Chapter 37: The Confrontation

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Clash

With a thunderous boom, Jidanbo was sent flying, and the axe in his hands shattered into pieces.

“How is that possible...? One strike... Just one strike, and he not only sent Jidanbo flying, he destroyed his axe too...” Uryu Ishida stared in disbelief.

“Th-That’s incredible...” Rukia said, staring at the ground Jidanbo had smashed into after being blown away by Ichigo’s burst of spiritual pressure.

This boy’s growth is far too fast... With spiritual pressure like that, he has already surpassed a lieutenant and is approaching captain level... Is he some kind of monster? Yoruichi marveled inwardly as she watched the orange-haired boy before her.

With another boom, Jidanbo sprang upright from the ground with a nimble kip-up. Who would have thought that someone with a body weighing over a ton could move like that? Incredible...

He rubbed the back of his head and gave an awkward laugh. “That was close! Very close! I was careless just now and ended up flat on my back!”

Ichigo stared at the idiot before him with a deeply troubled expression.

“Eh? What’s with that look? You look as if you think you sent me flying! Heh heh! What are you talking about...? How could I possibly have been sent flying by you? Honestly, people from the countryside are such a nuisance...”

Jidanbo raised the broken shaft remaining in his hand. “Just you wait. I’ll use my axe right now... My ax... Axe...”

Watching Jidanbo freeze as though he had turned to stone, Ichigo called out, “Hey! Say something!”

“...”

Tears began gathering in the corners of Jidanbo’s eyes.

“My... axe... Waaaah!”

Before Ichigo’s eyes, Jidanbo bent forward in a pose of utter despair and began pounding the ground with his fists. Each blow made Ichigo bounce up and down.

“Waaaah!”

Huge tears, each one large enough to fill half a wineglass, dripped continuously from Jidanbo’s eyes as he wailed, “It’s broken! It’s broken! My axe is broken! Waaaah!”

Ichigo’s expression slowly shifted from confusion to pure exasperation.

“He’s crying again...” Uryu said with a pained expression.

“His crying sounds like a siren...” Orihime remarked.

“Um... How should I put this...? I’m really sorry! I shouldn’t have broken your axe... I really shouldn’t have broken it! Please, stop crying...”

Ichigo comforted Jidanbo with a helpless, conflicted expression, though inwardly he felt as if he were consoling a child.

“You... You’re such a good person!”

Jidanbo’s sudden declaration left Ichigo stunned. Then Jidanbo seized him by both shoulders. His hands were enormous; with only a little force, Ichigo could probably have been finished on the spot.

“We’re enemies, yet you’re worried about me, the loser you defeated... How noble! You truly are a broad-minded man!”

“N-No, that’s not it...”

Behind Ichigo, the scenery had somehow transformed into Victoria Falls. He was so embarrassed he could hardly endure it.

Why am I being given a good-person award?

“I just saw you crying so sadly right in front of me, so I thought I should comfort you.”

Jidanbo suddenly stood up, completely ignoring what Ichigo had said.

“Instead, what am I doing? Shedding tears just because my axe was destroyed... It’s disgraceful for a man!”

No, being a man isn’t merely disgraceful in your case. You’ve already lost your dignity entirely. Look at your face: your eyes take up a third of it, your mouth occupies half, and your nose gets the remaining sixth. There are far too many things wrong here!

Jidanbo lowered his head and said to Ichigo, “I’ve lost... I’ve lost completely!”

“Huh?”

Ichigo was utterly bewildered. He had no idea what this fellow was doing.

Ignoring Ichigo once again, Jidanbo raised both hands toward the sky and shouted, “I’ve lost completely! Whether as a warrior or as a man, I’ve lost to you in every way! I’ve guarded the White Way Gate for three hundred years, and I’ve never lost until now. You’re the first person ever to defeat me...”

After wiping away his tears, Jidanbo rose to his feet.

“Go on in! I, Jidanbo, grant you permission to pass through the White Way Gate!”

“Hmm? Oh!”

Ichigo was momentarily stunned, then answered with a smile.

...

“Are you really going to let us through?” Uryu asked again, just to make sure.

“Of course. Since I’ve already lost to your leader, I no longer have the right to stop you...”

“What?!”

Uryu pointed at Ichigo and shouted, “You said Kurosaki is our leader? Don’t be ridiculous!”

A huge bead of sweat appeared on Ichigo’s forehead.

“Why are you getting so worked up?”

“You’re Kurosaki, right?” Jidanbo asked, looking at Ichigo.

“Yeah. My name is Ichigo Kurosaki!”

“Ichigo, is it? What a cute name!”

“!”

A giant vein bulged on Ichigo’s forehead. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, “Shut up! The ‘Ichi’ means number one, and the ‘go’ means guardian! What’s cute about it?”

“...You’d better be careful, Ichigo,” Jidanbo warned. “I don’t know why you want to pass through this gate, but the people inside are all incredibly powerful!”

“I know that.”

Ichigo spoke with complete confidence.

“Is that so? Well, that’s good, then.”

Jidanbo turned around. “In that case, I’ll open the gate now and let you through.”

“Oh!” everyone exclaimed.

Jidanbo thrust his hands beneath the gate.

“Don’t be frightened. Just walk through in one go.”

He slowly began lifting the White Way Gate. The grimace twisting his face made it obvious that he was using every ounce of strength he possessed.

At last, Jidanbo hoisted the enormous gate onto his shoulders and forced it upward. The group approached the opening.

But the instant the gate opened and they saw the world beyond it, everyone’s expressions stiffened. The man standing on the other side had frozen them in place.

“Third Division Captain... G-Gin Ichimaru...”

Jidanbo swallowed with difficulty as he stared at the man before him, who wore a white captain’s haori, had tousled silver hair, and smiled like a fox.

“Oh dear, oh dear. That simply won’t do,” Gin Ichimaru said, his foxlike smile never fading.

Then—

Clang!

The ring of steel rang out. The point of impact was Jidanbo’s left arm.

“You bastard! What kind of sneak attack was that?”

The one who had blocked the strike aimed at Jidanbo was Ichigo. The memories he had received contained information on the captains of the various divisions, allowing him to recognize Gin immediately.

“Oh my, you actually blocked it. That won’t do at all. How can a guard open the gate on his own initiative?” Gin said, his expression unchanged.

“I lost!” Jidanbo protested. “Isn’t it only natural for a defeated guard to open the gate?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? The more you say, the worse it gets.”

Gin took several steps forward. “Even if you lose, you still can’t open the gate.”

His smile remained in place, but a cold glint appeared in his narrowed eyes.

“As a gatekeeper, you absolutely must not open the gate, even if you are defeated. If the guard loses, that means... he must die.”

“Shoot him, Shinsō!”

With that brief release command, Gin drew his Zanpakuto and aimed it at Jidanbo. A silver streak shot straight toward Jidanbo’s head at incredible speed.

If it struck, only one fate awaited him.

Clang!

Just as Jidanbo thought he was about to die, a black figure intercepted the silver flash.

Yet the immense force concentrated at a single point still sent Ichigo skidding backward several meters, carving two deep furrows into the ground. He was nearly driven back outside the gate.

Then, with an angry roar, Ichigo’s spiritual pressure surged once more. Dragging Zangetsu along the ground, he forced the silver blade aside.

“Damn it! Get lost!”

Boom!

Shinsō plunged downward, its long blade smashing into the ground beside Ichigo’s feet and leaving a deep crater.

Gin narrowed his eyes slightly and recalled the blade.

“What an ill-mannered child. Don’t you understand the meaning of a fair one-on-one duel?”

The two men stood firm and stared at each other.

“What the hell are you trying to do?” Ichigo shouted.

That is exactly what I wanted to ask you! Yoruichi thought, utterly speechless.

“You! Don’t suddenly leap out from behind someone and try to punish them without warning! You’ve got terrible manners!”

Ichigo raised his enormous cleaver toward Gin.

“A man like you, who can casually try to kill someone standing there empty-handed... I’ll cut you down!”

Yoruichi felt as though her spirit were collapsing. For a moment, she thought she saw the shadow of Kenpachi Zaraki, captain of the Eleventh Division, behind Ichigo.

“Oh my, I’m being lectured,” Gin said without changing expression. “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Not even a little!”

Ichigo tossed his head to the side in disdain.

“Hey! Stop fooling around, Ichigo! We’re leaving for now.”

Yoruichi’s voice came from behind him.

After all, they were facing a captain-level opponent head-on, while she herself was useless with a sword. If Gin released his Bankai, there was no chance of settling the battle quickly.

Ichigo Kurosaki, Gin thought as he studied the boy before him. So that’s how it is. This fellow...

“You’re Kurosaki Ichigo, aren’t you?” Gin asked, probing him.

“Hm? You know me?”

The idiot admitted it immediately.

“In that case, shoot him, Shinsō!”

The tremendous spiritual pressure stirred up a gale no weaker than a level-six windstorm. Ichigo hurriedly raised his sword to block the approaching silver flash, but this time he felt his body grow light, then heavy, then light again.

The impact of the blade sent him flying without the slightest pause.

What happened? That attack was stronger than the last one...

Boom!

The White Way Gate collapsed after Ichigo crashed into Jidanbo, sending both of them flying away.

“Bye-bye!”

Gin cheerfully waved to the group.

Then the gate slammed shut.