Chapter 108: Hail to the King
(With Ichigo)
The Soul Reaper spent an entire day searching for any information he could on the mountain Numa Seika told him about. The information he learned in the Imperial Library is that it was the one place the first Emperor was unable to conquer, seeking the power in the mountain to create a Teigu with power over gravity. A lone mountain on the fringe of the Empire with a crushing weight of gravity denying anyone to claim it, no flora or fauna anywhere on it. Some people even began worshiping the mountain as some kind of god. Well, the hybrid was also here to study. Maybe he could learn to create a new Kido using the mountain's unique properties as a base. Those thoughts changed the moment he set foot within the gravity radius.
'This isn't just gravity.' Ichigo thought as he felt the physical weight of gravity on his being, but there was something else that was scaring off all the animals. 'This is Reiatsu. Hollow Reiatsu.' It was the first time he felt Hollow Reishi of this magnitude since coming to this world. "Well, it's been a while since I tangled with a Menos Grande." The hybrid smiled, the Hollow nature within him eager for a more appropriate challenge. Releasing his own power, the oppressive weight of the mountain faded. It was not stronger than Ichibe's palace in the Royal Realm and no Reiatsu less than that of a transcendent being would make the hybrid bow. "Let's fish you out, Menos."
In an instant, Ichigo flashed to the mountain's summit and scanned for either an entrance or to pinpoint where inside the mountain the Hollow was hiding. He found no clear entrance at the summit, but he did find where inside the mountain his quarry was. Encasing his fist in Reishi, Ichigo shot Balas into the heart of the mountain. One after another, digging a widening hole in the mountain until it reached his target. He stopped as the Hollow began to stir, instead throwing down a Kido rope.
"Bakudo #4, Hainawa." He chanted, shooting down the rope and soon lassoing the Menos. The moment he felt it latch on, he pulled and pulled, forcing the Hollow to the surface. It didn't take long to tear the soul from his resting place as he exploded out of the ground. "Vasto Lorde." Ichigo said, finally seeing the Hollow as it slowly stood back up.
"You ruined my nap." He growled, facing Ichigo. He was lean and muscular with long, spiky, dark orange hair, tanned skin, and black fur with a skeletal tail and saber-tooth tiger skull mask. "Huh? What's a Soul Reaper doing here? I came here to get away from boring fights." Ichigo kept his focus on the Menos, sensing that he was roughly around Starrk's level already.
"I'm here to be a Soul Reaper, study the world, gather anything and anyone that might be useful." Ichigo responded, clenching his hands in anticipation for a possible fight. "We are in need of soldiers and I could use some extra hands in quelling Hollows and reaping souls. You in or are we going to have to get sweaty?" He asked, evidently surprising the Vasto Lorde.
"Last I've heard, you Shinigami kill first and don't ask questions." The Hollow returned. "Why bother recruiting Hollows?"
"War is coming, war with the Quincy." There was a nod of understanding. "Soul Society has undergone many changes. One of the main is that Hollows made into Arrancar are welcomed among our ranks. Hollows with the powers of Soul Reapers." Ichigo explained before the tiger could ask. "Come to my side, put your power to good use."
"And why should I join you?" He asked before looking on in shock as a horned Hollow mask materialized on Ichigo's face.
"I am Ichigo Kurosaki, future Captain Commander of the Court Guard Squads of Soul Society and the king of Hueco Mundo." The hybrid declared, making the Vasto Lorde grin in anticipation. "You can either chose to join me, or I will force your obedience like a proper Hollow."
"If you really believe in the second option, then you should understand." The Menos flexed his claws, shining blue in the rays of the sun. "I refuse to kneel before anyone weaker than me!" He appeared in front of Ichigo, throwing a kick at the hybrid's head. The hybrid blocked the attack effortlessly, but he didn't see the tiger's tail coming until after it stabbed into his chest. It failed to pierce his skin, but it did knock the wind out of him. Before the Menos could retract the skeletal appendage, Ichigo grabbed hold of it and slammed him into the ground a few times before throwing him away.
"How do you think I became king of the Hollows?" Ichigo growled before flashing in front of the Menos. "Using my charisma?" Then the gravity became much heavier, making Ichigo pause in shock as he nearly buckled under the sudden change. The Hollow twisted and tried to kick Ichigo in the head again, but the hybrid blocked and caught him by the ankle. "I'm used to far heavier than this." Ichigo said, raising his foot to stomp down on the Hollow's face. He managed to counter with a sudden turquoise colored Cero fired straight from his mouth and into Ichigo face, causing him to release his opponent's ankle. The Hollow swiftly got to his feet and charged forward with a sudden punch to Ichigo's stomach, the results were different than what he expected.
"Gah! What are you made of?" He asked, nursing his bruised knuckles before Ichigo dropped a hammer blow to the top of his head and dazed him. Ichigo then got the Hollow in a headlock and fell back to slam his skull into the earth, only to start floating in the air. "My control over gravity works both ways." He said before twisting and increasing the gravity to slam Ichigo's head into the ground, then quickly backed away. "In all the thousands of years I've been alive, I was hoping the 'king' would've been able to give me a proper fight." He grinned in delight as Ichigo rose to his feet once again and disappeared from sight.
"Please, I've haven't even broken a sweat." Ichigo said, appearing behind the Vasto Lorde. Before the Hollow could fully turn, Ichigo slammed a fist into the masked face of the Hollow. The force of the blow fractured the Hollow's mask and cratered the ground of the mountain. The Menos attempted to push himself back up, only to have another punch to his spine force him back down. Before Ichigo could continue that assault, he felt the gravity change as he began to float. The Hollow managed to push himself to his hands and knees, only to feel Ichigo slam him back into the ground. "Had enough?" He asked, using a Reishi construct to push him back to the ground and crush the Hollow.
"Sleeping must've dulled my abilities more than I thought." The Vasto Lorde admitted, muffled from his face being buried in the dirt. "Probably what I get for not fighting for... I can't even remember how long I've slept."
"Especially since you haven't even gotten past phase fist." Ichigo told him, stepping off his head and walking some distance away. "I can sense that you're as strong as the one I appointed as the Guardian of the Arrancar. But you've yet to actually prove you can fight him, let alone entertain me. So, we're ending this." Ichigo turned to watch his opponent rise to his feet, stumbling as the pain caught up to him. "We'll end this with one last move. Try to survive." He said, grasping Zangetsu by the sheath.
"Well then, if I do, the name's Marik. Marik Muyomori." The Vasto Lorde said as a black orb appeared in his hand. He then threw it at Ichigo, who thrust the end of Zangetsu at him. The ball blew apart and Marik lost a chunk of his left side, coughing up blood before collapsing.
"My Onibi still needs some work." Ichigo said, rubbing his arm from using the technique as he made his way to Marik. "Let's see, fractured ribs, damaged spine, a few cracks in the skull," Ichigo never mastered his healing Kido but physical health was one thing all of his teachers made sure he learned, "missing parts of his intestines, left lung, stomach, kidney is gone. Good thing I have that Reishi printer." He said as Marik began healing what parts of his body could regenerate. 'That last move of his was like a compressed ball of gravity. Managed to curve my attack enough to avoid killing him.'
"Well?" He suddenly said, waking up and coughing out some more blood. "What do you think?" Ichigo grabbed him by the back of the neck and hoisted him to eye level.
"I think I just kicked your ass." Ichigo then put him in another headlock and began dragging him away. "And I expect you to follow my orders from now on. When you fully recover and are back to peak condition, I want a rematch. I'm not yet satisfied." Marik managed to chuckle while trying to keep up.
"By your command... my king."
(Back at the Capital)
"That was.... odd." Ichigo said as he returned to the city. To make a long a complicated story simple; he brought Marik to the underground base, used the Hollow's own Reishi to clone a new kidney, the drain of which knocked him out, and Ichigo spent the rest of the day and most of the next studying and performing the transplant surgery on Marik, who is now sleeping comfortably under a large pile of rocks. "Thank god I know how to translate Urahara's notes now. Otherwise I'd never be able to pull off even half of the technical crap I'm doing." He mused while making his patrol, finding many more souls than usual. "What the hell did I miss?" The Soul Reaper asked after performing twenty Konso in half an hour, his answer coming in a cry of anguish.
"NO~!" He heard someone cry, immediately flashing to the new location. He found Tatsumi and Akame with a corpse of a man whose throat was slash while his soul was grasping at his ears. He had wild blonde hair, wore a dress shirt and tie with shoulder pads, and had the usual soul chain connected to his chest. "I'm dead! Why have the voices returned!? WHY!?!" He begged.
"Now you should be wary Zank." Akame said, speaking aloud without bothering to look for a spirit she couldn't see. "Now you will face the judgment of the Shinigami." Then she and Tatsumi left, the boy bowing his head in slight prayer. Zank looked around until he found Ichigo, running at the Soul Reaper before dropping to his knees.
"God of Death, I beg you!" He cried out, bowing before Ichigo... and confusing the hell out of the teen. "In life, I was an executioner. I thought it was the only way I could be of any service to anyone, killing the guilty for their crimes. But, I've executed so many people proclaiming their innocence, I've begun to hear them all the time! Begging me for mercy, telling me that they've done nothing wrong, over and over! I just snapped and killed anyone, did anything I could to stop them! I'm sorry! I'm sorry to all of them! I can't take it anymore! I'll dive into Hell itself and take all of damnation's punishment! Just please silence them!" He cried out, tears pouring from his eyes. Ichigo reached down and lifted the man's chin.
"Are you sure?" He asked the murderer. "Are you sure that you'll take on all of their pain to repent for your crimes?"
"I... I just wanted the voices to stop." Zank admitted. "I'll face my punishment. Just let them pass on peacefully." He begged before closing his eyes, Ichigo performing the Konso. As he did so, the voice of Yamamoto spoke in his mind.
"No soul ever escapes the fate of their judgment Ichigo." He heard the old man say as the mark he stamped on Zank began to glow, shifting from blue to red rapidly. "It is not in their actions, but their intent that is judged. Those that act out of purely selfish desire, the pleasure of self indulgence no matter the suffering it brings, they will suffer for eternity. But those that repent, truly repent for their crimes, there is forgiveness." The light settled on blue as Zank faded into the purifying light, tears falling down his face.
"They've stopped." He said before disappearing for the cycle of Rebirth.
(Back at Night Raid's base: One day later)
"Feeling better?" Ichigo asked Marik, kicking the pile of rocks off of the Vasto Lorde. The tiger released a long yawn as he rose to his feet.
"I'm not going to get anymore peaceful sleep under your command, am I?" He asked, some measure of regret coloring his tone. The look from his king was all the answer he needed. "Understood, and yes. I'm feeling much better." He admitted.
"Good, then it's time we turn you into an Arrancar." Ichigo said, heading over to his tech station and accessing all the knowledge it had on Arrancar. "Now if I had the Hogyoku with me, it should be a simple matter of willing it to happen. But I don't... so we need to try something else." He typed away, analyzing all the data he had and settling on the one Arrancar they knew that formed without the power of the Hogyoku. Coyote Starrk.
"And how are we going to do this?" Marik asked, looking over Ichigo's shoulder. "Do what this guy did?"
"Starrk had the unique power to separate his soul into another being." The hybrid returned. "As of yet, the researchers in the R&D department are still studying it with limited answers. For now, let's try giving you Soul Reaper abilities." Ichigo stood up and unsheathed Zangetsu, immediately diving into his inner world.
(Ichigo's Inner World)
"Do you think this is actually going to work?" Zangetsu, a photo-negative version of Ichigo, asked as Ichigo appeared in the sideways city, every surface rippling like water with every step on it. "You'll be sacrificing a sword to do this."
"They have no personality or freedom anyway." Kyoka Suigetsu, a female version of Aizen, rose from the glass windows and took a place by Ichigo's side. "It's no different than cutting a nail to this boy."
"Besides, how else can I create more Soul Reapers and Arrancar?" Ichigo asked of his main Zanpakuto spirit. Zangetsu sighed as a katana formed in his hands, black and white Reishi bleeding away and being reabsorbed into the sword spirit.
"It'll feel just like that time when you used Mugetsu." He warned before Ichigo left his inner world.
(Back Outside)
"There it is!" Ichigo grunted out, feeling a part of his soul separate from himself, while a completely blank Zanpakuto formed in his other hand. "That should do it." Marik took gentle hold of his king's shoulder's as the disorientation of the act caught up to the teen. "I'm fine now, Marik." He told the Vasto Lorde returning to stand tall and dignified before presenting the sword to his latest vassal. "Take this blade, mix your Reishi into it, let it become part of you, and evolve into an Arrancar."
"Yes, my king." Marik said, taking the sword into his hands and began pouring his Reishi into it. Ichigo watched as the process began, strong winds blowing out as the sword began absorbing his Reishi, taking his Hollow form, leaving him bare of his fur and his mask reduced to the saber-tooth fangs on his cheeks. The sword itself began to change into a duel bladed naginata glaive. Then the pair began to glow.
'Come on. Work.' Ichigo thought, demanding and hoping the process would result in a success. There was a bright flash, revealing that Marik was now in a full body cast of the same material as a Hollow mask. Ichigo walked up to the statue and placed his hand upon it, feeling out the Reishi. "Well, guess all that's left is to let you stabilize as a new Arrancar." He said, leaving the soon to be evolved Hollow to undergo his change... after setting up a couple of scanners and a camera. Hey, he needed data.
(Illustrated Guide to Assassination)
Leone's failed seduction
"So, is there anything special you can share with us?" Leone asked, hugging the Soul Reaper from behind and purposefully rubbing her chest against him. 'Boss said that the higher ups wanted us to either recruit or kill him, but getting information should be enough. He does seem like he can go wherever he wants and has made a few trips to the palace if certain intel can be believed.' She thought as she continued to rub her assets against him.... and getting no reaction. "I mean, any information that can help us spare that young emperor you're so keen on having us let live. Right?" She said, moving in front and bending over to show off her cleavage.
"I'll let his actions speak for him Leone." Ichigo said, not even looking up from his book and the various Danger Beasts in the world. "Also, I've seen bigger and better." He told her, and Leone felt her confidence shatter.
Tatsumi's Love Life Begins
"Wha the hell doesh he mean 'bigger an better'!?" Leone yelled out, clearly drunk and rambling to the others about her failure with Ichigo. "Aren't I shexy?!"
"Well, we don't know who he spends time with." Bulat reasoned while Leone chugged another pint. "It's entirely possible he's met with a love goddess or even has beautiful women sacrifices he took as his brides. Who are we to question god like beings?"
"Are you shaying I'm not good enough to be his bitch!?" Leone demanded from her teammate. "Yoush gay anyway, sho what do you know!?"
"Well I still think you're sexy Leone!" Lubbock declared without shame.
"Yeah, whatever... pervert." The lion girl immediately dismissed.
"Well... I still think you're beautiful big sis." Tatsumi admitted, looking embarrassed but happy to say it.
"Oh Tatshumi! You're sho *hic* shweet!" She cried, hugging the boy into her boobs.
"Why does he get a face full of that rack!?" Lubbock demanded.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone