Bleach: From Rugum to Thousand-Year Captain

Even with high-speed regeneration and steel sheets, this burden cannot be alleviated.

However, once is enough! Tenzuki Suzaku slashed at Kuchiki Rukia, the blade slicing across the back of her neck. Her slender and frail body could not withstand Tenzuki Suzaku's fierce strike, and the blade embedded itself into the bone through her flesh.

Rukia Kuchiki groaned, raised her sleeve, and thrust her hand into the ground.

"First Dance, Moon White!!!" "Crescent Moon Sky Slash!!!"

"Hmph! Do you think I'm an idiot?" Tenzuki Sukusai neither dodged nor evaded Yuebai, letting Sode Shirayuki's icy spiritual pressure envelop him. He grabbed Kuchiki Rukia's neck directly with his left hand, holding on tightly, the Zanpakuto rubbing against Tenzuki Sukusai's arm, creating intense sparks.

The next moment, Rukia Kuchiki and Suzaku Amatsuki were frozen inside the ice pillar. Of course, Suzaku Amatsuki knew that Sode no Shirayuki's Moon White technique couldn't cause any harm to Rukia.

He shielded Rukia Kuchiki in front of him, allowing her chest to take the brunt of Ichigo Kurosaki's Getsuga Tenshou before the ice pillars froze!

*Poof!* The Crescent Moon Heavenly Slash, a violent blue spiritual pressure strike, exploded violently on the ice pillar. Its momentum undiminished, it struck Rukia Kuchiki's forehead, the aftershocks tearing open Amatsuki Susui's waist and leaving numerous small wounds.

This was a Getsuga Tenshou, a full-force attack from Captain-level spiritual pressure Kurosaki Ichigo. Kuchiki Rukia, who was being used as a target, had her chest blown apart, with flesh and blood flying everywhere.

After the ice pillar was shattered, Tenzuki Sukusai didn't let the opportunity pass. He swiftly severed Kuchiki Rukia's small and fragile neck, and an onion-shaped head shot into the sky once again.

Poor Rukia, she got killed twice.

Kurosaki Ichigo, expressionless, leaped into the air and brought Zangetsu down with a fierce strike. Tengetsu Sussai knew that the fun was over, and the real show was just beginning.

"Clash, God's Truth!!!" Tengetsu Sukusai immediately released his Zanpakuto, and a silvery-white spiritual pressure suddenly burst forth from his body, spreading around the Zanpakuto and gradually condensing and shrinking.

Zangetsu and Shinji clashed, and Ichigo Kurosaki's arm was covered in blood, while Tenzuki Susui was completely unharmed.

"What a pity. No wonder a bunch of idiots love to boast about their skills in do-or-die matches. I never expected them to actually do it. If it were me, I'd have to say something sarcastic to really get into it!!!"

"I really want to see you unleash the power of the Holy Letter D so I can see how you evade taxes."

The divine power of the interlocking technique delayed Zangetsu's strike, and his preemptive dodge meant that Kurosaki Ichigo couldn't hit Tengetsu Susukisai at all, and was constantly fighting against thin air.

However, Ichigo Kurosaki, being irrational and inflexible, once again swung his sword to strike Zangetsu. Zangetsu and Shinji clashed, their blue, silver, and crimson spiritual pressures exploding and sparking countless fireballs.

Again! Again! Again!!!

Blood gushed from Ichigo Kurosaki's body, staining his Shinigami robes a deep crimson, turning him into a blood-soaked figure. Yet, he continued to slash Zangetsu without restraint, as if his injuries were completely unrelated to him.

"What's wrong with this blood bull? Why isn't he dead yet?" Tengetsu Sukusai used the power of the gourd to continuously absorb the aftershocks of Kurosaki Ichigo's every slash. Several times, when Kurosaki Ichigo released Getsuga Tenshou at close range, he used the gourd to absorb it and counter with a sword pressure.

The power emanating from Crescent Moon Sky Strike was also blocked by the steel skin on Tianyue Quezhai's body.

"Hey, aren't you dead yet? Don't tell me you're about to unleash your power-up, Bankai or Shadow Domain? Bloodlust Armor?" However, Kurosaki Ichigo didn't unleash his power-up. Once he had lost most of his blood, his attack slowed down.

However, due to the captain-level spiritual pressure, Amatsuki Susumei could not kill him quickly with a single blow and could only slowly wear him down. Finally, when Kurosaki Ichigo was exhausted, Amatsuki Susumei switched from a thrust to a sweep and decapitated Kurosaki Ichigo.

That was close! He almost forgot his rule and made a hole in Ichigo Kurosaki's heart, so he withdrew his stab and turned to behead him.

Kurosaki Ichigo's head was cut off, and Tenzuki Susuzai didn't believe that Kurosaki Ichigo could really use cheat codes.

Looking around, Renji Abarai was still locked in a war of attrition with Luther Ben. Amatsuki Susui raised his Zanpakuto horizontally, gathering spiritual pressure at the center of the blade. The crimson, violent spiritual pressure gathered and transformed into a red light, engulfing Renji Abarai and Luther Ben together.

"Hado #31, Red Fire Cannon!"

Akagi Renji was bombarded with a Cero followed by a Kido attack, and Amatsuki Susui didn't give him a chance to retaliate. He stepped forward with Shunpo, and without waiting for Akagi to be alive, he cut off his neck and took him away.

[Level 70 cleared!]

Rewards: 3 Regular Tickets, 1 Gold Ticket

There are currently 7 regular coupons and 5 gold coupons.

Level cleared; 70

Tengetsu Quezhai mentally withdrew from the challenge and took a deep breath. As the levels progressed, the bosses became increasingly stronger. Without a doubt, the next boss would be either the vice-captain, the captain, or a Quincy of the Hollow Realization.

He's only at the vice-captain level right now, which isn't enough.

Sitting cross-legged, Tengetsu Sussai drew his Zanpakuto, Shintei, and looked at Shintei with half-closed eyes. With the constant infusion of spiritual pressure each day, Shintei's normal form was changing.

Or, to put it another way, if a Shinigami at the vice-captain or captain level didn't control and compress their Zanpakuto with spiritual energy, and instead allowed it to develop naturally, it would grow to the size of a skyscraper.

As the Shinigami deepens their connection with their Zanpakuto, it becomes a common practice to control the Zanpakuto in its unreleased state, adapting the blade length and hilt-to-blade ratio to suit their height and fighting style.

Under Tengetsu Sukusai's subtle control, Asauchi's length changed from 1 meter to 1.5 meters, with a 3:7 ratio. At 1.93 meters tall, holding a 1.5-meter Zanpakuto seemed a bit long, but it was still about right.

The tsuba (handguard) of Shinji's sword is normally shaped like an interlocking six-pointed star with a hollow center. After its Shikai (Release) state, the tsuba is lost. Shinji's entire body is slightly curved, but generally straight. It's somewhat similar to the Fullbring Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, but without the tsuba.

In its unreleased state, the Zanpakuto's overall color is grayish, with a gray back, white blade, and black tsuba. After unleashing its divine power, the entire Zanpakuto turns silver-white.

Stroking the divine essence, Tengetsu Quezhai calmed his mind and prepared to enter the Sword Zen.

......

Chapter 26 Man and Blade as One

Tianyue Quezhai seemed to be asleep, and after an unknown amount of time, a young man woke him up.

"Tianyue Quezhai, how much longer are you going to stand there in a daze?"

"Oh, you're here." As if returning home, Tengetsu Sukusai spoke and acted somewhat casually. Only after speaking did he realize that he had just been practicing sword meditation.

Looking around, Tianyue Quezhai found himself standing on an unknown beach. There were only some small trees on the inner edge of the beach, and he could see the other side of the beach at a glance.

He was on a small island, surrounded by an endless sea and a cloudless blue sky.

The boy who called his name was also sitting on the beach, hugging his knees and gazing at the sea.

"So, you are my Zanpakuto, Shintei?"

"Otherwise, why are you asking when you already know the answer? Come on, sit down and rest for a bit." Shen Di was wearing beach shorts and his upper body was bare, looking like a tourist who came to sunbathe and relax, which didn't match the cool image of his Zanpakuto at all.

Tianyue Quezhai also sat down without speaking, gazing at the boundless sea and listening to the gentle breeze and the sound of the waves, feeling much more relaxed.

The two remained silent for an hour, lost in thought. It was as if they were locked in a contest, each wielding a knife, waiting to see who would break down and speak first.

Until a wave crashed over them, soaking them to the bone.

"Wow, these waves look so real."

"Of course! This boundless sea is your heart, and the surging waves are your thoughts."

"As expected, I guessed a little bit." With each thought, Tianyue Quezhai noticed the waves surging and crashing. Just as this huge wave was about to hit him, Tianyue Quezhai was about to speak.

Shen Di raised his hand to interrupt Tengetsu Sussai, and said in a low voice, "You are me, and everything you think can be reflected in your Zanpakuto. King and mount, huh? A good description. Yes, our relationship is indeed similar."

"However, I don't reject that argument at all. Because you are the king, and I am the mount. Isn't it only right for a mount to serve the king?"

"You don't need to give me these excuses or those excuses. I know you better than you do, Tianyue Quezhai."

"You don't like killing at all, you don't like fighting at all, you don't like all this coldness. Being a spectator and experiencing it firsthand are two completely different things, yet in the end you still resolutely chose to wield the knife."

"Compared to all sorts of unpleasant things, you still have to wield the sword. Because when you wield the sword, you can cut off everything in the present moment, bring things to a close, and draw an end to them. All sorts of ideals and desires for absolute freedom are completely unimportant. As long as you wield the sword and achieve complete victory, you know that only then will you have a voice."

"The victor wins everything, victory takes all, and the principle of 'the winner takes all' remains the same in this world and the world of the world. And now that you have the opportunity to seize power and win everything, you choose to wield your sword."

Shen Di completely dissected Tian Yue Que Zhai's inner thoughts, like a mirror reflecting his true nature. Upon hearing this, Tian Yue Que Zhai smiled and nodded.

"As expected of the divine truth, or rather, as expected of myself. I can fool anyone, but I cannot fool myself, not even by forcing myself to believe it. I have failed."

“That’s right, the winner takes all and the loser is condemned. The winner has absolute power and controls everything. I have this opportunity, and I must seize it without hesitation. That’s the reason for wielding the sword.”

"So-called ideals, ambitions, battles and killings are nothing more than byproducts when wielding a sword. So, if it is you, you should know the meaning of my coming here, Divine Truth."

Shendi remained seated on the beach, motionless. "Of course, my king. Knowing the true nature of a Zanpakuto, you desire greater power, Shikai and then Bankai. But deep down, you're wondering, is it truly your own Zanpakuto? You want your king, whom you consider a comrade, to tell you the stark truth of killing your Zanpakuto."

"You want to borrow power and then fuse with your Zanpakuto. You don't want to deceive your Zanpakuto, you don't want to deceive yourself. That's why you're so conflicted, right?"

"Divine Truth?" Tengetsu Sussai remained silent. In the end, it had come to this. He hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. To borrow power from a Zanpakuto for the sake of wielding it, and then to kill his own Zanpakuto for the sake of wielding it—how cruel was that?

Knowing what Tengetsu Sussai was thinking, Shendi stood up and said softly, "You don't need to speak, Sussai. I am you, I understand you. I will help you verify the path you want to take. It's just about reaching the level of Bankai after Shikai, and then making me submit and successfully achieve Bankai. When we reach the final end, we will completely merge with the Zanpakuto's soul, making you and the sword one. At that time, you will 'kill' me."

"What's so hard to say? My existence is precisely for your sake, Quesai."

"Look at this vast ocean, Quezhai. It's so lonely, this world is so lonely. It's the same in both the spiritual and the real world. For me, the meaning of my existence is to help you achieve your goals, so that you no longer have to see this lonely island."

"Leave here, Tianyue Quezhai. You know what you're doing."

"And...you and I can indeed become one with the sword, at that time..."

Tianyue Quezhai stared at Shendi as his vision gradually blurred and his spiritual world was completely annihilated.

Silently, he exited the mental space and returned to reality.

Tengetsu Sussai let out a long sigh of relief; "Well, at least the matter of the Zanpakuto is settled. Man and sword as one, huh...?"

Having a Zanpakuto and shouting out Bankai is indeed cool, but it has too many limitations. To name a few, the blade Nimaiya Oetsu is one, and Yhwach, who usurped the shrine, can create a device to steal Bankai.

By cutting off names, all darkness will be controlled by the monk Heijuubu Ichigo. His abilities are a natural counter to Shinigami (death gods) and Zanpakuto (soul-crowding swords) that call out names; in fact, he even named the Zanpakuto himself.

There is also the possibility of the sword being damaged in its Bankai state, resulting in permanent damage to the Zanpakuto.

The only true path is to become one with the Zanpakuto and the Shinigami, like Aizen Sousuke, completely merging the Zanpakuto's spirit and breaking through the limits of one's own soul, thus making the Zanpakuto's power one's own.

However, to reach that level, one must learn Bankai before breaking the limits, otherwise there won't be enough time. Learning Bankai early allows one to achieve the fusion of man and sword sooner.

Therefore, Tengetsu Sussai believes that the first goal is to reach the minimum spiritual pressure required to learn Bankai at the captain level. After learning Bankai, he will then clear stages to accumulate spiritual pressure until he breaks through the limit and achieves perfect harmony between man and sword.

Otherwise, even if he accumulates countless captain-level spiritual pressures and his Zanpakuto becomes high in the later stages, his Zanpakuto will still be just an external accessory with a low degree of integration. In that case, the Zanpakuto will become a burden. At that time, if he wants to integrate the Zanpakuto again, he will need something like the Hōgyoku with the Spirit King's fingertip to do it, or he can hone it himself.

That would turn you into someone like Yamamoto Shigekuni, who touches the limits of death but finds it difficult to make rapid progress.

Of course, the idea that man and knife should become one is a guess based on the results and the paths taken by many people, and he only needs to speculate on the process.

These speculations are not difficult. With Yamamoto Shigekuni and Aizen Sousuke leading the way, how could Tengetsu Sussai not learn by following in their footsteps?

.......

Chapter 27 Thunder VS First Generation Instant God

Soul Society.

The noble quarters within the Seireitei.

Inside a spacious, square obelisk, a meeting of the Golden Seal Nobles, exclusively for the five noble families, was held.

Rows of guards dressed in white turbans and with curtains covering their heads, each holding a high-pitched ceremonial instrument, waited for the nobles to take their seats.

Inside the obelisk, in the center, was a pentagonal stone table, where the head of the Tsunayoshi family, Tsunayoshi Misaki, the head of the Shihōin family, Shihōin Kenichirō, the head of the Shiba family, Shiba Taito, the head of the Kuchiki family, and Kuchiki Atomu took their seats.

Kuchiki Atomu glanced at the empty seats, propping himself up on his hand; "Isn't that family coming? From now on, let's just call the five major families the four major families."

Tsunayoshi Saki shook his head; "That family's members are active all over the world, constantly hunting down heinous criminals and imprisoning them at the Gates of Hell. You all know that the existence of the Gates of Hell strengthens the stability of the Three Realms, so it's fine if they don't come."