Isshin Kurosaki sat beside the slightly worn wooden table in his home, clutching a teacup in his hand without drinking from it for a long time. His eyes held both shock and deep contemplation.
Chang Wei's words were like a sharp blade, precisely cutting through the mysteries and pain that had remained unresolved in his heart for years. He recalled that unbearable past, every detail as clear and piercing as though it had happened yesterday.
"You mentioned a mastermind behind it all... I did have my suspicions, but I was never able to find any conclusive evidence."
Isshin Kurosaki spoke in a low voice. This question had always lingered in his heart, but he had never truly faced it or dug deeper. Masaki Kurosaki's death had always been an unsolved mystery he could never let go of.
He knew very well that, with Masaki's strength, she should not have died so easily at the hands of a Hollow. Yet reality had been so cruel.
He raised his head and looked out the window. The night had grown deep, and moonlight filtered through sparse clouds, casting mottled light and shadow, as though even the moonlight was offering a sympathetic glance at the gloom in his heart.
"You must have noticed it too. Masaki Kurosaki should never have died back then. With her power, how could she possibly have been unable to deal with that Hollow? Although the mastermind was the Limit-Breaking Kingly Hollow created by Sosuke Aizen, wasn't the true mastermind the person who made Masaki Kurosaki lose her powers, leaving her completely defenseless to be slaughtered and devoured?"
"You were once an elite of Soul Society. Your understanding of power far exceeds that of ordinary people. But have you ever considered why Masaki lost her powers at the crucial moment?