Upon seeing the newcomers, the little loli Kurosaki Nan immediately jumped off the bed and bounced over to Ishida Soken's side.
Seeing his convenient little sister act this way, Kurosaki Hiro also followed suit.
"Little Hiro, Little Nan, it's so good that you two are alright!"
Ishida Soken hugged Kurosaki Hiro and Kurosaki Nan, one in each arm, his voice choked with joyful emotion.
Originally, due to the insufficient soul essence collected by him and Kurosaki Tomohiko, they could only heal one person. Ishida Soken had thought that only one of the siblings would survive.
He hadn't expected both of them to survive, and he immediately cried out in excitement.
Kurosaki Hiro, embraced by Ishida Soken, felt the faint scent of blood emanating from Ishida Soken's body, as well as a soul-deep exhaustion.
Evidently, his single-handed effort to hold back Shiba Kaien had been extremely taxing.
However, he was also moved by Ishida Soken's spirit of self-sacrifice for his fellow Quincy companions. No wonder Ishida Uryū and Kurosaki ichigo always stood by each other in the original story; it turns out this profound connection began with their grandfathers.
At the same time, he gained a deep understanding of why Soul Society would completely eradicate the Quincy at the slightest disagreement.
When their own people fell ill, they would harvest the souls of Gotei 13 and ordinary humans at all costs to serve as a cure.
This was fundamentally no different from the nobles of Seireitei, who, upon discovering too many Menos Grande deaths, would immediately slaughter large numbers of Rukongai residents to maintain the stability of the Three Realms.
Therefore, there was no right or wrong in the conflict between Soul Society and Wandenreich, only a difference in stance.
And caught between these two major powers, countless ordinary living beings were the most miserable.
A moment later, Ishida Soken, holding one hand each, led Kurosaki Hiro and Kurosaki Nan from the bedroom to the main hall of the Star Brilliance Fortress.
Along the way, Kurosaki Hiro, using the moonlight, observed the Star Brilliance Fortress and found that this secret stronghold, hidden within the Human World's barrier, exuded the architectural style of the Wandenreich everywhere.
The top of the fortress had some special totems, their ends being a slightly curved Star Cross.
This was a miniature version of the Wandenreich.
As Ishida Soken pushed open the main hall door of the fortress, the three of them walked through a long passage, following a faint light ahead, until they reached the center of the main hall.
Then, it suddenly opened up, brightly lit.
Inside the magnificent main hall, as luxurious as an emperor's palace, a exquisite stone table over twenty meters long stood in the center, with more than ten pure-blooded Quincy seated around it according to their seniority.
On either side were dozens of mixed-blood Quincy dressed as servants, standing neatly, ready to serve at any time.
Seated at the head of the table was a scrawny, hunched old woman named Ishida Mist, who was the highest-ranking pure-blooded Quincy currently in the Human World, and also Ishida Soken's great-grandmother.
Kurosaki Tomohiko, on the other hand, was seated to the left of the main seat, clearly indicating that as a pure-blooded Quincy himself, his status within this Star Brilliance Fortress was not low.
Upon seeing Ishida Soken and the Kurosaki siblings, Ishida Mist's face immediately broke into a joyful smile, her wrinkled old face resembling a blooming chrysanthemum.
"To celebrate the recovery of our pure-blooded Quincy descendants, cheers!"
Ishida Mist rose from the main seat, raising her wine glass. Seeing this, the other pure-blooded Quincy also stood up and raised their glasses, celebrating together.
Ishida Soken also led the Kurosaki siblings to their seats.
The atmosphere in the hall immediately became joyous.
Kurosaki Hiro, however, looked at the table full of delicious food and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
"I should have eaten less earlier."
Before long, after three rounds of drinks and five courses of dishes, Kurosaki Tomohiko, with a timely glance, spoke:
"Lord, since my children have recovered, shouldn't we find an opportunity for them to receive the inheritance and see if they are qualified to receive His Majesty's blood?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the previously lively dining table fell silent, and more than ten pure-blooded Quincy in the hall suddenly became completely quiet.
The entire hall became so silent that you could hear a pin drop.
"His Majesty's blood?"
Upon hearing this, Kurosaki Hiro was secretly startled.
"I didn't expect these fallen nobles to have a way to obtain the Holy Text Power!"
In the hall, Ishida Mist paused, then waved her hand.
The mixed-blood Quincy standing on either side formed neat lines and left the Star Brilliance Hall.
As the hall doors slowly closed, only more than ten pure-blooded Quincy remained in the hall.
"This atmosphere isn't right!"
Kurosaki Hiro looked up and noticed that the entire hall seemed to be filled with tension.
Everyone in the hall had stopped eating, except for Kurosaki Hiro, Kurosaki Nan, and Ishida Soken, who were still devouring their food.
Kurosaki Tomohiko, standing nearby, spoke again:
"Lord, it's time for my children to undergo the trial of inheriting His Majesty's power!"
Ishida Mist took a sip of the sparkling wine and slowly said:
"Currently, there is only one last portion of His Majesty's blood left in the entire fortress. It is our foundation and must not be used lightly."
After speaking, a gleam flashed in her cloudy old eyes, and she glanced at Ishida Soken to her right, seemingly unintentionally.
Ishida Soken, however, seemed oblivious, continuing to bury his head in his food.
Ishida Mist could only let out a helpless sigh in her heart.
"Soken, why... are you unwilling!"
In fact, more than a decade ago, Ishida Mist had tried to get her great-grandson to absorb Yhwach's blood.
And Ishida Soken had indeed been recognized by that blood, gaining the qualification to absorb and refine it.
Who would have thought that Ishida Soken would refuse to absorb it, calling Yhwach's power the utmost evil in the world.
And from then on, Ishida Mist suspended the inheritance ceremony that had always been held for underage pure-blooded Quincy.
Ishida Mist did not want this last portion of Yhwach's blood to fall into the hands of the Kurosaki Family.
If that happened, the one who inherited the blood would undoubtedly gain immense power and then control the entire Star Brilliance Fortress.
Even if the other party was the Kurosaki Family, who had shared hardships with her family for hundreds of years, it was unacceptable. Ishida Mist would never allow the power to control the Star Brilliance Fortress to fall from the Ishida Family's grasp.
Kurosaki Tomohiko was well aware of this. Originally, because both of his children had suffered from the Spirit Deficiency Syndrome, he had no mind to contend for power. Now that they had all recovered, he naturally harbored other intentions.
"But Lord, inheriting His Majesty's blood and acquiring the Holy Text Power is precisely our tradition and glory as pure-blooded Quincy..."
Kurosaki Tomohiko continued to speak, unwilling to give up, hoping that the other elders of the Kurosaki Family present would pressure Ishida Mist into agreeing to let his children try to refine Yhwach's blood, thereby obtaining the Holy Text Power.
At the same time, in the underground palace of the Great Hollow Home, among the six giant cocoons of various colors, the dark green giant cocoon continuously emitted soft sounds and was covered in cracks!
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