BLEACH: Blade of Purification

The flames burned furiously. Unlike the fire that had previously covered the entire field, the flames were now concentrated in one spot, forming a raging vortex of fire.

This fiery tornado existed for the sole purpose of dealing with one person, of reducing one enemy to ash. It was a prison of fire, an inferno of hell. If one could not break through this barrier, they would end up as just another charred skeleton among the ten trillion souls buried by Yamamoto's flames.

But… what caused worry, what brought sorrow, what instilled unease was…

Within that fiery tornado, the Reiatsu that could still be sensed before was now growing weaker and weaker, to the point of being almost undetectable…

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni stood with his back to them, clutching his sword. No one could see the expression on his face. The only thing they knew was that he had not yet sheathed his blade. The only thing they knew was that he had not dispersed the flames that had all but claimed the young man's life.

A heavy silence fell. No one dared to make a sound.

The silence was first broken by a whistling sound tearing through the air. With a sharp whoosh, three figures landed in the training grounds, which were already a wreck from the burning flames and continuous slashes.

It was Captain Retsu Unohana of Squad 4 and her Lieutenant, Seinosuke Yamada, summoned by Saitō Gotsuki.

"Where is the patient?"

Ignoring the heavy, solemn atmosphere, Unohana spoke directly, her brow furrowed.

Jūshirō Ukitake pursed his lips, a bitter smile on his face, and pointed towards the fire tornado that had yet to completely dissipate.

Before Unohana could react, her lieutenant, Seinosuke Yamada, spoke up. His eyes widened as he stared at the swirling vortex of fire, his tone incredulous, almost insubordinate, as if mocking every Captain present.

"You… you all just stood by and watched this happen?"

The pride of a warrior, the necessity of a trial—Seinosuke was not ignorant of these concepts, but in his eyes, they had always been meaningless. For Seinosuke Yamada, the most important thing was life. No matter its form, no matter how humble, staying alive was what mattered most. This had been his guiding principle from the very beginning. No matter who he faced, no matter what means he had to use, he would not allow a life to be taken before his eyes.

He could sense the faint Reiatsu within the fire tornado, and thus he knew even more clearly that if the flames were not immediately withdrawn or if the person inside was not rescued, in a few moments, they would surely die!

"I don't care what you all are thinking. If you brought us here just to revive a dead man, then that's something we cannot do!"

Ignoring all rules of hierarchy, Seinosuke berated the Captains present and rushed into the field. He, a mere Lieutenant of Squad 4, was about to face the Captain-Commander's technique head-on, to rescue someone he had never even met, whose gender he didn't even know, from the Captain-Commander's fiery hell!

However, what Seinosuke didn't expect was that the moment he moved, someone stopped him. The one who placed a hand on his shoulder was none other than his own Captain, Retsu Unohana.

"Captain?"

"Something is not right."

Unohana was not looking at Seinosuke. Her eyes were narrowed, focused on the shrinking vortex of fire. She spoke as if she could see through the flames, as if she had perceived some subtle change within.

"Wait and see."

"Captain!!!" Seinosuke roared, struggling to break free from Unohana's grip. But the power of a mere Lieutenant was vastly inferior to hers.

Unohana seemed to have noticed something that no one else had. Only after her reminder did the other Captains, equally worried but unable to act, widen their eyes and push their senses to the absolute limit, trying to perceive even the faintest change in the Reiatsu within the vortex.

Then, they finally understood why Yamamoto had not withdrawn the flames, why he had not sheathed his sword, but had simply stood there watching, as if he would not be satisfied until Ling Qing was reduced to ash.

It was true, Ling Qing's Reiatsu had weakened to the point of near disappearance. But that faint wisp, which seemed as though it would be extinguished by a gentle breeze, stubbornly refused to dissipate, struggling within the flames!

Not only that…

It wasn't an illusion. That faint Reiatsu… was suddenly expanding, like a rekindled flame!

Shihōin Sōichirō's eyes flew open, his body trembling slightly. He may not have even realized it himself, but he had taken several steps forward. If Saitō Gotsuki hadn't held him back, he might have rushed in.

Within that fire tornado, a massive Reiatsu suddenly swelled, and an immense energy erupted!

A tornado of spiritual pressure shot into the sky, tearing the vortex of fire to shreds! The undying golden flames were completely ripped apart, leaving only dying embers floating in the air.

The cloudless sky, torn open by Ryūjin Jakka's flames, was suddenly obscured by a thick layer of漆黒 (pitch-black) clouds, covering the entire Seireitei! The Seireitei, which had been bright from the glistening snow, was plunged into darkness in an instant.

An overwhelmingly powerful Reiatsu expanded outwards, covering the entire Seireitei! In that moment, an invisible, heavy pressure seemed to fall on the shoulders of every living being within. Every single Shinigami in the Seireitei clearly sensed the birth of a new, powerful existence!

"Ban… Bankai?!"

Seinosuke Yamada's struggling finally stopped. Faced with this immense Reiatsu, he had to use all his strength just to remain standing. From a nearly nonexistent Reiatsu to one that could engulf the entire Seireitei in an instant—such a massive leap in power could only be explained by Bankai!

But at this moment, no one was interested in explaining the situation to him. Everyone present was looking in the same direction, no one wanting to avert their gaze!

There, in the Squad 1 training grounds, high up in the sky.

A crack opened in the sky, which was shrouded in black clouds. A ray of winter sunlight pierced through this single opening, shining down upon the ground. The golden beam of light, piercing the darkness and descending from the heavens, created an aura of sacred stillness.

And at the end of this beam of light, a black, egg-like object was slowly rising.

But it was not an egg. It was a wing, folded in on itself, covering something!

A black wing!

Countless pitch-black feathers danced in the air, swirling around the great cocoon formed by the curled wing. A tremendous power leaked from the gaps in the wing. The heavy aura swelled violently once more. Something inside seemed to have awakened.

Suddenly, the massive wing unfurled, stirring the air into a storm, its winds buffeting everything around.

It was not two wings obscuring the figure! It was just a single wing! With just a single wing, he could fly in the heavens!

His grievous wounds seemed to mean nothing now. Rising slowly in the light that fell from the sky, like a god breaking free from a cocoon, a deity born from the mortal world. His flowing silver-white hair was tinged with gold. The already absurdly long sword in his hand had grown even further, now approaching four meters! From an observer's perspective, it had become a faint silver line!

In the light, the being slowly opened his eyes, his gaze meeting that of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, who looked up from the ground.

Then, a slight smile curved his lips.

The single wing behind him vibrated slightly. In the next instant, he had torn through the sky, ripping through the air's resistance, leaving a black and purple trail like a shooting star as he arrived before Yamamoto!

In a flash, he swung the impossibly long tachi in his hand, slashing directly at Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni!

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