Ichigo had already prepared himself.
He couldn't afford to keep searching for the real Zangetsu —
he grabbed another weapon at random to block the next attack!
This time, the weapon in his hand lasted three exchanges before once again being shattered by Zangetsu-san.
But now, Ichigo was used to it.
Without even hesitating, he immediately drew two more weapons, one in each hand, and launched a counterattack at Zangetsu-san!
"Not bad at all, Ichigo!"
White Ichigo, watching from a distance, couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
In truth, Ichigo had long since reached the point where he could start learning Bankai.
If not for Zangetsu-san constantly suppressing him, White Ichigo would have already given him full access to his own power!
Still... as Zangetsu-san said, was it really a good thing to hand over such overwhelming power all at once?
Even White Ichigo, after much thought, had begrudgingly agreed with Zangetsu-san's method.
But that didn't mean he was happy about it.
Meanwhile, on the field, Ichigo's endurance was growing rapidly.
In just an hour's time, he went from weapons breaking in two strikes —
to being able to wield a blade and fight Zangetsu-san for a full five minutes!
The progress was so obvious it was almost blinding.
However, White Ichigo wasn't the only one observing this battle.
From a distant peak, a black cat was also watching quietly.
"In just half a year...
Kurosaki Ichigo has already grown this much?
He really is a genius," the black cat said in a deep masculine voice.
But it seemed like praising Ichigo would immediately jinx him —
right after the words left the cat's mouth, Ichigo miscalculated and took a direct slash from Zangetsu-san across the chest.
The sudden shattering of his weapon left Ichigo completely defenseless.
The blade tore a large gash across his torso!
Ichigo quickly used his reiryoku to stop the bleeding, pulled another weapon from the ground, and said fiercely,
"Come on! Let's go again!"
At the same time, Zangetsu-san's weapon also cracked apart.
Seeing that, Ichigo's confidence surged even more.
This time, Ichigo's fighting style turned wild —
since he was already injured, there was no point worrying about pain anymore!
His movements grew bold and aggressive —
even if he got slashed again, he'd grit his teeth and counterattack!
After another half a day of brutal combat, Ichigo finally managed to strike Zangetsu-san —
a long gash opened across his left arm!
Zangetsu-san looked at the wound and smiled.
"As expected of you, Ichigo."
Naturally, just like Ichigo, Zangetsu-san quickly used his own spiritual energy to halt the bleeding.
But from the black cat's point of view...
this technique was suspicious.
"This technique... could it be...?"
The black cat frowned slightly.
This didn't look like any kind of normal Shinigami healing.
If it were basic healing like Kaidō, there should have been green reiryoku.
Instead, this felt more like a technique belonging to an almost extinct race —
the Quincy.
Specifically, it resembled the Quincy technique known as Blut!
More precisely, Blut Vene — the defensive blood armor that protected vital points.
The black cat shook its head.
"Am I overthinking it?
Even though Kurosaki Ichigo is the son of Kurosaki Masaki...
his mother died long ago.
There's no way she could have passed on any Quincy skills to him."
"Besides, with Kurosaki Isshin and Urahara Kisuke watching over him,
if Ichigo really had Quincy techniques, they would have told me already."
Thus reassured, the black cat let it go.
Meanwhile, White Ichigo snorted coldly from his perch.
"Hmph, what a low-class trick."
Of course he'd say that —
after all, the techniques he himself possessed were far more broken and outrageous.
If Ichigo were using his powers right now, that wound would've healed instantly through High-Speed Regeneration!
"Haah!"
Ichigo roared, clashing weapons against Zangetsu-san again.
Both sides exerted force and were forced apart.
Ichigo panted heavily.
Zangetsu-san, on the other hand, remained as calm and graceful as ever, showing no signs of disorder even after such a fierce fight.
"Ichigo, your growth really is astonishing," Zangetsu-san said, genuinely impressed.
As an embodiment of Yhwach's will, he rarely saw Quincy successors grow so strong —
especially those completely beyond Yhwach's control.
"You're flattering me, Zangetsu-san!
I'm still far from good enough.
Let's continue!"
Ichigo's weapon shattered again —
but he didn't even flinch.
Without slowing down, he grabbed another random blade and charged at Zangetsu-san!
The battle continued on and on.
By the time night fell, Ichigo was completely exhausted.
Even Zangetsu-san was finally starting to show signs of fatigue!
In just a single day, Ichigo had achieved what it normally took ordinary Shinigami centuries — or even a lifetime — to accomplish!
Seeing that the timing was right, White Ichigo jumped down from the mountain top and blocked the two of them.
"Alright, that's enough for today.
Ichigo, go get some rest.
We'll continue tomorrow."
Hearing White Ichigo's voice, Zangetsu-san nodded.
Both Zangetsu and White Ichigo vanished from Ichigo's sight.
Ichigo, so drained that he couldn't even keep his eyes open, collapsed to the ground and instantly passed out.
Seeing Ichigo lying there unconscious, the black cat couldn't help but sigh.
The black cat used shunpo to rush over to him.
"Oi, kid.
Wake up!" it called out.
But Ichigo didn't respond at all.
The black cat sighed again.
"Really... there's just no helping you."
It couldn't just leave Ichigo lying here in the wilderness.
After making sure there was no one nearby, the black cat's form shimmered —
transforming into a slender, beautiful woman.
"Tch.
Why is it that every time you pass out, I'm the one stuck with you?"
the woman muttered, clearly displeased.
Even so, she carefully carried Ichigo on her back,
built a temporary shelter, and meticulously tended to his wounds before reverting back into her black cat form.
She curled up beside him and finally fell asleep.
After all, she couldn't just sleep alongside Ichigo in human form — completely naked!
Ichigo, unconscious, didn't know what happened.
All he knew... was that it felt very warm.
(End of Chapter)
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