Ever since Isshin had met Ryūken Ishida, the man had always been calm and composed.
No matter what situation he faced, Ryūken rarely allowed his emotions to show.
Even years ago, when Masaki's life had hung by a thread after the Hollowfication incident, Ryūken had remained outwardly restrained despite the pain he clearly felt.
But now things were different.
As he held Kanae Katagiri in his arms and watched her life slipping away, tears finally fell from his eyes for the first time.
That alone was enough to show the depth of his despair.
And how deeply he loved Kanae.
Seeing Ryūken like this, Isshin could not help imagining himself in the same situation.
If Masaki had ended up like Kanae…
He probably would not have been able to stay calm either.
More importantly
It was not only Kanae who was at risk.
Their son, Uryū, was also a mixed-blood Quincy.
If Yhwach's Auswählen truly targeted all Gemischt Quincy, then Uryū might also be in danger.
Isshin subconsciously frowned.
Still, judging from Ryūken's current state, Uryū was likely safe for the moment.
Otherwise, Ryūken would never have left him behind.
After thinking briefly, Isshin finally spoke toward Kisuke.
"Urahara…"
"If there's any way at all, help Ryūken."
No matter what, Ryūken was one of the few people in the Human World whom Isshin considered a genuine friend.
He could not bear watching him collapse like this.
Kisuke sighed helplessly.
"I understand how you feel."
"But honestly…"
"There's very little I can do right now."
His expression remained unusually serious.
"I only learned the truth about the Quincy situation from Gosuke today."
"My understanding of Auswählen is still extremely limited."
"If I had enough time, I might eventually develop a method to stabilize her condition temporarily…"
"But right now, her soul is already collapsing."
"And at this stage…"
"I can't stop it."
Hearing this, the despair in Ryūken's eyes deepened even further.
Isshin also understood that he had been forcing the issue unfairly.
If Kisuke said there was no immediate solution, then it truly meant the situation had surpassed even his current abilities.
Then Isshin suddenly remembered something.
His eyes shifted toward Gosuke.
Compared to Kisuke, Gosuke was not primarily a researcher.
But Gosuke possessed knowledge ordinary Shinigami could never access.
He had entered the Royal Realm before.
He understood Yhwach better than anyone present.
Perhaps
Perhaps he knew something else.
Isshin immediately asked,
"Gosuke… do you have any way to help Ryūken?"
"Since you know so much about Yhwach…"
"Is there any way to counter Auswählen?"
The moment those words were spoken, Ryūken's eyes instantly locked onto Gosuke.
Like a drowning man grasping at his final hope.
Even Kisuke silently focused on him.
Although Kisuke himself did not have much confidence that even Gosuke could solve this, he still listened carefully.
Knowing the truth and being able to interfere with it were completely different matters.
Gosuke looked at the desperate gazes directed toward him and sighed softly.
"…Emotions really are troublesome things."
"Love makes people unable to let go."
After a brief pause, he finally continued.
"The full name of the phenomenon you're describing is Auswählen Holy Selection."
"When Yhwach activates it, any Quincy carrying his blood can have their power and soul reclaimed."
"However, pure-blood Quincy possess powerful inherited bloodline strength accumulated over generations."
"Because of that, even Yhwach cannot completely seize their souls."
"At most, he can only reclaim part of their Quincy power."
Ryūken's expression darkened further.
Gosuke continued calmly.
"Before you arrived, Isshin came here for the same reason."
"Masaki also lost her powers today."
"Because her bloodline had already been contaminated by Hollow reiatsu years ago, her resistance weakened enough for Yhwach to reclaim all of her Quincy abilities."
"But even then, her bloodline still retained enough strength to protect her soul."
"She survived."
"Your wife is different."
"Kanae is a mixed-blood Quincy."
"When facing Auswählen, she possesses almost no resistance."
"This ability directly affects the bloodline and soul itself."
"And anything involving the soul belongs to one of the deepest and most mysterious domains in existence."
Gosuke's tone became slightly more serious.
"In Soul Society, even partial mastery over the field of souls is enough to qualify someone for the Royal Guard."
"That is also why Kisuke cannot immediately solve this problem."
"He understands souls better than almost anyone in the Gotei 13…"
"But this is still his first time encountering an ability like Auswählen."
"He needs time to study it."
Ryūken lowered his head slightly.
"…So there really is no way…"
His voice sounded hollow.
Buried within it was unmistakable despair.
From beginning to end, Gosuke had explained the principles behind Auswählen in detail.
Yet he still had not presented a solution.
To Ryūken, that alone seemed to mean the situation was hopeless.
But unlike Ryūken, Kisuke noticed something else.
He knew Gosuke well enough to recognize the pattern.
If Gosuke truly had no ideas whatsoever, he would not bother explaining things in such detail.
Whenever Gosuke spoke this much
It usually meant he had already considered a possible countermeasure.
Sure enough, Gosuke spoke again.
"I currently have no way to reverse the deterioration of her physical body."
"That problem exists at the bloodline level."
"And just as Kisuke lacks complete understanding of Quincy blood inheritance…"
"I also do not specialize in that field."
Ryūken's eyes dimmed slightly.
But then Gosuke's tone suddenly shifted.
"However…"
"I do have a method to preserve her soul."
The room instantly fell silent.
Even Kisuke's eyes sharpened.
Gosuke continued calmly.
"Normally, once Auswählen is activated, the souls of those affected are eventually reclaimed by Yhwach."
"But if I interfere before that process fully completes…"
"Then I can sever her soul from Yhwach's influence."
Ryūken's breathing became uneven.
He naturally understood what that meant.
If Kanae's soul could be preserved, then even if her body died, her existence would not disappear completely.
She would not become food for Yhwach.
Although Quincy souls generally could not Hollowfy or easily become Shinigami due to their spiritual composition, souls still entered Soul Society after death.
At the very least
Kanae would continue existing somewhere.
That alone was infinitely better than complete annihilation.
Almost instantly, Ryūken made his decision.
He looked directly at Gosuke.
"…How?"
There was no hesitation left in his eyes.
Rather than helplessly watching Kanae die and have her soul devoured by Yhwach
He would rather entrust everything to Gosuke's method.
At least that way…
Kanae's soul would remain her own.
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