BLEACH: Blade of Purification

"So, you have finally come here."

The scorching flames blazed, golden fire licking at an entire city, dragging the whole world into an inferno. The heat wave that washed over him burned his skin, and his throat was too dry to swallow.

But all of that paled in comparison to the figure who appeared in the very center of this fiery hell, a figure with such an absolute presence that he seemed to crush everything else into insignificance.

The heat wave rustled his waist-length, silver-white hair. His sharp, bluish-green eyes turned to gaze in this direction. A slight smile played on his lips.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze falling upon Ling Qing.

"Or should I say... have you remembered my name?"

"..."

Ling Qing did not answer his question immediately. Instead, he first surveyed his surroundings, then looked down at his own body. Even though he was being consumed by flames in the real world, this place was not unfamiliar to him. This was his inner world. And the him who appeared here was the same as in reality: a body covered in wounds from his battle with Yamamoto.

Finally, Ling Qing's gaze settled on the man who seemed to be the center of this world.

He answered with a question of his own.

"You, on the other hand. Have you finally decided to see me?"

"Hm?"

At Ling Qing's question, the man frowned slightly.

"What do you mean? Am I not the one who should be asking if you have finally come to see me?"

"?"

A question answered with a question.

Then, the two identical-looking figures both frowned, realizing that something was wrong.

When Ling Qing had arrived in this world of flames, what was the first thing the figure said? "So, you have finally come here."

Ling Qing was by no means a fool. If, at the beginning, he had never considered the issue of a Zanpakutō release, it was because he lacked a fundamental understanding of the rules of the Soul Society. But now, Ling Qing fully understood what a Zanpakutō was and what a release was. He had no reason to resist it.

Because of this, Ling Qing had fully accepted the existence of his Zanpakutō. When he had entered this inner world time and time again, searching for this man but never finding him, he had assumed that the man did not want to see him, that he was hiding from him.

But now, it seemed that wasn't the case?

The two of them stared at each other amidst the fiery ruins, neither looking away, which meant neither felt guilty. Both felt they were in the right.

Ling Qing had entered his inner world many times but never found him.

And yet, he believed that this was the first time Ling Qing had ever set foot in this world.

"So now, have you remembered my name?" the man asked again.

Hearing this question, Ling Qing unconsciously raised a hand to his throat.

"Your name... it's right here, on the tip of my tongue, but I can never seem to say it... Answer me. Are you the one resisting me?"

"Impossible!" Ling Qing's answer shocked the man. "If it has come to this, you should know my name! You should have known my name from the very beginning. You should have understood from the start what the name of the sword in your hand is! There is no reason you shouldn't be able to call it!"

It was as if some invisible barrier had always been there, a barrier that both of them had only just now become aware of, now that they met again in this inner world.

"Try again. Try again right here in front of me! You should be able to call my name! Because... I am you, and you are me!"

Ling Qing opened his mouth. The name was stuck in his throat, a name it seemed he could call out just by speaking.

But what came out was not the man's name, but a cry of pain.

"Ngh!"

In an instant, Ling Qing felt a sharp pain in his head, as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. The colors before his eyes vanished, replaced by an endless black. He staggered back a couple of steps, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"Something's wrong... something is not right..."

Ling Qing shook his head forcefully, gritted his teeth, and looked up at the equally confused man opposite him.

"I can't call out your name. So why don't you just tell me?"

"I..." The man started to speak, but then swallowed his words.

Instead, he raised the longsword in his hand.

"...In that case, let's try another way. If you cannot remember my name with your mouth, then call me with your body!"

The moment his words fell, he became a blur, rushing straight towards Ling Qing.

His body moved faster than his mind could react. Before Ling Qing even realized it, he had already raised his own longsword to block the incoming attack, parrying it back.

With words having failed, there was nothing more to be said.

Ling Qing could not call out its name.

And he would not tell Ling Qing his name.

All that was left was to use battle to carve everything Ling Qing wanted to know into his very instincts!

Two identical figures, two longswords wielded with the same grace. The city, engulfed in flames, was now filled with the countless glints and shadows of their blades. Under the brilliant arcs of their swings, the already crumbling buildings were sliced to pieces! Even the flames licking at the world were cut apart!

The two chased each other across the entire city, weaving through the destruction.

Then, brilliant sparks flew with the clang of colliding swords.

One figure was blasted from the sky, crashing down towards the ground! The other figure mercilessly pursued!

The one on the ground dodged the attack from above at the last possible second. But the pursuer, though he missed, never broke his rhythm, his relentless attacks continuing without pause.

Finally, the two returned to where the battle had begun, to the place where they had first met in this world.

And at the very end...

Facing a thrust aimed at him, Ling Qing closed his eyes. He did not raise his longsword to parry again. Instead, in a suicidal gesture, he opened his chest, meeting the blade with his own body!

The merciless thrust pierced through Ling Qing's body!

And with that, the man's attack finally stopped. He was closer to Ling Qing than ever before, standing right in front of him.

"Have you finally realized it?" he said softly.

"I have. None of it matters, not even the name. Everything was already in my hands from the very beginning."

Ling Qing slowly opened his eyes, looking at the man's face, so close to his own.

Only...

The face that should have been identical to his... was now like a child's chaotic scribble, covered in black, constantly shifting, intersecting lines.

And in a flash, as if their roles had been reversed, the longsword was now in Ling Qing's hand.

The one pierced through and held aloft was the man who had lost his own face.

"What a... boring answer."

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