This chapter is dedicated to a discontinued Percy Jackson Fanfiction called Perseus Jackson Monster Shifter by Hans50. Many elements in this chapter reflects this fanfiction.
(Author Introduction Notes)
The following is a fan-based parody.
Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo, TV Tokyo, Viz Media, Studio Pierrot.
Percy Jackson is owned by Rick Riordan and Disney Hyperion.
All other references of characters or abilities are not mine.
Please support the official release.
"Hello." – Normal talking
"Hello." – Ichigo's thoughts.
"Hello." – Zanpakutō speaking
"Hello." – Zanpakutō thoughts.
Ichigo could feel himself falling into an endless void. He could feel nothing as he fell. Ichigo summoned himself one of his many books and began to read it. Ichigo finished four books before he reached the bottom. Ichigo began to explore Tartarus. Ichigo could feel the air was trying to harm him. Ichigo's body easily overcame this minor inconvenience. As Ichigo was walking, a pack of hellhounds noticed him and tried to attack him. Ichigo easily killed the hellhounds and continued his way. As Ichigo continued to explore the area, Ichigo spotted a few giants. Ichigo hid behind a few rocks and eavesdropped in their conversation.
"Anyone see interesting monsters?" Giant 1 asked.
"No. Saw some regular hellhounds." Giant 2 said.
"Dam, Lord Peres isn't going to be happy." Giant 1 complained.
"I guess they work for Peres." Ichigo thought.
"Come on, we need to try harder." Giant 3 encouraged.
"He's right. We don't want to suffer in the Coliseum." Giant 4 said.
"Looks like they might be my ticket to Peres." Ichigo thought.
"It's not as if an interesting monster is going to come out." Giant 1 joked.
"Hello?" Ichigo asked, revealing himself from his hiding spot. All the giants jumped out in shock.
"A human!" Giant 3 said.
"My name is Ichigo and I'm looking for Peres," Ichigo said.
"We work for Lord Peres." Giant 2 said.
"Would you allow us to capture you?" Giant 3 asked.
"He's not going to allow us to capture him." Giant 1 ridicule Giant 3.
"Sure," Ichigo said.
"Really?" Giant 3 asked.
"Sure, as long as I can talk with Peres."
"We could make sure you see Lord Peres, but we can't promise he would see you." Giant 3 said.
"Sure," Ichigo said. Giant 3 grabbed Ichigo, tight enough to make sure he doesn't escape but loose enough where Ichigo isn't squeezed. The giants walked away. Ichigo could see they caught a few other monsters. Unlike him, all of them are unconscious and in a net. They walked for hours before they entered a desert.
"Where are we?" Ichigo asked his captor.
"We're in the Central Wasteland." Giant 3 replied.
"He's still awake!?" Giant 1 question.
"He is. He's in my hand since we found him." Giant 3 replied.
"What!" The other yelled.
"Yep," Ichigo said. "Still awake." The other giants stared at him in disbelief.
"You're a strange human." Giant 2 commented. Ichigo would have shrugged his shoulders if he could. After a few more hours, they arrived at a colosseum.
"I'll take him to see Lord Peres." Giant 3 said.
"Very well. Good luck weird human." Giant 1 said as Giant 2 and 4 followed behind him. Ichigo didn't question how Giant 3 was able to move inside the colosseum, despite being his full size. He walked up a few stairs before arriving at a door. Giant 3 let go of Ichigo and began to shrink. Giant 3 now stood six feet seven inches. He knocked on the door.
"Come in." Someone said. Giant 3 gently pushed open the door and entered. Ichigo followed behind him. Ichigo could see a well-decorated office. It was full of weapons, books, mystical artifacts, and other stuff. Ichigo could see someone dressed in a business suit, sipping an amber liquid. Beside him were two guards, dressed in black business suits with black shades.
"What do you need?" Peres asked the giant.
"Lord Peres, I found a human that wanted to see you." Giant 3 said. Peres looked and noticed Ichigo standing there.
"I see…" Peres said. He pulled a sheet of paper of his drawer. He wrote something on the paper before handing it to Giant 3. "For the rest of the year, you are free from Gladiator Hunting," Peres said.
"Really! Yay!" Giant 3 cheered as he took the paper. "Bye human."
"Bye," Ichigo replied. Ichigo turned back at Peres only to feel something wrong. Ichigo felt himself moving slower. Peres smiled.
"Looks like thing still had enough energy," Peres said as he pulled out a small object. It was golden with a clock on it. It had a spike attached below it. Ichigo could feel some kind of energy resonating from the clock. Peres smiled he pulled out a pair of golden handcuffs. He grabbed Ichigo's arms and handcuff his hands.
"What's going on?" Ichigo thought as he felt weaker.
"Those handcuffs are draining your powers," Kyōka said.
"Should I break them?" Ichigo asked.
"No. These handcuffs are connected to Peres. He's absorbing the energy the handcuffs are draining us." Kyōka said.
"Reduce as much of the flow as possible, let him think he's draining us dry," Ichigo ordered.
"Already working on that."
"To think these handcuffs would work on you Ichigo Kurosaki," Peres said.
"How do you know my name?" Ichigo asked. Peres smiled.
"I watched you kill my brothers and drain them of their essence." Peres continued. "I guarded the remaining part of Kronos that were trapped in Tartarus. Kronos tried to warn the
himself about you, but he wasn't able to."
"Fate intervened?" Ichigo thought.
"Then you ripped his remaining essence from Tartarus to Olympus. Before he left, he gave me a present." Peres pulled out a weird looking knife. It reminded Ichigo of Medea's Rule Breaker. "Show me his hands." He ordered his guards. The guards appeared behind Ichigo and slammed his head and hands to the table, the back of his hands faced Peres. He stabbed the knife into Ichigo's right hand. Pain shot through his body from the knife. Ichigo could feel some sort of curse being placed on his right hand. Peres pulled the knife out of Ichigo's right hand. He repeated the process on Ichigo's left hand. Soon the guards let go of Ichigo. Ichigo stood up and looked at the back of his hands. Ichigo could see a black tattoo of an inverted reptile eye on both hands.
"What did you do?" Ichigo questioned.
"According to Kronos, he received this as a gift from Gaea and Ouranos. It contained a special curse that can only be used once." Peres said. "Kronos founded many enemies that we thought would be 'worthy' of the curse, but he didn't. Until you came. During the process of claiming his divinity, he deemed you 'worthy' of the curse. He made me swear upon Gaea's name to inflict this curse on you."
"What does this curse do?" Ichigo asked. Peres smiled.
"This curse is known as the Curse of the Monster. With this curse, whatever monster you kill, you shall become it!" Peres laughed.
"Yhwach, are you able to quarantine the curse?" Ichigo asked.
"I managed to force the curse into a schrift," Yhwach said.
"But?"
"The curse infected your body. You will still be forced to become the Greek monster you kill but you should be able to return to your human form and be able to manipulate it." Yhwach said.
"I see…" Ichigo thought. Peres stopped laughing.
"So, what are you planning to do now?" Ichigo asked.
"You see, my watchers are getting a little tired with my regular gladiators. But then you walked on in." Peres said. Ichigo realized what Peres was about you suggest.
"You want me to be your gladiator," Ichigo said.
"Yep," Peres said. "I'm aware of Grand Uncle Tartarus's dislike of me. He somehow contacted you and asked you to kill me. He probably mentioned that you can't leave Tartarus until you kill me or something like that." Peres said.
"What's stopping me from breaking free from these handcuffs and killing you right here?" Ichigo questioned.
"I doubt you could break free of those handcuffs based on how little power you have right now," Peres said. "But even if those handcuffs somehow fail, I still have a contingency plan."
"Indeed." Someone else said. Ichigo turned to see someone walk in.
"Ichigo, meet Prometheus," Peres said. Ichigo glared at Prometheus.
"He's the one that contacted Fairy Tale and Khaos Brigade." Prometheus ignored Ichigo's glare and handed Peres a file. He opened the file and began to read it.
"Oh. OH!" Peres said. "So many potential hostages." Ichigo glared at Peres even more. Peres ignored Ichigo's stare as he casually threw the file on the table. The contents spilled out. Ichigo could see pages on Moka, Elizabeth, Yasaka, and Kunou; luckily not in her true form. But there were still more pages in the file that hasn't been spilled out. "If they're too hard to capture we could also capture those demigods your friends with," Peres said.
"We've already arranged for contingency plans in case you try and kill both of us right now," Prometheus warned.
"Fine then. I'll play your game. How many rounds do you want me to go before I fight you?" Ichigo asked. Peres smirked.
"As many as I want," Peres said.
"Oh?"
"Don't worry. I will be fair; the matches will not be back to back. I will give you a few days from each fight." Peres said. He extended his hand out to Ichigo.
"Very well," Ichigo said as he shook Peres's hand. Ichigo could feel something burn into his hands. Ichigo looked to see a P shaped burn.
"You are mine now Ichigo Kurosaki." The two Titans laughed as Ichigo was dragged out of Peres's office.
"He didn't try to break free from the handcuffs, even though he could easily do so." Prometheus pointed out.
"Indeed, he's aware that energy naturally escapes through the wrists. He was able to decrease it." Peres said
Scene Change: Cell
Ichigo was escorted down a hallway of cells. Ichigo could see inside the cells were various monsters. The guard opened the cell door and uncuffed Ichigo. Ichigo entered the cell. It was occupied by someone else. Ichigo's cellmate is humanoid with cherry-red skin, a beard and hair the color of rusted iron, bushy eyebrows, and multiple scars on his face. Waist down Ichigo could see red-scaled dragon legs.
"Damasen looks like you got a cellmate." The guard said as he locked the cell door behind him. Ichigo walked over to Damasen.
"The name's Ichigo," Ichigo said.
"Damasen." He said. He expected Ichigo to be scared of his name, but he wasn't.
"So why are you in here?" Ichigo asked. Damasen looked confused.
"You've never heard of me?" Damasen asked.
"I'm not a Greek demigod," Ichigo said. Damasen's eyes widen.
"But I could sense the divinity on you," Damasen said. Ichigo smiled.
"The Olympians owed me a debt for saving them from the Titans. They replied by blessing me." Ichigo said.
"Impressive," Damasen said.
"Indeed," Ichigo said. "If I may ask, why are you here?" Damasen chuckled.
"It's a unique feeling for me," Damasen said. "I am a giant, son of Gaea and Tartarus, created to be the Bane of Ares/Mars. But my mother made me become the literal Bane of the God of War."
"A peaceful giant." Ichigo guessed.
"Indeed. I spent my time in the mortal world living as a farmer. One day, a drákōn appeared in the mortal world and killed one of my friends. In my anger, I hunted down that drákōn and killed it. My mother opened up the Earth and imprisoned me in my father's realm, Tartarus. They decided to allow me to continue farming, but I was never allowed to see the sun or the stars again." Damasen sighed. "It was their way of showing me how meaningless my life was. To my under annoyance, that drákōn I killed, was granted immortality and my task is to kill it."
"But why are here, in this cell?" Ichigo asked.
"Peres and his hunters ambushed both of us. I'm not sure what happened to that drákōn." Damasen admitted.
"I think I know what happened," Ichigo said as he began to explain to him about the drákōn Kronos used.
"Well, at least I'm free from that drákōn for the time being," Damasen said. Suddenly there was a loud bang on their cell door. They turned to see a guard standing there.
"Time for your first fight." The guard yelled. Ichigo sighed as he stood up.
"See you in a bit," Ichigo said. Damasen nodded his head as the guard opened the door for Ichigo. They were soon escorted out to the arena. Ichigo could see the colosseum was crowded with monsters. Ichigo could see Peres standing there.
"Ladies and Monsters!" Peres yelled. The monsters quieted down. "I am here to introduce our newest challenger. He is the one who killed Kronos, Krios, Hyperion and Typhon!" Peres yelled. Many monsters growled in anger. Many of them were allies with the titans or decedents from Typhon or both. "Give a warm welcome to Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo entered the colosseum, ignoring the venomous glares from the surrounding monster.
"His challenger will be a famous monster. He's aware of who Ichigo is and he wants revenge for his father's death." Peres paused for dramatic effect. "Give it up for the Nemean Lion!" Peres yelled. A large lion leaped into the colosseum. The Nemean Lion was as big as a pick-up truck, with shiny silvery claws, fangs that gleam like stainless steel, and thick, glittering, metallic gold fur. The Nemean Lion turned to Ichigo and let out a loud roar.
"Come at me, Lion," Ichigo said.
"ROAR!" The Nemean Lion replied.
"Start!" Peres yelled. The Nemean Lion pounced at Ichigo. The Nemean Lion opened its mouth, ready to bite Ichigo. As soon as the Nemean Lion was within striking distance, Ichigo uppercut the Nemean Lion. The uppercut sent the Nemean Lion flying in the air. Ichigo shunpō'ed above the Nemean Lion. The Nemean Lion looked nervous seeing Ichigo there. Ichigo jumped, pointing his elbow at Nemean Lion's neck. Ichigo drove his elbow into the Nemean Lion's neck, slamming it back down into the ground. Ichigo stood up to see the Nemean Lion dead. It transformed into golden dust. The Monster Curse began to glow red and absorb the golden dust. Ichigo began to transform, against his will. Standing there was another Nemean Lion, much larger than the other lion. The new Nemean Lion let out a loud and intimidating roar before transforming back to normal.
"The Nemean Lion has been defeated by Ichigo Kurosaki, the Monster Shifter!" Peres announced. Ichigo could see Peres was amused.
"Shifter! Shifter! Shifter!" The audience yelled. Ichigo was escorted back to his cell."
"How did it go?" Damasen asked.
"Good. Fought the Nemean Lion." Ichigo said. Damasen nodded his head. They could hear someone clapping. They turned to see Peres was the one who was clapping.
"Good job Ichigo. Knew you had it in you for an entertaining show." Peres complimented.
"So, when's my next flight?" Ichigo asked. Peres smiled.
"Two days."
"Will I have a place to train?" Ichigo asked.
"You will. You will have a small private area to train in." Peres said.
"Very well. See you in a few days." Peres said as he walked away.
"Any ideas on what monster he'll bring to the arena?" Ichigo asked. Damasen shook his head.
"There are too many monsters he could pick," Damasen said.
"I see…" Ichigo said as walked to the cell door. "Hey, Guard!" One of the guards walked over to Ichigo. "I need to use of the private training grounds." The guard grumbled as he opened the door for Ichigo. Ichigo walked out. Before the guard could close the door, Ichigo called to Damasen. "Want to help me train?" Ichigo asked.
"Sure," Damasen said as he stood up. The guard escorted them to the private training grounds Peres arranged for him. Ichigo sat down and entered his mindscape.
Scene Change: Mindscape
Ichigo could see Yhwach standing there staring at the schrift with the monster's eye on it.
"Did you find anything else about the curse?"
"Yes. When you killed the Nemean Lion, you claimed the soul of the Nemean Lion and all of its abilities." Yhwach said.
"I see… is there any way for me to release the Nemean Lion's soul?"
"I'm…not sure," Yhwach admitted. Ichigo picked up the schrift.
"I, Kurosaki Ichigo, bestow upon myself this schrift," Ichigo pushed the schrift inside him. Ichigo could feel absolute rage from the schrift. Ichigo concentrated at the schrift.
Ichigo opened his eyes to see the Nemean Lion glaring back at him. The Nemean Lion tried to attack Ichigo. But a transparent barrier stopped the Nemean Lion. "Do you wish to be free?" Ichigo asked. The Nemean Lion looked at Ichigo, confused by his question. Do you wish to be trapped here forever?"
"No." The Nemean Lion growled.
"Then let's do something that benefits both of us," Ichigo said.
"What is it?" The Nemean Lion growled.
"Give me your powers, memories, and knowledge and I shall free your soul," Ichigo said.
"Impossible. Curse traps me." Nemean Lion growled.
"The barrier is there to protect me from your influence," Ichigo said. "You try to harm me; the barrier will not let you pass." The Nemean Lion looked at Ichigo. It raised its paw at the barrier. The Nemean Lion poked at the barrier. To the Nemean Lion's shock, its paw phased through the barrier. The Nemean Lion walked through the barrier.
"Seeing you walk past the barrier shows me that you want to do this."
"I do." Nemean Lion said. The Nemean Lion's eyes glowed white. Suddenly Ichigo could see the Nemean Lion's memories. Ichigo could understand how the Nemean Lion fights. With the knowledge transferred, Ichigo summoned Kokugatsu and gently tapped the Nemean Lion's forehead. The Nemean Lion began to break down into rainbow particles; freeing it from the "Thanks for keeping your end of the bargain." The Nemean Lion said as it disappeared. Ichigo opened his eyes to see Yhwach standing there.
"Yhwach, please combine Schrift S: The Slayer with Schrift W: The War Lord." Ichigo said.
"Very well."
"I name this schrift, Schrift S: The Shifter," Ichigo said. Yhwach nodded his head as Ichigo left his mindscape.
Scene Change: Tartarus: Peres's Colosseum
Ichigo opened his eyes and stood up. Ichigo transformed into his Nemean Lion form. Ichigo practiced moving around in his new form. Ichigo slowly walked around, getting used to using his four legs.
"Can you get me a few targets?" Ichigo growled.
"Sure. Damasen said. He grabbed a few stones and threw them at Ichigo. Ichigo dodged them. Damasen continued to throw more stones. Ichigo leaped at the stones and used his claws and destroyed the rocks. Damasen grabbed a dummy and threw it at Ichigo. Ichigo used his jaws to grab the lion and tour it apart.
"Can you do something else with that form?" Damasen asked.
"I can," Ichigo growled. From the Nemean Lion's head, Ichigo's upper body appeared.
Ichigo now looked similar to a centaur. Ichigo's skin is now golden, similar to the Nemean Lion. Ichigo began to move around in his new form.
"Rocks please," Ichigo asked.
"Here you go!" Damasen threw a few more rocks. Ichigo leaped over the rocks. More rocks were thrown at Ichigo. Ichigo would either dodge the rocks or destroy them. Ichigo changed form again. Ichigo appeared in his human form. But his skin was still golden. His hands and feet have lion paws. Ichigo jumped side to side. He found his normal jumps were much faster and softer landing.
"Looking good," Damasen said.
"Thanks," Ichigo said.
Time Skip: Two days later
"Welcome everyone!" Peres yelled from his spot. "Welcome to my colosseum. Now then, this is his second fight. Will he be able to beat his opponent?" Peres said. "Give a warm welcome to Ichigo Kurosaki, the Monster Shifter!"
"Shifter! Shifter! Shifter!" The audience cheered. Ichigo transformed into his Nemean Lion form. He let out a loud roar before he pounced into the arena. He turned to the audience and gave a few more loud roars before returning to his human form.
"Now then, I have two beasts that wish to fight you Ichigo," Peres said. "Both of them have heard what you did to their father and brother. Now, do you wish to fight them both?"
"Bring it on," Ichigo said. The crowd goes wild upon hearing Ichigo's words.
"Very well then, give a warm welcome to the Hydra and Chimera!" Peres yelled. A lion-shaped creature leaped into the arena. Chimera has the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body of a goat, and a ten-foot-long diamondback snake-headed tail that grows out of its shaggy behind. Behind the Chimera was the Hydra. It was a huge scaly lizard-like monster with nine heads, each one diamond-shaped with a mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth.
"Begin!" Peres yelled. The Chimera leaped at Ichigo. Ichigo easily dodged the Chimera.
"$: Die mortal! :$" The Hydra hissed as it spewed its venom at Ichigo. Ichigo dodged the venom.
"$: Attack each other! :$" Ichigo ordered in Parseltongue. The audience watched in confusion as the Hydra began to attack itself and the Chimera's snake began to bite the rest of the Chimera. Ichigo raised his hand. Black fire began to dance around his hand.
"Let the world witness your rise. Let my allies feel your warms. Let my foes feel your fury, Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi!" Ichigo yelled as the Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi appeared in his hand. It was a long nodachi with a silver blade and a charred black edge. It has a simple circular tsuba. The handle crimson, like the sun. Everyone could hear sizzling from the nodachi. A small smoke trail began to appear. Ichigo held Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi with two hands. Ichigo shunpō'ed to the Chimera. Despite the snake's betrayal, the Chimera wasn't severely injured from the attacks. Ichigo swung his nodachi at the Chimera. The Chimera barely dodged the nodachi. The Chimera breathed a large blast of fire. Ichigo walked towards the fire. Everyone was shocked by Ichigo's lack of reaction to the fire. Anger filled the Chimera's eyes. The Chimera stopped its attack and pounced at Ichigo. In its anger, it forgot Ichigo's nodachi. With one swing, the Chimera was incinerated. The golden dust was once again absorbed by the Monster Curse. Ichigo resisted the transformation. He turned to the Hydra, which now has 27 heads, all of them still attacking each other.
"Looks like Ichigo is in big trouble now!" Peres yelled. "What will he do?" Ichigo walked towards the Hydra.
"They will all burn," Ichigo said. Black flames erupted from Ichigo's nodachi. Everyone stared at the fire. Ichigo swung his nodachi. A wave of black fire shot out towards the Hydra. The Hydra turned to Ichigo. The wave of black fire hit the Hydra. The black fire exploded; consuming the Hydra. The Hydra hissed in pain before it was destroyed, golden dust floated out of the explosion. Ichigo's Monster Curse activated again, absorbing the Hydra. Ichigo extinguished the black flames that were still in the arena. Ichigo deactivated Schrift T: The Taiyō. Ichigo transformed into the Chimera.
The form was similar to the Nemean Lion. It took Ichigo a few moments to get used to controlling both the Lion and the Snake at the same time. Ichigo let a loud roar. Ichigo walked around. He breathed fire on one side while sprayed venom on the side. Ichigo leaped in the air. Ichigo sprayed venom in the air. Before the venom could spread further, Ichigo spayed the venom with his flames. The two attacks combined, creating a toxic explosion.
"Shifter! Shifter!" The audience chanted. Ichigo shifted into his Hydra form. Ichigo grew until he was 10 feet tall. All nine heads grew. Despite physically appearing to have nine heads, Ichigo discovered that his conscious mind was in one of the heads. While his limbs controlled the rest of the snakes. Ichigo spayed its venom around the arena, making sure none of it hit the audience.
"SHIFTER! SHIFTER!" The audience cheered even louder. Ichigo had one of his snakeheads tore off one of the other snakeheads, the one his conscious mind was in. Ichigo's mind shifted to another head. From that torn neck, two more heads appeared. The crowd went even wilder. Ichigo turned back to Peres, who frowned at Ichigo.
"Is this all the great Peres, Titian of Destruction, Ruler of the Colosseum, could bring?" Ichigo challenged. The audience went silent, staring at Peres.
"Very well Ichigo Kurosaki!" Peres said. "Your next challengers will be a small gauntlet of the monster, back to back to back!"
"Oooh," The audience said. They turned to Ichigo. He smiled.
"Bring it on Peres. I will beat everyone that you bring into the arena. Even yourself." Ichigo declared.
"SHIFTER! SHIFTER! SHIFTER!" The audience went wild at Ichigo's challenge. Ichigo turned away and walked out. Ichigo returned to his cell.
"I can hear them chanting your name from here," Damasen said.
"So can I." Ichigo joked.
"So who did they made you fight?"
"The Chimera and the Hydra." Damasen nodded his head.
"Powerful monsters in their own right," Damasen said.
"Luckily I was able to order them to attack themselves," Ichigo said.
"Oh?"
"Yep," Ichigo said. "I'm going to use the training room."
"Ok," Damasen said as he stood up. They both walked to the training room. Ichigo once again entered Schrift S: The Shifter.
Ichigo could see the Chimera and the Hydra there. They were locked in separate mental cages. The Chimera used his claws and attack the barrier. They Hydra glared at Ichigo.
"$: I will be freed from this prison! :$" The Hydra hissed. Ichigo stared at the Hydra.
"$: Submit to me or you will continue to suffer. :$" Ichigo said. The Hydra replied by spraying a blast of venom at Ichigo. The barrier prevented the attack from hitting him.
"$: Very well then. :$" Ichigo said. The black fire began to invade the room.
"$: NO! :$" They Hydra hissed as it tries to escape the black fire. The black fire continued to pursuit the Hydra. Soon the Hydra was cornered by the black fire. The black fire began to burn the Hydra. The Hydra hissed in agony from the fire. Unlike the real world, death wasn't an escape for the Hydra. Ichigo turned to the Chimera, who stopped attacking the barrier. The Chimera could hear the Hydra's pain and suffering.
"I know you can understand your situation much easier than the Hydra," Ichigo said.
"I do." The Chimera growled. "But so, what?"
"Your sibling asked me the same question," Ichigo said.
"You mean…"
"Yes. The Nemean Lion. He was in here, but I set him free." Ichigo said.
"How do I know you're speaking the truth?" The Chimera asked.
"Well, the Nemean Lion isn't here." Ichigo pointed out. The Chimera stood there for a few seconds. It slowly walked towards the barrier. It managed to phase through the barrier. Ichigo placed his hands on the Chimera's head. The Chimera's eyes glowed white as Ichigo began to see the Chimera's memories. With the knowledge transferred, Ichigo summoned Kokugatsu and gently tapped the Chimera's forehead. The Chimera began to break down into rainbow particles; freeing it from the schrift. Ichigo turned to the Hydra. Ichigo snapped his fingers. The fire moved away from the Hydra.
"So, will you join your siblings, or will you want more?" Ichigo asked. The Hydra stared at Ichigo.
"$: We submit. :$" The Hydra said. Slowly the heads began to move and merge. Soon only one head on the Hydra remained. The Hydra slithered through the barrier. The Hydra's eyes glowed white as Hydra's memories were transferred over to Ichigo. Ichigo gently tapped the Hydra's forehead with Kokugatsu. The Hydra began to break down into rainbow particles; freeing it from the schrift. Ichigo returned to his body.
Scene Change: Tartarus: Peres's Colosseum
Ichigo opened his eyes and stood up.
"How did it go?" Damasen asked. Ichigo transformed his lower body into the Chimera's body.
"Try cutting the snake off," Ichigo said. Damasen pulled out his blade and easily sliced through the snake tail. Suddenly two more snakes grew; replacing the one Damasen cut off.
"Looks like I got the Hydra's main ability," Ichigo said.
"Can you combine all three of them?" Damasen asked. Ichigo smiled.
"Let's see," Ichigo said as he closed his eyes. Ichigo's body began to grow bigger. Ichigo's lower body changed into a scaly snakelike body. Ichigo's upper body remained humanoid. Ichigo's arms were replaced by snakes. Ichigo's skin is a golden shade with a Lion's mane around his neck. Ichigo used his snake hands to spray venom around the arena. Damasen looked amazed. He threw a few rocks at Ichigo. Ichigo used his snake hands to easily crush them. Damasen used his sword and tried to cut Ichigo. His sword hit Ichigo's skin but couldn't cut it.
"How long can you stay in that form?" Damasen asked.
"As long as I want," Ichigo replied.
"Now we need a few stronger monsters to make that even scarier," Damasen said.
"Indeed." Damasen and Ichigo spent the next few hours increasing the speed Ichigo could change between each form and how much power Ichigo could exert in his forms. Ichigo and Damasen began to walk back to their cell.
"Help us."
"Only you can help us." Ichigo paused.
"Damasen, do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Damasen asked.
"I'm not sure. Someone is mentally messaging me right now." Ichigo said.
"Are you sure? It could be a trick from Peres." Damasen warned.
"No. Peres would want to publicly defeat me. It would harm his reputation if he defeats me in private." Ichigo reasoned. Damasen shrugged his shoulders.
"Ok then. Hurry up and come back." Damasen said as he walked to his cage.
"I'm ready. Guide me." Ichigo said.
"Follow that corridor," The voice instructed. Ichigo walked down the corridor. Ichigo soon encountered
two giants. They were thirty-foot tall giants with blue skin and icy-gray hair.
"You not here." One of them said.
"You go away." The other said. Ichigo said.
"No can do. I need to go past you."
"We told to stay here."
"Not let anyone through." Ichigo sighed.
"Then I will make this quick," Ichigo said. Ichigo summoned Kokugatsu. Before they could react Ichigo already killed them. Ichigo could feel the Monster Curse absorbing their golden dust. Ichigo sheathed Kokugatsu and continued farther down the hallway. Ichigo could see four monsters, standing guard of a door. All four of them were about eight feet tall. Two of them had arms heavily decorated with tattoos. They have yellow pointed teeth and dress in white t-shirts and jean shorts. The other two appeared to made out of clay. They had six arms each and wore nothing but canvas loincloths.
"Hey Skull Eater, when are we relieved from guard duty?" One of the giants asked.
"No ideas Joe Bob." Skull Eater replied. Suddenly Joe Bob began to sniff the air. "You smell something?"
"Show yourself!" Joe Bob yelled. Ichigo walked out.
"You're not supposed to be here!" Skull Eater yelled. They charged at Ichigo. Ichigo shunpō'ed past the giants.
"Omae wa mou shindeiru," Ichigo said. They heard a clink. Suddenly their body began to move. Their body collapsed, bisected by Ichigo. Their golden dust was all absorbed by the Monster Curse. Ichigo turned to the door. Ichigo stabbed the door with Kokugatsu and released a nameless Getsuga Tenshō. The attack tore the door apart. Ichigo walked in to see two monsters chained to the walls. They stood more than 30 feet. Ichigo could see countless arms all over their bodies. Their arms are bounded together by black and silver chains.
"You're the ones who called for me?" Ichigo asked.
"Indeed." One of them said.
"I am Cottus and that is Gyges, my brother," Cottus said. Ichigo walked over to the chains.
"The chains are made from Stygian Iron and Bone Steel. They're enchanted to prevent anyone from breaking them." Gyges said. "We've tried."
"Hm…" Ichigo said.
"Try using me," Nightingale suggested. "I should be able to weaken the magic properties on the chains.
"You should save those chains. It may be useful." Mysteria chimed in.
"Sure." Ichigo activated Schrift D: Diablo Divider. Cottus and Gyges were startled by the sudden appearance of the wings. Ichigo ignored their shocks as Ichigo summoned the Divider Strings. Ichigo shot them out to the handcuffs.
"Divide," Nightingale said. "Divide… Divide." Cottus's eyes widen when he could feel the handcuffs were beginning to weaken.
"It's working." He said.
"Divide… Divide." Nightingale continued. With a mighty tug, 50 of the handcuffs broke off of his arms. Ichigo repeated the process on the other side. A few minutes later, both Cottus and Gyges were free from the chains.
"Thank Ichigo." Cottus and Gyges said.
"No problem," Ichigo said.
"We can now fade," They said.
"Why?" Ichigo asked.
"No one remembers us," Cottus said.
"Our brother has likely faded," Gyges said.
"Hm… I don't think so." Ichigo said.
"What?" Cottus and Gyges questioned.
"I noticed someone looking similar to you in Olympus."
"Really?" Ichigo summoned his Pensive. "What's that?"
"This is a device that allows others to view memories," Ichigo said as he pulled his memory. "Just dip one of your fingers in the liquid," Ichigo said. Cottus and Gyges raised one hand and dipped one finger into the liquid.
Ichigo, Cottus, and Gyges appeared in the temple on Mount Olympus.
"Where are we?" Cottus and Gyges asked.
"We're on Mount Olympus," Ichigo said. "More exactly, the temple which holds the Olympian's Thrones," Ichigo said.
"I see…" They watched as Poseidon entered the throne room. Behind him was his army. Cottus and Gyges were amazed to see how many cyclopes were in Poseidon's army.
"He's there!" Cottus yelled pointing to the figure in the distance.
"He's right!" Gyges yelled. Ichigo sent them back outside.
Ichigo turned to Cottus and Gyges.
"Seeing that your brother is alive, do you two still wish to fade?" Ichigo asked.
"No." Cottus and Gyges said together.
"But how will we hide from Peres?" Cottus asked. Ichigo smiled. He summoned the Trainer.
"What's that?" Gyges asked.
"This is called the Trainer. It allows me to open a pocket dimension."
"Can Peres get in?" Cottus asked.
"He could over my dead body," Ichigo said.
"Then send us to the Trainer," Gyges said. Ichigo pointed his Trainer at Cottus and Gyges and uploaded them into the Trainer. Ichigo picked up a chain and pulled it.
"It appears that the chains and are attached to the wall by nails made from Stygian Iron and Bone Steel." Ichigo thought. Ichigo activated Schrift E: The Earth. Ichigo lightly stomped the ground, sending vibrations up to the stone wall, towards the nails. Ichigo began to tug on the chains. Ichigo repeated this a few more minutes before the nails finally dislodge itself from the wall. Ichigo sent the chains into his mindscape and walked back to his cell.
Time Skip: Two days Later
Ichigo and Damasen spent the next day training with Ichigo's new forms. Damasen was able to identify the monsters Ichigo killed. The thirty-foot tall giants with blue skin and icy-gray hair are known as Hyperborean. Joe Bob and Skull Eater are known as Laistrygonian Giant. While the monster with six arms and appeared to be made out of clay are Gegeines or Earthbound. During those two days, Ichigo and Damasen learned more about each other. Ichigo learned that Damasen dreamed of seeing the sky again. Ichigo mentally swore to reason with Tartarus to allow Damasen free.
"Hello, Monsters!" Peres yelled. "Welcome to the Arena! He defeated the Nemean Lion, Chimera, and the Hydra! Give it up for the Shifter!" Peres announced. Ichigo shifted into his Hybrid Nemean Lion form as he leaped into the air. Everyone gasped as they noticed Ichigo's arm were snakes, similar to the Hydra. On Ichigo's behind, was a ten-foot-long diamondback snake, from the Chimera.
"Hello, Peres!" Ichigo yelled. Who will be my opponent today?" Ichigo asked, returning to his normal form.
"Ichigo, your challenger will be someone interesting. A King if you will." Peres said. The shadows began to move. Hellhounds began to appear from the shadows. "He is the first child born from Nyx, Primordial Goddess of the Night and Cerberus, the Guardian of the Underworld," Peres said. The nearby shadows began to pull together. "Give it up the King of Hellhounds!" Peres yelled. From the large shadow, a giant Hellhound appeared. This hellhound was much larger than the other hellhound. This one appeared also the size of an airplane.
"Today you will die, Mortal!" The King of Hellhounds howled. The other hellhounds growled at Ichigo.
"Begin!" Peres yelled.
"Attack the Mortal!" The King of Hellhounds ordered. Before the other hellhounds could react, Ichigo stomped the floor, sending a large earthquake through the stadium, stunning the hellhounds.
"King of Hellhounds it appears age has made your ears dull," Ichigo said. The King of Hellhounds growled at Ichigo's words.
"Halt." The King of Hellhounds ordered. The hellhounds stayed at their place.
"You are my challenger and yet you order your subjects to attack me, trying to weaken my for you to easily win this fight," Ichigo said. "Pathetic. To think Nyx's and Cerberus's eldest son is such a coward and weakling."
"ENOUGH!" The King of Hellhounds yelled, stomping his front feet down on the ground. All the hellhounds turned to their king. "All of you stay to the edge of the arena. This mortal will be mine to kill." All the hellhounds replied with a bark before moving to the edge of the arena. The King of Hellhounds charged towards Ichigo. Ichigo stood his ground and waited. He opened his mouth wide, big enough to swallow Ichigo in one bit. When the King of Hellhounds was close enough, Ichigo reacted. Ichigo jumped up and kicked The King of Hellhounds on the top of the mouth.
"GAH!" He howled in pain. Everyone flinched. They all could imagine the pain of being kicked there. Ichigo flipped and landed a few feet away.
"Is that it?" Ichigo said. The King of Hellhounds glared at Ichigo.
"If I charge at him right now, he would do the same thing." The King of Hellhounds thought. "What if he doesn't see me." The King of Hellhounds let out a loud howl. The shadows around them began to move. The stadium began to be swallowed up by the shadows. The King of Hellhounds slipped into the shadow, trying to sneak up on Ichigo. The audience who could see in the darkness noticed Ichigo stood there. Some speculated at Ichigo couldn't see in the darkness. Others speculated that Ichigo was waiting for The King of Hellhounds. The King of Hellhounds moved behind Ichigo. It slowly rose out of the shadows. He tried to be as silent as possible.
Peres smiled, expecting Ichigo to lose. The King of Hellhounds opened his mouth, ready to bite Ichigo. He lunged for the kill. Suddenly something stopped The King of Hellhounds. The shadows slowly moved away. Everyone was shocked. Ichigo turned around and stopped The King of Hellhounds with his bare hands; each one holding jaws. Ichigo forced the jaws shut. He wrapped his arms around The King of Hellhounds' mouth and began to lift him off the ground. Ichigo slammed him into the ground. Ichigo turned around and lifted him off the ground again before slamming down on the other side.
The audience stood in shocked at this feat. The giants were one of the few monsters strong enough to do similar feats. But Ichigo was a human. The audience knew what it had to do. "SHIFTER! SHIFTER! SHIFTER!" They all began to chant. The audience was mostly made up of common monsters. They enjoyed seeing legendary monsters being crushed and humiliated in their home. The various hellhounds looked nervously among themselves. Many of them were trying to figure out if they should intervene. Ichigo answered for them. With one final slam, The King of Hellhounds began to break down into golden dust. The Monster Curse activated, absorbing all The King of Hellhounds' golden dust. Ichigo transformed into the new The King of Hellhounds. Ichigo let out a loud howl. All the other Hellhounds followed suit. Their howl joined with Ichigo.
"SHIFTER! SHIFTER! SHIFTER!" The audience chanted. Ichigo, the King of Hellhounds, turned to the other Hellhounds, all of them bowing to Ichigo. Ichigo could feel a mental connection with the Hellhounds in front of him and beyond Tartarus.
"What are your orders, King?" They all asked.
"I am Ichigo Kurosaki, your new King. My order is simple. We shall now ally with the demigods. For now, stay in the shadows and watch over the demigods that can't protect themselves. I will speak to the Olympians about this new change." Ichigo could feel gratitude through the connection.
"Thank you, your highness. Many of my kind call me a traitor disobeying the previous King; by helping the demigods" She said.
"I assume you must be Percy's Hellhound."
"You know Percy?"
"I do. I fought with him at Olympus." Ichigo said.
"I…I think I remember who you are… the man with the orange hair…right?"
"Yep. Don't tell the Olympians that I am down here."
"As you wish."
All the hellhounds leaped into the shadows, leaving Ichigo alone in the arena. Ichigo returned to normal. He turned to Peres. "Who's next?" Ichigo asked. The audience went silent. Some stared at Peres.
"Here's the next monster! He is a well-known monster with a large axe to grind against demigods…the Minotaur!" Peres yelled. Ichigo could see something leap from the edge of the arena. He landed with a loud boom.
"RAHAH!" He bellowed. Ichigo could see the Minotaur stood over eight feet tall. He appeared humanoid with a bull's head. The horns were pointed towards Ichigo. The Minotaur was dressed in armor. In its arm was a large ax. The blades were shaped in an omega Ω. Minotaur pointed it at Ichigo.
"You shall die, today mortal!" The Minotaur bellowed. "After I defeat you, I shall be allowed to return to the surface to get my revenge on Jackson!" Ichigo raised his eyebrow.
"Bring it on," Ichigo said.
"BEGIN!" Peres yelled. The Minotaur let out a roar before charging towards Ichigo. As soon as he got near Ichigo, he began to swing his ax at him. Ichigo began to casually swerve to the side; dodging his attacks.
"STOP DODGING!" He roared in anger as he swung his ax down again.
"Sure," Ichigo said as he raised his left hand up towards the ax. The Minotaur smirked as he brought the ax down. His smirk turned to shock as Ichigo easily stopped his ax with his two fingers.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" He yelled as he lifted his ax and swung again. Ichigo easily caught the ax in his fingers again and again. The Minotaur tried to trick Ichigo with a few sideswipes. Ichigo caught them with his left hand. Ichigo gave the Minotaur a bored look.
"Are you done yet?" Ichigo casually asked. He used his right hand to cover a yawn.
"DIE!" The Minotaur yelled as he swung his ax again. Ichigo sided stepped the ax. The Minotaur leaned towards Ichigo, off-balanced by Ichigo's sidestep. Ichigo grabbed the ax with his left hand and pulled. The off-balanced Minotaur was forced to let go of it.
"GI-" Ichigo uppercut the Minotaur into the air. Ichigo tossed the ax to his right hand. Ichigo looked at the Minotaur. He began to fall towards Ichigo. Ichigo raised his ax, aimed it at the falling Minotaur, and threw it. The ax soared in the air and bisected the Minotaur.
"GAH!" He screamed in pain. Ichigo noticed the ax continued to fly higher and higher. Suddenly it slammed into a barrier, stopping it from going any further. The ax fell back down. The Minotaur's bisected body began to turn into dust. The Monster Curse absorbed the Minotaur's golden dust. The ax finally landed beside Ichigo. Ichigo picked up the ax and raised it. Ichigo noticed the audience clapped for Ichigo's victory; unlike their maddening chant. Ichigo turned to Peres, pointing the ax at him.
"Looks like the audience is tired of these weak monsters, Peres," Ichigo said. Peres grit his teeth, trying to control the anger from Ichigo's words. "I think the monsters want to see you go against me, seeing which one is stronger."
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" The audience chanted. Peres stood up. Everyone quickly got silent, paying close attention to Peres.
"Win two more fights and I will fight you," Peres announced.
"Very well I will defeat them and you," Ichigo said as he turned away. Peres walked away.
Prometheus sat in Peres's office. The door suddenly slammed open as an annoyed Peres entered his office. He collapsed into his office chair. Prometheus silently handed Peres his drink.
"So what's the plan now?" Prometheus asked.
"Get in contact with both of our intended opponents and tell them they need to be ready in two days," Peres said with a sip of his drink.
"You want both of them in the arena? Do you think that's a little overkill?" Prometheus asked. Peres grabbed his drink and chucked it at Prometheus.
"I don't care if it's a little overkill. If they don't kill him then you're next Prometheus." Peres growled in anger. Prometheus sighed.
"Let me get them." Prometheus stood up and walked out. Peres opened Prometheus's folder on Ichigo; trying to learn as much as he could before his inevitable fight.
Time Skip: Three days later
Peres sat in his throne, looking at the arena. He watched as the audience poured into the stands. His audiences tripled since Ichigo joined the arena. Many of them are fans of Ichigo. Peres stood up from his thrones; ready to invite the challengers into the arena when they heard a loud bloodthirsty roar. Something leaped into the arena. One look at the creature and everyone knew who it was. The creature stood eight feet tall. The upper body appeared humanoid while the lower body appeared to be of a hellhound but with two 10-foot-long snakes as it tails. The upper body and arms were very muscular. In his arm was a large axe with an Omega shaped blade. The head was human with long orange hair and a matching orange mane around his neck. His skin was a bronze color. It was Ichigo Kurosaki, the Monster Shifter. Ichigo let out another roar, this time shaking the entire arena.
"SHIFTER! SHIFTER! SHIFTER!" The audience chanted, seeing the current champion of the arena. Ichigo turned to Peres. He pointed his ax at Peres. What monster are you sending here to die Peres?" Ichigo asked. Peres smiled.
"Monsters Ichigo. Monsters." Peres replied with a snap of his fingers. The two doors opened up as a squad of monsters entered. "Entering the stadium is a woman seeking vengeance for the death of her lover and her children… Echidna, the Mother of Monsters!" Peres announced.
The first monster has a woman's head, but her body was snake-like. As she slithered in, Ichigo noticed her tongue was forked and had fangs instead of teeth. Her skin is bright Greek and scaly. Her eyes are sideways slits. The second monster was one Ichigo seen during his time at Hogwarts. The monster also had a woman's head. Her head was covered with brown hair and hazel eyes. Her body was of a lion. The third monster reminded Ichigo of Cerberus but instead of three heads, this monster had two heads. The fourth monster was a literal giant pig with wings. The fifth monster a giant eagle.
"With her is her remaining children, the Sphinx, the Orthus, the Clazmonian Sow, and the Caucasian Eagle!" Peres announced. The audience cheered. Echidna turned to Ichigo.
"You are the one who killed my husband and my children. My children and I will seek vengeance for your action." She hissed. Her children all glared at Ichigo.
"If you managed to defeat them then you have one more opponent to fight," Peres said.
"Bring it on," Ichigo replied as vanished his Shihakushō. He is now topless, revealing his scared, lightly tanned, muscular body. Everyone couldn't help but stare at the large circle scar on his chest.
"Very well then… BEGIN!" Peres yelled. The Clazmonian Sow and the Caucasian Eagle took to the sky, soaring above them. The Sphinx and the Orthus charged towards Ichigo. Reiatsu began to gather around Ichigo.
"Shunkō," Ichigo said. His reiatsu exploded around him; circled around his body. The Sphinx stopped moving; watching to see Ichigo in action. The Orthus recklessly advanced. Its twin canine heads opened wide, ready to bite Ichigo. Ichigo jumped up in the air, dodging the attack. The Orthus looked up. Ichigo smirked as he stood in the air. Ichigo jumped up began to kick downwards, using his reiatsu to increase the speed and power. Ichigo's attack crashed into one of the Orthus's heads, slamming the monster into the ground. The other head shot at Ichigo. Before the Orthus could open its mouth, Ichigo replied with a powerful roundhouse. The attack ripped the Orthus into two. The Orthus turned into golden dust and was absorbed by the Monster Curse. Ichigo turned to the remaining monsters.
The Clazmonian Sow saw her fallen brother, flew down towards Ichigo. Ichigo stood his ground and waited. All the monsters realized what was about to happen to the Clazmonian Sow; except for the sow herself. Ichigo aimed a powerful right-hand punch at the Clazmonian Sow's snout. The shockwave from the punch blew the nearby dust away. The Clazmonian Sow squealed in pain as it ran to Echidna. Ichigo looked at the Sphinx and the Caucasian Eagle.
"Who's next." Ichigo taunted.
"Do you find pleasure in ripping us apart?" Echidna questioned. Ichigo looked at her confused.
"What do you mean? While I do like a good fight, my goal is to ultimately is to fight Peres. He is the one who wanted me to fight all of these monsters.
"That's not what Prometheus said. He told me that you found pleasure in ripping my husband and our children apart and use them for your personal gain."
"Typhon terrorized the entire United States with his action. As for your children…it was Peres's idea for me to fight these monsters before 'earning' the right to fight him." Ichigo said. "I swear to the River Styx what I'm saying is the truth." A loud thunderous boom echoed around Tartarus, silencing the audience.
"Is this true Peres?" Echidna glared at Peres, who was sitting on his throne.
"I'm not sure what Prometheus told you," Peres replied with shrugged his shoulders. "But you did agree to the fight."
"Very well then…" Echidna looked at her remaining children. "I, Echidna, Mother of the Monsters, surrender." Ichigo nodded his head. He turned to Peres.
"Send out the other monster," Ichigo said as Echidna and her remaining children walked out of the arena.
"Entering the stadium is a monster that doesn't need much introduction, but she wants it anyway." Peres paused. "She is the Jailer of Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires give a warm welcome to Kampê!" Kampê stood over 20 feet tall. She had a human head with snakes for hair, like Medusa. She has a half upper human body and a lower dragon half. Her dragon half is black with white stripes down her back. She has huge dark reptilian wings, a huge venom-dripping scorpion tail. At her waist, where her halves meet, Ichigo could see mutated animal heads, like a gruesome, monstrous belt. Hundreds of violent darting vipers are sprouted from her legs. Her eyelids blink sideways, like a reptile. On her belt were a pair of bronze scimitars. In her hands was a huge fiery whip. Ichigo could feel a poisonous fog began to spread around them.
"Begin!" Peres yelled.
"Die!" Kampê yelled as used her whip at Ichigo. Ichigo jumped to the side.
"$: Attack Kampê! :$" Ichigo ordered in Parseltongue. The snakes and vipers heard Ichigo's orders. To Kampê's and everyone's shock, the snakes and vipers began to attack Kampê.
"STOP IT!" Kampê yelled as she tried to regain control of her snakes. Ichigo charged towards Kampê. Kampê grabbed her whip and swung it at Ichigo. Ichigo grabbed her whip and pulled hard. Kampê pulled her whip back; creating a tug of war.
Everyone watched as Kampê tried her hardest not to lose. While on Ichigo, he was using significantly less effort compared to Kampê.
"You want this whip…then TAKE IT!" Ichigo yelled as he let go of the whip. Kampê stumbled backward. Ichigo appeared beside her. She was too distracted to see Ichigo. Ichigo kicked Kampê in the right leg; breaking the bones.
"GAH!" She screamed in pain, accidentally dropping her whip. She looked down only to see Ichigo kicked her other leg; breaking the other bone. Kampê fell to her knees from the pain of the broken bones.
"Do you admit defeat?" Ichigo asked.
"NEVER!" She yelled as used her scorpion tail to attack Ichigo. Ichigo dodged the attack and countered before Kampê could respond. Ichigo chopped the scorpion tail before she could move. Her venom sprayed all over the place; hitting Ichigo.
"F-Fool." Kampê managed to say. "A sting from my tail could incapacitate an Elder Cyclops for hours and keep them in excruciating pain for even longer than that." Everyone watched as Ichigo, who was covered by the venom, didn't react to Kampê's words. They noticed Ichigo's body glowed purple and absorbed Kampê's venom. Ichigo looked at her.
"That venom was something. Took a while for me to counter it." Ichigo said as he walked towards Kampê. Her eyes widen in shock. She drew her scimitars. Ichigo could see the weapons glowed with a greenish aura. Kampê swung her scimitars at Ichigo. Ichigo easily dodged the attacks. Ichigo grabbed the scorpion tail he cut and threw it at Kampê. Kampê easily cut apart the scorpion tail. Ichigo shunpō'ed up in the air. Ichigo's reiatsu gathered around the leg. Ichigo roundhouse kicked Kampê's face.
"GAHA?" Kampê cried, shocked at Ichigo's sudden appearance and the pain from the kick. The kick made Kampê fall on her side. Ichigo raised his leg, still has his reiatsu around, and dived towards Kampê. Kampê didn't see the attack at all. Ichigo's kick slammed into her neck, crushing it and killing her. Her body began to dissolve into golden dust. The Monster Curse glowed red as it absorbed Kampê's golden dust. Ichigo picked up Kampê's whip and scimitars. He turned to Peres.
"One more match before our match," Ichigo said as he walked away. Peres gripped his throne tightly; breaking his armrests. He stood up and stomped away. He walked into his office. He collapsed into his chair. He heard someone knock on his door. He turned to see Prometheus.
"You're next…are you ready?" Prometheus sighed.
"I can't see what happens next, but I have enough monsters to fight with me." Prometheus handed Peres a small folder. Peres opened the folder.
"Do you think these will be enough?" Peres asked. Prometheus shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm not sure. I know Ichigo was holding back a lot." Peres nodded his head.
"Good luck."
"You need some too," Prometheus said as he left.
Time Skip: Two days
Prometheus stood outside of the arena with a large number of monsters. He was dressed in armor. Prometheus was on the Lydian Drákōn. Beside him were two large bears. They stood eight feet tall, wearing nothing but blue jeans, being covered in shag-carpeted thick brown fur, with claws for fingernails, feet like paws, snouts for noses, and all their teeth being pointed canines. They rode a pair of griffons.
"Agrius. Oreius. Are you two ready?" Prometheus asked.
"We are." One of the bears replied. The arena entrance opened up as they all flew into the arena. Ichigo stood there; calmly observing them. He was bare-chested again.
"Our challenger is Prometheus, Titan of Forethought and Crafty Counsel, on the Lydian Drákōn. Beside him are Agrius and Oreius the 'Bear Twins.' With them are two griffins!" Peres announced. All of them landed. Prometheus, Agrius and Oreius got off their companion.
"Are you ready Prometheus?" Ichigo asked.
"As much as I could," Prometheus said as he drew a sword.
"FIGHT!" Peres yelled. The Lydian Drákōn charged at Ichigo. It remembered Ichigo.
"Shunkō," Ichigo said. The Lydian Drákōn opened its mouth, spewing its toxic breath. Ichigo ignored the breath. Ichigo shunpō'ed next to the Lydian Drákōn. He kicked the drákōn's mouth shut. Everyone heard the loud crunch, likely a broken jaw. Ichigo grabbed the Lydian Drákōn's mouth, keeping it shut and lifted him off the ground. Ichigo began to spin the Lydian Drákōn around. The generated winds pushed everyone back. Ichigo suddenly let go of the Lydian Drákōn towards Prometheus. Prometheus managed to dodge the Lydian Drákōn but one of the griffins flying near him was instantly killed by Lydian Drákōn as he crashed on to the ground. Ichigo could feel the Monster Curse activating, absorbing the golden dust from the killed griffin. The other griffin soared down towards Ichigo; ready to avenge it fallen brethren. Ichigo could sense the anger and wrath of the griffin. Ichigo stood his ground and waited. At the last moment, Ichigo punched the griffin in the face; piercing the griffin's skull and crushing it brains. The Monster Curse glowed red and absorbed the other griffin's golden dust. Ichigo turned to Prometheus and the two bears.
"Who's next," Ichigo asked.
"Go," Prometheus ordered.
"DIE!" One of the two bears said as they charged at Ichigo. They attacked Ichigo with a barrage of punches and kicks. Despite outnumbering him two to one, Ichigo easily blocked all their attacks.
"Uh…t-ired." One of the bears said exhaustion began to slip in.
"Come on. He's getting tired." The other bear said.
"Not exactly," Ichigo replied as he walked towards the bears. "Do you admit defeat?"
"No!" They both started to rise back up. Ichigo sighed.
"Why do you guys never give up." Ichigo shunpō'ed next to the twin bears and uppercut both of the bears; sending them flying into the air. Ichigo shunpō'ed next to them. "Still want to fight?" Ichigo asked. The bears tried to grab Ichigo. Ichigo grabbed their extended arms and threw them towards the ground. The bears landed headfirst into the ground. Everyone could hear the loud boom from the impact; the dust-obscured everyone's view. Ichigo could see golden dust slowly floated out of the dust. The Monster Curse absorbed their golden dust. Ichigo turned to Prometheus. Suddenly there was a loud angry roar. Ichigo turned to see the Lydian Drákōn. Its wings were broken. The Lydian Drákōn charged at Ichigo. It fired a large blast of flames. Ichigo shunpō'ed behind the Lydian Drákōn. Ichigo grabbed the drákōn's tail. Ichigo turned around and slammed the drákōn on its back.
"GAH!" The drákōn roared in pain. It tried to escape. Ichigo turned around and slammed the drákōn on its belly. This continued for a few more minutes before the Lydian Drákōn died. It turned to gold dust and was absorbed by Ichigo. Ichigo turned to Prometheus.
"Are you ready?" Ichigo asked the Titan.
"Would you go easy on me if I said no?" Prometheus joked.
"You could always give up," Ichigo said with a shrug. Prometheus chuckled.
"I can't." Ichigo nodded his head.
"Very well then," Ichigo said. He shunpō'ed in front of Prometheus. "Good luck," Ichigo said as he sucker-punched Prometheus in the face. Prometheus staggered back. As Ichigo continued his assault. Prometheus tried to dodge Ichigo's attacks but Ichigo easily overwhelmed him. "Come on Prometheus, is this it?" Ichigo paused. Prometheus's face covered in bruises. His armor was severely dented in many places. His sword was long gone. Prometheus chuckled.
"I'm no fighter… but I am a tactician and you fell into my trap." Prometheus said. The ground began to rumble around Ichigo as giant scorpions rose out of the ground. Many of them sere the size of a car. "These are pit scorpions, very dangerous and aggressive monster," Prometheus said. Ichigo looked around them.
"Is this it?" Ichigo asked. "Is this what the 'Great Tactician' of Krono's Army could consider…how disappointing."
"Attack!" Prometheus ordered. The pit scorpions skittered towards Ichigo.
"Nagare Shunkō [Flowing Flash War Cry]," Ichigo said. His reiatsu turned into water. It began to flood the arena. The pit scorpions began to slip and fall. Ichigo raised his hands. The water began to rise up.
"Stop him!" Prometheus ordered. The pit scorpions managed to get traction and tried to attack Ichigo. Ichigo pushed his hands towards the pit scorpions. The water fell down, upon the pit scorpions. The pit scorpions began to drown from the wave. Golden dust began to float out of the water. The Monster Curse activated and absorbed the golden dust from the pit scorpions. Ichigo waved his hands in a knife motion. The nearby water lunged towards Prometheus; like an animal pouncing towards it pray. Prometheus dodged the water. Suddenly a wave of water hit him from behind; pushing him down into the water. Prometheus fought against the water, trying to stand up.
"Its no uses Prometheus. You can't fight these waters." Ichigo said. Despite being underwater, where sound could barely travel thought, Prometheus heard Ichigo's voice loud and clear.
"Think…what can I do to get out of this?" Prometheus thought as the water continued to assault him. He could feel his body slowly getting weaker and tired.
"Just admit defeat," Ichigo said as the more water rose above him, pushing him deeper below. Prometheus touched the bottom and discovered the bottom was mud. Prometheus smiled as a plan formed in his head. He gathered as much mud as he could and mold it. Prometheus brought it close to his mouth and whispered something. Prometheus quickly let go of the mud. It began to glow as it began to expand. Ichigo stood there, watching Prometheus. A giant golem burst out of the water. Ichigo could see Prometheus was standing on the golem's right shoulder.
"Attack!" Prometheus yelled. The golem let out a roar as it swung its fist towards Ichigo. Ichigo raised his right hand up. A large wave of water rose up; creating a wall. The golem's fist hit the wave. The golem raised another fist and began to punch the water wall. Ichigo calmly stood there. Prometheus smiled as he stood on his golem's shoulder. Ichigo looked at Prometheus with a smirk.
"Why is he looking at me like that?" Prometheus thought. The golem stopped moving. Prometheus turned to his golem.
"Why did you stop?" Prometheus asked. The golem moved its left hand and swatted Prometheus off of its shoulder. Prometheus soared towards Ichigo. Ichigo raised his right hand, the nearby water rose up and shaped itself into an image of a hand. Ichigo swatted the air in front of him. The water mirrored his action, hitting Prometheus and sending him back to the golem. To Prometheus's shock, the golem smacked Prometheus back to Ichigo. This continued for a few moments. Ichigo ended Nagare Shunkō, allowing Prometheus to crash in front of Ichigo's feet. All the water from Nagare Shunkō returned to reiatsu, which Ichigo reabsorbed.
"Any last words?" Ichigo asked. Prometheus turned to Ichigo with a smile.
"I'm tired. Please end me." Prometheus whispered.
"Very well," Ichigo said as he summoned a schrift in his right hand. "I, Ichigo Kurosaki, have defeated Prometheus, the Titan of Forethought and Crafty Counsel," Ichigo said. "I invoke the Rites of Conquest. For defeating Prometheus, the Titan of Forethought and Crafty Counsel, I lay claim to Prometheus's divinity and authority." The schrift began to absorb Prometheus's golden blood. The audience watched in shock and awe. A few moments later, the schrift finished absorbing all of Prometheus's divinity. Prometheus turned to Ichigo.
"Thank you." He said as he turned into dust and faded away. Ichigo sent the schrift to his mindscape and turned to Peres.
"Do you want to fight now, or do you still need some time?" Ichigo asked. Peres growled; anger in his eyes.
"Fight…Fight." Ichigo chanted.
"Fight. Fight! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" The audience quickly joined the chant. Peres began to growl.
"ENOUGH!" Peres yelled. Everyone turned to Peres. He slowly stood up from his throne. Peres snapped his fingers. His black suit transformed into a suit of gold and silver armor. Peres leaped from his balcony into the arena. "We fight now."
"Very well," Ichigo said as he disappeared using shunpō. Ichigo appeared in front of Peres and sucker-punched him in the face. Peres was sent flying. Ichigo felt pain, a feeling he hasn't had for a long time, from his right hand. Ichigo looked at his hand. He could see a few broken bones in his hand.
"How did that happen?" Ichigo asked.
"It appears Peres has an aura of some kind around him. Anything that touches him is destroyed." Kyōka reported.
"Don't worry King, I got this," Zangetsu said as the damage was quickly regenerated.
"That's going to be a pain," Peres mumbled as he stood back up. "Destruction is my game. Whatever you use to attack me, then be prepared for it to be destroyed." Peres explained as a dark violet aura began to surround his body.
"I see…" Ichigo said.
"Then let's try this." Ichigo activated Schrift D: The Diablo Divider. White and sky-blue wings appeared on Ichigo's back.
"Nightingale, can you use the Dividing Strings from the back?"
"Hold on," Nightingale said. Ichigo could feel the Dividing Strings appeared from his back.
Ichigo charged in and began to attack Peres with powerful punches and kicks. Peres tried to block them as much as he could.
"Nightingale, use this time to begin to divine Peres's aura and try to strengthen my body against it."
"I will try,"Nightingale said.
"I'll help you,"Hōgyoku said. Ichigo could feel Peres's aura destroying his hands and legs. He would take turns between limb to allow it time Zangetsu to regenerate his damaged limbs.
"Nightingale, how is the Dividing and Absorbing coming?" Ichigo thought as he continued his assault.
"It's working. I can slowly drain Peres of his power." Nightingale said.
"And I'm able to use it help strengthen your body against his power," Hōgyoku added.
The audience expected Ichigo to slow down, stop from the pain, or stop because of the broken limbs. But he isn't stopping. To the audiences' point of view, Ichigo is going faster and harder. Peres is the one who is slowing down.
"What's going on? Why is he still attacking me? Is his rate of recovery faster than my destruction?" Peres thought. Suddenly Peres's armor shattered into millions of pieces. Peres' eyes widen when he could see little strings attached to the armor and his body. He could sense his energy was in those strings.
"You were draining my energy?" Peres asked.
"Indeed. Since you gain power from destruction, I need an alternate way to beat you without causing destruction." Ichigo said.
"Smart," Peres said. "But not smart enough!" Peres lunged at Ichigo and punched him in the gut, focusing on destroying his ribs. To Peres's shock, Ichigo's ribs didn't break.
"You're right. Just draining your energy wouldn't be smart enough." Ichigo said. Ichigo's eyes returned to its true form. Peres stared into two spiral galaxies. Ichigo appeared in front of Peres and punched him in the face, sending him crashing into the ground. "My body can resistance destruction aura." Peres's eyes widen.
"Impossible!" Peres yelled. He jumped up and began to attack Ichigo; hitting him with punches and kicks infused with his aura All of them did nothing to Ichigo.
"Weak," Ichigo said as he vanished Schrift D: The Diablo Divider and summoned Schrift B: The Battle Booster. A pair of red gauntlets appeared on Ichigo's hands. Ichigo slammed the gauntlets together. Everyone could hear the loud clang from the gauntlets.
"Let me show you how to punch," Ichigo said as he lunged at Peres. "Ora! Ora! Ora!" Ichigo yelled as he began to rapidly punch Peres with the Battle Booster gauntlets. Everyone in the audience could hear the punches impact Peres's body.
"Boost… Boost." Vermillion whispered as the Battle Booster gained a counter every 10 seconds. Ichigo could feel Peres began to slow down and get weaker.
"Ok Vermillion, time to unleash those counters," Ichigo said.
"Yes Master,"Vermillion said. The green gem on the gauntlet began to shine. Ichigo raised his right hand. Peres could see the number 10 on the green gem.
"Overload." Ichigo and Vermillion said. Ichigo tightened his fist. Peres's eyes widen as the gauntlet began to glow red. Green seals began to appear around the gauntlet. Ichigo suddenly appeared in front of Peres. "Explosion!" Ichigo and Vermillion yelled together as Ichigo punched Peres's face. There was a large explosion obscuring Ichigo and Peres. The dust settled to see Ichigo standing tall. On the ground was the Peres's headless body, leaking golden blood everywhere. Everyone stood shocked at what they say.
"Counter Reset," Vermillion said. Ichigo summoned a schrift. He held it in front of him.
"I, Ichigo Kurosaki, have defeated Peres, the Titan of Destruction," Ichigo said. "I invoke the Rites of Conquest. For defeating Peres, the Titan of Destruction, I lay claim to Peres's divinity and authority." Peres's golden blood began to flow into the schrift. The audience stood there frozen in shock and awe. Soon there wasn't any more golden blood on the ground. Ichigo summoned a ball of hellfire and threw it on Peres's body. Ichigo made sure all remanence of him was destroyed. Ichigo looked up to the red sky.
"Tartarus! Peres is dead!" Ichigo yelled. All around the realm, the ground began to shake. All the audience panicked and quickly evacuated the arena. Some flew away. Some use the shadows. While many used their legs to get themselves out of there. The ground in front of Ichigo split open as Tartarus rose up. He now stood twenty feet tall. Besides that, he looked exactly how Ichigo saw him in the void. He looked down at Ichigo; who calmly stood there.
"Hello, Ichigo." He said. His voice boomed through Tartarus.
"Hello, Tartarus…could you reduce your height?" Ichigo asked. Tartarus shrunk down to Ichigo's height.
"So, you've managed to kill Peres," Tartarus said.
"Indeed," Ichigo replied.
"I, Tartarus the Protogenos of the Abyss, herby acknowledge my debt to Ichigo Kurosaki." Tartarus began. Ichigo pulled out an empty schrift. "In return for Ichigo's action, I grant Ichigo my blessing over the darkness and the Greek Monsters." Jet black energy flowed out of Tartarus and into the schrift. The schrift quickly turned black. "With that, I believe our deal is done," Tartarus said.
"Before you leave, I have two questions for you."
"Go ahead."
"How do I leave?" Ichigo asked.
"You could use the shadows to take you out of Tartarus." He replied. "What's the other question?"
"Can Damasen be freed from Tartarus?" Ichigo asked. Tartarus looked at Ichigo.
"Why?"
"I owe him a debt. He helped me control my monster forms and help me strategize against potential monsters Peres would send out." The darkness around Tartarus's face didn't allow Ichigo to see what he was thinking about.
"Fine then," Tartarus said. "But he cannot be in America."
"I accept," Ichigo said.
"Damasen!" Tartarus yelled. His voice echoed through the realm.
"Hello Father," Damasen said as he walked into the arena. Tartarus ignored Damasen's lack of respect.
"Do you wish to leave my realm?" Tartarus asked. Damasen looked at the Tartarus's obscured face.
"I do," Damasen answered. Tartarus turned to Ichigo.
"Explain what just happened and get yourselves out of my realm," Tartarus said as he disappeared. Damasen looked at Ichigo with confusion.
"I asked Tartarus to give you permission to leave Tartarus."
"And?"
"He allowed it-" Suddenly Damasen hugged him.
"You mean… he allowed me to leave Tartarus?" Damasen asked.
"He did. You just can't be in America." Ichigo said.
"So where will I go?" Damasen wondered.
"Well, you could live with my family in Japan?"
"Really? Would they allow me there?" Ichigo laughed.
"My family is unique. I'm pretty sure you'll fit right in." Ichigo reassured.
"Thank you," Damasen said. Tears began to drip. Ichigo pulled out the trainer. "What is that?" Ichigo explained to Damasen what the Trainer was. "Why are you planning to put me in there?"
"To prevent the Olympians from going crazy and calling me a traitor," Ichigo explained.
"Hm… makes sense." Damasen said. Ichigo pointed the Trainer at Damasen and sent him to the pocket dimension, making sure he was separate from Cottus and Gyges. With that done, Ichigo closed his eyes and entered the shadows, slowly leaving Tartarus.