(Author notes: I upload a draft sorry, here is the finsihed version)
Zangetsu speed was unparalleled as he ran across the battlefield in a blur. The towering monster was in sight Yet Zangetsu narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "I won't make in time." He thought. Normally The hollow would not have cared, this Grand ray cero was nothing to him. The memories of rukia flashes in his head. Not just her.
Chad.
Orihime
The bow traitor. what was his name again? He could not bother to remember.
'Nell' Zangetsu thought as the image of this carefree hollow bombarded his mind. "tch" he gritted his teeth in annoyance. He could not have that Grand ray cero fire. He had a mission to finish.
It never ceased to amaze Me how often the You failed to understand the severity of the situation.
He jumped effortlessly between floating pieces of debris created by the raw spiritual pressure, each jump landing with precision. His black blade, sharp as ever, sliced through the obstacles like butter. His target was clear—the hollow's neck. It was a race against time. If that Grand Ray Cero fired, the destruction it would cause could obliterate everyone the king swore to protect.
Refusing to unleash Your full power against opponents, holding back out of some misguided sense of morality.
Zangetsu had tried so hard to help him see the truth, tried so many times to make him understand that fighting to protect meant embracing his full strength. Yet the king—Ichigo—continued to cling to the notion that mercy and restraint were virtues in every battle.
Zangetsu's grip tightened on his sword, frustration burning in his chest. He had done everything in his power to protect him. He had warned him over and over again. And still… Ichigo had died.
'If only he fought to kill...'
Zangetsu clenched his teeth, a bitter taste filling his mouth. Ichigo wasn't a warrior by nature. Both he and the other Zangetsu had only ever wanted one thing for Ichigo: a life where he could stand tall, strong enough to protect himself, free.
If only you accepted yourself, Zangetsu thought, rage and sorrow ache in his chest.
Zangetsu had tried so hard to beat the hero complex out of Ichigo, to show him that true strength came not from avoiding the battle but from facing it head-on. And yet, Ichigo had always been too noble for his own good. He couldn't change his way of thinking, and now… 'Now it was too late.'
Yami's growl shattered the silence, his voice thick with frustration. "DAMN BUG!!!" He fired a barrage of Ceros with his hands each one erupting with a deafening boom. , he could not offered to lose focus not when he was charging a grand ray cero less, he die ."STAY STILL!!!"
But Zangetsu was anything but still. His sword cut through the air, each swing slicing through the incoming blasts, his focus razor-sharp. His eyes locked onto Yami, ignoring the storm of power around him. The giant hollow was solely focused on him now—Zangetsu's target.
A memory of Ichigo's past failures flashed in his mind. Why did you always freeze in fear when you lost your blade? Zangetsu thought, his bitterness resurfacing as he recalled their past battles.
In every single one, the king had never truly fought to kill. He fought to protect, to save, but never to end.
Ichigo... Zangetsu's heart sank as he thought back on all the lessons he had tried to teach him. He had explained the difference between a king and his horse. A king needed strength, control, and ruthless focus. Without that, his kingdom would crumble.
Zangetsu's grip tightened, his spiritual pressure rising to an impossible level. He fired off a barrage of Getsuga Tenshous, his energy exploding in the air, pushing back the incoming Ceros. The battlefield became a chaotic light show of destruction, each explosion was a clash of their wills.
Yami's roar echoed in frustration. "WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO!!!" He searched frantically, The Hollow had used the smokescreen as a cover, his instincts flaring as he looked up toward the moon. There, in the night sky, Zangetsu was rushing toward him like a bullet. His movements were faster than the eye could follow, each leap and bound drawing him closer to his target.
Instinct,Zangetsu thought coldly, his gaze narrowing. The instinct he had tried to teach Ichigo…
It's the one thing you never understood.
Zangetsu's blade, Tensa Zangetsu, burned with crimson light as he gathered all of his energy into his final attack. He felt the power course through him, the weight of every lesson he had tried to impart upon Ichigo now concentrated into this single moment.
In order for beings to grow stronger, they needed a killer instinct—a drive to survive, to end their enemies before they could strike.
Ichigo had never understood that. He had always resisted it, and now Zangetsu dwelt with the pain of that refusal.
Tensa Zangetsu's form was a streak of black and red in the air, the energy crackling with a devastating intensity. The sword came down in a clean arc, straight toward Yami's neck.
There's only one reason why I fight,Zangetsu thought, his voice like steel in his mind.And there's no reason for me to lose.
With a final, decisive strike, Zangetsu's attack tore through the giant hollow's neck. The explosion of energy was deafening, the force so intense that it consumed everything in its path. Yami's body crumpled inward, his form dissolving as the uncomplete grand ray cero exploded in his mouth, the explosion swallowing him whole.
Zangetsu stood in the aftermath, his sword lowered, his breath steady as the dust settled. "KUROSAKI!!!!!" from the explosion the monstrous Giant came toward the Corpse like a flood. The colossal giant radiated power as his body grew and his skin took on a darker shade. Yami swung his fisted covered a powerful Cero. The wind of his attack was enough to level mountains.
"Ichigo..." The name echoed in his mind, but there was no answer.
Zangetsu's voice rang in his ears, cutting through the chaos. This is what I tried to teach you all along.
With a flick of his wrist, Zangetsu raised his blade to meet the incoming attack. The massive cero, powered by Yami's fury, collided with his sword in an explosion of force. The shockwave rippled outward, shaking the very foundation of Hueco Mundo. Spiritual pressure crackled through the air, the violent clash overwhelming everything in its path. Every hollow that wasn't a Vasto Lorde was obliterated, turned to dust by the sheer magnitude of the attack. The ground quaked, a rumble that shook the land itself.
Yami's voice broke through the silence, his rage a scream of defiance. "DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH TO KILL ME?!" he roared, his spiritual pressure surging even further despite his server burns his body transformed from a multiple leg creature to a massive Faun.[1]
But Zangetsu remained calm, unshaken. Without a word, he swung his blade upward. His blackened reiatsu coiled around the blade like a storm, traveling in a devastating arc that severed Yami's arm in an instant. The limb disintegrated, blasted to pieces by the force of Zangetsu's power.
"My ARM! MY ARM!" Yami's voice cracked with agony. The pain tore through him, yet it did little to quell his anger. "HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? I AM THE STRONGEST ESPADA!" His eyes burned with confusion, disbelief. His power—his spiritual might—outclassed this Vasto Lorde. Yet here he was, the one on the ground, the one being broken.
"Who decided that?" Zangetsu's words were quiet, but they rang louder than any roar. His voice, cold and devoid of pity, cut through Yami's fury like a blade.
The killing intent that poured from Zangetsu overwhelmed the Espada, suffocating him. He could feel it—the pressure in the air was unbearable. The very sand beneath Zangetsu's feet crystallized, the intense heat from his reiatsu turning the ground into glass. The air burned with the sheer power emanating from Zangetsu, bending and twisting with a force so concentrated that it felt as though the world itself would collapse.
The strongest?
"Is that what you think?" Zangetsu's voice, now sharper, rang in Yami's ears like a mocking whisper. The tilt of his head, the slight smile on his face—all of it made Yami feel smaller, insignificant. Zangetsu's hand gripped the chain of Tensa Zangetsu, swirling it with a motion so fluid it almost seemed effortless. Blackened spiritual pressure crackled with sparks with every step he took,
Zangetsu's presence loomed larger, His eyes locked onto Yami, cold and unfeeling.
"I will break you," He muttered, his words like an unspoken promise. The weight of his voice carried the torment of someone who had seen more suffering than most could endure in a thousand lifetimes. His cold eyes bore into Yami with a quiet fury that spoke of long-buried rage.
Zanpakuto were more than just weapons. They were extensions of their wielders, bound to their souls, shaped by their memories and experiences. Zangetsu although born unique was no different. It had recorded the king's pain, the king's fury, The king's intensions and most of all, it had inherited the king's Unfinished business Thus Zangetsu had a score to settle with Yami.
A dept must always be paid.
The memories surged within him—memories of Tatsuki, her weak and blooded form, nearly killed by this very beast.
It haunted The king for weeks.
Zangetsu remembered the king's Utter Despair that plunged his whole inner world into a endless Dark sea, the fury that had burned through him when a part of Tatsuki's soul had been devoured by this monster. And now, that rage coursed through Zangetsu, guiding his every move.
Yami could feel it— Instinct screamed at him to run, to flee. Deep down, he knew. He was going to die. The realization crashed down on him, but his pride, his arrogance, would not allow him to act on it. He was the strongest! He had never run from a fight before, and he would not start now. He would not be a coward.
Zangetsu stood there as Yami growled and snarled like a barking dog and for the first time. Smile ever so slightly. The king was weak, but Zangetsu was not the king. He was not the weakling that Yami had once faced. This was not the same battle. And Yami... Yami was nothing before him.
The horse had become the knight now... and the knight would fulfill its duty..
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his eyes fixed on the pale moon that hung above, cold and indifferent. The sand beneath his feet shifted slightly with the weight of his thoughts, but his gaze never wavered. The moon, always the same, always a reminder.
As much as I hate to admit it... He exhaled slowly, the bitter taste of old memories rising within him. I hated the rain too as much as you did. it was always an eyesore to me.
His jaw clenched as his grip tightened around Tensa Zangetsu's hilt, the chain wrapped tightly in his hand. Thats why I always pushed him beyond his limits
He couldn't tear his gaze away, the light reflecting off the white sands, casting long shadows across the landscape. His mind wandered. When will you finally come out of hiding, you old bastard?
A flicker of movement flashed in his mind's eye—the image of a figure cloaked in darkness. Zangetsu's claws curled, digging into his palm as a sharp, searing pain bit through him. The sting didn't matter. Nothing mattered except the fire that burned in his chest.
If only you hadn't meddled... The thought echoed in his mind,. His fingers twitched at his side, wanting to strike, to lash out, but he held himself still. The rage had to be controlled. It had to be.
That old man... the false Zangetsu. His eyes narrowed, teeth gritting, and blood from his clenched hands dripped onto the ground, unnoticed.
Things would have been different
"Old Man," Zangetsu muttered, barely a whisper.
Their inner world was in chaos. It was still very unstable due to the loss of Ichigo, the hollows' efforts to keep the world stable were hard, like scars that refused to heal. Nothing would repair it, at best Zangestu could only delay its destruction.
His eyes burned as he looked back at the moon, He raised his hand to try and reach it, but it was and will always be out of his grasp much like the voice of his king.
"Let's get the others"
With one final glance at the dissolving corpse of Yami, Zangetsu turned, his blade heavy in his hand, and began to walk, The knight's journey was far from over.
"Well, well, looks like I'm late to the party," Kenpachi boomed, his voice a rumbling echo that seemed to shake the very air. He waved his jaded long sword in the air with a carefree laugh, the tension in his shoulders palpable, itching for a fight. "Did I miss something fun? This place looks like it could use a little more chaos."
Zangetsu's gaze shifted briefly to the berserker. Zangetsu didn't respond, his focus shifting as another, more controlled, spiritual pressure approached. Byakuya Kuchiki, ever the calm and composed figure, stepped through the smoke, his deep white haori billowing in the wind like a reminder of his noble grace. His expression was as unreadable as ever, but there was a sharpness to his gaze as he surveyed the situation.
"Kurosaki"...
(Author note tell me what you think:)
[1] Google the image.