BLEACH: Blade of Purification

The same instant that small yet terrifyingly powerful being fell from the mouth-like opening in the sky, Ling Qing, for the first time, deeply understood how Yuishinryu had felt.

It was a feeling of heavy pressure weighing on his body... no, it was more like gravity had doubled. His internal organs felt squeezed, an unbearable and inescapable sensation.

Killing the massive, witch-like Gillian had already consumed almost all of Ling Qing's energy. Faced with this sudden, crushing pressure, his body swayed, and he was on the verge of collapsing.

Souichirou, who had wanted to protect Ling Qing when the Gillian first appeared, and who had managed to remain composed despite his drastic change in expression, now had a face completely devoid of a smile. He stared intently at the small figure that had landed on the Gillian's corpse.

His knuckles turned white from gripping his dagger too tightly, his entire body tensed like a predator ready to pounce at any second. He was so focused that he didn't even notice Ling Qing's weakened state beside him.

"An Adjuchas... to think even a middle-class Gillian has appeared. It seems coming here this time was the right choice after all," he muttered to himself. He did not choose to attack, but silently observed the small Hollow he had called an Adjuchas.

The small Hollow that landed on the Gillian's corpse, though much smaller in size, radiated a terror that the Gillian could not compare to. If the ordinary Gillian's threat was its massive visual impact and a sheer accumulation of power, then this small Hollow had completely refined that power, achieving a qualitative breakthrough. It was like a walking natural disaster, a collection of a billion calamities.

Unlike the black-bodied, white-long-nosed-masked Gillian, it had armor that was almost beast-like in shape. At a glance, it looked like a cross between a tiger and a lion, with a powerful body, especially its forelimbs. Its entire body was covered in white, bone-like armor. Compared to the monstrous form of a common Gillian, it possessed a more bestial beauty. But what was most striking were the abnormally long, ten-centimeter saber teeth on its head. A long, braided, bone-like appendage also strangely extended from its head.

Simply put, in terms of appearance, it was a saber-toothed tiger.

"Oh?"

Unlike the struggling Ling Qing and the fully alert Souichirou, the saber-toothed tiger-like Adjuchas was exceptionally calm. It didn't even glance at the two of them, instead looking around and remarking with some emotion, "So this is Soul Society? It doesn't look much better than Hueco Mundo."

As it spoke, it sniffed the air as if to confirm something. "The concentration of spirit particles in the air... is not as rich as in Hueco Mundo. What a disappointment. Or did I come to the wrong place?"

Then, it leaped nimbly off the Gillian's body and landed on the ground. Only then did its gaze fall upon Ling Qing and Souichirou. Golden eyes stared at the two of them. Aside from Ling Qing and Souichirou, there were no other living things present, so ignoring them would have been difficult. The fact that the saber-toothed tiger chose to observe its surroundings first only proved that in its eyes, neither Ling Qing nor Souichirou posed a threat.

"Can you answer my question?"

Unlike the flamboyance and arrogance of the Hollows one usually encountered, this one was more intelligent and spoke politely. But the pride contained within its words was not diminished in the slightest. In fact, it was the opposite; its speech was filled with confidence in its own power.

"To be able to kill a Gillian in one blow means you have some strength. So, which one of you is the one who has been continuously killing the subordinates we sent here to scout the situation?"

From the moment it appeared, it had been exceptionally calm and composed, looking down on everyone, as if it had already seized complete control of the situation. As it spoke, the saber-toothed tiger Hollow slowly walked towards them.

"You seem... very confident," Souichirou said, a faint smile reappearing on his face. Although still serious, he had regained the playful nonchalance Ling Qing was familiar with. His fingers moved, and the small dagger flipped up and down between them. This was a knife trick Ling Qing had mentioned to him in a casual chat. At the time, Ling Qing had joked that he didn't have a small knife to demonstrate it. But Souichirou had been surprisingly interested and had questioned him about it for a long time. Unexpectedly, he had learned it based solely on a verbal description, without any physical demonstration.

It was just a small trick, however, and seemed to have no use beyond being flashy. But at this moment, such flair was needed. Souichirou did nothing more than let the dagger dance on his fingertips, and he effortlessly dispelled the oppressive aura coming from the saber-toothed tiger.

"But you've found the right person. That's right, it was me! I don't know why you've come to Soul Society, but I'll give you one chance. Return to Hueco Mundo immediately, and I can overlook your invasion of Soul Society."

"How arrogant." The saber-toothed tiger Hollow stopped walking. It narrowed its golden eyes, facing off against Souichirou. Then, it finally sensed it—a certain dangerous aura emanating from Souichirou. Unlike Hueco Mundo where the strong reigned supreme, the Shinigami here in Soul Society seemed to have a habit of suppressing their spiritual pressure. If one wasn't careful, one could easily be capsized in a calm gutter.

However, the saber-toothed tiger Hollow did not see what it wanted to see on Souichirou. It shifted its gaze to Ling Qing beside him and said, "But the one I'm looking for is not you. Although I'd love to have a fight with you, King Baraggan's mission must be prioritized."

"You said... Baraggan?" Ling Qing was stunned, managing to force out the words with difficulty. He had only heard the name once, but it was deeply etched in his memory. It was precisely because of that name, and the honorific "King," that he had temporarily stayed in the 45th District to hunt Hollows. If this saber-toothed tiger Hollow was telling the truth, then the one who had been killing the "scout Hollows" sent to the Rukongai was probably him!

"Insolent! How dare you speak King Baraggan's name directly!!" The saber-toothed tiger Hollow, which had been calm and imposing since its appearance, suddenly flew into a rage, roaring at Ling Qing.

But it quickly calmed down, and a playful smile appeared on its beast-like face. "Oh? Wait a minute, the aura on you... you're the one who just killed the Gillian we sent over, right? Which means, you're the one who killed so many of our subordinates before? You look weaker than I imagined."

It shook its head with some resignation. "Really, why do the weak have to meddle in things? I was hoping to at least enjoy a fight with a strong opponent, but now it seems you probably can't even take one hit from—"

Souichirou's eyes widened. Realizing something, he instantly reversed his grip on the dagger and vanished from his spot as if using Shunpo! But when he reappeared where the saber-toothed tiger Hollow had been, as if by prior agreement, the Hollow had also vanished in an instant, and the place it reappeared was...

In front of Ling Qing!

An unstoppable claw slashed mercilessly towards Ling Qing!

"—me!!!!"

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