Fate in Bleach: Unlimited Blade Works!

Ichigo Kurosaki had been wary when he heard Ikkaku Madarame call upon his Zanpakutō's name. His instincts were confirmed. As Zangetsu clashed against Ikkaku's Hōzukimaru, the spear split in two, connected by a chain.

A nunchaku?

The severed half of the spear, whistling through the air, swung towards Ichigo's head.

Clang!

Ichigo raised his left hand to block the attack.

"Ikkaku," he said, looking up at him, "do you think I'm deaf? You literally just said 'Split.' It wasn't that hard to guess what would happen."

But before he could finish, his eyes widened in alarm.

Click!

The chain rattled. The half of the spear he had blocked with his left hand suddenly detached, revealing another chain segment.

Hōzukimaru hadn't transformed into a nunchaku, but a sansetsukon, a three-section staff!

The third section, tipped with the spearhead, flew towards the left side of Ichigo's head.

Shhh!

Blood splattered.

Ichigo tilted his head to the right, a gash, eight centimeters long, appeared on his left cheek.

A wave of fear washed over him.

Thankfully, the third section hadn't been long enough. He had managed to evade the worst of it, only sustaining a minor wound. Otherwise, he might have lost half his head.

Was this guy trying to kill him?

"Hey, Ichigo Kurosaki…" Ikkaku said, retracting his sansetsukon and grinning maliciously. "Are you looking down on me? Or do you think invading the Seireitei is just a game?"

During their second battle, Ikkaku had noticed Ichigo's greatest weakness.

He lacked killing intent.

During their first encounter, it hadn't been an issue. They had both been holding back, lacking any true malice.

But this time, Ichigo was a Ryoka, an invader who had infiltrated the Seireitei. He was a target to be eliminated by the Gotei 13.

If he continued to fight with such a naive mindset, he would be killed by some underhanded tactic.

While the captains and lieutenants might appear honorable, it didn't mean everyone in the Gotei 13 shared those values. The captains and lieutenants could afford to be honorable because they possessed the strength to back it up.

Even the powerful Sōsuke Aizen, before obtaining the complete Hōgyoku, had been a master manipulator, lurking in the shadows.

When faced with difficult missions, the lower-ranking Shinigami, lacking the strength to simply overpower their opponents, wouldn't hesitate to use underhanded tactics.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, a battle is a struggle for survival, a clash where both sides risk their lives! If you can't even grasp that, then allow me to kill you here. It would be better than dying to some petty trick and sullying your name."

Ikkaku raised Hōzukimaru, now in its spear form, above his head and spun it rapidly. His spiritual pressure, amplified by the movement of his Zanpakutō, enveloped him in a crimson aura.

"Bankai—Ryumon Hōzukimaru!"

…

"Oh?" Ailin who was sitting on the roof of his home, looked up at the tallest structures within the Seireitei.

"Is Ikkaku Madarame trying to steal Zaraki's role?"

Seeing the crimson pillar of spiritual pressure shooting skyward, he was momentarily surprised.

"However, this development makes sense."

In Ailin's memories, Ikkaku had achieved Bankai, but he hadn't wanted to become a captain. He preferred to fight alongside Zaraki. It wasn't an empty boast.

When Ikkaku had achieved Bankai, the Seireitei had been in turmoil. Shinji Hirako and the other captains, victims of Sōsuke Aizen's Hollowfication experiments, had recently been exiled. The Gotei 13 lacked high-level fighters. If Ikkaku had revealed his Bankai, he would have been forced to temporarily lead a division.

But this world, after Ailin's arrival, had undergone significant changes.

First, Ailin, with his Unlimited Blade Works, could analyze other Zanpakutō, gaining access to their wielders' training experiences, amplified by two hundred years of history.

Byakuya Kuchiki, under Ailin's guidance, had inherited the Kuchiki Clan's leadership and become the Sixth Division captain decades earlier than in the original timeline.

Gin Ichimaru, also meticulously trained by Ailin, had quickly ascended to captaincy after Shinji Hirako and the others had been exiled.

Soi Fon, likewise, had mastered her Shunko a century earlier under Ailin's instruction, passed the captain's exam, and become the Second Division captain.

Kaname Tōsen, learning from Gin Ichimaru's example, had also swiftly become the Ninth Division captain under Sōsuke Aizen's influence.

Thus, the loss of Shinji Hirako, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, Love Aikawa, and Kensei Muguruma hadn't significantly weakened the Gotei 13.

At the time, the Eleventh Division had three captain-level fighters: Ailin, Zaraki, and Kiganjō.

They had all refused to lead the Seventh Division.

Therefore, the Seventh Seat of the Eleventh, Tetsuzaemon Iba, had been transferred to the Seventh Division as lieutenant, temporarily handling their affairs. Once Sajin Komamura, after training under Head-Captain Yamamoto, achieved Bankai, he was appointed as the new Seventh Division captain, filling the final vacancy.

Under these circumstances, there was no need for Ikkaku to hide his strength.

As for Zaraki…

He had been a member of the Eleventh Division for nearly two hundred years. When he joined, Ailin had promised him a challenge every ten years. Over a dozen battles later, Zaraki had regained his peak strength.

In fact, he was now several times stronger than he had been during his prime.

After all, Ailin wasn't the only one who had trained him.

Under Retsu Unohana's guidance, Zaraki's swordsmanship had improved dramatically, and he had even learned his Zanpakutō's name.

As for Bankai…

Ailin had encountered Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi a while back. Based on their demeanor, he suspected that Zaraki knew about the potential consequences of achieving Bankai.

Therefore, he had never attempted to master it.

"Yachiru…"

Ailin smiled as he thought of Zaraki and Yachiru.

Zaraki had bestowed Yachiru's name upon her. Her very existence was a manifestation of his spiritual pressure.

Ailin felt that Zaraki's situation resembled Coyote Starrk, the Primera Espada.

Both had inadvertently created a "second self" due to their overwhelming spiritual pressure.

However, Coyote Starrk, by splitting his soul, had stumbled upon the path to transcend his Hollow form and achieve a higher level of existence—Arrancar!

He was the first Hollow in Hueco Mundo's million-year history to achieve "Resurrección" on his own.

Even the ancient Hollow who had devoured countless souls, only to be vanquished by the Soul King, and even the ancient Hollow King, who had defeated Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, ascended to the Soul King Palace, and been transformed into a Zanpakutō by Ichibei Hyōsube, hadn't achieved "Resurrección."

Of course, this didn't mean Coyote Starrk was stronger than those two.

The essence of a Shinigami's power was spiritual pressure. No matter how strong a Hollow might be, it couldn't surpass Ichibei Hyōsube.

After all, they only possessed Hollow power. Their limits were defined by the ancient Hollow King.

Resurrección granted Hollows access to Shinigami power, significantly enhancing their potential.

If Coyote Starrk hadn't been killed by Shunsui Kyōraku during the battle of Fake Karakura Town, he would have eventually become a rival to Kyōraku, perhaps even surpassing him.

When Coyote Starrk released his Resurrección, his two souls merged. However, once he sealed his Resurrección, he and Lilynette Gingerbuck could still separate.

After all, even though they originated from a single soul, they were essentially two independent beings.

Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi's situation was different.

Yachiru was the manifestation of Zaraki's Zanpakutō.

However, before she could reveal her true name to him, he had bestowed the name "Yachiru Kusajishi" upon her.

In the Bleach world, all power stemmed from the soul, and the essence of the soul was its "name."

"Name" was "power."

Yachiru's existence was tied to the name "Yachiru Kusajishi."

But if Zaraki achieved Bankai, if he called upon his Zanpakutō's true name, the name "Yachiru Kusajishi" would become meaningless. She would revert to her Zanpakutō form, ceasing to exist as "Yachiru Kusajishi."

"Let's see what you can do, Ikkaku Madarame. How far can you go as Zaraki's substitute?"

With those words, Ailin vanished.

The next moment, he stood atop one of the tall buildings, bathed in moonlight.

…

"Bankai—Ryumon Hōzukimaru!"

Boom!

Ikkaku's spiritual pressure formed a crimson pillar that shot skyward. The air around him swirled chaotically, whipped into a frenzy by his overwhelming power.

"Incredible spiritual pressure!"

Ichigo grimaced as he struggled to maintain his footing. Ikkaku's Bankai was nearly blowing him backward.

When the wind subsided, Ichigo lowered his left hand, seeing Ikkaku's transformation for the first time.

"So… cool!"

Ikkaku stood before him, bare-chested, wielding a massive ax in each hand. A third, even larger ax blade hovered behind him. A dragon crest adorned the hovering blade. Thick chains connected the two axes in his hands.

"Haaaa!"

With a shout, Ikkaku swung one of his axes at Ichigo.

Ichigo crossed Zangetsu before him with his left hand pressed against the back of the blade as he braced for impact. But the moment the ax struck Zangetsu, he was sent flying.

Boom!

He crashed through several buildings, eventually slamming into a wall, and created a massive crater.

"Ugh…"

Ichigo spat out a mouthful of blood.

"He's strong! He's far stronger than Renji Abarai!"

The gap between their power was immense. While he had awakened his Shinigami power and manifested his Zanpakutō, his current strength was comparable to a lieutenant in Shikai.

After all, Quincy Zangetsu, to protect him from Yhwach's attention, suppressed his power unless he faced a life-or-death crisis.

Ikkaku, on the other hand, had mastered his Bankai a century ago. Even if his spiritual pressure hadn't been captain-level back then, he had undoubtedly reached that level through decades of training.

Of course, even with Bankai, Ikkaku's strength was among the weakest captains.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," Ikkaku said, approaching him and placing one of his axes against Ichigo's neck, "you've seen it now, haven't you? This is the brutality of battle. You said you came to rescue Shino, but how can you possibly achieve that? You can't even defeat me! In the Seireitei, there are at least fifteen Shinigami stronger than me!"

Ikkaku wasn't exaggerating.

While his Bankai had finally allowed him to achieve captain-level strength, he knew his limits. He couldn't defeat any of the current Gotei 13 captains.

Well, except for maybe Zaraki.

Even Chōjirō Sasakibe, the lieutenant of the First Division, was beyond his reach.

"Damn it… Am I going to die?"

Feeling the cold steel against his neck, Ichigo was overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness.

Death…

When had he last faced death?

He remembered.

That night, under the full moon, the monstrous creature…

Thinking of the girl who had been punished because of him, he suddenly felt a burst of determination. He stared defiantly at Ikkaku.