Chapitre 19: Chapter 19: The Promise of a Wish
*This fanfic belongs to Melkor's Mercy, I don't own anything*
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Yuzu, Silbern XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Yuzu awoke from a loud knock on her door. Her eyes shot open as she immediately jumped out of bed. The instant surge of adrenaline upon waking was an all too common thing now. The longer she had spent in the Silbern, the more reflexive she had become. Even the slightest things sent her into a hyper-aware state of mind.
The teen cautiously made her way over towards the door and opened it. She was confused upon seeing the arrival. Standing outside her room was none other than Bambietta. Yuzu kept her resolve as she slowly examined the Sternritter. Bambietta was alone and she seemed to be relatively calm from what Yuzu could tell.
Although she had difficulty telling time in the Silbern, Yuzu knew it was well past her normal waking hours, which surprised her. 'Wasn't today Candice's turn to train me? Why didn't she wake me up?' she thought to herself.
She was drawn from her distracting thoughts as her attention focused fully on Bambietta. The dark haired woman had a nonchalant look on her face as if she wasn't really in a hurry to be anywhere. Yuzu tilted her head uncertainly as she finally spoke, "Bambietta-san?"
"Hey Yuzu-chan, can I come in?" Bambietta asked casually.
Yuzu wasn't entirely thrilled with the idea, but she reluctantly nodded in acceptance. Bambietta appeared to be in a decent mood, and Yuzu couldn't help but wonder what she wanted. The girl slowly stepped aside and held her arm up gesturing for Bambietta to come inside.
Afterward, the woman looked at Yuzu, "You mind closing the door?"
"Why? Is there something you wanted from me?" Yuzu asked not entirely on board with the suggestion.
Bambietta rolled her eyes, "Whatever, keep it open then. Anyways, I came here because I wanted to talk to you about some things."
"About Ichigo?" Yuzu guessed immediately.
The Quincy woman shrugged, "Well not exactly. It's more about you…"
"You want to know about my Schrift then?" Yuzu assumed.
"Hmph…you're more blunt than I remember. That training must be paying off. Bazz B and Candice toughening you up?" Bambietta asked with a grin.
Yuzu decided not to respond as she simply stared at Bambietta awaiting the woman's true motive.
After a brief silence, Bambietta chuckled, "So you're L for Light? Have you tried using your powers at all yet?"
"No, I was trying to get better at the basics first," Yuzu answered honestly.
"Well, I'm sure you're probably wondering where Candice is right now. She wanted you to sleep in today since you've been working hard at your training. Candice decided to give you the day off, but she probably needed the break herself if you ask me," Bambietta explained.
Yuzu seemed doubtful, "Why wouldn't she come and tell me herself then?"
"Candice is asleep right now, but she'll be awake later. So I came by because I wanted to level with you and maybe alleviate some of the misunderstandings that arose between us. We didn't exactly give you the best first impression. I was still a bit riled up over the whole battle with your brother. I wasn't entirely sure what Yhwach had in store for you, but if you're actually a Sternritter, then there's no reason for us to be on bad terms," Bambietta explained.
"What are you saying?" Yuzu asked.
Bambietta sighed, "I'm sorry for being a bitch to you. You've probably realized this by now, but I am not really a nice person. That being said…I'm an honest person. I won't lie to you about anything, Yuzu-chan. I don't like innocence…and you reek of it. It makes me sick to look at you when you stare at me so helplessly."
"I'm sorry…I can't help it," Yuzu replied timidly.
The dark haired woman shook her head and growled, "Don't get all submissive on me just because I said something you don't want to hear. I am not here to try and scare you or tell you what to do, but hear me out for a minute."
Bambietta paused for a moment awaiting Yuzu's acknowledgement. After a brief silence, the teen reluctantly nodded. Bambietta closed the door with a swift push a moment later before looking at Yuzu again, "I'm a killer…a dangerous one too. I have done some pretty terrible things to good and bad people alike. I don't discriminate between victims. I'd kill another Sternritter just as easily as I'd kill a Shinigami or a Hollow. You know all this stuff about me, and I'm sure Bazz B has embellished his fair share of details too."
"Yes, he said you and Giselle were dangerous," was all Yuzu said in response. Part of her was getting nervous being in a room alone with Bambietta. She tried her best to appear calm nonetheless as she stared at Bambietta curiously.
"The most dangerous person in this place is his majesty, Yhwach. Him, Haschwalth, the elite Sternritters, and especially that little Gremmy prick. Stay away from all of them whenever possible. Yhwach may have made you a Sternritter, but don't think for a minute that it means anything. We're all expendable if we don't assert our power and prove ourselves to Yhwach," Bambietta stated.
"What do you mean? Why would Yhwach-sama's elite knights be expendable?" Yuzu wondered.
"Since you're still clueless, I'll explain it to you. For a normal Sternritter, Yhwach can easily take away any of our greater powers with Auswahlen. I doubt he explained how Sternritter powers work, so I'll tell you now. When he gives out a Schrift, he chooses a word from whatever letter it is, and the Quincy gifted it manifests the power on their own. He almost always assigns words that coincide with their owners. You create your own power off the word he gives you. Bazz B's Schrift was H for Heat. He turned it into fire based attacks. My Schrift is E for Explode. Needless to say I'm a reishi bomber. Yours will be based around whatever you choose to manifest it as. When you have a Schrift, you are able to achieve a greater spiritual state called a Vollstandig. It's our most powerful form. Unfortunately, should Yhwach ever use Auswahlen against one of us, it'll rob most of our power…and possibly our lives depending on whether or not we're powerful already. Though we may keep our Schrift's power, we would be unable to use Vollstandig or any greater Quincy abilities anymore," Bambietta explained in detail.
"Why would Yhwach-sama use that power though?" Yuzu asked shocked.
"Don't you get it? He becomes more powerful when he divides his soul out and invests it into other beings. Then he'll take out what we've done with it and make himself stronger. He also uses this power to keep all of the Sternritters in line. Some of the elite Sternritters are ridiculously powerful…how else would he control them?" Bambietta explained thoroughly.
"Didn't Yhwach-sama say that Uryu-san and I were immune to Auswahlen? Why would he give us Schrifts then?" Yuzu asked.
Bambietta shrugged, "I don't know, but it brings up a troubling fact. It means I'm probably more expendable than you," Bambietta replied.
"That's horrible…but then why do you all stay? How did you end up here?" Yuzu asked shocked.
Bambietta sighed, "Well that's a long story…needless to say Sternritter recruits are usually people that can't say no when asked to join. Mostly all of us were tempted by the dream of a greater future. Whether or not we'll get our wishes remains to be seen."
"What do you mean? Your wishes? How did you end up here, Bambietta-san?" Yuzu asked interested.
Bambietta looked away as she crossed her arms, "Well…that's personal. I'm not the kind of girl who goes spreading her past around for people's pity. Not to mention, it's not something I like to talk about with those I barely know."
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to offend. Would it be too invasive to ask you what your wish was? What made you believe in this place?" Yuzu asked uncertainly, "because I don't understand any of it. Why do the Quincies hate the hollows and the Shinigami?"
"The Shinigami believe in exterminating Quincies because we're a threat to their balance of the worlds. They regulate the amount of souls that exist in the World of the Living, The Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo. If any get out of balance, then it endangers the fabric of reality…at least that's the belief they stick by. Under the Soul King, this system of balance and rebirth is endless, but Quincies aren't a part of it. That is why we're enemies with Shinigami. They want to make us extinct because we're not a part of this system. Yhwach wants to kill the Soul King and take his place so that we can fix the current system. As for hollows…well they're the most lethal foe a Quincy can fight. They're poisonous to us…which makes them a major threat if allowed to prosper without restraint. We hate these enemies because they are the biggest threats our survival," Bambietta explained in detail.
Yuzu looked away not fully understanding, "Was it always like this? How do Quincies even exist if they're not part of this system?"
"We exist because of our lord, Yhwach…he created the Quincies. Every Quincy alive carries a piece of his soul and blood. You'd have to ask one of the older members if you're really interested in all the history behind it. I haven't been here half as long as a lot of them, so I couldn't tell you anything for certain," Bambietta replied.
Yuzu shook her head, "But I'm human though…how could I have had any relation to this race?"
"Quincies are humans…they're just descendants who are spiritually attuned to Yhwach and his powers. You ever heard of Nephilim? The Angel-blooded humans? Quincies are kind of like that," The dark haired woman clarified. Yuzu didn't seem to fully believe it as she stared blankly.
"So Quincies are angels then?" Yuzu asked disbelievingly.
"Essentially, yes. Considering that Yhwach is god, that's the closest comparison I can make," Bambietta nodded.
"Then who is the Soul King?" Yuzu wondered.
Bambietta sighed, "Well I don't really know. But our lord, Yhwach, wants him dead..."
"So you used to be human too?" Yuzu asked.
Bambietta took a moment to pause before answering, "It feels like a lifetime ago, but I used to be human, yes. Well, I was still pure-blooded Quincy, but I didn't know it at the time. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you…if only to put things in better perspective."
"Tell me what?" Yuzu asked anxiously.
"I'll tell you about my past…" Bambietta took a few seconds to take in Yuzu's reaction as if wondering whether or not to go through with it. The teen seemed to have a genuine look of empathy and curiosity which ultimately led Bambietta to give in.
"When I was younger, I used to be pretty religious. I'd pray at a Dom everyday. I always had a fascination with spiritual things…even more so because of the war," Bambietta began.
"What's a Dom…and what war are you talking about?" Yuzu asked curiously.
"A Dom…you know a Kathedrale? It's a type of fancy church that has gothic architecture. I guess you don't see many of those where you lived? But anyways, the war I'm referring to was the Zweiter Weltkrieg…the biggest war in the World of the Living's history," Bambietta specified. Her laid back tone seemed to be shifting into a darker one much to Yuzu's surprise.
Yuzu didn't recognize the foreign words that Bambietta spoke, but assumed they were German. It was then that Yuzu realized that Bambietta was referring to the Second World War. She wasn't the biggest expert on history, but Yuzu was quick to realize something obvious.
"Were you a Nazi?" Yuzu asked surprised. The immediate conclusion seemed to click well in her head as it explained why Bambietta was the way she was. 'Maybe that's why she's so violent…all of these strange words they use around here must be German.'
The Sternritter looked at Yuzu and shook her head, "No I wasn't part of any political stuff or the military. I was a teenager barely older than you were when it all started. None of it really made sense to me when I was younger. My father and brother both fought in the war…though they didn't really have a choice."
"You don't look much older than a teenager…" Yuzu muttered louder than she meant to.
Bambietta gave Yuzu a quizzical glare, "Well…people age differently in the spirit world."
"How did it happen though? I mean…well please continue," Yuzu stammered through her own sentence.
"My father and brother were the only family I actually had, and since they were both conscripted, I had to live and work at the local Dom for a few years. It was okay, but I was afraid I'd be stuck there forever. It feels like a lifetime ago…" Bambietta sighed.
"So you were Christian?" Yuzu asked.
"Catholic…but it doesn't really matter either way. Neither one really turned out to be quite what I was expecting. It's funny how your peoples' religion ended up being closer to the truth than mine…" Bambietta sighed.
"You mean eastern religion?" Yuzu asked for clarification.
Bambietta nodded, "Yeah…the one with the whole rebirth cycle thing; I forget what it's called. But I digress…eventually the idea of being stuck at the Dom became irrelevant because one day the war came to us. I remember the bombs, the mortars, the tanks. All of the planes being shot down…a lot of people died. Even the Dom wasn't safe for very long. I can't really remember how long we waited through the bombings, but ground forces eventually moved through our town as well."
"So what happened? You were hiding in a church while fighting was going on outside?" Yuzu said surprised.
"Yes…normally soldiers had enough respect to avoid religious buildings, but we weren't so lucky. I should have fled the Dom when the bombings stopped, because all that place did was make us targets. Weak people love to gather together…like lambs. Those soldiers knew innocent people were hiding in the Dom, and they didn't care," Bambietta grimaced between her teeth.
"The church made you targets?" the Kurosaki teen asked uncertainly.
"Yeah, it's an obvious sanctuary where most civilians would feel safer and hide. As fate would have it, we were later discovered. I'll spare you the details, but things didn't go so well. We were captured and…" Bambietta stopped mid sentence. She seemed like she was having a hard time finishing her train of thought. It was obvious to Yuzu that this was a very unpleasant memory for Bambietta.
"Are you alright? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Yuzu interjected as she stared at Bambietta's unusual expression.
The dark haired Quincy took a deep breath before continuing, "They treated us terribly. Between watching the mortars and bombs destroy my home, and suffering the indignities of captivity…it all just made me numb after a while. I couldn't even cry anymore after that…nothing fazed me at all. I felt dead inside."
"How did you get out of there?" Yuzu asked softly.
"One day during our captivity, I woke up and I felt something…it was like an echo. It got louder and louder over time. I felt something again…rage. That last day of captivity, I awakened my Quincy Powers. Heavy trauma and stress is almost always a trigger for drawing them out of a person. I used my powers to get free…and to punish those soldiers. I always thought murder was such a terrible sin…but It's strange describing the feeling I got killing those people. Releasing all of my anger in an explosive rampage and the calmness I felt afterward was just indescribable."
"Umm…" Yuzu was beginning to get nervous the longer she listened to Bambietta's story. 'She's starting to scare me again.' Yuzu gulped.
"Don't look at me like I'm a psychopath, Yuzu-chan. I didn't enjoy killing them, but I was happy that they were dead. Being powerless is a terrible feeling, and it's something I never want to experience again. I don't expect you to understand. It's like I told you earlier…I'm a killer and I don't pretend like I'm not," Bambietta concluded.
"That's horrible…what did the other captives say when you killed those men?" Yuzu asked curiously.
Bambietta shook her head, "They thought I was possessed and ran away from me. Some died in the streets to gunfire just to escape. I terrified them. After it was all over, I ran away from the Dom too. I ran through the streets, and tried to find somewhere to go. Eventually I encountered Haschwalth after living on the run for a while. He introduced himself as a messenger of god and offered me a place here. That's how I ended up coming to the Wandenreich. So there's my story."
"That's a very sad story. Nobody deserves to go through something like that," Yuzu said sadly.
"Spare your pity…it's making me ill. I told you so that you would understand that I'm strong because I have to be. If you intend on surviving here or anywhere, then you will need to be strong too. It makes no difference now what happened anyways. Whatever life you and I left behind is irrelevant because here, we all exist to serve our God, Yhwach…whether we want to or not. And one day he'll grant our wishes," Bambietta said strongly.
Yuzu could tell by the way Bambietta ended her sentence that she wasn't entirely thrilled with being part of the Wandenreich either. 'How many of them came here under similar circumstances? I wonder what Bambietta's wish is?' Yuzu thought to herself for a moment.
"Why did Yhwach-sama make your Schrift E for Explode?" Yuzu couldn't help but ask.
Bambietta looked at her as if it was a stupid question, "Because he's got this wondrous sense of humor. How the hell should I know? Why would he make you L for Light? Because you're some precious little angel? Pfft...I don't pretend to understand these things."
"Oh...well thank you for telling me about your past, Bambietta-san. It really makes me wonder about all of the other Sternritters though. Did any of your friends come from the same time period?" the Kurosaki teen wondered.
"We're all from different times and places. I didn't meet any of them until I came here. Though I believe a lot of the newer members were more recently recruited in the last century," Bambietta explained.
"What's Giselle's story then? She's very strange, and I wouldn't mind knowing why." Yuzu questioned.
Bambietta gave Yuzu a serious look, "Don't ever ask that question to me or anyone again. Gigi is literally crazy. She's got some kind of multiple personality disorder. Sometimes she acts friendly, and other times…well even I'm concerned. Her past is something you have no business knowing about. It makes mine look mild by comparison. Out of respect for her, I won't tell you. If she wants to tell you herself, then that's her decision. Though you're better off not knowing…trust me."
"Is it really that bad? I thought she was your friend," Yuzu asked somewhat frightened.
"It's a bit darker than you could probably handle. Gigi is my friend, but her real personality is something you actually should be afraid of. If she's acting energetic, happy and peppy, then you have nothing to worry about. It's when she starts getting paranoid and acts different than usual…that's when you should be careful around her. Though luckily she only really gets that way when she's alone. Just be nice to her, and Giselle won't do anything to you. Her biggest issue is people rejecting her," Bambietta explained.
The Kurosaki teen thought back to the time where Giselle entered her room. Something about the shifting dark voice the Zombie Quincy used was pretty haunting. Bambietta's perspective on Giselle was strange to say the least. Yuzu feared the Zombie Quincy even more now.
'Giselle did say she hated to be alone…and she was acting pretty paranoid. That must have been her real personality. I still don't understand what she was trying to tell me though,' Yuzu thought to herself.
Having heard about Giselle from Bambietta, she was even more curious to know about Candice now. According to Bazz B, Candice was almost as bad if not worse. 'Candice is so nice to me though...I have a hard time believing she's worse than Giselle. I wonder why Bazz B doesn't like her?' Yuzu's mind was now racing.
"What about Candice? Do you know anything about her past?" Yuzu asked after a short, awkward silence. She wasn't expecting Bambietta to tell her, but was more interested in seeing her reaction to the mention of it. She had to know if there was even a shred of truth to it.
"Candice's past is something you're better off asking her yourself," Bambietta replied.
'I wonder why she doesn't want to tell me?' Yuzu thought to herself. The mystery behind Candice was only growing larger and larger.
"So you were from Europe then? You speak my language pretty well for a foreigner," Yuzu changed the subject.
Bambietta gave Yuzu a weird look, "You think we're speaking your language right now?"
Yuzu seemed confused, "Yeah...are you saying we're not? I don't understand."
"Language doesn't really work that way here, Yuzu-chan. All spiritual beings can understand each other to some extent. Dominant language phrases and words come through sometimes, however. I don't really feel like going into detail on it, but you're not speaking your language right now," Bambietta stated with a disinterested face.
"Really? That's unbelievable. How does that work?" Yuzu responded somewhat disbelievingly.
Bambietta sighed, "Alright think of it like this. You ever heard the story of the Tower of Babel? It speaks of a time where all people spoke the same language. That's the spiritual language. To you it sounds like we're speaking your language, but to me it sounds like we're speaking mine. That's the best way I can describe it. We're speaking the spiritual language. It transcends the world of the living and normal humans."
"Thanks for explaining that to me...and well all the other stuff too. Sorry for asking so many questions. I just want to understand this place better," Yuzu apologized.
"It's whatever, Yuzu-chan...I was the same way when I first came here. Robert told me about a lot of this stuff, and I told As Nodt. We all used to debate it quite often. But yeah, enough of that for now," Bambietta trailed off.
"So was there anything else you needed?" Yuzu asked awkwardly. It just now came to mind that she still didn't know why Bambietta was really talking to her.
"Well, I just wanted to clear things up with you first. The main reason I came here is because me and some of the other girls wanted to know if you'd be interested in hanging out with us today? It wasn't my idea, just so we're clear…but I figured it would be a good way to break the ice. Maybe you could get to know them and some of the others around here better," Bambietta suggested.
"You want me to hang out with you?" Yuzu asked somewhat nervously. She still had a bit of paranoia when it came to being around the Femritters, but given Bambietta's apology and the long talk they had, Yuzu thought it wasn't too bad of an idea. Bambietta seemed much more human to her now.
"I suppose I wouldn't mind that," Yuzu replied after a brief silence.
Bambietta chuckled, "Good…I'm sure the others will be glad to hear it. C'mon, they're all lounging around in my room at the moment."
As they made their way for the door, Bambietta stopped before opening it. She turned around slowly and looked at Yuzu with dangerous eyes, "Don't go telling people about my past…I only tell certain people. And for your own good, don't ask Gigi personal questions."
"I won't! I promise!" Yuzu gulped. Part of her was tempted to ask why Bambietta told her, 'I wonder why she trusted me enough to tell me her past? Her story was heart-wrenching. She might not look it on the outside, but she has to be emotionally hurt. I feel so sorry for her.'
"Before we go, I just wanted to ask you one thing…if you had a wish, what would it be?" Bambietta asked more calmly.
Yuzu tilted her head curiously. She found it strange that Bambietta would ask a question like that, but answered anyways, "I'd wish for my family to be together and happy again. And for a peaceful, better life for everyone."
"Huh…so I know we teased you about it, but were you actually close to your brother at all? You took the news of him being a hollow better than most would have," Bambietta asked.
"Ichigo was a wonderful person…he helped people and looked out for those who couldn't protect themselves. I felt safe whenever he was around. He had a great heart. Even though he was kind of a delinquent, Ichigo would always be there for me when I needed him," Yuzu answered.
Bambietta thought about how Ichigo protected Nel back during her skirmish with him and frowned, "Yeah…that must be nice. I could never trust somebody like that. I don't even trust my own friends half as much."
"You told me about your past. Do you trust me?" Yuzu asked.
"As a Quincy? Hell no I don't. I know you would desert the Wandenreich the first chance you got. Although you're probably too afraid to leave yourself, and you're hoping your brother will come and save you," Bambietta replied.
Yuzu's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't really find the words to denounce Bambietta's claim and simply stared awkwardly.
"Relax, Yuzu-chan. I'm not going to judge you for it. If I had a brother like that, I'd probably want the same thing. Unfortunately, that reality isn't going to happen. As powerful as your brother may be, he's no match for Yhwach. I think you should shift your priorities to the present. You're a Quincy and a Sternritter. The survival of our people depends on all of us…and now you as well. Serve faithfully, and maybe your wish can be granted. His majesty does want arrancars in our army...so who knows," Bambietta said after a long silence.
Yuzu didn't really know how to respond and simply nodded quietly. Bambietta turned again and finally opened the door waving for Yuzu to follow.
As they made their way down the hallway, Yuzu could hear Candice's voice calling out, "Hey, what's going on?"
"Candice? You are finally awake? Good timing," Bambietta greeted as the lime haired Sternritter caught up to them.
She looked between Bambietta and Yuzu curiously, "I told you I was going to get her, Bambietta. Yuzu's not comfortable being alone around you or Giselle yet."
"Well maybe you should have woken up sooner. Yuzu's agreed to come spend the day getting to know everyone better," Bambietta explained.
"You got her to agree to it? That's surprising…" Candice said somewhat disbelievingly.
She looked at Yuzu curiously for any signs of fear or torture. The teen appeared relatively untouched much to her confusion.
"Hey Candice, can I ask you something?" Yuzu said as the Sternritter was staring at her.
"Sure, what is it?" she replied curiously.
"How did you end up here?" Yuzu asked.
Candice immediately shot a look towards Bambietta, 'Did she tell Yuzu about her past? That's weird. Why would Bambietta tell her of all people?'
"Well, the same as most others I guess. I got recruited by Haschwalth a while back," Candice said casually.
"I think she's more interested in why you decided to come here," Bambietta clarified.
Candice cocked her head curiously, "Oh really? I take it you told her about why you're here?"
"No, I just told her about my life as a human in the world of the living," Bambietta said dismissively.
"Ah okay...you were Austrian right?" Candice asked.
Bambietta nodded, "Mmhmm."
"So where were you from, Candice?" Yuzu asked anxiously.
"England..." Candice replied as she gave Bambietta a funny look. Bambietta rolled her eyes at the way Candice said it. Yuzu didn't really understand it, but assumed it was some kind of inside joke based on Bambietta's reaction.
"You're from England? That's neat," Yuzu said with an interested expression.
"Yeah, but it's not like that means anything around here. I think most of the Sternritters are from somewhere in Europe or Asia," Candice shrugged.
"Where is Bazz B from?" Yuzu asked curiously.
"He's from the Lichtreich I believe. Most of the older members were from that time period. I'm pretty sure Bazz B has been here almost a thousand years," Bambietta answered.
Candice shrugged, "Who could say? All we know is Haschwalth and Bazz B are from the same place. They've been here way longer than most of the current Sternritters."
"Lichtreich? Where was that?" Yuzu asked.
"It was in ancient Europe...not really sure where to be honest," Bambietta answered.
"What about the others? Liltotto, Meninas, Giselle?" Yuzu continued.
"Ask them yourself...I forget where everyone's from. I'd rather not dwell on all that past nonsense though personally," Candice replied with an uninterested tone.
'She doesn't seem like she wants to talk about her past at all...' Yuzu couldn't help but notice.
"What are you three talking about?" A masculine voice sounded as they turned the corner. The three females looked up surprised to see none other than Gerard Valkyrie standing there.
"Gerard?! What are you doing over here?" Candice asked attentively. Her shift in demeanor led Yuzu to believe that she was somewhat afraid of this Sternritter.
Bambietta's posture stiffened as well as she eyed the man seriously, "Nothing important. Yuzu-chan was just asking about where we all came from."
"Ahaha, I see. Quite a curious little girl isn't she?" Gerard noted as he looked down at the teenager.
Yuzu gulped fearfully as the towering warrior stared at her for a moment, "Where is she from anyways?"
"An island country in east Asia called Japan. I found her in a city called Karakura Town," Candice answered.
The Nordic warrior nodded, "Ah, interesting. I wonder how Quincy blood got all the way over there. What was your name again, girl?"
"Yuzu Kurosaki," the teen answered timidly. Something about this Norse looking Sternritter was extremely intimidating to her.
"Yuzu Kurosaki? Interesting name. Does it mean anything in particular? A person's name usually says a lot about them," he said.
"Nothing specifically, but the Kanji for it has separate meanings," Yuzu replied.
"Quite a shame. I might have to give you a worthy nickname then. Congratulations on earning your place amongst the Sternritters. I hear your Schrift was L for Light? Am I right?" he asked.
Yuzu nodded, "Yes sir."
"Ha, good to hear. That sounds like a useful Schrift. You probably don't know who I am, so I'll introduce myself. My name is Gerard Valkyrie. I'm M for the Miracle. I'm also one of the elite Sternritters," he said enthusiastically.
'Elite Sternritter?!' Yuzu thought worriedly. She remembered Bambietta's warning about them, which only seemed to make her more nervous around this man.
"Did you need something, Gerard?" Candice asked somewhat skittishly. Yuzu was not used to seeing Candice lacking in confidence, which only furthered her belief that this elite Sternritter was terrifyingly powerful.
He shook his head, "No, I just heard you three talking, and thought I'd say hi."
'Since when has he been friendly?' Bambietta thought shocked. She looked over at Yuzu for a moment, 'He must be interested in Yuzu's powers…maybe he's sizing her up for himself? Gerard never acknowledges new recruits.'
"It's nice to meet you Valkyrie-sama," Yuzu bowed respectfully.
"Sama? You don't have to call me by any titles. I may be an elite Sternritter, but I don't go around acting condescending to you newbies. So long as you're strong and you prove your worth around here, then I won't have any issues with you," he said gesturing for Yuzu to stop bowing.
"What should I call you then?" Yuzu asked.
"Most people call me Gerard, but I don't care if you want to call me that or something else," he replied with a hearty chuckle.
"What kind of name is last name is Valkyrie anyways?" Candice shook her head, "since we're on the topic of names…I've never heard of that surname before."
"It sounds German or possibly Scandinavian to me…" Bambietta cut in.
"It's a title that I adopted when I was still alive. My shield-brothers would call me Valkyrie-born due to my skill in battle. Many believed that my mother was a fallen Valkyrie herself," Gerard answered.
"She was probably just a Quincy…" Bambietta stated the obvious. 'One who lost her powers through Auswahlen.' she thought immediately afterward.
"Shield-brothers? That sounds like ancient norse to me…" Candice added.
Gerard nodded, "Well, I was a raider on the North Sea a long time ago."
"You mean you were a Viking?" Candice clarified.
"Yes, we would go Viking…I sailed west and fought in many battles. I sought to prove myself and earn my place amongst the gods…and so I did." the Norse Quincy replied with a chuckle.
"You actually believed in all that pagan nonsense? I'll bet coming here changed your perspectives on a lot of things," Bambietta replied.
He gave her a hard glare, "Not as much as you would think…I have earned my place amongst the gods."
"I don't quite follow…how do you see Yhwach then? He is god after all. We're his angels." Bambietta crossed her arms.
Gerard shrugged, "We have different interpretations of the same thing. An angel, a god, a Quincy…there isn't much of a difference in the grand scheme here. When I was first brought to this place, Yhwach explained to me how the Shinigami killed Quincies. I believe that the gods themselves were simply greater Quincies that were slain by the Shinigami. Does it not make sense to you little girl?"
"Who are you calling little gir-" Bambietta shot back, but was silenced as Candice elbowed her.
The lime haired Sternritter shot Bambietta a look telling her to shut up. Candice nodded at Gerard's explanation understandingly, "You're right, Gerard, that does make sense."
'What are they talking about?' Yuzu thought completely lost. She wasn't sure what Gerard was talking about, but found herself increasingly curious about him the more he spoke.
"How long have you been here, Gerard-san?" Yuzu asked.
"Well over a thousand years. I was here during the last invasion of the Soul Society. It was quite interesting seeing the Shinigami captains for myself. They are strong gods who wield great power. They waged a great war against us and many died on both sides," he replied.
"You fought Shinigami captains before?" Bambietta asked curiously.
Gerard nodded, "Yes…I even killed some of them. How else do you think I became an elite Sternritter? Though the Shinigami leader, the old man…he wielded the fires of hell itself. He was a powerful, demonic warrior that managed to drive back Yhwach during our last war. We could not defeat him."
"Don't you have somewhere more important to be right now, Gerard? We're kind of in the middle of something," Bambietta sighed in annoyance.
Gerard crossed his arms which flexed by impulse, "Don't let me keep you then. Make sure you're ready for the invasion, whenever it's time. I'll be on my way."
Yuzu stared at his muscular posture nervously, 'He must be incredibly powerful…he was a Viking too? How scary…'
He looked down at Yuzu for a moment before walking away, "Farewell, Yuzu Kurosaki. You seem like a promising recruit. I look forward to seeing your Schrift in action. Perhaps you can demonstrate it for me once you get better accustomed to your powers."
"It was nice meeting you sir," Yuzu said as respectfully as possible. After he was gone, Candice and Yuzu followed behind Bambietta back on the way towards her room. Yuzu felt relieved that the intimidating warrior was finally gone.
Candice shook her head, "It's not like Gerard to talk to us…he's never said more than two words to me at a time before. What the hell were thinking trying to talk back to him like that Bambietta?! Gerard isn't Bazz B or Askin…he'll kill you if you pick a fight."
"He was one of the elite Sternritters?" Yuzu asked for confirmation.
Bambietta nodded, "Yeah, he's one of the current three…Lille Barro and Pernida are the other two. They're all a bunch of weirdos. Like I told you earlier…stay away from them when you can. Figures that wackjob was a former pagan…somehow I'm not surprised."
"He was scary, but he seemed friendly enough to me," Yuzu said doubtfully.
Candice sighed, "Gerard is not to be messed with. He could kill most of the regular Sternritters by himself. I saw him kill a deserter once. He hates traitors. He's probably just curious about you since you're the hollow king's sister."
'So he would kill me if I ever tried to escape?' Yuzu thought worriedly. The idea of the massive, Norse Quincy chasing her down was frightening.
"Cower all you want, Candice, but I am not afraid of him…I just think he's trouble. Besides, I know he's powerful, but I was not about to back down to him just because of that. You'll get no respect by acting all submissive to men, Candice," Bambietta hissed.
"I was not submissive…but I know where to draw the line. You need to keep your issues in check before they get you killed," Candice shot back.
"Whatever…" Bambietta rolled her eyes.
As they continued walking down the hallway, Bambietta looked at Candice seriously, "Who do you think is going to fill the fourth spot for Elite Sternritter?"
"Who knows…probably Gremmy, Askin, or maybe Bazz B. I highly doubt any of us would get selected. We're too new," Candice replied.
Yuzu perked up curiously, "Why are there only four elite Sternritters?"
"They're Yhwach's personal guard…minus Haschwalth. They're on a different level than the rest of us. I think Yhwach picks four because it symbolizes Seraphim guarding god," Bambietta explained.
"I see…" Yuzu trailed off as her mind began to wander on the topic.
'I can't believe how connected all of this supernatural, spiritual stuff actually is. I wonder what the Soul Society is like. I still don't even know where this place even is. It definitely isn't heaven,' she thought.
Before she knew it, they were finally at Bambietta's room. Upon stepping inside, Bambietta announced their arrival, "What's up, we're here."
"Oh wow, you got her to come?" Meninas perked up surprised.
The pinkish red haired Quincy smiled at Yuzu, "How's your training been going, Yuzu-chan?"
"Pretty well…I've learned a lot," Yuzu replied.
Candice looked around the room curiously, "I'm surprised Giselle isn't in here. You girls seen her at all?"
Liltotto was leaning against Bambietta's bed snacking on some sweets. She looked up and shook her head, "I think she said something about talking to Haschwalth. She said she would be back later."
"Well regardless, we're going to treat you to a special girls day, today, Yuzu-chan," Meninas said cheerily.
"Really? A girl's day?" Yuzu said uncertainly.
"It was my idea. It sounded like you were being overworked, and I wanted to get to know you better," Meninas said with a friendly smile.
As Meninas waved Yuzu to come over, Bambietta looked at Candice seriously, "What's your problem right now?"
"Nothing, I'm fine," Candice said as she stretched.
'Giselle is up to something lately…I'm positive of it. I should keep a closer eye on her,' Candice thought.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Bazz B's Room, Silbern XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Bazz B tossed and turned in his bed deep in sleep. He was dreaming of his childhood with Haschwalth and was starting to sleep talk, "No Jugo, go away…"
A few seconds passed as he shuffled in his sleep. Bazz B reached up and tried to push whatever was on top of him away, "Get off me, Jugo, I can't sleep with you there. Just let me rest a little longer."
"You're so cute when you sleep, Bazzy-kun," a feminine voice whispered in his ear.
Giselle was currently on top of the sleeping Bazz B and was poking him in different areas. She giggled quietly to herself at his various reactions.
"Wakey wakey, Bazzy-kun…I want to talk to you," Giselle whispered in his ear.
Bazz B groggily opened his eyes, still half asleep, "When did your voice get so girly, Jugo…and why's your hair dark?"
"I didn't realize you had that kind of bond with Haschwalth," Giselle giggled quietly.
The Mohawk Quincy blinked hard several times as if he couldn't believe his own eyes. He stared in complete disbelief for a moment, "Am I dreaming? No…this must be a nightmare."
"You would dream about me wouldn't you?" Giselle winked.
It was at that moment, the reality of the situation dawned on him. Giselle was actually in his room and on top of him. Bazz B immediately jerked upright and tried to get out of his bed, but was immediately pushed back down by Giselle.
She covered his mouth with one of her hands and pinned him down. He could barely believe that she was strong enough to hold him steady. Bazz B jerked violently around trying to break free, but stopped the moment Giselle squeezed a pressure point.
"Shhh…nobody knows I'm in here. We're having a secret meeting," Giselle whispered.
Bazz B's eyes were widened with genuine shock. He stared at Giselle wondering why she was in his room.
"I'm going to move my hand off your mouth. Don't yell…" Giselle said quietly as her hand slowly moved away.
"What the hell are you doing in my room? Were you watching me sleep?!" Bazz B whispered.
Giselle shifted into her real personality as she leaned closer towards his face, "I figured it out, Bazzy-kun…why you're training the girl. You're such an idiot. If Lil-chan noticed, then what makes you think Yhwach or Haschwalth won't? What makes you think I wouldn't notice? Huh?"
"I don't know what you're talking about…what's gotten into you? What do you want?" he asked
Giselle gave him a dangerous look, "You're going to get yourself killed and ruin a good opportunity…I wouldn't want my precious Bazzy-kun to die because he lacked subtlety."
"You're acting even crazier than usual…get the hell out of my room," He said quietly. Bazz B tried to push her off with his free arm, but stopped again when Giselle squeezed another pressure point. He grimaced in pain, "If you don't get off me right now, I'm going to set you on fire, you crazy bitch."
The Zombie Quincy looked around for a moment as if making sure they were alone. After a brief glance, she whispered in his ear again, "Calm down, hot head…I need you to think for minute. If I disapproved, I would have called you out on it in front of everyone."
"So you finally dropped your little act huh? I didn't expect it to be like this. You're crazy…like literally crazy," he shook his head.
"You think you can see everything so clearly don't you, Bazzy-kun? You might see through me, but I can you through you too…traitor." Giselle countered darkly.
Bazz B's gawked at her disbelievingly, "What makes you think tha-"
Giselle punched Bazz B in the face way harder than he was expecting. Her hand moved towards his throat as she leaned in closer, "Admit it…the girl is your ticket to the Hollow King."
"How did you-" Bazz B tried to ask but was silenced immediately as Giselle covered his mouth again.
"Shhhhh. I think it's a good idea, but you need to be careful. Don't make any stupid decisions until we know for sure the plan will work. I'll help you, but we need to do things my way."
Giselle let go of Bazz B's throat and moved her hand off his mouth. There was some noticeable blood in his mouth trickling out. The Zombie Quincy scooped a finger down over his mouth and licked the fresh blood on her finger.
Bazz B gave her a bewildered, somewhat horrified look, "So you want to help me? You…of all people?"
"It's brilliant isn't it? Nobody would suspect that I was in league with you. That girl is our ticket to freedom, Bazzy-kun. We can get out of this place and get free of Yhwach," Giselle whispered.
"We? Since when has there been a we? What about your little gang? Aren't you and Bambietta attached at the hip?" Bazz B said shaking his head.
Giselle shrugged, "They don't need to know. I love, Bambi-chan, but she's a blind zealot. She's so hopelessly dependent on the Wandenreich that she would die to defend it. She and the others are all too loyal to betray the Wandenreich. Bambi-chan didn't realize how powerful Ichigo-sama was. The others…they don't know what you and I know."
"And what would that be?" Bazz B didn't quite understand.
"We're nothing but pawns…sacrifices. Yhwach isn't going to give any of us our wishes. You know that as well as I do. Not to mention, the hollows are way more powerful than everyone believes. Hollows are his only weakness…and a Quincy arrancar would be immune to so many of his powers. Ichigo-sama is the only person besides the Shinigami leader who Yhwach is afraid of. Surely there's something to be said for that," Giselle replied.
"Alright so hypothetically if I agreed to work with you, then what would you suggest I do instead?" Bazz B asked.
Giselle grinned, "To start, let Yuzu-chan spend more time around the others. We want her to blend in better with the other Sternritters. If she starts acting like a normal Quincy, then her special status will go ignored by most of the others. Haschwalth and Yhwach will be less suspicious as well. That would also alleviate Candy-chan's hyper-awareness. Once that's done, you and I can sabotage different people. Maybe thin the ranks out."
"How would we go about doing that?" Bazz B asked.
"Instigate someone into trying to kill you, and murder them. I can resurrect them as a Zombie, and add to our numbers. And since we hate each other, nobody would suspect foul play. As for the other types of sabotage…you let me worry about that. I'm way stealthier than you, Bazzy-kun," Giselle whispered.
"I don't doubt that…" Bazz B noted. It was obvious how sneaky Giselle was considering the fact that she was able to sneak into his room undetected. It wasn't like him to be caught off guard.
"The only major obstacle that we have to deal with is Candice. She doesn't trust either one of us, but she's especially wary around me. Try to avoid her as much as you can. And let her train Yuzu full time. She'll be more preoccupied doing that and won't notice us as much while we're setting things up. But remember what I said. Don't fully commit unless we're sure it'll work. On the off chance that things don't work as planned, then we can just wait for another opportunity down the line. You need to learn how to play both sides, Bazzy-kun," Giselle explained.
"How do I know you won't betray me?" he asked.
Giselle finally got off of Bazz B and allowed him to stand up. She looked at the door cautiously, "Yhwach doesn't have his full almighty powers back yet…so we still have time to make this work. We don't want anyone to suspect you of ulterior motives. When you train Yuzu-chan tomorrow, scare her away. Push her closer to Candy-chan and the other girls. We want an obvious rift between you two so that nobody wonders why you stop training her."
"That didn't really answer my question…how do I know I can trust you?" Bazz B repeated as he wiped the remaining blood from his mouth.
Giselle turned around and held a hand up to his mouth. Her hand lit up with Blut as she healed his minor injury, "You don't…but what other choice do you have? You need my help and I need yours."
Bazz B pushed her hand away staring intently, "Who should I kill then? Does it matter?"
"Ideally someone hot headed or stupid like you, but also someone Yhwach wouldn't care about if they died. Try to avoid Bambi-chan's gang, Gremmy, the elite sternritters, As Nodt, and especially Berenice. Any of them can ruin this whole plan. Kill somebody who doesn't fall under that category. Your best options are Cang Du and Nianzol. Both of them would make useful zombies," Giselle said quietly.
"I'd have better luck killing Mask or somebody else. Those two have heavy defensive powers. It would make them super hard to kill before somebody broke up our fight." Bazz B thought aloud.
"Their powers would be extremely useful, which is why I suggested them. I'll leave you to it, Bazzy-kun. Good luck," Giselle said darkly before turning to leave.
"Hey Giselle…one more thing," Bazz B spoke up. Giselle turned around with a curious expression, but was immediately punched in the face. The Zombie Quincy went flying onto the ground a second later.
"Don't ever punch me in the face again," he said with an annoyed glare.
The Sternritter stood up and gave him a dangerous look. Bazz B was beginning to immediately regret his decision as Giselle walked closer. She licked her lips as she grinned wickedly. The fact that she wasn't saying anything only made the situation even more creepy. Bazz B stood there defensively stiff as he wondered what Giselle was going to do. The room got eerily quiet as Giselle stared at him without moving.
Finally, he couldn't take the silence any longer and spoke, "Stop staring at me. You can go now. This is getting weird."
A moment later, her aura seemed to lighten up considerably as she rubbed her face comically, "Oww…that hurt, Bazzy-kun. You're such a meanie sometimes. But friends trade punches so it's okay...I'm glad we're friends."
'Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this?' Bazz B thought concerned.
Giselle gave him a cheerful look, "We are friends aren't we?"
"Y-yeah...friends," he replied somewhat slowly.
"Aww, I'm glad to hear you say that. I knew you liked me all along. Have a good day, Bazzy-kun and good luck with your tasks. Remember to be as discreet as you can," Giselle grinned widely.
His eyes widened as Giselle left his room, 'Well that was freaking weird…'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Las Noches, Hueco Mundo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ichigo was fast on his way back to Szayel's lab following behind Yylfordt. The blonde man tried his best to explain the situation as they rushed down the hallway, "As I said, Szayel, Zommari, and I managed to crack the Quincy, your highness. The memory download should be complete soon, and we are completely inside its head now."
Moments later, the two dashed into Szayel's lab to see what was going on. The pink haired scientist had an overly-excited face as he turned to Ichigo, "Your excellence, we've done it! Thanks to Zommari, we were able to completely hack this creature's mind. I downloaded its memory banks and a lot of relevant information regarding this Wandenreich. Come see for yourself! I waited for you to get here before I really dug into anything."
"Greetings, White," Zommari acknowledged Ichigo as he stepped aside for Ichigo to examine BG9.
"What's up, Zommari, glad you could help with this," Ichigo waved as he looked over BG9. The cybernetic Quincy had even more tools and machinery probed into him now. Behind his head, Szayel had a display screen.
The pink haired arrancar grinned evilly, "I'll start the memory playback as far as it'll go. Maybe we can discover how this thing was created!"
As he pushed a series of buttons, a strange electrical surge came from the Quincy's head as the screen lit up. Ichigo and the others watched with fascination. The first memory they saw was of a series of scientists leaning over BG9 on an operating table. BG9's first person view shifted to one of its mechanical arms.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX BG9's First Memory XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"He's responding! Look! The android is moving!" one of the scientists announced excitedly.
BG9 looked up at its arms confused. "Operating systems are online, the dynamo generator is synced to his cardiovascular and nervous systems!" Another scientist said amazed as he looked over a screen.
"Endocrine system, green…perfect fusion. The biological parts are accepting the synthetics. You were right, doctor, it worked!" another scientist announced.
The main scientist leaned over BG9 with eager eyes, "My son…do you recognize me at all?!"
BG9 looked at the lead scientist blankly. It spoke for the first time, "Target identified…human."
"It's me…your father. His cognitive recognition is being overridden by the positronic brain. Cancel the restraining program. We need his positronic brain to copy the organic one's synapses. The window is closing, hurry!" the doctor commanded.
"Sir, that's not allowed. We haven't run enough tests yet. If this fails, then he'll end up like BG7," another scientist protested.
"Do as I said! We have to do it now, or his consciousness will be permanently lost! I'm not losing my son twice!" the main scientist ordered.
Before any of the other scientists could make a move, somebody came barging into the room. "What have you done, doctor?! What is this? What have you done to the BG9 unit!?"
"It's not BG9 anymore…it's my son." The main scientist answered.
"Your son?! What have you done?! How could you do this to your own comatose son?!" the intruder demanded.
The head scientist pulled out a pistol and glared at him, "Stand back administrator! Nothing is going to stop me now...not when we're this close! Undo the restraints now!"
"Put the gun down doctor! And somebody please explain to me what the hell is going on!" the administrator demanded. A moment later gunshots unloaded into the man.
The doctor pointed the pistol at everyone in the room, "Override the restraining program right now! Enter the sequence!"
"The administrator…you-you shot him! He's dead!" one of the scientists gasped in horror.
"Would you care to join him?!" the doctor threatened.
"S-sir, please don't do this! If you undo it, then we won't be able to control him. Need I remind you that BG7 went insane when we tried to give it sentience. Even if you do put your son's will into this machine…his soul will be trapped. Surely you wouldn't deprive him of the afterlife. I never agreed to this! We're going to be court-marshaled!"
Another gunshot filled the room as the protester fell over dead. The doctor yelled furiously, "Anyone else object?!"
"No sir!" they all said in unison. They all immediately went to work undoing the program that kept BG9 from being fully sentient. After a few moments, one of the men let out a sigh of relief, "10 percent, 40 percent…90 percent! It's almost done sir…the synapses are syncing now."
"Android, identify yourself?" one of the other scientists asked as he busily worked a panel with various coding.
"BG9 Hunter Killer Unit. Scanning room for threats," BG9 said as it sat up looking around.
"It's me son…you've been in a coma for a long time. I brought you back…you're not quite human anymore, but you are alive," the doctor said between breaths.
"Sync 95 percent...97 percent! No...no something's wrong!" a nearby scientist shouted.
"Program error…Override failure...Restraining Program locked. BG9 hunter killer protocol activated. Assassination protocol activated. Canceling synchronization," BG9 said mechanically.
A nearby screen began to flash red as a siren went off. The scientist working near it gasped, "Oh no! His defense protocols are blocking the system! He's going to kill us! We have to shut him down!"
"No! This is the only window we've got! If you shut him down, his brain will die!" the doctor shouted.
"What the hell is happening right now. I'm getting strange energy readings in this room. Electromagnetic interference or something!" another man gasped.
Every computer console overloaded simultaneously as BG9 stood up. The lights all exploded shortly afterward. They all watched with horror as a strange glow began to outline the android's body.
"Targets acquired! Threat level: lethal," BG9 stated in a robotic voice.
"His arms are glowing…what the hell is that?!" one of the men said frightened.
"That's a minigun on his arm…" the doctor gasped.
"I don't see a minigun doctor!" another scientist shook his head.
"BG9 activate assassination protocol override. Voice Input: BG972HK termination," The doctor shouted.
"Override accepted…Assassination protocol deactivated. Continuing synchronization…99 percent. 100 Percent. Restraining program shutting down," the android said robotically. All of the men let out huge sighs of relief as BG9 lowered its arm.
"BG9, run self-awareness diagnostic on your positronic brain," one of the men ordered as he pulled out a spare laptop.
BG9 simply stared at him silently without even acknowledging the command. "Sir…I think it's completely aware now. The sync must have worked. We need to finish the tests, but it looks like the positronic brain and the organic brain successfully synchronized."
"Why am I here? Where is this place?" BG9 asked it looked around the room. The emergency lights kicked on as it did so.
"My son…you're name is-" the doctor was about to tell him before armed soldiers ran into the room and immediately opened fire. Every scientist in the room was shot to death by the armed intruders. They all fanned out and pointed their weapons at BG9.
"Freeze!" one of them demanded.
BG9's mechanical eye scanned the room, "Targets identified. Self-defense protocol activated."
"What the hell is that thing?!" one of the soldiers asked.
"It's some kind of robot. We're under orders to destroy everything in here. Blast it!" the commanding soldier ordered.
BG9's pointed its minigun at the entrance to the room and immediately opened fire. The soldiers didn't seem to be able to see the weapon as they unloaded their assault rifles on the cybernetic quincy.
The soldiers all gawked in terror upon seeing their ranks decimated by some invisible force.
"What the hell is it doing?! It's arm is glowing…half the squad's dead!" a man shouted before his head exploded.
BG9 made quick work out of the rest of them before looking at its arm curiously, "Unknown energy signature…scanning. Reishi spirit particles identified…what is this?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Szayel's Lab, Hueco Mundo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Wow, it's an actual android then? This is incredibly advanced technology. So based on this creature's memory, it looks as if it was created to be a robot assassin…but was then later re-purposed into an android for this doctor's son. It has a positronic and an organic brain. Quite incredible. That would also explain the perfect bio-mechanical organs," Szayel exclaimed.
"How could a machine like this have Quincy powers?" Yylfordt shook his head.
Szayel shook his head, "Dear brother, did you not see how the scientists and the human soldiers reacted? They couldn't see the minigun. This android's human half was that of a comatose Quincy. How incredible that this team of scientists were able to rebuild him in such a way."
"Fast forward through some of this stuff. I need to know where and how it joined the Wandenreich. We need to study that part of its memory specifically," Ichigo stated.
"Alright let's skip ahead here and see what we can find. OH this looks interesting!" Szayel said excitedly.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX BG9's Later Memory XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The android walked around on what appeared to be some kind of battlefield. Dead bodies littered the horizon. BG9 pointed its minigun at a vast horde of nearby hollows and opened fire. The weapon did wonders and effortlessly obliterated the creatures.
"Quite impressive, machine…or are you a machine? I wasn't aware a machine could see hollows," the voice of none other than Haschwalth sounded.
The android turned around and spotted the blonde man. His eye lit up in a HUD display trying to identify the man. "Target acquired: Human male…who are you?"
"My name is Jugram Haschwalth…I'm a Quincy like you," the blonde man answered.
"Searching for all accounts of the word Quincy…scanning…Quincy: a mythological human with holy powers primarily based in Eurasia. Cross reference target, Jugram Haschwalth…no results found. Explain yourself. What are you?" BG9 said. The second part of his speech was more human sounding.
Haschwalth looked at him curiously, "I am the grandmaster of the Sternritters and acting leader of the Wandenreich. I come representing the God-emperor Yhwach. He detected Quincy powers here and sent me to find you."
"Searching the name, Yhwach…name identified as a variation of the monotheistic god in human religion. I don't understand," BG9 replied.
"You may be more machine than man…but you're a Quincy. How else would you possess spiritual powers? You've been killing hollows out here I see," Haschwalth noted.
"What are hollows?" BG9 asked.
"You have many questions…Yhwach has all the answers you seek. Come with me…the Wandenreich could use someone like you. What is your name?" Jugram asked.
"This one doesn't know its name…but is designated BG9 by creators," the android responded.
"BG9...come with me," the blonde man waved.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Syael's Lab, Hueco Mundo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"That blonde guy is the Grandmaster Sternritter?" Ichigo asked surprised.
"Hmm…he seems like he was quite used to this kind of dealing. He must have recruited many Quincies in the world of the living to join him," Zommari noted.
"Hmm…what are they stepping through? Is that some kind of shadowy doorway? It's not a Garganta but it seems more like a dark Senkaimon," Szayel said as the memory played out. They watched it for a while and noticed a grand icy palace with very European themed buildings.
"That's odd looking…" Ichigo noted.
"The blonde guy says it's called the Silbern?" Yylfordt cut in as they watched Haschwalth explain the situation to BG9. They watched silently as Haschwalth led BG9 up into the heart of the palace passing many unusual looking Quincies along the way.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX BG9's Memory Continued XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Yhwach-sama is inside. Be very respectful, BG9...he can kill with a word," Haschwalth held his hand up gesturing for the android to head into Yhwach's personal chambers.
Upon stepping inside, the bio-mechanical Quincy scanned Yhwach who was sitting at his throne, half awake. "Come to me and tell me your name."
"BG9," was all the android said in response as he approached Yhwach at a brisk pace. His scans all brought up errors when he tried to identify Yhwach's composition.
"You're one of my children, machine…no you're not a machine. You're a man inside of a machine. A quincy," Yhwach started.
"Requesting information…BG9 has no knowledge of this place. This one wishes to know about its existence in relation to the Quincy race," BG9 spoke.
"Ah yes…knowledge. A noble pursuit for any being. You will find all the knowledge you seek here in the Wandenreich, BG9," Yhwach explained.
"This one doesn't understand. Why did you bring me here?" BG9 asked.
"I will give you knowledge…and in exchange, you will serve the Wandenreich faithfully. All Quincies are my children, and you are a Quincy. I offer you a place among my elite knights…my Sternritters. Serve faithfully, BG9, for your purpose will become clear with us," Yhwach explained.
"This one accepts. I want knowledge," BG9 replied.
"Then Knowledge you will have…I grant you the schrift of K for Knowledge and a piece of my soul," Yhwach said in a half aware state of mind as he granted BG9 a portion of his power.
The Quincy android glowed so bright that its vision was blinded temporarily.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Szayel's Lab, Hueco Mundo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So that was Yhwach? Something about him seems familiar to me..." Ichigo said as the light flashed across the screen.
"What did he just do to him?" Zommari wondered.
"He gave him some type of power and letter designation by the looks of it. K for Knowledge? What do you think it means?" Yylfordt asked Szayel.
The pink haired arrancar shook his head, "It seems to be some kind of soul division. Think of it as giving someone a bucket of water from a well. This must be how the Wandenreich empowers its Sternritters. I would have to do more research to identify the exact effects though."
"Maybe that's how these quincies achieve that Vollstandig state?" Ichigo theorized.
"The light's clearing up, what's happening now?" Yylfordt wondered as BG9's vision shifted back to normal.
The group watched it for the better part of an hour fast forwarding through a long, monotonous memory bank full of very little significant action.
"It seems as if this Haschwalth gathers Quincies and brings them to Yhwach to make them Sternritters. There's quite a few of them there," Zommari noted as they watched Szayel fast forward through irrelevant memories.
"I'll have to study this things memory in more detail, but it could take quite a while to dig up anything useful," Szayel sighed.
"That would take way too long. There's years worth of memories here. Fast forward it to the very end so we can see something more recent," Ichigo replied.
Szayel nodded as he entered in a sequence of buttons causing the memories to skip ahead considerably. "This looks good…huh, I think they're having some kind of assembly. Oh check that out! There's a video of you!" Szayel pointed.
Ichigo's eyes widened with surprise when he saw the assembly of Quincies watching a video of his attack on the Soul Society. "How did they get footage of that? Have they been watching the Shinigami?" Ichigo wondered.
"There's some people on the stage with that Yhwach guy. I wonder who they are?" Yylfordt said.
"PAUSE IT!" Ichigo roared. The other three arrancars flinched upon hearing Ichigo's outburst. Szayel immediately did as commanded.
Ichigo moved closer towards the screen and stared at it dumbfounded, "Is that…Yuzu?!"
"Who is that, White?" Zommari asked concerned.
"My human sister…" Ichigo answered as he focused intently on the image. He could not believe his eyes.
"Your what now? I didn't know you had siblings, my king. Wait…she's with the Quincies though. How does that work?" Szayel asked completely lost.
"Rewind the memory and try to find out how she got there!" Ichigo commanded.
"As you say," Szayel replied as he moved the memories back. They did so until he found a previous large gathering where BG9's attention was zoomed into Yuzu's face.
From the android's point of view, they could see BG9's scans reading her. The readings identified her as a Quincy.
"Yuzu is a Quincy…and she's there?!" Ichigo cracked a fist.
"Uhh…you okay, your highness?" Szayel asked worriedly as he took a step back. The air began to get heavier as Ichigo's anger level rose.
"Wake this thing up right now!" Ichigo yelled.
Szayel fearfully unplugged several tools from BG9 and unhooked an anesthetic tube. He proceeded to flip a few switches which sent an electrical surge pulsing into BG9. The android's mechanical eye turned on shortly afterward.
The moment its eye came on, Ichigo ripped the android off the operating table and began to drag him away. "You're going to tell me everything, BG9. Why do you people have my sister?!" Ichigo demanded in a terrifying voice.
Szayel traded a horrified look with Yylfordt, "This isn't good…we need to make sure he doesn't damage it too badly."
"Stay back…it would be unwise to get in White's way right now," Zommari commanded as he slowly followed behind Ichigo to see what was going to happen.
Meanwhile, Ichigo dragged the Sternritter outside of Las Noches at remarkable speed. Upon exiting the palace, Ichigo held BG9 by his throat, forcing the android to its knees.
He charged a colossal cero in his hand and growled furiously, "Start talking now!"
BG9 didn't obey his command much to Ichigo's annoyance. He proceeded to fire the cero right next to BG9's head, "The next one won't miss! Talk damn it!"
After his cero finished, Ichigo stabbed his hand into the android's neck and twisted it around. BG9 let out a scream of pain as Ichigo dug his hand into a nerve.
"Yuzu Kurosaki was apprehended by Sternritter T Candice Catnipp. She has been inducted into the ranks of the Wandenreich. His majesty, Yhwach, spoke of making her a Sternritter," BG9 replied fearfully. Ichigo pulled his hand out the Quincy's neck and glared at him.
"Oh so you can feel fear and pain?! Tell me then Quincy…are you ready to die?!" Ichigo growled as he squeezed BG9's neck tighter.
"I have already failed my mission…BG9 will die either way," the android quincy replied.
"What mission was that by the way?!" Ichigo asked darkly.
The bio-mechanical Quincy didn't respond which only made Ichigo angrier.
"I could kill you a million different ways…but I don't think that's what it would take to break you! No…I'm going to hollowfy you Quincy and watch you die…slowly!"
BG9 felt genuine terror as Ichigo stabbed his finger with his mask horn. BG9's blood on Ichigo's finger sizzled as it came in contact with his hollow blood. The arrancar held the blood in front of BG9's eye, "I know what happens to quincies when they get infected with hollow blood. I hear Soul Suicide is the most painful way to die for a Quincy. I hope you enjoy it…Szayel amplified your pain receptors. I don't envy the hell you're about to go through. In fact…maybe we can hook a psychedelic drug into you and make it last even longer."
"No! Please!" BG9 pleaded.
"No? You don't want to die? Then tell me what the Wandenreich is up to…and what they're doing with my sister!" Ichigo roared.
"His majesty wants to destroy the Soul Society in order to get revenge against the Shinigami. They are responsible for bringing Quincies to the brink of extinction. He also realizes that Hueco Mundo is a threat, and wants to deal with the hollows first in order to avoid a two sided war."
"He's right...we are a threat. But he thinks he can deal with us huh? I remember the last pair of you bastards that came here. They tried to abduct arrancars…well take a look behind me, Quincy. This is Las Noches and I have hundreds of arrancars here! I am the High King of Hueco Mundo. The Cero Espada! I rule this desert! If your little Wandenreich wants a piece of me and my friends then I'll kill you all! I'll burn your damn Silbern to the ground!" Ichigo ranted.
"You know about the Silbern?" BG9 asked with a scared tone.
"I do in fact…how's about you tell me how to get there. How do you open those little gateways to that icy little place?" Ichigo demanded.
"To enter the Schatten Bereich and reach the Silbern…one must pass through the Gate of the Sun. Only pure-blooded Quincies can create the shadow gates," BG9 answered.
"Well isn't that convenient that I happen to have one with me?" Ichigo said darkly.
"What's going on Ichigo?" the voice of Aizen sounded from behind. Ichigo glanced back and saw Aizen watching him from a short distance away.
"Sousuke? What are you doing out here?" Ichigo asked.
"I sensed your rising spiritual pressure and assumed something was happening. Based on the situation, I imagine you discovered something important from the Sternritter survivor?" Aizen deduced.
"They have my sister, Yuzu…and this bastard is going to take me right there!" Ichigo said aggressively.
"We can't face the Wandenreich yet…you know this, Ichigo. You must at least need achieve your Segunda Etapa first. Besides, everyone's scattered right now, and I don't want you going there alone," Aizen tried to calm him.
He glared at the man angrily, "Damn it, I don't care! I'll fight their whole army by myself! Nobody is going to lay a hand on Yuzu!"
"Think before you act, Ichigo…you can't blindly go rushing into the fray with our forces spread out right now. The situation is too fragile. You don't know anything about this enemy. Yhwach is a real threat that even you and I can't match currently. We need preparation…and the Hogyoku needs more time as well. I doubt Yhwach will kill her. It seems more likely that he knows she is your sister. She is definitely leverage or bait. You don't want to play into his hand," Aizen replied calmly.
Ichigo grimaced angrily as he thought the situation over. He couldn't deny Aizen's logic and simply sighed in acceptance, "You're right…they might try to use her to get to me. It just makes me so angry that they'd involve my innocent little sister in this…"
"The time for action will come Ichigo…just be patient. For now it's best for us to do nothing and come up with a strategy to deal with the Wandenreich. This makes achieving your second release all the more important," Aizen nodded.
"Yeah…" Ichigo said as he let go of BG9. The Quincy felt a wave of relief hit him as Ichigo calmed down.
The hollow king looked down at the android, "You get to live for now, BG9...I'm taking you back to the lab, and you're going to explain every little detail about the enemy. If you refuse, then I'll make sure to deliver on my promise of putting you through hell."
"Affirmative," the android replied fearfully.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone