"Normal Speech"

'Normal Thought'

"Zangetsu Speech"

'Zangetsu Thoughts'

"Juha Bach Speech"

'Juha Bach Speech'

"? Speech"

'? Speech'

Without further ado, enjoy.

X

The Ultimate Betrayal

"Mugetsu (Moonless Night)."

With that single word uttered from his mouth, Ichigo Kurosaki raised his arm swarming with pitch black reiatsu, and slashed down with the blade of reiatsu he had created with his right hand. He solemnly watched as a massive wave of pitch-black reiatsu rose from the ground and went straight towards the former 5th Division captain and currently Hōgyoku-infused Sōsuke Aizen, who was too stunned to do anything, and as a result, was quickly engulfed by the wave of reiatsu. The entire sky seemed to turn black for a couple of seconds as if the day had suddenly turned into a moonless night before it began to change back to its original bright blue with very few clouds.

Without speaking, he slowly then flew down and landed on one of the very few mountains that were not destroyed in their battle, looking at the rocky environment below as the mask he was wearing began to crumble, all its pieces disappearing into the wind as the rest of bandage-like armor began to follow. He knew that his powers were going to leave him soon, but he didn't feel sad or angry or any type of negative emotion.

Instead, he felt an odd calm, being content in that if this was the price to pay when protecting those he cared about, he would gladly do it over and over again. He slowly but surely felt Tensa Zangetsu's and the Inner Hollow's presence fading away. The fused Zanpakutō did warn Ichigo that this was going to happen, and that saddened him a little bit. Even though he did not regret losing his powers, he was going to miss the two individuals who were a part of his journey:

The calm and wise Old Man and/or the equally wise yet slightly aggressive youth who gave him words of wisdom and guided him through many obstacles, and the Inner Hollow who was very annoying, but was a part of him nonetheless.

'Goodbye, Zangetsu.' He thought as he continued to look at the rocky environment below. Hearing no answer from his Zanpakutō, he sighed and was about to turn around and head back to his friends in Karakura Town to make sure they were safe when he heard something, a very faint whisper. Thinking he was imagining things, he lifted himself off the ground and was about to fly to their location, when he heard it again. This time, it was stronger than before, and it kept getting stronger until the hybrid could hear what was being whispered. Two words, that made his mouth curve into a sad smile.

'Goodbye... Ichigo.' And with that, Ichigo felt Tensa Zangetsu completely vanish from his soul. He did not have to reflect on that, however, as a loud "thud" was then heard not far from where he was standing, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. The dust that was momentarily covering the object that caused that noise settled, and it revealed a humanoid white creature that had a Hollow mask fragment on the right of its face, long brown hair, and eyes that were not the same; one was completely white while the other was purple with a white iris and a long, deep wound was stitching itself back to normal.

And this thing was glaring up at him as it tried to stand up.

The long black-haired young man narrowed his blood-red eyes as he realized that Aizen was still alive.

"You're still regenerating?" Ichigo breathed, but he received no response; either Aizen did not hear him or he just didn't want to respond. Nevertheless, Ichigo used Shunpo to go down to the ground and stood a couple of feet away from Aizen, intending to finish him off…only to feel his Shinigami powers disappearing at a rapid pace. His long black hair disappeared and his armor crumbled faster, he fell to his knees, barely holding himself up with his hands as the last of his armor that was on his hands crumbled and disappeared.

'Fuck!' He thought as he tried to stand up, but failed to do so. 'My Shinigami powers... are disappearing.'

"My, oh my, Ichigo-kun." The traitor spoke with some effort as he coughed up blood. "That was a really powerful attack just now, stronger than anything I've ever felt before. Had I not implanted the Hōgyoku in me, I most likely would have died." He rose to his full height and stared down at him, Kyōka Suigetsu in his hand and the Hōgyoku still embedded in his chest. "Unfortunately for you at least, it would appear that you no longer have any Reiryoku left, if only very little. It seems that you 'becoming Getsuga' as you say, has made you lose your Shinigami powers."

He then gestured to his Zanpakutō. Ichigo looked at it and saw that it was crumbling, just like his Mugetsu armor. "My Zanpakutō is disappearing. You know what this means." He calmly spoke as the blade continued to crumble until the guard and the hilt remained. "The Hōgyoku has determined that I no longer need a Zanpakutō!" He yelled with confidence. "I am like you now! I am one with my Zanpakutō and its powers! No! I will reach heights higher than you now that you have lost your powers!"

Ichigo was on the verge of panicking right now. He sometimes might have not been on the smart side, but even he knew that the situation he was in was bad. Damnit! If only he didn't use the Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō so soon! He should have weakened Aizen to the point where the move would kill him instantly. Knowing that there was nothing he could do, he sat there, glaring at the man who caused so much chaos after he got his Shinigami powers.

"IT'S OVER! I HAVE WON! ICHIGO KUROSAKI!"

A red light suddenly erupted from Aizen's chest, shocking both him and Ichigo. Circles of red began appearing across his chest and on his chest down to his stomach creating a T-shape, and Ichigo knew that this was not the next evolution as his opponent's face dictated otherwise.

"What?! What the hell is this?!" Aizen shouted. "A Kidō?! When did you-!?"

"It finally started working, huh?"

Both men turned to look at the source of the voice. Shock, anger, and confusion were shared between the two men as Kisuke Urahara walked up to them and stood beside the boy. He glared at his nemesis. "Kisuke Urahara! This is your doing!"

"It is," Kisuke admitted, removing some hair that had fallen on his face and blocking his view. "This is a special Kidō that I created just for you. I fired that Kidō into you that was stored within another Kidō before your metamorphosis was complete. When you were at your most vulnerable."

"No! That is Impossible!" Aizen exclaimed. "Even if what you say is true, when did you-!"

"Hadō #91: Sēnju Kōten Taihō." The shopkeeper interrupted. "When I unleashed it on you, I hid that special Kidō inside it. A little while back, I began to think to myself; if if, no when, you fused with the Hōgyoku, I knew that it would be nearly impossible to kill you. So I developed this new Kidō to seal you up. The only way it would activate was when you would be weakened exponentially."

The former captain of the 5th Division widened his eyes in shock as he realized what Kosuke was trying to say to him. "You mean..."

"It seems you figured it out. Yes, that is exactly what I mean." Kisuke coldly interrupted. "Luckily for me, the only one who could beat you or fight you to a draw," he glanced at his student. "was Ichigo right here."

There was silence for a few moments. Then, to Ichigo's confusion, Aizen lightly chuckled. "I see. You have truly lived up to your expectations, Kisuke Urahara." He raised his hilt and guard, with a confident smirk on his face. "However, I'm afraid your grand plan has failed. I am about to evolve even further and-"

"Say that again after you properly look at yourself." Kisuke once again interrupted. Confused, the former captain did just that and to his shock, he saw that his pale white skin was crumbling to reveal his normal skin. Furthermore, the Hōgyoku was no longer on his torso. "What's happening to you now is the will of the Hōgyoku," Kisuke explained. "The seal that I fired into you is now taking effect because has been weakened thanks to my prized pupil over there. The Hōgyoku is saying... it no longer recognizes you as its master."

"That's not possible! It is impossible, I tell you!" Red cross-shaped spikes began to erupt from his body. Realizing he lost, he yelled, "Kisuke Urahara! I despise you! With a mind as brilliant as yours, why do you accept the status quo!? Why?! How can you let yourself be controlled by 'that thing'?!" Aizen yelled as he desperately tried to remove the red spikes that kept erupting from his chest with no succession.

Kisuke narrowed his eyes in realization. "That's interesting. 'That thing', huh? You must be talking about the Reiō. So you've also seen it." The light blonde-haired man shook his head. "Here's something that you just don't understand, Aizen. The Reiō is the cornerstone of existence itself. Without that cornerstone, the structure that is existence will be rented asunder. That is simply... the way of the world."

"Preposterous!" Aizen shouted. "That is the reasoning of a loser! Victors must always speak of the way the world should be and not the way it is!"

"If you truly believe that, then I pity you." Kisuke turned his back to him. "Goodbye, Sosuke Aizen." Since he had his back turned against Aizen, he never saw the strange look that the former captain gave the now confused and wary hybrid before he was completely sealed by the Kidō. As Ichigo sat there, he began to wonder about the strange look that Aizen gave him. It looked like...pride, almost. That did not make sense to him. Why would Sōsuke Aizen, a transcendent being who wiped the floor with the most powerful warriors of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads without the Hōgyoku, in his base form, and relentlessly wanting to sacrifice his town for the Ōken, be proud of the guy who stopped his plans?

Silence ensued for a few moments as the men continued to stare at the seal. Kisuke watched as the Substitute Shinigami stood up on his feet and continued to watch the seal. Mr. Hat-n-Clogs walked up to Ichigo and stood next to him.

"Ichigo."

The young man turned to look at his mentor, who had a serious face for once. Ichigo knew the question that he was going to be asked before it was asked.

"Where is the Hōgyoku? It was not embedded in Aizen's chest."

Ichigo looked at the former captain for a few moments before raising his left arm and unclenching his fist, revealing a small blue orb that pulsated in his hand. Moments earlier, it had just appeared in Ichigo's hand.

"It seems like the Hōgyoku has chosen you as its new master." Kisuke half-joked as he, for the first time in a very long time, had no idea what to make of this situation. When the orange-haired young man did not respond, the scientist softly sighed and extended his arm, opening his hand. "Please give it to me so I can destroy it, or seal it if the first option doesn't work. I have to make sure that it is not used for evil ever again."

The orange-haired boy just nodded and Kisuke carefully took the Hōgyoku off Ichigo's hand and put it in his pocket. Kisuke noticed that his student had reverted to looking at the seal that held the man who was responsible for basically all that had happened in his life.

'I'm surprised he hid the truth from you, all the way till the very end.' He thought as the exhausted young man continued to stare at the seal. 'He could have told you at any point in time, but he kept quiet. I wonder why?'

"Forgive me."

The sudden apology made Ichigo turn his attention to the man next to him with confusion and wide eyes. "Why are you apologizing?" He asked in a calm voice devoid of emotion that didn't go unnoticed by the sandy blonde-haired man.

Kisuke seemed to hesitate for a moment, but continued, "I'm apologizing because I am the one responsible for your predicament right now."

"Kisuke-"

"Please, let me finish." Kisuke held up a hand, preventing Ichigo from saying any more. "If I was not so selfish, you wouldn't be involved with the war with Aizen."

To the now powerless Substitute's surprise, the sandy blonde-haired man got on both knees and bowed his head, his hair covering his eyes. "If it wasn't for me, you would still have your powers right now. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't come across death and escape it multiple times, and it is because of me, that you had to fix the mess that I created a hundred years ago. So from the bottom of my heart, I truly am sorry for all that has happened to you." The battlefield became quiet for what seemed to be the longest time as Kisuke waited for Ichigo to speak.

On the other hand, the former Shinigami-Hollow hybrid was blinking multiple times at the sight of the shopkeeper on his knees and asking for forgiveness. Up until this point, he had never thought of the man as the apologetic type, but now seeing Kisuke on the ground stunned him.

'I guess the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover." might be true after all.' He thought.

"Look at me, Hat-n-Clogs." Kisuke did just that and was surprised to see a hand in front of his face. He looked up at Ichigo, only to see a small but sincere smile on his face. "I don't know why you're apologizing to me. Even though the path was chosen for me, I don't regret walking on it. I knew what would happen if I used the Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō, but I did it anyway. I don't regret losing my Shinigami powers, and if given the chance, I would do it again in a heartbeat." His smile grew a little wider. "You have nothing to apologize for, so please stand up."

Kisuke was shocked at the response that he got and stared at Ichigo as if he were a different person but eventually grabbed Ichigo's hand and hoisted himself up. 'I was expecting a rant or a speech about how mad he was about losing his powers, but certainly not that. He continues to surprise me and exceed my expectations.' He inwardly chuckled. 'I wonder what Isshin would think about his son now. Although knowing him, he would probably jump around and yell about how smart and wise Ichigo is now and start demanding grandchildren.'

He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted when they were surrounded by most of the captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads excluding the captain of the Eleventh Division Kenpachi Zaraki, his lieutenant and adopted daughter Yachiru Kusajishi, third Seat Ikkaku Madarame and fifth Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa. Renji, Rukia, Isane, and Sasakibe (who was carrying Yamamoto's cane) had arrived with the captains. The Captain Commander was staring directly in front of him. On his left; First Division Lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe, Eighth Division Captain Shunsui Kyoraku, Thirteenth Division Captain Jushiro Ukitake, Sixth Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, Sixth Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai, Tenth Division Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya, and the Second Division Captain and Commander of the Omnitsukido Shaolin Feng. On his right; Fourth Division Captain Retsu Unohana, Fourth Division Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu, Thirteenth Division Third Seat Rukia Kuchiki, and the Twelfth Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, with the Twelfth Division Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi standing obediently behind him. Ichigo frowned when he saw some of them were seriously injured, particularly Hitsugaya, but he was glad that they were alive, albeit barely.

Captain Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the oldest Shinigami in the Soul Society who surprisingly had one of the most muscular bodies in all of the Soul Society, had scars all over his back and no longer had a left arm thanks to the usage of the forbidden Kidō spell; Hadō #96: Ittō Kasō, looked at the two in front of him, more particularly Ichigo as he felt nothing coming from him. "Ichigo Kurosaki, why do I not feel any spiritual pressure from you?" The old man gruffly asked.

''Ichigo no longer has his powers, Captain Commander," Kisuke answered for him. "He lost them during the battle with Aizen." Upon hearing this, the Captain Commander slowly opened both his eyes.

'Very interesting.' He thought. 'If what Kisuke Urahara says is true, then this is going to make things a lot easier.'

Yamamoto looked at the boy and almost felt pity for what he was about to do, the key word here being almost. At the end of the day, even if it meant killing the man who saved the Sereitei time and time again to preserve the peace and prosperity of the Soul Society while also eliminating a potential threat at the same time, then he would gladly do it, over and over again. He glanced at everyone standing around the boy and all but Rukia Kuchiki Renji Abarai and Mayuri Kurotsuchi glanced back, two being ashamed of what they were about to do and one not caring about any of the events that were about to occur.

They were prepared.

"Kisuke Urahara, you are to return to your shop and work on sealing or destroying the Hōgyoku." The Captain Commander barked with full authority. "Ensure that it must not fall into the wrong hands ever again." Kisuke nodded once and quickly used Shunpō to head back to the shop. Yamamoto then turned his attention back to Ichigo, who had turned his head to look at the seal that held the biggest threat they had ever faced.

"Substitute Shinigami (Death God/Soul Reaper) and protector of Karakura Town Ichigo Kurosaki." He began. "We of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads extend our sincerest gratitude to you. I-"

"No need, Yamamoto." Ichigo interrupted the old Shinigami. Everyone except Yamamoto, his former students Shunsui Kyōraku, Jūshirō Ukitake, and the 6th Division captain Byakuya Kuchiki widened their eyes in shock while the four men just shook their heads.

"There is no need to thank me, Gramps." He continued. 'I'm a protector. It's in my nature to protect those I care about. That's all there is to it. Nothing more, nothing less."

Upon hearing this, everyone except Yamamoto, a bored-looking Kurotsuchi, and a stone-faced Suì-Fēng looked down at the ground or looked somewhere else, something Ichigo immediately noticed, but whether it was from fear or something else entirely, he wasn't able to put a finger on it.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Yamamoto took a deep breath and sighed. Once he did this, there was no turning back. "Alas, young Kurosaki, it seems there is one more threat that must be taken care of."

That statement confused Ichigo, causing him to fully turn around and face the aged captain. He thought that every single Arrancar and rouge Captain that came to the fake Karakura Town was defeated and judging by the fact that Byakuya, Mayuri, and Unohana were right in front of him when they were at Hueco Mundo, it seemed like all the threats had been taken care of over there.

So what or who was the old man talking about?

"Okay, who is it?'' Ichigo asked, thinking that it was an Arrancar that the Gotei 13 could handle. The answer that he received was not only the most unexpected, it also shocked him to his core.

"You."

Before Ichigo could even react, he suddenly felt intense pain all over his body. His eyes widened to the point where it looked like they were going to come out of their sockets when he saw that almost all the captains, excluding the Captain Commander, had stabbed him all around his body and punctured most of his organs. His mind was starting to race at a hundred miles an hour, trying to process what was currently happening.

Slowly, he turned his head to look at the people who didn't participate in this assassination. Unohana and her lieutenant instantly found quite an interest on the ground when they saw that he was looking at them. Captain Hitsugaya, even though he was too injured to move to begin with, refused to make eye contact with him. His eyes finally darted over to Rukia and Renji, the former had tears in her eyes and the latter was looking at him with guilt. The captains removed their zanpakutō from his body and stepped back, letting his body fall as he muttered one word.

"Why?"

Moments after he said that a couple of raindrops hit the ground, then they quickly increased until they all became drenched as a heavy downpour as if the sky itself was crying over this betrayal. Ichigo had always hated the rain because it brought some very bad and painful memories of that day, but he ignored it as he stared at the leader of the Shinigami with wide eyes, still trying to make sense of this entire situation.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," Yamamoto grumbled, "for the safety, peace, and security of the Sereitei and the Soul Society as a whole, we the Thirteen Court Guard Squads have deemed you a potential threat and must be put down." He then looked at a very torn midget who was struggling to hold her tears. "Rukia Kuchiki, as the Third Seat of the 13th Division and the one who is the closest to the boy amongst all of us, it will be you who shall deliver the final strike." The old Shinigami ordered, masterfully ignoring the piercing glares he received from Renji, Byakuya, Ukitake, and surprisingly Unohana.

Rukia looked at the Captain Commander with eyes filled with shock, disbelief, and unshed tears, and immediately looked down when Yamamoto's ancient eyes stared hard at her, daring her to disobey. Out of all the people who were here, why did he choose her, knowing their history together?! Why?! Hell, even Captain Suì-Fēng would do it in an instant and without hesitation! Nonetheless, she hesitantly and painfully unsheathed her zanpakutō and slowly walked towards Ichigo, who was struggling to get to his knees.

"Captain Commander Yamamoto," Unohana spoke in a cold tone, making Kyōraku and Ukitake flinch at the harshness of it. It had been a very long time since they heard that much venom dripping from the otherwise gentle captain. "This was not part of the plan, and you know this as well as I do." A single statement, a single sentence, made the old Shinigami slightly open his eyes and flicked them towards her in the briefest of instances. Yamamoto however continued to ignore her, almost feeling the intense glare that Unohana was giving him and knowing full well that by doing this, he was going to be asked some questions about his last-minute decision very soon.

While this was happening, Ichigo was now looking at everyone he thought would stop the Captain Commander's order with a certain amount of rage and hatred that he never knew he possessed.

Why were they just standing there?

Why were they doing nothing?

Why the fuck were they betraying him in the first place?!

He knew that Kurotsuchi, Suì-Fēng, Ukitake, Kyōraku, and Unohana were loyal to the old man and would follow the orders that they were given, no matter what they were. Those people however were not relevant at the moment. The only person who was relevant to the Shinigami-Hollow hybrid was the one standing in front of him.

Rukia stepped back in alarm when she saw Ichigo stare at him with different emotions fighting within his eyes: rage, shock, horror, disbelief, and confusion. Eventually, only one remained.

Sorrow.

"Rukia. Don't do it. Please." She didn't respond, merely looking at him with the most pained expression on her face and her hands were shaking, causing Sode no Shirayuki to shake. "Don't listen to him. Don't do this to me! Please! You CAN'T do this to me!" His voice then changed into a whisper, "After everything we have been through, are you going to turn your back on me?" he gasped, desperately hoping and praying that this was all a dream, and that he would wake up soon. The pain he felt however was slowly shattering that illusion.

He looked at the Captain and lieutenants of the 6th Division, who continued to look down on the ground. Well, the red-haired man looked down while Byakuya merely closed his eyes.

"Byakuya! Renji! Say something! ANYTHING!" He yelled but regretted it as he immediately began hacking up blood. The tattooed man opened his mouth as if he was going to speak, but then quickly closed it, shaking his head. Byakuya, too, refused to speak and continued to keep his eyes shut, his duty as a captain and a Shinigami battling against his pride and debt that he owed the powerless boy.

Seeing that the man he respected and his supposed 'friend' was not going to do anything, the orange-haired teenager then desperately turned to Yamamoto's former students, hoping that they would stop this madness. "Guys! Talk to him! Don't let him do this to me! TELL HIM! PLEASE!" He pleaded with the older captains, coughing up blood in the process as he felt the weakest he had ever felt in his life.

The gentle captain continued to look down with evident shame written all over his face, clearly against the assassination while Kyōraku lowered his hat to cover his eyes. In a somber and guilty tone, he said, "I'm truly sorry, kid. I am. But Old Man Yama's words are final."

The entire world seemed to stop as Ichigo could not believe what he was seeing and hearing. The same organization that he had saved multiple fucking times had betrayed him. After everything that they had put him through!

Muramasa. He only wanted to reunite with his master, even though he did not need to control all the zanpakutō and his goal proved to be useless when Koga Kuchiki turned his back on him.

The Bount. They were created by the Research and Development Institute and ordered by the Central 46 to be destroyed. It was Soul Society's mess to fix, but he stepped in to help anyway.

The Dark Ones. They wanted revenge against the Soul Society for banishing them to the Precipice World. Again, he stepped in when the fuckers could have solved this by themselves, but part of the reason he did so was because of Senna.

Ulquiorra, Nnoitora and Grimmjow. He fought the three most powerful Espada consecutively within minutes of each other!

Aizen. The man responsible for Rukia getting hurt and the first time he got Shinigami powers the first time they met.

After all of that, all the hell they put him through, after everything he did to protect them, they betrayed him when he was at the most vulnerable. Ichigo turned to see Rukia and was taken aback by what he saw. The tears on her face were no longer there, although it was hard to tell because of the rain. Her expression however was stone-faced, almost perfectly mirroring her adoptive older brother's. She then slowly raised Sode no Shirayuki above her head, looking at Ichigo with ice-cold eyes.

"Goodbye, Ichigo," she said in a tone of finality that eerily reminded the hybrid of the certain noble and sent chills down his spine, although the teen swore he could hear tiny bits of sadness in that tone. He reached forward with his hand, trying to get her to stop.

"Rukia. Please, no."

His efforts were in vain.

"Please forgive me."

And with those three words, she swung, thick crimson liquid flying everywhere as Rukia gave Ichigo two nasty cuts on his torso, creating an X shape. Ichigo looked at the raven-haired woman, then at the scars inflicted by her and shed tears of blood, his brain still processing the fact that the woman he loved had just wounded him. He then saw her feet turn around and walk in the other direction.

"Rukia."

He was met with silence.

"Rukia, look at me."

There was no answer. It seemed as though she was purposefully ignoring him, which once again shattered his heart and pissed him off even more.

"LOOK AT ME, DAMNIT! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! RUKIA!" He coughed up blood again.

Rukia did not look back. It wasn't because she was able to, it was because she refused to. How could she, when she just betrayed the person who had saved her multiple times in the past, the person who was indirectly involved with the reconciliation of her and her brother, and the person who just saved the World of the Living and the Soul Society? It was damn near impossible for her, so she kept on walking back to the place she once stood and once she arrived, she just looked down, tears spilling out and her body shaking slightly as she tried to hold back her sobs.

All while ignoring Ichigo's cries for her to answer him.

He was about to call her name once again and crawl to her, but Captain Suì-Fēng, a petite woman with one arm, two braids that had rings tied at the back, who was the captain of the 2nd Division and the Commander of the Omnitsukidō, appeared in front of him and with swift and great precision, punctured through his throat with the released form of Suzumebashi, having been annoyed that the boy was still alive after seeing the Kuchiki girl deliver slashes that should have been didn't move. He didn't choke on his blood or try to stop the bleeding. He just quietly fell on his face and a pool of blood oozed from where he was injured.

'Finally, the boy dies. Good riddance.' She thought. The captain of the Ōmnitsukido and the 2nd Division had never liked that boy, to begin with. She only tolerated him because they shared the same teacher, her goddess Yoruichi. Now Suì-Fēng was not going to lie, she did have a small amount of begrudging respect for him for all he had done, but that's where the line was drawn. She always wanted Ryoka to be eliminated sooner rather than later before he became an unbeatable threat and turned on them. Suì-Fēng turned around and was about to walk back to her previous spot when she felt something loosely grab her ankle. Stunned, she turned, looked down, and saw Ichigo grabbing her ankle with a bloody hand.

'Impossible! How in the hell did he survive that?' Her shock quickly passed and she narrowed her eyes in anger as the boy clung to life with everything he had. 'He truly is a pain in the ass, but Captain Kuchiki did warn us that the boy would be excruciatingly difficult to get rid of.' She then forcefully removed her foot with a mixture of shock, anger, and disgust evident on her face. While she continued to stare down at him, Captain Commander Yamamoto reached into the pocket of Sasakibe's Haori and pulled out an average amount of Hollow bait, crushing it. Almost instantaneously, numerous Gargantas opened all around him, and many Hollows, mainly Gillian and Adjuchas, made a beeline for the captains and lieutenants down below.

"It is truly saddening to see you like this, my boy," Yamamoto grunted. "On behalf of the Soul Society and the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, we thank you for everything you have done for us." Then they all flash stepped away as the Hollows closed in on them, leaving a defenseless and vulnerable Ichigo alone.

'They... they betrayed me. All of them betrayed me.' Ichigo thought as he stared at the herd of Hollows that was charging towards him. 'After all I've done for them, they betrayed me. Byakuya, Renji... you didn't even try to contest the order. You just stood there and watched. Rukia... after everything we had been through together, why did you do this to me? I thought we were friends, perhaps more! Why, damnit?! Why! Why!? WHY?!'

He clenched his fist with the hand that grabbed Suì-Fēng's ankle. 'Those bastards! After everything I have done for them! They turned their backs on me! I hate them! I hate all those fucking Shinigami! I HATE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS! I WILL KILL THEM ALL! EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!'

He tried to get up and defend himself against the Hollows but it was beyond useless at this point. He had no powers and he was slowly losing consciousness, so there was nothing he could do. Very quickly, he was surrounded by a LOT of Hollows who were looking at him hungrily, waiting to devour him, devour his soul. Knowing he was going to die, he began to think about his friends and family, the last thought being his mother.

'Everyone, seems like I won't be able to protect you guys anymore. Please forgive me.'

An actual tear fell down his face as he stared at the horde of Hollows that were practically racing one another to get to him.

'I'll see you soon. Mom.'

As the Hollows charged towards him, his vision changed and he began to see blackness covering them. Thinking it was because of him losing consciousness, he blinked. If it were not for the huge amount of blood he was losing, his eyes would have widened at the fact that everything he was seeing; the destroyed landscape, the blood, the Hollows; began to be shrouded in a sea of black. Very quickly, he now found himself floating in a black void, staring into the darkness, no light coming in or out. He wanted to investigate his whereabouts and see where the hell he was or why he was here in this pitch-black void, or how the hell did he even get here in the first place, but he quickly found himself in another pitch-black void.

This time, he had fallen unconscious.

XXXXXXXXXX

In the Soul Society, there exists a dimension that the Shinigami were not aware of. A dimension that was created by a race thought to be extinct aside from the few exceptions that resided in the World of the Living, and was currently sitting within the literal shadows of the Soul Society. The thought of being extinct race gave this dimension a special name: Schatten Bereich.

In the dimension, there was a wide, two-tiered building. The bottom tier was supported by six thick columns, while the upper tier was roughly half as wide and long, instead of being held up by pillars; it also featured windows consisting of two thin slats in the wall on either side. The ground below it had a set of stairs leading up to the lower tier, and the entire complex was surrounded by an angular barrier with an octagonal building framed by two gutted, curving, tusk-like structures arching toward each other in front of it, and dwarfed by a large, rectangular tower with a cross on each side rising behind it. The entire area was covered in varying amounts of ice, giving every surface a jagged look with dozens of stalagmites. Surrounding it was an entire city of frozen buildings that were designed in a European style.

This was Silbern.

When someone entered the building, they would find that the rooms within Silbern varied drastically in size and purpose, ranging from spacious assembly halls to training rooms and private quarters. There was one room that was different from the rest. In a dark medium-sized throne room, sitting on a throne was a man. He was tall with a long face, broad chin, and pronounced cheekbones. He had long black hair, reddish-brown eyes with thin eyebrows, and a thick mustache. He also wore a tattered, ankle-length maroon-black cloak, which had a red ribbon near the neck and was fastened to the left with a single large button.

This was the progenitor of the Quincy and the Reiō's son.

Yhwach.

The Kaiser Gesang: The Sealed King of the Quincy. After nine hundred years, he would regain his heartbeat. After ninety years, he would regain his intellect. After nine years, he would regain his strength and after nine days, he would regain the world from the power of all Gemischt Quincy in the world. Right now, he was just shy of 5 years before accomplishing the second to last and final verses. He was currently watching the assassination of Ichigo Kurosaki using devices to watch his enemies, the Shinigami quite literally from the shadows. He didn't know how to feel about the sudden development.

On the one hand, he was genuinely surprised when the assassination occurred as he did not think that the current Thirteen Court Guard Squads would have the gall to do this, weak and soft as they were. On the other hand, he was looking forward to the future, because now he would be able to talk to his 'son borne in the darkness' and perhaps take his power, making it his if the boy was useless down the road. In a way, he was relieved that the Thirteen Court Guard Squads had some of the first generation in them and thankful to them for giving him the ultimate weapon for his goals and the greatest hindrance to his plans.

He looked up at the ceiling as he thought about the very first Gotei 13. The middle-aged-looking man very much respected the very first generation because even though they were known as 'Balancers', they were that in name only. In reality, they were all a bunch of ruthless thugs and killers who would do anything to win, even sacrifice their family members. He then thought about the current captains and frowned slightly. Needless to say, he was very disappointed in them as they were so pathetically weak. He particularly despised the following members:

A prodigy whose power was very immature.

A kind woman who hid her very dark past ridiculously well.

A Shinigami who disowned his entire clan because of his physical appearance.

An old and powerful adversary who sat around and did nothing for so long, he became rusty.

An ignorant and bloodthirsty psychopath who made himself weak so that he could enjoy the fight.

A kind man who was too ill to continue fighting on the front lines and too kind to reprimand his division.

A very intelligent but immoral sadist who uses hollows, Quincy, even his subordinates, to conduct very disturbing and unethical experiments, all in the name of 'science.'

He then turned off the monitor he was watching because he did not need to see what happened when someone got devoured by a Hollow, a herd of them at that, and turned to another one that had a list with a title called the Special War Threats. He decided to change it because of the recent events and a gut feeling that told him to not underestimate his enemies.

The original list was as follows:

Special War Threats

Sōsuke Aizen

(War Power: Reiatsu)

Skills: Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, Kido, Psychological Manipulation.

Zanpakuto: Kyoka Suigetsu (Kido Type). Shikai – Kyoka Suigetsu. Bankai – Unknown.

Information: Tall man. Swept back brown hair with a strand down his face. Wears Arrancar-style clothing. Puts on a disarming and condescending smile. Former Fifth Division Captain. Holds vast amounts of reiryoku. Zanpakuto's name is Kyoka Suigetsu. With it, he can create illusions so strong that can cover all of a spiritual being's five senses. He has mastered all of Shinigami arts. Created the Espada with the completed Hogyoku. Defeated the King of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan Lousenbarn. Calm and collected under intense situations. Companions are Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tousen. Very dangerous psychological manipulator. Controls his subordinates with fear and/or intimidation.

Ichibēi Hyōsube

(War Power: Wisdom)

Skills: Unknown

Zanpakuto: Unknown.

Information: Large and broad individual. Bald head. Red eyes. Bushy eyebrows. Long black beard. Wears the standard Shinigami attire. Wears a large set of red prayer beads around his neck and a pair of single-toothed tengu geta. Oldest pure Shinigami in existence. Takes on a Monk's visage. Wisest of all the Shinigami and holds vast knowledge of all things in the universe. Took part in the Original Sin a million years ago. Leader of the Royal Guard. Resides in the Royal Dimension. Sealed His Majesty's Almighty with little to no effort.

Ichigo Kurosaki

(War Power: Latent Abilities)

Skills: Zanjutsu, Karate, Hakuda, Hoho

Zanpakuto: Zangetsu. Bankai - Tensa Zangetsu.

Information: Tall boy. Spiky orange hair. Wears a permanent scowl on his face. Has an appearance similar to the late Thirteen Division Lieutenant Kaien Shiba. The most natural blend of Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy. Father is Isshin Shiba, a powerful Shinigami, and mother was Masaki Kurosaki, once the most powerful Quincy in the World of the Living. Values his family and friends and will stop at nothing to protect them. Though he has a keen intellect, he is known to be dense at times, especially around women. Impatient and often quick to anger. Gained Bankai within two and a half days thanks to Kisuke Urahara. Defeated Ikkaku Madarame and Kenpachi Zaraki with only Shikai. Defeated Byakuya Kuchiki in his Bankai. Was instrumental in the victories over the Bounts, The Dark Ones, and Koga Kuchiki and Muramasa.

Kisuke Urahara

(War Power: Resourcefulness)

Skills: Zanjutsu, Hakudo, Hoho, Kido, Unrivalled intellect, Psychological Manipulation

Zanpakuto: Benihime. Bankai – Unknown.

Information: Sandy has blonde hair. Wears a green and white bucket hat and cloak. Extremely laidback and eccentric to throw his enemies off guard. Former Twelfth Division Captain. Former Omnitsukido member and security guard. Creator of the original Hogyoku. Smartest man alive, being rivaled by Sosuke Aizen, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and Szayelapporo Granz combined. Created the beings known as the Vizards. Saved Masaki Kurosaki after she was infected by the Hollow White's reiatsu. Companions are Yoruichi Shihoin, Tessai Tsukabishi. Ururu Tsumugiya and Jinta Hanakari. Created the three-day Bankai technique and was the first one to complete it.

Kenpachi Zaraki

(War Power: Combat Prowess)

Skills: Zanjutsu & Hakuda

Zanpakuto: None.

Information: Very tall. Wears an eyepatch on his right eye. Carries an Asauchi he took from a dead Shinigami. He has bells attached to the ends of the spikes in his hair. Eleventh Division Captain. The eleventh man to hold the title of Kenpachi. Doesn't have a Shikai or Bankai. Loves battle. Has huge amounts of his reiatsu being sealed by an eyepatch. Made himself weak to enjoy his battles. Companion is Yachiru Kusajishi, Eleventh Division Captain Lieutenant. Distinguishing features are tall and very broad and muscular, with spiky hair that has bells attached to the ends. Defeated the previous Kenpachi with a single swing.

The list now looked like this:

Sōsuke Aizen

(War Power: Reiatsu)

Skills: Kido, Zanjutsu, Hoho, Hakuda

Zanpakuto: Kyoka Suigetsu. Bankai: Unknown

Information: Held vast amounts of reiryoku. Zanpakuto's name is Kyoka Suigetsu. With it, he can create illusions so strong that can cover all of a spiritual being's five senses. Fused with his Zanpakuto, it is believed he can create illusions without a single gesture. Now fused with the Hogyoku, he is now a transcendent being with immeasurable reiryoku & reiatsu. Immortal. Going to be kept in the Great Underground Prison beneath the First Division Barracks. Calm and collected under intense situations. All but the Schuzstaffel must avoid at all costs.

Ichibēi Hyōsube

(War Power: Wisdom)

Skills: Unknown

Zanpakuto: Unknown

Information: Large and broad individual. Bald head. Red eyes. Bushy eyebrows. Long black beard. Wears the standard Shinigami attire. Wears a large set of red prayer beads around his neck and a pair of single-toothed tengu geta. Oldest pure Shinigami in existence. Takes on a Monk's visage. Wisest of all the Shinigami and holds vast knowledge of all things in the universe. Took part in the Original Sin a million years ago. Leader of the Royal Guard. Resides in the Royal Dimension. Zanpakuto is unknown. Bankai is unknown. Only His Majesty is allowed to face him.

Tessai Tsukabishi

(War Power: Kidō)

Skills: Kido, Hoho, Hakuda

Zanpakuto: Unknown

Former Commander of the Kido Corporation. Arguably the best Kido user in the entirety of the Soul Society. She was banished from the Soul Society due to being framed by Sosuke Aizen for implanting Hollows inside the souls of Shinji Hirako, Kensei Muguruma, Rojuro Otoribashi, Love Aikawa, Lisa Yadomaru, Hiyori Sarugaki, Mashiro Kuna and Hachigen Ushoda. Resides in the Urahara Shoten.

Yoruichi Shihōin

(War Power: Speed)

Skills: Hakuda, Hoho, Kido

Zanpakuto: Unknown

Information: Twenty-second head of the Shihoin clan. Distinguishing features: female, purple hair, dark skin, Cheshire grin, and golden yellow eyes. Can transform into a black cat to blend in with society. She tends to taunt and make fun of her opponents. Nickname is the Goddess of Flash. Unmatched in Hakuda and Hoho, the second being her student, Shaolin Feng.

Kisuke Urahara

(War Power: Resourcefulness)

Skills: Zanjutsu, Hoho, Kido, Hakuda, Unrivaled Intellect, Psychological Manipulation

Zanpakuto: Benihime. Bankai: Unknown

Information: Sandy blonde hair. Wears a green and white bucket hat and cloak. Extremely laidback and eccentric to throw his enemies off guard. Former Twelfth Division Captain. Former Omnitsukido member and security guard. Creator of the original Hogyoku. Smartest man alive, being rivaled by Sosuke Aizen, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and Szayelapporo Granz combined. Created the beings known as the Vizards. Saved Masaki Kurosaki after she was infected by the Hollow White's reiatsu. Companions are Yoruichi Shihoin, Tessai Tsukabishi. Ururu Tsumugiya and Jinta Hanakari. Created the three-day Bankai technique and was the first one to complete it.

Kenpachi Zaraki

(War Power: Combat Prowess)

Eleventh Division Captain. The eleventh man to hold the title of Kenpachi. Doesn't have a Shikai or Bankai. Loves battle. Has huge amounts of his reiatsu being sealed by an eyepatch. He made himself weak to enjoy his battles. Companion is Yachiru Kusajishi, Eleventh Division Captain Lieutenant. Distinguishing features are tall and very broad and muscular, with spiky hair that has bells attached to the ends. Defeated the 10th Kenpachi, Kenpachi Kiganjo, with a single swing.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto

(War Power: Offensive Strength)

Skills: Hakuda, Zanjutsu, Hoho, Kido

Zanpakuto: Ryujin Jakka. Bankai: Zanka no Tachi

Information: Very old man. Bald head. Long white beard. Captain of the First Division and Captain Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Has not been defeated in a thousand years and defeated His Majesty with the help of his lieutenant, Chojiro Sasakibe.

The moment he finished updating the list, the door and in walked a tall, young-looking man with a thin build and long blonde hair, which descended past his shoulders, and blonde attire was a variation of the typical white uniform, consisting of the order's signature hooded-cloak, a calf-length trench coat commensurate of his rank with dark green fur running down from his left collar to the front of the coat, a green belt with a golden belt buckle, along with white trousers and shoes. This was the second-in-command of the Wandenreich and Yhwach's 'other half.'

Jugram Haschwalth.

Haschwalth bowed his head upon reaching the throne.

"Your Majesty."

"Haschwalth." The elder grunted. "I have updated the list of the Special War Powers. Memorize the list and tell the other Sternritter."

"Has the boy arrived?" Yhwach spoke as Haschwalth walked over to the monitor to memorize the new list.

"Yes, Your Majesty. However, I fear that he has lost too much blood and therefore won't be waking up any time soon." The blonde man monotoned.

"It matters not."

"Your Majesty?"

The Quincy King's smirk only grew. "It matters not." He repeated. "If the doctors are unable to save his life, there are a few Sternritters who can do so with my command. Once he is fully recovered, bring him to me immediately."

Haschwalth opened his mouth to say something when it suddenly clicked. Indeed there were a few Sternritters who could save his life, and one's imagination could make it seem like it never happened. Haschwalth bowed and went to do his task while Yhwach shifted his attention to the two girls who were sleeping in that woman's home.

'Soon.'

X

Ichigo couldn't breathe.

He had no idea where he was or why he was there. As of that moment, all that mattered to him was getting air into his lungs, and he wasn't able to do that. He tried opening his eyes, but it was as if they were glued shut. He tried yelling but no voice was coming out, not even a whimper. He tried to move his body, but no matter what he did, his body felt like a brick wall and couldn't move an inch. He began to panic, which in turn only made his situation worse.

He couldn't breathe.

He opened his eyes in a panic and sat up, mind moving at a hundred miles per hour. He was breathing heavily so he took deep breaths, eventually calming himself down to think clearly. The first thing he did was look at what he was sitting on. He was a little surprised to see a very big king-sized bed with white sheets that were stained with blood. He also found it to be quite comfortable.

His eyes rose upwards and quickly scanned around. He saw that he was in a dark room that was fairly large and dimly lit with blue flames that were fixed on small pillars. Upon looking closely around the room, he saw that the only furniture in the room was a wardrobe, a small table, a chair, the king-sized bed he was sitting on, and the pile of clothes at the far end of the room.

"You're finally awake." A female voice that was dripping with boredom echoed from behind him.

The teenager turned and struck at the air behind him, only to find nothing there.

"Down here, idiot."

He blinked and looked down and saw a girl who had blonde hair, a white military uniform that vaguely reminded him of Ishida for some reason, and eating a lollipop staring up at him with purple eyes. It was silence for a few moments before the girl averted her gaze and looked at Ichigo's waist. She tilted her head to the side.

"So you weren't overcompensating with that ridiculous sword after all." She watched with hidden amusement as he screamed and backed away from her, almost tripping and falling on his head. "Took you long enough."

"What do you mean it took me long enough?!" He shouted as he put his hands on his penis. "Where am I? Who the hell are you?!"

"You are asking the wrong person those questions." A voice monotoned as a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes entered the room. Ichigo quickly noticed the girl backing away and he began to suspect that this man was important in... wherever he was.

"There is no doubt in my mind that you have many questions circulating in your head." The blonde man continued. "Who are we? Why are you in this room? How come you are already fully healed even though you suffered fatal injuries?"

Ichigo, upon hearing the last question, immediately looked at himself and saw, to his surprise and relief, that all of the injuries he sustained at the hands of the Gotei 13 were gone. That hadn't been one of the questions currently buzzing in his mind, but now he got the answer as to why he no longer felt any pain.

"There are a bunch of fresh clothes in there." The girl gestured to the wardrobe.

"When you are finished, Lamperd will accompany you to His Majesty's Chambers." Finished with saying his piece, the blonde man simply turned and walked out of the room. The hybrid turned to look at the girl, who was now eating a bag of chips that appeared out of nowhere.

"Lamperd?"

"Lamperd is my surname. My full name is Liltotto Lamperd." She monotoned. "Sternritter G of the Wandenreich."

Ichigo was confused. "Sternritter? Wandenreich? What are those?"

"His Majesty will probably explain everything to you. Now hurry up and dress before the other girls see you like this." She spoke and continued to eat her bag of chips. Wondering who 'His Majesty' was, he went to the wardrobe and opened it. Inside were a bunch of white cloaks, shirts, trousers, and boots. Even underwear.

"Why is everything white?" He deadpanned. Receiving no response, he rolled his eyes and quickly got dressed. He was not going to wear the cloak, but something told him that it would be a wise idea to do so. After he finished, he turned and saw Liltotto eating an even bigger bag of chips.

"Where did you even get them?" Ichigo asked as he pointed at the chips.

"You're done. Good." She spoke, purposefully ignoring his question. "Let's go while all the others are still asleep." She suddenly grabbed his arm and damn near dragged him out of the room and across the entire building. As he was being unceremoniously dragged by this girl, he began to look at his surroundings. He noticed that almost all of the windows were way too high to look outside, you had to create a reishi platform and go up to look outside. The interior of the building was grey and the hallways were long and wide enough for entire rows of people. Ichigo's curiosity about this place was slowly growing inch by inch. The color of the walls reminded him of the Seki-Seki wall that surrounded the Sereitei. Suddenly feeling homicidal, he quickly and forcefully pushed to the very depth of his mind and took a good amount of deep breaths, missing the glance by Liltotto.

They finally arrived at a room with double doors where the blonde man was standing outside, patiently waiting for them.

"Your services are no longer required, Lamperd. You may leave." The man monotoned as soon as they reached him. As Liltotto was leaving, he turned to look at Ichigo, who was staring at him as if he was trying to figure out something. "Behind these doors sits His Majesty. He has been waiting for you for quite a while. However, I leave you with this warning," he narrowed his blue eyes, "I know that you tend to not address others with respect, but don't do that with His Majesty. He will kill you without a second thought."

Haschwalth was lying. He knew that His Majesty viewed the boy as a valuable asset and he would not harm him for the foreseeable future, but what Ichigo Kurosaki didn't know couldn't hurt him, right?

After a few tense moments, Ichigo nodded. They had been watching him? For how long, and more importantly, why? His gut feeling told him he was about to find out.

With his nod, Haschwalth pushed open the doors and led him toward a man sitting in the middle of the room. As they got closer and closer, Ichigo's eyes got wider and wider as he recognized who this man was. By the time he reached him and the blonde man went to stand at his side, his eyes were damn near bulging out of their sockets.

The cloak might have been different and the mustache might have grown, he didn't see any dark sunglasses, but that didn't change the fact that he knew who this man was.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." The man grunted with a slight smile.

Even his voice was the same.

"Welcome to the Wandenreich, my son borne in the darkness."

While he was speaking, Ichigo only had one thought in his mind.

"Old Man Zangetsu!?"