From the cowl of green fur, it extends into a large arm and a skeletal hand appears too. Following the movement of Renji's left hand, the giant hand aimed to slam down at Yhwach who countered by kicking back the hand with a lot of force, pushing Renji back. "Now then..."
Yhwach immediately sensed the presence of another and looks to see Ryuken, standing near the open gate with his bow drawn, pointing at Yhwach. "Ryuken. If you're here, Uryu is also coming, isn't he? Let me guess, you've come to get revenge for Katagiri. Try all you want but you won't succeed."
Ryuken stayed silent. Ichigo, Isshin and Aizen surrounded Yhwach while Ryuken, Byakuya and Renji stayed more back to prepare for longer ranged attacks. To this, Yhwach couldn't help but keep smiling. "Very well!! All of you, come and be cut down by me!!!" Yhwach proclaimed as he created another sword of darkness.
Ichigo and Isshin were the ones who made a move first and both launched a 'Getsuga' at Yhwach. The Quincy King spun around and shattered the black and yellow streaks. "Orochiou*!!" The blade that extended out the mask on Renji's right hand changed to look more like how it does in Shikai while the long bone wrapped around his waist became undone and hung out from the back of the mask.
(*T/N: Snake King)
Renji then extended the blade and wrapped it around Yhwach's left leg. He tugged on it to throw off Yhwach's balance and this gave Aizen the opportunity to attack with Hado 91: Senju Koten Taiho*. Ten beams of pink light gathered around him before being fired at Yhwach. Yhwach created multiple pillars of darkness that took the attack and absorbed the beams, containing the massive explosion they would've created.
(*T/N: Thousand Handed Bright Heaven Cannon)
"Licht Regen!!" Ryuken jumped up in the midst of the chaos and without needing to draw back his bow, began firing hundreds of 'Heilig Pfeils'. Yhwach raised his swords and batted away each one that came, leaving his back exposed. Ichigo realised and used Sonido to get behind him and slashed open his back. Despite the wound being large, it closed up again and spikes extended out of Yhwach's back. Ichigo moved back as some spikes grazed his right cheek, left hip, the right side of his right thigh and his left ankle.
After Ryuken's assault stopped, Yhwach threw his left sword into the air at him. Ryuken dodged using Hirenkyaku and both Byakuya and Aizen attacked at the same time: Aizen casting Rikujokoro and Byakuya created a few swords out of Senbonzakura's petals and lodging them into Yhwach's body.
It took almost no effort for Yhwach to break out of his restraints and the blades were all corrupted by and turned into the dark matter Yhwach controlled. "Is this all you got?!" The pool around Yhwach suddenly rapidly spread, covering the entire battlefield. The broken structures and rubble were overcome by this darkness and melted into the floor, leaving a giant clearing. Ichigo, whose wounds healed quickly thanks to his high-speed regeneration, began spinning his sword around by the white chain that hung off the end of its black hilt.
Ichigo then jumped up and threw the sword, still holding onto the long chain. Yhwach stepped to the left to dodge and Ichigo kept up by tugging the chain to move to the left, the blade now in position to cleave Yhwach in half. Yhwach used his own sword to bat Ichigo's back and the orange-haired hybrid landed, pulled back the chain to retrieve the blade and charged at Yhwach with incredible speed, their swords clashing and releasing large amounts of reiatsu into the air.
"I'm impressed you're able to keep up so well, Ichigo!" Yhwach complimented before kicking Ichigo's gut and sending him into the air. Spikes then extended out of the ground where Ichigo was gonna land. "Ichigo!!" Isshin yelled out, pushing his son out of harm's way and then landing on the ground safely with him. "Thanks...Da-" Before Ichigo could finish, Yhwach slammed the ground with his hand and spikes emerged, piercing through Isshin's body.
"DAD!!"
"You'll be the first to go, Isshin Kurosaki." Yhwach raised his palm and gathered reishi before his vision started going blurry. He shook his head and suddenly, it looked like everything around him was spinning around. Then, equally strange, his legs felt like they were on fire. Down on one knee, he exclaimed, "What is this?!"
"Its finally taken effect, eh? I can't blame you for being confused since you weren't conscious to hear me." Aizen chuckled. "I already said that my Bankai, 'Kyofu no Han'ei' traps you in a never ending illusionary world filled with your greatest fears. I also said, whatever damage you went through in that world, a bit of the damage you took each time you went through the cycle, would be translated onto your body in the real world. Perhaps it's due to the Soul King's power, you were able to hold off that damage for so long."
"Sosuke Aizen!!" Yhwach growled.
"Oh, and another thing. I've finally figured it out. Despite absorbing the Soul King's Right Arm, you don't have access to all of its powers. Because if you did, this battle would've been over in an instant. Am I correct?"
Chapter 684: HOPE FOR ALL THREE WORLDS
"You...TALK TOO MUCH!!" Angered, Yhwach charged at Aizen but his assault was stopped short as Kenpachi appeared and swung with what remained of Nozarashi in its Shikai.
"That won't work, Kenpachi Zaraki!!!" Yhwach easily smashed the rest of Nozarashi and concentrated all of the spikes to form a giant spike that drove through Kenpachi's stomach.
This sent Kenpachi unconscious and landing a bit away. Yhwach jumped after him and as he landed, Ryuken appeared using Hirenkyaku and fired a 'Seele Schneider' at him. The silver hilted blade of blue reishi stopped in midair and created a luminescent blue box around Yhwach. Ryuken then stuck another 'Seele Schneider' into the ground. The four he set up beforehand gave off a glow and all five created a stream leading to Yhwach and another line connecting to each other, creating a pentagon-shaped seal on the floor. Ryuken threw a ginto bottle at the 'Seele Schneider' holding Yhwach in a box and threw another at the blade at his feet.
The two reacted to the liquid inside the bottles and the box holding Yhwach blew up along with the placed 'Seele Schneiders', creating a blast all contained within the pentagon-shaped seal on the ground. A large pillar of smoke remained and Yhwach came jumping out of it, getting behind Ryuken in seconds. "Using both a Sprenger and a Geldschrank. Impressive. But those are trivial, do you think they can take me down?"
"No, I don't." Ryuken said, moving to the side as Ichigo came, charging through. He raised his blade and covered it with his white 'Getsuga', landing a strike and lodging 'Shin Tensa Zangetsu' within Yhwach's head. At the same time, several spikes emerged from Yhwach's torso and pierced through Ichigo's body. He grunted in pain but continued releasing his 'Getsuga'. "While it is entertaining, having you keep coming at me with all you have, I'm starting to get bored here, Ichigo!!"
The darkness pushed the blade out of Yhwach's head and Ichigo moved back, his blood spilling out of the wounds Yhwach just dealt him. In a few seconds, the wounds closed. "Your high-speed regeneration is getting slower. Your speed from earlier has dropped, considerably. And yet you still try to defy me?"
"Zabimaru!!" Renji extended his blade from out of the mask on his right hand but Yhwach easily caught the blade and tore it into shreds. "Too bad, Renji Abarai!! In the face of my might, even meager Bankais such as yours are made impotent. That includes yours too, Byakuya Kuchiki!!" Yhwach jumped to avoid the multiple sweeping cherry blossoms coming at his feet. Yhwach then sliced Byakuya's right shoulder with his sword and moved to kill him when Ichigo blocked the attack.
The two blades struggled against each other as Byakuya moved back using his shunpo.
Yhwach pushed Ichigo back yet again as the black matter on his body created a giant enshrouding cape that produced thousands of black needles. Too fast for Ichigo to dodge, he took the attack, his Shihakusho being torn and flesh being grazed. The wounds again healed quickly but only after 30 seconds had passed, in which Ichigo used to take a breath.
Ryuken drew back his bow but could not land a shot as black matter jumped from the ground and stuck onto his hand, spinning and wrenching it off his arm, similar to what happened to Kenpachi's left leg. "Gah!!" Blood spurt from the absence of a hand and Yhwach once again moved in to kill Ryuken, this time sending a slash of darkness. Ichigo stopped the attack with his black 'Getsuga' and quickly fired a Cero which Yhwach caught in his hand and smashed it.
"It pains me, Ichigo." Yhwach proclaimed. "You're at your wits' end. Stop trying so hard to protect others. I can already see it from your face. Your left eye...that which looks like a Hollow's eye. The yellow iris has reverted back to brown and the black sclera is slowly disappearing. Your Bankai will become undone due to your body's own exhaustion. Come, surrender, and let everything become one with me."
Ichigo smirked back. "Fat chance. Besides, you can't see the future right now. You don't know how this battle will end!!"
"I don't need my eyes to see into the future. It's unavoidable. A future filled with the fused contortions of life and death. That is the only future left. For all of you."
"Like I said, it can go any number of ways!! Sorry but my future ain't for you to decide."
"Tough words. Very well. Then I shall crush you here and now, body, spirit and all. With your own power, no less."
Yhwach appeared in front of Ichigo and grabbed his neck. He activated Ichigo's Quincy powers which he took in. A vein pattern appeared on Ichigo's body, causing Ichigo to freeze up. "Now...become one-" Yhwach stopped as a vein pattern appeared on him. "Shit!!"
Ichigo's eyes widened. This is...!!
Yhwach let go and moved back, the vein patterns disappearing on both him and Ichigo. "Damn it. Even though you're my blood...even though you were originally a part of me...you wish to serve him?!" Yhwach angrily muttered.
Hey, Ichigo.
"Yeah, I know. That sensation...that was Old Man Zangetsu. Looks like he tried coming back into me."
But it didn't work. Well, no surprise, considering how weak he's become.
"You're one to talk. I can hardly draw any power out of you at all anymore."
Keh. Why do you think that is?! You're far too exhausted. This Bankai puts too much strain on your body. You probably have fifteen more minutes left before you're forcibly ejected back into your Shikai.
"I see. How about that? Can we pull that off?"
It's not that you can't. I'm wondering if you can handle it. The way you are now, it'll certainly give you a boost. In any case, your speed and regeneration will be back to normal. But you won't be able to maintain it for long. Five minutes is all I'd give it. After that, it'll break. When you don it, it's always so feeble.
"Hah...I suppose. Then again, if you were really upset, you would've taken over and showed me how to do it, right? Or do you like your role as 'horse'?"
Hah!! In any case, I've accepted you as King. That's the reason why you can now you use me to the fullest extent. Let's wipe the floor with this bastard.
Ichigo smiled. "I couldn't have put it better myself!!" Ichigo then raised his left hand and used it to cover his face. "Let's end this...Yhwach!!" He concentrated his reiatsu and then dragged his hand down in a ripping fashion. As he did, large amounts of black reiatsu appeared and covered his face. The resulting action caused wind pressure that nearly blew away everyone, apart from Yhwach, who stood absolutely still.
The black reiatsu dispersed and what was left was a white mask on Ichigo's face that had a thick red x shape on it. Ichigo stared right at Yhwach, both his eyes looking like a Hollow's.
Looking dead ahead!! Hope, revitalized!! The end of the deadly battle is in sight...
To Be Continued in Chapter 685: An Arrow Shot For All Three Worlds