Yamiko is very obedient to Yoshio. He told her to show only sixth-class spirit power, and she did.
Even Kyōraku Shunsui and Oounabara Gengorō were startled!
Even among the Five Great Noble Families—whose members are born with higher spiritual pressure than ordinary souls—showing sixth-class spirit power at initial testing is extremely rare!
So Yamiko naturally entered the first class. If nothing goes awry, she should be able to graduate early like Hitsugaya.
Also, Yamiko doesn't need to live in the dorms; she can return to the Kamado family to sleep at night.
However, this became big news in Seireitei again. Familiar with Yoshio, as soon as they saw her family name, they thought of him.
That evening, they called him out for drinks and to ask what happened.
"What's going on?"
Yoshio pouted, "Do I have to report whether I have relatives? Are you the police?"
"Oh—you actually are police, but so am I. Why are you checking the household registry of a fellow officer?"
These words left the others speechless. In the end, they didn't get anything useful out of him.
However, Rangiku quietly found Yoshio and said—
"I gave you Hitsugaya last time, so this time you owe me your little cousin, right?"
As everyone was about to call it a night, a tipsy Rangiku slung an arm over Yoshio's shoulder and declared loudly.
A vein popped on Yoshio's forehead. "What do you mean 'give me Hitsugaya'? He originally wanted to join Fifth Division, and now he's already in Thirteenth!"
"I don't care! Anyway, you owe me a genius!"
"If not for you, I would've spotted that kid first!"
"I can't with you," Yoshio's mouth twitched. "Don't worry, I won't decide for Yamiko. When the time comes, she'll choose which Squad she wants."
"Good," Rangiku narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Just you wait—I'll definitely get her into Tenth Division."
"Do as you like," Yoshio pouted, and they parted ways on the street.
Yamiko won't necessarily go to Fifth Division. Aizen probably wants her to learn and grow in different places. If she went to Fifth, wouldn't that be right under his nose?
If Aizen really wanted Yamiko under his careful care, he wouldn't have arranged for her to be with Yoshio.
So Yoshio figured Aizen might not force her into Fifth Division.
After all, respect the child's wishes.
Going to Tenth Division is good too. After all, he might become the Tenth's captain someday.
Then, if he and Rangiku both slack off, they'll need someone to do the work, right?
Thinking that, Yoshio felt a bit guilty, as if he were exploiting child labor.
Whistling, Yoshio returned home and found Yamiko had returned from Shin'ō Academy and was studying intently.
Yoshio didn't disturb her; he just took a glance through the window and went back to his room.
He took out materials to carefully review the Hōgyoku data.
Although many materials are still lacking, the prep work can't be neglected. At least make a prototype first.
…
The next day, Yoshio received another assignment—stationing in the Human World.
He has to be stationed there for a month, which is fine. Yoshio had wanted to check on Ginjō Kūgo's situation.
However, his post wasn't Karakura Town or Naruki City, but Kagamino City.
This place is far from both Karakura and Naruki, maybe 40–50 km away.
It appears in the original too.
When Starrk, Baraggan, and Halibel came to the Human World from Hueco Mundo to battle the Gotei 13 led by Captain-Commander Yamamoto, upon arrival their overwhelming spiritual pressure crushed all Hollows in Kagamino City dozens of km away.
Yoshio figures that was likely Starrk's spiritual pressure—like an inner, feuding god of delusion that hunts Hollows, but poses no threat to souls other than Hollows.
He was responsible for the entire Kagamino City.
After confirming there were no Hollows, Yoshio headed to Naruki City—the place Ginjō Kūgo told him.
When Ginjō Kūgo left, he told Yoshio if he wanted to meet, go to Naruki City.
Yoshio arrived; it seemed not far from where Ginjō later found Kurosaki Ichigo. He saw an abandoned, unfinished building. He tried sensing Ginjō's spiritual pressure but failed.
Of course, if he were that easy to find, Soul Society would have caught him long ago.
But that's fine—Yoshio has a cheat.
He'd already planted a tracker on Ginjō Kūgo.
In fact, the air-suspension production line he envisioned had produced an initial version of nano spirit bugs, but Yoshio currently had no bandwidth for mass production. He'll have to wait until the Hōgyoku matter is settled.
So, he's still using the older bug version. Ginjō's spiritual power shouldn't have recovered much, so he can't detect them.
With the bug, Yoshio easily found Ginjō's location.
He walked into the unfinished building and straight to a room.
Arriving there, he happened to see Ginjō at the door.
Ginjō had also noticed him—Yoshio hadn't hidden his spiritual pressure.
Leaning against the wall, Ginjō said, "I don't recall telling you the exact spot."
"Right, but I don't recall saying I need you to tell me the exact spot to find you," Yoshio replied.
Ginjō Kūgo's face darkened. "What do you want from me?"
"Just checking on you," Yoshio said. "Relax, I won't tell Captain Ukitake where you are."
"Don't say that name in front of me," Ginjō snapped. "There's nothing here for you to see. We are not the same."
Yoshio sighed. "I did save your life back then. You don't think I'm like other Shinigami who betrayed you, do you?"
"…"
Though blinded by anger and hatred, Ginjō didn't extend it to Yoshio. After all, Yoshio did save their lives then.
He hesitated a moment, released his hand, and said, "True. And you actually found my hideout. If you were with other Shinigami, I'd have been exposed long ago."
He hadn't told Yoshio his exact hideout because he wasn't entirely at ease with him.
Though Yoshio saved them, what if he had a change of heart later?
In any case, he's a Shinigami, and Shinigami are on the same side. Ginjō is an outsider!
So when Yoshio appeared, he observed from the shadows, ready to see if anyone else was with him.
Seeing no one else, he met Yoshio.
Ginjō opened the door. "Come in, we'll talk."
Inside, Yoshio saw only him and one other person.
He wasn't too old, but not very young either.
This was Tsukishima Shūkurō. Aside from him, the other Fullbringers hadn't appeared yet.
Seems the timing isn't ripe. For now, only Tsukishima is with Ginjō Kūgo.
Tsukishima Shūkurō's Souls Ability is "Big Cousin."
"Distant Cousin: Upon activation, become someone's cousin."
?
What kind of ability is that?
Yoshio ranted inwardly. Tsukishima has a power as strong as "Book of the End," yet his Souls Ability is this trash?
He'd known from the start the rule "the stronger the opponent, the stronger the Souls Ability; the weaker the opponent, the weaker the Souls Ability" isn't absolute.
For example, his early "Destructive Death Ray" came from a Shinigami who never even appeared in the original, and even now, in Yoshio's hands, Death Ray is godly.
Another example: Bambietta Basterbine is very strong as a Sternritter, but her Souls Ability is a joke, pure negative effect.
Still, Yoshio had high hopes for Tsukishima Shūkurō's Souls Ability. If it related to altering the past, it would make boosting favorability much easier.
But clearly, either it's to avoid his favorability rising too fast, or because Tsukishima's "Big cousin" moniker is too famous, his Souls Ability has nothing to do with changing the past.
Forget it—his label really is "big cousin," after all.
It's not bad to get this Souls Ability. He already has a "little cousin" in Yamiko—if he used it on her, wouldn't he really become her cousin?
Also, Yoshio considers that in the Human World he has an alias "Kurosaki Kamado." He wonders if he can use it again.
Ishida Sōken's Souls Ability, whether or not Yoshio gets it, is no longer so important—but Ishida Sōken has a big family.
He has a wife, a son, a daughter-in-law, and the adopted Kurosaki Masaki… in short, he could examine the whole family's Souls Abilities.
For that, he needs a proper identity.
Thinking this, Yoshio felt relieved. Fine, big cousin it is. I want this Souls Ability too!
However, Tsukishima's favorability toward him was very low.
How low?
-20.
Uh, Yoshio couldn't remember the last time he'd seen someone with negative favorability.
This guy must have been brainwashed by Ginjō and believes all Shinigami are bad.
Ginjō noticed the hostility in Tsukishima's eyes. He said, "Yoshio is different from other Shinigami. He's a good Shinigami, and he saved me back then."
Hearing this, the hostility eased in Tsukishima's gaze. His favorability jumped by 40—from -20 to +20.
It increased quite fast.
Ginjō walked to the mini-fridge, took out a cola, and tossed it to Yoshio.
"If you want booze, I've got some too."
"No thanks, I'm on duty in the Human World—no drinking," Yoshio caught the cola. He opened it; foam sprayed up.
After a swig of the chilled cola, Yoshio felt refreshed. He tightened the cap and set it on the table. "I really don't have urgent business—just worried about you, so I came."
"Hmph, you Shinigami keep searching for me." Ginjō sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, and took a big gulp of cola.
"Can't be helped. Besides, you're only a Substitute Soul Reaper—Seireitei would investigate even if an ordinary Shinigami went missing."
"After all, asauchi are fixed in number. Losing a Shinigami is one thing, but their Zanpakutō must be retrieved," Yoshio shrugged. "But… looks like you're recovering well. Even if you're found, you should be fine."
Ginjō said nothing, just took another pull.
"I'm working to become a Fullbringer!" Ginjō Kūgo said in a low voice. "By using Fullbring to restore my Shinigami power and combining the two, I should become stronger."
"Stronger? How strong?" Yoshio said casually. "Strong enough to suppress the Gotei 13 in Seireitei? To suppress a million years of Soul Society history?"
"Of course," Ginjō said coldly.
"Good to have that confidence." Yoshio chuckled, then finished his cola in one go.
The icy rush hit his head, making him let out a satisfied hum.
"Stuff in the Human World is the best! I want to stay here! You can't get cola this good in Soul Society."
"No, people of Captain-class shouldn't appear in the Human World," Ginjō said coldly. "So—how did you find this place? I thought I scrubbed all traces of spiritual pressure."
"Indeed, your disguise is flawless," Yoshio sat on a stool. "But in truth, there's no such thing as perfect."
"No matter how well you hide, there are omissions."
"What did I miss?"
"Hell."
"Hell?" Ginjō frowned. "What does that mean?"
"Do you know the saying: 'Hell is always with you'?"
"Hell is always with you?"
"Hell is not in Soul Society, but in a space entirely different from the Three Realms. Only those who committed grievous sins in life go to Hell," Yoshio said. "In Hell, sinners suffer endless punishment, but at the same time, the wardens of Hell gain an ability."
"Clairvoyance."
"Clairvoyance?"
"Right. The wardens of Hell can see everything in the Three Realms even while in Hell."
Ginjō's pupils dilated. He turned to stare at Yoshio, unable to understand his connection to Hell.
"Aren't you a Shinigami of Soul Society? Could it be…"
"Yes, I'm a Shinigami of Soul Society, but I'm also a manager of Hell," Yoshio said in a low voice. "The Hell I manage is called 'Loneliness.'"
"Loneliness…" Ginjō murmured. "Does such a place exist?"
"Hell's a good place," Yoshio smiled. "Interested in having a look?"
"No, thanks. I don't consider myself a grievous sinner. If anyone should go to Hell, it should be Shinigami."
You're not wrong; Captain-class Shinigami really do go to Hell.
Yoshio said this just to reassure Ginjō; apart from himself, no other Shinigami could find Ginjō Kūgo.
Indeed, hearing Yoshio, Ginjō relaxed a lot.
Then he asked, "By the way, did you recover the power of those Fullbringers?"
"I did," Yoshio said. "They're ordinary people now."
"Good. I intended to help them myself, but didn't expect you—a Shinigami—to be the one who did."
"Yeah, who can say what'll happen in this world?" Yoshio smiled, then stood. "Alright, I'm off."
"Since you're fine, I'm at ease. I hope next time we meet, you'll have let go of the hatred."
Ginjō didn't speak, just watched Yoshio leave.
"Ginjō…"
Tsukishima looked at Ginjō. Ginjō shook his head. "Yoshio isn't like other Shinigami. Don't tense up, and don't take any action against him."
He then walked to the window, watched Yoshio descend and disappear into the distance… "You really did it."
….
In Las Noches, Starrk stopped after hearing Szayelaporro.
"What?" Starrk frowned.
"I said you went alone to such an interesting place," Szayelaporro said, pushing up his glasses.
"You just recovered, didn't you?" Starrk said coolly. "If you've time, consider regaining your strength first."
Previously, Szayelaporro had parasitized Starrk's body and was then excised by Dark Rukia's blade.
Through that brief parasitism, Szayelaporro also obtained Starrk's soul characteristic, meaning he too could activate infinite Cero.
However, that incomplete parasitism caused him great harm.
Szayelaporro's "Gabriel" intended to revive himself by parasitizing others and absorbing nutrients—integrating "death" into the "life cycle."
But when he parasitized Starrk, he was excised before absorbing any nutrition. Without sustenance from the "host," Szayelaporro was like a malnourished fetus.
Though he finally restored his normal appearance from a baby-like state, he's far from full power.
Still, restoring power is only a matter of time. For Szayelaporro, trading this time for this ability was absolutely worth it.
After all, for Arrancar, time is the cheapest commodity.
After recovering, Szayelaporro must have heard that Starrk entered the Wandenreich through Lilynette, so he sought him out.
Starrk wasn't interested in such things. For him, entering the Wandenreich was simply because of a deal with Angra Mainyu.
But Szayelaporro obviously thought differently. As a scientist, he's naturally curious about the unknown.
So he wanted to ask Starrk about the Wandenreich.
If he weren't so weak now, Szayelaporro would surely try entering the place himself.
At least he wanted to tour Seireitei and analyze methods to enter the Wandenreich.
But he wouldn't succeed.
Because Baelz would design a brand-new security barrier that would raise defenses several levels. Not just Szayelaporro—the barrier's target is to stop Aizen and Kisuke Urahara from entering!
Of course, aiming to stop Urahara and Aizen doesn't mean guaranteed success. Ultimately, results will depend on the competition of each side's technical prowess.
Szayelaporro's eyes gleamed. "I want to meet that Angra Mainyu."
"..." Starrk said, "I can't find him. But he promised me this: at most within ten years he'll come to me."
"Ten years…" Szayelaporro frowned, then nodded.
"Thanks."
He thanked Starrk; Starrk nodded and moved aside to let him pass.
Szayelaporro only needs some time to restore spiritual power. In ten years, he'll surely be fully recovered.
Then he'll go make another deal with Angra Mainyu.
Szayelaporro wonders what would happen if Arrancarization—Hollows becoming Shinigami—were taken even further.
It's difficult to open such a path, but Szayelaporro wants to try.
A Hollow's desire for evolution—its hunger to become the perfect lifeform—makes Szayelaporro long to devour the "unknown."
But for now, he has two tasks for Yoshio.
They aren't difficult for him, so he completed the manufacture quickly.
"Roka Paramia!"
Szayelaporro said, "Notify Yoshio that what he requested is ready."
Though Roka wasn't before him, Szayelaporro knew Roka Paramia had blanketed Las Noches with Telaraña; nothing that happens there escapes her.
She must have heard what he just said.
Afterwards, Roka would naturally pass the message to Yoshio.
…
At this time, Yoshio, who had just returned to Kagamino City, unexpectedly came again to Hueco Mundo.
"Ready?"
Yoshio found Szayelaporro, followed him to his lab, and asked.
"Of course," Szayelaporro said proudly. "Child's play for me—but what about your materials?"
Yoshio looked up and saw two souls.
These two artificial souls—two females—had previously been specified by Yoshio as "Shizuku" and " Homura."
In the movie, "Shizuku" was male, but considering Yoshio wanted both to fuse with Rukia, they were both set as female, especially since Dark Rukia herself preferred that.
Yoshio had Mayuri Kurotsuchi's research data on artificial souls. Artificial souls aren't hard; the difficult part is creating ones that can "self-evolve."
The next challenge is "directed modification of souls."
If artificial souls are divided into three tiers, the first is ordinary artificial souls—almost meaningless, like modded souls.
The second is directed-modified souls, e.g., souls with specific abilities.
The third is Mayuri's perfect works, self-evolving souls, indistinguishable from real souls—perhaps even more perfect.
Yoshio can create artificial souls himself, but he needs directed modifications, and that task is best left to Szayelaporro.
Szayelaporro is also an expert in life sciences. Roka Paramia's ability, Telaraña, was engineered by Szayelaporro through research on Sōya Azashiro's ability.
Thus, making two more souls per Yoshio's request was easy at this point.
Shizuku and Homura's abilities are "spatial displacement" and "memory erasure."
However, two souls alone aren't enough; these artificial souls are too weak, so something else is needed to enhance them.
That is the Parasite Hollow Yoshio will provide.
Yoshio has been studying the Parasite Hollow for a long time, even using it as an early research subject.
After obtaining complete Parasite Hollow data from the Daireishokairō, Yoshio considered using it for practice.
In his Las Noches lab, there is a Parasite Hollow prototype developed by Yoshio.
This Parasite Hollow isn't as effective as the original, but Yoshio only intends to use it temporarily; it's good enough.
So he had Roka Paramia send the Parasite Hollow from his lab.
Upon creating this Hollow, Yoshio had enhanced it somewhat; it isn't especially strong, but parasitizing these two should boost their mental power.
"This level isn't enough, is it?"
Szayelaporro said, "It lacks a method of control."
He handed Yoshio another item.
Yoshio glanced and said with some disdain, "I don't use bombs to threaten people into doing my bidding."
"Let's use a more civilized method," Yoshio said. "I installed a mental controller when I made it—much better than your bomb."
He then opened flame's and drop's containers. The two, along with their liquid, spilled onto the floor. Yoshio approached and tossed the Parasite Hollow into their bodies.
In an instant, Homura and Shizuku seemed swallowed by the Parasite Hollow, gradually fusing into one, emitting a strong Hollow aura.
Yoshio shifted his attention; the two separated again and returned to Homura and Shizuku.
When Homura and Shizuku appeared, there was no Hollow aura on them.
Looks like success!
The corners of Yoshio's mouth lifted slightly. "You did well. Anything else you want?"
Standing behind Yoshio, hands in pockets, Szayelaporro said coolly, "I want to go to that Quincy Empire."
"Is that so?" Yoshio smiled. "But I think you won't get in. Starrk caused them enough trouble last time; their security measures should be stricter now."
"Hehe, you won't know until I try."
"Fine, I grant permission. If you can't get in, that's not on me."
"Of course."
With that, Yoshio looked at the two sisters below and fell into thought again.
Even with the Parasite Hollow's blessing, the two are still too weak.
He still needs to figure something out.
Captain-class souls can't be created so easily. But to deal with Captain-class Shinigami, one needn't necessarily be Captain-class.
There's a tactic called a sneak attack.
Under the right conditions, even across several ranks, a sneak attack can instantly kill an enemy.
If Yoshio launched a sneak attack now, he's confident he could one-shot Captain-Commander Yamamoto!
Take Hisagi Shūhei for example. He's only a Lieutenant, not even among the strongest of them.
Yet in the Karakura Town battle, he seized the chance and killed the resurrected Tōsen Kaname in one strike.
Resurrected Tōsen Kaname outranks Shūhei by several tiers!
Another example is Rukia. In the original, when she was impaled by the ninth Arrancar, an unexpected white blade instantly killed Aaroniero.
Ichimaru Gin's sneak could kill Hōgyoku Aizen; Kurosaki Ichigo's sneak could kill Yhwach… In short, sneak attacks are the best way to kill higher-tier foes.
With ample prep against an unprepared opponent, Yoshio is confident that even with only Lieutenant-level Homura and Shizuku, they could instantly kill Mayuri.
Let them brew a while longer.
Fortunately Baelz is also searching Mayuri Kurotsuchi's research records, so there's still time.
"I'll take them away then."
Yoshio said, "Oh, also…"
He paused, thought for a moment, then tossed something to Szayelaporro.
"Hm?"
Szayelaporro caught it—it looked like a USB stick.
Yoshio said, "You're interested in Quincy, right? These are some Quincy-related materials I've collected recently. If you're interested, take a look—but you must share your research results with me."
He's currently working on Hōgyoku-related research, but found that working alone might take decades.
He doesn't have that kind of time!
With help, the time required should shrink drastically.
Szayelaporro smiled. "Don't worry—we've collaborated before."
He found Yoshio to be his lucky star.
He helped him perfect the concept of the perfect existence, and now provided the Quincy data he wanted.
Heh, if only every Shinigami were like Yoshio.
If Yoshio knew Szayelaporro's thoughts, he'd probably gripe that if every Shinigami were like him, the Three Realms would be in chaos.
Yoshio returned to his lab to refine his ideas.
…
A month passed quickly; Yoshio returned to Seireitei from his Human World assignment.
By then, Baelz had finally found Mayuri Kurotsuchi's research data and completed the design of the new security facility, though research on Quincy still progressed slowly.
Although the Wandenreich has a lot of research on Quincy, he's never seen anyone actually use it firsthand.
Reading about it in books alone always feels like something's missing.
But he's not in a rush; he'll submit the security measures first.
So he once again entered the core of Quincy City.
This time, he wasn't seeking Liltotto but Haschwalth.
Seeing Haschwalth again, Baelz couldn't help feeling some pressure.
After all, Haschwalth is backed by Yhwach.
However, Yhwach is still slumbering now; at least around ten years are needed for full awakening.
Even so, Yhwach is the strongest boss among Shinigami—and most importantly, he has precognition of the future.
Meaning, Baelz's undercover mission ends the moment Yhwach opens his eyes.
When Yhwach opens them, he will see Baelz's "betrayal."
But it'll be over ten years until full awakening, and even longer until those eyes open—at least twenty more years.
Baelz submitted his plan to Haschwalth, who accepted it and read.
He was expressionless; unless it concerned Yhwach's safety, he rarely showed strong emotion.
So this time was no different. After reading Baelz's plan, he only nodded. "Good. Your name is Baelz, right?"
"Yes, Lord Haschwalth!" Baelz nodded. "Graduate of enterprise training class 162, currently in the Technology Research Institute!"
Haschwalth nodded, returned the plan, and said, "The Technology Research Institute will be rebuilt next month. You will serve as acting head. If the defense system is built, the headship will formally be yours."
"Yes!" Baelz said loudly, snapping a salute!
The Wandenreich is a militarist state; all citizens are soldiers. Here, saluting is a military salute.
Luckily, Baelz didn't have to shout "Long live Yhwach!"
Baelz took the documents and the appointment slip and was about to leave.
At that moment, Haschwalth spoke again.
"Wait."
Baelz stopped and turned. "Lord Haschwalth, anything else?"
Haschwalth gave Baelz a deep look. "His Majesty will see you."
…Baelz froze.
Yhwach wants to see me?
He gulped and immediately showed excitement.
"His Majesty… wants to see me?!"
Haschwalth wasn't surprised by Baelz's reaction. To the Wandenreich's people, Yhwach is their king—the god they worship!
Hearing that the king will summon him—God will see him—being excited is natural.
"Come with me."
Haschwalth turned and led Baelz deeper into the Ice Palace.
There, Baelz met Yhwach for the first time.
He sat on the throne, eyes closed, hands on the armrests, emanating danger.
After Haschwalth entered, he and Baelz bowed respectfully to Yhwach. In a low voice, he said, "Your Majesty, Baelz has arrived."
Yhwach said nothing, but a female Quincy entered from the other side.
She carried a small dish filled with blood.
She respectfully went to Haschwalth and handed it to him.
Haschwalth took it and walked to Baelz.
Baelz looked at him, puzzled. Haschwalth said, "Drink, then swear fealty to His Majesty."
This is… Yhwach's blood.
Drinking the blood awakens one's Schrift.
Awakening a Schrift essentially means becoming a Sternritter.
Yet he merely provided a defense system; can that really make him a Sternritter?
Regardless of his thoughts, Baelz took the dish and excitedly drank all of it!
He felt no change in his body—just bowed again to Yhwach and swore fealty!
"You will experience a transition period. Soon, you will awaken your Schrift."
Haschwalth explained, "His Majesty holds you in high regard. Do not disappoint him."
Unless the sun rises in the west, I don't believe you. You probably say that to everyone.
Baelz complained inwardly but maintained a fervent expression outwardly.
"Yes! I am willing to dedicate everything to His Majesty—even my life!"
"You may go," Haschwalth said. "When you awaken and your Schrift returns, I'll arrange your residence."
Can I live in the city center?
Good—that way I can interact with other Sternritter.
Didn't expect it was so easy to become a Sternritter?
No, wrong. I'm not Sternritter yet.
Before leaving, Baelz glanced at Yhwach—or more precisely, at the text above Yhwach's head.
"Plunder: Forcibly steal others' Souls Abilities."
"Note: The higher the target's favorability toward you, the lower the cost and the higher the success rate."
Astounding!
Boss, you have my support!
Baelz felt a surge of excitement. If he could obtain this ability, wouldn't he be invincible?
It's just… raise Yhwach's favorability?
Me?
Am I planning to do that?
Seriously?
Baelz knew raising Yhwach's favorability is extremely difficult. That old man's favorability is probably harder to raise than Aizen's and Yamamoto's!
Damn, so annoying. Why do most people with awesome Souls Abilities have the hardest favorability to raise!
Baelz sighed internally. Forget it. He can't pin hopes on others; he must rely on himself.
He just didn't know what Schrift he'd awaken.
If he becomes Sternritter, whom would he replace?
He'd know soon enough.
…
Three days later, Baelz felt a heat flow through him, and a torrent of information rushed into his mind.
He had awakened his Schrift.
His Schrift is "Q," named "Qliphoth"!
This may be a bit hard to grasp, but everyone is familiar with Kabbalah.
Many works feature Kabbalistic attributes—or more precisely, the Kabbalistic Tree of Life—and Qliphoth essentially means the "reverse Kabbalah"!
If Kabbalah is the path to God, then the reverse Kabbalah is the path to Hell!
It can also be called the "evil tree"!