"Come on, Ichigo! Don't tell me you're all out of energy already!" The white version of Ichigo taunted, yellow eyes gleaming with joy. "It's only been forty minutes!"
Ichigo was panting, trying to keep up with the Hollow. "Shut up! I MUST beat you!"
The white Ichigo frowned. "I don't get it. Willpower alone isn't enough to overcome the gap in strength between us."
Ichigo growled. "Shut up!" He launched himself at the Hollow, prepared to slice his head off.
The white Ichigo grinned. "Finally, you've got some killing intent behind your strikes! This might be interesting after all!"
Ichigo pushed harder against the Hollow's blade, as if attempting to break it.
The washed-out hollow pressed his hand to the dull edge of his blade, and nearly whispered, "Getsuga Tensho." Ichigo's eyes widened as the red-trimmed, white crescent of energy hit against Tensa Zangetsu, ripping through his Shihakusho and knocking him back.
Ichigo barely stood up in time to hear the Hollow say, "Ichigo, tell me: what's the difference between a King and a Horse?"
On the outside, Hirako Shinji was fighting against a half-hollowfied Ichigo, who only had a single human arm and leg remaining. "Well, not bad," Shinji remarked. "I'm actually fighting at full strength right now. You've got potential, Ichigo. Assuming you don't die fighting your inner hollow, of course."
Meanwhile, Hiyori was sweating buckets. She was frightened at how easily Ichigo's hollow had overpowered her so easily before—and the others weren't even using their masks to fight! "Hey Kensei, how much time before it's my turn in there with the new guy?"
Kensei looked up from the fight. "Why? Are you so eager to get in there that you can't wait the remaining three minutes?" Kensei checked his watch. "Two minutes and thirty one seconds, to be precise."
Hiyori sniffed in indignation. "Baldy…" She murmured, frightened at the thought of facing Hollow Ichigo.
Shinji was irritated. "Oh, shut up, you two! I need to focus!"
Ichigo was out of energy. It was not his own decision to stop fighting; his arms literally would not raise Tensa Zangetsu to fighting level. The washed out Hollow looked similarly tired, but not as fatigued—He was still able to fight. "What's wrong, King? You think that you can still beat me in this state?"
Ichigo's eyes began to glow blue with reiatsu as his soul began to muster all of its remaining energy. "I KNOW I can still fight you. I know I can defeat you, too." He raised his sword. "Getsuga…"
The Hollow sneered and similarly readied an attack. "Getsuga…"
The two mirror-like warriors gathered all the rest of their remaining reiatsu into a single, final attack. This would be the deciding blow. The one who struck with this attack would be the one that won control for Ichigo's body and soul. This was the deciding moment in the entire war.
"TENSHO!" Red and White clashed against Red and Black, the fate of the Soul Society, World of the Living, and Hueco Mundo all hanging in the balance of power.
As the two crescent of pure energy clashed against each other, The Hollow laughed. "You've got some good instincts, King! Maybe you CAN defeat me! Let's see if you can push this back!" The Hollow seemed almost eager for Ichigo to defeat him, but didn't want to hold back anything either.
Ichigo was wordless, the blue glow in his eyes strengthening. It looked as if he was going to win the battle. The Hollow laughed and gave one last push, the two crescents of energy still pushing against each other with equal force.
"Swap!" Kensei shouted the word, and Hiyori shouted, jumping into the barrier nearly a half-second after Shinji exited.
Hiyori yelled, and the almost-completely hollowfied Ichigo looked surprised. It was this moment of hesitation on the near-Holow's part that changed the fate of the universe.
Hiyori slashed with precision, attempting to cut Ichigo's hand off—she didn't want him having a sword to fight her with. Her sword sliced Ichigo's human wrist, the last human part of his body. The white substance that had been healing Ichigo throughout the entire battle spurted from the wound, covering his hand. The Hollow was complete.
It roared with power, as its body and abilities were finally completed. Hiyori gasped as the surrounding reiatsu thickened considerably.
Inside Ichigo's soul, the two were still pushing energy into the Getsugas. Ichigo had the upper hand, but his second wind had almost faded—he was running on barely any more energy than he had before the final confrontation. He was winning, but if he lost any more strength, he would lose.
The Hollow, likewise, was out of energy completely. He saw his own Getsuga shrink and he whispered, "Good job, King," too softly to be heard. Then, as soon as the Hollow had resigned himself, he felt a sudden burst of energy; extra energy received from the outer hollow. The white Ichigo suddenly found his attack equal to Ichigo's once more, and Ichigo was fading fast. "Or not!" The hollow screeched.
Ichigo gasped. "No! It's not going to end like this!" He pushed the last of the energy out of his blade, and collapsed backwards, unconscious.
The Hollow laughed. "It's over, Ichigo! I win!" The Hollow almost lazily flicked his wrist, directing all of the energy back towards Ichigo. The Shinigami-daikou was near-instantly disintegrated. For all intents and purposes, Ichigo Kurosaki was a dead man.
The Hollow reverted back to Shikai and allowed his weapon to disappear into thin air. "That was a good fight, but I guess it wasn't enough. Somehow, I almost wanted you to win. I wasn't gonna go easy on you, but it would be nice knowing that someone out there is stronger than I am. Leaves me room to improve." The Hollow suddenly broke out of his reverie.
"Ah, but who am I to be sad over a victory? This is MY body now! I'm going to have some fun with this!" The Hollow laughed and vanished from the Inner World.
On the outside, The Vizard were near elated. As soon as The Hollow had semi-sealed his version of Zangetsu into its Shikai, the Hollow-crusting on Ichigo's body had begun to crack, with a bright-light glow coming from the cracks. Hiyori had realized what was happening, ordering to be let out of the barrier. After Hachi had done so, The Hollow had exploded, leaving an unconscious body on the floor.
This is where we pick up, with Shinji about to tap Ichigo's shoulder. "Hey buddy, you survived! We won't have to kill you after all!"
"Ichigo" groaned, and the Vizard laughed.
"Berry-tan's awake!" Mashiro chirped, then frowned. "But where's his mask?"
Shinji paused. "What?"
The rest of the Vizard followed suit, and the green-haired bimbo elaborated. "Well, when the rest of us beat our hollows, our masks fell off and just were lying there on the ground. I don't see Berry-tan's anywhere."
Lisa frowned. "You must be missing it. Ichigo's mask has to be lying on the ground somewhere close to him. It's the only remnant of his hollow left."
Shinji nodded and patted the semi-conscious body. "Yeah, but for now, let's help this poor soul get back to his feet. After all—" A hand had grabbed Shinji's wrist.
The Shinigami on the floor had raised his head, the half-mask reforming over his face already. "Who're you calling poor soul?" He hissed.
Everyone jumped in surprise except for Shinji, who was rooted to the ground by The Hollow's iron grip.
Love and Rose double-teamed the hollow, ready to strike. "Who are you? Are you…?" Love asked.
The Hollow sniffed and let loose a burst of reiatsu, knocking everyone but Shinji onto the ground. "I have no name. And really, what do you think I am? The eyes and the mask aren't a giveaway? And surely you could tell that my reiatsu is different than that idiot's. Seriously, you guys must be even worse than the idiot I ground into dust."
Shinji faced up the Hollow. "You're Ichigo's inner hollow. I thought he defeated you. Now, let go of my arm."
The Hollow furrowed his brow. "You must be Shinji. Glad to meet you, finally. I've seen you before through Ichigo's eyes, but this is the first time I've met you in real life."
Shinji spoke again, placing his free hand on his sword. "I said, let me go. Or do you want me to drag out your death for as long as possible."
The Hollow chuckled. The sound was less menacing than one would expect. "I'm different, you know. I'm not like the mindless beasts that rampaged inside you all that time ago. I'm sentient. All I care about is fighting. There's nothing I have against you."
Shinji faltered in his stony glare for a moment, and his hand fell off of his sword. The rest of the Vizard shouted in outrage. "Shinji!" "Surely not!" "What're you doing?" "Baldy, I'll rip your head off!"
Shinji replied calmly. "If he wants to kill me, I'll kill him first.
The two held hands, then The Hollow smirked, before whispering a phrase. "Tear the heavens in half…" Shinji's eyes widened, but it was too late. The Hollow unsheathed the sword on his back. "ZANGETSU!" A shrill laugh echoed throughout the basement. Shinji tried to get away, but he was held fast by the Hollow's hand. The copy of Zangetsu in the Hollow's hand began to change colors—the black part grew brighter while the white blade grew darker. The cloth surrounding the hilt darkened as well. He brought the newly-colored blade down on Shinji, who was unable to draw his sword or put on his mask because of his occupied hand.
The room was silent as Shinji's head rolled across the floor.
The Hollow grinned and turned on the others. "Well? You're not going to do anything? I just killed your best friend. Now, give me the fight of my life!" The rest were still petrified with shock. The mask on Ichigo's face was now three-fourths of the way complete, as the man pointed to Hiyori. "That was a nice idea you had—ripping off his head. You're the reason he doesn't have it anymore."
Hiyori began to tense, and clenched her sword. Love, Kensei, Lisa, and Rose followed suit. Mashiro had a look on her face that was not at all befitting of her personality. Hachi began to murmur a chant, barely audible. The Hollow smiled and waggled a finger. "Tsk, tsk, tsk! Seven on one isn't fair."
Kensei replied. "Neither was what you did to Shinji. You didn't even allow him to draw his sword. Hardly an honorable fight."
The Hollow laughed, and Rose raised an eyebrow, completely drawing his sword. "What's so funny?"
Hollow Ichigo lowered his head as the mask completed itself. "Nothing. You just never let me finish. I said this fight was unfair—I never said for who." He laughed again, and shouted, "Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!" A cloud of dust erupted from his feet, engulfing his body. When it cleared, He was wearing a white Bankai robe, the same one he had worn when fighting Ichigo in the Inner World. His daiko was still black, though.
The Hollow quickly rushed towards the group , who barely got their swords out in time to parry. "Getsuga…" All four of the group swung in unison, attacking, but the Hollow had already moved. "TENSHO!" The attack came from behind, creating a giant cloud as it hit. The Hollow frowned. "That's a cheap trick, Hachigen. A barrier is a cop-out for those who can't dodge themselves. They need to fight me themselves."
And indeed, Hachi had saved the group's lives. The Vizard knew now that if they didn't take him seriously, they wouldn't win. "Smash!" "Crush Down!" "Play!" "Blast Away!" "Chop Cleanly!"
Hollow Ichigo sighed. "They just won't learn…"
"Haguro Tonbo!"
"Tengumaru!"
"Kinshara!"
"Tachikaze!"
"Kubikiri Orochi!"
The five zanpakuto were released; Mashiro opted to pull her mask on from the very start instead of bothering with a sword. The Hollow sighed. "I said that to beat me…"
The Hollow let loose a Getsuga, purposely aiming so that the attack threw up a dust cloud that enveloped the Vizard. "You need your full strength!" Hollow Ichigo quickly began charging a Cero. He laughed as it reached full strength, then he released it directly towards the Vizard. The ground exploded beneath the combatants, and they all flew back, sustaining a small amount of damage. Lisa bounced directly off a rock structure, swinging her staff at the Hollow, who sidestepped and grabbed her arm, swinging her down towards the ground. He then threw up his arm behind his back, catching Kubikiri Orochi as Hiyori swung from behind. With his other arm, he launched a Getsuga Tensho at the ground, knocking the remaining Vizard back off balance.
He then continued the swing of the sword after the attack was released to hit Hiyori, who then fell down, sliced in the chest. The Hollow screeched in joy and launched himself at Rose, whose eyes widened as he was caught off balance. Only the quickness and flexibility of Kinshara saved his life; the piano-like blade flexed to deflect the daiko to his cheek slicing it wide open. Then, the Hollow blurred out of existence, leaving Love to accidentally smash Tengumaru into his own ally. Love was then treated to a sword through the stomach.
The Hollow landed in the center of all the fighters, with Hachi, Hiyori, Lisa, Kensei, and Mashiro standing. Hiyori, though, was bleeding profusely, and was barely on her feet. Mashiro ran at the Hollow, as well as Kensei. The pair aimed a kick and a punch at the Hollow, respectively. The Hollow merely ducked down, and Tachikaze, accidentally sliced Mashiro's leg. Mashiro whimpered, and her hesitance was rewarded by a kick to the mask, sending her backwards and shattering the source of Mashiro's power. The green-haired woman was left unconscious.
Lisa began to charge, but Kensei held her back. "Bankai. Tekken Tachikaze," he said. The combat knife in his hand released a gust of wind that enveloped Kensei. When it cleared, Kensei was wearing an outfit consisting of purple strips of cloth, purple vest, and what looked like a dragon fin was arcing between his shoulders, connecting them. He was holding two sharpened Brass knuckles. "Lisa, Hiyori, stay back. He delights in making us hurt each other."
Lisa hesitantly sealed her zanpakuto, but Hiyori charged at the same time as Kensei. "LIKE HELL, KENSEI! THIS BALDY IS MINE!" Unfortunately for her, Kensei had released a vortex of wind like a sideways tornado, and Hiyori got in the way. Hiyori screamed as the tornado sliced through her in several spots, and the weakened vortex barely scratched the Hollow. Hiyori collapsed and convulsed, and Kensei growled in annoyance.
The Hollow chuckled. "I didn't even have to provoke you into hurting yourselves for this one, did I? Pathetic."
Kensei smirked and pointed behind the Hollow to where Hachi was standing, wearing his mask. "Bakudo Number 99 Part One! Kin!" Hachi released the spell, and instantly felt the drain on his energy. Hollow Ichigo jumped out of the way as black cords of leather sprung from the ground, attempting to wrap him in a blanket of death.
Hachi pressed his fingers together harder, expending even more reiatsu in an attempt to tie down the rampant hollow. It was hard for him to use this variant of the spell that he had created; manipulation of this particular kido wasn't natural. It was meant to seal a target, not defeat one, so moving the cords to chase after a victim was difficult, to say the least.
Hollow Ichigo was laughing until one of the cords that was chasing him caught his ankle, pulling him to the ground. He struggled for the longest time, arms restrained behind his back by even more cords of spirit fabric, and Hachi's mask cracked a little. He thought about how the irresponsible usage of the spell would definitely kill him if he didn't finish it quickly enough.
"Bakudo Number 99 Part Two!" He shouted. "First Song!" The fabric restraining Hollow Ichigo's body pulled him to the ground, and covered him completely.
Hachi's mask cracked some more. The Hollow still hadn't given in to the spell, and it was getting hard to stand. "Second Song!" He shouted, and a rain of metal bolts fell from the sky, stabbing into the fabric. Hachi fell to his knees. The Hollow STILL wasn't done fighting the kido? How was he able to resist a spell of this caliber so easily?
Hachi's mask cracked completely off just as the words, "Final Song!" left his mouth. The metal cube materialized, and began to fall on top of the Hollow, but it was weak. Hachi had indeed completed the spell, but he had no energy left to spare. He wasn't able to hold the Hollow down and complete the cube of metal at the same time, so Hollow Ichigo ripped his way out of the fabric just as the cube began to fall. Then, the cube crushed him; it appeared that he hadn't dodged in time.
Kensei sealed his sword completely. "Good job, Hachi," he complemented the unconscious kido-master. Then a chop to the neck from behind subdued the Captain, and Lisa fell in a similar manner. It appeared that the Hollow HAD been able to dodge after all; he had broken free of the fabric quick enough to escape.
It had been seven against one, and the one had won.
Hollow Ichigo allowed the mask on his face to shatter. The only way anyone would be able to tell the difference between him and his horse would be to look at his eyes—they were still golden, despite the lack of a mask. He returned to his Shikai state, and his Shihakusho reverted to the normal black. "Well, that was satisfying," he said to nobody in particular. "But the whole deal with this one," he kicked Hachi's prone figure, "was a little too close for my liking. Note to self: avoid kido masters at all costs."
Then, the Hollow extended his reiatsu-sensing abilities to feel the surrounding environment and consequently felt Inoue Orihime's reiatsu signature entering the warehouse from above. "Ah, this is just too perfect!" He turned towards the stairs to the upper warehouse just as Inoue began to walk down. He sonido'd over, catching the woman off-guard. He made sure his eyes were closed.
"Ichigo!" Orihime said in relief. "I didn't know where you were, I thought you were in trouble! I'm so glad you aren't—"
"Dead?" The Hollow finished the sentence for her. He opened his eyes, and listened to her scream as she turned and fled. The Hollow laughed and called after her. "Run, Woman! Tell Ichigo's friends that a new king has been crowned!"
End of Chapter
Well, what do you guys think? Now I know I'm going to get someone complaining about Hollow Ichigo's insane new power, but think about it. At this point in time, Hollow Ichigo and Zangetsu are one and the same. Therefore, Hollow Ichigo is free to draw upon Zangetsu's power whenever he wants. Hollow Ichigo is slightly stronger than Ichigo (in this story, at least), meaning that he is stronger than a captain—Because Ichigo has already defeated both Kenpachi and Byukuya at this point in time, he's definitely stronger than a captain. When you put the two halves of Zangetsu together to double his power, then add Ichigo's own, you get a being three times as strong as Ichigo all on his own.
Also, I kinda made the Vizard incompetent as strategists for the sake of the story; I didn't want Hollow Ichigo defeated in the first chapter! I have an idea of where I want this to go already, and I don't want him to be so easily taken care of.
Reviews welcome, critics even more so! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the next chapter!