Although the teleportation into the Hunting Grounds had been random, the area Candice* arrived in happened to be densely populated with Quincy.
Under the guidance of Sergeant Lita, a small team quickly expanded, soon gathering over a dozen Quincy.
But the more people there were, the harder it became to balance point distribution.
With everyone working together, Candice decisively finished off a Gillian-class Menos Grande.
Before she could even enjoy the victory, a fellow Quincy who normally got along well with her, Rona, quietly came up to whisper:
"Candice, the others aren't happy with you."
"Hmm…" Candice glanced around, only to realize the unfriendly looks being shot her way.
Currently, points were distributed very simply: whoever landed the kill got the points.
That system benefited Candice greatly.
Her lightning attacks were far faster than most Holy Arrows, making her excellent at kill-stealing.
With more Quincy gathering, the Menos Grandes had essentially become prey.
Of the thirteen Menos they'd taken down, eight had gone to her.
Sergeant Lita was good at reading the room and had sensed the tension long ago—but she pretended not to see it. After all, four of the remaining five Menos kills had gone to her.
The two of them had eaten up nearly all the points, with only a single Menos kill left for the rest.
Naturally, the others weren't pleased with this kind of distribution.
Lita had no intention of changing the system either. With Candice soaking up all the hate, she could just ride the wave and keep her own share.
"I didn't see you doing much earlier, but you're real quick when it comes to stealing points, huh, Lightning Girl?" one hot-tempered Quincy finally snapped, unable to hold it in.
"What was that?!" Candice wasn't the kind to take insults lightly. She shot right back. "When did I not pull my weight? You blind?"
"You hogged eight kills to yourself!"
"Yeah! We fought too, and we got nothing! This isn't fair at all!"
Several others voiced support for the angry Quincy, but more simply stayed quiet, watching.
The first wave of Quincy who entered the Hunting Grounds were those confident in their abilities.
Against even the formidable Gillian-class Menos, many could win solo.
But that was only in one-on-one fights.
There were too many Menos here—and their howls attracted others. Fighting alone was dangerous. That's why they grouped up.
They all believed they could earn points under Sergeant Lita's system.
But most of the kills had gone to Candice.
Her lightning gave her a tremendous edge. Anyone fast enough to outpace it wouldn't be teaming up in the first place.
The others didn't stand a chance.
Sensing the team was about to fracture, Lita stepped up to say a few "fair-minded" words:
"The current distribution system… is a bit unfair. How about this? From now on, we'll rotate the points among everyone. After all, we've all contributed."
Lita was quick to act when needed.
She'd already leech... ahem, collected enough points by tailing Candice, and even if they split evenly from now on, she'd remain among the top scorers.
According to the rules, the higher your ranking, the sooner you could leave the Hunting Grounds.
In an even distribution system, anyone who wanted to leave first would need to elevate her score even more.
"Let's start with that last Menos… Candice, hand that one over to Collins."
Lita turned to Candice, clearly signaling for her to surrender her most recent points to appease the group.
Candice's face darkened. Her fists clenched.
The rules were clear—she earned those points fair and square. Now she was expected to cough them up?
But with everyone targeting her, pushing back would only hurt her more.
Candice forced herself to swallow her frustration.
'So that's her game.'
Candice wasn't a doormat—but she wasn't stupid either. The reaction from the others made it clear: Lita was using her as a scapegoat.
If it weren't so dangerous to go solo, she wouldn't be working with this backstabbing witch of a sergeant.
It stung. It wasn't even about the point.
But if she gave it up, the credit would go to Lita for "graciously" settling the conflict.
'I take the heat, and she gets to play the hero. Sickening.'
And then it hit her. A flash of inspiration.
Candice scanned the group, then raised her voice:
"Fair distribution sounds great. But let's be real—the original system was something we all agreed on. The points I earned are mine."
"But for the sake of teamwork, I'm not against sharing."
"Sergeant Lita also racked up quite a few kills with her 'Gale Arrows,' didn't she?"
"How about this—whatever number of points Sergeant Lita gives up, I'll match it."
"Even if she gives up four points, I'll give up four points too!"
A faint smirk touched her lips. She was dragging Lita down with her.
No matter what Lita chose, Candice would still stay ahead.
In the new shared-point system, if others wanted to leave, they'd have to help boost her score too.
"Yeah, Lita's gotten a lot of points too. She should give some up."
"That's right—those spirit tools gave her an edge!"
Candice's suggestion gained traction. Even those who'd sided with Lita turned to look at her now.
Everyone had noticed Lita's kill count. But because the group had formed under her leadership, no one had challenged her.
Now that Candice had cracked it open, the wolves turned on their former shepherd.
'This woman is venomous,' Lita thought bitterly.
She'd seen through Candice's move—but the fire was already at her doorstep. If she didn't pay up, she wouldn't be able to put it out.
'When did that dumb, big-boobed meathead get clever?'
Lita suddenly felt like she didn't know Candice at all.
In her mind, Candice had always been someone who used fists, not strategy.
But whatever she thought, she had to respond. With a stiff smile, Lita said:
"Everyone's worked hard. I'm willing to give up one point to share with the group. Let's keep working together, okay?"
"One point? That's it?"
"You two are miles ahead, and you're offering just one?!"
The crowd saw through her token gesture instantly.
Seeing that Lita didn't actually hold much sway, they pushed harder.
"Don't forget, this team exists because of me!" Lita snapped, face darkening.
If she hadn't been separated from her unit, she wouldn't even be dealing with these nobodies.
"If Sergeant Lita's willing to give up three points, I'll give up three too."
Candice kept fanning the flames.
"One point's not enough!"
"Forget it. If that's all, we should just split up."
If the two of them gave up six points combined, it would be enough for half the group to earn something. More people started backing Candice.
"Two points! I'll give up two at most!" Lita finally yielded again.
But that was her bottom line.
She had to stay in the lead.
The later you left the Hunting Grounds, the more danger you'd face.
Losing one point now could mean facing an extra Menos later.
The group accepted the new arrangement.
No one pushed Lita further—after all, there were likely other Quincy teams out there. Hunting Menos remained the top priority.
Candice handed one point to Rona, her usual companion, and another to a Quincy who'd made things hard for Lita.
'Thinking once in a while isn't so bad.'
Seeing Lita's twisted expression brought Candice no small amount of satisfaction.
The Hunting Grounds, designed by Haschwalth, had two layers.
The Quincy participating in the selection entered through the first layer.
The second layer… was a Menos prison.
It held a vast number of Menos.
Once the number of Menos in the upper level dropped too low, soldiers stationed in the second layer would replenish them.
"Menos count down by thirty-one. Time to refill," one soldier said, monitoring the system.
"These guys are doing better than expected. Looks like some of them will earn promotions. Drop in fifty more."
Every Menos was tagged. The control room could track them all in real time.
"Seems like the launcher's malfunctioning. I'll go check it."
The soldier pressed the release button. Normally, this would trigger cages to drop into the field. But nothing happened.
He left the control room and entered the storage level.
Rows of massive cages lined the floor. Under each one was a moveable platform. With a press of the launch button, the floor would drop, sending both cage and Menos into the Hunting Grounds.
That was the plan.
But the sight that greeted him turned his blood to ice.
"The cages… they're broken?!"
Yet there were no Menos roaming loose.
Only a few corpses lay on the ground.
Up ahead, flames flickered—someone was fighting.
And voices—though indistinct—could be heard.
'Quincy? Fighting down here?' the soldier swallowed hard, curiosity dragging him closer.
As he neared, the voices grew clearer.
"You killed Ishida?"
"I merely gave him a quiet place to rest."
"You've heard the rumors in the Sternritter, haven't you? Everything you're doing… it's all to bring his power back to him, isn't it? Answer me, Haschwalth!"
'The Grandmaster is here?!' The soldier's heart stopped at the name.
A moment later, a Reishi arrow pierced his skull.
His shocked expression froze in place as he crumpled backward.
"His Majesty's resurrection cannot be stopped," Haschwalth said flatly, lowering his hand.
"You're getting crueler by the day."
Bazz-B turned briefly to glance at the fallen soldier before scowling back at Haschwalth.
"If this gets out, it'll just create panic."
Haschwalth's eyes were emotionless—like a machine.
"Hah. Everyone'll be dead—what's there to panic about?" Bazz-B shot back.
The Sternritter were the heart of the Wandenreich. They weren't ignorant of Yhwach's powers.
Some of the older Quincy had even received his "blessing."
So a few had started to suspect Haschwalth's actions.
Quincy who died—or were about to—were being turned into fuel for their king's return.
Bazz-B wasn't a saint, but even he couldn't watch this cold-blooded slaughter of his kin.
So he made his move.
He sabotaged the release system—rendering the platforms inoperable. Now the control room couldn't send in more Menos.
All that was left was to eliminate the Menos down here—and Haschwalth's plan would collapse.
Unfortunately, his progress was cut short. After killing just a few, Haschwalth arrived from Silbern to stop him.
"Not all must die. Only a portion… is enough to wake His Majesty."
For once, Haschwalth offered some insight.
"Your eyes make me want to throw up last night's dinner."
Bazz-B couldn't stand the sight of that calm, cold gaze. He snapped his fingers. Fire flared from his fingertip.
He hurled it at Haschwalth—but it was cleaved cleanly in two.
"That bit about Ishida? I was lying. I've already seen him. Wanna guess where he is now?"
Bazz-B grinned and launched a pillar of flame.
"His Majesty's resurrection cannot be stopped," Haschwalth replied, easily dodging it, showing no interest in Ishida's whereabouts.
"Can you say anything besides that useless crap?"
Bazz-B rolled his eyes, losing interest in the verbal sparring.
"Guess I'll just beat the truth outta you!"
His body ignited in roaring flame, the heat surging outward.
The prison was now ablaze.
Wreathed in fire, Bazz-B looked like a god of destruction.
And Haschwalth's space to maneuver was shrinking fast.
"I'm stronger than you now, Haschwalth!"
Since arriving in the Wandenreich, Bazz-B had trained relentlessly.
All to defeat him again.