Chapter 39

"Rukia Kuchiki." Retsu Unohana called out to Rukia, who was nearby. "Captain Kuchiki has something to say to you."

Rukia ran over at once and came to Byakuya Kuchiki's side. "Brother..."

"Rukia, are... you still... there...?" Byakuya Kuchiki raised a hand with the last of his strength, seemingly trying to confirm that Rukia was there.

Rukia stepped forward and gently took Byakuya Kuchiki's hand. "Brother, I'm here."

Rukia's feelings were complicated. Byakuya Kuchiki had previously followed the rules and sought to have her executed, only to later risk everything to protect her. It left her even less able to understand what he was thinking.

"There are... things I need to tell you." Byakuya Kuchiki slowly began to speak. He told her everything: about his wife, her dying request, why he had adopted Rukia as his sister, and why he had stood by and let her die.

"The Kuchiki Clan stands at the head of the noble houses. If even the Kuchiki Clan refuses to follow the rules, who else would be willing to follow them?" Byakuya Kuchiki's voice held both resignation and resolve, yet it was precisely this reason that had left him conflicted all along...

"You weren't wrong, but you were wrong too, Captain Kuchiki." Miyako Amamiya had also walked over with Hanatarō Yamada's support.

"The Kuchiki Clan's willingness to lead by example and follow the rules is indeed the pride of Soul Society. But the rules can't always be right, much less when they've been manipulated," Miyako Amamiya said consolingly.

Miyako Amamiya and Ukitake had warned Byakuya Kuchiki, but at the time, Byakuya Kuchiki had been struggling between his promise to his late wife and his own oath. He had lost his ability to judge and had not taken their advice to heart.

"I see... Rukia, you have a good captain and lieutenant, and companions you can trust..." Hearing this, Byakuya Kuchiki felt a little more at peace. "I must thank you all, Ukitake, Miyako Amamiya, Ichigo Kurosaki, Renji."

"And I'm sorry... Rukia." With that, Byakuya Kuchiki closed his eyes and lost consciousness.

"Brother!" Rukia gripped his hand tightly and cried out. Having heard the truth, she could no longer keep her eyes from filling with tears.

Only then did everyone understand why Byakuya Kuchiki's attitude toward Rukia had been so complicated.

If only all the nobles in Soul Society were like Byakuya Kuchiki. There wouldn't be so much bullshit to deal with, Miyako Amamiya thought helplessly.

Both Tsunayashiro Tokinada and his family had done far too much rotten shit.

Once Uryū Ishida saw that everyone was safe, he came over to Miyako Amamiya.

"Hello, Uryū." Miyako Amamiya addressed him warmly by his first name without any reservation. After all, he was used to calling Uryū's father Ishida, so he could only call him Uryū.

"Hey, don't get so familiar." Uryū Ishida frowned. "You know why I came to see you, don't you?"

"Ah, I do. Once I used that, I knew what you'd come to ask." Miyako Amamiya spoke casually. "But now obviously isn't the right time. Let's talk when we're alone."

"...I understand. Where can I find you?"

"Hanatarō, where are we going next?" Miyako Amamiya asked Hanatarō. In truth, he was getting Hanatarō Yamada to tell Uryū Ishida.

"Lieutenant Amamiya, your injuries haven't fully healed yet. Please go to the Fourth Division's General Infirmary for further treatment," Hanatarō Yamada told Miyako Amamiya.

"Understood." Miyako Amamiya nodded to him, then turned to Uryū Ishida. "You heard him. It won't just be me; Ichigo should be going there next too. Let's talk there."

"I understand..." Uryū Ishida pushed up his glasses and returned to where Orihime Inoue and the others were.

Miyako Amamiya had a great deal he wanted to say to Uryū Ishida. When he used his Quincy powers in front of him, he had already considered the consequences of Uryū Ishida finding out.

And... the consequences of the Wandenreich finding out.

At the Fourth Division's General Infirmary, wounded people were constantly being brought in, keeping the Fourth Division's members frantically busy.

Fortunately, there weren't too many people with serious injuries. The others only needed a little treatment to recover.

The few who were seriously injured were already lying obediently in the Fourth Division's hospital beds.

The Fourth Division's members worked until nightfall before they finally finished treating all the wounded.

Byakuya Kuchiki had been injured the most severely. First, he had fought Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai, and then Aizen had dealt him a heavy slash. Retsu Unohana's treatment had stabilized his condition, but whether he recovered would depend on him.

That night, Miyako Amamiya lay alone in bed. Although he had been told to rest and recuperate, he had no intention of obediently listening. Tomorrow, he would find Orihime Inoue and have her heal his wounds directly.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Miyako Amamiya wondered who would be the first to visit him.

"Come in," Miyako Amamiya called.

But the visitor was neither someone from the Fourth Division, nor Rukia, nor any of his own squad members. It was Uryū Ishida.

"Ah..." Miyako Amamiya sighed. He hadn't expected him to be in such a hurry.

"What's that supposed to mean?! Why are you so disappointed to see me?" Uryū Ishida demanded, veins bulging on his forehead.

"No, it's nothing. I was just impressed by how fast you got here. Is everything all right with Ichigo and the others?" Miyako Amamiya asked.

"With Inoue's treatment, they've pretty much recovered. They just haven't gotten their energy back yet, so they're asleep now."

"Is that so? That's just what I'd expect from her." Miyako Amamiya marveled inwardly at how terrifying rule-based healing was.

"Enough about that. I didn't come here to chat." Uryū Ishida pushed up his glasses and stared at Miyako Amamiya.

"All right, all right, I know." Miyako Amamiya shrugged. "First, let me answer the question that's bothering you most."

"Oh, right. To avoid being overheard, I won't say the word directly. After all, relations between them and Soul Society aren't very good."

Uryū Ishida frowned, understanding how sensitive Miyako Amamiya's current position was.

"I am one." Miyako Amamiya's offhand words made Uryū Ishida's heart skip a beat.

"All right, that's all I can tell you here. Once I've recovered, I'll take you somewhere else and tell you more." Miyako Amamiya spread his hands helplessly as he spoke.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Uryū Ishida looked at Miyako Amamiya with a frown. He hadn't come here tonight just to hear that one sentence.

"If you want to hear more sooner, why not call Inoue over for me? The faster my injuries heal, the sooner I can tell you," Miyako Amamiya said slyly.

"I refuse. I have no desire to help a Soul Reaper, even if you are..." Uryū Ishida refused without hesitation. Even though he knew Miyako Amamiya possessed Quincy powers, it no longer mattered to him.

He had accomplished what he came to Soul Society to do, and he had lost his own Quincy powers. He had only come to ask these questions tonight to satisfy his curiosity, hoping Miyako Amamiya could clear up his doubts.

"Then what if I told you that you could still get them back?" Miyako Amamiya looked at him with a smile.

"What?!" Uryū Ishida stared at Miyako Amamiya in shock. He knows how to restore my Quincy powers? No, wait, how does he know I lost them?

"My answer's still the same. I'll tell you more once my injuries have healed." Miyako Amamiya had no desire to keep lying in bed. He still had a lot to do.

Uryū Ishida gave Miyako Amamiya a long look, then turned and left. He knew that Miyako Amamiya held the initiative now. No matter how many questions he asked, Miyako Amamiya wouldn't answer unless he agreed to his terms.

Watching Uryū Ishida leave, Miyako Amamiya couldn't help sighing. There was indeed practically nothing more he could say in the Seireitei. If he said more, what Ryūken Ishida was preparing might be discovered as well.

I've been forced to become a riddler too... Miyako Amamiya understood how those riddlers felt now. It wasn't that they didn't want to speak, but that trouble would follow as soon as they did. Only when the time was right could they reveal everything.

Miyako Amamiya had also prepared for the worst. He had used Quincy powers within the Seireitei, and besides Uryū Ishida, people from the Wandenreich might already have discovered him.

Miyako Amamiya took out his two swords and entered his Mindscape once more. This time, he hadn't come to fight his Zanpakuto. He wanted to get a proper look at... the Hōgyoku's condition.

In the Mindscape, the night was pitch-black, with only the moon casting a faint light on the ground. But besides the moon, there was another shining object: the Hōgyoku, suspended in midair and glowing blue-black.

Miyako Amamiya had actually seen the Hōgyoku in his Mindscape a long time ago, but it had always floated there without the slightest disturbance. Now, however, it seemed to have been activated, impossible to ignore.

"What on earth is going on...?" Miyako Amamiya murmured, looking at the Hōgyoku.

"Your powerful will drew him here, Miyako." Miyako Amamiya heard a familiar voice he hadn't heard in a long time. He turned to see the black-haired Jue Nian and the white-haired Zanpakuto appear together.

"It clearly understood your desire, and that is why it manifested here," the white-haired Kyokushin said.

"My will and desire?" Miyako Amamiya wasn't surprised to see the two of them appear together.

"Yes. The Hōgyoku inside Rukia was originally dormant, and awakening it would have taken a long time. But the instant you touched it, your will and your desire awakened it directly."

"Miyako, you know what the Hōgyoku does, don't you?" the black-haired Jue Nian asked.

"The Hōgyoku's true power is to make the desires in a person's heart develop according to what they envision, and thereby manifest them. But the condition is that they must have the strength to make that wish come true."

"That's right. Your desire has grown stronger and stronger, so it has grown more and more excited," the white-haired Kyokushin said.

"My desire? Was it because I saw Uryū Ishida's fight back then?" Miyako Amamiya asked, puzzled. After seeing the formidable display of Quincy: Letzt Stil, his desire for that power had reached its peak.

"Yes. Its trembling affected your entire Mindscape at the time," the white-haired Kyokushin said.

"And you saw Aizen's unmatched strength," the black-haired Jue Nian added. "But you should thank this guy." He elbowed the white-haired Kyokushin beside him.

"?" Miyako Amamiya was confused.

"He sealed the Hōgyoku's presence after it entered your body. That's why Aizen didn't discover you earlier." Jue Nian answered the question that had puzzled Miyako Amamiya all along.

No wonder Aizen had seemed to notice nothing when they met afterward. His Zanpakuto's power had helped him, because its ability was...

"So you've been helping me for that long..." Miyako Amamiya smiled in relief. Even though his Zanpakuto had yet to acknowledge him back then, it had still been helping him in secret.

"If you'd used my power sooner, you wouldn't have had to be so scared. You were an embarrassment," the white-haired Kyokushin said calmly.

"Don't mind him. He's just a bit awkward," the black-haired Jue Nian said with a smile.

"Thank you both. I think I know what to do now." Miyako Amamiya thanked them. "Well, I'll be going."

Miyako Amamiya had never felt so at ease, because his Zanpakuto had been protecting him all along... not to protect Miyako Amamiya, but to protect Miyako...

Miyako Amamiya woke up and turned to the cup of water sitting beside him.

If the Hōgyoku really can do it... Miyako Amamiya reached toward the cup.

Not the Reishi in the atmosphere. My target is the water in the cup... Miyako Amamiya used Reishi Convergence, but the Reishi he sought to draw in wasn't in the atmosphere. It was the water in the cup.

But after several attempts, it was still the Reishi in the atmosphere that gathered in Miyako Amamiya's hand, while the water in the cup remained completely undisturbed.

Damn it, am I doing it wrong...? Miyako Amamiya thought helplessly. The Hōgyoku can only guide me; it doesn't give me power directly...

Everything in Soul Society was made of Reishi, whether solid or liquid. And if a Quincy mastered Quincy: Letzt Stil, they could directly extract anything in Soul Society and turn it into Reishi they could use.

Miyako Amamiya had just tried to extract the water in the cup, return it to its Reishi state, and then gather it in his hand.

Am I still not skilled enough at controlling it...? Without the Sanrei Glove's help, if I can't gather Reishi amid a high concentration of diffused Reishi, I can't reach the level of Reishi Subjugation.

The Sanrei Glove was essentially a training weight for the use of Quincy abilities. If a Quincy could use Reishi Convergence normally while bearing that weight, then the instant it was removed, their Reishi Convergence would be greatly strengthened, reaching the level of Reishi Subjugation, which the Wandenreich called Sklaverei.

Although Reishi Convergence was strengthened the instant the weight was removed, it was only temporary. Bearing the weight for so long gave the body the illusion that it had broken free of its restraints. The sudden burst of power placed too great a strain on the body, ultimately causing the Quincy to lose their powers.

But if one trained Reishi Convergence in a high-Reishi environment for a long time and adapted to that weight, the burden could be reduced, and it wouldn't be so severe as to cause the loss of all Quincy powers.

And the space within the Wandenreich was made from the Quincy's own Reishi, so it was very likely to be an environment with a high concentration of diffused Reishi. That was why they could master the more advanced Quincy Vollständig while bearing a smaller burden.

In that case, I need to find a place with a high concentration of Reishi where it's still difficult to gather. I can practice Reishi Convergence there and improve my control over Reishi.

But the more Miyako Amamiya thought about it, the more his head hurt. Where could he find a place with an extremely high concentration of Reishi that was still difficult to gather?

Although possessing the Hōgyoku gave Miyako Amamiya confidence that he could achieve Reishi Subjugation in his soul form, the Hōgyoku wouldn't grant him the ability directly. It merely gave him the possibility.

Even without the Sanrei Glove, he could master Quincy: Letzt Stil and eventually even Quincy Vollständig, but first he had to find a place that met those conditions...

Maybe the next time I go to the World of the Living, I could ask Ryūken Ishida how to construct a Reishi Space? Then I could train in a Reishi Space with a high concentration of Reishi.

His hurried lessons with Ryūken Ishida had only allowed Miyako Amamiya to master most of the basic skills. He hadn't had time to learn the more advanced techniques.

Now that he had taken Aizen's Hōgyoku, the decisive battle originally set to take place in winter would probably be delayed, giving him more time to train.

Miyako Amamiya needed to advance both his Bankai training and his practice of Quincy: Letzt Stil.

Bored out of his mind, Miyako Amamiya picked up the cup and swayed it in his hand, looking at the water inside. It was unclear what he was thinking.

"Water, oh water. You're made of Reishi too, so why won't you listen to me?" Miyako Amamiya muttered to himself.

He wasn't counting on reaching the level of Sklaverei all at once. Instead, he had thought to start with a liquid, which could change shape more easily than a solid, hoping to turn it into Reishi. But even a liquid wasn't so easy to convert.

"Water, water, high concentration, surrounded, atmosphere, Reishi..." Miyako Amamiya's eyes gradually lit up.

"Damn it! How did I only just think of it?! Has my brain rusted from spending so long in an ancient society like Soul Society?!" Miyako Amamiya had finally found a way.

In Soul Society, everything was made of Reishi, and the atmosphere was full of it too. A Quincy's ability was Reishi Convergence, but that was only its most basic function. It was an innate talent, as simple as breathing.

To achieve Sklaverei, one had to breathe in harsh conditions. And in the unique environment of Soul Society, weren't places filled with high concentrations of Reishi, where Reishi Convergence couldn't be used as easily as breathing, everywhere?

Water! As long as there's enough water gathered into a river or lake, enough of it and deep enough, that's a high-Reishi environment! Miyako Amamiya finally knew where to train this ability.

Thanks to Soul Society's unique composition, he only needed to find a river or lake. If he trained Reishi Convergence underwater where it was deep enough and there was enough water, he might really be able to master Quincy: Letzt Stil and reach the level of Sklaverei!

Miyako Amamiya was so excited that he wished he could go out and try it immediately. Rivers and lakes were uncommon in the Seireitei, but he had noticed places in the Rukongai that met the conditions. Even if there weren't any, Miyako Amamiya would dig a lake himself!

But for now, it was only a guess, and Miyako Amamiya hadn't tested it yet. When the time came, he would not only have to test it, but also go to the World of the Living and discuss it with Ryūken Ishida.

It wasn't that he had never considered learning from the people of the Wandenreich, but learning from them would mean placing himself under their control. If he could master this power himself, he would have more confidence when he met the people of the Wandenreich later on.

From Quilge Opie's conversation with Ichigo Kurosaki in the original story, he knew that the Wandenreich had been keeping an eye on Uryū Ishida for a long time.

And Uryū Ishida had used Quincy: Letzt Stil on his first appearance in Soul Society. That might have been when the Wandenreich truly began paying attention to him.

Miyako Amamiya had used Reishi Convergence in front of Uryū Ishida precisely because he knew this. If he hadn't been discovered, he would continue training as usual. If he had drawn their attention like Uryū Ishida, he could put his backup plan into action...

That was also why Miyako Amamiya was in such a hurry to master Sklaverei. The sooner he mastered it, the greater his advantage would be when he faced the people of the Wandenreich in the future.