Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

Kurosaki Ichigo stood up again, leaning on Zangetsu; the wound on his chest had already healed.

But the chilling sensation from the Zanpakuto, Human Game, felt like a fine needle, deeply embedded in the depths of his consciousness.

Ichigo took a deep breath, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands, and his spiritual pressure began to rise.

That stab just now made him realize a cruel truth.

Trying to outsmart Shen Jue with a knife is tantamount to suicide.

Since that's the case, then let's use a ranged attack, the one he's most familiar with.

"Crescent Moon Anecho!!!"

Ichigo channeled all his spiritual pressure into Zangetsu, and the massive blade unleashed a crescent-shaped, azure slash. The spiritual pressure solidified, whistling as it sliced ​​through the ground and hurtled toward Shen Jue!

The power of this attack far exceeded any Getsuga Tenshou he had used in his previous battle against Kenpachi Zaraki. In this desperate situation, Ichigo's spiritual pressure was forced to reach new heights!

Shen Jue looked at the blue crescent moon that was rushing towards him, a hint of appreciation in his eyes that it was indeed worthy of being the protagonist, but his body remained unmoved.

"A decent spiritual pressure density," he commented, his tone as if he were grading homework.

"But your release method is too straightforward, telling your opponent from beginning to end: I'm going to cut here."

Human games are casually flicked upwards.

The moment the blade touched Crescent Moon, there was no expected collision of spiritual pressure or explosion.

The azure crescent moon was like a piece of paper cut by scissors, cleanly splitting in two from the very center, dissipating into scattered spiritual particles in the air.

Rate your spiritual pressure.

"Forty points."

"The quantity is sufficient, but the accuracy is substandard." Shen Jue held up a finger and shook it.

As soon as he finished speaking, the figure in front of Ichigo disappeared.

Ichigo's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively held Zangetsu horizontally in front of him.

His combat instincts were right; Shen Jue did indeed appear directly in front of him, less than three steps away.

The tip of the knife in the game of life dragged on the ground, making a soft hissing sound.

"Good response, add five points." Shen Jue smiled slightly.

"Then."

"The second cut."

The game of life begins from the bottom up.

Ichigo saw the trajectory of the sword this time, but that was all he saw.

The silver arc was so smooth that it seemed as if the air itself made way for it.

Zhan Yue stepped forward to block.

A crisp sound.

Kurosaki Ichigo's eyes widened.

In his field of vision, the enormous Zangetsu, which had been with him from the beginning, was snapping in half from the middle of the blade.

The upper half of the blade spun and flew out, reflecting a blinding glint in the sunlight, before embedding itself deeply into the distant rock wall with a thud.

The Moon-Slaying Blade is broken.

This fact struck Ichigo like a hammer blow to the heart.

Even more terrifying is that after Human Game severed Zangetsu, its speed did not decrease at all, and it continued to pass through Ichigo's abdomen along the predetermined trajectory.

A slash line that cut diagonally across his waist exploded, and blood, like a tap that had been turned on, instantly stained the rocks beneath his feet a dark red.

Ichigo fell backward, his consciousness rapidly shrinking amidst the excruciating pain.

He could feel every detail of his body being cut open: skin, muscles, even bones; the cut had almost severed him in half.

The remaining half of the Zan Yue hilt slipped from his hand and fell into the pool of blood with a dull thud.

But what was even more unbearable than the physical pain was the spiritual pressure that Shen Jue was releasing at this moment.

If Shen Jue had previously concealed his spiritual pressure perfectly, now he has finally revealed a corner of it.

The spiritual pressure pressed down relentlessly, causing the air in the entire training ground to tremble.

Ichigo felt like an insect pinned to a specimen board, needing all his strength to even move his eyes.

This is something that humans cannot fight against. This is a gap that cannot be bridged by willpower alone.

Ichigo's hands were trembling.

It wasn't because of blood loss, but because of a deep-seated fear.

This was the first time he had such a thought.

If you can't beat this being in front of you, you'll never win.

The hand gripping the knife tried desperately to clench its fist again, but found that all ten fingers were completely unresponsive.

They were afraid, so afraid that they were even stripped of the courage to hold a knife.

"Hmm!"

Ichigo gritted his teeth, trying to prop himself up from the pool of blood, but he had almost lost all feeling below his waist. His vision began to darken, and his consciousness was being dragged toward the edge of the abyss.

"Is that all?" Shen Jue squatted down, tilted his head to examine the dying Kurosaki Ichigo, his tone still as relaxed as if he were chatting.

"Only the second cut."

Not far away, Yoruichi, who had been silently watching the battle, had beads of cold sweat on her forehead.

Her eyes were fixed on the wound that had almost split Ichigo in two, and her throat bobbed slightly.

Even she, for a moment just now, subconsciously tensed all the muscles in her body.

"She actually did it," she murmured to herself, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"Brother Shen Jue..."

Shen Jue sheathed the Human World Game, knelt on one knee beside a protective shield, and warm white light shone from his palm once more.

"Return to the Dao: The Art of Reincarnation and Heavenly Life"

A soft light enveloped Ichigo's mangled waist, and the horrific wound began to heal at a visible speed.

The severed muscles reconnected, the damaged internal organs gradually recovered, and even the severed bones were put back into place like pieces of a puzzle.

A few breaths later, Ichigo's body was completely unharmed again.

But this time, he kept his eyes closed and did not wake up immediately.

Shen Jue glanced down at Ichigo's expression.

His brows were furrowed, his eyes trembled rapidly under his eyelids, and his breathing was rapid and disordered.

He smiled knowingly, stood up, and brushed the dust off his knees.

"I've entered the spiritual world," Shen Jue said to Ye Yi, his tone as calm as if he were reporting the weather forecast.

"A little faster than expected. The third cut can be scheduled ahead of schedule."

Yoruichi finally recovered from her petrified state, quickly walked to Ichigo's side, looked down at the boy's violently trembling eyelids, and frowned: "Didn't you go a little too far? You even cut his Zanpakuto in half, this kid might not..."

"What if something happens? A mental breakdown?" Shen Jue crossed her arms and chuckled softly. "Don't worry, I watched Kurosaki Ichigo grow up."

"Although he lost the positive buff of his mother's sacrifice, Ichigo Kurosaki, who has both parents, is different from the orphan protagonist."

"He will be stronger because of his family."

"This is the power of family."

Shen Jue gazed at the broken half of the Moon-Slaying Blade stuck in the rock wall in the distance, a profound meaning flashing in his eyes.

"Moreover, the broken knife is precisely the best opportunity."

"The Zangetsu that Ichigo has always held has never been in its complete form."

Shen Jue stretched and turned to walk towards the Tenth Division, his voice drifting back lazily.

"Yoruichi-chan, keep an eye on his body for me."

"I'll make him a cup of tea, and then I'll make the third cut once he wakes up."

Yoruichi glared at Shen Jue, remained silent for a while, and then looked down at Ichigo, who was still trembling in his unconscious state.

The boy's face was filled with struggle, his lips moved slightly, as if he were calling someone's name.

"What a devilish teacher." Yoruichi sighed and sat down cross-legged next to Ichigo.

"However, for a kid like you to be trained like this by Brother Shen Jue, it might be your greatest luck."

At that moment, Ichigo Kurosaki's consciousness plunged into an even deeper place.

Everything around them disappeared.

The rocks in the training ground, Shen Jue's smile, and Yoruichi's voice were all swallowed by darkness.

He felt as if he were sinking deeper and deeper into a bottomless ocean, surrounded by silence where only the sound of his own heartbeat could be heard.

Then, a beam of light pierced the darkness.

He found himself standing in an unfamiliar space.

Beneath my feet was a shallow surface of water, reflecting the skyless ceiling.

All around are sloping skyscrapers, steel and glass intertwined, like an abandoned modern city, or the dream of some sleeping giant.

On the water, a person stands with their back to him.

The man was wearing a long black robe, his long black hair reached his waist, and the fabric on his shoulders was gently lifted by the wind.

He slowly turned around, and a face that was both incredibly familiar and incredibly unfamiliar to Ichigo came into view.

That was Shen Jue's appearance, yet it exuded a completely different aura.

"Yo, Ichigo." The man spoke, his voice deep and languid, a cynical smile playing on his lips.

"Finally rolled down to see me?"