The Alchemist in Bleach

You must understand, this is a knife, a knife used for fighting!

Looks good but is actually useless!

If I care about looks, why don't I create a mimicry Zanpakuto? That would be incredibly cool!

Therefore, under these circumstances, the title of "Sode no Shirayuki, the most beautiful Zanpakuto" is mostly used as a joke in the current Seireitei.

The reason is simple: jealousy.

It's that simple. Despite being born into a commoner family, she had an older sister who married the head of the Kuchiki family. She went from being a little beggar in Rukongai to becoming the eldest daughter of the Kuchiki family.

After graduating from school, he was directly assigned to the Fifth Division and inexplicably became the disciple of the Fifth Division Captain. Although he was not explicitly called a disciple, he was taught Taoist magic, swordsmanship, Kido, Hakuda, and even political affairs. If this is not a disciple, then what is?

His career path was even planned out. When turmoil occurred, he would carry the power of the Kuchiki family and Tenshin Ichiro, sweeping through the chaos like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, reaping a huge wave of merits. Then, with the recommendation of half of the captains, he directly became the vice-captain of the Thirteenth Division.

If the previous ones were simply jealous, then this last vice-captain completely broke their defenses, making them so jealous that their very being was torn apart!

Isn't it excessive for half of the team captains to recommend it?

Isn't this usually used to select team captains?

Is it really necessary to make such a fuss over a mere vice-captain?

From this point on, the title of "most beautiful Zanpakuto" lost all its positive connotations and became almost entirely used to mock Rukia. Now, when people mention the most beautiful Zanpakuto, no one thinks of it in a positive light.

But that's precisely why!

Sode no Shirayuki's immense power was overlooked.

In Ichiro's opinion, as long as Rukia solves the problems of the short duration of Absolute Zero and the self-damage of Bankai, Sode no Shirayuki can definitely compete with Hyōrinmaru and vie for the title of the strongest ice-type!

And it's the fully unleashed Hyōrinmaru!

The imperfect Hyōrinmaru of today is actually quite similar to the current Sode no Shirayuki.

Among the dozen or so vice-captains of Seireitei, Rukia isn't among the top, but she's definitely in the upper-middle tier, which is quite good considering the abundance of vice-captains with impressive abilities.

Therefore, even in her current weakened state, killing Ishida would be an easy task for Rukia.

However, she had seen all of Ichigo's previous battles. It was clear that while Ishida was intent on killing, Ichigo was not. All the decisive attacks he made were with the back of his sword.

Knowing full well that the two sides were evenly matched, choosing to hold back makes their attitude crystal clear.

Therefore, Rukia did not kill Ishida, but stopped him.

Of course, if Ishida really doesn't know what's good for him and insists on taking action, then she won't show any mercy. After all, she doesn't have that much time to waste with Ishida right now.

Ishida understood this as well. He glanced at Ichigo lying on the ground with some resentment, sighed, and turned to leave quickly.

"Ichigo!" After Ishida walked away, Rukia immediately put away her Fullbring: Sode no Shirayuki, turned around and helped Ichigo up to her chest, calling out to him with concern.

At the same time, a faint green spiritual pressure emanated from his right hand, slowly merging into Ichigo's body.

"Hmph~" As the pale green life force transformed from spiritual pressure slowly flowed into Ichigo's body, Ichigo let out a soft hum and slowly woke up.

"Rukia? Are you alright? How was the battle...? Hmph~?"

"I'm fine. I chased Ishida away. Don't worry, I didn't hurt him. That's not important. How did you suddenly collapse? What happened?"

"I...I heard it! That voice!"

"The sound of a Zanpakuto? But how did you faint? And what did you say? Communicating with a Zanpakuto doesn't seem to be like this."

"I don't know either, but I have a feeling that... that shouldn't be my Zanpakuto. His voice... is very sinister! It seems to be able to ignite all the hidden anger in my heart. Any tiny bit of it could detonate my negative emotions and turn them into naked killing intent! That guy... is terrifying!"

Ichigo's eyes are still filled with intense fear...

With fear!

Unlike the previous two times, when he was actually in a semi-comatose state, he only knew that someone was talking to him in his mind, but he would quickly forget what was said and how it was said, just like sometimes when you have a dream, you have a very deep impression, but you don't know anything after you wake up.

But this time, for some unknown reason, his consciousness was incredibly clear. He recorded the entire process perfectly. In that instant, he really wanted to kill Ishida!

This is just a few words...

Ichigo couldn't imagine what would happen if Yuzu and Karin were standing in front of him...

'Killing intent...' Rukia's expression changed. Could this be Hollowfication?

She had learned some things about Hollowfication from Ichiro. If a Shinigami doesn't make progress for a long time and reaches a bottleneck in strength, Hollowfication can break through that bottleneck and allow their strength to leap dramatically!

But Hollowfication is an extremely dangerous power, something that the Seireitei explicitly forbids!

Based on the advanced Quincy skills Ichigo displayed in the battle, she roughly understood why Ichigo had been chosen...

She possesses the combined powers of Hollows, humans, Quincy, and her own Shinigami abilities (she is unaware of Isshin and Ichigo's relationship). What a monster she is!

"Ichigo!"

"Hmm?" Ichigo looked at Rukia, whose expression had suddenly turned serious.

"We can't delay any longer. Let's go, come with me to a place where you can awaken your own Shinigami power!"

"Huh? Why are you suddenly bringing this up? Is it because of that voice?" Ichigo, barely regaining some strength, struggled to stand up from Rukia's arms, looking at her in confusion. Suddenly, he realized, "Wait! What do you mean by 'awakening my Shinigami powers'? What's my current situation?"

Rukia rolled her eyes and said irritably, "You're using my Shinigami power right now! Mine! Seriously, it takes you this long to defeat a Quincy, you're such an embarrassment!"

"I'm so sorry~" Ichigo first shrank back instinctively and apologized, then suddenly realized, "Wait, if I awaken my Shinigami power, does that mean your Shinigami power will go back?"

"pretty close."

"...Then why didn't you do it sooner...Don't you know how dangerous this is? And what if the Seireitei comes and sees us like this? You're finished!"

“I know this is dangerous, but it’s necessary. The reason the mastermind wants you to become a Grim Reaper is definitely not simple. He can’t let you maintain this state of relying on my Grim Reaper power forever, so he will definitely arrange for you to awaken your own Grim Reaper power. I want you to become strong enough before that happens! Only in this way can you break the chessboard or even jump out of the chessboard to confront him directly!”

"But that won't work now. You still have powerful Quincy power within you, which is seriously affecting your training. In fact, you might even have Hollow power within you!"

"A Hollow? Am I a Hollow?" Ichigo frowned deeply. His first reaction was disbelief, but the feeling was indeed similar to that of a Hollow...

"I'm not saying you're a Void, I'm saying you have the power of a Void within you. I don't know the specifics either. Anyway, let's go over there first. That guy will explain it to you in detail."

"That guy?" Ichigo tilted his head and asked curiously.

.......

"Welcome! Is there anything you two need?" Urahara asked with a smile, his face half-hidden behind a small fan as he stood in front of Urahara's shop.

Urahara, who had come up empty-handed at Ulquiorra's place, sensed Ichigo's powerful yet subtly sinister spiritual pressure and guessed that Rukia would bring Ichigo over, so he rushed back ahead of time.

"Hello, um... um... I came with her." After hesitating for a while, Ichigo couldn't think of anything to say, so he could only point to Rukia.

Ichigo wasn't surprised that Urahara could see him; if he couldn't, Rukia wouldn't have brought him here.

"So......"

"Help him awaken his own Shinigami power." Rukia said before Urahara could finish speaking.

"Are you sure? Once he awakens the power of death, according to your guess, the mastermind behind it all will likely act immediately. Do you think his current power is enough? Besides, your training isn't finished yet, is it?"

Rukia glanced at Urahara in surprise. He even knew this. No wonder he was a Shinigami on par with the teacher!

“That’s not important. I’m worried that if he doesn’t awaken his Death God powers soon, he might be in mortal danger. You don’t need to pretend. I don’t believe you can’t see his current state. We have no other choice.”

'We...? We've already consciously stood on the opposite side of the Seireitei~ Is this what it means to be the Chosen One? Is it really that amazing?' Urahara's gaze towards Rukia changed slightly.

That was a look of approval!

From the moment Rukia made that decision, she was no longer a child in Urahara's eyes, but a formidable opponent!

"Alright, since you've said so, I'll do it, as long as you pay me~"

As he spoke, Urahara stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.

........

In the underground space, Urahara, Rukia, Ichigo, and Yoruichi, who had turned into a black cat and was perched on Urahara's shoulder, formed a circle and explained to Ichigo the key points to awakening the power of a Shinigami.

According to Urahara's explanation, there are two ways for Ichigo to awaken his Shinigami power. First, temporarily block Rukia's Shinigami power, then sever Ichigo's causal chains, allowing him to find his Shinigami power within a specified time and become a Shinigami!

That is, the method in the original work. This method is risky, but it is safe. It's either success or death; there is no third possibility.

The second point is to master Shikai while in this state. Once Shikai is mastered, Ichigo will naturally awaken his Shinigami powers. But Shikai is something...

It's not easy to do...

Given the choice between the two options, Rukia and Urahara suggested the second one, as it posed no immediate danger to his life. Ichiro's choice, however, was...

------------

Chapter 326 Are you a Zanpakuto or a Hollow now?

Ichigo's choice is...

The second one!

Actually, it's not really a choice; this is the only option he can use. Right now, what Ichigo lacks most is time. Logically speaking, the most suitable option should be the first one: directly look at the Chains of Cause and Effect. It's either success or death.

This choice may seem dangerous, but don't forget, Ichigo is the chosen one. Although Urahara's nickname is somewhat sarcastic, the actual situation is not that different. The people behind Ichigo will not just watch him die like this. So even if there is only a one percent chance of success, it is 100% for Ichigo. He is forcing himself to live the life of the protagonist!

But that's the crux of the problem...

Ichigo's Hollow power is currently too strong. Once the causal chain is severed, he will be instantly devoured by the Hollow power and become a Hollow himself!

The chance of becoming Death is zero!

Therefore, the only option is the second one. Although it is slower, it is more stable, and judging from Ichigo's current talent, it may not take much time at all.

After adjusting his state, Ichigo sat on the ground, closed his eyes slightly, and immersed his mind in his body.

"To achieve Shikai, the most fundamental issue is still finding the power of the Shinigami. However, this is different from the first method. You only need to find the Shinigami power belonging to Rukia within your body, and then follow that power to connect with your Zanpakuto. After that, you just need to ask for its name. The method to sense the power of the Shinigami is... Remember, the red one is the power of the Shinigami."

Recalling Urahara's methods, Ichigo slowly immersed his spirit into his body, and his spiritual body appeared in an ocean of spiritual particles.

"Is this... the power within me? Let me see... the red spiritual veins..."

Looking at the white spiritual energy drifting around, Ichigo frowned. This seemed different from what Rukia had said. Wasn't it supposed to be difficult to control?

However, Ichigo didn't think much of it. Business was more important. He could ask about it later when they went out. Thinking about it now would just be a waste of time.

Ichigo floated in the air, looking around, searching for the red spiritual vein.

Of course, while it is called seeing, it is actually perceiving. Seeing is just a concrete manifestation of perception by the consciousness. In reality, Ichigo does not need to move his gaze, and he can even "see" these spiritual networks with his eyes closed.

Ichigo's senses continued to expand, searching for that touch of red in the white ocean.

Ichigo initially thought it was quite simple; white and red are such a big difference, so it should be easy as long as you have hands.