The figures of Uryū Ishida and Haschwalth disappeared into the shadows of the corridor.
Giselle and Liltotto exchanged a glance — neither of them was quite sure what kind of temperament this newly arrived Soifon actually had...
Though anyone who can talk to Haschwalth like that is definitely no pushover.
— Giselle
Don't forget — she still hasn't received His Majesty's blood or obtained a Schrift yet.
— Liltotto
Just as the two were debating how to strike up a conversation with Soifon, Bambietta came strutting over with an arrogant swagger and planted herself directly in front of Soifon.
"Hey, newbie. I'm Bambietta Basterbine — captain of the female knight corps."
"From now on, I'll be the one looking out for you! But first..."
"You need to acknowledge me as your captain, got it? From now on, you'll do exactly as I say—!"
Bambietta drew out that last syllable, extending a finger to press it against the tip of Soifon's nose.
Not far away, Liltotto and Giselle both widened their eyes simultaneously. The lollipop in Liltotto's mouth shattered with a sharp crunch; Giselle merely shrugged, wearing an expression of undisguised schadenfreude.
Two people who both looked like serious trouble — what kind of sparks would fly when they collided?
Soifon lowered her gaze to look at the hand Bambietta had extended in front of her face.
All that followed was a sharp snap.
Soifon slapped Bambietta's hand aside and stepped past her shoulder, continuing forward. "I'm not interested in playing house with you. Don't bother me."
In an instant, the smile on Bambietta's exquisite face only grew more "radiant" — yet in stark contrast to that gorgeous smile, her wide-open eyes burned with a murderous intent that sent chills down the spine.
"You... what did you just say?"
That sickly-sweet voice rang out at Soifon's back.
From further away, the spectating Liltotto pulled Giselle back along with her.
Oh no, oh no — that expression on Bambi's face. She's definitely about to blow.
— She went and started trouble with the new girl herself. Serves her right.
Soifon had already taken two steps forward, paying the question no heed whatsoever, not even bothering to turn around.
The next second, a grating hum of spirit particles detonated through the air.
Bambietta's right palm condensed a fist-sized orb of blue light, which she hurled with full force into the floor three steps ahead of Soifon.
BOOM—!!
The blast shook the entire hall. The pale floor was blasted into a scorched black crater two meters across; thick smoke laced with superheated pressure swept outward in every direction, and the stone shards launched by the explosion embedded themselves deep into the surrounding walls — their force nothing to take lightly.
Bambietta blew on her smoking palm, the corners of her lips curling into a smile that was almost cruel.
"You should be grateful..."
She fixed her gaze on Soifon's silhouette, still wreathed in dispersing smoke. "...that you're someone His Majesty personally requested. Otherwise, what just got blown apart wouldn't have been the floor — it would've been your skull, newbie."
The surrounding shadows began to stir. Several Sternritter figures converged before the Sun Gate, watching the spectacle with amused interest.
The smoke gradually cleared.
Soifon was standing exactly where she had been. Within half a meter of her feet, the floor was completely undamaged — forming a stark, jarring contrast with the ruined and shattered ground all around her.
"That's..."
"External Blut Vene!"
Of all those present, only Lille Barro and Haschwalth had clearly seen how Soifon had defended against the explosion.
External Blut Vene — an advanced application of Blut Vene, a technique that not a single member of the Sternritter had ever managed to execute.
Has she grown even stronger in just these past ten-odd years...
Even as he marveled at Soifon's formidable power, Haschwalth suddenly registered something and bellowed: "Stand down—!"
The next instant, Soifon's figure vanished from where she stood.
Thud——!
A fist wreathed in pale golden Spiritual Pressure had already punched clean through Bambietta's abdomen, leaving behind a horrifying, gaping hole.
Blood gushed out like a burst dam.
Bambietta's eyes went perfectly round. A wet, gurgling cough tore from her throat as torrents of blood erupted from her mouth, her body going limp and pitching forward.
"You should be grateful," Soifon said, looking down at Bambi writhing in agony on the ground, "that I came here to join you. Otherwise, what just got punched through wouldn't be your stomach — it would've been your skull, Bambietta."
With that, she raised her head. Her gaze swept over the Sternritter members who had emerged from the shadows, and wherever her eyes fell, several of them instinctively retreated half a step.
Soifon's gaze finally came to rest on a specific shadow.
"Gigi." She called out a name. "Come out and patch her up."
Stepping forward with clear reluctance, Gigi let out a long sigh. He casually seized a nearby holy soldier standing on standby — and before the unfortunate man could even process what was happening, his arm had already been torn clean off.
"Honestly, little Bambi just can't stop causing trouble, can she..."
Gripping the severed arm, Gigi used his Schrift ability to layer the flesh and muscle over the gaping wound in Bambietta's abdomen, gradually sealing her injuries shut.
Soifon continued forward a few more steps — then stopped. She had suddenly realized she didn't actually know her way around the Wandenreich.
She turned slowly around. Her gaze drifted over Giselle and Liltotto, who were still rooted to the spot in shock.
That gaze was perfectly calm — yet both women simultaneously felt a chill shoot straight up their spines, cold sweat instantly soaking through the lining of their uniforms.
Soifon looked at them.
"You two..."
"Weren't you going to show me around?"
"Why aren't you moving?"
Thump. Thump. Thud—
Liltotto and Giselle's faces fell. Now even they, the bystander spectators, had gotten swept up in this.
"Coming, coming..."
"Here — consider it a welcome gift."
Leading Giselle up to Soifon, Liltotto dug through her pocket and produced a lollipop, holding it out to Soifon.
It was plain to see just how much psychological damage Soifon's single punch had inflicted on these two girls — centuries old though they were. Even the notoriously possessive Liltotto had suddenly become willing to share.
"Thank you..." Soifon regarded her for a few seconds, then reached out and took the lollipop, tucking it into her pocket. "Though I don't particularly like sweets."
Those words immediately filled Liltotto with regret — but she didn't have the nerve to ask Soifon if she could have it back.
The architecture of the Wandenreich was plain and utilitarian to the point of tedium. Giselle walked alongside Soifon, introducing a streetscape that was almost entirely uniform — the only way to tell one street from another was by the names and numbers carved into the buildings themselves.
Giselle was pointing toward a square hall in the distance that looked no different from the rest of the structures, introducing it as the Sternritter's shared training ground. Liltotto, for her part, was idly licking her lollipop, chiming in occasionally with a word or two.
It was at that moment that Haschwalth's figure appeared soundlessly before the three of them.
"Miss Soifon." He gave a slight nod of his head. "His Majesty has issued an order, summoning all Sternritter members to assemble in the main hall. Additionally, His Majesty wishes to formally receive Miss Soifon."
Haschwalth made a gesture of "please" toward Soifon, then turned to lead the way.
...
The Wandenreich — the Main Hall.
A palace of overwhelming, breathtaking grandeur unfolded before them. Along both walls, pale blue spirit particle flames burned and flickered, casting the entire space in a cold, ethereal light.
At the base of the throne, flanked on both sides, the Sternritter members had already taken their positions in formation.
When Soifon's figure appeared at the entrance to the palace, every Sternritter turned their gaze toward her. Giselle and Liltotto had already swiftly returned to their respective places in line.
Haschwalth escorted Soifon forward, one step at a time, toward that colossal throne. Each footfall echoed through the vast, empty hall with peculiar clarity.
When they were still ten paces from the throne, Haschwalth stopped. He dropped to his right knee, placed his left hand over his chest, and bowed his head.
"Your Majesty — Soifon has been brought."
The throne was built atop a raised dais of steps, carved entirely from some pale-white stone. Pale blue spirit particle flames blazed on either side, enveloping the seated figure in shifting, dancing light and shadow.
Yhwach rested his chin on one hand, the other draped casually over the armrest. His red eyes slowly opened within the shadows, his gaze descending the steps to fall upon the approaching Soifon.
Soifon did not kneel. She simply raised her head, calm and composed, to meet the gaze from atop the throne.
That near-defiant posture enraged most of the Sternritter present.
Haschwalth tilted his head with a note of displeasure: "Miss Soifon... when appearing before His Majesty, you are expected to kneel."
Soifon appeared not to hear him, her gaze remaining locked with the figure on the throne.
On the throne, Yhwach slowly straightened himself. The hand resting on his chin lowered; his red eyes widened slightly — and for the first time, a discernible flicker of emotion stirred within them.
He raised one hand and pressed it gently downward. "That won't be necessary."
A few seconds later, he gestured to one side. An attendant carrying a pure silver chalice stepped forward.
Yhwach extended his right index finger, drew a shallow cut across it, and let a few drops of crimson blood fall into the cup.
"Drink the blood in this chalice, and the Quincy power hidden within your body will awaken."
The attendant presented the chalice to Soifon.
Soifon received it. She gazed down at those few drops of red blood, her brow furrowing slightly — she was about to refuse...
[Task Triggered: Schrift]
[Task Incomplete — You must drink the blood of the Progenitor]
[Purgeable blood detected. Purify and convert? Yes / No]
Purifying Yhwach's blood, huh? Interesting... you might as well just say it plainly.
Soifon didn't hesitate. She selected [Yes].
A dim flash of light flickered through the cup. The blood vanished for a split second — then welled up anew from the bottom of the chalice, now carrying a faint, exotic fragrance.
No one but Soifon noticed the change in the chalice's contents.
Without a moment's hesitation, she tilted her head back and drained it in one long swallow.
The instant the liquid slid down her throat, it was like swallowing a living flame — a sensation of being ignited from the very deepest core of her spirit body. An invisible wave of energy rippled outward with Soifon at its center.
[Task Completed]
[Reward Obtained: Schrift A (Assassin)]
Inside the palace, every Sternritter member raised their head at once.
This was the omen of a Schrift awakening — and the intensity of it... was terrifyingly high.
On the throne, Yhwach slowly sat upright.
The hand beneath his chin lowered. His red eyes widened slightly, and within them — for the very first time — a clear, unmistakable emotional stir appeared.
"...Another Schrift A..."
____
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