Four times, this time it's six times! As Ichigo blocked and dodged Renji's attacks, he observed him, trying to find his opponent's true opening once again, but unfortunately, he gained nothing.
Due to blood loss, his body was becoming increasingly unresponsive. Every time he swung Zangetsu, a thought couldn't help but surface in his mind—*I really don't want to swing it again.*
"Where did your momentum from earlier go? You won't be able to save Rukia stumbling around like that!"
Ichigo held his blade horizontally across his chest to guard himself. Attacks he could have easily blocked before now forced him several steps back, only stopping when he crashed into a ruined wall behind him.
*So annoying!* He knew full well that he couldn't save Rukia in his current state. Let alone Rukia, Ishida was waiting for him on the other side. He absolutely had to finish off the guy in front of him!
"But you can't save Rukia either..."
*How could he possibly save her?* Renji thought. *No matter how much time and sweat I've poured in, I haven't been able to reach the level of those thirteen people. Let alone touch them, I can't even see their backs.*
Experience, technique, and even raw strength. Although 'Lieutenant' and 'Captain' were only separated by a single word, the gap in every aspect was something many people couldn't bridge in a lifetime.
*If it's like this for me, it goes double for this guy in front of me who only became a Shinigami by borrowing Rukia's power. Even if he possesses strength that surpasses mine, even if he can kill me, what difference would it make?*
*There are many who can kill him. The person from just now could do it effortlessly. But so what? Those people shine like stars; they will only dim on their own and won't feel sorrow over the deaths of one or two people.*
*To think I actually wanted this guy to go save Rukia just a moment ago?* Renji shook his head. *I'm truly ridiculous for harboring such a thought.*
"It ends here!" Renji raised Zabimaru high and slashed at Ichigo. Zabimaru extended segment by segment in the air, like a python baring its fangs, impatient to swallow Ichigo whole.
"You won't be able to save Rukia, because I'm going to kill you first..."
Ichigo kept his head down, seemingly completely oblivious to the approaching danger.
*Has he given up?* Renji sneered disdainfully. *This is how it usually goes. Ideals shouted at the top of one's lungs always shatter at the slightest touch. It's always been this way.*
However, he failed to notice that Ichigo's heavy panting had quieted down significantly.
*"Is that kind of technique something you can just use easily? You're actually trying to kill me over this!"*
*"But you must train to this level. Are you going to rely on mere coincidence when you face a Lieutenant-class opponent or higher?"*
*You were right, Urahara.* Ichigo suddenly swung his blade, striking the incoming Zabimaru. It wasn't a block, but an attack aimed at an opponent that had to be defeated! He truly couldn't pin all his hopes of success on coincidence and his enemy's openings.
*What was that just now?* Renji stared at Ichigo, who was charging toward him with his sword gripped in both hands. That previous strike was the fastest and most powerful one his opponent had delivered yet; it had even severed a segment of Zabimaru.
Although he had lost to Ichigo in the World of the Living, his power had been restricted back then. His strength was only a fifth of what it was now.
*Are you telling me that in less than half a month, this guy has become five times stronger than before? Impossible!*
*Bang!* Ichigo still didn't raise his head, slashing at Zabimaru as it coiled back toward him. He didn't need to look up to know his blade would connect, because at this moment, his resolve was absolute!
*"When you dodge, you're afraid of getting cut. When you attack, you're afraid of cutting someone. Even when you protect someone, you're afraid of dying. I only see fear in your sword, Ichigo."*
*You hit the nail on the head again, Urahara. This feeling really is hard to avoid. Even if I shout about finishing him off quickly, I still can't control my heart. I can't get hurt. I can't take any more damage! Otherwise, I won't be able to help Ishida, who's drawing attention away for me, and I definitely won't be able to save Rukia, who might die an innocent death because of me.*
*I call it tension, but I'm just scared, aren't I?*
*However...*
Ichigo finally closed the distance to Renji. The blood flowing over his eyes painted his vision in a harrowing crimson, making the man standing opposite him look even more hideous.
*However, Urahara, you once said: when dodging, think 'I won't let you cut me.' When protecting someone, think 'I won't let you die'...*
*I completely agree with the first two. But that last one—'When cutting someone, cut them with everything you have!'—honestly, I never really liked it!*
The massive Zanpakutō pointed straight at the sky. Ichigo had the confidence that as long as he brought this blade down, Abarai Renji would be cleaved in two, never to stand in his way again.
At the same time, he was also confident he could incapacitate his opponent with a single strike. He could cut him—as many times as he wanted—until the man fell and temporarily stopped getting in his way.
*That look in his eyes... it's so familiar.* Renji stared at Ichigo's bloodstained face. *It's so ugly. Almost as ugly as I was back then.*
Back then, he was still in the 78th District of South Rukongai, surviving day by day by snatching resources from a group of thugs, living the life of a stray dog.
Rukia had been there too. When they stole from adults who looked far more vicious than them, they wore the exact same expression and had the exact same look in their eyes as Ichigo did right now.
*Never giving up. Even when we were nearly beaten to death several times, we just kept going with our dirt-streaked faces. Kept living. Wagging your tail and begging for mercy was useless there. Aside from those silently waiting for death who wouldn't hurt us, the rest never possessed an emotion like pity.*
It was a life Renji never wanted to recall, one he loathed to his very core. But looking at it from another angle, maybe it wasn't so bad?
*How similar is this sword-wielding Ichigo to us when we reached out to steal back then? Foolish, reckless, yet valuing life above all else?*
*And so relentlessly forward-moving. It turns out we didn't look too bad back then. The fangs of a starving stray dog are actually this sharp...*
Blood bloomed before his eyes, yet Ichigo felt the world had become much clearer.
*I understand now, Urahara.*
A crimson fountain erupted in Renji's world. His chest hurt like hell, yet in this moment, he somewhat enjoyed the sensation. *I've finally come alive.*
*I've constantly been breaking past my physical limits, but my heart has been stagnant ever since I entered the Seireitei. It's not even as strong as it was in the Rukongai. Back then, I still had the courage to bare my fangs. Now, my teeth are sharper, but I don't even have the drive to open my mouth...*
*I was always afraid to swing with all my might before because I was terrified of killing someone. But even if I swing with everything I have, that frantically beating heart of slaughter can still be laid to rest.*
Ichigo panted heavily. Just a moment ago, he truly wanted to kill Renji. *However, since he's someone Rukia knows, I'll leave him for Rukia to deal with.*
*So, Urahara, you were right after all. When cutting someone, cut them with everything you have. It's just...*
*I see it now, Teacher Chōzuka.* Renji thought. *This level of power is indeed something I was originally capable of. No wonder you always disliked me. A student who constantly regresses really is rotten to the core, isn't he?*
Renji gripped Zabimaru, which had been broken down to a single segment, trying his best to keep his body from collapsing. It was just...
"Could you make it a bit simpler and clearer next time!"