Chapter 134: Shattered

Fuji Dangotsu is Chojiro’s most powerful and frequently used hand-to-hand combat technique, bar none. Any Soul Reaper who has heard even a fraction of Chojiro’s exploits would be familiar with the existence of "Fuji Dangotsu," a move that has defeated countless powerful enemies in the past. While it cannot compare to the destructive power of Yamamoto Genryusai's "Dangotsu" and "Sokotsu," the comparison is moot as they represent two entirely different extremes.

However, this technique possesses a significant flaw. Fuji Dangotsu functions by channeling one's own Reiryoku into the opponent’s body to cause them to rupture from within. If it encounters anything capable of blocking or insulating against Reiryoku, the power of the technique is severely diminished, if not rendered completely ineffective. Consequently, hundreds of years ago, Chojiro developed another form of hand-to-hand combat to compensate for this weakness. It never gained the fame or notoriety of Fuji Dangotsu and remained largely obscure, yet no one who has been on the receiving end of it has ever escaped unscathed—not even Yamamoto Genryusai himself.

"Roar..."

Ichigo, of course, was oblivious to all of this. Even if he had known, it would have been useless; consumed by the Hollow within him, his reason had vanished, leaving only a singular drive to utterly destroy the man before him. Gripping the pitch-black Tensa Zangetsu, Ichigo began to slowly advance toward Chojiro, whose spiritual pressure was gradually waning. Ichigo walked, and Chojiro stood there, not moving an inch.

"Click..."

Even when Ichigo stood right before him, Chojiro did not move, not even a finger.

"..."

"..."

Then, with a strange, eerie stillness, both of them fell silent.

"Clatter..."

Ichigo was the first to lose patience. He slowly raised his Zanpakuto, the chain at the pommel rattling with a series of crisp sounds.

"Whoosh!"

Seeing that the man before him remained unmoved even as the blade was raised, Ichigo did not hesitate and swung the sword down toward Chojiro’s head.

"Snap!"

It was impossible for Chojiro to remain passive as the blade descended. His left hand directly seized the sharp edge of Tensa Zangetsu, then with a flick, he cast the blade aside. His right hand, clenched into a fist, struck Ichigo squarely in the stomach with tremendous force.

"Gah..."

Ichigo’s mouth opened, but before he could even emit a sound, the sheer power of the blow sent him flying backward. He did not even have time to scream as he was blasted through two piles of rubble before finally falling silent.

"Phew..."

Chojiro slowly withdrew his fist, which was still emitting wisps of white smoke, and let out a long breath. Having expelled the turbid energy from within, he relaxed his stance.

"Ah... honestly, I really didn't want to use 'Hakkotsu'..." Chojiro said, shaking out his right wrist with a sigh of resignation.

Hakkotsu—the hand-to-hand technique Chojiro developed to remedy the flaws of Fuji Dangotsu. If Fuji Dangotsu is a fluid, yielding technique, then Hakkotsu is a rigid, forceful style designed to utterly destroy enemies and any walls standing in its path. By causing the Reiryoku coating the surface of his hand to detonate instantly, he utilizes the force to shatter the enemy's defenses. It is a terrifying move. However, because its raw power does not match Yamamoto Genryusai’s techniques, and because the initial lack of mastery meant the detonation of Reiryoku could also harm Chojiro himself, the only people who know of this technique—besides Chojiro—are Yamamoto Genryusai, Unohana, and Kirinji Tenjiro, who had ascended to the Zero Division.

"Hmm... it seems I didn't cause him any substantial damage..." Chojiro eyed his fist. There was only slight bruising, nothing like the previous times when the entire arm was nearly rendered useless. Still, one had to give credit to Kurosaki Ichigo; even though Chojiro had landed a solid blow, he understood clearly that the density of the Hierro on Ichigo’s Hollowfied body had reached a terrifying level.

"Clatter..."

"!"

Chojiro, who had been staring at his hand, suddenly heard a faint sound nearby and shifted his gaze.

"You've got to be kidding me..."

He saw that the skin on Ichigo’s body, centered around his abdomen, had begun to crack. Ichigo swayed as he attempted to walk, yet there was no sign of a finishing blow.

"I advise you not to come any closer," Chojiro muttered. Glancing at Ichigo’s state, he knew immediately that Ichigo was at his limit, barely maintaining his current form and preventing himself from reverting to the identity of "Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Thud..."

"Clatter... clatter... bang!"

Ichigo’s fingers twitched slightly. A faint rumbling came from another pile of rubble as the black Tensa Zangetsu flew out and headed straight for Ichigo. Once he gripped his sword, Ichigo launched a Getsuga Tensho directly at Chojiro.

"Don't waste your energy. This is where it ends."

Standing solemnly behind Ichigo, Chojiro reached out and grabbed one of the horns on Ichigo’s mask.

"Crack..."

Before Ichigo could even turn around, Chojiro forcibly snapped the horn off.

"Crack... snap... clatter..."

Accompanied by a continuous series of crisp sounds, Ichigo’s mask began to peel away. The white Hierro on his body flaked off as well, revealing the true body and face of Ichigo underneath.

"Ugh... where am I..."

The Hollowfied Ichigo retained no memories of the events; he likely only knew that he had been beaten mercilessly by Ulquiorra and was on the brink of death.

"Have you regained your senses?"

"Mr. Sasakibe?"

Seeing the dazed Ichigo, Chojiro straightened his uniform and finally let out a breath of relief.

"Could it be that this is..."

"There isn't enough time to explain it all to you right now..." Chojiro hoisted Ichigo up from the ground and tossed him behind him. "Restore his health and Reiryoku as quickly as possible. He is indispensable for the battle against Aizen."

Without looking back, Chojiro spoke as if addressing someone other than Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Understood."

Unohana stood silently behind Chojiro, giving a brief reply before leaning down to begin treating Ichigo.

"BOOM!"

While Chojiro was still speaking to Unohana, a massive explosion erupted not far from them, sending a towering mushroom cloud into the sky. Kyoraku climbed up from a crater, enduring his injuries, and shook his head with a wry, helpless smile as he looked toward the sky.

Floating above was Ulquiorra in his second release state.

"Stronger than I imagined, Espada."

Tossing his pink haori to the ground, Kyoraku finally grew serious.

"In that case, I cannot afford to hold back anymore."