Slime Soul (Tensura x Bleach Crossover) (Patreon)

Chapter 14: Point of No Return

Seeing Ichigo standing there in silence, radiating mounting aggression, I readied myself to confront him and force him back to normal.

Carefully stepping toward him, I addressed the still-shocked Orihime and Uryu behind him, both of whom looked unable to fully process what they were witnessing.

“Inoue! Uryu!” I called sharply, snapping their attention to me. “Step away from Ichigo, now!”

Confused by my sudden urgency, they hesitated for just a moment.

That was all it took.

Ichigo—no, Zangetsu, who was clearly in control now, reacted.

With a flick of telekinesis, his fallen Zanpakutō snapped back into his grasp. He swung it casually to the side, and the sheer force of the motion detonated the air, sending a shockwave ripping across the rooftop.

The blast hurled Orihime backward, forcing Uryu to appear behind her with Hirenkyaku and catch her mid-fall before finally retreating as instructed.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Tsk.” I clicked my tongue. “I’m only going to say this once, so I hope you’re listening in there somewhere, Ichigo.”

Lowering my blade to my side, I kept my eyes locked on him.

“There are no enemies left. Calm the fuck down and come back to your senses.”

No response.

He just stared at me, silent, predatory.

“If you keep this up,” I continued evenly, “what awaits you is the ass-kicking of a lifetime. I don’t want to do that in front of your friends, but I will do it if I have to.”

I raised an eyebrow. “So? What’s it gonna be?”

Ichigo answered by throwing his head back and roaring.

Crimson spiritual pressure exploded outward in violent waves, whipping the air into a howling storm atop Las Noches. The force alone made Orihime throw up a shield instinctively, Uryu bracing behind her.

“Kurosaki! Come back to your senses!” Uryu shouted desperately.

“Kurosaki-kun, please!” Orihime pleaded. “The enemy is already defeated!”

Their voices didn’t reach him.

Ichigo lowered his head slowly, horns angling toward me as a red Cero rapidly formed at his mouth.

“So be it,” I said quietly, raising my hand in preparation to devour the incoming blast.

With the familiar vroom of energy being displaced, Ichigo released a huge red Cero, only for it to be devoured instantly.

“Energy attacks are all but useless against me,” I muttered flatly.

Ichigo vanished and reappeared in front of me with Sonído, swinging wildly. I raised my sword and blocked the strike with ease.

He kept coming.

His attacks were feral, erratic, driven purely by instinct. No rhythm. No structure. Just raw aggression. I parried every blow effortlessly, Thought Acceleration speeding my mind hundreds of times faster than normal.

“I’ve gotta say,” I remarked calmly, “you’re coming on way too aggressively. Back off.”

Using my free hand, I drove a punch straight into his stomach.

The impact sent him crashing through the nearest tower.

“Kurosaki-kun! P-Please be a little more gentle with him, Aurelius-san!” Orihime cried out anxiously, still shielding herself and Uryu.

“There’s nothing to worry about, Inoue-san,” I called back, raising my blade just in time to block Ichigo again as he reappeared, completely uninjured, proving my point. “That was just a love tap. It’ll take much more than that to seriously hurt him.”

For the next several minutes, I did nothing but dodge and parry, using the fight as an opportunity to study him. His style, if it could even be called that, was wild and chaotic, inefficient and sloppy. Nevertheless, I had Raphael study him to see if we could learn anything from him.

When brute force failed, he started hurling chunks of debris at me. It didn’t help. My Magic Sense tracked him constantly; there was nowhere he could move that I didn’t already know about.

No matter what he tried—strength, swordsmanship, or energy attacks—I countered it all with ease. At this level of power, Ichigo simply wasn’t a challenge for me. Especially not after Raphael had fully analyzed him.

Throughout it all, Orihime and Uryu kept calling out to him, desperately trying to reach whatever was left inside.

Nothing worked.

Finally, Raphael spoke. “Analysis of fighting style complete, Master.”

That was my cue.

“Alright,” I said calmly, disengaging from our latest clash. “This has gone on long enough.”

Before he could react, I stepped in and sliced clean through one of his horns.

Ichigo froze.

The Hollow mask began to crack—slowly at first, then rapidly—until it shattered completely, revealing his pale face beneath.

He dropped to his knees as the Hollow power drained from him, leaving his body weakened once more, the hole in his chest visible again.

Then, suddenly, the remnants of that power condensed around the wound, sealing it shut.

Ichigo gasped sharply, eyes snapping open as he threw his hands forward holding himself off the ground, drenched in sweat but alive.

“W-What happened?” Ichigo muttered in slight panic as he patted his chest where his injury had been, only to frown in confusion when he found nothing but unblemished skin. “Didn’t I have a hole in my chest?”

After checking himself over for a few seconds, he heard rapid footsteps and turned to see Orihime and Uryu running toward him. Orihime looked frantic, her eyes scanning his body for any sign of injury.

“Inoue, Ishida! Are you guys alright?” Ichigo asked quickly. “What happened to Ulquiorra?” He looked around, still not noticing my presence as he searched for the Cuatro Espada.

“Relax, Kurosaki,” Uryu said once they reached him, adjusting his glasses as his expression calmed. “The enemy has already been dealt with. Inoue and I are fine.”

“Are you alright, Kurosaki-kun?” Orihime asked, worry still clear in her eyes as they repeatedly drifted to where the hole in his chest had been.

“I-I’m fine,” Ichigo replied distractedly, clearly more focused on Uryu’s words. “Ulquiorra’s been defeated?” He looked skeptical. “Was it you, Ishida?”

Uryu stared at him silently for a moment before closing his eyes and shaking his head. “Haah. Of course not. You must still be out of it if you haven’t sensed Caius-san standing behind you.”

Blinking, Ichigo finally turned around, just in time to cough sharply as I drove a punch into his kidney.

“Kurosaki-kun!” Orihime cried out in alarm, though Uryu merely watched with what looked suspiciously like approval.

“W-What the hell was that for, asshole!?” Ichigo wheezed as he turned back toward me with a small scowl.

I looked at him deadpan. “I told you before, didn’t I? That if I had to step in and finish your fight, you were going to get it.” I shrugged slightly. “You’re lucky a kidney punch is all you got. I didn’t want your girlfriend to get mad at me.”

Right on cue, Ichigo’s glare evaporated into a deep blush. Orihime squeaked softly, eyes wide as she looked down at her lap.

“H-How many times do I have to tell you we’re not dating!?” Ichigo yelled, flustered.

“Well, if you’re reacting like that, then you’re clearly fine,” I said with a small sigh, finally relaxing now that every remaining Espada in Hueco Mundo had been dealt with.

Ichigo’s expression sobered. He sat down in the sand and looked up at me seriously. “Caius… what happened after I was hit in the chest? Be honest with me.”

I used sand manipulation to form a simple chair in front of him and sat down, ignoring the surprised looks that earned me and the looks that told me not to say anything.

“After Ulquiorra turned you into a donut,” I began bluntly, earning a wince from Orihime and Uryu and a scowl from Ichigo, “I had to step in to finish your battle. I’d felt your spiritual pressure dropping while I was dealing with Yammy and quickly made my way here right after I killed him. Seeing you lose, I confronted and finished off the Cuatro Espada before he could focus his attention on Inoue and Uryu.”

Ichigo nodded slowly though the serious look in his face never wavered. “And then?”

I sighed. “Then you turned into a Hollow. You wouldn’t listen to anyone and immediately started attacking me, so I stepped in again keeping your focus on me before returning you back to normal just moments ago.”

Ichigo flinched and glanced at Orihime and Uryu, guilt heavy on his face. After a moment, he bowed his head toward me.

“S-Sorry for the trouble I caused,” he muttered. “And… thanks for stopping me before I hurt anyone.”

The weight on his shoulders was almost tangible.

“I-It’s not your fault, Kurosaki-kun!” Orihime exclaimed frantically, shaking her head. “Please don’t blame yourself. You were just trying to protect me, so this is really my fault!”

She lowered her gaze, guilt written all over her face.

“Stop blaming yourselves,” I said firmly, my voice cutting through the moment and making all three of them look up. “This wasn’t anyone’s fault.”

I softened my tone just a little. “Instead, be glad you’re still alive, and use this as a learning opportunity to grow stronger so it doesn’t happen again.”

I turned to Ichigo, making sure I had his full attention. “There’s something I want to tell you, and I hope you really take it to heart.”

He blinked, then nodded. “What is it?”

“I’ve gotten to know you a bit through this whole mess, and I think I’ve got your personality figured out.” I smirked slightly. “Not that it was too hard, you’re basically an open book.”

He scowled faintly, earning a couple of quiet chuckles from Orihime and Uryu.

“But here’s the point,” I continued, my expression turning serious. “For people like us, whose power responds directly to emotion, doubt is poison.”

They all blinked.

“The moment you start doubting yourself is the moment you’ve already lost,” I said bluntly. “Your movements get sloppy. Your decisions slow down. Fear creeps in, and your enemies will immediately capitalize on it.”

I held Ichigo’s gaze. “I don’t know what the deal is between you and your Hollow. And honestly? It doesn’t matter.”

“All that matters is this: every time you step into a fight, you cannot doubt your ability to win.”

I crossed my arms. “Lie to yourself if you have to. Bluff. Fake it til you make it. Whatever it takes. But never let doubt take root.”

“Because once it does,” I finished quietly, “it’ll kill you faster than any enemy ever could.”

I let out a sigh as I finished speaking and wiped the serious expression from my face, adopting a more relaxed one.

“Alright, enough moping,” I said with a small shake of my head. “I hate to do this right after you survived a rough fight, but we don’t have time to sit around overthinking what happened.”

Standing up, I let the chair I’d formed from sand collapse in on itself and turned my attention to Orihime, who shrank back slightly under my gaze.

“Inoue-san, please begin healing Ichigo immediately,” I said firmly. “We’ll depart as soon as you’re finished. The battle isn’t over, far from it if you recall. At this very moment, Aizen is in Karakura Town along with the remaining Espada and those two Captains.”

That snapped everyone fully back into focus.

“R-Right,” Ichigo said, calmer now. He turned slightly toward Orihime. “Please heal me, Inoue… and thanks.”

I waved it off casually over my shoulder as I started walking away. “Save the gratitude. I’ll be waiting down below once you’re ready. I want to check on the others.”

Without waiting for a response, I vanished with Sonído, descending from the rooftop of Las Noches toward the location where I could already sense Nelliel and the others wrapping up their own battles.

“Out of the frying pan, into the fire,” I muttered to myself, my thoughts drifting toward what awaited us next, especially the inevitability of my clash with Aizen since I needed the Hogyoku for my future plans.

‘What do you think, Raphael? Will Aizen’s Zanpakutō be a problem for us?’ I asked my ever-present partner.

“Not at all, Master,” she replied calmly. “I will not allow anyone to interfere with your senses. And should any form of mind manipulation occur, I can command Beelzebuth to immediately devour the foreign influence.”

‘Good to know,’ I thought, still frowning slightly. ‘Even so, we’ll need to be cautious. I have no real idea what kind of strength the Hōgyoku will grant him. My fragmented memories don’t really tell me much.’

“All the more reason for Master to devour both Aizen and the Hōgyoku,” Raphael said brightly. “I believe Master can do it.”

I snorted softly in amusement. ‘Are you trying to cheer me up now? Thanks, Raphael~’

“You’re just imagining it.”

Chuckling at the immediate response, tinged with just a hint of embarrassment, I refocused as I neared the others.

=====

Minutes Later

It didn’t take long to regroup and reassure everyone that, miraculously, we were all still alive. Once that was settled, we made our way toward the remaining Captains.

I felt absolutely zero shame when I reverted back into my slime form and used both Nelliel and Rukia as living shields to keep the other Captains from bothering me. I did notice Byakuya and Kenpachi throwing me some particularly dirty looks, but I ignored them completely after introductions were done.

I especially ignored the looks coming from Mayuri Kurotsuchi as he began rambling about how, once the war was over, he planned to shove me into a test tube to “see how I ticked.”

I had to rely on the full power of my cuteness just to keep Nelliel from retaliating on my behalf.

I was never a fan of Mayuri, if I was being honest. That, and staying in slime form was also for my own benefit as well, so I wouldn’t just say “fuck it” and devour the lunatic, immediately putting myself on Soul Society’s permanent watchlist.

“Aurelius-san.”

Unohana’s voice drew my attention, and I turned toward her while still being held in Rukia’s arms, much to Nelliel’s visible displeasure, judging by the pout and glare she was directing at the much shorter Shinigami.

“What is it, Unohana-san?” I asked, my voice coming out noticeably cuter and squeakier in this form.

Rukia immediately squealed and hugged me tighter against her almost nonexistent chest.

Ignoring that entirely, Unohana continued calmly. “Are you certain you’ll be able to open a Garganta for us to return to the World of the Living?”

“That won’t be a problem at all,” I reassured her, forming the rough equivalent of a thumbs-up with my body. This only made Rukia and Nelliel gush even harder. “All I need is someone to share their memory of Karakura Town with me. After that, opening a portal there should be easy.”

“Oh? You sound oddly confident, my future test subject~” Mayuri chimed in with a fake smile. “Care to explain why you’d need access to someone’s mind to perform something so simple?”

I completely ignored the clown, focusing instead on Unohana, which visibly annoyed him.

“Once I know the exact destination, I can guide us there,” I said cheerfully.

Unohana nodded slowly, seemingly pleased, both by my confidence and by Mayuri being ignored. She did give me a brief, assessing look when I implied I’d be going along as well, which I also chose to ignore.

“Rukia-san, can I hold Caius now?” Nelliel suddenly interjected.

“You’ve held him most of the time already, Nelliel-san,” Rukia shot back immediately, turning away. “Let me have a bit more time with Mr. Slime.”

“No fair~” Nelliel whined.

Before that could escalate any further, I coughed lightly, using the tiny hand I’d formed, to get everyone’s attention.

“Looks like we won’t have to wait much longer,” I said. “I can sense Ichigo approaching now.”

Right on cue, Ichigo, Orihime, and Uryu landed nearby moments later.

Showtime.

I hopped out of Rukia’s arms, earning a disappointed sound from her, and shifted back into my human form.

The real battle was about to begin.

‘Let’s see how I stack up against one of the strongest beings in this world,’ I thought, a small, excited grin tugging at my lips.