Resurreccion: Hollow White Ichigo

Muramasa watched White Ichigo's reiatsu climb and felt an instinctive warning rise inside him.

Then White smiled.

"Dye the world white, Hollow White."

Ichigo's body changed.

Every visible Soul Reaper feature vanished. Hollow traits took their place. A thick bull-like tail swept out behind him. His body grew broader and more powerful, with white bone spikes rising from both shoulders.

A Hollow hole opened in his chest.

His hair lengthened until it fell to his waist. The mask on his face became half red and half white, but no horns grew from his head.

It was not the complete Vasto Lorde-like transformation Ichigo might one day reach. It looked more like an unfinished, stripped-down version of that monstrous form.

Even so, White Ichigo's will remained fully in control.

Muramasa did not understand what he was seeing.

Old Man Zangetsu understood perfectly.

This was White's complaint made physical. A power this strong could not be matched unless Old Man Zangetsu revealed his own identity and let Ichigo awaken the power he had been hiding.

This form was a Hollow's Soul Reaper power pushed beyond its previous limit. If an Arrancar's released state was called Resurreccion, then this was White's answer to that principle.

For the first time, Old Man Zangetsu questioned himself.

Had suppressing Ichigo's power again and again truly been the right choice?

Should he have given Ichigo even his own power from the beginning?

Muramasa's thoughts were much simpler.

He had expected Ichigo to collapse once Zangetsu was separated from him.

Instead, he had released a disaster.

Before Muramasa could think further, White Ichigo attacked Old Man Zangetsu.

His speed and strength had both increased. Even Old Man Zangetsu could no longer defend as casually as before.

White caught an opening and slammed his forehead into Old Man Zangetsu, sending him flying.

Then red light gathered at White's fingertip.

Muramasa's eyes widened.

The Cero forming there was no weaker than a Gran Rey Cero.

The blast launched Old Man Zangetsu into a nearby pillar and shattered the stone around him.

Muramasa finally moved.

If he continued watching, the situation would only grow worse.

Using the moment after the Cero, he appeared behind White Ichigo and slashed from shoulder to waist.

The wound looked terrible.

It did not matter.

Even before this release, Ichigo's Hollow power could endure injuries that would cripple others. Now the damage closed almost instantly.

White turned and cut Muramasa away with a single swing.

Muramasa stared, shocked.

White knew his time outside was nearly over. If he kept playing, Old Man Zangetsu would start complaining.

So while Old Man Zangetsu continued pretending to be down, Muramasa chose another path.

"Let me see what the inside of this strange man looks like."

He entered Ichigo's inner world.

...

Ichigo was waiting there, having left the outside battle to White.

"So Old Man Zangetsu really did leave my inner world," he said, rubbing his chin.

Muramasa's voice sounded nearby.

"Correct. Now you understand. Zangetsu is no longer inside you."

Ichigo looked at him with mild irritation.

That had not been what he meant.

"How are you here?"

Muramasa seemed pleased by the question.

"What is strange about it? I am a Zanpakuto."

Ichigo blinked.

"You are a Zanpakuto, and you can enter my body. Mystery solved. You must be mine."

Muramasa stiffened.

"I am not your Zanpakuto. Once I use my true power, entering the inner world of a Soul Reaper is simple."

Ichigo's expression sharpened.

"Then what do you want? What is your goal? What is your master thinking?"

The word master made Muramasa's emotions ripple, though his voice stayed cold.

"Master? I killed him long ago."

Ichigo was genuinely shocked.

He could not imagine Old Man Zangetsu or White Ichigo trying to kill him.

"What?"

"Do you find that hard to believe? With my power, such a thing is easy." Muramasa studied him. "But you, Ichigo Kurosaki, interest me. What is that power? What made you take that form?"

Ichigo drew his blade inside the inner world.

"This is my inner world. You cannot beat me here."

Muramasa ignored the warning and tried to dig deeper into Ichigo's essence.

"Yo. Were you calling me?"

White Ichigo appeared nearby, amused.

Muramasa turned sharply.

"You carry Hollow reiatsu. What are you?"

White laughed.

"What am I? You should already have a guess. I am Ichigo Kurosaki. His instinct."

Muramasa's eyes narrowed.

"The Hollow-like power is yours, then?"

"Who knows?"

White drew the black Zangetsu from his back.

"Now it is my turn. Who are you?"

"My name is Muramasa," he said. "I am the one who liberates Zanpakuto."

White almost failed to hold back his laughter.

The one who liberated Zanpakuto? What had this man liberated from Ichigo? Nothing. The one who had gone outside was not even the answer Muramasa thought he had found.

Muramasa continued, unaware of the joke.

"The Zanpakuto answered my call and awakened their instincts. If you are Ichigo Kurosaki's instinct, then I will use my power to awaken you as well."

He raised his hand toward White.

White stood still.

For a moment, he had been cautious. He was Ichigo's true Zanpakuto, after all. But Muramasa's control could not grasp Hollow power.

Once White realized that, all concern vanished.

Muramasa walked closer with confidence.

White smiled.

"Hmph."

He vanished and struck.

Muramasa barely blocked in time.

The fight inside the inner world was different from the show outside. Against Old Man Zangetsu, White had needed to hold back. Against Muramasa, he had no such reason.

He spun Zangetsu and appeared behind Muramasa with Shunpo, sending him flying with a turning slash.

Muramasa slid back, confused but not badly hurt.

"Because I separated Zangetsu from Ichigo Kurosaki, you gained freedom inside him. That is why Ichigo transformed. Am I wrong?"

White looked at Muramasa's smug expression and decided not to correct him.

"Suppose you are right. What then?"

"Then I need not waste more effort. A dangerous exception like you must be erased."

White's grin sharpened.

"You see me standing quietly and think you can talk that big? You think I am the one being suppressed?"

"Are you not?"

"Of course not."

"Then explain what you are."

"That is none of your business." White glanced toward Ichigo, then turned back. "What I want is simple. I will devour Ichigo and take control of this body. That is my instinct."

Ichigo gave him a flat look.

That was not what White had said during their Hollowfication training.

Muramasa did not know that and believed the performance.

"I see. An uncontrollable thing like you is too dangerous. You should disappear."

He attacked.

To White, it was like a child playing at war. Muramasa could cut him for months and still fail to take a real piece from him.

"No," White said, shaking his head. "You are the one who should leave Ichigo's inner world."

Reiatsu erupted from his body like a storm.

The pressure forced Muramasa out.

...

Ichigo regained control of his body outside. The Hollow shell faded from his skin, and his reiatsu filled back in completely.

He looked at Muramasa.

"Playtime is over. Bring Old Man Zangetsu back."

Muramasa stared at him.

"You truly are strange. A Soul Reaper coexisting peacefully with a Hollow. You are an anomaly even among your own kind."

Old Man Zangetsu finally appeared again.

Ichigo turned to him.

"Old man, are you done messing with me? Come back."

Old Man Zangetsu kept acting.

"Ichigo, I only wanted to know whose power was stronger. Mine or yours."

"Sure," Ichigo said dryly.

White spoke from within him.

"Ichigo, his power is gone for now, so you can use all of mine. You know how my power works."

"I know. Do not worry. I will bring Old Man Zangetsu back soon."

"I trust you," White said. "Because from beginning to end, you never used a mask to borrow my power falsely."

"Of course," Ichigo said. "You are my Zanpakuto."

White's voice softened.

"Yes. I am your Zanpakuto."

Old Man Zangetsu could not hear everything White said, but he could feel the change.

Ichigo's Soul Reaper power was stronger.

He needed to return soon.

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