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Twelfth Division.Inside the Research and Development Bureau.
"Captain, it's confirmed!"
"The search unit led by Captain Kuchiki and Captain Hitsugaya, with Abarai Renji and Matsumoto Rangiku assisting, passed through the Senkaimon not long ago and successfully entered the Dangai!"
"At this rate, they should reach Karakura Town very soon!"
Stopping in place, Akon respectfully held out the report to Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who had his back turned.
But then—
"Get out of my way! Move!"
"I'm not in the mood to care about anything else right now! Whoever wants to go to the World of the Living can do whatever they like. It has nothing to do with me!"
Mayuri suddenly exploded, violently swatting Akon's arm aside. The stack of documents scattered across the floor in a mess.
"Captain, you—"
Akon jumped in fright.
He was scared, but also genuinely worried about Mayuri.
Overcome by rage, the mad scientist clenched his hands into tight fists. His long fingernails dug deep into his own flesh, drawing thin lines of blood.
He didn't seem to feel it at all.
His furious gaze never left the screen, locked onto the young face of Ishida Uryu.
"How is this possible?!"
"A man I utterly crushed and killed… how could he leave behind such an outstanding descendant?!"
"And that brat Ishida Uryu. Aside from inheriting that innate Quincy arrogance, he had no talent worth mentioning!"
"How could he possibly grow into something like this in the future?!"
Mayuri ground his teeth. Every syllable that squeezed out carried disbelief and burning jealousy.
Others might not know Ishida Uryu. To them, this new face felt like it had appeared out of nowhere.
But Mayuri was different.
Years ago, he had already begun observing Uryu in secret, recording his growth day and night from childhood.
Why?
It wasn't out of any sudden pang of conscience.And it definitely wasn't some cheap "guardian from the shadows" trope.
No.It was far more twisted than that.
Mayuri wanted to know. After losing his grandfather, Ishida Sōken, would the young, emotionally fragile Ishida Uryu turn his grief into strength?
Or would he collapse completely and fade away?
The answer was obvious now.
On the screen, Uryu's overwhelming presence and his calm composure while facing Haschwalth struck Mayuri like slap after slap across the face.
The mad scientist burned with fury, his jealousy curdling into outright resentment.
That was why he snapped.
"Akon!!!"
As if his mind had been scorched by rage, Mayuri slammed both fists onto the lab table.
Dragging his voice raw, he barked out the order in a shrill, hoarse scream filled with bitterness:
"Go! Don't waste a single second!"
"Immediately inform Kuchiki Byakuya and Hitsugaya Tōshirō. Tell them Ishida Uryu is living in the Karakura Town urban area. No matter the cost, they must bring him back to Soul Society as well!"
By the end, it was practically a howl.
It was clear just how anxious Mayuri had become.
At this moment, he was no longer the calm, brilliant monster who would one day face the Soul King's left arm without flinching.
He looked more like a hideous, unhinged creature consumed by envy.
"Y-yes…"
Terrified once again by Mayuri's ferocity, Akon didn't even glance at the scattered documents. He bolted from the monitoring room as fast as he could.
Seriously.If he'd stayed even a second longer, Mayuri might have actually eaten him alive.
—
Meanwhile, the "review" continued.
"A person's life, no matter when or where, is always standing on a scale."
"The scale governs everything. It decides what is right and what is wrong…"
"Ishida Uryu, this is the end of the line."
…
As the camera shifted, the two who had been facing off just moments ago now stood in stark contrast.
Ishida Uryu lay in a pool of blood.
Haschwalth stood over him, looking down from above, his spirit-weapon sword suspended directly over Uryu's head.
In the next instant, all it would take was a casual swing.
Uryu's skull would be pierced without mercy.
"So… I'm getting taken out the moment I show up?"
In Karakura Town, inside the Ishida family residence.
Having just finished his school enrollment the day before and planning to report to class, the present-day Ishida Uryu stood frozen in front of the translucent light screen, despair written all over his face.
Speechless.
He'd thought his big moment was finally coming.
Instead, he debuted at his peak and didn't even get a chance to show off before being reduced to background scenery.
How pathetic.
But then—
Just as Uryu was sinking into total hopelessness, the video version of himself, barely clinging to life, suddenly spoke up and turned the tables with a question.
"Haschwalth, as Yhwach's personal guard…"
"Before you kill me, don't you want to know what kind of Schrift he once bestowed upon me?"
Supporting himself with trembling arms in the blood, Ishida Uryu struggled to his feet.
"Tch. The power of someone about to die doesn't interest me in the slightest."
Haschwalth sneered coldly. "Besides, if your Schrift were actually useful, you would've used it long ago during the fight."
"No."
"Before, it wasn't time yet. Now… the timing is perfect."
Once he finally steadied himself, a meaningful smile curled at the corner of Ishida Uryu's mouth, full of confidence.
That single scene sent a ripple through Silber Palace.
Every pureblood Quincy watching had their curiosity hooked all at once.
"What's going on?"
"This doesn't feel like an act. It really seems like Ishida Uryu is confident he can turn this around."
"Did he deliberately wait until he was severely injured?"
…
Severely injured. Almost self-destructive.
And that alone could reverse the battle?
The Quincies frowned in confusion. They doubted him, yet couldn't help being intrigued by his words.
This "companion" they had never met.
What kind of Schrift could he possibly possess to defeat Haschwalth?
Could it be…
A Schrift identical to His Majesty's? The highest-ranked letter, A?
The answer came quickly.
"Rip—!"
Without any warning, the sharp sound of Quincy uniforms tearing mixed with blood spraying through the air.
Then—
A scene that left everyone utterly stunned unfolded.
"Gah—!"
The one who was supposed to deliver the final blow… Haschwalth himself.
Suddenly, his steps faltered. In the next instant, massive wounds tore open across his body, blood bursting out in crimson arcs.
The pristine white trench coat was soaked red almost immediately.
The sight was so bizarre that every pure-blood Quincy present froze in disbelief.
"What just happened?!"
"What did Ishida Uryū do just now?!"
"He didn't even move, so why is Haschwalth suddenly gravely injured?!"
"Look! All the wounds on Ishida's body are gone!"
…
Only then did the pure-blood Quincies realize, shaken to the core.
Ishida Uryū stood there completely unharmed. Every single injury he had suffered had somehow been transferred onto Haschwalth.
Haschwalth, on the other hand, was in terrible shape.
Sword slashes crisscrossed his Quincy uniform, identical in size and position to the attacks he had inflicted moments ago.
"You… how did you… do this…?"
Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
Severely wounded, Haschwalth's eyelids drooped. Even speaking took effort now, as if he might collapse at any second.
"That's because…"
Ishida Uryū curled his lips into a faint, mocking smile and explained coldly,
"Just like Yhwach, I am one of the only pure-blood Quincies who possess an 'A-class' Schrift."
At that moment, watching this unfold with their own eyes, every pure-blood Quincy in Silbern reacted the same way, gasping in shock.
"No way!"
"How can he have a Schrift as powerful as His Majesty's?!"
"..."
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