"It's over, it's over…"
"A secret I've hidden for over a decade, exposed early by that bastard Yhwach! Damn it!"
At the entrance of Urahara's shop, Isshin Kurosaki crouched, puffing on a cigarette. Each smoke ring carried his helplessness and worry.
As the saying goes, a father and son are connected. Isshin could already imagine Ichigo's freakout upon learning his true heritage—and the inevitable blame he'd heap on his "deadbeat" dad.
"Isshin-san, look on the bright side. This early exposure isn't necessarily bad. Ichigo has a right to know the truth, doesn't he?" Urahara Kisuke consoled quietly from the side.
Truthfully, Urahara was still shocked. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, who'd believe an ordinary human high schooler would become such a pivotal figure in the future?
The Quincy King himself had singled Ichigo out, proclaiming he'd welcome him back to the Wandenreich. That kind of clout was something even Urahara envied!
"You're right. Ichigo deserves to know. But I just wanted him to live a normal life, safe and happy."
Isshin flicked ash from his cigarette, sighing with melancholy.
Being a Shinigami… what's so great about that?
The Seireitei wasn't some paradise worth longing for. My precious son, why'd you have to get dragged into this mess in the future?
"Life is full of things that don't go as planned," Urahara said suddenly. "Since we can't stop the future, why not embrace it and give it a push?"
"What do you mean?" Isshin's eyes widened.
"Come clean. Tell Ichigo about his heritage. Together, we can guide him to awaken his Shinigami and pure-blood Quincy powers!" Urahara said confidently.
"I think that's the best approach right now."
"…"
Isshin's brow twitched violently at the suggestion.
What the hell?!
Awaken his Shinigami powers? That's like personally shoving his son onto a path of no return!
Talk about screwing over your own kid!
But considering the butterfly effect and the future already in motion, Isshin, despite his reluctance, began weighing the pros and cons seriously.
Just then, the transparent screen flickered, the blacked-out image clearing up to reveal a new scene.
"Now… we proceed with the punishment of the defeated! Even if they survived their failed battles, they'll face the harshest penalties!"
In a dark hall in Silbern, two figures knelt, bound head to toe, motionless as if awaiting execution.
"It's… Cang Du?!"
In the real world, Silbern's main hall fell into an eerie silence.
Recognizing one of the kneeling figures, the Sternritter turned as one, their gazes locking onto Cang Du in the crowd.
"What the hell?! When did I become a sinner?!"
Stunned, Cang Du stared at his future self in the video, kneeling in submission. His first reaction was to explode, roaring instinctively.
What made it even more absurd was that the one about to execute him was none other than Haschwalth, standing on the platform!
The atmosphere turned awkward.
The video showed Haschwalth, gripping his star-shaped sword, walking toward Cang Du step by step.
In the present, Cang Du roared while Haschwalth frowned, creating a tense contrast.
The Quincies were bewildered, their minds struggling to process the scene.
Was the video's creator deliberately sowing discord? Why show such a bizarre segment?
Are we really about to watch Haschwalth kill Cang Du with one swing?
"Ahem…"
Sensing the mood souring, Lille Barro, the Schutzstaffel leader, stepped forward to stabilize the situation. "It's fake! These scenes must be fake!"
"Cang Du would never lose! And Haschwalth would never turn on a comrade!"
He raised his voice, trying to drown out Cang Du's roars.
But the video slapped him in the face.
Cang Du's mocking voice echoed from the screen: "Haschwalth, are you too confident, or did you forget my ability?"
"Sternritter 'I,' Iron Cang Du…"
"With my ability, blocking your slash is child's play! Except for His Majesty, no one in this world can harm me!"
"Try it if you don't believe me…"
Despite being fully bound, Cang Du's face radiated confidence, even taunting Haschwalth.
His words, broadcast through the ranking video, made Silbern's atmosphere even more rigid.
"Uh… this…"
Lille Barro was speechless, his face burning with embarrassment. He shot a resentful glance at the video's Cang Du.
Damn it, future Cang Du, what's your deal?!
I'm trying to cover for you, and you're out here egging Haschwalth on to chop you?!
Talk about digging your own grave!
Nearby, Haschwalth's face darkened, his eyes glinting with cold fury at Cang Du's taunts.
As for Cang Du himself, his eyes lit up. "That's right! My future self's got it! With my Iron body, no one can touch me!"
"Right, Haschwalth?"
Just like in the video, Cang Du provoked Haschwalth in the present, shattering the Sternritter's unwritten rule against internal conflict.
A seed of division was quietly planted within the group.
"Oh, really?"
To everyone's surprise, Haschwalth didn't stay silent. He shot back, "You think I can't break your ability, now or in the future?"
His white coat billowed without wind as his hand rested on his sword's hilt, his cold gaze locking onto Cang Du's across the hall.
At the same time, in the video, Haschwalth swung his star-shaped sword.
Clang!
The first strike failed, producing no blood but a crisp metallic clash. As Cang Du claimed, when his Sternritter ability activated, every inch of his skin became impervious steel, immune to any slash.
"Ha! See that? You can't hurt me, Haschwalth—not now, not ever!" Cang Du sneered, his arrogance peaking.
"Is that so?" Haschwalth raised an eyelid. "What if I activate my Sternritter ability?"
Sure enough—
As his words fell, the camera zoomed in, revealing a faint, ethereal scale of judgment behind Haschwalth.
The scale tilted, balance shattered in an instant. All misfortune, guided by Haschwalth's will, shifted to Cang Du.
The result—
Slash!
Under countless eyes, Haschwalth swung again. This time, Lady Luck abandoned Cang Du.
One strike severed his head, a ten-meter blood fountain erupting as his head, filled with despair and disbelief, rolled across the icy floor.
His Iron body failed, and Haschwalth killed him with a single blow.
The ranking scene ended, the screen stained with blood.
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