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10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven

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Ichigo left the warehouse around midnight. He was not particularly exhausted, but he needed the break regardless. The majority of his days were spent wielding swords and swinging them. No matter how much he loved every second of it, he also felt bored.

Upon reaching home, he found Nova working on his homework and assignments that the teachers hadn't assigned yet. Phasing through his window, he greeted the Mod Soul who was slightly alarmed by his presence.

"Good evening, Ichigo-san."

"Good evening, Nova. Thank you for your work."

"No problem." Ichigo looked around, prompting Nova to continue, "Unohana-san was summoned by Soul Society this afternoon."

"As expected, they have already heard of the Arrancar's appearance," Ichigo said to himself.

"Those presences… they were terrifying," Nova remarked uncomfortably. "And somehow, I can sense it from you, Ichigo-san." Ichigo's eyes landed on Nova, causing him to squirm. "I am sorry."

"I hope I don't make you feel uncomfortable."

"No, it is all right. It's Ichigo-san, after all."

Smiling appreciatively, Ichigo entered his body, kicking the mod soul out of it. Putting the Mod Soul in his candy box, Ichigo kept the box in his pocket. Unceremoniously, he fell to the bad and dived into his Inner World. As usual, Zangetsu greeted him in their unique way. The Quincy Zangetsu nodded at him and the Hollow Zangetsu grinned mockingly.

"I will be training with the Old Man tonight," Ichigo said sternly. "I have had enough of blades."

"Aren't you bored by the theory yapping, King? I am sure as hell I wouldn't last a minute listening to that," Hollow Zangetsu commented.

"Fortunately, I am not you. Now, shush. I need to improve my control over my Reiatsu."

Hollow Zangetsu was not happy but didn't do more than grumble. After all, he had had his fun when Ichigo trained using his power the entire day, so it was only fair to give the Old Man a chance to enjoy the thrill of fighting with their wielder. Of course, he still couldn't help noting how redundant the Old Man's training was. He focused too much on finesse.

Time passed quickly and morning came. Ichigo woke up feeling refreshed. Despite, technically, not having any sleep, he felt like someone who had a good sleep. It was a curious feeling. His mind was active 24/7 for the last week, but he always felt rested. He didn't even feel any mental fatigue.

'Connected as they are, mind and soul are two separate things, I guess,' he mused.

Getting out of bed, he went to clean himself in the bathroom. Returning to his bedroom to dress up, he then cooked breakfast. Yuzu woke up not long after, joining him after she cleaned herself. She asked him about when Retsu would return, indicating that Retsu was planning to return since she didn't erase her memory.

Karin joined them when the breakfast was ready. They enjoyed their breakfast with a small chat. Yuzu and Karin washed the dishes after breakfast meanwhile Ichigo was packing their lunch. They left the house when everything was ready. Ichigo offered to take them to school. The sisters didn't even bother to decline as they knew Ichigo wouldn't take no for an answer.

A taxi ride later, they arrived at the twin's school. Ichigo's appearance garnered the attention of the parents, but their attention didn't linger on him too long. Checking out a high schooler was an offense, after all. Of course, some of the bolder ones didn't care about it. After he made sure that the twins entered the school safely, Ichigo took another taxi and left for his school.

'Each one of my actions has caused deviations. I can't identify each of these deviations, but I am trying my best to be prepared for the worst. Kisuke has been joking about my being paranoid, but I need to be. Aizen can suddenly appear and kidnap my sisters. it's not a smart move, but the possibility exists.'

By the time he finished his thought, he had already arrived at school. He paid the driver and then got out of the taxi. Many eyes turned to him, but he ignored them as usual. Orihime and the others joined him in the hallway. He noted that he couldn't feel Uryū's Reiatsu. His suspicion was confirmed when he couldn't see his cousin in the classroom.

Deciding to check on Uryū after school, he immersed himself in the school activity, which was redundant. Luckily, time passed in a flash. As soon as the bell rang, he left for the Ishida household. With the usage of Hirenkyaku, he arrived at his destination in two minutes.

Ding-dong.

He waited for a few seconds before an unamused Ryūken opened the door. They stared at each other silently until Ryūken sighed.

"What do you want, Ichigo?"

"Is Uryū alive?"

"Of course, he is," Ryūken answered sharply. "Do you think I would leave his powerless self unsupervised?"

"My father would do that," Ichigo said with a light smile.

"Don't lump me together with Isshin."

"Anyway—"

"No."

"Teach me how to use Heilig Bogen."

Ryūken stared at Ichigo coldly. He had told Ichigo that helping him activate his Blut Vene would be the last time would help Ichigo with Quincy-related matters. Ichigo remembered that but didn't care. Quincy Zangetsu told him he needed a medium to manifest his Quincy power until he could do it without any. In other words, he needed a Quincy Cross.

"You are not going to go away, are you?" Ryūken asked flatly.

"I can break into your house," Ichigo replied calmly.

"Kurosaki and their stubbornness," Ryūken mumbled. "Follow me."

Ryūken was a man of action. Much to Ichigo's glee, Ryūken immediately took him to the Study Chamber under the Karakura Hospital. He briefly entertained the idea of building one for himself, given that he had entered three different Study Chambers on Earth. Eventually, he decided it would be a waste of effort since he could borrow the already existing Study Chambers.

"Ichigo? What are you doing here?" Uryū exclaimed when he spotted Ichigo walking beside his father. "Ryūken, why would you bring him here?"

"Watch your tone, boy. That's not how you speak to your father," Ichigo chastised with a frown.

"What?" Uryū gaped. "You have no right to teach me about respect!"

"My father and yours are different."

"What are you even talking about!?"

Deciding that arguing with his cousin was futile, Uryū turned to his father. To his surprise, Ryūken took a Quincy Cross out of his pocket and gave it to Ichigo. He wanted to ask why Ryūken even did it but stopped himself when Ryūken said the Cross used to belong to Ichigo's mother. He was not an expert at emotion, but he could tell the shift in Ichigo's mood.

"Give it a try," Ryūken encouraged.

Uryū watched in anticipation as Ichigo grasped the Cross. Nothing happened for a while, making him think that Ichigo couldn't channel Reishi into the Cross. It was normal, so he wasn't surprised. He was about to throw some tips when a Heilig Bogen manifested. It looked like a Japanese traditional bow.

"Do you know how to use it?" Ryūken asked.

"I do. I have been practicing," Ichigo answered softly, surprising Ryūken and Uryū.

Ichigo pulled the ethereal string, manifesting a Heilig Pfeil as he did so. Turning to the left, he aimed at the target that was on the other side of the vast Study Chamber.

"Wait, I am in the way, stupid!"

Uryū's panicked exclamation went ignored.

Swish!

His heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach as the Heilig Pfeil passed by him. The amount of power that he could feel the arrow contained was enough to make him shiver. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he had been hit. An explosion caused him to turn around. Much to his astonishment and annoyance, Ichigo hit the target squarely.

Recovering from his astonishment, Uryū faced Ichigo and shouted, "Ichigo, I am going to beat you for what you did!"

"Relax, Uryū. You know I will never hurt you," Ichigo said assuringly.

"How am I supposed to know!?"

Ichigo was about to counter Uryū when Ryūken nodded his head and said, "I guess it could work."

"What is it?" Uryū asked in distaste.

"Ichigo, you may help me make Uryū regain his power."

"Hoh? What should I do?"

In response to the question, Ryūken manifested his Heilig Bogen. Pulling on the string, he released five Heilig Pfeil at Uryū.

"Exhaust him of his Reiryoku."

"What if I accidentally hit him?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"I trust that you won't do that accidentally."

"Wait, he is going to purposely hit me now, Ryūken!" Uryū roared indignantly.

"Do your best to survive, son."

Uryū blanched as Ichigo cackled softly. He already hated his father for driving him into his current state, but he realized that he preferred his father to Ichigo. The first Heilig Pfeil that landed right beside his foot reaffirmed his belief. It cut him even though it didn't touch him.

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Honorary Mention:

Venerable Immortal Adan Smith

Venerable Immortal Andne

Venerable Immortal B0mbaCl0ckBob

Venerable Immortal Colorblind

Venerable Immortal Haider Alkefaji

Venerable Immortal Jack Wright

Venerable Immortal Rollo

Venerable Immortal Star Dragon Bahamut

Venerable Immortal TOKA?

Venerable Immortal Wilfrid Calixte Killian