Chapter 496: Lord of the Gods (Final - !)
Ten years later in Seireitei, the overlapping daylight fell as always, bathing the world in endless radiance.
And yet, the world that once collided so violently now seemed to have vanished—or perhaps it lingered, always just out of sight.
Inside his office, Aizen was focused on writing when he suddenly paused and looked out the window, a trace of confusion flickering in his eyes.
He slowly accepted the cup of hot tea handed to him by his secretary, took a light sip, and sank into brief contemplation.
For someone with his exceptional perceptive abilities, the fusion of the worlds was no secret—but even so, it left him feeling vaguely uneasy.
Despite that, the world continued to thrive, brimming with life and vitality.
Hell’s integration hadn’t caused major upheavals, but people had begun to sense that many things had subtly shifted.
The gears of fate continued their relentless turn, bringing about the most profound changes in the relationships between worlds.
Soul Society and Hueco Mundo had fully merged into an entirely new Spirit World.
Together with the World of the Living and Hell, they now formed a new Three Worlds Order.
From then on, the three realms no longer relied on the fragile Dangai for connection, nor did they need to uphold each other to maintain balance.
They had grown more autonomous—yet remained interlinked.
Much like Seireitei and the Wandenreich once were, existing in separate spaces but overlapping, connected through Reishi.
Under the new world order, human souls no longer needed Shinigami to guide them. The innocent were directly sent to the Spirit World; the guilty, cast straight into Hell.
The number of souls in the World of the Living declined, and with them, the number of Hollows—but neither vanished completely.
Wherever hearts exist, emotions are bound to follow. One day might feel full of joy and peace; the next, hollow and empty.
Even in the Spirit World, emotions endure—so Hollows will never truly disappear. That’s when the Shinigami must step in and fulfill their role.
Over time, more and more souls flowed into the Spirit World, throwing themselves into reclaiming barren lands and building new homes with great enthusiasm.
The once-dominant noble lords who had oppressed them were now relegated to history.
Not entirely wiped out—after all, their ties to the supreme ruler were deeply entangled—but their former supremacy had completely crumbled.
Still, while the Spirit World and the World of the Living retained echoes of the past, Hell had been wholly reshaped in the image of the new god.
At this thought, Aizen frowned slightly. He looked up toward the distant sky.
Through the rifts in space-time, one could vaguely glimpse a realm unlike any other.
It was the divine realm—the home of the new god and goddesses. A place that existed within the Three Worlds, yet remained separate from them.
"I wonder how that guy’s doing up there?"
"He’s probably having the time of his life, Your Honor. Isn’t that exactly the kind of life he always dreamed of?"
"Grand Wise Man Ichimaru, that girl was sent up, right?"
Aizen slowly turned his head, lips curling into a faint smile as he looked at Gin Ichimaru.
"Yeah. Sent Riruka up last night. She looked pretty happy about it."
"Well, becoming a goddess of the new world—that’s quite the honor."
"True, but still, that guy just can’t stay put in the divine realm. He just had to come down here to flirt with young girls."
"If the day ever comes when he stops doing that, that’s when we’ll really need to worry."
"You’ve got a point," Gin Ichimaru nodded.
If he’s still like this, at least it means Masatsuki Aozaki hasn’t changed.
An unhinged god is dangerous—especially when every little thing he does can shake the balance of the world.
The first Judge turned out to be a slacker who ran off to play god up in the heavens, abandoning his post. Someone had to step up to lead.
After the world underwent a massive transformation and the nobility stepped off the stage of history, the Central 46 Compound reformed its selection system. Wise Men and Judges now came from all walks of life and social classes.
With unanimous support, Aizen took his seat at the top of the Three Worlds’ power structure, grumbling about how his best friend had set him up—"You guys are seriously putting me through hell!"
Gin Ichimaru was appointed Grand Wise Man.
Gotta admit, working with smart people is way more comfortable.
Not like back when a certain idiot was in charge, didn’t lift a finger, and left all the work to his assistant—until the guy practically worked himself to death.
At least now he could sneak in some gaming time.
Speaking of games, credit where it’s due—Kisuke Urahara, head of Seireitei’s Department of Science and Technology, deserved praise.
He actually managed to extend a signal station into the Divine Realm. No one saw that coming. Guess he really is the only one who can match me in brains.
Too bad that idiot of a god didn’t log in last night. I even wanted to drag him along to fight the King of the Beginning. Maybe he’s busy making a divine child or something.
"Your Excellency, anything else?"
Aizen’s smile was bright and genuine, not a trace of deceit.
"It’s about our great god. The construction department finished his statue and invited us to attend the unveiling."
Gin Ichimaru made no effort to hide the sarcasm.
Still, they both knew that the great god was broad-minded and wouldn’t take offense at something like that.
Together, they made their way to the grand plaza where the statue honoring the divine would be revealed.
As friends, they could joke around in private—but in a public ceremony, they had to show the proper respect.
After all, this guy wasn’t just a god. He was the hero who sacrificed himself, offering his body to Hell and saving the world.
The two of them slowly looked up. There was no dazzling radiance, just a simple white—a color that somehow still felt sacred.
Holy? Does that even suit him? Should’ve been black, don’t you think?
"Hey, little ladies, you see that statue? Told you I wasn’t lying."
A familiar voice, with an even more familiar line, rang out behind them, and both men twitched slightly at the sound.
"I’m the real deal—an actual god. Come back with me and be my goddess!" Masatsuki Aozaki grinned.
Standing in front of him were two girls wearing the Shin’ō Academy uniform. Word was, they had come to witness the miracles of the God of Salvation.
The girl with long, straight black hair and an unmistakably Eastern face was named Noel Niihashi.
The other, Ninny Spangcole, had golden twin-tails and clearly Western features.
Though in the Spirit World today, such East-West combinations weren’t uncommon.
The two girls instinctively stepped back.
No way a god would act like some shady old man. He had to be an imposter.
How dare he impersonate a god! Was he not afraid of death? Should they report him to the headmaster and have him burned?
The image of Grandpa Yamamoto’s shiny bald head popped into their minds, and suddenly, they weren’t as scared.
Seeing the girls’ suspicious looks, Masatsuki Aozaki sighed and waved toward the back.
"Hey, Sōsuke, Gin—hurry up and come help me...uh, prove my identity."
What the hell is this guy doing!?
We’ve been working so hard to maintain your image, and you go and pull this?
Gin Ichimaru stormed forward, grabbed Masatsuki Aozaki by the collar, and hoisted him up without an ounce of reverence.
"Divine Lord, what the hell are you doing here?"
Noel and Ninny froze when they saw Gin Ichimaru and Aizen.
These two were the highest-ranking figures in the Spirit World—how could they not recognize them?
There were even others gathered around them, and it was clear none of this was fake.
So this cool older guy really was the god? And he’d invited them to be goddesses!?
The two girls were instantly overwhelmed.
Feeling the eyes on him, Gin Ichimaru finally let go, giving the divine lord a bit of face.
"It was just getting too boring up there. I mean, I love what I’m doing, but doing the same thing forever gets old. So I came down to have a little fun."
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Masatsuki Aozaki waved, flashing a grin.
"See? The Three Worlds really are the most fun place to be!"
(End)