More than ten thousand meters above the Red Line, the projection of the Heavenly Court had completely become real.
Bathed in the golden light pouring down from the sky, Rosse's tall figure, like that of a god, quietly descended onto the white plaza of the Heavenly Palace.
With his current strength, along with his control over this world, even in a purely material world like this, instantly constructing this grand immortal palace out of highly concentrated spirit particles was still an effortless task.
The moment Rosse's presence appeared, the trusted followers who had long been waiting in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise were almost instantly drawn over and teleported before him.
Gion, Sora, Otohime, Saint Saturn, Zephyr, Sakazuki, Saintess Vanessa, Saint Sommers, Kaido, Rouge, Titi, Conis, Scarlett, Olvia, these famous names across the seas had all been Rosse's trusted followers since more than ten years ago.
As for the younger generation, he had not deliberately summoned them this time.
Apart from a few exceptions, nearly all the rising talents on his side were his children and descendants.
Their task right now was to control the fate of 'Sun God' Nika. It was not yet time for them to stand within the Heavenly Court.
"Welcome back, Saint Rosse."
As the only surviving elder of the previous generation in the Jaygarcia family, Saint Saturn stepped forward respectfully and lifted a pure white cloak symbolizing the world's highest authority with both hands before gently placing it over Rosse's shoulders.
The cloak had been carefully made from an extremely rare material and had been prepared many years ago. Rosse's attention had recently been focused entirely on another world, and only today, as he ruled the world, did the cloak finally welcome its true owner.
Tap! Tap!
Steady footsteps rang out one after another.
Many people followed closely behind Rosse as they slowly emerged from the starlight gate connecting worlds and stepped onto the white plaza of the Heavenly Court.
All of them were new subjects Rosse had taken in from the world of Bleach. Since he was officially returning to his main base, he naturally intended to gather everyone qualified to stand here.
As for the badly damaged Soul Society, it would continue to exist for now, just as those who had surrendered hoped.
However, the places that had no protection and stubbornly refused to accept his rule were destined to become cold testing grounds for their world.
Their miserable fate had already been decided the moment they neither chose a side nor had any living people willing to speak for them.
Looking at the powerful experts from another world emerging from the gate, each releasing terrifying spiritual pressure and presence, Saint Saturn and the others showed slight reactions, but remained largely calm and composed.
In truth, the top-tier combat power of the pirate world and the average level of the Bleach world were not very different.
The Marine Admirals and the captains of the Gotei 13 were basically all at S-rank.
The difference was that in the Bleach world, after countless years of accumulation, quite a few monsters had emerged who had broken past their limits.
Such beings were relatively rare in the pirate world.
It was true that the people from the Bleach world had all undergone a complete transformation in strength after receiving Rosse's blessing.
But on the pirate world's side, as Rosse's earliest and most loyal followers, the gifts Saint Saturn and the others received were no weaker than those granted to the new subjects from the Bleach world.
Those blessings from Rosse had already elevated their strength to a completely new level.
The newcomers from the Bleach world had, at most, fused the powers of Hollows, Soul Reapers, and Quincy, along with a powerful Devil Fruit from the pirate world.
But here at the pirate world's headquarters, Rosse had personally prepared a perfectly divided portion of the Soul King's origin for every direct subordinate without holding anything back.
After the Quincy had been wiped out, the Soul King fragments Rosse possessed had become incredibly abundant. By the time he reached the Soul King Palace, he had no interest whatsoever in the human pillar that had been beheaded by his sword.
He had even casually thrown the task of dealing with the remains of the old god to Aizen.
Buzz!
Speak of the devil, and he arrives.
As space trembled slightly, Aizen Sosuke's tall and composed figure slowly and elegantly stepped through the golden gate.
At this point, dozens of powerful figures, all at least S-rank and with most already reaching SS-rank, stood upon the white plaza of the Heavenly Court like a gathering of stars.
This was the entire elite force Rosse had built up across two worlds.
Rosse smiled and nodded lightly toward the group.
He then turned around and walked directly toward the central palace of the complex, the grandest hall of all.
His pace was controlled with great precision, neither fast nor slow. He deliberately gave the experts from these two worlds, who were meeting for the first time, enough time to observe each other and exchange thoughts.
He had no intention of making introductions or exchanging unnecessary greetings on anyone's behalf.
Instead, he let these monsters under his command interact freely, testing one another and measuring each other's abilities.
As for who would qualify to stand at what position inside the hall later, that would be entirely up to them.
As a ruler standing high above the clouds, he had absolute confidence that his balancing and control of these people had always been handled with artistic perfection.
Creak!
Accompanied by a heavy and prolonged rumble, the black-and-gold palace doors engraved with the Jaygarcia family crest were slowly pushed open by Stella and Shutara Senjumaru, who had been waiting on both sides.
The two stood at the entrance, one on each side, both dressed in fitted black-and-white maid outfits.
Compared to Stella's proper and gentle appearance, Shutara Senjumaru, once a member of Squad Zero, had a face filled with discomfort and embarrassment.
Especially when she saw that among the large group behind Rosse were many former acquaintances from the Gotei 13, and the looks they gave her maid outfit were full of surprise and confusion.
Senjumaru felt deeply uncomfortable and wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Rosse completely ignored the expression on her face that looked as if blood might spill out at any moment.
He did not stop walking, nor did he slow down in the slightest. He maintained the same steady pace of someone in power.
The moment the black-and-gold doors were fully opened, his tall figure stepped over the high threshold without obstruction and entered the luxurious and spacious interior of the hall.
Behind him, the scattered footsteps gradually began dividing on their own into two clearly separated lines after entering the hall that symbolized absolute authority.
In the end, the footsteps echoing through the hall became more and more orderly.
When Rosse ascended the nine jade steps and calmly sat down on the black-and-gold dragon throne that symbolized rulership over the world, the footsteps of the dozens behind him stopped all at once, as if a pause button had been pressed.
When Rosse settled onto the throne and slowly turned to look down at his subjects, the powerful figures from different worlds had already arranged themselves into two orderly rows.
Stella and Shutara Senjumaru, the two personal maids with special status, had also put away all emotions and stood beside the throne on either side like finely crafted statues.
Within the vast hall below, the followers had silently divided themselves into two groups based solely on gender.
All the men stood on the left.
All the women stood on the right.
Among the men, Aizen Sosuke stood proudly at the front position without dispute.
Behind him were Saint Saturn, Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Zephyr.
Further back stood Ulquiorra, Saint Sommers, Ishida Ryuken, Grimmjow, Hitsugaya Toshiro, Kirinji Tenjiro, Kenpachi Zaraki, Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
Among the women, Gion firmly occupied the first position due to being one of the earliest followers and possessing the greatest strength.
Behind her stood Sora, Otohime, Saintess Vanessa, Conis, Scarlett, Portgas D. Rouge, and Titi.
After them came Harribel, Sung-Sun, Unohana Retsu, Rangiku Matsumoto, Kurosaki Masaki, Lilynette, Neliel, Shiba Kukaku, Candice, Hikifune Kirio, and others from the Bleach world.
Nearly every one of them possessed unmatched beauty.
Looking carefully, compared to the men's side, the women's side, which resembled a garden in full bloom, clearly had far more people.
Moreover, nearly every woman standing on the right side had a special relationship with Rosse during the years gone by. Only a handful were purely in a superior-subordinate relationship.
As for those few exceptions who had not yet been picked, it was not because they lacked strength or beauty, Rosse simply had not developed much interest in them yet.
"Saint Rosse."
Aizen, standing at the front of the left side, was the first to break the silence.
His straight back bent obediently as he dropped to one knee on the cold jade floor, expressing the highest respect to the lord seated above.
Seeing his action, Saint Saturn and the others behind him knelt almost at the same time.
"Saint Rosse!"
After seeing Aizen pay his respects, the women's side led by Gion responded in unison.
However, they did not kneel. Instead, they folded their hands together and slightly bowed in a graceful curtsy.
This was not because they relied on Rosse's favor and refused to kneel.
After all, in private, they had already cooperated in far more difficult positions than kneeling.
The reason was that when they tried to kneel, they discovered their knees were being supported. The powerful resistance prevented them from kneeling, leaving them no choice but to bow instead.
They all understood that this was Rosse's special affection toward the women beside him, a privilege and favor that belonged only to them.
But among the women enjoying this favor, Lilynette, who looked like a little girl, wore a speechless expression and was on the verge of losing her mind as she stood among them.
'Seriously, why is everyone else exempt from kneeling while I alone don't feel resistance and have to kneel on the floor?'
It made her stand out completely.
Could it be that because she had once split off Starrk as her male half when she was an Arrancar, Rosse had categorized her as neither male nor female and treated her differently?
'I, Lilynette, am a genuine girl in both soul and body!'
"You may all rise."
Rosse slightly raised his chin and spoke.
As the calm words, like a divine decree, spread through the hall, everyone kneeling below felt a gentle but irresistible force lifting them upright.
For Rosse, this kneeling ceremony used to establish the relationship between ruler and subordinate only needed to happen once when meeting him.
He had never cared much about these surface-level formalities. Compared to physical submission, he cared more about what these people were truly thinking deep inside.
He knew very well that among those below were people who still refused to accept him in their hearts. Some followed him for benefits. Others had been forced into compromise.
To other rulers, such people would be considered hidden dangers.
But Rosse did not care about these so-called dangers or acts of disloyalty.
Because in his view, it was precisely these tangled ambitions, unwillingness, and conflicts of interest that made this dull game of ruling more full of uncertainty and worth looking forward to.
"Starting today, the world we live in will be completely reshaped and divided into three levels: the Heavenly Court, the Mortal World, and the Hell Cycle."
"The daily operation and maintenance of the Heavenly Court will be fully handled by Gion, Otohime, and Sora. At the same time, the three of you will continue holding your positions within the World Government of the Mortal World."
"Aizen Sosuke."
Rosse shifted his gaze toward Aizen and spoke softly.
"Starting today, you will become the Deputy Sovereign beneath the King who oversees the entire World Government. The Five Elders, along with all six major departments, will be under your command and authority without exception."
Upon hearing this appointment, which was enough to shake the entire pirate world, Sakazuki, one of the World Government's former greatest military powers, and Saint Saturn, one of the Five Elders, remained completely expressionless.
It was now the year 1520 of the Sea Circle Calendar. For people like them, they had already served under Rosse for nearly twenty years.
Even though they had not seen their elusive lord every day over those years, the passage of time and countless battles had already made them understand exactly what kind of person he was.
They had long since developed absolute trust in him.
Therefore, since Rosse was willing to place an outsider from another world into the position directly beneath the throne, then this gentle-looking man with glasses must possess the ability and skill worthy of that position.
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