Ichigo wants to say something to them but before he can say anything to them, he sees a man that was with the group separate himself and walk toward his dad.
"We have two choices either we train them or we join in the war." the silver-haired man says to his dad.
"Hold on let me try to say something." Ichigo hears his dad say to the man before he lets go of Karin's hand and draws the sword that was given to him by the players.
He watches as his dad concentrates on the sword before the wind around them begins to blow, he watches as the sword that his dad is holding begins to shine before it changes form.
'What?" Ichigo asks himself but before anyone can answer him, he sees that the gray armor that his dad is wearing had changed color, it's now completely black but on his left side is what remains of a torn white cape.
"Dad?" Yuzu says to their dad with fear in her voice.
Ichigo can feel himself filling with dread as he sees the pain-filled expression on his dad's face.
"How is the military of Aincrad structured?" his dad asks someone that they can't see.
"Aincrad is ruled by Lady Radius, the queen of the one hundred floors\ worlds."
"Beneath her are the guardians of each world or floor guards that make sure that those that wish to enter each world are strong enough to survive."
"All beast men or monsters answer to the floor guards."
"The Guild Leaders stand equal to the floor guards, for it is the Guilds that train and maintain order amongst the Humans." a voice that came from his dad's help screen answered his dad's question.
"Dad." Karin says to their dad as she begins to cry, as she begins to realize what their dad is planning to do.
'Dad!" both Yuzu and Karin grab their dad's leg and hand as they try to get him to answer them, but their dad just looks at the sword in his hands.
"What will happen to us if the players win the war?" his dad asks the help screen.
"There are two options. The first is that all of you can remain within Aincrad and restart your lives here, the second is returning to where you came from." the same voice from before answered his dad.
Ichigo watches as his dad stares at the word that begins to glow again and seems to be growing in power "...Ichigo." his dad says to him and Ichigo can see that his dad is struggling t say what he wants to say.
"I won't be able to protect them, it's up to you to keep your sisters alive."
"Uryū and that girl that gave you those powers will teach you how to use those powers, it's up to all of you to get stronger on your own."
"Let's go Ryūken." his dad says to the silver-haired man whose armor is starting to glow, as the two of them walk away, Ichigo sees that the man's gray armor is now a pure white and the man now has a white cape that has a blue cross painted on it.
"Dad!"
"Don't leave us!" Yuzu and Karin beg their dad not to abandon them and Ichigo is about to run after his dad and force him to stay but before he can do it Rukia stops him.
"Ichigo, let him go."
"You saw that he knows how to control the powers that were given to him, maybe that means that he had some before, but your dad is doing this to buy you and your sisters time." Rukia says to him and Ichigo can't help but hugs his sisters when they run to him and cry in his arms.
"Ichigo feels his hand becoming hot again and he tries to see what's happening this time he sees that a countdown has started.
The countdown changes to an image of what's happening outside, and Ichigo can't help but widen his eyes in horror.
When he was captured and held prisoner by the hollows there were maybe a couple of thousand hollows, but now there were so many hollows that he couldn't see the white sand of the desert anymore.
Unfortunately, the bad news didn't end there, he could see more and more hollows arriving and they didn't seem to end as he could see even more in the distance.
The videos that the help screen showed him changed again and he could see the outside of the castle was now covered with canons and several different kinds of shields were placed around the castle.
He was forced to look up as the ground beneath him shook and his sisters screamed before forcing themselves to become quiet as an army of monsters.
The gravity of the situation finally set in, and Ichigo understood that there was no escape from this, he believed that maybe if he figured out how to beat the old man that said that he was the king of this world then he could save everyone.
Now he knew that the way that he was now, it was impossible for him to do so.
He tried to order his help screen to do something without him having to say it out loud and he couldn't help but feel relieved when it did what he wanted it to, it showed him a safe place where he and his sisters could hide.
"Let's go find a town," he says to Yuzu and Karin who don't say anything as he leads them to the town of beginnings.