Though the moment the main forces lost all contact with the Wandenreich, every remaining Quincy harbored a grim premonition, the sight of a battered Bert standing before them confirmed their worst fears. The patrol team of Quincy erupted into chaos.

One Quincy soldier staggered back, murmuring, "Does that mean His Majesty…?"

"Impossible!"

The words ignited a firestorm among the gathered Quincy.

Before anyone could speak further, a radiant arrow pierced the temple of the first to voice doubt. The body crumpled heavily to the ground.

Silence fell.

The Quincy captain, stowing his spirit bow, swept an icy gaze over the group. His voice was cold as frost. "Those who disrupt our resolve will die."

"From this moment, no one speaks out of turn."

"Escort Bert-sama back to the palace. Now."

His decisive command steadied the faltering morale, pulling the group back from the brink.

Yet, the captain's own heart churned with unease. Could the Almighty Yhwach… have fallen?

The mere thought sent sweat beading at his temples.

If true, would the Shinigami spare them?

With this weighing on him, the captain quickened his pace, nearly rushing to the side of Bert, whose half-charred body stood motionless.

"Bert-sama, please-"

Before he could finish, a faint, low female voice echoed from within Bert's form. "Summon… all the Sternritter… to audience…"

The captain froze, his face twisting in disbelief. His gaze on Bert shifted.

Whose voice was that?

Before he could process it, 'Bert' lifted his head mechanically, staring into the distance. "Hm?"

As if sensing a fleeting existence, he shook his head. A heavy pulse of Reiatsu emanated from within.

In that brief pause, dozens of figures materialized on the open ground.

The captain, who had been the first to arrive, gaped in astonishment. If his senses were correct…

This Reiatsu… was His Majesty's?

Indeed.

The Sternritter, now assembled, knelt in unison, facing 'Bert' with reverent voices. "...We welcome Your Majesty."

At the forefront knelt Jugram, the golden-haired youth whose unparalleled prowess was unmatched. His expression remained stoic, unshaken by the anomaly of His Majesty's appearance.

In contrast, the reserve Sternritter behind him betrayed faint traces of disbelief. As high-ranking Quincy, they understood what Yhwach's presence in this form signified.

The Lichtreich… had fallen?

The realization struck many with a hollow emptiness, as if reality hadn't fully settled.

But Yhwach, in this moment, had no time for their turmoil. Like a dying ember flaring one last time, she mustered the final threads of her strength, her Reiatsu subtly altering Bert's broken form.

Before all eyes, the scarred, charred giant transformed into a petite, pale-skinned girl with black hair and cat-like ears.

"?"

The gathered Quincy blinked in confusion, voices rising instinctively.

"Your Majesty?!"

"That's… drastic."

"What is this?"

Yet Yhwach, drained of strength, could not answer. She staggered forward, each step a labor, moving toward the man kneeling at the forefront.

"From this day, Jugram Haschwalt." She said, her voice faint as a breeze, barely audible. "You are… the emperor's deputy."

"Beware… the man named Makoto Fujimiya."

"Preserve… the Quincy's spark."

"Survive!"

Her power flickered like dust in the wind, her form shifting from solid to ethereal, her body dissolving into black flames that burned and faded in the air.

Jugram's head snapped up. Behind him, the Sternritter mirrored his shock.

"Your Majesty!"

Yhwach did not turn. She stood quietly, extending a delicate hand to rest gently on Jugram's golden hair, like a mother's touch.

"...I shall return."

The moment those words fell, Yhwach's form, long since perished, scattered like dandelion seeds, her Reishi dissolving into fine motes that vanished from sight.

All that remained was a group of stunned youths.

As the cat-eared girl faded, a haunting prophecy lingered in the air, its cadence like a flute's mournful song:

"Your strength is my strength."

"Your body is my body."

"Your will is my will."

"...I shall return."

Yet the lofty chant, paired with the image of a cat-eared girl straight from a painting, rendered the scene oddly comical, undermining its gravity.

Even after Yhwach's form vanished, many stood frozen, bewildered.

Bazz-B, dazed, muttered, "Was that little girl really… His Majesty?"

Askin whispered, "That's… fatally unexpected, Your Majesty."

Bambietta's eyes widened. "Wait, was that her true form just now?"

"Who did he fight to end up like this?!"

"And who's this Makoto Fujimiya?"

"There's no Shinigami captain by that name, right?"

Most others, however, wore grim expressions, far from Bambietta's carefree shock. The Lichtreich, had been built around Yhwach alone. Without their omniscient core, these 'tools' of his creation were left directionless, like headless flies.

"Hey, why don't we just disband?" Gremmy suggested, hands in his pockets, tone careless. "And before we go, can someone get me out of this cage?"

As the 'Brain of the Soul King,' Gremmy had no stake in Yhwach's ambitions. He existed only as Yhwach's creation, bound by obedience. Even now, his true form remained locked in a special barrier prison deep beneath the Wandenreich, this body merely a projection of his imagination.

"…"

His words stirred the group, many quietly considering the idea.

Though His Majesty had perished, the Sternritter still lived.

The power he had bestowed upon them through his soul's sharing did not vanish with his death.

Before becoming Quincy, most of them had been ordinary people, scraping by in unfulfilling lives. Now, they were not only free but wielded power unmatched in the living world.

If they could return to the World of the Living, wouldn't that be better than lingering in this shadowed, suffocating realm?

Yet Jugram, newly appointed as the emperor's deputy, turned slowly, his gaze piercing those wavering with such thoughts. His voice was calm, almost serene. "Do you think you can escape?"

The words halted everyone in their tracks.

"Hey, Jugram!" Bazz-B, his closest ally, snapped, brows furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean? The Lichtreich's done for! Are the Shinigami really going to hunt down every last one of us?"

"Naive." Jugram replied, his tone cold as steel. "Why do you think His Majesty spoke with such certainty of his return?"

"Do you truly believe the power within us comes without a cost?"

"If even the Almighty Yhwach fell to the Shinigami, do you think they'd fail to see through this?"

The group froze, realization sinking in. Cold sweat beaded down their backs.

Askin drew a sharp breath. "That's… fatally serious."

"But!" Bazz-B gritted his teeth, defiant. "Are we supposed to just wait here in the shadows until His Majesty rises again? Hide for the rest of our lives?"

"No." Jugram said, shaking his head. "If the Shinigami are as formidable as I suspect, even this place…"

Before he could finish, a faint tremor reverberated through the shadowed world at the heart of the Wandenreich. The sound grew, spreading like ripples.

"No… way." Liltotto muttered, her lips twitching as dread took hold.

In that moment, the remaining Sternritter harbored no further doubts about Jugram's judgment. All eyes turned to him, awaiting his command.

Jugram exhaled slowly. "All members, prepare to relocate."

Gerard's face tightened. "But… where can we go?"

Indeed. If the Shinigami had uncovered their sanctuary within the Soul Society's shadows, where could they hide?

"Jugram!" Bazz-B's eyes blazed, fists clenched. "Give the order! We'll fight them!"

"Exactly!" another shouted. "At least we'll go down swinging!"

In their leaderless panic, rationality crumbled. The sudden loss of Yhwach, their pillar, coupled with this imminent threat, drove most to recklessness.

Rumble!

The shadowed expanse of the Wandenreich quivered, like a lake disturbed by a stone's throw.

Only Jugram remained composed.

"To Hueco Mundo." He declared.

…

Months later, in an open clearing.

Makoto stood with eyes closed, his focus absolute.

Nearby, Saito lounged, bored, observing the young man as he attuned himself to the power of Hollows. Her gaze lingered on his striking features, a faint distraction tugging at her thoughts.

This idiot…

When he's quiet, he's almost handsome, she mused.

As the thought crossed her mind, wisps of pure white flame, delicate as willow catkins, gathered around Makoto. They swirled, coalescing with effort into the shape of a staff in his hands.

His body subtly shifted during the process, faint changes rippling across him.

Every detail was meticulously recorded by Senjumaru, stationed nearby.

Then, Makoto's eyes snapped open. "Saito, here it comes!"

Before she could respond, a surge of Hollow energy erupted from him, rising like a beacon of smoke, spiraling upward.

In an instant, his form vanished from the spot.

Saito blinked, startled.

Thud.

Makoto crashed into her, burying himself in her soft embrace, his cheek nuzzling against her.

"Hey, idiot!" She protested. "Don't hold so tight!"

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

Despite her loud complaints, she made no move to shove him away, letting him take advantage. Her face bore a resigned what am I going to do with you expression.

Her eyes occasionally flicked toward Senjumaru, still snapping photos. Doing this in front of someone else felt… awkward.

But… being held like this wasn't so bad.

If it was this idiot.

Saito turned her head, fingers grazing her flushed cheeks.

Rub! Rub!

"Hey! Jerk!" She yelped. "Who said you could slip your hands in there?!"

A dainty footprint promptly adorned Makoto's face.

Saito's cheeks burned as she adjusted her disheveled clothes, glaring at him fiercely before glancing nervously at Senjumaru.

Thankfully, she hadn't noticed.

Saito exhaled in relief.

But the next second, Senjumaru's cool voice cut through. "Until my investigation is complete, I'd appreciate if you'd restrain your… affectionate impulses."

"For the sake of optimal procreation in my research, I don't recommend advancing to reproductive stages just yet."

Saito jumped as if stung, her voice shrill with embarrassment. "W-Who said anything about having kids so soon?!"

"We haven't gone that far!"

"Who told you that?!"

Senjumaru, unfazed, continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Also, Makoto-kun."

"That negative dimension in the Soul Society you mentioned to the Captain-Commander, a potential Quincy hideout? The Spatial Detection Division recently located it."

"It was empty."

She looked up at the young man, now rising from the ground. "Any ideas?"

"Hm?" Makoto rubbed his cheek, pausing in thought.

At last, the first divergence from the original story, sparked by his presence, a singularity, had emerged.

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

***

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