Ink splatters and shockwaves flew, sending Ichigo flying back.
"What are you doing?!" Ichigo used Shunpo to stabilize himself mid-air.
But before he could steady his posture, another Zero Division's member, Shutara Senjumaru, flashed above his head. Before Ichigo could react, six mechanical prosthetic limbs extended from behind her, thrusting black spikes that instantly pinned Ichigo's Shihakusho to the ground, along with himself!
"Senjumaru-senpai! What is the meaning of this?!" Rukia also couldn't help but shout, standing with Renji, Ishida Uryu, and others in front of Ichigo.
Kagura Chizuru, Shiranui Mai, and others like Harribel also watched with question marks over their heads.
'The planet is about to end, and there's still time for infighting?'
Aizen, however, narrowed his eyes, vaguely guessing something.
"Sorry about this, Kurosaki Ichigo. For the balance of the three realms, for this planet to continue existing, I'll have to trouble you..." Ichibe'e walked slowly towards Ichigo, enunciating the last three words forcefully and clearly:
"Go. Die. Please!"
Hearing these three words, Ichigo and his close friends, along with the confused Shiranui Mai and others, were completely stupefied.
Earlier, Mark, the Hunter Squad's Captain who protected the Lighthouse, was killed by the very residents he guarded.
And now Ichigo was about to face the same fate… having fought all along to protect his planet's peace, only to be killed in the end by his own people!
"So that's it. Kurosaki Ichigo, who combines the powers of Human, Shinigami, Quincy, and Hollow, indeed has the potential to become the new Soul King." Aizen propped his chin with one hand, his face overflowing with strong mockery after his analysis, "Is this the so-called 'justice' of the Soul Society? Utterly ridiculous."
Aizen suddenly felt he had become noble by comparison.
"Cut the crap. You're all cut from the same cloth." Lott was unsparing.
Kagura Chizuru felt her entire worldview shatter. Just as Shiranui Mai said, if it happened once, she could comfort herself saying it was an individual case.
But two? You can't argue with that, right? And both happened on the same day!
"It has nothing to do with justice. As long as the three realms can be balanced and this planet protected, whether it's Kurosaki Ichigo or Yhwach, it's all the same to me." Ichibe'e stared straight at Ichigo, who was being shielded by Rukia and Renji.
"Alright, step aside quickly, Kuchiki Rukia, Abarai Renji. Do you want to die with him? Even if you're willing, don't forget that if we don't transform Kurosaki Ichigo into the new Soul King, this world will also be finished. Your family, friends, lovers... does it not matter at all?"
Hearing this, the expressions of the main cast members guarding Ichigo changed drastically.
Rukia thought of her adoptive brother Kuchiki Byakuya. Renji secretly glanced at Rukia. And this momentary glance was caught by many in the group chat.
"This is a good thing, Renji-kun." Lott suddenly said with a wicked smile: "Once Kurosaki Ichigo is dead, no one will compete with you. The onion-head is yours."
As soon as these words were spoken, Renji jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, howling, "Y-you… what are you talking about? I, I never had such thoughts!"
However, whether it was the people on the scene, the group members in the chat, or Rukia and the pinned-down Ichigo nearby, their looks towards him became complicated.
Their eyes clearly spelled out that one words… disbelief.
And in Rukia's eyes, besides disbelief, there was also a trace of contempt.
Regarding Renji's feelings for her, Rukia herself had been wavering about whether to accept them or not.
Originally, his chances against Ichigo were about fifty-fifty. But now that Lott had exposed his little scheme, Renji had completely lost his chance.
After all, Ichigo's position in Rukia's heart was almost on par with Renji's. She would be deeply hurt by either of their deaths. But if one of them hoped for the other's death, she would absolutely not forgive them.
"Alright, stop blocking me. There's almost no time left." Ichibe'e pushed the two aside and aimed the tip of his brush at the back of Ichigo's neck.
When Ichigo's final, unwilling roar of his life echoed through the Soul King Palace, the protagonists from various worlds who saw themselves as guardians, like Kagura Chizuru from the Planet King of Fighters, Goku who had just returned home on Earth to prepare milk for his son, Yagami Taichi from the Digital World... all of them fell into a state of emo.
'Exerting all our strength to save the world, only to be met with such a result... Was it worth it?'
"Still want to protect the world?" Lott leaned close to Kagura Chizuru's pretty face and asked with a wicked smile.
The sound of Lott's voice echoed in her ears. Kagura Chizuru remained silent for a long time before stiffly turning her head to look at this face so close to hers.
For a long time, she couldn't utter a single word.
The entire group chat was also extremely quiet at this moment.
In truth, whether it was the battles on the Planet King of Fighters or the Planet Shinigami, the power displayed was miles apart compared to the previous Lott + Goku vs Bio-Cooler + Frieza.
But the shock they gave the group members was even greater. The ingratitude of the Lighthouse masses and the Zero Division, and Renji's slight relief at Ichigo's death... they nakedly displayed the ugliest aspects of human nature.
The deterrent effect this brought was no less than Lott or Goku transforming into Super Saiyan.
"So according to your logic, if in the future there are villains like Orochi or Frieza who want to destroy the world, should everyone just sit back and do nothing, letting them run rampant?" After a long time, Kagura Chizuru barely managed to squeeze out a sentence, her voice now carrying a hint of sob.
"That's another matter. If anyone dares to cause trouble on my turf, I'll blast them to bits the next second. Chika, Miku, Nino, Hancock, Bulma, Erina... these people are very important to me. I will protect them." A flicker of amusement passed through Lott's eyes, and his tone also revealed unparalleled confidence.
The look Shiranui Mai gave Lott was filled with deep admiration, 'So, so cool! This feeling of being protected... the best!'
Shiranui Mai suddenly thought of her deceased grandfather, who always wanted to set her up with Andy.
'If the disciple you took in wasn't so useless, Grandpa, would I have been hesitating for so many years? I could have given you a football team's worth of great-grandchildren long ago!'
In the Fujiwara Residence, Chika was holding Baby Videl. Her older sister Fujiwara Toyomi and younger sister Fujiwara Moeha saw Chika holding her cheeks with a shy, lovestruck expression.
For a moment, their feelings were extremely complicated.
When the strongest man in the universe says in front of the entire universe that he will protect you... the lethality towards any woman is at a nuclear weapon level.
The Nakano Quintuplets had the same expression. Even Itsuki, who usually paid no heed to the outside world and focused solely on studying, was the same. What woman could withstand this?
'Wait a minute!' Itsuki suddenly realized, 'Didn't Lott just also call out 'Nino' earlier? Holy crap! When did those two get together?'
Compared to the smitten Chika and others, Bulma was more dumbfounded, 'Ah, this... am I included too?'
…
"Goku, you should learn more from Lott." After a long silence, Chi-Chi, biting her lip tightly, shouted at her husband's back.
Although Chi-Chi wanted to leave saving the world to her husband, and only wanted her son to go to school like an ordinary child and live a healthy, ordinary, peaceful life, the fates of Mark and Ichigo had truly terrified her.
She hoped Goku could learn from Lott and not always think about being a hero.
"Ah?" Goku looked at his wife with a blank, naive expression.
'Learn from Lott? Didn't Chi-Chi always dislike him? Hmm... since you say learn, then I'll give it a try.' Goku turned his gaze to the live stream screen. He discovered Lott holding Shiranui Mai with one hand, while his face was close to Kagura Chizuru's ear… a classic 'having beauties in each arm' scene.
"Cough, Cough~" Seeing this, Chi-Chi cleared her throat dryly, her tone becoming somewhat awkward. "You don't need to learn that part."