BLEACH: Blade of Purification

This was a desolate wasteland, with nothing but weeds as far as the eye could see. There weren't even any low shrubs or small trees. The wind that blew against them was so dry it felt like it was stealing the moisture from their lips; prolonged exposure created the illusion that one's skin was about to dry up and crack.

This was a place even more remote than the wretched 80th districts where theft and murder were commonplace. It was an unnumbered region beyond the 80th districts. Even the residents of the 80th districts, who had long since tasted death and normalized theft and slaughter, wouldn't dare approach this place.

If the appearance of Hollows within the first 50 districts was just a legend, something people only occasionally heard about and treated as an interesting anecdote, and if the probability of encountering Hollows increased greatly in the later 30 districts, where residents equated them with marauding villains, then in this wilderness beyond the 80th districts, one could absolutely encounter souls that had transformed into Hollows just by wandering around a bit—and not just one or two, but swarms of seven, eight, or even dozens.

It was said that several years ago, Shinigami would often come here to capture Hollows and take them back to the Seireitei, the area where Shinigami lived, for research or other purposes. But in the last two years, such occurrences had become rare.

The wind carried the scent of blood, making the dry air feel slightly damp. The sound of metallic clashes echoed across the barren wilderness.

Two people—or more accurately, one person—was confronting a swarm of several dozen Hollows. He faced the giant, grotesque monsters, which were several times his size, without any fear. With a composed expression and elegant movements, he battled them.

Or to be more precise, he calmly and gracefully slaughtered every Hollow that came at them!

The bloody scent that moistened the dry wind came from the blood sprayed by these slain Hollows. His unstoppable, sharp blade, wreathed in a black energy laced with hints of purple, sliced through each Hollow's body as easily as a hot knife through butter. Almost every swing took the life of one Hollow.

The person being protected behind him, seemingly aware that danger couldn't reach him, appeared equally calm and composed. His gaze never left the silver-haired man wielding the sword against the Hollows. He watched with keen interest every swing of the blade, fascinated by the special way the man moved and flew through the air, as if there were an endless supply of interesting things hidden within that man.

The battle was over in the blink of an eye.

After slaying dozens of Hollows in one go, the man drifted down from mid-air, landing in front of his fascinated companion. He flicked the blood off his tachi and sheathed it.

The middle-aged man with the exceedingly healthy tan skin couldn't help but applaud as the wind lifted his slightly long hair. He exclaimed in admiration at the silver-haired man who had just landed.

"Incredible!"

"Cut it out." But the praised man waved his hand impatiently. "We've been doing this every day since we set foot in this place. Saying this now feels a bit disingenuous, Mr. Souichirou."

"Is it possible," the tan-skinned man named Souichirou said, his faint smile never wavering, not at all annoyed by Ling Qing's slightly impatient attitude, "that no matter how many times I see it, I will still find it incredible? There may be many who can slay Hollows, but few can do so as cleanly, efficiently, and with such aesthetic grace as you, killing dozens at once."

"That's probably because you've never witnessed the power of the Shinigami. For those who live in the Seireitei, something like this must be a piece of cake." Although he had occasionally heard news of Shinigami being killed in battles with Hollows before leaving the Rukongai, and had seen many Shinigami swords in the hands of Rukongai residents, Ling Qing still firmly believed that the Shinigami, who were the sole military force of Soul Society and firmly occupied its most prosperous region, were not that simple.

To put it another way, Ling Qing had only trained for a little over a month to reach this level of strength. He refused to believe that the Shinigami, who had a more systematic, professional, and formal training regimen and had trained for much longer than his self-taught methods, would be weaker than him.

Ling Qing, speaking half in self-deprecation and half in earnest, didn't notice that upon hearing his words, the smile on Mr. Souichirou's face stiffened for a fraction of a second, and his expression became quite interesting.

More than half a month had passed since he had accepted Mr. Souichirou's commission. Although Mr. Souichirou looked like a nobleman out of touch with the world, he was no ordinary person. He could keep up with Ling Qing's pace without needing to be looked after, and his manner of speaking also revealed his refined background.

However, Ling Qing never pried into his identity or his purpose. If the client, Souichirou, didn't want to talk, it was best not to ask. Of course, if Souichirou tried to secretly scheme against him, Ling Qing would let him know that he was no pushover either. One must not have the heart to harm others, but one must be vigilant against being harmed. This was a phrase to always keep in mind when out and about.

Several days ago, they had already entered the wilderness in the remote suburbs far from the 80th districts—the place where they now stood. Ling Qing protected Souichirou as they wandered aimlessly, fending off wave after wave of Hollow swarms that treated them as prey.

"What's wrong? Are you getting tired of this? You don't seem to be in a very good mood."

Ling Qing frowned slightly and didn't speak, but Souichirou took the initiative to start a conversation.

Over the past half-month, Ling Qing and Souichirou had gotten along quite well. On one hand, Souichirou was not a troublesome client. Except for occasionally stating the next step of the plan when necessary, he was mostly easy-going and followed Ling Qing's arrangements without any extra opinions. On the other hand, Souichirou was not the taciturn type. Although he looked a bit serious on the outside, he was actually quite a fun person to be around. No matter what topic Ling Qing brought up, he could chat with him for a long time.

This guy's ability to understand and adapt was also ridiculously strong. When Ling Qing spoke, he would inevitably use some modern terms and internet slang, and after figuring out what they meant, the guy could use them immediately.

Finally, since they had spent half a month together and neither of them disliked the other, it was impossible for their relationship not to improve.

Because of this, Souichirou could tell that Ling Qing was troubled by something. And he wouldn't feel offended by Ling Qing's attitude.

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