"We used models from the living world and improved them, then developed various warheads. In addition to standard bullets, there are Kidō warheads. The fired rounds can release corresponding Kidō, providing enough destructive power for ordinary members."
"The Onmitsukidō was only recently established, and its members' strength lacks the solid foundation of the Gotei 13. We have to rely on these external tools to quickly increase our power."
Ren offered this explanation in response to Kyōraku's question.
Next, he led the group down into the field to experience the exercise up close.
During this time, Ubuyashiki personally tried out various pieces of equipment out of curiosity.
After walking around the area inside the barrier, Yamamoto looked at his two disciples.
Kyōraku and Ukitake shook their heads slightly, their expressions looking relaxed.
After their careful investigation, they had found nothing suspicious.
Yamamoto understood; the purpose of the inspection had been achieved. It seemed things had not gone in the worst direction he had anticipated.
The old man temporarily cleared Ren of his suspicions and did not linger any longer.
"I was too sensitive today. Please do not take it to heart, Commander-General Shihoin."
"Not at all. It's all for the Seireitei," Ren said offhandedly as he personally saw Yamamoto and the others out.
Watching Yamamoto's retreating back, a cold glint flashed in Ren's eyes, though he immediately suppressed it.
'That old man is actually that sensitive.'
'Fortunately, I managed to fool him.'
Seeing Yamamoto's group disappear in the distance, Ren returned inside the barrier and ordered it sealed.
He then had the members stop the drill and search the area inside the barrier thoroughly to see if Yamamoto or the others had left any tracking measures behind.
Shisui stepped forward to speak but was stopped by Ren's gaze, who pointed to his own chest.
Shisui immediately understood. He plucked the thread connecting them to communicate his thoughts through their mental link.
"My Lord, should we open the path to the Shadow Space now? The army has no supplies or retreat inside. They can handle it for a short time, but I fear panic might break out if it lasts too long."
"I know that."
Ren suppressed his anxiety. Thinking about the prestige of Sengoku and Whitebeard, they should be able to hold out for a while.
He immediately gave the order.
"Not here. Yamamoto is watching this place; we can't make any more big moves."
If it wasn't to open a path to the Wandenreich from the shadows of the Seireitei, he wouldn't have taken such a big risk, even drawing Yamamoto Shigekuni's attention!
Now that he had dispelled Yamamoto Shigekuni's suspicions, he couldn't be careless. Who knew if the old man would double back?
"Go to the underground space at headquarters. I have already obtained the coordinates of the Shadow Space. Open the Senkaimon there to connect the path between the Wandenreich and Huangquan City."
"As for this place, leave a small number of members to maintain the barrier as is, and have the majority of the elites quietly return to headquarters. Spread out a bit to avoid drawing attention."
"Understood!"
...
The Wandenreich.
After the initial panic, the Quincies reacted quickly. Under the leadership of the Sternritter members, they rushed toward the rising high ground and organized an offensive.
"To think that we, who have been lurking so deep, would one day be attacked by an enemy."
"Looking at their attire, these enemies aren't Soul Reapers. Who are they?"
A tall, thin man stood at the front of the line, wearing a military cap. He raised his head and looked at the high ground through his round-framed glasses.
A blue dragon ascended amidst the dark clouds, its huge and slender body looming in and out of sight, its ferocious appearance radiating an invisible pressure.
A black pterodactyl flapped its wings, stirring up layers of airflow as it circled beneath the dark clouds.
Around the high ground, a large bird burning with blue flames was soaring. Its eyes were fixed below, clearly guarding against movements on the ground.
The man was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure.
"An Azure Dragon! A Pterodactyl! And a Phoenix! Unbelievable, they are all creatures from myth."
"Just what kind of monsters are on that high ground?!"
A Quincy ran over, stood at attention, saluted, and said loudly, "Lord Quilge, the main force has arrived and surrounded this high ground. There are no gaps; we can launch an attack at any time."
Quilge Opie nodded slightly. He looked at the high ground again, his gaze passing over the massive Azure Dragon in the sky. A confident smile appeared on his thin face.
"Although I don't know who these enemies are, the fact that they dare to penetrate deep into our hinterland and hold us in such low regard means they have already found their way to death!"
"Even if they truly are fantasy creatures from myth, so what? These poor enemies will still be powerless before the great strength of us Quincies. They shall vanish like ants!"
Quilge, a member of the Sternritter with the designation 'J' for 'The Jail,' currently served as the instructor for the empire's new recruits.
After initially seeing the enemy, he was the first to react and organize a large force to eliminate them.
"The enemy's actions are so obvious; the Royal Palace should have reacted by now. Has our Grandmaster not sent word yet?"
The Quincy hesitated and reported, "Lord Quilge, so far... he has not."
"What on earth is that blonde kid doing!"
Quilge looked displeased and complained offhandedly.
He turned to the Quincies behind him and shouted, "Set up defensive positions first! Wait for our main force to arrive before launching a full-scale assault!"
The 'main force' Quilge mentioned naturally referred to the other members of the Sternritter.
While Quilge was arrogant and believed in his side's strength, he was not brainless.
The fact that the enemy dared to take the initiative to attack on such a large scale was no accident; it had to be a pre-planned operation.
Right now, the Grandmaster of the Sternritter had given no orders, and what he could do personally was quite limited.
With such a large formation from the enemy, the entire empire could see it. Even without the Grandmaster's orders, the other Sternritter members would surely come once they saw it.
As long as the majority of the Sternritter members arrived, victory would be within their grasp.
What he had to do now was stall for time, block all of the enemy's attacks, and wait for his comrades to gather before launching a total counteroffensive!
Meanwhile, the Azure Dragon in the sky saw the movement on the ground immediately.
The crowds were gathering, surrounding the high ground like a dense carpet of ants.
"Sengoku, Whitebeard, the enemy has assembled!"
After informing the command post on the high ground, Kaido rolled his massive body and swam through the dark clouds.
His interest was not here.
His vicious vertical pupils looked into the distance. A magnificent palace sat in the center of the city; even from this far away, it was incredibly striking.
"Worororo! Since there's a palace here, then the strongest guy must be inside!"
"Here I come!"
The dragon let out a world-shaking roar, weaving his body through the cloud layers as he flew toward the palace.
Beneath the dark clouds, the pterodactyl spread its wings and followed the dragon.
On the high ground, Big Mom's face darkened as she watched the direction Kaido was heading.
"That bastard Kaido, I knew he would do this!"
According to the intelligence Ren had provided, there were several very powerful individuals in the palace of the Wandenreich whose abilities were nearly impossible to counter.
If Kaido rushed over recklessly, he would definitely be no match for the enemies and might even end up as a prisoner.
Big Mom couldn't put her mind at ease.
"Hera!"
Big Mom growled. The thundercloud beside her floated beneath her feet, carrying her massive body as it slowly rose and chased after Kaido.
Only Big Mom's voice echoed back through the air.
"Sengoku, Whitebeard, I'm going to go check on that idiot!"
Watching Kaido and Big Mom leave one after the other, Sengoku gritted his teeth and couldn't help but hold his forehead.
"These two bastards, acting so willfully... don't they know this will mess up our original plan!"
"Brother Sengoku, let them go."
Nobunaga pinched his chin with a smile on his lips, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"Given their strength, they won't be defeated easily. They'll serve as perfect bait to test these Quincies. At the very least, they can help us tie down a portion of their forces."
Sengoku said indignantly, "Fine. These guys are used to being unscrupulous anyway. I didn't expect them to follow the plan in this operation."
Whitebeard shook his head from the side.
These people were pirates to begin with, lawless and untamed. They had been suppressed by Ren in Huangquan City for so long that now, faced with such a massive war, they were itching to explode. How could they hold back!
Not just Kaido and Linlin—even he was eager to strike now.
Nobunaga turned around and looked at the group of generals leading the army. His gaze darkened, and his slightly weathered face was now filled with bloodlust and ferocity, like a demon from the underworld.
"There is no need for me to elaborate on the purpose of this battle. Besides achieving victory, we must silence all enemies!"
"I repeat: silence all enemies. Men, women, young or old—leave no one! Prioritize deep penetration and maximum kills!"
He scanned the surroundings but suddenly froze. Two familiar figures were missing from his side.
"Where are Toyohisa and Yoichi?"
Tsuru sighed and said, "While you were giving your long-winded speech, that guy named Shimazu Toyohisa ran down with his sword. He was shouting things like 'military merit' and 'heads.' That handsome young lad who looks like a girl followed him with his bow."
Hearing this, Nobunaga's entire face turned green with rage.
"Those two idiots! Idiots!"
"Do they know who they are? If something happens to them, Ren will never forgive me!"
At that moment, Sengoku also froze.
"Where is that bastard Garp? And Kuzan!"
Tsuru glanced sideways and said speechlessly, "You know Garp's personality. How could he possibly sit through a long speech!"
"After seeing Shimazu Toyohisa leave, he followed suit, and Kuzan went with them!"
"Garp! You bastard! I—"
Sengoku was fuming, rubbing his chest repeatedly as he gasped for air.
What kind of karma was he paying for? He was provoked to anger by that old bastard Garp when he was alive, and he was still being tortured by him after death.
Tsuru asked, "What do we do now?"
"What else can we do!"
"Give chase!"
Nobunaga and Sengoku shouted simultaneously. They immediately issued orders to the main force below to advance!
With the order given, the army began to move.
Except for the vanguard Nobunaga specifically kept in hand and the troops maintaining the camp, the remaining soldiers marched with rhythmic steps, causing the ground to tremble. They descended the slopes of the high ground in waves, launching an attack on the Quincy army massed on the ground!
Nobunaga and Sengoku stood on the top floor of a high building, their gazes crossing over the army that moved like a surging sea to the very front of the ranks.
Two groups of soldiers were particularly prominent, far ahead of the main army's formation. They were sprinting forward at a furious pace, their speed not slowing even as they descended the slopes.
At the very front of one group was a man clad in crimson armor, holding a Nodachi. His face was fanatical and fearless as he led his armored warriors in a charge toward the Quincy ranks.
Behind him was a beautiful youth with a face like a woman, carrying a specially made massive bow. He drew and fired arrows while sprinting, engaging in a shootout with the Quincies ahead.
Shimazu Toyohisa and Nasu no Yoichi!
Seeing these two, Nobunaga couldn't help but cover his eyes. It was a sight beyond words.
These two morons only knew how to charge recklessly. They didn't even care what time it was; they had no brains at all!
It was one thing for Shimazu Toyohisa to be like this since he was a child, but why did Yoichi have to join him in his nonsense!
Nobunaga raised his head and shouted toward the Phoenix in the distance, "Marco! Keep an eye on Toyohisa from the sky. Don't let him die needlessly."
"Understood!"
Marco looked down at the ground. After quickly finding his target, he immediately changed direction. With a flap of his wings, he broke through layers of sonic booms and shot toward the ground.
In the other group, the ones at the very front were two robust men. One was laughing loudly, a stitched scar beneath his eye revealing his inherent bravery.
Garp!
Beside Garp was a thin man wearing a beanie and round sunglasses.
His blue overcoat fluttered as he ran, and the ground he passed over immediately turned into a layer of solid ice.
Kuzan!
With these two as the tip of the spear, the group easily blocked the rain of Reishi arrows. Like a fierce beast, they crashed straight into the Quincy camp.
Standing on the heights, Sengoku couldn't help but sigh again.
"Garp has no brains, and Kuzan is playing along with his madness... forget it, I'm used to it!"
With the skills of these two, ordinary people were definitely no match for them.
Even if they were tied down, the main army would arrive shortly, so there was no need to worry.
The dark clouds in the sky expanded rapidly, easily covering the sky over the city. Thunder and lightning flashed, illuminating the world in white.
The massive silhouette of the Azure Dragon rolled within the thunderclouds, coming to a steady halt directly above!
"Worororo! This distance is about right. Let me give them a greeting first!"
Wanton laughter echoed in all directions alongside the thunder.
The dragon's vertical pupils looked toward the palace. He slowly opened his mouth, and a brilliant fire lit up deep in his throat.
Flames erupted, spewing from the massive dragon maw. They were constrained into a pillar of fire, distorting the air with scorched heat. Carrying terrifying destructive power, it crashed straight toward the palace.
Bolo Breath!
"Burner Finger Two!"
A loud, high-pitched voice suddenly rang out. Two pillars formed of flames shot up from the ground in front of the palace. While rising at high speed, they merged together to form a spiraling flame that expanded rapidly.
When it reached the high altitude, it perfectly blocked the path of the Bolo Breath.
The two flames from different sources collided, exploding instantly. The massive blast illuminated the palace, turning the clouds above and the buildings below a bright crimson.
Boom!
Flames accompanied the smoke, and the rising heatwaves churned the air, blowing away all the dark clouds around the palace and revealing the traces of the barrier above.
"He actually blocked my Bolo Breath with fire! I've really been looked down upon!"
Kaido's vertical pupils looked down. Following the path of the pillar of fire from just now, his gaze fell in front of the palace below. A red-haired youth with a mohawk came into view.
Bazz-B!
One of the Sternritter, Schrift 'H,' the ability 'The Heat'!
Bazz-B was holding out one arm, his index and middle fingers pressed together. His fingertips were glowing red with lingering traces of burning heat, and waves of warmth rolled off him.
Seeing that he had successfully blocked the enemy's flames, Bazz-B lowered his fingers. The corners of his mouth curled up into a defiant smile.
"The Divine Beast Azure Dragon?"
"Heh, nothing special. Just a long worm that's all show and no substance!"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]