(Flashback: Ichigo's descent)
1st Level
The voices of the Kushanada rang in his mind, speaking the crimes of those condemned to Hell. The only one he listened to sounded like a warning. Do not trust... That was the one he really thought had any value, the only one that had any form of sense. They kept speaking in his head the crimes of the Togabito and the pleas that he not trust his companion.
'I don't trust him!' He roared in his mind, trying to silence the cacophony of ancient whispers. 'He's a means to an end. I know how Hell works!' For a moment, there was silence. He had peace as he and Kokuto touched down. As he got Kokuto to tell him about the levels of Hell, the voices returned.
"Did he hear us? Did he speak to us? He may have, his soul is powerful. Reeks of power. He is not a Soul Reaper."
'I'm a hybrid.' Ichigo answered as he and Kokuto ran for the next level. 'I've got Hollow and Quincy in me as well.'
"Is that why he hears us? The Sinner is looking for us. Can he not see?"
'He's trapped in my hypnosis. I've got this.' The hybrid answered as he and Kokuto dropped into the next level of Hell, temporarily vanishing from the Kushanada's sight.
3rd Level
"Enough!" The Kushanada roared as it burst from the burning pool of acid, splashing Ichigo and Kokuto. "The Sinner must suffer and the living have no place here. Begone hybrid!" The jailor reached down for Ichigo, only to be stopped by Zangetsu manifesting and pushing the hand aside.
'They found a way to sneak out of Hell.' Ichigo argued, refusing to leave while the present threat still existed. 'They also seem to have a plan to escape for good. Hold off until I figure out how to stop it.' Ichigo tried to convince the Kushanada, keeping them out of his sight so as to not break his hypnosis on Kokuto. He asked Kokuto about his sins, trying to distract himself while Zangetsu kept the lone Kushanada occupied.
"He speaks in half truths." The jailor said as the Sinner spoke of getting his sister slain. "He's killed too many for it to be revenge." Ichigo said nothing as he and Kokuto descended into the fourth level.
4th Level
"HE CANNOT BE FREED!" The Kushanada collectively roared, appearing en mass to crush and devour Kokuto. "Breaking the chains will destroy the Gates. Hell will poison the world of the Living!" Ichigo looked a single Kushanada in the eye and said out loud.
"Lend me your power and I will help you." The Kushanada froze, many sinking into the ground and away from sight.
"Can he do it? The powers of Hell would destroy the soul of a living being. He possesses a strong one. He could do it." Kokuto ran off while Ichigo waited for his answer. "Our power is yours."
(Hell: 4th level, Present)
"He will return." The Kushanada surrounding Ichigo warned as he glared into the lava. "You ask for our power and we agree to grant it, but you have not taken it. What are you planning?" They asked as Ichigo backed away from the pit, stretching his neck and earning a few pops.
"This is the graveyard of Hell right?" Ichigo stated, feeling the Reishi and pushing the fine grains of the bones of crushed Sinners with Kyoka Suigetsu. "I'm simply going to kill him. Over and over again until he becomes just another spot on this endless field." He felt a Reiatsu spike occur behind him as Kokuto emerged from the lava, tearing away his black bandages to reveal horrific burns on his entire right side. "Welcome back."
"You said you would help me!" Kokuto roared, stumbling in pain before pointing his black sword at the hybrid. "You said, 'lend me your power and I will help you.' I did just that! Why did you betray me!?" Ichigo watched Kokuto impassively before raising up his Zanpakuto.
"I never said that to you. I was speaking to them. Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu." Ichigo broke the hypnosis and Kokuto finally saw the Kushanada that surrounded them. "Remember when I slammed this blade into your gut? Did you see it pulsate?" The Shinigami asked before sheathing the blade. "The moment I had even a millimeter of space between you and my sword, I activated its Shikai. Any who sees Kyoka Suigetsu's release is under a perfect hypnosis; seeing, hearing, all of the senses are subject to it. But I'm not so good with the hypnosis, but I can make you see what I see. And since coming to Hell, I made every effort to not see a single Kushanada so you would be blind to them." Kokuto's good eye widened in shock before his face twisted with rage. "I thank you for the help, but I never trusted you for a second."
"YOU BASTARD!" Kokuto roared, flashing in front of Ichigo attempting to cut his head off with his blade charged with energy. His blade never met Ichigo's neck as the hybrid threw a perfect Ikkotsu into the sinner's center, punching a hole through Kokuto and sending him flying back. His remains landed in front of a Kushanada, who crushed his body into nothingness. Ichigo returned his attention to the pit, waiting to kill the sinner again.
"What is his sin?" He asked, knowing that Kokuto did kill but his teacher explained that vengeance or protection would not be enough. He needed to know, needed to understand why Kokuto must suffer. Ginjo tried to steal his powers and did murder several Soul Reapers in his quest to help Fullbringers, no matter how far he went with what he did. The Dark Ones were trying to destroy Soul Society out of spite. Aizen wanted to replace the Soul King and change a broken system, throwing away his humanity in the process to ascend to a higher plane of existence. Yhwach was a parasitic monster that devours the lives of those around him. Was it his way of cooping? Finding a reason to justify their deaths and dehumanizing them to deal with the blood on his hands. What was Kokuto's crime?
"He did not lie about his sister, nor about avenging her. But he did not stop, he wanted the world to know his pain. He murdered sisters so that others would know how he felt and brothers when they came for revenge. After his revenge, he wanted the world to suffer." That was enough for Ichigo, enough to feel no sympathy or remorse. Kokuto lied to him, tried to destroy the world out of spite, and was every bit the monster that Hell tortures.
"Ichigo!" Kokuto roared as he resurrected again, shaking off the lava before charging at the Soul Reaper again. "I'll kill you!" He charged, grabbing one of his chains to use as a lasso to try and throw Ichigo off balance. The shimmering black metal wrapped around the hybrid's arm, while Ichigo steeled his resolve and didn't budge.
"A thousand times you can try." He said, grabbing Zangetsu's trench knife. "And it won't be any different!" The hybrid roared, yanking the chain and pulling Kokuto onto Ichigo's blade. Kokuto coughed up blood as the blade pierced through him, but he still tried to strike at Ichigo. "This is Hell, your prison, and you will suffer. Getsuga TENSHO!" Ichigo twisted the blade in Kokuto's gut and swung upwards, destroying his body in a wave of Reishi. "He's rather stubborn." He commented after the attack ended, leaving him alone with the Kushanada yet again.
"His hate is all he has left." They said before they grew alarmed. "What is this? Too fast! The pain must be unimaginable!" Before Ichigo could ask what the jailors meant, a black blade cut into Ichigo's side before impaling itself on the ground. Kokuto was back again, but seemed to be struggling with some great pain.
'It always took at least a minute for him to come back.' Ichigo thought as he healed and Kokuto yanked his blade back to his hand. 'That was almost twenty seconds. What happened?'
"The next level." The Kushanada sounded out before sinking into the ground, which soon sucked Ichigo and Kokuto into it as well. The journey was swift and they soon entered a new level of Hell. The first one that Ichigo thought truly resembled the realm of the damned. Rivers of lava filled the landscape, tall columns of stone where the lava poured out, lightning flashing all around, and trees made of bones dotted the land. "Here is his prison." They said as Kokuto attacked Ichigo again, swinging his blade by the chains in a desire to strike Ichigo. The hybrid used Hirenkyaku to skate through the air and counter with his Quincy bow. "This is the realm where the denizens of Hell are truly revived, slowly reformed from the burning lava from bone to flesh. Accelerating the process means he stayed in, drinking the burning restoration into his being. He's burning inside and outside." Ichigo unleashed a Licht Regen at Kokuto as the pair continued to descend. Kokuto used his blade and chains to try and block the barrage, but the rain slowly grew more concentrated as Ichigo managed to gather enough Reishi to lock himself in place and compress the spread of the arrows on Kokuto's position.
"Ichigo!" Kokuto roared out as the storm of spirit arrows tore him apart. Ichigo himself slowly drifted down to the ground next to a lava river.
"I gotta tell Uryu about that." The hybrid said, surprised that he pulled it off. "That could be useful." The Kushanada began to appear from the columns, just in time to warn Ichigo that something else was wrong.
"This is wrong! Defies the law of Hell! Watch out!" They called out as Kokuto burst out of the river, glaring at Ichigo with a fist cocked back. Reflexively, Ichigo raised his own arms while reinforcing with his Blut Vene and Hierro, but he wasn't expecting the power behind the attack. The result had a pulse of Kokuto's blue Reishi that felt much stronger than before and sent Ichigo flying until he cratered in a column. "He's absorbed the Reishi of another Togabito?! One of the hiding sinners!" Ichigo pried himself out of the column, landing just as Kokuto was walking toward him.
"Absorbed one of the other Sinners?" Ichigo asked, shocked but not letting that show in any way. "I thought you hated those guys." Kokuto shot toward him instantly, swinging his blade with enough force that he created a shockwave of air, forcing Ichigo to the side. He attempted another swing but Ichigo caught his sword hand while his free hand got locked in with Kokuto's, both sides trying to overpower the other.
"Right now there's no one I hate more than you!" He roared, the ground cracking and breaking in their struggle. "And I'll stop at nothing to escape from Hell. But before I can try that again, I'll be sure you're trapped here with me!" He tried to throw Ichigo aside but found himself unable to move the hybrid, whose grip was getting stronger.
"Did you forget about my seals that I took off?" Ichigo asked, tightening his grip on Kokuto. "They restrain my power so that I can actually fight instead of crushing my opponents in an instant. And I'll repeat this..." Ichigo threw his head forward and bashed Kokuto in the face, nearly ripping off the Sinner's arms in the process, making the Togabito stagger back into a lava river. "A thousand times you can try, and it won't be any different." He threw a nameless Bala that destroyed Kokuto's body from the waist up while the rest sunk into the lava. 'If he can absorb the powers of other Sinners, does that mean he can break the chains himself?'
"This has never happened before. We have no precedence. But, we also might not need to worry." The jailors said as Kokuto burst out of the lava next to Ichigo, aiming to decapitate the Shinigami. Ichigo managed to block the attack, wincing as lava splashed on him before realizing that Kokuto's attack felt so much weaker than before. The Sinner threw a punch, intent on using the power he previously had, only to feel his hand break upon impact.
"Looks like you don't understand your new ability." Ichigo's hand cackled with energy and electricity. "Disappointing. Hado, #63. Raikoho." Kokuto was instantly vaporized in the Kido blast and tearing a gorge through the land of Hell. "He's getting it back, isn't he?"
"He already has." Ichigo felt the attack coming from behind and raised his blade to block, only to see a chain of Hell grinding against his blade's edge. Seeing the sparks flying from the attack, he dropped his defense and let the chain slam into him, not even noticing the blade until it cut across his being.
'My Reiastu is so great that my presence can disintegrate people that get close, HOW IS HE CUTTING ME!?' Ichigo demanded, feeling the cut on his chest heal. Kokuto, meanwhile, bore a savage maniacal grin as he injured Ichigo.
"What's the matter Ichigo?" The Sinner yelled out from the top of a column. "Worried you might break one of these chains? Are you at my mercy!?" Ichigo remained silent as Kokuto swung his chains and Ichigo again. The hybrid disappeared in a burst of speed before reappearing before Kokuto.
"Never. Getsuga Tensho." He said before swinging and destroying Kokuto again. "So... answers?" Ichigo asked of the Kushanada.
"Hell itself is pushing your defense. You have not taken up our power to protect yourself. You are as vulnerable as any Sinner." Ichigo groaned in aggravation, finding less and less appeal to stay in Hell for any reason. "He returns, and with a new power." Ichigo saw Kokuto rise up from the burning pool and raised his hand to unleash a Cero. The blast flew toward Kokuto with the Sinner making no effort to move or dodge, only smirking as it closed in on him. He then stood straight up with a mouth appearing on his body and sucking the Reishi attack into it. Ichigo looked on in shock as he processed what had just happened.
"Well? I'm waiting." Kokuto snidely commented as Ichigo shot a relatively weak Bala at the Togabito, with a repeat of what happened earlier. "Is that all?"
"You are way too confident for someone that's been dying for the last five minutes." Ichigo commented as he tried to identify any difference between when Kokuto got a strength boost and this new ability, growling as he failed to find one. 'Guess I'll just have to be cautious about the fight from now on.'
"Isn't he now vulnerable to our Auswahlen?" Zangetsu suggested, helping Ichigo strategize. "Now there's two ways to end this instantly."
'I'd rather not do that with any Sinner. I'm uncomfortable with taking a Kushanada's power as it is. I don't know what Hell's power will do to me.' Ichigo returned as Kokuto began to fire a rain of Reishi blasts at Ichigo. 'I'll say this.' Ichigo thought as he dodged the onslaught of Reishi. 'At least this is keeping me guessing.' Kokuto used his own speed to close the distance and swing an energy blade at Ichigo, which split into thousands and spread out to get rid of any escape for the Soul Reaper. "Oh crap." The blades raced to Ichigo, who pulled out Kyoka Suigetsu and used it to deflect, cut, and block the thousands of blades coming at him. Kokuto kept up the onslaught, laughing as he put Ichigo on the defensive. The hybrid, going through the list of Kido spells in his head, brought the Khyber blade of Zangetsu up from behind. The blade levitated as he let go and smacked the hilt, making it spin around in a circle and getting faster and faster. "Hado, #58. Tenran!" Ichigo roared, getting behind his blade and stopping its spin which created a powerful tornado that shot toward Kokuto. The energy blades shattered and dispersed as the wind hit them while flying toward Kokuto. The Sinner bore a momentary look of shock before smiling and letting a mouth appear on him again, sucking in the Kido.
"That's not going to work Ichigo!" The man laughed out, letting glee at his victory take over. Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the man before focusing on his chain links. With an idea in his head, he shot forward just as Kokuto finished absorbing the Kido and caught one of the chains. Ichigo let out a roar as he yanked down on the chain, sending Kokuto plummeting to the ground. Ichigo flashed above and breathed in, enhancing his arms with his Hierro and both Blut Vene and Arterie.
"Raioken!" Ichigo roared out, unleashing a barrage of punches that made the entire level tremble. When Ichigo stopped, the already unrecognizable remains were consumed by the lava. Ichigo stretched his upper body, feeling the strain of using one of the more difficult Hakuda techniques, as he waited for Kokuto's next revival. The Sinner appeared in front of Ichigo, fist ready to unleash the strength pulse of one of the Togabito that he absorbed. Ichigo met that strike with his own, completely destroying Kokuto's arm. "Did you forget that I'm stronger, even with that strength boost of yours?" He asked, earning silence from Kokuto before Ichigo shot him with a Sokatsui. Now he waited for Kokuto's next attempt. Ten seconds passed, then twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, one minute, two minutes.
"He comes!" The Kushanada warned, as Kokuto rose from the lava. "Something has changed." They said as Ichigo shot a low powered Shakkaho at him, only for it to be devoured. Kokuto still had that insane look in his eyes, as if his constant defeats and death have been breaking his psyche and hate is his only driving force, as he shot toward Ichigo. He threw a pulse punch, which Ichigo did block, but the force drove him back by a few inches before Kokuto threw another and another before sending Ichigo flying.
'Looks like he's absorbed more than one Togabito this time.' Ichigo guessed as he landed on one of the columns, Kokuto appearing in front of him in an attempting to knock him into the lava. Ichigo grabbed his wrist before spinning and doing an over the shoulder throw, with Kokuto going right back into the lava. "This might be good training after all." He said, stretching himself out and waited for Kokuto to return again. This time, he came back after one minute.
"I will kill you!" The Sinner roared as he shot a continuous barrage of Reishi blasts. Ichigo dodged while Kokuto's attack followed him until he got pinned between the storm of blasts and Kokuto's use of his chains, slamming the ground with great pulverizing force. "Now you're mine!" Kokuto called out with glee, believing that Ichigo was trapped. Ichigo reinforced himself with Hierro and Blut Vene and took the onslaught with a cry of agony. After several seconds of that Kokuto stopped to examine his work. Hell would bring Ichigo back but with this much he'd surely become a denizen of Hell, just like him. The moment he got within arm's reach, Ichigo grabbed his ankle and slammed him against the ground.
"I'm really disappointed in myself." Ichigo said while pulling himself out of the ground, roughed up but none the worse for wear. "I should've been able to dodge that." He threw a punch at Kokuto, but stopped at the last moment when a mouth appeared where he was punching. "Guessing this means you eat more than just Reishi." He said, pulling Kokuto up and into a choke hold before snapping the Sinner's neck. The body went limp and Ichigo threw it into the lava, destroying Kokuto yet again. "Any of you keeping score?" Ichigo called out to the Kushanada, who continued to watch and wait for Ichigo to finish.
"That was the tenth kill. Kokuto is getting faster with taking the power. And the restoration after." Ichigo's ears caught a rushing sound as he rolled into a dodge, avoiding several tentacles that tried to spear him. "He only has two this time." They advised Ichigo, who threw a light Bala at Kokuto which was easily blocked.
'Guess it's just strength and those tentacles then.' Ichigo thought in relief, gathering Reishi in his Khyber blade before swinging it down. "Getsuga Tensho!" He roared, unleashing the destructive attack to a smiling Kokuto. He sprouted more tentacles from his chest, formed a barrier, and had mouths appear on each which began drinking up the Getsuga. Ichigo winced, cursing that he was so easily fooled and that was one of the more horrifying images that he did not need to see. "And there goes my peaceful night of sleep later."
"Die!" Kokuto roared out as he brought out more tentacles with glowing tips before shooting down an even greater storm of Reishi blasts. Ichigo reinforced himself again and began blocking every blast he could, swinging his blades so fast that his arms became blurs. Unfortunately the blasts were so numerous that Ichigo couldn't deflect them all, but he was also so focused on blocking every attack he could that he failed to notice the tentacles Kokuto stuck in the ground. Soon, Ichigo found his arms and legs bound with Kokuto's tentacles and Zangetsu's blades torn from his hands. "Any last words Ichigo?" Kokuto asked with a sneer.
"I've seen enough hentai to know where this is going." Ichigo said with snark while his arms charred and cracked with Kido. Kokuto looked confused as he readied to impale Ichigo with the tentacles. "Okay, obligatory tentacle joke aside, I do have six. Hado #96, Itto Kaso!" The hybrid roared as he blew up, the Kido exploding with the force of a thermobaric nuke and changing Hell's landscape again. Ichigo was in the center of a crater, which was quickly pooling with lava, and the surrounding bone trees and stone columns were reduced to rubble from the pressure of the explosion. Ichigo created a Reishi platform and ascended above the lava, waiting for Kokuto to return.
"My hate will never quell!" Ichigo heard Kokuto roar as glowing hot tentacles wrapped around his limbs, trying to drag him into the lava. The sudden pull almost threw him into the burning pool, would've done so too if Ichigo didn't manage to widen his platform at the last moment. It didn't cut the tentacles, but it did give Ichigo ground to stand on. The result had him fall face first on the solid Reishi as he wrestled against Kokuto's own might, stolen as it was.
"And, twelve!" Ichigo roared out himself as he forced himself up and tore the tentacles off, throwing Kokuto into the Reishi before the limbs severed and he fell back into the lava. The hybrid himself started panting as the constant fights began to take a recognizable toll on him. "He is really stubborn." Ichigo said as he got ready for the next assault.
"He has consumed another power. His mind is snapping. Desperation claws at him." The jailors warned as the minutes ticked by, the wait finally ending when Kokuto burst out from the top of one of the pillars. Ichigo stood and waited, believing he was ready for anything. Tentacles sprouted from Kokuto's body as the all aimed at the hybrid. The first shot fired, followed by a hundred, then a thousand, and continuing as they blasted something new at the Shinigami. Ichigo hesitated, feeling much less Reishi in the attack, until the first bullet made contact with his blade. The sudden explosion nearly blew Zangetsu's blade out of his hand and the following barrage pelted Ichigo with such force that he lost his control and the Reishi platform dispersed. Focusing more on stopping the assault, Ichigo threw his hand out and fired a Cero. The result had the explosive barrage end, but Kokuto was absorbing the blast. The upside was Ichigo managing enough freedom to shoot himself away from the lava.
'Maybe its time I end this.' He thought, analyzing the damage done to him. 'Senshumaru will be pissed if I ruin these clothes.' He was riddled with burns, scuff marks, and tears on his restraining Shihakusho and bodysuit. 'Plus, I was doing this for training. There wouldn't be any point if my Reiatsu is as potent here as out there.' He finished before landing in a tumble several meters beyond the lip of the new lake of lava. "Now, where were..." Ichigo asked before noticing that Kokuto vanished. Suddenly the ground erupted as tentacles ensnared Ichigo, tying down his arms as one more appeared above his head before opening its own gaping maw. 'Now I'm DEFINITELY not getting any sleep tonight!' He thought as the mouth came down to devour him. "Hado #11, Tsuzuri Raiden!" Ichigo called out, shocking the limbs into releasing him before the mouth could close.
"It's only a matter of time Ichigo!" Kokuto yelled out, revealing himself at the edge of the pool, before bringing out more tentacles to shoot at the hybrid. "I'm getting closer and closer to killing you!" He shot another massive continuous barrage at Ichigo, who finally noticed the tentacles that pierced into the ground. Refusing to get caught again, Ichigo shot into the air and began going faster and faster until multiple copies of himself littered the air above Kokuto. "You think this will make a difference!?" He roared as he shot wildly after Ichigo, only for the hybrid to appear in front with both fists planted into the Sinner's gut.
"Thirteen. Soukotsu." Ichigo said, causing a massive shockwave of force from where he struck as Kokuto's body broke apart before exploding outward violently. Ichigo panted as he took the moment to relax, Kokuto's revivals taking longer and longer every time he took in more power. "How much longer can he keep this up?" He asked as a Kushanada appeared behind him.
"His mind has already snapped. He only cares about killing you. Nothing else matters to him anymore." They said as Kokuto began to rise once more. He roared out in primal fury, no more words, no more civility, just unbridled rage. He sprouted his tentacles which began to fire Reishi blasts, explosive bullets, and waves of fire. Ichigo got back up and flashed away, planning to cut Kokuto down from behind. But instead of losing Kokuto, the Sinner managed to keep track and follow. Getting an idea Ichigo began flashing all around, making sure that Kokuto kept his eyes on him the entire time.
"Shatter." Ichigo said, unsheathing Kyoka Suigetsu and making sure Kokuto saw it. "Kyoka Suigetsu." The hybrid dropped and turned, visualizing himself still going forward, as Kokuto flew face first into the Zanpakuto's edge. "Fourteen." Ichigo said as Kokuto split in half and fell back to the ground. "This is getting us nowhere." Ichigo groaned, personally having enough. In the end, this was becoming no different than fighting Zaraki. Just a matter of being faster and stronger than the Sinner and Kokuto is barely holding on to anything but sheer rage and hate at this point. Ichigo set down on a column that was clear of lava, where the very Sinner soon rose up and prepared to attack before Ichigo spoke. "I'm done." Kokuto paused, confused as Ichigo relaxed.
"What?" The Sinner asked, oblivious to the reappearance of a Kushanda heading for them.
"I'm done fighting you." The hybrid clarified, sheathing his blades. "I'm bored. You're boring me. I only stuck around because I figured I might get something out of this, but it's the same as fighting Zaraki. Only much more whiny." Ichigo continued, infuriating the Sinner more and more.
"You think that you can just walk away!?" Kokuto roared, slithering a tentacle toward Ichigo along the ground. "You think you can just decide when this is over?!" Ichigo turned to face the Togabito.
"Yes." The Kushanada raised his hand, Kokuto looking on in surprise and fear as he just remembered why the jailors didn't stop them. "I can." As the hand came down, the Kushanada took on a golden glow and began to unravel into spirit threads. All of which began to wrap around Ichigo as he felt the powers of Hell pour into him. When it solidified, golden plate armor covered Ichigo's upper body. Segmented along his muscles with skulls on his chest, shoulders, and a now golden Hollow mask.
"No mortal soul has ever before had this power in their hands." The Kushanada said as Ichigo unsheathed his Khyber Zangetsu. "Do what you came here to do. Finish this. Give him his sentence! Seal him!" They cried out as Ichigo swung his blade down, Kokuto was too paralyzed with shock and fear as the wave of power crashed into him. The chains were destroyed, his skin and flesh were torn away, and he was a charred skeleton, but Kokuto still felt alive.
"Kokuto, for your crimes, I condemn you to a new punishment." Ichigo said as golden chains burst out from the lava and attached themselves to Kokuto's skeleton, just as he regenerated. He roared out in frustration as he felt his flesh being devoured, finding that the links connected to his flesh resembled the heads of the Kushanada. "You've changed the rules, so you can face a new Hell. This links will devour you constantly, feeding the Kushanada and strengthening them so that no Sinner could ever challenge the authority of Hell again!" The chains wrapped around Kokuto, putting him into a golden cocoon of Kushanada skulls that chewed away at his being. He began to scream in pain as Ichigo apathetically watched. "You will be trapped like this, given the Reishi of every Sinner that was fully crushed and broken so that you can fuel the Kushanada. And keep Hell a one way street for people like you." Kokuto could say nothing, only howl in agony as the chains even went inside his mouth and into his guts, before he sank into the ground. Into a new and inaccessible level of Hell. "And now to seal up the holes." Ichigo said as he flew up to the previous level. "Let's put these bones to work, shall we?"
"Do it." Ichigo heard a new, darker voice speak out. Putting it out of his mind, Ichigo waved his hand as the dust of the crushed bones rose up and into the upper levels of Hell. Ichigo reappeared at the first level with the towering pillars of bones as he waved his hand to reveal the tears the Togabito used to escape. The dust flew to the tears and sealed each one up with a different image of pain and suffering.
"And that should take care of that." Ichigo sighed, fully relaxing now that Hell was no longer passively damaging him. "So, who the....here I guess, are you?" He asked, turning to a crimson cloud with glowing green eyes. "The king of Hell or something?"
"You could say that." A voice replied, though Ichigo remained unimpressed. "I am the leader of Devils after all. But that is unimportant. You have my thanks, Ichigo Kurosaki. You see, I'm involved with a rather distracting matter that forced my attention away and caused a blind eye to what was happening."
"Don't expect it to happen again. I only did this to protect my sisters."
"Understandable. If we ever meet face to face, I hope it'll be under more pleasant circumstances."
"Whatever." Ichigo dismissed, opening the Gates of Hell before flying out. The armor dissolved off of Ichigo, though a red circle appeared unnoticed on his back just under the right shoulder blade. The hybrid flew into Grimmjow, causing the two to bash their heads, and fall to the ground. After rubbing his skull, he looked to see Urahara and Tessai giving him a stern glare, Ulquiorra helping his comrade up, and Mayuri giving an incredibly creepy smile. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"
(Karakura Town)
Senna was doing a patrol through the city, making sure everything was normal in the area. The rest of the squad was either doing the same thing or working to stabilize the spiritual imbalances in the city. The Hollow threat died down after Ichigo claimed his throne, but that didn't mean anyone could fully relax just yet. Only after everything was put back to normal, not that anything was normal for a good chunk of the year for the Soul Society. She was passing over a parking lot when she noticed a Senkaimon opening up, with something wrapped up in a cloak falling out of it. Curious, she went down to investigate, finding a naked green haired girl.
"I should probably report this." She said before placing the girl on her shoulders, still wrapped up for her own modesty.
(Soul Society: Squad 1 office)
"Completely irresponsible!" Yamamoto yelled, restraining himself from beating his student's skull in with his cane. Shortly after leaving Hell, Urahara and Mayuri began a thorough examination on Ichigo. Mayuri got a severed limb and began running tests at his labs while Urahara was performing scans to find any abnormalities. His presence and the requirement of Ichigo staying still was what was sparing the hybrid from a much deserved beating. "You do not need to put everything on your shoulders AND you were the most dangerous risk to Hell should you have actually severed one of the chains!"
"I never forgot your lesson master." Ichigo returned, trying to be respectful in the hopes of calming down the dragon. "I was never going to do anything to break one of the chains. The Kushanada themselves aided me."
"Which was unnecessary! We would've been able to handle the situation! We have methods and protocol for dealing with matters of Hell. Your actions introduced an unneeded risk and have shown that you still have not learned an important lesson: discipline." The Head Captain continued as Urahara studies his scans and received a Hell Butterfly from Mayuri. "Maintaining a calm and focused mind is key to not just the battlefield but to everyday life." Yamamoto went to seat himself and continue with his own eternal struggle, paperwork. "While we continue with the recovery projects in Seireitei and Karakura Town, you will be-"
"Back in stasis." Urahara suddely interrupted, just as Riruka came in with cat doll that had a glass torso. Before anyone could ask, Ichigo began puking up blood and black ooze. Urahara pulled out a syringe before jamming it into Ichigo's neck as his veins turned black. Riruka permitted him into 'Nappy-kun' and he was sucked into the doll. "According to my scans and Mayuri's own studies, Hell's power is operating as a toxin to Ichigo's systems." He took the doll and opened a screen on the back, typing away commands and instructions to the device. "He needs to fully adapt and acclimate to the power of Hell. But if I had to guess, the only changes this would have would be to make him immune to Hell."
"So he will be fine in the end?" Genryusai asked, making Urahara nod and easing the old man's concerns. "Then I will trust his recovery to you and squad 12. Do we have Isshin's latest report?" Isshin and his squad were placed in charge of exorcism and stabilization to Karakura Town after it was switched with a faux copy. The end result caused a troubling imbalance to the region.
"The last report was just before we left the world of the Living." Kisuke responded, having the reports redirected to himself and Mayuri while they were in the world of the Living. "But... there is something odd. The last communique from them to squad 12 is listed as hours ago. We sent a message back... but didn't hear anything." Urahara said, growing suspicious of the situation. "If I may, can I perform a survey on the Precipice world?" Yamamoto thought for a moment before sighing.
"The sooner you can fully replicate Garganta use the same way the Vizards and Ichigo use them, the better." He said before waving his hand. "You have my permission to conduct your investigation. Gather who you might need for assistance." Urahara bowed and left to make his preparations.
(Illustrated Guide to Soul Reapers)
Hollows to Wholes
"Alright, they should be waking up right about... now." Mayuri told Ashido as Yin and Yang began to stir. "Their vitals are stable and we can test their capabilities soon."
"Lord Ashido?" Yin asked as she and her twin sat up, the blanket covering their modesty falling to their waist. "My chest hurts."
"Yes, I'd imagine it would. There used to be nothing there." Mayuri returned, looking over some scans.
"Hey, we have some fine tits you AHHH!" Yang yelled out as the twins finally noticed they were topless.
"If you have heart attacks, I'm not replacing them."