"Candice Catnipp!"
In the distance, Haschwalth, who had been silent like a statue all this time, finally moved.
This highest-ranking member of the Sternritter looked at the scene before him, and for the first time, real anger appeared on his eternally expressionless face.
Clang!
The battle sword left its sheath, its cold light biting.
"As a knight, you dare betray His Majesty?"
"Heh! You damn idiot."
Faced with this question that would make any Quincy tremble, Candice simply rolled her eyes in disdain and even raised her middle finger, "When teammates were dying one by one right in front of you just now, I didn't see you draw that crappy sword. Now that you realize I'm not sticking with you anymore, you suddenly act tough?"
"What, your sword got factory settings like those Shinigami's Zanpakuto? Passive skill: only cuts allies? Haschwalth, is this all you've got?"
"Betraying His Majesty, betraying the Wandenreich, betraying the Sternritter! Die!"
Haschwalth's gaze turned cold as he raised his sword to strike.
Rumble!
A violent thunderbolt fell from the sky without warning. This wasn't ordinary lightning, but highly condensed, high-density reishi plasma.
The lightning poured down like a waterfall, enveloping Candice and forming an absolute domain of electricity.
In the next second, everyone witnessed something they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
The sky split open through the black clouds.
A figure wearing a black-based, gold-trimmed uniform of the Hueco Mundo Palace Espada descended like a valkyrie from above.
That face, that figure, that signature green curly hair, identical to the Candice on the ground.
"Merge. My true self."
As Candice on the ground murmured softly, the two figures slowly overlapped within the roaring thunder.
Buzz!
A completely new and violent spiritual pressure storm swept across the field. The sheer intensity of that aura even faintly surpassed Haschwalth, who was still maintaining his Vollständig.
"I'm done pretending! That useless coward Yhwach who only hides in the shadows makes me sick just looking at him!"
The lightning faded.
A completely new Candice, clad in the black coat of the Espada, stood proudly before everyone.
She flicked her green hair crackling with electricity and straightened her chest, full enough to make Lilynette jealous, her gaze sweeping over everyone with arrogance, "Listen up, trash."
"Hueco Mundo Palace, 9th Espada, Candice Catnipp, reporting for duty!"
"9th Espada? Candice! You… what exactly are you doing?"
Bambietta's eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at the figure bathed in lightning.
Especially when that terrifying spiritual pressure, far surpassing the Royal Guard and even faintly comparable to the other Espada, washed over her, the surreal reality made her feel like she was dreaming.
"You really betrayed His Majesty?"
Her voice turned sharp with fear, "Have you lost your mind? Do you not know the fate of traitors? With a single thought, His Majesty can reduce you to ashes! Aren't you afraid of death?"
"Death?"
Before Candice could answer, Meninas spoke up leisurely from the side, her tone carrying a calmness that had already seen through life and death, "Do you think crawling back like this means we won't die?"
That light rhetorical question was like a rusty, dull blade sawing harshly across Bambietta's nerves, choking all her words in her throat.
'Yeah. The mission failed. Our comrades were wiped out.'
'Even if we return now, kneel before Yhwach and cry bitterly, what waits for us is only... death.'
'Early death or late death, what difference does it make?'
"..."
In the distance, Jugram Haschwalth fell silent for a long moment.
A complex emotion flashed through his pale blue eyes, something like pity, yet also resolve.
But in the end, he slowly raised his sword, its tip pointing directly at Candice's forehead.
"Whether it was Cang Du or Lille, their deaths were for the glory of the Empire. That is the fate of a knight."
His voice was cold as ice, devoid of warmth, "And you, Candice. You betrayed us just to survive. This is not only blasphemy against His Majesty, but also a trampling of your own beliefs."
"Since you've chosen this path, I will personally execute you."
"Hah? Glory in death?"
Candice looked like she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. She clutched her stomach, laughing so hard tears nearly came out.
"What a load of crap! Stop flattering yourself, Haschwalth!"
Her smile suddenly vanished. Her eyes turned fierce as she locked onto the man she once had to look up to, "Open your damn eyes and look clearly! This isn't a battle, it's a slaughter! That old bastard threw us into Hueco Mundo like garbage just so he'd have more power after reviving himself!"
"If he wants our lives, then I refuse to give them!"
Candice clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking, then turned and shouted toward Harribel and the others who had been watching from the side, "Harribel! That blond blockhead is mine! He's gonna get revived by that old geezer and used as a tool anyway, so I might as well enjoy myself first!"
Harribel said nothing, only silently stepped aside, showing her consent through action.
The other Espada also retreated, clearing the battlefield for the two of them.
The battle ordered by Rosse was already over. What remained now was improvisation.
The more exciting the performance, the more it would earn His Majesty's favor.
As Lilynette left, she very thoughtfully grabbed Meninas and Bambietta, who were still dazed, by the scruffs like little chicks and carried them away, afraid they'd get caught in the upcoming storm of lightning.
"Oh my~ thanks! Lilynette-chan really is way gentler than that violent woman Candice~"
Dangling in midair, Meninas wasn't afraid at all. Instead, she grinned and teased, "If I were to defect, could I follow you instead? Little wolf girl?"
"Hmph! At least you've got some taste."
Lilynette flicked her ears proudly, clearly pleased by the flattery, "Sure! As long as you behave, in Hueco Mundo Palace territory, I've got your back. No one will dare bully you."
Then she turned to Bambietta in her other hand, a playful look on her face, "So? Whose subordinate do you want to be? Or do you want to follow your emperor to your death? Slots are limited here, you know."
Bambietta bit her lip, her eyes struggling intensely.
As a once high and mighty Sternritter, someone respected throughout the Wandenreich, lowering herself to become a Hollow's subordinate was an unbearable humiliation.
But if she didn't, she would die.
The instinct to survive ultimately crushed that fragile pride.
"If… if you won't take me," Bambietta took a deep breath, as if using up all the courage in her life, and said softly, "I'd prefer to become Lady Nelliel's subordinate."
She wouldn't even consider the men. Harribel was too cold.
'And if it is Candice…'
At that thought, Bambietta suddenly lifted her head, her eyes filled with strong rejection, "Anyone but Candice! Anyone is fine, just absolutely not her!"
She didn't dare imagine how miserable her life would be if she fell into that woman's hands.
'She's only the 9th Espada, what's she so arrogant about?'
"Hahaha! Good taste!"
Lilynette burst into laughter, "Big sis Nelliel is the second most popular Espada in Hueco Mundo Palace. She's kind and gentle, you won't regret following her."
"Oh my? Were you calling me?"
With a swish, Nelliel, who had been at the edge of the battlefield, instantly appeared, her face full of a bright smile, "I'm honored someone chose me. Since you've picked one, Lilynette, then this little cutie is mine?"
"Eh? Wait?"
Meninas blinked curiously, catching a key detail, "If Lady Nelliel is second most popular, then who's first? Is it Lady Harribel?"
Even her form of address had changed smoothly.
If you're going to defect, you have to go all the way. Half-hearted defection might end worse than death.
"Tch! As if it's that big ice block."
Lilynette rolled her eyes and pouted, "It's that scheming snake woman. She started out as Harribel's subordinate, but somehow got His Majesty wrapped around her finger and climbed all the way up to become the chief steward of Hueco Mundo Palace. Now she runs everything."
"Even if she's not as strong as that idiot Grimmjow, she's firmly ranked sixth among the Espada. You've got no idea how good she is at winning people over."
Hearing this gossip, Meninas and Bambietta exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock and curiosity in each other's eyes.
'A subordinate rising to become the chief steward? This Hueco Mundo Palace really runs deep.'
In Meninas' heart, a competitive spark had already ignited.
'That bitch Candice could become the 9th Espada, and someone else even made it to 6th.'
'I am better than Candice in every way. Pushing her down or taking a seventh or eighth spot, that isn't too much to ask, right?'
'This Hueco Mundo Palace seems even easier to climb than the Sternritter.'
"Alright, they're about to start fighting over there. We can talk about this after we get back. His Majesty has high hopes for you. Before the battle, you were already on the survival list."
Nelliel smiled as she took Bambietta and sent a burst of energy into her body.
In an instant, Bambietta, whose spiritual power had been exhausted, recovered to near full condition, and her injuries healed completely.
"What kind of ability is this?", Bambietta's eyes widened.
She had heard Nelliel's introduction during the fight.
'Compassion as an ability, is it really this outrageous?'
"Just a little trick. You're my first female subordinate. From now on, we're good sisters."
Nelliel giggled, wrapping an arm around Bambietta as they both looked toward the distant battlefield.
Bambietta wasn't used to Nelliel's warmth and enthusiasm, but she suppressed her thoughts and focused on the battle.
———
At this moment, in the center of the battlefield—
The wind howled. Lightning and sword energy collided in the air, sparking violently.
Candice and Haschwalth stood facing each other, only ten meters apart, but the pressure created by their standoff was enough to suffocate a vice-captain-level Shinigami.
"Come on, Haschwalth."
Candice grinned, revealing neat white teeth. Violent lightning coiled around her body like a living thing, "Let me see how long your Balance can last without that old bastard's buffs!"
Boom!
Before her words even finished, she struck first.
Without any extra movement, Candice simply raised her right hand, and a hundred-meter-long spear of lightning condensed in her palm.
"Thunder Punishment!"
The spear shot out like divine judgment. Wherever it passed, the space itself was ionized into a vacuum, carrying heat enough to carbonize all matter as it surged straight toward Haschwalth.
"The Balance."
Haschwalth's expression didn't change as he lightly swung his sword.
That seemingly ordinary knight's blade didn't release much spiritual pressure, but along the path of its swing, it was as if an invisible scale appeared.
Candice's strike, powerful enough to destroy a city, had its misfortune forcibly erased the moment it touched the blade.
Its originally violent power was instantly reduced by more than half, and with a tilt of his sword, Haschwalth easily redirected it toward the ground.
Boom!
The sand dunes behind him exploded into a bottomless crater, while Haschwalth himself remained unharmed.
"Heh! Just as disgusting as ever."
Candice wasn't surprised at all. Instead, her fighting spirit burned even brighter, "You can distribute the misfortune that happens to you onto your opponent. But I want to see what happens when absolute power exceeds the limit your shield can handle."
Crackle!
She clasped her hands together, her whole body turning into a streak of green lightning.
In the next instant, Candice appeared behind Haschwalth. Her leg, wrapped in high-pressure lightning plasma, swept out like a battle axe.
'Can't block it!'
'The Balance can't block this kind of special ability.'
"Blut Vene!"
Haschwalth reacted instantly, swinging his sword back to block while blue vein-like patterns spread across his body, pushing his defense to the limit.
Clang!
The metallic clash was deafening.
The massive impact forced Haschwalth's feet deep into the sand, but it wasn't over yet.
"Now explode!"
Candice snarled, and the lightning on her leg detonated a second time.
Boom!
Haschwalth's pupils shrank. Even with the dual defense of Blut Vene and his Schrift, his body was still blasted away by the sheer force, tumbling through the air before landing in a disheveled heap.
"Cough!"
A trace of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. The hand gripping his sword trembled slightly.
For the first time, a serious expression appeared in his pale blue eyes.
'How is this possible?'
'Without even activating Vollständig, Candice in her base state can already displaying spiritual pressure and power that completely suppresses me?'
The energy contained within that lightning wasn't just reishi, it also carried some kind of violent, chaotic destructive force.
This kind of mixed energy that couldn't be fully harmonized by simple rules resembled that ability Nelliel called Compassion.
It looked like an ability, but more like some kind of authority.
'Is this the power she gained in exchange for betraying His Majesty?'
[🎉 Shoutout to Eric and Cash for joining p@treon. Thank you for keeping me motivated.🤗]
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