"This is bad! The Soul Reapers are attacking!"
"The Soul Reapers have been under our constant surveillance; none of their movements could have escaped us!"
"Wait, look at their outfits—they aren't Soul Reapers. Who exactly are these enemies?"
"How did these enemies bypass the Great Barrier?"
"Go, inform the lords of the Sternritter at once!"
Deep within the shadows of the Seireitei lay a cluster of European-style buildings.
Nearly nine hundred years ago, a great war erupted between the Quincy of the Lichtreich and the Soul Reapers. Following their defeat, this became the sanctuary they carved out for themselves.
The remnants of the Lichtreich dwelt in these shadows, constantly monitoring the movements of the Soul Reapers in the Seireitei while amassing their strength, awaiting the resurrection of the Father of the Quincy.
After this vast stretch of time, the Quincy had long since regained a level of power far exceeding their past. All they lacked was the return of their King to lead them once more in conquering the three worlds and ascending to the pinnacle.
And only a little over a hundred years remained until the King's revival.
For generations, the Quincy had lived and prospered in this Shadow Empire, never imagining that one day, their headquarters would suffer an outside assault.
In the westernmost streets, a crowd of Quincy stared at a rift that had suddenly appeared in the sky. Before they could react, soldiers clad in white armor began falling from the gap like raindrops.
A stream of black-red magma cascaded from above, forming a pillar of lava that seemed to touch the heavens. It hit the ground and rapidly consumed everything in its path, belching thick plumes of black smoke.
From within the surging lava emerged a towering figure. He wore a dark red suit and a newsboy cap, with the magma behind him transforming into a pristine white coat that fluttered with every step he took.
Staring at the giant who had suddenly appeared before them, the Quincy rushing from nearby streets craned their necks, their faces twisted in horror.
"How can he be so tall?!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"Move out! Hold the enemy back with everything we've got until the Sternritter arrive!"
The Quincy raised their bows, unleashing a relentless barrage of silver arrows at the intruder.
Whiz! Whiz! Whiz! Whiz!
Silver-white Reishi arrows rained down like a storm, all aimed at the titan born of magma.
Faced with the dense volley, Sakazuki didn't even flinch. He allowed the attacks to strike, letting them pass right through his body.
The Reishi arrows pierced his frame, creating holes that oozed a viscous, dark red liquid like blood, radiating intense waves of heat.
"Idiot! That's what you get for underestimating us!"
"Wait, why does he look completely unfazed? He's still coming!"
"Dammit, what kind of monster is this?!"
To the horror of the Quincy before him, Sakazuki's pace remained steady. The holes in his body sealed up as he advanced, returning to normal in the blink of an eye.
A cold glint flashed in Sakazuki's eyes as he looked at the enemies before him.
"Great Eruption!"
He raised his right arm, clenched his fist, and swung it forward with a roar.
His arm instantly transformed into churning magma, surging forward with blistering heat.
It expanded rapidly as it traveled, filling the entire street and swallowing the screaming Quincy in its path.
The rolling heat waves distorted the air, mixed with the black smoke of incinerated corpses.
A nauseating scent of burnt meat immediately filled the air.
The vanguard soldiers who followed him down formed small, efficient squads upon landing. Taking cover behind nearby buildings, they drew their weapons and engaged the approaching Quincy.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of gunfire and cannon blasts was incessant. Explosions erupted everywhere, and flames reached for the sky.
Several surrounding streets were instantly transformed into a living hell of artillery fire.
Though Sakazuki's vanguard consisted of only five hundred men, every single one was an elite soldier clad in heavy armor.
Their armor was not only inscribed with Kido barriers to protect the wearers, but the materials were of the highest quality—sturdy, thick, and boasting incredible defensive power.
The Reishi arrows of ordinary Quincy did little more than clink against the hard plating, failing to inflict even the slightest injury on the soldiers.
In contrast, the weapons carried by these soldiers—whether standard bullets and shells or specialized Kido warheads—wreaked havoc upon the ordinary Quincy, inflicting massive casualties.
Within minutes of landing, the vanguard had eliminated every living soul in the vicinity. Under Sakazuki's command, they began expanding their perimeter.
Thump!
With a heavy thud of landing, Charlotte Linlin swung her blade, leveling a cluster of buildings in front of her to create a massive clearing.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma! Akainu, you bastard, send the signal!"
"I'm going to set up our base of operations."
Bellowing at Sakazuki in the distance, Linlin pulled a glob of ethereal soul from her own body and slammed it into the ground.
"Wake up for me, Gaia!"
The clearing before Charlotte Linlin surged instantly, the solid earth rippling like the surface of a lake.
Two eyes opened in the ground, and a mouth formed from jagged rock began to speak.
"Mama! Mama! I'm awake!"
"Gaia, just as we discussed! Raise this ground and form a high plateau that's easy to defend and hard to attack!"
"As you command, Mama!"
The massive mouth in the ground split into a jubilant grin.
Under Gaia's control, the earth rumbled violently.
Rumble!
The nearby soldiers felt the ground tremble as the surrounding buildings suddenly seemed to sink below their line of sight.
In reality, the area they were standing on was rapidly ascending.
From a distance, it looked as if a slender finger was poking out from the ground, with concentric rings of earth spiraling upward toward the sky.
"Don't you dare give me orders, you pirate wench!"
As the ground rose, Sakazuki changed direction, moving directly beneath the rift in the sky.
He looked up through the spatial tunnel, catching a glimpse of the barrier layer above the outside world.
He raised his fist high, aiming straight for the hole.
A fist-shaped glob of magma erupted from his hand, soaring through the spatial tunnel. It reached the high altitudes outside the shadows and exploded into a brilliant firework!
Having sent the signal, Sakazuki kept his head held high, waiting for the main army to arrive.
Soldiers began to drop through the passage like white raindrops, entering the shadow space alongside several unusual figures.
"Gurararara! Stay close to me, my sons!"
"Worororo! Listen up, brats, the big war is here!"
"Hahaha! Kuzan, you don't have to keep following me around!"
Various boisterous laughs echoed from the sky as massive figures of all shapes and sizes entered, landing one by one on the newly formed plateau and sending tremors through the ground.
Boom!
Lightning flashed and thunder roared as dark clouds instantly filled the sky.
A majestic and colossal azure dragon suddenly manifested mid-air.
Auspicious clouds bore its massive, serpentine body as it coiled through the thunderous dark clouds.
A pitch-black Pteranodon and a Phoenix wreathed in blue flames soared beneath the storm clouds, circling the plateau.
A giant mammoth led a horde of bizarre animals across the land, charging toward the very center.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
A series of heavy impacts sounded. Sakazuki turned to see Sengoku, Tsuru, Garp, Kuzan, and the others also making their way to the center.
The final one to land was the supreme commander of this war, Oda Nobunaga!
Nobunaga was flanked by Yoichi and Shimazu Toyohisa, surrounded by members of the Onmitsukido who formed a tight, multi-layered protective perimeter.
As the army finished their entry, the spatial tunnel above healed rapidly. Within moments, it was completely sealed, leaving no trace of a gap.
The barrier maintaining this shadow space restored itself quickly. Through the dark clouds above, those below could still faintly see the patterns of the barrier.
"What's going on? Has the battle plan changed?"
"Why is the army's retreat cut off? A mistake at a time like this could shatter morale!"
Sakazuki glared at the approaching Nobunaga and Sengoku, his tone harsh and demanding an explanation.
Nobunaga scratched his head, looking quite helpless.
"Can't be helped. Something came up on the surface, so we had to adjust on the fly."
"But don't worry. Once Ren settles things, he'll open it again and join us personally."
Sengoku waved his hand dismissively and barked, "Inform the officers to steady the troops. This level of contingency was already factored into the plan. There is no cause for concern."
At those words, a tall soldier set down a metal box and opened it, revealing a giant snail inside.
The surrounding officers, seeing the Transponder Snail base station deployed, pulled out their own individual snails to reassure their respective units.
For a moment, the plateau was filled with the rhythmic 'purupurupuru' of the Transponder Snails.
Seeing morale stabilize, Nobunaga took a Transponder Snail handed to him and tested it.
"Men, can you hear me?"
The snail had been configured to broadcast to every other snail in the area.
Nobunaga's voice, brimming with wild energy, reached the ears of every soldier through the snails.
"Good, you can hear me. I am your supreme commander for this operation—the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, Oda Nobunaga!"
"The passage above has been temporarily closed for external reasons, but it won't be long before our King opens it again and joins us. Do not worry!"
"We anticipated such a situation. We are simply switching from Plan A to Plan D. You all know the details of the strategy by heart, so I won't repeat them here!"
"Men, we have come to this land of shadows for a single mission: to win this war and slaughter every last one of these Quincy who seek to destroy the world!"
"The war has begun! Our objective is simple: Kill on sight! Leave no one alive! Kill on sight!"
"Honor shall shine upon us! Justice is at our backs! Glory is within our reach! Let us strive together!"
With a final sharp crackle, Nobunaga's broadcast to the army ended.
The troops below had already finished forming their ranks and were ready to move.
As Nobunaga finished speaking, the soldiers raised their arms in unison, snapping into a sharp military salute.
"Understood, Supreme Commander!"
The roar of the soldiers was loud and synchronized, the sound waves vibrating throughout the space.
Nobunaga stood atop a ruined skyscraper, watching the army amass in the clearing below. An arrogant, wild grin spread across his face.
"Ah, war... The nostalgic battlefield, the roar of cannons, the air thick with smoke... Oda Nobunaga has returned!"
He turned around to find a gathering of towering powerhouses behind him.
His sharp gaze swept over each of them.
To his right stood Sengoku, Tsuru, Garp, Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Onigumo.
To his left stood Whitebeard, Ace, Big Mom and her sons, and the members of the Beast Pirates in their human forms.
Oda Nobunaga spread his arms, his face burning with fighting spirit. His eyes held a mix of madness and clarity, and his voice was filled with absolute confidence.
"Everyone, our war has begun!"
"Go forth and seek it! Reclaim our honor and justice! Fight until the very end!"
"Now... commence the operation!"
Nobunaga clenched his fist and swung it down with overwhelming force.
Below, the Quincy had already organized their formations, preparing to launch a new offensive.
In the central palace of the Shadow Empire, a man with long blonde hair and a white cloak watched the distant rising plateau with an expressionless gaze.
Neither the dragon dancing in the clouds, the phoenix and pteranodon soaring freely, nor the faint clamor of the army seemed to elicit a change in his expression.
Jugram Haschwalth!
The right hand of the Quincy King and Grandmaster of the Sternritter.
With Yhwach yet to awaken, he was the de facto ruler of this Shadow Empire.
Clang!
The doors to the hall were kicked open, and a red-haired man with a mohawk stepped through. Wearing a crisp white uniform, his face was contorted with annoyance.
"Getting invaded in our own backyard this blatantly... that's definitely a first!"
"Are you just going to stand there and watch? Don't you have a plan? Just give us the order to wipe them out already, Jugo!"
Haschwalth turned. Looking at the man who had burst in, his normally stoic face showed a rare trace of life.
Beneath his long, thick lashes, his blue eyes widened slightly, reflecting the newcomer's image.
"Bazz-B. I thought you might be the first to come looking for me."
"With something this big happening, how could I not?! And look at you, acting all leisurely, hiding here and enjoying the view."
Bazz-B stepped forward, his patience wearing thin. His voice was rougher and more urgent than usual.
"Spit it out. What's the move? When do we strike back and annihilate these intruders?"
Haschwalth shook his head, then nodded slowly.
"I have been thinking ever since those unknown enemies appeared. I suspect... this battle will not end easily for us."
"We must prepare for two contingencies. While we hold the enemy back, we must secure an escape route. This is to preserve the spark of the Quincy and ensure that His Majesty has sufficient fighting force when he awakens."
Bazz-B immediately snapped, "What do you mean? You're not thinking about a counterattack? You're not going to kill every single one of those bastards?"
His voice rose sharply in intensity.
"It's always 'His Majesty' this and 'His Majesty' that. Do you have anything to say that isn't about him, Jugo? Hmph... this kind of passive response isn't my style!"
"Bazz-B, you are powerful. You are one of the sparks that must be preserved."
Haschwalth's expression remained as cold as ever, but his voice grew much more solemn.
"I have been watching the battlefield. Even from this distance, it is clear. Judging by the strength of the enemy's vanguard alone, they are likely more powerful than anything we've ever faced—perhaps even exceeding the forces in the great war a thousand years ago."
"And then there is the main army that followed... These enemies are unknown, but their daring to wage war against us suggests they have a high probability of victory. If we meet them head-on, it will not end well for us."
"Even if we were to win by some stroke of luck, the strength we have amassed over a millennium would be wiped out in a single day. It is better to cut our losses now. Once His Majesty is resurrected, we will have our chance to reclaim everything."
With that, he walked toward his childhood friend and pulled a scroll of paper from his robe, handing it over.
"Making it sound so dire... Are you scared? Is that why you're overestimating them?"
Bazz-B spoke dismissively but took the scroll nonetheless.
Opening it, he saw a list of Sternritter members.
It wasn't complete; it didn't even include half of them.
His name was on it.
"What is this supposed to be?"
"A list of members I believe deserve to survive," Haschwalth said. "Every one of them possesses immense potential or absolute power. They should not be lost here."
"And the ones who aren't on it?"
"It cannot be helped."
Haschwalth's voice was frigid.
"They will engage the enemy. We will observe. If victory is possible through sacrifice, we will commit everyone. If the enemy's strength is too great, then... they must be sacrificed for the greater good."
"I will notify the people on this list. As for me... I cannot bring myself to do something as disgraceful as fleeing without a fight. I would rather die on the battlefield."
Bazz-B scoffed, waving the paper as he turned to leave, but Haschwalth's voice stopped him.
"Wait."
"It doesn't matter if you use your authority as Grandmaster. I'm not listening to your orders."
Bazz-B turned back, hand on his hip, his face full of defiance.
Haschwalth's lips parted. "It is not an order," he said quietly. "It is merely my personal request."
"..."
Bazz-B fell silent for a moment, veins bulging on his forehead. Suddenly, he snapped, kicking a nearby stone chair.
Crash!
The stone shattered instantly, shards flying everywhere.
"Dammit! To hell with this!"
"Who do you think you are?! What right do you have to say that to me?!"
In the face of Bazz-B's rage, Haschwalth's expression softened slightly, a complex emotion flitting through his clear eyes.
He knew his childhood friend well; despite the anger, the seeds had been planted.
He needed to add one more spark.
"Bazz-B, I am begging you—"
"Shut up!"
Bazz-B cut him off sharply before he could finish.
He glared at Haschwalth, teeth gritted.
"Don't you dare let those words out of your mouth, or I'll kill you myself!"
"..."
Silence fell between them once again.
After a long while, Bazz-B finally spoke, his voice slightly calmer.
"What you asked... I'll do it."
With that, he turned and left without looking back.
As he walked out of the hall, he heard a familiar set of footsteps following closely behind him.
His stride faltered for a second before returning to normal. "Why are you following me instead of staying up there?" he asked, still not turning around.
"I am going to the prison," Haschwalth said. "We need his strength right now. It is better to let him die on this battlefield."
"Him? Heh."
Bazz-B let out a short, mocking laugh.
"Now that I think about it, in terms of raw power and the utility of his ability, he should definitely qualify. Why isn't his name on the list?"
"Precisely because he is too powerful—powerful to the point of being uncontrollable. That is why he cannot be allowed to remain."
Haschwalth's voice grew even colder.
"Furthermore, my plan requires his assistance."
"And for him, perhaps this war is a piece of luck he's been dying for..."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]