One Piece: The Living Devil

Chapter 775: The Final Pursuit

"You're such an idiot!"

Matsumoto Rangiku snapped.

"Since the captain said there would be three positions, that means from the very beginning, he was certain only three captains would be willing to follow him in the end."

"Huh? There's definitely more than that, isn't there?", Hitsugaya quickly counted in his head.

"There's me, Aizen, Captain Unohana, that lunatic Kenpachi Zaraki, and that freak Kurotsuchi Mayuri... however you count it, that's more than three."

"Heh! Did it ever occur to you that Aizen isn't even on the same level as you people? And Captain Unohana has long since become one of the Espada. As for Kurotsuchi Mayuri, all he cares about is scientific experiments. There's no way he'd go to Hell to become some deputy officer."

Matsumoto Rangiku smiled as she cleared up his final doubts.

"Hah? Fine, I'll accept that Captain Unohana's an Espada, and thank God that monster Mayuri isn't coming, but why exactly is Aizen different from the rest of us?", Hitsugaya muttered unhappily.

"Because Aizen's ambitions are far greater than yours, obviously," Matsumoto Rangiku glanced sideways at him, her tone teasing.

"Just look at you. We bought you over that easily. How much potential could you possibly have?"

Hitsugaya's face instantly flushed red from being shut down.

Of course, aside from his grandmother, he also cared about the innocent Hinamori Momo.

But at this moment, whether it was the three immortal slots Rosse promised or the revelation that Aizen had long been on their side, both gave Hitsugaya a sense of relief.

Since everyone around him belonged to Rosse's faction, it did not matter how naive or stubborn Hinamori Momo was.

Even if the process would be hard for her to accept, with both Aizen and himself standing on this side, she would eventually come along obediently.

"Yeah, yeah. I've got no ambition. I'm useless."

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes like he had accepted his fate.

"What about you then, Rangiku-nee? You'd rather go to that so-called Heavenly Palace Sanctuary that already sounds like some place floating in the sky. To put it bluntly, aren't you just going there to be a decorative vase?"

"I am going there to be a decorative vase. So what? I'm happy with that!"

Matsumoto Rangiku showed no shame at all and instead proudly raised her chin.

"Before the captain came, I had to review endless paperwork every single day, and I had to run around looking for that former captain who was never anywhere to be found. I suffered enough already. Now that Captain Rosse is here, if I still have to go suffer alongside you people, what exactly would be the point?"

She stretched lazily, showing off her stunning curves.

"Enjoyment for both body and soul is my ultimate goal in life."

Rosse could not help laughing softly. Relaxing against Rangiku's chest, he quietly listened to the bickering between the former superior and subordinate, calmness filling the depths of his eyes.

Everything was simply proceeding exactly as expected.

From the very first day this game began, he had known that the three captains he selected would eventually stand behind him. Only those three.

As for the others, before this old world completely collapsed, they would naturally bloom with the final brilliance that belonged to each of them.

———

[That Same Day, Rukongai, West District 42]

This had once been a prosperous area under the jurisdiction of the Thirteenth Division. Now, nothing remained except endless scorched earth and shattered ruins.

Ash-white spirit particle dust drifted through the wreckage like falling snow, carrying the deathly silence of a graveyard.

"Ichigo!"

Along with an extremely faint sound cutting through the air, Shihouin Yoruichi slipped into a half-collapsed house as a black cat.

"You're here. Any news outside?"

Kurosaki Ichigo sat on a broken roof beam. Taking a deep breath, he stood and walked toward her.

He looked far more worn down now. Dust covered both his Soul Reaper robes and captain's haori.

Ever since breaking out of the Seireitei that night, he had been hiding among these ruins for days.

The news of the Thirteenth Division being massacred had long reached his ears.

Every time he thought about the Soul Reapers who died because of him, or Rukia who had been dragged into this by him, it felt as though an invisible hand was squeezing his heart so tightly he could barely breathe.

He had no way out anymore.

Everyone he once wanted to protect, aside from Rukia, had either changed beyond recognition or already become cold corpses.

In this gradually collapsing world, he could no longer find any sense of belonging or purpose. Only the flames of vengeance burning in his chest remained.

"Big news. The Kuchiki Clan finally made a move."

Leaning against a damaged wall, Yoruichi pulled out a tired-looking grin.

"Kuchiki Ginrei exposed all of Rosse's secrets and the truth about Soul Society's collapse. The entire Gotei Thirteen is practically exploding right now."

"The Kuchiki Clan actually stepped forward? Wasn't Byakuya obsessed with keeping up appearances before? And did you find the mastermind behind the large-scale Hollowfication in the Rukongai?"

Ichigo's eyes instantly sharpened as he fired off question after question.

"Relax, kid. The one thing we're not lacking right now is time. One thing at a time."

Yoruichi grumbled unhappily, brushing dust off herself before her expression turned extremely serious.

"We found the mastermind. Kirinji and the Kuchiki Clan secretly accessed the Great Spirit Book Corridor to investigate it. Even though the permissions there had been tampered with, the Five Great Noble Clans still have their own hidden methods. We found the culprit."

"Who was it?", Ichigo pressed.

"Kurotsuchi Mayuri."

Yoruichi slowly spoke the name.

"Him?"

Ichigo clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles cracked.

"That freak's been Rosse's dog for a long time already! So it really was that bastard Rosse scheming behind the scenes and using the lives of Rukongai souls to stir things up!"

"No. This time, you're wrong. On the contrary, this has nothing to do with Rosse."

Yoruichi shook her head and revealed a truth that made Ichigo's mind freeze.

"While investigating this matter, we discovered something even more terrifying. Because Hueco Mundo was forcibly separated by Rosse through some unknown method, the circulation of spirit particles and matter particles between the Three Worlds has completely broken down."

Yoruichi paused, a rare trace of fear flashing through her eyes.

"In other words, even if Rosse does absolutely nothing now, Soul Society will collapse on its own in at most two months because the balance is gone."

"Huh? The world's going to be destroyed?", Ichigo froze completely.

He had not even managed to go back and get revenge yet, and Rosse had already blown up the world first?

"That's the reality. The reason those stubborn old fossils in the Kuchiki Clan are panicking now is because the world really is about to end."

Yoruichi shrugged, her tone carrying faint sarcasm.

"If Kurotsuchi Mayuri hadn't sacrificed the spirit particles of tens of millions of Rukongai souls to forcibly fill the gaps left by the missing worlds, this collapse countdown wouldn't even last one month."

"Then what are you people still waiting for?"

Ichigo could not stop himself from shouting.

"If the world's about to end, then go settle things with Rosse directly! Capture him or kill him and restore the world to normal!"

"Because we can't beat him! You think we don't want to?"

Yoruichi rolled her eyes hard in irritation.

After fighting that monster for so long, who did not know Rosse's power was unfathomable?

Just remembering being captured and pinned down by Kukaku while forced to do those things made Yoruichi grind her teeth in hatred.

After becoming a captain, her body had been thoroughly developed by Rosse even more.

Honestly, even knowing Rosse was evil, part of her still feared him.

That gap was one no advantage in numbers could ever bridge.

Although Soul Society had now received a boost in combat power, if what Kyoraku said was true, then all of those improvements had been personally orchestrated by Rosse.

Anyone with half a brain could figure out that the new Gotei Thirteen personally carved out by Rosse could never possibly stand against him himself.

"So what exactly are you planning to do? Just sit here waiting for the world to end?", Ichigo stared at Yoruichi. If she lost her nerve, he would not hesitate to act alone.

In the entire Soul Society, the only person he trusted was Aizen. As for the rest of these maggots, he trusted none of them.

"They're not going up because they're waiting for the sky to fall."

"Once Soul Society completely collapses, the Royal Palace naturally won't escape either. At that point, Rosse won't even need to do anything to achieve his goal of devouring the Soul King."

"What we need to do is force the people above to come down, then gather every remaining force together and launch one final counterattack alongside Squad Zero."

"If Squad Zero makes a move, then there really is a chance."

Ichigo took a deep breath, suppressing the agitation in his heart.

Although his instincts told him that a man like Rosse, who manipulated everything in the palm of his hand, could never fail to anticipate Squad Zero descending, the thought that Teacher Aizen was still lurking in the Seireitei made Ichigo feel slightly more at ease.

"I came this time to tell you to prepare yourself. Sharpen your blade."

Yoruichi turned and disappeared into the darkness.

"The time to gather everyone isn't far off anymore."

———

[One Day Later, Hueco Mundo]

Countless white sand howled beneath raging winds.

The light in the sky gradually became clearer, transforming into the reflection of another world.

An endless blue ocean spread across the heavens, islands scattered everywhere, with even gigantic Sea Kings visible churning through the sea.

It was the projection of Rosse's original world, the world of pirates, now covering the sky of Hueco Mundo like a miracle.

The fusion of the worlds had already reached its final stage.

Yet at this moment, nobody in this sea of sand had the mood to admire the spectacle overhead.

The Espada, Hitsugaya Toshiro, Matsumoto Rangiku, Shiba Kukaku... everyone's eyes were locked onto the two opposing figures standing in the center of the white sands.

"How does it feel?"

Rosse openly stood before Sosuke Aizen, his hands casually tucked into his pockets, smiling as though asking an old friend whether he liked a new suit of clothes.

"Better than ever before."

Aizen smiled softly. He slowly raised his right hand, clenched it gently into a fist, then suddenly opened it. A visible shockwave instantly burst through the air.

"So a body formed from the perfect fusion of matter particles and spirit particles can unleash such unimaginable power?", A drunken fascination flickered in Aizen's eyes as he looked toward Rosse.

"What amazes me even more is the World Fruit you bestowed upon me, Lord Rosse. It allowed my strength to surpass the limits of reason and increase by more than tenfold."

"I thought someone with your personality would prefer illusion-type abilities or extreme intelligence enhancement," Rosse admitted.

"Illusion abilities are unnecessary. Kyoka Suigetsu alone is already enough. In that field, I need no further additions."

Aizen smiled as he slowly raised his head and spread his hands.

Crackle!

Violent, blinding lightning burst forth like living purple dragons dancing between his fingertips. Even the surrounding space distorted beneath the terrifying voltage.

"Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Beast Type, Takemikazuchi Form," Aizen spoke the true name of this power.

This was his choice, and also the most perfect and ultimate state he had envisioned for himself.

"From the beginning, my greatest weakness was a lack of absolute destructive power capable of shattering any defense in a single blow. The power you granted me has completed the final piece of the puzzle."

Rules, illusions, hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, and now the divine thunder representing heavenly punishment and destruction.

All those powers stacked within the same perfect body.

At this moment, Aizen finally believed he possessed the qualifications to step onto the same stage and truly challenge the unfathomable man before him.

"Then let's begin."

The smile in Rosse's eyes never faded. He simply stood there in an utterly relaxed posture, without the slightest guard. He looked full of openings, yet somehow seemed fused with heaven and earth itself.

"Since you decided to challenge me before we ascend the Throne of Heaven, then naturally I'll give you this chance to perform."

Before the final destination, a battle between them had always been inevitable.

The only difference was that Aizen had chosen to move this battle forward, placing it before the final curtain rose.

Kurosaki Ichigo had never been the companion he chose.

With Aizen's pride, he would never lower himself to joining forces with the weak simply to increase his odds of victory.

From the beginning, all he wanted was to face Rosse alone on completely equal footing.

As for whether he would win or lose this duel, he had stopped caring long ago.

He knew very well that even after completing all his weaknesses, the odds of defeating Rosse remained extremely slim.

But if he did not fight this battle with everything he had and use his full power to touch that realm called "god," then he would never accept it, even in death.

Besides, Rosse himself had granted him the power to transcend his limits.

If he were still utterly defeated even in this ultimate state, then Sosuke Aizen truly would have no regrets or excuses left.

Violent lightning surged into the sky, whipping Aizen's Soul Reaper robes wildly in the wind.

He drew Kyoka Suigetsu from his waist. On the blade, purple lightning intertwined with moonlike illusions, forming a storm of destruction.

"Begin! Let me, Sosuke Aizen, chase after the Throne of Heaven one final time!"

———

[NEW FANFIC: "Marvel: My First Template is Minato"

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