Swish!*
The sound of air being sliced echoed from behind.
Ichigo twisted his body, meeting the attack with the short blade in his left hand just as Shinji, wearing a samurai-style mask, brought his sword down.
The instant the blades clashed, a spear lunged from the side.
Ichigo swung his large blade again, forcing Shinji back, while simultaneously swinging his short blade to block the side attack.
“Your reactions are a bit slow, Ichigo!”
Before he could move again, a golden whip flew down from above.
Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, dressed in Western attire and wearing a pointed-beak mask, launched an attack from his vantage point.
“Tch!”
A golden light flashed, condensing onto the length of the large blade.
With a wide, powerful swing, the blade sliced past the owner of the spear—Lisa Yadōmaru, who wore a sailor outfit and a cross-shaped mask—and struck Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi in mid-air.
*Boom!*
A massive golden slash erupted.
Lisa leaped away instantly, but the golden whip couldn’t be retracted in time.
After a brief attempt to block, both the whip and its master were engulfed in the golden explosion.
“I’m not done yet!”
Having just repaired her mask, Hiyori descended from the sky with her serrated blade gripped in both hands, attempting to crush her opponent with the weight of a mountain.
“Super Kick!”
At the same moment, Mashiro Kuna, with her green hair and insect-style mask, attacked from behind.
Although she wasn’t skilled in using the power of a Zanpakutō, this strike in her Hollowfication state was nearly at the level of a Captain!
“I told you…
you’re all too slow!”
Before the words had even faded, the large blade in Ichigo’s right hand swung again.
Just as at the start of the fight, Hiyori was blasted away.
This time, upon landing, the hands gripping her blade trembled uncontrollably; it took her a long while to recover.
In the next instant, Ichigo spun around and delivered a side-kick that caught Mashiro Kuna first.
The blow shattered half of the mask she took such pride in. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
*Sizzle—*
At that exact moment, several orange cubic forms suddenly appeared in front of Ichigo.
Hachigen Ushōda, wearing an Indian-style mask, joined the fray after deploying dozens of barriers to prevent the leakage of Reiatsu.
*Boom!*
Before Ichigo could react, the cubes expanded rapidly and detonated, sending plumes of white smoke everywhere.
“He really is a monster…” Shinji didn’t rush in, a cold sweat trickling down his face.
“I feel like he’s even stronger than before.”
“Is there a possibility,” Ichigo said calmly as golden Reiatsu soared into the sky and dispersed the white smoke, leaving him completely unscathed, “that you guys have just gotten weaker?”
“Tsk!”
“Don’t underestimate us, you brat!”
The spear lunged again, thrusting straight toward Ichigo.
However, Lisa Yadōmaru’s angry strike was effortlessly blocked by his short blade.
With a light flick, Ichigo took a massive step forward and brought his large blade crashing down.
“Waaaaah!!”
The roar preceded the person.
A massive spiked club descended from the sky, forcing Ichigo to halt his attack and raise his right hand to block the heavy weapon horizontally.
His left hand didn’t stay idle; a flash of golden light appeared as another slash flew out toward Lisa.
*Boom!!*
The moment the large blade clashed with the spiked club, a thunderous roar erupted, kicking up clouds of dust.
Yet, Ichigo’s knees didn’t even bend; he took the crushing blow head-on with raw strength.
“So…
so strong…”
Chad and Orihime watched in stunned silence.
The intense exchange of attacks had only lasted a few seconds, but in those few seconds, they felt that if they were in his place, they would have died countless times over.
“But…”
“Why aren’t they using Bankai, right?”
Kensei Muguruma walked past them.
He hadn’t participated in the previous clash, not because he was unwilling, but because he needed a moment to prepare on the sidelines.
“Y-yes,” Orihime nodded.
“The Reiatsu of the Visoreds is all around Captain-level, so some of them should be able to use Bankai, but they haven’t…”
“As the ultimate secret art of the Shinigami, Bankai is naturally the most powerful tool.”
“However, because it is so powerful, it is difficult for the user to contain that power within a small area.
Most of our Bankai are not suited for this kind of group brawl; it’s too easy to accidentally injure teammates.” As Kensei spoke, his Reiatsu gradually rose to its peak.
“Fortunately, my Bankai is quite suited for this situation.
It won’t take too much time.”
“Bankai—Tekken Tachikaze!”