When Masatsuki Aozaki arrived at the Quincy residence in Karakura Town, the scene that greeted him was unexpected.
A girl lay quietly on the ground, her orange hair splayed out like scattered petals.
She was enveloped in a blue barrier of Reishi, gasping for air in visible pain.
Kneeling beside her were the Ishida father and son, working frantically on her condition.
Bambietta and Candice stood silently behind them, anxious expressions on their faces.
Masatsuki Aozaki quickly approached Bambietta and asked with concern,
"What happened?"
The moment she saw Masatsuki, Bambietta's breathing grew rapid—her anxiety barely restrained.
"Master..."
Just then, Sōken Ishida turned at the sound of voices. When he saw Masatsuki Aozaki, a flicker of hope flashed in his eyes.
To him, this Shinigami seemed nearly omnipotent.
After all, the man had found a way to block the effects of Auswählen. If that wasn't a miracle, what was?
The Ishida family had spent centuries researching a countermeasure for Auswählen and never found one—but Masatsuki Aozaki had succeeded.
If anyone could help, it was him. Maybe... maybe Masaki still had a chance.
"Aozaki-sama, please! Come quickly—Masaki is dying!"
Masatsuki immediately stepped forward.
He saw Masaki Kurosaki lying on the ground, her face as pale as paper, eyes tightly shut, her breathing shallow and ragged. She was clearly in agony.
With Masaki's strength, how could she have ended up like this?
Could the Wandenreich have resurfaced?
But even if they had, with Bambietta and Candice's power combined with Masaki's own, their lives shouldn't have been in danger.
Unless... Yhwach had intervened personally.
Yet she didn't have a single visible wound. It didn't look like she'd been attacked.
Could it be some kind of incurable illness?
That didn't make sense either—Masatsuki checked her health personally every month. She had always been in perfect condition.
If it were a life-threatening illness, there should've been some warning signs.
Then what on earth happened?
As his mind raced through every possibility, Masatsuki knelt beside Masaki Kurosaki.
He placed a hand on her forehead and released his Reiatsu to sense her condition.
Almost instantly, his brow furrowed.
"Hollow? Why is there Hollow power inside her body?"
Bambietta and Candice having Hollow Reiatsu made sense—they had fused with the Hōgyoku, which naturally contained Hollow energy. Their evolution had taken them beyond what a normal Quincy was.
But for Masaki Kurosaki—a pure-blooded Quincy—Hollow power was nothing short of poison.
Sōken Ishida let out a sigh, frustration evident on his face as he spoke slowly.
"Masatsuki-sama, Masaki was attacked by a Hollow."
He paused before continuing.
"At first, we didn't think much of it. The Hollow's Reiatsu was only at the Adjuchas level."
"But we never expected it to have a special ability—one that allowed it to merge its own Reishi into Masaki's body!"
His voice was filled with helplessness and anxiety.
"We tried separating it using Reishi manipulation, but every attempt failed."
Sōken continued,
"With no other options left, we came to you, hoping you could save her."
"I've watched Masaki grow up. If you can save her, I'm willing to—"
Before he could finish, Masatsuki Aozaki raised a hand to stop him.
"You don't need to say it. I was going to save her anyway. Besides, there's nothing you have that I want."
With that, Masatsuki gently supported Masaki Kurosaki's shoulder and helped her sit up.
He then placed a hand softly on her head.
Although no one around him knew exactly what he was doing, the calm confidence on Masatsuki's face filled them with hope—perhaps Masaki would really be alright.
Bambietta and Candice stepped closer and stood silently at his side, fully focused on guarding their master in case anything unexpected happened.
Ryūken Ishida watched with a mix of hope and doubt.
Masatsuki Aozaki was undeniably powerful, but this issue was rooted at the Reishi level. Even Quincies—experts in manipulating Reishi—were helpless. Could a Shinigami like Masatsuki really resolve it?
"Don't worry, Ryūken. If Masatsuki-sama could solve the crisis of Auswählen, he can definitely save Masaki."
Sōken glanced at his son, speaking gently to reassure him.
Although Ryūken remained conflicted, he instinctively nodded in agreement. Then, along with the others, he stood watch over Masatsuki Aozaki.
...
Masatsuki closed his eyes, slowly channeling his Reiryoku into Masaki Kurosaki's body.
It wasn't long before he sensed something unusual inside her.
Upon closer inspection, he discovered a strange presence—one formed from the soul of a young girl and a cluster of foreign Reishi that clearly didn't belong.
The girl's soul and the invading Reishi, which seemed to carry another unknown soul, faced off tensely within the spiritual space.
Just then, a voice echoed out:
"Still hanging in there, huh? Not bad, Masaki-chan!"
At the sound of that taunt, both souls turned their wary eyes toward Masatsuki Aozaki.
"Nii-san..."
Recognizing who it was, Masaki Kurosaki—exhausted as she was—called out in relief.
The next moment, before Masatsuki's eyes, an enormous Hollow mask, even larger than himself, floated into the spiritual space out of nowhere.
"Food... food... food..."
A low, eerie murmur came from the hollow within the mask.
"Huh. No rational thought, huh?"
Masatsuki gave a toothy grin, watching the bizarre creature lumber closer.
As it neared, its form became clearer—two massive mouths repeatedly opened and closed, letting out grotesque sounds.
It resembled a monstrous, oversized octopus. Blood-red tentacles writhed about, and its body was covered with countless red eye sockets—though none had actual eyes.
A strange sense of familiarity stirred in Masatsuki. He could've sworn he'd seen something like this before.
Metastacia?
Or maybe a new experiment from Aizen?
He hadn't heard of Aizen continuing Hollow modification projects lately.
Still, this thing's appearance—though missing the huge eyes—did remind him a bit of one of the Espada from the original timeline.
But Masatsuki couldn't remember that Espada's name.
Aaroniero Arruruerie... something like that. The name was long and forgettable, and the character wasn't exactly popular. Not ideal for someone with a weak memory.
Masatsuki hadn't bothered to remember him in his previous life, and recalling it now after more than a century was a tall order.
Still, he vaguely remembered the guy's ability—devouring fallen Hollows and absorbing their powers and Reiatsu.
Given the sheer number of eye sockets... could this thing have absorbed the entire Metastacia unit that invaded the Tsunayashiro Clan, and mutated into this abomination?
Masatsuki wasn't sure if his guess was right—but he didn't care enough to confirm it.
He wasn't some mad scientist like Mayuri Kurotsuchi. The thirst for knowledge just wasn't that strong in him.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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