The Zanpakuto's Name

The first full assembly after their return to Shin'ō Academy was more somber than ever before.

On the training ground, the elite class students stood in sparse ranks, noticeably fewer than before they had set out. The air was thick with stifled grief, the daze of those who had survived, and a certain indescribable pain and bewilderment after reality had struck them so hard. Many still wore bandages, and the shock had yet to fade from their faces.

Their instructor, Nakamura Sōya, stood before the ranks, his expression even more solemn than usual. His gaze swept over the young faces below, already marked by hardship, and the several empty places stood out painfully. He was silent for a moment before he slowly spoke, his voice quiet but clear to everyone present:

"During the practical exercise at the Hollow Hunting Training Ground, a major accident occurred that none of us wanted to see. It caused grievous casualties, and several students... have left us forever." His voice faltered, as though he too were holding back some emotion. "As your teacher, I am deeply grieved and ashamed."

He drew a deep breath, his gaze sharpening as he looked over them. "But after your grief, I hope every one of you will remember today, and remember this bloody reality.

"This is part of what you must face after choosing the path of a Soul Reaper!

"Fighting Hollows and protecting order are no game. Sacrifice, parting, watching comrades fall... In the future, when you truly put on your Soul Reaper robes and enter the Gotei 13, such things may become part of your daily lives!"

His tone grew heavier, carrying an almost cruel clarity. "So put away your unrealistic fantasies and hopes of getting lucky! Learn to face life and death. Not only must you face the deaths of your enemies, you must also learn to face your own possible end, and... shoulder the responsibility of protecting your comrades and reducing casualties! Strength! Will! Resolve! You cannot do without a single one! This incident was a cruel warning to all of you, and a trial by fire!"

The students below were silent. Many lowered their heads, some bit their lips hard, and others had tears in their eyes. But in more of them, after the initial fear and grief had settled, a more complicated fire began to burn: anger, unwillingness to accept what had happened, an overwhelming hunger for strength, and an unprecedented determination to grow stronger.

"All right," Nakamura Sōya said, his voice softening somewhat. "That's all for today. Everyone, go back and get some rest, collect yourselves, and... think carefully about what I just said. Dismissed."

There was none of the usual noise and playful chatter. The students silently dispersed in twos and threes, their footsteps heavy. Even their conversations were hushed, as though they feared disturbing the souls of those who had not returned.

Liu Hao walked back to the dormitory alone, his shadow stretched long by the setting sun. Without a certain red-haired figure beside him, always loud and overflowing with energy, he felt a little empty. Renji Abarai's injuries were too severe, and he needed to remain hospitalized under observation in the Fourth Division for some time. He could not return to school immediately.

He pushed open the dormitory door. The familiar sight greeted him, but without the sound of the other occupant breathing, it felt exceptionally quiet. Liu Hao stood in the doorway for a while before closing the door behind him and walking over to his bed.

He did not lie down to rest, nor did he make his usual preparations for meditation. Everything that had happened today—the tragedy at the training ground, Aizen and Gin Ichimaru's "timely" rescue, Renji's near-fatal injuries, and the reverence quietly planted in the surviving students... Countless images and pieces of information churned and collided in his mind.

He needed to sort through it all, to digest it, and more than that... to speak with himself.

He sat cross-legged and carefully laid the Tang Dao Zanpakuto from his embrace across his knees. It had awakened, yet remained silent. The cold sheath touched his skin, bringing a familiar sense of calm.

He closed his eyes, steadied his breathing, and slowly quieted his mind. This was not his usual meditation to guide the flow of Reiatsu, but something a step further: Tōzen.

Using his Zanpakuto as a medium, he bound his mind and reached straight into the depths of his soul, seeking a conversation with "her," and with his truest self.

His consciousness plunged like a diver into the deep sea, passing through layers of mist and distracting thoughts, descending, descending...

When he opened his "eyes" again, he stood in the magnificent, mysterious soul space that belonged to him alone.

Beneath his feet was a vast platform that seemed to have no edge, made of some translucent material that gave off a faint glow. Smooth as a mirror, it reflected the boundless, brilliant night sky above, where galaxies and nebulae flowed. The stars seemed close enough to pluck from the sky, yet as distant as legends from time immemorial.

At the center of this starry sky, at the far end of the platform, stood a magnificent, stately staircase that seemed to be formed entirely from starlight and Reishi. Atop it was a vast, ornate throne that radiated an intangible pressure.

On the throne sat a woman of incomparable beauty, clad in multicolored celestial robes. She rested her cheek on one hand, her elbow propped on the armrest, and laid the other hand casually on her knee.

Her head tilted slightly, the corners of her lips curved in a hint of a smile that was not quite a smile. With an appraising, amused look, she quietly "looked down" from on high at Liu Hao, who had just appeared on the platform.

Her gaze seemed to pierce the surface of his soul, reflecting the turmoil, heaviness, confusion, and longing in his heart.

Liu Hao looked up at the figure seated high on the starry throne, then at the awe-inspiring expanse around him. A wry smile appeared on his face, and he tried to break the overly solemn atmosphere with a light tone. "Every time I come in here... it's breathtaking. Isn't this a bit much for a setting?"

The woman's smile seemed to deepen slightly, but the contempt in her eyes did not diminish. "Can't you find a more... sincere way to try to bring us closer? Feigning ease with silly jokes in a setting like this only makes you seem especially childish and... cowardly." Her voice was cool, echoing directly in the depths of Liu Hao's consciousness.

Liu Hao scratched his head awkwardly. Looking at the lofty throne and the aura of nobility and majesty that seemed innate to the woman, he said helplessly, "But... you're sitting somewhere that makes people want to kneel at a glance. I really don't know how to 'get closer' to someone who looks like 'Her Majesty the Queen.'"

"Heh." The woman chuckled, her laughter full of undisguised mockery. "Since you understand the distance and the fundamental difference between us, stop trying to get familiar with me through such childish tricks. They only make me think you still don't understand what it means to be qualified, or what strength is, and that you are even less worthy... of wielding 'me.'"

Her tone shifted abruptly. The amused smile vanished from her face, replaced by an almost icy seriousness. "Since you went to the trouble of coming in, I assume it wasn't for idle conversation. Then, let's begin."

With that, she slowly rose from the throne.

As she stood, her magnificent, flowing multicolored celestial robes, seemingly imbued with all the world's colors and auspicious signs, flowed and changed like a living thing! Their brilliant colors drew inward and settled, intricate patterns rearranged and traced themselves anew, and the wide sleeves and skirts tightened and took shape... In the few steps it took her to descend the stairs, the ethereal robes had become a close-fitting, streamlined set of royal battle attire, black as the base color, edged in dark gold patterns, with light yet sturdy armor plates covering vital areas! It had less of an immortal air, but far more heroic bearing, ferocity, and an edge born for conquest!

Liu Hao stared, unable to stop himself from blurting out, "Say... when I use Shikai, will I get to wear a cool 'skin' like yours too? That look is just incredible!"

"Skin?" The woman paused and glanced at him, an undisguised sneer curling her lips. "To bear the weight represented by this 'battle attire,' you need strength to match, as well as... the resolve and determination to shoulder everything it symbolizes: responsibility, loneliness, choices, and even sin. And as for you now..." She looked Liu Hao up and down, then slowly shook her head. "I don't see any of that."

With that, she gave Liu Hao no further chance to joke around. Her slender hand closed on empty air, and a Tang Dao appeared in it, identical to his Zanpakuto in the real world, yet seemingly infused with more starlight and killing intent.

No warning, no wasted words. She pushed off, becoming a bolt of black lightning that tore across the short distance between them. Her Tang Dao cut through the air beneath the stars with a piercing shriek, cleaving down at Liu Hao's head! The speed and ferocity of the attack far surpassed any of their previous "exchanges"!

Liu Hao's pupils contracted. His instinctive "Shunpo" at the level of consciousness carried him several meters to the side by the narrowest margin. The blade skimmed past the tip of his nose, its fierce wind stinging his cheeks.

Her strike missed, and the woman turned the blade in a horizontal slash! Liu Hao dared not meet it head-on. He used Shunpo again to open the distance, while spiritual light flickered at the fingertips of both hands—

"Hadō #4: Byakurai!"

Two bolts of pale lightning shot out like snakes from their holes, one from each side, aimed precisely at the path the pursuing woman had to take!

Disdain flashed in her eyes. Facing the incoming lightning, she neither dodged nor swung her blade to block it. She merely raised her left hand casually and spread her fingers, an invisible force field seemingly covering her palm.

"Crackle!"

She caught the two bolts of Byakurai, each powerful enough to pierce a steel plate, with her bare hand! The lightning leaped and struggled in her palm, but could not break through the seemingly thin yet indestructible barrier of Reiatsu. It quickly dimmed and vanished.

Liu Hao did not seem terribly surprised by this—after all, he had been beaten up often enough—but he did not stop moving. Almost simultaneously, his other hand gathered Reiatsu again—

"Byakurai!"

Another bolt shot out, attempting to disrupt the woman's pursuit.

This time she did not even raise her left hand. She simply turned her wrist and casually slapped the back of her Tang Dao sideways—

"Smack!"

The bolt was easily scattered like a fragile glass bead, turning into specks of glowing Reishi dust.

At the very instant Liu Hao fired the second Byakurai, the woman raised the index finger of her free left hand. Pale electricity likewise danced at its tip as she pointed it lightly in his direction!

A faster, more concentrated Byakurai shot back at him!

Liu Hao dodged again in a sorry state. The bolt grazed his shoulder, leaving it numb. As he evaded, he could not help saying, "Looks like you've 'learned' Byakurai too. Did I use it so often that you 'recorded' it?"

Following him like a shadow, the woman replied coldly, "Naturally, I can do everything you can. This isn't 'learning'; it is 'possessing.' I simply thought such a crude projection of energy was not my style, so I usually couldn't be bothered to use it."

"True," Liu Hao panted, narrowly avoiding a straight thrust. "You're the embodiment of the source of my power. It only makes sense that you can do everything I can..."

"Makes sense?" The woman suddenly cut him off, a dangerous chill flashing in her eyes. Her tone became exceptionally arrogant and blunt. "Wrong. You could also say that you're a part of 'me'!"

Liu Hao felt as though lightning had struck him. He froze for an instant and was nearly hit by the blade that followed. His eyes widened as he looked at her in disbelief. "You... you want to take control of my body?! Isn't that something that only happens with Hollows... or when a Zanpakuto turns on its wielder under certain extreme circumstances?"

"Have you watched so much anime that it's made you stupid?" Her attacks grew fiercer, the flashes of her blade weaving an impenetrable net that forced Liu Hao to scramble from side to side. "I am a 'consciousness' born alongside 'power,' the manifestation of a collision between rules and soul. So, take a guess—" Her voice carried a seductive chill. "Does this 'consciousness' itself possess... the 'possibility' of replacing its 'host' and existing independently?"

"But...!" Liu Hao still wanted to argue, trying to make sense of this claim that overturned everything he knew.

The woman, however, gave him no chance to think. Her Tang Dao suddenly burst with blinding light, and a massive crescent of blade light, solid-looking and more than ten meters long, tore through the starry sky toward Liu Hao's waist! Its force far surpassed her earlier ordinary slashes!

Horrified, Liu Hao pushed Shunpo to its limit, his figure almost becoming an afterimage as he retreated desperately. At the same time, he fired several low-level Hadō in succession, trying to weaken the blade light, but to little effect. In its wake, even the starry backdrop seemed to have been cut by a fine crack!

He had no more opportunity to ask questions or argue. He could only devote all his attention to this increasingly unequal, increasingly dangerous "fight." The woman seemed determined to interrupt every word and thought. Whenever he found the slightest opening to speak, he was invariably met with an even more violent and devious attack.

"Shut up! Focus!" The woman's rebuke carried undisguised contempt. "Don't imagine you can influence me with the clumsy 'talk no jutsu' you picked up from stories! As you are now, you haven't even earned the right to 'hold a blade.' What right do you have to try to exchange words for 'recognition'? Your heart, your nature, every trace of fear, hesitation, wishful thinking, and self-deception in you... I see them more clearly than you do!"

Liu Hao felt as though he had been struck a heavy blow, and his body froze again.

The right to hold a blade... Her words exploded like thunder in his chaotic mind. I don't even have the right to hold a blade? Why? I've already awakened my Zanpakuto, and its form has settled... Why does she still say I'm not qualified to 'hold a blade'?

Once born, the question spread like a wildly growing vine, instantly wrapping itself around his entire mind. All his fighting, dodging, and thinking before this seemed to have missed the point. Qualification... What did it mean to be qualified to hold a blade? Was it merely awakening its form? Merely having powerful Reiatsu?

He suddenly stopped.

He no longer dodged in desperation or tried to counterattack with Kidō. He stood perfectly straight in the center of the platform, ignoring the blade the woman swung at him again. Like an old monk in meditation, he sank into the deepest self-examination and thought. His eyes were vacant, yet a storm seemed to brew within them.

The woman's fierce blade stopped dead the instant before it touched Liu Hao's neck. She withdrew it and stood a short distance in front of him, her eyes, seemingly reflecting endless galaxies, quietly watching him in thought. The ever-present mockery and sharpness in her gaze quietly faded, replaced by something complicated, a mixture of expectation, scrutiny, and a trace of indescribable... gentleness?

Finally... are you starting to reach the heart of it? she whispered inwardly. No longer running away, no longer using outside distractions and your companions' safety to cover up the confusion in your heart. Are you beginning to truly face the question... "Who are you, really"?

She stopped attacking and simply waited in silence.

An uncanny stillness fell over the platform. Only the distant galaxy flowed soundlessly.

Liu Hao's thoughts raced across the wilderness of his soul like a wild horse freed from its reins.

The right to hold a blade... My origins? Where I came from? That's it! I don't even know what my own "roots" in this world are, so how can I truly "grasp" the blade of power that belongs to this world, that belongs to the identity of "Liu Hao"?

I am not of this world. I'm a transmigrator, an "outsider" carrying memories and knowledge of the World of the Living.

From the very beginning, I cast myself as an "observer," a "player" having an immersive experience of the plot.

Even after the hardships of Rukongai, after forming bonds with Renji, Rukia, and the others, even after Captain Unohana saved me and I entered Shin'ō to study... deep in my heart,

was there still a part of me watching coldly, thinking that all of this was merely a "plot," a "story," and that I would ultimately be a "passerby"?

My Reiatsu erupted for the first time because Kosuke, Ogawa, and the others died. That heart-rending pain was real, the anger was real, and my desire to protect my companions was real too.

At that moment, I forgot my identity as a "transmigrator" and remembered only that I was "Liu Hao," their companion. But what happened afterward? When the crisis passed and life got "back on track," did that sense of detachment, that subconscious "rejection," quietly return?

Have I subconsciously been refusing to fully "become" a part of this world? Because I rejected it, was I unable to wholeheartedly accept this world's system of power? Because I couldn't fully accept it, did I always feel a barrier between us even after my Zanpakuto awakened, unable to truly "grasp" it and earn "her" full recognition?

But... what about my bonds? My friendship with Renji, teasing and trading insults yet trusting each other; my familial bond with Rukia, supporting each other; my longing and guilt for the companions I lost in Rukongai; my gratitude to Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Kotetsu; even my vigilance and determination to resist Aizen's plot hidden beneath his gentle mask... Aren't these real? Aren't these feelings and connections born from the identity of "Liu Hao" enough to prove that I've long been a link in this world's chain of cause and effect, that I've long been "Liu Hao of Soul Society," not merely "Liu Hao the transmigrator"?

I was the one... who trapped myself. Subconsciously, the reserve and detachment of an "outsider," The fear of losing my "self"—the knowledge and understanding of my past life—if I fully integrated, were holding me back.

I longed for power to protect and to change things, yet instinctively resisted fully becoming a part of the source of that power.

This contradiction, this incomplete acceptance, was the fundamental reason I always felt a veil between my Zanpakuto and me, why I could never earn the "right to hold a blade"!

His thoughts cleared, as though clouds had parted to reveal the sun!

With that realization, Liu Hao's dormant Reiatsu began to surge uncontrollably from the deepest part of his soul, as though some invisible shackle had been undone! Pale golden spiritual light burst from the pores all over his body, growing brighter and stronger! His body—his conscious form—was like a furnace being rekindled, radiating astonishing heat and pressure!

"Tch, what a... troublesome fellow." The woman watching nearby frowned slightly at the sight, though she did not seem very surprised. She muttered the complaint, then extended both hands, her fingers flying as she formed several complex, mysterious seals.

A gentle yet immensely powerful Reiatsu, stemming from the same source, emanated from her and instantly enveloped Liu Hao and the storm of Reiatsu erupting around him like an invisible dome.

She was not suppressing Liu Hao's power. Rather, she was guiding it and drawing it inward with the utmost precision, forcibly restraining and compressing the Reiatsu that had surged out of control with his sudden insight and nearly broken through the confines of the consciousness space. She directed it back into the depths of his soul's source, fusing it with and tempering his spiritual body on a deeper level.

The process went on for who knew how long. The light of Reiatsu on the platform brightened and dimmed like breathing. Liu Hao's figure flickered in and out of view within it, his aura at times violent as a volcano, at times still as the deep sea. At last, it gradually settled into a harmonious, weighty stability and strength, as though it had been tempered a thousand times.

When the woman guided the last trace of escaping Reiatsu back into place, the golden light around Liu Hao slowly receded. He slowly opened his eyes.

They were different now. Some of the confusion and deliberately feigned ease were gone, replaced by calm, clarity, and a determination like that of someone who had broken through the mist and seen the road ahead. He looked at the woman standing nearby and gave her a sincere, untainted smile.

"Thank you. Although... I still don't know your name. But I think I'm beginning to understand how to earn your recognition."

With that, he did not face her empty-handed or rely on Kidō as he had before. Instead, he slowly raised his right hand, palm up, and willed it.

Hum—

Dense purple Reiatsu, condensed almost to the point of substance, gathered madly in his palm like soldiers answering a summons! Rather than spraying out in disorder, it wove, constructed, and shaped itself according to an exceptionally mysterious pattern! In the blink of an eye, a Tang Dao of light, made entirely of highly concentrated purple Reiatsu and identical in form to his Zanpakuto in the real world, was held firmly in his hand!

Purple light flowed along the blade, its sharp edge flickering. Though made of Reiatsu, it radiated a sharpness and weight no less than that of a tangible divine weapon.

Liu Hao held the blade in one hand, his arm hanging naturally and its tip angled toward the ground. He took an opening stance that, while imperfect, was full of fighting spirit and confidence. His gaze was clear and steadfast as he looked at the woman opposite him.

The woman looked at the purple blade of light in his hand, then at the transformative understanding and determination in his eyes. On her normally expressionless face, a genuine smile finally blossomed, filled with gratification and relief.

"It seems... you really have understood." Her voice was no longer cold, but carried a hint of relief. "In truth, from beginning to end, it was never that 'I' didn't recognize 'you.' It was that 'you' yourself had never truly recognized 'yourself existing in this world as Liu Hao.' When you crossed the barrier in your heart, when you truly accepted this body's fate, bonds, and source of power, recognizing yourself meant recognizing me. And once you recognized me..."

She paused briefly, purple-gold light flowing through her eyes.

"...you naturally gained the 'right' to grasp the blade that belongs to 'Liu Hao.'"

As though confirming her words, the purple blade of light condensed from Reiatsu in Liu Hao's hand suddenly erupted with a blinding brilliance! It lit up the entire platform beneath the stars in an instant, even outshining the galaxy flowing overhead!

The light lasted several breaths before slowly receding.

When it faded, what Liu Hao held was no longer an illusory blade of Reiatsu.

It was a real, tangible Zanpakuto!

Red and black patterns intertwined on the hilt, warm and smooth to the touch. At the guard, the delicate red Chinese Knot swayed gently. Along the straight, dark-silver Tang Dao blade, ancient, mysterious inscriptions seemed to come alive, flowing with a deep luster. Its edge gleamed with a chilling light, as though it could cut through stars.

It was the awakened Zanpakuto he possessed in the real world, now finally appearing in its "complete form" within the consciousness space as well!

Liu Hao looked down at the companion in his hand, as though they shared blood and breath. An unprecedented sense of fulfillment, control, and surging power swept through him. He swung it lightly, and the blade cut through the air with a clear hum that resonated with his soul.

"So... that's how it is," he murmured, his voice full of feeling. "It wasn't that the blade didn't recognize me. It was that I didn't recognize the 'self' holding it. When heart and body are one, when 'I' am 'Liu Hao' and 'Liu Hao' is 'me,' the blade... is naturally in my hand."

The woman's smile grew gentler as she watched him, with an air of a teacher pleased by a promising pupil. "Your comprehension isn't too bad after all. Since you've understood your true heart and crossed that barrier, and your strength and state of mind are enough to bear it..."

She paused, her tone turning solemn and grave.

"Then, at this moment, you are qualified to learn my true name."

Liu Hao jerked his head up, his eyes blazing with delight and anticipation. "I can... just like that? I don't need to go through another trial?"

"A trial?" The woman chuckled. "Wasn't what you just experienced the most essential trial? Recognizing yourself, accepting yourself, and crossing the barrier in your heart.

"The earlier fight was only to make you expose the problem and find the answer faster under pressure.

"Your power has long been sufficient. I didn't tell you before because the barrier in your heart remained. My true name would have been nothing but a meaningless syllable to you. Knowing it wouldn't have let you call forth its true power, and trying to force it could have backfired. Now..."

Her gaze grew extraordinarily sharp and serious, and her aura rose in response, answering the presence of the Zanpakuto in Liu Hao's hand and creating a wondrous resonance.

"All right, enough idle talk."

The woman slowly raised her right arm. Holding two fingers of her left hand together like a sword, she pressed them in the air above the hilt of the Zanpakuto held in her right hand, the one that had manifested here with her. Her posture was solemn and ancient, as though she were performing some sacred rite.

Her voice no longer merely echoed in Liu Hao's consciousness. It seemed to set in motion the most fundamental rules of this starry world, and with a magnificent, ancient, and incomparably majestic cadence, she proclaimed each word with perfect clarity:

"The imperial princess at my side—"

(As her words fell, an illusory figure of a woman in palace dress seemed to flash into view at her side and vanish, waiting in observance of courtly rites.)

"The sword offered above—"

(The Zanpakuto in her hand trembled slightly, giving a clear blade hum like a dragon's cry, and the inscriptions along it lit up in succession!)

"The emperor's wrath awakens—"

(Liu Hao felt a vast, domineering, terrifying will and power in the depths of his soul, seemingly ready to rule the world and judge all things, fully awakened by these true words and resonating with them! His eyes uncontrollably took on a noble purple-gold hue!)

"—The Imperial Sword is unsheathed!!"

"Clang—!!!!!"

A supremely clear sword cry, as though heaven and earth were being cleaved apart, rang throughout the starry sky of the soul! The sound came not merely from the blade in the woman's hand, but from the source of Liu Hao's soul, from the core of the "power" they shared!

The instant the declaration ended, the Tang Dao-shaped Zanpakuto in the woman's hand underwent a sweeping transformation!

The blade abruptly lengthened and widened! The smooth Tang Dao became an eight-faceted Han sword, more archaic, imposing, and substantial in form!

Its blade was about four feet long, a deep, subdued dark gold rather than metallic in sheen.

All eight facets were polished, each smooth as a mirror and reflecting the flowing starlight.

Most astonishing of all, the blade bore not simple patterns, but ancient totems and cloud motifs in extraordinarily intricate, exquisite relief, seemingly containing the fundamental truths of heaven and earth. At their center, a lifelike five-clawed purple-gold dragon, baring its fangs and claws and radiating supreme majesty, coiled up the sword's spine. Its head pointed proudly toward the tip, and two purple star-like lights, flowing as though alive, were set in its eyes!

The sword as a whole was no longer merely a weapon. It was more like a ceremonial artifact, a divine weapon symbolizing supreme authority and power!

The woman stood holding it, the Han sword seemingly weightless in her hand. She swung it casually—

"Roar—!!!"

A stream of supremely concentrated purple-gold sword energy erupted! The instant it left the blade, it faintly took the shape of a miniature purple-gold dragon, baring its fangs and claws and giving a soundless roar that shook the soul. It coiled and soared forward, and everywhere it passed, the starry sky seemed coated in a noble purple-gold radiance!

The woman withdrew her sword, and the dragon-shaped sword energy dissipated. She turned and held the Zanpakuto representing the Imperial Sword level in both hands, its tip pointing toward Liu Hao. Her posture was like that of the most loyal subject offering a seal of authority to the sovereign she acknowledged.

Her gaze clear and steadfast, she looked at Liu Hao and parted her red lips, speaking the unique true name he could finally learn after crossing the barrier in his heart and enduring the trial:

"This is my name, and also your power—the Imperial Sword!"