[DISCONTINUED] Strive | Bleach

Chapter Nineteen: Strawberry's New Groove.

Uryū’s POV~

Damn… the pain is getting worse, and I can hardly lift my arms and legs. The Ransōtengai is fading away. A piece fell off my arm, dropped to the ground, and disintegrated into the air. My feet were numb, making it a lot more difficult for me to walk. But I had to keep going. I didn’t enter the Soul Society to just give up. I leaned up against the wall, clenching my teeth as the pain suddenly became unbearable. I guess… my time as a Quincy is about reached its end. My thoughts made me think back to what that Soul Reaper said.

“Come on, Quincy Boy, you can fly.”

How did she know that I was a Quincy? I never told her that I was. I know she can hear Ichigo’s thoughts, but he’s too much of an idiot to remember a name as important as ‘Quincy’. So then how did she know? If I made it through all of this, I’d have to ask her.

I pushed myself off of the wall and made my way up the lengthy staircase ahead. Wouldn’t it be funny if, after all of this, I somehow got to the Senzaikyū first? What if I was the one who rescued Rukia? Oh, I bet that would really piss off Ichigo. Everyone knows he wants to be the big hero and rescue her all by himself. I finally reached the top of the steps, only to find that someone was at the top, waiting. It was another one of the Captains.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “But for the sake of peace, I must terminate you,” He grabbed the hilt of his sword and pulled it so that it was half-way out of his sheath. “Cry, Suzumushi.”

Ichigo’s POV~

“Advancing from Shikai to Bankai typically requires over ten years of training, even for those with exceptional talent. However, you must achieve the Bankai in a time span of only three days.”

“Okay, but… what’s with the weird-looking cut out?” It was almost as tall as Yoruichi and had almost the same look of a surfboard. What the hell is it?

“It’s Tenshintai; an important spiritual tool used by the Stealth Force. It’s specifically designed to draw out the zanpakutō and manifest its true form.”

“Huh? I don’t get what you’re saying. How is that supposed to help me complete my Bankai training?”

“The Shikai must establish a dialogue and a harmony with the zanpakutō,” she continued. “The manifestation and the submission of the zanpakutō are necessary for Bankai. In other words, instead of us physically entering the world of the zanpakutō, manifestation refers into summoning them into our world. Normally, it requires several years of training to do this. But you, even though it ended in a draw, you fought on equal footing with Kenpachi Zaraki. So as unlikely as it might seem, it appears that you’ve already reached manifestation on a comparable level, already.”

So… did that mean that when Zangetsu appeared, I was the one who manifested him…?

“It’s coming back to you, isn’t it?” she asked. “If you stab this with Zangetsu, it can forcibly bring him out into the manifested state. In other words, we can bring the zanpakutō into this world. However… with this method, the manifestation is limited to three days. During that time, you must defeat the manifested Zangetsu and force him into submission! If you are unable to do that—“

“You don’t have to go into the details,” I said, staring at the cut-out where Zangetsu had pierced it. “If you say there’s no other way it can be done… then I’ve got to do it.” The board and my zanpakutō disappeared, and in its place was a familiar presence that came from behind. I looked over my shoulder to see Zangetsu staring down at me.”