To all of you Merry Christmas. As it is the time of giving people gifts… I'm here to give my wonderful readers … another chapter! Hope you all enjoy it. Thank you Waroyer123 for your continued support.
The following is a fan-based parody.
Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo, TV Tokyo, Viz Media, and Studio Pierrot.
All other ideas belong to their original sources. Please support the official release.
"Hello." – Normal talking.
"Hello." – Normal thoughts.
"Hello." – Zanpakutō speaking.
"Hello." – Zanpakutō thoughts.
Opening Scene: Ichigo's Estate End of Chapter 95
(Ichigo spent nine months this universe's amount of time in Universe 1041999)
Ichigo appeared in his office. He sighed in relief, glad to be home. Ichigo looked at the white stick in his hand, which transformed into a letter.
"Good job on solving that mess. We are aware that you have an unused return stick from Universe 199999 (MCU). When you break that extra return stick during your mission, you will automatically teleport back to the mission universe after 48 hours have passed in your home universe." The letter turned to ash and disappeared.
"That's a nice thing for Death to do," Ichigo thought as he sat down in his office chair. "I should ask Akasha for an update about the situation." As he glanced at his desk, he noticed a sheet of paper addressed to him. Ichigo took the sheet of paper and opened it.
"Hello Ichigo-sama, this is Sakuya. If you are reading this letter, then you must immediately head to the large conference hall. All the mistresses are there about to give birth. Good luck Ichigo-sama. Regards, Sakuya Izayoi." Ichigo stood up.
"Wait… How long have I been gone?" Ichigo thought as he stood up. Suddenly, Kyōka appeared and held his hand.
"Before you rush out, you still have the refugees from the previous universe to deal with," Kyōka reminded him.
"Thank you," Ichigo said as he released everyone from Haō Zaimushō. Kaguya, Hinata, Tenten, Chino, Setsura, Guren, and Yugito looked around them. "I unfortunately have an immediate matter to attend to," Ichigo said. "Kyōka will take care of you in the meantime."
"What happened, Sensei?" Hinata asked.
"My fiancées are about to give birth," Ichigo answered as he shunpō'ed out of his office. He arrived outside the large conference hall. Ichigo opened the door and was greeted by Sakuya, who was tending to Akasha, who lay on a bed. The bedsheet emphasized her pregnant stomach. Her legs were raised.
"Welcome back, Ichigo-sama," Sakuya said.
"Thank you, Sakuya," Ichigo replied. "Can I step in?"
"Of course. It is better for you to be here," Sakuya replied. Ichigo walked over to Akasha's side.
"I-Ichigo," Akasha said. She grabbed his arm and pulled it over to her mouth. She licked it before biting down, and blood dripped from his arm into her mouth. She began to suck on it as if she were dying of thirst. Ichigo walked closer to her, adjusting his position to make it easier for her to suck his blood. Akasha finally let go of his arm after a minute of nonstop drinking. "Thank you," she said.
"No problem, my dear," Ichigo replied as he kissed her on the lips. He could taste the metallic flavor of his blood on her lips.
"Akasha-sama, I think it is time," Sakuya said. Akasha held Ichigo's arm as she began to give birth to her second child. The room was filled with Akasha's screams of pain. Akasha finally stopped screaming as the room was filled with someone else crying. Sakuya quickly washed the baby and wrapped her in a clean white towel.
"Congratulations, Ichigo-sama and Akasha-sama, on your new baby girl." Ichigo looked to see a baby girl with light orange hair. She opened her eyes to reveal a darker shade of green.
"What do you want to name her?" Ichigo asked.
"Hm… Can I continue with the coffee theme?" Akasha asked.
"Sure," Ichigo replied.
"What about Cinna from Cinnamon?" Akasha asked.
"Sure," Ichigo replied.
"Cinna Bloodriver Kurosaki," Akasha said. Suddenly, Saeko rushed over to Ichigo.
"Apologies, Ichigo-sama, but it appears that Artoria-sama is about to give birth," Saeko said. Before Ichigo could reply, he heard someone running.
"So is Gilgamesh-sama," Yuri Alpha said in a tired voice. Ichigo handed Cinna back to Akasha.
"I will be there for all their births," Ichigo said as he activated Schrift C: The Chrónou Árchonta. "Stand before Creation. Fall after The End. Chrónou Génesi." Ichigo looked at the maids. "I will go to Artoria first and then Gilgamesh later." All three maids nodded their heads. "Have a maid stand by each of the beds, ready to help with the pregnancy," Ichigo said as he followed Saeko to Artoria's bed. "Tetraplásio Chrónou Epitachýno [Quadruple Time Accelerate," Ichigo cast. Ichigo walked over to Artoria's side. Artoria looked at Ichigo with her golden eyes. She grasped Ichigo's hand and began to scream in pain as she pushed her baby out. Ichigo activated Schrift P: The Planter and poured life energy into Artoria. After a few minutes, Artoria stopped screaming as the life energy began to heal her. Saeko cleaned the baby and wrapped her in a blanket before handing her over to Artoria. Ichigo could see the baby had light skin, blond hair, and green eyes.
"Congratulations, Ichigo-sama and Artoria-sama, on your baby girl," Saeko said.
"Did you think of a name?" Ichigo asked.
"I did," Artoria replied. "If it was a son, I would've named him after Sir Kay."
"And if the baby was a girl?" Ichigo asked.
"Gwendolyn, in honor of the woman who agreed to marry me to continue the façade of me being a man," Artoria replied. "She will be the heir to the throne."
"Gwendolyn Pendragon," Ichigo repeated.
"Don't forget the Kurosaki as the middle name," Artoria added.
"Gwendolyn Kurosaki Pendragon," Ichigo said as he accepted the name.
"Artoria-sama, for now, please rest," Saeko said as she took Gwendolyn from them. Ichigo deactivated Tetraplásio Chrónou Epitachýno.
Ichigo rushed over to Gilgamesh. He activated Tetraplásio Chrónou Epitachýno and Schrift P: The Planter. Gilgamesh gave birth to a baby girl with light skin, light orange hair, and reddish-brown eyes. Gilgamesh named her Siduri Uruk Kurosaki, in honor of her chief priestess throughout her rule as king of Uruk. After Gilgamesh was Yasaka. Standing beside her was Kunou.
"Yasaka, I remember you telling me that you were pregnant with Kunou for nearly two years," Ichigo said upon seeing her.
"I know," Yasaka said. "But our daughter decided otherwise!" Yasaka gave birth to another girl. She had light skin, brown eyes, golden-orange hair, and fox ears.
"She looks so cute!" Kunou said.
"She looks exactly like you when you were born," Yasaka said as Ichigo's life energy restored her energy.
"What's her name?" Ichigo asked.
"Hinode [Sunrise] Kurosaki," Yasaka said. After Yasaka was Eu.
Eu gave birth to a baby girl with pale skin, greyish-silver hair, and teal eyes. She named her Eula Hellscythe Kurosaki. After Eu was Tier, who also gave birth to a baby girl. She had dark skin, like her mother, golden-orange hair, and brown eyes. She named her Tia Kurosaki Harribel, in honor of her younger sister. After Tier was Scáthach. She gave birth to a daughter with light skin and matching reddish-violet hair and eyes. Scáthach named her Caitlín Kurosaki.
After her was Minamoto no Raikou. She was one of the ones most excited about being a mother. She gave birth to a young girl who looked exactly like her. She had light skin and matching violet hair and eyes. She named her daughter Yozora [Night Sky] Minamoto Kurosaki. After her was Nel. She too gave birth to a daughter. She had light skin, turquoise hair, and brown eyes. Nel named her Valkyria Kurosaki. After Nel was EMIYA Rin. Just like the rest of her fellow peerage members, she gave birth to a daughter. She had light skin, black hair, and lavender eyes. Rin named her Shinobu. After her was Jeanne d'Arc Alter. Her daughter had pale skin, brown eyes, and silver hair. Her name is Laura d'Arc Kurosaki. After Jeanne d'Arc Alter was Kahlua. Her daughter was dark-skinned with dark blonde hair, like her mother but with brown hair. Her name was Caramello [Caramel in Spanish/Italian] Kurosaki.
After Kahlua was Akua. Her daughter was pale with black hair and amber eyes. Akua named her Jasmine, in honor of her best friend. Karin was next. She gave birth to a light-skinned girl with orangey-brown hair and hazel eyes. She named her Asuna. After Karin was Moka. Elizabeth stood beside her and watched as Moka gave birth to her baby sister. Elizabeth's sister was light-skinned like her with light orange hair and dark green eyes. Moka named her Amaya [Night Rain] Akashiya Kurosaki. Jeanne d'Arc was the next one. Her daughter had fair skin, dark blonde hair, and brown eyes. Her name is Isabelle d'Arc Kurosaki, in honor of Jeanne's mother, Isabelle Romée.
After her was Tamamo-no-mai. Her daughter had light skin, hazel eyes, matching darker pink hair, and fox ears. Her name is Yōkū [Sunny Day] Kurosaki. Yuzu was the next one after Tamamo. Her daughter looked exactly like Ichigo, with orange hair and brown eyes. Her name is Anzu [Apricot] Kurosaki. After her was Fleur. Beside her was Gabrielle, her sister. Fleur gave birth to a baby girl. According to Gabrielle, all Veela are born girls. There has never been a boy Veela. She had strawberry-blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Fleur named her Rosalie Kurosaki Delacour, as she will be the heir to the Delacour.
After Fleur was Sabrina. Standing beside her was Ace. Ichigo could tell Ace was concerned about Sabrina. Ichigo comforted Ace as Sabrina grunted in pain while giving birth to a baby girl. She resembled Sabrina, matching her skin tone, black hair, and purple eyes. Sabrina named her Natsume [Summer Rain] Kurosaki. After that was Hana. Her daughter had light skin, burnt orange hair, and brown eyes. Hana named her Noeul [Sunset Glow] Song Kurosaki. Lastly was Zealot. She gave birth to a girl with pale skin, black hair, and golden eyes. She allowed Ichigo to name her. Ichigo decided on Leila [Night Beauty in Arabic] Kurosaki.
Ichigo finally deactivated Schrift C: The Chrónou Árchonta and Schrift P: The Planter. He silently left the converted hospital and returned to his office, where Kyōka was standing, waiting for him.
"Hello, Ichigo. How did it go?" Kyōka asked.
"Good," Ichigo admitted. "But, strangely, all my kids are girls," Ichigo added.
"The probability of that is mathematically extremely low," Kyōka replied.
"So how did it go with Kaguya and my students?" Ichigo asked.
"Kaguya is currently meditating in her room, waiting for you to tell her where she will be living with her clan members," Kyōka reported. "As for your students, they are currently resting in their rooms. They finally had a moment to rest after the war."
"Indeed," Ichigo replied. Suddenly, he heard a knock on his door. "Come in." The door opened as Akasha entered the room.
"Hello, Ichigo," she greeted him.
"Akasha, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?" Ichigo asked.
"No need to worry about that. Your blood helped restore most of my energy," Akasha replied as she handed Ichigo a stack of reports. "Please take a look at this." Ichigo took the reports and read them.
"I assume the order of the reports indicates the order in which you want me to deal with them?" Ichigo asked.
"Correct," Akasha replied.
"Okay," Ichigo said as he folded the reports. Ichigo swiped his hand down, opened a garganta, and left the estate.
Scene Change: Héxié Lóngdǎo: Dìguó Zhuāngyuán [Harmony Dragon Island: Imperial Estate]
Ichigo stepped out of the Garganta to arrive at a small office. The office was decorated with basic amenities including an office desk, chairs, and a bed. Ichigo heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," Ichigo said. The door opened, and he saw a woman with long red hair enter the room. She wore a fusion of a cheongsam and a traditional European maid outfit. The outfit consisted of a primary white long-sleeved cheongsam with two Chinese-styled knot buttons around the short, upright collar that stood up straight around the neck. Over the cheongsam was a red apron tied around her waist and extending down to the knees. The apron was adorned with intricate embroidery and decorative trim, depicting floral patterns. She wore white stockings, a red garter, and white short heels.
"Welcome back, Huángdì [Emperor," the maid said as she bowed ninety degrees at him.
"Hello, Hongyu [Red Jade," Ichigo replied to the maid. The maid rose up.
"Huángdì, are you here to investigate the invaders?" Chyong asked.
"I am," Ichigo replied.
"Jiějiě Daiyu [Older Sister Black Jade] should have the reports from the Wǔ Kē Shǒuhù Xīng [Five Guardian Stars," Hongyu said. "Do you want anything to drink?"
"Just some tea," Ichigo replied. Hongyu nodded her head before she walked to the door. She bowed one more time before leaving the room.
"Do you guys have any ideas who could be the invaders?" Ichigo asked.
"I have an idea," Kisara said.
"I think I know whom you want to suggest," Valiona interjected.
"Those dragon breeders," they said together.
"Who are they, again?" Ichigo asked.
"They were the ones who wanted to kidnap you and your sisters," Yhwach reminded him.
"Oh, them," Ichigo said, finally remembering them. Ichigo heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," Ichigo said. The door slid open as another woman entered the room. She had long black hair. She wore a similar outfit to Hongyu, but the white long-sleeved cheongsam was replaced with a black long-sleeved cheongsam. All the red that was on Hongyu was replaced with silver. The maid carried a stack of papers with her.
"Welcome back, Huángdì," the maid said as she bowed to Ichigo.
"Hello, Daiyu," Ichigo replied. Daiyu entered the room. Behind her was Hongyu, who carried a tray with a pot of tea and three cups. Hongyu placed the tray down. "Sit," Ichigo said. Daiyu gracefully sat down in the chair. Hongyu carefully filled the cups with hot tea. Afterward, she gracefully grabbed one cup of tea and offered it to Ichigo.
"For you, Huángdì," Hongyu offered.
"Thank you," Ichigo said as he accepted the tea from her. Hongyu grabbed the next cup of tea and offered it to her sister.
"Thank you mèimèi [younger sister," Daiyu said as she accepted the tea. Hongyu bowed to them before leaving the room.
"So, what did you find out from the Wǔ Kē Shǒuhù Xīng?" Ichigo asked.
"According to reports from the Wǔ Kē Shǒuhù Xīng, these invaders appear to be riding what resembles Fire Dragons," Daiyu began. "On top of these dragons were human invaders. The human invaders possessed weapons that were able to harm us." Ichigo nodded his head and remembered reading about that from the report. "The attacks come from the southern portion of Héxié Lóngdǎo."
"How did the invaders act?" Ichigo asked.
"They operated in two groups. One group would do the actual fighting against us. The other group would swarm around the weakened dragon and use some kind of poison to drug the dragon asleep before taking them away." Daiyu replied.
"Was there anything else missing?" Ichigo asked.
"The Wood Dragon King reported that a few of his stores selling life energy pills were destroyed in the raid," Daiyu added.
"I see…" Ichigo said. "Hearing this confirms my suspicions."
"Huángdì, you know about these invaders?" Daiyu asked.
"I do," Ichigo said as he finished his cup of tea. "I've encountered them before."
Ichigo stood up. "Take care of the house while I deal with them," Ichigo said.
"Yes, my Huángdì," Daiyu said as she quickly stood up and bowed to Ichigo. Ichigo shunpō'ed away.
Scene Change: Southern Héxié Lóngdǎo
Ichigo arrived to see that most of the surrounding area was destroyed from the recent raid. Ichigo could see the local survivors beginning to repair the area. The metal dragons began to gather the bent metal and began to reshape it. The wood dragons began to heal the injured dragons. The earth dragons began to repair the damage around the environment. The fire and water dragons helped around wherever they could. It didn't take long for one of the dragons to notice Ichigo. They bowed to him. Quickly they stopped what they were doing and bowed to Ichigo.
"Ok everyone," Ichigo said. "Go back to work. Whoever is the leader of this area, please come see me." All the dragons bowed to Ichigo and most of them left, leaving one metal dragon behind.
"Greeting Huángdì. I am Tiěpí [Ironhide," a metal dragon said as he bowed to Ichigo again.
"Tiěpí, how are your people doing?" Ichigo asked.
"Angry," Tiěpí admitted. "Many of us hate being on the defensive against those savages."
"I understand," Ichigo calmly replied. "Can you show me where they come from?"
"Gladly, Huángdì," Tiěpí replied. Tiěpí escorted Ichigo to the nearby coastline. "Huángdì, the invaders would appear less than 11 kilometers (6.83 miles) away."
"Have you flown over there to see if you can find anything?" Ichigo asked.
"We have but found nothing," Tiěpí admitted.
"Let me see," Ichigo said as he activated Tengan and used Sekaigan. Ichigo immediately saw a magical dome around a nearby island. Ichigo focused on the island. He looked through the barrier to see a stone castle. "The invaders used magic to conceal a nearby island and made it their base."
"What!?" Tiěpí replied. "I will gather everyone."
"No need," Ichigo replied. "I will check it out." Ichigo shunpō'ed towards the island.
"Thank you, Huángdì," Tiěpí said. Ichigo used kidō and spells to hide himself. Ichigo arrived at the edge of the barrier. With Sekaigan, Ichigo was able to look through the barrier. He could see people standing around the stone castle. They wore grey suits of armor. On their chest was a silver dragon with half of its body outlined in white while the other side was outlined in black.
"It seems they also have guards posted around the castle." Ichigo thought to himself. He explored the perimeter of the barrier. He could see that the barrier wrapped above and went down underwater, forming a sphere. Luckily for him, there were no guards down there. Ichigo moved back to Héxié Lóngdǎo. Afterward, Ichigo opened a Garganta from there into the underwater portion of the island.
"Engulf the light and plunge the world in darkness, Nightshroud," Ichigo said as he activated Schrift U: The Umbra. Nightshroud appeared on his shoulder as he slipped into the shadows. He used Shadowrun to gradually move from underground to aboveground. Ichigo continued to move towards the castle. Ichigo noticed the lack of wildlife around them.
"Seems like they got rid of all the animals and bugs." Ichigo thought. "Looks like I need to shunpō into the castle's shadow." Ichigo discreetly left his shadow. Once making sure all his spells were in place, he shunpō'ed towards the castle. Ichigo immediately entered the castle's shadow. Ichigo resumed using Shadowrun to investigate the castle. Ichigo could see three knights dressed in the same armor walking towards him.
"When will our assignment be over?" Knight 1 asked.
"I don't know," Knight 2 replied.
"I don't know about you two, but I want to fight those beasts again," Knight 3 replied.
"Why are you so bloodthirsty?" Knight 1 asked.
"Darius and I love the adrenaline rush," Knight 3 replied.
"I'm going to take a nap," Knight 1 said.
"Sure," Knight 2 said. Knight 1 broke off from the other knights. Ichigo silently followed Knight 1. Knight 1 stopped in front of a door. He opened it to reveal an empty dorm room. Knight 1 closed the door behind him. Ichigo leaped out of the shadow and knocked him unconscious. Ichigo summoned Sathariel and placed the black mask on Knight 1's face. Sathariel copied Knight 1's soul and dove into his memories.
"His name is Maximillian Russell." Ichigo identified. Ichigo quickly sorted through Maximillian's memories. He found memories of the layout and where the imprisoned dragons were kept. Ichigo returned to the shadows and quickly moved to their location. Ichigo descended to the dungeons. Ichigo arrived to see the captured dragons were kept in cells. All of them were unconscious and were chained to the wall of the castle. The chains were enchanted to drain the magic from the dragons. Ichigo spotted an IV filled with yellowish liquid flowing directly into their veins.
"This must be the drug that they used to capture the dragons." Ichigo thought as he moved down the hall. "According to Maximillian's memories, this castle was constructed to capture dragons from Héxié Lóngdǎo. It was later used to study them to see how these dragons breed and to see if the dragon pals can breed with them." Ichigo thought as he spotted a slightly opened door. Ichigo used Shadowrun to slip through. He could see an older woman staring at different glass containers in front of her. "That's Angela Cornwell, Head Researcher on Dragon Biology. She is in charge of this facility." Ichigo identified from Maximillian's memories.
"It should be possible," she mumbled. "Both are dragon-like but why aren't they mixing."
"Seems like she doesn't understand biology like we do," Ichigo thought as he compared the dragons and dragon pals to horses and mules. Horses and donkeys could create a mule or a hinny (1), but it's nearly impossible for a mule and hinny to reproduce with themselves, a horse, or a donkey.
"It has to work!" she yelled as she slammed her fist on the table in anger. Ichigo took advantage of her angered state. He rose out of the shadows and knocked her unconscious. Ichigo summoned Sathariel and placed it on her face. Sathariel quickly copied her soul. Ichigo took Sathariel off Angela's face and sorted through her memories.
"Hm… interesting," Ichigo thought as he finished sorting through her memories.
"What's the plan now?" Kisara asked.
"I need to shut this place down and then confront Io," Ichigo said, noting that Io is now the Empress of the Arc Strada.
"Be careful, Master," Valiona said. "Your body is partially dragonic due to the dragon heart."
"I will," Ichigo replied. Ichigo activated Schrift X: The Xenomachina. The black nanomachines began to crawl out of Ichigo's shadow, scanning all copies of Angela's research. "Kyōka, can you make sure these knights stay asleep in Haō Zaimushō?"
"Of course," Kyōka replied as she appeared beside Ichigo.
"Hōgyoku, could you help purge the drugs in their system?" Ichigo asked.
"I will try," Hōgyoku replied as she also appeared beside Ichigo. Ichigo activated Haōgan and sent them into Haō Zaimushō. He walked over to the cells, freed the unconscious prisoners, and sent them to Haō Zaimushō. Afterward, he entered the shadows and used Shadowrun to hunt down all the knights. He knocked all the knights unconscious and sent them into Haō Zaimushō. By the time Ichigo was done, the nanomachines had finished scanning and destroying all of Angela's work. With Angela's memories, Ichigo was able to turn the barrier off. He watched as the translucent magical barrier disappeared, revealing the island to the residents of Héxié Lóngdǎo. Ichigo shunpō'ed back to Tiěpí, who was waiting for him.
"Welcome back, Huángdì," Tiěpí said as he bowed to Ichigo.
"Thank you," Ichigo said as he released the Hōgyoku and the captured dragons from Haō Zaimushō.
"I performed a medical evaluation on all of them," Hōgyoku began. "All of them are suffering from magical exhaustion and are showing signs of starvation."
"I will get the fire dragons and wood dragons to prepare physical therapy for them," Tiěpí replied.
"Good," Ichigo said as Hōgyoku returned to his mindscape. "I will leave them in your care." Ichigo shunpō'ed towards Arc Strada. As he moved in the air, he could see Arc Strada. The continent was shaped like a winged dragon.
"Io's castle is located in the middle of Arc Strada," Ichigo thought as he approached the continent. Ichigo appeared in front of a large European-style castle. The guards, who stood in front of the gate, were startled by Ichigo's unexpected appearance.
"Halt!" they yelled as they quickly broke into a fighting stance, ready to respond to Ichigo if he made any sudden moves. Ichigo stared at the guards and activated Haōgan. Both guards collapsed on the ground as foam began to spew out of their mouths. Ichigo calmly walked towards the gate and ripped it off its hinges. He casually threw it over his head. It landed on the ground in a pile of bent metal. Ichigo calmly walked inside. He encountered a few more guards who were swiftly knocked unconscious by Haōgan's passive ability. After five minutes of walking, Ichigo encountered a familiar face.
"It has been a while… Rebecca, was it?" Ichigo said.
"It has and it is," Rebecca replied as she glared at him.
"Will you take me to see Io, or do I need to find her myself?" Ichigo asked. Rebecca stared at Ichigo, who appeared extremely calm.
"What do you think, Cú Chulainn?" Rebecca asked her Dragon Pal. While she couldn't understand her Dragon Pal's words, she could sense Cú Chulainn's emotions. She could sense immense fear from her Dragon Pal.
"I will escort you to Her Highness," Rebecca replied. "But please do not harm the knights in our way," she asked.
"I won't unless they try to stop me," Ichigo replied.
"Fair enough," Rebecca replied. Rebecca escorted Ichigo down a few hallways, where they encountered groups of knights. All the knights gave Ichigo a suspicious look. Eventually, they arrived at a large, closed door. Rebecca walked to the door and knocked on it.
"Enter!" could be heard from the other side. Rebecca pushed the door open and stepped aside, allowing Ichigo to enter the room. Ichigo calmly entered the room. Rebecca closed the door behind him. Ichigo could see Empress Io sitting on her throne.
"Hello, Kurosaki Ichigo," she said.
"I didn't expect the headmistress of a school to become an empress of a continent," Ichigo said.
"Indeed," Io replied. "It happens when the three kings decide to ally themselves to try and kill you." Ichigo summoned the original report from Angela and threw it at her. Io easily caught the packet of papers and skimmed it. After she finished reading them, she lit them on fire, destroying their existence.
"Where is Angela?" she asked.
"She and everyone from that base are hidden in a safe place," Ichigo replied. Io stared at Ichigo.
"What do you intend to do with them?" she asked.
"That answer depends on what you do," Ichigo calmly replied. They stared at each other.
"Then my answer may not be to your satisfaction," she eventually said.
"So you would rather continue this pointless war?" Ichigo asked.
"What makes you think it is pointless?" Io asked as she stood up. "What gives you the right to call this war pointless?" Io slowly stepped down from her throne towards Ichigo.
"For those dragons you attack are my subjects, therefore under my protection," Ichigo replied.
"I believe we have reached an impasse," Io said as she reached the bottom of her throne.
"We have," Ichigo confirmed. "Do you wish to fight here, or do you wish to move somewhere else?" Io stared at Ichigo for a few seconds.
"Odd questions," she said.
"I know our battle will be very destructive," Ichigo said.
"True," Io said. "Follow me." Io walked out of the throne room. Ichigo silently followed her. Surprisingly, they didn't encounter any knights. They stopped at an empty courtyard. White dragon wings sprouted from her back. She silently took off. Ichigo used shunpō to follow her. They silently moved out of the city. Ichigo watched as they moved towards an area devoid of wildlife. He could see singed earth all around them. Io landed on the ground. Ichigo appeared beside her.
"I assume this is where you fought the three kings you mentioned?" Ichigo asked.
"I did," Io said. She extended her hands out in front of her. Two double-edged cutlasses appeared in front of her. Both of them possessed a bronze hilt with a diamond-shaped pattern, a bronze guard, as well as a thinner bronze hand guard running atop the thin brown wooden handle. The blades were white with a faint light blue hamon. She swung the cutlasses down, releasing a massive wave of energy, blowing all the loose dirt and gravel away from them.
Ichigo raised his hand and summoned Bahamut, but a different sword appeared. The sword was double Ichigo's human height. The blade was straight and double-edged; half of the blade was black while the other side was white. The cutting edge on the black side was crimson while the white side was blue. Along the middle were five large, silver X's with a red, blue, green, yellow, and brown jewel in the middle of the X's. Around the X's was a black, circular arc lined with spikes. The blade was smaller near the hilt and then extended outwards in a pair of large protrusions before barely reducing its width again in the rest of it. The handguard depicted Kisara's dragon wing on the white side and Valiona's wing on the black side. The hilt was wrapped with black and white leather that was in a crisscross pattern to the pommel, which resembled a dragon tail. Ichigo held the large broadsword in his hands. Despite the massive size and weight of the blade, Ichigo knew instinctively how to control the weapon with precision.
"I assume both of you reforged Bahamut?" Ichigo asked.
"We did," Kisara admitted.
"Once you merged with the Dragon Heart, we found that Bahamut needed to evolve to handle all the new dragonic energy in your body," Valiona replied.
"So during your training, we used the dragonic energy in your body to reforge Bahamut," Kisara added.
"So we created," Valiona continued.
"Apocryphal Bahamut (2)." They said together. Io's cutlasses glowed with white energy before she swung them down, sending a large X shape toward Ichigo. Ichigo swung Apocryphal Bahamut down, canceling Io's attack. Ichigo jumped up into the air. He raised Apocryphal Bahamut and swung it down toward her. Io jumped back, dodging the attack. Apocryphal Bahamut slammed into the ground, shaking the surrounding area. Ichigo lunged toward Io with an upward swing. Io continued to dodge.
"He is moving much faster than a regular greatsword user should," Io thought to herself as she failed to find an opening. She suddenly jumped back and threw one of her cutlasses toward Ichigo. Ichigo raised Apocryphal Bahamut to block the cutlass. During that time, Io moved to Ichigo's side, attempting to attack him from his blind spot. Ichigo, sensing the attack, quickly swung Apocryphal Bahamut around himself, forcing Io to use her remaining cutlass to block Ichigo's attack instead. She jumped back and retrieved the cutlass she had thrown earlier.
"Is that it?" Ichigo asked as he casually laid Apocryphal Bahamut on his shoulder. Io glared at Ichigo.
"You want a fight, then I'll give you a fight," Io said as she began to glow and her body transformed. She transformed into a large Western dragon. Her shape resembled Kisara's, but she was larger. "COME!" She roared.
"Very well then," Ichigo said as he stabbed Apocryphal Bahamut down in front of him.
"Manifest before me once more…" Ichigo began to chant. A silver magical seal appeared in front of Ichigo. "You who have been reforged by the Twin Maiden of Light and Darkness." Black and white characters appeared in the silver magical seal. "Forged with the Blood of Drákōn." Crimson red characters joined the black and white characters on the silver magic seal. "Hearts of the conquered Wǔxīng." Five gems appeared on the magic circle, positioned like a pentagram or a five-pointed star. "Herald the end of creation." Ichigo was engulfed by the multicolored magical energy, covering his entire body. "Apocryphal Bahamut!" The magical energy exploded, forcing Io to use her clawed hand to block her face from the explosion.
"What immense power," Io thought to herself. "He was already impressive when he fought the Skeleton Dragon." The multicolored magical energy receded, revealing an armored figure. Ichigo had reverted to his 10-meter height. Ichigo was covered in crimson and silver armor. He wore a golden helmet with red markings going down where the eyes were. On the sides of the helmet were a pair of silver horns with red on the edges. In the middle of the golden helmet was a silver frontal horn in the shape of a blade. Ichigo's upper body was covered in crimson armor. In the middle of his chest were five large, silver X's with a red, blue, green, yellow, and brown jewel in the middle of the X's. Around the X's was a black, circular arc lined with spikes. The black circular arcs were connected to form a black five-pointed star. Ichigo's right arm was covered in white armor with blue accents, with Kisara's head acting as a brace on his forearm. Three white claws were located on its knuckles near the backhand and matching talons were on his right foot. Ichigo's left hand was covered in black armor with red-orange accents, with Valiona's head acting as a brace on his forearm. Three black claws were located on its knuckles near the backhand and matching talons were on his left foot. On Ichigo's back were seven pairs of foldable armored wings: black wings on the left side and white wings on the right side (3). The wings folded themselves tightly to Ichigo's back. Io watched as Ichigo moved his body, getting used to his new armor.
"Are you ready now?" Io arrogantly asked. Ichigo looked at her. She could see his spiral galaxy eyes glowing from his helmet. Suddenly, Ichigo shunpō'ed in front of her.
"Tiān Shén Quán [Celestial Holy Fist," Ichigo said as he delivered a powerful uppercut with his glowing white hand. Io was stunned by the sudden and unexpected attack.
"How is he able to move that fast while in that armor?" she thought.
"Tiān Mó Quán [Celestial Demonic Fist," Ichigo said as he tried to punch her with a left hook. She was able to swerve her head to the side. She used her momentum to swing her tail at Ichigo. Unexpectedly, Ichigo caught her tail. Ichigo turned around and lifted her with her tail.
"W-WAIZT!" Io yelled as Ichigo slammed her back to the ground. Ichigo quickly turned around and lifted her up. "WAIAIAT!" She screamed as she bellyflopped to the ground. Ichigo was about to slam her to the ground again when Io unleashed a beam of white energy at Ichigo. He quickly let go of her tail and dodged the attack. Io continued to attack Ichigo. Valiona's head slid forward, engulfing Ichigo's left fist. Ichigo pointed Valiona's head at Io.
"Mó Lóng Lièhuǒ Bàoyìng [Demonic Dragon Fiery Retribution]!" Ichigo shouted. Valiona's head opened and fired a stream of black and red demonic flames at Io. She adjusted her attack to counter Ichigo's attack. The two attacks caused a massive fiery explosion. Io and Ichigo could see that the other was unharmed by the attack. Ichigo lunged forward, and Valiona's head returned to Ichigo's forearm. Io quickly flew up into the air. Ichigo's wings expanded from his back as he flew behind her. Io looked back to see Ichigo catching up to her.
"Shit," Io thought as she flew back toward the city. Ichigo pointed his left hand at Io.
"Mó Téngwàn [Demonic Vines," Ichigo said. Black and green vines shot out of Ichigo's hand. The vines wrapped themselves around Io's waist. Ichigo pulled her back. Io was jerked back, allowing Ichigo to slam into her. Io crashed to the ground. "Tiān Mó Quán!" Ichigo's left fist glowed with black energy as he punched Io in the back. The force kicked up dust.
"RAHAHA!" She screamed in pain. Ichigo continued to punch Io in the back. Io tried to push herself up, but Ichigo's punch kept her down. "ENOUGH!" She roared as she unleashed a powerful burst of black energy. Ichigo quickly jumped off Io's back and flew back to a safe distance. Ichigo watched as Io slowly stood up. She began to laugh. "It's been a long time since you made me use my TRUE POWER!" Io let out a loud roar, releasing demonic and holy energy.
"So, she is a mix of demonic and holy energy," Ichigo thought as the left side of Io's body turned black. "That would explain why my demonic attacks failed to truly injure her." Ichigo landed on the ground. Io's left eye turned red.
"Now then, ready for round two?" she roared. Ichigo charged back in.
"Tiān Shén Quán! Tiān Mó Quán!" Ichigo shouted as his fists glowed white and black, respectively. Ichigo swung with a right punch. Io countered by punching with her right arm. The two fists collided with each other, canceling each other out. Ichigo quickly pulled his right hand back and punched with his left hand. She quickly countered with the same move. Unexpectedly, Ichigo opened his left hand, catching her fist. "Tiān Shén Tī [Celestial Holy Kick]!" Ichigo yelled as he used his right leg to roundhouse Io's side.
"RAH!" Io roared as she unleashed a black-and-white energy blast. Ichigo let go of Io's hand and kicked her in the chest, pushing himself away from the energy blast. Ichigo flew back and landed on the ground. Io momentarily stopped her attack. She looked at Ichigo again and unleashed her energy blast at Ichigo once more.
"Tiān Qǐyuán Zhàng [Celestial Genesis Barrier]!" Ichigo shouted as a magical barrier appeared in front of him. Ichigo could see black and white energy flowing around inside the barrier. The barrier held its ground against Io's attack. Each of the dragon's heads on Ichigo's forearms slid forward, engulfing Ichigo's fists. Ichigo pointed both heads at Io. "Hùndùn Shuānglóng [Chaotic Twin Dragon," Ichigo began. Demonic and holy energy began to gather inside Valiona's and Kisara's respective heads. "Wěi Jīng Bàoyìng [Apocryphal Retribution]!" Ichigo shouted as he fired two large beams of energy. Tiān Qǐyuán Zhàng disappeared as Ichigo's attack quickly collided with Io's. Ichigo's attack pushed Io back. In a few moments, both attacks were equally balanced in the middle.
"We're at a standstill," Ichigo thought to himself.
"There is one more thing you can do," Kisara said.
"Remember what else was used to forge Apocryphal Bahamut?" Valiona added.
"The Five Dragon Kings," Ichigo recalled. Ichigo sensed elemental dragonic energy gathering towards the five gems on his chest.
"Tiān Wǔxīng Lóng Zhī Páoxiāo [Celestial Five Star Dragons' Roar]!" Ichigo yelled. A spiral energy beam made of red, blue, green, yellow, and brown shot out of Ichigo's chest. Tiān Wǔxīng Lóng Zhī Páoxiāo collided with Shìjiè Mòrì de Bàoyìng and fused together, forming a gigantic beam of black, white, red, blue, green, yellow, and brown. The attack smashed through Io's attack and slammed into her.
"RAHAHAHA!" She roared as Ichigo's attacks slammed her into a nearby mountain. Ichigo stopped his attack. He flew towards the mountain where Io was buried.
"Did that finish her?" Kisara asked.
"I can still sense her energy," Ichigo replied as he stared at the rubble. A black arm shot out of the rubble. "That's strange," Ichigo thought as he noticed that the black arm was a right arm. Earlier, only Io's left side was black. Another black arm shot out of the rubble. Ichigo watched as Io pushed herself out of the ground. He could see that she was completely black. In addition, she had two more dragon heads that extended out of her shoulders. The head on her left shoulder was comprised of black energy with white bones around it. The head on her right shoulder was comprised of blood-red liquid with white bones around it.
"FINALLY!" The three heads yelled in unison. "Thank you for distracting her enough for me to finally take over her body."
"And you are?" Ichigo asked.
"I am Keroessa (4)." Io's original dragon head replied. "For I am a mix of,"
"Zacharias III, King of the Chevron Kingdom," the blood dragon head said.
"Klaus Viderhausen von Zepharos, King of the Zepharos Empire," the bone dragon head replied.
"Ozwald Lautreamont, King of Lautreamont Knightdom," Io's original head replied.
"And fragments of Io's soul," Keroessa added.
"Do you know how you were formed?" Ichigo asked.
"Klaus, Zacharias, and Ozwald feared death," Keroessa said from the bone dragon. "Klaus realized that the secret to true immortality and eternal youth was tied to Io. So, they devised a plan to take advantage of her role and responsibilities."
"Did those Bone Dragons I saw have anything to do with their plan?" Ichigo asked.
"They did," Keroessa replied. "Klaus used Necromancy and Soul Magic to create the Bone Dragons to terrorize Lautreamont Knightdom, where Ansullivan Dragonar Academy was located."
"Ozwald, as king of Lautreamont Knightdom, would put more pressure on Io to force her to figure out where the Bone Dragons were coming from," Keroessa said from Io's original head.
"Zacharias used his connections to create an organization to lead Io into a trap, where they would try to experiment with her body, mind, and soul," Keroessa said from the blood dragon head.
"Unfortunately, they underestimated Io's full power and suffered from Io's rage," Keroessa resumed from Io's original head. "But unbeknownst to all four of them, Klaus's soul magic caused their souls to be linked. When Io killed them, their souls entered Io's body where they combined with Io's negative thoughts and demonic energy to create me."
"That makes sense," Ichigo said. "So why was Io pushing so hard to capture those dragons?"
"I do not know," Keroessa admitted. "Io eventually discovered me and pushed me into the deep corners of her mind." Suddenly, the bone dragon head and the blood dragon head let out a roar before turning to dust. "She's regaining control." Ichigo watched as all the black that covered Keroessa's body turned to white. Io regained control of her body. She quickly reverted back into her human form. She was breathing heavily. She looked at Ichigo.
"So… what do you want now?" she asked as she struggled to appear intimidating.
"Why do you want to continue this conflict?" Ichigo asked as he sealed Apocryphal Bahamut. Ichigo snapped his fingers as two chairs appeared. Ichigo sat in one of them. Io stared at the chair for a moment before joining him in the other one.
"You asked me why?" Io asked. "Those dragons discovered us and attacked us. As Empress of Arc Strada, I need to take care of my people. I needed to show the people that we are actively working on protecting them from these dragons."
"That makes logical sense, but I mentioned before that those dragons are my subjects. If their actions are unjust, then I will hand them to you to punish," Ichigo replied.
"Indeed…" Io admitted. "But I believed that they could help fix the problem that I have."
"To increase the population of the Dragon Pals," Ichigo replied.
"Correct," Io said.
"How did you create the Dragon Pals?" Ichigo asked. Io stared at Ichigo.
"It was the last act of Tiamat, the second-to-last Drakon to die," Io said.
"Tiamat?" Ichigo questioned. "As in the one who is the personification of the primordial sea from which the gods were first created?"
"I didn't expect anyone would remember her myth," Io admitted.
"Yeah," Ichigo said. Ichigo was forced to study Mesopotamian religion to understand Gilgamesh better.
"Before Tiamat died, she created a child to take the souls of the dead Drakon and give them a new life," Io said. "Her name is Lahamu, but many people call her Mother Dragon."
"Was Lahamu the one who told you about the decrease in Dragon Pals?" Ichigo asked.
"Not exactly," Io admitted. "She told us that she was dying."
"But she never explained what was killing her?" Ichigo asked.
"She… didn't," Io said.
"We need to talk to her," Ichigo replied.
"Agreed," Io said as she stood up and flew away. Ichigo shunpō'ed after her. In a few minutes, they arrived in front of a forest. "This is the Albion Forest," Io mentioned as she and Ichigo entered the forest. Ichigo could sense the forest was enchanted to confuse those who entered. Ichigo could feel something trying to look into his mind and soul. With a small blast of his reiatsu, he dispelled the mysterious feeling.
"It's not a good idea to try and peek into someone's mind and soul," Ichigo said.
"Lahamu," Io called out. "It is I, Io. We wish to speak with you."
"Io, I shall grant you access," Lahamu said. "However, he must leave."
"Lahamu," Io said.
"It's fine," Ichigo replied. "Just make sure you get the answers you seek." Ichigo walked out of Albion Forest. He stood there and waited for Io.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kisara asked.
"It doesn't matter," Ichigo replied. "Io failed to ask Lahamu for the truth about her condition, and it caused this mess." Ichigo could see Io walking out of the forest.
"So what happened?" Ichigo asked.
"It was Zacharias's and Klaus's fault," Io said.
"What did they do?" Ichigo asked.
"Lahamu creates Dragon Pals by using their dead souls. Klaus's necromancy took the souls from Lahamu so she could create fewer Dragon Pals."
"What about Zacharias?" Ichigo asked.
"He used his blood magic to drain the vitality of Albion Forest for his magic, which drained Lahamu's vitality."
"So how is she?" Ichigo asked.
"She is physically healthy but lacks the souls needed to create more Dragon Pals," she replied.
"I see… Did she say what can be done to help her?" Ichigo asked.
"She doesn't know," Io replied.
"I might be able to help if she lets me see her," Ichigo said. Io sighed.
"Lahamu doesn't want to see you, for now," Io admitted.
"Ok," Ichigo accepted. "So will you still attack the residents of Héxié Lóngdǎo?" Ichigo asked.
"Is Héxié Lóngdǎo the name of their country?" Io asked.
"It is," Ichigo replied.
"I will stop attacking Héxié Lóngdǎo if they stop attacking Arc Strada," Io said.
"I will inform them," Ichigo replied. They quickly returned to Io's castle. Ichigo released all the captured knights in her courtyard. They went to Io's private office to draft a peace treaty between Héxié Lóngdǎo and Arc Strada. Once that was done, Ichigo opened a garganta and left Io's castle.
Scene Change: Southern Héxié Lóngdǎo
Ichigo stepped out of the Garganta to see Tiěpí sitting down, waiting for him.
"Welcome back, Huángdì!" Tiěpí yelled as he quickly stood up and bowed to Ichigo.
"Hello, Tiěpí. Were you waiting for me the entire time?" Ichigo asked.
"I was, Huángdì," Tiěpí replied.
"Ok," Ichigo said. "I have arranged a peace treaty with Arc Strada. They will not invade Héxié Lóngdǎo if you do not attack them."
"Yes, Huángdì," Tiěpí replied.
"They may come to trade with you," Ichigo said.
"Yes, Huángdì," Tiěpí replied. Ichigo shunpō'ed back to Dìguó Zhuāngyuán. Ichigo was greeted by another maid. She wore a blue version of their uniform.
"Welcome back, Huángdì," she said as she bowed to Ichigo.
"Hello, Lanyu [Blue Jade," Ichigo replied.
"Huángdì, what can I do to assist you?" Lanyu asked.
"For now, just prepare something for me to eat," Ichigo replied.
"Yes, Huángdì," Lanyu replied. "Do you wish to take a bath in the meantime?"
"Sure," Ichigo replied. Ichigo followed behind Lanyu and arrived at an elegant but simple bathroom. Ichigo took his clothes off and took a bath. Ichigo stepped outside of the bath to see another maid there. She wore a golden version of the outfit.
"Huángdì, allow me to assist in putting on your robes," she said.
"Ok, Jīnyù [Golden Jade," Ichigo replied. Jīnyù silently put the robes on Ichigo. Afterward, she escorted Ichigo to the dining room. As soon as Ichigo sat down, Hongyu entered the room, pushing a large cart. She arrived at the side of Ichigo's table and placed his meal in front of him.
"Please enjoy, Huángdì," Hongyu said as she took off the metal cover, revealing a large hog in front of him. Besides the hog was a large pot of rice and vegetables. Ichigo quickly dug into the meal. After dinner, Ichigo met with Daiyu. He told her what transpired at Arc Strada and ordered her to tell the Wǔ Kē Shǒuhù Xīng how to proceed with Arc Strada. She accepted her orders and left. Ichigo opened a garganta and left Héxié Lóngdǎo. He returned to his estate and went to bed with his fiancée.
Scene Change: Next Morning
After waking up and getting out of bed with his fiancée, Ichigo had a light breakfast as he prepared to meet with Ainz Ooal Gown. Artoria spent breakfast informing him of what she had learned in her meeting with him. She also handed Ichigo the ring that Ainz had given to her. Ichigo sensed nothing magical about the ring and slipped it on. Afterward, Artoria gave Ichigo two kisses, one for goodbye and the other for good luck. Afterwards, Myrddin used a magic circle to teleport Ichigo to the mausoleum which Ainz Ooal Gown was using as their base.
Scene Change: Mausoleum
Ichigo appeared outside of the mausoleum.
"This reminds me of Greek architecture," Ichigo thought to himself as he climbed the stairs.
"Welcome, Ichigo-sama," a familiar voice said. Ichigo arrived to see Yuri Alpha at the top of the stairs.
"Hello, Yuri," Ichigo replied.
"Good thing Artoria warned me about another version of Yuri Alpha being here," Ichigo thought to himself.
"Allow me to escort you to Ainz-sama," she said as a purple portal appeared behind her. Yuri Alpha entered the portal. Ichigo followed right behind her. They exited the portal and appeared in a large office. Ichigo could see a large skeleton sitting behind a desk, who began to speak.
"Ah. You have arrived," the being Ichigo assumed was Ainz Ooal Gown, "Everyone leave us be."
"Yes, Ainz-sama," the maids said as they immediately left the office. Ichigo could see transparent spider-like creatures leaving the room. Ainz waved his hands as he activated privacy spells around the office. Ainz let out a large sigh.
"It's good to see you," Ainz casually said.
"Thank you," Ichigo replied. "Artoria said that you met an alternative version of myself?"
"I did," Ainz said.
"Artoria said you were essentially a human soul trapped in a skeleton's body?" Ichigo asked.
"Technically an Overlord, which is an evolved version of a lich," Ainz corrected him.
"I don't know much about Western fantasy," Ichigo admitted. Ainz chuckled.
"Your other version didn't know much either to be fair," Ainz replied. Ichigo summoned his pair of Gokon Tekkō.
"I'm going to try and eject your soul out of your body," Ichigo warned.
"Okay," Ainz said. Ichigo moved his hand towards Ainz's skull. Ichigo pushed something out of Ainz's body. He could see a typically young adult man. He had black hair, black eyes, and pale skin. Ainz wore a long grey-sleeved shirt, black sweatpants, and white socks. Ainz's soulless skeleton body collapsed on the chair.
"Is this my soul?" Ainz asked.
"It is," Ichigo replied. "Interestingly enough, you don't have a Chain of Fate attached to your body."
"What does that mean?" Ainz asked.
"A soul is connected to their mortal body through a chain called the Chain of Fate. When you die, the chain is severed from your mortal body," Ichigo explained. "Seeing your soul lacking a Chain of Fate implies that your soul has been purified by a Shinigami beforehand."
"Oh. Would I have remembered if I had met one?" Ainz asked.
"In this case, yes, you should," Ichigo replied.
"So can you put me in a human body?" Ainz asked.
"I can," Ichigo admitted. "But how do you want to look?" Ichigo asked as he summoned his Gigai gun and handed it to Ainz. He took the gun and began to customize his gigai. After a few minutes, he handed the gun back to Ichigo. Ichigo activated the gigai gun, and it created a gigai. The gigai stood about 1.87 meters (6.13 feet) tall. It had black hair and appeared slightly muscular.
"So how do I enter this body?" Ainz asked as he floated towards the body.
"Just dive into it," Ichigo replied. Ainz nodded and floated into the body. Ainz opened his eyes, revealing Ichigo's crimson eyes. Ichigo helped Ainz stand up. He carefully walked around.
"I… I can feel it," Ainz said. "I can feel things!" Ichigo watched as Ainz began to run around, feeling his body. A few moments later, a tired Ainz collapsed into one of the nearby seats. "Thank you."
"All part of the deal," Ichigo said.
"So how do I return to my undead body?" Ainz asked. Ichigo pushed Ainz's soul out of his human body. He entered his undead body. "That is still a weird feeling," Ainz said as he sat up from his chair. "How would I switch bodies?"
"Have someone put these on and push your soul out like I did earlier," Ichigo said, taking off his pair of Gokon Tekkō.
"Okay," Ainz said as he accepted the gloves. He waved his hand, storing them in his pocket dimension. "Do you want to see the character that your alternative self made?"
"Sure," Ichigo replied. Ainz stood up and waved his hand as another purple portal appeared.
"Follow me," Ainz said. They entered the portal. They arrived in a chamber with a near-limitless ceiling. Most of the chamber was filled with mountains of gold and treasure. Ainz moved to the other side of the chamber. Ichigo followed behind him. He could see a recess in the wall that was shaped like a door but looked like a bottomless pit. "Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown." Ichigo watched as light blue text appeared on the wall.
"Ascendit a terra in coelum, iterumque descendit in terram, et recipit vim superiorum et inferiorum [He ascends from earth to heaven, and descends again to earth, and receives the power of the higher and the lower]."
"That's Latin," Ichigo recognized.
"By this means you will acquire the glory of the whole world, and so you will drive away all shadows and blindness," Ainz replied. The black wall collapsed on itself, revealing a doorway. Ainz resumed walking with Ichigo close behind. They walked past weapons protected behind glass panels. They soon arrived in a tomb-like rectangular room composed of a table and sofa set in the middle of the empty space. "I need you to take off the ring and store it away," Ainz instructed. Ichigo sent the ring to his mindscape. They resumed their walk. Ichigo saw large golden golems, each armed with different weapons. They stopped at one statue. Ichigo recognized this form; it was the form that Zangetsu appeared in when Ichigo was trying to learn the Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō. Ichigo chuckled.
"Of course, I would pick him to be my avatar," Ichigo said.
"SEE! EVEN OTHER VERSION OF KING LIKE THAT FORM!" Zangetsu shouted, materializing beside him.
"Indeed," Ainz said. "Everyone in the guild agreed that appearance-wise, your avatar was the most interesting. In any case, would you want to see Reiken's personal space?"
"Personal space?" Ichigo asked.
"As a member of Ainz Ooal Gown, everyone had their own personal space," Ainz said.
"Oh," Ichigo said.
"Though, special members are rewarded with the ability to create custom NPCs," Ainz added.
"Did Reiken have custom NPCs?" Ichigo asked, using Reiken to identify his alternative self.
"He did," Ainz replied. "He was allowed to make two level NPCs."
"And those NPCs gained sentience like the others?" Ichigo asked.
"They did," Ainz said. "I informed them who you are in relation to Reiken, and they are ready to see you."
"Okay," Ichigo said. Ainz waved his hand, and a portal appeared in front of Ichigo.
"This will take you to your private quarters on the Ninth Floor," Ainz said.
"Thank you," Ichigo said as he entered the portal. Ichigo arrived in a large, spacious room. It reminded him of a luxurious multi-room apartment. Ichigo walked down the hallway. He could see a few picture frames on the wall showing Reiken with a few other characters, all taking silly photos.
"They must be the other members of Ainz Ooal Gown," Ichigo thought as he recognized their appearance from the golems in the treasury. Ichigo arrived in a sitting room to see two people standing there. The first one was a beautiful adult woman in her late 20s with brown eyes. She stood about 182 cm (6 feet) tall. She had long black hair that was split into parts in front and tied down in a waist-long low ponytail. She wore an untucked white dress shirt with an upturned collar and cuffs, black pants, low-heeled boots, and a long black trench coat with a burgundy highlight that flared out into ragged ends. Her outfit outlined her good figure.
The other one is a slender yet athletically fit and well-endowed woman. She stood about 160 cm (5.25 feet) tall. She has dark skin, golden irises, and blackish-violet hair. Her hair is waist-length and kept in a ponytail with chin-length bangs framing the sides of her face. She has a pair of cat ears on the sides on top of her head. She wore a standard maid outfit. Ichigo could see a blackish-violet cat tail moving around.
"Damn, both of them are hot!" Zangetsu shouted.
"Shut it," Ichigo replied.
"You are Reiken-sama's alternative in this world?" The taller woman asked as she crossed her arms.
"I am," Ichigo replied. "I recognized Yoruichi as the maid," Ichigo paused as he stared at the taller woman. "But are you a genderbent version of 'Old Man Zangetsu'?" Ichigo asked.
"Correct," she replied. "But Master Raiken calls me Shingetsu," she added.
"I know Reiken is not a pervert, but how did you get genderbent?" Ichigo asked.
"Peroroncino-sama tampered with my creation, causing me to appear female instead of male," Shingetsu explained.
"Who is Peroroncino?" Ichigo asked.
"According to Raiken-sama, Peroroncino-sama is someone called Keigo." Ichigo blinked for a moment before nodding.
"That does sound like something he would do," Ichigo admitted. "But I still have another question: How do you both know about the Old Man and Yoruichi?"
"Raiken-sama informed us after our creation," Yoruichi confessed. "He told me he created me in honor of his mentor, who helped him grow."
"Whereas after my creation, Master Raiken explained that he based me on someone close to him who is no longer around," Shingetsu continued.
"I can understand the reasoning behind that," Ichigo said. "So, what do you two plan to do now?"
"I want to sleep," Yoruichi admitted, sitting down on a nearby couch.
"Don't be rude to Ichigo-sama," Shingetsu scolded, glancing at the catgirl. She then looked at Ichigo. "Before I answer, I'd like to see your skills."
"Why?" Ichigo asked.
"Reiken-sama created me using his personal data to be his mirror image," Shingetsu said. "I wish to see how skilled you are compared to Reiken-sama."
"Hm… Sometimes the boorish woman does have good ideas," Yoruichi interjected, as she too was interested in seeing Ichigo's skills.
"Sure," Ichigo said. Shingetsu waved her hand as a violet portal appeared in front of them. All three of them entered the portal.
Scene Change: Sixth Floor Colosseum
Ichigo, Shingetsu, and Yoruichi stepped out of the portal.
"Yoruichi, provide us a countdown," Shingetsu ordered as she slipped off her trench coat, revealing a katana that was tied to her waist. She handed the trench coat to Yoruichi.
"Ok," Yoruichi said as she moved to the side. Ichigo summoned Kokugatsu from his mindscape. Shingetsu drew her katana. It was a daitō with a black blade; the four prongs on the cross guard extended farther than they previously did. While still in the shape of the Manji, the prongs became more abstract and slender in appearance.
"Three…two…one. FIGHT!" Yoruichi announced.
"Phantom Slash," Shingetsu said as her blade glowed with violet energy. She swung it down in an arc of purple energy. Ichigo waited until the purple arc was within his striking range before calmly swinging his blade down at Phantom Slash. Ichigo easily bisected the attack.
"My turn," Ichigo said as he lunged at her and attacked with a downward slash.
"Phantom Step," Shingetsu said as she disappeared, causing Ichigo's attack to cut through nothing. Ichigo calmly turned around and blocked an incoming side slash from Shingetsu.
"How did he sense that?" Shingetsu thought to herself as she was blown back from the recoil. She quickly did a backflip midair to land on her feet. She watched Ichigo dash towards her. Shingetsu's daitō glowed with violet energy.
"Moonlight Slash!" She yelled as she swung her daitō downwards at Ichigo. She expected him to dodge or block the attack with Kokugatsu, but she was shocked when he caught her daitō between his fingers. The gathered energy exploded, sending Shingetsu flying back. She slammed into the ground. She looked up, hoping to see Ichigo was damaged from the explosion. As the dust settled, she was shocked to see Ichigo calmly standing there as if nothing had happened.
"The spar was fun," Ichigo said. "But is that all?" Shingetsu glared at Ichigo.
"I have one more attack," she said as she stood up.
"Show me," Ichigo said. Shingetsu held her daitō with both hands as violet energy gathered around her.
"Phantasmal Moon Storm!" Shingetsu yelled as she swung her sword down. As she swung down, she unleashed an enormous violet energy beam at Ichigo. He replied by raising Kokugatsu in the air as he allowed his reiatsu to flow into his blade.
"Getsuga Tenshō," Ichigo replied as he swung his blade down. A black arc was unleashed from Kokugatsu. Getsuga Tenshō bisected through Phantasmal Moon Storm and zoomed past Shingetsu, barely missing her by a meter. A large black explosion was seen behind her. Ichigo calmly walked towards Shingetsu, who fell onto her knees. "Are you ok?" Ichigo asked as he extended his hand out.
"I am, Ichigo-sama," she replied as she accepted his hand. He carefully pulled her up. Ichigo turned to Yoruichi.
"Are you ready?" Ichigo asked.
"I am," Yoruichi replied as she handed Shingetsu her black trench coat. Yoruichi snapped her fingers as her maid outfit changed into a black, backless, sleeveless undershirt, with a white sash wrapped around her waist, black stretch pants, and a pair of lightweight brown shoes. Ichigo could see her cat tail casually flopping around. Ichigo sent Kokugatsu back to his mindscape. Ichigo got into a fighting stance. "Oh? Hand to hand?"
"Do you think you can handle that?" Ichigo asked.
"Shingetsu, count down!" Yoruichi shouted.
"Good luck," Shingetsu said. "Three…two…one. FIGHT!" Ichigo and Yoruichi charged at each other. Each of them attacked with a set of punches and kicks. Neither gained any advantages. Suddenly, Yoruichi dropped down to a squat as she lunged towards Ichigo's left leg.
"Sweeping Leg Hook," Yoruichi said as she used her right hand to hook around Ichigo's left leg, throwing him off balance. As Ichigo fell, he raised his right leg and delivered a powerful axe kick to Yoruichi's forehead. "OW!" She yelled from the pain, letting go of Ichigo's leg. Ichigo used his hands to push himself off the ground and did a backflip to his feet. "What is your heel made of? Metal?"
"My bones are," Ichigo admitted. Yoruichi looked at Ichigo.
"Really?" She asked.
"What do you think?" Ichigo replied.
"Then try this!" Yoruichi shouted. "Lightning Claws." Yellow electricity surrounded Yoruichi's claws, making them resemble claws. "Thunder Step." Yoruichi disappeared in a crackle of thunder. Ichigo jumped to the side, avoiding a strike from Yoruichi. She used her momentum to spin into a backhook kick. Ichigo blocked the attack. "Thunder Step." She disappeared again in a crackle of thunder. "Lightning Stomp!" She suddenly dove downwards at Ichigo with her right leg now covered with lightning.
"Shunkō," Ichigo said. Suddenly there was an explosive of reiatsu. Yoruichi and Shingetsu stepped back. Black clouds appeared above them as lightning flashed above the clouds and thunder could be heard. Ichigo floated in the air. He is now shirtless as two circulating green air currents constantly cycle on the side of Ichigo's back, resembling wings. White lightning could be seen cracking around his body. "Tenrai Senpūjin [Heavenly Thunder Whirlwind God," Ichigo said.
"T-that's new," Yoruichi said.
"Yeah… it was a mutation," Ichigo admitted as he hadn't used Arashi Shunkō after it was empowered by Susanoo. "Do you have a finishing move?"
"I do," Yoruichi said. "While it's not as flashy as yours, hopefully, it can get the job done." Suddenly Yoruichi disappeared in a crackle of thunder.
"I can sense where she's gone…" Ichigo glanced at the storm clouds as Yoruichi absorbed the lighting from above.
"Lightning God Grand STOMP!" Yoruichi yelled as she dove downwards from the clouds. Her entire body was covered in blue lightning.
"Then I'll use this move," Ichigo said as white lightning crackled around his right arm. Ichigo flew towards the incoming Yoruichi. Green winds circulate around Ichigo's right arm. "Tenrai Shippū Panchi [Heavenly Thunder Gale Punch]!" The two attacks caused a massive explosion upon impact. The shockwaves from the attack destroyed most of the stadium. The shockwaves could be felt all across Nazarick. The dust settled to see Ichigo floating in the air. Ichigo looked to see Yoruichi was stuck in the ceiling of the sixth floor. Ichigo floated to the top and gently pulled Yoruichi out of the ceiling, revealing a hole in the sky. Ichigo landed on the ground as he gently placed Yoruichi on the ground. He deactivated Shunkō and activated Schrift C: The Chrónou Árchonta, reversing all the damage done to the Sixth Floor and Yoruichi.
"W-wha?" Yoruichi said as she remembered their battle.
"I believe it's we should continue this talk away from the Colosseum," Shingetsu suggested.
"Good idea," Yoruichi replied. Shingetsu opened a portal for them to return to Ichigo's private quarters.
"Now that the spar is over, what do both of you intend to do now?" Ichigo asked. Shingetsu looked at Yoruichi. She nodded her head back.
"We wish to continue to serve you, Ichigo-sama," Shingetsu said as they both bowed to Ichigo.
"I see… Not sure if Ainz will allow it," Ichigo said.
"I asked Ainz-sama about this when he told us of your existence, and he has permitted us to, but Ainz-sama requested that we don't betray Nazarick or Ainz Ooal Gown," Shingetsu replied.
"Ok," Ichigo said. "Then do you need to pack anything?"
"We have already taken care of that," Shingetsu replied as she showed him an ordinary-looking ring.
"Spatial storage rings come in handy," Yoruichi replied. Ichigo nodded his head as he used his boom tube ring to open a boom tube. They all stepped inside the boom tube, which closed behind them.
Nothing much for me to say but see everyone in a week.
Author Notes
1) Male donkey female house = mule while female donkey male horse = hinny.
2) The name 'Apocryphal Bahamut' comes from Final Fantasy XIV Online. The name sounds cool but the actual dragon looks lame.
3) Recolored version of Shine Greymon with elements from Omnimon.
4) Keroessa or Ceroessa is the daughter of Io and Zeus. This is also the origin of Io's name.