Little Ichigo did not hear the frantic calls from his mother behind him.
There was only one thought in his mind: he wanted to protect more, to save more—not just his mother and sister, but everyone.
This desire to protect had been etched deep into his heart and soul for as long as Little Ichigo could remember.
It started with his mother, then his sister.
As the eldest son of the family, he felt it was his duty to keep them safe.
He held this conviction firmly in his heart; it was the reason he pushed himself at the karate dojo, striving to become stronger so he could better protect his family.
He moved quickly, and since the distance was already short, he was only a few steps away from the small figure.
He could now clearly see who it was—a little girl.
She stood motionless, facing the rushing currents of the river.
“What are you doing!” Little Ichigo shouted, his hand nearly reaching the girl’s clothes.
*Slash—*
The sound of a whip cutting through the air rang out.
Simultaneously, for some reason, a flash of white light blinded Little Ichigo’s vision, and in the next instant, he lost consciousness.
“Ichigo!”
In the moment before Little Ichigo blacked out, his mother, who had been on the opposite side of the road, suddenly appeared by his side.
It was at that exact moment that a thick whip materialized without warning, lunging directly toward Ichigo.
Just as the whip was about to strike, his mother pulled Little Ichigo in front of her, using her own back to shield him from the fatal blow.
*Rip—*
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The whip tore ruthlessly through her completely defenseless back, acting like a giant blade.
It left a wound so deep that the bone was visible, and blood began to flow uncontrollably.
‘How is this possible…?
Why didn’t the Blut Vene protect me…?
No, it’s not that it didn’t protect me—I couldn’t activate the Blut Vene.
Could…
could that legend be true?!’
*Thud.*
His mother collapsed heavily to the ground, pinning Little Ichigo beneath her.
‘Why now…
is Ichigo’s unconsciousness because of this too…?
Damn it!
The timing couldn’t be worse!’
“Oh?”
A voice tinged with surprise rang out.
Then, a monster covered in grey fur with a massive white mask on its face suddenly appeared.
“Can both of them see me?” the monster murmured to itself.
“What luck!
I get to have a feast today!”
Its tone grew excited.
A whip extended from several small holes in its mask, while another white whip grew from the top of its head, its tip connected to the crown of the little girl’s head.
“Ugh…”
‘I can’t…
Ichigo isn’t out of danger yet…’
While the wound on her back wasn’t instantly fatal, it was too wide and too deep.
The blood wouldn’t stop flowing.
The massive loss of blood caused his mother’s vision to fade into darkness, but her consciousness remained clear.
She knew exactly what kind of existence that monster was, and she knew that it would not stop until it had devoured both her and her son.
‘What do I do, what should I do!
What’s going to happen to Ichigo!’
This was the only thought in her mind.
She searched desperately for a way to get Little Ichigo to safety…
‘I’ve got it!’
The chaotic thoughts vanished, replaced by a single, clear idea.
As this thought emerged, her resolve hardened.
‘After I die, I’ll become a spirit.
I might not have any power, but it should be enough to stall for time.
I just have to wait until someone notices something is wrong and comes to help.’
As her will to survive faded, her devastated body gradually lost its vitality.
Her heartbeat slowed.
It wouldn’t be long before this mother passed away, but her soul would continue to protect her child even after death.
…
“Tsk!”
It should have been so.
According to the established fate, this great mother would lose her life forever for the sake of her child.
In exchange, years later, the child she protected would grow into a savior and save the world.
“I didn’t expect things to actually go wrong.”
A strange tone echoed through a peculiar city.
Unlike before, the azure sky had vanished, replaced by rolling dark clouds.
Rain connected the heavens and the earth, falling as if it would never stop.
The surrounding buildings were all dilapidated.
Whether it was the humidity or something else, the air felt heavier.
“It’s time to go out, isn’t it?” The man in white couldn’t stop the smile on his lips.
“A bit longer, and she’ll be dead.”
“…” The man in black remained silent, but the clouds in the sky continued to thicken.
In the next instant, as if reaching a breaking point, the clouds vanished.
However, what appeared was not the usual azure sky, but a vast expanse of white—a white that felt like a void.
“There’s…
no turning back now.”
His voice was flat, but his tone was inexplicable.
The man in black looked at the whiteness and smiled, as if lamenting, as if unwilling, and yet as if he were finally relieved.
“Perhaps this is for the best?” The man in black’s figure gradually vanished like dust.
“Who knows…”
“Who knows indeed!” The man in white’s figure also began to fade.
“But seriously, being unprepared is one thing, but if we just watch her die now that we’ve reached the tipping point, wouldn’t we be total failures?!”
“Perhaps so.”
“Come to think of it, after all these years of balancing each other out in opposition, we’re suddenly merging into one.
I really didn’t see that coming.”
“If it’s for Ichigo, I can endure all of this.”
“You jerk!
Don’t act like I’m happy about it!
If it weren’t for Ichigo, I would have definitely killed you and taken everything for myself!”
“Heh…
if you had the ability, you wouldn’t be in this position right now.”
“YOU…!!!”
Their voices grew faint, and their bodies completely dissipated.
The peculiar city fell silent as they vanished.
The towering buildings remained ruined, but with their disappearance, the city seemed to be injected with a certain vitality, radiating infinite life.
[Wake up!
Wake up now!]
‘…Eh…?’
[Wake up!
Ichigo!]
‘Wake?
Wake up to what?’
[Get up, Ichigo!]
‘Get up for what?
By the way, your voice is weird.
Why is there an echo?’
[That’s not the point!
Get up!
Stand up and fight!
Ichigo!]
‘Huh?
Why?
Why do I have to fight?’
[Because this is the deepest desire of your heart, etched into your very soul.]
‘Another person?
What is it?
What is my desire?’
[[To protect!
To protect everything you hold dear!
And for that!
You must stand up!
Fight!
Fight!
Take up the sword and fight!!!]]
*Flash—*
Beneath the lifeless body of his mother, eyes that should have been closed snapped open.
A blinding white light erupted from Little Ichigo’s gaze.