(Royal Realm: Hooden)
"Fancy club, crappy little shack." Ichigo said, comparing the two main sites of Oetsu's city. The first was a bright and flashy building that seemed like a massive hostess club than anything else and filled with girls to enforce that idea. Oetsu was trying to start a party before Ichigo noted how lonely the guy was, considering all of the girls were Zanpakuto. The next five minutes was spent trying to get the master bladesmith to stop crying until a red haired girl named Mera kicked him in his head and dragged them to said crappy little shack at the edge of a cliff... the real residence of the Blade God. "I'm not sure whether to feel sorry or not."
"The girls seemed fun though." Orihime chimed in, already heading toward the small building. "But if he does control this entire area, why doesn't he just move into that place and make this one strictly a forge?" She suggested, prompting the two to look at the Zero Squad member.
"Because I live in my forge." The blade master admitted as he finally started to act serious. "Helps me feel connected to the Zanpakuto. A true master devotes everything to his craft." He stood next to the opening and pulled the curtain away. "Inside, you'll find-"
"That was irritating." The smith heard someone growl. He turned to see Zangetsu pull himself out of the building. "All this trouble for your actual blade and you did nothing." He scowled at Ichigo who shrugged.
"That was the weird thing, I couldn't find you precisely." Ichigo returned as Zangetsu went to stand by his master's side. Oetsu kept staring at Zangetsu before looking into his palace.
'I may have my work cut out for me this time.' He thought before revealing the water slide path. "Alright Ichi, Ori, down here!" The two looked down into the slide before Orihime just dived in, laughing the whole way. Ichigo shook his head before following with Zangetsu close behind, finishing with Oetsu. The ride went by quickly, with Ichigo snatching his girlfriend before they landed in the pool the end. "Come on boy! That's the best part of the ride!" The smith said, before realizing he was being ignored for his forge. A massive cascading waterfall and a natural stone pillar with a hollowed recess in it. "Alright, time to get this show on the road!" He yelled as five girls popped out of nowhere and hit him, one strike for each.
"Nimaiya's private escort group is in the hizzy!" The blonde girl cheered. With her was Mera, two black haired girls with one seemingly worried while the other was covered in bandages, and a little kid. Orihime was clapping excitedly for the performance, Ichigo and Zangetsu were watching in disbelief.
"Do you really need a real Zanpakuto?" Zangetsu asked, Ichigo honestly considering they just leave. Before a decision could be made, he dematerialized into a white bar of whatever the material Oetsu used was called. Mera lit the forge, the blonde girl grabbed the blade... with her hair, the depressed girl and kid filled a quench tank, while the bandage girl pulled out a tooth and made it into a mallet. Oetsu himself tied up his hair and took off his sunglasses, took up the mallet and began to hammer away at the bar. With nothing else to do but wait, Ichigo sat and meditated while listening to the clangs of the hammer.
(Karakura Battles: Isshin vs Grimmjow)
"Seal release!" Isshin called out, his shihakusho in tatters from his fight. Grimmjow was only slightly better, but knew the captain was holding back because of the seals captains and lieutenants have to wear. "My son is stronger, but I'm still a captain of the Gotei." He reminded before flashing in front of the Arrancar and flicking his forehead. The attack struck like a high impact cannon and sent him flying through the air, colliding with other Hollows before righting himself out and ready to charge back at the captain. He sensed Isshin appearing right behind him, ready to cleave through his back and ending the fight before Grimmjow barely blocked with his own sword.
"Grind, Pantera!" The Arrancar called out, placing his nails on the flat of his blade before clawing down the length. The sudden burst of Reishi forced Isshin back as gusts of wind clouded Grimmjow from view. When the dust settled, it revealed the Arrancar with long hair, cat ears, a long white tail, and segmented body armor with blades extending from his calves and elbows. "That's fine with me. I'll get even stronger and grind that punk's head into the dirt!" The panther roared before clashing with Isshin once again but, despite the added strength and agility, Isshin was still capable of keeping up and dominating the fight.
"Getsuga Tensho." He called out, getting behind the panther and striking him with the concentrated wave of Reishi. The force of the attack gouged out and scarred the land, destroying most of the park and severely damaging the containment barrier around the park. When the dust settled, Grimmjow was covered in slow healing burns and started to stagger. "You're holding back." Isshin stated, knowing how much stronger Grimmjow got. "I thought you'd know better than that."
"I'm saving that for my rematch against that kid of yours." Grimmjow said with a savage grin, pointing his elbow at Isshing before appearing in front of him. "Garra de la Pantera!" He shouted, shooting Isshin point blank in the stomach with his green explosive stone bullets. The explosion covered them both in smoke and dust before Grimmjow was sent flying back, spinning from the force of a punch.
"That better be one hell of an ace," the father said as he rubbed his torso, "cause you'll need a lot more than that, a hell of a lot more, to challenge Ichigo. Burn, Engetsu." He said, letting his Reishi become the fires surrounding his sword. "Now show me what you've got!" He roared as the two charged at each other once more.
(Royal Realm: Hooden)
The repeated clangs of the hammer on the blade were the only sound the hybrid heard as he meditated, waiting for the moment when Zangetsu would truly be completed. A part of him wondered why it was taking so long, expecting a near instantaneous crafting with minimal effort, but Oetsu was starting to drip with sweat and his breath becoming labored. Nevertheless, the hammer kept striking and the rings becoming more melodious until the moment came.
'ICHIGO!' Zangetsu called out to him, making Ichigo's eyes snap open. The bright burning flames were being consumed by the darkness that was emanating from Zangetsu's form, needing one last ingredient to finish the blades. He flashed to his Zanpakuto and plunged his hands into the flames, the protest of the other Zanpakuto falling on deaf ears as Ichigo poured his Reishi into the blades. Oetsu merely smiled as Ichigo pulled the blades free and all the spirit water evaporated. His waterfalls, the sea, the very moisture from the air, and the blades were still burning hot in the boy's hands.
'Damn, and here I thought I'd seen it all.' The smith thought as the blades in Ichigo's hands radiated power before settling down into the Kyber and Trench blade combo. "Well kid, my work here with you is done. You should head on to the Monk's city if you wanted to get in some extra training." He suggested as he staggered slightly. "I need to get myself a bite to eat. You wanna come with? I'll explain what we need to do." He asked Orihime, who got up and followed while cradling the broken and whole Muramasa blades.
"Is crafting a Zanpakuto really that hard?" Orihime asked, feeling respect for the smith considering how draining it was to craft Zangetsu. "You go through that every time?"
"Hell no, that blade was insane!" Oetsu yelled out as they reached the launch pad. "Every other blade I made was easy, even my sharpest blade, compared to that thing." He explained, just as they got sent skywards toward the Gatonden, where Kirio Hikifune resided. "All Asuachi are made from dead souls, or rather the raw material left behind. When a soul goes through the cycle of Reincarnation, they are cleansed of everything that made up the individual. Something like that always leaves fragments behind, which I gather and merge together to form my Asuachi. Completely blank until they come into contact with their Soul Reaper and why they take on their own individual form."
"So you're going to take the remains of Muramasa's to activate a new Asuachi?" She asked, trying to understand the finer complexities of spirit blade forging. "How does he become a contract spirit through that?"
"I said I was going to REforge Muramasa, not make a new one." Oetsu explained as he landed and caught Orihime before she turned into past on the ground. Or tried to catch her since as she came closer to the ground, the air itself kept her aloft with her green ring glowing. "I'm going to take the already forged blades of Muramasa and use them to remake the blade. It won't be Muramasa, but it will have his reincarnation." He started to head for the palace of Hikifune, who was already cooking a large buffet. "Just as well since Zangetsu took everything I had."
"Ichigo's sword must be really powerful then." Orihime said in amazement, almost distracted by the scent of Hikifune's cooking.
"I never saw an Asuachi come out of that pit already claimed." He said, rolling his shoulders to relieve some of the stress. 'I've also never seen a Zanpakuto absorb all of my Asuachi either.' He said, pondering how this all came to be. 'All that power, compressed into those dual Zanpakuto. Is this because of his being a Hollow and Quincy? Maybe after I reforge Muramasa, I should bring out Sayafushi. See which blade is better.'
(Karakura Fights: Chad vs Yammy)
"Bala!" The large Arrancar shouted, shooting his energy from his fists, as Chad charged at him with both arms as shields and blocking the blasts. "You stubborn bastard!" He began charging a cero before Chad shot in front of him and switched his left arm to its devil form.
"La Muerte!" Chad called out, uppercutting his opponent in the chin. The blow slammed his mouth shut, cracked several of the Espada's teeth, made the cero explode prematurely, and finished with the shockwave of the attack pulsing through Yammy's skull. Not letting up, he took the chance to charge his shield arm and hit the Arrancar in the stomach. "El Directo!" The blow made Yammy double over as the force of the blow sent him flying, followed by the massive blast pounding against the Arrancar. Chad took a chance to catch his breath, having spent the whole fight trying to outrun and beat down the Arrancar, and tiredness was beginning to set in. That moment of respite ended when Yammy appeared in front of the Fullbringer and slammed a fist into Chad and sent him flying until he rolled onto his feet.
"You're tougher than you look, I'll give you that." Yammy said through his broken teeth, spitting out a glob of blood and teeth. "But you'll break, human."
"Not if I break you first." Chad grunted as the two charged at each other again.
(Royal Palace: Hooden)
"Are you sure this will work?" Orihime asked, calligraphy brush with ink in hand over a wide sheet of paper. "You did say this is a first for you."
"Don't worry Hime!" Oetsu answered, breaking up the blades of the two Muramasa swords into smaller pieces and setting them in two separate piles. "The Monk supplied the ink and paper, you just have to write what abilities you want it to have. Only two though, and we'll have to rename the finished blade." Orihime shrugged and thought about what to write. What she puts down would be the final say in the sword's future, but not too strong as it would also draw on her power and she was beginning to tax herself now with the spirits she did have. Eventually, she had her idea.
"Cut my enemies, heal my friends." She said while writing the two commands on the paper, one phrase on one half. When she finished the ink dried and disappeared, becoming part of the paper and charging it with power. Oetsu finished breaking the blades into pieces and stacked them into a pile.
"Okay, bring me the papers." Oetsu ordered as Orihime grabbed the two and went over to him. The master smith stacked the blade fragments together and wrapped the two in the different papers. He then poured watery clay over the two and covered them in straw he got from Hikifune before having his girl, Hasuka, move the stacks to Mera's fire. The forge having been restored while he and Orihime ate. "The fragments will absorb the power you imbued in the papers, then I will consolidate the fragments into a whole before combining them and form the rest of the blade. What do you think the name should be?"
"Well," Orihime starting while letting her mind guide her down what she though would be perfect, "he did seem to be a blade to only cause harm. Seemed very reminiscent to famous blacksmith whose swords only craved blood, so I tried to make this one be the opposite. I think Masamune would be best."
"The legendary human smith whose works were holy, healing blades in the legends?" Oetsu asked, hearing some details of mortal smiths. "Nice choice." The billets were pulled out and he began to hammer away at the two, forming the flesh and heart of the sword, the Kawagane and Shinegane. Orihime sat by and watched, listening to the clangs of the hammer on the steel.
(Karakura Fights: Uryu vs Zommari)
"You've seen that it doesn't work," Uryu said while dodging five simultaneous slashes and shooting the black Arrancar in the stomach with a relatively weak arrow, "So why do you keep doing it?" The 8th Espada looked at his opponent while grasping at his injury.
"Forgive the hesitation, I'm just trying to figure something out." Zommari said, leaping to the side as Uryu shot another few arrows at him. "I heard that the Quincy were destroyed by the Soul Reapers, yet here one is as an ally of the Soul Reapers. What possessed you to join such an arrogant group?"
"Arrogant? How so?" Uryu asked as he dodged another attempt from Zommari with his speed clones.
"Shinigami strike down Hollows as if that were the natural way of things," the Arrancar said, "and made the same judgment with the Quincy when they cut them down. Because of that, and their unchallenged rule, they fancy themselves as gods or purveyors of some great justice. What gave them the right to judge Hollows as being evil?" To his surprise, Uryu began laughing. Calmly at first before becoming more and more loud.
"Of all the beings I met, you are truly the most arrogant fool I've come across." The Quincy said, earning a scowl from the Arrancar. "Viewing your opponent as an equal? That was just insulting. But what gave the Soul Reapers the right to act as such? Your master Aizen is trying to take that very being's throne. And what's so unnatural about wanting to protect those that can't protect themselves?" Uryu asked before disappearing and stabbing Zommari in his side with a Seele Schneider that solidified its blade into a Jian. "As for the Hollows, what can you add? What have you done aside from eat and kill? You prey on humans, souls, even each other. What do you actually give to the world? Any of them? Even now, you are only the way you are because of a Soul Reaper making you that way. Is it so wrong to kill such a disgusting parasite?" Uryu said with a glare as his aura changed, showing that he was done playing. "I'd advise you give an answer, otherwise you'll die for nothing. You worthless Hollow."
(Karakura Fights: Lisa, Tatsuki, & Senna vs Luppi)
The former Espada, Lisa, and Senna all released their Zanpakuto, resulting in Luppi unleashing his eight tentacles, Lisa's large spade, and Senna's whirlwind staff. Tatsuki was holding her own just fine, but all she was doing was dodging the tentacles. Lisa was able to cut off segments of the Arrancar's tentacles while Senna served as a distraction. The tactic was going well as the two dodged another four tentacles coming at them and into two more, each one getting wrapped up.
"You've been quite the nuisance." Luppi sneered, readying another pair of tentacles to skewer the girls. "But now, time to enjoy punching you full of holes. I prefer more endowed women with-" Luppi was interrupted when Tatsuki threw a rabbit punch, hitting Luppi in the back of his head and making him bite off some of his tongue. As he was screaming in pain, Senna brought up her Mirokumaru and the rings on her staff began to cackle with electricity.
"Zap zap!" She said with a smile, letting the rings come into contact with Luppi's tentacle, electrocuting him. "The grinding wind currents generates electricity, which is gathered into the rings of my Mirokumaru. I still haven't gotten the hang of it yet, but it's a nice skill to have." The shocks wore off and the two Shinigami had enough slack to escape from the tentacles.
"You tomboy bitch!" Luppi growled, glaring at Tatsuki before spinning his tentacles around like a buzzsaw and focusing all eight on her. They were fast but Tatsuki was faster, dodging with a mix of Shunpo and parkour.
"You're an Espada?" She asked, flowing around a bunch of tentacles she almost got tied in a knot. "If you really are the quality standard for Aizen's top Arrancar, then the rest of us have nothing to worry about." She flashed in front of Luppi and punched him square in the face, jumping back as he tried to strike her with his tentacles again. "I guess now's as good a time as any to try this out." She said, pulling out her blade and performing a martial arts kata. "Ignite! Hidori!" Her sword broke up into four flames that connected themselves to he hands and feet. Her hands now bore gauntlets in the shape of sharp beaks that were a fiery reddish orange with greaves ending in a raptor like claw. All four were so hot that the air shimmered from the heat. "Time to burn, punk." She said with a vicious grin before shooting a large fireball at the disgraced Arrancar.
"You bitch!" He growled, defending himself with his eight tentacles, then screaming as the heat started to burn them away. "I'll kill y-" He started before feeling his resurreccion break and a blade digging into his back and another through his chest.
"It's rude to ignore your other partners." Lisa said, pulling her spade back along with Senna pulling her staff out.
"Course you were a former Espada, so you couldn't have been that strong to begin with." The girl mocked, revealing the burn scars of the number, as Luppi struggled to stay up.
"You!" He growled before he and the others were trapped within orange barriers from the sky.
(Royal Palace: Ichibe's City)
"Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo roared, swinging his blades and unleashing the wave of compressed Reishi at the manifested Zangetsu. The Zanpakuto spirit knocked the blast to the side and charged at his master as the two continued their clash, Ichibe watching from the sidelines.
'Tensa Zangetsu.' He thought to himself, being the master of names letting him know Zangetsu's bankai. 'Letting him unleash one hundred percent of the power within himself would certainly make him a fearsome opponent. But it's that Mugetsu form that I find more concerning.' Ichigo's Reiryoka was the darkest power he's felt in millennium, and while he controlled all things black he had to wonder who was stronger. 'Truly, he will be our ace against Yhwach. You picked well, my old friend. I wonder if the Spirit King is tempted to make him a member of the Zero squad from his power alone.' The second Ichigo set foot on the disc, he noticed the pressure was 'slightly uncomfortable' before walking on ahead. When the monk asked if he wanted to know the name of his bankai, Ichigo answered with saying the very name of his bankai. Instead, the boy manifested his spirit and began sparring with Zangetsu. Time passed and Oetsu made his way to the monk's side, carrying a sword in a tank full of jelly.
"Well, Orihime has her sword." He said as he sat by the monk, watching Ichigo fight his Zanpakuto. "One that cuts her enemies and heals her friends. Seemed appropriate for that girl." Osho nodded as Ichigo brought the blades together in the form of a bow and shot a barrage of arrows at Zangetsu. Oetsu's finger curled themselves around the hilt of his 'failure' Sayafushi, the sharpest blade he created.
"You really want to see how that will go?" Ichibe asked, knowing that Oetsu was itching to see the boy in action. See if it was more than just his sword.
"At the very least, I'd love to see this girl in action for once." He whispered before flashing toward Ichigo with blade in hand. Oetsu was immediately kicked to the side when he came within striking distance of Ichigo, sending him tumbling into building.
"If you wanted to use a surprise attack, you should be quieter." The hybrid scolded as Zangetsu faded back to Ichigo's inner world. "So, you wanted to test out these blades?" He gestured to his Zangetsu blades and the sword in Oetsu's hands as the smith got back up, laughing.
"That's right Ichi!" He cheered as he got into his battle stance, creating a shift in the atmosphere. "Now, show me what you got." Ichigo brought the two halves of Zangetsu together as the air ignited in pure black energy.
"Bankai." He said, becoming consumed by the energy and his voice becoming warped. "Tensa Zangetsu."
(Kurosaki Household)
Masaki's fingers were bleeding, Kon was covered in scratches and bruises, Karin and Yuzu were sweating bullets, but the number of Hollows were decreasing. After a few more minutes and one last shot, Masaki slew the final Hollow and the swarm ended. Kon went to the twins and Masaki breathed a sigh of relief. The barrier held, her family was safe, and she could finally relax. Until the barrier shattered like glass. Before anyone could react, Masaki felt a sharp strike to the back of her neck before losing consciousness and falling to the ground. Kon was smacked in the head with an odd weapon in the shape of two crescents.
"So these are the targets?" The twins looked up to a tall lanky figure with a wide hood and oily black hair, an eye patch, and a permanent display of teeth. His frown deepened as he sighed in disappointment. "Well, I guess it'd be fun to train them." In an instant, another being showed up between the twins and the Arrancar.
"We have what we came for Nnoritora, call the retreat." The shorter horned individual said, grasping at the twins protectively.
"You sure Ulquiorra?" Nnoritora asked, grinning at the unconscious Masaki. "Lord Aizen said that Ichigo cares a lot for his family. Imagine how broken he'd be if-" A heavy pressure fell on the Arrancar before he could finish his statement.
"We have his sisters." The fourth Espada said. "That's more than enough. We are leaving." He let up the pressure and just as Nnoritora was about to signal the rest, he was kicked in the neck and sent flying.
"So long as I breath in this, or any other body, you will not take Yuzu or Karin!" Kon growled, charging at Ulquiorra, who caught his fist with ease and blocked every other attack.
"Tell Ichigo, that upon my honor as the fourth, his sisters will not be harmed." He said before punching Kon back. He then opened a Garganta and took the twins into his arms, seeing as they were both too tired to move, and made his way into Hueco Mundo. Kon was about to charge after him when he was smashed into the ground with the massive weapon.
"You are one stubborn annoyance!" Nnoritora growled, getting ready to decapitate the mod soul before pausing. "Great, one of those losers is about to get killed." He groaned as Aizen made it clear that he didn't want to lose any Arrancar if it could be avoided, and he'd know if Nnoritora screwed that up. "Fine." He stomped on Ichigo's body, gaining a sickening crack and scream, before releasing a feral Hollow roar and making the Gillians bring down their Negacion to evacuate his allies. "Well, maybe I'll get what I wanted anyway." He said as a new group of Hollows were coming in. He created a Garganta and walked through, leaving the Quincy and Mod Soul to die. Just as the first one was about to chomp down on the Kurosaki Matriarch, Kon got up and crushed the creature's head.
"You want her?" He said, coughing up blood and releasing a flickering light from his body. "You can't have her." He stood, facing the coming swarm.
(Illustrated Guide to Soul Reapers)
Obligatory Reference
"I can tell you with no ego, this is my finest Zanpakuto." Oetsu said while sitting across from Ichigo in fine white robes with Zangetsu in its sealed state as a katana, with a dark blade and a black sheath with the many phases of the moon on the sides, starting and ending with the new moon. "If in your travels, you should encounter the Spirit King, he will be cut down." He presented the sword to Ichigo, who took it gingerly and with some measure of respect. "Orange haired warrior, go." Oetsu finished.
"You are such a geek." Ichigo replied, shaking his head.
TFS Reference
Yammy and Chad were struggling in a battle of strength with each other, yelling as one tried to overpower the over. The ground bending and shifting under the might of the giants. Around them though...
"This is so dumb." Tatsuki groaned, most everyone pausing to watch the two biggest combatants fight. "This could not get any dumber."
"How about that?" Luppi asked, pointing in the opposite direction to Isshin and Grimmjow just punching each other into submission.
"Yep, the impossible happened." Lisa said, watching the two not even bother dodging any punches. "This got so much dumber."
"Should we return to killing each other?" Zommari asked, not taking his eyes off the fight.
"Later, I actually wanna see how this goes." Uryu said, with everyone in silent agreement.
"Kind of wish we had popcorn." Senna said, everyone again in silent agreement.