Shisui created a vast expanse of auspicious clouds to hold Ren and the others aloft in mid-air.
Ren looked down at the completely destroyed city, his expression inevitably darkening.
The news he had heard from Gremmy was far from pleasant.
Haschwalth was still alive, and Yhwach's corpse had been taken along with him.
The joy Ren felt after his victory was suddenly dampened significantly.
At the thought that his own schemes had actually been circumvented by Haschwalth, Ren felt a sickening irritation, as if he had swallowed a fly.
Ren could not be entirely certain of Gremmy's words yet, but he believed about seventy or eighty percent of them.
Judging by the resentment Gremmy had shown toward Yhwach and the others earlier, he clearly harbored a grudge.
His revelation before death did not seem like a lie.
Throughout this war, many had died on both sides, and although they had seized the Wandenreich and achieved their basic strategic goals...
Yhwach's current status remained unknown, which ultimately left a shadow of uncertainty in Ren's heart.
He looked at Sengoku beside him and said with a frown, "The Stealth Force entered with the main army specifically to set up a barrier here to prevent the enemy from escaping."
"Even if it takes time to set up after entry, the Quincies might not have reacted in such a short window..."
"Even if Haschwalth really broke through the barrier and escaped, the Stealth Force would have definitely received an alarm."
He then looked at Shisui and asked, "Has any information come from the Stealth Force regarding the barrier?"
Shisui shook his head. "The barrier has not been deactivated yet. Everything is normal."
Sengoku understood.
"The Great King means... the King of the Quincies and the others haven't actually left? They are just hiding somewhere in the shadows, waiting for us to lift the barrier so they can have a chance to escape?"
"Then do not deactivate the barrier yet. Order the army to cooperate with the Stealth Force and conduct a thorough search. We might still find their trail!"
Ren's suspicion grew, and his tone became ambiguous.
"These Quincies are masters of manipulating spirit particles. They might have a way to bypass the barrier or slip out without triggering the alarm!"
This was also a possibility.
He looked at Sengoku and commanded, "Then do as you said. Scour every inch of these shadows for me; do not let a single place go!"
"Understood!"
Sengoku was about to take out a Transponder Snail to give orders to the army when Ren stopped him.
"Have the prisoners brought over and assembled in that clearing."
Ren looked down and pointed with his finger.
Sengoku followed his gaze to an area in front of Silbern.
The streets and buildings there hadn't been destroyed by the magma Sakazuki rained from the sky, but they had been leveled by the aftermath of the battle.
Now, only a field of ruins remained.
Sengoku nodded and, before jumping off the clouds, looked at Sakazuki beside him.
"Sakazuki, accompany me down there."
"There might still be Quincies hiding in the chaos below. Find them."
Sakazuki nodded with a serious expression and jumped down alongside Sengoku.
Ren gestured to Shisui. "Let's go down and see the prisoners."
Regarding Haschwalth's schemes, he might be able to get some accurate intelligence from the captured Sternritter.
Perhaps he could even confirm the information about Yhwach.
In contrast to Ren's dissatisfaction, Mayuri Kurotsuchi seemed quite jubilant.
He held Gremmy's remaining head tightly in his arms as if cradling a rare treasure.
This was a precious specimen he had collected when the highland collapsed.
On Mayuri's bizarre face, his large yellow teeth were exposed in a smile he couldn't suppress.
His appearance made Ren quite unhappy.
Ren turned his head, his stern face showing a hint of discomfort.
"Mayuri Kurotsuchi, you look very happy!"
Sensing Ren's unfriendly gaze, Mayuri's heart skipped a beat, and the excitement on his face vanished instantly.
"No, not at all!"
Hearing Ren address him directly by name, Mayuri waved his hands repeatedly.
Anyone could see Ren was in a foul mood; he didn't want to be the one to bear the brunt of it.
He thought for a moment and immediately shifted the topic.
"In the previous battle with the one who used poison, we were victorious, but that fellow eventually released a poison orb that affected his own body, completely dissolving him."
"At the time, I thought he was just careless and got caught in his own attack. Now it seems he was deliberately destroying the evidence of his own corpse to cover for the Visionary and mislead us!"
Ren said irritably, "The brain in your arms already mentioned that before it died. You don't need to repeat it here."
"I want to ask you, is there any other way to verify if that fellow's last words were true? And if they are, can you find Yhwach's location?"
"Well, that..."
Mayuri was momentarily at a loss for words, stammering.
He admitted he was a genius, but even geniuses weren't omnipotent; how could he easily do such a thing?
This was simply asking for the impossible!
However, seeing Ren's poor mood, if he flatly denied it, he might be targeted for punishment.
An idea struck him, and he whispered, "Well... how about I go down and look for a way?"
"Then get moving!"
Ren's eyes widened.
Mayuri flinched and, without waiting for the clouds to land, immediately jumped down while clutching the brain.
He was afraid that if he were too slow, even this precious head in his arms would be taken away by Ren.
Shisui's clouds soon landed, arriving at the clearing Ren had pointed out earlier.
By the time Ren landed, Sengoku had already arranged for the soldiers to escort the prisoners over.
Those Quincies were covered in dust, their spiritual pressure bound by Kido, and their hands tied with ropes, forming long rows.
Only a small portion of the nearby Quincies had been brought to this clearing; the majority were still in transit.
However, the five Sternritter had been sent over early.
The five were bound hand and foot and forced to kneel on the ground. At the front, Shimazu Toyohisa and Nasu no Yoichi were leading the guard.
Seeing Ren arrive, Shimazu Toyohisa was quite excited and waved repeatedly.
"Ren, over here!"
"We won a massive victory this time!"
Behind him, Nasu no Yoichi's eyes curved as a bright smile appeared on his exquisite face.
Since these two were within the army, Sengoku had not yet told them about Yhwach.
Ren suppressed the fire in his heart and tried to squeeze out a smile, but at this moment, he simply couldn't.
He could only nod slightly with a blank face.
"Grandfather, Yoichi, it's good that you're both alright."
"Of course! I am the Demon Shimazu!"
Shimazu Toyohisa crossed his arms, his face full of pride.
"In this great war, I've taken many heads—at least a hundred!"
Yoichi leaned in and teased, "Not that many! Quite a few only lost their heads because they were hit by my arrows first!"
"They were still cut by me, so the credit is mine!" Shimazu Toyohisa reflexively retorted. After thinking it over, he grunted, "Fine, I suppose you get a share of the credit."
Ren looked at the rows of prisoners kneeling in the clearing like lambs to the slaughter, his gaze scanning their faces one by one.
These Quincies were either dejected, resentful, or ferocious...
Seeing Ren arrive and observing the respectful posture of the surrounding soldiers, they knew without a doubt that he was an important commander of the enemies who had invaded their home.
A cacophony of noise suddenly erupted, filled with insults and curses used to vent their rage!
After being whipped or beaten by the surrounding soldiers, the voices gradually subsided.
Ren's gaze finally settled on the five Sternritter at the front.
"Are these the five captured members of the Sternritter?"
"Correct!"
Shimazu Toyohisa nodded, his expression turning solemn as he looked at the five.
"Ren, how do you plan to deal with them?"
"They served as commanders in the Wandenreich. Now that they've been defeated and captured, it stands to reason they should commit seppuku to atone for their failure!"
A man with a rugged face suddenly looked up, glaring at Ren and the others.
"You bastards... so you're Soul Reapers!"
Through the Shihakusho Ren wore, he immediately recognized Ren's identity.
"You invaded our home and killed so many of our compatriots... I don't know how many elderly and children died at your hands... It was like that nine hundred years ago, and it's the same now! What right do you have to speak down to us like this!"
"Ptooey!"
With that, he spat a mouthful of saliva at Ren's group.
But the distance was too great; it couldn't reach them and fell powerlessly to the ground.
Shimazu Toyohisa walked over and tossed the wakizashi at his waist in front of the man.
"Ultimately, you lost!"
"In consideration of the battle we fought, if you still have the honor of a warrior, then commit seppuku. I will be your second!"
With that, he drew the Nodachi from his waist, holding it with both hands in front of him.
After consecutive battles, the blade of this Nodachi was covered in nicks and chips; it was uncertain if it could still take a man's head in one strike.
Ren spoke to stop him.
"Grandfather, wait. I still have questions for them."
"Oh."
Shimazu Toyohisa lowered his sword and stepped to the side.
Ren asked the man, "What is your name? What is the Schrift granted to you by Yhwach?"
the man remained silent, glaring at Ren.
Yoichi stepped forward to introduce him. "This barbarian is named Driscoll Berci. Schrift 'O', the ability is The Overkill."
"The Overkill? He doesn't sound like a good person."
Ren looked at the man, his voice low.
"Driscoll, answer me. Haschwalth is Yhwach's right hand and the Vice-King of this empire. When he was commanding your counterattack, did he give you any specific orders?"
"Hmph!"
The man gave a cold snort, still refusing to speak.
"A tough guy, I see."
Observing this, Ren nodded slightly.
He liked tough guys.
"Loyalty is a great virtue. Since you are so loyal to Yhwach, I will grant your wish."
He waved his hand at the man with clinical efficiency.
"Sever!"
Countless slashes appeared out of thin air, all of them landing on the man.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Accompanied by the dense sound of slashing, the man didn't even have time to scream before he was hacked into a pile of mincemeat, blood splashing everywhere.
The air was instantly filled with a thick scent of blood.
Blood splashed onto the young girl beside him, staining half her body red. The ground where she knelt was soaked in crimson.
"Ah!"
The girl was startled by the sight. Her pupils shrunk with horror, and she let out a series of frantic screams.
She looked up at the approaching Ren, her expression full of terror.
She looked like a frail lamb watching a demon who could take her life at any moment.
After slaughtering one person, the frustration in Ren's heart was vented, and he felt much lighter.
He looked down at her.
"And you?"
Ren had some impression of this girl.
She was likely a member of the female Sternritter, the one with lightning powers.
'Her attribute is just like Yoruichi's—lightning.'
The girl's terrified state was clearly the result of Ren's casual slaughter.
It seemed his act of making an example of the first man had served its purpose.
Ren reached out and pointed at the girl.
"I hope you don't anger me."
"I... I... I..."
The girl tried to speak, but due to the terror in her heart, she couldn't get a single complete sentence out.
Shimazu Toyohisa frowned and said, "Ren, slaughtering surrendering enemies brings no glory; it is a disgrace to a warrior."
Ren's action just now had been too sudden for him to stop it.
He immediately tried to dissuade him now.
"Not to mention, the opponent is just a girl."
"Grandfather, I am not a samurai."
Ren's single sentence left Shimazu Toyohisa speechless.
"Oh, right."
He suddenly realized, striking his palm with the hilt of his sword.
"Even so, killing prisoners is an ill omen."
"Perhaps."
Ren thought about it and slowly lowered his hand.
The girl had just walked back from the gates of death; her clothes were instantly soaked with cold sweat.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
In that moment just now, she had felt an unprecedented crisis. The threat of death was so intense she feared she would die in the next second.
Now that she had narrowly survived, she no longer had the strength to support herself. Her body slumped to the ground as she panted heavily.
A pair of geta appeared before her eyes, and the white tabi were even more conspicuous.
She looked up with difficulty; it was that brutal Soul Reaper!
"I..."
Just as she was about to speak, she saw the Soul Reaper raise a foot. Immediately after, her back felt a heavy weight, and she was pinned to the ground, her face pressed into the dirt.
Ren stepped on her, pushing her into the dust as he asked coldly, "I am in a very bad mood. You had better be careful."
"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll say everything!"
The girl turned her head and shouted hastily, "My name is Candice Catnipp. His Majesty... the Schrift Yhwach gave me is 'T', The Thunder."
Seeing how cooperative she was, Ren withdrew his foot.
"Continue."
"Yes, yes," Candice said. "After you invaded... no, after you entered the empire, Haschwalth didn't give us any orders at all."
"The actions of the Quincies who resisted were not ordered by Haschwalth. They were the independent decisions of the Sternritter."
Seeing that Ren was listening and hadn't interrupted, Candice felt a weight lift from her heart.
Whatever the case, their lives were temporarily safe.
"In fact, when the Sternritter sent people to ask Haschwalth for further orders, they couldn't reach him at all. It was as if he had vanished into thin air."
Hearing this, Ren finally understood.
It seemed that from the very beginning of the invasion, Haschwalth had prepared for the worst and intended to flee with his people.
No wonder the escape was so swift.
These Sternritter members had been used as pawns by Haschwalth and thrown directly into the war.
He had even released the Visionary to distract them and stall for time.
At this point, Ren had to admit that Haschwalth's decisiveness was truly impressive.
"Heh, you're quite pitiable for having such a leader."
Ren let out a cold laugh as he looked at the prisoners.
Yhwach was naturally a violent and heartless character, and Haschwalth was just as cold and decisive; it truly was a hardship for these Quincies.
"Since you're so cooperative, I'll give you a chance."
He drew the Zanpakuto from his waist, silently reciting its name.
A clear, bright light shone from the blade.
'Connect, Kiritsugu!'
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]