After issuing the command, Yhwach felt a slight fatigue.
To quickly recover his strength, he fell into a deep slumber.
Haschwalth's gaze fell upon Gremmy Thoumeaux, the newly appointed Vice-Captain of the Sternritter, standing beside him.
He stared at him with a scrutinizing look for a few seconds, then turned and walked steadily out of the palace, his tone grave:
"The current situation is urgent and brooks no delay."
"His Majesty has commanded you to assist me. What are your thoughts?"
"With the failure of Seeleschneider, I imagine the Shinigami will soon discover the location of the Wandenreich."
"If we don't want to start a decisive battle with the Shinigami before His Majesty awakens…"
"Gremmy Thoumeaux, what do you intend to do?"
"Simple," Gremmy Thoumeaux said, his hands in his pockets, his steps leisurely, a look of indifference on his face.
"Just create a fake Silver Frame City. The power of imagination is infinite."
"Although I don't know what you encountered in the Human World, in my opinion, this failure was clearly because I wasn't brought along."
"If I had been there, no matter how powerful the Shinigami, they would have been easily killed by my imagination."
"Without even needing to lift a finger."
"…" In just these few short sentences, Haschwalth had already felt his arrogance and conceit.
Although Haschwalth couldn't say anything directly, because the power of imagination was indeed very strong.
But he still, based on objective facts, reminded him a few times:
"You must not be careless. Our opponents are the Shinigami, the beings who sealed His Majesty a thousand years ago, forcing us to hide for a millennium."
"The situation is extremely unfavorable for us now. If they truly launch an attack, and His Majesty has not yet recovered his strength, we will undoubtedly be defeated."
Gremmy Thoumeaux glanced sideways at Haschwalth, his eyes full of doubt and disdain, and responded in a raised voice:
"Is that so?"
From his tone, it was clear he hadn't taken Haschwalth's words to heart.
"Hmph, perhaps, but what of it? I will act when the time comes."
"I am Sternritter V, the strongest of the Sternritter."
"Opponents you cannot handle, just leave them to me."
"Again, I won't even need to use a single finger."
With that.
Step.
Gremmy Thoumeaux left the hall without looking back.
His departing posture was as if all matters in the world were within his grasp, an arrogant display of self-importance and an air of being unrivaled.
Anyone who saw it would feel a different emotion.
Haschwalth followed behind him, his expression seemingly no different than usual, but a sense of helplessness arose in his heart.
He suddenly felt that the other party was the true Captain, because his aura was simply too high-spirited.
He was like a young man who considered himself the protagonist of a book, full of self-importance.
Too bad…
Reality was not a book, and as a Quincy, whose life and death were controlled by Yhwach, he was ultimately not the protagonist…
…When he met Yoriichi Tsugikuni, he understood.
That guy was definitely a being that could not be measured by common sense.
Thinking of this, Haschwalth couldn't help but lower his eyes, sighing in his heart, suddenly feeling that the road ahead was bleak…
…
…
"Mask De Masculine, from today onwards, you will be a member of the Sternritter."
"Drink this cup of blood, which carries special significance, and I will bestow upon you a Sternritter on behalf of His Majesty."
"…Superstar? Not bad. Go, and properly explore your abilities."
"The day of the decisive battle with the Shinigami will soon arrive."
Haschwalth's slightly low voice echoed intermittently in the empty and silent hall.
He watched a man who looked like a wrestler turn and leave, then summoned several other Sternritter candidates.
"Candice Catnipp, Sternritter T—Thunderbolt."
"Meninas McAllon, Sternritter Q—Quake."
"Edgar Parker, Sternritter H—Haste."
"Liltotto Lamperd, Sternritter I—Illness."
"The four of you will replace the previous Sternritter bearers and fight for His Majesty in the Soul Society."
"You must remember your identities and missions, and by no means disappoint His Majesty!"
"Yes!" The four responded in unison, then turned and left the hall.
Haschwalth looked at the five empty wine glasses before him and finally let out a sigh of relief.
It had taken a full three days to finally find five new Sternritter members, barely filling the vacancies in the team caused by the defeat.
These five, having just been granted Sternritter, were considerably weaker than the previous members.
He only hoped that the war would not break out too soon before they had mastered their Sternritter abilities.
He also wondered how the previous members were doing now.
Perhaps the location of the Wandenreich had already been exposed.
Now, they could only take it one step at a time, delaying as long as possible…
Swish.
As he was thinking, dawn broke.
The power originating from Yhwach within him disappeared.
Haschwalth felt as if he had suddenly been freed from some kind of restraint, letting out a sigh of relief.
Immediately after, he quickened his pace, hurrying out of the oppressive hall.
…
Outside, Candice Catnipp and Liltotto Lamperd, two girls, were walking side by side.
As Sternritter members who had received their Sternritter at the same time, even if they had no prior interaction, their current camaraderie was quite harmonious.
After all, in the Sternritter, which was usually dominated by males, female members were extremely rare.
Candice Catnipp had long, grass-green hair that reached her shoulders, wore a sleeveless top, and a military cap. Her steps were sharp, and her overall demeanor was like that of a queen.
She felt the power of her Sternritter within her, and a faint blue electric current slowly surged from her palm, gathering into a ball, crackling and popping.
With a casual wave of her hand, the ground instantly cracked and disappeared, vaporized by the high temperature, leaving only a scorched mark.
Seeing this, Candice's lips curved into a triumphant smile, full of pride:
"Good. From now on, I'd like to see who dares to look down on me again."
"The feeling of controlling lightning is truly wonderful…"
"Leah, what's the situation with your illness?"
As she spoke, she turned to look at the pink-haired girl beside her.
The girl looked sickly, as if she hadn't fully woken up, her posture listless.
At this moment, she was hugging a small teddy bear, her military cap tilted on her head.
Although she looked a bit unkempt, it added a unique charm to her.
Hearing the question, Leah looked up, yawned, and responded slowly:
"It's so-so. It's exactly as the name implies: I can give others illnesses. Besides that, there's nothing else."
"Do you want to try? A cold, fever, epilepsy, dementia—pick one."
"I personally recommend the first one, because a cold can improve sleep…"
"…"
Candice's eye twitched, and she suddenly felt her question was a bit redundant.
Who would want to get sick for no reason?!
However, the ability to inflict illnesses on others sounded pretty good, after all, there were more than just those four types of diseases in the world.
Things like cardiac arrest and paralysis were also included.
Combined with her lightning.
Perhaps it could produce unexpected results.
Seeing that Candice didn't answer her, Leah didn't say anything more.
She yawned again, hugged her doll tightly, her eyes narrowed to a slit, and suddenly felt that her current job was truly quite dangerous.
She was just an ordinary person who liked to sleep, a mere support staff, and she never expected to suddenly become a member of the Sternritter…
This truly was unpredictable.
As they pondered.
The two stopped.
Because four girls appeared in front of them.
No… not four, but three.
Leah saw clearly that the one with two antennae-like strands of hair sticking up was clearly a boy.
Why would a boy dress up as a girl and mix in with a group of female Quincy?
Leah didn't understand, but she was greatly shocked.
Slurp, slurp—
The girl leading the group was quite petite. She leaned against the wall, licking a lollipop, and invited the two:
"Hey, you two, do you want to join us?"
"The Sternritter is a deep pool. You two newcomers can't handle it."
"Even that guy Bazz-B got taken out. If us weak female Quincy don't team up, we'll just be defeated one by one by the Shinigami."
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Liltotto Lamperd, and I wield Sternritter G—Glutton."
With that, she introduced the others beside her one by one.
The woman with waist-length hair, wearing a short skirt, black stockings, and long boots, was named Bambietta Basterbine, possessing Sternritter E—Explode.
The pink-haired woman in military uniform with a generous chest was named Meninas McAllon, possessing Sternritter P—Power.
The one with two antennae-like strands of hair resembling a cockroach was Giselle Gewelle.
She possessed Sternritter Z—Zombie.
It was unclear whether to refer to her as "he" or "she."
After Liltotto finished her introduction, Leah's gaze involuntarily fell upon Giselle Gewelle, finding her stranger and stranger the more she looked.
Bang.
Candice suddenly took a step forward, her words carrying a hint of wildness, and retorted:
"Is the entire Sternritter made up of only a few of you?"
"What benefits would we get from joining?"
"You, kid, don't look very old, yet you're their boss?"
Slurp, slurp—Liltotto continued to slowly lick her candy.
She stared at Candice, extended a slender finger, and corrected her in a cold tone:
"Our Female Knight Squad doesn't have a so-called boss. It's just that I have a bit more seniority."
"Also, I'm just short. Don't call me a kid, you stinking bi…" (This is indeed Liltotto's verbal tic, the translation is like this)
"Cough, cough."
Before she could finish her sentence, Meninas McAllon, as if she had anticipated it, coughed several times, interrupting the vulgar words Liltotto was about to blurt out.
She walked to the front of the group, her voice gentle, yet tinged with a hint of helplessness:
"Liltotto, let me do it."
"I've always said that when inviting people, you should be more direct and have a better attitude."
"Your personality really isn't suited for interacting with people."
With that, without waiting for Liltotto to retort.
Meninas went straight to Candice and Leah, leaned slightly, approached them, and whispered a few words.
It was unknown what she said.
After she returned, Candice and Leah exchanged glances, as if they had reached some kind of consensus, then nodded and agreed to join the Female Knight Squad.
Six… no, five female Quincy walking together, indeed became a unique and beautiful sight within the Wandenreich.
Although this sight would disappear in a few decades, because war was about to begin.
But before the war started, the more allies they had, the better…
She wondered who among these six would lose their lives in the Soul Society…
Meninas couldn't help but worry.
…
At the same time,
After days and nights of investigation and interrogation, Kisuke Urahara finally discovered the exact location of the Wandenreich.
He immediately informed Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai and Yoriichi Tsugikuni of this important news, and then began to develop technology to infiltrate the Soul Society's barrier.
He originally thought those Quincy were near the barrier.
Unexpectedly, they had already infiltrated the barrier, hiding in the shadows of the Seireitei…
This was truly unexpected.
"So, how long will it take to develop this technology?"
Yoriichi came to the Twelfth Division, watching what the Seat Officers were researching, and turned to Kisuke Urahara, asking, "Will it be ready? Before the decisive battle arrives."
"Don't worry!" Kisuke Urahara was full of confidence.
He knew Yoriichi's concerns; there were still fifty years until Yhwach awakened.
If the development time exceeded fifty years, then this move would undoubtedly be putting the cart before the horse, but…
Kisuke Urahara took a pill-sized black shadow from a Seat Officer's hand and explained, "This is the result I obtained after spending one day."
"Although the quantity is extremely small, the state is unstable, and the duration after use is extremely short, this is undoubtedly the shadow that the Quincy speak of."
"As long as it is enlarged, an entrance to the shadow world can be constructed…"
"Although the process is a bit cumbersome, Shinigami and Quincy have fundamental differences in their existence."
Kisuke Urahara sighed, crushing the "shadow" as a black space appeared, and turned to explain the reason, "We cannot control or change the reishi of the outside world; we can only achieve this goal through technology."
"Judging from the current situation, to make the entrance last long enough to accommodate the entire Thirteenth Division, it will probably take more than ten years."
"Of course, this is just a conservative estimate; if Quincy interfere, the time will likely be extended…"
"Ten years?" Yoriichi pondered for a moment, feeling it wasn't too long, and it was good to have progress.
Interference is common; no one will sit idly by, and wars, big and small, will likely not cease in the future.
But this is also part of life; Shinigami can dislike fighting, but they must never avoid battle.
He nodded slightly: "I understand. Keep up the good work. For now, only you and Mayuri Kurotsuchi can help us with this research."
"Oh, right," Yoriichi said, suddenly remembering something. He looked around the laboratory, "Why haven't I seen Mayuri Kurotsuchi? Aren't you two working together?"
When Mayuri Kurotsuchi was mentioned, Kisuke Urahara lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose: "Him… At first, I wanted to work with him, but he insisted I looked down on him, so he ran off on his own."
"It's unclear what he's doing right now… Akon!"
Kisuke Urahara called over a Seat Officer and instructed, "Go see what stage Mayuri Kurotsuchi's experiment has reached?"
"I'm responsible for creating the shadow, and he's responsible for analyzing the Quincy's techniques."
"Three days have passed; he should have achieved some results by now."
"Yes." As Akon accepted the order and hurried towards Mayuri Kurotsuchi, he hadn't even gotten close.
Then he suddenly heard Mayuri Kurotsuchi's excited laughter.
"Hahaha, I succeeded!"
"So-called Sternritter are nothing more than this!"
"The first Shinigami in Soul Society history to fuse the powers of three races will be born here, by me!"
"Kisuke Urahara, I've surpassed you!"
The laughter was extremely arrogant and the words presumptuous, causing Akon's body to instantly freeze in place, unable to advance or retreat…
What's going on? Fusing the powers of three races?
Wasn't that only a theoretical concept? It was actually created by the Vice-Captain?
Akon was full of doubts. Mayuri Kurotsuchi heard the movement behind him, turned around, and the smile on his face gradually faded.
The greasepaint on his face was quite thick.
Even if his expression couldn't be clearly seen, the faint hint of madness could be felt.
"Heh heh, it's you."
"Are you here to congratulate me?"
"Akon."
…
Akon dared not move at all.
The deathly silence around him suddenly reminded him of the dark history of Mayuri Kurotsuchi rumored within the Twelfth Division.
Using Shinigami as experimental subjects was just a minor matter.
Making someone wish for death but unable to die just for saying one wrong word, that was Mayuri Kurotsuchi's true nature.
How should he answer?
Akon fell silent. Kisuke Urahara heard the arrogant voice and slowly walked in from a nearby building.
He didn't pay attention to the subtle atmosphere in the air and asked directly, "What are you doing, Mayuri Kurotsuchi? Don't bully the kid."
"I heard your research has yielded results. Let me see, what kind of results?"
It was only because the person who said this was Kisuke Urahara; if it were anyone else, Mayuri Kurotsuchi would have already put them on his blacklist.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi snorted, extremely displeased with Kisuke Urahara's attitude.
But out of his pride as a scientist, he still slowly turned his body and introduced in his unique voice: "After my day and night research, I finally succeeded in creating an artificial Shinigami-specific reishi circuit in just a few days."
"This circuit can mimic some of the effects of Sternritter."
"So-called Sternritter are merely imprints engraved on the soul used to transform reishi properties."
"Through this imprint, Quincy can naturally use abilities beyond common sense."
"For example, manipulating others' senses, releasing high-concentration reishi flames, strengthening one's own body…"
"Since it is directly engraved on the soul, it is extremely difficult for Shinigami to replicate it, and even a slight mistake can lead to the dissipation of the spiritual body."
"However," Mayuri Kurotsuchi's tone shifted, and he chuckled twice, saying with immense pride, "No matter how difficult, it will yield to the astonishing wisdom of this scientist."
"Through research, it has been found that the concept behind Shinigami releasing Kido and Quincy using Sternritter is fundamentally the same."
"Both transform reishi attributes through internal circuits and release corresponding abilities."
"It's just that one is based on the physical body, and the other is based on the soul."
"Once these two points are known, things become easy to solve."
"As long as a soul is created from scratch, and an imprint is carved onto its soul, then once this soul becomes a Shinigami…"
"It will naturally be able to bypass the step of transforming reishi attributes and directly unleash abilities."
"Absorbing reishi and such are child's play."
"Nemu VII is my first masterpiece."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's gaze softened as he turned to look at the "artificial soul" placed beside the reishi circuit diagram.
He gently touched it with his hand, his tone as if speaking to a cherished item: "It took two weeks in the barrier, failing no less than seven times, but I finally succeeded in engraving the imprint on her soul."
"As long as she can grow up smoothly, she will become stronger than anyone else. Surpassing the Captain-Commander in the future is not a problem."
"Because Quincy are inherently a race that becomes stronger the more reishi they absorb."
"I have to thank you, Captain Tsugikuni."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi turned again, "If you hadn't captured those living Quincy, the analysis of Sternritter would probably have taken decades, or even a century, to make any progress."
"And decades or a century later, when Nemu VII grows up, I'll probably lose interest in these things…"
Yoriichi had not yet responded. Kisuke Urahara pondered for a moment, then fixed his gaze on the "artificial soul" and asked, "Hmm… I think I understand. So, when will Nemu VII grow up?"
"Can you ensure that once she grows up, she can maintain a Shinigami form?"
"How will you explain this to Captain-Commander Yamamoto?"
Kisuke Urahara paused, thinking of a possibility, and sighed, "Power fusion… this research is too dangerous."
"Although I know you have thorough preparations to ensure she won't lose control, others won't understand."
"A Shinigami being able to use Quincy abilities…"
"This is simply an act of rebellion."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi frowned: "Doesn't Captain Tsugikuni also control reishi?"
"Those two cannot be conflated." Kisuke Urahara gently shook his head, "That is the effect of Bankai, gaining absolute control over the reishi within a domain."
"Yours, however, has already exceeded the scope of a Shinigami, touching upon a forbidden realm, just like my Hōgyoku; both cannot see the light of day."
"No… To be precise, my Hōgyoku is still better."
"Because Hueco Mundo has been orderly in recent years, and some of the textbooks in the Spiritual Arts Academy have been slightly modified, I believe it will be accepted by everyone in a few decades."
"Shinigami and Quincy are currently mortal enemies."
This was indeed a tricky problem, especially with war approaching. If Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai found out, he might even order her execution.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi fell into thought. Then, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he came up with a brilliant idea.
He looked up at Yoriichi Tsugikuni, a smile playing on his lips, and tentatively asked, "What do you think of Nemu VII, Captain Tsugikuni?"
"I heard that you treat those peaceful Quincy and Hollow equally, so… you wouldn't stand idly by and let Nemu VII die, would you?"
"Her existence cannot be hidden for long, and I don't intend to hide it."
"You know Captain-Commander Yamamoto's temper; I am merely a Third Seat."
"If an execution order were truly issued, I would certainly be powerless to stop it."
"At that time, I would only have two choices."
"One is to take her and flee the Soul Society, and the other is to let her be killed. Which do you think I should choose?"
Artificial souls have always had no human rights, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi was well aware of this.
Although he himself didn't care about so-called human rights, this was, after all, his pinnacle masterpiece… he absolutely couldn't abandon it lightly.
Yoriichi remained silent for a few seconds upon hearing this.
He vaguely detected a hint of a threat, but this threat was merely to protect Nemu VII.
Regardless of the reason, an innocent life should not be deprived on fabricated charges.
He raised his eyes and slowly spoke: "So, what do you want me to help you with?"
"Do you want me to persuade my teacher?"
"No." Mayuri Kurotsuchi revealed a subtle smile, and the greasepaint on his face looked much more pleasant at that moment, "Persuading is too troublesome, and the success rate isn't high."
"If it fails, it could easily create a rift between you, Captain Tsugikuni, and Captain-Commander Yamamoto."
"My request is only one, a small one, and for you, it's just a simple favor."
"I hope that after she is born and grows up successfully, you can adopt her as your foster daughter."
"That way, with you as her backing, even if those old men of the Forty-Six Chambers want to make a move, they'll have to think twice."
"What do you think?"