"Since you already know my name, shouldn't you give yours in return?", Rosse smiled slightly, his gaze falling on the Ulquiorra standing before him.
He already had a certain understanding of Ulquiorra, a Hollow whose heart was void, one who did not know the meaning of life.
He had spent his entire existence searching for that meaning. Once he decided something had value, no matter what it was, he would see it through.
And when it came to tasks entrusted to him, Ulquiorra would complete them perfectly.
In Rosse's eyes, the man before him was a top-tier executor.
Someone like Ulquiorra was exactly the kind of subordinate any superior would most want.
"Ulquiorra Cifer," Ulquiorra stated his name, his cold eyes fixed on Rosse.
"What is your purpose here?"
"I've come to invite you to join us. As I said just now, if you stay here alone, you'll accomplish nothing," Rosse smiled and extended his hand, issuing his invitation.
"You know what I want?", Ulquiorra's expression didn't change.
"I don't," Rosse replied with a smile, "But you wouldn't harm your comrades, would you?"
"I have no interest in killing Hollows," Ulquiorra said indifferently.
"As long as you don't harm your comrades, whatever you wish to do, we'll help you, that's my promise."
"Is that so? Unfortunately, I don't even know what it is I want," Ulquiorra was unmoved. He had no thoughts, no direction, no idea what he should do or where he should go.
"In that case, you should join us all the more. At least then, you might come to understand what it means to live," Rosse smiled.
"Perhaps. Beat me, and I'll join you," Ulquiorra lifted his gaze, his cold eyes settling on Rosse.
Words alone would never make him submit.
"So, in the end, it still comes down to force, huh? Then choose one. Anyone here will do."
Rosse sighed slightly. Sure enough, he wasn't good at persuasion. It always came down to fighting.
"No need. You'll do," The moment Ulquiorra's words fell, his figure vanished from sight.
When he reappeared, he was already behind Rosse, his claws lashing toward Rosse's back.
"I admire your courage," Even as Rosse spoke, he had already turned in an instant, catching Ulquiorra's claws in one hand.
BOOM!
Ulquiorra's body was slammed violently into the ground.
With that single strike, a hundred-meter radius collapsed, and Ulquiorra was buried beneath the dunes.
"Wow! Couldn't even take one move. Weaker than Starrk," Lilynette commented, still perched on Rosse's shoulder, clicking her tongue in amazement.
In the middle of the caved-in ground, Ulquiorra lay in the center, staring blankly up at Rosse.
He hadn't lost the ability to fight.
But after just one exchange, there was no need to continue.
They simply weren't on the same level.
In both speed and strength, the gap between them was several tiers wide.
Against an opponent like this, he couldn't possibly win.
Silently, Ulquiorra rose from the ground, his cold eyes fixed on Rosse.
"I accept your invitation, Lord Rosse."
"So easily? You're not going to run off the next time you meet someone stronger, are you?", Lilynette questioned skeptically.
Ulquiorra clearly still had the power to fight, surrendering this easily meant there had been no need to fight at all.
"I would never do such a thing. Having acknowledged Lord Rosse, I will follow him until my life ends," Ulquiorra's voice was calm, emotionless, yet one could feel the sincerity within.
"Alright then. I trust Ulquiorra's loyalty. Now that everyone has taken their place, it's time to give you all your official rankings," Rosse said with a smile.
"Finally, we're getting ranks! We barely beat Nel, so we're obviously stronger than the newbie. We should totally be Number Two!", Lilynette said excitedly.
She had been waiting to show off her title for a while.
But until now, they hadn't received any official symbols of the Espada, so if she went out alone, no one would even recognize her as one.
"Harribel is No.1, you're No.2, Neliel is No.3, Ulquiorra is No.4, Sung-Sun is No.5, Grimmjow is No.6, Harribel's subordinate Tierucci is No.7. The remaining three spots are undecided," Rosse explained calmly.
Sung-Sun's strength wasn't much greater than Tierucci's or the others'. She barely made the Espada list, but as the chief steward of the Hollow King's Palace, Rosse had given her the title of Fifth.
Currently, her power was slightly below the Arrancar-form Grimmjow's, but if she could one day reach Vasto Lorde level, she'd surpass him easily.
Originally, Sung-Sun had already reached the limits of her spiritual form, but after becoming an Arrancar, she could continue to grow. Becoming a Vasto Lorde was only a matter of time.
If Apacci and the others eventually reached that level, he'd grant them appropriate ranks as well.
Worth mentioning, Tierucci was also a female Hollow, powerful, at the peak of Adjuchas, though slightly weaker than Grimmjow and Sung-Sun.
Once the rankings were decided, the list spread quickly throughout the Hollow King's Palace.
The Espada now had seven confirmed members, eight in total counting all who held ranks.
The second Espada's position was unique, jointly occupied by Starrk and Lilynette.
Just from their attire, one could distinguish the Espada from regular Arrancars.
The Espada wore black robes trimmed with gold, while ordinary Arrancars wore tight-fitting black suits, similar to Ichigo Kurosaki's Bankai outfit.
In truth, though, aside from Lilynette, who stood out in particular, everyone else's identities had long been widely known throughout the Hollow King's Palace.
Just feeling the overwhelming spiritual pressure of the Espada was enough to make any other Hollow know better than to provoke them.
———
A few months later, when the Hollow King's Palace was fully on track, Rosse left it alone.
With Harribel and Sung-Sun watching over it, he was fully confident in its development.
Hueco Mundo was still too barren, and the Hollows' fighting techniques too primitive.
To learn this world's unique powers, he had no choice but to head to the Soul Society.
In a remote corner of Hueco Mundo, Rosse once again met with Aizen.
"Long time no see, Lord Rosse."
Seeing Rosse arrive as promised, Aizen showed full respect, bringing all his men in Hueco Mundo to greet him.
Rosse was now the King of Hueco Mundo, in both name and truth, so Aizen naturally offered him due respect.
At the same time, Aizen hoped that once he surpassed Rosse, Rosse would return that same respect.
"It's been a while. You've been staying in Hueco Mundo all this time?", Rosse glanced casually over the people behind Aizen; most of them he had met before.
Among those he hadn't seen was one pink-haired Arrancar, likely, without question, Szayel Aporro, Hueco Mundo's only researcher.
Rosse had no intention of recruiting him; in terms of research ability, Szayel Aporro might not even match Sora, and his personality was deeply unpleasant, there was no need to bother.
As for the other Adjuchas-class Hollows, Rosse didn't even spare them a glance.
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