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

The battle lasted for an unknown period of time.

In the spiritual realm, time has no meaning.

Ichigo's body was pierced, torn apart, and crushed, but he rose again and again. Each time he fell, images flashed through his mind.

Youzi and Xiali were drawing on the living room floor.

He was holding up the poster and grinning foolishly.

Rukia, dressed in a JK uniform, sat in his closet and said proudly, "This is my mission."

Inoue, Chad, Ishida, Renji, and all his comrades who fought alongside him.

And his mother, standing by the river, turned back and smiled at him.

"I will protect them! All of them!"

Ichigo unleashed his final strike.

The blade flashed, tearing through the sky of the spiritual world, shattering the attack trajectories of Zangetsu and Hakushu simultaneously.

Ichigo stood on the water, covered in wounds, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light.

Zhan Yue looked at him, a barely perceptible smile appearing on her lips, before transforming into a beam of light and disappearing into his body.

Bai Xu let out a resentful roar, his figure slowly dissipating until only a black and white mask remained, gently landing on the water's surface and creating a ripple.

Ichigo reached out and picked up the mask.

Shen Jue stood at a distance, watching all of this, and gently clapped his hands.

"Congratulations on your graduation." His figure began to fade.

"That guy outside has probably already prepared the tea."

"Get out, Ichigo."

Do you know what your name means?

Ichigo looked up at Shen Jue.

"Ichigo is the 'only protector'."

Shen Jue disappeared in a flash of white light.

In the training ground, Yoruichi suddenly stood up.

Kurosaki Ichigo's body was enveloped in a dense layer of spiritual pressure, which expanded like a cocoon before suddenly exploding.

The strong wind blew all the surrounding rubble away, and Yoruichi had to raise her arm to block the oncoming blast.

After the storm of spiritual pressure subsided, Ichigo stood in the same spot.

His originally loose-fitting Shinigami robes became more fitted, with the black inner garment clinging tightly to his body, the hem fluttering in the wind from his spiritual pressure.

Ichigo's right hand is holding a brand new Zanpakuto.

The Zanpakuto had a long, black blade, and the chain at the end of the hilt hung on the wrist, making a crisp, light sound.

Swastika solution·The sky lock cuts the moon.

Ichigo's face was covered by a black and white Hollow mask.

The mask is divided by the center of the forehead; the left side is jet black, and the right side is pure white, with two sharp beams of light shooting out from the eye sockets.

Ichigo slowly raised his left hand, his fingertips touched the edge of the mask, and then he pulled hard.

The sound of the mask tearing was crisp and clean, revealing a face with increasingly sharp features.

His gaze was calm and resolute, a stark contrast to his demeanor before entering the spiritual realm.

There was no more hesitation or fear in those eyes, only an unwavering determination.

"Yo."

Standing not far away, Shen Jue held a teacup in one hand and waved to him with the other, the steam from the tea still rising gently.

Welcome back.

"It arrived a few minutes earlier than expected."

Ichigo glanced down at the Tensa Zangetsu in his hand, then looked up at Shen Jue, a battle-ready smile spreading across his face.

"Teacher Shen Jue."

He gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, assuming a starting stance, and his spiritual pressure swept outwards like a whirlwind.

"Can we begin the third cut?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Ichigo Kurosaki's figure had already disappeared from the spot.

It's not a flash, but pure burst speed.

The ground of the training ground exploded into a depression several meters deep the moment he stomped on it, and spiderweb-like cracks spread in all directions.

The water in Shen Jue's teacup rippled violently.

The black blade of Tensuo Zangetsu was stopped less than three centimeters from Shen Jue's neck.

Shen Jue didn't even get up.

He remained seated cross-legged on the bluestone, holding a teacup in his right hand, while his left hand had somehow risen, his index and middle fingers precisely catching the slashing blade.

Where the fingertips touched the blade, the spiritual pressure collided, producing a piercing metallic scraping sound.

"The speed is eleven times faster than before." Shen Jue calmly took a sip of tea.

"But the intention to accelerate is too obvious."

"Your shoulders moved a millimeter before your spiritual pressure exploded from your feet."

Ichigo's pupils contracted slightly, his wrist flicked, the chains of Tensa Zangetsu rattled, and the blade spun between Shen Jue's fingers, changing from a slash to a slice, horizontally cutting the opponent's throat.

Shen Jue leaned back thirty degrees, the blade grazing his Adam's apple, the resulting wind pressure shattering the massive rock wall several meters behind him.

Before Ichigo could sheathe his sword, Shen Jue flicked his free left hand, striking the spine of Tensa Zangetsu.

Ichigo felt an immense force coming from the blade, his hand trembled violently, and he and the blade were flung away.

He flipped twice in the air before landing on his feet and gliding for more than ten meters before regaining his balance.

"My strength has increased thirteenfold." Shen Jue placed the teacup on the stone beside him and finally stood up.

"But you've focused all your power on the blade, leaving the middle section and hilt empty."

"I only need to give you a gentle push at the point where you exert force, and your attack will be backfired by your own power."

Ichigo gritted his teeth and held Tensa Zangetsu horizontally in front of him.

The mask on his face had not completely disappeared, and remnants of torn spiritual pressure remained on its black and white edges.

He took a deep breath, and his spiritual pressure condensed into a visible blue halo around his body.

"Crescent Moon Anecho!"

Black crescent-shaped slashes shot out from the blade, followed by a second, a third, and a fourth!

Ichigo unleashed seven consecutive slashes in an instant!

Seven black crescent moons tore through the air from different angles, engulfing Shen Jue in a massive, overwhelming attack!

This is the fighting style he comprehended in his spiritual world.

Since Crescent Moon Strike is his strongest slash, let's turn it into a normal attack.

No more charging, no more gaps; every swing of the sword is a complete Crescent Moon Heavenly Slash.

The seven crescent moons, like seven jet-black waterfalls, blocked all of Shen Jue's escape routes.

Shen Jue looked at the approaching crescent-shaped storm and smiled slightly.

His right hand finally gripped the hilt of the Zanpakuto at his waist.

Yoruichi and Ichigo Kurosaki did not see how he drew his sword.

The seven crescent moons were severed at the same instant.

It wasn't shattered, nor neutralized, but rather severed in the middle by a sharper slash, like cutting black cloth with scissors.

The broken crescent moon went out of control, blasting open more than a dozen huge craters behind Shen Jue, sending rubble and dust flying into the sky.

Shen Jue's knife was already pressed against Ichigo's chest.

"The spiritual pressure is fifteen times stronger than before." Shen Jue's voice was right next to him.

"It is indeed remarkable that you can release seven Crescent Moon Strikes in a row, but each crescent moon you release is independent."

"There was no coordination or connection between them; it was just the same attack being repeated seven times."

"Swordsmanship is not about repeatedly using the same powerful move." Shen Jue's blade moved forward an inch, tearing a gash in Ichigo's shihaka armor at his chest with spiritual pressure.

"Instead, it's about finding the most suitable strike among countless techniques."

"Ichigo, treating his former all-out attack like a normal attack, it must have been really satisfying," Shen Jue said, changing his tone.

"But you completely misunderstand the difference between swordsmanship and simply outputting spiritual pressure."

But at that moment, Ichigo's body suddenly erupted with an unprecedented spiritual pressure, forcing Shen Jue back half a step.

He took the opportunity to leap backward, creating distance again, and with a swipe of his left hand in front of his face, the black and white Void Mask once again covered his face.

The black and white lines on the mask began to blur, and the light in the eye sockets gradually changed from blue to a dark gold luster.

Ichigo's spiritual pressure changed, and the Shinigami spiritual pressure and the Hollow's violent aura began to boil. The two forces collided and merged fiercely within his body, producing an effect that was far greater than the sum of its parts.

"That's more like it." Shen Jue looked at Ichigo's transformation, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

"The power of the Shinigami, the power of the Hollows, the power of the Quincy—mobilize them all."

"Only this way." For the first time, Shen Jue took the initiative to attack.

"Only you are qualified to take my third blow."

Before he could finish speaking, the knife was already there.

Ichigo's pupils suddenly contracted.

His dynamic vision was enhanced to the limit in the blurred state, but he could still only catch a blurry afterimage.

Shen Jue's Zanpakuto was fully drawn, and the blade had a strange texture in the sunlight, as if the blade did not exist entirely in this space, but wandered in the gap between some higher dimension and reality.

This is Shen Jue's Zanpakuto, Human Game.

Ichigo used all his strength to raise Tensa Zangetsu to block.

The moment the two Zanpakuto clashed, he felt as if his wrist was about to break.

Shen Jue's spiritual pressure was incredibly strong; it was a power that completely surpassed his own, like using a mountain to crush a pebble.

Shen Jue's third strike had already landed.

This strike was completely unpretentious.

There was no change in trajectory, no spatial leaps, and nothing technically skillful.

Shen Jue simply raised the Human Game above his head, and then slashed downwards in the simplest way.

But it was this simple slash that made Ichigo feel as if the entire world was pressing down on him.

Shen Jue's spiritual pressure was fully released in this strike, and its density and intensity exceeded the scope of the laws.

The air was compressed into a liquid state, the ground began to collapse before the blade even fell, and the barrier around the training ground groaned under the strain.

Ichigo tried to raise his sword to block, but he found that he couldn't move his arm.

No, it's just that Ichigo's movements were too slow.

The blade pierced through Ichigo Kurosaki's chest.

Tensa Zangetsu slipped from Ichigo Kurosaki's hand and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Ichigo swayed and then fell forward.

His consciousness was rapidly fading, and his vision was becoming blurry and dark.

Before the last bit of Qingming disappeared, he heard Shen Jue's voice.

"The captain of the 13th Division, Jushiro Ukitake, has sent a message." Shen Jue's tone was calm, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"The date for Rukia Kuchiki's execution has been set."

"Tomorrow."

Ichigo's consciousness snapped back to normal for a moment.

"The location is Twin Peaks Hill."

"The method of execution was to kill Rukia Kuchiki with double-edged sword."

Shen Jue looked at Ichigo lying on the ground and continued, "Central 46 passed this resolution unanimously, with no room for negotiation."

"Her crime is: illegally transferring the power of death to humanity."

Ichigo gripped the ground with his fingers, his nails digging into it, then crushed the soil and rocks, pressing so hard that his knuckles trembled.

He tried to stand up, but the emptiness in his chest made him unable to muster any strength.

His spiritual pressure was surging, roaring, and desperately trying to erupt, but having lost the very act of "resistance," he could only lie on the ground, panting like a fish out of water.

Shen Jue walked up to Ichigo and looked down at him.

"With your current strength, going to save her is tantamount to suicide." Shen Jue's voice was devoid of any emotion.

"Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni can burn you to ashes in an instant."

Ichigo gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and tried with all his might to lift himself up, but he fell back to the ground as soon as he raised his upper body.

His eyes were bloodshot, but it wasn't from exhaustion; it was from resentment.

Shen Jue watched him struggle, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly lifted the Human Game.

"How would you react to such devastating news?" Shen Jue asked, pointing the blade at the back of Ichigo's head.

"Is it giving up? Is it admitting your weakness? Is it accepting reality and watching Rukia die?"

"If this is your answer."

Shen Jue thrust his knife downwards.

The blade grazed Ichigo's ear precisely before embedding itself deeply into the rock beside his head.

Stone chips flew everywhere, cutting Ichigo's cheek.

"Then this knife will really pierce your head."

Shen Jue maintained his thrusting posture, leaned close to Ichigo's ear, and whispered something.

Are you angry?

Ichigo's body began to tremble.

It wasn't fear, nor cold, but a violent, extreme rage erupting from the depths of my soul.

The "hollow" in his chest was filled with this anger, then torn apart, and then transformed into an even more violent force that swept over his entire body.

"Are you unwilling to accept this?"

Shen Jue's voice was like a key, opening a door that should not have been opened.

"Do you want power?"

Ichigo's consciousness began to blur, but a voice roared in his mind.

That voice came from the deepest part of his heart, from the origin of his soul, from the being he had defeated and torn apart in the spiritual world, and which remained in the mask.

A white void.

The black Zanpakuto.

There are also the countless connections flowing in his blood, from his parents, from his ancestors, and from the intricate bonds between humans and Hollows, Shinigami and Quincy.

All forces erupted simultaneously at this moment!

Shen Jue straightened up, pulled the game from the rock, and retreated ten feet.

The ground of the training ground began to crack.

No, it's not cracking, it's melting.

The rocks surrounding Ichigo's body turned to dust under the erosion of spiritual pressure, while Ichigo himself slowly stood up.

He lowered his head, and the black spiritual pressure and white void power intertwined, like two giant dragons entwined and surging out from his body.

The power was so violent that visible cracks began to appear in the training ground barrier set up by Shen Jue.

The barrier set up by Shen Jue could withstand a full-force attack from a captain-level opponent without being damaged, but at this moment, it was as fragile as a thin layer of ice in the face of the spiritual pressure released by Kurosaki Ichigo's Hollowfication rampage.

Ichigo slowly raised his head.

His eyes are no longer human eyes.

The sclera turned pitch black, the pupils turned dark gold, and strange black lines spread around the eye sockets.

His hair started turning white from the roots, extending to the ends in a slow and irreversible manner.

It wasn't because of aging, but because the power of the void was eroding his body and changing his life form.

The scariest thing is the top of his head.

Two twisted, long horns burst through the skin on either side of the skull, curving upwards into a grotesque arc.

The horn has a bone-like texture, with dark red patterns covering its surface, as if magma is flowing inside.

And in his chest, where Shen Jue had pierced through, a real hole had appeared.

The edges were pitch black, and the interior was completely empty, as if something had completely devoured that part of the existence.

The space around the training ground began to tremble, and a strong aura of emptiness permeated the air.

All the barriers that Shen Jue had set up shattered at the same moment, and the fragments turned into specks of light and dissipated in the wind.

Ichigo opened his mouth, and a sound that didn't sound human came out of his throat.

That was a hollow roar.

It is also a lament of humanity.

It was more like the roar of a beast.

The three voices overlapped, carrying a soul-tearing power, and exploded in the air above the training ground.

Shen Jue stood at the center of this storm of spiritual pressure, his robes fluttering in the wind.

He looked at Ichigo, who had completely gone berserk in his Hollowfication state, and slowly placed the Human Game in front of him.

A barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"The response is good."

Shen Jue's pupils reflected Kurosaki Ichigo's image, or rather, Kurosaki Ichigo's bull-headed form after his Hollowfication rampage.

Ichigo's dark golden eyes had completely lost their rationality, leaving only a pure, primal, all-consuming killing instinct.

"Next comes the real teaching lesson."

"Laugh, revel, Shikai, the human game!"

On the blade of the Human Game, red embroidered patterns extend, intersect, and weave, eventually forming a halo around the blade.

A giant chessboard covered the entire area, and Kurosaki Ichigo and Shen Jue began to draw their respective identities.

At this moment, Ichigo's Hollowfied form, imbued with destructive spiritual pressure, launched its first attack on Shen Jue.

The power of this attack far exceeded the spiritual pressure limit that Kurosaki Ichigo displayed when he used "Getsuga Tenshou" repeatedly.

The entire training ground was completely erased from the map the instant the two spiritual pressures collided.

Yoruichi jumped into the air, her eyes wide open like a frightened kitten.