XX-level Hokage

We must find a new way out.

Ichigo closed his eyes, no longer focusing on Ginjo's approaching sword. His consciousness sank into the deep sea, slowly seeping into the chaotic torrent of energy within his body. He "saw"—the azure Shinigami's spiritual pressure like an endless ocean, calm yet containing the power to destroy everything; the crimson Hollow power like an erupting volcano, every wisp of spiritual pressure carrying a desire to devour and destroy; the light of the human soul like a warm reed, stubbornly burning between the two violent powers, his obsession to protect his companions; and the golden Fullbring threads from the XCUTION members, Riruka's doll, Jekyll's boots, Yukio's game console... these threads, each entwined with its own "pride," were now intertwined and entangled with his power, yet they could never truly merge.

(Forced integration will only lead to the collapse of everything.)

The sharp sound of a sword slicing through the air exploded in his ears. Yincheng's longsword was already above his head, the spiritual pressure on the blade even making his scalp tingle. (What if... we don't fuse?)

This thought flashed through the darkness like lightning.

Ichigo suddenly opened his eyes. His left eye instantly transformed into a vertical pupil like that of a reptile, and crimson Hollow bone armor rapidly spread along his arm, covering his fingertips. Meanwhile, his right eye glowed with a faint blue light, and the Shinigami pressure surged towards his right half of his body like a tide, condensing into a thin layer of spiritual armor on his skin.

Two diametrically opposed forces were clearly distinct within him, yet under the pull of human will, they formed a strange balance. Ginjo's sword abruptly stopped just an inch from Ichigo's forehead.

It wasn't that he was showing mercy, but rather that Ichigo's left hand actually grabbed the blade with his bare hands—the jet-black Hollow armor acted like the strongest shield, forcefully holding the blade, which was brimming with immense spiritual pressure, even causing the blade to groan under the strain.

"This is..." Ginjo's pupils suddenly contracted. He felt the Fullbring spiritual pressure on the sword being analyzed and diverted by an unfamiliar force, flowing into Ichigo's body through his arm, and then being transformed into spiritual pressure of other attributes by some mechanism.

Ichigo raised his right hand, and the emerald green Fullbring energy no longer tried to condense into a fixed shape, but instead transformed into countless thin ribbons of light, like living vines, winding up Ginjo's sword and arm.

These light bands are not plundering spiritual pressure, but rather "learning" to analyze the structure of Ginjo Fullbring, mimicking the trajectory of its spiritual pressure flow, and then feeding this information back to Ichigo's consciousness.

“I don’t need to turn them into the same power.” Ichigo’s voice echoed in two ways, a mixture of human hoarseness and Hollow depth. “I am their vessel,” and also their commander.

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly exerted force with his left hand, and the power of emptiness burst forth with terrifying brute force, actually throwing Yin Cheng and his sword away.

At the same time, the green light band on his right hand followed him like a shadow, weaving a huge light net in the air, slowing down Silver City's backward flight while constantly absorbing his dissipated spiritual pressure to replenish his own Fullbring technique.

Ginjo adjusted his posture mid-air, his feet carving two long gashes into the ground as he landed. He sheathed his greatsword, his gaze towards Ichigo filled with shock and complexity—a mixture of admiration and resentment. The "fusion of powers" he had pursued for so many years was finally achieved by Ichigo in a different way: not by forcibly combining powers of different attributes, but by centering on human will, allowing them to perform their respective functions in a dynamic balance, like a conductor leading an orchestra with diverse styles yet playing in harmony.

“You did it.” The Silver City cross necklace felt slightly warm in his palm. “This kind of integration is more suitable for you than mere fusion.”

Liluka hugged the pink doll, her mouth agape, her previous dissatisfaction with Ichigo long since replaced by shock; Jieqi put away her purple-glowing boots, a hint of barely perceptible admiration hidden in her eyes; Yukio also stopped typing on the virtual keyboard, the spiritual pressure analysis data displayed on the game console screen constantly refreshing new peak values.

They could clearly sense that while Ichigo's spiritual pressure still possessed various attributes, it no longer carried the same imminent danger of exploding. Instead, it had formed a stable triangular structure: human will at the top, with the three powers of Shinigami, Hollow, and Fullbring acting as pillars, mutually restraining and supporting each other.

Just then, Yukio's game console suddenly emitted a piercing alarm, and a large area of ​​red warning light appeared on the pixelated barrier model on the screen. "Oh no!" His expression changed drastically, and his fingers flew across the keyboard. "High-energy spiritual pressure is approaching outside the barrier! It's too fast—it's Tsukishima's aura, but… there's someone else with him!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire pixel barrier shook violently, and the top pixels fell like shattered glass, unleashing a thin burst of spiritual pressure.

However, when it pierced through the outside of the barrier, carving a deep groove in the wall, the "severing" attribute contained in the spiritual pressure significantly slowed down the barrier's repair speed.

"He's found us!" Jieqi instantly went into battle mode, her purplish-black spiritual pressure once again enveloping her dirty boots, ready to launch an attack at any moment. Yincheng's expression was extremely grave: "Yukio, how long can the barrier hold?"

"At most three minutes! The opponent's spiritual pressure is forcibly breaking down the barrier's structure, and my code defense is about to collapse!" Cold sweat beaded on Yukio's forehead! Her fingers tapped the keyboard so fast that afterimages appeared.

Ichigo stepped forward to the front of the group, his spiritual pressure gradually receding. The radiance of the three powers flickered on his body, like a flowing rainbow enveloping him. He gazed at the distorted light and shadow outside the barrier, his eyes no longer filled with confusion, but with a cold determination—the resolute determination of someone who had finally found their way after experiencing a desperate situation.

“Perfect.” Ichigo said softly, his right hand clenching into a fist. Emerald green Fullbring energy surged forth once more. This time, the energy was clearly mixed with azure Shinigami spiritual pressure and pitch-black Hollow power. It was no longer a chaotic mixture, but an orderly superposition.

"Let's use it to test my still-unskilled sword."

The tremors outside the barrier intensified, and one after another, slender spiritual pressure slashes came, attempting to tear the barrier apart like venomous snakes.

As the distorted light and shadow gradually came into focus, Hidekuro Tsukishima's figure became clearer. The bookmark in his hand gleamed with a silvery-white light, and a slight smile played on his lips as always.

Beside him, a blurry figure in a black trench coat stood quietly. Although his face was not visible, he exuded a spiritual pressure that was completely different from that of Tsukishima, like an abyss—a cold aura that could freeze one's soul.

Cracks spread across the pixel barrier like a spider web, and the ground made of spirit particles began to collapse.

Ichigo gripped the "sword" in his hand, whose shape was gradually stabilizing. Emerald green Fullbring flames enveloped the azure blade, and dark Hollow runes coiled around the hilt. Under the guidance of human will, the three powers finally showed their cooperative fighting posture for the first time.

This time, Ichigo's eyes were devoid of any confusion, only a cold, unwavering determination burning with the flames of his will.

Chapter 292: The Book of the End

The pixel barrier collapsed like shattered glass, its fragments dissipating into countless points of light. Moonlight once more shone down, illuminating the two opposing sides standing in the ruins.

Hidekuro Tsukishima was still wearing that long black trench coat, his expression indifferent.

Standing beside him was a man wearing a white lab coat and glasses—his appearance was somewhat similar to that of Ishida Uryu, but his eyes were colder and sharper, and he held a uniquely shaped spirit bow in his hand.

"Ishida Sogen?" Ginjo Kūgo exclaimed, his face filled with disbelief. "Impossible! You should have known better."

"Dying long ago?" Ishida Sogen—the supposedly deceased father of the Quincy—adjusted his glasses, his tone eerily calm. "Before Mr. Tsukishima's 'Book of the End,' life and death are nothing more than characters on the pages that can be altered."

Ichigo's heart sank. He remembered Yuuryu mentioning this ancestral friend, his tone filled with reverence and remembrance. But now, this Quincy master, who should have been in eternal slumber, stood here as an enemy.

"Tsukishima, is this your trump card?" Ichigo clenched his fists, and the three powers within him began to flow faster. "To pull the dead from the grave of history and use them for your own purposes?"

Tsukishima gently stroked the cover of the black book in his hand, a strange smile curving his lips: "Kurosaki Ichigo, you're wrong. I didn't resurrect them, I merely altered the trajectory of their existence. In the current timeline, Yuzuru Muneaki never died; he has always been my most capable collaborator."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ishida Muneken had already drawn his spirit bow.

Unlike Ishida Uryu's azure Quincy Sacred Arrow, the arrows he fired were an ominous dark red, with black patterns wrapped around their shafts.

"Watch out!" Yin Cheng shouted, and his fully manifested greatsword instantly unfolded, blocking the way for everyone.

The dark red arrow struck the greatsword without making a loud sound. Instead, it began to rapidly erode Silver City's spiritual pressure structure, like a corrosive liquid. The surface of the greatsword emitted a sizzling sound as its spiritual particle structure was quickly decomposed.

"This is... the power of the Void?" Jieqi stared in shock at the dark red arrow. "How could a Fire Mage possibly use the power of the Void?"

Ishida Sogen drew his bow again, expressionless: "In the history revised by Mr. Tsukishima, the Quincy and Hollows share the same origin. The boundaries you perceive are nothing but laughable prejudices."

Three dark red arrows shot towards them in a triangular formation, their speed far exceeding everyone's reaction limits. At that critical moment, Ichigo moved.

His left eye instantly transformed into a vertical pupil of illusion, and a jet-black illusory armor covered his left half. His left hand suddenly shot forward—not to block, but to directly deflect the three arrows!

"You're courting death!" Shi Youzongxian shouted coldly.

However, the next scene left everyone speechless: Ichigo's left hand was covered with a thin layer of emerald green light, which was highly condensed Fullbring energy.

The moment his fingers touched the crimson arrow, the Hollow energy on the arrow seemed to be drawn to something and quickly flowed into the Hollow Armor on his left hand, while the remaining Quincy spiritual energy was neutralized and absorbed by the Shinigami spiritual pressure on his right side.

Three arrows, enough to severely injure a captain-level Shinigami, melted away like ice in Ichigo's hands.

"Impossible!" Ishida Sogen showed a look of shock for the first time. "How could you possibly neutralize both the Hollow and Quincy powers at the same time?"

Ichigo shook his left hand, and the jet-black armor slowly faded away: "Tsukishima Hidekuro, is this what you call revising history? Forcibly mixing incompatible forces together to create this kind of grotesque monster?"

Tsukishima's eyes finally flickered slightly. He gently opened the "Book of the End" in his hand, and the pages moved on their own without any wind: "Interesting. It seems that Ginjo and the others' power is much more useful than you imagined, Kurosaki Ichigo."

His fingers gently traced the pages, and the words on them began to twist and recombine: "But do you think this is all the power of the Book of the End?" Suddenly, the atmosphere of the entire space changed.

The moonlight seemed to freeze, the spiritual particles in the air stopped flowing, and an indescribable sense of oppression enveloped everyone. "This is... time stop?" Yukio looked at the game console in her hand that had completely stopped working, her voice trembling.

Tsukishima's voice echoed in the frozen space-time, eerily clear: "The true power of the 'Book of the End' is not to alter the past, but to write the end."

One presupposes an ending for everything.

His gaze locked onto Ichigo: "Kurosaki Ichigo, I wrote on your final page: You will lose all your powers here and become an ordinary human again."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ichigo felt an invisible force gripping his throat. The three forces within him began to vibrate violently, colliding with each other, as if they were about to fall apart at any moment.

Even more terrifying, his connection with the Substitute Death License was being forcibly severed, and that familiar feeling of powerlessness welled up in his heart again.

"Ahhh!" Ichigo knelt on one knee, clutching his chest in pain. He could feel Tsukishima's words becoming reality, an irresistible force of "rules" stripping him of everything.

"Ichigo!" Ginjo tried to step forward, but found himself unable to move.

Not only Ginjo, but also Riruka, Jekyll, Sakizawa, and Yukio, were all bound by an invisible force and could only watch silently as Ichigo struggled in pain.

"It's useless." Tsukishima's voice was as cold as frost. "The ending locked by the 'Book of the End' cannot be changed by anyone; that's the absoluteness of the rules."

Just as Ichigo's consciousness was about to be swallowed by the emptiness of being stripped of his power, a familiar voice rang in his mind: "Go."

Is that Zangetsu's voice? No, it's not quite the same. This voice is more composed, more... complete.

"Remember, you have never been a solitary being. Shinigami, Hollows, Quincy, Fullbring—these are all parts of you, but your essence is always that of Ichigo Kurosaki, fighting to protect others."

Ichigo abruptly looked up, the golden and black light in his pupils swirling wildly before finally merging into a deep, dark gold. "My essence?"

He recalled the determination he had when he first picked up Zangetsu, the struggle he had gone through when he became Hollowfied to protect Inoue, the recklessness he had shown when he stormed into Tosoul World to save Rukia, the resolve he had when he fought Ulquiorra to the death in Hueco Mundo, and the determination he had shown when he sacrificed all his power to protect Karakura Town.

Every time he becomes stronger, it's not to surpass anyone, but to protect those he wants to protect. This is his essence, and it has never changed.

"Shukurou Tsukishima..." Ichigo slowly straightened up. The invisible force of rules was still trying to strip him of his power, but at this moment, something even more primal...

Something essential awakened within him. "You may be able to write to the end, but there is one thing you can never change—"

He stretched out his right hand, his mind turned upwards.

The spiritual pressure of the Shinigami, the power of the Hollow, the energy of Fullbring, and the undying will of humanity—the four forces no longer repelled each other, but instead converged and merged in his palm like rivers flowing into the sea, ultimately forming a chaotic, ever-changing sphere of light.

Within the sphere of light, the outline of a sword was faintly visible—resembling both Zanpakuto and Hollow Claw, imbued with the shimmering brilliance of Fullbring. "That is the will that guides my choice of how to fight!"

The ball of light exploded violently, transforming into countless streams of light that swirled around Ichigo's body, eventually coalescing into an unprecedented suit of armor—the left half covered in jet-black Hollow Armor, the right half in pristine white Shinigami armor, and a jade-green gem formed from the Substitute Shinigami License embedded in the chest. Human will, like golden veins, perfectly connected all of this together.

For the first time, Hidekuro Tsukishima showed a solemn expression: "Impossible... The rules of the Book of No End should already be..." "Rules?" Ichigo raised his hand, and the chaotic light condensed into a long sword in his hand.

The blade was as black as night, yet its edge shimmered with iridescent light. "Then I'll use my rules to override yours!" He swung the blade.

It lacked any earth-shattering momentum or the power to tear through space.

This simple, unadorned strike seemed to contain some fundamental truth.

Wherever the force passed, the frozen space-time created by the "Book of the End" on Tsukishima shattered like a mirror, the moonlight flowed away again, the spirit particles became active again, and Ginjo and the others regained their freedom.

The "Book of the End" in Tsukishima's hand trembled violently. The "end" about Ichigo on the pages began to blur and distort, eventually turning into a blank page. "You... you actually rewrote the predetermined end?" For the first time, Tsukishima's voice carried an incredulous tone.

Ichigo pointed his long sword at Tsukishima, his dark golden pupils burning with an undeniable will: "I've said it before, I decide my own way of fighting. Tsukishima Hidekuro, your story ends here."

Ishida Muneaki drew his spirit bow again, but this time, his fingers trembled.

Tsukishima raised his hand to stop him, looking deeply at Ichigo with a complex light in his eyes.

It seems, "The Book of the End still needs a new chapter." Tsukishima gently closed the book, his figure beginning to blur. "But Kurosaki Ichigo, remember this..."

I am not the only one capable of writing the end. When you face that true, original book, will you still have such confidence?

Before the words were even finished, Tsukishima and Ishida Sogen's figures had already vanished into the night like mist.

As they left, the ruins returned to silence, leaving only a scene of devastation and a group of still-shaken people.

Ichigo's strange armor slowly dissipated, returning to his ordinary black Shinigami uniform. He looked down at his hands, feeling the four powers coexisting harmoniously within him, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

“The true Book of Origin.” He repeated Tsukishima’s words before he left in a low voice, a strange unease rising in his heart.

Yincheng walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't think too much. Today you did something we all thought was impossible—you defeated the rules of the Book of the End."

Ichigo raised his head, gazing in the direction where Tsukishima had disappeared, a resolute glint in his dark golden eyes. "No matter what I face, I will continue forward. This is my choice."

In this war concerning existence itself, Ichigo Kurosaki finally found his own path.

Chapter 293: The Shaking Foundation

The ruins left behind by Hidekuro Tsukishima fell into an eerie silence.

The pixel barrier vanished completely, leaving only the real moonlight wine on the broken walls and ruins.