[Hueco Mundo, Central Heavenly Palace]
This was the highest point of all Hueco Mundo, and the source from which that pair of invisible hands controlled every fate.
Inside the dim yet lavish grand hall, only a massive holographic screen floating in midair was glowing, projecting every detail of the battlefield.
This was no ordinary surveillance, but an image directly projected back through the shared visual nerves of Ulquiorra.
Because of that, the lightning, the blood, and every clash of energy in the scene appeared especially real and brutal.
On the screen, Candice, clad in a coat of lightning, was launching a frenzied assault like a Valkyrie, while Jugram stood like an unshakable reef. Though battered in the raging storm, he remained standing no matter what.
"As expected of the only person in the entire Wandenreich worth taking seriously," A woman's voice, tinged with laziness and allure, rang out from the throne, "Even though our little Candice has already obtained the awakened power bestowed by Your Majesty, and in raw strength and spiritual pressure she's already steadily overpowering him, she still can't take him down. If this drags on, she'll slip up eventually. Looks like our little Candice will most likely still lose."
The one speaking was Sung-Sun, now the chief steward of the Hueco Mundo palace.
Unlike the sharp-tongued but somewhat inexperienced subordinate she had been years ago, she now seemed to have undergone a complete metamorphosis, radiating a suffocating, enchanting charm.
Her jet-black, glossy hair wasn't tied up, but flowed freely like silk from the top of her head all the way down, swaying gently with her movements.
On that face capable of toppling all beings, three small, vivid tear moles at the corner of her eye acted like the final stroke of a painting, adding a mesmerizing allure.
She wore a perfectly tailored black Espada robe that clung tightly to her body, outlining her graceful figure to perfection.
And beneath that black robe, a thick yet beautifully shaped white serpent tail slowly extended out, wrapping itself affectionately around the figure seated on the throne.
"Losing wouldn't be strange."
Rosse lounged lazily against the throne, wearing the robe of the Hollow King personally sewn by Shutara Senjumaru.
He paid no mind to the snake tail tightening more and more around his waist. Or rather, he had long grown used to this peculiar way the chief steward showed affection.
He even reached out one hand to gently stroke Sung-Sun's satin-like black hair, while his other hand rested naturally on those cool, smooth white scales, lightly rubbing them in rhythm with the rise and fall of her body.
The sensation was like handling a most cherished piece of art.
"Candice has only just completed the fusion of body and soul. Her power has surged, but she hasn't fully integrated it yet. Facing someone like Haschwalth, it's inevitable she'd be at a disadvantage," Rosse's voice was calm and indifferent.
The outcome had already been decided anyway. This was nothing more than entertainment after the fact.
And a powerhouse like Jugram, there was only one on Yhwach's side.
But Espada at Candice's level, there were nine.
And in fact, every one of them was stronger than her.
Actually, ever since learning of Kyoraku Shunsui and the others' all-in plan, he had stayed in Hueco Mundo, waiting for this grand show to arrive.
As for the Soul Society, with Aizen, the perfect actor there, and with Kyoka Suigetsu's illusion as cover, whether he was present or not made no difference at all.
"What I didn't expect was that Shunsui's group would still have this kind of courage even now."
Rosse looked toward the edge of the screen, at that heavily injured figure still holding on, and a faint trace of admiration flashed in his eyes, "Knowing it's like a moth flying into flame, and still choosing to burn themselves to light a path that doesn't even exist."
"Foolish, but it makes for a show worth watching."
"If Your Majesty wishes to watch, Sung-Sun can arrange something even more exciting for you."
Sung-Sun lifted her delicate face, rubbing against Rosse's palm like a kitten, her eyes filled with infatuation, "With just one word from you, even that Yhwach hiding in the shadows, I'll find a way to capture him and bring him here to perform on stage for you."
"No rush."
Rosse let out a soft laugh and tapped lightly at her tear mole:
"The best actor should always make their entrance last."
———
Right at that moment—
Boom!
Along with one final violent tremor from Ulquiorra's vision, the image on the screen was swallowed by a blinding surge of lightning and sword energy.
After the dazzling white light faded, the battlefield was already in ruins.
With the two of them at the center, the sandy ground within several kilometers looked as if it had been struck by a meteor, forming a massive circular crater.
Dust gradually settled.
"Ha! Ha!"
Candice staggered at the edge of the crater, barely steadying herself. Her clothes were still intact, but her long green hair was in complete disarray.
As she panted heavily, a mouthful of blood spilled from her lips, staining her chest red.
But she was still standing.
What flickered in her eyes was a wildness, like she had finally broken free from her shackles.
She hadn't lost.
Facing someone she once had to look up to, she had stood to the very end.
And across from her, Jugram, the highest-ranking Sternritter who had never shown weakness before others, was now kneeling on one knee in disarray.
The Balance shield in his hand had completely shattered, and though the sword symbolizing equilibrium was still gripped in his hand, its blade was already covered in cracks.
He gasped for breath, his golden hair soaked with cold sweat and clinging to his pale face.
He hadn't won.
In this pure collision of power and rules, in the end, neither side had been able to completely overwhelm the other.
Both sides suffered heavy losses. That was the conclusion of this battle.
And in a fight to the death, with her companions present, Candice had never been the one destined to die.
"It's over!", Candice wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and looked at the man she once had to look up at, a smile mixed with bloodlust and exhilaration appearing on her face.
What had ended wasn't just this battle.
It was also her past as the Quincy Candice, and that long-held fear and shadow tied to the name Yhwach.
From today onward, she would fight only for herself, and for that man.
———
Outside the screen—
"A draw?"
Sung-Sun tilted her head slightly, the snake tail wrapped around Rosse's waist tightening just a little, seemingly surprised by the outcome, "I thought that blond handsome guy would win."
"Candice lacks combat experience. Otherwise, with her raw strength, she shouldn't have fought this miserably. She should have won much earlier," In the central hall, Rosse commented calmly.
This had always been a battle with a known outcome. He didn't care about victory or defeat.
If Candice won and resolved her inner knot, that would naturally be good.
But if she lost, then she could just win it back next time.
As long as they were his people, and not too foolish, he could grant them enough room for error.
Seeing the battlefield return to calm, he raised his hand, his slender fingers snapping lightly in the air.
Snap!
"Harribel..."
———
Almost at the same time, at the edge of that ruined battlefield—
As the battle ended and the dust cleared, the Espada who had been watching began to move.
Harribel, who had been standing still, suddenly tilted her head slightly, as if listening to some kind of divine command.
A moment later, she turned around, her cold gaze sweeping across the field. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried unquestionable authority, "His Majesty has given an order."
"Throw all these Shinigami and that blond Quincy back into the Wandenreich. As for Meninas and Bambietta, bring them back to the Hollow King's palace."
The moment those words were spoken, the battlefield, which still carried a faint smell of gunpowder, fell into dead silence.
Hirako Shinji and Kyoraku Shunsui exchanged a glance, both seeing the undisguised frustration and chill in each other's eyes.
The battle had only just ended, and yet the order had already been delivered without the slightest delay.
That meant everything that had just happened, even their every desperate struggle, had been under Rosse's watch.
This feeling of being completely monitored, of being toyed with like trapped beasts in a cage, was a hundred times worse than being killed outright.
But...
"Heh! Another life handed to us out of pity?"
Kyoraku Shunsui covered the wound on his abdomen and let out a bitter laugh.
At this point, they had once again ended in crushing defeat.
As complete losers, they didn't even have the right to choose where they died.
Living was a humiliation granted by the enemy.
But they couldn't die.
As long as they still had even a single breath left, as long as they hadn't seen that arrogant bastard meet his downfall, they had to cling to life like cockroaches.
At the very least, they had to die without regrets.
In contrast, Meninas and Bambietta, the two who had just defected, let out long breaths of relief.
"We're saved. Since the Hollow King has spoken, it means our lives are temporarily secure."
Meninas patted her chest, the relief of surviving the disaster making her legs feel weak.
But she reacted quickly, immediately putting on the posture of one of their own, calling out eagerly, "Everyone! Since we're sending these useless people back to the Wandenreich, leave this kind of dirty work to us!"
Bambietta nodded quickly as well.
After receiving tacit approval from Harribel and the others, the two exchanged a glance and snapped their fingers in perfect sync.
Buzz!
The scattered spirit particles in the surroundings began to flow according to a special frequency, rapidly gathering beneath the defeated group.
A large mass of shadow, thick as ink, opened silently beneath everyone's feet like greedy mouths.
In the distant white sand pit, Kuna Mashiro was struggling to dig the unconscious Muguruma Kensei out of the sand. Before she could even catch her breath, the ground beneath her vanished, and the two of them, along with the silent Kurosaki Isshin, were instantly swallowed by the shadows.
At that instant, Kurosaki Isshin suddenly raised his head, his crimson eyes staring fixedly in the direction of the Hollow King's palace.
Through the towering spires piercing the sky, he seemed to see that figure who haunted his thoughts and tore at his heart.
He seemed to see Kurosaki Masaki being wantonly tormented by that bastard.
"Rosse!"
He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, blood dripping down.
That powerless fury nearly burned away his sanity. But he couldn't do anything.
He couldn't even withstand a casual strike from Lilynette. Even if he threw away his life now, he wouldn't even be able to meet that bastard face to face.
The shadows devoured them completely, carrying away Kurosaki Isshin's unwillingness.
A faint sigh seemed to drift through the wind. It sounded like Kurosaki Masaki's voice.
———
On the other side—
Hirako Shinji, Sarugaki Hiyori, Ukitake Jushiro, Kyoraku Shunsui, and the others now looked like a pile of trash waiting to be cleared away, silently allowing the shadows to climb over their bodies.
"So it's just over like this?", Ishida Uryu said quietly.
As a bystander, it felt like watching a farce.
A group of people, bored out of their minds, ran to Hueco Mundo to try a sneak attack, got discovered, and then five people wiped them all out.
With that kind of strength, did they come to Hueco Mundo just to embarrass themselves?
"Yeah, it's over..." Kyoraku Shunsui let out a self-mocking laugh.
Outmatched, what else could they do?
They had already given it everything, even thrown away their bottom lines, yet still lost completely.
The shadows swallowed them all, sending them back to the empire hidden within the darkness.
At the center of the battlefield, Jugram remained in his one-knee kneeling posture. Looking at the shadows spreading beneath his feet, a trace of anger at being humiliated flashed in his eyes.
"I don't need your charity."
He struggled to his feet and stomped hard, shattering the shadow domain cast by Meninas.
Then he took a deep breath, gathering the last remaining spirit particles within his body, and opened his own shadow passage beneath his feet.
As a Sternritter knight, dying on the battlefield was the honor he deserved.
But as the other half who assisted the king, his reason told him that if even he died here, then with Yhwach's stubborn nature, the future of the Wandenreich would only grow darker.
He couldn't watch the only hope be destroyed.
If they wanted to turn things around, they could only gather every force capable of resisting Rosse and launch a desperate decapitation strike directly at him.
Jugram cast one last look toward the Hollow King's palace, his eyes resolute.
Rosse's wings had already grown to a terrifying extent. To defeat him, they had to strike while he was still serving as the Captain-Commander of the Soul Society, while he was still playing with power and schemes there.
This was their last chance.
Whoosh!
As the shadows churned, the surviving Shinigami and Quincy vanished completely from where they stood, as if swallowed by the world itself, forcibly sent back to the empire hidden in the shadows.
The desert returned to silence.
"Everyone!"
After sending off that group of troublemakers, Meninas immediately turned around, her eyes full of barely concealed urgency as she looked at Harribel and the others.
"What do we do next? Do we go see His Majesty the Hollow King directly?"
Not just her, even Bambietta stared nervously as well.
Yhwach's existence hung over them like the Sword of Damocles.
They had betrayed the empire. At any moment, they could face Auswahlen.
When that happened, their power would be forcibly stripped away, their lives drained in an instant.
Since Candice had dared to surrender so decisively and even go further, it meant the technology on the Hollow King's side absolutely had a way to deal with the effects of Auswahlen.
Right now, they just wanted to cling tightly to this golden thigh and completely break free from Yhwach's control.
"What's the rush? It's not like your emperor is going to eat you."
Lilynette grinned, revealing a cute little canine tooth.
She turned around, waved her hand behind her without looking back, and took the lead, turning into a streak of gray light as she sped toward the towering Las Noches, "Let's go! I'll take you home, to meet the Hollow King!"
"Yes!"
Meninas and Bambietta felt as if they had been pardoned, immediately activating their Vollstandig forms, their hearts filled with the wild joy of surviving disaster as they hurried to follow those figures ahead.
The wind swept through the sand.
That white palace standing at the center of Hueco Mundo radiated a heart-shaking majesty under the moonlight.
That place was the end, and also a new beginning.
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