With the weight of 600 million coins in his pocket, Reinhardt wasted no time. Power was the only currency that truly mattered in the coming war.

  "System," he commanded, "spend 100 million for Bankai mastery and 200 million to push my Power of Destruction to High-tier."

  [Processing... 300,000,000 Devil Coins Deducted.]

  [Balance: 465,000,000]

  The mental feedback was like having a molten star poured into his skull. Decades of combat experience, the deepest secrets of the Bael bloodline, and the terrifying, cold finality of Zanka no Tachi seared into his DNA. When he finally opened his eyes, the air in the room cracked.

  He had broken through. He was now an Ultimate-Class Devil.

  "Lana," he called out as he walked into the lounge, his aura flickering with a dark, destructive edge. "Where is Sirzechs Gremory currently ranked?"

  Venelana looked at him, shivering slightly from the sheer pressure he was unconsciously emitting. "He... he is at the peak of Ultimate-Class, Rein. People are calling him a monster."

  Reinhardt smirked. "A monster? Then I'm the one who hunts them. I'm catching up faster than he thinks."

  The Hunt Begins

  The Phenex Clan's investigation into the black-market tears had hit a brick wall. They were looking for rogue branch members; they never suspected a fifteen-year-old "grieving" boy in the Bael mansion.

  Reinhardt stood by the door, his katana strapped to his waist. Artoria, Morgan, Scáthach, Venelana, and Misla all gathered to see him off.

  "I'm going out," he said, his voice cold. "I have some trash to incinerate. They spoke ill of my father, and the dead don't get to defend their honor. I'll do it for him."

  "Come back safe, Rein," they replied in unison. Morgan looked like she wanted to join the slaughter, but she respected his need for a personal vendetta.

  Reinhardt tracked the three messengers to a secluded forest clearing on the edge of the Bael territory. They were sitting around a campfire, laughing and drinking.

  "Can you believe that Astarion?" one hissed, spitting on the ground. "Supposed to be a legendary Bael, yet he died like a dog protecting that useless brat. The lineage is dead."

  "Really?"

  The three messengers jumped, their eyes darting around. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

  Reinhardt stepped from the shadows, his eyes glowing with a terrifying blue light.

  "Oh, look! It's the little brat!" the leader laughed, though his hand trembled on his sword. "Came to take revenge? How scary! Go home and cry to your aunts, boy."

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  Reinhardt didn't say a word. He didn't need to. He simply drew Ryujin Jakka. The forest, the air, and the very moisture in the atmosphere vanished instantly. The campfire didn't just go out; it was erased by a superior heat.

  "You hide your strength well, child," the messenger stammered, his skin beginning to blister. "But you're just one—"

  "Bankai."

  The heat stopped. The flames vanished. Instead, a silent, charred darkness wrapped around the blade.

  "Zanka no Tachi, North: Tenchi Kaijin (Heaven and Earth End in Ashes)."

  Reinhardt swung. He didn't even touch them. A horizontal stroke of invisible, absolute heat rippled through the clearing. In a split second, the three messengers, the trees behind them, and the very ground they stood on were deleted from existence. There was no blood. No screams. Just a path of absolute nothingness where life used to be.

  Reinhardt looked at the grey ash scattering in the wind.

  "Go tell my father," he whispered to the empty air. "Tell him his son has started the revenge."

  [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

  [First Blood Drawn!]

  [Hidden Objective Cleared: Silence the Insulters]

  [Reward: 10,000,000 Devil Coins & 1x Mystery Treasure Map]

  The aftermath of Reinhardt's strike was a scene of pure, unadulterated terror. When the other factions arrived at the forest clearing, they didn't find a battlefield—they found a void. The ground had been turned into charcoal so hot it still glowed with a faint, vengeful red. There were no bodies, no weapons, and no blood. Everything had been turned to dust.

  Panic spread through the scouts like wildfire. To delete three High-Class messengers without leaving a trace of their gear required a level of heat that defied common sense.

  Among the high-ranking investigators from the Old Satan Faction stood Grayfia Lucifuge. Her silver hair shimmered against her dark military uniform as she knelt, pressing her hand near the scorched earth. Even with her ice-affinity magic, she could feel the lingering sting of the flames on her skin.

  "Lady Grayfia," a Lucifuge subordinate whispered, his voice trembling. "Could this be the work of Zeckram Bael? Is the 'Great King' finally taking his revenge for Astarion's death?"

  Grayfia stood up, her cold eyes scanning the horizon toward the Bael territory. "No. If Zeckram wanted revenge, he would have marched into the capital and torn the elders' heads off the day it happened. He is a man of tradition and calculated moves."

  She paused, looking at a spot where a tree had been completely vaporized. "Something else is moving in the shadows. A new power has awakened, one that burns hotter than anything the Bael or Phenex clans have shown in centuries."

  "What are your orders, My Lady?"

  "Get me everything," Grayfia commanded, her voice like cracking ice. "Every scrap of information on Astarion Bael, his estate, and his family. Especially his son. I want to know exactly who is living in that mansion."

  "Yes, Lady Grayfia!"

  Back at the Mansion

  Reinhardt returned home, the scent of ozone and ash still clinging to his clothes. He was met at the entrance by Scáthach, who leaned against the doorframe with a knowing smirk.

  "You look satisfied, Master," the God-Slayer remarked, her eyes tracing the new, sharpened edge of his aura. "But you've stirred a hornet's nest. The Silver-Haired Queen of the Lucifuge is already sniffing around your crime scene."

  Reinhardt tossed his cloak to a servant and walked past her toward the lounge. "Let her sniff. By the time she realizes the 'pathetic brat' is the one holding the match, the entire Old Satan Faction will already be on fire."

  Venelana and Misla hurried over, checking him for injuries, but they quickly realized he didn't have a scratch. In fact, he looked more refreshed than ever.

  "Lana," Reinhardt said, looking at Venelana. "The Old Satan Faction is going to start digging into us. It's time we give them a distraction. And I think it's time I had a little 'chat' with my grandfather about the future of the Underworld."

  [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

  [Encounter Impending: Grayfia Lucifuge has marked you as a Person of Interest.]

  [Quest: The Cold Queen's Curiosity]

  Objective: Meet Grayfia without revealing your full strength, or sway her to your side. Reward: 20,000,000 Devil Coins & 'Lucifuge' Favor.