While Bambi said that, Yoriichi stood calmly to the side, as if the detestable Shinigami she mentioned had nothing to do with him.
Prejudice has been formed for a long time, and it is truly difficult to change it.
Currently, the only thing he could do was to investigate everything as thoroughly as possible during this period and then prevent the outbreak of war to the greatest extent.
Bambi left with her dessert after complaining, and soon it was the evening of the first day.
As Bambi said, the members of the Female Knight Squad did not give up.
Perhaps it was driven by the orders of others, or perhaps it was their own subjective will.
Someone quietly crept into his room under the cover of night.
Fortunately, Yoriichi had foresight and decisively moved out of that place in the evening; otherwise, it would have caused another small disturbance and accumulated more resentment.
The night passed peacefully.
In the following days, incidents of enemies attacking Wandenreich frequently occurred.
Gremmy seemed to be trying to rationalize the appearance of the cracks, so not all of the enemies he created were thrown into Silver Frame City; instead, they were dispersed to other cities.
For this reason, Bambietta ran back and forth with her soldiers every day.
Fortunately, with the help of other Female Knight Squad members, their actions were not chaotic.
But even so, because the enemies were too strong, Bambietta was injured every day.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni saw all of this clearly.
He knew this was a method similar to boiling a frog in warm water, intended to continuously lower Bambietta's vigilance.
Anyone from outside could see the problem, yet Yoriichi chose not to warn her.
Because it was meaningless, Gremmy was the "authority" in this regard, and he was just a small adjutant.
Time quietly passed day by day.
By the morning of the seventh day.
As the last day of her guard duty, Bambietta's face was full of smiles.
Recalling the experiences of the past two weeks,
she seemed to have already envisioned her leisurely and comfortable days back in Inner Silver Frame City.
However, when she remembered that Tokito Iwákatsu would also be returning with her, her smile unconsciously tightened a bit, and her gaze shifted slightly.
Unsurprisingly, Tokito Iwákatsu would be granted his Sternritter tonight.
Just thinking about it was annoying.
She could still bully him with her status now, but tomorrow...
No.
To not be outdone, she had to do everything she hadn't done before, today.
For example…
"Cough." Inside the Lord's Mansion, Tokito Iwákatsu suddenly let out a light cough, interrupting Bambietta's thoughts.
"Don't get distracted, Lord, today is the last day, and theoretically, it's also the time when we need to be most vigilant."
"It's unclear where those enemies will appear, but please be prepared for battle."
Bambietta came back to her senses, her expression somewhat displeased.
Perhaps because her thoughts were interrupted or for some other reason, she said discontentedly:
"Nagging, that's what I hate most about you."
"They're just some enemies, what's there to worry about? They should be the ones worrying."
"This is Quincy territory."
"Even if a Shinigami or Hollow attacks, what then?"
"At that time, I will let you witness the true power of my Lord Bambi!"
You didn't say that before…
Yoriichi Tsugikuni suddenly recalled the scene from a few days ago when Bambietta was pinned to the ground and brutally beaten by a Hollow, then emotionally collapsed and became furiously enraged.
Everything about a Hollow was a fatal poison to a Quincy.
So, after the battle, Bambietta, having absorbed some reishi from the Hollow, was in excruciating pain and couldn't help but cry.
Even if it was just quiet sobbing, her previous queenly image was completely ruined.
It was from this incident that Yoriichi understood.
To make Bambietta stop her abusive behavior towards others, she had to personally experience that pain.
Therefore, in subsequent battles, Yoriichi rarely helped her.
As a result, her disheveled side was seen multiple times.
She became increasingly annoyed.
She really wanted to vent but didn't want to lose face in front of her subordinates, so she could only pretend not to notice and endured it.
She kept enduring until today, having gone through more than a dozen battles, big and small, and gradually got used to it.
But getting used to it doesn't mean accepting it.
Seeing the expression on Tokito Iwákatsu's face at this moment, she once again expressed her dissatisfaction.
She slammed the table.
Bang.
"What, did I say something wrong? Don't underestimate me, Vice-Captain Tokito."
"Once I unleash my full power, let alone ordinary Shinigami, I can even kill Captain-level figures for you to see!"
As she was speaking, as if to prove her words,
at the same time, outside Silver Frame City, an unprecedentedly powerful spiritual pressure suddenly erupted.
Boom!
This spiritual pressure alone, as it swept through, made everything around them tremble precariously.
Even the Lord's Mansion, which could withstand Sternritter bombardments, began to shake violently.
Clatter.
Bambietta's words had just fallen when, affected by this powerful spiritual pressure, her face instantly turned pale.
Immediately after, she suddenly turned around, an undisguised look of shock in her eyes.
"This is… how is this possible!"
Thump, thump, thump… Her heart pounded wildly.
She found it somewhat hard to believe what was happening before her eyes.
—Why… at this critical moment.
The intensity of this spiritual pressure far exceeded the strongest person she had ever seen in her life.
Is it a Shinigami!?
Tokito Iwákatsu also showed appropriate solemnity at this moment.
—It's not an act.
He was indeed somewhat surprised, because this intensity was comparable to some top-tier Vasto Lorde.
Considering that one Vasto Lorde requires two to three Captains to defeat.
In other words, without Bambietta using her Vollständig,
this enemy could even easily decimate Silver Frame City.
Is the big show about to begin?
The moment the thought fell, that spiritual pressure rapidly approached.
Along with it were several relatively smaller spiritual pressures.
Before long, the two heard the Quincies in the city resisting with all their might, followed by screams.
Bambietta could no longer sit still; she immediately moved without hesitation.
Tokito Iwákatsu followed behind.
After the two went out and looked up, they finally saw who the enemy was.
At this moment, Tokito Iwákatsu's face showed a truly serious expression.
Because… he saw "himself."
…
"Hey! Where did these guys come from? Why are they so powerful!"
On the other battlefield, some "Shinigami" launched a complete massacre on Silver Frame City, aiming to create a convincing deception.
Gigi was struck by a blade on his shoulder, the sharp edge almost piercing into his abdomen, and blood spurted out.
Logically, this should have been a fatal blow.
A normal person suffering such an attack should fall to the ground, dead on the spot.
However, Gigi was not like that.
As if he hadn't been struck, not only did his face show no sign of pain, but he also observed these Shinigami with great interest.
Blood splattered on them, and he had intended to use it to make them fight each other.
But he never expected that his ability…
had failed…?
Gigi's expression instantly changed.
His Sternritter was called "The Zombie," which, as the name suggests, allowed him to turn others into zombies and then control them in battle.
Since acquiring this ability, he had never encountered a situation where it failed…
What was going on now?
Boom!
Meninas casually sent a Shinigami flying.
The moment her fist collided with flesh, she noticed something was off.
Stopping in place, she carefully recalled, muttering to herself:
"Indeed, these guys appeared too suddenly, and are they really Shinigami?"
"Never mind that they can't release their Zanpakuto, their spiritual bodies are also so loose…"
"They feel like someone forcibly pieced them together with a bunch of disordered reishi."
"Liltotto, what do you think?"
Liltotto Lamperd was the strategist among them, and her appearance was somewhat horrifying at the moment.
Her mouth detached from her face, stretching wide like soft playdough, and she bit a charging Shinigami in half, chewing a few times.
She spat.
"Disgusting."
She mumbled, a look of disgust on her face, one hand on her hip, her gaze vigilantly scanning her surroundings.
Hearing Meninas's question, she nodded slightly:
"You're right, they're not real Shinigami; they taste completely different from the Shinigami I've eaten before."
"I probably know where they came from. That bastard Gremmy…"
"What is he trying to do?"
Among the Female Knight Squad, only she had interacted with Gremmy, so she clearly knew the taste of what Gremmy created.
It was a sandy taste with rotten mud.
Hearing Gremmy's existence in Liltotto's words, Meninas frowned:
"Are you sure? Is everything here caused by him? Why would he do this? Did he betray His Majesty?"
"No." Liltotto stopped using her gluttony ability.
She just watched Candice wreak havoc on the battlefield, her voice sounding flat,
"Rather than saying he betrayed His Majesty, it's more like this is also part of His Majesty's plan."
"Don't forget, Silver Frame City was built by him according to His Majesty's will."
"To destroy it, there's no need for such a grand display; a single thought would be enough."
"In my opinion, the reason he fantasized so many Shinigami must be to achieve certain goals, like testing certain people…"
"We just happened to catch up."
"That incident six days ago…"
Recalling the scene of their actions six days ago, Liltotto spat,
"That bastard, he hides so well; he still refuses to tell us the truth even now."
"Gremmy, if you're nearby, come out quickly, or I'll get angry."
She shouted into the surrounding void.
Her tone was somewhat willful.
After a moment of silence, Gremmy, feeling helpless, had no choice but to appear.
Seeing this.
"Tch, you're finally here. Tell me."
"With such a grand display, who exactly do you want to test? Bambi? Or her adjutant?"
Liltotto was slightly displeased.
As a strategist, the moment Gremmy appeared, she knew her guess was largely correct.
Whether it was herself or those around her, they were all victims of this incident.
It was so infuriating!
It was only because they possessed Sternritter and were far enough from the center of the battlefield.
Otherwise, they would undoubtedly have died here like those ordinary Quincies.
Gremmy nodded gently, acknowledging Liltotto's words.
He pulled at his hood with one hand and said,
"It's that adjutant. This is also for His Majesty's safety."
"You haven't been outside before, so you don't know that there are Shinigami out there who can completely wipe us out."
"I know, isn't it that guy from last time who caused Haschwalth to lose troops and also caused Bazz-B to lose his life?"
Liltotto listened to Gremmy's explanation, expressionlessly pulling a lollipop from her pocket and calmly putting it into her mouth.
Despite her confusion, she tried to keep her voice steady and asked slowly, "What, he still hasn't been dealt with?"
"Are you saying he's Bambietta Basterbine's adjutant?"
"Even if that's the case, there's no need for such a large-scale operation."
"An uninformed person would think that in front of him, the lives of us Sternritter members are worthless."
"Is it necessary to be so extreme?"
...Gremmy was silent for a moment.
He, who had always been oblivious to what 'heavy' meant, seemed to be experiencing a heavy feeling.
He gazed into the distance and slowly revealed a truth: "Yes."
"I'm not sure how you all viewed Haschwalth's previous failure."
"Before, I scoffed at it, thinking that a mere Shinigami could be killed without even needing to use a single finger."
"But after meeting him, I realized that imagination also has its limits."
"I cannot imagine him fully... No, I cannot even imagine a part of him."
That's interesting; it sounds like Gremmy tried to imagine him but failed...
Liltotto frowned and pressed, "What exactly happened?"
"Is he really that powerful, so much so that even your imagination can't affect him?"
"What's the situation with the unfamiliar reishi over at Silver Frame City now? Did you create that too?"
"And Haschwalth? Since you all knew about this so early, why didn't you tell us?"
"Or are you saying that you think so many of us combined aren't his match?"
Gremmy's inadvertent condescension made her quite annoyed.
If it weren't for her slight affection for Gremmy, she would have already started hitting him.
What does twenty-six Sternritter members mean?
This doesn't even include those Quincy who clearly possess Sternritter-level strength but failed to obtain a Sternritter due to certain issues.
If these people were to act together, overthrowing the entire Seireitei would be as easy as flipping a hand.
"...I can only say, he is even more powerful than I imagined."
Gremmy was silent for a while, about to speak thusly.
Suddenly.
As Bambietta's reishi erupted in the air, he clearly perceived the situation on the other side of the battlefield.
He looked sideways.
Clang!
Tens of kilometers away, a gigantic clock tower suddenly appeared, and the Sternritter [The Explode] was activated.
Liltotto's face changed in surprise at the sudden movement.
Gremmy's voice continued to ring in her ears: "You see, Bambietta's opponent is the person I imagined."
"Because he is too powerful, even if I exhaust all my imagination, I cannot fully materialize his strength."
"Currently, he is probably only slightly above Yamamoto Genryusai's level."
"It's unclear what percentage of his full strength this is, but even so, he is absolutely not an opponent you can handle."
"Now, do you still think I'm looking down on you?"
Gremmy took a few steps forward, coming beside Liltotto, and spoke some extremely cruel words in an unusually calm tone: "Prepare for Bambietta's funeral."
"If."
"That guy doesn't plan to make a move."
Crunch—!
Liltotto bit through the candy in her mouth, her mind a chaotic mess as if a thousand alpacas were stampeding through it.
Now, she had only one thought: to escape, to escape at all costs, to escape as far as possible.
However, before escaping, she had to give Gremmy a good beating.
A few percent of his strength, and he's even stronger than Yamamoto Genryusai? Is that something a Quincy should say?
Without a doubt, Bambietta is doomed this time, and even activating her Vollständig will be useless.
Activating her Vollständig would at most only extend her death time from one second to three seconds.
Although Liltotto had never seen Yamamoto Genryusai.
But from historical records from a thousand years ago, to defeat Yhwach, he must have been a top-tier figure on par with Yhwach.
Stronger than Yamamoto Genryusai means stronger than Yhwach.
Bambietta vs. The Almighty Yhwach?
What a joke!
Be a human!
She clasped her forehead, sighed deeply, and said in a despairing tone, "Gremmy, tell me honestly, what are your plans after this?"
"If, and I mean if, Bambietta dies and the objective hasn't been achieved, will even we have to be sacrificed?"
She stared intently at Gremmy, her eyes full of questioning, "Is this Yhwach's will or Haschwalth's will?"
...Whose will it is, does it matter?"
Liltotto was stunned.
It doesn't matter.
Because if that person is truly so powerful, then sacrificing all the Sternritter members would be worth it.
Anyway, for Yhwach, they are merely Reserved food, and after death, they will be fed back, causing no waste whatsoever.
With this power, he can even create another batch of even stronger Sternritter members.
—How tragic.
Is this the end of my life?
Liltotto's desire to eat vanished without a trace for a moment.
The others, upon hearing the fate they were about to face, also changed their expressions.
Just as they were about to go all out and fight against fate.
Gremmy turned around and delivered some relatively good news: "Don't worry, members of the Female Knight Squad, I know what you're concerned about."
"Haschwalth has no intention of including you in the plan."
"Keeping you all still serves a purpose for Yhwach."
"Therefore, only Bambietta will be sacrificed this time."
"Now..."
As Gremmy spoke, his gaze once again turned to the center of the battlefield, his originally calm tone now tinged with an unprecedented solemnity, "If you don't leave now, it will be too late. Bambietta has already fallen, just one step away from death."
"If her death cannot make Yoriichi Tsugikuni act, everything here will likely be completely destroyed."
"You all... take care of yourselves."
Having said that.
Gremmy vanished from their sight and returned to the Inner Silver Frame City.
Since his imagination was exhausted, he had fewer and fewer clones, and they absolutely could not be affected by the battle.
As for these Female Knight Squad members... he had already warned them.
If they weren't afraid of death and wanted to stay here, there was nothing he could do.
Anyway, the Wandenreich never lacked Quincy.
Liltotto had not expected Gremmy to slip away so quickly.
With a cautious mindset of 'better safe than sorry,' she immediately motioned for a few others to prepare to return.
However, Gigi refused.
The reason given was that the corpses on the ground were valuable materials, essential for him to become stronger.
Anyway, he wasn't afraid of death; after being modified by the Sternritter, he was already a living corpse, able to move even if his head fell off.
At worst, when those people started fighting, he would just lie in the pile of corpses and play dead.
This opportunity could not be missed.
Liltotto was helpless about this; although they were nominally a group, in reality, everyone was busy with their own affairs.
If she were to forcibly take Gigi away at this moment, he would probably resent her later.
Since he was determined to seek death, then let him be.
And so.
Liltotto left with a few others.
The surrounding Shinigami, due to Gremmy's appearance, had all gone to other places.
Gigi's eyes flickered when he saw no one around.
While listening to the wails from all directions, he watched the direction of the battle, a subtle smile appearing on his face: "Well, how can these ordinary corpses compare to little Bambi's?"
"It would be great if I could get the corpse of that Shinigami who surpasses Yamamoto Genryusai."
"Too bad it's Gremmy's imagined creature."
He chuckled twice, then Gigi eagerly set off immediately, humming a tune, his inner impulse hard to suppress.
For a very long time, he had wanted to turn Bambietta Basterbine into a zombie.
But he never found the opportunity.
Now.
The opportunity had finally arrived.
...Meanwhile, on the other side.
Bambietta lay weakly on the ground, blood gushing from her mouth like a bursting dam.
Her clothes were completely soaked in blood, every part of her body bore clear wounds, and her chest even had a large hole.
These were fatal injuries, but fortunately, her Quincy physique barely kept her alive.
Even so, she still looked pitiful, as if she could perish at any moment.
She clenched her fists tightly, wanting to fight back against the enemy above.
But every time she tried to exert force, her body felt as if it were pressed down by a huge rock, unable to stand up.
Her spine was shattered.
The wings on her back also showed clear signs of disintegration due to severe injuries.
Damn it...
She cursed in her heart, but no amount of anger helped.
At this moment, she could only barely raise her head, looking at her adjutant who seemed to be scared stiff nearby, and shouted: "Hey, hurry up and go! What are you standing there for, stupid?!"
"Do you want to lose your life with me?!"
"As your superior, I order you, you absolutely cannot die here! Go tell Haschwalth that an enemy has attacked!"
If she weren't the strongest person here, she wouldn't be on the front lines of the battle.
It's just that Bambietta hadn't expected the enemy to be so strong, easily shattering her Vollständig in just a few moves...
She couldn't even buy time.
It was too humiliating.
Now, she could only place her last hope on Haschwalth's support.
Unfortunately.
Long after her words fell, she did not see Tokito Iwákatsu make any move.
As the one in the sky was about to deliver the finishing blow, she thought she would die without a whole body.
Unexpectedly, the next second, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking the sunlight and also blocking the attack.
Boom!
The sound of an explosion rose and fell.
Then.
Even in such a critical situation.
Tokito Iwákatsu's calm voice seemed to carry a certain magic, inexplicably smoothing the ripples in her heart.
"My dictionary does not contain the word 'retreat'."
"Bambietta, this is no longer just about you, but..."
"Never mind."
"I will handle him. You stay here and don't move. Rest and recover from your injuries."
"As the City Lord, you've done enough."
"As long as you promise me not to abuse others from now on, no one but me can kill you today."
Whoosh!
The surrounding reishi quickly gathered, instantly forming a long sword shimmering with blue light.
Tokito Iwákatsu held it, slowly raising his eyes, "That includes you, my other half."