Vengeance

He should have eaten her when he had the chance.

Ichigo knew that he should feel sick at even thinking the thought. He knew he should have been repulsed by the very idea, but now it sounded like a rather good idea. If he'd consumed his mother's soul, then she would not be trapped in Hell. He would have been able to materialize her as he had Zangetsu, and summoned her back when she was in trouble. She would have been safe from the machinations of Soul Society, safe from the crushing grip of Hell.

Perhaps when he was done here, he should take in the souls of the rest of his family? Yuzu and Karin were too weak to defend themselves properly. Wasn't it his duty as the big brother to protect them? Ichigo had already proven that he couldn't protect them well enough all the time. If they instead resided within his own soul, then he wouldn't need to worry.

On the other hand, that would pose problems with his friends and the Gotei 13. Hmm. It was something to think about. But for the moment, he had more pressing matters. Namely, his mother's murderer, who was smiling. "What's so funny?" he asked in a pseudo-calm voice.

"Oh, it's not amusement," Ayumu corrected. "I'm pleased. With your sheer power, and my chains granting you effective immortality, a victory over Soul Society, over the Reiō is virtually guaranteed. Fortune must have smiled on me, to have this opportunity to capture your soul."

"You should be careful what you call a fortunate opportunity. Your luck could run out." With that said, Ichigo's black reiatsu engulfed him, his mismatched eyes glowing brightly. And then he vanished.

Ayumu's eyes went wide, barely bringing Asahi no Kagami up in time to block Tensa Zangetsu. But the force of the impact sent him flying headfirst across the desert.

Ichigo took chase, sprinting across the sand, passing Ayumu and twisting around to give him a brutal kick. As Ayumu hurtled upwards, Ichigo's left hand snapped up, and out rocketed several chains, twisting and winding around each other until they caught Ayumu's leg. Instantly, Ichigo swung down hard, altering Ayumu's trajectory so he would crash hard into the sands.

Flaring his reiatsu, Ayumu managed to stop himself just before he would have impacted, spitting something inaudible from that distance. Electricity arced its way down the chains towards Ichigo.

Ichigo released the chains and vanished, reappearing a split second later right behind Ayumu. His left hand lashed out and grabbed Ayumu by the back of his head and shoved his face into the sand hard enough to leave a crater. Then he twisted around and flung Ayumu up into the air at high speed.

It was only a few seconds later when Ayumu managed to right himself, but a moment later he was on his knees in midair, clutching at his heart with wide eyes.

An impossibly large Gran Rey Cero, several meters wide, was ripping through the air just a few meters from the ground. "Ripping" was indeed the right word, as it was tearing an enormous gash through Ayumu's world. But Ayumu did not have time to do anything about that, as chains stabbed into, through and around his wrists and ankles from behind.

"GET OVER HERE!" Ichigo roared, pulling with all his might even as he began dashing at the cliff that would lead up to the next level. He halted mere feet away from the cliff, but Ayumu had no such option and crashed into it at high speed, gasping out blood.

Focus, Ichigo. Feel his reiryoku. Feel it, and we shall take it.

Ichigo could feel it – the reiryoku that naturally flowed through the body to emerge at the vents located in the wrist and ankles. Instead of pushing past it with his own reiryoku – as Shinigami sealing required – Ichigo instead tried to pull it to himself. But his grasp of his enemy's reiryoku was… clumsy. He felt Tensa Zangetsu reach and touch his consciousness, guiding him, and instantly the connection solidified and reiryoku began to flow into him.

Ayumu swore and violently twisted, using Asahi no Kagami to destroy the chain connected to his right wrist. Blood sprayed for a moment before the wound closed up, but Ayumu was still moving, slicing at Ichigo, only for it to be effortlessly blocked by Tensa Zangetsu.

"Oh? Recovered from the effects of that Gran Rey Cero?" he asked in a faux affable manner. "I was hoping for more opportunity to vent." And with that, he shoved his left fist into Ayumu's solar plexus.

Ayumu was sent diagonally upwards, tearing through stone and rock, carving a new path through the cliff. A moment later, he managed to right himself, but the sight of Kurosaki Ichigo with another Gran Rey Cero fully powered and aimed right at him made him abandon the idea of trying a more offensive approach. The king of Hell rapidly began chanting as quickly as he dared, giving his left hand a neon blue glow.

"Gran Rey Cero."

The gigantic black beam of destruction tore through space, obliterating tons upon tons of rock as it thundered towards Ayumu, who finished whispering a few last words of his spell and flung his glowing hand up. In front of him a very large circle materialized. The Gran Rey Cero hit it without resistance, but when Ichigo felt his own attack rocketing towards him from behind, he cut himself off and Sonido-ed away.

The attack faded shortly, and Ayumu took the opportunity to blast his way out of the cliff and into some open space, just in time for Ichigo to attack him directly from beneath him with a Getsuga Tenshō. Ayumu was able to bring Asahi no Kagami up in time to block, but Ichigo kept pushing, propelling him upwards and backwards out of the desert level of Hell.

Having had quite enough of the deadlock, Ichigo fired a Bala from his horns, hitting Ayumu directly in the face. Despite them being nowhere near as powerful as his Cero, Ayumu was instantly thrown backwards from it, burns covering his face for a few moments before his healing factor kicked in.

Not that Ichigo was in the mood to let him heal. Six chains materialized from his left hand and lunged for Ayumu, who leapt backwards and began rapid-firing a spell that kept disintegrating his chains. But in his preoccupation, he lost sight of Ichigo, who promptly appeared behind the king of Hell and performed an absolutely brutal spin kick, launching Ayumu into a rather large pool of lava.

Leaping out of the lava only a second later, his clothes practically destroyed, Ayumu's body was steaming but otherwise apparently unharmed. Ichigo was starting to get really pissed off at that fucking constant healing. Cazador. How do you counter high-speed regeneration?

Our specialty: overwhelming force. Destroy the vital organs, the inner Hollow answered instantly.

Avoid the heart, lungs and brain, Tensa Zangetsu advised. We need him alive to drain his power.

Then go for something crippling but not immediately lethal. Stomach, intestines, liver. That'll tie up most forms of regeneration for a bit, since vital organs are complex.

Got it. The chance to inflict some major, well-deserved pain onto the bastard who'd murdered his mother in front of him? He was all over that. The cruel smile that stretched across his face seemed to unnerve Ayumu slightly if his shifting into a more solid defensive stance was any measure. Not that it would do any good. He took a step forward and blurred into motion, creating a half-dozen speed clones that circled around Ayumu. In response, Ayumu materialized a wicked-looking scimitar and prepared himself.

It was complete chaos. The sound of steel on steel was deafening, with dozens of strikes per second as Ichigo attempted to break through Ayumu's defense. Ayumu was moving differently from before – he was now suddenly capable of outright blocking Ichigo's attacks, and his speed had increased significantly. Ichigo could only think that the scimitar had some special ability, something that boosted Ayumu's physical abilities.

It didn't matter. Ichigo had more than Zanjutsu at his disposal. Ayumu's eyes went wide when suddenly Ichigo returned to circling around him. And then all of the images raised their left hands at him, their fingertips sparking with electricity. "Byakurai."

Ayumu leapt upwards, trying to avoid the piercing electrical attacks, only to suddenly lack both arms as Tensa Zangetsu cut them off from behind. Twisting his head, he saw another Ichigo, the real Ichigo, with a far-too-wide eager smile on his face. It was only at that instant that he saw that Ichigo's other hand was wreathed in purple flame. "Shit!"

"Too late!" Ichigo plunged his Haien-covered fist into Ayumu's gut, punching through and emerging through Ayumu's belly. With his arm buried in Ayumu's innards, he once again began to take Ayumu's reiryoku. It wasn't a very fast flow, but Ichigo was willing to bet that by the end of this battle he'd be significantly better at it.

Ayumu coughed up blood. "Just… die… already!"

Ichigo's eyes went wide as he suddenly sensed danger, ripped his arm out of Ayumu's body and managed to Sonido a few meters away just before Ayumu's body exploded, sending bone and gore flying in all directions. Tensa Zangetsu blurred into motion, annihilating through anything that came close. "That was close."

He has a vast variety of powers at his disposal. Do not underestimate him.

Yeah, he's strong. But that'll make crushing him so much sweeter, eh King?

Ichigo agreed wholeheartedly, but refocused – Ayumu would be reforming any second. If he wasn't a complete idiot, he'd be trying some powerful ranged attack since Ichigo was capable of dominating the fight up-close. Yet it couldn't be too far, or the strength of the attack would be diminished, and accuracy could become a problem. He looked around analytically and saw a small outcropping slightly higher up, where the light of the lava created a shadow. Yeah, if Ichigo was trying to snipe Ayumu, that would be a good spot. Wait… was that a glint?

He Sonido-ed to the point and frowned. There was no one there. Had he imagined it? He turned around, and was startled to see the glow of lava reflecting off a lens a few inches off the ground several meters away. He leapt to the side just in time for a bullet to pass by his ear. Shit! He had to take care of that weapon quickly!

Ichigo vanished and reappeared only feet away from a camouflaged Ayumu, who promptly abandoned the sniper rifle and blocked Tensa Zangetsu with Asahi no Kagami, using the force from the blow to propel himself a few dozen meters away, giving himself some distance. Taking only a moment to conjure the purple flame of Hadō 54: Haien, Ichigo flung the spell at the sniper rifle, destroying it. Then he returned his attention to Ayumu just in time to see the ruler of the damned send a bolt of lightning at him.

With the sheer speed granted him by his Bankai, Ichigo brought Tensa Zangetsu up and unleashed a Getsuga Tenshō, which carved through the spell and rocketed through the distance to Ayumu. Ayumu flashed away with a burst of speed, but then Ichigo materialized right behind him, having expected that very thing. His eyes glittering with anticipation, Ichigo swung with his sword horizontally, separating Ayumu's upper torso and head from the rest of his body.

As everything below the king of Hell's ribcage collapsed in a bloody mass, Ichigo's left hand grabbed Ayumu by the neck and held him in the air as Ichigo once again began to absorb his enemy's reiryoku. Their eyes met, and whatever Ayumu saw reflected in Ichigo's eyes made him shiver.

No, he realized as Ayumu's neck dropped below the temperature around him. It was more than that. He was using an ice attack! Ichigo hurled the soon-to-be-corpse away just giant jagged bloody ice blades erupted all over Ayumu's body. Ichigo's hand was hit, sliced deeply by one of the blades, but it healed after a moment. Not for the first time, he was glad that one of his Hollow abilities was high speed regeneration.

Even so, the fact that Ayumu kept using explosive suicide techniques was very irksome. How was he supposed to keep Ayumu from doing that?

Did ya ever think to, I dunno, use a fucking Bakudō?!

Ichigo blinked, then mentally kicked himself. That should have been obvious. Bakudō were meant to not only halt movement, but restrict reiryoku flow. But would it interfere with trying to absorb Ayumu's reiryoku?

To a limited extent, but at this point I doubt you will notice a difference.

Fair enough. Feeling a slight tremor under his feet, Ichigo leapt up just in time to avoid being skewered by a rock spear. Then he began dashing about at high speed to avoid them as dozens formed and started hurling themselves through the air. Where was Ayumu?

After a few seconds, Ichigo spotted him, camouflaged again, but the dull green glow from where he was kneeling with his hands against the stone gave him away. Snagging one of the spears in midair, he hurled it at Ayumu.

Ayumu didn't bother to move at all, and a large stone wall appeared between them, blocking the spear easily. Ichigo raised an eyebrow as he dodged yet another few spears. So that was how he wanted to play it? Fine. Ichigo charged up another Gran Rey Cero as he easily danced between the spears, but it was while he was leaping to one side that he saw something that surprised him.

Above him… Those spears that Ayumu had been using… Ayumu had never released control of a single one. There was now over a thousand of the damned spears in the air, and they were all pointed right at him. As if his noticing was the trigger for the spell, they suddenly began coming right at him. There would be no dodging that many at once. He would simply have to destroy them all.

Ichigo smirked and swung Tensa Zangetsu with all his might. Even without unleashing a Getsuga, the sheer pressure from his swing crushed an uncountable number of the spears. Ayumu was a fool. Ichigo's sword swings had destroyed mountains as a side effect of blocking Aizen's attack. Nameless spears made of mere stone had no hope of surviving a direct attack.

Something tickled at Ichigo's senses, and Ichigo frowned as he dodged yet another stone spear. The invasion force was getting worn down. They'd probably be overrun soon, and then the Togabito would be back in the living world. Really? Did he have to do everything himself? He sighed, glancing at where Ayumu still hadn't moved. With any luck, Ayumu would still be recovering from Ichigo's next attack by the time the Vizard was through upstairs. Flashing away from another stone spear attacking from underneath, Ichigo fired the Gran Rey Cero straight up, creating an enormous black column of sheer annihilation.

Soifon looked at the oncoming army grimly. More Togabito were approaching from one of the nearby islands – there was without a doubt a Togabito spawn point, but it was impossible to get close. The Shinigami forces were strained to the limit just trying to keep the portal site from enemy hands.

In all honesty, Soifon wasn't sure how much longer they could last. Madarame, moderately wounded, was being tended to by Kotetsu-fukutaicho. Zaraki fared somewhat better, likely due to his immense reiatsu providing a better defense. Iba-fukutaicho was obviously worn out, though uninjured. Komamura was nearly exhausted from maintaining his Bankai for so long. Soifon herself was in a similar state – Jakuhō Raikōben was meant to be fired once every three days at most, but so far she'd needed to fire it twice.

Much as she hated to admit it, Soifon was thankful that Kurosaki had had the foresight to bring along a healer. Kotetsu's healing Kidō was capable of restoring their reiryoku, though she was not skilled enough to completely eliminate fatigue. It was only because of Kotetsu's healing that they were capable of holding the site.

Even so, the Togabito assault was endless. Even with a healer, they could not fight forever. How much longer? Yamamoto-sōtaicho, Yoruichi-sama, even that bastard Urahara Kisuke was dead… and yet the Zero Division had not stepped in, not even after Kurosaki had explicitly asked for them. Did they all have to die before the Reio would send help?

… It didn't matter. Soifon knew her duty – to follow Yamamoto-sōtaicho's last command, to protect the living world. She would stay as long as she had to, even if it meant her own death. But… why hadn't Ayumu come to wipe them out yet? The last communication she'd heard from outside of Hell had consisted of Kuchiki Rukia and Kurosaki Isshin begging Kurosaki Ichigo to get up. Presumably he was dead.

As if summoned by her thoughts, a gigantic pillar of black destruction erupted from beneath the sea, between the Shinigami forces and the Togabito army. The attack faded after a few moments, but then a very recognizable figure appeared in midair. "Kurosaki?!"

"What, where?" Madarame demanded. Then, answering his own question, he spotted Kurosaki standing in the air. "Huh. What's he doin' here? Is Ayumu sealed yet?"

Kurosaki raised his sword in the air, charging up for an attack. And then he swung down, his voice like thunder. "Getsuga Tenshō!"

A monstrously huge black Getsuga fired, crashing down on the enemy island like the wrath of a god. And then… and then the island was gone. Obliterated. There wasn't even rubble anymore – it was as though the island had simply ceased to be, along with everyone on it.

"Holy fuck," Madarame commented. Soifon, despite herself, had to agree.

And then Kurosaki was suddenly only a few feet away, looking around. "Seems like you all have survived. Good."

"Is Ayumu sealed?!" Madarame demanded. "Did you beat that bastard?!"

Kurosaki's gaze locked onto Soifon's face. "I haven't succeeded in sealing him yet. Sensed you needed some help. About to go back and resume the fight. Anything you need before I…" Kurosaki's eyes went wide and he twisted around just in time to block a strike from Ayumu, who had a malicious smirk.

"Bankai. Shinkyō no Zanhansha." A brilliant light encompassed them all.

When Ichigo could see again, he was standing in his Inner World again, looking at… a woman. A very beautiful woman, dressed in a dress of shimmering silver, her hair a blond that bordered on white. But she did not belong – he knew that in an instant.

At once, Cazador de la Luna and Tensa Zangetsu appeared at either side of him, ready to eject the intruder, but Ichigo held his hand up, motioning them to hold fast. "Shinkyō no Zanhansha, I assume."

"You assume correctly," the foreign Zanpakutō spirit confirmed.

"Why are you here? And what do you want?"

"The answer to that requires some explanation. Thankfully, time here flows more quickly than outside."

"Then speak."

Shinkyō no Zanhansha bowed her head lightly in a form of respect. "My ability is an expansion upon Asahi no Kagami. I too use illusions to break a person's will to fight. However, instead of focusing on an singular emotion or idea, I instead take my victim's strongest motivations. I take them to their extreme, and lock the victim into an illusion inside their mind to witness the consequences and fight their counterpart."

"I see," Tensa Zangetsu mused aloud. "But you could not do that with Ichigo, due to his experiences with Zen'i. He has already fought the manifestation of his strongest motivations, and understood their potential consequences."

"Exactly. I can be used precisely once on any soul, as long as their motivation remains the same." Shinkyō smirked. "But how do you think Zen'i was born? Why was Zen'i able to wield Asahi no Kagami? It was not Ayumu's reiryoku that created him. It was mine."

Ichigo's eyes opened wide in surprise, before he narrowed them again in suspicion. "You wanted this to happen. You wanted Ayumu to use you against me."

"No," the Zanpakutō spirit denied unexpectedly. "It was merely… insurance. You remind me greatly of my wielder as he once was. It was for that reason that I, as Asahi no Kagami, conveyed those memories of Ayumu's past when my blade met Tensa Zangetsu's." She nodded at Ichigo's Bankai spirit. "I wanted you to understand him, to try to change his mind, return him to that man, the man who could see that perfection itself is flawed, because it is stagnant, unwilling to grow or change. What purpose is a reflection if it never changes? I created Zen'i within your spirit so that in the event that you failed and Ayumu used me against you, there would still be a chance to save humanity."

Ichigo's expression softened minutely. "Thank you. It can't have been an easy decision to go against your wielder."

Shinkyō shook her head in agreement. "No. It was not. But the price of my assistance is high, Kurosaki-sama."

"What is it?"

"Destroy me." Ichigo blinked once in surprise. Shinkyō laughed lightly, prettily. "You thought I would ask for Ayumu's salvation? No. I made my decisions on the motivation to redeem Ayumu. I knew the consequences. He forsook me when he refused to open his eyes beyond the partial truth he had found. And now, in saving you, I have forsaken him. Our bond is broken. I can no longer hear his voice, nor he mine. You are not a cruel man, Kurosaki Ichigo. Will you not save me from an eternity alone?"

"Zanpakutō can have more than one wielder," Cazador pointed out idly. "Are you sure you don't want to pursue that option? King here could find you someone new if you wanted."

"I could, yes," Shinkyō conceded. "But… you do not understand. Imagine, if you can, the boy who sought to end the endless violence. Imagine his joy in learning the name and nature of his Shikai, Asahi no Kagami. The power to bring one's insecurities out into the open for the victim to confront in a safe, controlled environment, and completely private to the victim. What a perfect way to help him heal the hearts of others."

"He… he wanted to be a psychotherapist?"

"Yes." Shinkyō spread her arms wide. "I am not a blade to be used for fighting, but for healing. So tell me, Kurosaki-sama… can you imagine the pain of failing your patients, over and over again? I have seen so many hearts. I have revealed countless horrific truths, and crushed so many well-meaning dreams and aspirations. The sheer number of people whom I have driven to despair, whom I have driven to suicide… I could only hold out hope that Ayumu would one day return to who he was."

Shinkyō's smile was without even the semblance of joy. "No, Kurosaki-sama. I have waited so many long years, and found only that my own dream was impossible. After all this time revealing the truths of others, I have finally seen my own truth. Even after all this, even knowing that he will never again be the man I once knew… my heart lies with Ayumu. I cannot take another wielder, even if I wished to. But I do not want Ayumu to use me as he does any longer, and I fear he will find a way to reestablish our connection. So destroy me. Do so, and it will release your companions of their illusions."

"… Even if I destroy the blade, won't you live on in Ayumu's soul? You'll still be alone," Ichigo pointed out.

Shinkyō smiled sadly, a hand lightly gesturing to her side where Ichigo could suddenly see an off-white hilt. "… Not for long."

Ichigo closed his eyes for a moment, understanding exactly what she meant by that. Despite all the heartache and frustration he'd suffered with Zen'i, Ichigo found he couldn't hate Shinkyō no Zanhansha. She had been trying her best, trying to save the one she cared for most. If there was anything he could relate to, it was that, and he had no desire to prove himself a hypocrite. Perhaps it was because he saw himself in her that his heart hurt to see her ready to end her existence, to hear her asking for his help to commit suicide. He wanted to save her.

But there was nothing he could do. She could not take another wielder, and Ichigo knew that Ayumu could not be allowed to wield her again. There was only one choice to make. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then opened his eyes and nodded once, accepting her request.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-sama. I have one final gift for you, an answer to one of your questions." Shinkyō smiled. "Your chains… they are not of Shinigami, Hollow or even Quincy origins. You have an affinity for them that you have unknowingly nurtured your whole life."

Ichigo's eyes were wide. "How? How did that happen?"

Shinkyō's smile turned into a light smirk. "Bringing out the world of your heart is a road of self-discovery, Kurosaki Ichigo. It wouldn't be fair to you if I gave you all the answers." And with that, she began to glow brightly.

The instant he was back in Hell, Ichigo was in motion, deflecting Ayumu's incoming thrust easily, turning to one side so Ayumu passed by him harmlessly. With his other hand he landed a shot into Ayumu's side, feeling ribs break from the impact as Ayumu was sent flying.

"Oi, Ichigo."

Ichigo made no move to turn to the side, recognizing Zaraki's voice as the giant of a man stepped next to him, both of them looking at where Ayumu was recovering. "… You made it out of Shinkyō's illusion," he observed calmly.

"Keh. It was stupid. I know why I fight. I know what can happen. I just don't care. I'll deal with it as it happens." Zaraki brought his sword to bear, and for the first time in Ichigo's memory, held it with both hands. "I'm no good with the Kidō crap, so sealing's beyond me. But I'd like to see how I measure up. D'ya mind if I take a turn?"

His initial reaction was violent refusal – Ichigo needed to drain Ayumu's reiryoku to resurrect Masaki, but he had less noble reasons as well. Ichigo wanted to feel Ayumu's blood running hotly over his hands, wanted to see that bastard's face twisted in helpless terror beneath Ichigo's power, wanted to make Ayumu suffer and suffer in an eternal agony until he begged for death, a death that Ichigo would categorically deny him.

But before Ichigo could express how much he opposed Zaraki's request, two thoughts occurred to him. First: Ayumu's suicide techniques were annoying. Second: Ayumu's power was not solely in his body… Ichigo snorted and smirked. "Alright. One condition, though. If you manage to get Shinkyō no Zenhansha away from him, throw her at me."

Zaraki sharply turned his head from side to side, cracking his neck. "Fine with me."

Ichigo watched carefully as Ayumu leapt away from Zaraki, apparently wary of the new combatant. That was fine. It would give him more time. Quincies were capable of taking power from the air around them, but it was something Ichigo had never consciously tried, so time was a good thing to have. At least he didn't have to worry about whether there was enough of Ayumu's reiryoku in the air. Since this was Hell, Ayumu's dimension, Ayumu's power should be plentiful, especially considering how long the king of Hell had been fighting Yamamoto, Urahara, and Ichigo himself.

Under Tensa Zangetsu's quiet guidance, Ichigo began drawing power from the air. It was significantly slower than taking it directly from Ayumu himself, but at least this way Ichigo didn't have to worry about self-sacrificial explosions. Still though, he was unsatisfied with how little he was able to absorb at once.

Do not be concerned with the rate of absorption. All Quincies start slow. You will become better in time. As with Shinigami abilities, you must train both your body and your mind.

Ichigo silently acknowledged the point, his eyes not wavering from the fight between Zaraki and Ayumu. Honestly, Zaraki was doing far better than Ichigo would have expected. While he was plainly unable to keep up with Ayumu's sheer speed, Zaraki was crafty, and had an instinctual mastery of close combat. Ichigo watched carefully as Zaraki's as-yet-nameless blade deflected countless strikes. Few slashes made it through, and the ones that did left superficial wounds. Zaraki was slower than Ayumu, that much was clear, but… somehow, Zaraki was predicting the path Ayumu's attacks before the ruler of Hell could make them.

He's reading his opponent's body language. Cazador's voice was slightly impressed. The tensing of muscles, the minute changes in where Ayumu's looking, Zaraki's using the small signs to see where he needs to block.

Ichigo had to admit, that was rather impressive. He hadn't been too sure of Zaraki's strength, since he'd tied with the man before he'd even begun to master his Shikai. His impression during their spar was that Zaraki had gotten stronger, but that Ichigo could still kick his ass simply by entering Bankai, or drawing his mask.

Evidently he hadn't been giving the man enough credit. Ichigo's estimation of the 11th Division taicho was rising significantly with each subsequent second of surviving Ayumu's assault. But… Zaraki wasn't able to go on the attack. To someone of Zaraki's nature, that had to be infuriating. Seeing the man's face break out into a wild grin, Ichigo narrowed his eyes – Zaraki had a plan.

There! Zaraki had purposely left his side open. As expected, Ayumu took that opportunity and cut moderately deeply, but that was as far as he got because Zaraki hit him with an absolutely vicious counterstrike that removed Ayumu's sword arm from his body. Zaraki then used his free arm to rip Shinkyō no Zenhansha from his side and, as promised, threw it on a collision course with Ichigo's head.

Ichigo promptly swiped Shinkyō no Zenhansha in midair, holding it sideways before himself. He had a promise to keep. The Vizard raised Tensa Zangetsu into the air and immediately swung, the black flame of a Getsuga rushing down the blade.

Thank you, Shinkyō's voice whispered into his mind. And then Tensa Zangetsu carved through the Zanpakutō, utterly destroying it.

Ayumu froze in place, his eyes wide in shock.

"Right then," Zaraki said softly. "That was your Zanpakutō, right? I'm only starting to understand the relationship a man should have with Zanpakutō, but I'm pretty sure that Ichigo just killed someone very important to you, right in front of you."

Ayumu's body began to tremble.

"I wonder if this is what they call karmic vengeance," Zaraki continued, his voice almost nonchalant. "I mean, you killed his mom in front of him, he killed your Zanpakutō in front of you. Proportionate response, I heard it called once." His voice grew darker, and his grin turned almost sinister. "But what's the point of a proportionate response? You can see it in his eyes, can't you? He's not satisfied. Who would be? The kid's going to break you. Completely and utterly. And I'm just going to sit and watch, just so I can see who I have to surpass."

Ayumu let loose a scream of rage and lunged at Ichigo. Zaraki, as promised, stepped aside and made no move to stop him. "YOU KILLED HER!" Ayumu howled as he conjured the scimitar from before in his right hand and ice blue mist around his left.

"Yeah," Ichigo growled out in response as he blocked the sword and used its momentum to push himself out of the path of a very large ice spike that nearly skewered him. "At her request."

"Lies! Shinkyō wouldn't… she wouldn't leave me! She knew what we were fighting for!"

"I don't care if you believe me or not. You wanted to turn me into someone powerful enough to stand at your level, at the level of the Reiō, right? Why the fuck wouldn't I turn this power against you?!" Ichigo snarled as he slammed a Getsuga-enhanced Tensa Zangetsu against the scimitar, sending Ayumu flying.

The sword in the king of Hell's hands vanished, and suddenly both hands were wreathed in blue-white fire, which he promptly aimed at Ichigo. "Because I can bring your mother back, you fool! Simply become my instrument and I shall resurrect her!" With that, a gigantic blue-white cyclone erupted from Ayumu's hands, aimed right for Ichigo.

Ichigo didn't bother to move, and instead simply charged a Cero between his horns, firing it just before the cyclone would have hit. Their techniques battled for dominance for several seconds before Ichigo decided he was thoroughly fed up and horizontally sliced with Tensa Zangetsu, firing a silent Getsuga Tenshō.

Completely unprepared for it, Ayumu was suddenly parted from his legs from below the knees. The sudden shock disrupted his technique, and he fell to the ground, saving him from the Cero blast that would have taken his head off. "Damn you!"

Ichigo was suddenly there, and without saying another word he sliced Ayumu's arms off. Then he picked up Ayumu by the bastard's hair and brought him up to eye level. Remembering Cazador's words about how to keep high-speed regeneration occupied, Ichigo buried Tensa Zangetsu into Ayumu's stomach and began to twist it, relishing how Ayumu's face twisted in pain as his regeneration continually healed his organs while Ichigo kept damaging them. Blood flowed warmly over Ichigo's hand, and the Vizard began to smile. "Look me in the eyes, Ayumu. The fact that you breathe is an unforgivable affront to me after what you have done. So this is your punishment. You will die at my hands, again and again, until I am satisfied. When you revive, you are to return directly to me. For every minute you do not appear before me, I will use a Gran Rey Cero to tear your world, your soul apart."

Ichigo's eyes glittered with malice as he pushed his face closer to Ayumu's. "And when I get bored of that, I will seal you with a technique of my own making, one that will leave you in eternal agony. Then I will leave you buried alive in the deepest level of this world. Your existence will be nothing. Blind, alone, in endless torment with no one to hear your screams. Now die, Ayumu. Die, and return to me for more." Ichigo's predatory smile grew even wider. "Or don't return to me. The Quincy thought for years they were destroying souls. It would be rather fitting for me to destroy yours, oh so slowly. Anyways, the choice is yours."

And with his smile growing even more cruel, Ichigo set Ayumu ablaze in the purple fires of Hadō 54: Haien and tossed him a short distance away to avoid being hit by any suicide techniques. Ichigo's smile only widened as he listened to Ayumu's screams of pain as the man crumbled to ash. Though it had only lasted a few seconds, it had been so damn satisfying to hear. He might have to make death by fire a regular favorite.

But for the moment, he had bought a little time. And during his little speech there, he'd managed to subtly drain Ayumu of a rather nice chunk of reiryoku. If things went well, could perhaps bring everyone back in a few hours. Even faster if Ichigo managed to snag him in some Bakudō.

Ichigo frowned – he'd let his bloodlust interfere with his better judgment. He'd had a rather good opportunity just then to put Ayumu under a Bakudō, but he'd completely forgotten to in favor of playing with his prey. Ichigo's frown deepened as he caught his own thinking. Segunda Etapa was definitely having some side effects on his psyche. He'd have to watch for that.

But in the meantime, that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy himself while he waited. It'd been, what, ten or fifteen seconds since Ayumu had actually finished dying? Magnanimously, Ichigo decided to give him the benefit of the doubt while the hybrid began to absorb power from the air around him again. "Fifty. Forty-nine. Forty-eight…"