In the room.
Kanbaru sat back on the sofa tiredly, his body sinking into it.
[You are going to die.]
A light curtain that only he could see appeared before Kanbaru's eyes.
Blood-red text flowed across it.
Bloody. Brutal.
As if to remind Kanbaru that his time was running out.
He stared at the ceiling, lost in thought, his expression blank.
My name is Kurosaki Kanbaru.
My first love wasn't Bai Jie. I've never had an ex-wife named Wang Jing. And I didn't date a flight attendant working international routes.
In addition—
I don't have a friend named A Bin, nor is there a concierge named Mr. Qin in my life.
But.
I somehow became a Quincy.
An ancestor I've never met personally decides to launch "sanctification" on me at random intervals—just to remind me how much he "loves" me.
This is truly exciting… absolute shit!
Both my parents are dead. I have a younger sister.
The next step? Probably a complete collapse in family structure—
Wait, no. Our daily life full of mutual love and support is now… over.
But.
This world is way too dangerous!
Focus.
To the extreme. That. Danger. Risk.
Whether it's the Menos Grande or Shinigami, none of them are short on combat strength.
They can flatten cities as easily as sneezing.
All kinds of weird powers are everywhere.
Even without going into detail—
Beyond them all stands that man.
Aizen. Smiling as he manipulates everyone with frightening calm.
Forget his combat strength—his IQ alone is enough to make anyone dance in the palm of his hand.
And then.
There's Yhwach—the progenitor of all Quincies, the one who seeks to destroy the world.
The literal god of overkill.
Danger?
That word's not even enough anymore.
And me—
Kurosaki Kanbaru.
My only dream is to survive to the finale.
Fortunately, I came from a decent bloodline.
As a Quincy, I've got a few tricks for survival.
A blessing in disguise...? More like a death sentence with glitter!
Because I'm a Quincy, I'm already half-dead, okay!?
Kanbaru covered his forehead and rolled his dead-fish eyes.
Reborn as a Shinigami? Still workable.
Reborn as a human? Acceptable.
Even turning into a Hollow might've given me a shot at life.
But becoming a Quincy?
Do you even know what kind of cursed debuff "sanctification" is?
"Thanks a lot, Yhwach."
Just thinking about it darkened Kanbaru's face.
After losing to Gotei 13's Captain Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni a thousand years ago, Yhwach plotted a second world-ending war.
To return to full power, Yhwach began absorbing the powers of all Quincies—especially mixed-bloods like me.
That process is called Sanctification.
Once chosen, all impure-blood Quincies lose their Reiatsu, abilities, and eventually—
Their lives.
And guess what?
I'm a damn mixed-blood Quincy.
Meaning I'm on the "to-be-deleted" list.
In short.
Even if I do nothing—I still die.
Dog?
You're dreaming if you think I'm loyal to this bloodline.
"Too late to defect to the enemy now?"
As the father of the Quincy bloodline, Yhwach possesses world-ending power.
If I could just join him...
Maybe I'd be spared.
Maybe my strength would be transformed—
If I proved useful enough.
Maybe with Yhwach's blessing, I'd awaken a Schrift, one of the divine letters that give powers rivaling Bankai… or beyond.
"Still, it's completely unrealistic."
Kanbaru shook his head.
Yhwach is currently sealed in the Shadow Realm beneath the Seireitei.
That's the Shinigami stronghold—home of the Gotei 13.
As a Quincy, I can't get into Seireitei.
Let alone find the shadow dimension Yhwach is hiding in.
Meeting him while he's still dormant? Impossible.
"So only one option remains."
"Save myself?"
Kanbaru glanced at the black cat curled on the sofa, then stood in front of the mirror.
At that moment—
Lines of glowing text surfaced before his eyes.
[Since you asked sincerely, I'll tell you mercifully.]
[To prevent the world from destruction.]
[To maintain peace across dimensions.]
[To carry out love—and true evil.]
[A charming and twisted villain...]
[We are—]
[Forget it. You don't care about this kind of thing. I'll get to the point.]
[Admit it. You've got a pretty face. So pretty, most women would say, "I got in—but not all the way" after looking at you.]
[But that's not the point.]
[The point is: You're going to die.]
Along with the snarky narration, new data windows appeared.
[Name: Kurosaki Kanbaru — Mixed-blood Quincy]
[Gender: …do I really need to spell this out?]
[Status: Under "Sanctification" — Critically weakened. Terminal.
(Oh dear friend, no woman's going to love that rotting face soon.)]
[You've survived three Sanctifications. You're getting noticed. That's impressive.]
[But don't push your luck. One more, and your body will collapse.]
[Small hint: There is no solution.]
[Try becoming a pure-blood Quincy.
A top scientist might help you: Aizen, Urahara Kisuke, or Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
(Not that any of them would. Unless you're willing to sleep with a sword, then maybe.)]
[Or... try obtaining the Hōgyoku. Its power can overwrite your spiritual structure—possibly ending Sanctification.]
At the bottom, a small line of text shimmered faintly.
[…or bet everything on the Schrift that's awakening inside you.]
[Don't sit still. That's not your style.]
Rude. Arrogant. Downright malicious.
But Kanbaru remained calm.
He was used to it.
That ability—his eyes.
They'd evolved to see through the hidden layers of existence.
With a single glance, Kanbaru could see notes, statuses, information overlays—
Even about himself.
"I can't survive a fourth Sanctification."
He narrowed his eyes.
Logically speaking, no Quincy can resist Yhwach.
Once targeted by Sanctification...
Their strength and life are absorbed instantly.
But there are exceptions.
"My Schrift… is awakening."
"That must be why I'm able to resist it—barely."
Kanbaru reasoned it out clearly.
The Schrift—Yhwach's divine-letter-based system—wasn't exclusive to the Sternritter.
It was like the Shinigami's Bankai.
Any Shinigami could potentially reach Bankai.
But only a few ever do.
Same with Quincies.
The Schrift system is even more difficult to awaken than Bankai.
And the only known way to trigger it...
Is through Yhwach himself.
But somehow, Kanbaru's sheer desire to live may have kickstarted the process on its own.
Humans have limits.
But thirst for survival doesn't.
Still...
"What the hell does 'don't sit still' even mean?"
Kanbaru clicked his tongue.
Just then—
Bang Bang Bang.
A knock at the door.
"It's me."
"Ishida Tatsururu."