Hope you enjoy this second chapter!!!
Yhwach undid the first three buttons of his shirt to reveal a Quincy cross. It shone brightly and the light filled the room just as Ichigo landed onto the floor. The light became dimmer and dimmer before it disappeared. Ichigo looked at where Yhwach was and was shocked. Yhwach now had a star-like halo on top of his head, a white cloak, white trousers and boots, a blue glowing Quincy cross embedded onto his chest and Yhwach held, in each hand, a long spirit bow. "This is..." Ichigo whispered. Yhwach caught note of it and look at Ichigo, his eyes now glowing blue.
"THIS is MY Vollstandig."
Yhwach stood still as Ichigo just stared in awe. "What's wrong? Surely, you didn't think it'd be easy to win? Come now, Ichigo. In order for a parent to truly see their child grow, I must come after you with all I have." Yhwach raised his spirit bows and by themselves, the bows stretched back and shot a flurry of Heilig Pfeils. Ichigo braced himself and used his long sword to unleash a black 'Getsuga'. The 'Getsuga' collided with the Heilig Pfeils and caused an explosion. Ichigo ran around the side and kept going around. Yhwach continued to fire Heilig Pfeils.
Orihime, in that instant, summoned her 'Santen Kesshun' to block the arrows while simultaneously healing Ichigo, who had stopped, with 'Soten Kisshun'. Not wanting to waste any more time, Ichigo jumped over Orihime's 'Santen Kesshun' which was still getting bombarded by Yhwach's arrows. "Ichigo, no!!" Orihime yelled out.
"Are you really that angry, Ichigo?" Yhwach asked?
Chapter 673: UP TO THIS MOMENT...
"Getsuga...TENSHOU!!!" Ichigo growled, unleashing a huge black 'Getsuga' at Yhwach. The Quincy King batted away the huge bombardment of spirit energy with just his hand and blue flames began to surround him. "Do you wish to kill me?"
Yhwach sent, in quantity, the blue flames at Ichigo. The orange-haired Shinigami fended off the flames with his two Zanpaktous. "To think you'd get this riled up over something that is, oh so, insignificant..."
Ichigo gritted his teeth. I need more...
"GETSUGA JUUJISHOU!!"
Ichigo created a two 'Getsugas' overlapping each other into a cross-shape that dispersed all the blue flames. Yhwach gave a simple smile in response. He raised his left hand and the bow that was attached began to fire many more arrows. Ichigo reacted quickly and used shunpo to dodge them. However, after dodging the last of them, Yhwach appeared behind him and kicked him towards the ground. Before he could crash, Yhwach appeared, again, on the ground and kicked Ichigo towards the adjacent wall.
"ICHIGO!!!" Orihime cried out, immediately creating a 'Soten Kisshun' to try and heal his injuries. Ichigo laid against the wall. His Shihakusho was dirtied and his face was covered in scuff marks. Down the right side of his face, blood trickled. "This can't possibly be it, now can it? Entertain me even more, Ichigo!" Yhwach shouted out.
After 'Soten Kisshun' managed to heal up his head wound, the blood going down Ichigo's face disappeared. He immediately got back up and started to charge at Yhwach again. Sighing, the King converted his bows into spirit blades. Ichigo and Yhwach clashed their swords against one another. "Surely, you didn't think you'd be the only one able to dual wield?" Yhwach smiled.
"You bastard...How are you even able to perform Vollstandig? You have the Head Captain's Bankai, right? So then," Ichigo tried to ask.
"Hmph. You honestly thought just because I was carrying his Bankai, I would be unable to use my own power? Let me assure you, Ichigo, I am nothing like my former Sternritters." Yhwach explained. "The name of my Vollstandig is...Alle Kraft*. And this will end up being your demise..."
(*T/N: All Power.)
- Just outside Wahrwelt Castle -
Nonchalantly, Renji used his right hand and got on top of the wrecked building with Rukia on his back. Once they could both actually stand, Rukia got off. Suddenly, large amounts of dense reiatsu rained down upon them, startling them though none of them were hit. "Wh-What the heck is that thing?" Renji pointed at the colossal being formerly known as the 'Miracle', Gerard Valkyrie.
"ABARAI? KUCHIKI? YOU GUYS STILL ALIVE?!" Toshiro called out. He had some scratches on him and he was standing next to a relatively uninjured Byakuya. "The man you crossed blades with doesn't hold a candle to this thing!! Calling it a monster would be an understatement so tread carefully!!"
"Wait, who the hell are you?" Renji asked, as he had never before seen Toshiro as an adult before.
"Oh come on!! It should be very obvious just from his voice!!" Rukia sighed, seemingly knowing. "OBVIOUSLY, that's Captain Hitsugaya's older brother!!"
"Ooh, quick thinking!! Pleasure to meet you, sir!!" Renji bowed his head.
"Uh, yes, nice to meet you both too!!" Toshiro went along.
Not even gonna bother, eh? Byakuya thought to himself.
Suddenly, they all felt two powerful spiritual pressures. "That spiritual pressure belongs to...Ichigo!!" Rukia recognised. "Is he already fighting Yhwach?"
Not wanting to leave him alone to it for any longer, Rukia and Renji quickly started to run towards Wahrwelt Castle to try and attack Gerard from behind. The gigantic dense reiatsu kept falling until Gerard tried to scoop them up with his hand. Byakuya used shunpo and got Rukia and Renji on top of a building closer to the castle. "You're facing me!!" Toshiro shouted, getting Gerard's attention. He held up his Zanpakuto. "HYORINMARU!!" the Captain called out, summoning a giant white ice dragon that smashed straight into Gerard, freezing him onto the ground.
"Rukia, Renji..." Byakuya addressed. "Go join up with Ichigo Kurosaki."
"Huh? But, Nii-sama!!" Rukia tried to interject.
"I'm sure you can tell from his reiatsu alone...but Ichigo is confronting Yhwach right now." Byakuya pointed out. "I am not implying that Ichigo Kurosaki needs your strength. I am simply saying that I have no need for you two to be here. If I've made myself clear, then you two are now dismissed."
Understanding what he said, Renji and Rukia bowed their heads, thanking Byakuya before running to Wahrwelt Castle. Byakuya looked back at them for a brief moment before using shunpo to arrive next to Toshiro.
"Welcome back." Toshiro greeted. "You know they saw right through your concern for them, right?"
Byakuya turned his head away. "I chose my words carefully with the intent of them reading between the lines." he replied, with Toshiro smirking in response.
"You don't say...But are you sure you're okay with that? They really should be heading to where Ichigo is. I'm not sure whether or not you attended the Spiritual Arts School but...we weren't taught to fight for our superiors or our families. To the best of their abilities, all Shinigamis must protect all their friends and humans with their very lives. You and I are fellow acquaintances with Kurosaki but they're his best friends. As Shinigamis, if they're gonna draw their blades then I think it would be more appropriate for them to do it alongside Kurosaki..." Toshiro trailed off. "Deciding what's wrong and what's right...what a very Shinigami-like teaching." Byakuya commented. "Doesn't matter whether it's right or wrong...they'd probably go to him anyway." Toshiro added.
Gerard finally broke free of the ice that was constricting him to the ground. Byakuya raised his hand and summoned 'Senbonzakura Kageyoshi' and commanded the petals to surround the giant. Toshiro got behind Gerard and Byakuya used shunpo to quickly back away, about 10 feet.
Toshiro raised his sword. "Shikai Hyouketsu*."
(*T/N: Freeze The Four Worlds)
Toshiro once again flash-froze Gerard but unlike last time, Gerard broke through it with ease. "Tch." Toshiro scowled.
- Inside Wahrwelt Castle -
"I believe that all people...exist on scales." Haschwalth began. "How they live, what they encounter, the totality of how they live their lives...it progresses based on their scale of what's right and wrong. You decide for yourself what you must split up and place on either side of the scale. And the fragments of the right and wrong that you split apart pile up on one another to form that of a person."
Haschwalth looked at the bloody Uryu laying down on the floor. "That is what makes you who you are."
Haschwalth continued to stare at the dark-haired Quincy who was breathing desperately for life. "That is also how you became the man you are today, Uryu Ishida. Except...I cannot see your form. The 'you' that was built up upon your scales of what's right and wrong...I cannot see that man at all. So who is Uryu Ishida?" Haschwalth asked. "Is it truly your earnest desire to put your life on the line for those shallow, heartless humans?"
"Spare me the drama." Uryu interrupted, struggling to get up, eventually being able to get on his left knee. "'Who is Uryu Ishida?' How do you expect me to figure something as vague as that out? The truth is..." Uryu summoned his bow and got up, barely. "I won't know until I see all of you vermin dead."
Haschwalth smugly smiled in reply. "I see."
- Near Wahrwelt Castle -
"Wow, I can't believe the Sun Gate still worked. So this is what Souken Ishida used to escape the Vandenreich when he was exiled?"
"Yes, for once, I'm thankful of my father's sticky-fingered habits. It'll be the one and only time I'll be grateful to him." Ryuken replied.
"And you wonder why people called you a bad son." Isshin sighed.
- Wahrwelt Throne Room -
"Is that all you have left? Ichigo..."
The Vollstandig-empowered Yhwach stared at Ichigo as he was on the ground, huffing and huffing. He was bleeding from his chest and 'Soten Kisshun' was just above him.
"Hmph. I'm disappointed. It seems that our chat has come to an end." Yhwach smiled. A pool of light formed underneath him and began to leak out to make a filled in circle of light. "Heiliger Altar der Fünf Lichtdrachen*."
(*T/N: Holy Altar of the Five Light Dragons.)
From the circles burst out five dragon heads, seemingly made of reishi which gave off a tremendous light. Ichigo stared as he saw that a string of light from each the dragons was attached to Yhwach's back. Suddenly, Orihime's 'Soten Kisshun' was getting peeled away. "It can't be...!" Orihime exclaimed.
"These five dragons all attract reishi (spirit particles) and absorb it. Then they give all that reishi to me thus empowering me all the more." Yhwach explained. From the pool of light then sprang out some smaller dragon heads with long necks. "I can then make these much smaller Soldat Drachen* to attack."
(*T/N: Soldier Dragons)
The smaller dragon heads charged at Ichigo. Ichigo used both his swords to unleash a 'Getsuga' each so a blue and black wave decimated the smaller dragons. "It's useless!!" Yhwach proclaimed as he continued to spawn more smaller dragons. They charged once again and shoved Ichigo against the wall behind Orihime.
Getting up quickly and rubbing his chin, Ichigo began to run at the dragons again. "Wait!!" Orihime held on to his Shihakusho. Ichigo looked back at her and as if entranced by his eyes, Orihime let go.
"I can't fathom any of this...Why do you want to die so quickly?" Yhwach asked as Ichigo hacked away at the 'Soldat Drachen'. "Do you honestly fear showing me your true power? Are you afraid I might steal it from you? Are you sure you don't want to release it? Because if you fall here, then the Soul Society, the real world, Hueco Mundo, they'll all be destroyed!! Are you okay with things ending like this, Ichigo?!!"
The 'Soldat Drachen' pushed Ichigo back again. Suddenly, the 'Soten Kisshun' appeared and managed to heal Ichigo a bit before disappearing. "Look, your comrade's answer to that is a resounding no." Yhwach looked at Orihime. "While you fight, even though it won't last long, she keeps trying to heal you. Telling you to fight."
Ichigo ran at the 'Soldat Drachen'. "Getsuga: Spinnender Ring*!!"
(*T/N: Moon Fang: Spinning Ring. Mix of both Japanese and German.)
The smaller Zangetsu formed a star-like ring and Ichigo swiped his blade so that the ring could cut right through the small dragons. One of the smaller dragons dodged this and sent a blast at Ichigo. Using 'Blut Vene', Ichigo took the hit and was undamaged. He then activated 'Blut Arterie' and the smaller Zangetsu developed a vein-like structure across the blade. Using this, Ichigo cut right through the last of the small dragons.
Yhwach spawned three more. "Tell me, Ichigo..."
The Shinigami ran at Yhwach and kept hitting the dragons with his long sword. "As the voice of the weak, as the voice of the powerless, for those who wouldn't be able to breathe without you...stand tall...fight and breathe your final breath!!"
The 'Soldat Drachen' pushed Ichigo all the way back and charged at him. In that moment, Ichigo noticed the thing he was waiting for. He called out, "ORIHIME!!"
Orihime quickly ran to his side and made a 'Santen Kesshun' just in time to negate the 'Soldat Drachen's' assault. As the 'Santen Kesshun' was being peeled away, Ichigo looked at Orihime. "Thanks." he said.
"Ichigo...in that moment, all I could do was hold on to a bit of your clothing and you still looked back to me." Orihime huffed. "That look you gave me...will be forever ingrained in my memory. That's why I know there must've been some reason..."
"Pretty much..." Ichigo smiled. "I needed quite a bit of time in order to absorb all that Quincy reiatsu..."
Orihime glanced at Ichigo's bigger Zangetsu and realised the tip was white and that the white was spreading. "Your Zanpakuto..."
Ichigo took a few steps forward and looked at Yhwach. "Sorry to make you wait...let me show you now." Ichigo raised his smaller Zangetsu and it vanished. He pointed the bigger Zangetsu at Yhwach. The blade was now all white.
Ichigo inhaled.
"BANKAI!!!!"
After all this fighting, his true objective has been fulfilled. Ichigo now shows off his new...!!
To Be Continued in Chapter 674: HORNS OF SALVATION