User blog:Xilinoc/Ch. 675 - Blood for My Bone

Song to listen to while reading this chapter: "Careless Whisper" by Seether

Once again, the last couple pages make this chapter. Hot diggity.

So we start off with Uryū posing the very logical question of why, exactly, Haschwalth keeps asking about who he really is and all that jazz instead of putting that time and effort into killing him. Cue another broken record mention as Haschwalth reminds him that he's already seen a future of the good guys dying, only for Uryū to counter-remind him that said future can change. However, Haschwalth goes on to imply that the future sight aspect of The Almighty is in fact not its most fearsome ability: he could be talking about how it lets Yhwach makes powers his own and stuff, but I think he miiiiight be talking about straight-up fate changing or something. He won't be elaborating until after he's done making 15 more scales metaphors, though, so we won't know for sure for some time.

Cut to Ichigo still being tossed around by Yhwach's...dark energy or whatever this stuff is. Orihime tries to intervene, but a strange look from Ichigo makes her back off. Yhwach makes note of how Ichigo still hasn't released his full power yet and what he's endangering by doing so - namely both realms - because Yhwach himself will destroy those things if not stopped. So much for being a benevolent Soul King, then. However, after a few more thrashings Ichigo's sword begins to turn white at the tip; immediately, Ichigo has Orihime blocks the next wave with Santen Kesshun as he admits to having a plan, hence the strange face from earlier. Apparently, he's been trying to awaken something within himself, but needed to get all up in Yhwach's Quincy Reiatsu for it to happen. Cue an explosion of energy, which clears to reveal Ichigo...partially transformed into the full Hollow form from his last fight against Ulquiorra. Aw geez man.

Now, I'm gonna go ahead and guess that Kubo based this new look off of this cover page. Whether he's been planning this since the beginning or he just now remembered it and decided to throw it in, I don't know (though I'm leaning toward the former), but I'll be damned if it doesn't look awesome. Doubt it's his Bankai, especially since there was no dramatic speech bubble on a black background containing the magic word, but I'm eager to see what he'll be able to do with this new form.

Thoughts on this chapter? Uryū is the real bearer of The Question Dammit Haschwalth just exposition already Orihime sure is good at blocking attacks from God himself My loins overfloweth at the last page