Not all Sternritter members had gathered.
But in this hall alone, there were still more than a dozen Sternritter present.
All of them turned their gaze toward the seat of honor—a man with long golden hair and blue eyes, refined features, and a cold, expressionless stare.
There was no extra emotion on his face.
Dressed in a pure-white Quincy uniform and wearing a white cloak stamped with a five-point star, his aura was lofty and noble, like a pristine young aristocrat.
He was the head of the Sternritter, and the emperor's right-hand man of the Wandenreich—
Jugram Haschwalth.
Hearing the Sternritter's report, Jugram turned his head toward the direction where the spiritual pressure was erupting and spoke slowly.
"I'm not sure. They're all Quincy spiritual pressures, but that unfamiliar one… is unusually pure and powerful. It could be…"
As he spoke, a frown formed on his handsome face.
Even he couldn't quite make sense of the situation.
When he first sensed the women releasing their spiritual pressure, his immediate assumption was that they'd gotten into conflict with each other.
After all, those women were all polite on the surface but hostile underneath—especially Bambietta's arrogant and domineering temperament, which only made it worse.
It wouldn't be strange for them to start fighting.
But then he sensed Cole's spiritual pressure.
That spiritual pressure wasn't necessarily overwhelming in sheer volume, yet it was extremely pure—condensed into a single point, shining like a diamond with a dazzling brilliance.
Hearing Jugram say that, the Sternritter in the hall were shocked.
In their impression, Jugram was diligent and responsible, someone who worked tirelessly for the Wandenreich.
Even as the highest-ranked Sternritter, he showed no arrogance at all.
Even toward the lowest-level Quincy, he maintained a gentle attitude—earning the respect of countless Quincy.
But now…
Even he didn't recognize that unfamiliar spiritual pressure.
Since when did the Wandenreich have a figure like that?
Could it be those "poor relatives" from the World of the Living showed up?
Or did the Death Gods break in?!
Countless possibilities swirled through their minds, and their expressions grew tense.
This was the critical moment of His Majesty's awakening. Any accident could disrupt the process.
If His Majesty's slumber was forcibly disturbed—
then the great terror that once struck the Quincy of the living world a few years ago might also descend upon the Wandenreich's subjects.
When that happened, even they—those granted power by Yhwach—
could have all that power taken away.
Even their lives.
"…Looks like they can't take him down."
Jugram spoke calmly and started walking out of the ice palace.
He wanted to see that unfamiliar Quincy for himself.
Was it a genius powerhouse born within the Wandenreich?
Or a surviving Quincy from the World of the Living?
The Sternritter exchanged glances, gave faint nods, and followed after Jugram.
As Sternritter, their speed was terrifying.
In a flash, they stopped in midair.
And there, they saw the fierce battle raging over the castle ruins, shock filling their eyes.
"Hey, hey—who the hell is that guy? He's actually pressing those women down and beating them?!" Bazz rubbed his eyes, staring at Cole in disbelief.
Quilge watched Cole's body with a calm expression.
Cang narrowed his eyes and spoke steadily.
"This guy… he's compressed an absurd amount of spiritual power into his blood vessels, perfectly fusing the effects of Seikessō (Blood Vein) and Dōkessō (Blood Artery)."
Askin scratched his head lazily.
"That's really impressive. Not only is his spiritual power huge, he can also pull off something like that… his strength might not be below ours anymore, right?"
As Nödt stood quietly, watching the battlefield.
In that battlefield, lightning, golden utensils, sky-blue skeletons, and pink hearts flashed one after another.
But most of all—
there were thousands upon thousands of blue arrows.
Any one of those attacks, if it struck the ground, would blast out a crater and make the earth tremble.
Normally, attacks at that level would instantly kill an ordinary Soldat.
Not even ashes would be left behind.
Yet that Soldat being attacked head-on by the women was laughing as he swung his fists wildly, smashing every incoming attack to pieces.
And under the effect of those flowing blue spiritual lines across his body, he wasn't injured in the slightest.
Instead, he charged straight into the attacks, repeatedly grabbing Liltotto, Giselle, Candice, and Meninas—
and slamming them down like bowling balls.
Violent and savage, like the incarnation of pure brute force. Every punch and kick seemed capable of splitting mountains and tearing apart the heavens.
That was why they noticed the hundreds and thousands of massive craters on the ground.
They were probably all made by the women's bodies getting smashed into the earth.
At last, As Nödt spoke, his voice hoarse.
"He wasn't granted a Schrift by His Majesty, and he hasn't mastered Quincy Vollständig. What he's using is the purest Quincy power—and he has improved the Blood Vein and Blood Artery that we possess."
Even without As Nödt saying it, the Sternritter could see it.
But they still couldn't help swallowing hard.
What kind of monster was this?
He had mastered neither of the Quincy's two strongest powers—
yet with only basic abilities, he was suppressing four members of the girl group.
If Cole wasn't using Quincy power, they would've suspected he was a Death God from Seireitei.
"Oh yeah—where's Bambietta? Isn't she the one who loves fighting the most? Why don't I see her now?" Bazz frowned and looked around. "Don't tell me she's already been beaten so badly she can't fight anymore?"
At that moment, Jugram finally spoke.
He glanced toward a corner of the ruins below and said calmly:
"Bambietta is over there."
Eight or nine Sternritter turned to look. When they saw Bambietta's state, they all sucked in a cold breath.
"What happened to Bambietta?!"
"Why is she like that? Did she get beaten stupid?"
"Shameless woman…"
"She's even wearing that kind of thing. Don't tell me she's already been conquered by that man?"
...
On the rubble, Bambietta was wrapped in a white bath towel, wearing something like a dog collar chain.
She stared up at Cole in open reverence.
Hearing the Sternritter's comments, Bambietta finally pulled her gaze back and released an astonishing burst of power.
In an instant, she entered Quincy Vollständig, deep red and pink wings unfurling behind her.
She shot straight up into the sky.
Bazz scratched at his pink mohawk and scowled at Bambietta.
"Hey, hey, Bambietta—what kind of look is that? That's way too embarrassing. And why didn't you go help them?"
The other Sternritter also looked at Bambietta.
That was their question too.
Even if the girl group was hostile under the surface, they still maintained a facade of harmony.
But now—
Bambietta had just stood by and watched her companions get beaten down.
Bambietta glared at Bazz in annoyance.
"What I do or don't do—do I need to report to you?"
Bazz's face darkened immediately. Flames lit up along his arm.
"You want to fight me?!"
A blue spirit energy sphere formed in Bambietta's hand as she met him without backing down.
"You think I'm scared of you?!"
Even if she'd been conquered by Cole, she had no intention of yielding to anyone else.
As Nödt spoke slowly.
"Bambietta, don't fool around. First, tell us about that man."
He was extremely curious about Cole.
Who exactly was he?
Why had they never heard of him before?
In the Wandenreich's militarized system, strength meant status.
The stronger you were, the higher your status.
So almost no one chose to hide their strength.
And yet Cole appeared out of nowhere—able to crush Candice and the other three while still carrying the identity of an ordinary Soldat.
If Cole weren't using Quincy power, no one would doubt he was a Death God.
Hearing that, Bambietta's face flushed slightly. The red wings behind her burned even hotter as she said:
"What right do you have to learn about my master?"
Saying out loud, in front of her former comrades, that Cole was her master—
made Bambietta feel embarrassed.
But at the same time, it gave her a strange, thrilling stimulation.
The words hit like a thunderclap.
Every Sternritter present went blank, staring at Bambietta with disbelief.
"Master?"
"Bambietta, what are you saying?"
"That man is your master? What kind of joke is that? And you call yourself a Sternritter?"
"Did that man do something to you?"
"Our master is only one person—His Majesty…"
The Sternritter erupted into overlapping voices, all expressing shock.
What kind of ability did that man have—
to make a Sternritter willingly abase herself and submit?
Jugram spoke calmly.
"Bambietta, explain it. I need to judge whether he's an enemy or an ally."
Cole's appearance was far too strange—especially at this exact moment.
It made Jugram uneasy.
Too coincidental.
Way too coincidental.
In the past thousand years, there had never been a Soldat of this level.
And yet, right as Yhwach was about to awaken, a genius like this appeared.
No matter how you looked at it, it was suspicious.
Seeing Jugram speak that way, Bambietta could only agree.
After all, Jugram was the Wandenreich's acting authority. While His Majesty slept, he could handle any "small matter."
If she handled this wrong,
she might be labeled an enemy of the Wandenreich.
With that thought, Bambietta looked up at Cole with a flushed face, cupped her cheeks with both hands, pressed her thighs together, and said in a lovestruck voice:
"My master is named Cole. He's a member of the Military Police, and he's a genius. His strength can even suppress me…"
"He will restore the Military Police's glory from a thousand years ago, crush the Sternritter head-on…"
"And become His Majesty's true strongest force."
After hearing Bambietta's information about Cole, the Sternritter present all showed anger in their eyes, staring coldly at Cole.
"So he's Military Police. No wonder I haven't seen him before."
"How arrogant. Restoring the Military Police's glory? That was just a bunch of trash who got smashed by the Death Gods."
"No wonder he hid his strength—so he could try to beat us."
"His strength does look decent, but if he thinks he can overthrow us… he's dreaming. He clearly doesn't understand real power…"
The Sternritter sneered, not doubting Bambietta's words at all.
If it were another unit, they might've considered other reasons for hiding strength.
But the Military Police?
A unit that had been blown apart a thousand years ago, leaving only a hollow "glory," and rarely drawing attention.
And with Cole's ambition to crush the Sternritter—
his choice to hide his strength also made sense.
But Jugram frowned.
"Cole… his name is Cole?"
Even within the Wandenreich, Jugram was not unfamiliar with the situation in Seireitei.
He naturally knew of that human Death God who had stirred up storms, possessed terrifying strength, and had even attacked the Royal Palace.
And that Death God's name was also Cole…
Thinking of that, Jugram looked toward a nearby ordinary Soldat and ordered him to investigate Cole within the Military Police.
Meanwhile—
on the battlefield of the castle ruins:
(End of Chapter)
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