Three-Digit Arrancar (1)

Pesche Kadische and Dondochakka Bielstan stood there in silence for a long time.

They looked at each other, a glance that contained so much—confusion, contemplation, decision, and a tacit understanding that only companions who have shared countless years could comprehend. Then, they moved simultaneously.

Pesche Kadishes moved its six segments, its carapace creaking softly in the dim light, toward the door where Liu Ziyun disappeared. A complex light flickered in its eyes—it wanted to know what that man knew; it wanted to see where the "path of destiny" he spoke of led; it wanted to ascertain whether he was friend or foe, a benefactor of Nel, or another, more deeply hidden enemy.

Dondochakka Birstein walked towards the door chosen by Ichigo Kurosaki. Its steps were steady and firm, its massive body almost filling the entire space in the doorway. It was going to protect Nel —the person they had followed for countless years, the little girl they regarded as their sister and family. Regardless of whether the orange-haired boy was trustworthy, regardless of how dangerous the road ahead might be, it would stand by Nel's side and protect her in its own way.

Two doors, two directions, two different paths. But their destinations may be the same.

Liu Ziyun walked through the passage with a leisurely and unhurried pace, as if he were not traversing the perilous depths of the Hueco Mundo, but rather taking a stroll in a tranquil park.

As Liu Ziyun walked, he silently pondered in his heart.

From the moment I came into this world, every single time—as long as I didn't interfere—everything has unfolded exactly as it did in the original comics and anime.

This understanding had been in his mind for a long time, so long that he had almost become accustomed to this feeling of "foreseeing the future." He had seen those scenes—the battle between Ichigo Kurosaki and Grimmjow, the night Orihime Inoue was taken away, the all-out war between Soul Society and the Arrancar, and the trajectories of fate that he wanted to change but had never been able to.

It's really interesting to know one's predetermined fate.

A slight, self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips. Interesting? Perhaps. But more than anything, it was a sense of powerlessness, a helplessness that no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't escape the grasp of fate. He knew what would happen tomorrow, who would fight where, who would be injured, who would die—but knowing didn't mean he could change anything.

This time, my intervention directly resulted in a shortage of members in the main cast. Where will the wheels of fate turn next?

Uryū Ishida did not come. This is the biggest difference between him and the original trajectory. In the scenes he had seen, Uryū Ishida should have been a member of this rescue team, fighting an enemy in some corner of Hueco Mundo, and playing a role at some crucial moment.

But now, Uryū Ishida has been left in the World of the Living, and he himself has taken that place.

Will I replace Uryū Ishida and complete his mission in Hueco Mundo? Or will something else happen?

He raised his head and looked into the unknown darkness ahead of the passage. There were no answers in the darkness, only endless silence and waiting.

Does the so-called "world will" truly exist in this world?

This question had lingered in his mind for a long time, so long that he had almost forgotten when he first thought of it. Was it when he first arrived in this world? Was it when he spent his first hundred years in Soul Society? Or was it on a certain late night, sitting alone under the corridor of the Martial Arts Hall, gazing at the bright moon in the night sky that was no different from the one in the World of the Living?

He doesn't know. Perhaps he never will.

But one thing he was clear about was that regardless of the world's will or whether fate had already been predetermined, he would continue on. Not to change anything, not to prove anything, but simply because he had come this far and could only keep going.

Just as he was lost in these thoughts, a peculiar Reiatsu suddenly appeared in the passage ahead.

That Reiatsu was unlike any other Reiatsu he had ever felt in Hueco Mundo —it wasn't the wild and violent aura of a Hollow, nor the calm and restrained power of Soul Reaper, but rather an energy somewhere in between, with a unique texture. Cold and sharp, like a drawn sword, it emitted a dangerous light in the darkness.

Liu Ziyun raised his head, his gaze piercing through the dim light in the passageway and landing on a spot not far ahead.

A massive Stone Pillar rose from the ground, its top disappearing into the hazy darkness above the passage. The Stone Pillar's surface was covered with spiral patterns, resembling either the fossil of some ancient creature or a relic eroded by wind and sand over millions of years.

At the top of that Stone Pillar, a figure was standing.

It was a female Arrancar. She was tall and slender, wearing a tight-fitting white uniform decorated with black lines that outlined the curves of her body. Her hair was light blonde, shimmering with a faint silver luster in the dim light, and was braided into two braids that fell from her shoulders to her waist.

She wore a white bone mask that covered the upper half of her face, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes and a delicate chin. The mask was shaped like a butterfly with outstretched wings, with two prominent horn-like structures on her forehead, giving her an appearance that was both beautiful and eerie.

Behind her, a pair of enormous wings unfolded from her shoulder blades. The wings were not made of feathers, but of countless fine bone spurs and membranes, like a pair of insect wings magnified many times over. The wings trembled slightly in the dim light, emitting a faint buzzing sound, and each tremor stirred visible ripples in the air.

Tiruti Sandavichi.

The name and all the information associated with it flashed through Liu Ziyun's mind— the Arrancar number 105, one of the old Espada before she used the Hōgyoku to create the true Espada. Her strength was not to be underestimated, but compared to the new Espada who later evolved through the Hōgyoku, she was still a level below.

Liu Ziyun looked at the figure, a slight smile playing on his lips, and silently thought to himself: Oh, so I'm here to replace Uryū Ishida?

In the original timeline he knew, the one fighting Tirudy Sanderwich here should have been Uryū Ishida. That Quincy boy would use his bow and arrows to engage in a fierce battle with this Arrancar on this desolate land.

But now, it's him standing here.

Tiruti Sandavichi looked down at Liu Ziyun, her eyes, visible from behind her mask, gleaming with a sharp light, like two birds of prey lurking in the darkness. A confident smile played on her lips.

"Boy," her voice was crisp and cold, carrying a condescending arrogance, "Your road has come to an end."