Heir Apparent of the Wandenreich

Meanwhile, within the Palace of Ice in the Wandenreich.

Yhwach sat high upon his throne, while below him stood the Sternritter, noticeably more scattered and sparse than before.

Eight... had been lost!

Although the Sternritter had always been rife with infighting and conflict, the complete disappearance of so many familiar faces still left some of those present with a sense of shared sorrow.

Yhwach, seated upon the throne, paid no heed to the missing Sternritter below, as if the eight who had died were nothing more than insignificant dust.

Within this main hall, aside from those of the Wandenreich, Aizen Sōsuke stood at the very front of all the Sternritter.

The presence Aizen Sōsuke exuded made him seem less like Yhwach's subordinate and more like a dragon that had entered a nest of ants.

Though Aizen Sōsuke had to look slightly upward at Yhwach on his throne due to the difference in height, the calmness and arrogance in his eyes instinctively made Yhwach uncomfortable.

Yhwach had originally intended to use his imposing manner to gain the upper hand in their psychological contest and secure an advantage in the coming negotiations with Aizen Sōsuke, but he could not help reaching a conclusion.

'Aizen will never become my subordinate...'

Aizen Sōsuke's arrogance even unconsciously stirred killing intent within the highly self-regarding Yhwach.

It was as if, in the world Yhwach wished to control, someone this damn impressive was instinctively not allowed to exist.

Yet although Yhwach appeared calm, the occasional subtle shifts in his gaze allowed Aizen Sōsuke to guess Yhwach's thoughts with near-perfect accuracy.

This only made Aizen Sōsuke despise Yhwach even more.

Compared to Makoto, a master of microexpressions and an Oscar-winning actor, Yhwach's acting was practically transparent to Aizen Sōsuke at a glance.

Yhwach's narrow-minded wariness, in particular, filled