Blood Demon

After naming his Bankai, Urahara didn't waste any time. Reversing his grip on Shinkō Maōhi and lightly stabbing the sands below, he began to chant. "I summon it."

Ayumu's eyes narrowed, and he dashed at Urahara with the intent of disrupting the spell, whatever it was. But Ichigo was suddenly there, meeting Asahi no Kagami with Tensa Zangetsu. "You're not getting near him," the Vizard promised.

"Just try and stop me." Ayumu vanished in a burst of speed and sliced, attempting to behead the latest combatant. Once again, Ichigo materialized and blocked. They began a deadly dance, disappearing and reappearing for briefest instants all around Urahara, the sound of steel on steel ringing through the air.

And all the while, Urahara continued his spell. "As the giver of death, I summon it. As the taker of life, I summon it. With hands stained crimson, I summon it!" He threw his head back and screamed at the sky. "And I call it down! Come and shower us in the waters of life! Chi no Ame, Shinkō Maōhi!"

Thunder crashed, and it began to rain heavily. Several drops immediately hit Ichigo and Ayumu, and the king of Hell blinked, retreating several meters as he tried to work out what was going on. "Raining… blood?" he murmured aloud, observing the red rain fall on his hand, smelling the unique odor.

Urahara smiled demonically again. "This world may be yours, but you're in my domain now. Chihari, Shinkō Maōhi!"

At once, the rain turned deadly – thousands of drops of blood reshaped themselves into tiny needles and hurled themselves at Ayumu. But even as the man wrapped himself up in his barrier, he grunted in pain. The blood that had already landed on him had reshaped itself as well, and Ayumu was now bleeding from several tiny holes in his body.

Ayumu very quickly materialized and grabbed two of his Togabito's chains. His wounds healed immediately, and with an all-too-familiar burst of heat, the blood that he'd already bled evaporated into nothing. The secondary sword he'd been wielding was replaced by Zanka no Tachi.

Urahara's expression didn't change even as blood dripped down his face. "So… you're using Yamamoto's power, now."

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I? His defense was truly impressive, and well-suited to your blood-based attacks. Even if you get past my barrier, I won't let you take my blood," Ayumu promised calmly.

Urahara shook his head. "I hope you don't mind if I put it to the test? Chihari, Shinkō Maōhi!"

Ayumu didn't move at all as the air around him seemed to shiver, as the blood rain transformed into hundreds of tiny painful spears, before they all launched at him. His vision was obscured for a few seconds as his barrier was encased in bloody needles, but when it faded, Urahara was standing where he had been. "You see? It's hopeless."

"You think so?" Urahara's smile grew even more predatory, his cheeks stained red with blood. "Did you really think that after a hundred years of exile, I would not have a plan for how to counter Yamamoto? That I would not account for every possibility? I know his Shikai. I know his Bankai. I know every single one of his capabilities, and I have a plan to counter them all. This is why Aizen feared me so, why he never came after me directly until after he had the Hōgyoku in his grasp. He knew that if he did, I would kill him, because I always work out a counter to every power I am ever exposed to. Why don't you look at your feet?"

The king of Hell did so, and saw a small container, open. At that moment, Ayumu's breath caught, and his hand involuntarily went to his throat. "What…?!"

"You are able to breathe in your barrier, even when you encase yourself in it fully for minutes at a time. More than that, you can hear us, and we you. If sound can travel through the barrier, then air must be capable of passing through without issue," Urahara lectured. "Zanka no Tachi's heat defense is automatic, instinctual. It does not rely on the concentration on its wielder to maintain. It incinerates everything that approaches you using an absurdly high heat." The assassin's smile grew wider, more satisfied as Ayumu fell to his knees, choking. "Do you know the various states of matter? Solid, liquid, gas and plasma. Gases are converted to plasma through exposure to extremely high temperatures. Temperatures reachable, for instance, using Zanka no Tachi. It must have taken Yamamoto weeks, if not months, of work to keep Zanka no Tachi from converting the air around him into plasma, simply so he could breathe.

"That means that neither your barrier nor Zanka no Tachi are stopping gas-based attacks. What you are feeling right now are the effects of a gas that I have developed. It's a very strong paralytic. It attacks the lungs first, drastically reducing the air you can inhale. At the same time, it enters your bloodstream and attacks your heart, slowing your heartbeat so that you don't in your panic asphyxiate yourself. Of course, in high enough doses this gas would be fatal. But, of course, we don't want that. I've made sure you'll live long enough for us to seal you."

"Damn… you…!" Ayumu wheezed.

"And of course, I've already taken out your lieutenants," Urahara mentioned offhandedly, his smirk turning absolutely predatory. "No one to kill you and free you from this trap."

"Except… me…!" Ayumu breathed out harshly. And then, without warning, his body lit up in flames. A second later, he crumbled into ashes.

Urahara finally frowned. "I was hoping he wouldn't realize he could do that."

"Wait, what just happened?" Ichigo asked, approaching. He'd high-tailed it out of the rain of blood the moment he'd realized that Urahara was going to do something scary with it – that is, less than a second before Urahara had first used Chihari. Thankfully, the rain was lessening quickly, though the blood remained.

"Yamamoto's Bankai is powerful. Too powerful," Urahara explained. "No soul is meant to be able to withstand that kind of heat for any length of time. That means that a defensive use of reiryoku is needed just to keep from disintegrating. Ayumu stopped powering his defense, and Zanka no Tachi torched him."

"Well, when he comes back, you can gas him again, right?"

"Certainly," Urahara agreed. "But he'll be prepared for it this time."

Ichigo nodded in understanding. "So, any other methods of getting past Zanka no Tachi?"

"There are three main methods." Urahara held up three fingers, then lowered the first one. "First, bypass Zanka no Tachi and attack the wielder through the lungs."

"You just did that," the Vizard pointed out.

"Yes." Another finger went down. "Second, turn the battle into a siege, and force the wielder to use up his reiryoku until he doesn't have enough to keep Zanka no Tachi from burning him alive."

"That's not a good option here, since Ayumu has a LOT of reiryoku, and he can resurrect pretty quickly."

"Agreed." The last finger fell. "Third, disable the wielder's ability to use it."

"That sounds like a winner to me. How do we do that?"

"That's the tricky part. The answer to most questions of disabling is Bakudō, or sealing. Of course, that brings us to a catch 22 – we can't seal him until we can get past Zanka no Tachi, and we can't get past Zanka no Tachi until we seal him. The next reasonable answer would be to cut off his hands, but Ayumu's already displayed the ability to regenerate them," Urahara admitted. "Ideally we would resurrect Yamamoto and free him from the chains, thereby removing Zanka no Tachi from Ayumu's reach, but neither of us know how to do that."

Ichigo gave Urahara a mild glare. "Running low on time here. Ayumu will be back any second. Get to the point."

"Right then. Short answer: leave it to me. Stay back and attack when you see the signal. You'll know it when you see it."

Shinji shook his head in wonder. "Hot damn. Kisuke had a way to take down the old man when he goes all out?"

"Is anyone else a bit disturbed that Urahara's Bankai lets him make it rain blood?" Ishida asked mildly.

"This coming from the guy whose arrows send souls straight to Hell," Shinji commented deadpan.

Ishida opened his mouth to retort, but then shrugged, conceding the point. "Even so."

Hitsugaya shrugged. "It doesn't bother me. After all, I can make it snow, and make every snowflake lethal. Not so different from what he's doing, really."

Chad met Ishida's gaze readily and subtly gestured towards his left arm. The message was clear – Chad found it a little unsettling, but considering that his left arm had the power to create gigantic skull-shaped crushing attacks, he didn't think he had room to comment.

But Karin was shivering again. "That technique… all that blood…"

Yuzu looked at her in concern. "What is it, Karin?"

"That technique…" Karin repeated. "I tried not to look, I really tried. I wanted to help Ichigo, so I tried to keep my focus just on Ayumu. I didn't mean to see it. Oh Kami-sama, I wish I hadn't looked."

Isshin knelt and pulled Karin into a hug. "What did you see?"

Karin took a shuddering breath. "That technique, Chi no Ame… there's so much… so much blood…"

Her father held her tighter, knowing there was very little he could say. "The life of a Shinigami is not always pretty, Karin. I know it's disturbing, horrifying even. But you need to calm down. Urahara's on our side, and a decent man. He helped me save your mother before any of you were even born."

"He did?" Yuzu asked curiously.

"Yes. Your mother, Masaki… got infected by a Hollow that bit her. Her soul almost self-destructed. But Urahara found a way to save her. It cost me my Shinigami abilities for a very long time, but it gave me all of you."

"So that's why you left," Hitsugaya said, looking at Isshin with sudden understanding. "That Hollow attack, when you left for the living world… That was what sparked the whole thing? And you never came back because you couldn't, not without destroying her soul? But… she died years and years ago, right? I assume you didn't come back then because you had children to raise?"

Isshin nodded. "Close. I only got my powers back recently, Tōshirō. But I am sorry for abandoning you like that. Congrats on becoming taicho of the 10th. Figured that would probably happen as soon as you got your Bankai."

Karin stared at her father in completely disbelief. "Wait… you two knew each other before you met Mom? But how? This guy looks like a kid!"

Hitsugaya twitched, but kept his temper. "I'm a lot older than you are, Kurosaki. I was your father's 3rd seat when he was taicho of the 10th Division in the Gotei 13. For your information, Shinigami age very, very slowly. I've looked about this age since before you were born."

Both Karin and Yuzu stared at him in awe and disbelief. "But… you… how old are you?" Karin asked, shocked.

"I don't usually keep track of my age, but I should be about…" Hitsugaya had to think on it for a few moments. "Fifty, maybe?" He smirked in response to the Kurosaki twins' shock. "Shinigami live for a very, very long time. Yamamoto-sōtaicho, that old man you saw on the screen? He's over two thousand years old. Your father's probably around three or four hundred."

When their stares turned back to him, Isshin grinned at his daughters, glad that he and Hitsugaya had successfully distracted them from thinking about Urahara's technique. "Most Shinigami lose track after the first century," he cheerfully admitted. "I don't honestly remember myself. I'm sure the Shiba clan has records somewhere, assuming that Kūkaku hasn't destroyed them."

"I knew it!" Rukia cried out in triumph. "I knew Ichigo had to be related to Kaien-dono somehow! They looked far too alike for it to be coincidence!"

"Yep," Isshin confirmed. "Ichigo's a Shiba, but I'd rather he not catch wind of that just yet. It's something I'd like to tell him myself once this whole Hell situation's done with."

"Speaking of which, Ayumu's back," Rose commented. Everyone immediately stopped their conversations and began paying attention to the display again.

Ayumu didn't waste any time and attacked Urahara directly with Zanka no Tachi. The assassin seemed to have been taken by surprise at Ayumu's prompt assault, and the blade pierced him, setting him ablaze for a brief instant before Urahara crumbled into ash.

But then Zanka no Tachi also disintegrated, and Ayumu stared at the hand where it'd been in complete disbelief. "What…?"

Urahara reappeared a short distance away, completely unharmed. "Chihari, Shinkō Maōhi!"

Too late, Ayumu noticed he was standing on a puddle of blood, and bloody lances speared through his legs and knees, eliciting a cry of pain. "How?!"

"Are you aware that there was a Hollow that had the ability to destroy any Zanpakutō that touched it?" Urahara asked, his eyes glittering with satisfaction. "After I learned that such an ability existed, I knew I had to replicate it as my ultimate trump card against any Shinigami. I was only able to get it working recently, however. But once I did, it was almost too easy to modify a few select gigai so I myself would not have to get stabbed. I'll have to apologize to Yamamoto later, but now we can attack you without our own weapons being destroyed."

Ayumu let out a bloody grin. "I see. So it's specific to Zanpakutō?" And with that, he turned Asahi no Kagami on the hardened blood lances and shattered them. His wounds began to heal quickly, and he raised his free hand to the sky and snapped his fingers.

All of a sudden, a hailstorm of weapons hurled out of the sky. Urahara looked at them before his expression twisted into a mischievous smile. "Ayatsuru, Shinkō Maōhi." The blood that had fallen to the ground suddenly shot back up to the sky, and strings of blood connected to the handles of all the weapons, connecting to Urahara's free hand. "Why, thank you for the lovely gifts, Ayumu," Urahara told him with a mischievous grin as the weapons halted in midair before turning their points back against Ayumu. "Sadly, I'm quite happy with Shinkō Maōhi. Here, I insist you take them back."

And then the weapons flew at Ayumu, who waited for them to get close before simply stomping the desert sand below him, causing an enormous section of it to rise up and catch all the weapons before falling back to where it had been. "If you insist," Ayumu agreed demurely. "I suppose I'll just need to give them back to their original owners." At those words, thousands, tens of thousands of Togabito began rising from the desert, stretching out as far as the eye could see.

Urahara laughed aloud. "Oh, you shouldn't have!" he cried out in apparent delight. "How thoughtful!"

Ayumu's smile froze on his face. That was not an anticipated response.

All of the blood that Urahara had summoned with his Chi no Ame technique flew towards the assassin, pooling and swirling into a massive orb hovering of his head. "Chihari, Shinkō Maōhi," Urahara ordered with a devilish smile.

It was a massacre. A short distance away, waiting for Ayumu to drop his guard, Ichigo thought he might retch. He could hardly breathe through the smell and taste of blood in the air. He watched with ill-disguised discomfort as Urahara make short work of Ayumu's Togabito. And yet… not one of Urahara's kills left a bloodstain on the ground. Instead, Ichigo watched with wide eyes as with every slit throat, every maiming and outright bifurcation, all the blood within that body rose to join Urahara's technique.

"Did you really think you and Yamamoto were the only ones with a technique that was empowered by their kills?" Urahara gleefully informed Ayumu as his technique skewered and slashed apart the last survivors. "Every drop of blood I have ever spilled is mine to command, Ayumu. Thank you for the blood – I'll use it well."

Ayumu blinked, and sighed. "I grow tired of this. Enough." He stomped on the desert sand once more, and suddenly countless chains erupted around them all, rapidly shooting in every conceivable direction.

Ichigo's arm blurred as Tensa Zangetsu flew into a flurry of slashes, chains shattering and links falling around him. When the onslaught ended, he glanced at Urahara, to see how he was.

Urahara had encased himself in a shell of hardened blood. A moment later, the blood pulled away and regrouped, hovering over his head once again, noticeably larger than it had been before. "Now then. My turn."

The crimson water of life flew, encasing Ayumu in a shell that resembled the one that Urahara had just shielded himself in. And then, without warning, Urahara fell over. Chains had snaked around his ankles and tightened, sending him falling backwards to the desert sand. He hadn't even landed yet when, to Ichigo's horror, a spear erupted from the sands and pierced Urahara's head, emerging through his forehead. A moment later, Urahara's body dissolved.

The blood shell fell apart, and Ayumu stepped forward, bleeding heavily from where he'd been stabbed in many places. "Very, very close," Ayumu whispered. "You nearly had me. A few seconds longer and you would have sealed my very blood. But you forgot that this world is mine to command. I can use any weapon belonging to any soul that resides here."

Ichigo's eyes were wide in shock. But he shook his head, refocused. Urahara was dead. But he'd weakened Ayumu tremendously. If he attacked now, there was a good chance he could seal him! So Ichigo lunged for Ayumu, black flame coating his blade.

"And I find yours to be… useful."

Tensa Zangetsu was blocked with… Shinkō Maōhi? "Oh shit," Ichigo let out.

Ayumu's smile was slight, but confident. "'Every drop of blood I have ever spilled,' hm?"

Ichigo vanished in a blur of Sonido just before bloody spears the width of his fist would have torn his body apart, uttering a litany of curses under his breath. But then, much to his surprise, the blood coalesced into a humanoid shape, and Urahara's voice came through. "Mayuri-chan's not the only one who can put safeguards in a Bankai."

Shinkō Maōhi glowed a bright bloody red… and then erupted into a massive explosion. It faded several seconds later, and Ichigo clearly saw Ayumu's corpse just before it vanished. Ichigo felt the mad urge to laugh aloud – of course Urahara would booby-trap his Bankai!

But now it was down to Ayumu and Ichigo. There was no one else to call, no one else who could fight on the same level, outside of the Zero Division. They were sworn to protect the Reiō, so it wasn't likely they were going to help. Then again, it was worth trying. Ichigo reached up to his ear. "Anyone there?"

"…We're here, Ichigo." Isshin's voice was somber. Hardly surprising. He and Urahara must have known each other a long time.

Ichigo swallowed hard. Urahara was dead. That… that hurt. But Urahara had known the risks, and had proven himself an incredible combatant. He'd effortlessly neutralized Zanka no Tachi, and had come incredibly close to sealing Ayumu away. And he hadn't been sent to the desert – that meant he'd be back as a Togabito at some point. So Ichigo took a breath, hardened his heart and refocused on the immediate problem. "Contact the Zero Division," Ichigo ordered. "Yamamoto's dead. Urahara's dead. I think it's fairly evident now that we can't handle this situation and that it will escalate to the Reiō unless they step in."

"…Understood. What about you?"

"I've got to stay here, keep Ayumu occupied. Besides, I have a sealing technique too. With Ayumu deprived of his armor, Zanka no Tachi and Shinkō Maōhi, this is the best chance I'm going to get now that his soul's been completely restored."

Ichigo could practically hear Isshin swallowing his first response. Finally, the father spoke. "Don't throw your life away, Ichigo."

"I don't intend to."

"Even if it means sealing Ayumu," Isshin pressed. "You are to come home alive, you understand? I won't accept anything less. I won't hold it against you if you get hurt. I don't care if you're not the one who finishes him off. But I want you to swear to me, to your sisters, that you will come home alive."

Ichigo's throat tightened. "Dad… I…"

"You are my son, Kurosaki Ichigo, so I know exactly what you're thinking. 'But if by giving my life I can seal Ayumu, and save everyone else, isn't that worth it?' No! It's not worth it, Ichigo! Not to me! Not to Yuzu or Karin! Not to anybody who cares about you!"

Ichigo stood there, stunned.

Isshin's voice grew gentler. "You have been made to bear burdens that no young man should ever encounter. Tossed headfirst into the life of a Shinigami, learning about Hollows and putting your life on the line to purify them. Forced by your own sense of honor and righteousness, despite knowing the potential for your own death, to save the girl who gave you the power to save your family. Becoming the final hope of the afterlife, and taking the life of someone with whom you could not help but empathize. Others trying to control you by attacking your family. And now the pressure of being the last man capable of fighting Hell itself. It's too much, Ichigo. And it hurts, knowing what you have been put through.

"You are strong, I won't deny that. Strong in heart, strong in mind, strong in blade. I don't have words to express how damn proud I am of you, of the man you've grown up to be. But you are still so young. You haven't had a chance to really live, to see and experience all the wonders that life offers, to know more than war. Call it a father's selfishness if you must, but even if it means the world burns, I want you to come back alive. So swear you will. Swear it or on Masaki's soul I will come in there right now and drag you out of Hell myself!"

Put like that, how could he refuse? "I swear."

"Good." Isshin sounded tired, but satisfied with himself. "Now go kick his ass, Ichigo."

Ichigo's grip on Tensa Zangetsu tightened as he spotted Ayumu approaching once more. "You got it."

Their eyes met. No words were exchanged. No words could persuade either combatant to yield, for each was convinced that their cause was righteous. There could be no compromise. There was only one thing to do.

The sound of steel-on-steel rang as Asahi no Kagami met Tensa Zangetsu in a deadly dance of blades.

Isshin ignored all the stares he was receiving from the others and instead approached Shinji. "Take care of my children."

"What? Where ya going?"

"To get the Zero Division," Isshin responded tersely. "I'm a Shiba, and the Shibas have the only way up to see them."

"Ah!" Shinji's eyes lit up in recognition. "That cannon? Alright. We'll take care of your girls."

Isshin nodded, and turned to his daughters. "Karin, Yuzu, I've got to go get help for your brother. Stay here with Ichigo's friends. I'll be back soon."

"There's no need to go anywhere, Kurosaki Isshin."

Isshin twisted around to see a large, broad man step out of a portal that had opened from nowhere. The man's red eyes were piercing, yet kind. Combined with his bald head, his long black beard and large red prayer beads completed the monk look. "You…" he whispered.

"I am Hyōsube Ichibē," the large man announced loud enough for all to hear. "The leader of the Royal Guard. Do not use my name lightly, lest you lose your voice."

"Are you here to help Ichigo?" Karin asked pointedly.

Ichibē looked at the young Kurosaki, scrutinizing her expression. "That's a good look in your eyes," he mused aloud. "Kurosaki Karin… I'll have to keep an eye on you. To answer your question, yes and no. Kurosaki Ichigo has the ability to defeat Ayumu. I am here to observe the method he uses. However, if he falls, then I will certainly step in and seal Ayumu."

"Why won't you help him now?" Yuzu pleaded.

Ichibē's face did not lose its smile when he turned to her and answered her simply. "Because he's the one who restored Ayumu's mind and soul."

"But that was an accident!" Renji yelled. "He went to Hell to rescue his mother and sisters!"

"And his mother was sent there by Soul Society nobles to control him," Ishida spat.

"Enough. I know the circumstances of Ayumu's rebirth. I know what Kurosaki Ichigo has been doing to try to fix the threat he resurrected," the leader of the Zero Division said firmly. "I and the rest of the Royal Guard hold no grudge against him. But as Kurosaki Ichigo is the one responsible for his revival, the Royal Guard will not interfere with his responsibility to defeat him."

Isshin grit his teeth. "Please," he begged quietly. "He is my son, and he is still so young. Surely any debt he incurs can be paid by me."

Ichibē shook his head. "This is an edict from the Reiō. I cannot interfere until the situation has escalated beyond that which the Gotei 13 and its allies can handle. Such is the duty of the Royal Guard."

Urgh. What was that noise? After a moment, it became clearer, and suddenly, Masaki recognized it. The sound of blades. Her eyes shot open to see that a short distance away, her son and Ayumu were fighting, apparently evenly matched. How long had she been unconscious? Wait. How was she upright? It was only then that she noticed that she was being held against a pillar by chains. She glanced down at herself and was vaguely surprised to see that she was a Togabito again. So… she'd been killed, trying to escape with Yoruichi. That explained why she couldn't feel her Quincy powers – they were being suppressed by Ayumu.

Masaki shifted a bit, trying to see how much wiggle room she had. Maybe she could worm her way out of the chains. No luck – the chains held her tightly. With little else she could do, Masaki returned her gaze to watching her son, praying that everything would turn out alright.

Ichigo and Ayumu were constantly flashing and flickering, Tensa Zangetsu meeting Asahi no Kagami over and over. Ayumu landed on the desert sand for a moment, just long enough for Ichigo to materialize right above him, a Getsuga-encased Tensa Zangetsu slamming down onto Asahi no Kagami. But then a dozen spears shot up from the sand, trying to impale Ichigo, only for the Vizard to vanish and reappear to the side, wordlessly firing his Getsuga Tenshō to destroy the spear and chasing it to reengage with Ayumu.

But Ayumu too vanished in a burst of high-speed movement, reappearing high above and far away. A wordless spell shone bright blue in his off-hand before launching at his opponent, and Ichigo met the challenge with a roar, a crimson Cero charging between his horns and firing back.

The Cero completely overwhelmed the nameless spell, but Ayumu was no longer there, instead trying to slice Ichigo open from behind. Tensa Zangetsu batted the attack away, and Ichigo retaliated with Hadō 4: Byakurai. It grazed Ayumu's shoulder as the king of Hell dodged, but that was meaningless. Both knew that the wound would heal in moments.

Both vanished once more and clashed in the air a short distance away from where they'd stood a split second before. Chains from Ichigo's left arm attempted to ensnare Ayumu's leg, but an almost dismissive swipe with Asahi no Kagami shattered them. But that was just enough time for Ichigo to fire a Bala from between his horns, burning Ayumu's arm.

Ayumu retaliated by leaping back several meters, materializing a dozen or so Chains of Hell, and grasping them. Ichigo grit his teeth and took chase, only for Ayumu to conjure a second sword in his off-hand and give a vertical slash in Ichigo's direction. A high-powered wind buffeted Ichigo, but somehow the wind was incredibly sharp, leaving gashes in his body even in that second it took Ichigo to Sonido away. They healed in seconds, but Ayumu smiled grimly, having found a suitable weapon and tactic to fight Ichigo with. He swung his yet-unnamed sword at Ichigo, unleashing another deadly gale.

Ichigo vanished and reappeared a few meters away on Ayumu's left, and made a sharp motion with his left arm, wordlessly casting Bakudō 1: Sai. Ayumu was startled when his arms were suddenly forced behind his back, but it took only a second to break the spell and flee. But that second was long enough for Ichigo to cut both of Ayumu's hands off. Asahi no Kagami and the nameless wind-enchanted sword fell the desert sands as Ayumu flashed away to regenerate, and Ichigo flung a large, condensed blast of purple fire, Hadō 54: Haien, at them with the intent to destroy.

He only managed half – the wind-empowered sword began melting instantly, and Ichigo could sense its powers being destroyed, but Asahi no Kagami disappeared less than a second after the fire had hit it. Ichigo extended his senses, ready to reengage with the king of Hell, but found nothing. Then again, that was to be expected. He still couldn't sense Ayumu at all. He slowly looked around, listening carefully.

Suddenly, a gigantic beam of blue-and-white reiatsu heavily tinged with lightning erupted out of nowhere from his left side. Ichigo promptly leaped to the side and out of the way. It was only then that he noticed that Masaki and Yoruichi were in the spell's direct path.

With a burst of Sonido, Ichigo appeared right in front of them, using both hands to slice downwards with a Getsuga-enhanced Tensa Zangetsu. And breaking the silence, Ichigo's voice was cold, angry and powerful. "Getsuga Tenshō!"

The black moon-fang carved the spell in twain, sending it to either side of the three of them. But Ichigo was completely blindsided when Asahi no Kagami cut off his left arm. Roaring in pain as the arm fell the ground, pouring blood, and cursing himself for getting distracted, Ichigo leapt up and away from Ayumu's latest onslaught in the hopes of getting Ayumu away from his mother. At the same time, he began shunting reiryoku into his regenerative abilities.

Not to be deterred, Ayumu threw many spells and weapons at Ichigo, but Ichigo began moving his right arm at hyper-speed, slicing through and deflecting everything that came his way. It took only a few seconds longer for Ichigo's left arm to be completely regenerated, but Ichigo would have to be careful for a bit – that had eaten a pretty large chunk of his reiryoku and it reflected in his Bankai – his arm did not have the sleeve. It would take a while for his passive reishi absorption to make up the difference. Not for the first time, Ichigo wondered if Ayumu would ever get tired in his dimension.

Ichigo locked gazes with Ayumu, each tensed and ready to begin their war once again. But they were interrupted by a heartfelt plea from the pillars only meters away.

"Don't die, Ichigo!"

Ichigo's eyes flicked over to his mother, who was staring at him with tears streaming down her face. "Mom…"

"Please," Masaki whispered, tears streaming from her face. "You don't have to win. You don't have to fight for me. Just live!" Her voice cracked with raw emotion, her face a mask of emotional torment. "I know you've been risking your life for so long. I know I have no right to ask you to stop. But I can't bear watching you get hurt, Ichigo! And the fact that you're doing it for me, that you're risking not just your life but your soul for me, it hurts more than I can bear!"

"Mom…" Ichigo breathed, not knowing what to say.

"I can't let you do this," Masaki let out a choked sob. "You're my precious son! Please, just leave me here! Our family needs you!"

"Our family needs you too!" Ichigo roared back. "You don't understand how hard it was to keep going when you died for me! You don't understand that it was you dying for me that birthed my Inner Hollow! It was your death that drove me to despair! Because it was my fault you got killed by the Grand Fisher!"

Masaki shook her head violently, denying his words. "Ichigo, you were a child! It wasn't your fault!"

"I know that now," Ichigo conceded. "It wasn't something that could be avoided, not after Aizen ordered the Grand Fisher to kill you. If it hadn't been that day, it would have been the next, or the one following. I was too young to protect you.

"But during those years where I was convinced that it was my fault, that I had taken you from Dad, from Yuzu, from Karin, I made a vow to myself." Ichigo's power flared higher and higher, making the very air shake under the weight of his reiatsu. And yet Ayumu's gaze was locked onto Ichigo's eyes, each of them glowing ominously with overwhelming resolve.

"Never again! Never again would I fail to live up to my name! Never again would I fail to protect the ones I love! I am Kurosaki Ichigo, He Who Protects, the Number One Guardian!" Ichigo brought Tensa Zangetsu up to a ready position. "I will save you, Mom. And everyone who's helped me… Yoruichi, Urahara, Yamamoto, Harribel… I'm going to get them all out of here. And then the Togabito who have repented and simply want to move on to the next life. I'll find a way to save them too."

Black flame emerged from Tensa Zangetsu's tip and flowed up the blade, up his arm and stopped at his shoulder. Looking at it, Masaki found she couldn't tell anymore where Ichigo's arm ended and Tensa Zangetsu began. "You cannot kill me, Ayumu. I made a promise to come home alive. So come at me, king of Hell! Do you have the strength to break my resolve?!"