BLEACH: Blade of Purification

Souichirou gripped his dagger tightly but, strangely, did not move again.

For Souichirou, this was the first time in his life he had ever seen an Adjuchas-class Gillian. He had no confidence he could defeat a Hollow of this level. Even for someone of his strength, abilities had their strengths and weaknesses depending on their nature and matchups. And as it happened, his abilities were far more dangerous and threatening against human or Shinigami opponents; against Hollows, they were less effective. He could overwhelm an ordinary Gillian with pure force, but an Adjuchas... he truly wouldn't know without a direct confrontation.

But that wasn't the reason he was just standing by and watching.

When he realized his misjudgment—that his Shunpo couldn't counter the Adjuchas's space-warping-like movement—he should have immediately adjusted his tactics and engaged.

But that was precisely where the problem arose.

In battle, a single oversight can mean the difference between life and death. This time, however, the price for Souichirou's mistake was supposed to be Ling Qing's life.

That's how it should have been.

Using only an Asauchi, without even turning the blade into a personal Zanpakutō that reflected his own soul, fighting purely with his own strength, with no assistance from Shunpo, no support from Kidō, and no training in Hakuda—the fact that he could kill a Gillian-level Hollow was enough to make Souichirou question reality.

But that was his limit. At that level, there was no way he could fight an Adjuchas.

Putting himself in Ling Qing's shoes, Souichirou could see no other possibility besides waiting for death.

And yet... what was this situation unfolding before his eyes?

Ling Qing, who should have been killed in a single blow... was actually fighting the Adjuchas?

Compared to before, Ling Qing's spiritual pressure had undergone a heaven-and-earth-shattering change. It wasn't just a matter of his nearly depleted spiritual pressure being fully restored; the very nature of the spiritual pressure's fluctuations had changed.

Souichirou hadn't even had the chance to explain to Ling Qing what Zazen (seated meditation with one's sword), what Shikai, or what a Zanpakutō was.

And yet, what Souichirou was witnessing at this moment was, without a doubt, the instant an Asauchi was gradually transforming into a Zanpakutō.

Perhaps under the pressure of death's touch, Ling Qing had finally taken that crucial step. Generally, even someone with no relevant knowledge would naturally turn an Asauchi into a Zanpakutō through constant companionship. A situation like Ling Qing's was what puzzled Souichirou. With Ling Qing's level of power, it made no sense that his Asauchi remained an Asauchi, unless... he had never considered channeling even a fraction of his power into it, and the Asauchi itself, which was ready to evolve, had never considered initiating contact with him.

"But... this alone is not enough to fight an Adjuchas!!" Souichirou muttered through clenched teeth.

But though he said this, his actions were the complete opposite of his words. He was prepared to strike at the next second, which meant he hadn't struck in this second.

Souichirou felt as if he had used up a lifetime's worth of shock today. The fact that Ling Qing could defeat a Gillian with just an Asauchi was something that, if word got out, would even make the Head-Captain summon him to see what kind of prodigy he was.

And now, Ling Qing was actually fighting an Adjuchas with an Asauchi that was still in the process of transforming. Even though it was clear he was being suppressed the entire time, he was undoubtedly fighting! Souichirou could guarantee with his own character that this Adjuchas was not holding back.

If that were all, Souichirou would have even more reason not to just stand by and watch. A person like Ling Qing was a talent the Seireitei absolutely could not afford to lose. No matter the cost, he should be protected. To put it extremely, Souichirou could even sacrifice his own life in exchange for a future for the Seireitei that included Ling Qing.

But he was still just watching.

Simply because...

Beside Ling Qing, something was visible only from an observer's perspective. A space next to Ling Qing, shimmering like a heat haze, followed him like a shadow. A separate space existed beside Ling Qing throughout the Zanpakutō's transformation!

An ordinary Shinigami would never notice such a subtle change. A Shinigami who had not yet mastered the ability known as Bankai would have no way of knowing what that change represented.

And it was for this reason that Souichirou had not acted.

And it was for this reason that Souichirou felt he had used up a lifetime's worth of shock.

"He doesn't even... have a Zanpakutō yet. This kind of thing... how is this possible!"

A storm of attacks rained down on Ling Qing, who could only barely defend himself with all his might. The attacks from the beast-like saber-toothed tiger Hollow were even faster than the wind. In the brief pauses between its continuous attacks, it taunted him.

"Too slow, too slow, too slow! You can't beat me if your power increases this slowly! You're going to die, Shinigami!!"

As if stepping into a new realm, with every passing second, with every breath, Ling Qing's power was growing.

But, just as the saber-toothed tiger Hollow said, for an Adjuchas, this rate of power increase was still too slow. Ling Qing didn't even have the chance to respond that he wasn't a Shinigami, as he usually would.

Ling Qing had thought that by buying time, Souichirou would join the fight. He wasn't the type to stubbornly hold on just to save face. He had to admit that the Adjuchas was far stronger than the Gillian, not an opponent he could handle at his current level. He hadn't underestimated the Shinigami, but he had underestimated the Hollows. Even in the world of monsters like Hollows, there were always stronger beings.

But for some reason, Souichirou had yet to appear. Ling Qing couldn't even spare a shred of attention to see if Souichirou had fled. He couldn't shout, "Mr. Souichirou, why are you just watching!"

"This is getting boring," the saber-toothed tiger Hollow said suddenly, a hint of ennui in its voice. After knocking Ling Qing back with a single blow, it raised one of its forelegs.

"King Baraggan is waiting for my report. I have no more time to waste on you. I'll kill you with my strongest technique. Be honored, Shinigami. You are the first Shinigami to die by this move."

In an instant, the saber-toothed tiger Hollow's body suddenly tripled in size, and the claw it raised transformed into a giant, single-bladed talon!

"This is my combat form! Take this! Tiger Fang Swift Wind Greatsword!!!!"

BOOM—!

With an impact that nearly sent Ling Qing flying, the single talon slashed towards his throat!

Ling Qing instinctively retreated, raising his sword to block. But his movements were still too slow. Already suppressed, Ling Qing was barely holding on under the Hollow's assault. After it switched to its combat form and unleashed even greater power, it was no longer a match for the current Ling Qing.

Just as the single talon, carrying a wind that stung the skin, was about to reach Ling Qing's throat, a white gleam suddenly shot in from the side, then slashed towards the saber-toothed tiger Hollow!

The Hollow immediately retracted its claw, did a backflip, and landed steadily on the ground, warily watching the being that had suddenly interfered with its finishing blow.

But to its surprise, the one who had interfered... was not Souichirou.

It was someone who had appeared out of nowhere.

A man.

He had the exact same face as Ling Qing, with long, silver-white hair that seemed to drift gently with the wind. To put it another way, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the complete form of Ling Qing. At a glance, one would even think they were twins.

Holding an ridiculously long tachi, over 2.5 meters in length, in his left hand, he was tall and powerfully built. He wore a black, button-up coat, his chest bound by a black cross-shaped harness, and his shoulders were covered by silver pauldrons.

His blue eyes looked at the repelled saber-toothed tiger Hollow, a faint smile on his lips that was more of a sneer than a smile.

[To kill him, you're not yet worthy.]

Nearby, Souichirou, who had been suppressing his urge to act, began to tremble slightly upon seeing this. But contrary to his body's reaction, he let out a long sigh of relief. His expression immediately relaxed.

"As I thought..."

Perhaps he was tired from the continuous shocks. Or perhaps he had mentally prepared himself this time. He actually calmed down.

He uttered a sentence that would have caused an uproar if any other Shinigami were present.

"The materialization... of a Zanpakutō..."

-------

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