Chapter 242 - Overcome.

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[Kisuke Urahara. POV]

The training of the guild had started, leaving only one thing to deal with, Adam. Out of everyone he was our greatest war potential, but for us to succeed we needed him to be at his best. I made my way to Adam's office, knowing very well that the time for preparations was running out. The looming threat of the Quincy King demanded swift and decisive action.

I couldn't let us be caught unprepared. Because even while prepared, our chances of winning weren't certain.

As I entered Adam's office, I found him engrossed in a stack of papers. He looked up as I approached, and there was a weariness in his eyes, the weight of responsibility that came with everything he had set out to do.

The Guild.

His friends.

His family.

And now... us, a world he shouldn't care about, but decided to protect. 

"Urahara, what brings you here?" Adam asked, a yawn escaping him. "I'm kind of busy, so unless it is urgent, please... make it twenty words or less."

I took a seat across from him, my hat casting a shadow over my face. "Adam, we're running out of time. Yhwach poses a threat unlike any we've faced before. To stand a chance, you need to fully realize the extent of your power."

Adam leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well... I've been doing what I can, Urahara. Training the guild, stabilizing their souls. Heck, I'm training everyday with my Zanpakuto, so what more can I do?"

I leaned forward, my eyes meeting his. "Training like you do... it's no longer effective on you, whatever benefits you can gain, will be minimal and inconsequential. You need a more drastic training... and for that, there's a realm beyond our inner soul, a place that holds the key to unlocking the full potential of one's abilities. You need to go to hell, Adam."

Adam's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Hell, inside my inner world?"

I chuckled, sometimes I forget some realms share names, if anything for how gruesome they are. "Yes, but not the hell you might envision, that hell is locked without a key. The one I'm talking about is a spiritual realm within your own self, a place of trials and revelations. It's where you can confront the deepest aspects of yourself, where your power originated."

Adam sighed, running a hand through his hair. "So, inception..."

"Inception, that's a clever reference. Anyway, this journey to hell is not just about self-discovery; like most things are with our blades, it's about forging a connection with the very essence of your power," I explained.

He looked at me, taking a deep breath. "How do I get there? And what will I find?"

I handed him a small, ancient-looking key. "Normally you can't enter your own hell, Adam, however, I made this a long time ago, as a backup plan if... My other plan to stop Aizen didn't work out. By coursing your spiritual energy through this key, you'll enter your own hell. When you enter, you'll face trials, confront your fears, and gain insights that will elevate your abilities. It won't be easy, and you might die... but it's necessary, because if you survive, only those connected to the Soul King will be able to face you."

Adam studied the key in his hand. "Fine, but if I die, I will haunt your ass."

Laughing at his remark, I felt a hint of satisfaction swell within me. It was that fiery spirit that Adam possessed which made him such a formidable soul reaper, not the fact he was the son of the King. "Haunt me all you like," I said with an amused grin. "But I have faith in you. You've faced death before, stared it down and spat in its face. This will be no different."

Adam nodded, a chuckle escaping him once more. "Then I'll prepare for my descent," he replied, gripping the key. 

"Just one more thing," I said, taking a small breath. "Inside there, you won't be able to use your Zanpakuto. Shikai, Bankai... you will be alone when it comes to fighting."

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[Adam C. POV.]

I stood in the quiet serenity of my room, Urahara key's pressed against my palm. The weight of my task and what awaited me in the depths of my own soul created a knot in my stomach. I had no idea what I would face, or what would that do to me. But if it meant protecting what I cared about, so be it.

I was no hero.

I never believed myself as such.

I was as selfish as they came. And for that, I would fight, not to protect the world, to protect what's mine, and mine alone.

"Now, or never."

Taking a deep calming breath, I closed my eyes and focused my spiritual energy into the key, feeling it hum with life, creating a warm sensation that spread through my body and into my very soul. Immediately, the world around me began to distort, edges blurring as if melting into ink. The air grew thick, charged with a power that seemed to tug at the very core of my being. And then, with a pulse that resonated with my Zanpakuto, I was no longer in my room.

The place where I arrived was quite the contrast to my room. It was a vast, desolate landscape, where ashen grounds met a swirling maelstrom of a sky. Pillars of jagged rock erupted from the barren ground like the jagged teeth of some indescribable leviathan. The sky, a tempest of souls and spirits, twirled in an eternal dance of agony, occasionally spewing forth bolts of spiritual lightning that scorched the already ravaged land. 

I blinked.

When he said my own personal hell.. I didn't expect it to be... so... hell-like.

"So, now what?" I hummed, looking around for any kind of clue as to what I needed to do. I mean, outside total devastation, some rocks, and the occasional lightning; there was nothing, I couldn't feel any presence other than Zanryuzuki, which made sense seeing I was inside my own soul... so I honestly had no idea what to do.

Suddenly, as if answering my question, a distant roar echoed through the barren expanse, capturing my attention. I turned towards the source of the sound, my hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of Zanryuzuki. The roar intensified, vibrating through the air, creating cracks that expanded around the area.

"I guess I have to fight, neat," I muttered calmly. By this point I was desensitized to monsters, or situations like this. I would honestly worry when things didn't end like this, fighting a monster or something.  

Out of the swirling tempest of souls high above the key, a monstrous figure emerged. A colossal creature, its form obscured by the ethereal mist that clung to it. As it descended, the mist dissipated, revealing a grotesque amalgamation of jagged blades and spectral energy. The creature's eyes glowed with an otherworldly intensity, fixating on me with an unsettling amount of hate.

"Let me guess, you are a part of me that hates me for... repressing you?" I asked, tilting my head. "Let's be honest buddy, you are one ugly bastard, so I feel I did us a favor if I repressed your ass into the deepest corners of my soul."

The monster roared, its jagged blades pulsating with an eerie glow as the air crackled with the malevolent energy it exuded.

I tightened my grip on Zanryuzuki. Come to think of it, I had never felt such... level of malice before, this was concerning seeing it came from... me. "Come at me."

The creature took a step forward, and made another guttural sound, a distorted echo of a roar that sent tremors through the ashen ground.

I guess he wasn't the talkative type. So much for inner insight...

Taking a stance, I locked eyes with the creature. Insight or not, this ought to be fun.