"Haschwalth, you did well."
Yhwach looked down at Haschwalth in his arms, his eyes lowered.
Blood stained his hand as he gently wiped the face that was slowly losing its vitality, leaving a smear of gore across the pale skin.
In his final moments, the pain in Haschwalth's body faded, replaced by a chilling cold that seeped into his very soul.
His vision blurred, his ears buzzed, and he couldn't even clearly see the face before him or hear the words spoken.
With the last of his energy, he focused his gaze, barely recognizing the identity of the person who had arrived.
It was the King for whom the Quincy had waited in darkness for nearly a millennium—their common ancestor, the Majesty to whom he had sworn loyalty a thousand years ago.
"Your Majesty... I... am honored..."
He struggled to open his mouth, his voice faint as a thread, broken and slurred.
Before he could even finish his final sentence, the spark of life left him.
He died in the arms of the progenitor his race had yearned for over a thousand years.
"Haschwalth, do not suffer for your death now. We shall meet again in the new world to come."
Yhwach's face was shrouded in shadow, but his voice remained calm. His movements were gentle as he propped Haschwalth's body against the wall.
Standing up, he turned his gaze toward the Shinigami holding the Zanpakuto.
Out in the main hall beyond the wall, Gerard's eyes widened the moment he saw Yhwach appear.
"Y-Your Majesty?!"
Yhwach's sudden appearance was too unusual, and combined with Haschwalth's death, the two events threw Gerard's thoughts into disarray.
For a moment, he forgot he was in the middle of a battle, and his movements faltered.
However, Kaido, his opponent, had no such hesitations. His muscles surged as he leaped high into the air, appearing above Gerard in an instant.
"Roaring Thunder Bagua!"
A savage roar echoed through the air as the spiked club swept down, aiming straight for Gerard's head!
Boom!
Sensing a lethal threat, Gerard reacted immediately, raising the round shield on his arm to block above him.
The club collided with the shield, sparks flying as a deafening explosion rang out.
The floor beneath them shattered and collapsed.
Gerard twisted his wrist, and though he managed to deflect some of the force, Kaido's immense strength sent him flying backward.
His feet plowed through the masonry, carving two deep trenches before he finally ground to a halt twenty meters away.
In the air, Kaido exhaled a long breath of steam and stepped through the air, leaping onto a section of the floor that hadn't yet collapsed.
His slit pupils fixed on Gerard, but he also shifted a portion of his attention to the others inside the room.
He clearly sensed the presence of Yhwach by the wall and Ren inside the room. He opened his mouth and let out a coarse laugh.
"Worororo! King Enma, I didn't expect you to break into the enemy's nest so quietly."
He slanted his pupils toward Yhwach, a grin spreading across his face to reveal sharp teeth.
"And who's this guy? The boss of the Quincy? Want me to test his strength?"
Yhwach cast aside his cloak, his hand gripping the hilt at his waist.
He glared at the Shinigami before him while also noting the hideous, scale-covered monster behind him, wary of being caught in a pincer attack.
Ren flicked his Zanpakuto twice, his tone casual.
"You could say that."
"Kaido, finish off the enemy in front of you first."
Kaido glanced at Yhwach before turning back to the front.
In the brief moment he had paused, Gerard had already recovered from the impact.
He stomped heavily, crushing the floor tiles as he strode toward Kaido.
Kaido shouldered his club and tilted his head as he looked up at the approaching Gerard.
It wasn't just his imagination; Gerard's height and build seemed to have grown even larger than before.
From two or three meters when they first met, to four or five, then to seven or eight during the fight—now he was even taller than Kaido, forcing the latter to look up.
"Worororo! So this is your ability?"
"What a useless miracle. After being beaten by me so many times, all you've done is get bigger!"
Gerard ignored the provocation.
He glanced at the dead Haschwalth, then at Yhwach. His expression became thoughtful, and a glint appeared in his eyes behind his mask.
"To think even Haschwalth died!"
"It seems that even he could not be called truly strong."
It looked like the only powerful warrior left in the Wandenreich was himself!
Yhwach's voice turned cold. Without looking back, he ordered, "Gerard, eliminate all enemies in the vicinity!"
"With your ability, it should be no problem!"
Gerard laughed loudly. "Of course! Leave it to me, Your Majesty!"
His voice grew significantly heavier at the end of his sentence.
Looking at Kaido, Gerard pointed toward the room.
"That Shinigami inside... your tone carries a hint of respect. Is he your boss?"
"What if he is, and what if he isn't!"
Kaido gripped his club, his slit pupils staring at the enemy who was now taller than himself, his voice brimming with battle lust.
"That has nothing to do with our fight!"
Just as their battle was about to erupt again, a boisterous, arrogant laugh echoed from below the castle.
"Mamama! What are you all chatting about up here? Let me join in."
Charlotte Linlin emerged from below.
Treading on a thundercloud, wreathed in flames, and wielding a massive blade, she radiated a murderous aura. A crazed, triumphant smile sat on her face, making her look like a valkyrie returning from victory.
Rumble!
Amidst the lightning and thunder, she leaped from the cloud and landed beside Kaido, making the floor tremble.
She looked at the towering Gerard before turning to mock Kaido.
"Mamama! Kaido, you look pathetic. You still haven't finished your opponent?"
Kaido snapped back irritably, "I was just about to settle it!"
Ignoring Kaido, Linlin took in the situation inside the room as she turned her head.
Her gaze swept past Yhwach and landed on Ren. Her brows arched in a pleasant surprise.
"Ren, I didn't expect you to show up here so early."
She pointed her Napoleon toward Yhwach and chuckled, asking Ren.
"It looks like you've found your target too. Do you want me to give you a hand?"
"No need. I'll handle it. You two are no match for this guy."
Ren shook his head.
Though Big Mom was powerful, she was still outmatched by the Yhwach standing before him.
He seemed to recall something and asked her, "Linlin, what about your previous opponents? I remember they were some Quincy girls. How did it go?"
Big Mom puffed out her chest with pride.
"Those little girls had some skill, but they were no match for me. I dealt with them in no time!"
"As for their fate... I'm afraid it isn't very pleasant."
Her smile turned sinister, revealing the ruthless nature of the former Emperor of the Sea.
"Before I came up here, I sent Perospero to finish them off. Even if they aren't dead, he'll have captured them."
"Hmm, as long as you're sure."
Ren nodded slightly and pointed at Gerard outside.
"Linlin, work with Kaido to subdue that big fellow quickly. Don't let him interfere with my battle."
"Understood!"
Linlin nodded heavily, her expression turning serious as she faced Gerard.
Kaido's expression became even more displeased. "I could have finished him by myself!"
Smack!
Big Mom slapped the back of his head.
"Kaido, quit being so stubborn at a time like this!"
"You've almost used up all your strength, and you still haven't necessarily won!"
After the long battle, Kaido had entered his hybrid form, clearly going all out.
Yet his opponent showed no signs of injury, and his spiritual pressure remained as strong and stable as ever.
Big Mom had sensed this clearly while fighting below.
Why else would she have rushed up here in such a hurry? It was to help her foolish little brother and take down the enemy together!
Moreover...
"You heard Ren's orders just now!"
"Stop complaining. We'll team up and take this guy down as fast as possible!"
Kaido pouted.
However, he didn't say anything more. Veins bulged on his arms as he raised his club.
Having fought this far, he felt the enemy's strength increase vividly.
At first, the man was far inferior to him, but every time he was defeated, his strength and size grew exponentially.
To be honest, if this continued a few more times, even he couldn't guarantee a complete victory!
"Old hag, don't drag me down!"
"Brat, who do you think you're talking to!"
Ahead, Gerard looked at his new enemy. Half his face was visible beneath his mask, still wearing that arrogant expression.
"I suppose I should praise you for taking down Candice and the others!"
"But before my Miracle, no matter how many enemies there are, you are all insignificant!"
He held his blade horizontally and charged toward Kaido and Big Mom.
Before he could get close, a pink figure wreathed in flames suddenly appeared in front of him.
It was Big Mom!
"Get lost!"
She swung Napoleon with immense force, the power behind the strike generating a terrifying shockwave.
"Ikoku Sovereign!"
Even before the blade touched Gerard, the mountain-crushing force slammed into him, sending him flying. He couldn't even stabilize himself in mid-air.
He became a shooting star, hurtling into the distance.
"Don't stay here and get in Ren's way."
"Kaido, let's go!"
Big Mom barked at Kaido before leaping onto her thundercloud, which swooped under her feet to carry her toward Gerard.
She knew that given how troublesome these Quincies were, a single Ikoku strike wouldn't kill him.
Earlier, she had encountered a little girl named Gigi. She wasn't particularly powerful, but her immortality was incredibly annoying.
In the end, Big Mom had to burn her to a pile of ash with her flames to ensure she couldn't resurrect.
This man with the power of Miracles who had fought Kaido for so long would certainly be no pushover.
"Stop ordering me around, old hag!"
Seeing Big Mom leave, Kaido looked annoyed, but he conjured flame clouds under his feet and took to the sky to chase after them.
Just as he was about to fly off, he stopped and turned back to Ren in the room.
"Worororo! King Enma, we'll take care of that Miracle brat. The Quincy boss is all yours."
"You're our leader, after all. Don't you dare lose, or it'll make us look bad too!"
Ren rolled his eyes and waved him off impatiently.
"Beat it. Who do you think I am?!"
"Worororo! Seeing you this confident, I'm relieved!"
Kaido laughed and surged forward on his flame clouds, streaking across the sky like a meteor.
Inside the hall, Ren looked at Yhwach.
He tilted his head slightly toward Shisui and Mayuri, who hadn't left yet. "Shisui, Mayuri, go fulfill your respective missions."
"But don't go too far. Make sure you don't get caught in the crossfire of my battle."
"Understood!"
Shisui obeyed without hesitation, leading Mayuri as they jumped into the crack Ren had carved in the floor earlier, descending to the levels below.
Ren had brought Mayuri to deal with the hand of the Soul King.
Although there was no sign of the hand yet, having Mayuri around gave Ren a layer of security.
Even if they encountered it suddenly, it shouldn't be an issue.
Watching the two depart, Yhwach narrowed his eyes, his focus returning to Ren.
Resting a hand on his hip, a sneer appeared on his weathered, violent face.
"Shinigami, to send your subordinates away and choose to fight me alone... as far as actions go, it is utterly foolish!"
"If you had stayed with your men to besiege me, perhaps your end wouldn't have been so pathetic."
Ren stared back at Yhwach, his presence not yielding an inch.
"Is it possible that I'm enough to take you down on my own?"
"Arrogant!"
Yhwach drew the sword from his waist, his spiritual pressure erupting with a suffocating weight.
He pointed his blade at Ren, his voice dripping with cold murderous intent.
"Shinigami, I shall use your blood as a sacrifice for the Quincy you have slaughtered!"
Facing Yhwach's killing intent, Ren responded with only a single shout.
"Bankai!"
The spiritual pressure within Ren's body exploded, whipping up gales that made his robes flutter violently.
In that moment, the weapon in his hand began to transform.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]