It wasn't the typical orange explosion of fireworks, but strange black sparks. The black flames that erupted thunderously were mixed with an eerie purple glow.
Lengqing didn't look back at the explosion behind him. The wind stirred by the blast gently moved his silver-white hair.
Thud—
Something hit the ground behind Lengqing.
It was the falling Hollow, or rather, part of the Hollow's body.
The Hollow's body was already torn apart. Even as a monster, it had no way to survive. With its one remaining eye, it stared fixedly at Lengqing, who was walking away with his back turned.
What filled that cautious eye was irresistible fear—fear of Lengqing's power, and fear of its own death.
It regretted not immediately turning and fleeing when it first sensed that strange oppressive feeling from him.
Only before dying did it remember where it had encountered that terrible oppressive presence before.
"...Lord... Lord Baraggan, save me..."
Lengqing stopped walking.
The Hollow's death didn't interest him enough to take another look, but the words it spoke before dying sparked his curiosity.
"You said... Lord?"
Turning around, Lengqing asked.
"So there's someone stronger than you above you?"
But by then, the Hollow was completely unable to answer Lengqing's question.
Its broken body quickly lost color, then turned into something like black coal ash and scattered into the air.
"..."
He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Even though there was no blood on the blade, Lengqing still habitually swung it forcefully toward the ground—chiburi—before sheathing his sword.
Lengqing's mood wasn't very good right now.
Since arriving in Soul Society, since touching a sword and fighting someone for the first time, since the moment he first killed someone, even without anyone telling him, he realized that this afterlife world probably possessed some supernatural powers.
At least he did.
Over these two months, he had fought his way through almost everything, but no matter who it was or how many people there were, none could last more than three strikes under his blade. Most died in a single cut.
This unparalleled mowing-down situation didn't give Lengqing any sense of satisfaction from bullying weaklings. Instead, it filled him with a sense of emptiness.
He had no way of knowing just how strong he really was. It was like floating in water without being able to touch the bottom—there was no real sense of it.
What's more, Lengqing realized that regarding the skills he could currently use, forget about mastering them completely—he could barely use them, which made him somewhat anxious.
Finally, finally, an opponent different from the street thugs of Rukongai had appeared before him—a monster had appeared.
Like opening some switch, it awakened suppressed impulses and passion somewhere in his heart. He had thought this would at least be an evenly matched battle, but that massive body turned out to be only slightly more durable than the Rukongai thugs.
This alone was completely insufficient for Lengqing to fully release the emotions surging within him.
To put it crudely, it was like stopping halfway through masturbation. Who could be in a good mood after that?
However, when he reached the heavily breathing Yui Indigo's side, Lengqing didn't take out his emotions on the child.
Noticing Yui Indigo's current condition, he didn't extend his hand to pull him up, but let him sit there to recover some strength first. He went to retrieve his clothes that he had hidden under the tree canopy, and when he returned to Yui Indigo's side, Lengqing offered him a fruit.
Finally having a chance to catch his breath, Yui Indigo recovered some strength. He took the fruit Lengqing handed him and quietly said thanks.
During the time he spent getting his clothes, Lengqing also adjusted his mood somewhat, suppressing the battle impulse that had surged in his heart. He smiled slightly at the quietly thanking boy.
"I'm Lengqing. Just call me Lengqing. Can you tell me what happened?"
Still holding the fruit Lengqing had given him, Yui Indigo stared blankly at Lengqing, who was smiling at him.
For the first time in his life, Yui Indigo understood what "admiration" meant. This man before him possessed everything he dreamed of.
He had the courage and strength that Yui Indigo completely lacked, and could maintain calm no matter what. Outside of battle, he was unexpectedly gentle.
"Are you... are you a Soul Reaper...?"
Before he realized it, this question had already left his mouth.
Because in Yui Indigo's understanding, only Soul Reapers could possess such powerful strength. And Soul Reapers were the organization that specialized in fighting Hollows.
More importantly, according to rumors, Soul Reapers all carried swords.
Lengqing didn't get angry because Yui Indigo answered his question with another question, nor because he had been mistaken for a Soul Reaper multiple times.
He also didn't look down on Yui Indigo for looking scared. In Lengqing's view, even though there was an element of the monster (Hollow) deliberately toying with him, Yui Indigo's ability to grit his teeth and persist until the end, to keep running until he had barely any strength left, was already quite strong.
Putting himself in Yui Indigo's position, he might not have done as well at that age.
Lengqing patiently answered Yui Indigo's question.
"A Soul Reaper? Not yet. But I will be in the future."
This was also Lengqing's genuine thought.
As the only violent organization in Soul Society, and since he had the qualifications to become a Soul Reaper, and was now carrying a Soul Reaper's sword around openly...
Whether he would eventually become a Soul Reaper wasn't a question—it had become a certainty from the moment he learned what Soul Reapers were.
"Ah... ah."
Suddenly, just staring at Lengqing's face, with some new light appearing in his eyes, Yui Indigo's eyes widened as if remembering something, and he said somewhat frantically:
"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Yui Indigo."
"Yui Indigo... that's a good name."
Hearing Lengqing's praise, Yui Indigo could only show a slightly bitter smile.
Then, remembering Lengqing's question, he carefully and thoroughly told him about everything that had happened to him, as if to permanently engrave the events in his heart.
Listening to Yui Indigo's account, even though Lengqing had questions about some concepts and details in his story, he didn't ask them.
He didn't even inquire after Yui Indigo finished speaking.
Instead, he nodded lightly and said, as if changing the subject:
"So now you're all alone. In that case, to prevent any accidents along the way, I'll escort you home."
"Really, is that really okay?"
"I happen to be heading in that direction anyway. It's not good to do things halfway. Since I saved you, I might as well see it through to the end."