The Invisible Empire was shrouded in cold, as layers of hard frost covered the exterior of many of its palaces. The entire realm had fallen into a low-temperature environment.
Silbern, the imperial capital of the Invisible Empire, sat at its very center.
The throne in the capital's main hall was unoccupied—the King of the Quincy remained asleep in his private chambers.
These royal chambers lay just behind Silbern's bell tower, connected by a long, shadowy corridor.
At the end of that corridor stood Jugram Haschwalth, Captain of the Sternritter.
Since the moment thunderous, drum-like sounds echoed from His Majesty's chamber, Haschwalth had stood vigil here.
He had entered several times to check on the situation, yet His Majesty had not awakened.
"Someone… stealing His Majesty's power..."
Haschwalth kept recalling the voice that had echoed from the depths of his soul—it felt like a fragment of a dream, disconnected and haunting.
The meaning was clear enough: someone was stealing Yhwach's power.
But the question remained—who was the thief? And where were they? He had no leads at all.
Boom—boom—boom—boom!
Just as Haschwalth wrestled with the implications of that dreamlike voice, the thunderous drumbeat echoed again from within the chamber.
Yhwach's heart had begun to beat once more—and this time, more rapidly than before.
"Haschwalth… come in..."
The voice echoed in Haschwalth's soul again, causing him to tense.
His Majesty was calling him!
Without hesitation, Haschwalth turned and stepped into the chamber.
The interior was stark and cavernous, devoid of unnecessary decorations.
Twenty-four massive stone pillars supported the roof, arranged in a circle around Yhwach, who sat motionless at the center.
He appeared only to be napping.
Though Yhwach's eyes remained closed, the deep thudding of his heartbeat made it clear to Haschwalth—His Majesty was in a state of semi-awakening.
"Your Majesty," Haschwalth greeted, bowing respectfully as he stood before Yhwach.
"Haschwalth..."
The monarch's lips never moved, but his voice resonated in Haschwalth's mind.
"Have you awakened from your slumber, Your Majesty?"
"Not fully... My rest has only been interrupted."
"Who did this?"
A ripple of emotion flickered across Haschwalth's calm gaze.
An external force had interrupted Yhwach's slumber?
Had His Majesty not seen this in the future?
Or… was this all part of his plan?
Doubts swirled through Haschwalth's mind.
Yhwach's Schrift ability was "The Almighty," a power that, in Haschwalth's understanding, allowed him to see all possible futures.
Surely everything that would happen had already been seen by His Majesty.
"I did not see the future of the one who stole my power..."
Yhwach's eyes—once endowed with The Almighty—had long since been sealed.
The future he saw had been glimpsed before the Quincy launched their war against the Empire of Light.
But what was unfolding now deviated from that future.
His power had been stolen!
Yhwach had always been an extraordinary being from birth.
He possessed a unique ability—to share his power with others.
And when those hosts died, their power would return to him.
Even more, the power passed through bloodlines.
Anyone who had received Yhwach's power would pass it to their descendants.
After rising to power, all Quincies in the World of the Living had received his "blessing."
Every Quincy was connected to Yhwach.
As they grew stronger, the power within them—his power—grew as well.
And when they died, it all returned to him.
Thus, Yhwach grew ever stronger.
But now, some of that power had been severed—completely disconnected.
That portion was lost to him.
This had never happened before. It was a threat to the very foundation of his strength.
He had to interrupt his slumber—to ensure this anomaly did not hinder his gathering of power.
"I felt the power of a Shinigami… from the will that returned..."
Each piece of power that Yhwach had distributed carried a sliver of will, a link through which he could retrieve it.
Through that link, he sensed it—before it broke, the stolen power had come into contact with a Shinigami.
"A Shinigami?" Haschwalth's brow furrowed. "Can you determine who?"
"During my slumber… I cannot perceive such fine details..."
"Haschwalth… give this power… to the soldiers...
Let them regain human bodies… and go to the World of the Living… let them multiply… spread..."
Blue threads of energy drifted from Yhwach's body, converging mid-air into a luminous sphere.
The Quincies who had remained in the Invisible Empire were long-lived spiritual beings. Their reproduction and growth rates were far too slow.
Yhwach needed to transform them back into humans—and send them to the World of the Living.
Human bodies had a natural advantage in both birth rate and maturation speed.
"Go… Haschwalth… I shall resume my slumber… may you awaken me again… soon..."
His voice grew more distant… and vanished.
The thunderous heartbeat faded with it.
Silence returned to the chamber.
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
Haschwalth took the glowing sphere and exited the hall.
As he emerged from the corridor, several Quincies approached him.
Yhwach's heartbeat had echoed far and wide—many had heard it.
"You again, Haschwalth?! How do you explain that this time?! More people definitely heard it!"
A red-haired young man—Bazz-B—demanded.
He'd been training when he heard the sound and rushed over.
Unfortunately, it had already stopped.
"His Majesty briefly awoke," Haschwalth replied calmly.
"He really woke up?!"
"Why now?"
"Wasn't it supposed to be 900 years to regain his heartbeat, 90 for his mind, and 9 for his power?"
The Quincies murmured restlessly.
"His Majesty has issued a new decree," Haschwalth said, raising the orb. "Gather all Quincies in the main hall."
Soon after, every Quincy in the Invisible Empire assembled within Silbern's throne room.
"Haschwalth, what's this about?"
Bazz-B was already growing impatient—no one had explained anything.
Standing beside the vacant throne, Haschwalth looked down upon the assembled ranks.
At the front stood the Sternritter, each in their distinctive uniforms—clearly different from the standardized gear of the soldiers behind them.
They were the core of the Invisible Empire, its elite knights—created by Yhwach to rival the captains of the Shinigami.
"You all must be wondering about the sound from His Majesty's chambers," Haschwalth said expressionlessly. "It was… a decree."
In truth, his own heart was far from calm.
Yhwach's sudden awakening was completely unexpected—and not even his Almighty had foreseen it.
As Captain and personal guard, Haschwalth knew of Yhwach's power-recycling ability.
He understood full well—this dispersal of power was meant to accelerate the spread and return of energy.
To shorten the time required for slumber and strength accumulation.
"The Quincies in the World of the Living are nearly extinct, beaten down by the Shinigami. Their numbers have dwindled to almost nothing," Haschwalth announced, lifting the orb high. "This is His Majesty's gift! Those chosen shall go to the World of the Living—to fulfill their glorious mission and let the brilliance of the Quincy rise again!"
"A blessing from His Majesty!"
"What an honor!"
"The great King of the Quincies thinks of us even in his slumber!"
The morale surged.
"And who receives this 'honor'?" Bazz-B asked, narrowing his eyes. He had a bad feeling—there was more going on here than Haschwalth let on.
"That depends on His Majesty's will."
Haschwalth released the orb.
It floated upward, then burst into countless blue threads.
The threads descended, entering the soldiers' bodies.
"What a magnificent power..."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Long live the King of the Quincies! We will bring glory to the World of the Living!"
Gratitude erupted from the soldiers.
Bazz-B, watching the threads pass him by, felt both relieved and irritated.
Relieved—because this was clearly not as simple as Haschwalth claimed. Yhwach's sudden awakening had to hide a deeper plan.
But also irritated—because Haschwalth definitely knew more, yet told him nothing.
'We knew each other first…'
Bazz-B scowled inwardly.
He and Haschwalth had been close friends long before either served Yhwach.
But now, Haschwalth felt more distant than ever.
After receiving Yhwach's "blessing," the soldiers began their preparation.
The Invisible Empire had long mastered the technique to give Quincies Reiatsu Particles bodies. Once obtained, they became indistinguishable from normal humans—capable of producing offspring.
"Haschwalth!"
Bazz-B intercepted him in a quiet corridor.
"What is it?"
Haschwalth turned, eyes calm as ever.
"What is Yhwach really planning? Waking up early wasn't part of the plan, was it?!"
Bazz-B spoke with certainty.
He had never believed Yhwach was a benevolent ruler.
A thousand years ago, Yhwach's army razed his homeland.
Truthfully, Bazz-B had joined the Empire for one reason—revenge.
"I already told you—His Majesty will bring light back to the Quincies."
Haschwalth showed no emotion.
"Is that so…? Infuriating." Bazz-B's lips curled into a smirk. "Well then, I've changed my goal."
He raised two fingers, sparks flaring between them.
"Let me beat the crap out of you first!"
Soul Society.
Sekkiseki mines, laboratory training field.
At the center of the training ground, Nanatsuki sat cross-legged, eyes shut.
All his focus was on the soles of his feet.
He was refining the power of Blut Vene. Crystalline blue threads of light stretched across almost his entire body—only the sole of his left foot remained.
He had started the coverage from top to bottom. As coverage increased, the difficulty grew.
Now, the glowing threads crept forward at a pace of millimeters per hour.
This speed was only possible due to Nanatsuki's refined control over the Reishi within his body.
For a typical new Quincy, laying out the Blut Vene would take dozens—maybe hundreds—of times longer.
At last, the main vein reached the bottom of his foot, connecting with the pattern on the instep.
From it, finer branches spread outward, filling his skin.
Within moments, his entire body shimmered with the translucent blue lines.
Then, they gradually faded from view.
It was complete!
Nanatsuki opened his Status Interface—Blut Vene had reached level 50.
[Blut Vene Lv50 (0/1000)]
"As expected… Level 50 covers the entire body," he nodded to himself.
He now had full-body defense from Blut Vene.
He hadn't focused on Blut Arterie yet.
[Blut Arterie Lv10 (0/200)]
It had only spread to one arm so far.
But Nanatsuki wasn't an ordinary Quincy. He had Shinigami powers as well—he didn't need to rush offensive growth.
Testing its defense, he slashed with his Reiatsu Blade.
The durability had noticeably increased.
"Feels like it's close to 'Enkōsen' in defense."
With further refinement, it would only get stronger.
'And if I gain Hollow powers one day... and stack it with Hierro...'
He imagined the synergy.
'Then my defense might be equivalent to having constant Dankū!'
He was extremely satisfied.
Blut Vene's defense was balanced across the body. Even his eyelids and eyeballs were protected by infused vessels—no weak spots.
Shinigami could use Reiatsu for natural defense, and so could Quincies.
But none matched the structured resilience of Blut Vene.