Treating the Aftereffects of Auswählen

When Masaki Kurosaki and Liu Hao, carrying Ichigo Kurosaki on his back, arrived at the Ishida Family, night had already fallen completely. The lanterns in the Ishida Family's courtyard were already lit, casting a warm glow on the stone path.

Isshin Kurosaki was already waiting at the door, accompanied by Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin who had transformed into Black Cat), and Ryūken Ishida, whose expression was serious. Seeing his wife and son return safely, Isshin Kurosaki visibly relaxed, but worry still lingered in his eyes.

"You've finally arrived," Isshin Kurosaki, quickly stepping forward to carefully check on Masaki Kurosaki. "Masaki, are you alright?"

"It's alright, it's just that my power suddenly disappeared," Masaki Kurosaki forced a smile. "If it weren't for Liu Hao's backup plan, that Void might have succeeded."

Isshin Kurosaki turned to Liu Hao, his voice filled with sincere gratitude. "Liu Hao, thank you so much this time. If it weren't for you..."

"Then why don't you hurry up and come take your son?" Liu Hao interrupted him, his tone slightly teasing. "Can't you see how tiring it is for me to carry him?"

Isshin Kurosaki then noticed Ichigo Kurosaki, who was unconscious on Liu Hao's back, and hurriedly stepped forward to carefully take him from his body. Ichigo Kurosaki was still unconscious, but his breathing was steady, and his complexion was gradually returning to normal, so he was obviously alright.

Liu Hao turned to Ryūken Ishida, his expression turning serious. "How's things at your place?"

Ryūken Ishida adjusted his glasses, his voice low and deep. "My mother, wife, and some Mixed-Blood Quincy have suddenly lost their Quincy powers and become extremely weak. They are currently under observation and receiving treatment at the family hospital."

"I remember your mother was Pure-Blood Quincy, how could she be like this?" Liu Hao asked, frowning.

Ryūken Ishida's expression grew even more serious. "My mother was attacked by a Hollow in her early years. Because she received treatment late, the Hollow energy in her body was never completely eliminated. That's probably why she was judged to be an impure Quincy."

These words silenced everyone present. If even Pure-Blood Quincy could be considered "impure" for some reason, then the standards and mechanisms of this power recovery operation known as "Auswählen" were even more unsettling.

Liu Hao continued, "Where's your son? How's Uryū Ishida?"

Mentioning his son, Ryūken Ishida's expression softened slightly. "Uryū is alright. I saw that just as the power within his body was about to leave, a faint blue light emanated from his body, and the power returned to his body. It's strange; I've never seen anything like it before."

Liu Hao pondered, "This might be because his soul sensed a fatal threat, triggering his body's instincts. And his ability is the Antithesis; perhaps the power of the Auswählen was reflected back by his ability."

"The Antithesis?" Ryūken Ishida asked in confusion, "What kind of ability is that?"

Liu Hao explained, "This is an extremely special talent ability that allows one to reverse or reflect various effects applied to oneself. It's extremely rare among Quincy, and this is the first time I've seen a real-life example of it."

He paused, then continued, "As for how to help him develop this ability on his own, I don't know yet. But what I do know is that Yhwach inscribed words on his soul through a blood ritual, at which point he could officially use this ability. Perhaps you Quincy could try to inscribe your own words on your souls using your own power, and when you reach that level, unleash the power of the words in battle—it's somewhat similar to Soul Reaper's Bankai."

These words made Ryūken Ishida fall into deep thought. As a Quincy, he was very familiar with his own ability system, but the possibility that Liu Hao mentioned opened a new door for him.

Isshin Kurosaki interrupted their discussion, "Alright, stop talking, let's go inside and take a look. Quite a few people have been affected this time, we need to find out the situation and take action as soon as possible."

Ryūken Ishida nodded. "We've done a preliminary check. Those affected are not in immediate danger; they're just a little weak from suddenly losing their Quincy powers."

"You forgot," Isshin Kurosaki reminded him, "Liu Hao once said that those chosen by Auswählen will develop a blood clot called the Still Silver in their bodies, which is fatal."

"We've checked them all," Ryūken Ishida replied. "They don't have any of those things in their bodies right now. At least, we haven't found anything with our testing methods."

Liu Hao said seriously, "It's possible that only some tiny factors have been generated so far, which are difficult for our current technology to detect. We can't let our guard down. In the coming days, we need to monitor their hearts and blood vessels closely. Once a blood clot is detected, we must take immediate measures to treat them."

Ryūken Ishida agreed, "Yes, I thought of that too. So they've arranged a special medical room to monitor their health at all times."

"Kisuke Urahara and I examine their souls as well," Liu Hao suggested. "The Auswählen should also affect their souls. After all, I've seen people directly struck by the Auswählen Light end up as nothing but bones, without even a trace of flesh or blood."

These words sent a chill down the spines of everyone present. Masaki Kurosaki subconsciously touched her arm, where the protective runes left by Liu Hao still lingered.

Ryūken Ishida's expression grew even more serious. "Okay, I'll arrange it right away. Please come with me."

The group followed Ryūken Ishida into the Ishida Family. After passing through several corridors, they arrived at a detached building—the Ishida Family's private hospital, fully equipped, even surpassing many regular hospitals.

Inside the hospital, a dozen Quincy were under observation and treatment. Most of them were women, ranging in age from their twenties to their fifties, all pale and exhausted. When they saw Ryūken Ishida bring his men in, a glimmer of hope flashed in some of their eyes.

Liu Hao turned to Masaki Kurosaki: "You also need to participate in the examination. Although you are Pure-Blood Quincy, we don't fully understand the mechanisms of the Auswählen, and we can't guarantee that there isn't any Still Silver generated in your body."

Masaki Kurosaki nodded, offering no objection. She knew it was for safety reasons.

Over the next few hours, Liu Hao and Kisuke Urahara conducted a thorough examination of each affected Quincy. They used various technical means— Reishi scanning, soul resonance analysis, Reiatsu fluctuation monitoring, and so on—to obtain the most detailed data possible.

After the examination, Liu Hao and Kisuke Urahara met in the rest area outside the medical room. Both of them looked very serious.

"Kisuke, it looks like I'll be busy for the next few days," Liu Hao sighed.

Kisuke Urahara nodded, adjusting his hat. "Yes. All Mixed-Blood Quincy souls, and this damage is slowly but steadily increasing. However, Masaki Kurosaki and Ryūken Ishida's mother didn't show this problem—this might be the difference between hybrids and purebloods."

Ryūken Ishida asked anxiously, "Is the injury serious? Is there any possibility of treatment?"

Liu Hao pondered for a moment, "If left unchecked, their souls will gradually dissipate depending on the degree of damage they suffered. Moreover, I'm not sure if this dissipation is a way for Auswählen Yhwach reclaim souls."

This speculation sent chills down everyone's spine. If Auswählen not only steals power but also reclaims souls, then Yhwach's true purpose might be far more terrifying than they imagined.

Isshin Kurosaki was even more worried about his wife's condition. "What about Masaki? Will her soul also experience this?"

"It's not clear yet," Liu Hao answered honestly. "We need to continue observing. Pure-Blood Quincy seem to be different from half-bloods, but we need more time to study the specific differences."

In the days that followed, Liu Hao and Kisuke Urahara practically lived in the Ishida Family's hospital. They observed and studied day and night, trying to find a way to heal the damage to the soul.

A few days later, they discovered a pattern: although all Quincy chosen by Auswählen were affected, the behavior of Pure-Blood Quincy and Mixed-Blood Quincy was indeed different. Pure-Blood Quincy, such as Masaki Kurosaki and Ryūken Ishida's mother, lost their powers but their soul structures remained intact; while the souls of Mixed-Blood Quincy showed obvious damage, and this damage was slowly spreading.

Even more worryingly, Liu Hao and Kisuke Urahara detected that a special substance—tiny silver particles—began to form in the blood of all those affected by Auswählen, slowly accumulating and gradually forming blood clots. This is the "Still Silver" that Liu Hao had previously mentioned.

Faced with this situation, Liu Hao and Kisuke Urahara began to try various treatment methods. They discovered that through delicate soul surgery, the damage to the soul could be repaired and its further spread prevented. Although the process was extremely complex and energy-consuming, the effect was remarkable—the Quincy who underwent soul repair no longer dissipated.

At the same time, they also began attempting to remove Still Silver thrombi that had already formed in the body. This process also requires extremely high technical precision because thrombi are usually attached to the heart or major blood vessels, and any mistake could lead to serious consequences.

Under Liu Hao's guidance and assistance, Ryūken Ishida and several experienced medical personnel began this delicate surgery. The first operation lasted a full eight hours, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the first intact silver blood clot was successfully removed.

Ryūken Ishida carefully placed the extracted blood clot into a specially made container. It was a peculiar substance—it had a silvery-white metallic luster under the light, but its texture was not as hard as metal; instead, it was somewhat soft.

He brought a portion of the blood clot to Liu Hao and Kisuke Urahara: "Look, these are the blood clots removed from their bodies. I've done a preliminary analysis, and this substance has an extremely strong ability to interfere with and absorb Reishi."

Liu Hao took the container and carefully examined the silver substance inside. He stretched out his finger and gently touched the surface of the blood clot, feeling a faint suction force, as if it were absorbing the Reishi emanating from his fingertip.

"This is indeed very special," Liu Hao said thoughtfully. "Take a look at your Quincy's records and see if there are any mentions of this substance."

Ryūken Ishida nodded. "Alright, my father and I will study these metals and see what their uses are. However..."

He paused, then continued, "You should also keep some for research. More people involved might lead to a faster answer."

Liu Hao agreed, "Okay. At the same time, we also need to speed up the treatment of other patients. The longer the thrombus has been formed, the more difficult it is to remove."

Over the next few months, the Ishida Family hospital became a busy research and treatment center. Liu Hao, Kisuke Urahara, Ryūken Ishida, and medical experts invited from other Quincy families worked day and night.

They gradually developed a relatively mature treatment plan: first, a soul repair surgery was performed to stabilize the soul's state; then, a blood clot removal surgery was performed to clear the Still Silver from the body. Although the process was complex, the results were remarkable—patients receiving the treatment not only gradually recovered their physical condition, but even began to feel faint Quincy power again.

Even more surprisingly, they discovered that Still Silver was not merely a dangerous metabolic byproduct. Through in-depth research, Ryūken Ishida found that this substance, after refining and processing, could be made into a special weapon or armor with extremely strong defensive and disruptive capabilities against Reishi attacks.

One afternoon, Ryūken Ishida brought a newly made sample to Liu Hao and Kisuke Urahara. It was a small wristband with a thin silver coating on its surface.

"We've successfully crafted protective gear from the refined Still Silver," Ryūken Ishida demonstrated the bracers' effects. "It significantly weakens the power of Reishi attacks. Theoretically, it offers some defense against Cero and even Soul Reaper's Kidō."

Kisuke Urahara took the wristband, examined it carefully, and exclaimed, "Incredible technology. If it could be mass-produced, it would be of great help in future wars."

Liu Hao cautioned, "However, we must be careful, as this material comes from the patient's body. We cannot endanger the patient's health in order to manufacture equipment."

"I understand," Ryūken Ishida said solemnly. "We will only collect necessary materials during the treatment process, and we will never harm anyone to obtain more materials. This is a matter of principle."

As time went on, more and more Quincy received treatment and gradually recovered. The Ishida Family's hospital became a place of hope, attracting Quincy from all over the world who were affected by the Auswählen to seek help.

During this months-long rescue effort, Liu Hao, Kisuke Urahara, and Ryūken Ishida also forged a deep bond of trust and cooperation. They knew that this cross-factional cooperation would be key to victory in the face of the threats posed by Yhwach and the Wandenreich.

One late night, after the last patient's treatment was completed, Liu Hao stood on the hospital terrace, gazing at the twinkling stars in the night sky. Kisuke Urahara walked up to him, and neither of them spoke, simply standing there quietly.

After a long silence, Kisuke Urahara finally spoke, "Do you think Yhwach knows what we're doing?"

Liu Hao gently shook his head. "I don't know. But even if he did know, he wouldn't stop his plan. Auswählen is just part of his plan; the real war is yet to come."

"Yes," Kisuke Urahara sighed, "The war is still ahead. But at least we've made some preparations."

Under the moonlight, their shadows stretched long on the terrace. Behind them, in the hospital, the Quincy who had once been on the verge of death were gradually recovering. Although the road ahead was still full of challenges, at least for this moment, hope remained.

For Liu Hao, this was just a small victory in a long battle. He knew the real test was yet to come. But no matter what, he would continue forward, protecting those lives worth protecting until the very last moment.