Chapter 38: The Path of the Purity Powerhouse—Slaying One's Own Weakness
The so-called "Tribulation of Reishi Stagnation" referred to the fact that in the imperfect world of Chaos, Reishi—the cornerstone of all things—would eventually lose its vitality and variation over vast stretches of time. This would lead the world into a state of "neither life nor death," where all things were ambiguous and indistinct. In fact, that was the most ancient state of the Primordial Chaos.
The Three Worlds were established, and Soul Reapers used the method of Konso (Soul Burial) to guide the souls of the dead to the Soul Society and martial force to subjugate the evil Hollows. Essentially, this was to guide the flow and circulation of Reishi, achieving a dynamic Reishi balance, rather than the so-called "Balance of Souls" dictated by the Soul Society's nobility.
However, Soul Reapers alone were not enough for this circulation system; it required the participation of Quincies.
Reishi is the base of all things and permeates everything. A human dies and becomes a soul; they are ferried by Soul Reapers to the Soul Society, where they wait for their next death to naturally decompose into Reishi and reincarnate back to the material world. If they fall and become a Hollow, they are ground into Reishi by a Quincy, returning to the cycle of the Three Worlds.
Reishi constantly ebbs and flows, condensing and dispersing within this cycle. This maintains dynamic movement and change, delaying the final end of stagnation and silence. This is the true "Balance of the Three Worlds."
Both Soul Reapers and Quincies are indispensable existences. They should not be in conflict; they must coexist to maintain the world's operation. Perhaps Hollows are too? regardless, this was likely the true expectation of the Soul King and the world itself. However, such a plot wouldn't be seen in Bleach 1; one could only look forward to the Bleach 2 plot led by Ichigo's son. Mo Yu thought these things to himself but didn't say them aloud.
"In the current situation, the most suitable person to set things right isn't Ichigo Kurosaki—who has blood ties and connections with Soul Reapers, Quincies, and Hollows alike, keeping his relationships friendly. His network of connections makes it difficult for him to truly let loose. You, however, are not just the 'Last Quincy,' but you also hold a blood feud with the Seireitei. You have sufficient legal grounds and the motivation to act. Furthermore, you are now the being watched and appointed by the Soul King. You can boldly declare to anyone: I am the Agent of the Soul King, qualified to change everything as I please!!!"
The fleeing Uryu Ishida suddenly skidded to a halt. Hearing these words, he looked up at the sky with a complex expression. He could also see that blood-red vertical eye overlooking the Seireitei. He asked:
"Are you that Soul King from a million years ago who bestowed the duty upon the Quincies!?"
"I am not, but I can be, and I certainly shall be!"
It was unknown how Uryu interpreted this answer. He simply said:
"If I say that I cannot carry those glories and missions you speak of, that I don't have the power to set things right and change everything... if I say that right now, I just want to act like a 'woman' and vent my emotions without reason, making the Soul Society feel a bit of my pain... what would you think of that?"
Mo Yu's response was a loud burst of laughter.
"Hahaha! Then go ahead and vent to your heart's content! The world is complex, but we can live more simply and directly. More often than not, the world is moved by exactly that kind of directness."
"That's what you said!"
At that moment, the relentless Soul Reapers struck again. Among them appeared a character from the original series: Byakuya Kuchiki's Lieutenant, Renji Abarai!
With red hair like fire and a delinquent style, Renji looked thoroughly annoyed. Having followed Byakuya to the material world, he had hoped to see his childhood friend Rukia. Instead, Byakuya had caught Uryu so quickly that they returned immediately, making Renji miss his chance. What annoyed him more was that he now had to catch Uryu again, and Byakuya had specifically instructed him not to be "rough," but to arrest him in a "humanitarian" way that followed legal protocols.
Damn it, this was the first time Renji had ever heard such nonsense from the cold and stern Byakuya!
But since Byakuya was both his boss and Rukia's brother, Renji had to obey. He shouted with a look of displeasure:
"Hey, you over there! I am officially notifying you in the name of the Gotei 13: due to involvement in a special case, we need your cooperation in an investigation. The Gotei 13 won't let a criminal go, but we won't wrong an innocent man either. You aren't a suspect yet. If you believe you are innocent, stop resisting. A clean, high-end temporary detention cell with 24-hour service has been prepared for you by the Kuchiki family, and they will provide legal assistance..."
Despite the eloquent speech, Renji looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. Clearly, these lines made him very uncomfortable.
Uryu reached out with both hands to straighten his messy mohawk. He used to think this hairstyle was hideous, but now he felt that compared to a middle part where the bangs often blocked his vision, this style offered a much wider field of view. He took off his cracked glasses, tossed them casually behind him, and let out a soft laugh.
Renji, standing a short distance away, froze. He felt that the prisoner before him was different from the one he had seen during the initial arrest. His handsome face now carried a mysterious, bewitching charm that made it hard to look away.
"I remember you. You're the lackey of the man who took me down, right? I'm quite interested in you. By the way, do you know where Mayuri Kurotsuchi lives? I have some things I'd like to 'chat' with him about!"
Smiling, Uryu slowly raised his hand. Reishi light swirled in his palm, and several Quincy Arrows condensed, firing rapidly at Renji.
Renji didn't take an attack of this level seriously. He instinctively moved to lift his Zanpakuto to swat them away. However, at that exact moment, a Reishi thread thin as silk flashed across his vision. Suddenly, his body felt bound, making movement exceptionally heavy.
Renji forcibly surged his power to break the binding sensation and swung his blade to strike down the arrows. In the next instant, a sense of danger hit his heart. Uryu's silhouette had appeared before him like a ghost.
The soft smile on Uryu's face had turned into something mad and arrogant. He pressed his palm lightly against Renji's chest. Reishi light pulsed, but he didn't fire an arrow. Instead, he condensed a half-finished arrow in his palm, clenched his hand into a fist, and unleashed all the power in a focused burst!
Byakuya specialized in high-speed assaults; as his Lieutenant, Renji had seen this many times and could react. But when he tried to counter, he found the binding sensation far stronger than before, pinning him in place. Under that single punch, Renji was sent flying.
"I finally understand why the Quincy combat style I taught Ichigo was modified by him beyond recognition. As it turns out, hitting people with your fists feels so good... it makes me... feel so high!"
The smile on his face grew more intense, eventually bordering on fanatical.
Uryu had always been a rational person. No matter the situation, he kept a shred of calm to think—even when he first heard the truth about his grandfather's death. But with the information Mo Yu gave him, he realized the more he thought, the more powerless he felt. And that powerlessness fed the "Female" in his heart, which in turn influenced him further.
However, in that moment just now, Uryu had completely abandoned thought, allowing emotion and instinct to govern him!
Suddenly, he didn't want to run anymore. He didn't care about the enemy's strength, his odds of winning, or what to do next. Throwing everything to the back of his mind, Uryu sensed a burning will roaring in his heart!
It was rage. An extreme, pure rage directed at others, at fate, and at himself!
His grandfather was righteous and wise; he should have passed away surrounded by family, not murdered and dissected. The Quincies contributed to the world; they should have glory, not be rats in a gutter. He should have been stronger, not wallowing in helpless regret!
For a sixteen-year-old boy, these were perfectly normal emotions. Normally, Uryu would suppress this anger because it "interfered with rational thinking." But now, in his thoughtless state, this rage was powerful and intoxicating.
Power was being birthed from his anger. Or more accurately, his Purity was burning and climbing within that rage.
Renji took the hit, but being tough, he scrambled back to his feet. He glared at Uryu:
"Damn it... is this that 'Divine Palm' of yours? No, it doesn't match the reports. It's just some small tricks!"
Renji was sharp. He noticed the space around them had changed. Faint Reishi threads were floating in the air, with Uryu at their center.
Uryu walked slowly toward Renji, speaking with a twisted, manic smile:
"I'm not just good at cooking; I'm also great at needlework. I've received many compliments for repairing dolls. So, this Ransotengai (Heavenly Wild Puppet Suit) technique, which involves manipulating Reishi threads, happens to be my specialty. So, my dear 'Mister Doll,' I've come to repair you. Don't worry, I will fix your filthy body and decaying soul from the inside out. Until I finish... you better not break!"
Ransotengai was actually a high-level technique Uryu hadn't fully mastered because it required insane precision. But that didn't matter. With his surging Purity, it wasn't an issue!
"Crap... this guy's head isn't right. I have a bad feeling about getting close to him. I guess I can't follow Captain Kuchiki's orders to be 'humanitarian'!"
Renji's gaze turned heavy. The aura Uryu exuded—the madness in his smile—gave him a primal chill.
Renji wasn't wrong. At this moment, the "Female" in Uryu's heart and various submissive, weak thoughts were still popping up. But Uryu didn't react with shock anymore. He simply felt these weak aspects and... felt more rage!
The fact that he could have such pathetic, weak thoughts was disgusting. He had to crush and trample everything to vent that fury.
Under this will, Uryu began to flip the "Weak Uke" persona given by the audience, evolving instead into a "Sadistic Madman"!
In this paradoxical spiral of self-attack and self-submission, his constant self-denial and self-hatred condensed into an even more extreme will, driving his Purity upward.
In this moment, Uryu Ishida embarked on his own unique Path of the Purity Powerhouse!
End of Chapter
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