Chapter 896: Chapter 897: The Execution Time Was Brought Forward
Ethan curiously sized up Zangetsu. Only then did he realize that although Zangetsu’s fundamental consciousness originated from Yhwach, it had formed within Ichigo’s body. Therefore, it was inevitably influenced to some extent, meaning Zangetsu still recognized Ichigo as his master.
"No wonder he later handed over all his power to Ichigo without hesitation, allowing him to unleash Mugetsu!"
That made sense. Without this connection, Zangetsu could have completely refused any of Ichigo’s requests.
In other words, Zangetsu had his own preferences, but once his master issued a clear command, he could at most set some trials for Ichigo according to the rules of the Shinigami. He could not simply refuse reasonable requests.
Even in this situation, Ethan still found it troublesome, so he remained inclined to have Ichigo erase Zangetsu’s self awareness and completely transform that power into his own.
Unfortunately, Ichigo and Ethan’s ideas were not on the same wavelength. He could not fulfill Ethan’s request to make Zangetsu disappear.
"What? Reluctant?"
"..."
Ichigo remained silent. From his expression, the reason was probably not as simple as reluctance. Perhaps there were more complex thoughts, like viewing Zangetsu as a living being, and having to cause someone else to die?
As for later being willing to accept the power of Zangetsu and White to unleash Mugetsu, that was because the situation was already extremely critical, and he himself had to pay a considerable price. Therefore, he probably would not have felt anything bad about it.
Understanding this point, Ethan knew Ichigo definitely would not train in the direction he had planned.
Ethan was not dissatisfied. Everyone had their own ideas, and he was not going to force Ichigo to accept his philosophy and do things his way.
"Since you’ve made your decision, then stick to it firmly."
Ichigo chose to continue according to his own ideas, but Ethan’s actions were not entirely meaningless. At the very least, Ichigo learned that he had even stronger power that was being suppressed by Zangetsu. Zangetsu also explained the situation a little, allowing Ichigo to understand his power better.
When he heard that the power of a Hollow also existed within him, he was slightly panicked, but Ethan, who was watching from the side, immediately calmed him down.
"The power your good friend Yasutora Sado uses is also quite close to the power of a Hollow in terms of Reishi nature. Do you think Sado is a Hollow?"
With such a clear example before him, Ichigo gradually understood what Ethan meant when he said that power was just a tool. The outcome depended entirely on the user.
He also finally understood why Ethan had always made him train his ability to control his own power. If one only followed the instincts of power, they would become a slave to it. Whatever the nature of the power, the person would lean toward that side.
"You saw through my situation a long time ago?"
"Your control over your power is a complete mess. You do not know how to conceal it at all, so of course you could not hide it from my eyes."
"..."
Ichigo found it a bit strange. His situation was so obvious, so why did other Shinigami not notice?
"Initially, your power was concealed beneath Rukia’s Shinigami power."
Ethan glanced at the old man like Zangetsu beside him.
"Later, your Zanpakuto made some efforts to conceal the true situation. Unless someone is extremely sensitive to Reishi and has done extensive research, they would not discover your actual condition."
Also, Ichigo’s spiritual power was too immense. Most people were shocked by his spiritual pressure, and no one bothered to analyze its specific nature. Furthermore, Ichigo’s surface Shinigami aura was very strong, and Zangetsu had put a lot of effort into concealing the truth.
"Then what am I considered now?"
"A human who can use spiritual power."
Ethan looked at Ichigo with a "What’s there to be conflicted about?" expression.
"Don’t you want to be human anymore?"
"..."
Ichigo pondered for a moment and realized that what Ethan said made a lot of sense.
He was not a Shinigami, nor was he a Hollow. As for Quincy power, he had not learned anything like that at all, so he certainly could not be considered a Quincy.
Speaking of which, he actually had the same power as Uryu, which gave him a strange feeling. He remembered Uryu saying that he was the last Quincy. Yet he also possessed Quincy power. Perhaps there were other Quincies hidden among ordinary people in this world?
Ichigo did not know he had stumbled upon a hidden truth. He was just wondering where his Quincy power came from.
"Your mother was a very talented pure blood Quincy."
Ethan did not have a habit of keeping secrets for others, especially since in his view there was no need to keep this kind of thing secret. So he directly revealed Masaki Kurosaki’s identity.
"Huh?"
Ichigo’s face was filled with disbelief. He stared blankly at Ethan with his mouth wide open.
"However, your mother lost her powers many years ago."
Ichigo suddenly realized that Ethan seemed to know many things.
He looked around. Being in his own inner world, he did not have to worry about being overheard. Perhaps he could ask Ethan more about some secrets?
As soon as this thought appeared, Ethan seemed to see through it and immediately stopped him.
"Do you still have time to care about these things? There is not much time left until Rukia’s execution. Have you figured out how to convince Zangetsu to hand over the power?"
"You’re right. The most important thing now is to increase my strength and rescue Rukia."
He turned his head to look at Zangetsu. Although they had not spent much time together, Ichigo had grown used to having such a tenant living in his body. He had even reaffirmed his resolve with Zangetsu’s reminder when he was feeling slightly lost.
"I don’t want to kill Zangetsu like you said, but I need to gain power. The only way is to convince Old Man Zangetsu to hand over that power."
"How will you convince him?"
Ichigo drew his Zanpakuto.
"As long as..."
"Actually, there is no need for that."
Zangetsu, who had remained silent until now, spoke again. He stated that he was willing to release a portion of the true Shinigami power and some of the Hollow power he had been suppressing, and give it to Ichigo to use.
As Ichigo’s Zanpakuto, Zangetsu could not refuse once his master understood the situation and made a clear request.
However, as a Zanpakuto, he had the right to test his host. If the master’s strength was insufficient, the Zanpakuto could choose not to hand over stronger power.
This seemed to be a form of protection from the Zanpakuto for its host. The host had to prove they were qualified if they wanted to use stronger power.
Of course, this so called test was nonsense in Ethan’s eyes, but Ichigo had no objections.
"I will prove it!"
Things had come full circle, returning to the starting point. Ichigo had to continue clashing with Zangetsu to prove he was qualified to use more power. Zangetsu also promised not to suppress the two powers he disliked anymore and would even guide Ichigo on how to use these powers correctly. The moment a Zanpakuto forms, it understands its abilities, and the host must learn from it.
Zangetsu specifically reminded Ichigo that the power of a Hollow was very dangerous. If Ichigo could not properly control that part of the Hollow power, serious problems could occur.
"That’s not something you need to worry about."
After saying that, Ethan turned around and left Ichigo’s inner world. Not long after he came out, Ichigo also woke up.
There was a difference in time between the real world and the inner world. Spending a long time in the inner world might only take a moment in the real world.
So Ethan was not sure how long Ichigo talked with Zangetsu after he left, but he could clearly feel that Ichigo’s spiritual pressure had increased significantly.
"Next, you do not need to use the Tenshintai to train anymore. Practice directly with me."
Through actual combat, he could quickly convert this increased power into real fighting strength.
Given Ichigo’s current rate of progress, perhaps he could soon master the Tensa Zangetsu mode, which he was not sure counted as Bankai.
After gaining more spiritual power to use, Ichigo found his strength rapidly increasing. Sparring with Ethan also allowed him to adapt to these newly acquired powers faster.
If things continued like this, even if he could not learn Bankai, he should still be able to rescue Rukia.
Just as he regained his confidence, someone suddenly broke into this secret base, which should have been impossible to find.
"Renji?"
Renji, who was looking for a quiet place to train, unexpectedly discovered this secret base and found Ichigo training there.
After stating that he had no hostility, Renji also brought new information. Rukia’s execution time had been moved forward again. The latest time was tomorrow at noon.
Ethan glanced at Yoruichi beside him. This meant Aizen was no longer willing to wait. More precisely, Aizen had already completed his preparations and was just waiting to take Rukia, the final prize.
"Didn’t either you or Kisuke consider properly concealing the entrance to the secret base?"
"Actually, we did try to conceal it, but we have been away for so long that those measures have long since failed."
After Renji finished explaining the situation to Ichigo, he turned his gaze toward Yoruichi and Ethan.
Renji, who had only joined the Gotei 13 in the last few decades and had recently become a lieutenant, had never met these two.
That did not mean he did not know them. After all, the two were quite famous in the Seireitei.
For Renji, Ethan’s name had a completely different meaning, because he was the lieutenant of the Sixth Division, and his captain was Byakuya, Ethan’s student.
"It is an honor to meet you. I am Abarai Renji, Lieutenant of the Sixth Division."
(To be continued.)
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