Chapter 376: The Master?

The sky was gradually darkening. The two of them chatted along the way, frequently passing by many Shinigami who hurriedly stopped to pay their respects to Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto. H'el finally realized that this old man was one of the top figures in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

They continued on their way toward the First Division barracks.

Occasionally, H'el manipulated the spirit particles, closely observing Uryu Ishida's body. His body held immense potential, with great plasticity, and possessed a unique response to spirit particles different from that of the Shinigami—somewhat similar to how H'el controlled the spirit particles.

"Are you interested in the Quincy, my young friend?" Yamamoto asked, noticing how H'el frequently used his complex spirit particle techniques to examine the unconscious Uryu Ishida.

No matter what H'el wanted to learn, Yamamoto was willing to accommodate him.

"Not exactly interested, but he is a bit unique, being part of a different system than the Shinigami. Quite intriguing," H'el replied while directing the flow of spirit particles into Uryu's body, which reactivated his dried-up spirit particle source, reviving the lost flow.

Uryu Ishida, who had lost his Quincy powers after using the Sanrei Glove, had them subtly restored by H'el, who carefully drew out his deeper reserves, continuing his observations.

"Ugh..." Uryu started to regain consciousness, feeling his entire body ache. His charred skin was burning and stinging. Opening his eyes, he was met with H'el's deep, curious gaze, which startled him.

Then, with a scream, Uryu's body was flooded with pain, causing him to convulse and roll his eyes back as he lost consciousness again.

"The Twelfth Division of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads specializes in technology and research. There, you might find some studies on the Quincy and various creatures of the three realms, which could interest you," Yamamoto suggested, though he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in surprise at what H'el was doing.

H'el simply touched Uryu's charred skin with his fingertip, and spirit particles began to glow with a brilliant blue light, forming an intricate lattice that forced the burnt skin off, revealing a new, fresh layer beneath.

This was healing, but not like any Shinigami's healing technique Yamamoto had seen before. Even Unohana Retsu, the master of healing, would find this baffling. In fact, even the creator of the healing techniques wouldn't comprehend this—it was nearly akin to a perpetual cycle of restoration, almost resurrection.

Uryu's furrowed brow began to smooth as the pain subsided. His vacant eyes slowly opened, regaining awareness. As he felt a stronger flow of spirit energy within him, stronger than ever before, he was dumbfounded.

"I thought I had lost all my spirit energy?" Uryu muttered, staring at his hands in disbelief. The surge of spirit energy filled him with a newfound strength.

The stark contrast between this vitality and the emptiness he felt before losing consciousness left him dazed.

H'el nodded, satisfied with the response of Uryu's body. He had obtained what he wanted.

The Quincy system seemed to converge on a certain endpoint, one that felt like a "master" who dictated the life, death, and strength of these Quincies. It was a unique system, quite distinct from that of the Shinigami.

"Mr. Ant!" Uryu snapped out of his daze, realizing it was likely H'el who had saved and restored him.

"Did you save me...?" Uryu asked, glancing at Yamamoto beside H'el. His throat tightened, and his body grew tense.

Just because Yamamoto was kind to H'el didn't mean he would extend the same courtesy to Uryu, a Quincy and an invader.

At that moment, Uryu felt the oppressive spiritual pressure and intimidating presence from Yamamoto, as if it was crushing him to death.

"More or less. You piqued my curiosity, so I played around with your body a bit. You're fine now. Go and do what you need to do," H'el said, waving his hand dismissively, signaling Uryu to leave.

For now, H'el's research on Uryu was complete.

If possible, he still wanted to understand the nature of the "master" that seemed to dominate the Quincy, but that wasn't something he could see right now. Losing interest, he turned his attention elsewhere.

Uryu, still stiff, nervously turned his gaze toward H'el. Not seeing Orihime Inoue anywhere, he swallowed hard and, despite the pressure from Yamamoto's gaze, forced himself to ask, "Mr. Ant, where is Inoue?"

"Huh?" H'el seemed puzzled. "She was captured by the Shinigami."

Wasn't it obvious that she had been taken? Why did he even need to ask?

Did he expect H'el to become her protector just because they had a pleasant conversation for a few minutes?

I'm kind to you because of who I am, not because of you, H'el thought.

Uryu wanted to ask why H'el had saved him but not Orihime. Yet, now he understood: H'el didn't care about him or Orihime. Restoring his powers had been nothing more than a whim, driven by curiosity.

As for asking the old man beside him?

Forget it. The sheer spiritual pressure from Yamamoto made Uryu feel as though he was on the verge of death. Cold sweat drenched his back as he struggled to keep standing.

"Thank you for saving me, Mr. H'el. I need to go find Inoue," Uryu said with difficulty, bowing deeply in gratitude to H'el before hurriedly fleeing the scene, almost as if running for his life, away from H'el's sight.

If he didn't leave now, Uryu felt he might be crushed under Yamamoto's spiritual pressure.

H'el and Yamamoto watched Uryu's frantic retreat.

The sky darkened further.

As they continued their walk toward the First Division barracks, a Shinigami communicator intercepted their steps.

"Head Captain, Fifth Division Captain Sosuke Aizen has been murdered!

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