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Su Li, suppressing the thrill building inside him, flew through the black expanse toward that singular point of light. The distance seemed deceptively short, but it took him a considerable time before he finally reached it. What hovered before him was no more than a glowing sphere the size of a palm, softly illuminating the darkness around it. A quiet awe filled his chestâsuch a small cluster of light, yet he had spotted it across such a void. He couldn't help but admire his own eyesight. Of course, he knew the truth: if not for the Ultra Instinct training he'd undergone, his senses wouldn't have been nearly sharp enough to detect it. This, too, was a gift of discipline.
Steadying himself, Su Li turned his full attention to the glowing object. It wasn't made of pure lightâit had form, a substance beneath the glow. The sphere resembled a perfect pearl, smooth as white jade, flawless in shape, its faint light washing over him with a strange sense of vitality. It reminded him of an eggshell, brimming with life, fragile yet profound. And for all his travels, Su Li had never seen anything quite so... precise. Leaning in to study it more closely, he placed his hands on his chin thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, at the mouth of the alley, Matsumoto Rangiku and the others sat on the curb under the night sky, faces slack with boredom. The moon hung high overhead, and time had dragged on.
"Hey, I'm just saying... does a transcendence ceremony really take this long?" Rangiku grumbled, brows creasing in mild frustration.
"Maybe it's a formality," Shimizu JĆ offered nervously, scratching the back of his head. "A way for Captain Su Li to maintain dignity, you knowâŠ?"
"Haahh... I'm so sleepy..." Rangiku let out a loud yawn, and as her body stretched, the men near her flushed and quickly diverted their eyes. She rested her cheek on her palm and sighed. "Seriously, what's taking him so longâŠ"
Back inside the dark expanse, Su Li circled the glowing sphere slowly. No matter the angle, it looked the sameâno change, no blemish. Just a gentle light, unwavering. After some time, Su Li cupped his hands to his mouth and called out, "Hello? Hello?" His voice was soft but hopeful. No response. "Can you hear me?" he asked again, trying a slightly louder tone. Still nothing. "If you can't talk right now, just nod or something and I'll come back later," he whispered, his words carrying the awkward patience of a man asking his strict best friend's wife if they could borrow him for drinks.
The sphere remained completely still. Su Li's brow twitched. Something was definitely inside this thingâhe could feel itâbut why wasn't it responding? Determined, he reached out a single finger and gently poked its surface. His touch was careful, almost reverent. It was smooth. Warm. A little firm. But before he could register the sensation fully, a sudden jolt shot through his chest.
The sphere shivered. Then, like a cosmic backlash, the darkness itself surged forward like a colossal invisible hand and yanked Su Li backward with unstoppable force. He tried to resist, but it was no use. Eggy, as he'd come to mentally nickname it, shrank into the distance while he was forcibly ejected.
The next moment, Su Li found himself standing in the alley, dazed and blinking under the night sky. It took him a few seconds to adjust. Looking down, he saw his ZanpakutĆ resting in his lap. The cracks had vanished. The blade shimmered faintly under the moonlight, the surface smooth and cold, radiating a vitality that hadn't been there before. It was no longer a dull piece of metal. It was alive. He traced his fingers down its edge, and the sensation mirrored exactly what he'd felt when touching Eggy. Holding the hilt, he felt a pulse of energy, like a heartbeatâhis ZanpakutĆ had awakened. He hadn't imagined any of it.
Elated, Su Li closed his eyes, trying to re-enter the consciousness space and speak to the spirit again. But no matter how hard he focused, he couldn't get back in. Worse, the blade gave off a subtle pulse of resistance. A bitter smile formed on his lips. Had he offended Eggy somehow? Was it mad that he poked it?
He exhaled slowly, feeling the embarrassment settle into his bones. Maybe he'd been too abrupt. Still, the excitement remainedâhis ZanpakutĆ was alive, and that was enough. There would be other chances to talk. Time was on his side. One day, he'd know its name, unlock Shikai, reach Bankai. This was only the beginning.
A bright grin spread across his face. Then, his smile faded into contemplation. Until now, his ZanpakutĆ had been silent and inert. But it awakened only after he purified that Hollow. Could it be tied to battle? To death? Maybe the act of purification had stirred it to lifeâblood, perhaps, had triggered its instinct. There was meaning in the act.
Su Li suddenly stood up, the realization hitting him hard. In the distance, Matsumoto and the others flinched in surprise at the sudden movement, some even falling backward.
"Hey!" Rangiku shouted, annoyed. "Captain Su Li! You're finallyâ"
Shunpo. Su Li vanished before she could finish. The alley was empty again.
A beat of silence passed. Then Rangiku's howl echoed through the street. "Damn it! He does this every time! Takes off without letting me finish!" She kicked a can across the pavement. "I waited here all night! I swear, this guyâarghh!!"
Elsewhere, deep in the Tech Development Bureau, alarms rang.
"Report! In Karakura Town, the number of Hollows is dropping rapidly!"
"What? Why? What's happening?"
"It's⊠Captain Su Li! He's purifying them!"
"Eh? Then what's the issue?"
"Well, Captain⊠it's the speed! It's⊠it's too fast!"
"How fast?"
"Uh⊠see for yourselfâŠ"
The supervisor leaned over to observe the monitorâand spat his tea. "If this keeps up, the entire Hollow population in Karakura Town will be gone before dawn!"
"This guy⊠he's planning to massacre the whole town?!"
At the Urahara Shop, Kisuke stood outside in his yukata, eyes locked on the moonlit sky, face solemn. "A night of slaughter... this one's gone mad." Beside him, Tessai swallowed hard. Remembering the grinning young man from before, he shivered. A chill ran down his spine. Tonight, it seemed, Karakura Town would know no sleep.
And then... morning came.
The first light of day spilled over the rooftops. The carnage was over. Karakura Town's Hollows had survived their final night. Su Liâone boy, one ZanpakutĆâhad practically cleansed the city. An entire generation of Hollows purged by dawn. The few Shinigami stationed there had been mere witnesses. None dared interfere. They hadn't even been able to get closeâhis pressure had pushed them back like wind against leaves. And though no blood had actually been shed, the air reeked of it in their minds. A suffocating silence loomed.
And as Su Li stood there in the rising sunlight, glancing down at his ZanpakutĆ with a mild frown, the only emotion in every onlooker's heart was cold, unshakable fear. Yet all he did was scratch his head, puzzled. "Why are you ignoring meâŠ"
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