(Davian's P.O.V)

(Inner World)

(Some Time Back)

Sweat matted my eyebrows as the spirit released a potent aura of Reiatsu. I sank to my knees, face looking up in fear at the intimidating cloak of power covering his form.

Breathing became hard. The resolve I had held on till then washed out of me, leaving me a husk of hopelessness. It felt like the end of the world. My first time being exposed to spirit pressure and I completely understood why it could kill. This felt as if the air was squeezing into me from all sides.

'Get it together...'

The whisper came from the deep recess of my mind. It reminded me of who I was. Of what I had gone through. I clenched my jaw and butt cheeks.

The sheath in my hands glowed green and more spirit power was released, saturating the space between us and enabling me to atleast block the worst of the aura.

I inhaled large amounts of air while stumbling to my feet. Luckily I had Gordon behind me, so he was saved from the blunt of the Spiritual pressure.

As if unaware of me, the spirit began ranting, palms pressed on his head from the sides.

"It's not fair...I should have it all! It's mine! I was first here... No! You lie! Kill you! I need to end it!"

The mutterings continued as he faced away from me. Unhinged and Nervous. The phantom on his shoulder held a hand above his head.

My Parallel self, like a sentinel floated around the spirit. A worried look was on his face. He looked at me and silently asked me to do it.

I had no idea where to start from. Konso was basically cleansing a soul by using a Zanpakuto.

So how do you perform a Konso without a Zanpakuto?

I knew that a Soul Reaper pressed the pommel of the weapon on the forehead of a plus (dead soul) to send them to the other side, but that was about it.

'He is in pain."

A voice, different from the Spirit spoke out.

Mine. Only younger. Softer. My Parallel self's lips had not moved but I knew that it was he who had spoken.

And if it were up to me, that pain would have been tenfold. I held no love for the spirit after everything that had gone down.

The way my Parallel stared at me felt...not exactly judgemental but something along those lines. It felt as if he was accusing me of not seeing the bigger picture.

My chest tightened, whether from the pain of my injuries or the heaviness of his gaze, it mattered not. I ran a hand across my injuries. The skin under the wounds felt tender but something was actively healing me.

"I've never had anyone."

He added, seemingly patting the Spirit's head to appease it. It was distracted.

'I only needed to get close. Things would sort themselves out afterwards.'

I took a step forward and the Spirit pressure coming off the spirit doubled.

The world warped around me. My soul shivered as the sky begun to rain down with millions of worms. I deployed a shield but none of that seemed to work.

My body was splattered with dead bugs and green blood. I felt like retching, the stench was horrible but my gaze never left his back. I only need to get...close.

I took another step and his body changed.

The back deformed, becoming too large for his chest. The White outfit he wore begun to tear apart, revealing more worms that spilled out and fell to the ground, squirming and digging into the cemetery floor.

What the...the hailstorm of bugs ended but the nightmare seemed to have only just begun.

"Aarrrghh..."

Moaning sounds begun to ring out from the graves dotting the Cemetery. A grey, skinny arm broke through the soil.

"Oh Fuck... don't tell me..."

Before I could say anything else, the hand was joined by more.

I jumped back, standing before Gordon. I was seriously getting tired of all this crap. My face was set in a permanent frown. I had no idea how much time had passed but I would be pissed if I'd wasted more than a few days on this particular issue.

Dead bodies begun to rise around me, each with purple eyes, and dozens of worms digging through their slouching flesh as they stumbled my way.

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"What the fuck is this, night of the living dead?"

I leaned forward and created a small green platform under my feet that enabled me to burst in quickly. The first Zombie, a man who was...

Wait. I stopped, my feet braking hard on the ground.

That face...it was disfigured with worms moving under the grey rotting skin but I recognized it.

"Andre?"

I asked out loud, sweeping my gaze out to the rest of them.

My heart faltered, hand shaking as my old gang appeared before me. But I had killed them! I remember each and every single shot I'd taken.

That plaid shirt could only be Papa Fred, Serena looked as if she'd seen better days and Marc moaned with a green sludge falling down his lips.

My hair hid my eyes away. If that's how he wanted to play this then...

"Kill Him!!"

The Spirit had fully turned to me and along with the hate and negative feelings, I saw a spark of fear underneath it all.

He had resurrected my old Gang. No pressure, I just needed to kill them again. A wide grin appeared on my face.

Leaning forward again, I jumped at Andre who was closest to me. Up close and the stench was horrible. I paid it no mind as I slashed out with my palm. His head flew up to the sky, the skin on his neck offering no resistance.

Papa Fred was next. I won't lie, I enjoyed this part. A lot. My enhanced kick tore through his huge belly, exploding him from the back, his organs a putrid mess of intestines and torn flesh that flew towards the spirit only to be vaporized by the grid of strings around him.

Serena clawed on the shield I timely deployed. I enlarged it, throwing her through the air and causing her to slam onto a Gravestone. Her head splattered easily on it's hard surface. Marc was last. The little shit. I reiterate, I hate Marc.

I bitch slapped Marc's head off and exhaled in relief. That had felt good. I looked at the dead bodies once more. Whether they were an illusion or not, I had killed them again and it felt... therapeutic.

"That all you got?"

I asked the spirit. Shit, I wouldn't have minded bitch slapping Marc around a couple more times.

A second later, I realized my mistake. In response to my taunt, the Spirit powered up.

His limbs grew uneven, the hands lengthening to long claws covered with a white fur that reminded me of the monster, Slenderman. Pair that up with the worm creatures falling off his body and he was like an incomplete Chimera creature. Within seconds, he was unrecognizable. One lone purple eye stared down at me, the other a mass of black worms.

He was now more than 8 feet tall.

Like a broken record, Gordon kept on muttering,

"Kill You."

The Reiryoku coming off him became darker. The deep and evil aura I had come to associate with my 'Hollow' abilities consuming the last bit of Reiryoku and turning it completely grey. Getting close became impossible.

The soil and grass around him floated to the sky as his whole aura undulated. It made me wonder if I could do the same. I hadn't had Reiryoku for long but I knew of it's possibilities. Take for instance Kido. I could have blasted this bastard a long time ago with a Hado 96.

"I've only ever had myself."

Parallel Davian's spirit said, his voice cutting through the haze of confusion and wariness as I faced the Behemoth.

'Join the club.' I thought, pulling everything I had in me. The Konso...how do you purify a spirit? Do you just imagine it happening or is there a particular practice to it? Would it work without a Zanpakuto?

I groaned, rubbing a spot on my chest as I warily watched the Spirit, ready to deploy a shield the minute the grid appeared. Yet despite it's rants of Killing me, it only observed. As if waiting for something.

The uncomfortable feeling in my chest intensified, starting as a low heat.

It was brimming, quickly becoming a hot furnace that I could feel deep in my chest and on my wrists. A groan escaped my lips.

A power I couldn't see or sense through Reikaku burst from my chest to encompass every single vein in my body. It was pure.

"I couldn't trust anyone. Or rather, I hated everyone. Including myself."

The soft voice of my Parallel self came again, full of sadness and a quiet pride.

"Don't get lost in the hate and self doubt. I did the same and I don't want that Path for you."

He went on to say.

I realized why the Spirit was yet to attack, he was keeping it bay. Somehow. It's lone eye was focused on me yes, but it wasn't really seeing me. But that wouldn't last for long. I stopped fighting the heat.

Taking a deep breath, I lifted the Sheath. 'Don't get lost in hate huh?...'

Hard not to do that when the whole world is out to get you.

The faces of my Old Gang appeared in my mind. It was so easy to hate them. Even if they were dead. But carrying that hate would do me more harm than good.

I let it go. Probably the hardest thing I had ever done.

The heat stopped consuming me as I allowed it free rein to wherever it wanted to go, free of my influence. It showed me a connection to everything around. The graveyard, Gordon's eroding Spirit, My own Reiryoku, the Spirit's and his.

"I wanted to destroy the world."

The voice came again, this time in a wistful tone.

"Trust me, I can relate."

Another step and my head swam but the effects of the Reiatsu were not as bad as before.

"It was my fate. My purpose. My ultimate payback to everyone who trampled on me. On my dreams. Then I realized I was too far gone. So when the time came, I chose to trust myself. You. "

With every word, I felt my flesh knit back together. The heat had slowly receded, the pain was abating and I was healing at a faster speed. Power filled my body.

"Fight."

This time it was a command. One that went deep into my soul. It implored. I understood what I needed to do.

The Sheath in my hands pulled my gaze into it. Into the language of it's cursive lines. A sheath without a weapon. A sheath missing it's Zanpakuto. Yet, now I knew. The Zanpakuto was not missing. I just needed to call for it. I just needed to release the power from within.

The sheath spoke of a power that was eager to be used. A power that was mine and mine alone. I tightened my hand on it.

Spiritual energy that was unlike anything I had ever felt before, began to roil inside me. I wasn't a hollow or a soul reaper or a bount or a Quincy. I was...Davian Mabuz, and my path was whatever I wanted it to be.

"Huh!?"

The ranting Spirit stiffened.

"Impossible!"

Gordon shouted, the grid appearing around the three of us. The strings combined, forming into one giant purple fist that fell towards me with little fanfare.

The speed of the construct was almost too fast. Covering my whole vision with it.

I held my ground, there was no reason to be afraid anymore. I wasn't wrong to be here. I was exactly where I needed to be. Nick was dead but his memory would live on. I had taken revenge on who had been responsible. Twice even.

I guess...I could let it all go now. The hate, the Self doubt...I finally handled that trauma.

My entire life was taken from me but I had been compensated. I had power now but more than that, I had life. A second chance. And I would cherish the gift given to me. Undeserving or not, this Davian saw something in me. Let's prove him right.

That was the last barrier I needed to close.

"Call out my Name..."

With my sheath raised to the sky, the words came naturally.

"Come forth from the weave of eternity, Chesha Neko: Release."

The whole realm begun to shake with power.