A violent gust of wind erupted alongside a white explosion of air and smoke.
Bazz-B's expression shifted slightly.
His attack—just as it was about to strike Masatsuki Aozaki—suddenly came to a halt, as if slamming into an invisible wall. It couldn't advance even an inch!
"You've got to be kidding me! How is this even possible?!"
Gritting his teeth, Bazz-B poured even more force into his strike. His fingers clenched into a fist as he continued hammering against the transparent barrier, unleashing massive bursts of flame.
In that instant, searing pain shot through his arm.
His left hand—shockingly—began to crack and disintegrate!
Yet despite the overwhelming heat of his flames, they failed to inflict even the slightest damage on the invisible wall.
The next second…
To Bazz-B's utter disbelief—
Swish!
Masatsuki Aozaki casually unsheathed his Zanpakutō from his waist and gave a light swing. A sharp, cutting force shot forward—
Shattering Bazz-B's flames in an instant.
A chilling sense of impending doom surged through him. His face twisted in terror.
He was going to die!
Even with Blut Vene's protection, he was certain—he would still die!
This wasn't an attack a Shinigami should be capable of. No Shinigami should possess this kind of monstrous power!
Despair consumed him. He shut his eyes, bracing for the inevitable end.
"Finally, you guys have arrived."
Ignoring the blond youth blocking his attack, Masatsuki Aozaki turned his head.
His eyes gleamed with an eerie black light as he spoke in clear irritation.
"But I don't appreciate strangers showing up behind me."
"I'd advise you to give up on the idea of stabbing me with those bizarre little things."
As his words fell, the shadows on the ground began to writhe and distort.
Suddenly, a tall man with long, center-parted black hair emerged from the darkness.
He had no eyebrows and wore a black mask adorned with multiple conical protrusions, concealing the lower half of his face. His deep black eyes held an unsettling intensity. His frame was lanky, his fingers long and slender, with nails as dark as ink.
Did he see through me?
The long-haired man furrowed his brow.
He had been planning a silent ambush, even preparing to fire a light arrow—
Yet Masatsuki Aozaki had already sensed his presence with uncanny precision.
This man was Äs Nödt.
A member of the Sternritter, bearing the Schrift "F" for Fear.
His ability allowed him to generate countless cone-shaped light arrows from thin air, striking enemies from all directions.
Any living being struck by his arrows would find their very heart consumed by terror.
"It really does take a big commotion to draw them out."
Over in the distance, several powerful Reiatsu flared up as figures rushed toward the scene.
The first to arrive was a voluptuous female Quincy.
She wore a military cap emblazoned with the Wandenreich insignia, along with a sleeveless top and shorts. Her medium-length, grass-green hair was parted to the side, and her light-green eyes gleamed sharply. The ends of her eyebrows and some strands of her hair had a distinctive lightning-like pattern.
Overall, she was a striking beauty.
However, Masatsuki Aozaki barely spared her a glance before looking past her, a grin spreading across his face.
A flicker of excitement flashed in his dark eyes.
His targets had arrived—The Soul King's left arm and the Soul King's heart.
The Soul King's left arm: Pernida Parnkgjas.
Shrouded completely in a robe, its face was an inky black void, devoid of any discernible features—save for two eerie, glowing orbs.
The Soul King's heart: Gerard Valkyrie.
A towering figure clad in a red cloak and trousers, donning a mask adorned with wing-like ornaments. His golden, medium-length hair framed a face filled with unshakable confidence. His limbs were encased in heavy armor.
Standing there, he was an insurmountable mountain.
Gerard's gaze swept over the fallen Bambietta and the battered Bazz-B, his expression filled with unconcealed disgust and contempt.
"What a disgrace. Letting intruders reach His Majesty's resting place… you deserve nothing less than death!"
He sneered, lips curling in a mocking grin. His eyes burned with murderous intent.
"Filth like you should be executed by my own hands."
"You bastard, what did you just say?!" Bazz-B's eyes flared with fury.
But the moment he pushed himself up—before he could even react—his pupils shrank in shock.
A massive fist, thick as a boulder and radiating terrifying force, came hurtling straight toward his face.
Gerard had chosen Bazz-B as his first target, intent on crushing him outright!
However—
At that very instant, a slender palm suddenly appeared in front of Bazz-B.
With effortless ease, it stopped Gerard's monstrous fist in its tracks.
A deafening boom rang out, shaking the very air itself.
A shockwave burst outward from the two figures at the center, distorting the space around them.
Despite the sheer power behind it, Gerard's punch was forcibly halted.
"Haschwalth, what do you think you're doing?"
Gerard snarled, his teeth clenched in frustration, fury flickering in his gaze.
But Haschwalth remained indifferent, his expression unmoved as he replied flatly,
"With the enemy before us, we should be working together, not fighting among ourselves."
"Besides, while Bazz-B and Bambietta may have lost, their punishment is mine to decide."
His eyes narrowed slightly, exuding an air of absolute authority.
"Defeat means death. That is the law of the Wandenreich. No one is above it."
Gerard scoffed, his eyes filled with scorn.
To him, his strength was absolute. He could crush anyone who stood against him.
And he had no mercy for the weak.
"So, you intend to shield him?"
His voice was cold, his expression mocking.
He knew well the history between Haschwalth and Bazz-B—the two had been close since childhood.
But he couldn't care less.
To Gerard, only the strong were worthy of respect.
Haschwalth's gaze remained cold as he slowly withdrew his hand and responded icily,
"If he is to be executed, I will be the one to carry it out personally."
"As the leader of the Sternritter, His Majesty has bestowed upon me the mask of a ruler. I have the authority to handle all affairs of the Empire."
"You need only serve as His Majesty's sword. Everything else is none of your concern."
"Tch…"
Gerard scoffed in disdain, completely uninterested in such lofty reasoning—debate had never been his strong suit.
"A mere Shinigami? I don't need you to tell me—I'll crush him myself."
With that, he abruptly raised the massive sword in his hand, his figure vanishing in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared before Masatsuki Aozaki.
At that moment, Masatsuki found himself caught in a pincer attack.
Behind him stood Äs Nödt, Pernida, and a voluptuous female Quincy.
In front of him, Gerard's enormous fist—like a wrecking ball—came hurtling toward him.
"Well, looks like I'm out of options. This is bad," Masatsuki remarked with a smirk.
"Die!"
Gerard roared, wasting no words.
His towering form loomed over Masatsuki like a mountain, his massive fist crashing down with overwhelming force.
The strike was about to land.
There was barely a fraction of a centimeter between Masatsuki's face and Gerard's fist.
Then—
A flash of silver light.
Before anyone could process what had happened, their vision blurred.
Without warning, Gerard's body was cleaved cleanly in half, split from head to toe.
Blood erupted like a fountain, spraying in all directions.
At that very moment, the voluptuous female Quincy appeared behind Masatsuki.
Lightning crackled around her legs as she launched a vicious sweeping kick.
Her name was Candice Catnipp, a member of the Sternritter, bearing the Schrift "T" for Thunderbolt.
Masatsuki tilted his head slightly, casting her a brief glance.
Then, with a single hand, he caught Candice's leg mid-swing, lifted her effortlessly into the air—
And slammed her into the ground with brutal force, sending dust and debris flying.
With the matter settled, he casually let go.
Candice groaned, rolling to the side, her eyes shut and mouth open in pain.
She landed right beside Bambietta, completing the picture of a truly miserable duo.
"Damn it… humiliated like this… how can I possibly face His Majesty again…"
A furious voice suddenly rang out from the ground.
"Shinigami! I'll wipe away my disgrace with your blood!"
Gerard pushed himself up with both hands, quickly rising to his feet.
The mask on his face had been shattered by Masatsuki's strike, revealing his true appearance.
His glowing white sclera and the rectangular markings around his eyes gave him an imposing, almost inhuman look—yet he had no eyebrows.
A crown of olive branches adorned his head, and from both sides of his forehead, extending down to his cheeks, were a pair of black markings shaped like the Greek letter epsilon (ε).
He radiated the aura of an ancient Greek warrior.
And if one looked closely, it was clear—
His body had grown even larger.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake