One Piece: The Living Devil

Chapter 765 765: A Flaw in the Soul

As Kirinji Tenjiro's slightly unsteady figure completely disappeared around the corner of the corridor, the captain's meeting room, which had been noisy all day, finally fell into complete silence.

At some point, Yoruichi had already left in anger. Now, in the vast meeting room, only Rosse on the main seat remained, along with Aizen who had been sitting and watching the show, and Hikifune Kirio, who had not moved.

"The show's over."

Hikifune Kirio suddenly spoke. Her mature, commanding presence was fully on display as her full figure leaned back slightly. Her gaze crossed the long table and met Rosse directly.

"Since you've already laid your identity out in the open, shouldn't you give me a bit of special treatment and answer a few of my questions?"

There were things she hadn't said in front of outsiders, but that didn't mean she didn't care.

Compared to Kirinji and the Zero Division, Rosse was indeed somewhat better, but not by much.

It was just that compared to the destruction of the world, everything else could be set aside.

But now that Rosse had revealed his identity, there were things she had to ask.

"Ask whatever you want."

A trace of amusement flashed in Rosse's eyes.

"You should know I don't usually refuse questions."

"What happened to Shutara?", Hikifune Kirio asked directly.

She didn't ask about Sarugaki Hiyori first. Before stepping into the Twelfth Division earlier, she had already formed a rough expectation of the outcome for that girl who was like an adopted daughter to her.

Hiyori was someone whose beliefs were even more unyielding than Kyoraku Shunsui's, and whose thinking was more straightforward than Kurosaki Ichigo's.

Faced with an enemy like Rosse, someone impossible to overcome, that girl would definitely choose to fight to the death, and the outcome was almost predetermined.

Hikifune Kirio did care deeply about Hiyori, but as a Soul Reaper who had lived for thousands of years, she had seen too many partings of life and death.

She chose to respect everyone's fate. As for hatred, if she had the ability in the future, she would naturally take revenge. If not, she could accept things as they were.

Compared to that, she was more curious about her colleague's fate.

Even the Soul King couldn't sense Shutara's existence. It was as if she had completely disappeared from this world.

That was absolutely abnormal.

Given the special nature of the Oken, even if a Zero Division member died, their soul would be pulled back to the Royal Palace by a kind of force and be reborn.

But Shutara had vanished without a trace.

"Shutara is still alive."

Rosse flicked his fingertip lightly, his tone calm, "If you want to see her, I can arrange it."

"Where?", Hikifune raised an eyebrow.

"Hueco Mundo."

A meaningful curve appeared at the corner of Rosse's lips, like some kind of invitation.

"Of course, if you don't dare go, just pretend I never said anything."

"Let's go. Why wouldn't I dare?"

Hikifune Kirio suddenly burst into laughter. Her bright, open laugh echoed through the quiet room.

"Since the Captain-Commander is being so generous, how could I refuse? You're the king who rules over all Hollows. Surely you wouldn't let me get chewed up by those uncivilized Hollows on your turf."

In truth, after these days of studying the coexistence of Reishi and Kishi, Hikifune Kirio was far more sensitive to the current state of the three realms than Kirinji and the others.

The Human World was fine. It hadn't drifted too far from the Soul Society. With her and Mayuri Kurotsuchi working behind the scenes, the Dangai passage had already been reopened.

If the passage hadn't been established, they wouldn't have been able to obtain large amounts of Kishi for experiments.

As for Hueco Mundo, it was now drifting away from this world.

From Hikifune's observations, Hueco Mundo was being dragged toward the edge of the world. More than half of it had already separated from the realm created by the Soul King and was sinking into chaos.

In the past, ordinary Hollows and Soul Reapers could freely travel back and forth through Garganta.

But now, only Arrancar at the Vasto Lorde level, or captain-level Soul Reapers, likely had the ability to pass through the now extremely unstable Garganta.

But Hikifune Kirio had no fear at all.

All of these changes originated from Rosse.

And if Rosse wanted to harm her, there was no need to go through so much trouble.

She didn't think her bit of flesh was worth Rosse coveting anything.

If something really did happen, she wouldn't refuse.

Some things weren't losses only women had to bear.

"Then tomorrow," Rosse smiled.

"It's a deal."

Hikifune Kirio stood up with a smile. She lazily stretched, her exaggerated waist, hips, and chest extending right in front of Rosse.

After that, she walked toward the door.

At the doorway, she paused slightly, her voice lowering.

"One last question. Who killed Hiyori?"

Rosse looked at her back and smiled as he gave a name.

"Unohana."

He paused, then added lightly, "If you ever feel like catching up with her, remember to let me know in advance so I can witness it. Otherwise, I'm worried she might cut you to pieces before I can save you."

"Haha! That's very possible. She's probably even more terrifying now than before… sigh! Even back when I was still in the Seireitei, I was a little afraid of her."

Hikifune Kirio waved her hand, engraving the name "Unohana" deep into her heart.

It was somewhat unexpected, but thinking about it, with Rosse's temperament, having Unohana, also a Soul Reaper, clean up Hirako Shinji and the rest of the old faction was indeed perfectly in line with his style.

As Hikifune Kirio left, the heavy oak doors slowly closed.

Inside the meeting room, only two people remained.

"Looks like you're about ready too."

Rosse turned his head and looked at Aizen, who had been sitting quietly.

The momentary Kyoka Suigetsu Aizen had used on Kirinji earlier wasn't just for Kirinji, it was also a demonstration for him.

Aizen was telling him that his spiritual pressure had crossed some kind of critical threshold.

"Spiritual pressure is still growing without limit, but it ultimately can't produce a qualitative change," Aizen shook his head, his tone cold.

"No matter how much the scale stacks up, it still just hovers beneath the ceiling of this dimension. It can't become the decisive factor needed to break through to a higher one."

He paused, his gaze deep.

"The five great noble families did something extremely foolish back then. They dismembered the Soul King, trying to share divine authority, but they failed to leave him with the most crucial fragments."

"Isn't it possible they knew exactly what those represented, authority over evolution and stillness, and that's why they separated them from the Soul King's body?"

Rosse crossed his legs, resting his chin on his hands, his tone unhurried.

"Out of fear, they stripped them away. They didn't need a god capable of evolving on its own. They only needed an eternal, static wedge they could control."

"These two powers are now scattered everywhere. Without the Soul King's body as the foundation, they can only display strength that, while powerful, cannot transcend limits. But if they return to the original body…"

"That would be a positive cycle, and also the starting point of a new era."

Aizen picked up the thread. A hint of admiration appeared in the eyes behind his glasses.

"That Soul King's idea truly was genius. Turning himself into a vessel to create the world, then using that world as nourishment to nurture and drive his own endless ascension. Unfortunately, that logic overlooked one variable."

The two exchanged a glance, and Aizen gently shook his head.

That variable was human nature.

The Soul King's body had been dismembered by those five scheming founding nobles. They called it a sacrifice for the stability of the world, but in truth, they turned him into an eternal wedge, unable to resist, used to suppress all things.

According to the records, that was the Soul King's compassion, willingly becoming the wedge.

But in Aizen and Rosse's eyes, it was nothing but outright usurpation and desecration.

In fact, from the moment those people chose to go that far, the hidden danger in the cycle of the three realms had already been planted.

And it was precisely because she sensed that fundamental rot that Hikifune Kirio ultimately chose to stand on their side.

"So, what do you plan to do next?"

Rosse supported his cheek, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest. His laughter sounded faint in the empty room.

"Will you take the first step and ascend to the throne of heaven? Or stay here and witness the final curtain of this experiment with me?"

"You're that certain I would lose if I ascended alone?"

Aizen wasn't angered. Instead, he smiled.

He adjusted his glasses. The eyes hidden behind the lenses were as deep as an abyss.

All these years, aside from planning the Hogyoku, he had devoted nearly all his remaining energy to studying Rosse.

At first, he couldn't see through him.

Not just Rosse's suffocating strength, but also the underlying logic behind his actions.

By his own thinking back then, if he were Rosse, upon seeing someone walking the same path, he would never choose to help them. He would eliminate them without hesitation to remove a future threat.

But Rosse had made the exact opposite choice.

Not only had he guided him at their first meeting, showing him the direction of evolution, he had even personally sought out the Hogyoku for him.

Even more baffling, Rosse had handed over the Soul King's right arm, taken from Ukitake Jushiro, without holding anything back.

That kind of almost investment-like generosity had once made Aizen feel deeply out of place.

It didn't feel like encouragement for a peer. It felt more like a bet placed on the future.

At first, he thought Rosse had reached the end of his path, or gone down the wrong one, and wanted to see if he could succeed.

But when he fully fused with the Hogyoku, when he truly grasped power close to that of the Soul King, he gradually understood.

On the path of pursuing endless evolution, the higher one climbs, the thinner the air becomes.

In the end, at the end of that road, there would be no one left to accompany you.

Beauty, wealth, power… even things humans once treasured like family, friendship, and love, under the erosion of endless time, all would eventually fade into silence.

When desire is fully indulged and completely satisfied, desire itself ceases to be desire.

Chasing that eternal, higher peak becomes the only force sustaining one's will.

Those who step onto this path should neither fear, nor care to fear, those who come after.

Not just Rosse, even Aizen himself, if placed in the same position now, upon encountering a potential peer, might gladly answer their questions, even hope they would grow faster.

Until that latercomer could catch up, and then be killed by his own hand.

That was the highest tribute to a fellow traveler.

Facing someone he had guided, no matter how brilliant they were, Aizen did not believe he would lose.

Because to that latercomer, he would be what Rosse was to him.

The one who comes later can never have the absolute confidence of the one who came before.

Because almost every foundation they possess on the path of evolution was handed to them by that very person.

Facing a mentor-like peer who gave you everything, even if you possess the will to reach the heavens, deep down there will still be an instinctive lack of confidence.

It is an unavoidable instinct, a reverence toward the source of power.

Aizen's mind was clear.

Even if he successfully seized the position of a god, when facing Rosse, his chance of victory would still not exceed thirty percent.

But so what?

A low chance of winning wasn't a reason not to act.

If fear of probability made him stop, why struggle at all in this decaying world with a foreseeable end?

He might as well bow early and abandon this path of endless evolution.

In Aizen's creed, death had never been the end of life, only the disappearance of will was.

"I'm certain you can defeat that monk."

Rosse looked at Aizen with a smile, without the slightest hint of worry.

He even shifted into a more comfortable position. His tone was so calm it made Aizen's chest tremble slightly.

"So, are you willing to go first?"

The current Aizen was several times stronger than he had been at the end of the original timeline.

But the hidden danger within him was also far greater.

Rosse saw it clearly.

If Aizen left him and ascended alone, he would definitely lose.

Aizen wouldn't lose to Ichibe.

He would lose to the Hogyoku.

The Hogyoku had self-awareness, or rather, it possessed an instinct for evolution based on the beliefs of surrounding beings.

Only when those around it sensed an overwhelming, unresolvable crisis and generated an extremely strong desire to evolve would the Hogyoku undergo a qualitative leap.

Aizen might know this, but what he didn't know was, the thing supporting his drive to evolve now wasn't his own desire for the heavens, but Rosse's expectation for his evolution.

Rosse could clearly feel that the Hogyoku was drawing from his will, even absorbing energy from his world, forcibly feeding Aizen to his current level.

In fact, from the moment he and Aizen met, Aizen had already lost.

All those years of guidance had long turned into an imprint of "I'm not as good as him," carved into Aizen's subconscious.

Going to challenge godhood with that underlying acknowledgment of inferiority, how could the Hogyoku possibly let him pass?

"If that's the case, then I'll wait for the final outcome."

After a brief silence, Aizen suddenly smiled.

He stood gracefully. Gone was the false politeness of his days as a Soul Reaper captain. Instead, for the first time, he set aside all his pride and gave Rosse a deeply respectful bow.

"Lord Rosse, I will remember your guidance for the rest of my life."

He turned and disappeared into the shadows at the edge of the meeting room.

But at the moment he left, that man who always seemed in complete control carried, in his back, a trace of confusion never seen before.

Just now, when Rosse spoke those teasing words with a smile, Aizen realized that while his conviction hadn't wavered, the Hogyoku within him had violently stirred in a way he couldn't suppress.

At that moment, a cold truth pierced his soul.

He had never truly fused with the Hogyoku.

Or rather, he had never truly understood the part of himself that, beneath the desire for evolution, still hid a lack of confidence.

"I'm still not enough."

The murmur echoed through the silent corridor, unclear whether it was spoken to himself or to something higher he could not yet reach.

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