Chapter 189: Destiny Returns, Ichigo Meets Zangetsu Again
Thump.
Thump.
In the endless expanse of darkness, everything around remained utterly silent. Amidst the trembling rhythm of his own heartbeat, Kurosaki Ichigo slowly opened his eyes.
"Where... is this place?"
Although during the journey here, Kurosaki Isshin had whispered continuously in Ichigo's ear, explaining everything about this location, the moment he actually stepped into this space, a suffocating sense of despair instantly spread throughout his entire body.
This place had once been a corner of Soul Society. Later, in order to prepare for the winter decisive battle against Aizen, Urahara Kisuke had developed devices called Barrier Transformation Pillars. These pillars exchanged the areas between this location and Karakura Town in the real world, allowing captain-level Shinigami to fight Aizen without endangering human lives.
But now, aside from boundless darkness, there existed no signs of life whatsoever. Everything lay shrouded in deathly silence.
Occasional gusts of frigid wind made Kurosaki Ichigo, dressed only in thin clothing, tremble throughout his body.
As Ichigo's heartbeat gradually accelerated, the surrounding environment began changing quietly.
What struck him as bizarre was that in Ichigo's perception, he suddenly heard the sound of water—a rushing, crashing noise. After a moment, the entire world became flooded with emerald seawater. Ichigo burst from beneath the surface, leaping onto the roof of a building. Just as he bent his knees to crouch down and catch his breath, he heard a sharp whistle through the air as a blade descended from above.
Sensing the crisis, he activated Shunpo to evade the strike. Looking back, he saw a boy wearing clothes identical to his own Bankai form standing in midair, looking down at him. Just as Kurosaki Ichigo was about to demand who this person was, the seawater in the sky began pouring backward, and part of the torrent rushed directly into Ichigo's mouth.
"Cough! Gah!"
Choking on the water, Ichigo attempted to escape before he could recover, only to discover that this entire space had been completely flooded with seawater. Everything around him lay submerged beneath the waves.
Kurosaki Ichigo stared at the boy not far away, wanting to speak, but finding nothing but water surrounding him, he could only cover his mouth and express his displeasure through his eyes alone.
"Calm yourself."
"You should be able to breathe," the black-clad boy said with perfect composure, a cloak flowing behind him.
Hearing the boy's words, Kurosaki Ichigo followed the instruction, maintaining his calm and quickly adjusting his mental state. To his surprise, he discovered that he could indeed breathe and speak underwater, exactly as the other had said.
"Who are you? Why are you here?"
"Who am I? It's rather impolite to speak in such a tone to someone who's just told you how to breathe!"
After saying this, the boy extended his hand and grasped at empty air. A Tensa Zangetsu identical to the one held by Kurosaki Ichigo suddenly materialized in his grip.
"That's impossible! How could you have that? You're clearly not Hollow, and you're not Old Man Zangetsu either!"
"And... Old Man Zangetsu already..." Ichigo recalled that when he'd been in his inner world, Zangetsu had been devoured by that monster in order to save him. So who was this boy before him? And why did he wield the same Tensa Zangetsu?
Then a figure drifting past suddenly caught Ichigo's attention. When Ichigo looked closely, his face turned deathly pale and his eyes widened in shock.
"Tōshirō?"
"How is this... You've got to be kidding!"
In Ichigo's line of sight, Hitsugaya Tōshirō's eyes were wide open like those of a corpse—no, exactly like a drifting corpse.
Kurosaki Ichigo could clearly perceive that there was no breath remaining in Tōshirō's body at this moment. It was as though he were already dead.
However, before Ichigo could continue processing this, another corpse drifted along with the current and appeared within Ichigo's field of vision.
"Captain Kyoraku!"
Why was someone as powerful as the Captain of the Eighth Division here as well? Immediately afterward, the corpses of Jūshirō, Soi Fon, Rangiku, and other vice-captains appeared one after another. Finally, even the bodies of all the Visored members, including Hirako Shinji, materialized one by one.
Some of them had their eyes closed, appearing peaceful in death, while others were like Hitsugaya Tōshirō—eyes wide open, staring lifelessly into eternity.
"Everyone... What happened to everyone?"
There was a tremor in Kurosaki Ichigo's voice. Then he suddenly raised his head and glared fiercely at the boy hovering above. "It's you! Did you do this? Answer me!"
Scarlet spiritual pressure filled Ichigo's eyes. The scene of his companions' tragic deaths was utterly unacceptable to Ichigo. The only one who could provide him answers was this mysterious boy before him who wore the same form and wielded the same weapon.
"Although I'd really like to say it was me, I'm sorry—their deaths have nothing to do with me!" After saying that, the boy lifted his cloak, revealing messy black hair and fair features.
"It seems you don't recognize me. But that's no surprise, considering the form you arrived here in!"
Before the boy could make his next move, Ichigo's figure moved like a phantom. The red and black afterimage cut through the seawater, appearing before the boy in an instant. Then he swung his blade with violent force.
CLANG!
The boy raised the Tensa Zangetsu in his hand and easily blocked Kurosaki Ichigo's attack. Then he spoke with perfect calm: "What's this? After feeling despair, you want to vent your frustration on me? Foolish."
BOOM!
Immediately, he grabbed Kurosaki Ichigo's arm and spun around, smashing him directly into a building on the seabed.
After regaining his composure, Kurosaki Ichigo emerged from the ruins and began studying the boy's appearance more carefully. After thorough consideration, he realized the boy before him looked exactly like the former Old Man Zangetsu—but he'd become a young version of Zangetsu.
But... why had he come here? What was his father's purpose in making him enter this place? Isshin had brought him to this destination but hesitated to explain, telling him to ask questions himself. But who should he ask? And what had happened to those Gotei 13 captains who lay dead in this place?
At this moment, Kurosaki Ichigo felt extremely frustrated. But soon he pulled himself together, regaining his rationality, and addressed the boy before him: "You... you're Uncle Zangetsu, aren't you? What you said just now clearly implied as much. But why have you become like this?"
"Not entirely stupid. Let me answer your previous question first. Before you arrived here, these Shinigami corpses had already appeared in this place. As for what happened to them, perhaps only the person who sent you here would know!"
The young Zangetsu spoke with perfect composure.
"Father? Does he already know what happened here?"
Kurosaki Ichigo was momentarily stunned, then spoke again: "Since you're Uncle Zangetsu, why did you appear here? And... I clearly remember that you already..."
"Why am I here?"
Zangetsu suddenly interrupted Kurosaki Ichigo. "I have never been here—not in the past, not in the present, and not in the future!"
"It's you who appeared here, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
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