Ichigo's new power
Before he could finish speaking, the stone steps beneath Ichigo Kurosaki's feet suddenly shattered.
His figure transformed into a straight black bolt of lightning, instantly traversing dozens of steps.
The long black sword in his right hand sliced through the air, accompanied by a sharp, piercing whistling sound.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
A massive, crescent-shaped blade, as black as ink and with edges gleaming with a ghostly blue light, roared out and slashed straight at the figure on the throne.
The airflow inside the hall was forcefully split in two by this attack, and the gust of wind whipped up the surrounding broken bricks and tiles.
Yhwach remained unmoved on the throne, not even shifting the arm supporting his chin.
The black fluid surrounding him churned and surged spontaneously, transforming into a thick wall of shadow.
The black crescent moon struck the shadowy wall, unleashing a muffled roar.
Fragments of chaotic Reiatsu flew outwards like a torrential rain, carving deep furrows into the white stone floor of the main hall.
However, that seemingly soft black curtain wall did not show even a single crack.
"Still the same monotonous moves."
Yhwach slowly rose from his throne, the black liquid trailing behind him lengthening as he did so.
"Having gone through so many life-or-death trials, is your growth limited to this level of slashing?"
Ichigo Kurosaki completely ignored the other party's sarcastic remarks.
In the instant the crescent moon shattered, he had already used Shunpo to get within three feet of the throne.
He held the short sword in his left hand with a reverse grip and slashed horizontally towards Yhwach's throat, while the long sword in his right hand slashed diagonally upwards at his chest.
The two swords were used in perfect coordination, moving at a speed that was too fast for the naked eye to perceive.
Yhwach didn't even draw his sword.
He simply raised his right arm, his wide sleeves billowing in the wind, and several streams of dark liquid instantly hardened like iron.
Clang!
The deafening clang of metal clashing was deafening.
The twin blades struck the hardened black shadow with precision, sparks flying everywhere.
An overwhelming force of recoil traveled along the blade, causing Ichigo Kurosaki's hand to go numb slightly.
"The strength is acceptable, but there's no suspense."
Yhwach's right arm trembled slightly, and the hardened black shadows suddenly split into countless sharp spikes, which pounced back at Ichigo face shield.
Ichigo's pupils narrowed slightly, and he executed a skillful footwork, forcefully twisting his body halfway through the air.
Sizzle!
Despite avoiding vital points, the black Shihakushō suit was still torn in several places by the sharp spikes.
Ichigo used the momentum to flip backwards in mid-air, landing steadily on the stone steps ten feet away, his twin swords hanging slightly towards the ground.
"Your composure is far more annoying than I imagined."
Ichigo Kurosaki wiped the sweat from his brow and said in a cold voice.
Yhwach stepped off the stone steps and walked down them one by one.
With each step he took, a layer of sticky black mud spread across the ground, radiating a heavy sense of oppression.
"Faced with an inevitable fate, the gods naturally have the right to remain calm."
Yhwach looked down at the boy in front of him and said calmly, "You think you're wielding your sword for your comrades, but in reality, every move you make is just following the script I've written."
Stop talking to yourself!
Ichigo Kurosaki his knees slightly and charged forward again, skimming the ground.
The short sword traced a bright white path of Reishi in the void, followed closely by the long sword, which crashed down with a deafening roar.
"Crescent Cross Clash!"
The enormous cross of light, intersecting at the horizon, surged forward with overwhelming force.
The air inside the hall whistled under the intense heat and rapid friction, and the remaining stone pillars were successively severed by the air blasts.
Yhwach stopped in his tracks, his right hand forming a fist, and a pure white Reishi broadsword materialized from his palm.
He held the sword in one hand and casually slashed at the core of the cross-shaped light.
The sword blade sliced through the central node of the cross-shaped light blade, and the immense Reiatsu exploded in an instant.
The shockwave swept across the entire temple like a tidal wave, sending dust billowing into the sky.
Right in the heart of the raging storm, Ichigo Kurosaki's figure suddenly pierced through the smoke and dust.
Without the slightest hesitation, he thrust his twin blades, imbued with his Reiatsu, straight at Yhwach's face.
Yhwach parried with his sword.
The swords clashed, producing a continuous, crisp sound.
In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged dozens of blows in that small space.
Ichigo's offensive was like a storm, his twin swords moving in a tight, impenetrable manner, each strike aimed at destroying vital points.
But Yhwach neutralized all the fierce slashes with a single swing of his sword.
The two men's weapons sparked brilliantly as they clashed in mid-air, illuminating the dark dome of the hall.
"Very sharp swordsmanship."
Yhwach sidestepped the dagger's thrust, then pressed down with his broadsword, locking the longsword's attack in place.
"But the power within you is emitting a painful cry."
Yhwach's eyes gleamed with indifference. "The bloodline of Quincy, the savagery of a Hollow, the laws of Soul Reaper... such a hybrid existence is destined to become a deformed creation."
I don't care about creation or anything like that!
Ichigo Kurosaki raised his knee and slammed it into Yhwach's stomach.
Yhwach pressed down lightly with his left hand, and a ball of dark Reishi erupted from his palm, pressing directly against Ichigo's knee.
Boom!
The burst of Reiatsu at point-blank range blasted the two of them away simultaneously.
Ichigo Kurosaki tumbled in the air to dissipate the force, sliding several meters on his toes before finally regaining his footing.
His trouser legs were mostly torn apart by the blast wave, and a light gray scorch mark appeared on his skin.
But he didn't even glance at his own injuries, his gaze fixed on the man opposite him.
"This strength is something my companions, something my parents left me."
Ichigo Kurosaki adjusted his breathing and said in a deep voice, "You wouldn't understand how heavy it really is, someone who treats his comrades like nourishment."
"Companion? What a fragile and shallow word."
Yhwach shook the dust off his sword and strode forward.
"Your cherished companions are now struggling to survive in the ruins below."
"They thought they could help you share the burden, but little did they know that everything they did was merely a futile effort to delay their demise."
Yhwach raised his hand and swung his broadsword, unleashing a dazzling blade of light several meters long, which swept out horizontally through the air.
The floor of the entire hall was severed in half by this sweeping blow, and the fractured layer rolled upwards.
Ichigo Kurosaki arched his body and used the technique of Hirenkyaku combined with Shunpo slide to the side at high speed.
The blade of light grazed the tip of his nose, blasting the palace wall behind him into nothingness.
Having narrowly escaped death, Ichigo did not retreat but instead sped forward into the torrential rain of falling rocks.
"Don't look down on me!"
Ichigo Kurosaki leaped into the air, his entire body's blue-black Reiatsu rising like a volcanic eruption.
The long sword and the short sword simultaneously unleashed their ultimate light, two crescent-shaped beams shooting out one after the other.
"They believed I could get this far, and I believed they could defeat their respective opponents!"
The first crescent moon blocked Yhwach's retreat, while the second crescent moon aimed straight for his core.
Faced with this pincer attack, Yhwach finally became a little more serious.
He gripped the broadsword tightly with both hands, and with a sudden upward thrust of the sword tip, he swung it upwards.
With a deafening roar, the two crescent moons were forcefully propelled upwards by the sacred Light Screen released by the broadsword, smashing through the thick clouds in the sky.
Taking advantage of this brief moment, Ichigo Kurosaki descended from the sky.
He moved like a falling meteor, his short sword aimed straight for Yhwach's face, his long sword cleaving straight for his crown.
"Innocent."
Yhwach didn't even look up; the churning black liquid beneath his feet shot into the sky as if it were alive.
The black tide tightly bound and enveloped Ichigo Kurosaki's twin swords, and the immense gravity instantly halted Ichigo's descent.
Ichigo Kurosaki hovered in mid-air, feeling as if his twin swords were being crushed by a massive boulder, unable to move an inch.
"Your blade has indeed become sharper, Ichigo."
Yhwach slowly raised his head, a mocking glint in his dense, black eyes.
"But to kill me, you need power that transcends the rules."
"You're just repeating the mistakes of those losers from before."
The black liquid spread rapidly upwards along the blade, attempting to erode Ichigo's body along his arms.
Ichigo gritted his teeth and strained, his arm muscles bulging as he tried to pull the blade back.
But the liquid was incredibly tough, and instead pulled him downwards sharply.
Yhwach his broadsword horizontally, its blade carrying the destructive Holy Reishi, aiming straight for Ichigo's wide-open chest.
If this attack hits, it would be enough to pierce through his body and vaporize him on the spot.
At this critical moment, a resolute glint flashed in Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes.
Instead of letting go and abandoning the knife, he forcefully mobilized another force within his body.
Buzz--
A dark red Reishi pattern emerged from his left forehead, spreading towards the corner of his eye like the beginnings of a mask.
The high concentration of Hollow power and Quincy Reishi collided violently within the body, producing a repulsive and violent backlash.
The black liquid that had been tightly binding the twin blades was suddenly blasted open by the force of the conflict, creating a crack.
"Get out of here!"
Using the recoil from the explosion, Ichigo forcefully pulled back his short sword and held it in front of his chest to block the incoming blade.
With a crisp clang, the Long Sword's thrust was deflected three inches by the short knife, grazing his ribs.
Blood seeped from the torn clothes, soaking the boy's side.
Ichigo Kurosaki grunted and used the momentum to fly backward, landing steadily on the White Stone Platform a hundred meters away.
The churning air inside the hall gradually subsided.
Yhwach did not pursue further, but simply stood there, looking down at the bloodstain on the tip of his sword.
"Using the Hollows' and Quincy's rejection reactions to forcibly break free of their restraints?"
Yhwach's lips curled into a faint smile. "A decisive response, but nothing more."
"Simply swinging the dual swords is meaningless to me now that I've absorbed the Soul King."
"All the moves you rely on have been practiced countless times in my sight."
"What tricks do you still have up your sleeve?"
On the high platform, a gentle breeze ruffled Ichigo Kurosaki's orange-red hair.
He lowered his head, breathing heavily, his chest heaving.
A dull ache throbbed from the wound in his ribs, but his eyes became brighter and calmer than ever before.
"You're right, Yhwach."
Ichigo Kurosaki slowly straightened his back, his voice echoing clearly throughout the hall.
"If it's just the same level of slashing as before, it really won't cut through the mud on your body."
He slowly raised his arms, the long sword and the short sword slowly bringing together in front of his chest.
The Soul Reaper power, Hollow power, and the previously dormant Quincy power within his body no longer resisted each other, but began to merge with each other in a strange rhythm.
Pure white and jet-black spiritual light surged wildly from the edges of the two blades, creating ripples in the atmosphere.
Ichigo crossed his twin swords, "Let me show you my new power!"