BLEACH: Blade of Purification

The sound of howling wind filled his ears.

Ling Qing was falling from a high place towards the ground. This speed, close to freefall, and without a safety rope, would be enough to make anyone's face turn pale with fright. But Ling Qing was already very used to this kind of movement.

More important than the freefall were the light-blue arrows shooting up at him from the ground!

He swung the longsword in his hand, accurately and swiftly deflecting the arrows shooting up from the ground one by one. With a flick of his wrist, the overly long blade was swung, and three materialized slashes shot down from the sky!

Three neat and huge gashes suddenly split open on the dark ground! But those slashes that landed on the ground were not just meant to cut the earth! When the huge gashes appeared, the spirit arrows that had been continuously flying up to meet the enemy also quietly disappeared. Not a single arrow flew into the sky again.

Ling Qing, falling from the sky at high speed, suddenly slowed down as he was about to approach the ground, as if an invisible giant hand had suddenly caught him. Before landing, his posture quietly changed, and he landed lightly on the ground. And behind him was a destroyed defensive line of the Quincy.

It had been nearly half a month since he had come to the World of the Living, and the war of annihilation against the Quincy was already in its final stages. Tonight was the last battle. After tonight, all the Quincy would be exterminated, without a single one left!

Ling Qing turned around and looked at the Quincy—the humans—he had killed, and couldn't help but slightly narrow his eyes and let out a faint sigh.

'How do you feel about killing people?' This was the question Shihouin Souichirou had asked him before coming to the World of the Living. And at that time, Ling Qing had answered—'I have no feelings about it.'

What was the real difference between living humans, souls in the Rukongai, and Hollows? Perhaps the Shinigami would think the difference was huge, but in Ling Qing's eyes, there was no difference at all. To classify a group by race was something Ling Qing had always found improper. Just as there were good and bad souls in the Rukongai, there were also differences like Shihouin Souichirou and the Central 46 among the Shinigami. Although he had not yet seen a truly good Hollow, with such large numbers, there would surely be an anomaly that could be called 'good' even among the Hollow swarms.

How he felt about 'killing people,' how he felt about 'humans,' it was as if Ling Qing hadn't been human before he died. Before he died, Ling Qing probably couldn't really accept killing people. Before he died, Ling Qing had become numb to the idea of 'death' due to various reports and rumors, at most feeling a bit sad when he heard someone he knew had died. But he couldn't bring himself to kill.

But now, for Ling Qing, who had walked out of the most chaotic place in the Rukongai and could now kill the evil-doing ruffians and monstrous Hollows without batting an eye, humans, souls, and Hollows were no different.

Of course, while that was true, Ling Qing was not like those in the Onmitsukidō who specialized in finishing off the straggling old, weak, sick, and disabled Quincy, able to strike down powerless women and children without any burden or hesitation. He could kill the Quincy who fought him head-on without hesitation, because that was a war between two sides, a war between Shinigami and Quincy, even though strictly speaking, Ling Qing was not yet a Shinigami.

Since they had stepped onto this path with the resolve to kill, they must also have the resolve to be killed. This applied to both sides, and even to Ling Qing himself. But against women and children who had little power and feared the battle between Quincy and Shinigami, Ling Qing couldn't bring himself to act. Although Ling Qing liked to fight and loved the feeling of battle, he was not bloodthirsty.

It was for this reason that although Ling Qing had come to the World of the Living with the rotating members of Squad 2 and participated in this battle, he had immediately broken away from Squad 2 to act alone after familiarizing himself with the situation here. And because Squad 2 had instructions from their captain, Shihouin Souichirou, no one would interfere with Ling Qing's thoughts and actions. So, in the later stages of this war between Shinigami and Quincy, that is, this latter half of the month, Ling Qing became a very special existence in the Shinigami camp.

In name, he was a member of Squad 2 but never acted with them. He also didn't spend much time with the members of Squad 11. Instead, he was like a Sword of Damocles descending from the sky, always appearing at certain critical moments.

Glancing around, Ling Qing sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual pressure. After a moment's hesitation, he cautiously approached the location emitting the faint spiritual pressure, holding his sword.

If possible, Ling Qing didn't want to get involved in this battle, especially since he wasn't a Shinigami yet and couldn't feel a sense of belonging to either side even while being in the midst of it. But on the other hand, Ling Qing had to be here. The reason lay in the situation he was currently facing.

Ling Qing was about to face a fatal disaster due to his overly strong talent and the future possibility that he might threaten the rule of the Central 46. To prevent Ling Qing from dying in a meaningless political struggle, and also because he genuinely thought highly of Ling Qing and got along with him, Shihouin Souichirou had made a decision that went against the teachings of his ancestors! As the head of the Shihouin family, he would adopt Ling Qing as his son!

Regardless of whether Ling Qing himself was willing, based on the political situation in Soul Society, Souichirou told Ling Qing that this was the only way to survive without fighting, aside from fighting the Gotei 13 and killing his way through them and the Central 46. And this was not even a compromise, but a victory! As long as Ling Qing nodded and was willing to become his adopted son, the Central 46 would not dare to do anything to him in the future. Ling Qing would leap to become the rules themselves.

When Ling Qing asked why Souichirou was making such a big 'sacrifice,' Souichirou just smiled without saying a word. But Ling Qing was not one to be easily fooled. Under Ling Qing's cold gaze, Souichirou finally revealed part of the reason.

To put it officially: Shihouin Souichirou was very optimistic about Ling Qing's future. If Ling Qing's future was as he imagined, then what he was investing now would be repaid manifold in the future. In other words, it was an early investment in Ling Qing. It was just that this investment also included himself.

And to put it in his own private words... this was his personal rebellion. A rebellion against his noble status. From the moment he was born, Shihouin Souichirou was destined to become the head of the family. From birth to adulthood, and then to becoming a captain, his personal will was suppressed without limit; his personal will had to submit to the will of the entire noble family of Shihouin.

To adopt a resident of the Rukongai as an adopted son before having his own child, and as the head of the Shihouin family, one of the Five Great Noble Clans! This act itself would cause huge tremors and storms throughout the entire noble class. There would be countless internal and external forces trying to obstruct him. From this perspective, there was no problem in calling it a 'decision against the ancestors' teachings.'

However, when he said this, Ling Qing clearly saw an excited, eager-to-try smile on Souichirou's face. Rather than saying he was ready to face the storm, it was more like he was ready to go on a killing spree! Ling Qing's appearance had given Souichirou an idea, an impulse to release all the pressure and dissatisfaction that had accumulated for dozens, or even hundreds, of years in one go.

The thought of being able to do this made Shihouin Souichirou tremble with excitement.

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