"I know you have a lot of questions, but let's focus on your older brother for now," Mikazuki said, casting a sideways glance at Ren before returning her gaze to Ichigo and White Ichigo, who were fighting savagely without even noticing their presence.

"Right… but what did you mean by Quincy Power Manifestation?" Ren nodded slightly, suppressing all the thoughts and words he originally wanted to say, and focused on Ichigo instead.

"You know your mother was a Quincy, right?" Mikazuki asked, and when she saw Ren nod, she continued, "But do you actually know how this power works, or where it comes from?"

"Not really. All I know is that the Quincy are humans with extraordinary spiritual power, capable of erasing Hollows from existence."

He shook his head after a moment of silence—he truly didn't know more than that.

"If I were to explain everything, it would take a long time—but in short, the Quincy power comes from one man, called Yhwach."

"Yhwach is the source of all Quincy power in the world, which is why he can take it and grant it freely to others—because it is his power originally. However, there are exceptions… like your older brother, and yourself."

"And the man you and your brother call Old Zangetsu is actually the will of Yhwach from a thousand years ago, residing within your bodies."

Ren listened quietly, though his expression shifted with every word—from confusion, to realization, to anger, and unease.

"So you're telling me that this Yhwach isn't just inside Nii-san manipulating him… he was also inside me?" Ren asked in a low voice, heavy with barely restrained fury.

"You're right about the first part, but wrong about the second," she replied as her eyes settled in a particular direction—where a distant silhouette stood watching the battle in silence. "Yhwach was inside you, trying to manipulate you as well. But unlike your brother, you did not inherit much Quincy power, so he was weak—weak enough for you to seal him away so he couldn't influence you. And more recently… you destroyed him completely."

"In short… what existed inside you was only a tiny and powerless remnant of him—barely a clinging fragment of will. That's why it was so easy to isolate, and then erase entirely," Mikazuki finished with a neutral tone, as if what she had said wasn't monumental at all.

Ren's features twitched slightly—not with anger this time, but a strange mixture of heavy shock and quiet relief.

"…Destroyed?" he muttered barely above a whisper. "So… what I carry now isn't an outside influence… no strings of control… no abyss waiting to devour me from within?"

Mikazuki nodded gently.

"No. What remains inside you now is only you. No parasite feeding off your soul, no foreign will hiding in your depths. You are not another version of your brother… nor another vessel for Yhwach."

She paused for a moment before adding in a softer tone:

"And that is why I told you before that you are different. You are not a Quincy in the same sense as your brother—you merely carry their spiritual seed, without allegiance to its source. You were born with power unchained."

Ren lowered his eyes slightly. Silence lingered for a few seconds before he released a long, heavy breath he didn't even realize he had been holding.

"…That explains a lot," he murmured hoarsely.

Mikazuki raised her hand slightly toward Ichigo and White Ichigo, whose relentless clash had yet to cease, then said:

"As for your brother… what lives inside him is not a remnant. It is a full presence. If it is not subdued… it will consume him."

Ren's eyes ignited again—not with confusion or dread this time, but with something firmer—something like resolve.

"So… to save Nii-san…"

His words paused briefly before he continued in a low but blade-sharp voice:

"…I must first force that thing to retreat."

Mikazuki smiled quietly—a brief but deep smile, as though acknowledging that this was exactly the answer she had been waiting for.

"And that is why we are here."

"I'll leave your brother to you. As for me… I'll handle Yhwach," she said, turning her gaze toward the far silhouette which had now clearly noticed them—its eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Fine. I also have some messes of my own I've been meaning to correct," Ren nodded slightly before giving her a concerned look. "But… are you sure you can take on Yhwach alone?"

"There's no need to worry. By devouring the fragment of Yhwach that was inside you, I've become stronger," she answered with a faint smile, gently placing her small, delicate hand against his chest. "And ever since you obtained the Hōgyoku, I've been growing stronger without pause."

"I see…" Ren nodded again, unsurprised that she knew he possessed the Hōgyoku—after all, she was part of his soul, sharing his body in a sense. "Then I'll go first."

Swish!

Without hesitation, he vanished from where he stood—reappearing between Ichigo and Zangetsu. He needed to stop them first… before explaining all the truths he had only recently uncovered.

...

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