Dark Side of Universe 3

In the underground chamber, the Visored lay Ichigo Kurosaki's body beside his sword and have Hachigen Ushoda pin him beneath five heavy pillars. Within his mind, Ichigo confronts the pale mirror of himself and demands to know where Zangetsu has gone, only for the Hollow to draw an inverted copy of the blade and insist that he himself is Zangetsu.

Their clash spills into the waking world, where a surge of energy signals that the Hollow has taken hold of Ichigo's body. Shattering the pillars, it grins and charges, and Lisa Yadomaru steps in to hold it off, warning Shinji Hirako she will only kill Ichigo if he strikes at her first.

Back inside, the Hollow lays out their shared nature. He was once merely a fragment of Zangetsu, but as his strength grew he became the dominant force, folding the sword spirit into himself and seizing Ichigo's soul whenever the boy reached for that power. Ichigo reasons that beating him here will restore Zangetsu as the core of his strength.

When Ichigo raises his blade in challenge, the Hollow mirrors the stance, dismisses his hope as impossible, and triggers Bankai in the very same instant. The chapter, collected in the twenty-fifth volume NO SHAKING THRONE, was adapted in Episode 123, Ichigo, complete Hollowfication!?