Staring at Ichigo standing before him, Yhwach chuckled.
"Though I don't know what method you used, breaking out of Quilge's jail was certainly impressive. But do you really intend to fight me in that battered body?"
Ichigo looked at Yhwach with scorn. Although the man in front of him bore a strong resemblance to old-man Zangetsu, Ichigo suppressed his urge to question his identity—for now, the priority was his wounded comrades and the devastated Seireitei.
"So, you're the head of the enemy, huh?" Ichigo asked calmly.
"Enemy?" Yhwach mulled over the word. "You could say that... or not."
But Ichigo wasn't interested in such vague replies. He glanced back at Unohana, Yamamoto, and Moemi.
"I'm asking you—was it you, this bastard, who wrecked the Soul Society?"
Yhwach didn't even hesitate. "That's right. It was me."
In the very next moment, Ichigo, burning with rage, unleashed a monstrous wave of spiritual pressure and charged forward.
"Getsuga... Tenshō!"
The black crescent, infused with both Hollow and Quincy reiatsu, hurtled toward Yhwach. At first, he paid it no mind—until it was mere inches from his face. That's when Yhwach's expression changed. He was forced to use Blut Vene Anhaben to flash away just in time!
"How is this possible?! How can you be this strong?!" Yhwach was stunned.
He had assumed Ichigo, unaware of his origins, would be unable to wield his true powers properly. But that Getsuga Tenshō... it had surpassed even Yamamoto's attacks!
As he reappeared, Yhwach noticed Ichigo's face—blood vessels bulging, eyes filled with murderous rage, the whites consumed by pitch black. Rather than alarmed, Yhwach was delighted.
"Haschwalth, prepare to seize Kurosaki Ichigo. I want him on our side!"
Ichigo's eyes turned even colder. His killing intent pierced Yhwach's very soul.
"Such terrifying power... Is that Blut Arterie activated subconsciously?" Yhwach muttered.
Ichigo's spiritual pressure exploded, shaking the entire battlefield and fracturing the ground beneath him.
Yhwach's right arm, caught in the shockwave, was scorched and torn by the blast.
Still, Yhwach wasn't so easily repelled. He adjusted his stance and slashed at Ichigo.
But Ichigo didn't move. He took the blow squarely on his arm, not even flinching.
"Blut Arterie followed by Blut Vene?" Yhwach realized. "You've mastered the Quincy abilities subconsciously!"
That revelation startled even him—Ichigo had gone beyond what Yhwach anticipated.
"I should've sent a Hollow instead of a pure Quincy to stop you. Thanks to that idiot, you awakened those memories far sooner than expected."
"Quilge's jail was meant to restrain the enemy... but it can't imprison a Quincy!"
Just then, Ichigo's Schrift "D" activated.
"What are you even talking about? Memories of reiatsu?"
Yhwach smiled. "So you don't even know your own history... not even your mother's?"
When Ichigo heard that, he snapped.
"What did you say about my mom?!"
But Yhwach didn't respond. Instead, he leapt toward Ichigo, aiming to strike.
Yet, before he could reach him, black shadows wrapped around Yhwach's body.
These were the shadows he'd deployed before the battle—an emergency retreat safeguard in case things went south.
But Yhwach was baffled. He hadn't expected to be overwhelmed enough to need this escape route. Hadn't he accomplished enough by devastating the Soul Society?
Haschwalth looked at him.
"Your Majesty. Time's up. We must retreat."
Yhwach's expression twisted in confusion.
Time's up? That wasn't right. He could've sworn there was more time left...
And then, it hit him.
Aizen Sōsuke.
When they had briefly interacted, even though Aizen was sealed from head to toe, he had still managed to activate Kyōka Suigetsu.
Yhwach hadn't even realized he had fallen under its illusion—his sense of time had been distorted.
Even he had been deceived by Aizen.
As Yhwach's body began to fade into the shadows, Ichigo roared, "Don't run!"
But the next attacker wasn't Yhwach—it was none other than the Sternritter Grandmaster, Jugram Haschwalth.
"World Rebalance."
Crack!
Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu... shattered.
He froze.
He had never imagined that his Zanpakutō could be broken.
And clearly, Haschwalth didn't do it with brute force—it was done using some form of rule-like power.
Even Yhwach didn't dare face Ichigo head-on. Haschwalth definitely didn't do it with strength alone.
"Rest assured, Kurosaki Ichigo. I'll return for you one day. Just wait quietly until then."
Before departing, Yhwach left behind one final cryptic line.
"Farewell... my son, born in darkness."
Everyone was stunned.
Ichigo, Yamamoto, Unohana—they were all shaken.
"Ichigo! Are you okay?!"
Like a worried wife, Unohana flashed to Ichigo's side, frantically checking him for injuries.
"I'm fine," Ichigo replied softly.
But as he looked at his broken Tensa Zangetsu, he murmured,
"So I'm still not strong enough... Next time, I'll defeat even the rules with my reiatsu."
Yes—he believed the reason his sword broke was that his spiritual pressure still wasn't strong enough to defy such powers.
Once he became stronger, nothing would stop him.
Unohana let out a breath of relief.
"Moemi, notify Squad Four. Begin rescue and casualty counts."
"Yes, understood."
Moemi activated her ink-black moon and stepped into a portal, vanishing.
Yamamoto also stepped away quietly.
Just as he'd said before—he was no longer the Captain-Commander, just an old man now, better suited to teaching at Shinō Academy.
Research and Development Bureau.
Mayuri stared at the two broken halves of Tensa Zangetsu.
"I've got bad news for you, Kurosaki Ichigo. Your Zanpakutō... can't be repaired."
Ichigo blinked.
"Why?"
Mayuri explained, "Zanpakutō are extensions of the Shinigami's soul. The process of achieving Shikai and Bankai is essentially forging your very soul into a weapon."
"Shikai represents the preliminary shaping. Bankai is the final form—your soul fully refined."
"And a completely forged Zanpakutō, once broken... can't be fixed."
"This is why Bankai can't be restored. Not even mine—Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō—could be truly repaired after I blew it up. I had to modify it entirely."
"There are rare exceptions—like Komamura's Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō, which is linked to his body. As long as he heals, it heals."
"That's the only upside to a Bankai that shares injuries with its wielder."
"Even Soifon's Jakuhō Raikōben, which appears to regenerate, doesn't repair the Bankai core—only the reiatsu-formed missile launcher."
"You're not the only one. Madarame Ikkaku's Bankai was barely patched up, but its power is far below what it used to be."
"And Renji's Sōō Zabimaru? It's been in pieces since his last fight with Byakuya. No one just counted the fragments."
Ichigo sighed.
Before he could speak again, Mayuri's phone rang.
After a brief conversation, Mayuri turned to Ichigo.
"Follow me. You might not want to see them, but they insisted."
"The Royal Guard... has arrived."
His tone was strange—equal parts disdain and nostalgia.
Soul Society Outer Wall.
The captains who could still move had gathered there.
Ichigo turned to Unohana.
"Yachiru... who are the Royal Guard?"
She explained, "The Zero Division are the King's Royal Guard. They serve the Soul King directly and answer only to him. In fact, the Central 46 answers to them."
"They're above the Gotei 13 in rank. And because they protect the Soul King, they never interfere in Seireitei's crises."
"Look!"
Shunsui pointed skyward. Now equipped with a special eyepatch crafted by the Research Bureau (after he lost one eye), he watched as a massive cylinder descended from above.
"That's their transport—the Tenchūren."
The towering pillar descended before them.
Despite its height, its base was compact—almost familiar to Ichigo.
"There are no foot soldiers in the Royal Guard. Just five captains—each one stronger than the entire Gotei 13 combined."
As the banner of the Cherry Blossom Crest unfurled, five figures descended:
Ichibē Hyōsube, the Monk Who Calls the Real Name. The first member of the Royal Guard.
Ōetsu Nimaiya, the Blade God, a stylish man with glasses.
Tenjirō Kirinji, the hot-blooded medic known as "Lightning-Speed Tenjirō."
Senjumaru Shutara, the Great Weaver, a cold and elegant woman.
And finally, Kirio Hikifune, now a plump lady—but once a beautiful woman seen before.
Tenjirō stared at Unohana in disbelief.
"Yachiru?! You became Captain-Commander?!"
Unohana didn't respond. She only looked at Ichibē Hyōsube.
Mayuri glared at Senjumaru with resentment—she had once locked him in the Maggot's Nest before ascending to the Royal Guard.
Hitsugaya eyed them suspiciously.
"Do these weirdos... really have power?"
Hirako frowned.
"Where's Hikifune-san? Why didn't she—"
"I'm here, Shinji!" the big woman laughed.
"Wha—YOU'RE Hikifune?!" Shinji's face twisted in horror.
Ichibē stepped forward.
"We're not only here to retrieve Byakuya and the others for healing..."
"We're also here for you, Kurosaki Ichigo."
"Me?" Ichigo blinked.
"That's right. In the Soul King's Palace... you'll find the answers you seek. And we can reforge your Zanpakutō."
And so, Ichigo, Rukia, and the others were taken—
Toward the hidden truth,
Toward the Royal Palace,
And toward their fated rebirth.
(End of Chapter)
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