Since Gremmy's return last time, Silver Frame City had been working overtime to complete its construction.
The original Silver Frame City was hidden in the deepest part, transforming into Inner Silver Frame City, which served as the residence for the Sternritter members.
The purpose of doing this was, of course, to protect Yhwach.
Therefore,
all the ordinary Quincy were moved outside.
And to further guard against Shinigami, every Sternritter member had to take turns performing surveillance duties for a period of time.
Bambietta was no exception.
It had already been a week.
It was incredibly boring.
Although she was nominally the City Lord, holding the power of life and death over all ordinary Quincy, killing those with average looks truly didn't bring much joy.
Now, a newcomer had arrived, and she was determined to see what his looks were like.
Whoosh—
Disappearing from the tower, Bambietta instantly arrived near the city gate.
What entered her sight was a refined young man with black hair and black eyes, wearing a standard trench coat—he was asking a passerby something.
It was unclear where he came from or who his lineage originated from, but judging by his appearance, he was indeed among the exceptional ones.
He's the one.
Bambietta strode forward, her capricious words undisguised:
"Hey, kid, this City Lord has taken a liking to you. Come with me!"
It must be very interesting to torture and kill someone like him.
As she spoke,
the image of this young man bleeding on the spot had already begun to appear in her mind.
She seemed to be eagerly anticipating the pleasure of such torture.
...
Yoriichi Tsugikuni was currently asking for directions to where he could enlist.
His current identity was that of a Quincy residing on the outskirts of Wandenreich.
Because Wandenreich was established on the foundation of the Seireitei, and the Seireitei region was vast,
theoretically, there truly existed Quincy who had not joined Yhwach's ranks.
This identity was very reasonable.
And the Quincy Cross he carried with him added a few points of credibility to his words.
The passerby had no doubts and was about to tell Yoriichi the location of the recruitment point.
However, just as he opened his mouth, his gaze inadvertently swept behind Yoriichi.
Immediately, his half-spoken words came to an abrupt halt, and his body suddenly froze in place.
His eyes were filled with terror.
Yoriichi frowned and was about to follow the passerby's gaze to see what was behind him.
But just then, a clear voice suddenly rang out beside his ear, directly revealing the other party's identity.
...
Not long after.
"Tokito, my brother, I truly envy you! Lady Bambietta actually took a liking to you. Do you know her identity?"
The passerby patted Yoriichi's shoulder with an envious look, his gaze sweeping over Bambietta, who was purchasing something not far away.
At this moment, Bambietta was standing in front of a stall, casually selecting items.
A faint smile always hung on her lips, as if she was in an exceptionally good mood.
"Isn't she the City Lord?"
Yoriichi had heard of Bambietta's name but had never seen her in person.
Now that he saw her with his own eyes, he was quite confused... Bazz-B had never said that this woman was so thirsty.
She sees a relatively handsome man on the street and wants to take him back.
Is she keeping male escorts?
It's no wonder Yoriichi thought this way.
Anyone who saw Bambietta's current behavior would think she was a debauched woman.
"No, City Lord is just her superficial identity."
"You're new here, so you don't know, but she's a member of the Sternritter, one of Yhwach's closest confidantes."
"Didn't you say earlier that you plan to enlist?"
"If you successfully pass the assessment, then she will be your direct superior, and your promotion will depend entirely on her word."
Yoriichi roughly understood.
This situation was like a Shinigami who had just entered the Seireitei, hadn't even enrolled yet, and was already taken a liking to by Retsu Unohana.
It was undoubtedly an opportunity to ascend to heaven in one step.
Although it was a rare opportunity, Yoriichi only felt it was a bit troublesome; he was thinking about how to get away.
After all, even a Mukuro couldn't do something that went against his principles.
After Bambietta had finished purchasing some items, she walked towards them contentedly.
Seeing this, Yoriichi, having a mission, could only take it one step at a time and wait and see.
"Tokito, my brother, I'm leaving first. Take this, and let's keep in touch when you have time."
Although the passerby still wanted to chat more, he was forced to leave due to Bambietta's identity.
Before leaving, he pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket, with his contact information written on it, and handed it to Yoriichi.
Yoriichi glanced at it and then ignored it.
He had intended to throw it away along the way, but then he thought that this thing might come in handy in the future, so he put it away.
After all, connections are important in any world.
Following Bambietta, he arrived at the City Lord's Mansion... calling it the City Lord's Mansion, it was actually a magnificent palace.
It was entirely silver-white.
Entering the palace, before Yoriichi could even ask Bambietta the real reason she brought him here,
Bambietta suddenly turned around, hands on her hips, and nodded slightly, saying:
"Very good, it seems you're not a spy sent by those Shinigami!"
"A normal spy would have tried to get information from me just now, but you didn't say a word, and I'm very satisfied."
"Come on, I heard you want to join us? You can! As long as you can please me!"
High-quality resources were becoming scarcer, and to avoid having no one to kill before returning to Inner Silver Frame City, she needed to have some fun.
What was a perfectly normal statement in Bambietta's ears sounded a bit strange to Yoriichi.
The reason he hadn't sought information was simply that he wasn't in a hurry.
Even as a Mukuro, without the abilities of Transparent World, his power was not something an ordinary Sternritter could defeat.
However, Bambi's words did give him a hint.
That was, the Quincy side was indeed on guard against the arrival of the Shinigami.
He had thought she was just simply lecherous.
He didn't expect...
Snap!
A crisp sound of air exploding suddenly interrupted Yoriichi's thoughts.
Bambietta swiftly pulled out an iron whip from her body, and the whip was covered with sharp iron spikes.
She stared intently at Yoriichi, a cruel smile appearing on her face:
"Kneel, and please me with your body."
"..." Yoriichi was secretly speechless. Well, this wasn't lechery at all; it was—tyranny.
Even without using Transparent World, Yoriichi could see the full malice in Bambietta's expression.
It was like toying with a roadside insect and then casually crushing it.
What kind of logic is it that handsome people should be killed?
He just wondered why this woman showed such an engrossed appearance.
So it turns out she has a psychological disorder.
Yoriichi breathed a sigh of relief.
It was so much better that she was sick rather than debauched.
When dealing with such a lunatic, even if he was a bit heavy-handed, there shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?
As he was thinking, Bambietta had already manipulated the iron whip and swung it with full force.
Her eyes revealed a sense of urgency and excitement.
"I told you to kneel! Can't you understand human language? Or... are you dumbfounded because you can't accept reality?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, how pitiful, country boy, but don't worry, I, Lady Bambi, always keep my word."
"As long as you can satisfy me and leave alive, I can get you anything else besides a position as a Sternritter member."
Although Bambietta said this, she thought it was almost impossible to achieve.
In her opinion, even with only thirty percent of her strength, she could beat a country boy to a bloody pulp.
Conservatively estimated, he would probably die in less than a day.
If he died, there would naturally be no need to consider whether the promise could be fulfilled.
Bambietta seemed to already see the beautiful scene of a handsome man wailing and begging for mercy beneath her, her eyes sparkling with a pathological excitement.
Snap!
The whip had already struck, and Bambietta also felt the solid contact.
However, to her surprise, no blood splattered.
The whip seemed to be blocked by an invisible force, stopping a few millimeters from Yoriichi's body.
Looking closely, she found that there was a layer of blue patterns slowly moving on the surface of Yoriichi's skin.
"This is—Blut Vene!" Bambietta blurted out.
Yoriichi glanced at her, his eyes calm and unwavering:
"So this is the truth behind you taking a liking to me?"
"I really underestimated you."
"If this is the basic quality of a Sternritter member, then I am truly disappointed; the holy land has also decayed."
In the remote areas, Silver Frame City was the holy city of Wandenreich, its status equivalent to the Seireitei in Soul Society or Jerusalem in the West.
Sternritter members enjoying torture was like bishops believing in money.
As Yoriichi spoke, he reached out and slowly moved the iron whip, which was fixed outside his body, inch by inch.
The modified steel in his hand was like a fragile twig, easily crushed by him.
The fragments scattered all over the ground.
His calm tone then entered Bambi's ears, and Bambietta was furious:
"Shut up, you country boy! How dare you criticize the Sternritter? Do you not want to live?!"
"No... no, how dare you block my attack!"
Because she was using Blut Vene, Bambi didn't even think about Shinigami.
Only one thought remained in her mind: this boy was disrespectful!
Disrespectful to his superior, disrespectful to Yhwach, and even more disrespectful to the holy city.
He had only learned some half-baked tricks in the countryside, and he actually dared to resist her, Lady Bambi.
He didn't even consider that in this era, without military achievements, besides sacrificing one's dignity and appearance, there was no other way to quickly climb up.
Being valued by her, Lady Bambi, was already a blessing that couldn't be cultivated in three lifetimes, okay?
If he died, he could only blame his own insufficient blessings.
Snap.
Bambietta's anger completely surged into her heart.
The more Yoriichi Tsugikuni acted as if he was above it all, the more she wanted to trample his dignity underfoot.
She quickly used her Sternritter power to re-condense an iron whip.
This time, the iron whip was bright red, exuding a scorching aura that sent shivers down one's spine just by looking at it.
Bambietta did not give Yoriichi Tsugikuni another chance to speak and immediately swung her arm.
Whoosh—
The whip, influenced by the strong wind, carried a wave of heat and rushed forward swiftly, with an overwhelming momentum!
Under her mastery of [Explosion], even Blut Vene could not defend.
She wanted to see what this boy would say when he was beaten to a pulp?
Arrogant? Hmph, how annoying.
She would definitely make him kneel and call her Queen!
...
...At this moment, inside Inner Silver Frame City, there was complete silence.
Gremmy was fully focused on analyzing the composition of a Shinigami's Bankai.
Suddenly, he detected the reishi explosion from Bambietta in Silver Frame City.
That reishi was extremely scorching and came so suddenly, causing him to frown.
After a brief pause, he split off another version of himself to maintain the current analysis, then turned his head to ask Haschwalth, who was meditating with his eyes closed nearby:
"Hey, you sensed it too, didn't you? Bambi seems to have gotten into a fight with someone, even using her Sternritter."
"At this critical juncture, who do you think it could be?"
Haschwalth slowly opened his eyes. Though his expression was as calm as ever, a hint of solemnity flashed in his gaze.
Undoubtedly, it was most likely a Shinigami, especially since Gojoshibe Kenpachi had just been captured.
Even if he didn't believe the Shinigami could uncover the truth in such a short time,
to eliminate potential dangers, probing actions were inevitable.
However, there was also another possibility…
After a moment of thought,
Haschwalth slowly straightened up from his leaning position against the wall.
He lowered his crossed arms, his tone as flat as if stating a trivial matter:
"No matter who it is, we'll know once we go and see."
"Gremmy, everything here is entrusted to you."
"Before His Majesty awakens, you must not let the enemy break through this place."
Even without Haschwalth's reminder, Gremmy would have done so.
When it came to managing the big picture, imagination was far more useful than Balance.
Seeing Gremmy's tacit agreement, Haschwalth donned his long sword and quickly left Inner Silver Frame City.
He casually waved his hand, and the reishi in front of him parted inch by inch, forming a black shadow space.
Stepping into this space, what appeared before his eyes was the bustling yet slightly noisy scene of Silver Frame City.
In front was the Lord's Mansion, where the scorching reishi fluctuations became increasingly prominent, and the chaotic explosions were coming from within.
Evidently, Bambi had been fighting here for quite some time.
Even using her explosions, she couldn't defeat them? No… could it really be a Shinigami?
Haschwalth rarely frowned, instinctively placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Because the battle with Yoriichi Tsugikuni was still vivid in his memory, his fingers couldn't help but tremble slightly.
Fortunately, no one dared to approach, so his moment of discomposure went unseen.
Taking a deep breath,
Haschwalth slightly lowered his gaze and, with a resolute mindset, strode into the Lord's Mansion.
Boom!
A scorching heatwave rushed towards him, and the burnt air mixed with suffocating high temperatures, causing his mind to go blank for a moment.
Before Haschwalth could recover from this sudden impact and determine what was happening inside,
he saw the intense scene of Bambi using explosions, frantically chasing a Quincy.
The Lord's Mansion was riddled with holes.
Bambi was no longer content with conventional weapons, beginning to wantonly create bombs and launch them towards Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
However, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's speed was too fast; the bombs simply couldn't catch him.
Thus, innocent buildings suffered.
Seeing this, even with Haschwalth's excellent temperament, he couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed at this moment.
He thought a Shinigami had attacked, but it turned out to be… an internal conflict.
He let out a low growl: "Enough!"
"Stop it, both of you!"
The moment his voice fell, Bambi scoffed in dissatisfaction.
Although she was extremely reluctant to stop, Haschwalth was the Commander and possessed the authority to execute any Sternritter.
However, even though her body stopped in mid-air and she ceased using her ability, a raging fire still burned in Bambi's eyes.
She stared intently at Yoriichi Tsugikuni, her face full of anger mixed with a hint of apprehension.
...This kid, I miscalculated.
A country bumpkin, yet his speed could rival a Sternritter like herself.
Before, if she had heard this, she would have dismissed it as a joke.
But now, this joke was playing out right before her eyes...
She couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't fought for too long, leading to a decline in her strength... otherwise, it made no sense.
Who exactly was a member of the Sternritter?!
Thump, thump.
Haschwalth stepped forward, his stern gaze sweeping over Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Bambi.
His gaze lingered on Yoriichi for a moment, but he still spoke in a calm tone, slowly saying:
"Tell me, what happened? Who is this kid? Is he worth you using your explosions against him?"
"Bambi, do you still remember what I said before?"
Upon hearing this, the anger on Bambi's face instantly vanished without a trace.
She forced herself to maintain her composure, descended from the sky, stomped her right foot on the ground, and loudly declared in a somewhat sharp tone:
"I'm not afraid of you, Haschwalth! It's just that I can't use my Sternritter in Silver Frame City!"
"But I'm the Lord of the City! This kid defied me, so can't I teach him a lesson?!"
"How did he defy you? Tell me in detail. I don't need anyone to fear me."
Haschwalth's tone remained calm; he merely gave Bambi a quiet look.
"I just want to tell you, if your use of your Sternritter causes this city to collapse, His Majesty will certainly not let you off lightly."
"I don't want to hear your explanation now. Just tell me the result. Who is he?"
"Just an ordinary Quincy."
"Ordinary?" Haschwalth raised an eyebrow. He really wanted to ask if Bambi misunderstood the word "ordinary."
But the words caught in his throat, and he simply asked blandly:
"An ordinary Quincy can fight you to a draw? Bambi, that joke isn't funny."
"I don't need you to find it funny; this is the truth."
Bambi replied earnestly, using Haschwalth's own words to retort.
Then, changing the subject, "So I think he must be a spy sent by the Shinigami!"
"Let's team up and capture him!"
"Don't let him get away!"
As she spoke, Bambi's aura changed, showing signs of wanting to fight again.
"?"
Seeing this, Yoriichi Tsugikuni secretly frowned.
This woman…
"Do you think I'd believe that?"
Before he could think further, Haschwalth's calm voice sounded again,
"I saw it just now; he used the Quincy-exclusive Hirenkyaku, and his combat methods were all reishi convergence."
"Even if you want to frame him, you should find a better reason."
"Bambi, you're truly regressing. You need to use such methods to deal with a Quincy."
"It seems… years of leisurely life have significantly diminished your mindset…"
"Perhaps… I should find an opportunity to suggest to His Majesty to strip you of your Sternritter status."
"You!" At these words, Bambi's face changed drastically.
She never expected Haschwalth to say such a thing.
Who exactly was a member of the Sternritter?!
Unbelievable!
You, the Commander, are not siding with me, but with an outsider… Bambi gritted her teeth, her face twisted as she said:
"You can't do this; you'll regret it!"
"I am the Commander." Haschwalth glanced at her, his calm face filled with a sense of matter-of-factness.
However, a hint of helplessness flashed in his heart.
Sorry, Bambi.
He knew clearly that this behavior was favoritism towards an outsider, but who could blame him when Yoriichi Tsugikuni's current use of Tokito Iwákatsu's face was so misleading?
The first time he saw him, Haschwalth thought he was seeing Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Although the hair color, eye color, appearance, and temperament were all different, and he didn't have that transcendent feeling...
But what if it really was him?
He had gone to such lengths to disguise himself and infiltrate, and you exposed him...
Who would suffer in the end? Did it need to be stated clearly?
For Bambi's safety, he could only put her in a difficult position today.
Even if it was later discovered that it wasn't Yoriichi Tsugikuni, but someone with a similar face,
it was better than gambling on that slim hope of survival right now.
Bambi did not know Haschwalth's thoughts, so she naturally did not understand his painstaking efforts.
She only felt incredibly wronged.
Although Haschwalth didn't say it explicitly, she knew that if she didn't back down today, she would definitely not get through this.
Haschwalth always kept his word.
But…
Why should she be the one to back down?
She clenched her fists, veins bulging on the back of her hands, wanting to retort several times, to say things like, "So what if you're the Commander?"
But the words caught in her throat and she swallowed them back.
That's right, the Commander was a big deal. If she dared to retort today, she would die by Seeleschneider tomorrow.
In Silver Frame City, there was no shortage of Quincies eager to possess a Sternritter.
Thinking of this, Bambi took a deep breath, and with the mentality of having to bow her head when under someone else's roof, she gritted her teeth and conceded:
"I was wrong, Haschwalth. Please don't strip me of my Sternritter."
"As long as you let me go, I will agree to whatever you want."
It was good that she knew she was wrong; this was not slander. Using a Sternritter inherently violated the rules.
But Haschwalth did not say these words, so as not to provoke Bambi again.
He thought for a moment and replied:
"You don't need to apologize to me; I'm not the one you conflicted with. You should apologize to this gentleman."
He pointed at Yoriichi Tsugikuni,
"I haven't forgotten that you just now slandered him to shift the blame."
Whether it was slander or not, it could not be conclusively determined yet.
However, the moment Bambi heard this, she nearly exploded, trembling all over.
Fortunately, she knew that she was the one in the wrong, because she had indeed instigated this battle.
To quickly dispel Haschwalth's inexplicable attitude towards her,
Bambi reluctantly bowed her head to Yoriichi Tsugikuni:
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have slandered you. Look, regarding today's matter, can we just let it go?"
"I will make appropriate compensation. Please forgive me."
As soon as these words left her mouth, Bambi felt incredibly mortified. The shame and indignation in her heart burned like fire, making her angrier the more she thought about it.
But for her life, she endured it! A little impatience spoils great plans.
However, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, directly opposite her, had a different attitude.
Slander? Was it slander? The problem was, he really was a Shinigami.
He secretly frowned in his heart.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni fell into a long silence…
He suddenly couldn't understand this world anymore.