"Yhwach..."
Ren looked at the pitch-black coffin before him.
It was a standard German style, with raised gilded edges and a Quincy five-pointed star carved in gold and silver inlaid on the surface.
The coffin was carried by four Quincy Soldat, surrounded by a group of guards, and led by two young girls in front, likely Haschwalth's subordinates.
Seeing the sudden intruder, who appeared out of thin air, panic showed beneath the masks of the four pallbearers.
Even if the opponent didn't display any pressure, the fact that he could bypass Lord Haschwalth made him an enemy beyond their imagination.
Concerned about the coffin on their shoulders, the group froze in place, paralyzed by fear.
Only the two girls drew their weapons, commanding the guards around the coffin while staying alert for the sudden enemy.
Ren didn't care about the hostility of these small fry, though he still released a bit of spiritual pressure to weigh them down, rendering them unable to move.
His attention remained on the coffin.
Ren could sense a strange aura from it, much more grand and divine than the other Quincies, yet faintly imbued with a cold texture.
It had to be Yhwach!
"Your Majesty!"
Haschwalth noticed the enemy behind him and immediately turned around.
He saw a Soul Reaper standing by the coffin.
The Quincies lived in the shadows of the Seireitei, accumulating power for generations while constantly monitoring the Soul Reapers.
At first glance, Haschwalth's memories surged, and he immediately recognized the man's identity.
The person before him was undoubtedly a Soul Reaper from the Seireitei!
He remembered him as the figure who had recently caused a stir in the Seireitei, the current Commander-in-Chief of the Stealth Force!
Since the Stealth Force had appeared here, the nature of the war they were facing became clear; it was all orchestrated by the Soul Reapers of the Seireitei!
'Could the Soul Reapers have sensed our presence and become so desperate to wipe us out?'
Haschwalth was horrified, but a question surfaced in his mind!
If the Soul Reapers planned this war, why hadn't he seen a single Soul Reaper until now, other than this Commander-in-Chief?
Not to mention Yamamoto Shigekuni, even the other experts among the Soul Reapers were nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was all these people appearing out of thin air with no prior intelligence!
Haschwalth suppressed his doubts. Seeing the enemy approaching the coffin, his mind went blank, and he charged forward with his sword without a second thought.
"Get away from His Majesty!"
Even the two enemies emerging from the rift didn't matter now; his only thought was for the enemy near his Emperor's remains!
Using Hirenkyaku, he flickered and arrived before the coffin.
He swung his blade with all his might toward the enemy's head!
Haschwalth's agitated state was exactly as Ren had expected.
Facing the attack, Ren's expression remained calm as he lightly lifted his Zanpakuto to block the downward strike.
A cold, bright white light flowed over the blade.
Clang!
A crisp sound rang out.
Haschwalth's eyes narrowed, reflecting the broken blade in his hand.
His precious sword had been easily severed by the opponent's casual defense!
Even the ability he applied to the blade was useless... it must be the ability of the opponent's Zanpakuto!
The broken half of the sword flew through the air, landing on the ground and embedding itself halfway into the masonry.
Just as Haschwalth was about to move, he felt a bone-chilling coldness at his neck, followed by a stinging pain.
"Don't move!"
Taking advantage of Haschwalth's attack on Ren, Shisui had quietly appeared behind him.
Holding his short blade in a reverse grip, he pressed it against Haschwalth's neck.
A thin line of blood appeared on the long, smooth skin. Blood seeped out, flowing along the blade and dripping from the tip.
Ren reached out a hand, placing it on the coffin beside him. His fingertips brushed against the gold trim, but his gaze was fixed on Haschwalth.
"I remember you're Yhwach's second-in-command."
"Is this Yhwach's body inside?"
Ren curled his fingers and lightly tapped the side of the coffin, producing a dull thud.
He recalled a Kaiser Gesang about Yhwach that circulated among the Quincies: The Sealed King of the Quincies shall recover his heartbeat after 900 years, his intellect after 90 years, and his power after 9 years.
It hadn't been nine hundred years since the last war between the Lichtreich and the Soul Reapers. Yhwach had not yet recovered his heartbeat.
Ren tilted his head slightly as if listening for movement inside, but his eyes remained on Haschwalth.
Haschwalth's expression was cold. Facing Ren's question, he kept his mouth shut and said nothing.
Seeing that he was being ignored, Ren didn't care and continued, "You're a rare talent. It would be a waste if you died here. Why not come work for me?"
"Right here in front of Yhwach. If you jump ship to my side, I doubt he'll speak up to object."
The current Yhwach was just a corpse, with no consciousness and no heartbeat. It would be strange if he actually spoke!
Haschwalth's expression grew darker. "At this stage, war has already broken out. So many of us Quincies have been killed by you, and you think it can just end like this?"
Ren replied matter-of-factly, "If you surrender now and join me, I'll order the war to stop immediately and allow a portion of the Quincies to continue living."
"For those of you destined to fail, isn't this a good deal?"
"You've got to be joking!"
Haschwalth roared.
Shisui, standing behind him, didn't hesitate. He applied force and pressed his Zanpakuto hard into the man's neck.
Haschwalth felt the blade cutting deeper. Having already made his plan, he reached out at the same time he spoke, grabbing the Zanpakuto.
Pain shot through his palm as blood flowed from between his fingers, but he managed to prevent himself from being decapitated.
"Luck won't stay with you forever, Soul Reaper!"
Haschwalth cast a cold side-eye toward Shisui.
Just as he was about to counterattack, he felt a piercing pain in his waist and back, and his entire body fell uncontrollably to the floor.
Looking down, everything from his waist down had turned into a mess of shredded meat. Blood sprayed from the wound like it was free.
He even saw his intestines spilling out from his abdominal cavity.
Ren slowly retracted his fingers, showing no remorse.
"Sorry, I didn't catch what you just said."
It was his sudden strike that had shredded Haschwalth's lower half.
"Urgh..."
Haschwalth lay on the ground, gritting his teeth to endure the agony.
He looked up, his bloodshot eyes staring forward, taking in the mocking look on Ren's face.
His calm was gone, his features contorted, and his voice became hysterical.
"Soul Reaper! You invaded us first, killed our compatriots, and destroyed our city! What right do you have to put on that high-and-mighty look now!"
"Even if we all die, we will use our own blood to curse you from Hell! Soul Reaper, your future will be filled with disaster!"
"Second-in-command of Yhwach, I heard you loud and clear this time."
Ren nodded slightly, completely indifferent to Haschwalth's curse.
"Honestly, every Quincy I encounter is just as stubborn as the last!"
Haschwalth would rather die than surrender, and that bird-man before him was the same.
Did Yhwach really have that much charm?
"Since you're so loyal to Yhwach, I'll give you a quick death."
Ren shook his head, no longer caring about the nonsense.
He pointed his finger at the prone Haschwalth for the final blow.
Just as he was about to release the slash, two female shouts rang out from his side.
"Let go of Lord Haschwalth!"
"Unforgivable!"
Ren turned to look. It was the two girls who had been commanding the Quincies earlier, likely Haschwalth's direct subordinates.
One stood in the distance with a bow, firing a reishi arrow at Ren.
The other held a blade and charged toward Ren with a scream.
"To think they could temporarily break free from my suppression. Not bad."
Ren's eyebrows shot up.
Being able to break free from his spiritual pressure, even briefly, was commendable for them.
But a temporary burst of power was useless against the chasm-like difference in their strength.
Facing such childish attacks, Ren didn't even blink.
"Release!"
Countless blades followed Ren's command, slashing forward and filling the space ahead. The sharp, faint sound of cutting through the air erupted instantly.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two girls charging didn't even have time to scream before they were chopped into mincemeat by Ren's slashes.
Not just the two girls, but the Quincies in the room, including the four carrying the coffin, were within Ren's range.
These people couldn't even understand what had happened, let alone resist.
The last thing they saw in their final moment of consciousness was their own bodies and those of their comrades being decapitated and torn apart!
In an instant, they turned into piles of shredded meat, falling to the ground.
Thud!
Without support, the black coffin fell to the floor, crashing into the pile of mangled flesh, sending blood and gore flying.
However, the materials used to build the coffin were clearly high-quality; despite the violent impact, it remained undamaged.
The room was suddenly filled with a metallic, stench-filled odor.
"You..."
Seeing his subordinates slaughtered so easily, Haschwalth's eyes widened. He stared directly at Ren with an indescribable hatred.
"You bastard!"
He struggled to get up, only for his head to be stepped on and crushed into the ground.
Shisui pressed his foot down firmly, stopping his movement, his crimson eyes cold.
"Don't make pointless resistance."
"Shisui, forget it."
Ren waved his hand at Shisui, signaling him to step back.
"You're making us look like some kind of heartless, evil organization."
"Yes, my lord."
Shisui didn't argue and stepped aside.
On the contrary, Mayuri Kurotsuchi descended from the flame cloud, showing his set of yellow teeth.
"Lord Ren, describing our actions as those of an evil organization doesn't seem entirely inaccurate."
"Shut it!"
Ren glared at Mayuri before approaching Haschwalth.
He reached out, grabbed his collar, and lifted him up. Organs continued to drip from his mangled abdomen onto the floor.
Ren gave him a shake, and the color drained further from Haschwalth's face.
He raised his Zanpakuto in his other hand, pointing it at Haschwalth's chest, right over his heart.
Ren's voice sounded like a final judgment, mixed with a hint of personal reflection.
"It's rare for me to show mercy. Since you don't want it, I'll grant your wish."
"Be destroyed along with your race and your king."
Ren thrust the blade forward. The edge slid smoothly into Haschwalth's chest, piercing his heart and exiting through his back.
Not a single drop of blood could be seen on the bright white blade.
Haschwalth's azure eyes slowly lost their luster. At the very last moment, he turned his head to the side.
There, the coffin was reflected in his eyes.
"Your Majesty..."
Boom!
An unparalleled aura suddenly erupted within the room.
Ren snapped his head up. Sensing the source of the aura, he immediately turned to look.
It was coming from the coffin containing Yhwach's body!
The moment the aura erupted, Ren reacted instantly, hurling the half-conscious Haschwalth's remains toward the coffin with great force.
Bang!
The massive force behind Haschwalth slammed into the coffin, sending both crashing into the distant wall.
"Shisui, Mayuri, get out of here!"
Warning his two companions as they rushed over, Ren turned back toward the coffin, his hands moving without pause.
"Release!"
Dense slashes appeared out of nowhere, striking the area where the coffin lay.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sharp sound of air being sliced rang out repeatedly against the base of the wall.
Rumble!
The walls of the palace couldn't withstand Ren's continuous attacks and collapsed, revealing the sky outside.
Dust billowed, obscuring the view.
Ren flicked his fingers, and another massive slash fell from the sky.
While leaving a deep scar on Silbern, it also blew away the swirling dust, fully exposing the scene within.
A tall man stood at the base of the wall, wearing a white Quincy uniform with a flowing black cloak draped over his shoulders.
The man had long black hair, a fierce face with a thick beard, deep-set eyes, and prominent brow ridges that radiated a sense of violent brutality.
In his arms, he held the dying Haschwalth.
Beyond this wall, atop the palace, two others were in the middle of a battle.
One was a giant, at least seven or eight meters tall, wielding a shield and blade with flowing blonde hair.
The other was equally massive, his body covered in blue scales, with horns on his head, a ferocious face, sharp teeth, and a black iron mace in his hand!
It was Kaido, fighting against Gerard!
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]