Rebecca, in her doll form, floated above Allen as she watched him walk with Meninas McAllon holding onto his arm.
Rebecca – Does this situation make sense?
Rebecca had an open mind towards absurdity, but it seemed that Allen was a magnet for women; he had woken up less than an hour ago and had already met three of the Femritters.
Harley – Who knows, we all know Daddy's charm~ Mmm, but it's strange how he manages to get entangled with women wherever he goes...
There weren't many women among the Sternritters, and it seemed like a joke that Allen ended up meeting almost all of them before even leaving the Wandenreich fortress.
Makima – He must have some kind of strange pheromone in his body...
Esdeath – Well, the scent of his clothes is quite pleasant, but I never felt it as any kind of aphrodisiac...
Nokotan – Hey... someone just confessed something really embarrassing, but whatever! Nununu, Allen-tan is always the same, so you all should be used to it by now...
Bocchi – So envious...
2B and Artoria didn't have time to get involved in the discussion; they were making sure no one dangerous appeared unexpectedly.
...
Meninas McAllon smiled constantly as she walked arm-in-arm with Allen, as if it was the most natural action in the world. Every time Allen turned to look at her, she would smile again, seemingly unbothered by the strange situation. However, Meninas was still careless with her strength.
Allen remained silent, grateful for his resilient body. This innocent girl didn't realize that she would go from holding his arm like a child to squeezing it as if she were Hulk out of nowhere.
Allen would glance at her, but there was no malice in her actions.
"Ah... I'm sorry!"
Every time she did it, she wouldn't notice, and after a moment, she would make a nervous face as if she remembered she shouldn't do that. She would look at Allen in panic, then calm down after seeing he was fine and smile again. This repeated a few times until they reached the stairs connecting the lower floors.
Needless to say, Allen could have reached his destination faster on his own, but he didn't blame Meninas; she helped with good intentions.
"I think we made it..." Meninas said, dejected.
"That's right," Allen could finally move away from the sun door, but at the same time, he regretted not saying goodbye to Bambietta. She might have been extreme in her obsession, but in the end, she protected and helped him as best she could, regardless of any hidden, perverted motives.
Allen smiled and promised himself to repay his new Big Sis...
Meninas looked at Allen's profile as he smiled. She didn't know who or what he was smiling at, but she knew it wasn't a smile for her and felt a pang of jealousy. However, she didn't know what that feeling was and was stunned for a moment.
After a few seconds, he turned to Meninas, "Thank you very much, Meninas..."
"...?"
Meninas looked at Allen, confused, she didn't understand why he was saying goodbye. Then she looked at the stairs with disappointment; yes, it was the fault of those unpleasant stairs. She sighed sadly as if she had just learned of the death of her pet.
"Are you okay?"
Allen opened his eyes, noticing Meninas's changing expression. At that moment, he realized that not only Bambietta but also Meninas were girls driven by their feelings and emotions, although, in the case of Meninas, it was a little different as her mind made her less prone to that due to her lack of self-awareness.
Meninas looked at Allen and said, "Hm?... ah, yes, it's just that it's a shame that after this, I won't be able to protect you anymore..."
Her excuse was as weak as a wall of cookies soaked in milk, but Allen didn't want to complicate things further, so he played along.
"Protect me?"
"Yes... from here, a Soldat can walk without fear of becoming a corpse... well, you might become one in other ways for being so weak..."
Allen remained calm, though one of his eyebrows twitched at Meninas's words. "That's reassuring... I'll keep that in mind."
Allen tried to walk away, but Meninas hadn't let go. Allen looked at her, but she continued smiling without moving.
"Meninas..."
"Yes?~"
"Thank you very much."
"Don't worry~"
Allen tried to pull away, but Meninas's grip tightened, this time consciously.
"Meninas?"
Seeing Allen's confused look, the girl seemed to realize she was still holding onto his arm. She opened her eyes wide before smiling playfully.
"Sorry~"
Despite apologizing for her actions, she showed no signs of letting Allen go.
"Can you let me go?"
"Yes~"
Meninas's affirmative response didn't change the situation, as she still hadn't released Allen.
"You're not letting me go..."
Allen felt strange and amused by having to point out something so obvious.
"That's true~"
Meninas agreed with Allen as if amazed by the situation, but she still didn't let go. Allen had to admit she was an adorable girl, but he had things to do.
Meninas's smile was very cute, but the strength with which she held Allen was enough to lift a building. What should he do? Allen couldn't use force to free himself, right?
Allen felt like he was in a comedy, realizing it was much easier to escape from people with overpowered abilities like Gremmy than from a cotton-like girl.
"Meninas, are you playing around?"
Meninas's face shifted from a smile to a serious or determined expression—at least, she tried. "No, no I'm serious."
Allen used his hand to pat Meninas's head, "If you don't let go, I can't leave..."
"Oh~ then I won't let go~"
"Why?"
"Who Knows~... hey, don't stop doing that~"
Allen was speechless and stopped his movements. The girl not only wouldn't let him go but dared to demand more head pats.
Allen chuckled, "I see, it seems like you want me to stay..."
Meninas put puppy eyes, "Can't I?..."
Allen blinked, unaffected by the puppy-eyed tactic, "I have work to do; I'm just a Soldat. If I don't do my job, they'll kill me..."
Hearing Allen's words, she immediately let him go, but it felt as if she had lost something important. Meninas's expression became troubled as if she didn't understand her own actions and feelings.
Artoria – What a troublesome girl...
Harley – She has the cuteness of a puppy but is like a polar bear wanting cuddles~
Allen was now in trouble; she had finally let him go, but Meninas grabbed her own arm and lowered her head.
Allen shook his head as he smiled, 'Now it was more awkward to leave her alone...'
...
[Host!]
"Allen!"
"Master!"
Allen's expression turned serious as he held Meninas in his arms like a princess and moved quickly to avoid an attack from behind. That reishi-based attack was heart-shaped and unpleasant for some reason.
"What?" Meninas's eyes widened as she was picked up, an experience she had never imagined.
Allen did not pay attention to Meninas' flushed cheeks because he was distracted by his attacker; immediately, a male voice with low and high-pitched intonations was heard.
"It's disgusting... I thought I'd wait until Meninas was distracted!... but seeing such pure love made me so sad... something like that can only be mine!"
Pepe Waccabrada had appeared behind Allen and didn't hesitate to attack him with his power. His power was very dangerous, so Allen had to be careful not to let it hit Meninas.
Allen looked at Pepe with displeasure, while protecting Meninas in his arms. It had nothing to do with strength, that man's power was capable of turning Meninas into his slave, something Allen was not going to allow. Meninas's eyes widened as she felt her heart race.
"Pepe Waccabrada with the letter "L" for The Love... honestly, I don't like that power and think it shouldn't exist..."
"Huh?! How can you say something so cruel? Love is the greatest thing in the world, something that can overcome adversity, bring hope and warmth, and make even the bleakest future bright!❤️"
"You're right, although depending on the situation..."
At Pepe's statement, Allen unexpectedly agreed with him; this made Pepe smile, thinking that his love was catching up with him.
"Gegegege~ of course, I'm right❤️, I'm PePe Waccabrada, the embodiment of love, the most loved being of all❤️~"
Allen narrowed his eyes and interrupted Pepe, "But that power isn't love... it's just a disgusting power that can manipulate people to the point of losing themselves..."
PePe's eyes turned bloodshot behind his glasses, "How dare you say my love is fake! I won't forgive you!"
PePe made a heart with his hands, which soon glowed and shot a ray of "love," this time aimed at Allen, who didn't dodge it.
The heart hit Allen, making PePe smile unpleasantly.
"Gegege!~ I was surprised a moment ago that a Soldat could dodge my love, but in the end, my love is inevitable❤️~"
...
Meninas was in a trance the whole time, being held and protected by a Soldat in a place where those who are supposed to be allies kill each other. Even though Bambietta and Candice look like friends who fight, people don't understand that if they could kill each other, they would. It is very rare for someone in the Wandenreich to show goodwill to others and she is aware of that.
They act like friends; they fight together, but if one of them were weak, were a hindrance, or were injured badly, it is not surprising that they would attack her. This was the case with Bambietta in canon.
Meninas was staring at Allen without paying attention to the conversation between him and Pepe; his handsome appearance, added to his unafraid and slightly annoyed face while protecting her, made him look really attractive to Meninas' eyes. However she was still unable to understand any feeling like that, so she didn't know what to do or think.
*lub-dub*
"...!~" Meninas could no longer look at Allen because her heart seemed to want to explode.
"Pepe?..." She turned to look at Pepe and realized what was going on; she also saw how Pepe's power hit Allen; she tried to stop that but failed.
Pepe was stunned for a moment as he realized that Meninas had not been aware of his existence until now.
Meninas' look went from reverie to daze; then she looked at Allen, remembering Pepe's power.
"No!"
"That's right Meninas-chan, now only you are missing❤️~..."
Allen's hair covered his eyes, and Meninas couldn't see his expression, but she thought the worst; she realized that Allen would no longer be Allen and would no longer smile for her, hold her, and laugh with her... he would just be a Pepe puppet.
"I'm sorry..."
Meninas released and walked towards Pepe while growing her own arm with massive muscles. Her gaze was empty and cruel which filled Pepe with panic.
Pepe activated his Blut...
But "Blood," "Blood Armor," is a Quincy ability, which is used to drastically increase both the attack and defense power of the user.
Meninas didn't react to his actions and punched him; the punch broke his defense, his arms, and his nose.
"Ahhhh!"
Pepe screamed in pain. However, Meninas still didn't react; there was only a vacant look in his eyes as he looked at Pepe like the still nasty insect he was going to crush.
'Impossible, he's not even using his vollständing!' Pepe looked at his mangled arms and felt fear of being killed, but as he thought a little more he realized the reality, 'No shit... this is the power of love!'
The Quincy still has a body very similar to a human, they depend on the Blut to receive attacks; this is not a passive feature. They must activate it consciously, but once activated, it can receive devastating attacks with their own bodies even so, the girl went through the Blut Vene effortlessly.
The Blut has two names: Blut Vene, which is used for defense, and Blut Arterie, which is used for attack, they cannot be used at the same time.
"This is a miracle of love! Yes, I love it!!!"
At Pepe's unpleasant statement by using his vollständing, Meninas remained silent, while her mind could not understand her emotions so she blocked and only coldly focused on killing Pepe.
"..."
"I will make you accept my love Meninas!" Pepe drew a heart in the air with his reishi. He activated his Quincy Vollständing; his clothes disappeared, leaving only a kind of diaper or thong; he had cherub wings as if he was some kind of nasty cupid.
"GUDOERO!"
...
Meninas raised her arm while Pepe created a bow with an arrow tipped with a heart. Her arms were broken, but thanks to Blut Vene, she was able to move them.
"Now I'm as adorable as a baby, don't you feel like loving me?!" Pepe smiled. At this moment, Meninas couldn't think of anything other than killing him, making it impossible for her to dodge his power. Pepe wouldn't let Meninas escape after making him suffer so much; he would force her to compensate him once she was his.
"Accept my love, Meninas McAllon!🖤~" Pepe shot his arrow.
Meninas showed no intention of dodging, but Allen grabbed the arrow in midair and broke it.
"Huh?" Pepe's eyes widened so much that they almost popped out of their sockets. How could a simple Soldat be unaffected after receiving his Love? Not to mention that Allen, neither the Shinigami captains nor most of the Sternritter, could resist his Love.
"It's okay... I'm fine... thank you..." Allen said, smiling as he placed his hand on Meninas's muscular hand. Meninas's eyes regained their sparkle, and her arm returned to normal.
"Are you okay?!" Meninas asked worriedly.
"Yes."
"Hee hee I'm glad to hear it~ " Meninas smiled, blushing slightly, and Allen returned her smile.
"IMPOSSIBLE!!"
Allen's gaze turned to Pepe, irritation in his eyes.
"Thank you, Pepe," Allen said as he stepped in front of Meninas, who had seen his previous attitude.
"What do you mean, and how are you immune to my love?!"
"To be honest, there are some Sternritters who leave me dissatisfied, and I was considering whether I could keep them under control or remove them in the future. But in your case, I find you particularly unpleasant."
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
"Playing with people's emotions is so revolting..."
"Gegege, who cares about your opinion? Ah~ How dare you refuse my love!~ ... What a disappointment!..."
"Allen had grown tired of talking to Pepe, someone who wouldn't listen to anyone and whom he had no interest in wasting more time on. "..." Allen murmured something that only he could hear.
"What did you say? I didn't hear you!"
"I said..." Allen raised his eyes, giving Pepe chills, "Auswählen"
(Auswählen, "Selection" or "Sacred Selection.")
Pepe was stunned by what he heard. No, Allen couldn't use that power, because Auswählen was a technique used solely by Yhwach. Pepe thought it was nonsense, a lie, no, even a blasphemy to pronounce that name without qualification.
"You fool! How dare you use your mouth to insult His Majesty's words?!... huh!"
Pepe's words didn't continue as a beam of blue light struck him from above, piercing his Blut effortlessly and stripping away everything he had.
"Ahhhh!"
Wrapped in pain and helplessness, Pepe opened his eyes in disbelief, seeing Allen's figure from inside the pillar of light.
"His... Majesty?"
He finally understood why Allen wasn't affected by his Love. The boy in front of him wasn't just a Soldat; he was His Majesty himself.
"Fo... rgive... me."
Amidst the agonizing pain, Pepe managed to plead for forgiveness, but there was no mercy in Allen's eyes.
"You can blame the power, but Pepe, in the end, all your actions were your own doing. You corrupted yourself in a depraved way. Yhwach might have allowed it, but I won't... you are not worthy of fighting for me."
Allen continued using the power of Auswählen, giving Pepe time to hear his condemnation. After that, the strength of the selection increased, and Pepe fell to the ground, never to move again.
Allen looked at his hand; he had acquired an extra letter and the power of a Quincy... Allen's hands filled with blue veins, it was Blut Vene.
"...!" Meninas was stunned, unable to comprehend what had happened.
"Jugram..." Allen murmured.
"Your Majesty."
Jugram appeared, kneeling behind Allen, who observed Pepe's body. Meninas, even though slow to understand, turned pale and immediately knelt, sweating and not daring to raise her head.
"Jugram, I am not like him..."
"Yes..."
"I will not bear the hatred you feel, nor will I lead you to a massacre, but I can help you get your revenge on the one who killed Yhwach... until then, I will be Yhwach."
"Yes... thank you..."
"It's not free..."
"I know... I can't promise for everyone, but I will give my life if you command it..."
Allen smiled, "Don't be dramatic... or so I'd like to say, but I don't know what kind of enemy we're facing..."
"..."
"Jugram, take care of Pepe's corpse and keep my existence a secret... for now."
"Yes." Jugram stood up and disappeared along with Pepe's body. No one noticed the fight because the system isolated the entire place before Pepe activated his vollständig.
Allen turned around and walked until he was in front of Meninas, who was still kneeling.
"Can I ask you not to say anything about what you heard?" Allen asked in a gentle voice.
"I wouldn't dare... Your Majesty?"
Meninas was confused by Allen's identity, terrified of having acted so rudely, and deep down felt a sadness she couldn't understand.
"Meninas, lift your head..."
She obeyed, and her head was caressed. Looking at His Majesty's face, it was the same smile as before.
"It wasn't an order but a request to my new friend, Meninas McAllon..."
"Yes!~" Meninas's eyes welled up, and she nodded vigorously. Meninas didn't understand what was going on, but if the boy who had been with her this short time was there, she was happy. The feeling of sadness disappeared.
===
A/N: We all know that Pepe deserved to die for controlling Meninas. 🍷🗿
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