Truth Grows in Endless Struggle and Shines in Pursuit, Not in Arrival

Truth in endless struggle grows, And shines in pursuit, not in arrival.

--William Blake, Milton: A Poem (1804-1810)

Ichigo Kurosaki at Jiku'a like an enraged beast, dragging his two Tensa Zangetsu behind him, leaving two parallel streaks of light in the darkness.

His right hand held a white sword wreathed in crimson Reiatsu, while his left hand held a black sword surging with dark red Soul Reaper power. The two forces intertwined, burning distorted ripples in the space he passed through.

Jiku'a merely raised his chin, and a faint, cold blue light flickered in the narrow peephole beneath his helmet.

Ichigo rushed in front of Jiku'a, Tensa Zangetsu down diagonally, the blade carrying a scarlet Reiatsu, drawing a crimson arc in the air.

This strike was ferocious and brutal, almost without any restraint; it was the fastest attack he could unleash in that instant.

Jiku'a reached with his right hand towards the living scabbard on his left arm, and the blade sprang out from the scabbard, charging towards Ichigo.

The Jiku'a arrived first despite being behind. With several arcs of dark blue light flashing in the air, the Jiku'a easily cut into Ichigo's sword path. At the moment the two swords collided, the Jiku'a had already perfectly cut into Ichigo's heart.

"What!?"

"Clang--!"

Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu was sent flying high into the air by the impact.

"His reaction speed... no, his judgment, he completely saw through my movements."

Ichigo gritted his teeth, and using the momentum of his right sword being deflected, he spun around to the right. His left hand, using the centrifugal force of the spin, slashed horizontally with his black sword. The black and red slash flew out of the blade like a crescent moon, cleaving towards Jiku'a.

Even though he had just broken through Ichigo's full-force attack, Jiku'a was not stumped. With a backhand twist, he cleaved the incoming slash. With a slight flick of his wrist, Ichigo's black sword collided with Jiku'a's sword, and the force of the horizontal slash was deflected directly to the ground.

"Boom--!"

The dark red Reiatsu exploded at their feet, scattering debris everywhere.

"How can rotation be used to increase the power of the crescent moon while giving its trajectory an unpredictable arc?"

"The idea is good, but unfortunately it needs more practice. This move is far from being ready for actual combat." Jiku'a seemed quite at ease, even having time to comment on Ichigo's inspired attack.

"Enough talk!" Ichigo used the smoke and dust from the explosion as cover, created some distance, readjusted his stance, and then charged towards Jiku'a, almost skimming the ground, thrusting out both Tensa Zangetsu simultaneously.

The tips of the two swords pointed side by side at Jiku'a's lower abdomen, and the black and crimson Reiatsu merged at the tips of the swords into a single, cone-shaped Reiatsu.

Jiku'a leaped back slightly, his four wings spreading to pull him into the sky. As the sharp cone grazed his abdomen, he had already finished sheathing his sword and raised his right hand high—the gauntlets of Phantom Beowulf gleamed in the moonlight.

"Too slow!"

The punch came crashing down from above. Ichigo didn't have time to raise his sword to block it, and could only barely turn his head. Phantom Beowulf's gauntlets grazed his temple and slammed heavily into his shoulder.

"Well--!"

Ichigo's body was slammed into the ground by the punch, his shoulder blades emitting a piercing scream, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered.

"We cannot fall... we absolutely cannot fall!"

Ichigo forced himself to kneel on one knee, and Jiku'a vaguely saw some blue Reishi floating out from Ichigo's shoulder, with some patterns faintly visible. She also sensed that Ichigo's Reiatsu was slightly increasing.

"What was that?" Jiku'a asked, puzzled. After delivering the attack, Jiku'a landed not far from Ichigo, loosening his right hand. He felt as if he had struck a wall made of Reishi, but he quickly dismissed it. "It doesn't matter. Since this power can protect him while simultaneously increasing his Reiatsu, then it suits my purposes perfectly!"

Ichigo, who had withstood the attack, got up, his two swords Tensa Zangetsu, crossed in front of him, their crimson and blackish-red Reiatsu rising wildly.

"It's not over yet!" Ichigo suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.

"Getsuga Tenshō--!"

The black blade in his left hand swung out first, unleashing a torrent of black and red crescent moons like a flood bursting its banks; immediately afterward, the white blade in his right hand followed closely, its bright red crescent moons chasing after him like burning comets.

Two crescent moons, one on the left and one on the right, Jiku'a from both sides like two scythes.

But Jiku'a didn't even try to dodge.

With a flick of his blade wings, twelve Summoned Swords materialized around him.

Twelve Summoned Swords shot out simultaneously, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, towards the two crescent moons. The crescent moons were quickly shattered, turning into countless fragments of Reishi.

"It was shattered?" Ichigo's pupils contracted sharply.

"Your Getsuga Tenshō isn't solid enough in its structure, is the compressed Reiatsu insufficient? Or did you not control the compression efficiency well?" Jiku'a Ya analyzed calmly, conjuring another Summoned Swords in his hand for Ichigo to compare. "Both are energy entities, but your Crescent Moon Slash is more like a liquid, with greater malleability but a loose structure, while my Summoned Swords, although fixed in shape, has a dense structure and a hard texture."

Before he finished speaking, he had already vanished.

"Later!"

Ichigo whirled around, but it was too late. Toki Jiku'a had already appeared behind him, using the Summoned Swords in his hand as a Jiku'a.

"Sizzle--!"

Ichigo only had time to turn his body an inch to the side before the blade of the Summoned Swords slashed from his right shoulder all the way to his left waist, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound. Blood gushed from the wound, instantly soaking through his half-black, half-white Shihakusho.

"And the tighter the structure, the stronger its ability to penetrate defenses." Jiku'a dismissed the Summoned Swords in his hand, looking at Ichigo knee, clutching the wound on his back. Under the helmet, Jiku'a was puzzled again. "Where did that protective ability go? Why is it gone again?"

Ichigo, supporting himself with his twin swords, stood up. Blood gushed from the wound on his back, and his face was Ichigo from blood loss. His muscles tensed with pain as he gripped the swords. "You bastard, are you planning to lecture me here?"

Jiku'a tilted his head slightly, and a blue light flashed in his peephole. "Is that not allowed? I'm really looking forward to your growth."

"You bastard, I really don't understand. You severely injured Mr. Ukitake and the others the moment you materialized." Ichigo recalled the scene after he arrived, somewhat indignant. "You could have killed me at any moment, yet I didn't sense a trace of killing intent from your blade. What are you thinking? What are you trying to do?!"

"Ichigo Kurosaki, I have my own reasons." Jiku'a raised her left hand, and the Phantom Blade slowly took shape, its blue light shining brightly in the night. "And I don't need to explain this reason to you. Even if I did, you wouldn't understand!"

Ichigo stared intently at him, his chest heaving violently.

"This guy..."

"How do you know I won't understand if you don't tell me!" Ichigo raised both Tensa Zangetsu simultaneously, unleashing an astonishing Reiatsu: "Tell me!"

With a push of his feet, he charged towards Jiku'a like a gray lightning bolt. This time, his speed almost exceeded his own limits, the muscles in his legs tearing and gushing blood, leaving a series of afterimages in the air.

Jiku'a also charged towards him, and the two swords clashed fiercely in the center of the ruins, sparks exploding like a waterfall. The Reiatsu of black, red, scarlet, and dark blue intertwined, turning the entire Twelfth Division's base into a strange sea of light.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Twelfth Division's base.

Muramasa appeared atop a half-collapsed wall, gazing into the distance at the Jiku'a.

"Truly breathtaking combat skills."

Muramasa sighed inwardly. Ever since he broke free from Mayuri Kurotsuchi's suppression and awakened Toki Jiku'a had been fighting all the way to the present, defeating four captains in a row and winning every battle.

Even though the captains' combat abilities have declined Bankai due to the loss of their Zanpakuto's will, Mayuri Kurotsuchi's achievement is still quite remarkable, even if it was a gift.

In particular, the remaining three captains are not just some units of measurement, but captains who have truly lived through a thousand years and withstood the test of time.

While marveling at Jiku'a's power, Muramasa couldn't help but wonder, "When he materialized, he didn't use the shell I provided to construct a physical form, nor did he use my Reiatsu. How did he recover his Reiatsu after losing his master?"

Watching the battle of Jiku'a nearing its end, Muramasa muttered to himself, "The Golden Fruit Plan... what a madman... But... since I've already agreed to cooperate with him, I need to show him some sincerity first. Ashisogi Jizō!"

From the shadows behind Muramasa, Ashisogi Jizō slowly revealed his form.

Muramasa patted Ashisogi Jizō's head. "Your mad master has been punished and won't be appearing for a while. Go and cover the Jiku'a in a bit."

His pupil-less eyes shifted slightly, looking at the figures lying in the ruins and pools of blood in the distance, and the leaderless Soul Reaper behind them. He nodded, his wide robe sleeves fluttering even without wind.

"But remember, just neutralize all the Soul Reaper, don't poison them. Our partners need these fertilizers to stay alive."

Back on the battlefield, Jiku'a remained consistent throughout, showing no signs of fatigue. However, Ichigo's breathing grew heavier, his steps became more sluggish, and he sustained more and more injuries.

He was like a lone lamp struggling in a storm, flickering on and off, yet refusing to go out.

"Excellent combat instincts. But you've reached your limit." Jiku'a looked at the boy in front of him, who was bent over, supporting himself with his twin swords, and could barely stand.

"That protective ability seems to have been activated unconsciously, and its duration seems to be running out soon."

"Stop talking nonsense... I can still..." Ichigo gritted his teeth, wanting to swing his sword again, but at that moment, everything went black before his eyes, his body swayed, and he fell forward.

Jiku'a strolled leisurely to Ichigo's side. "It seems the outcome is already decided."

Jiku'a's voice wasn't loud, but it echoed throughout the ruins, penetrating the minds of everyone who was watching Soul Reaper from the sidelines, and despair appeared on everyone's face.

Ukitake sighed from the battlefield. During the Jiku'a and Ichigo, he held back Nanao, who was trying to join the battle for Kyōraku, and Unohana Kyōraku was about to fight Jiku'a, and pulled Isane back from the edge of the battlefield.

Seeing Ichigo fall in front of Jiku'a, Ukitake felt helpless. Ichigo was arguably the strongest fighter on the Soul Reaper side right now, and his fall proved that no one on the Soul Reaper side could stop Jiku'a.

Jiku'a slowly raised his left hand, and the blade was drawn again from the living scabbard. The dark blue blade lit up in the night, and he drew a cross in the void.

Space, like paper slashed by a knife, rolled outwards along the cross, and a dark blue spatial crack spread in all directions.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the cracks slowly expanded into a circular, jagged fissure, the other end of which was an endless darkness, its destination unknown.

Jiku'a glanced back at everyone one last time before stepping into the spatial rift. His figure, along with the eerie blue light, vanished at the other end of the rift. The space, having lost the support of Reiatsu, abruptly closed up, and the rift repaired itself at an extremely rapid pace, ultimately leaving not a trace behind.

The entire Twelfth Division's base fell into a deathly silence.

Ichigo lay on the ground, his two Tensa Zangetsu scattered around him. His half-black, half-white Shihakusho was soaked in blood. His consciousness was still struggling between blurring and clarity. His fingers unconsciously gripped the rubble on the ground, trying to prop himself up.

"It's not... it's not over yet..."

But his body was no longer under his control.

When Ukitake saw Jiku'a leave, although he was worried about her ulterior motives, he was relieved that Jiku'a had temporarily retreated. At least the members of the Gotei 13 were safe for the time being, and as long as there were people, there was still hope.

Just as Ukitake was about to call for help to save the fallen Ichigo, a small figure suddenly appeared on the battlefield—it was Ashisogi Jizō!

"Bankai!"

As a child's voice with a heavy, mixed tone rang out, the form of the Ashisogi Jizō rapidly expanded, transforming into a giant sword-legged insect with a huge golden baby's head, spewing out thick, dark purple poisonous mist from its mouth.

Unlike last night, this time the poisonous fog spread faster and denser, carrying a faint sweet fragrance. It didn't seem like poison, but rather like the scent of flowers carried by the wind on a late autumn night. It spread rapidly, seeping into every corner of the Twelfth Division's base.

Upon seeing this, Ukitake was greatly alarmed. "Oh no! Quick! Everyone cover your mouths and noses and retreat!!"

The members of the Fourth Division were the first to react, with some shouting "Cover your mouth and nose!" and "Don't inhale!" as they retreated.

But the poisonous fog was everywhere and quickly caught up with the group, and one by one, the soldiers fell in the fog.

Meanwhile, the Fourth Division members, who were busy caring for Kyōraku, Ukitake, and Unohana, were running slower because they were concerned about their captains' injuries. Just as they were about to be caught by the poisonous fog, a group of members with unusual hairstyles rushed out, took off their Shihakusho, and waved them to disperse the poisonous fog. Although it was a drop in the ocean, it did have some effect.

"What are you all still looking at! The enemy's location is the front line, and the front line is not where you Fourth Division soldiers are! Quickly take the captains and retreat!" The 11th Division soldiers dispersed the poisonous fog while shouting at the stunned Fourth Division soldiers.

The members of the Fourth Division, regaining their senses, nodded and quickened their pace to run outside, while the members of the 11th Division looked at the Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo and smiled.

"Is the enemy the Bankai of the Twelfth Division Captain?"

"As an opponent, isn't that enough?"

"Charge! For the pride of the Zaraki Corps!"

On the ruins filled with poisonous fog, just as the members of the 11th Division were about to charge towards the Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo, a loud and heroic voice rang out. "Get out of the way! Get out of the way! The 11th Division doesn't need your help!"

Under the moonlight, the poisonous fog slowly spread, like a dark purple flower blooming on the earth. In this scene that should have been filled with deathly silence, a clear bell sound rang out.