Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Yhwach Appears Again! Aizen and Isshin Fight for Their Son! Ichigo's Mental Collapse!
The Shinigami were indeed filled with questions at this moment.
Of course, they understood the fundamental difference between Hollows and Arrancar. The reason Hollows like Harribel were so formidable was precisely because Aizen had orchestrated their transformation into Arrancar. Only by fusing the powers of two species could one achieve true strength!
But this White Hollow seemed different somehow...
Captain Yamamoto and the others wracked their memories, trying to recall any infamous Hollows they had encountered over their long years. Yet none of them seemed to have heard of this "White Hollow" before.
With such an ominous title, surely only the most ancient and powerful Hollows would qualify for such recognition?
With incredible anticipation and unease, they all focused intently on the unfolding scene, eager to discover the identity of this White Hollow mentioned by the Three Realms Projection.
The scene shifted to an underground training ground.
Urahara Kisuke, Tessai Tsukabishi, Kurosaki Ichigo, and others were preparing for intensive training.
Upon seeing themselves appear on screen, the participants looked bewildered.
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: Why are we here? Is this some kind of setup?
[Hitsugaya Toshiro]: I don't understand either. It clearly announced it would broadcast the most powerful Hollow... Does this mean these people in the projection are going to face this so-called Hollow?
[Kuchiki Byakuya]: Does Kurosaki Ichigo truly possess the power to confront such a terrifying Hollow at this stage?
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: Wait, I'm starting to remember... Could this Hollow be directly connected to me somehow?
[Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni]: Kurosaki Ichigo, do you know something? Enlighten us.
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: Ugh! I don't know what to say either. Just keep watching and you'll find out!
Thinking of himself as Aizen's so-called "perfect masterpiece," Ichigo felt deeply unsettled.
A terrifying possibility was forming in his mind...
He knew many of his experiences growing up had been orchestrated by Aizen. His enemies had been carefully selected by that man. But what if something even more horrifying was true? What if he himself had been meticulously crafted by Aizen?
Why did Hollow power exist within his body? Why was he so fundamentally different from other Shinigami? Was it all Aizen's doing?
Could this White Hollow be the strongest Vasto Lorde-class Hollow mentioned here?
The thought hit him like a bucket of ice water, sending tremors through his body and chilling his heart to the core!
In the scene, Urahara Kisuke began Kurosaki Ichigo's special training regimen.
Using his cane, he forcibly separated Ichigo's soul from his body. A Chain of Fate materialized on Kurosaki Ichigo's chest.
Urahara explained: "You lost your spiritual power because of Kuchiki Byakuya. Right now, you're just an ordinary soul without any spiritual power, so we must restore it first."
Ichigo then engaged in combat training with a small girl named Ururu. Through the intense fighting, he stimulated his potential and recovered his spiritual power. With that milestone achieved, Kurosaki Ichigo advanced to the next phase of training.
He found himself in another underground chamber, his hands bound tightly. For the duration of this test, he could only rely on his legs and spiritual power.
Urahara challenged him to climb out of this several-hundred-meter-deep pit in this restricted state. If he failed to complete the task within 72 hours, the chain would pierce through his chest and transform Kurosaki Ichigo into a Hollow.
After 70 grueling hours had passed, Kurosaki Ichigo, with his hands still bound, remained trapped in the depths. The chain erosion had grown increasingly severe.
The chain seemed to have transformed into countless gnashing Hollow mouths, constantly biting and preparing to completely hollow-fy Kurosaki Ichigo. Simultaneously, white substances began gathering across his face as the prototype of a Hollow mask began to form!
At this moment, viewer comments flooded the chat:
"Is he going to become a Hollow this quickly?"
"It'd be hilarious if there was a big hole in his chest when he climbs out."
"Hollow transformation warning!"
"If it weren't for protagonist armor, Kurosaki Ichigo would be dead already."
"If Ichigo went berserk here, even Urahara Kisuke might be done for. Imagine the shop manager getting killed by his own student's Hollow form."
"Stay calm—do you know what the shop manager's true strength is? He's got endless tricks up his sleeve."
"You think the shop manager doesn't know about the Hollow inside Ichigo? He's the one who delivered it in the first place!"
"Without Urahara Kisuke, none of Kurosaki Ichigo's later achievements would have been possible!"
"Urahara Kisuke is definitely the most mysterious character—he's been setting up Ichigo's path from the very beginning."
"Nobody can figure out what's really going on in that man's head..."
Meanwhile, countless viewers eagerly anticipated how Ichigo would successfully overcome this trial.
Then, under the mounting pressure of Hollow erosion, Kurosaki Ichigo finally entered his inner spiritual world and encountered Old Man Zangetsu.
An elderly man appeared—wearing a black coat, white shirt, with long hair and beard, sporting tinted sunglasses.
Old Man Zangetsu began speaking to himself: "Very good, you finally made it here."
Kurosaki Ichigo remained confused and asked who he was.
Old Man Zangetsu muttered in apparent surprise: "You ask who I am? It's me!!"
Kurosaki Ichigo: "?"
Seeing Ichigo's continued bewilderment, Old Man Zangetsu looked thoughtful: "Oh, so you still can't hear what I'm saying?"
"How sad. How many times must I tell you before you can truly hear me?"
"I thought no one in this world knew me better than you..."
In reality, Old Man Zangetsu spoke his true name—Yhwach—for various complex reasons! But when he spoke, the sound was mysteriously muted, as if someone had deliberately erased it.
Another wave of comments appeared:
"So Kurosaki Ichigo's hearing problems started this early, haha."
"Who's preventing us from hearing that voice?"
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be the monk who erased his mention of being Yhwach."
"It's terrifying when you think about it—the monk appeared this early?"
"Actually, Old Man Zangetsu isn't a Zanpakutō spirit at all—he's Yhwach!"
"But Ichigo has always treated him as Zangetsu, haha."
"The real Zangetsu must feel so wronged."
"One's a tsundere pretending to be an enemy, the other's considerate while pretending to be a Zanpakutō—they're a perfect match!"
In Hueco Mundo, Aizen seemed to understand something, yet remained puzzled.
Aizen had witnessed this Old Man Zangetsu before during Ichigo's battle with Zaraki Kenpachi. But even now, he couldn't determine the connection between this elderly figure and Yhwach...
The White Ichigo within Kurosaki Ichigo should represent Hollow power—that much wasn't surprising. But what was Yhwach's role in all this?
Was it connected to Ichigo's Quincy abilities? Unfortunately, Kurosaki Ichigo had yet to display any Quincy-related powers. What a fascinating mystery!
On the other side, the Shinigami were even more bewildered.
Many captains began exchanging confused glances.
"Didn't you hear what that old man just said?"
"I didn't catch it either—just heard a beeping sound."
"Seems like Kurosaki Ichigo isn't the only one with hearing problems!"
"Could there be some deeper mystery here?"
"Maybe the Three Realms Projection deliberately censored his words and doesn't want us to know his true identity?"
"He clearly said 'Yhwach'! Though it's unclear what role he plays within Kurosaki Ichigo..."
Captain Yamamoto was equally exasperated.
What's the point of this charade! Everyone knows this is Yhwach! You can only fool Kurosaki Ichigo with this act. As his old enemy, how could I not recognize Yhwach's appearance from a thousand years ago?
In the Wandenreich, the Quincy were also deeply confused, constantly wondering about the relationship between Kurosaki Ichigo and Yhwach.
The repeated appearances of this Old Man Zangetsu were truly incredible!
Seeing that the Quincy had already been revealed, Yhwach simply stopped pretending. Otherwise, Ichigo might be claimed by his two fathers...
[Yhwach]: Kurosaki Ichigo! Born in darkness... pitiful child! You must understand your own spiritual world and the source of your power! Keep questioning everything! Don't simply believe what the Shinigami tell you! The Shinigami represent darkness itself!
[Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni]: You're still alive, Yhwach!
[Gerard Valkyrie]: Isn't it natural for His Majesty to be alive? Did you really think you could kill him?
[Sasakibe Chojiro]: Has Yhwach finally lost patience? It seems Kurosaki Ichigo is indeed connected to him.
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: ??? What are you all talking about? I haven't understood anything from start to finish!
[Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni]: Kurosaki Ichigo, do you truly not understand? It's fine if you don't.
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: Don't dodge the question! This Yhwach—he should be the Quincy leader the Shinigami mentioned before, right? Tell me, what's my origin?
[Yhwach]: Some truths require active exploration. Your life has been controlled by others for so long. If you don't actively seek the truth, what else can you control?
[Aizen Sosuke]: How unexpectedly philosophical of Yhwach. Interesting. A perfect specimen should possess independent consciousness and not be a mere puppet.
[Yhwach]: I hope you can understand all the power within your body! Rather than relying on my indoctrination, this is both my hope for you and a test.
After all, Yhwach understood that accepting one's true identity required time. If Kurosaki Ichigo awakened his Quincy power, that would be the perfect moment to reveal the truth!
At this stage, Ichigo knew nothing about Quincy. Suddenly declaring he was one would likely be met with complete disbelief... Even if he believed it, he might suffer a complete mental breakdown.
For now, it was better to plant a seed of doubt in his heart.
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: What are you talking about...
[Kurosaki Isshin]: Ichigo, don't worry about what they're saying... You need to find your own path first... Think clearly about what you want to do and what you want to fight for. I hope you never forget your original intentions!
[Kurosaki Ichigo]: I... I don't understand...
As usual, Ichigo's mental state was crumbling.
Previously, he hadn't quite understood his white self or Old Man Zangetsu. Now he was even more suspicious!
He didn't even comprehend the Hollow power within his body, let alone the deeper-hidden Quincy abilities.
Ichigo had just returned from Soul Society after saving Rukia. He was already confused about his Hollow power and couldn't fight with his previous conviction, nor could he properly control the Hollow's strength. If that power went out of control, it could very well harm his companions.
Earlier, he'd suspected his Hollow power was connected to Aizen—that perhaps Aizen had implanted White Hollow within him...
But now, another figure—someone everyone called the Quincy King—claimed to have an even deeper connection with him.
What connection? Besides his friend Ishida Uryu being a Quincy, what relationship did he have with them?
His father was a pure Shinigami! His mother shouldn't be some strange existence, right? So why was this happening?!
Faced with all these riddlers, Kurosaki Ichigo was truly overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, in the Shinigami camp, countless Shinigami looked equally confused and solemn.
In truth, the Shinigami remained wary of Kurosaki Ichigo's existence and dared not trust him completely.
Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni gravely stated: "Kurosaki Ichigo currently seems very confused about his identity. He doesn't lean toward either Aizen's or Yhwach's camp, and remains quite close to the Shinigami."
"However, I'm concerned about his instability—he might turn against us at any time."
"He could join Aizen..."
"Or Yhwach..."
"Regardless of which scenario occurs, it would mean Kurosaki Ichigo becoming our enemy!"
Ukitake Jushiro wore a complicated expression as he slowly replied: "We can only wait and see—observe what Aizen and Yhwach do, and what crucial information the projection reveals. This matter involves too many factors and is indeed difficult to handle."
The Shinigami familiar with Yhwach remained temporarily silent on the matter. After all, the most important prerequisite for properly handling this situation was understanding the complete truth!
Those close to Kurosaki Ichigo, like Kuchiki Rukia, were left in a state of bewilderment.
Ichigo was their companion. Could he really become an enemy? But since he was still on their side, shouldn't they try to pull him firmly into the Shinigami camp as quickly as possible?
How should they approach this? Continue using the bonds with Shinigami companions that Ichigo cared about to awaken his loyalty?
No... let Ichigo figure it out himself. After all, his identity remained a mystery. They needed to wait for more information from the next projection before making any decisions!
People like Kyoraku Shunsui were even considering whether to employ both gentle persuasion and firm pressure to establish stronger bonds with Kurosaki Ichigo.
While remaining vigilant and watchful, they also needed to make good use of him and prevent him from joining the Quincy. Though his current strength wasn't overwhelming, his future potential was truly difficult to estimate!
This would be the most beneficial approach for Soul Society!
In the Wandenreich, the Sternritter naturally couldn't gossip about their Emperor openly. They only muttered internally:
"This Kurosaki Ichigo is remarkable. His Majesty even spoke to him personally like that."
"I hope he doesn't end up siding with the Shinigami."
"If someone possesses Quincy power but still chooses to be our enemy, that's simply unforgivable!"
For a moment, only Kurosaki Ichigo continued speaking in the chat, making the atmosphere somewhat awkward.
If he knew that many people recognized this figure as Yhwach while he remained completely in the dark... he'd probably be even more upset!
After all, Yhwach's image had not yet appeared in the Three Realms Projection. Ichigo had no idea that the Old Man Zangetsu within him was actually the Quincy King feared by countless people—Yhwach himself!
At the Urahara Shop, Urahara Kisuke—that deeply mysterious character—also harbored very complicated feelings at this moment. Many people didn't realize that he was intimately connected to Kurosaki Ichigo's development.
Thank goodness the appearance of Yhwach have taken the focus of the comment shown his involvement
Without Urahara Kisuke, Ichigo's mother couldn't have survived, let alone Ichigo himself...
So when he witnessed Kurosaki Ichigo's spiritual world, he was genuinely shocked.
He knew about White Hollow and Ichigo's Hollow power. But Yhwach's existence was completely beyond his expectations.
When he was training Kurosaki Ichigo, had Yhwach been aware of everything? Could he intervene at any moment?
This changed everything...
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