"Enough."
Yhwach said softly, "You may rise."
Hearing the Emperor speak, the Sternritter also stood up.
"A mere rebellion is of no consequence."
Yhwach stood up, looking at his subordinates, and spoke with great majesty:
"I... love peace and dislike slaughter."
"I can hear the wails of the souls of the deceased Quincy; we merge as one, but... Loyd's soul has not returned."
This was what truly puzzled Yhwach.
Yes, the World Government's attack had surprised him, as it was a force even he knew nothing about.
But it was only to that extent.
Although they possessed a strange Immortality, they could not become a true obstacle on his path forward.
However, the 'disappearance' of the Lloyd Brothers was different.
Yhwach was the King of the Quincy who survived by constantly absorbing souls; without souls, he would regress into a state of senselessness.
And every Sternritter was nourishment he had prepared for himself.
When they were no longer needed, Yhwach would absorb their souls to sustain himself.
Whether they died naturally or were killed, as long as they died, their souls would return to Yhwach's body.
Therefore, he did not fear war, nor did he resist it, because war only made him stronger and allowed him to absorb more souls.
Whether they were souls from his own side or the enemy's, they were all merely nourishment to him during war.
However... the disappearance of the Lloyd Brothers' souls had completely touched upon Yhwach's forbidden zone!
He could not tolerate the disappearance of the offerings he had prepared!
Hearing Yhwach's words, everyone felt a powerful sense of oppression, as if the heavy pressure would crush their bodies in the next second!
Everyone broke into a cold sweat, as if they were about to be killed by Yhwach in the next moment!
If someone had weaker mental fortitude, they might truly be unable to withstand this pressure and would surrender to Yhwach of their own accord!
But Liltotto was someone who dared to settle accounts with Yhwach even after losing her Vollständig state; this bit of pressure was not enough to crush her.
She hadn't been idle during this time either; she had gone to the Empire's library to read up on Quincy history.
Although she had previously agreed to Beltz's invitation, she had initially held a certain degree of skepticism regarding that so-called future.
But the more she delved into the past history, the more she felt that future was real.
Yhwach was indeed such a person.
Or rather... his own worldview was different from others.
Yhwach truly considered others as comrades, but in Yhwach's view, comrades should help each other.
What did "helping each other" mean?
He helped the Sternritter gain great power, so the Sternritter should use their lives to help him achieve his hegemony!
What a joke, she wasn't going to be Yhwach's power bank!
Thus, she betrayed Yhwach and the 'Empire' without any psychological burden and could strike at her teammates without mercy.
Not to mention Loyd and Royd, these two 'comrades' she wasn't familiar with at all; even if Candice and the others dared to stand in her way, Liltotto would treat them as enemies.
Of course, she wouldn't necessarily kill them, but she would certainly not show any mercy during a confrontation.
The Sternritter's education of hatred and their cold environment made it difficult for them to understand what it meant to love one another.
"The traitor is very clever."
Seeing that no one spoke, Yhwach continued, "Knowing that Loyd's ability posed the greatest threat to him, he killed them first during the chaos."
"But he won't be gloating for long."
Yhwach said with absolute certainty, "In less than a month, you will all know his identity."
"?"
Liltotto's expression remained unchanged, but she had some doubts in her heart.
Yhwach spoke with such confidence that it didn't seem like he was boasting.
Could he really find out?
But how would he do it?
A month?
Why must it be a month?
While Liltotto was thinking, Yhwach spoke again:
"During this time, investigate. Find out who those invaders were, where exactly the Empire's defenses failed, and how they got in."
"Haschwalth, I leave this matter to you."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Haschwalth replied.
Yhwach had not yet fully awakened and needed to sleep most of the time, so he did not lecture for very long.
Having said that, he sat back down on the throne.
"Dismissed. Go and prepare for the new Sternritter Selection."
Yhwach closed his eyes and said, "Then, bring the new knights before me."
"Yes!"
"...Lil!"
After the meeting adjourned, the members of The Bambies walked out.
The others crowded around Lil and asked, "Why are you leaving so fast?"
"I'm hungry," Liltotto said. "Beltz should have prepared a meal for me already; I need to get back quickly."
"This is too much! Why do you get to live so comfortably?!" Candice said angrily. "I don't care, I'm going too this time!"
"Me too, me too!" Giselle also jumped out and said, "Lil, I'm hungry too!"
"If Candice and Giselle are going, then I'm going too," Meninas said naturally, following behind.
"What? Then I can't be left behind either!"
"There's none for you," Lil replied as she listened to their chatter. "Beltz is my Adjutant, not yours! He only cooks for me."
"Ooh la la~ 'He only cooks for me~'" Bambi couldn't help but say sarcastically. "Lil, the Empire was just invaded, and you actually have the leisure to eat."
"Even if the sky falls, it won't affect my three meals a day." Liltotto yawned, still sporting her dead-fish eyes as she spoke. "Also, don't bother Beltz during this time; he needs to prepare for the Sternritter Selection."
"Oh?" Everyone was shocked upon hearing this and couldn't help but say, "Really? He was just an ordinary soldier before, wasn't he? He just became a Soldat, and now he's going to compete for the Sternritter? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"
"Beltz has always been capable," Liltotto praised. "He just lacked the opportunity before."
Liltotto looked at the surrounding ruins as she walked.
Although she had sent the World Government people in the opposite direction of her home, the subsequent battle had been so intense—especially the Conqueror's roar of that Fengxi and the suction of the Sandworm—that the buildings on their side were also affected.