A man with slightly dark skin crouched, propping up a long sniper rifle.
With one eye closed, he peered through the crosshairs, his gaze spanning over a thousand meters toward the distant gates of Silbern.
As the royal palace of the Wandenreich and the resting place of Yhwach, Silbern was built with immense grandeur, its area even larger than the innermost ring of the Seireitei where the Sōkyoku Hill was located.
He was Lille Barro, Schrift X, with the ability 'The X-Axis.'
As the first person to be granted a Schrift by Yhwach, his power was exceptionally formidable. His duty was to guard Silbern and protect His Majesty's body.
Today, the entire empire had suddenly been invaded by an outside enemy. He had originally intended to head to the front lines to crush the invasion in its tracks.
However, he had received a sudden order from the empire's regent, Haschwalth, to remain in Silbern and guard His Majesty's chambers personally.
Considering his responsibilities, he stayed behind, but out of frustration, he set up his weapon within the palace to snipe enemies on the front lines from afar.
Unexpectedly, before the enemies on the front lines could even break through the Quincy defense, Silbern was invaded once again.
Someone had actually managed to infiltrate the palace so easily.
He arrived with his weapon, but by the time he reached the vicinity, the Soldat who had gone to intercept were wiped out in an instant.
The corpses of the Soldat were scattered everywhere, blood mixed with shredded flesh and broken bones covering the ground.
The shot he fired in the confusion was also avoided by the enemy, leaving nothing but an inconsequential crater in the ground.
Lille Barro frowned and shifted his gaze.
Behind the decorations on one side of a wall, he could faintly see the hems of two figures' robes, but the figure who had instantly slaughtered all the Soldat had suddenly vanished near the palace gates.
'He's gone?!'
'No...'
He reacted immediately. The enemy vanishing from the spot meant they must have used his trajectory to pinpoint his location.
Right now, they were likely moving toward him at high speed.
'So, where is he?'
In a flash, he deduced the enemy's plan, his face showing a hint of calm.
He gently adjusted his rifle's muzzle, scanning the path between himself and the palace gates, trying to find any trace of the enemy.
But as his gaze swept rapidly, he couldn't see any sign of the intruder.
Just then, a faint sound of whistling air came from behind him.
The sound was almost imperceptible yet extremely sharp.
Whoosh!
He stood up abruptly, swinging his sniper rifle around to the rear, only to see a tall figure appearing behind him at some unknown time.
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a numbing coldness spread through both his arms.
Thud!
The heavy sniper rifle, along with his two arms, fell to the ground together, making a dull sound.
Blood sprayed like a geyser!
Only then did he realize that as he turned, his arms had been severed by a blade.
Not just his arms—even his chest had a horizontal blood line across it. Blood seeped out, instantly staining his white uniform red.
Such speed!
Even he couldn't react in time!
He looked up, his eyes clearly reflecting the appearance of the attacker.
The newcomer wore black Shihakushō, his face upright and his expression solemn, holding a Zanpakutō that shimmered with a clear light.
Most striking were his eyebrows, which rose upward like flickering flames, and below them were eyes filled with a sharp, piercing gaze.
It was Ren!
The moment he sensed the attack, he had locked onto the hidden sniper's position.
Concealing his presence all the way, he used Shunpo to arrive silently.
A distance of a thousand meters was not far for him; it took only a few steps to arrive in an instant.
Coming up behind the sniper, he had intended to take the opportunity to decapitate him in one strike.
He hadn't expected the opponent to be so agile, turning to attack immediately, which prevented a clean kill and only allowed him to sever the man's arms.
Ren held his Zanpakutō and stared at the man. He had recognized him the moment he saw him.
'Wasn't this the birdman who was killed by Kyōraku Shunsui's Bankai in the original story?'
"Quick reflexes, to be able to dodge my sneak attack."
Ren's voice held a note of praise.
He lowered his blade and opened his other hand in an inviting gesture.
"I know your skills; you have some ability."
"The Quincy must be eliminated this time. Although I ordered their total slaughter, I pity your talent. Why not leave the darkness for the light and join me?"
Lille Barro's expression darkened, his face twisting slightly with deep rage.
"Arrogance!"
His heart surged with emotion, causing him to stop the action of absorbing nearby Reishi to heal his wounds.
He barely managed to stop the bleeding on his chest. Pointing his bleeding stumps at Ren, his voice trembled with suppressed fury.
"I am a messenger of God! How dare a lowly mortal like you speak such nonsense to me!"
Ren rubbed his fingers together. "The benefits are negotiable."
"Shut up!"
Faced with the enemy's behavior, the rage in Lille Barro's heart boiled even more.
As Yhwach's greatest creation, he had always viewed Yhwach as a deity.
And he himself was the angel who proclaimed the deity's will!
Now, to be treated with such worldly filth and such remarks—it was the ultimate insult!
Unacceptable!
"I will use your blood to wash away this insult!"
His Spiritual Pressure erupted violently, waves of air rolling!
The surrounding buildings turned into pure Reishi, which he forcibly absorbed. Light burst from his body, converging into a pillar of light that reached the sky.
In his rage, he intended to release his full power, transforming into the Judgment of God to completely annihilate the impure one who insulted his deity!
Not even a shred of flesh would remain in this world!
But faster than his movements was the blade in Ren's hand.
Seeing the aura released by the opponent, Ren knew he was entering Vollständig. Without a second thought, he aimed his clear-lit blade and swung it down!
Flash!
A silver-white blade light flashed, cutting smoothly into the pillar of light.
Lille Barro glanced sideways. Seeing the Zanpakutō about to land on him, he didn't panic at all!
His ability, The X-Axis, meant no defense could stop it.
It could be used not only to attack enemies but also on himself, allowing him to pass through all enemy attacks.
Though the enemy's blade was sharp, it would have no effect against the powerful ability His Majesty had bestowed upon him!
His body was the manifestation of God's Judgment; it could not be harmed by anyone!
With such confidence, the corners of his mouth curled into a sneer.
But when the enemy's blade sliced through the tip of his ear and reached his head, his smile froze on his face.
Feeling the pain and the coldness of the blade, a storm of shock rose in Lille Barro's heart!
'How is this possible?!'
'A mere mortal actually managed to wound me!'
At that moment, half of his head was sliced open. His vision of the world was split into top and bottom, and it was already too late to dodge.
Whoosh!
As Ren's blade fell decisively, the towering pillar of light in front of him shattered, dispersing into Reishi in all directions and revealing Lille Barro's figure inside.
At this moment, his head was sliced horizontally from the eyes. The upper half of his brain was tossed into the air, and blood sprayed like a pump from the lower half of his face, staining the exposed brain matter.
His body suddenly lost all strength, slumping downward.
His mouth opened slightly, revealing a look of utter disbelief.
"How... could..."
Before his body could fully collapse, Ren's blade danced, cutting smoothly into the opponent's body.
Blade lights flashed one after another, leaving silver-bright afterimages in the air.
Ren did not let the severed half-head go either, chopping it along with the rest of the body into a pile of minced meat.
"Phew... he should be dead now."
Ren let out a breath, slowly sheathing his sword, and looked down at the scene of the dismemberment.
He knew exactly how hard this man was to kill.
Not just him—all these Quincies could manipulate Reishi to repair their bodies.
In an environment with high Reishi concentration like the Seireitei or Silbern, they were practically immortal!
In fact, as early as when he decapitated the opponent, Ren had used his Zanpakutō's ability to sever the opponent's life force, annihilating it completely.
Kiritsugu's ability could sever the world itself; it was an existence that stood above this world.
Although this birdman's X-Axis was terrifying, in terms of the level of ability, it was far inferior to Kiritsugu's!
"To put it simply, my ability surpasses yours!"
However, just to be safe, Ren swung his blade several more times, turning the opponent into a pile of minced meat.
He stared at the red, white, and yellow mess of meat, and seeing no movement, he finally confirmed the opponent's absolute death!
At this time, Shisui and the others rushed over, guided by the sudden explosion of Spiritual Pressure.
Seeing Ren unharmed and then seeing the puddle of flesh before him, Shisui's expression relaxed as he felt relieved.
"It is good that you are unharmed, my lord."
On the side, Mayuri Kurotsuchi shook his head with regret, repeatedly muttering about what a waste it was.
Looking at the shredded remains, even someone as technologically skilled as he probably couldn't piece them back together.
That said, he didn't stop moving for a second, taking out tools to collect the blood and gore.
This was, after all, a powerhouse among the Quincies. Even without a complete body, the remaining flesh still held immense research value.
Ren and Shisui chatted while waiting for Mayuri to quickly finish cleaning up.
Just then, a bolt of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky outside the palace, crashing into a distant surviving building.
Ren and Shisui saw clearly that the lightning contained a young girl with a graceful figure.
After the lightning passed, another massive figure streaked across, chasing toward where the lightning had fallen.
Though that person was huge, her figure was curvaceous and well-proportioned. She stepped on thunderclouds, was draped in flames, and held a blade in her hand.
Her exquisite and glamorous face showed a bloodthirsty battle intent.
"It's Big Mom."
Shisui stepped forward a few paces, took a few looks outside, then turned back and chuckled at Ren.
"My lord, it seems she is fighting those Quincy girls."
"With Linlin's skills, those little girls won't be a match for her. No need to worry about her."
Ren waved his hand. He knew very well how powerful Big Mom was.
Among all the Quincies, as long as they weren't those broken rule-based types, the rest weren't worth mentioning.
Even if those green-behind-the-ears girls from the Sternritter attacked her all at once, it would likely just take her a little more effort.
The winner would still be Big Mom.
Seeing Mayuri collect the pile of fragments, the three didn't linger and headed upward.
However, Ren did not run up the stairs floor by floor. Instead, he brought the two to a position near the middle of the palace.
He looked up at the ceiling twenty or thirty meters above, which was covered in a thin layer of frost.
Shisui asked tentatively, "My lord, are we..."
"We are invaders. There's no reason for us to follow the rules and use the stairs."
Ren slowly raised his hand, pointed a finger, and then gently swung it down.
"Sever!"
An almost invisible slash swept across, landing on the ceiling above. Its momentum didn't stop, continuing deep into the levels above!
Rumble!
The massive palace trembled violently under Ren's slash, followed by continuous booming sounds.
Shisui looked up and saw a gap hacked into the ceiling, layer after layer. Through this gap, he could even see the sky filled with thunderclouds above.
With this one slash, Ren had directly cut through the entire Silbern from the inside!
Without needing a reminder, Shisui summoned auspicious clouds to lift the three of them, quickly ascending to the higher levels.
Passing through the gap in the ceilings and through floor after floor, they headed toward the highest point.
In the hall of the highest floor, Haschwalth was with a group of subordinates, carrying a pitch-black coffin.
"Has the Gate to the World of the Living still not connected?" Haschwalth asked a nearby Quincy with an anxious expression.
The Quincy stammered, "Lord Haschwalth, the enemy set up a barrier in the shortest time after the invasion, trapping us."
"If we break it by force, it will definitely alert the enemy and reveal our intentions and the location we are leaving from."
Haschwalth urged, "Then hurry up and break their barrier!"
Just as he had expected, the enemy's attack this time was accompanied by full preparation.
They had even blocked the final retreat.
"It was my misjudgment..."
He murmured in a low voice, slowly closing his eyes as a hint of regret appeared on his face.
Had he known earlier, he wouldn't have cared about the Sternritter and would have just fled with Bazz-B and His Majesty's remains.
At that time, when the war had just begun, the enemy certainly wouldn't have had time to set up the barrier!
It was laughable that from the start of the battle until now, he hadn't even identified the enemy's identity; they seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Just then, Haschwalth felt a violent tremor suddenly come from beneath his feet.
His face darkened. He immediately realized that the enemy had invaded Silbern.
Boom!
A slash erupted from below, hacking a rift in the floor. It flew upward, blowing off the roof and splitting the entire hall in two.
"Still a step too slow."
Seeing this, Haschwalth's expression turned cold.
He knew the enemy was coming!
Looking at his subordinates, Haschwalth waved his hand.
"Take His Majesty's remains and go! I will hold back the enemy!"
Since the enemy's invasion was so massive, Lille Barro, who was guarding the levels below, must have met with disaster.
But at this critical moment, most members of the Sternritter had rushed to the front lines to resist the enemy army.
Gerard had been lured away by that evil dragon; Bazz-B had been sent out by him.
As it stood now, he was the only one left in Silbern with sufficient combat strength to respond!
"I see, a diversion..."
A flash of realization appeared in Haschwalth's eyes.
"This is the enemy's scheme! Silbern, where His Majesty is, was their true target!"
He no longer hesitated, drawing his waist sword and walking toward the rift in the hall.
But before he could take two steps, an unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
"So, Yhwach's remains are in this coffin?"
At the same time this voice rang out, Haschwalth was struck with horror.
He hadn't noticed the enemy's approach at all?!
Just as he was about to turn his head, he saw two figures slowly rising from the rift in front of him.
One had strange makeup and looked grotesque and absurd, while the other had a cold expression, with a crimson blood-light glowing in his eyes!
Wolves in front, tigers in the back!
And the tiger behind was eyeing His Majesty's crucial remains!
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]