21 Devils.

Before exiting Kyoto's barrier, Serafall separated from him and went off on her own. He thought that she was most likely buying some souvenir for her sister. 'Maybe I should buy something for Rias and Millicas as well. Rias would most definitely like it.' As he was thinking about his sheltered son, Serafall showed up with bags. He was right then. Before he could ask what she had bought, she spoke up, with a bit too much enthusiasm.

"Sizzy-chan, what did you think of the young man with Yasaka and the goddess?" She asked, while her eyes shined.

"I don't know. A man-servant, an assistant, a guard. He certainly had the power to be a head guard. Why are you asking." He answered with slight trepidation. Whenever she got all twinkly eyed, it meant she had found something interesting. The bad thing about that was, she wouldn't stop until she found everything about what had interested her. It had happened only twice before and the results were 'amazing' to say the least.

The first thing she found interesting was Ice Magic when they were still young. She had studied it with such devotion and dedication that by the time the civil war started, she could freeze the water inside a person's blood without touching them, from a distance. She had never told anyone what her limit was and no one dared to find out.

The second thing she found interesting was, or were, Magical Girls. Just thinking about her obsession with them caused his eyes to twitch. She had started her own Magical Girl show in the underworld, which was extremely successful, probably because she wore such skimpy outfits. Even today, he had to force her to wear proper clothes and not one of her 'uniforms'.

This was the third time she found something interesting. He really didn't want to ask what it was but, he had to. He had to ask her what she found interesting, so he could call Ajuka and prepare for the worst case scenario. While he was thinking of the worst case scenario, she answered his question.

"Didn't you see how the goddess was looking at him! She is definitely in love. I want to know how he was able to charm a goddess. Could he teach me so I can apply it on So-tan."

"How do you know that he wasn't just an attendant?" He asked her, sighing to himself. She had most likely asked around for that information already.

"I asked around and very few here even know him. Those who knew said that he arrived here a month or so ago and was escorted to the Manor by an whole squad of seal masters. He had left the manor rarely and whenever he left, he was always with the young princess. I found some of the manor guards and they told me that he has been living in the manor since he arrived. Few of them said that he is a human who can use chakra and Senjutsu, that is why he is being kept under strict lock-down. Others are saying that he is the illegitimate child of one of the gods. And the permits! The permits Inari asked for were not for herself. I'm pretty sure that she asked those permits for him." She kept talking about different rumors she had heard, but he wasn't paying attention. He interrupted her with a sigh when they teleported to the underworld.

"Why do you even care Sera. Even if he is a one of a kind human that can use chakra and senjutsu. He isn't the only special human we have met, yet you have never paid them any attention. Why him and why now?" He was serious when he asked her that. If he really was a son of some god and they did something to him, they would thrown out of Japan. While they could cover the loses easily in just a few years, their sisters would be very upset with them, especially Rias. She loved Japan and everything related to it. He didn't want that, so he had to stop, or at least slow her down.

"That's exactly what I'm saying Sirzechs! There is something about him that attracted my attention. I want to know what that is. It's similar to what I felt when I first used ice magic or when I first saw a magical girl show. They both led to great things. I want to know if this will lead to something amazing as well." By the end, she was whispering.

He sighed. He knew she was the loneliest maou between the four of them. He had Grayfia, Millicas and his peerage, Ajuka had his own research and his team of researchers. Falbium, well Falbium had his bed. He was happy to just sleep away his life. He was also hoping that she would find someone. She created her peerage because her work was getting overwhelming and she needed help from people she could trust wouldn't betray her. So, her relation with her peerage was more boss and trusted employees than family. She had Sona, but Sona was far more independent than his own sister. Yes they loved each other but they both had their own things to do.

"So, what's the plan?" Sirzechs asked her. If she really wanted to do this, he would help her in any way he could. He was sure Ajuka would as well.

"Well, they got access to the familiar forest and I'm pretty sure that Ichigo will be there. I will make my first appearance and introduce myself, then I will give him a tour of the forest and tell him about the different familiars found in the forest. I will make him fall for me with my charms and then we will go on dates and I will ask him to tell me about himself and..." Sirzechs quickly cut her off before she went any further.

"Woah woah, Sera, weren't you only going to find more information on him. How did that lead to dating?"

"Oh hush you. I'm the expert here not you. I know what I'm doing and let me tell you right now that it will work!" She proclaimed.

"Do what you want. Just don't do anything that will make Sona unhappy." Because anything that will upset Sona, will upset Rias.

"You know I wouldn't." She replied with a pout.

"I know, but you have a history of getting carried away." He replied with another sigh.

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Ichigo asked Inari about the permits. She told him that even if he could go in a devils territory, the permits would make sure that they will leave them alone. She as a goddess needed that permit to enter the territory of a devil without causing panic or creating misunderstandings.

"Thank you Inari, but are you sure that you want to come with me?" Ichigo asked her once again.

"Of course I'm sure Ichigo." She answered with a pout. She had been showing a lot more expression around him and getting more open and playful with him.

"Tell me Ichigo, how were you even going to leave Japan without knowing how to teleport or without using planes? You don't exactly have money do you?" She said him with a teasing smile.

"I can break the sound barrier when I run Inari. It wouldn't take me long to travel from here to there." He replied dryly.

He liked her. She knew what he had gone through and tried to help him with it. Whenever he was feeling a bit depressed or lost in his thoughts, she would show up and start talking about this and that. It would help him forget his depressing thoughts, so he was thankful to her for that as well. But he always felt like he was missing something whenever she was around him.

"That doesn't mean you can just run around everywhere." She said with a huff.

"That also doesn't mean that I can waste another's money." Ichigo replied.

"Fine then. We won't use planes but I can just teleport both of us to our destination." She did looking at him with a mock glare.

"Ok, ok. 'We' will teleport to our destinations." He said with his hands in the air.

"Good. Where do you want to go first?" She asked him with a happy smile.

"I want to go to Mexico first." Ichigo replied with a faint smile.

"Why Mexico? The Aztec Pantheon is mostly dead with only the Feathered Serpent still alive from what I know." She curiously asked.

"One of my best friends was half Mexican. He was extremely proud of his descent. I want to see why he loved it so much." Ichigo replied, thinking of Chad.

"The gentle giant you told me about?" She asked back. He had told her a bit about his friends and family.

"Yes. He stuck with me till the end, even though he didn't have to. He told me that his grandfather, someone he called a full blooded Mexican, taught him that." Ichigo replied fondly.

"Then, we will be going to Mexico." She replied with a fist pump.

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The next month went by without too much hassle. He had asked for a large, isolated place where he could let out all his powers without affecting people. He was led to an artificial dimension by Inari as she said that she wanted to know the full extent of his powers as well.

He asked for the release command of his resurreccion from Zangetsu and it turned out to be as simple as it was arrogant. His release command was.

"Pierce the Heavens, Zangetsu!"

The moment he said those words, Zangetsu fused with his right had, the same way it had been when fighting Aizen. He gained another horn. Now he had a pair of horns. His body was still covered by a rolling mass of darkness that was his chakra. The surrounding air was heavy and the smell of decay started to spread. His eyes that had remained golden in his previous forms had turned red. His screla turned black. His death affinity and the decaying effect of his chakra finally started to show themselves.

Inari was standing much further away than she wanted to because Ichigo had told her. She could feel the power emanating from Ichigo as it spread death and decay all around him. That should be the opposite effect a Sage caused on the environment. Ichigo was a Sage yet he was somehow able to do that. This seemed to be the first time he had accessed this power as well because he appeared to be just as surprised. He turned to her with his now sinister looking red eyes and asked.

"How do you feel?" The double layered affect on his voice had increased. Now it seemed like two people were talking at the same time.

She answered him, coming out of her trance when he turned to her.

"It's a lot stronger than I thought. You definitely outclass an ultimate class being." She replied with surprise. Amaterasu had told her that he had the 'potential' to be a god level being. But it seemed that he had already reached that level. Could he grow even stronger than this? That was scary thought.

"How do you feel?" She asked him back.

"Feels good. For some reason I feel an even deeper connection with the plants in this form." He said as he closed his eyes. The dead vegetation around him quickly started to gain life and grew even more vibrant than before. He released a deep breath and flowers started to bloom and spread their fragrance.

She was once again awestruck at seeing the dancing plants around him. It seemed as if a god of nature had decided to bless this land. It was beautiful. It was also extremely confusing. He had first killed all the plants around him and in the next moment made new flowers bloom. As he kept taking deep breaths, every inhale dried the grass, killing it and every exhale revitalized it. He was doing contradictory things near simultaneously.

"Ichigo, do you know what is happening in your body?" She asked, scared that the two opposite forces might be hurting him.

"According to Zangetsu, my body and spirit are opposite forces and over the course of the previous month, have created a perfect balance between themselves." Ichigo replied after a few minutes.

From what he understood, his Hollow and Shinigami side, beings that came into existence after death, had combined to form his spirit. The death part. On the other hand, his Quency and Human side, both living beings, had combined to form his body. The living part. His body was then further enhanced by Sage Chakra, a source of life, thus creating a perfect balance of life and death, since his Shinigami and Hollow sides had always been stronger than his Quency and Human.

In this state, all of his different heritages had finally combined perfectly to create a new species. A species that thrived in both, life and death.