More than simply weakening, Masaki's powers had vanished completely.
According to Masaki herself, even after regaining consciousness, she could no longer sense Reishi at all.
The Quincy race possessed the innate ability to gather and manipulate spirit particles from the environment. That power was the foundation of every Quincy technique from Hirenkyaku to Heilig Pfeil.
But now, Masaki could not even perceive spiritual matter.
If she could no longer sense Reishi, then naturally she could no longer perceive spiritual beings either.
Shinigami.
Hollows.
Spiritual pressure itself.
All of it had disappeared from her senses.
At this moment, Masaki Kurosaki had become no different from an ordinary human.
Isshin's expression gradually sank after hearing her explanation.
Now he finally understood why Masaki had been pushed into such danger against that Hollow.
It was not because the enemy had been overwhelmingly powerful.
It was because her power had disappeared in the middle of battle.
And the timing could not have been worse.
Thinking about it carefully, cold sweat began to form on Isshin's back.
If Gosuke had not arrived in time…
The consequences would have been unimaginable.
A powerless Quincy facing a Hollow while protecting her child had only one possible ending.
Just imagining that scene made Isshin's chest tighten painfully.
At the same time, his gratitude toward Gosuke deepened even further.
But along with relief came a new question.
Why had Masaki's powers disappeared in the first place?
Quincy abilities did not simply vanish without reason.
Especially not for someone like Masaki.
Even after White's Hollowfication incident years ago, and even after bearing three children, she had still retained considerable spiritual power.
Yet now, everything was gone.
Isshin fell silent.
Then one name surfaced in his mind almost instinctively.
"…Aizen?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Back then, through Gosuke and Kisuke Urahara, he had learned the truth about Sōsuke Aizen long before the Soul Society discovered his betrayal.
Aizen had researched Hollows.
Researched Shinigami.
And crossed the boundaries between both races through dangerous experimentation.
White itself had been one of Aizen's creations.
Masaki becoming Hollowfied years ago had also traced back to him.
According to what Gosuke had once said, Aizen had specifically targeted Masaki from the very beginning because of her unusual Quincy constitution.
If that was true…
Then was the disappearance of her powers also part of Aizen's plans?
The more Isshin thought about it, the more possible it seemed.
After all, if Aizen had already researched Shinigami and Hollows, it would not be strange for him to take interest in Quincy as well.
Thinking this far, Isshin once again felt the pressure of his own weakness.
If he still possessed the full strength of a captain-class Shinigami, then even if Aizen targeted his family, he would not hesitate to fight.
But now
Most of his Shinigami powers remained sealed in order to stabilize Masaki's soul after the Hollowfication incident years ago.
At best, he had only recovered enough spiritual awareness to sense nearby spiritual beings.
Fighting seriously was impossible.
And now even Masaki had lost her powers.
For the first time in many years, Isshin felt truly powerless.
After speaking quietly with Masaki for a while longer, he finally stood up.
"I need to go out for a bit."
Normally, nothing mattered more to him than his family.
But this situation was different.
If his suspicions were correct, then forces far beyond an ordinary Hollow attack were already moving in the shadows.
And in matters like this, there were only two people in the Human World he trusted enough to consult.
Kisuke Urahara.
And Gosuke Shigure.
Urahara Shop stood on the outskirts of Karakura Town.
The area was quiet and sparsely populated, hidden away from ordinary traffic.
To normal humans, the shop barely registered at all. A spiritual barrier concealed its existence from those without spiritual awareness.
Only individuals acknowledged by Kisuke could truly perceive and enter the place.
Isshin naturally qualified.
As soon as he arrived, he immediately spotted both Kisuke Urahara and Gosuke Shigure waiting near the storefront.
Kisuke looked exactly as usual, wearing his striped green-and-white bucket hat and loose haori over dark clothing.
At first glance, he appeared lazy and harmless.
Yet anyone who truly knew the Soul Society understood how terrifying Kisuke Urahara really was.
The same could be said for Gosuke.
Unlike ordinary Shinigami, neither of them wore standard shihakushō at the moment.
Still, veteran captains would never dare underestimate the two men standing here.
One was a former Captain of the Twelfth Division and creator of countless forbidden technologies.
The other was a former Kenpachi who had survived the bloodiest era of Soul Society history.
Isshin immediately noticed the serious expressions on their faces.
Clearly, before his arrival, they had already been discussing something important.
Gosuke spoke first.
"Doctor Kurosaki. You made it."
Isshin nodded grimly.
Then he looked directly at both men.
"Gosuke. Urahara."
"I need your help."
Kisuke's fan lowered slightly.
"That serious, huh?"
Isshin wasted no time explaining.
"Today, Masaki was attacked by a Hollow while picking Ichigo up from school."
"Normally, even after all these years, an ordinary Hollow wouldn't pose any threat to her."
"But during the fight, all of her Quincy powers suddenly disappeared."
"She can't even sense Reishi anymore."
Isshin's expression darkened.
"I suspect Aizen may be involved."
"He targeted Masaki before."
"And right now, I no longer have the strength to protect my family alone."
"So I came here to ask for your help."
His tone was completely sincere.
After hearing everything, both Kisuke and Gosuke exchanged a glance.
Their expressions subtly changed.
Finally, Gosuke spoke first.
"You think Aizen caused this?"
Isshin nodded immediately.
"Yes."
Gosuke folded his arms.
"Then your timing is interesting."
Isshin frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Gosuke glanced toward Kisuke briefly before continuing.
"Before you arrived, Kisuke and I were already discussing the Quincy."
"And now you're telling us Masaki lost her powers today."
Isshin instantly sensed the hidden implication behind those words.
His face grew more serious.
"…You know something?"
This time, Kisuke remained silent while Gosuke answered directly.
"The disappearance of Masaki's powers may not have anything to do with Aizen."
Isshin's eyes widened slightly.
"What?"
Gosuke continued calmly,
"Aizen certainly researched Quincy at one point. That much is true."
"But this situation…"
"It resembles something else far more."
Isshin stared at him.
"Then what caused Masaki's powers to disappear?"
Gosuke's gaze sharpened slightly.
"I believe there's a high possibility this was caused by Yhwach."
The moment that name was spoken, Isshin froze.
At first, the unfamiliar pronunciation almost failed to register.
But then his expression abruptly changed.
His pupils contracted instantly.
"…Yhwach?"
The progenitor of the Quincy.
The Quincy King.
A name that should have remained buried in ancient history.
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