The Mental Fight Goes On, the Sword Never Sleeps

I will not cease from mental battle, nor shall my sword sleep in my hand. -- William Blake, Milton (1804)

The air was thick with the stench of blood and the oppressive aura of Reiatsu. Four figures moved swiftly and intertwined among the dim ruins, the sharp clanging of metal against metal echoing incessantly.

Ichigo Kurosaki and Jūshirō Ukitake fought side by side, trying to suppress the two figures, one black and one white, in front of them.

As a veteran captain of the Gotei 13, Jūshirō Ukitake's combat experience and skills are beyond doubt. Even though he has temporarily lost Sōgyo no Kotowari, he is still able to maintain a fighting position against Muramasa with his exquisite Zanjutsu and Kidō techniques.

However, the stalemate remained merely on the surface:

"Damn it, this guy's skin is almost as tough as Menos Grande's Hierro. If Sōgyo no Kotowari were here right now..."

Ukitake knew perfectly well that without Sōgyo no Kotowari's cooperation, he had no chance of completely defeating this strange Muramasa. If the other party wanted to leave, he couldn't stop him at all!

In contrast to Ukitake's situation, Ichigo's battle was far more brutal and dangerous.

Because of his falling out with Zangetsu, Ichigo's Zanpakuto has reverted to its most primitive, Asauchi form. Although the immense Reiatsu within Ichigo is still slightly higher than that of Zangetsu, Ichigo can't bring himself to swing his sword with full force against this "uncle" who has accompanied him all the way.

This hesitation and reluctance made him increasingly passive in the battle, while Zangetsu showed no mercy, Ichigo's wounds, large and small, continued to increase as the battle progressed, and blood stained his black Shihakusho.

Seeing this, Ukitake had no choice but to occasionally divert his attention from the battle with Muramasa to unleash his Kidō to support Ichigo.

The four fought fiercely, retreating as they went, until they reached a wide, High Bridge.

The High Bridge appears empty and pale, its surface paved with pristine white tiles. At intervals along both sides of the bridge stand massive stone pillars, each with a radius of two or three meters and a height of about ten meters.

Apart from that, the bridge was almost completely empty, with nowhere to hide or escape, making it a natural dueling arena specially prepared for the four of them.

At this moment, Jūshirō Ukitake was extremely anxious:

"The situation is terrible right now. Kurosaki-kun needed to quickly improve his strength in order to rescue Rukia, so he specialized in training his Zanpakuto."

But now, having lost Zangetsu, he possesses Captain-level Reiatsu, yet he cannot convert it into effective combat power. I've already witnessed enough last night's battle how powerless Soul Reaper specializes in Zanpakuto is when faced with Zanpakuto.

That's right. As for Ukitake, he was confident enough to deal with both Zangetsu and Muramasa. Even if he couldn't defeat them both at once, he was confident he could escape. What really made him feel troubled and worried was Ichigo!

Seeing Ichigo's swaying figure, Ukitake gradually felt the urge to retreat.

"The information about Muramasa that Sylvan brought to Kyōraku, although I haven't had a chance to hear it yet, just from Kyōraku's tone, I know it must be key information to resolving the Zanpakuto's betrayal."

Ukitake secretly considered that rather than blindly fighting Muramasa on this High Bridge, it would be more advantageous to retreat with Ichigo, meet up with the others, gather intelligence, and discuss countermeasures.

Meanwhile, Ukitake, Muramasa was opposite Ukitake, also had his own considerations:

"Zangetsu is indeed a very powerful Zanpakuto, and it was worth using Rukia Kuchiki to bring him back from the World of the Living, but it's still somewhat inferior to Jiku'a. As for Jiku'a's whereabouts, Ashisogi Jizō has already told me."

Muramasa glanced up at the darkening sky, his brow furrowed, and muttered to himself, "If the fighting continues, it will affect tonight's operation."

After all, he is essentially a Zanpakuto. With Kōga sealed away, he needs to constantly devour Hollows to maintain his Reiatsu. He really doesn't have any extra Reiatsu to squander.

We need to retreat immediately...

However, given the current situation, he cannot simply leave without doing anything. If he leaves now and Zangetsu is defeated by Ukitake and Ichigo, the method to break his ability will be completely exposed.

"Until we obtain the Jiku'a, we must find a way to prevent this situation from happening..."

He had to figure out a way to persuade Zangetsu to retreat, or simply find an opportunity to kill Ichigo directly, so that Zangetsu, having lost his fighting purpose, would also leave with him.

Just as Ukitake and Muramasa each considering retreat and planning their next move, the battle between Ichigo and Zangetsu had already escalated to a point of intense conflict.

Their blades clashed countless times on the pale bridge surface, bursting into dazzling sparks. Ichigo's wounds continued to bleed from the intense movement, but even so, he still gripped his Asauchi, brandishing his Zanpakuto, refusing to fall.

"Uncle! Uncle Zangetsu! Why did you obey that guy's summons? What are we fighting for right now?!"

Ichigo the tearing pain coursing through his body, Ichigo pressed his Zanpakuto firmly against Zangetsu, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Tell me! Zangetsu! I want to hear your heart's voice too!"

At this moment, Zangetsu, who had remained silent in response to Ichigo's calls, finally decided to speak.

He raised his head, his weathered face expressionless, and coldly said, "I just wanted to know..."

Ichigo, you want to know who's stronger, you or me?

"If it's to find out about this, I'm more than willing to fight you to the death!"

Upon hearing this, disbelief and pain flashed in Ichigo's eyes. "We're strongest when the two of us work together, is that... not okay?"

"Ichigo, what are you saying?"

Zangetsu snorted coldly, then suddenly raised his foot, sending Ichigo flying with tremendous force.

Zangetsu straightened up, pointing the tip of his sword directly at Ichigo:

"Ichigo, if a child killed a tiger with a gun, would you consider that child stronger than the tiger?"

If you can't do anything without my power, then you shouldn't have had me in the first place!

Bankai!"

With a low Zangetsu, Zangetsu's Reiatsu surged instantly. The Zanpakuto, rapidly transformed under the influence of the Reiatsu, turning into a slender samurai sword with a swastika-shaped handguard— Tensa Zangetsu!

"I'm going for it, Ichigo!"

Zangetsu raised the Tensa Zangetsu high, and black and red Reiatsu gathered wildly on the blade. "Crescent Getsuga Tenshō!"

Boom!

A torrent of dark red Reiatsu surged toward Ichigo like a flood bursting its banks, carrying an aura of annihilation.

"Oops!"

Ichigo's pupils contracted sharply; he had no time to dodge and could only raise his Asauchi to take the hit head-on.

The torrent of dark red Reiatsu instantly engulfed him, and the enormous impact carved a deep trench in the bridge surface.

After the flood subsided and the dust settled, Ichigo, using his Zanpakuto to support himself on the ground, knelt down, panting heavily, blood dripping from his chin onto the white floor tiles.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Ukitake exclaimed in surprise upon seeing this.

Ukitake and Muramasa, who were planning their retreat for different reasons, bumped into each other a few times before landing next to Zangetsu and Ichigo respectively.

Ukitake stood about a step diagonally in front of Ichigo, warily watching Zangetsu Muramasa, and said to Ichigo, who was covered in blood and kneeling on the ground, "Kurosaki-kun, your injuries are too severe, and the situation is far too unfavorable for us. It would be better to retreat for now."

Upon hearing Ichigo, Ichigo gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand up.

He raised his Zanpakuto again, his gaze fixed on Zangetsu opposite him, then walked forward to Ukitake's side, his voice hoarse yet exceptionally firm as he spoke:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ukitake, but I must prove myself to Zangetsu here."

If we retreat here, and run away with our tails Partner in front of Aibo, who has fought alongside me all this way...

I feel like I'm never worthy to Zangetsu in my entire life.

Ukitake turned his head and looked at the scarred but determined young man beside him, and his heart skipped a beat.

He paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Partner?"

Such captivating masculinity! If this weren't a battlefield, I'd want to recruit you into our Male Shinigami Association right now.

Alright, since you've put it this way, I, Jūshirō Ukitake, will accompany you on this journey!

"Muramasa to me. Unleash your full power and charge headlong into Zangetsu!"

"Thank you, Mr. Ukitake," Ichigo Kaidō gratefully, his grip on the sword becoming even stronger.

On the other side of the battlefield, Muramasa landed beside Zangetsu, his tone urging, "Zangetsu, the comrades are still waiting. Your battle with Ichigo Kurosaki can wait. We need to get to where our comrades are first."

Upon hearing this, Zangetsu slightly turned his head, glanced at Muramasa, and said in an icy tone, "Comrades? I have no comrades."

He refocused his gaze on Ichigo, who had stood up again, and said in a deep voice:

"Ichigo is about to prove his worth to me, so this is where I should be."

Since you are Zanpakuto, you should know that Zanpakuto has only one true companion, and that is the Soul Reaper who wields the Zanpakuto.

Your excuses won't work on me. If you want to leave, then just go ahead and leave.

After saying that, Zangetsu raised Tensa Zangetsu and walked step by step toward Ichigo, ignoring Muramasa behind him.

Muramasa watched Zangetsu walk towards Ichigo, a complex light flashing in his eyes, and muttered to himself, "Of course I know, and that's precisely why I can't let you be defeated at a time like this."

Muramasa also started walking towards Ukitake, who was standing next to Ichigo. However, his eyes were fixed on Ichigo out of the corner of his eye, and he secretly vowed to kill him.

"Zangetsu, I'm sorry, but just like you said, the only companions of our Zanpakuto are the Soul Reaper who wields them. So..."

For the sake of Kōga, Ichigo, die here!

As Zangetsu approached step by step, Ichigo a deep breath, channeling Asauchi last of his Reiatsu into his Asauchi, and shouted, "Uncle Zangetsu! I'm here!"

"Come on, Ichigo!" Zangetsu replied without backing down.

Just as Ichigo was charging towards Zangetsu with all his might, an unexpected event occurred.

An extremely complex and violent Reiatsu suddenly emanated from Ichigo's body without warning.

This Reiatsu instantly gave Ukitake an extremely ominous premonition.

"This is..."

Suddenly, a large amount of white substance gushed from Ichigo's seven orifices. In the last moment before the white substance covered Ichigo's entire body, a flash of clarity crossed Ichigo mind, and he thought desperately, "Damn it, how could I have forgotten about this guy..."

The next second, the white substance completely covered Ichigo's entire body, and almost instantly, Ichigo's human aura was completely erased.

Ukitake watched helplessly as Ichigo was transformed in the blink of an eye into a monster with Orange Hair and muscles covered in a white substance.

Black lines, like eerie tattoos, were branded onto his white body. A thick tail thrashed wildly behind him, and his mutated claws dug deep into the white floor tiles, symbolizing his inhuman appearance.

The Hollow Hole in his chest and the hideous mask on his face clearly identified him as a Hollow!

"Kaien..."

Scenes of Soul Reaper being transformed into Hollows are extremely rare, but this was the second time Ukitake had witnessed such a scene!

Similar faces and equally astonishing talent—these qualities led Ukitake to see a resemblance Ichigo Kaien Shiba. This is why Ukitake naturally felt a fondness for Ichigo.

However, this fate, so similar to that of the Kaien, was a tremendous shock to Ukitake.

The scene before him seemed to drag him back to that rainy night many years ago, that nightmarish rainy night, since which the Thirteenth Division had no Lieutenant.

He had sworn never to let such a thing happen again, but when it happened again, he couldn't even understand who did it or how they did it.

This sudden turn of events left him frozen in place, as if trapped in an inescapable Nightmare, even causing him to loosen his Zanpakuto.

Meanwhile, Muramasa, on the other side of the battlefield, witnessed this scene. Although a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, seeing Ichigo's Hollow Hole already appearing, he immediately made a judgment:

"This guy is beyond saving."

At the same time, Ukitake seemed to have lost all will to fight, and he was plunged into deep self-blame and grief.

Muramasa keenly seized this excellent opportunity, thinking to himself:

"Although I don't know what happened, this gave me a chance to escape."

It's time to go see Jiku'a. It has been less than a year since it appeared, and it has already been rated as the strongest Zanpakuto of the Direct Attack Type.

I'm really looking forward to meeting him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Muramasa seized the moment when Ukitake was distracted, and swiftly escaped the battlefield.

However, no sooner had Muramasa left than Rain and Sylvan arrived at the pale, High Bridge.

What came into view was the tragic scene of Ichigo and Zangetsu, who had completely Hollowfication, facing each other with their swords drawn under a gray sky, and Ukitake standing blankly to the side, his face full of sorrow and self-blame.

The entire scene was filled with a suffocating sense of despair.

Looking at the scene before him, Sylvan said in a heavy tone, "Even with all our haste, we're still a step too late?"

Rain's gaze fell on the weapon in Hollowfication Ichigo's hand:

"Sylvan, look at Ichigo's sword. It's really back to a regular Asauchi. Our decision to come and help is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

Sylvan nodded and sighed, "Yes, if he hadn't come, Captain Ukitake would have swallowed his anger and would have definitely killed Ichigo."

But now, at least there is still a glimmer of hope.

Sylvan spoke, he turned his gaze to the cane in his hand.