Bleach Fanstory: After the War
Bleach Fan story: After the War
By Michael Xu
Initial Comments:
Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo
This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters in it, apart from OC I may create.
Summary
Aizen Sousuke has succeeded in creating the King's key, and has taken his place as God of all Dimensions. The Soul Society is in ruins, with Karakura Town completely obliterated. The survivors of Karakura Town and the Gotei 13 have retreated back to the real world, merging into normal society, in the hopes that one day; they may truly overthrow Aizen for good. The story begins four years later, with Ichigo continuing his double life as a substitute Shinigami.
Story so far: The final assault on Aizen's throne has begun. After Urahara crashed the phoenix into the citadel, Ichigo, Rukia, Ishida, Sado, Ryuken, along with the 5th division charged up the tower. Sado and the 5th division stayed behind to fight Hotei, whilst Renji and Lisa led their division to the bottom of the citadel and fought the Tsukuyomi, brother of Amaterasu. As Ichigo and the others reached the top of the citadel, Ishida and Ryuken stalled for time against Amaterau's older brother Susanoo, allowing Ichigo and Rukia to escape. The two of them reached the roof of the citadel, only to giant fortress floating above them. Ichigo and Rukia infiltrated the base of the fortress and headed towards the throne room, only to be confronted by a vengeful Orihime. Rukia offered to stay behind and rescue Orihime's soul, allowing Ichigo to go on ahead. Just as Rukia was about to force Orihime into submission, the dormant spirit of Amaterasu took control of her body and returned to full power. Rukia had no choice but to unleash the power of her Bankai and in a titanic struggle subdued Amaterasu and brought Orihime back to her senses. During that time, Ichigo finally confronts Aizen in his throne room, and after Aizen fails to sway Ichigo's allegiance, the two of them begin the ultimate battle…Chapter 38: Eclipse of a Dream
Ichigo swooped in towards Aizen, holding his sword with both hands. With both of them exerting their spiritual pressures upon each other, Ichigo slashed at Aizen's right shoulder. In a titanic clash of reiatsu, Aizen blocked the sword with his right hand, causing a shockwave that spread outwards to cover the entire chamber.
"What's wrong, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Aizen asked. "Can't you cut me with your sword?" He grinned as his hand gradually pushed Ichigo back.
"Bastard!" Ichigo shouted. He Shunpo-ed behind Aizen and slashed at his left shoulder. Aizen quickly raised his left hand to block the sword. Ichigo followed up by lashing out with his left leg, aiming for Aizen's head. Aizen easily ducked to the side, and with his own left leg kicked Ichigo in the stomach, sending him flying into the air. Ichigo quickly did several cartwheels and stopped himself from flying any further with his feet. Channeling reiatsu to his feet, Ichigo flew towards with his sword thrust out. He narrowly missed cutting Aizen's cheek. The move however, left him wide open and Aizen seized the chance to grab hold of his left leg.
"You should have watched your footing!" Aizen shouted. He swung Ichigo around by his leg multiple times before he threw him towards the entrance doorway. Ichigo quickly landed on the ground again and skidded right into the central table, tearing it in half. He was hardly fazed by the crash and flew at Aizen again, but this time, he tried mixing it up by firing an unspoken Byakurai spell at Aizen's face. Aizen easily dodged the weak lightning bolt, and anticipated where Ichigo was going to be. As Ichigo thrust at Aizen's waist, Aizen sidestepped his move and then kicked him hard in the back. Ichigo was sent flying in the other direction again. Damn, I need to think of a new strategy, he thought. A bright idea came into his head. He quickly thrust his sword into the ground and then started to spin around the hilt. After several spins he launched himself at Aizen, aiming to kick him in the head with his feet.
"Useless," Aizen smirked, ducking down to let Ichigo pass over him. Ichigo wasn't finished yet. He extended out his hand with pure reiatsu force alone retrieved his sword and in a single stroke sliced off part of Aizen's cape. Aizen glanced as the severed part of his cape descended to the ground. He smirked in amusement. Ichigo panted as he stood up again.
"Well, well, it took you that long just to land a hit on me," Aizen said. "Why are you holding back? Surely you don't hope to defeat me with a mere unreleased sword."
"I could ask the same question of you," Ichigo responded. "You've been fighting with your bare hands so far, and only employing Hakuda against me. Are you taking me so lightly that you refuse to even draw your sword?" Aizen closed his eyes and smiled.
"Of course. I've only been toying with you so far. The last time we fought, you couldn't even cut my finger. I doubt much has changed since then," he said.
"I see. Then I guess it's time for me to prove you want," Ichigo smirked confidently. "I've become exponentially stronger since then. I'll force you to draw out your sword with just my Shikai. Shine your light, Zangetsu!" He raised his Zanpakto over his head and changed it into its familiar meat cleaver shape. Aizen was amused at Ichigo's release.
"So, you're able to release your Shikai by calling its name. It appears you have mastered how to control your reiatsu," he commented. "Still, that won't help you one bit." Ichigo didn't bother replying. Instead he instantly Shunpo-ed out of Aizen's view. Aizen looked around trying to find where he was. He sensed a massive reiatsu source appear behind him. With a sudden reflex he unsheathed his sword and blocked a powerful downward strike from Ichigo. The two blades clashed in a shower of sparks, causing shockwaves to ripple across the chamber.
"Ha, I've made you draw your sword with one strike!" Ichigo laughed. Aizen's confident grin had disappeared. He charged reiatsu in his left hand and punched Ichigo in the stomach. Ichigo was sent flying backwards and skidded along the ground for several feet before he quickly got back up again.
"Play time is over. I've gone easy on you so far, just to test how strong you've gotten. Now I will show you no mercy," Aizen laid out his threat.
"Bring it on then," Ichigo grasped Zangetsu with both hands. "Show me what you've got." The two of them Shunpo-ed towards each other and clashed swords again, triggering another huge shockwave. Then they exchanged several blows before Ichigo tried slicing at Aizen's head. Aizen parried his sword to the side and then thrust his sword at Ichigo's eyes. Ichigo desperately tried to dodge it, but Aizen managed to cut a long gash across his left cheek. Ichigo jumped backwards, blood flowing down his face. Damn, his sword's too quick for me. I can't afford to attack him up close. After a few seconds of thought, he fired a Getsuga Tensho directly at Aizen. Aizen easily blocked it with his sword, the blast not even powerful enough to push him back.
"Is that all you've got, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Aizen asked.
"Of course not!" Ichigo shouted. He Shunpo-ed behind Aizen and fired another Getsuga Tensho at Aizen's back. Aizen quickly Shunpo-ed out of the way as the two blasts collided in a massive explosion. He reappeared some distance in the air. As Ichigo paused to get his breath back, Aizen charged reiatsu in his left hand.
"Hadou 63, Raikoho!" he shouted. A massive yellow blast of spirit energy shot out of his hand, aimed directly at Ichigo. Ichigo allowed the blast to get near him, and then swatted it into a wall. Aizen watched as the blast impacted the wall in another large explosion. He looked down and saw Ichigo swinging his sword around at rapid speeds. His spiritual pressure is increasing at a rapid rate. What is going on? Aizen thought. As the spirit energy in Zangetsu reached maximum capacity, Ichigo stopped spinning and Shunpo-ed in front of Aizen, thrusting at his chest. Aizen blocked Ichigo's strike, but Ichigo anticipated his move.
"Chouseki Hadou," Ichigo said. A powerful beam of energy erupted from the blade, pushing Aizen backwards and slamming him into a wall in another explosion. Ichigo quickly landed on the ground and waited for Aizen to climb out of the crater in the wall. A minute later, Aizen landed on the ground several feet away from Ichigo. He was visibly bleeding from the forehead, much to Ichigo's delight.
"What's wrong? I thought you were going to show me no mercy?" Ichigo taunted Aizen. "So far you haven't offered much resistance."
"Indeed, it seems I have underestimated your power," Aizen conceded. "I was hoping to enjoy cutting you down slowly. But now I shall end it with one strike." He held his sword in front of him, upside down. Ichigo instantly recognized what his next move was going to be. Shit, he's going to release! He quickly closed his eyes.
"No one has escaped from my absolute hypnosis, and neither will you. Shatter, Kyouka Suigetsu!" His Zanpakto emitted shimmering ripples of light and air that surrounded Ichigo. Then in a sudden move, Aizen Shunpo-ed right through Ichigo, and sliced down his right shoulder. Ichigo gasped in pain as huge amounts of blood spurted out of his body and splattered on the ground. He thrust Zangetsu into the floor to stop himself from falling. Aizen noticed what Ichigo had done.
"It appears that you've closed your eyes to avoid seeing my release ceremony," he commented. "A logical thing to do for someone who hasn't fallen under my spell, but, one that robs you of your greatest sense. Now you're effectively handicapped." Ichigo was still panting heavily. He knew that he couldn't fight Aizen with just his Shikai and avoid being hypnotized at the same time.
"I guess I have no choice then," Ichigo took off his captain's haori and threw it onto the ground. Then the pulled Zangetsu up and held it with both hands. "Bankai!" An intense aura of black reiatsu surrounded his body, obscuring him from view. Aizen sensed Ichigo's spiritual pressure rise sharply. When the aura disappeared, Ichigo was standing in his Bankai long coat and wielding a slender black nodachi with a manji cross guard. "Tensa Zangetsu." Aizen was thoroughly amused.
"Bankai, eh? You've increased your reiatsu, but what good will that do you if you need to see me to keep track of my movements?" he asked. "A few seconds is all that it takes to have you under my spell."
"I'm well aware of your Shikai's ability," Ichigo said. "Shinji and Urahara told me about it. As long as I avoid direct eye contact with your Zanpakto, your absolute hypnosis has no effect on me!" Ichigo flew at incredible speed towards Aizen, who held his sword upside down again.
"It's futile to escape my hypnosis, shatter…" before Aizen finished speaking, Ichigo Shunpo-ed behind him and slashed at his neck. Aizen quickly turned around and tried to block it, but the force of Ichigo's swing was enough to push him backwards. Aizen skidded along the ground for a dozen feet before stopping. Ichigo however had managed to get right behind him again.
"Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo shouted. He fired another powerful energy blast at point blank range. Though Aizen blocked the blast with his sword, it was still powerful enough to send him flying into the air. Aizen eventually crashed through the roof of the chamber itself. Ichigo flew up into the still smoldering wreckage and out through the roof. He was confronted with a crystal clear blue sky-and Aizen just about to release his sword. Oh shit! Ichigo quickly closed his eyes again, but this made him drop his guard. Aizen swooped in and landed a powerful slash against Ichigo's sword, sending him falling back towards the floor of the chamber. Before Ichigo crash-landed on the ground, he did a quick somersault and landed on his feet. With a massive reiatsu push that sent shockwaves radiating across the chamber, Ichigo flew towards Aizen again. This time, he Shunpo-ed right through Aizen before the latter even had a chance to speak his release command. Ichigo then extended the chain from the hilt and swung Zangetsu over his shoulder. After several swings the spirit energy inside the blade was at maximum power. Ichigo threw his sword directly at Aizen, who calmly raised his sword to parry it. Just before he could do so, Ichigo released all of the spirit energy in one gigantic Chouseki Hadou. The powerful screw beam slammed into Aizen's chest and sent him crashing through the roof and down onto the ground below in another huge explosion.
Ichigo quickly Shunpo-ed to the ground and walked towards the crater that Aizen had made upon landing. He waited for the dust clear in order to assess how much damage he had inflicted. That last blast had to have hurt him, Ichigo thought. Suddenly a maniacal laugh echoed throughout the cavernous chamber.
"You sure are one persistent rat, Kurosaki Ichigo," Aizen said as he walked through the smoke. He was bleeding down the left side of his face, and the Chouseki Hadou had severely burnt his waist. "Only two other people have pushed me this far: Shigekuni Yamamoto Genryusai and Hirako Shinji. They too somehow found a way to get around my absolute hypnosis. It mattered little though, for both of them were destroyed by my next move. Bankai." Aizen let go of his Zanpakto, causing it hover in the air. It started spinning around rapidly and emitted dozens of blinding rays of light. Ichigo quickly covered his eyes with his arms, fearing that it was another mass hypnosis technique. He sensed an incredible rise in Aizen's reiatsu, and somehow felt the space around him warp and tear. After the spike in reiatsu died down, Ichigo opened his eyes again, and was astounded at what he saw. He was somehow stuck in a vast hallway, surrounded by giant mirrors. Each of these mirrors was at least a hundred feet tall and even the ceiling was covered by mirrors. Everywhere Ichigo looked, he could see reflections of himself staring back at him with the same bewildered expression.
"What the hell is this place?" Ichigo asked himself. "I was sure I avoided seeing Aizen's full release. Did I somehow get hypnotized?" Just then Aizen's maniacal laugh echoed throughout the hallway.
"You must be wondering why you're trapped in what appears to be an illusion, despite not even seeing my full release," Aizen explained. "That is because this isn't an illusion. This hallway I've trapped you in is my Bankai, Ho-ru no Kagami, Kyouka Suigetsu. Unlike my Shikai, you cannot escape it. Its effect works even if you try to avoid seeing the release. Once an enemy's trapped inside, there's no way out. Only two people have ever seen it. Neither came out of it alive." Ichigo was searching frantically for any signs of Aizen, trying to track down where his voice was coming from.
"Show yourself!" Ichigo shouted, his voice echoing through the hallway. "I know you must be hiding somewhere. Come out so I can see your face!" A second later, ghastly faces of Aizen appeared in nearly all the mirrors.
"You wanted me to show my face?" Aizen asked in a mocking voice. "I'm here, there, I'm everywhere. Which one of me is real? I dare you to cut me down!"
"Fine," Ichigo grunted in frustration. He targeted the mirror closest to him, slashing down the left side of the Aizen in the mirror. In a shocking surprise, Ichigo's left side burst open, causing torrents of blood to spurt out and splatter everywhere. Ichigo screamed in pain and fell to his knees. He gazed at the 'Aizen' he had supposedly attacked and then at the wound he had just suffered. No way, I couldn't have! He thought to himself.
"I'm sure you realize what has happened to you," Aizen explained. "Each of my mirrors carries a powerful damage transfer effect, meaning any attack an enemy inflicts upon them is directed back on the attacker with double the damage. It is impossible to physically destroy them. Yamamoto and Shinji both killed themselves in a vain attempt to destroy this hallway." Ichigo took in Aizen's spiel as he recovered his breath. I see, so that's how it goes. Aizen must be standing outside this fake dimension, Ichigo thought. He tried punching at the face of another 'Aizen' and as he predicted he received the full force of his punch and was knocked backwards. Ichigo stood up again and wiped the blood from his mouth. There must be some way to escape from this place whilst Aizen isn't looking…that's it! Ichigo was astounded at his own ingenuity. He secretly grinned as he put his plan into motion.
A few seconds later, Ichigo suddenly vanished from sight. Aizen, who had maintained constant surveillance over the hallway, panicked in surprise.
"Impossible! He couldn't have disappeared!" Aizen exclaimed. He could feel no trace of Ichigo's spiritual pressure, nor could he see any traces of where he went. Aizen started walking around the glass hallway, checking to see if any breaches had been made. There were none. He can't have escaped my Bankai…so he must still be inside it, waiting for me. Aizen gnashed his teeth in frustration. He had no choice but to go inside his own hallway and hunt his target down. Unsheathing his bare sword, he opened a hole in the side of the hallway and entered. Aizen walked slowly into the hallway and started searching every possible corner. He couldn't use Kidou or any other physical attacks, for his Bankai's affect applied to him as well.
"Come out, Kurosaki Ichigo, we all must die some time!" Aizen shouted. His voice echoed throughout the hallway. All of a sudden a black blade pierced through his chest, only narrowly missing his soul chain and heart. Aizen gasped, spewing blood out of his mouth. In that instant, the hall of mirrors shattered into a million pieces and the throne room returned to normal. He turned around and saw Ichigo standing behind him.
"Sorry, I'm not ready to die yet," Ichigo taunted him.
"How, were you able to?" Aizen was about to ask, as Ichigo pulled out his sword, causing more blood to spurt out of Aizen's chest.
"It's simple really. I knew you were watching my movements the whole time, and I also knew that you wouldn't let me escape," Ichigo explained. "So I initially used a technique that my father Isshin taught me to surround myself with a complete cloaking barrier. Then I put on this…" Ichigo pointed to the black overcoat he was currently wearing. Aizen's eyes widened when he released what it was.
"That's…Urahara's reiatsu concealing cloak…" Aizen stuttered.
"You got that right. Urahara gave me it just before we came here, thinking I'd find it useful. With my reiatsu completely concealed and myself hidden from sight, all I had to do was to wait for you to enter inside your hallway in an attempt to find me. Of course, I knew perfectly well where you were, thanks to my Tengetsu Gaieshi. This is one of my Bankai's special abilities, and allows me to sense the true reiatsu of spiritual beings within a certain vicinity, and allows me to see just as well without using my eyes. In short, your Zanpakto has no effect on me now." Ichigo pointed his sword at Aizen's head.
Aizen however started laughing. Despite the blood flowing out of his body he couldn't stop himself from bursting into a maniacal laugh.
"You're far too arrogant, Kurosaki Ichigo," Aizen sneered. "Do you really think that a mere trick of yours can truly defeat me? I haven't even revealed half of my true powers. Let me show you a secret that no one, not even Yamamoto or Shinji, has seen…"
Aizen dropped his Zanpakto, causing it to fall to the ground. In fashion eerily similar to Byakuya's Bankai release, Aizen's sword merged with the ground, causing ripples of current to flow outwards as if the floor was made of water. A few seconds later, half a dozen blobs seemingly rose from the ground and started forming into figures resembling a human. Ichigo watched horrified as these figures gradually turned into near identical clones of Aizen, with the same hairstyle, facial features and clothing. Ichigo also noticed that each of the clones had the exact same reiatsu as Aizen himself.
"Behold, the ultimate power of Kyouka Suigetsu," Aizen said. "Kagami Kage. Each of these copies of contains the exact same reiatsu and abilities that I possess. They can act independent of my control. I used this ability to simultaneously build up my forces in Las Noches whilst keeping the façade of being a model captain."
"So that's your secret. I've always wondered how you were able to do your experiments in Hueco Mundo without Soul Society ever finding out. Even if you hypnotized them all, they'd still be suspicious of your actions. No wonder you were able to outsmart everything for so long." Ichigo's bravado belied his fear and nervousness at facing so many Aizens. One Aizen was bad enough; now there are six, he thought.
"Prepare yourself Kurosaki Ichigo," Aizen said. "Prepare to face your worst nightmare!" The six Aizens all rushed at Ichigo at once. Ichigo blocked the first Aizen's strike, and narrowly avoided being slashed by a second from behind. But the third one got him, stabbing Ichigo in the waist. Ichigo gasped in pain as blood spurted out. He ducked to one side and rolled along the floor before standing back up. As soon as he did so, he was shot in the back by another Aizen's Byakurai beam. Ichigo stumbled forward, and received a powerful kick in the stomach from a fifth Aizen. He was sent flying backwards, into the arms of the final Aizen, who kicked him upwards. Before Ichigo could stop himself in mid-air, the six Aizens all Shunpo-ed behind and slammed him into the ground. The impact created a thirty foot wide crater. When the smoke cleared, Ichigo struggled to get up, his face of bruises. Blood flowed down his forehead, waist and right arm.
As Ichigo climbed out of the crater, he froze in shock when he saw what the six Aizens were doing. Each one was charging spirit energy in their hands. Ichigo tried Shunpo-ing out of the circle, but before he could do so, one of the Aizens spoke "Bakudou 61, Rikujokorou." Ichigo was immobilized at the waist by six golden rods. Shit, this is bad, Ichigo thought.
"Hadou 90, Kuro Hitsugi." In unison the six Aizens all cast the spell upon Ichigo, enveloping him inside a gigantic black box. A second after he was completely surrounded, Ichigo felt millions of blades pierce his body, almost tearing him apart. As the void dissipated, Ichigo slumped to the ground, torrents of blood dripping down his body and forming into a pool beneath him. Aizen expressed a measure of surprise at his apparent survival.
"This is interesting," the lead Aizen walked towards Ichigo with an amused face. "I was sure that the Kuro Hitsugi would be able to kill you. Unlike my previous attempts, this time it was cast with full power. By living on, you've consigned yourself to a painful death." He raised his sword in the air, preparing to slice down on Ichigo.
"A mere blast like this isn't going to kill me!" Ichigo exclaimed, slamming his sword into the ground. "I've hardly used my full strength. Years ago, you mentioned the only way to become stronger after reaching your limits is to become a hollow. I'm going to show what it's like to achieve that power!" He placed his left hand over his head and summoned his mask. A second later he was engulfed by a gigantic black aura of reiatsu. His spiritual pressure skyrocketed, sending out a shockwave so powerful that it blew all of the Aizens dozens of feet away. The aura sphere expanded until it was over thirty foot wide, before it stopped growing. When the aura dissipated, Ichigo was standing upright, gazing at the Aizens with a half white/half black hollow mask covering his face.
"What an immense reiatsu…" one of the Aizens commented. "So this is what hollowfication looks like." Ichigo pointed his left index and middle fingers at one of the Aizens, and charged red spirit energy in his hands. A second later he fired a powerful cero that blew off the head of an Aizen clone. The other Aizens were shocked by this display of power. In unison they swooped in and tried slashing Ichigo all at once. Ichigo easily dodged their swings. He jumped up and kicked two Aizens in the head, and went into a rapid spin. As he spun he extended his and swung it by the chain, initiating Chouseki Hadou in the process. In a blistering series of moves, he literally scythed through the Aizens, tearing two of them to pieces.
As Ichigo stopped his spin, one of the Aizens pointed his left hand at him and shouted "Hadou 31, Shakaho!" A red blast of spirit energy shot out of his hand, and headed towards Ichigo. Ichigo raised his left arm and muttered "Bakudo 39, Enkosen." A Five foot long oval shaped white shield appeared from his arm, covering most of his body. The Hadou blast dissipated as soon as it hit the shield. Ichigo released the shield, and immediately Shunpo-ed behind the Aizen who had fired the Hadou. He charged a Getsuga Tensho in his Zanpakto and slashed through the neck of the Aizen clone, decapitating it. Just as he followed through with his attack, Ichigo sensed another Aizen coming at him from behind, preparing to fire a much bigger Hadou. Ichigo quickly jumped into the air, charged a Bala in his left foot and kicked the Aizen clone in the face. The clone's head was literally pulverized, as his body tumbled lifeless to the ground. Ichigo finished up by landing on the ground, staring at the sole Aizen remaining.
"I take it you're the real Aizen," Ichigo said with a degree of confidence. His voice now had a guttural resonance, as if he was speaking with two separate voices. Aizen clutched his shoulder and coughed up some blood. He was visibly sweating, having expended a lot of his spirit energy.
"Damn you," Aizen swore at Ichigo. "No one has ever pushed me this hard before."
"Is that a compliment or a warning?" Ichigo asked smugly. "As soon as I went Vizard, I noticed a key weakness in your Bankai's ability. As I multiplied my reiatsu many times over, I would have thought you'd raise your reiatsu levels as well. But each of your clones remained at the same spiritual pressure, and none of them pulled off particularly powerful attacks. That was when I realized that you split your spirit energy evenly amongst each of the clones. This capped their spiritual pressures to the same level you had before, thus they couldn't get any stronger. It was easy for me then to make my attacks strong enough to easily overcome the defences of your clones." It obvious from Aizen's angered expression that Ichigo had hit the mark. The calm façade that Aizen had presented throughout the battle so far was gone, replaced by the face of a deranged psychopath.
"This is it; you've angered me far too much!!" Aizen screamed. "I will tolerate your existence no longer. I'm going to destroy you, along with the rest of the King's Realm. I shall annihilate this universe, and remake it in my own image!" Aizen flew hundreds of feet into the air and sheathed his sword. Then he raised both hands into the air. Ichigo paused when he sensed a massive build-up of spiritual pressure coming out of Aizen's hands. A few seconds later a red ball of energy appeared above Aizen. It soon swelled up into gargantuan size, easily measuring two hundred feet across. Sparks of lightning shot from the surface of the ball, and the entire chamber started to rumble from the sheer force of it. Shit, if that thing hits me, I'm going to be a goner, Ichigo thought.
"Goodbye, Kurosaki Ichigo!" Aizen shouted. "Hadou 99, Mokushi Tama!" He threw the red of energy down at Ichigo. As the giant sphere descended, Ichigo quickly thought up a plan. He slammed his sword into the ground and cut his right index finger with it. Then he used the blood that flowed out to charge a massive blue cero with both hands. For a few seconds he poured his spirit energy into it. As the giant sphere almost reached him, Ichigo thrust both of his palms out.
"Gran Rey Cero!" Ichigo shouted. A gigantic blue cero blast shot out of his hands. It slammed into the red energy sphere and started pushing it back. Aizen sensed what was going on and started poured more of his spirit energy into the sphere. Ichigo responded in kind. For what seemed like an eternity the two of them engaged a titanic duel of power. In the end, Ichigo's spirit energy reserves proved the greater and he was able to push the energy sphere right into Aizen's face.
"Impossible!" Aizen screamed as he was engulfed by his own attack. The Gran Rey Cero pushed the Mokushi Tama through the ceiling of the throne room and into the skies above. There the two blasts detonated, creating an explosion powerful enough to completely shatter the force field protecting the Royal Palace. The resulting fireball reached tens of miles into the air, and the shockwaves from the explosion spread out for hundreds of miles. In the aftermath of the explosion, Ichigo was left panting on his knees, exhausted from using up so much of his spirit energy. He peered up and saw that Aizen had crash landed onto his throne. As he struggled to get up, it was clear that he had escaped the brunt of the blasts, though his face and shoulders were now badly burnt. He stumbled around his throne chair, as if he was trying to find something.
"I won't accept this, I will not accept this!" he yelled like a madman. "Power! I need more power! Where is it? My treasure!" He fumbled around the throne room, before his hands grasped onto something. "Yes! There it is!"
Ichigo wondered what Aizen was doing, when Aizen stood up and held something in his hands. It was shimmering blue ball. Ichigo realized what the item was. The Hogyoku! Why the hell does Aizen still have it? Ichigo thought in his head. Wait a second…what is he planning to do with it? He didn't have to wait long to find out. A second later, Aizen jammed the fully released Hogyoku into his chest and screamed in pain. A giant black aura of reiatsu suddenly engulfed his body, and his spiritual pressure skyrocketed. Ichigo was forced to his knees, overwhelmed by the power he was sensing from Aizen. He looked on in pure horror as a hollow mask started forming upon Aizen's face. Within seconds his mask had fully formed. It resembled the grotesque face of a demon. Aizen's eyes had turned dark yellow, and a third eye had appeared on his forehead. He started laughing hysterically.
"Ha, ha, ha, what a great feeling!" Aizen exclaimed. "So this is what it's like to achieve perfect hollowfication! Now to test the limits of my new power!" He pointed his left index finger at Ichigo and fired a massive cero. Ichigo barely managed to dodge the blast by jumping into the air. He failed to anticipate the hollowfied Aizen appearing right in front of him. Aizen charged a bala in his right fist and punched Ichigo in the face, sending him flying into a wall. The resulting explosion carved a thirty foot wide crater. Ichigo slumped down from the wall and fell to the ground. His nose and cheekbones had been broken and blood was flowing freely from his nostrils. As he struggled to his feet, a large portion of his mask fell off, revealing his mouth and lower jaw. He looked up saw Aizen floating in the air, intoxicated by power.
"Yes! I have enough power to become a god at last!" Aizen laughed hysterically. Ichigo braced for another attack, when all of a sudden Aizen began to mutate. A black hole appeared on his chest, and white hollow skin started to accumulate on his body. Aizen screamed with almost bestial rage, as if his mind was being devoured by another being. Ichigo watched the entire scene shocked and confused. The mutated Aizen let out a tremendous burst of reiatsu and floored Ichigo, knocking him onto his back. When Ichigo got up again, he was astounded to see Aizen looking completely like a hollow, complete with a full mask, and a hollow hole. The new being raised its skeletal fingers and swiped at Ichigo. The force of the swing generated a series of powerful slashed that ripped through Ichigo's body, tearing through his bones. Ichigo screamed as torrents of blood spurted out. He collapsed onto his stomach, having lost far too much blood to even stand up. He struggled to look up as the being stretched its muscles.
"At last, I have finally taken control of this body," the being spoke in a harsh bestial voice. "For years I've had to put up with the absurd antics of this foolish human."
"What did you say?" Ichigo tried to ask. The hollow who was once Aizen stared at him with an eerie grin. Just then, Ichigo's inner hollow spoke in his head.
"Surely you're familiar with this situation, Ichigo," the hollow said. "The hollow used to be the horse to the one called Aizen, and now he has taken control and become the King."
"I see," Ichigo said. "That explains everything." The hollow Aizen clasped his fists and let out another blast of reiatsu, pinning Ichigo down.
"I can finally begin my own agenda," the hollow Aizen said. "Until now, I was content to help my useless king fulfill his own grandiose plans of becoming the Spirit King. I was the one who provided him with the insight on how to transmute Shinigami into hollows, and hollows into Shinigami. With my advice feeding his subconscious thoughts, my king was able to gather an army of hollows under his command, and proceeded to crush the forces of the Shinigami. But then, once he achieved his objectives, my king seemingly lost his will or ambition. He didn't go far enough for me. What I want is to remake the Universe as I see fit. I shall cause each of the dimensions to collide with each other and the resulting cataclysm will give birth to a new order where hollows shall reign supreme!!" The hollow started gathering spirit particles towards him, charging up for what appeared to be another massive attack. Ichigo felt utterly helpless. He wasn't quite sure how this new hollow Aizen was going to achieve his goals, but whatever he did, there was no way Ichigo could stop him anymore. Damn, after everything I've fought for, does it really have to end here?
"What's wrong with you King? Are you going to give up right now? Have you lose your resolve, your instinct? Why did you fight so hard in the first place?" Ichigo's hollow literally shouted in his ear.
"What does it mean to you, partner?" Ichigo croaked back. "If you want, you can just take over and become king yourself. I don't have the strength to resist anymore."
"What are you talking about? I don't wish to kill you Ichigo. I'd rather stay a horse and see you live, than take control and watch you die! You and I are one and the same. If you die here, then I will cease to exist! Don't give me that crap about not having enough strength! Search the very core of your soul! Your inner power is there! Unleash it all! Your nakama are counting on you!" Ichigo's hollow's words made Ichigo realize something. From the moment he became a Shinigami he had relied upon his inner resolve to win. From storming Soul Society and fighting against Kenpachi and Byakuya, to infiltrating Hueco Mundo and defeating Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, and then all the way until now. Through all of his victories he had relied on his will to protect and his nakama in order to push himself to new limits. This time was no different. Rukia, Ishida, Sado, Renji, Isshin, Urahara, the Gotei 13, they've all sacrificed themselves to allow me to come this far. If I fall here, then I will jeopardize everything they've fought their lives for. The fate of the universe depends on me alone. I can't afford to die here!
In that instant Ichigo's reiatsu literally exploded, creating a solid aura sphere around his body. Seemingly ignoring his near fatal wounds, Ichigo stood up and grabbed hold of Zangetsu. With half his mask remaining, he charged reiatsu below his feet and flew upwards like a rocket. The hollow Aizen, who had been busy gathering spirit particles, noticed Ichigo coming towards him.
"Puny human, you shall be crushed like an insect between my hands!" the hollow Aizen yelled. He extended his left arm and fired a gigantic cero at Ichigo. With one stroke, Ichigo deflected the cero to the side.
"This is the end, Aizen! I don't know what you've become, but your reign of tyranny ends here!" Ichigo shouted. "For the last two hundred years you've caused nothing but misery to the people of Soul Society and the real world!" Angered that his attack had seemingly been knocked away, the hollow Aizen extended his right arm and tried slashing at Ichigo with his claws. With a deft swing, Ichigo severed Aizen's right hand, causing him to let out a hollow shriek.
"I'm not going to let you get away with destroying this universe. The hopes and dreams of everyone rest upon my shoulders!" Ichigo shouted. He knocked away another cero fired by the hollow Aizen and closed in for the kill. "Rukia, Inoue, Ishida, Renji, Sado, Isshin, Karin, Yuzu, Urahara, Shinji, I swore an oath to them that I would defeat you and bring peace to this world and this oath I intent to fulfill!" Ichigo thrust forward his sword and stabbed the hollow Aizen right through the neck.
Aizen has finally been defeated! What is going to happen to Ichigo and the others now? Find out next chapter!
Notes: This is by far the longest chapter in the entire story. Though the basic outline of the Ichigo vs. Aizen battle had been planned out a long time ago, writing it was still difficult, mainly due to other events getting in the way. I really wanted for their struggle to be the ultimate battle in Bleach history. Whether or not I've succeeded depends on what you readers think. As always, there are a number of elements that need explaining.
Ho-ru no Kagami: This is Aizen's Bankai. Its name means "Hall of Mirrors" in Japanese. It's a logical extension of his Shikai's ability. The actual effect of his Bankai functions much like Voodoo magic, where any damage that is inflicted upon the mirrors is transferred to the enemy. However, Aizen cannot use his Zanpakto or any other powers whilst his Bankai is activated, and if Aizen is injured in any way, his Bankai contains a fail safe mechanism which causes his Zanpakto to return to normal.
Kagami Kage: This is Aizen's second form Bankai. It means 'Mirror Shadow' in Japanese. Whereas Ho-ru Kagami is an extension of his Shikai's illusion effect, Kagami Kage is an extension of Aizen's ability to fool other people with body doubles. In this case, this ability allows him to create a limitless amount of clones of himself, each one containing a portion of his spirit energy, but possessing the same amount of intellect. The clones are only restricted in their inability to release their own Zanpaktos.
Hadou 99, Mokushi Tama: This means Apocalypse Sphere in Japanese. In creating the most powerful Hadou, I imagined something similar to Frieza's death ball in DBZ. The resultant duel between Aizen's Hadou and Ichigo's Gran Rey Cero is pretty much a homage to the epic ki blast duels in DBZ.
Aizen's hollow: This needs a little explaining. Aizen had already experimented with hollowfication, but he failed to go all the way. His experiments left him with an inner hollow that secretly influenced Aizen's actions but remained undetected. As for the Hogyoku, Orihime had already released it prior to Ichigo's battle with Ulquiorra, and when Aizen captured her again, he took the released Hogyoku from her. When Aizen inserts the Hogyoku inside himself, the barriers holding his inner hollow back are broken, allowing his inner hollow to take control.
Last words: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It marks the climax of this fan story. There are two more chapters to go before the end, so I hope you all stick around for the conclusion!