Chapter 12: The average shonen manga protagonist

White is the power of Shinigami and Hollow, the fake Zangetsu is the power of Quincy, and I am the power of Ichigo’s Fullbring.

Strictly speaking, Fullbring is not an official name.

It’s just a name that humans with the same power arbitrarily gave it.

Anyway, among Ichigo’s powers, mine has the least burden on the body.

As you can see from Orihime, Chad, and other Fullbringers, Fullbring is an innate power, an ability you are born with, and it has the least burden on the body.

Currently, Ichigo’s vessel is not perfect.

The vessel is large, but its durability is like balsa wood.

So, if he rashly expresses Shinigami power, Hollow power, or Quincy power too much, the vessel will break.

That’s why, in the current situation, I’m the most suitable.

“Is this your power?”

-You could say it’s all of our powers.

Shinigami, Hollow, Quincy, Fullbring.

White, the fake Zangetsu, and I are in charge of different aspects, but all of that is Ichigo’s power, and at the same time, it is all of our powers.

Just like how a Shinigami’s Zanpakuto is two sides of the same coin, inseparable, Ichigo and all of us are in that kind of relationship.

-Get up, you idiot.

How long are you going to be a pancake?

“Your words are a bit harsh.”

-Then do better.

“Yeah.”

Ichigo stood up perfectly.

Zaraki, who was grumbling and about to move, turned his head and met Ichigo’s gaze.

A man who was clearly on the verge of death, who could be said to have suffered a fatal injury, stood up as if nothing had happened.

His eyes held a small amount of surprise.

White’s Hollow power used ultra-fast regeneration without making it noticeable, and the fake Zangetsu used Quincy power to stop the bleeding, making this possible.

“I’m sorry, Kenpachi, but I have to go quickly.

My friends are waiting for me!”

Having stood up, Ichigo reignited his fighting spirit and rushed at Kenpachi.

And surprisingly, Ichigo pushed Zaraki back in a contest of strength and landed a blow.

Zaraki, who didn’t expect to lose in a contest of strength, showed agitation.

Not missing that brief opening, Ichigo again, albeit shallowly, cut Kenpachi’s side.

“Ha!”

At that, the battle maniac who lives and dies for battle let out a laugh.

“Interesting!

You’re interesting, Ichigo!”

“?!”

“How did you revive when you were on the verge of death!”

The battle maniac charged, not caring about his own injuries.

“How did you suddenly become so strong?

I have many questions!

No, it doesn’t matter.

Let’s just enjoy this fight for now!”

No questions or agitation about the revival of an enemy who was no different from a corpse, nor about his subsequent awakening.

All that was there was the joy of being able to fight more, and the joy of being able to fight a stronger opponent.

A conclusion that can only be reached by a battle maniac who lives for battle, dies for battle, and dedicates his life to battle.

“You’re crazy!

You’re insane, you?!”

-Not exactly.

‘Black?!’

-Kenpachi is just being honest.

He likes to fight, and he’s just following his fighting instinct with his reason.

‘How is that not insane?!’

-You like to fight too, don’t you?

Ichigo fought a lot with punks in high school.

Some fights were accidental, but Ichigo himself didn’t avoid fighting, and there were also reasons that he purely enjoyed fighting.

‘Is a street fight the same as this?!’

-The only difference is whether or not you’re risking your life, but fighting is the same.

And you were also enjoying it in a corner of your heart, weren’t you?

The fights with Ikkaku and Renji.’

‘I, I……!’

-It’s not like I’m telling you to enjoy fighting like that battle maniac.

It’s just that, according to White, a guy who doesn’t even accept or acknowledge himself can’t possibly become stronger.

Ichigo likes to fight.

That’s an undeniable fact and truth.

In fact, in the fight with Grimmjow, Ichigo acknowledged that instinct of his, and there’s a world of difference between acknowledging it and not acknowledging it.

“Yeah, really!”

Ichigo showed a distorted smile.

But the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.

“Yeah, I like to fight!

It’s ridiculous in a situation where I have to save Rukia, where my friends are in danger!”

-That’s enough.

Not following your instincts is different from denying your instincts.

“What are you talking about from earlier!”

“I’m just like you, Kenpachi, an unavoidable battle freak…!”

“Haha!

That’s great to hear, Ichigo…!”

Huff, huff…….

Kenpachi was breathing heavily.

He was avoiding fatal blows, but he was still getting hit by Ichigo’s attacks, and the massive amount of bleeding and injuries were taking their toll.

Even on Kenpachi with his immense toughness.

He is nearing his limit.

No matter how sturdy and how much stamina he has, he is not invincible.

“If you fight any more, you’ll die!

Just fall already!”

“Die……?”

“Yeah!

If you die, you can’t fight anymore, can you?!”

“…That’s true, I don’t want to die.

If I die, I won’t be able to fight anymore.”

But.

Kenpachi then showed a bright smile that seemed to light up the world.

That expression was proof that he was a battle maniac who purely enjoyed fighting.

“This exhilaration is really something else!

So let’s fight more, Ichigo!

Pain, wounds, life, they’re all just a means to enjoy it!”

“You’re not making any sense?!”

“I feel like I can go all out against you……!”

Kenpachi then took off the eyepatch covering his right eye.

As he took off his eyepatch, Kenpachi’s spiritual pressure, which took the form of a demon, rose to a level incomparable to before.

Seeing the opponent’s spiritual pressure, Ichigo’s expression hardened.

“What’s that?”

“This is a monster created by the Department of Research and Development that endlessly consumes spiritual pressure.

Until now, I’ve been suppressing my power by feeding it spiritual pressure.

To enjoy the fight at a leisurely pace.”

“…Just how much of a battle junkie are you?

Does anyone normally do that?”

He makes an exasperated expression.

Honestly, I think so too.

“You are a long-awaited strong opponent.

It would be a waste not to show everything I have, wouldn’t it?”

“You say you’re going all out, but you’re not releasing your Zanpakuto?”

“I told you.

My Zanpakuto has always been in this form from the beginning.”

“As I thought, you can’t……….”

Ichigo said with a slightly sad look.

“Hear your Zanpakuto’s voice, can you?”

“Zanpakuto’s voice?”

“When swords clash, you can hear it.

Your sword’s voice……….

Maybe feeling is the more correct expression.”

“Hey, hey, don’t say strange things.

Are you trying to say that you become stronger with your Zanpakuto?

That’s something only weaklings say.

It’s not something you and I should be saying, Ichigo!”

“I’m not strong.”

Ichigo immediately denied Kenpachi’s words and shook his head.

“A fool who can’t save a ghost, who can’t save a woman, who can’t save a benefactor, who can’t even properly protect what he swore to protect.”

“…..”

“If I felt that I was strong, that power, that strength is not mine alone.

Because of my friends, my companions, Zangetsu, everyone, I was able to come this far.

I was able to become stronger.”

The exact opposite logic of Kenpachi’s.

Ichigo burned with fighting spirit and met Zaraki’s gaze.

“Kenpachi, you are strong.

Maybe you’re stronger than anyone I’ve ever met.

But I don’t want to lose to you, who affirms only your own strength and can’t even hear your own Zanpakuto’s sad voice.”

I glanced upwards.

There, the 11th Division lieutenant, Kusajishi Yachiru, was watching Kenpachi and Ichigo’s fight.

But she is not an ordinary lieutenant.

She is another form of Kenpachi’s Zanpakuto.

I was somewhat curious about what kind of expression she was making.

“Haha!

If that’s true, then prove it!

If I win, then what I said is right, and if you win, then what you said is right!”

Kenpachi charges.

“Getsugatensho!”

In response, Ichigo fired a Getsugatensho imbued with a tremendous amount of spiritual power.

But it’s not enough.

Against the current Kenpachi, even with a massive amount of spiritual power, a single Getsugatensho is not enough.

In fact, the unsealed Kenpachi assumes a stance to swing his Zanpakuto, as if to say he will take such an attack head-on with his strength.

It was that moment.

“!”

-!

“Ah!”

The moment Kenpachi was about to cut the Getsugatensho.

Ichigo imbued Zangetsu with Getsugatensho and used a combination of Shunpo and Hirenkyaku to move at ultra-high speed, arriving right in front of Kenpachi, who was about to swing his sword.

“Jujishō!”

And he struck Kenpachi at the intersection of the Getsugatensho fired from afar and the Getsugatensho imbued in Zangetsu.

The shape was like a cross, a fitting name for the technique, Jujishō.

It may seem like two consecutive Getsugatensho, but the terrifying aspect of this technique is that it detonates the intersecting point of each technique in an instant.

It’s easy to say, but without a genius-level sense, it’s absolutely impossible to do.

Kenpachi was sent flying backwards by the impact, which was incomparable to a regular Getsugatensho.

It was clearly Ichigo’s victory.

That said, isn’t that a technique used by the true Zangetsu in its dual-wield form?

Can that be done with just one Zangetsu?

White.

When did you teach him that?

-I never taught him that?

….?