"The Final Getsugatenshou is me becoming Getsuga itself." I stated. "If I use this technique, I will lose all of my Shinigami powers. That's what makes it 'final'."
"That's not possible! It's absolutely absurd!" Aizen's enraged voice thundered through the empty canyon. "There is no way for a mere human to surpass me! That can't be!"
I opened my right hand, forming a thin black line of black spiritual pressure. Aizen's jaw dropped even further as I slowly lifted my arm up.
"Mugetsu."
I brought my arm down, and the entire world was painted black. As my final attack washed over Aizen's body, Zangetsu's words echoed in my mind.
'If you use this technique, you will lose all of your Shinigami powers. Farewell, Ichigo.'
Zangetsu...I'm sorry.
I could feel my consciousness slowly fade away. But surprisingly, I felt calm. With my final strike, all of the fighting, all of the pain was finally going to end. Though I still couldn't shake the image of Zangetsu crying as he ran his blade through me. All he had wanted to do was to protect me, and by using Mugetsu, I was going to lose that connection with him. It nearly made me use Mugetsu, but I had no other choice.
As I felt my body float through the empty murkiness, I couldn't move my body. Was Mugetsu supposed to make me fall unconscious? It had the word 'Final' in it after all. But this was starting to take too long. What happened to Aizen? I clearly remember seeing his body being obliterated by my attack. And Urahara? Youruichi? Dad? Were my friends alright?
"Don't worry. Your friends are all fine and well."
"Wah!"
My eyes jolted open and I hurriedly sat up. The first thing that greeted me was the side of a skyscraper. I immediately knew I was in my inner world. No other place I could think of included an inverted world like this.
But if I was in my inner world, why couldn't I feel Zangetsu's presence? And the voice that woke me up wasn't anyone I knew.
"Oh! You're finally awake!" the cheerful female voice said. "I was starting to get bored waiting for you to wake up!"
My head spun to the source of the voice to see a...magical girl?
I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things, and sure enough, there was an actual magical girl standing just a few feet away from me. Though she looked a bit old to be a magical girl. Her frilly pink outfit contrasted heavily with her long black hair which was tied into two pigtails. Her blue eyes made her entire outfit seem even more out of place.
"Who are you!?" I demanded angrily. My arm instinctively reached behind me, and to my surprise, my hand wrapped around Zangetsu's hilt. But that couldn't be. I lost all of my shinigami powers the moment I used Mugetsu. So why was my weapon back at my side?
To top it all off, I finally noticed I was still wearing my black shihakusho. My mind began to spin in confusion, but I had more pressing matters to deal with. Mainly that magical girl whose aura seemed more demonic than angelic.
"I asked you a damn question! Who are you, and where is Zangetsu!?" I yelled again.
Despite my angry demeanor, the girl-no. Thing simply smiled in response. She calmly strode across the skyscraper until she was just a few feet from me. Her blue eyes carefully studied me, and I felt my body freeze. I had fought many people and beings that were far from human. But this thing standing before me somehow seemed even more inhuman. She may be wearing a colorful magical girl outfit and sported a carefree smile, but I knew better than to let my guard down around someone like her.
"My name is Serafall Leviathan. But you can just call me Sera!" Sera replied with a wink and a smile.
"Answer my damn-"
"Ah, those spirits in your soul? Don't worry. They're still around," Serafall said with a wave of her hand. "We're just in a separate manifestation of your soul. It's something I made after taking a little peek inside of you. I figured that talking to you in a place you were already familiar with was going to be more comforting to you."
"A manifestation?" I mumbled. So I wasn't really in my own inner world. That was why I couldn't sense the Old Man or the hollow. "But who are you? And why did you bring me in here?"
"I brought you in here because your soul nearly disintegrated." Serafall simply stated.
"What!?" I yelled out. "Are you saying I died after using Mugetsu!?"
"Well, almost!" Serafall replied with another smile. "You would've vanished if I hadn't shown up. I've seen a lot of things over countless millennia, but that technique of yours was seriously on another level. It really scared me, and I was watching from really far away!"
"If you saved me from dying, thanks...I guess," I mumbled as I let go of Zangetsu's handle. "But you still haven't explained one thing. Why me?"
"Because…" Serafall skipped over until her body was extremely close to mine. "I finally found you. My hero."
"Your...hero?" I asked confusedly. I never once considered myself a hero. I only got these powers to protect the ones closest to me. Sure, if I ended up helping someone out along the way, that was even better. But I don't think anyone ever called me a hero until now.
"Yup! So, as a Demon Lord, I wanna make a deal with you. Since I saved your soul, it's only natural for you to pay me back!"
"Pay you back?" I asked. Sure, I was grateful that this Demon Lord in front of me saved my life at the last second. But making a deal, especially with a demon, surely had no easy price. I was sure that I wasn't going to like whatever price she named.
"Yup! I want your soul!"
"...Hah?"
"You heard me! You give me your soul, and we can call it even!" Serafall further explained. "Sounds like a good deal, no?"
"Like hell it is!" I roared. "What kinda offer is that!? I'm just gonna become some sort of slave to you!"
"Fine, then let me rephrase my offer," Serafall offered in a more calmer tone. "By accepting my offer, you'll keep the powers you've honed to protect the ones you cherish. Not only that, but you will grow even stronger. I only ask that you use that power for my sake only."
"That's a helluva tall order…" I groaned. Still, there was no way I was gonna turn down her offer. I had to repay her for saving my life, even if the price I had to pay was outrageous.
"Screw it. I accept." I groaned. I held my hand out to Serafall. "My name's Ichigo Kurosaki."
Serafall beamed like a little child and instead of shaking my hand like an ordinary person, she leaped forward and nearly tackled me to the ground with her hug. She began to laugh cheerfully like she just met a long lost friend that she hadn't seen in years.
Why was she so happy to meet me, who'd never met her before this exact moment?
"I'm so happy, Ichigo! And remember to call me Sera from now on!"
And that was how I became a Demon Lord's servant.
"I can't believe this…" I mumbled under my breath as I stared out of the window.
"Hm? Can't believe that you're a part of Miracle Girl Levia-tan's Peerage?" Sera asked with a twirl and a wink.
"No! Why the hell is there a train to the Underworld!?" I yelled out in desperation. "The leather seats are comfortable, the food they're serving here is really good, and everyone is so well behaved! You guys even gave the conductor tickets! Why are a bunch of devils more well-mannered than humans? It doesn't make any sense!"
"Then what did you expect the Underworld to look like?" Sera wondered curiously.
"Well…" I paused and a vague image of the Gates of Hell from when I first became a substitute shinigami resurfaced. "I expected a really scary-looking gate adorned with two giant skeletons, a lot of fire and lava. Add in the screams of sinners to finish it off. Also a giant arm that stabs people and drags them down into Hell."
"That's so grotesque! Our Underworld is nothing like that! We even have TV programs that air 'Magical Girl Milky Spiral Seven' twenty four-seven!"
"Sounds more like a punishment fit for Hell than anything…" I muttered.
"What was that?" Sera growled.
"Nothing," I quickly added. "I still don't understand what this 'Peerage' system you roped me into. Does it work like some kind of squad or something?"
"Similar, but not quite," Sera began. "Long story short, the item that I gave you to become a reincarnated devil essentially made you my servant. A Peerage consists of servants for High-Class Devils. The piece given to a reincarnated devil determines the strength needed to bring them back. In your case, I used the queen piece."
"Queen? Like in chess?" I asked.
"Exactly! I'm the King, and you're the Queen. So that means that there's also Rooks, Knights, Bishops, and Pawns." Sera added.
"Does the fact that I'm the Queen mean anything more?" I asked as more questions began to pile onto my head. "I'm not that familiar with chess, but even I know the Queen is pretty damn important."
"The fact that you're my Queen essentially means you're my second-in-command. Queens possess the most balanced characteristics, as well as being the most powerful."
"So, when am I gonna meet the others?" I leaned back on my seat and stretched my arms out. "If I'm the Queen, then that means there's Bishops, Knights, and so on. What're they like?"
"Hm? You're the only one in my Peerage." Sera stated.
"Wait, what!?" I blurted out.
"Yup! You're my one and only, Ichigo!" Sera declared with a smile and another twirl.
"Hold on! Even if I don't know the rules of chess, I'm pretty sure you need the rest of the team to even play the game!" I exclaimed.
"No! I don't need anyone else but Ichigo!" Sera whined. As she finished, she huffed angrily and plopped down right next to me. It felt like I was looking at a child throwing a temper tantrum than a devil who was apparently extremely powerful and influential in the Underworld.
"W-whatever…" I groaned. The train suddenly came to a stop, causing me to look out the window to see that we suddenly arrived at some kind of train station. At this point, I just decided to throw away any preconceived notion I had about Hell and just decided to roll along with the punches.
"Oh, we're here!" Sera immediately perked up and skipped away. "Ichigo! This way!"
I got up from my seat and followed her out. No matter how much I tried to imagine that I was in the Underworld, It was hard to do so because everyone around me seemed so…ordinary. They didn't have scaly skin, had horns popping out, or even wings. They all looked like normal humans going about their daily routine. Though, I did feel something unnatural in the overall atmosphere. Like a slight tingling sensation from all of the power all around me. Even though I was wearing my shihakusho and had Zangetsu on my back, no one seemed to mind my appearance.
"Where are we headed?" I asked when I caught up to Sera.
"For starters, let's head to my place to get you all relaxed and settled in." Sera suggested.
"Sure, but how're we getting there?" I asked.
"Like this!"
Sera snapped her fingers, and the train station around me suddenly disappeared. Replacing the scenery was a rather open garden filled with trees and neatly trimmed grass.
"Whoa!" I yelped in alarm. "What'd you do!?"
"Just a little teleportation spell. Nothing too major." Sera explained.
"Fine. You can teleport. I'll accept that," I said with my voice strained. "But we're in a park. I don't see any buildings anywhere."
"That's because this is only the front yard." Sera said.
"The…front yard?" I nervously asked.
"My mansion is behind us."
I slowly turned around and my heart nearly stopped. 'Big' wasn't enough to describe the structure before me. It was bigger than big. A monstrosity of marble carved into a behemoth of a mansion.
"...That's your place?" I mouthed quietly.
"Ichigo? You look like you've seen a ghost or something." Sera pointed out. "Your skin's really pale and you're sweating a lot."
"The hell is this!? It's even bigger than the Imperial Palace!" I yelled as my emotions poured out. "It's big! Bigger than big! I don't even know if the Soul Society has a building as large as this!"
"You really think my house is that big?" Sera wondered out loud. "I think Sirzechs-chan's mansion is way bigger than mine."
"B-bigger, you say?" I stammered.
"Well, enough of that. Let's go inside already!"
With a simple clap, the gargantuan doors of the mansion flung open despite no one being around to open them. I followed Sera inside, and there were already several maids lined up against both sides of me. Their heads were bowed down as a sign of respect.
"Welcome back, Lady Serafall." all of the maids greeted simultaneously.
"I'm back!" Sera declared. "Oh, and this is Ichigo Kurosaki. He's my Queen and my beloved!"
"H-huh!? Since when was I ever that!?" I yelled. "Don't go around declaring crap like that!"
"Welcome, Mr. Kurosaki. We congratulate you on your engagement with Lady Serafall." the maids droned on with the same monotone voice they used when greeting Sera.
"Shouldn't you guys be more concerned that your master suddenly declared me her husband without my consent?" I asked. None of the maids seemed to acknowledge my question.
"Come on! Let's eat!" Sera called out.
If the outside of the mansion was impressive, then the inside blew away all of my expectations. Large marble pillars rose up from the ground and the ground beneath me was a fluffy red carpet that my feet sunk into. To my sides were large glass display cases showing off various knick-knacks ranging from sets of armor to swords and shields. For some reason, I noticed that some of the display cases had DVD cases for some kind of magical girl show and even a pink wand of some kind.
The enormous chandelier above me acted like a mini sun, illuminating the inside better than the brightest light bulbs I've ever seen. Ahead of me were two staircases leading to the second floor, joining up into a terrace that oversaw the main entrance.
And the dining room I was led to was just as impressive. The table was long. Ridiculously long. I quickly counted twenty seats on both sides while only two chairs were placed at the opposite ends of the table. The table was covered with a white table cloth adorned by smaller candle holders that lit up the area even more.
"This is…something else." I mouthed.
"Take a seat anywhere you want. The food should be out shortly." Sera instructed.
I decided to sit down on a random chair that faced away from the windows. Sera promptly sat directly across from me and began to hum happily.
"Has it been a while since you've come home?" I asked.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Sera seemed confused at my question.
"You're smiling a lot and humming to yourself. So I thought that maybe you've been away from your home for some time or something," I reasoned.
"Oh…" Sera trailed off. "It's not that I haven't been home in a while. I guess it's because I haven't shared a meal with someone else like this for a long time."
"S-sorry. I didn't mean-"
"The food's here! Dig in! I'm sure that the Underworld's food will beat anything the human world has to offer!" Sera said as the maids arrived and placed various platters in front of us. I found it almost comical when the maids would remove the metal covers to reveal the food. It was something I've only seen happen in movies. I decided to take a fork and eat a piece of what looked like steak. Sera was right. It was extremely delicious. I could feel the tender meat practically melt in my mouth like butter and the seasoning on it only made me crave it more. Magic was probably used to make this feast, which is why Sera probably said that the food here was better than anything in the human world.
But as we ate, I couldn't help but take occasional glances at Sera. It slowly began to make sense to me. Sera was supposedly one of the four bigshots of the Underworld. Fine, that explained the mansion she lived in. But if she was this known leader, where was the rest of her family? With such a large living space, you'd think it was to accompany the rest of her family. But no one other than her maids greeted her. Even when she brought me, the first one to join her Peerage, no one seemed to celebrate or even make any fuss.
Living alone in such a large mansion with no one but maids that act like robots. With no one to greet you. No friends or family. Continuing this routine for thousands of years. No one, devil or not, should live like this.
"Ichigo?"
"Ah!" I nearly dropped my fork in surprise. "W-what?"
"You've been staring at me for a while now…" Sera's cheeks began to redden as she bashfully avoided my gaze. "If you stare at me so passionately like that, I don't know if I'll be able to contain myself…"
"Y-y-y-you got it wrong!" I blurted out. Dammit, I could feel my face heating up too!
"For our first child, I want a little girl…" Sera continued, wiggling in her seat with her mouth forming into a rather dumb-looking smile. "Ah, but if it's a boy, I wouldn't mind either~"
"Just listen to me for a second!" I cried out in desperation. I don't know how much of this I could take. "I was just worried about you! Imagining how lonely you must've been living in this mansion by yourself…it just doesn't sit right with me."
"Pft!" Sera giggled.
"H-hey! I'm over here concerned about you, and now you're laughing!?" I exclaimed in anger.
"Thank you, Ichigo. For worrying about little ol' me," Sera said with a deep smile. "You really are the only one for me."
"Whatever…" I grumbled. This time, I put all of my attention to the food in front of me. Though there was little I could do against Sera's humming.
"Phew! All full~" Sera sang out as she patted her stomach.
"Glad to see you're doing fine…" I remarked as I stared at a satisfied Sera leaned back on her chair. "So, what's next? If you really are a big deal in the Underworld, what's everyone gonna say about you making me your Queen?"
"Well, maybe like ninety-nine percent of the Underworld probably wouldn't like it that much. If anything, those stupid old geezers would throw a hissy fit because to them, you're the lowest of the low hierarchy-wise." Sera casually explained.
"Somehow, I'm not even surprised anymore…" I defeatedly said. "So what's the plan?"
I immediately regretted asking that question when I saw Sera's eyes literally sparkle and her smile turning into a mischievous grin. I actually felt chills run down my spine because I knew that her plan was going to be something absolutely atrocious.
"It's quite simple. We brute-force it!" Sera declared.
"Come on! We gotta tell everyone about my new queen!" Sera giggled as she continued to pull me along the spacious and seemingly never-ending corridor.
"Give me a break! We only formed this contract like a day ago!" I yelled tiredly.
Sera was moving along so fast that I tripped over the carpeted floor. But despite this, she marched on while dragging my body along. My body just felt too tired to actually stand back up.
"Here we are!" Sera exclaimed as she stopped in front of a white door. "This is where I'm gonna announce to the whole world about you!"
"Wait, announce?" I asked just as I picked myself up from the ground.
Before I could ask anything else, Sera burst through the door with me right behind her. I was immediately greeted by the flashing lights of several cameras. I squinted my eyes so that I could see through the flashed. It seemed like Sera and I were in some sort of conference hall. Why did a place like Hell even have modern equipment like cameras?
"Hey everyone!" Sera greeted with a twirl and a wink. "I'm here to announce that I've added someone to my peerage! Meet my Queen, Ichigo Kurosaki!"
"Uh…" I mumbled.
The entire conference hall erupted with several demons getting out of their seats and rushing towards Sera with their mikes and cameras. They hounded her with so many questions that it all sounded like a jumbled mess to me. Some even tried to approach me even while I attempted to swat the mics away from me.
"Well, that's all I wanted to say! And be sure to tune in to Miracle Levia-tan every night!" Sera concluded.
And just like that, Sera ran out of the conference room with me right behind her, laughing as we ran down the carpeted hallway.
"The hell was that!? And did you just self-promote your show at the end there!?" I demanded as I ran along.
"Heehee!" Sera giggled.
After running from the camera-wielding demons for a few minutes, Sera ran into a side room and I shut the door behind me as I entered. The thundering footsteps passing by was enough indication that we lost them for now at least.
"Couldn't you have done this in a more quiet way?" I asked in between breaths.
"Ichigo, look!" Sera said as she put what looked like a smartphone screen to my face. "The entire Underworld is talking about you already!"
"Are you even listening to me!?"
But Sera ignored me and continued to scroll through her phone as it began to ring and vibrate incessantly. "Hm…'Leviathan finally added someone to her Peerage!' 'Is her Queen's hair color natural or dyed?'"
The more Sera read the articles from her phone, the more annoyed she seemed to get. "Ha!? Those stupid old coots! They're already doubting your strength, Ichigo! Grr!"
"Is how strong I am really that much of a big deal?" I asked. I couldn't care less whether or not a bunch of old devils thought I was strong or not. I never got this power to boast or show off my strength.
"Of course it is! Since you're my only Queen and the only member of my Peerage, you basically represent me!" Sera pouted. "And I've seen what you can do. No one talks down on my Ichigo like this!"
After pondering on something for a few seconds, Sera's eyes lit up as if she thought of something. "I know! What better way to prove yourself than to fight Sirzechs-chan in front of everyone?"
"...Who?" I asked.
"He was the guy with the long red hair and armor in that conference room we were just in." Sera explained.
"Don't recall seeing him." I said. Everything happened so fast that I barely had time to notice someone like that.
"He's basically the leader of the Underworld." Sera added. "I think humans also call him Lucifer?"
"He's what!?" I exclaimed. "You want me to fight the ruler of Hell just to satisfy a bunch of old guys?! I did not sign up for this!"
"But you did agree to become my sword." Sera giggled.
"Grr…"
"Now, let's go back to that conference hall to tell everyone about your match!"
Sera grabbed onto my wrist once again and ran in the general direction of said conference room. This time, I was prepared so that I wouldn't trip and fall again. We reached the conference room in no time flat and Sera burst through once more. By the time I entered, I could see the aforementioned Sirzechs sitting behind a booth. His eyes had a hint of surprise when he saw me and Sera come back again.
"Oh, and another thing!" Sera said. She pointed at one camera before continuing. "I've seen all the posts making a mockery of my Queen. Well, I say what better way to test his worth than fighting against Sirzechs-chan himself?"
After a lot of yelling and even more questions, the match between me and this Sirzechs person was finally arranged. I found myself standing in the middle of an enormous arena surrounded by hundreds-no, thousands of demons. If I had to guess, this stadium was even bigger than the Japan National Stadium, and that thing can house more that eighty thousand people if I'm remembering correctly.
And having thousands of pairs of eyes all looking at me and judging me made me suddenly feel extremely self-conscious. I found myself making sure my shihakusho was on properly or checking to see if Zangetsu was on my back properly.
The stadium suddenly erupted with cheers and applause as I saw my opponent enter the arena across from me. Sirzechs calmly but confidently strolled out until he was within earshot.
Even though this was my first time actually meeting the supposed ruler of the Underworld, I could tell that the being in front of me was incredibly strong. The sheer amount of magic that felt like spiritual pressure rivalled or even exceeded all of the Captains I knew back in my own world. He was easily as strong, if not more powerful than the Espadas I faced before coming here.
"So you are Ichigo Kurosaki, right?" Sirzechs suddenly asked. "I can see in your eyes that you are quite the warrior. This is going to be a match I am most looking forward to."
I didn't say anything as I drew Zangetsu, its cloth unfurling to reveal its edge. Several murmurs rang out as they took in my Zanpakuto.
"Let's just get this over with." I said tiredly.
"Hm...you don't seem that interested in fighting me." Sirzechs noted.
"Then why agree to this match?" I asked. "You're not my enemy, and I'm only doing this because Sera dragged me into this mess. I don't care about proving my strength in front of you all."
"Then, perhaps I should give you a reason to fight with everything you have?"
The armor that Sirzechs was wearing was thrown off, and the entire air became heavier.
"Kh!" I growled. That bastard Sirzechs was now just flexing the enormous amount of magical power to affect the entire stadium. I've only felt this kind of pressure only a handful of times. As much as I hated to admit it, just my Shikai wasn't going to cut Sirzechs.
"If you do not fight seriously, I am afraid I am going to hurt you quite badly. It's been a while since I've had a good fight. And besides…" Sirzech's eyes wandered to an area of the stadium where Sera was sitting. My eyes followed his to see Sera simply smiling as she gazed at me.
"...If you do not try, your master over there may face some serious consequences. And both you and I do not wish to see Sera getting punished over our duel, no?"
"Shut up!" I yelled. I aimed Zangetsu's point at Sirzechs and fired up my own spiritual pressure. The entire stadium only continued to shake as both the power from Sirzech's magic and my spiritual pressure continued to grow and grow.
"Marvelous! To think that you still harbor so much strength!" Sirzechs laughed out. "This battle will surely be engraved into my mind until the end of time!"
The sound of a gong ringing out signaled the start of the match, though I only barely managed to hear it. Placing my left hand onto my right arm, I spoke the words needed to start this fight.
Bankai!
For many years, Sona had grown used to her fellow demons constantly calling her older sister insane. And while that comment had admittedly miffed her because of how ill her sister was treated, she was now inclined to believe that maybe her sister really was insane. Not only had she gotten herself a Queen out of nowhere, but she had arranged a match between her Queen and Sirzechs himself!
That was until that orange-haired boy drew his weapon and flared his power in response to Sirzech's. The air became so suffocating and heavy that she nearly collapsed onto the ground. It was as if someone had placed several weights on top of her shoulders.
"This...doesn't feel like magic!" Sona groaned from the pressure. "It's much more suffocating and heavy! What is this!?"
"Heehee. Just watch." Sera giggled with a wink.
"Bankai!"
A colossal torrent of black energy tinged with red erupted from the stadium, completely engulfing Sera's Queen. The intensity she felt from the tornado was so large that all she could was stare in awe. Whatever she was feeling, it felt much more potent than magical energy and for a brief second, its power even seemed to succeed Sirzechs' own output of magical energy.
Even after the tornado of black energy eventually dissipated, the winds kicked up by it still raged and roared. The dust storm subsequently kicked up by the winds made it hard for Sona to see her elder sister's Queen or even Sirzechs for that matter.
And then the violent winds were suddenly broken apart by an unknown force seemingly sweeping them to the side as if they were nothing. Sona could finally see the arena clearly, but she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing.
Sirzechs was still standing in the same spot he was in before, but the most alarming change happened to the blond teenager himself. The black kimono he was wearing before was now replaced by a flowing black robe with a white undershirt underneath it. His once enormous cleaver was replaced by an ordinary-sized black katana with a chain hanging off at the base of its hilt.
"Tensa Zangetsu." the teen calmly stated.
"Heaven Chain Slaying Moon…" Sona barely whispered. She slowly turned to Sera only to see her sister's grin only growing. "That's no Sacred Gear. What...is that?"
"Just watch." Sera instructed.
Ichigo's form suddenly disappeared. Sona nearly gasped when she lost sight of the teen. He then suddenly re-appeared in front of Sirzechs and swung his katana at the Demon Lord. Despite Sirzechs blocking the black katana with his arms, he was being continuously pushed back due to Ichigo continuously flying forward.
The stalemate was eventually broken when Sirzechs punched forward, forcing Ichigo to guard himself with Tensa Zangetsu. Several red orbs flew out of Sirzechs' hand and flew towards Ichigo. The teen's body disappeared and then reappeared to dodge the first few volleys before he jumped up and avoided the shots by moving his body around at the last second. But it was all a futile endeavor as Ichigo soon found himself surrounded by dozens of Sirzechs' magic shots.
In a simple movement of Sirzechs closing his fist, all of the projectiles rocketed towards Ichigo. There was no way he could move away to dodge them. They were simply too fast to dodge.
"So it's over with that?" Sona mumbled to herself. She did admit that whatever power the teen showed before was impressive, but a freshly minted demon could only go so far. Hopefully there should be enough of the teenager remaining to use a Phoenix Tear on him.
"It's far from over."
"Huh?" Sona gasped. She turned to see that Sera was still grinning as if everything was fine.
"It's gonna take a lot more than that to take down my hero!" Sera exclaimed triumphantly.
"Hraaaaah!"
Ichigo's yell quickly diverted Sona's attention back to the arena. Instead of dodging or even taking Sirzech's blows, Ichigo was cutting through each magic projectile by swing his sword around so fast that she saw after-images of the black blade. In less than a second, Ichigo disappeared again and then appeared behind Sirzechs. Then he was in front of him. Then to his right. It finally dawned on Sona that Ichigo was moving so fast that he was creating after-images of himself.
"Impossible! Only Demon Lords should be capable of that kind of speed!" Sona gasped.
"What's the matter? Can't keep up?" Ichigo taunted as he continued to race around the ruler of the Underworld. "I can go even faster!"
"Amazing…" Sirzechs mumbled. "That transformation of yours isn't just a Balance Breaker. It has made you so strong that I am having trouble keeping up with your speed. But…!"
The red-haired demon crossed his arms across his chest and took a deep breath. Red lighting crackled around his body before shooting his arms out to the side. A surge of red energy erupted from within his body and raced out in all directions.
"Shit!" Ichigo growled. The volume of Sirzechs' attack forced Ichigo to stop flash-stepping around his opponent and guard himself. But no matter how much Ichigo tried to cut through the attack, the red energy's strength didn't wane as it clased against Tensa Zangetsu.
"Getsuga…"
Black spiritual pressure oozed out of Tensa Zangetsu's blade as Ichigo poured his spiritual pressure into his blade. It soon erupted out like a volcano as Ichigo brought his arm down.
"Tenshou!"
The massive crescent-shaped projectile shattered through Sirzechs' attack and roared towards the Demon Lord. Sirzechs' eyes widened as he held both arms out to catch the Getsuga. He managed to successfully block it with both hands, but his body was pushed back several feet before the Getsuga detonated right in front of him.
"Had enough?" Ichigo asked as he waited for the cloud of dust to settle. He could see his opponent's form slowly become visible as the dust settled, and the Demon Lord looked like he had seen better days. The gray dress shirt that he wore under his armor was now completely gone. Both arms were terribly burned but intact. And his long red hair which had constantly flown elegantly throughout the battle was now burning at the edge, marred with tiny embers and ash.
"Against you? Hardly," Sirzechs laughed out. "It has been too long since I have faced an opponent as strong as you, Ichigo. Serafall has made the wise choice to make you her Queen, and I expected no less."
"Then is our duel over?"
"This match was only arranged to test your worth, and you have certainly proven yourself. But…"
Sirzechs tore off the remainder of his shirt and flared his magical power, causing the stadium to shake even more.
Ichigo gasped as Sirzechs' power continued to grow and grow. It got to the point where the ground underneath their feet began to break and pieces of it floated up before disintegrating.
"...You have much more strength in you, right?" Sirzechs asked hopefully. "Your eyes do not just tell me that you are a strong warrior. Your instincts hunger for battle. You don't feel satisfied by just ending things here. Am I wrong?"
"I-" Ichigo's mouth clamped shut. He was right. Every word of it. Sure, he was annoyed at the prospect of fighting someone just to prove himself. But after exchanging blows with the demon known as the Ruler of the Underworld, he wanted to let loose. He wanted to see just how far he can go against the deity in front of him.
Sirzechs couldn't help but laugh out in glee as the orange-haired teen was once again covered in the strange black energy. This could be bad. Any further and not only would both of them completely destroy the protective barrier protecting the audience, but they could potentially affect the entirety of the Underworld and even the world above.
"Amazing. We've come this far and your power still grows!"
Ichigo reached up with his left hand and covered his face with his hand. "Yeah. And it'll continue to grow!"
In a ripping motion, a blob of black spiritual pressure formed over his face to create a white mask. The moment the mask was formed, Sirzechs couldn't help but gasp out in amazement at what he was witnessing.
Covering the teen's face was a white mask in a vague shape of a skull. Two black stripes ran down each half of the mask past the eyeholes. And Ichigo's eyes had even changed color. His irises had turned yellow and his sclera was black.
"This energy...I've never felt such potent demonic energy before! Your strange powers, and that mask! You just continue to surprise me again and again, Ichigo!
Pulsating red energy began to surround Sirzechs' body until it covered the entirety of his body. Despite all of that energy being condensed into a human form, it still shot out dangerously and slammed into the protective barrier protecting the audience. Any normal demon who was still conscious in the audience felt their bodies being forced to the ground by Sirzechs' intense pressure.
"This is my true form. By covering myself in the Power of Destruction and condensing it, I can fight at my maximum potential!" Sirzechs declared. "It is difficult to control though!"
"Hmph. Sorry, but I can only use the one technique that Zangetsu has taught me," Ichigo replied. Grabbing onto Tensa Zangetsu's hilt with both hands, a mountain of spiritual pressure cascaded out. "So the most I can do right now is to put everything I have into this one swing."
"Come!" Sirzechs roared. "Let us settle this before we both destroy the Underworld! Against you, I want to go all out!"
And so the two forces of nature, one of pure destruction and one of raw power, raced towards one another both with the intent to kill. Their match was decided in one swing.
"Is...it over?" Sona whimpered. She slowly got up from her hiding spot behind her elder sister.
The arena was in absolute ruins. She could see that the powerful protective spells that shielded the audience finally flickered away after receiving so much punishment. What had protected the audience from millennia of Rating Game battles fought by powerful demons without fail had finally been broken by the two monsters who were just fighting.
"I don't see them…" Sona continued as she scanned the arena. The debris still falling out of the sky as well as the dust storm prevented even her eyes from picking up either Sirzechs or Ichigo.
"L-look! I can see them!" one demon shouted.
Sure enough, the dust soon began to settle to allow the spectators to finally see the two combatants. And what they saw even made the eldest demons' jaws fall to the ground out of sheer shock.
Sirzechs was missing his left arm. Blood was flooding out of the stump and his chopped-off arm was nowhere to be seen. And Ichigo was in an even poorer state. A massive chunk of his right side was completely gone, as evident by Sirzechs' arm which was impaling him.
The skull mask that Ichigo was wearing shattered completely, its pieces seemingly evaporating into the air. His eyes returned to normal and coughed out a mouthful of blood.
"Sorry...Sera…" Ichigo groaned. Sirzechs pulled his arm out of Ichigo and the teen collapsed onto the ground. His blood continued to seep out under his body and Sirzechs remained standing over Ichigo.
"Ha...what are you apologizing for?" Sirzechs mumbled. His chest suddenly erupted out like a fountain of blood. The Demon Lord's body wobbled for a bit before he crashed down onto one knee.
"You managed to bring me down to one knee. That is more than enough to prove yourself as Serafall's Queen, Ichigo Kurosaki."
"Wakey wakey!"
"Shit!" My body moved on its own as I jumped out of my bed and swung my arm out to smack the hell out of whoever woke me up. But all I ended up hitting was air.
"Good morning, Ichigo!" Sera greeted, twirling around as she did so. "Did you have a nice dream?"
"Did you wake me up?" I asked as I finally calmed down upon realizing that I wasn't going to get drop-kicked by my old man.
"Yup! Though I was a bit hesitant to do so, since your sleeping face was so cute. I couldn't help but poke your cheek~" Sera explained.
"Next time, don't wake me up by touching me cuz I might accidentally hit you," I sighed out. As I began to dust off my clothes, I realized that I wasn't wearing my Bankai's shihakusho. And not only that, but the wounds I got from my duel was gone.
"Surprised?" Sera asked as she watched me check my body for any wounds. "You took a really bad beating back there. Thank goodness I had some Phoenix Tears on me when I did or else you would've been in real trouble."
"And whose fault do you think that is?" I asked rhetorically.
"Eeeeh? But you went ahead and went at Sirzechs-chan with everything you had!" Sera pouted, though it was clear that she wasn't bothered by my attitude one bit. She was just amused.
"That's because if I didn't use everything I had, then you would've gotten into some serious trouble!" I rebuked.
Sera blinked in surprise and stared at me, dropping her earlier facade. "Wait, you went that far...just for me?"
Dammit.
I turned away from Sera because I could feel my face heating up. "That red-haired guy told me. That if I didn't prove myself, then you would've had to face some serious consequences, seeing as how I'm the only one in your Peerage after who knows long. So I had an obligation to protect you, since you saved my life."
"Ichigo!" Sera wailed. The demonic magical girl leaped across the bed I was on and wrapped me in a hug no ordinary girl would be capable of. It got to the point where I even heard my bones crack from Sera's strength.
"I love you! I love you!" Sera exclaimed as she continued to crush me. "I knew you were my hero! No other man could possibly compare to you!"
"Sera...crushing...can't breathe…"
"Ah! Whoopsie!" Sera finally let go of me. "You really live up to your name. 'He who protects'. It's so cool and awesome!"
"Wait...you know what my name means?" I asked, completely surprised.
Almost everybody I met always thought my name meant 'strawberry', which always leads to a few instances of name-calling here and there. In fact, I didn't even know the real meaning of my name until my old man told me about it. Sera deducing my name's meaning in the first try was definitely a first.
"Of course. You are my Queen. I know everything about you," Sera said slyly. "Though is it okay if I call you Berry-kun instead?"
"Do it and I'll burn all of your magical girl outfits." I threatened.
"Kyaa! Ichigo, you pervert!" Sera cried out much to my annoyance. "Though, if you ask, I'll gladly lay out bare for you. I'll even give you my first~"
"You're the damn pervert, not me!" I roared in anger.
"Anyways, now that you're all healed up, it's time to get down to business!" Sera sang as she pranced around me.
"Business?" I asked confusedly.
"You've successfully proved to the whole supernatural world that you're strong enough to be a Demon Lord's Queen. But now what?" Sera shrugged her shoulders before pointing at me. "No one but you and I know that you're from another world. This world is very different from yours. You need to know about the various factions that operate, the different kinds of races there are, and why we do the things we do. Right now, you're just a clueless teenager who knows nothing."
"When you put it that way, you do have a point." I admitted. Suddenly being told that I was going to be living in a version of Hell that was completely foreign to the one in my world was a big enough whiplash. But everything that could only exist in the world of supernatural fiction in my world was reality in this messed up world.
"So! I'm gonna drill this world's knowledge into you until you can recite everything I teach you word for word!"
"...Huh?"
With a wave of her pink wand, a mountain of textbook appeared out of thin air. I just barely managed to jump back before the books could crush my toes.
"Hey! Watch it!" I demanded. The stack of books were easily taller than me, and each one were thicker than my arms.
"Prepare yourself, Ichigo Kurosaki! I'm prepared to beat this knowledge into you if I have to!" Sera finished with a wink.
"You damn devil!"
"Well, I am a Demon Lord~"
Well, here's the slightly updated version of Chapter 1. Not too much has changed, except for the extra little scene I added to flesh out Ichigo's and Sera's relationship more. This was done to hopefully add some more context and give Ichigo some time to settle into this strange new world as well as to not make the story feel as rushed as it did before. I don't know if I've succeeded, but I'm somewhat satisfied for now.
On an unrelated note, what do you guys think about the TYBW adaptation? I'm pretty satisfied with it so far. It's really nice to see Bleach come back after a freaking decade.