"Vollständig isn't exclusive to Yhwach?"
"What nonsense! I won't let such arrogant words slide!"
"But isn't that the truth?"
The swirling blue Reishi torrent around Seiya flowed in tandem with his movements, and the smile on his face turned mocking, almost playful.
"Look, your so-called 'Sankt Bogen'—can it really strip this power from me?"
"...!!"
Quilge said nothing. He poured every ounce of effort into trying to break down and usurp Seiya's power.
But it was strange.
The sensation he had when confronting Uryū—the ease of control—was completely absent here.
Trying to tamper with Seiya's energy felt like pushing against a massive, immovable boulder.
And Quilge was no Sisyphus—he couldn't even find leverage. Every attempt was futile.
The more he tried, the more his shock mounted.
His spiritual pressure couldn't even touch Seiya's. The sensation was overwhelming, as if he were an insect clawing at a mountain.
It reminded him—terrifyingly—of the one who sat upon the throne.
But that was absurd. No one could wield majesty equal to Yhwach... It had to be his imagination.
He shook his head, dispelling the thought, and clenched his jaw.
"If even this power fails to restrain you… then fine. I'll acknowledge your arrogance!"
Seiya didn't reply. He simply observed with interest as Quilge's Vollständig glowed brighter.
A cocoon of blue Reishi surged around Seiya, pulsing like a living heart, sealing him in.
Quilge's confidence flared as he declared, "What now?! No matter how defiant, you're nothing before this power!"
"Sankt Zwinger—my Schrift is J. The power to bind, lock, and isolate! Granted by His Majesty himself!"
"Repent within this prison! Regret your ignorance!"
But the very next moment—
CRACK!
The radiant prison shattered like glass.
Seiya emerged calmly, examining a crumbling fragment of Reishi in his palm.
"A fine ability. Your Reishi manipulation is refined, layered—creating a dense, resilient structure that imprisons targets..."
No wonder it caught Ichigo off guard in the early arcs. Without overwhelming force, the trap merely absorbed and diffused incoming energy.
But Seiya had chosen a different method.
"If your opponent excels in Reishi control, this ability becomes fragile, doesn't it?"
By deconstructing the 'prison,' breaking it down thread by thread, it became utterly ineffective.
Quilge's face twisted. His proudest ability had been undone so casually.
"You… you—!"
Fear of the unknown made him falter.
But fear of Yhwach drove him forward.
Teeth gritted, he stepped toward Seiya again—reckless, but unwavering.
Seiya raised an eyebrow. "Still trying? Admirable. But failing to read the situation... that's just sad."
With that, the air trembled.
Blue Reishi flowed like a river around Seiya—familiar and alien all at once.
It was Quilge's own energy, dismantled and repurposed.
His Vollständig had been forcibly unraveled.
The terror in Quilge's face was unmistakable.
"This... this is impossible!"
"Vollständig can't be interrupted! It's His Majesty's gift—perfect, unmatched! What did you do?!"
His voice broke into hysteria.
Seiya simply smiled.
"Nothing is perfect. This power, at best, is a step forward—not the final form."
"I've just pushed Reishi control beyond your limits. It's like a tug-of-war—no matter how hard you pull, if the other side is stronger, you lose."
There was no mystery—just overwhelming difference.
Yet to Quilge, such a simple truth was unbearable. He staggered backward, his belief shaken.
"You can't... you can't have this kind of power! Who the hell are you, Seiya Arima?! That name—I've never heard of it!"
"Bloodline? Heritage? Without those, how can you wield such strength?!"
Among Quincy, lineage was everything. And yet, Seiya seemed to defy that.
Before Seiya could speak again, a flicker of light caught his eye.
A Holy Arrow descended, striking the ground near them with a precise explosion of Reishi.
A refined, pinpoint shot—intended to warn, not kill.
Uryū took stance. Seiya turned calmly. Quilge, however, paled.
"It's... the Grandmaster..."
Indeed, there was only one man in the Sternritter who commanded such reverence:
Jugram Haschwalth.
A cold, unfamiliar voice echoed behind them.
"Quilge—who permitted you to engage intruders without reporting first?"
"Who gave you that order?"
The voice appeared from nowhere. Like a phantom, Haschwalth was suddenly there.
Uryū tensed, instinctively recoiling.
Seiya, by contrast, remained relaxed. He gestured for Uryū to stand down.
The man before them was Yhwach's right hand. The B Schrift. Cold, methodical, terrifying.
Quilge stammered, trembling. "I—I only meant to test the intruders, sir. I meant no disrespect!"
"His Majesty has already received your message. You are forgiven this once. Do not make this mistake again."
Then, turning his gaze to Seiya and Uryū, Haschwalth asked, "What brings you to the Wandenreich?"
He was a tall Quincy with golden hair, pale blue eyes, and a chilling aura. Dressed in a spotless white uniform, he appeared utterly detached from all things.
Uryū, still shaken, remained silent. Seiya gathered the Reishi around him, then responded.
"We came to visit Yhwach."
He said the name without honorifics.
Even so, Haschwalth didn't react.
"I see..."
"Then follow me. His Majesty has been expecting you."
That quiet statement stunned Quilge into silence.
"He... knew they were coming?!"
No one answered. Haschwalth simply gestured for them to proceed, standing behind them—not aggressively, but alert.
A single misstep, and he would strike.
Uryū met Seiya's glance. Seiya nodded slightly.
They rose into the air, following Haschwalth's lead.
A staircase of Reishi formed beneath them, reaching toward a looming tower in the distance.
This was Haschwalth's doing. A silent show of strength.
A reminder.
And it was effective. Seiya noted the effort—and the message.
The Wandenreich wasn't some ragtag army. This was Yhwach's domain, built on his whim.
Not like the World of the Living, or Soul Society—those were founded on balance, maintained by the Soul King himself.
Here, everything existed because Yhwach willed it.
This entire world—its air, its light, its people—were a testament to a tyrant's benevolence... or his malice.
"Up ahead," Haschwalth said.
Seiya looked up.
A shadowed, towering spire pierced the clouds.
That was where Yhwach awaited.
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Powerstones?
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