Devils, Gods, and Soul Reapers
Chapter Four: The hunt begins part 2 and a bankai revealed
Zanpaktou/Un-named Zanpaktou spirit
Hogyoku
Red illusions
Underworld Old Satan Faction Territory
Ichigo is walking towards his first target when he hears a something behind him.
"Well aren't you a handsome young man. How about you and I get to know each other better." The woman said.
"You know its proper manners to introduce yourself before you start hitting on someone." Ichigo replied.
"Oh me oh my forgive me. My name is Visor. I'm just a lonely stray devil without a home and a big strong man like yourself to protect her." She replied.
"This is rather fortunate. You are first on my list." Ichigo replied.
"What do you mean your list? Who are you?" she asked.
"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki and I have been tasked with hunting you down by Sirzechs Lucifer." Ichigo replied.
Just then, Visor's eyes went wide. "Y-Your I-Ichigo K-Kurosaki the man that defeated the demi-god Souske Aizen?" she asked visibly shaken and afraid.
"Yes I am. Now, if you would be so kind as to surrender I can capture you without killing you." Ichigo said as he drew Kyoka Suigetsu from her sheath.
"I'd rather die. No way in hell am I going back to face Lucifer." Visor said as she charged Ichigo.
"Very well as you wish, Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu." Ichigo said. Just then, the sound of breaking glass was heard as Visor lunged forward and plunged her hand through the chest of what she thought was Ichigo.
Ichigo appeared behind Visor thrust his blade through her back and out her chest.
"How did you do that?" she asked as she lay on the ground dying.
"I'm sorry Visor-san I did give you a chance to surrender but you chose not to take it. What you thought you killed was nothing more than an illusion created by the release of my blade." Ichigo said.
"You are right I should've surrendered to you but I let my pride get in the way. I least I died on my feet with my head held high the way all devils should." Visor said as the last bit of life left her eyes. Ichigo said a silent prayer for her in the hopes that she would finally find the peace in death that she so obviously could not find in life and then called Sirzechs.
"Sirzechs do you have anyone in your office right now?" Ichigo asked.
"No I do not why?" Sirzechs replied.
"I just bagged one of the devils you sent me after and I need to know if I can send her to you." Ichigo said.
"I don't mind but I gave you two cards to help you with this particular issue. The red one is communications card that will connect you directly with Serafall at the Admin building in the underworld and the blue card is a teleportation card that will teleport your prisoners to said building for incarceration." Sirzechs said.
"Okay then I just wanted to know where to send her because you didn't really explain it. I shouldn't be long with this. Ms. Visor here was easily taken care of." Ichigo said.
"Did you capture or kill?" Sirzechs asked.
"Killed her, she didn't allow herself to be taken alive, at the end she was happy and said she died on her feet with her head held high the way all devils should. She kept her pride to very end." Ichigo said.
"Very well, I'll inform Serafall to be expecting your call. Talk to you soon Ichigo. Click." Sirzechs said as he hung up the phone.
"Hello Serafall I'm sending you a stray devil." Ichigo said, as Visor's body was teleported to the admin building.
"Okay Ichi-Chan I'll be waiting." Serafall said.
"Did you get her she should be there by now?" Ichigo asked.
"Yep. I got her. Wow! You got Visor-Chan we have been looking for her for a while. It is a shame she would not let herself be taken alive but what can you do. Good luck with the others Ichi-Chan." she said as she ended the call.
"Ichigo." Kyoka Suigetsu said getting his attention. "Yeah Kyoka." He replied.
"Find some shelter for the evening and come to your inner world it is time for me to see if you are worthy of my bankai." Kyoka said.
"Okay Kyoka I'll do that and as soon as I put up a barrier for the evening I'll be there." Ichigo said.
Ichigo's inner world
"Are you ready to begin Ichigo?" Kyoka asked.
"Yes." He replied.
(AN: Cue Star Wars reference)
"Very well. You will leave Zangetsu behind as he will not be needed." Kyoka commanded.
What Ichigo saw next, was a dark cave in front him and the vibe he was getting off it was not pleasant.
"Kyoka what is that?" Ichigo asked.
"That Ichigo as you so aptly put it is a cave. The cave itself is strong with the darker nature of my bankai, but that in itself is not your test what lies within is." Kyoka said.
"What's in their exactly?" Ichigo asked.
"Only what you take with you. Remember Ichigo for this trial you must not give in to hate, anger or any negative emotions take no emotional baggage with you, instead rely only on your instincts to get you through this trial. If you fail, you will never be allowed to try for my bankai again but succeed, you will gain access to all my powers, and knowledge something Souske was unable to accomplish. Remember Ichigo hate, fear, anger, oppression that is the darker nature of the human psyche. However, it is the same if you are soul reaper, hollow, god, devil, angel, or fallen angel to give into them leads to the quick and easy path to power the path that Aizen himself followed don't follow that path instead follow the path you've always taken the path of hard work and diligence and make me proud Ichigo." Kyoka said.
"I will Kyoka." Ichigo said as he stepped into the cave and the entrance closed behind him.
Kyoka are you sure he's ready for this?" Zangetsu asked worried for his master.
"I am Zangetsu he's been ready ever since I became part of his soul. I know he can accomplish what that bastard Aizen could not." Kyoka said.
"By the way Kyoka how could Aizen have so much power if he did not have access to your bankai it makes no sense. When I briefly clashed with you in the Soul Society before he left the amount of power I could sense coming off Aizen was equal to a captain with bankai?" Zangetsu asked.
"Zangetsu only a strong or disciplined mind has any hope of controlling my true form and while Aizen had both of those in spades he did not have the mindset needed to attain it. In order to attain my true bankai you have a kind and selfless mindset something Aizen just did not have. When he came for his trial and failed, not only was he given a fake bankai but the backlash from that failure gave him a significant boost in reiryoku just enough to make everyone believe he had achieved bankai, after that the hogyoku took care of the rest. You and Ichigo both should be glad he did not attain my true bankai otherwise we would not be having this pleasant conversation right now." Kyoka said.
"Wait you're that strong Kyoka?" Zangetsu asked.
"If Aizen had gained my true bankai without the hogyoku he would have been on par with head captain Yamamoto at full power and that is before the added power of the hogyoku. Aizen was for lack of a better word a monster a true die in the wool kami damned monster if he had that power everyone would be dead and the living world would be nothing but a lifeless husk ruled by Aizen, Yhwach and his Quincy's, and a crap load of Hogyoku empowered Arrancar's." Kyoka said.
"What does your bankai look like?" Zangetsu asked.
"To be honest I don't know, since Aizen never got far enough to gain my true bankai. I guess we will find out when Ichigo comes back. However, I suspect that it is a lot like yours with regards to clothing and the blade in that his shihakusho will change and the blade should change but the most significant change would be my appearance, if he succeeds I will change to my bankai state." Kyoka said.
"I guess we will have to wait and see." Zangetsu said.
In the Cave
"Well this is unexpected." Ichigo said.
"In what way?" a voice shouted in the distance.
"Well I wasn't expecting to find such a large open area in such a place." Ichigo replied.
"Ah. Therefore, you think my cave is small do you. Well let me tell you the outside of the cave is based on your perception nothing more. The inside is an entirely different matter, as I control it." The voice said.
"And you are?" Ichigo asked.
"That would be cheating Ichi-Kun. To simply give you my name would defeat the purpose of your being here. I am the bankai of Kyoka Suigetsu. I will tell you my name once you have earned it. Kyoka has told me that you prefer to earn knowledge rather than having it given to you so will need to earn my name." the voice said.
"How do I earn your name." Ichigo asked.
"That is simple Ichi-Kun you must prove to me that you can fight with instincts and not emotion and then you must make me submit and accept me into your soul completely something Aizen was unable to do." The voice said.
Just then, there were illusions of not only everyone he loved standing before him with blades drawn but also his enemies. Ichigo was at a loss for words he was being expected to fight his friends and loved ones as well as his enemies. He no longer cared about getting a new bankai at this point but if is what was required then so be it.
(AN: For the purpose of this chapter the illusions shall be referred to as, red "person's name")
"You Idiot what are you mopping around for you've got a fight to win and a bankai to attain so let's get to it." Red Rukia said.
"I know that Ruk's but it's not that easy. I am expected to fight against someone I love and defeat them, Illusion or not it isn't easy."
"Nor should you expect it to be Ichigo Kurosaki. You are here to attain something that I could not and I expect nothing less from you is that clear. Kyoka Suigetsu will not permit a weakling little bitch like you to wield her you must prove your worth in order to attain her bankai and you will do just that even if we have to beat into you exactly what that means." Red Aizen said.
Ichigo took a deep breath and asked, "Any particular order these illusions have to die in?"
"No, Ichigo there is no particular order. Why do you ask?" the sword spirit replied, "Why do you ask?"
"No reason." Ichigo said as he flashed away and cut down red Aizen, Yhwach, Uryu, Ryuken, and the other sternritters that showed up as well as Yammy, Nnoitra, and Grimmjow.
"Very good Ichi-Kun you cut them down with no emotion what so ever but I sense you used logic to formulate a plan of attack." The sword spirit said.
"Well yes and no. Before, I forged Zangetsu using an asauchi my inner hollow or the being I found out to be the true Zangetsu later on told me that I used logic fight my enemy and it never worked so in essence I was cutting them with a sheathed sword. I found out later despite how much I really didn't want to agree with him that he was right so from then on I developed my own unique fighting style that was the purest mix of both logic and instinct and that is how I've fought ever since. Considering the opponents we went up against towards the end of the war coming up with my own unique fighting style saved my life more than once." Ichigo said.
"Excellent Ichi-Kun. Kyoka said you were talented but to come up with something like that on your own shows not only talent but also wisdom and knowledge of one's self and your limitations, something that Aizen himself never displayed." The sword spirit said.
"Thank you. That means a lot coming from you." Ichigo said getting a genuine smile from the sword spirit.
"However, Ichi-Kun my question is this why destroy the illusions of most of your former enemies and leave Kariya Jin and Shusuke Amagai." The sword spirt asked.
"Well for two reason the first being that I consider this to hallowed ground and they have no right to be here illusion or not. The second is that I actually respect Kariya and Shusuke as warriors, but I also see them as victims of the arrogance and corruption that lies with in the shadows of the government and nobility of the soul society. Plus, I always wanted to spar against them just for kicks and giggles which is something I never got to do." Ichigo said which earned him a smile from the bankai spirit and the remaining illusions.
"Well then let the spar begin Ichigo Kurosaki!" Red Kariya shouted as he charged Ichigo.
The spar with Red Kariya and the other illusions lasted for what seemed like hours with neither Ichigo nor the illusions giving an inch. Finally, the bankai spirit decided she had seen enough, drew her blade and rushed toward Ichigo which he saw in advance and allowed her to run him through fully accepting her blade which brought not only a smile to her face but tears to her eyes as she finally had a master worthy of her power.
"Ichigo I am so proud of you. I have waited so long for a master worthy of wielding me and that master is you. My full and true name is Yūgure no megami kagami. (Twilight Goddess Mirror) my powers are the same as Kyoka's only greatly amplified but you also have access to another more powerful illusionary technique called Eien no asobiba or eternal playground the ability allows you trap your enemy in an eternal illusion that your will controls and only you can release them from. I have also made your friends and loved ones that are immune to the effects of my shikai immune to the effects of my bankai release as well. There two other techniques available to you one defensive and one offensive that you now have access to that work in either shikai or bankai. The defensive technique is called Kurayami no tate or shield of darkness, it's a shield that blocks all incoming attacks and the offensive technique is called Nichibotsu tsuki no ha or sunset moon blade. It is a slash attack not unlike Getsuga Tenshou and just as powerful, it is to be used with caution as a single slash can wipe everything within seven miles depending on how much energy you put into it. Now go Ichigo your trial is over and Zangetsu is waiting for you, as am I." Yugure no megami kagami said as she disappeared and the blade in Ichigo's chest was absorbed into his body.
The first thing Ichigo noticed once the blade was absorbed was the change to the blade in his hands, his cloths and hair. His hair was now longer a deep shade of purple and stopped at his tailbone. The blade was now dark blue with the kanji for Twilight Goddess Mirror etched across the blade in silver. The blade was 75% the total length of Zangetsu's bankai and had silver tsuba with dark blue cresant moon engravings in each corner. His shihakusho was now a deep midnight blue the color of twilight. His eyes were the most prominent change, instead of the warm cinnamon brown they were now a deep shade of emerald green. Ichigo had discovered quite quickly that Kyoka Suigetsu had three colors she loved and her bankai reflected that. As Ichigo left the cave, he saw his bankai standing next to Zangetsu and was instantly confused.
"It's okay Ichigo I can see you are confused. I was always out here waiting for you, the version of me that was giving you your trial was nothing more than an illusion. I am sorry for the deception but it was necessary to make sure you were worthy to wield me. I'm happy to say that you proved yourself worthy to wield my blade something that not even Aizen accomplished, you should be proud of yourself I know I am proud of you. Now go forth Ichigo Kurosaki and wield me with the courage, honor and dignity that I have come to expect from you." Yūgure no megami kagami said or Yu-Chan as Ichigo would soon call her.
"Thank You, Yu-Chan." Ichigo said as she smiled at the new nickname that he gave her.
"I hope you like the new look Ichigo Kurosaki the long hair was your hollow's and Kyoka's influence." Another spirit decided to make herself known.
"Who are you?" Ichigo asked.
"It isn't surprising that you don't recognize me as I have not spoken since merging with you my name is Kessho but you knew me once as the hogyoku. I decided to change my name and Kessho was the name I picked for myself." She said. (AN: Kessho means Crystal.)
"Yeah it's fine I wasn't expecting long deep purple colored hair but I can deal." Ichigo said.
"By the way why haven't you said anything until now?" Ichigo asked.
"I was busy regaining my power Aizen used quite a bit of it and I was unable to speak to you until I regained my strength. With regards to my power I have fully merged with your soul however, through you my powers will not have the same effect on you as they did with Aizen. My merging with your soul will not put others in danger like they when I was merged with Aizen instead they will be innocuous you will not gain immortality from me as Aizen did. I shall instead use my powers to heal any wound you receive instantly, protect you from all poisons, and stop your ageing. I shall also bestow these same gifts upon all your lovers, as well as your sisters and children when they come of age, now do as Yu-Chan instructed and get some rest we will talk more when you wake. " Kessho said.
Ichigo yawned sealed his bankai and left to get some rest.
To Be Continued…
Okay I am going to stop it right there as always R&R be respectful because flames will be ignored. Ch.5 will be coming in the next week or two until then. See you soon and thanks for reading.
Fanficlover2017
