The X Factor

Everywhere there were battles against the rebelling zanpakuto going on. Kenpachi was still dealing with Tenken, while Yoruichi and Hange were in delight at mocking Haineko and Tobiume. Those were battles where the outcome was eventually going to be good, once our heroes got serious. But other places did not look as fortunate. Eren and his friends were beginning to struggle. In the World of the Living, Muramasa was trying to get past Chad, Uryu and Orihime. Senbonzakura arrived to lend a hand, taking on Uryu while Muramasa used his power to take Chad out. But everything stopped when Rukia arrived, following Byakuya's Spiritual Pressure.

Uryu: "Is he here too?"

Rukia: "I'll explain it later. We need to be careful. He's the one who manifested the zanpakuto, and left the Seireitei in chaos."

Growing weak and out of time, Muramasa unleashed his dark power that he gained by absorbing hollows. It is how he has stayed the way he is for so long, and now, he had an army of powerful hollows to unleash on Ichigo's friends. While Rukia and the others battled the hollows and Senbonzakura, Muramasa made his way to the small island on the lake where his master was sealed away. He began to release the seal. Uryu and the others tried to stop him, but the interference was just enough. Muramasa soon had the case that Kōga was sealed in right before his eyes.

Muramasa: "Master... I have arrived at last!"

Rukia: "Hado Number 33! Sokatsui!"

Rukia's spell was ineffective and she was captured by Muramasa. Uryu tried to save her but Senbonzakura kept getting in his way. Although the zanpakuto was growing tired.

Rukia: "What's inside of that thing!? What're you going to do with it?!"

Muramasa: "My master is entombed inside that coffin. The most powerful Soul Reaper ever, who even tried to cease control of the Soul Society! Kōga lies within!"

Rukia: "What?"

Muramasa: "My only wish is to revive master, Kōga. Everything I've done is for this moment."

Muramasa's eyes glowed and he began to release the coffin. The chains broke, the coffin began to crack and splinter. Suddenly there was an explosion and the weapons attached to the coffin fell everywhere. When the smoke cleared... an ancient Soul Reaper stood before them all, his presence giving off nothing but anger and hate. Muramasa tossed Rukia aside as he gazed up at his master.

Muramasa: "Greetings, master..."

Ichigo: "Hold it!"

Ichigo finally arrived and attacked Muramasa! The zanpakuto deflected his attack and pushed him aside.

Rukia: "Ichigo!"

Muramasa: "You again!..."

Ichigo: "Rukia. Sorry I'm late." Rukia: "It's about time."

Muramasa: "How could you have made it passed Ryūjin Jakka's blockade!?"

Ichigo: "Like I'd tell you. Now that I'm here, I'm gonna put a stop to whatever it is you're doin'!"

Muramasa: "Are you? Well that's too bad. Because you're too late."

Muramasa started to laugh as Ichigo glanced at Kōga.

Muramasa: "The wish that I have had for an eternity has been granted."

Ichigo: "Damn it! He was able to revive him!"

Rukia: "Let's move, Ichigo!"

Ichigo and Rukia charged, but Kōga suddenly unleashed his Spirit Energy and pushed them back. Kōga was powerful, even after so many years of being sealed away. So powerful, that it seemed no one could challenge him.

Muramasa: "You've awakened... Finally!..."

Kōga just stared at Muramasa with cold eyes.

Muramasa: "Kōga... I've waited for this moment for so long! Together, we can now complete the task we began all those years ago!"

Kōga: "... Mura... masa..."

Stab!... Kōga stabbed Muramasa, his own zanpakuto, in the stomach with his broken sword...

Muramasa: "Why... Kōga?..."

Muramasa fell to his knees, not understanding why his own master has done this to him. He looked up to see only hate filled eyes.

Muramasa: "Tell me, Kōga... Why did you... do this to me?..."

Ichigo: "What the hell?..."

Rukia: "What in the world is... going on?"

Kōga only stared at Muramasa with anger.

Muramasa: "Kōga..."

Kōga: "You never... answered me when I called."

Muramasa suddenly realized.

Kōga: "When I was on the verge of being sealed away, I called for you."

Muramasa: "But I never... heard that call!"

Kōga: "I called over and over but you never came to my aid!"

Muramasa: "How could it be? I didn't hear you! Kōga!... Your voice did not reach me... Not even one time. And there I was waiting so patiently to receive your call. If I had heard even one word, I would've come to you at any time. I would've assisted you with all the power within me! That is how I felt! But for so long, I never heard your voice. Eventually, of course, I learned that you had been sealed away."

The tragedy here is, back when Kōga was on his rampage, he had distanced himself from his zanpakuto. He claimed so much that he was unbeatable without his zanpakuto, and in doing that, he had distanced himself from Muramasa more and more until Muramasa no longer heard his voice. The tragedy... is that Muramasa has always been Kōga's faithful zanpakuto. It was Kōga who broke that bond.

But Kōga could not see that.

Muramasa: "You have to believe me, Kōga, from that time to this, every day... (reaches out to Kōga) I've tried to break this seal!"

Kōga refused to see the truth.

Kōga: "If you had been there in the first place, I never would have been sealed away!"

Kōga pulled his broke sword out of Muramasa and then kicked him away like worthless trash. Poor Muramasa lay on the ground, bleeding heavily.

Kōga: "As a Soul Reaper and your master, I was the one who gave birth to your power! All you ever needed to do in your life after that was simply obey me!"

Muramasa: "But... Kōga... Weren't we both of one spirit?"

Kōga: "One spirit?... To me, you've always been nothing more than a sword!"

Kōga raised his blade up.

Kōga: "Simply a tool of mine! And a mere tool shouldn't be... SO CONCEDING!"

Muramasa shut his eyes before there was a clash. Ichigo and Rukia gasped at the sight! Muramasa opened his eyes to see... Byakuya stopping Kōga!

Byakuya: "Kōga... You call your own zanpakuto nothing but a tool and then you try to kill it?..."

Kōga glared at Byakuya.

Byakuya: "Disgraceful. You have no right to call yourself a Soul Reaper."

Byakuya and Kōga then forced each other apart. Kōga then looked at Byakuya in realization of what he was.

Kōga: "A kenseikan... You're from the Kuchiki Clan, aren't you?"

Byakuya: "I am Byakuya Kuchiki, the head of the clan. 28th generation."

Kōga: "The leader of the 28th generation? Well, well... Obviously a great deal of time has passed since I was sealed away. So, I assume by now Ginrei finally died."

Byakuya: "How dare you refer to my ancestor's passing so flippantly. You personally ruined the reputation of the Kuchiki Clan. Because of that, you will never have the right to utter the name of my grandfather."

Kōga: "You bastard..."

When Rukia and Ichigo tried to interfere, Senbonzakura stopped them, revealing that he has been back on Byakuya's side ever since the first night and that they two played this betrayal game to find Kōga to mend the honor of the Kuchiki Clan. To do that, Byakuya has only one intention; to kill Kōga. Muramasa tried to be of use to Kōga, but Kōga... He shattered the last remaining part of his sword with his own hand, a sign that he no longer needs a zanpakuto and is throwing Muramasa away like trash.

Muramasa: "But... why?..."

Kōga: "You've become nothing more than a hindrance to me. I don't need to use a pathetic unstable sword like you. My power alone's enough."

Ichigo: "Damn you! Have you no loyalty or respect for your own Zanpakuto?!"

Kōga: "A Zanpakuto is merely a tool. There are countless replacements."

Muramasa suddenly started to glow as he gripped his throat in agony. All at once, all of the power he had within him from absorbing the energy of hollows became too much and it all came rushing out! Everyone had to back away as the area was covered in a coat of Spiritual Pressure full of despair and anguish. As Muramasa began to transform, countless Menos emerged, having been collected inside of the zanpakuto. Ichigo and the others agreed to fight the Menos while Byakuya focused on Kōga. Senbonzakura rejoined Byakuya as they went after Kōga, who found one of the weapons that had helped seal him to use.

Byakuya: "What is that suppose to be?"

Kōga: "You mean this? Don't you remember? I said I could find a replacement weapon. So are you ready, Kuchiki Clan leader?!"

Byakuya and Kōga's battle began, yet already it looked hopeless. Byakuya was using everything he had to stay on par with Kōga, while Kōga used multiple spells to trick and fool Byakuya to gain the upper hand. All the while Muramasa's power continued to grow more unstable and erratic. The amount of power became so much that it started attracting Hollows from everywhere. Muramasa's power eventually became a black hole that started sucking in the hollows one after the other. Even the Menos were sucked in. Kōga and Byakuya still waged war, the Kuchiki Clan leader struggling to keep up with Kōga's moves and strength. When it was all said and done, Muramasa emerged as some kind of Arrancar. At the same time, Eren and the others were literally on their last legs. The amount of rebelling zanpakuto was too much for them.

Eren: "*Pant, pant* Damn..."

Jean: "We... can't keep this up... anymore..."

Rebelling Zanpakuto: "Looks like they're finished."

The hoard of zanpakuto laughed.

Rebelling Zanpakuto: "Let's finish them!"

The Zanpakuto were about to attack again! When...

?: "Well well..."

All of the zanpakuto froze and gasped, each with great fear.

?: "Everything King Kai got from Armin is true. So tell me..."

The Soul Reapers and Humans all looked up, just as their zanpakuto did too. There, high on a roof above, eyes gleaming down at them all with anger and raw power... a nasty X factor has arrived, led here by Levi. The rebelling zanpakuto all coward in terror at the mere sight of him!...

Vegeta has returned.

Vegeta: (Angrily) "Where's Muramasa?..."