BLEACH: Blade of Purification

"..."

Ling Qing stared into Shihouin Souichirou's eyes. After Souichirou had finished explaining the stakes, neither of them spoke again.

Generally, when you make eye contact with someone, even without saying a word, you can get some kind of feedback. A wordless signal is a silent spiritual exchange. That's why they say "the eyes are the windows to the soul." And it's why those with ulterior motives will subconsciously avoid eye contact with others.

Shihouin Souichirou did not avert his gaze. Therefore, what could be said, he had already said. As for what couldn't be said, if Ling Qing could sense it, that would be for the best. If he couldn't, then it would depend on Ling Qing's own fortune. While he greatly admired Ling Qing and was amazed by his talent, before all that, he was still a captain of the Gotei 13.

Ling Qing narrowed his eyes. Even though Souichirou hadn't said a single word like "please believe me," Ling Qing could see from his eyes that not only was he serious, but what he had said was most likely true.

Ling Qing certainly didn't understand the Seireitei or the Shinigami as well as Souichirou, so he couldn't rule out the possibility that Souichirou was deceiving him. But why would Souichirou go to such lengths to deceive him? To provoke Ling Qing into attacking him now so he would have a reason to kill him in self-defense? If that were the case, Souichirou didn't need to bring him back; he could have killed him in the wasteland beyond the 80th District without anyone knowing.

Finally, Ling Qing broke eye contact, his gaze falling slightly. "So, in other words, to advance is death, and to retreat is also death. The only difference is whether I die a pretty death or an ugly one?"

Even knowing that he had somehow fallen into this no-win, certain-death situation, Ling Qing's tone did not change or waver in the slightest. At the end of the day, this was not a mistake caused by his own actions. The external conditions, the affairs of the Seireitei so far away, were not things he could interfere with. Even in such an ugly situation, it was, for Ling Qing himself, a crime not of his own making. Ling Qing saw no reason to panic or fly into a rage over it.

If he could become a top-tier Shinigami, that would naturally be for the best. If he was to be seen as a thorn in their side that must be removed, Ling Qing would not just sit there and wait for the axe to fall. In fact, the choice didn't need to be made by Ling Qing, but by the Shinigami of the Seireitei, by the officials who held the highest authority.

However, even so, there was one thing Ling Qing had to say.

"Really... no matter how many times I see it, I get this feeling. Good places all have their own unique charm, but bad places are all the same."

Hearing Ling Qing's words, a wry smile appeared on Souichirou's face. He looked a bit dejected and embarrassed, lowering his head to rub his nose. But he quite agreed with Ling Qing's words.

"Although the original purpose was not like this, it ended up this way. I don't know whether to blame the Head-Captain and the Royal Special Task Force who established this system back then, or to blame those sages who are so intoxicated with power they can't extricate themselves."

"Heh, what sages? They're the same as so-called 'experts' and 'professors.' Some are genuinely stupid. Others just shout slogans to curry favor. In the end, there aren't that many leaders who are single-mindedly devoted to the people or the greater situation. Most are just in it for themselves."

Ling Qing was long past the age of being ashamed or angry about such things. Soul Society was not Eden, nor was it a utopia. From the moment he walked out of the harsh environment of the 80th District, from the moment he heard that there was a military organization like the Seireitei in the very center of the Rukongai, he had realized that this place was, in essence, no different from the society he had lived in. As long as there are people, as long as there is power, these things will exist.

"But even so, I'm still willing to believe that people like that will sooner or later drown in their own power."

"..."

If Ling Qing had gone on a rampage out of anger, or raised his sword in fury, Souichirou would have actually felt better. But Ling Qing was so calm, as if he had seen through it all from the beginning. It was this that made Souichirou feel uneasy. It made him... a little wary.

If Souichirou had to describe his impression of Ling Qing, at the very beginning, he was undoubtedly a young man who was different from other Shinigami and souls, interesting and very much to his liking. Following that, after he killed the Gillian and repelled the Adjuchas, exposing his talent and abilities, he began to feel a sense of fear for his 'future.'

But all of this was limited to the aspect of 'power.' Ling Qing's current words, however, made him wary of Ling Qing the person.

When Ling Qing's talent was first exposed, Souichirou had felt a chill run down his spine. That chill was because he had realized at that moment that Ling Qing had quietly fallen into that no-win, certain-death situation. Even as the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, he had never seen such a situation. But the terrifying part was that even without having seen it, he could instantly grasp the inevitable development and the checkmate.

And now, Ling Qing had genuinely made Souichirou feel that he should not be his enemy. If he were to truly become his enemy, he must be killed on the spot at all costs. If this tiger were let back into the mountains, he would surely become a great disaster in the future.

What kind of person was Ling Qing before he died, before coming to Soul Society? What was the 'world' he described like? Souichirou felt a slight curiosity about these things.

But did Ling Qing really have to die?

Before explaining this problem to Ling Qing, Souichirou had been considering this question. He had been saying all along that only the Central 46 would have an unconditional desire to kill Ling Qing. Even if, under objective conditions, it was necessary to kill him now to prevent him from becoming a great disaster in the future, that was based on the possibility that Ling Qing would become an enemy.

In other words, with the Central 46, there was no room for negotiation.

But if one looked at it from the side of the Shinigami, from the Gotei 13, there might be a breakthrough.

Putting political positions aside, from the perspective of a Shinigami, having a being with unlimited future potential like Ling Qing, who was already formidable now, join their ranks would be a cause for sincere joy.

This subtle struggle and shift in position was what ultimately led Shihouin Souichirou to sit here and explain everything to Ling Qing in detail. It was not only because he thought Ling Qing needed to know his situation, but also to see if he could find a breakthrough in this deadly stalemate.

To rack his brains for a breakthrough for someone he had only known for half a month, for a matter that was not even directly related to him, even going so far as to target the Central 46... realizing this, Shihouin Souichirou also silently laughed at himself.

"Wait!"

As he thought of this, a figure popped into Souichirou's mind. It was the figure of a man known as the 'Strongest Shinigami.'

The Captain of Squad 11—Kuruyashiki Kenpachi.

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