Bleach: Starting with Marrying Retsu Unohana

Page 324

"..."

However, when Ichigo Kurosaki returned, he was met with silence.

"Damn it! Is anyone there?!"

"Urahara Kisuke, you swindler Urahara! Are you really out there?"

"Urahara, you just wait, don't let me get out of here!"

"Otherwise, I will definitely kill you! I promise I will kill you..."

Kurosaki Ichigo roared incessantly. He had made up his mind that once he regained his Shinigami powers, the first thing he would do was to stab Urahara Kisuke, who was grinning maliciously.

"Sorry, Ichigo Kurosaki, you'll have to rely on yourself from now on~"

Kisuke Urahara sat outside the cave, comfortably drinking green tea. He silently observed Ichigo Kurosaki inside the cave, showing no intention of helping him whatsoever.

In fact, there was nothing that could be done about it. It wasn't that Kisuke Urahara didn't want to help Ichigo Kurosaki, but rather that Urahara was simply too powerless at the moment, because he had already hidden the Hogyoku inside Rukia Kuchiki's body...

Therefore, for the time being, he had no good way to help Kurosaki Ichigo, who was constantly becoming Hollowfied in the cave. At this moment, Urahara Kisuke could only firmly believe that Kurosaki Ichigo's will was strong enough, and that he would definitely become a Shinigami again through his own efforts.

time flies.

Not long after, the Hollows that had been devouring the knots on Ichigo's body seemed to have completely digested them! At that moment, they awoke once more, opening their gaping maws to continue devouring the last remaining knot on Ichigo's chest. The instant their devouring of all the knots was complete, they merged with Ichigo. It was after this Hollow power entered Ichigo's body that he began spitting out countless white substances, and a Hollow mask appeared on his face.

"Void!"

Kisuke Urahara narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Ichigo Kurosaki.

As expected, Ichigo Kurosaki exhibited the same symptoms that appeared on Shinji Hirako and the others back then! This means that the Hollow that resided in Masaki Kurosaki's body back then was indeed the work of the mastermind who harmed him and Shinji Hirako and the other captains.

"Ichigo! Go tame him!"

In response, Kisuke Urahara looked calmly at the Hollowfied Ichigo and chuckled.

Yes, Kisuke Urahara was confident about Ichigo Kurosaki's Hollowfication. He knew Ichigo would succeed, after all, he had already used his Hogyoku to heal Ichigo at birth.

"Damn it!"

As for Ichigo Kurosaki, after uttering a curse, he finally lost consciousness completely.

"Ichigo Kurosaki! Ichigo Kurosaki, wake up!"

"Ichigo Kurosaki, open your eyes wide and take a good look at who I am!"

"Ichigo Kurosaki, wake up quickly and call my name!"

Ichigo Kurosaki didn't know how much time had passed, but he could hear one call after another constantly ringing in his ears, a sound that kept him awake.

When Ichigo Kurosaki opened his eyes, what came into view was a towering skyscraper and two people standing on it.

One of the two men had long, dark hair that reached his shoulders, wore a black cloak, and sported a pair of stylish sunglasses, giving him the look of a cool, middle-aged man. It was this incredibly handsome man who had been calling out to him.

The other was a man dressed in a Shinigami uniform, with a Zanpakuto at his waist—the classic Shinigami image. He appeared quite young, perhaps in his twenties or thirties, in the prime of his youth, sunny and handsome.

However, to Ichigo Kurosaki's surprise, for some reason he could never remember the face of the sunny and handsome man in front of him. He seemed to only think that the man was very handsome, but he could never remember his appearance. This made Ichigo feel strange.

"What's going on?! Who are you?"

Kurosaki Ichigo stared blankly at the two incredibly handsome men standing before him, each with a completely different style.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, we are the power within you~"

"I am the one in this world who knows you best."

The man dressed in the Shinigami uniform was the first to speak to Ichigo Kurosaki.

"The one in this world who knows me best?!"

After hearing what the man in the Shinigami uniform said, Kurosaki Ichigo paused for a moment.

"exactly!"

"Now, Ichigo Kurosaki, make your choice~"

"Your choices will determine your future path."

While Ichigo Kurosaki was still puzzled, the middle-aged man in the black cloak spoke up again, getting straight to the point.

"Choice? Path? I don't understand what you're talking about..."

Ichigo Kurosaki was utterly bewildered. He had begun his training to become a Shinigami, but the moment he entered his inner world, he encountered two complete strangers. For some reason, Ichigo's intuition told him that these two were not simply the two powers within him; it seemed they possessed other identities…

"Ichigo Kurosaki, you don't need to think about these things!"

"You only need to know one thing!"

"No matter what path you choose, we will protect you!"

The man, dressed in a black trench coat and wearing sunglasses, looking incredibly dashing and handsome, calmly replied to Ichigo Kurosaki.

In fact, the man in the trench coat, who was actually the Quincy power within Ichigo Kurosaki, still felt a pang of reluctance. At this moment, he revealed a lot of information to Ichigo.

"Yes, Ichigo~"

"No matter who you choose, we will always support you~"

At this moment, the power composed of various chaotic forces that Araki left within Ichigo Kurosaki, appearing in the form of a young Araki, also spoke up, unusually agreeing with the power of Yhwach beside him.

"You want me to choose?!"

After listening to what Araki and Yhwach said, Ichigo Kurosaki seemed to fall into deep thought.

"If I had to choose..."

"I'd probably choose...you!"

After his gaze swirled between Araki and Yhwach, Ichigo Kurosaki ultimately chose Yhwach, since Yhwach seemed more composed, while Araki gave off a frivolous vibe.

"Haha~"

"Congratulations, Ichigo Kurosaki, you made the right choice~"

The Quincy power that appeared in Ichigo's body in the form of Yhwach suddenly laughed after hearing what Kurosaki Ichigo said.

In fact, Yhwach's power and Araki's power made a bet within Ichigo Kurosaki's body: no matter which one Ichigo chose, they would tell him he had made the right choice and then lend him their swords to fight.

Therefore, after Ichigo Kurosaki chose Yhwach's power, the Quincy power that appeared before everyone in the form of Yhwach a thousand years ago pulled out a 'Zanpakuto' that looked like a kitchen knife. This was a Quincy's sword, and it was also Yhwach's power, which he intended to lend to Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, catch my sword. If you were in your current state, you should be able to call me by name! Go, use my sword to defeat the enemies outside! Remember, your friends are still waiting for you. You don't have much time left..."

The Yhwach power within Ichigo Kurosaki spoke earnestly to Ichigo.

"I see!"

Upon hearing Yhwach's words, Ichigo Kurosaki didn't hesitate at all. He gripped the massive cleaver and headed straight for the outside world...

"Araki, it seems I've won this game!"

Yhwach's power, after Ichigo Kurosaki left this world, gave Araki a faint smile! There aren't many things in this world that can bring Yhwach joy, and defeating Araki happens to be one of them.

"Really? I have a feeling that I've won?"

Araki laughed after hearing Yhwach's words.

"Um?!"

Upon hearing this, Yhwach's expression changed slightly.

Based on Yhwach's understanding of Araki, Araki is tricking him again...

At the same time, Ichigo Kurosaki's consciousness finally reconnected with his external self. Suddenly, Ichigo, who had been struggling and beginning his complete Hollowfication process, fell silent.

Before the next second had passed, Ichigo Kurosaki's spiritual pressure erupted instantly, forming a terrifying pillar of spiritual pressure that shot into the sky! At this moment, Ichigo Kurosaki's spiritual pressure had even approached the level of a third-rank Reikou, which is the spiritual pressure of a captain-level Shinigami.

"Click, click, click..."

It was precisely at the same moment that Ichigo unleashed his spiritual pressure that, after his body went hollow, the remaining white, bone-like material began to crumble, revealing Ichigo Kurosaki's true form.

"Ichigo, congratulations on your success~"

"Now you've regained your Grim Reaper powers!"

The moment Ichigo revealed his true form, Kisuke Urahara landed in front of him and smiled at him.

"Kisuke Urahara, I told you! Once I regain my Shinigami powers, I will definitely cut you down! Now it's time for you to experience the power of my Zanpakuto..."

As he spoke, Kurosaki Ichigo pulled out a huge, black Zanpakuto that looked like a kitchen knife.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, do you already know the name of your Zanpakuto?"

The sight of Ichigo Kurosaki drawing his Zanpakuto stunned Kisuke Urahara.

Originally, it was supposed to be during the next stage of training that Kurosaki Ichigo learned the name of his Zanpakuto, but Kurosaki Ichigo completed the training ahead of schedule.

"Heh, of course I know the name of my Zanpakuto!"

"The name of this sword of mine is... Yhwach!!"

Under Kisuke Urahara's surprised gaze, Ichigo Kurosaki revealed the name of his Zanpakuto.

"what?!"

For a moment, not only Kisuke Urahara, but even the Quincy power within Ichigo, which appeared in the form of Yhwach, was stunned.

"Ha ha……"

Only the power of Araki within Ichigo Kurosaki revealed a smile.

Others might think they've made a huge profit, but Araki never loses out.

"No! Araki, you tricked me!"

"Where would you find such a strange name for a Zanpakuto?!"

At this moment, the Yhwach power within Ichigo Kurosaki could no longer remain still, and he glared at Araki and angrily rebuked him.

"So this is the name of the Zanpakuto that awakened within Ichigo Kurosaki~"