Recaps

The captains convened a meeting with representatives from the World of the Living and interrogated Gin Ichimaru about Aizen’s plans. Gin revealed that he had served Aizen undercover to recover the Soul King Fragment taken from Rangiku Matsumoto, and the chapter ended with Tokoyo Misao pointing out how Soul Society had failed to protect them.

• Shunsui Kyōraku proposed that Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, and their companions attend the captains’ meeting as representatives of humanity, and Captain-Commander Yamamoto agreed.
• Soi Fon arrested Gin Ichimaru, while Tokoyo Misao told Rangiku Matsumoto that Gin would have to atone for his crimes and promised to argue for a lesser sentence.
• Tokoyo Misao joined the captains’ side at the meeting, where Gin Ichimaru described Aizen’s plan to create the Ōken and break into the Soul King Palace.
• Kisuke Urahara identified Karakura Town as Aizen’s likely target, and Gin Ichimaru confirmed that Aizen intended to use the city to create the Ōken.
• Gin Ichimaru revealed that Aizen had taken a Soul King Fragment from Rangiku Matsumoto, explaining that he had spent over a hundred years undercover to find Aizen’s weakness and recover it.
• Orihime Inoue cried over Gin Ichimaru’s story, and Tokoyo Misao told her that she had missed how Gin and Rangiku had suffered without anyone in Soul Society noticing.

Tokoyo Misao argued that humans should not be expected to fight Aizen while the dead continued to suffer in Rukongai, and Ichigo, Orihime, Sado, and Uryū backed calls for reform. Yamamoto agreed to create a Rukongai Redevelopment Committee, and Tokoyo asked Urahara to manage it as he prepared to set out three nonnegotiable conditions.

• Tokoyo Misao challenged Yamamoto to explain why Rukongai remained so harsh, arguing that death should bring people release from suffering.
• Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, and Uryū Ishida supported reform and questioned why humans should help Soul Society while the dead were exploited.
• Tokoyo Misao asked Yamamoto for a direct answer about Rukongai, while Sasakibe said reform would take time; Ichigo argued that resources and Soul Reaper strength could speed redevelopment.
• Soi Fon accused Tokoyo Misao of admitting to the Noble Street massacre, but realized the captains were unlikely to put him on trial.
• Yamamoto proposed a Rukongai Redevelopment Committee, and Tokoyo Misao asked Kisuke Urahara to manage its work while he served as supervisor.

Tokoyo Misao and Soul Society’s leaders approved reforms to reincarnation and devised a plan to lure Aizen into a replica of Karakura Town instead of destroying the real city. The meeting then turned to how they could actually defeat Aizen, whose strength Tokoyo warned made the trap insufficient.

• Tokoyo Misao proposed ending delays in reincarnation, letting wandering souls choose when to reincarnate, and ensuring they entered reincarnation happily; the captains unanimously supported the reforms.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto said the Quincy king would not attack until he regained enough power, while Mayuri Kurotsuchi proposed blowing up Karakura Town to kill Aizen.
• Kisuke Urahara suggested building a superficial replica of Karakura Town in Rukongai and swapping it with the real city, and Mayuri agreed the plan was possible.
• Tokoyo Misao offered the vacant noble houses as building materials, and Byakuya Kuchiki supported using the cleared plots for new administrative departments.
• Yamamoto assigned Soi Fon’s Stealth Force to demolish the houses, while Tokoyo warned that the fake city could serve as a battlefield but not as a decisive trap against Aizen.
• Kenpachi Zaraki asked Tokoyo whether Aizen had truly become so powerful.

Tokoyo Misao explained that Kenpachi Zaraki’s hellish power and battle instincts could make him a match for Aizen, and proposed training him in Muken with Unohana’s help. After Yamamoto warned that Zaraki alone was not enough, he offered to guide Ichigo, who questioned whether Yamamoto was stronger than Tokoyo.

• Soi Fon threatened to fight Tokoyo Misao after the others teased her about liking him, but Unohana persuaded her to wait until after the meeting.
• Tokoyo Misao revealed that Kenpachi Zaraki was the source of his blood-red arm’s power and suggested Zaraki’s strength came from Hell.
• Tokoyo Misao and Yamamoto argued that Zaraki’s battle instincts could help him find Aizen despite Kyōka Suigetsu, but Unohana said Zaraki was still incomplete.
• Tokoyo Misao proposed that Zaraki train with him in Muken until he could control his power, with Unohana’s help.
• Yamamoto insisted Zaraki was not enough as a trump card, and Urahara said Ichigo and Orihime had power to rival Aizen, though Orihime had fallen under Kyōka Suigetsu.
• Yamamoto offered to guide Ichigo, who asked whether Yamamoto was stronger than Tokoyo Misao.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto tested Ichigo, Orihime, Uryū, and Sado with his Reiatsu, then took Ichigo to train. In Muken, Tokoyo Misao fought Soi Fon and defeated her decisively, leaving her overwhelmed by memories of Yoruichi Shihōin.

• Captain-Commander Yamamoto released his Reiatsu, and Ichigo, Orihime, Uryū, and Sado reacted to its pressure while Sado shielded Uryū.
• Captain-Commander Yamamoto invited Ichigo to the training ground, while Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake praised Tokoyo Misao's strength.
• Tokoyo Misao told Kenpachi Zaraki to bring Yachiru to Muken, then went there with Soi Fon and Unohana.
• Sōya Azashiro asked Tokoyo Misao whether he intended to kill the Soul King, and Misao reaffirmed his respect for the Soul King's choice.
• Soi Fon fired her Bankai at Tokoyo Misao, but he emerged unharmed and caught her when she attacked with Shunpo.
• Tokoyo Misao slammed Soi Fon into the ground until she stopped resisting, and she broke down while remembering Yoruichi Shihōin.

Tokoyo Misao fought Unohana in Muken while Soi Fon watched, first learning about Unohana’s brutal healing and endurance and then witnessing an encounter that left her stunned. After leaving Muken, Misao discussed Sōya Azashiro’s possible return to Soul Society and found Kenpachi Zaraki lost near the Fifth Division before a messenger arrived.

• Soi Fon explained that she had envied Tokoyo Misao’s strength because she believed Yoruichi Shihōin had left her behind for being weak, and Misao offered to teach her.
• Unohana activated Minazuki and began fighting Tokoyo Misao in Muken, while Soi Fon refused to leave and watched.
• Tokoyo Misao repeatedly tore Unohana apart, and Minazuki restored her each time until her fighting grew increasingly intense and Soi Fon was left speechless.
• After the fight, Tokoyo Misao and Unohana dressed and left Muken with Soi Fon, who struggled to face Misao.
• Urozakuro complained about the mess, and Tokoyo Misao discussed Sōya Azashiro’s possible release, while Azashiro said he would leave Muken only when Kenpachi Zaraki died.
• Tokoyo Misao used Eternal Eyes to locate Kenpachi Zaraki near the Fifth Division, but a messenger appeared before he could retrieve him.

After Tōshirō Hitsugaya was appointed acting captain of the Ninth Division, Tokoyo Misao protested the transfer and put Gin Ichimaru to work alongside Rangiku Matsumoto in the Tenth Division. Tokoyo then sent Orihime Inoue and Uryū Ishida back to school, agreed to help Yasutora Sado grow stronger, and brought Sado to meet Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru about Zaraki’s power.

• Tokoyo Misao learned that Tōshirō Hitsugaya had been appointed acting captain of the Ninth Division and rushed to protest losing him from the Tenth Division.
• Tokoyo assigned Gin Ichimaru to help Rangiku Matsumoto handle the Tenth Division’s paperwork, warning Gin that Rangiku would face consequences if he betrayed them.
• Tokoyo ordered Orihime Inoue and Uryū Ishida to return to school, advised Uryū to discuss Quincy training with his family, and agreed to help Yasutora Sado get stronger.
• Tokoyo led Sado to Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru, then asked Zaraki whether he wanted to master his hidden power despite Yachiru potentially returning to his body.

Tokoyo Misao brought Kenpachi Zaraki to Muken and pushed him to unleash Nozarashi and then Bankai in a fierce battle. Zaraki’s transformed power appeared to come largely from Hell, and Tokoyo Misao met his charge with a black torrent around his arm and blade.

• Tokoyo Misao led Kenpachi Zaraki, Yachiru, and Yasutora Sado to Muken, where he told Sado to observe their fight and draw out his own power.
• Tokoyo Misao blocked Zaraki’s first attack with his blood-red arm, and Yachiru told Zaraki to call out Nozarashi.
• Zaraki released Nozarashi and traded blows with Tokoyo Misao, using his swordsmanship and instincts to land a hit while Sado and Sōya Azashiro watched.
• After Tokoyo Misao repeatedly battered him, Zaraki spat out part of his lung, then followed Yachiru’s instruction to call her name and activate Bankai.
• Zaraki transformed with blood-red skin, horns, fangs, and black facial markings, and Tokoyo Misao recognized the markings as resembling those of people returned from Hell.
• Zaraki charged with a terrifying strike, and Tokoyo Misao enveloped his arm and blade in a black torrent before swinging to meet him.

Tokoyo Misao studied how X affected his body and began integrating it into both arms, while Yasutora Sado awakened a second power during harsh training with Sōya Azashiro. In Hueco Mundo, a Hollow removed his mask in an imperfect transformation, and Kaname Tōsen recorded the results.

• Tokoyo Misao healed Kenpachi Zaraki after his body collapsed from the power of his final attack, then asked Sōya Azashiro to train Yasutora Sado.
• Tokoyo Misao used Eternal Eyes to examine X, concluded it fused more readily with a human body than a Reishi body, and began integrating it into his arms.
• Sōya Azashiro overwhelmed Yasutora Sado with Kidō, then taunted him about being unable to protect Ichigo Kurosaki.
• Yasutora Sado rose again, awakened the Left Arm of the Devil, La Muerte, and struck Sōya Azashiro before collapsing; Sōya caught him and praised his potential.
• In Las Noches, a Hollow tore off his mask and released increased Reiatsu, while Kaname Tōsen judged the transformation into a Soul Reaper neither a success nor a failure.

In Muken, Tokoyo Misao's increasingly uncontrolled rage disrupted his training battle with Kenpachi Zaraki, prompting Sōya Azashiro and Unohana to confront him. Misao appeared close to losing control as Azashiro warned that his anger would consume him.

• Tokoyo Misao repeatedly dismembered and taunted Kenpachi Zaraki while Unohana healed them from the sidelines.
• Zaraki collapsed and failed to get up even after Unohana restored his body, and Misao stomped on him while insulting him.
• Unohana noticed Misao was acting unlike himself and challenged his excessive taunting.
• Misao responded to Unohana with a ferocious threat, then stomped Zaraki again, making him bleed despite his unconsciousness.
• Sōya Azashiro warned Misao that his growing anger was burning away his reason and would ultimately destroy him.
• Urozakuro urged Azashiro to throw Misao out, while Azashiro remained concerned about Misao's worsening emotional state.

Tokoyo Misao discovered that the X Power in his bloody arm was affecting his mind and advancing toward his heart, threatening to turn him into a beast. He sought Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s help to contain it, and Mayuri began attaching a restraining device to him.

• Tokoyo Misao attacked Unohana, then realized the X Power had impaired his judgment when he noticed it was surging toward his heart.
• Tokoyo Misao failed to cut off the bloody arm, and Unohana examined the power but could not stop its progress.
• Tokoyo Misao left Muken and asked Mayuri Kurotsuchi to make a device that would confine the X Power to his right arm.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi built a restraining device and began fastening it to Tokoyo Misao, using spinning needles and spirit-restraining nails to pierce his tough skin.

Tokoyo Misao went to the World of the Living to prepare for Aizen’s expected attack and returned to his trading company, where Tsukishima tried to use his Fullbring on him. Misao stopped the attack and realized Tsukishima had already influenced Lisa, while Tsukishima faced the failure of his plan to probe Misao through Orihime.

• After Kenpachi Zaraki’s Bankai repeatedly caused his body to self-destruct, Tokoyo Misao concluded that both he and Kenpachi Zaraki had to postpone fusing with X power.
• Kisuke Urahara and Mayuri Kurotsuchi reported that Aizen would likely attack Karakura Town in autumn, so Captain-Commander Yamamoto ordered Tokoyo Misao to guard the World of the Living and clear out spies.
• At the Heaven and Earth Trading Company, Tokoyo Misao sent Yasutora Sado back to school and praised Orihime Inoue for improving her test score.
• Lisa speculated that Tokoyo Misao’s bloody arm was cursed, then introduced Tsukishima as a regular customer when he entered the shop.
• Tsukishima tried to attack Tokoyo Misao during a handshake, but Misao held him fast and revealed that he knew about Tsukishima’s Fullbring ability.
• Tokoyo Misao recognized that Lisa had been influenced by Tsukishima, while Tsukishima recalled that he and Kūgo Ginjō had created Orihime’s Fullbring and waited until Misao left before making their move.

Tokoyo Misao exposed Tsukishima’s attempt to manipulate Lisa and confronted Kūgo Ginjō, who argued that Fullbringers should protect the World of the Living from the coming war. Ginjō proposed cooperation and challenged Misao to test his strength, while Misao’s interest turned to Tsukishima’s ability.

• Tokoyo Misao restrained Tsukishima and had Orihime use Sōten Kisshun to reject Tsukishima’s power from Lisa.
• Lisa recovered her clear judgment, recognized Tsukishima’s manipulation, and asked Tokoyo Misao whether she could kill him.
• Kūgo Ginjō arrived and offered to compensate Tokoyo Misao for Tsukishima’s actions, then explained that he had founded Xcution and wanted humans to defend the World of the Living.
• Kūgo Ginjō suggested that Tokoyo Misao shared his concern for humanity and proposed cooperation in the coming war.
• Tokoyo Misao warned that Ginjō was too weak for the coming conflict, and Ginjō challenged him to a fight in the shop’s secret training ground.
• Tokoyo Misao considered Tsukishima’s Book of the End and how it had once affected Yhwach.

Tokoyo Misao reached a preliminary cooperation agreement with Kūgo Ginjō and Xcution, while Shunsui Kyōraku sought Sōya Azashiro’s help in detecting a Wandenreich attack. Azashiro agreed to act if Kenpachi Zaraki died in battle, and the chapter ended with Misao buying up the shopping street’s meat for delivery to his shop.

• Kūgo Ginjō gathered Xcution at Tokoyo Misao’s shop, where Misao and Ginjō discussed cooperation upstairs.
• Ginjō warned Tsukishima to release the Visored and stop acting recklessly after his move exposed Xcution.
• Orihime Inoue welcomed Riruka and Yukio to the entertainment area while Giriko Kutsuzawa made himself at home at the bar.
• Shunsui Kyōraku visited Sōya Azashiro in Muken and asked him to watch for Quincy emerging into Soul Society.
• Azashiro agreed to help protect Soul Society if Kenpachi Zaraki died in battle, and Kyōraku left Muken.
• Tokoyo Misao bought nearly all the meat from the shopping street and arranged for it to be delivered to his shop.

Tokoyo Misao hosted a feast for his friends, where Rukia Kuchiki acted as hostess and openly kissed him. Months later, as the first snow fell, Misao and Kisuke Urahara discussed Aizen’s unexplained delay and the strain of Soul Society’s prolonged preparations, while Misao anticipated the Quincies’ arrival.

• Tokoyo Misao welcomed guests including Tessai Tsukabishi, Ururu, and Jinta Hanakari, then let Riruka and Yukio join the feast.
• Rukia Kuchiki arrived in formal dress, kissed Tokoyo Misao, and graciously hosted the guests while he prepared dinner with Kanae Katagiri, Orihime Inoue, and Masaki Kurosaki.
• Tokoyo Misao served a buffet, and the guests shared a meal and drinks together.
• Months later, Kisuke Urahara told Tokoyo Misao that the Hōgyoku should have finished fusing, but Aizen had still not attacked Karakura Town.
• Kisuke Urahara and Tokoyo Misao discussed Soul Society’s exhausted vigilance, the lack of information from Hueco Mundo, and failed research into Misao’s cells.
• Tokoyo Misao compared events with the future he remembered and expected the Quincies to appear soon.

Ryūken Ishida infiltrated the Wandenreich and reported that Tokoyo Misao, Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, and Kisuke Urahara had completed a device to transfer Karakura Town and people with high Reishi levels to Soul Society. Haschwalth heard his report while Yhwach remained asleep, and Ryūken’s next intelligence was left unspoken.

• Tokoyo Misao learned from Ryūken Ishida that Yhwach might awaken fully within a month, and Ryūken agreed to take greater risks in exchange for protection for Kanae Katagiri and their children.
• Ryūken Ishida met Cang Du outside Karakura Town and claimed he had important intelligence about Aizen and Tokoyo Misao.
• Cang Du used his shadow ability to take Ryūken into the Wandenreich, where Bazz-B challenged Ryūken’s usefulness and loyalty.
• Cang Du brought Ryūken to Haschwalth after finding Yhwach asleep, and Ryūken reported that four Special War Powers were in the World of the Living.
• Ryūken told Haschwalth that the Karakura Town replacement was complete and could transfer the city and people with high Reishi levels to Soul Society.

Ryūken Ishida helped Haschwalth and Cang Du plan to ambush Orihime Inoue and frame Hueco Mundo, while Bazz-B questioned the timing and Ryūken’s motives. At the Ishida home, Bazz-B stayed outside to guard the entrance as Ryūken and Cang Du went in to spring the trap.

• Ryūken told Haschwalth and Cang Du that Aizen might be holding back because the Wandenreich existed, then proposed inviting Orihime to his home and ambushing her.
• Haschwalth recruited Bazz-B for the mission and privately ordered Cang Du to kill Ryūken if he acted suspiciously.
• Bazz-B challenged Ryūken about the timing, but Ryūken argued that Aizen’s threat made this the best moment to strike.
• Cang Du proposed wounding Orihime and making the attack look like a Hollow’s work so Tokoyo Misao would turn against Hueco Mundo.
• Ryūken invited Orihime to dinner, and she accepted; Tokoyo Misao and Kisuke Urahara secretly followed her.
• At the Ishida home, Bazz-B stayed near the entrance while Ryūken and Cang Du went inside, ready to block Orihime if she escaped.

Cang Du tried to capture Orihime Inoue at the Ishida home, but Ryūken Ishida and Orihime had prepared a counterattack that sealed Cang Du’s spiritual energy and left him incapacitated. Outside, Bazz-B faced Tokoyo Misao and Kisuke Urahara, who discussed using Muken to deprive Quincy of Reishi, as Bazz-B activated his Vollständig and prepared to fight.

• Cang Du followed Ryūken Ishida into the living room and attacked Orihime Inoue with his Schrift, The Jail, as she greeted him.
• Orihime Inoue countered Cang Du’s prison with five Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō blasts, while Ryūken Ishida struck Cang Du with a steel needle that sealed his spiritual energy.
• Ryūken Ishida used additional needles to disable Cang Du’s hands and feet, and Cang Du called for Bazz-B to burn everyone in the house.
• Bazz-B revealed that Tokoyo Misao and Kisuke Urahara had intercepted him outside, preventing him from helping Cang Du.
• Tokoyo Misao explained that Quincy could be weakened in Muken by depriving them of external Reishi, and Kisuke Urahara recognized it as a possible plan against the Wandenreich.
• Bazz-B activated his Vollständig and challenged Tokoyo Misao and Kisuke Urahara, though his instincts warned him that Tokoyo was dangerous.

Bazz-B’s attack was defeated by Tokoyo Misao, and Kisuke Urahara and Mayuri Kurotsuchi took the captured Quincy away to study a way into the Wandenreich. As Yhwach led his army toward Las Noches, the Espada debated how to respond, and Sōsuke Aizen assured them that no enemy could stop their evolution.

• Bazz-B unleashed a massive fire tornado, but Tokoyo Misao extinguished it and overwhelmed him with a delayed blast of wind.
• Kisuke Urahara caught the unconscious Bazz-B, while Mayuri Kurotsuchi claimed Cang Du; Tokoyo Misao gave them half a day to find a way into the Wandenreich.
• Tokoyo Misao returned to the Ishida house for dinner with Kanae Katagiri and Orihime Inoue.
• Yhwach awakened and announced that the plan was moving forward, then led nearly a thousand Quincy toward Las Noches in Hueco Mundo.
• Grimmjow and Nnoitra urged the Espada to attack the Quincy, but Tier Harribel and Nelliel argued against needless casualties.
• Sōsuke Aizen arrived at the Espada meeting and declared that neither the Quincy nor the Soul Reapers could stop their evolution.

Yhwach’s Quincy army confronted Aizen and the Espada in Hueco Mundo, but Aizen rejected Yhwach’s plan to remake the worlds and Ulquiorra killed Cang Du with a Cero. Yhwach then challenged Ulquiorra himself, ordered the Sternritter not to interfere, and Aizen cleared the battlefield for their fight.

• Yhwach offered Aizen an alliance to attack Soul Society and create a world without death, but Aizen dismissed his vision as boring.
• Bambietta objected when Szayelaporro Granz laughed at Yhwach’s plan, while Haschwalth restrained the Sternritter from acting.
• Yhwach hurled a Heilig Pfeil at Aizen, and Ulquiorra caught and crushed it before asking permission to fight Yhwach.
• Cang Du attacked Ulquiorra with spiritual-energy claws, but Ulquiorra’s Cero engulfed him and reduced him to ash.
• Yhwach ordered Haschwalth and the Sternritter to stay out of the fight, focused on Ulquiorra, and Aizen withdrew to leave the battlefield open.

Yhwach challenged Ulquiorra to demonstrate the Wandenreich’s superiority, but Ulquiorra survived his devastating attack by using Resurrección. Yhwach then tested whether Bambietta’s Quincy Medallion could absorb that power, and the chapter ended with the test showing it could absorb only part of it.

• Ulquiorra refused Grimmjow’s request to switch opponents and explained that his strength made him the right choice to crush Yhwach.
• Yhwach trapped Ulquiorra in Sankt Zwinger and bombarded him with Heilig Pfeil, but Ulquiorra blocked the attacks with his Hierro.
• Yhwach’s enormous Heilig Pfeil overwhelmed Ulquiorra’s Gran Rey Cero and blasted him into a deep hole.
• Ulquiorra emerged in his Murciélago Resurrección, knelt briefly before Aizen, and formed a dark-green lance.
• Yhwach ordered Bambietta to use the Quincy Medallion on Ulquiorra’s lance, but the lance still attacked her and the medallion absorbed only part of its power.
• Yhwach called Bambietta back, and Candice concluded that the medallion could absorb Resurrección but not completely.

Ulquiorra revealed a second Resurrección form, Segunda Etapa, and his immense spiritual pressure forced the Quincies to withdraw their ordinary soldiers. Yhwach tried to recruit Ulquiorra, but Ulquiorra ignored him and began gathering dark-green spiritual energy.

• Ulquiorra released a vast wave of inky-black spiritual energy that dispersed Yhwach’s Reishi sword and covered Hueco Mundo with dark rain.
• The Espada were stunned by Ulquiorra’s Segunda Etapa, while Lilynette revealed that Starrk could use a similar form.
• Aizen said he had never seen Ulquiorra’s form before and explained that he had given Ulquiorra the order he requested without knowing what would happen.
• Haschwalth ordered two knights to evacuate the ordinary Quincy soldiers, and they returned them to the Wandenreich while the remaining Sternritter avoided the Hollow rain.
• Yhwach called Ulquiorra’s form an ancestral state and tried to persuade him to abandon Aizen, but Ulquiorra began forming dark-green spiritual energy between his hands.

Ulquiorra’s Segunda Etapa drove back the Sternritter, though the apparent Yhwach was revealed to be Loyd Lloyd, a Sternritter who could imitate others. After the Quincy retreated, Aizen promised the Espada a way to evolve and ordered an assault on Soul Society to gather Soul Reaper souls for Lesser Hōgyoku, leaving Ulquiorra and Yammy assigned to lead the frontal attack.

• Ulquiorra struck down the apparent Yhwach, and Haschwalth revealed that the fallen man was Loyd Lloyd, whose Schrift Y let him imitate others.
• Haschwalth and the Sternritter retreated through his shadow ability after Kaname Tōsen challenged them, while Ulquiorra could not track their route through multiple spatial passages.
• The Espada discussed Ulquiorra’s Segunda Etapa, and most knelt before Aizen to ask for the chance to become stronger; Starrk stayed standing because he had no desire to grow stronger.
• Aizen promised to use collected Soul King Fragments and Soul Reaper souls to make Lesser Hōgyoku with Szayelaporro, which would allow the Espada to evolve.
• Kaname Tōsen planned an attack on Soul Society to collect Soul Reaper souls, assigning Ulquiorra and Yammy to lead the frontal assault while Grimmjow and Nnoitra joined the operation.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi tortured Cang Du and injected him with a drug that stretched his perception of time before an alarm announced Aizen’s invasion of Soul Society. Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Shūhei Hisagi went to guard the Tenth Division, where Rangiku Matsumoto insisted on protecting the restrained Gin Ichimaru as Hitsugaya arrived.

• Mayuri Kurotsuchi told Cang Du he was not seeking information, injected him with a massive dose of the Superhuman Drug, and left him perceiving time as nearly endless.
• An alarm alerted Mayuri and Akon that a Garganta had opened over North Junrinan and Hueco Mundo was attacking Soul Society.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya received orders to guard the Tenth Division and brought Shūhei Hisagi with him, while Hisagi hoped to confront his former captain, Kaname Tōsen.
• Rangiku Matsumoto refused Gin Ichimaru’s request to remove his handcuffs, saying she would protect him instead.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya entered the office and scolded Rangiku Matsumoto and Gin Ichimaru for acting romantic during the invasion.

Ulquiorra and Yammy attacked Soul Society, where Jidanbō tried to defend the gate before Shunsui, Ukitake, and Unohana arrived. As the captains fought the Arrancar, Ukitake reflected Yammy’s Bala and began absorbing his massive Cero.

• Ulquiorra and Yammy emerged from the Garganta, and Yammy devoured nearly a thousand wandering souls from Rukongai.
• Jidanbō stood guard at the Seireitei gate, but Yammy struck him down with a flicked projectile; Jidanbō rose again and refused to retreat.
• Shunsui blocked Yammy’s attack and cut his wrist, then Ukitake and Unohana joined him while Jidanbō entered the Seireitei.
• Unohana reported that only two enemies had appeared, and Ulquiorra and Yammy discussed capturing the veteran captains.
• Yammy unleashed a barrage of Bala, but Ukitake’s Sōgyo no Kotowari absorbed and reflected the attacks as a Cero.
• Yammy fired an enormous Cero, and Ukitake raised his blade to absorb it, which turned the blade scorching red.