Chapter 110: Transformation into the Void

“Graaahhh!”

A shattered mask covered his face, his eyes twisted into a menacing glare, the whites of his eyes now pitch black. The restless and violent spiritual pressure emanating from him grew even more chaotic.

“Hmph… more troublesome than I expected…”

A fierce gust of wind blew through the spiritual pressure, forcing Chōjirō to raise his hand in front of his eyes. Squinting, he barely made out the figure of Ichigo, whose consciousness was being invaded by the Hollow.

But that figure vanished the next moment.

“!!!”

“Boom!”

Losing sight of his target, Chōjirō immediately retreated. In the very next instant, Ichigo’s heavy fist slammed into the spot where Chōjirō had been standing, creating a sizable crater.

“Gahahahaha!”

The fractured bone mask slowly expanded on Ichigo’s face, gradually covering it entirely.

“You’re too weak! Now, let me show you the power a ‘King’ should wield!”

“Oboro, set up the barrier.”

Sensing the overwhelming murderous intent radiating from Ichigo, Hirako calmly instructed Ukitake, who had been responsible for maintaining the barrier all along.

“Eh? But, Lord Suzumebachi…” Ukitake hesitated. Given the current situation, Chōjirō had been on the back foot from the start. Wouldn’t setting the barrier essentially trap Chōjirō inside?

“Fool! This is a lesson for Ichigo starting right now,” Hirako snapped impatiently, clicking his fingers.

“Let’s tweak the barrier so we can swap fighters anytime. We don’t know how long this will last, so we’ll take turns.”

“Bang!”

Chōjirō blocked Ichigo’s brutal strike with his hands but was sent flying backward by the sheer force.

“Not done yet…”

Ichigo smiled wickedly. Suddenly, the Tensa Zangetsu, which had somehow slipped from his grasp, struggled free from a pile of rubble, shaking off debris and shooting back into his hand from the ground.

“You want to see the Crescent Moon Slash? Now you’ll get to see the real deal!”

A terrifying surge of spiritual pressure gathered along the jet-black blade, far exceeding the power Ichigo had wielded before.

“Crescent Moon Slash!!!”

A spiraling, crescent-shaped wave of slashing energy spun rapidly toward Chōjirō, turning even his previously calm face solemn.

“No choice…”

Knowing he couldn’t withstand this attack barehanded, Chōjirō decisively drew his Zanpakutō.

“Thunderlight Flash!”

A crescent-shaped slash formed entirely of crackling lightning met Ichigo’s Crescent Moon Slash head-on. The two clashed midair, locked in a stalemate before exploding together.

“Tch… what is this…”

Inside the warehouse, Chōjirō dared not unleash his full power—not even his Bankai. Using such overwhelming force here would surely destroy the building and draw the relentless pursuit of Hirako and the Visored.

“Ha ha ha! Not bad, not bad! This power is impressive!”

Ichigo spread his arms and laughed triumphantly, eyeing the battered Chōjirō with savage glee. His grotesque mask could no longer hide the ferocity etched on his face.

“You will be my first sacrifice!”

With that, Ichigo’s spiritual pressure surged again. Though the mask on his face was still incomplete, his body began to change—the white substance writhing over his skin solidified and cooled, then spread crimson patterns across his flesh.

“Gah… oooooh…”

His once hoarse, arrogant voice deepened into a muffled growl, as if something inside him was struggling fiercely. The roar forced through his throat was deeply unsettling.

Despite the unease creeping up his spine, Chōjirō dared not underestimate him. Unable to fight at full strength, how could he stand against such a rampaging foe?

“Gah!”

The Hollow mask on Ichigo’s face solidified, almost completely obscuring his features. Suddenly, the mask’s mouth flung open, revealing a deep crimson orb before him.

Hollow Flash!

Chōjirō’s eyes widened in alarm. Such a powerful Hollow Flash couldn’t be blocked head-on. In an instant, he leapt away from his original position.

But the Hollow Flash hadn’t yet been unleashed. Ichigo, now fully consumed by the Hollow, turned to locate Chōjirō’s new position and fired without hesitation.

The crimson beam scorched the ground, leaving a deep trail, annihilating everything in its path as it hurtled straight toward Chōjirō.

“…”

Chōjirō glanced at the rapidly approaching beam just as he landed, then was engulfed by the Hollow Flash.

The blast struck the barrier Ukitake had set up, causing it to tremble. The sound of cracks forming echoed faintly.

“Swish.”

A white figure suddenly appeared behind Ichigo, a Western-style sword crackling with lightning, swinging swiftly toward his back.

“!”

“Bang!”

Just as Chōjirō’s sword was about to strike Ichigo’s back, a massive black shadow emerged beside Chōjirō’s head, swinging forcefully at him.

Thanks to his quick reflexes, Chōjirō blocked the blow with his hand but was still sent flying. The attack was ultimately thwarted.

“That’s…”

As Chōjirō recovered and identified the shadow, he couldn’t help but twitch his lips in exasperation.

It was a white tail, swaying behind Ichigo like a living serpent.

Who knew a tail could be so useful?

Blaming this failure entirely on the tail, Chōjirō rose, dusted off his soiled clothes, and sighed wearily.

“You should go first.”

“!”

A clear, feminine voice whispered in Chōjirō’s ear. He noticed that Lisa Yadomaru, dressed in her sailor uniform, had silently entered the barrier, sword in hand.

“Time to switch? Alright, alright…”

With a resigned sigh, Chōjirō ceased protesting and vanished before them in an instant.

“I’m Lisa Yadomaru,” she said coldly, drawing her sword and tossing aside the scabbard. “Please take care of this.”

“Thanks for your effort.”

Outside the barrier, Hirako raised an eyebrow as the disheveled Chōjirō reappeared.

“How long do you think he can keep that up?”

“Who knows? We’ll just keep rotating.”

Hirako shrugged nonchalantly, but his eyes betrayed his true thoughts without hesitation.

“Just delay until he wins.”