Zangetsu

A sudden pain shot through Ichigo Kurosaki's chest.

It felt as though someone had reached into his soul and forcibly torn out a chunk of flesh.

He lowered his head and saw that the Chain of Fate on his chest had snapped. The remaining chain fell to the ground with a clear clatter.

Ichigo's pupils abruptly contracted.

"What did you do?"

He looked up at Kisuke Urahara, veins bulging on his forehead, and roared, "If you cut the chain, I can never get back into my body!"

"Correct."

Kisuke Urahara lowered the brim of his hat, his tone infuriatingly calm.

"Once the Chain of Fate breaks, you can no longer return to your original body. From now on, Chain Erosion will devour the remaining chain bit by bit."

He raised his folding fan and pointed at Ichigo's chest.

"Once the entire chain disappears, a hole will appear in your chest, and you'll eventually become a Hollow."

Ichigo froze for a moment, then gritted his teeth.

"Then why did you cut it?"

"Three days."

Urahara held up three fingers, the smile on his face fading slightly.

"You have seventy-two hours. Find your own Soul Reaper powers within that time, and you'll survive."

"What if I fail?"

"Mr. Tessai will kill you before your Hollowfication is complete."

Silence fell for an instant.

"You bastard of a swindler!"

Ichigo was about to lunge at him when Tessai Tsukabishi raised both hands, his fingers rapidly forming seals.

"Bakudō number ninety-nine, Forbidden!"

Heavy Reiatsu instantly bore down on Ichigo. His arms were forcibly twisted behind his back, and strips of black spiritual energy bound his body tightly.

The next moment, the ground split open with a crash.

Without even a chance to curse, Ichigo fell straight into the deep pit.

"Kisuke Urahara! Just you wait!"

His voice rose from the bottom of the pit, taking a long time to gradually fade away.

Jinta Hanakari lay at the edge of the pit and glanced down.

"Still pretty lively."

Ururu Tsumugiya crouched beside him with her arms around her knees and asked quietly, "He... won't die, will he?"

"Who knows?"

Jinta curled his lip, but he did not leave the edge.

At the bottom of the pit.

Ichigo braced his feet hard against the walls and tried to climb up. But the surrounding walls were incredibly smooth. He had barely climbed a few meters before his feet lost their purchase.

Thud!

Ichigo crashed heavily back to the bottom.

"Damn it..."

He endured the pain and stood up again, but a gnawing sound suddenly came from the chain on his chest.

Crack.

A short piece of chain fell to the ground.

A tearing pain exploded through his chest. Ichigo dropped to his knees, cold sweat pouring from his forehead.

There was simply no getting used to this pain.

Whenever he thought he could bear it, the next bout of erosion grew even more intense.

He had no idea how much time had passed, and he could no longer remember how many times he had fallen.

There was no sunlight here, nor could he see the sky outside.

All he could do was listen as the chain was gnawed apart bit by bit.

"Hey, orange-head, you hungry?"

Jinta's voice came from above.

Leaning against the wall, Ichigo snapped, "I'm a soul. How could I be hungry?"

"Oh, good. I was just about to toss you some food."

"You'd be that nice?"

"Of course not. I just wanted to make you watch."

A vein throbbed on Ichigo's forehead. He was about to curse when an intense emptiness suddenly surged through his stomach.

The anger on his face instantly froze.

Souls did not get hungry.

Only Hollows felt an instinctive craving for souls.

Ichigo slowly lowered his head and looked at the short length of chain left on his chest, his breathing growing increasingly rapid.

"How long has it been?"

"About seventy hours."

Jinta dropped his joking tone and said quietly, "The erosion speeds up in the final stage. You don't have much time left."

As soon as he finished speaking, densely packed sharp teeth suddenly opened along the broken end of the chain.

Crunch! Crunch!

The remaining chain was rapidly devoured. Ichigo howled in pain, his body slamming heavily against the wall.

Outside the pit, Yoriichi Tsugikuni quietly gazed down.

He knew Ichigo had to go through this ordeal.

But when that chaotic Hollow Reiatsu appeared, he still gripped his sword hilt.

"Can't we help him?"

Kisuke Urahara raised his folding fan, barring Yoriichi's way.

"If we intervene now, he'll only lose his chance to awaken forever."

"His soul hasn't collapsed yet, which means he's still resisting. From here on, it's up to him."

Yoriichi fell silent for a moment, then slowly released his sword hilt.

At the bottom of the pit, the last segment of chain on Ichigo's chest vanished completely.

A black hole appeared in its place.

White material spread continuously across his cheeks, gradually forming a grotesque mask. Chaotic thoughts battered his reason, and hunger and the desire for destruction nearly consumed everything.

Just as he was about to lose himself, everything around him suddenly fell silent.

Ichigo opened his eyes and found himself standing in a pure white space.

Not far away, a man dressed in black and wearing sunglasses was watching him.

"Who are you?"

"You should know my name."

The man said calmly, "What Yoriichi Tsugikuni destroyed was merely the power that Soul Reaper lent you. The power that truly belongs to you has been here all along."

Ichigo looked at his hands, the scene of Rukia being taken away flashing before his eyes.

He had once said he would save her.

If he could not even get through this, those words were nothing but a joke.

Ichigo raised his head, the confusion in his eyes gradually disappearing.

"I won't become a Hollow."

He reached out and grasped the sword before him. Immense Reiatsu erupted from within his body.

"Your name is..."

"Zangetsu!"

He swung his sword. "Getsuga Tenshō!"

Boom!

The underground training ground shook violently as black Reiatsu shot skyward from the deep pit.

The Bakudō binding Ichigo's body shattered piece by piece. The hole in his chest rapidly healed, and the white mask broke apart with it.

A Shihakushō covered his entire body, and an enormous, hiltless Zanpakuto appeared in his right hand.

Ichigo looked up at the mouth of the pit, Reiatsu gathering beneath his feet.

The next instant, he stepped through the air and shot out of the pit, landing heavily before the others.

Ichigo tightened his grip on the long blade and looked straight at Kisuke Urahara, his voice steady and firm.

"I've called out my Zanpakuto's name. My Zanpakuto is called Zangetsu."

"I passed the trial. Now I just need to continue the rest of the training, right?"

Kisuke Urahara waved his folding fan, his smile returning.

"Congratulations. You've passed the second stage."