Chapter 887: Chapter 888: Forcing the Plot Back on Track
Yoruichi did not quite believe Ethan’s words. What did he mean, that defeating him was harder than replacing the Soul King? How could that be? Yet she vaguely felt that he was telling the truth.
"I must be insane."
As the head of the Shihoin family, one of the greatest noble houses in Soul Society, Yoruichi understood the significance of the Soul King to this world more clearly than most beings in Soul Society, perhaps even more than most beings in this world.
The more she understood, the harder it was to believe Ethan’s words, which sounded like a joke. Yet despite how unbelievable they were, she somehow felt they might be true. If she were not certain that he would not use Kyoka Suigetsu on her, she would have suspected she had been hypnotized, which was why her thoughts felt so unclear.
Regardless of whether her mind was clear, Yoruichi began training hard again. Even though her progress became slower and slower and she gradually reached a bottleneck, she did not give up.
Regarding the so-called bottlenecks in this world, Ethan had his own perspective.
If the spiritual power possessed by Shinigami were compared to spiritual particles with positive attributes, then what Hollows used could be considered spiritual particles with negative attributes.
The bodies of Shinigami, composed of positively attributed spiritual particles, had a certain capacity limit. This limit varied depending on individual talent, but there was always a ceiling. Once that limit was reached, their spiritual power could no longer increase.
For example, Kisuke and Aizen proposed breaking the boundary between Shinigami and Hollows. In other words, they wanted to change the physical nature of a Shinigami’s body so that this vessel could contain not only positively attributed spiritual particles but also negatively attributed ones.
Why was Ichigo’s spiritual pressure so immense? The fundamental reason was the variety of energies within him, Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy powers. This meant he could naturally contain different types of spiritual particles, which was why his spiritual power was so vast. It also explained why his control over it was so poor. With such a complex composition, it was normal for control to be more difficult than with a single attribute.
But to Ethan, whether it was the positively attributed spiritual particles used by Shinigami, the negatively attributed ones used by Hollows, or the spiritual particles used by Quincies and Fullbringers, there was no difference. They were all spiritual particles.
Since they were all spiritual particles, there was no issue of incompatibility, as long as the correct method was found.
In fact, in his view, Aizen’s claim that he had reached the limits of a Shinigami was only his own perception.
Only by training to the point where his Zanpakuto disappeared could he be said to have barely touched the limits of a Shinigami, since the Zanpakuto is part of a Shinigami’s power. Ichigo’s Mugetsu should be a form like that, though it could not be sustained.
From this perspective, had Yoruichi unintentionally stepped onto the correct path?
Of course, this was only Ethan’s speculation. Perhaps there were rules in this world that he had yet to discover, but so far, nothing had proven his idea wrong.
As time passed, events continued to unfold.
Up to this point, developments had not deviated much from the original course. The biggest change was that Masaki had not died in the accident years ago. Although her Quincy powers were reclaimed by Yhwach, Isshin, who had not lost his Shinigami powers, would not stand by and watch his wife be killed by a Hollow.
Moreover, with Ethan present this time, he had specifically warned Isshin and Ryuken. As a result, not only did Masaki survive, but Ryuken’s wife also remained safe.
However, the unusual circumstances of his parents did not cause any significant changes in Ichigo’s growth. Isshin had no intention of involving his son and only hoped he would grow up healthy like an ordinary child.
That hope was somewhat unrealistic. As the child of a Shinigami and a Quincy, how could he be ordinary? What was meant to happen eventually happened.
Rukia Kuchiki, a young Shinigami from the Thirteenth Division, was dispatched to Karakura Town on a mission. There, she encountered Ichigo while pursuing a Hollow.
The wheel of history began to turn, and the destined path finally started. At least, it should have, if Ethan had not interfered.
"Is something wrong?"
Watching Rukia fighting fiercely against a Hollow below, and Ichigo standing nearby as an onlooker, Ethan suddenly recalled that in the original course of events, Ichigo gained Shinigami powers because Isshin and his two daughters were injured by a Hollow.
In order to protect his family, and because Rukia had been severely wounded, he chose to take her place in defeating the monster.
But now, Isshin had already sensed the Hollow’s presence and moved his wife and daughters away in advance. Only Ichigo remained. With a Shinigami present, it was inconvenient for Isshin to reveal himself, which was why he arrived a step too late.
Since Ichigo was already involved in the fight, Isshin could not transform into a Shinigami and cut down the Hollow that had intruded into his home. He could only crouch in the shadows like Ethan and watch.
"Is this really fine? Your son could be bitten to death at any moment."
"Isn’t there a Shinigami fighting the Hollow? That young girl is not weak. She is enough to deal with it."
Ethan covered his face helplessly. This situation was somewhat awkward. If Ichigo did not gain Shinigami powers, how would the following events unfold?
Would he simply watch Rukia complete her mission and return to Soul Society, then continue living as an ordinary high school student?
That was impossible.
According to what Aizen later revealed, Rukia’s assignment to the Human World was part of his plan. He was certainly lurking in the shadows, observing her. This was a crucial step in retrieving the Hogyoku from Kisuke.
For Rukia to become the vessel hiding the Hogyoku, she had to be injured, which would prompt Kisuke to step in and help. So she was bound to be wounded. If not this time, then the next.
Although Aizen was patient, he would not waste time in this situation. Once he realized events were not proceeding as planned, he took decisive action. He simply sent more Hollows. Rukia would not be able to handle them alone, and at that point, the only one who could assist her would be the special young man beside her.
When more Hollows appeared before his son, Isshin was ready to act. He also realized something was wrong. This was not an ordinary Hollow attack but a calculated assault targeting that young Shinigami.
"Aizen again."
Unfortunately, before Isshin could move, Ethan stopped him.
"Why are you stopping me?"
"Relax. The main part is about to begin."
Rukia fell into a desperate struggle and was severely injured while protecting Ichigo. Her fight this time was extremely frustrating. She did not even have the chance to use Shikai, and after being wounded, she could no longer release it.
Seeing this small Shinigami injured while protecting him, Ichigo did not flee alone. Instead, he chose to fight, even when facing a group of terrifying monsters.
And so, Rukia lent her Shinigami powers to him.
"Huh?"
When Ichigo appeared wearing a shihakusho and carrying a Zanpakuto nearly as tall as himself, Isshin, hidden in the shadows, immediately sensed the unusual spiritual pressure emanating from his son.
"Did you notice it?"
An ordinary Shinigami might not detect it, but Isshin certainly could. After all, his wife was a Quincy, and Ichigo’s spiritual pressure carried a Quincy aura.
"His spiritual power composition is very mixed."
In addition to Quincy power, there was also a trace of Hollow energy. Although the White within Masaki had been removed by Ethan and was not inherited by Ichigo, the contamination had not been completely erased. As a result, Ichigo’s spiritual power naturally carried a hint of Hollow aura, though White would not become his Zanpakuto.
"But it is also incredibly vast."
Isshin had sharp insight and could see his son’s immense potential. With such enormous spiritual pressure, reaching Captain level would not be difficult with proper training.
"However..."
"To truly learn to use that power, he still has a long way to go."
Although Ichigo cleanly cut down those Hollows, it did not change the fact that he had no idea how to properly use his vast power. He was simply swinging the oversized blade by instinct.
The enormous Zanpakuto also showed his lack of control. It was not that all Shinigami had better control over their power, but that they were given standard Asauchi. These standard Asauchi helped them understand and restrain their power. Without using Shikai, even someone like Toshiro Hitsugaya, who had immense spiritual power and initially struggled to control it, did not carry around such a massive Zanpakuto.
After watching the battle end, Isshin sighed helplessly. He already understood that his son had been drawn into Aizen’s scheme, and as a father, he had no good solution.
"What are you sighing about? This is not a big issue."
Ethan lightly lifted his chin, gesturing ahead.
"With your and Masaki’s background, could he truly live as an ordinary person?"
"At the very least, he could have finished high school like a normal kid."
That had been Isshin’s original plan, but things had not unfolded as he hoped.
"These two or three years would not have made much difference anyway."
Ethan turned and left. There was no need for him to handle the aftermath. Rukia, as a Shinigami, could deal with it herself. Even if she had temporarily lost her powers, Kisuke had also been watching from the shadows for some time.
(To be continued.)
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