What Is Now Proved Was Once Only Imagined

What is now proved was once only imagined' d.

--William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790-1793)

Ichigo, carrying Tensa Zangetsu, sped through the ruins of Seireitei. Muramasa was just ahead, his white figure flashing between broken rooftops and crumbling walls.

His pace wasn't particularly fast, but thanks to the enhancement from his Bankai, Ichigo was able to easily catch up with him.

"Stop!" Ichigo stomped his feet on the edge of a broken wall, his body shooting out like a black lightning bolt. The blade of Tensa Zangetsu, wrapped in black and red Reiatsu, cleaved down from mid-air.

Muramasa landed on a relatively intact rooftop. Just as Ichigo was about to lunge at him, he flicked his right hand to the side and summoned his Zanpakuto.

The moment the blades clashed, sparks exploded in the gray sky, and Muramasa's arm suddenly sank—the power of this strike far exceeded his expectations.

He sidestepped to absorb the force, Ichigo's blade grazed his shoulder, slicing off the roof beneath his feet. Tiles and wood fragments flew everywhere. Muramasa used the momentum from his sidestep to dart to the side and land on a broken wall.

Before Ichigo could regain his footing, he pushed off the shattered eaves and launched himself forward again, the blade of Tensa Zangetsu trailing beside him, leaving a long streak of sparks in the ruins.

Muramasa dared not underestimate him. He gripped his sword with both hands and met the attack. The two swords collided, and the impact shattered the broken wall beneath his feet.

He gritted his teeth, the muscles in his arms taut beneath his sleeves, trying to parry Ichigo's sword—but Ichigo's strength was increasing, and a black and red Reiatsu surged from the blade of Tensa Zangetsu like a burst dam, pressing Muramasa's blade down inch by inch.

"You were so talkative just now!" Ichigo pressed down on his sword, his Reiatsu exploding around him, making his short orange hair stand on end. "Say it again!"

Muramasa's knees buckled, and the pebbles beneath his feet crumbled under his weight. He gave up trying to withstand the pressure and used the momentum to back off, falling off the broken wall.

Ichigo gave chase, his blade always half an inch away from Ichigo. The two figures crashed into a passage inside Seireitei, one after the other, creating a huge shallow crater in the ground, and smoke and dust billowed outwards like a shockwave from an explosion.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Muramasa knelt on the shattered stone slab, his chest heaving violently, his fingers gripping the hilt of his sword trembling slightly. He watched Ichigo emerge from the smoke and dust, Zanpakuto horizontally in front of him, spread his five fingers, and unseen waves of psychic energy surged from his palm.

Ichigo instinctively sensed something was wrong. He gripped Tensa Zangetsu with both hands, and black and red Reiatsu rapidly condensed on the blade.

"Getsuga Tenshō!"

A black crescent moon erupted from the tip of the blade like a burst dam, carrying destructive power as it rushed towards Muramasa. The psychic wave was swallowed by the crescent moon, and the black torrent engulfed Muramasa. The walls on both sides of the passage cracked from the Reiatsu.

When the floodwaters receded, the spot where the Muramasa just stood was deserted.

Ichigo, gripping Tensa Zangetsu, slowly turned around on the shattered stone floor, his gaze sweeping over every corner:

"Where did that guy go?!"

He looked around—broken stone pillars, collapsed walls, stone slabs overturned by the shockwave, nothing but scorch marks on the ground, as if Muramasa had vanished into thin air.

"Put the knife away."

As Muramasa's voice came from nowhere, Ichigo's world suddenly began to distort.

The outline of the stone pillar rippled like the surface of water after a stone has been thrown in; the color of the walls changed from gray to dark purple and then from dark purple to blood red; and the stone slabs underfoot began to spin.

Muramasa's voice seemed to come from above him, or perhaps from beneath his feet, from within the walls, or from the depths of every crack.

"Hateful!"

Ichigo swung his sword with all his might, Getsuga Tenshō once again burst forth from the tip of the blade. He swung the sword again and again, but Muramasa's voice was not affected at all, and entered his mind without restraint.

His vision began to invert; the sky was beneath his feet, the stone slabs above his head, and Muramasa's voice surged in from all directions at once, like countless fine needles piercing his eardrums simultaneously.

He gripped the hilt of Tensa Zangetsu with both hands, and a black and red Reiatsu surged from his body— the Reiatsu of Bankai exploded like a volcanic eruption, and the impact shattered his distorted vision for a moment.

His vision returned, and he fell back to the ground, but only for less than a second before the images began to distort again.

"It's no use." Muramasa's voice was like countless blades piercing Ichigo's brain, pressing down from every direction and every angle at the same time.

Ichigo's body suddenly lurched forward uncontrollably, his feet leaving the ground as an invisible force lifted him up—then he crashed to the ground face down, his nose striking the cold, hard stone. The impact made his vision go black.

He tried to stand up by bracing himself on the ground with his hands, but his body felt as if it were being held down by something, and no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't move.

Muramasa then revealed himself, slowly walking towards the orange-haired boy lying on the ground. He bent down, raised his foot, and forcefully stomped on Ichigo's wrist, Ichigo was holding Tensa Zangetsu. Ichigo remained silent, but his fingers involuntarily loosened, Tensa Zangetsu slipped from his fingers, falling onto the broken stone slab.

"You bastard!" Ichigo gritted his teeth and cursed.

Muramasa ignored Ichigo, released his foot, and floated horizontally in an extremely bizarre way—his feet left the ground, his body parallel to the ground, hovering horizontally above Ichigo's chest.

He extended his right hand, fingers spread, palm facing Ichigo's chest. "Hear my voice, and follow your instincts, open your heart."

Ichigo's body tensed abruptly, and dark red Reiatsu surged uncontrollably from his body, swirling, condensing, and Reiatsu above his chest to form a dark red vortex.

The edges of the vortex scraped against the air, emitting a piercing hiss, and amidst this noise, Muramasa began to chant. "Cast away your fear."

Ichigo's pupils contracted sharply. He recognized the phrase; Zangetsu had whispered it to him the first time he Zangetsu it. A moment of panic washed over him. "What are you doing!"

"Look straight ahead."

Muramasa ignored Ichigo's question, and the black and red vortex began to spin faster. The concentration of Reiatsu became denser and denser, and wisps of extremely fine black and red Reishi floated out from the center of the vortex, slowly spreading in the air like smoke.

"Go ahead."

Muramasa sensed the concentration and nature of those Reishi, a slight smile playing on his lips. The quality of this power was even better than he had anticipated.

He slowly extended his right hand into the center of the vortex, and the moment his fingertips touched the dark red abyss, a hint of excitement appeared deep in his pupils.

"This is... it looks like we've won the lottery!"

"We must never stop. To retreat is to grow old, to be cowardly is to die."

Muramasa's fingers grasped something deep within the vortex—countless extremely fine threads, each connected to the deepest corner of Ichigo's soul, each desperately resisting his pull.

But Muramasa's hands did not hesitate. He gripped the threads tightly and pulled them out roughly, while shouting out the last word.

"Come forth, your name is— Zangetsu!"

The black and red Reiatsu vortex exploded the moment he shouted that name, and the Reiatsu erupted from the center of the vortex like a volcanic eruption, engulfing the entire passage in a blinding black and red light.

The shockwave shattered the walls on both sides, sending debris flying everywhere.

Muramasa landed on the ground, his right hand still clenched.

Beside him, the Reiatsu that had been pulled out of the black and red vortex was slowly condensing. Black and red Reishi gathered from all directions like iron filings being attracted by a magnet. First, the outline of the skeleton appeared, then the texture of the muscles, and finally the black trench coat that was fluttering in the night wind!

Zangetsu stood beside Muramasa, his eyes and face hidden behind orange sunglasses, and he had very short stubble on his chin. He held the huge Zanpakuto without a handguard in one hand, and the blade was still wrapped with the aftershocks of black and red Reiatsu that had just been pulled from the depths of his soul.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, Ichigo lay in the center of the shattered stone slab. His Bankai form had been completely deactivated, and the black trench coat-style Shihakusho had vanished like a cicada's molt, replaced by the most ordinary Shihakusho.

Zangetsu also reverted to his Asauchi stance, and the massive black blade returned to its original form, lying quietly beside him.

He propped himself up from the rubble, blood still seeping from the wound on his shoulder.

"What exactly happened?"

He looked up and saw the black figure beside Muramasa. "Uncle Zangetsu!? Why are you...?"

Zangetsu did not answer. He gripped the massive Zanpakuto in one hand and walked step by step toward Ichigo.

Ichigo grabbed his Zanpakuto and hurriedly raised it to block, Zangetsu's blade struck his sword, the impact pushing him backward.

"Uncle Zangetsu, what's going on? Answer me!" Ichigo, holding Zangetsu's sword, gritted his teeth and forced out his voice.

Zangetsu remained silent, the force on the blade continuing to increase, causing Ichigo's knees to bend.

"Aren't you and I Isshin in spirit?" Ichigo shouted, his voice carrying a hint of confusion that even he himself didn't realize.

Zangetsu's fingers twitched slightly on the hilt of his sword, but the force did not diminish. Ichigo pushed Zangetsu's sword away with force. Zangetsu took a half step back, but almost in the blink of an eye, he flashed to Ichigo's side, his blade sweeping across the air, emitting a very low and deep whistling sound.

Ichigo hurriedly turned to the side, Zanpakuto upright in front of him. Blade against blade, sparks exploded, and the enormous impact sent him flying. His back slammed into a broken stone pillar, from which he slid down and crashed heavily to the ground.

Before he could even stand up, a blue crescent moon had already followed— Getsuga Tenshō!

The crescent moon, carrying destructive power, slammed him into the wall behind him, creating a huge hole that was engulfed in thick smoke.

Muramasa walked to Zangetsu's side, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his deep-set pupils peering through the large crater in the wall into the depths of the thick smoke.

He saw the orange-haired boy climb out of the rubble, panting heavily, with a bleeding wound on his right shoulder.

He held his Zanpakuto horizontally in front of him, the blade still bearing the scorch marks from when he parried Getsuga Tenshō.

"Still not down? His vitality is truly tenacious." Muramasa looked calmly at Ichigo in front of him.

"Yes," Zangetsu, gripping his Zanpakuto in one hand, his voice low and hoarse, "But it's over."

Ichigo, supporting himself with his Zanpakuto, stood up, his legs still trembling. "Uncle, are you serious?"

Zangetsu didn't answer. He raised his sword, the tip aimed at Ichigo, and blue Reiatsu began to rapidly condense on the blade.

"Getsuga Tenshō!"

Just as the blue torrent erupted from the tip of the blade, a steady voice came from outside the collapsed wall. "Bakudo #81 - Dankū!"

A transparent light barrier suddenly unfolded in front of Ichigo. Getsuga Tenshō into the Dankū, and the torrent of Reiatsu was forcefully intercepted by the light barrier. The impact spread outwards along the light barrier, blowing away all the rubble on both sides.

As the torrent subsided and the light barrier shattered, Jūshirō Ukitake stood before Ichigo, his Zanpakuto in his hand, wary of the two before him.

"Two against one is a bit too much, isn't it?" Ukitake turned his head slightly, looking at the orange-haired boy behind him whose shoulder was still bleeding. "Are you alright, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Mr. Ukitake." Ichigo straightened up, leaning on his Zanpakuto, his voice hoarse but steady.

Ukitake shifted his gaze from Ichigo, fixing it once more on Muramasa and Zangetsu standing in the center of the ruins. Muramasa, looking at this uninvited guest, summoned his Zanpakuto again:

"I didn't make a move just now, but it doesn't matter anyway. What can you do without Sōgyo no Kotowari, Jūshirō Ukitake?"

"Don't underestimate the captain, Muramasa. Don't think that Zanpakuto is everything to Soul Reaper." Ukitake also pointed his Zanpakuto at Muramasa...

High in the gloomy sky, Rain flapped his wings and flew through the clouds toward the Fourth Division.

"So, in that battle, Amber split herself into five parts to neutralize Aizen's Hollow Poison?"

Rukia tried to distract herself with further questioning, "And you and Rain are both fragments of Amber's soul, possessing a portion of Amber's power? If the five fragments Integration, Amber can be resurrected?"

Sylvan hovered in mid-air, gripping Rain's hand with one hand, his other hand, holding his cane, trembled slightly in the evening breeze. He kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, trying his best not to look to the side. "That's how it is."

"That's right." Rain echoed earnestly, but his wings flapped a few times faster than before.

"I understand," Rukia's voice suddenly rose, "But why are you carrying me around like this! Isn't there any other gentlemanly way?!" Her body began to writhe, the light ropes making a very faint rubbing sound against her skin.

Below Rain's other claw hung a rope of light summoned by the Bakudō #4: Hainawa, "This Hainawa." Bound by the rope, Rukia was wrapped up like a dumpling—the rope coiled from head to toe, with an exaggeratedly large bow tied on her head, resembling some over-wrapped holiday gift. Her face was flushed red, swaying back and forth in the air in protest.

Every twist and turn of Rukia was transmitted through the light rope to Rain's claws.

This caused his flight path to become erratic, and his wings to flap more and more forcefully. "Stop shaking, senior, just bear with it a little longer, we'll be at the Fourth Division soon!"

Sylvan tried to keep his eyes forward. "Rukia- senpai, I'm so sorry. My power, Shunpo, Kidō —these have all been taken away by the other fragments. I really can't carry you across the Seireitei, where there are Zanpakuto lying in ambush somewhere."

"My form is just a bird, and all I can do is carry you there like this. Senior, you don't have the strength to grab my claws right now, so this is the only way."

Rain paused, glancing down at the ridiculously large bow on Rukia's head. "As for the bow—this is Professor Fon Clan's bandaging technique, there's no mistake, the bow has to be this big."

Sylvan chimed in, "That's right, this was personally taught by Shaoling, there's definitely some special meaning behind it."

Rukia writhed even more violently. "You two—you're definitely making fun of me! The Thirteenth Division is currently stationed at the Fourth Division, right? No! I don't want to appear in front of the members in such a humiliating state!"

She struggled desperately, the light cable screeching, and Rain's flight path had completely turned into a wavy line.

And so, the two people and the bird flew crookedly over the Fourth Division's Medical Station.

Rukia spotted that familiar, tall figure from afar— Isane Kotetsu was walking out of the office building carrying several rolls of bandages.

"Lieutenant Isane! Lieutenant Isane! Over here, over here, above you!"

Isane raised her head and looked in the direction from which the sound came. Then she saw a large, Blue-Violet Big Bird circling crookedly in mid-air. A light rope was hanging from the bird's claws, and a triangular rice dumpling was tied to the end of the rope—no, the rice dumpling had a head and a face, and its face was filled with shame and anxiety.

"Rukia?!" She blinked in confusion.

Sylvan released his grip and landed on the ground, while Rukia couldn't wait any longer. As soon as she landed, she twisted her body like a dumpling and moved towards Isane in an arching motion, leaving a very thin white trail on the ground with the light rope.

"Wait, senior,"

Let me untie the ropes! Hey!

Gaa!"

As soon as Rain landed, before he could even retract his claws, the bird was dragged along the ground by the light rope, its feathers rustling as they scraped against the gravel.

Isane squatted down and looked at the triangular rice dumpling that was desperately twisting towards her. A familiar face peeked out from the top of the dumpling.

A faint smile curved her lips as she stretched out her long arms and gently lifted Rukia from the ground.

"So cute..."

"Rukia, what's wrong?" Her voice was gentle, but something was gleaming slightly in her eyes.

"I got a minor injury. Sylvan used Kidō to bandage me up like this. Could you please re-bandage me right away?" Rukia's voice carried a hint of grievance that she herself didn't realize, which made her even more adorable.

"Bandaged with Kidō? That won't do. I'll rebandage you right away." Isane said, pulling Rukia closer to her.

Please.

"Leave it to me." Isane untied the light rope from Rain's feet, tossed Rain aside, and turned to walk towards the Medical Station.

Rain got up from the ground, shook off the dust, and landed back on Sylvan's shoulder.

Rain's silver eyes turned to the Seireitei in the distance. "So what's the plan next?"

"Of course, we're going to find the other fragments." Sylvan gripped his cane tightly, the fine lines on it gleaming slightly in the moonlight.

Just then, a dark red Reiatsu shot into the sky like a fountain from afar. That Reiatsu was extremely violent, completely unlike the sharp form it had when condensed into the Getsuga Tenshō —it exploded in the air like a volcanic eruption, dyeing half the sky dark red.

Rain's pupils contracted slightly as he looked in that direction. "It seems we need to help our friends before that."

Sylvan swung his cane. "Why? Ichigo should be able to handle it by himself. He subdued Zangetsu in the anime, and with Captain Ukitake joining the team this time, there shouldn't be any problems."

Rain's silver pupils reflected the scattering black and red Reishi in the distance. "If I remember correctly, when Muramasa drew Zangetsu in the anime, Ichigo's Zangetsu didn't revert to its original Zanpakuto."

"What's wrong?"

"But the other Zanpakuto reverted to their Asauchi form after their original forms were extracted." Rain lowered his head and preened the feathers at the base of his wing with his beak. "After Muramasa materialized the will of his Zanpakuto, the Zanpakuto form was extracted, leaving the Soul Reaper with only a soulless Asauchi — Sode no Shirayuki, Senbonzakura, Zabimaru, all of them were like that."

It raised its head, a faint hint of doubt flashing in its silver pupils. "But Ichigo's Zangetsu in the anime is different. After Zangetsu's main body is extracted, Ichigo still holds Zangetsu in its Shikai state."

Sylvan's fingers tightened slightly on his cane. "Could it be due to Ichigo's own unique characteristics, considering White is also involved?"

"That's one possibility, but it's also possible that it isn't. The Unknown Tales of the Zanpakuto arc was inserted in the middle of the Hueco Mundo arc, and the timeline of its occurrence is inherently ambiguous. At this current time— Aizen has only been gone from Soul Society for about two weeks."

Rain paused, his silver pupils narrowing slightly. "Perhaps Ichigo hasn't yet mastered White."

Sylvan stared at the fading dark red aura in the distance, remaining silent for a long time. "You mean— Ichigo might go berserk?"

Rain sighed and spread his wings, "Do you remember why White helped Ichigo in the anime?"

Sylvan recalled a vague memory from the depths of his mind, "It seems that Muramasa invaded Ichigo's Inner World, which allowed Ichigo and White to temporarily join forces."

"However, if Captain Ukitake goes, it might trigger Butterfly Effect, making it impossible for Muramasa to penetrate Ichigo's Inner World." Rain turned to Sylvan and raised a possibility.

Sylvan rubbed his temples. "Alright, it seems our friend needs help. Besides, it would be too ironic for the protagonist to die by his own Zanpakuto."

Rain lifted Sylvan off his shoulder, grabbed his wrist with her claws, and lifted him off the ground.

Sylvan gripped his cane tightly and gazed at the still-burning flames in the distance.