Energy Is the Only Life and Is from the Body; Reason Is the Bound or Outward Circumference of Energy

" Energy is the only life, and is from the Body; Reason is the bound or outward circumference of Energy."

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

Jūshirō Ukitake stood on the edge of the shattered stone pillar, looking at the figure not far away: he was wearing a half-black, half-white Shihakusho, the right half of which Shihakusho pure white as snow and the left half was pitch black as ink, the boundary was clear, as if light and darkness were forcibly sewn together, and it fluttered in the night wind.

His right hand held a Zangetsu, the complete opposite in color to Zangetsu. The blade was snow-white with a black edge, and the hilt was wrapped in black bandages.

"What's with this Shihakusho?" Ukitake's gaze swept from Ichigo's half-black, half-white robes to the white Zanpakuto in his hand, a hint of confusion appearing in his usually gentle eyes. "And that Zanpakuto, it actually completed its Shikai even while Zangetsu was out of its original state."

He turned to Sylvan, his brow furrowing slightly. As a veteran captain of the Gotei 13, he had seen countless Soul Reaper break through their limits and display new forms in desperate situations or with the help of their comrades, but the situation before him was far too unusual.

"Sylvan, how did you do that?"

Sylvan stood beside Ukitake, his hand holding the cane still trembling slightly. He hadn't recovered from the large amount of Reiatsu he had used during the Integration. His silver pupils reflected High Bridge, who was Ichigo his wrist in the distance.

The half-black, half-white Shihakusho, with the white Zangetsu —this form of Ichigo had never appeared in the original work before, filling Sylvan with an indescribable sense of novelty.

"I only played a Little Ichi role." He looked Ichigo over and stated his opinion, "Ichigo's attitude may be related to his own unique characteristics."

"What's so special about Kurosaki-kun?" Ukitake turned his head.

"During the Integration, I entered Ichigo's Inner World." Sylvan nodded, his gaze never leaving Ichigo. "There, I saw the Hollow lurking within Ichigo. He said he and Zangetsu were of the same essence, born at the same time as Ichigo, and would die at the Ichigo."

He looked at the white Zangetsu in Ichigo's right hand, its cold gleam under the moonlight. "So it's very likely that when I Integration him with Ichigo, he filled the void left by Zangetsu."

Ukitake fell into deep thought:

"The illusory is born from the depravity of the soul in this World of the Living due to attachments. Its essence is a transformed result; how could it possibly accompany a soul at its birth?"

The other end of High Bridge

Ichigo and Zangetsu stood facing each other. Zangetsu's black trench coat fluttered in the night wind, and the slender black blade of Tensa Zangetsu hung at his side, its tip pointing towards the ground.

Ichigo.

Zangetsu looked at the white Zangetsu in Ichigo's right hand, a weapon completely opposite to his own. "I didn't expect him to be willing to lend you his power."

Ichigo glanced down at the White Zangetsu in his hand. He could feel the sword trembling slightly in his palm, like a wild beast restrained by reins, yearning to rush out and tear its prey apart. "Uncle."

Zangetsu stared at the white blade, a half-smile playing on his lips. "But this is fine too. At least this way, you and I can have a fair fight." Black and red Reiatsu rose from his body, like boiling lava.

A burning, the Heat emanated from the blade, as if a wild beast were roaring, "I'm going!"

Before he could finish speaking, Ichigo Ichigo's astonishment, the blade sliced through the air, and a crimson crescent moon shot out from the tip of the blade, hurtling towards Zangetsu like a burning comet.

"Come on, Ichigo!" Zangetsu roared, a black and red torrent the Roar from the tip of his sword. "Getsuga Tenshō!"

The two crescent moons collided in the center of the High Bridge, but Ichigo's crimson crescent moon was swallowed up by the black and red torrent after only a slight collision, along with Ichigo himself who had swung the crescent moon.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Ukitake took a step forward, almost instinctively wanting to rush forward.

However, a more crimson Reiatsu suddenly erupted from the depths of the torrent, like a volcanic eruption. That Reiatsu was extremely violent, showing no signs of being suppressed.

"Bankai!"

The crimson Reiatsu tore through the torrent of Reiatsu like a volcanic eruption, and the shockwave triggered a hurricane, stirring up smoke and debris in the surrounding area.

Ukitake raised his arm to shield himself from the flying debris. "Bankai? Can Zangetsu really Bankai without Ichigo's body?"

As the smoke and Ukitake could barely make out a figure emerging from the dissipating smoke, moving so fast that its trajectory was almost invisible.

The figure crashed headfirst into a stone pillar on the side of the High Bridge, causing the pillar to shatter and fragments to scatter everywhere.

"What's going on?" Ukitake looked at Zangetsu, assuming that Zangetsu had launched an attack.

But Zangetsu remained standing, looking once again in Ichigo's direction.

Ichigo stood up from the rubble of the collapsed stone pillar. He was wearing a black inner coat with an irregular white overcoat that had only a hem on the right side. The hem of the left side of the overcoat was completely missing, revealing the black Shihakusho underneath. In his right hand, he held a pure white Tensa Zangetsu.

"Damn it, cough cough..." His back slammed into a stone pillar, his internal organs still churning, as White Ichigo's Reiatsu surged through his body. "Does that guy usually fight with such violent Reiatsu? This was just a Shunpo."

Before he could finish speaking, Zangetsu appeared beside him. "His power is different from mine; it must be difficult to control."

The black Tensa Zangetsu drew an arc in the air.

Ichigo didn't have time to swing his sword to block, so he instinctively raised his left arm to protect himself.

Zangetsu's blade struck his forearm squarely, cleaving the sleeve of his white trench coat, but sparks flew out—sparks only seen when metal clashed. Zangetsu's eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, widened slightly.

"Surprised, old man?" Ichigo raised his eyes, his brown pupils only inches away from Zangetsu. He suddenly flipped his left hand outward, parrying the blade of Tensa Zangetsu, while his right hand gripped White Zangetsu and slashed at Zangetsu's chest with a backhand strike. The tip of the blade grazed Zangetsu's coat, leaving a very thin tear on the collar.

"I only realized it when I used this power." Ichigo straightened up, his right hand gripping the White Zangetsu, which hung diagonally at his side. The spot on his left arm where he had been slashed was still faintly hot. "So the outer skin of Menos Grande is called Hierro. The strength of the structure seems to be directly related to the individual's Reishi attribute and total Reiatsu."

He raised his left arm, the cuff of his white trench coat fluttering slightly in the night breeze. "And this white trench coat is made of the same structure as Hierro. Ordinary slashes can't hurt me."

He took a step forward and began to press himself against Zangetsu. The white blade traced dense white trails in the air, forcing Zangetsu to retreat continuously.

Whenever Zangetsu counterattacked, he no longer dodged, but instead used his left arm to meet the attack head-on, forcefully deflecting the blade before continuing his offensive.

"Suppressing Zangetsu to the very end like this, it'll work!"

Sylvan stood beside Ukitake, watching Ichigo unilaterally suppress Zangetsu. This reversal of power brought him a sense of relief.

"The benefits of such excellent defensive capabilities are quite considerable." His voice carried a faint hint of joy. "At this rate, Ichigo will soon be able to reclaim Zangetsu."

"That's not necessarily true, Sylvan." Ukitake watched Ichigo and Zangetsu's battle, his brows never relaxing.

His gaze followed the two figures moving rapidly through the ruins. "Generally speaking, only when one's Reiatsu is several times that of the enemy will an impenetrable defense appear." He was somewhat worried that Ichigo might be too confident in his defense and suffer a loss, "But from my perception, the difference in Reiatsu between Ichigo and Zangetsu hasn't reached that level yet."

Just as Ukitake's words were being confirmed, Zangetsu suddenly stopped in the gap of being forced back, raised his right hand, and covered the black blade with a layer of black and red Reiatsu.

A single slash was delivered.

This strike appeared no different from the previous ones, except for the layer of Reiatsu covering it.

But as the Ichigo routinely raised his left arm to block, he suddenly instinctively sensed something was wrong. The feeling was extremely subtle, like his body was sending him an alarm.

He hurriedly withdrew his left arm and instead gripped the hilt of White Zangetsu's sword with both hands, holding the blade vertically in front of him to parry.

The black blade clashed with the white blade, producing a crisp, metallic hum.

The instant they made contact, a black crescent moon exploded from the blade of Zangetsu, bursting forth at the point where the blades touched.

The impact propelled Ichigo backward, and he looked at the still-buzzing White Zangetsu in his hand, a layer of cold sweat seeping down his back.

If he had actually taken that blow head-on, the crescent-shaped blade that exploded directly on the sword would have sliced into his arm at the point of contact. No matter how tough the Hierro, it couldn't withstand the Reiatsu that exploded at point-blank range.

"Ichigo, why are you holding back in battle?" Zangetsu casually unleashed several black crescent moons, forcing Ichigo to retreat continuously.

"What are you talking about, old man?" Ichigo's breathing was a little erratic.

Zangetsu approached step by step. "Are you playing dumb in front of me? I once wholeheartedly wanted to make you stronger, and I poured my all into it. I know better than anyone what your full strength is like and where your limits are."

He stopped and stood in front of Ichigo, Tensa Zangetsu hanging at his side, the black and red Reiatsu on the blade still slowly flowing.

"And what have I gained now?" Zangetsu's voice betrayed a hint of disappointment. "A half-baked fighter who was worried about whether his opponent would get hurt during battle?"

Ichigo gripped the White Zangetsu, a white Tensa Zangetsu that was distinctly different from the black one in Zangetsu's hand.

The black Zangetsu is calm and restrained; its power is like an undercurrent in the deep sea, only surging forth at the moment the blade is swung.

But this white one was different; it trembled constantly in his palm, like a continuously beating second heart, each pulse instilling in his consciousness a thirst for battle.

He had to use at least half of his energy to suppress the knife's inherent aggressive impulse, otherwise it might actually rush out and start cutting people on its own.

Zangetsu looked at him. From the first time he held a sword until now, this boy had never changed—he wasn't afraid of getting hurt, he always thought of others, and he wielded his sword to protect others. And this was also what pained Zangetsu the most.

"Ichigo, you never care about your own safety, and how can someone like you, whom even I can't surpass, protect others without getting hurt yourself...?"

"Ichigo." Zangetsu Tensa Zangetsu horizontally in front of him, putting aside his other thoughts, "I want to see if you can surpass me."

He paused for a moment, and the night wind blew in from the High Bridge, ruffling his ripped black trench coat.

Even if the final result is that one of us falls under the enemy's blade, that is my lifelong wish.

Zangetsu Tensa Zangetsu, pointing the sword at Ichigo: "May I have my wish granted, Ichigo?!"

Ichigo raised his head, gripping the White Zangetsu tightly. The crimson Reiatsu that had been constantly pulsating on the blade gradually subsided. "So, the only way to get you back, Uncle, is to cut everything I have at your hands and let you experience my power firsthand?"

The Reiatsu no longer rampaged through his body; the Reiatsu that had been as wild as a beast just moments before now lay dormant, like Beast before a hunt.

Zangetsu Tensa Zangetsu high above his head. "You're right. Attack me with all your might, Ichigo."

Ichigo looked down at the White Zangetsu in his hand, which was trembling slightly. He could feel the power of White Ichigo surging in his veins, merging with his own original Reiatsu.

From the trembling of the blade, from the surging Reiatsu, White Ichigo's voice drifted over like a whisper, "So you're finally getting serious? It'll be difficult to use me skillfully."

Ichigo swung his sword forcefully, and crimson Reiatsu surged from the blade, striking the floor at his feet and carving a deep gash into the stone. A smirk appeared on Ichigo's lips. "I know."

"Since we've come this far, we have no choice but to give it our all." He lifted White Zangetsu high, raised his head, and the hesitation in his eyes was gone, replaced by a resolute determination that had finally found a way out.

Zangetsu looked at him, at the white Tensa Zangetsu that was slowly gathering its Reiatsu, and at the boy standing in the center of these ruins.

Realizing this was the final blow, Zangetsu Tensa Zangetsu high above his head, his dark red Reiatsu rapidly gathering. "Let's settle this, Ichigo."

"Alright." Crimson Reiatsu began to surge from Ichigo's body, spreading outwards in concentric circles, searing the white stone slabs beneath his feet and creating extremely fine cracks. "Come on!"

"Crescent Moon--" Zangetsu gripped the Tensa Zangetsu with both hands, and the black and red Reiatsu rapidly condensed on the blade, growing larger and denser until it engulfed the entire blade in a dark red pillar of light.

Ichigo did the same. Crimson Reiatsu surged into the sky, bursting out of his body and condensing into a gigantic form above his head—a skull with enormous bull horns, its entire body composed of crimson Reiatsu. The horns were curved and thick, and two bright yellow flames burned deep within its eyes. It opened its jaws and let out a silent the Roar at the night sky.

"... Tianchong!"

The black and red torrent and the bull-horned skull rushed towards each other at the same moment. The black and red crescent moon, carrying destructive power, tore through the air, directly overturning the ground in its path, and the rubble was swept into the torrent as if attracted by a magnet.

The skull's bull horn charged straight at the black and red crescent moon, the Reiatsu of both sides locked in a stalemate in the air, neither willing to give an inch.

Ichigo gripped the White Zangetsu, the veins on his hands bulging from his wrists to his elbows, every muscle screaming, every bone trembling.

"If Ichigo dies, I'll be in big trouble!" White Ichigo, inside the white Tensa Zangetsu, begins to exert his power.

In that instant, an unprecedented power surged from the depths of White Zangetsu's blade, flowing along the blade into the crimson Reiatsu that he was locked in a stalemate with the black and red torrent.

The bull-horned skull's eyes suddenly lit up, and its bony jaws opened, swallowing the entire black and red torrent. Then, it charged towards Zangetsu with unstoppable momentum.

Zangetsu stood in the aftermath of the black and red torrent, watching the bull-horned skull hurtle toward him with overwhelming force.

The Tensa Zangetsu Slayer was held horizontally in front of him, the black and red Reiatsu on the blade flashing one last time, but the final resistance was futile, and it was completely submerged by the scarlet torrent.

A beam of light shot up from the High Bridge, illuminating the gradually darkening sky as if it were daytime.

The beam of light pierced through the entire ruins, turning rubble into dust within its rays. The broken stone pillars were lifted up by the shockwave, and the air was filled with the scorching aura of burning high-density Reishi.

At that very moment, on the other side of Seireitei, Muramasa was leading a dense army of Zanpakuto through the ruins.

When the towering pillar of light shot up from the ground, he stopped and looked back in the direction of High Bridge.

"Did Zangetsu lose?" He raised his right hand and released several Hell Butterflies from his sleeve. The black butterflies flashed across the night sky and flew in different directions to deliver his new instructions.

"Looks like we need to hurry up with the plan."

He started walking again, the outline of the Twelfth Division's Department of Research and Development faintly visible in the night.

On the High Bridge

The pillar of light slowly dissipated, Ichigo stood there, panting heavily. His Bankai state had been deactivated, and his Shihakusho had returned to its half-black, half-white appearance.

He looked up, his gaze passing over the shattered white paving stones and landing on the center of the bridge.

There, Zangetsu had returned to its sword form. The massive black sword lay quietly in the center of the shattered stone slab.

Ukitake, accompanied by Sylvan, rushed over from the other side of the High Bridge. He quickly walked to Ichigo's side, his gaze sweeping from Ichigo to the Zangetsu on the ground, his brows furrowing slightly.

He hadn't received the results of the Department of Research and Development's investigation yet, and the thought of what negative consequences might result from forcibly defeating the Zanpakuto under these circumstances remained a thorn in his side, "Kurosaki-kun, are you alright?"

Ichigo nodded, then walked up to Zangetsu: "Are you alright, old man?"

"Yes, it's all over now." Zangetsu's voice came from the sword, and Reiatsu seeped out from the blade like mist, condensing and intertwining in the air before reforming into the tall figure in a black trench coat and orange sunglasses. "Thanks to you, that guy's Brainwashing has been lifted."

"Brainwashing?" Ichigo was taken aback, his brows furrowing.

"Could you tell us more about it?" Ukitake took a step forward, his usually gentle eyes now filled with seriousness.

This is the first time since the Zanpakuto rebellion began that a freed Zanpakuto has voluntarily returned to the Soul Reaper's side before his very eyes. Every word Zangetsu utters could become the key information to turn the tide of the entire battle.

"Muramasa," Zangetsu said after seeing Ichigo nod, "He awakened the instincts of his Zanpakuto, stirred them, and thus manipulated us."

"Awaken instincts?" Ukitake repeated the phrase, tapping his chin lightly with his finger. "So, he can control any Zanpakuto that has consciousness?"

"That's highly likely," Zangetsu replied to Ukitake, then turned to Ichigo again, "Ichigo, what do you plan to do next?"

Ichigo without hesitation, "Of course we have to go find that Muramasa guy."

Zangetsu looked at him, his cold, hard face as expressionless as ever. "Then let me become your strength once again."

His figure began to blur, transforming from the edges into countless extremely fine black particles. These particles swirled around him, then slowly contracted, reforming into the shape of a knife.

Ichigo looked at the familiar Zanpakuto, a familiar smile playing on his lips, "Please, Uncle Zangetsu!"

He reached out and grasped the hilt of Zangetsu, crossing the two swords behind his back. One was black, the other white; one was as steady as a mountain, the other as ferocious as a beast.