The only player in the world of Bleach

The design of the Hogyoku was much simpler than he had imagined; from a distance, it looked like a small, black, spherical object...

After getting a little closer, Yusuke Matsushita could feel a fairly obvious 'gravity'.

It was as if the air around the Hogyoku had become much thicker. This sensation was quite novel, and the person involved walked back and forth, experiencing it several times.

Aizen was speechless.

"Let's get back to the main topic, Matsushita-kun?"

"Oh, Aizen-sensei, please..."

"The reason I called you here is to ask you to make a trip to Hueco Mundo."

A straightforward approach is the most efficient, and at this moment, Aizen Sousuke's statement quickly attracted Matsushita Yusuke's attention.

He gave a soft "Hmm?" and then looked up at his side.

A dotted circle?

To be honest, shouldn't this be a large map that's supposed to be released in the next version...?

Why are we getting into the main storyline so soon?!

Of course, he only thought this to himself. In fact, after hearing those words, Matsushita Yusuke had already basically realized what was going on.

The arrangements for Hueco Mundo couldn't have been completed in a single day...

Aizen Sousuke was able to become the king of Hueco Mundo in no time after betraying Soul Society, and have a group of Arrancar sisters. This must be due to his years of accumulation and foundation.

Searching for the Ten Blades and developing each of them in depth... this is certainly part of the parallel operation as well.

So here's the question.

Who did this job?

All that's left are these poor, downtrodden subordinates!

Of course, Aizen Sousuke was quite open-minded when it came to work.

“I will open a passage to Hueco Mundo for you. The Hogyoku has this ability... so for us, the round trip itself will not cost anything.”

just.

"We need to pay some attention to the Seireitei's intentions."

Without going into too much or too little, if a team leader or vice-captain suddenly disappears for half a day, it will most likely attract the attention of others.

Therefore, it's best to consider this carefully on your own.

"So what exactly do we need to do?"

“I need you to select and identify those with talent from the existing virtual world… and then I will develop their unique powers.”

Sure enough...

The Espada Development Diary is a special branch that was planned even before the main storyline.

Yusuke Matsushita nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

This is easy to discuss, and it's also a good opportunity to visit Hueco Mundo and familiarize myself with the future workplace environment.

"We'll only be there for about eight hours this time, and I'll keep track of your time... Remember not to waste too much time there."

Yusuke Matsushita made an OK sign, while Kaname Tosen did it with practiced ease, and the two quickly reached an agreement.

"Then I wish you a safe journey in advance."

As the light of the Hogyoku emerged, a wide passage resembling a wormhole appeared.

The two entered and quickly disappeared.

I'm taking a day off, sorry.

We have guests at home, so I'm really busy... This is probably the last batch of guests this year, I just can't find the time to write.

I have to go play mahjong with some people, ugh...

It will resume tomorrow. I'm so sorry.

Please forgive me for the sake of all the days I've been exploding; I'm begging you on my knees.

124: Dotted Circle

What is the virtual circle?

The answer is that it's the main storyline area in the next version, rich with side quests called "Ten Espada," and more.

But if we were to reply in a more formal way, then...

A barren land in the literal sense.

What came into view was a desolate wilderness.

There was nothing here; the world was empty, with nothing superfluous and no 'other' in any sense.

It's as if the whole world is made up of only gray and white.

Yusuke Matsushita half-squatted on the ground, looking at this desolate and indifferent world, his mouth slightly open, lost in brief thought.

It may sound rude, but this godforsaken place has an absurd feel to it, like the map hasn't fully loaded yet.

If we make a horizontal comparison...

It's like the Soul King ran out of paint when creating the Human World and Soul Society, and when it came to Hueco Mundo, he just slapped something together and called it a day...

That's way too casual!

"Matsushita-kun... how are you feeling?"

Tosen Kaname quickly got into the zone.

During their casual conversation, Matsushita Yusuke learned that Blind Boy had already carried out several missions here, making him quite familiar with the area.

"I'm fine..."

Yusuke Matsushita struggled to his feet and stretched to ease the discomfort he had experienced from the teleportation.

The passage opened by the Hōgyoku is not very stable.

But compared to other traditional methods, it is much more convenient—you know, in the original work, the only one who could treat the three realms as his backyard and freely travel through them without having to prepare anything was the exiled Kisuke Urahara.

For other normal people to move around in the Three Realms, they need to go through many troublesome procedures.

Matsushita Yusuke's mind went through all these random thoughts, but his expression remained completely unchanged.

"Um... let's talk about what to do next, Brother Xia? What should we do?"

"Don't you have any other, more formal way to address me?"

"...Blind guy?"

"Never mind, whatever you like."

Tosen realized that trying to change Matsushita Yusuke's will on his own was somewhat of a pipe dream.

“Our task is to find individuals with sufficient potential, but such individuals usually don’t appear in groups… so what we need to do is quite simple.”

Tosen reached for his sword, then said coldly.

"Just fight your way through. Those we can't beat are the ones we can talk to."

—What a simple and easy-to-understand method!!!

Although that's what they say, it is indeed a 'correct' choice.

Because of the unique nature of Hueco Mundo, finding someone stronger than the 'Vice-Captain' is like finding a needle in a haystack.

There are only a handful of truly talented people.

In the original work, Aizen picked them all out, so it's estimated that he had to use this kind of tedious, plowing-like method to filter them out little by little.

Thinking of this, Matsushita Yusuke couldn't help but sigh and gently shake his head.

It's fair to say that this manpower shortage is evident in every aspect...

When will club number 004, Niu Ma, be ready to take his place?!

Speaking of this... Matsushita Yusuke is reminded of someone named Ichimaru Gin.

As a genius, a lurker, and a worthy successor who betrays tradition in the original work, Gin Ichimaru's strength is absolutely beyond doubt.

As a man who was able to seize a fleeting opportunity and almost carry Aizen out horizontally, he must be strong enough.

But the question is... how old is this kid?

Yusuke Matsushita remembers that he appeared in the scene where Masked Man framed someone in the original work, and at that time, Blind Man had a rather bizarre hairstyle.

Gin Ichimaru was still a little kid.

Based on the timeline, he should look about the same now...

Yusuke Matsushita started counting on his fingers.

'Since Aizen has completed his research on the Hogyoku, it means Matsumoto Rangiku has already been taken down. It also means that kid has his eye on Aizen… So, the current situation should be that the two are about to have a direct confrontation?'

What benefits can I gain from this opportunity?

As Matsushita Yusuke pondered this, after a moment of contemplation, he suddenly seemed to remember something, and his mouth opened slightly to form an 'o' shape.

Seize this momentous historical opportunity and become a witness to both the victims and the masterminds of this betrayal!

"Let's go, time to get to work."

Tosen urged him on, pulling Matsushita Yusuke's consciousness back to the present reality.

He chuckled in agreement and moved closer.

"So how exactly do we do it?"

"You go this way, I go this way... we'll go in opposite directions, as far as we can. If we encounter anything dangerous, we'll bring it back, and maybe we can try to negotiate with them."

Yusuke Matsushita scratched his head as he listened.

This work sounds rough, yet it has a kind of beauty that comes from completely not thinking.

But to be honest, I can't think of any other way besides this.

Yusuke Matsushita walked in the opposite direction from Kaname Tosen, but after walking for more than half an hour, he still couldn't see anything else...

The desolation and vastness of Hueco Mundo are beyond imagination.

After witnessing these things firsthand, Yusuke Matsushita couldn't help but show a rather troubled expression.

'Based on the plot development, there shouldn't be many Voidlords left in Hueco Mundo at this point, right?'

Before the intervention of the Hōgyoku's power, the naturally formed Vastodes were already a small group.

Barragán, the perennial runner-up, is among them.

If ranked by combat ability, this old man's incompetence is simply unbelievable...

You should know that his fellow trainees from the same period have already defeated a young Yamamoto and stormed the Spirit King Palace.

Where is this gentleman?

He leisurely developed his skills in the low-skilled game, but in the end he was defeated by Aizen, his "junior", and he couldn't even beat Soi Fon and Ōmaeda's duo.

It can be said that Barragán's historic defeat has added a significant chapter to Hueco Mundo's already inglorious record.

From now on, most people will no longer believe in Hueco Mundo's strength...

Despite his fluctuating thoughts, Matsushita Yusuke kept walking.

So, are there really any living beings in this godforsaken place?

Just as Matsushita Yusuke was pondering this, he finally caught a glimpse of several figures twitching slightly in the distance.

Did we really run into them?

It was a slight mishap, but things quickly returned to normal.

After all, no matter how desolate a desert may be, it can never be an endless expanse of desolation and loneliness.

Ultimately, traces of life remain.

just.

"..."