Muramasa's Hollowfication

Senbonzakura moved.

Koga spun the halberd in his hand, but the sturdy weapon could not withstand Byakuya's Zanpakuto. Endless cherry blossom blades ground it into fragments.

Byakuya seized the chance, appeared behind Koga with Shunpo, and cut him in two.

The victory lasted only a heartbeat.

As Koga's body split apart, Byakuya saw another Koga standing ahead of him, smiling coldly.

That one vanished and appeared behind Byakuya with Shunpo. He held only a broken halberd fragment, but it was still enough to cut Byakuya's back.

Koga Kuchiki was undeniably talented.

His self-created Kido, his combat instincts, and the techniques built from his own ability all showed talent far beyond ordinary Soul Reapers.

Byakuya counterattacked, but his blade struck only an illusion.

It continued like that for several exchanges. Every time he cut Koga down, another Koga appeared behind the previous one and attacked. Wounds accumulated across Byakuya's body.

Koga watched his confusion with satisfaction.

"Muramasa's ability to manipulate Zanpakuto was born from this power of mine," he said. "A Zanpakuto is shaped from a Soul Reaper's soul. What Muramasa can do, I can do."

His reiatsu shifted.

"This is my ability. By disturbing your five senses with my reiatsu, I can control your entire perception."

He threw the broken halberd fragment.

Byakuya blocked, but he had struck only a phantom. A moment later, the real fragment crashed into him and knocked him away.

Seeing Byakuya still unable to solve the illusion, Koga pulled another sealing halberd from the ground and hurled it.

Byakuya could not determine its true path. He dodged by instinct.

The halberd hit his right hand anyway, knocking Senbonzakura away and pinning his arm.

Koga threw another.

Byakuya dodged again.

It pinned his left arm.

Koga raised his remaining weapon.

"Hyoga Seiran!"

Ice surged toward Byakuya.

"Bakudo Number 81: Danku."

This time, Danku formed in the wrong direction.

Hyoga Seiran came from elsewhere and swallowed him.

Koga pointed his halberd at Byakuya's head.

Then Senbonzakura released itself.

Even without its master's hands, the blade unfolded into countless petals and blocked the killing strike.

Senbonzakura briefly materialized behind Byakuya and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"My master, if your senses have been sealed, then I will become your eyes and your hands."

Senbonzakura's reiatsu burst outward, shattering the ice and the halberds that pinned Byakuya. The blade returned to Byakuya's hand on its own.

Koga's expression broke.

He had once been sealed because he believed Muramasa had failed to answer him. Now, right in front of him, another Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto had moved by itself to protect its master.

Byakuya did not give him time to recover.

"Bankai. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

"Senkei. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The sword-filled space formed around them.

"This is my Bankai," Byakuya said. "Within this space, illusions have no effect on me."

He paused.

"A pity my reiatsu is not equal to Sosuke Aizen's. Otherwise, perhaps even Kyoka Suigetsu would be unable to affect me here."

Against Koga, it was enough.

Their battle became a direct duel.

Koga looked at Byakuya and spoke despite himself.

"As expected of the Kuchiki family head. You possess terrifying power."

His obsession with the Kuchiki family was almost childish. No matter what Byakuya did, Koga had to bring the family name into it.

"Let one strike decide this," Koga said.

He held the halberd across his body and released all his reiatsu. Purple pressure filled the space, heavy and oppressive.

Byakuya's Senbonzakura gathered into white wings around him.

"Shukei: Hakuteiken."

His reiatsu rose another level.

White wings met a purple demon.

They passed each other.

Byakuya stumbled forward, and the materialized Senbonzakura appeared long enough to support him.

Koga had been cut open from chest to shoulder. Blood poured from the wound.

As death finally reached him, Koga remembered the Zanpakuto that had remained loyal to him.

This time, Muramasa did not answer.

The halberd in Koga's hand broke, and he fell into the water without another breath.

Muramasa's state was worse.

His inner despair collapsed like a small black hole, pulling in every Hollow he had released. Then the collapsed reiatsu erupted outward and stabilized into a new form.

The Muramasa who appeared before Ichigo and Rukia no longer looked like a pure Zanpakuto.

He looked like a Hollow.

A mask covered his face. A dark Hollow hole opened in his chest. His form resembled an Arrancar after Resurreccion.

"How did this happen?" Rukia asked. "Muramasa is supposed to be a Zanpakuto."

Ichigo thought for a moment.

"He swallowed too many Hollows. That may have twisted him into this."

Rukia nodded.

"Zanpakuto exist together with Soul Reapers. Muramasa was abandoned by his master, then Koga died. To keep existing, he kept absorbing Hollow power."

Ichigo looked at her.

"Rukia, stay back. This is my fight."

Muramasa roared, his reiatsu climbing, and lunged at Ichigo.

"Fast!"

Rukia had already moved away, but Muramasa's speed still shocked her. She could not guarantee she would dodge that easily.

Ichigo could.

Tensa Zangetsu clashed against Muramasa's clawed hands. Their reiatsu crushed the ground around them.

Ichigo pushed.

"Ha!"

He launched Muramasa into the air.

Muramasa slapped the air behind him and stopped above them, then released a massive Cero.

Its target was not Ichigo.

It was Rukia.

Ichigo reached her with Shunpo and prepared to block with Getsuga Tensho.

Someone moved faster.

"Senbonzakura."

Byakuya's Shikai spread in front of Ichigo and Rukia, receiving the Cero.

"Brother!" Rukia said, relief flooding her voice.

Koga's reiatsu had vanished, so they knew Byakuya had won, but seeing him alive eased the fear in her chest.

Muramasa became even more unstable when he saw Byakuya.

Some part of him understood that Byakuya had killed his master. His already violent reiatsu became chaotic.

"I will not lose," Muramasa growled beneath the mask. "How could I lose to mere Hollow power?"

His eyes flickered between sanity and madness, but Hollow power swallowed him again.

Byakuya looked at him and shook his head.

Such loyalty. Why had Koga never trusted it?

"Rukia is in my care," Byakuya told Ichigo. "Fight freely."

Ichigo nodded and appeared before Muramasa.

In his left hand, white reiatsu condensed into a second blade.

Dual-blade Ichigo had arrived.

Muramasa sensed the danger and fired Bala one after another.

Ichigo did not bother defending. His reiatsu alone blocked them like rain against steel.

"Getsuga Jujisho!"

One black crescent and one white crescent crossed in the air and flew toward Muramasa.

Muramasa answered with a huge Cero.

Before Getsuga Jujisho, the Cero split as cleanly as a hot knife through butter and exploded in four directions.

The cross-shaped attack cut through Muramasa's body, severing his left arm and carving a massive wound from shoulder to waist. His body nearly split apart.

But Hollowfication had given him more than power.

It had given him High-Speed Regeneration.

In less than a second, Muramasa restored himself completely.

Then he released even more dark red reiatsu. It spread across the sky as if tearing it open. Drawn by that pressure, Hollows began gathering above Karakura Town.

Ichigo sensed the growing force and understood he could not let Muramasa continue.

He rushed forward, cutting down every Hollow in his path.

"Getsuga Tensho!"

This time, Ichigo did not hold back. The attack split Muramasa in two.

Muramasa crashed to the ground, grievously wounded, but still alive.

His desperate will to survive triggered another mutation.

Dark unknown matter grew from his body. It multiplied rapidly and swallowed Ichigo. Then it expanded into a massive sphere-like monster, releasing Gillians from within while its reiatsu widened the Garganta above and drew in more Hollows.

Rukia stared at the thing.

"How many Hollows did Muramasa devour to become this?"

"Rukia!"

Orihime ran toward her.

"Are you okay?"

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