Bazz-B asked tentatively,
"What did the Shinigami do to you—"
Before he could finish, Bambietta cut him off. She stomped her foot in frustration and snapped,
"None of your business. Say one more word, and I'll kill you right now."
Kill me?
Bazz-B's eye twitched.
I was just being nice, showing concern… and this is how she talks to me?! She should remember that I'm her senior!
"You woman, you looking for a fight?"
"Bring it on! Who's afraid of you? A lousy boiler operator—your only worth is heating my bathwater. Like I'd be scared of you!"
"Boiler operator?!"
Bazz-B's face turned red with fury. He already had a short fuse, and this was too much. He immediately snapped back,
"You're just dead weight! Who gave you the nerve to talk to me like that?"
Bambietta sneered, her tone dripping with disdain.
"I just joined the Sternritter later than you."
"Unlike someone who's been in the Sternritter for nearly a thousand years and still hasn't made it into the Schutzstaffel."
"Who's the real dead weight here?"
The tension between them skyrocketed, as if they were moments away from an all-out brawl.
Who the hell would want to be in that guy's personal guard?! I'm the one who's going to kill him someday.
Bazz-B clenched his fists, seething inside.
Yhwach had destroyed his hometown. Revenge had always been his goal.
But just then, they both stopped arguing, their eyes locking onto something ahead.
A figure suddenly crashed through the wall, tumbling to the ground right in front of them.
"You guys even set up a Schatten Bereich in your own home? You're really cautious—no wonder I couldn't find you."
A man stepped into view, his foot pressing down on the fallen figure.
Bambietta's expression shifted from shock to disbelief, then twisted into rage. Her face contorted as she shrieked,
"That's… that bastard who broke into my bathroom!"
"Cang Du!"
Bazz-B's attention was drawn to the collapsed figure, and he couldn't stop himself from exclaiming.
The man had short black hair, sharp phoenix-like eyes, and a scar on his left lip.
Cang Du—one of the Sternritter, bearer of the Schrift "I" for Iron.
His ability allowed him to transform his body into solid steel. And yet, he had been beaten so badly that he was barely recognizable—his body mangled and drenched in blood.
In the next instant, as Bazz-B stood frozen in shock, Bambietta launched herself forward, her entire body enveloped in Reishi.
"You damn bastard, die!"
Seeing Cang Du in this state, and she still charges in… Are all the newcomers this reckless these days?
Bazz-B's mouth parted slightly.
Cang Du wasn't weak among the new Sternritter.
His steel transformation wasn't ordinary—it was strong enough to withstand a slash from Haschwalth!
"Explode!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A sphere of Reishi shot forward, slamming into the wall. The moment of impact triggered a violent explosion.
This was Bambietta's ability—her Schrift, "E" for Explode!
Anything that comes into contact with her Reiatsu turns into a bomb, detonating instantly upon impact.
"Hmph, reduced to dust just like that? What a mercy. If you'd fallen into my hands instead..."
Bambietta clapped the dust from her hands, her face devoid of expression.
Just then, as Bazz-B looked on in shock—
A hand suddenly rested atop Bambietta's head and gave it a light pat.
"Not bad. Completely unavoidable, huh?"
Masatsuki Aozaki clicked his tongue in amusement—then slammed Bambietta's head into the ground.
Cracks spread across the floor in an instant.
"This guy... Bambietta couldn't even fight back."
Bazz-B swallowed hard.
He might have looked down on Bambietta for being a newcomer, but she was still a member of the Sternritter—one of the elite Quincy at the top of the Wandenreich.
And yet, against this man, she didn't even last a single exchange?
Is this guy really a Shinigami?
Wait—what is that?
Damn it... This is bad.
Bazz-B's eye twitched as a massive pillar of light shot into the sky. Behind Bambietta, crimson wings of light unfurled, and a halo seemed to form above her head.
"Explode..."
Bambietta murmured softly, almost like a prayer. Then, her Reiatsu surged violently.
A red glow enveloped her, condensing into a sphere of energy that wrapped around her entire body.
"You idiot! Don't activate Vollständig in Silbern! You'll destroy the entire palace!"
Bazz-B's eyes widened in alarm as he shouted.
Vollständig was the Quincies' ultimate form.
In the World of the Living, Quincies could only achieve Vollständig through a Reishi tool known as the Sanrei Glove, which forced them to absorb Reishi from their surroundings when removed—dramatically increasing their power. However, using it came at a cost: the complete loss of their Quincy abilities.
But in the past few decades, the Quincies of the Wandenreich had developed a new method.
Now, they could activate Vollständig at will, no longer needing external tools. Though the transformation still put a strain on the body, it no longer came with the drawback of losing their powers afterward.
As their ultimate form, Vollständig granted Quincies an enormous surge in strength.
And if Bambietta fully unleashed her power in this state...
The consequences would be catastrophic.
But at this point, she was far beyond reason.
Her sole focus was defeating Masatsuki Aozaki.
This was still her "Explode" ability, but it was nothing like before.
Now, any space her overwhelming Reiatsu touched—
Would detonate.
With an enraged scream, she tore through the battlefield. The very air seemed to crack, splitting apart with a sharp, earsplitting noise.
RUMBLE!
A deafening explosion shook the palace, expanding outward like the detonation of a massive bomb.
The shockwave was so intense that even Bazz-B was forced to retreat to avoid being caught in the blast.
"Why aren't those two here yet? Whatever… if I can't find them, taking you back won't be a complete loss."
Masatsuki Aozaki sighed as he watched the scene unfold before him.
Bazz-B, who had just assumed everything would end in Bambietta's explosive outburst, instantly paled at the sound of that familiar voice.
Bambietta, too, was stunned.
She could still feel the large hand pressing down on her head—as if it had never left.
"This… this is impossible!"
She blurted out, unable to hide the sheer disbelief on her face.
She had already activated Vollständig, pushing her Schrift's power to its absolute limit.
How could he remain completely unaffected?
Before she could process it, an overwhelming force struck her again.
Her head slammed into the ground, and glowing, branch-like patterns of light spread across her skin. A cloud of dust erupted from the impact.
Blut Vene!
A Quincy technique that enhances defense by infusing Reishi into the bloodstream.
But even with Blut Vene activated—
It was completely useless.
Her mind went blank.
Her light wings and halo vanished instantly.
"Damn it…"
Bazz-B's brow furrowed, frustration and rage flashing across his face.
With a powerful stomp, he launched himself forward like an arrow, flames surging from his palms, forming a raging wall of fire.
BOOM!!
The explosion roared through the air, waves of scorching heat surging forward.
Yet, there was no triumph in Bazz-B's eyes.
Because what he saw made his heart tremble—
That man stood completely unscathed within the raging inferno, not even a single thread of his clothing burned.
"Well, that was quite a show. But these flames… just aren't hot enough."
Masatsuki Aozaki smirked, his voice carrying a mocking edge, as if speaking from the depths of an abyss.
Bazz-B's expression darkened, his eyes burning with fury.
"Don't look down on me, Shinigami!"
He roared through clenched teeth, his anger boiling over.
He knew this opponent was no pushover—
But that condescending attitude made his blood boil.
With a surge of power, he unleashed everything he had.
Above his head, a crimson Quincy pentagram with a radiant starburst appeared.
From his back, bat-like wings of Reishi unfurled.
Vollständig!
A surge of raw power exploded from his legs, propelling him toward Masatsuki Aozaki like a bolt of lightning.
"Burning Full Fingers!"
Bazz-B bellowed, gathering all his Reiryoku into his left hand.
This will end it!
His left palm radiated an unbearable heat, five scorching crimson beams condensing at his fingertips.
Then, with a furious thrust—
A spiraling, conical blast of fire shot toward Masatsuki Aozaki, roaring through the air with enough force to reduce everything to ashes.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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