Chapter Summaries

Haruto faced the Vasto Lorde Szayelaporro Granz, who had killed Kanmuri Yasu and an Adjuchas, and learned why Szayelaporro hated the 11th Division. Haruto unleashed his combined Soul Reaper and Quincy powers, then trapped Szayelaporro inside a wall of fire, but Szayelaporro challenged him to find a way through it.

• Haruto recognized Szayelaporro as a powerful Vasto Lorde and recalled how Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had driven him from Soul Society decades earlier.
• Szayelaporro admitted he wanted valuable experimental materials, especially Soul Reapers, after killing Kanmuri Yasu and an Adjuchas.
• Haruto released Seisen and combined several powers to fire a massive Sankt Bogen arrow at Szayelaporro, but Szayelaporro dodged it with Sonído.
• Haruto revealed that the blast had been intended to create a sea of fire, then used Bakudō #96, Jōkaku Enjō, to surround Szayelaporro with a blazing enclosure.
• Szayelaporro praised the Bakudō and asked Haruto whether he had an attack capable of penetrating the wall of fire.

Haruto and Szayelaporro traded devastating attacks while each tried to recover, and Haruto used his knowledge of Szayelaporro’s abilities to gain the upper hand. The chapter ended with Haruto binding Szayelaporro and the summoned Gillians with Bakudō #99.

• Haruto sacrificed his charred left arm and combined Sankt Bogen, Jōkaku Enjō, and Ittō Kasō to badly wound Szayelaporro.
• Haruto and Szayelaporro paused to recover, with Haruto regenerating his arm while Szayelaporro healed from the burns.
• Szayelaporro attacked Haruto with the Flower of Domination, but Haruto destroyed the flower forest with Holy Chant: Sanctuary Praise.
• Szayelaporro summoned modified Gillians and absorbed their Reishi to restore his strength.
• Haruto dismissed Sanctuary Praise, regenerated his arm with its Reishi, and used Bankin: Second Song: Hyakurensan to restrain Szayelaporro and the Gillians.

Haruto Shihoin severely wounded Szayelaporro with Five Dragon Destruction, but Ashido warned him that another Vasto Lorde was approaching. Haruto learned that two Vasto Lorde remained in Hueco Mundo and considered how killing one could advance Soul King Hakusui.

• Haruto used Two Dragon Destruction to further injure Szayelaporro, who absorbed sand and Reishi to recover and vowed to remember Haruto's Reiatsu.
• Haruto met Ashido in the Forest of Menos and learned that the former Tenth Division captain had stayed in Hueco Mundo to hunt Hollows and protect Soul Reaper expeditions.
• Ashido explained that he had sent Haruto a danger signal because a second Vasto Lorde was approaching from Las Noches.
• Ashido said he tracked the two Vasto Lorde to warn incoming expeditionary forces, but even four Captain-level fighters could not defeat them.
• Haruto considered killing Szayelaporro or the other Vasto Lorde to raise Soul King Hakusui's activation level and potentially reach Second-Class Spiritual Pressure.

Haruto received Ashido’s detailed map of Hueco Mundo and headed for the expeditionary force’s headquarters. On the way, he found Haru Kusaka’s detachment facing the wounded Tier Harribel and killed a noble who demanded his help, leaving the standoff tense.

• Ashido gave Haruto a marked map of Hueco Mundo and explained that he secretly provided copies to expeditionary forces.
• Haruto set off for the expeditionary force’s headquarters, using his map to travel through the Forest of Menos.
• Haruto sensed a Captain-level Soul Reaper and a Menos Grande surrounded by other fighters, then hurried to investigate.
• Haruto arrived and recognized the Soul Reaper as Haru Kusaka and the wounded Vasto Lorde as Tier Harribel, with her three injured Fracción behind her.
• A noble ordered Haruto to help defeat Tier Harribel, and Haruto killed him instantly with a Reiatsu attack, intensifying the standoff.

Haruto negotiated with Haru Kusaka to secure the retreat of his followers in exchange for sending En to the Maggot’s Nest. He then approached Harribel, revealed that he had wounded Szayelaporro, and proposed joining forces against Las Noches, but Harribel doubted they could defeat Baraggan’s seemingly endless army without losing her companions.

• Haruto rejected the noble’s demand that he fight a Vasto Lorde and learned that Haru Kusaka wanted him to cover their retreat.
• Haru offered to inherit the Kusaka Clan leadership and send En to the Maggot’s Nest, and Haruto accepted the terms.
• Haru led his followers toward their headquarters while Haruto remained behind to speak with Harribel.
• Haruto identified Harribel as a Vasto Lorde being pursued by Las Noches and proposed that they defeat their pursuer together.
• Haruto said he had wounded Szayelaporro, but Harribel refused to cooperate because Baraggan’s forces were too numerous and her companions could not bear the cost.

Haruto persuaded Harribel to cooperate against a Vasto Lorde, pushing Apache, Sun-Sun, and Mila to confront their stagnation. At the expeditionary force headquarters, Haru Kusaka returned with his squad and confirmed that Haruto had already met the captain sent to replace the recalled officers.

• Haruto offered to help Harribel kill a Vasto Lorde, and she agreed after making him promise to protect her companions.
• Haruto pressured Apache, Sun-Sun, and Mila with his Reiatsu and challenged them to improve themselves instead of relying on Harribel.
• Haru Kusaka returned to headquarters with his squad after killing seventeen Gillians and more than a hundred other Hollows, though five of his members had died.
• Miyano Fujimaru told Haru that the Third Division Captain and Kōga Kuchiki's elites had returned to Soul Society, leaving the expeditionary force short of top fighters.
• Haru told Miyano Fujimaru that he had met the replacement captain, then hesitated as he began to explain.

Haruto returned to the expeditionary force with Tier Harribel and hundreds of Gillian masks, then claimed command and proposed attacking the Vasto Lorde from Las Noches. Miyano Fujimaru and his sister agreed to help him, using Kanmuri Yasu’s death as a justification for the operation.

• Haruto appeared beside Haru Kusaka and revealed that Tier Harribel, a miniature Vasto Lorde, had followed him.
• Haruto produced hundreds of Gillian masks, and Miyano Matsuri confirmed they were genuine.
• Haruto asserted that the expeditionary force should follow his orders because he was its strongest and highest-ranking noble.
• Haruto announced that he planned to kill a Vasto Lorde from Las Noches and said only the Captain-level fighters would go.
• Miyano Fujimaru accepted Haruto’s justification based on Kanmuri Yasu’s death and agreed that he and Miyano Matsuri would help.

Haruto gathered Captain-level fighters and enlisted Ashido for a hunt against a Vasto Lorde in Las Noches. Ashido agreed but judged their force insufficient and offered to find another fighter.

• Miyano Fujimaru questioned whether Haruto had come alone, and Haruto said he had another helper whose identity would be revealed later.
• Haru Kusaka explained that Haruto’s threat had made the nobles behind him his direct followers, and he said the Kusaka Clan’s future depended on Lord Shihoin.
• Haruto asked Tier Harribel whether she objected to calling the plan a hunt, and she accepted that Soul Reapers intended to kill one of her kind.
• Haruto gathered the expeditionary force’s Captain-level fighters and asked Ashido to join the attack on the Vasto Lorde in Las Noches.
• Ashido agreed to help but warned that their five Captain-level fighters and one Vasto Lorde might not be enough, then offered to find someone else.

Haruto planned to lure out a Vasto Lorde by releasing an aura like one, while Ashido summoned nearby Soul Reapers and Shusuke Amagai arrived to help. The chapter then shifted to Las Noches, where Hammerhead sensed the aura and went to hunt the apparent newcomer, hoping to kill a rival Vasto Lorde.

• Ashido fired a burning spine into the sky to summon his companions, and Haruto said Harribel would serve as their secret weapon.
• Haruto offered to lure out the Vasto Lorde by making it seem a new Vasto Lorde had appeared in Las Noches' territory.
• A scruffy Soul Reaper arrived after chasing an Adjuchas, and Ashido introduced him as former Third Division Soul Reaper Shusuke Amagai.
• Baraggan remained away from Las Noches while Hammerhead sat on his throne and feasted on an Adjuchas.
• Hammerhead sensed the new Vasto Lorde's aura and set off alone, intending to kill it rather than share his power.

Hammerhead tracked down a newly born Vasto Lorde, unaware that it was Haruto in his Ultimate Hollow God Form. Haruto immobilized and sealed Hammerhead, then the Miyano siblings unleashed their resonant Bankai attacks on him.

• Hammerhead left Las Noches to find the newborn Vasto Lorde and discovered a crowned skeleton in a vast sand pit.
• Hammerhead prepared a Black Cero and cautiously approached the skeleton, noticing the Zanpakuto at its waist.
• Haruto revealed himself and used Stillness from Seisen to freeze Hammerhead before sealing him with Bankin Taihō.
• With Hammerhead unable to resist, the Miyano siblings activated their Bankai and attacked together with Dragon-Tiger Severing Thrust.

The Miyano siblings, Haru Kusaka, Shusuke Amagai, and Ashido combined their Bankai to weaken Hammerhead, but his regeneration let him survive their attacks. Haruto and Harri then struck before Hammerhead could fire his Gran Rey Cero, leaving only half of his head intact.

• The Miyano siblings pierced Hammerhead with twin flames, and Haru Kusaka redirected his water powers into sharpened needles that wounded him.
• Shusuke Amagai blasted Hammerhead with Raika: Gōenkaku, but Hammerhead escaped the crater with Sonído.
• Ashido struck Hammerhead with Azure Dragon Spine and poisoned him, but Hammerhead used High-Speed Regeneration to halt the poison and restore his body.
• Hammerhead gathered Reiatsu to fire a Gran Rey Cero, but Harri appeared behind him and unleashed a golden Gran Rey Cero that reduced his restored body to ash.
• Half of Hammerhead's head rolled to a stop in front of Haruto.

Haruto and six other Captain-level fighters defeated Hammerhead, a Vasto Lorde general serving Baraggan, in a coordinated battle. He gave the injured Harribel a Shihoin Clan crest for protection before she left with her companions, and Ashido and Shusuke Amagai departed as well.

• Haruto and the other fighters killed Hammerhead with a coordinated assault, and the Miyano siblings asked whether they had truly defeated a Vasto Lorde.
• Ashido and Shusuke Amagai discussed their depleted strength and decided to recuperate for two months rather than return to Soul Society.
• Haruto gave Harribel a Shihoin Clan crest so Soul Reapers would avoid harassing her while she recovered.
• Harribel accepted the crest for the sake of her companions and left with Apache and the others.
• Haruto said he had kept his word by letting Harribel go, and Ashido and Shusuke Amagai thanked him before departing.

After killing Hammerhead, Haruto released the Soul King Hakusui’s accumulated power in Hueco Mundo and evolved to Second-Class Spiritual Pressure. He discovered a second Zanpakuto had formed and decided to seek Kisuke Urahara’s Tenshintai to learn Bankai.

• Haruto gave Haru Kusaka a signal transmitter and sent him and the Miyano siblings back toward Soul Society while he stayed behind.
• Haruto moved away from Las Noches and released the Soul King Hakusui’s power, drawing in Reishi as a vast storm consumed the surrounding desert and Forest of Menos.
• Haruto’s body and Reiatsu evolved beyond Third-Class Reii to Second-Class Spiritual Pressure, and he realized the Soul King Hakusui had become a complete part of him.
• Haruto sensed a second Zanpakuto beside Seisen and heard the two blades knock their sheaths together.
• Haruto put Seisen in the Kukai Box, undid the second blade’s materialization, and decided to borrow the Tenshintai from Kisuke Urahara so he could learn Bankai.

Haruto returned to Soul Society through a Garganta he opened himself, killed an Adjuchas with one Hadō, and learned the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force had been back for two days. In Hueco Mundo, Baraggan learned Hammerhead had died and Szayelaporro had been ambushed by a Soul Reaper, fueling his rage against the Soul Reapers.

• Heizō Kasaki and the Ninth Division squad formed a perimeter around a Garganta opening in North Rukongai and prepared to face the Hollow emerging from it.
• Haruto emerged from the Garganta and killed the Adjuchas with a single Hadō before the squad could act.
• Haruto asked Heizō Kasaki when the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force had returned, learned it had been two days, and left him to continue his mission with a captured fugitive.
• Baraggan found traces of Hammerhead’s death and learned that a Soul Reaper had ambushed Szayelaporro, who had since shut himself in his laboratory.
• Baraggan remembered being cast back into Hueco Mundo after losing his power and declared that the Soul Reapers were courting death.

Haruto attended a First Division meeting where Shunsui reported that Kitahara Kenshin had escaped custody, raided the Maggot's Nest, and attacked the Central 46 Chambers. Haruto volunteered to hunt Kitahara and requested support from the Fourth and Eighth Divisions, despite Yoruichi's concern that he needed rest.

• Genshirō Okikiba admitted Haruto to the First Division meeting and told him he had the right to participate.
• Shunsui reported that Kitahara Kenshin had requested to leave the Gotei 13, then attacked his escort and seriously injured Soi Fon during his arrest.
• Kitahara raided the Maggot's Nest, killed 61 Stealth Force members, freed 119 prisoners, and led an attack on the Central 46 Chambers that killed eleven sages and two judges.
• Shunsui said Kitahara and more than ten criminals escaped into Seireitei's sewers, while five others were captured and three noble families were wiped out during the pursuit.
• Haruto proposed that the Seventh Division keep protecting the nobles, the Second Division handle its own problems, and he pursue Kitahara with two members each from the Fourth and Eighth Divisions.
• Yoruichi asked whether Haruto needed rest after taking down an Adjuchas, but Haruto said he was fine.

Haruto was assigned to hunt down Kitahara Kenshin, and he gathered a team to track him through the Seireitei’s sewers. The pursuit began with Hanatarō guiding the group toward Haruto’s sensed location.

• Yamamoto ordered Haruto to bring back Kitahara Kenshin dead or alive and gather information if possible.
• Haruto declined Unohana’s offer of support and asked her to send Kiyone and Hanatarō; Shunsui agreed to provide Nanao and Ayaka.
• A red-haired Soul Reaper in the sewers accepted a helper’s offer of power to escape the Gotei 13’s pursuit.
• Haruto, Nanao, Ayaka, Kiyone, and Hanatarō entered the sewers, and Haruto asked Hanatarō to lead them to the location he had identified with Kakushitsuijaku.

Haruto and the Fourth Division group encountered a drug-enhanced criminal released from the Maggot's Nest while traveling through the waterways. Nanao restrained him with Kidō, and Kiyone charged in with her released Zanpakuto as the fight began.

• Haruto explained that a Vasto Lorde had taken six Captain-level fighters to defeat, and that he had killed an Adjuchas with Hainawa.
• Haruto sensed someone approaching and stopped Kiyone from attacking when he realized the criminal had taken a powerful stimulant.
• Haruto identified the drug as similar to the one Mikazuki Munechika had taken, and Nanao stepped forward to capture the man.
• The drugged criminal lunged at the group and targeted Hanatarō Yamada, but Nanao stopped him with Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō.
• Kiyone drew her Zanpakuto, released Tiger Cannon, and charged at the restrained attacker.

Haruto and his team fought their way through Seireitei’s waterways toward the reservoir, where they found Kitahara Kenshin waiting. Haruto spoke with the Third Division Captain, who questioned his confidence and noble status, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Haruto’s team advanced through the sewers as Nanao restrained opponents and Kiyone killed them, while Haruto eliminated powerful criminals before they could attack.
• Hanatarō led the group toward the deepest part of the waterway reservoir, and Haruto decided they would all go down to investigate.
• Haruto arrived at the reservoir’s central junction and found Kitahara Kenshin meditating on a suspended island.
• Haruto told Kitahara that Soi Fon’s injuries would teach her a useful lesson, prompting Kitahara to question Haruto’s confidence and his status as a great noble.
• Haruto explained that he had not been born a noble and that the Shihoin crest on his uniform reflected Captain Yoruichi’s favor.

Haruto confronted Kitahara Kenshin over his rebellion against the Central 46 Chambers and the losses suffered by the Third Division. After Kitahara rejected Haruto’s defense of the leadership’s plans, Haruto attacked and pinned him to a cross of chains with Hyakurensan.

• Kitahara Kenshin revealed that the Third Division had lost two-thirds of its strength in Hueco Mundo and challenged Haruto over the Central 46 Chambers’ plans.
• Haruto said he supported Captain-Commander Yamamoto and insisted that Kitahara’s methods would cause needless sacrifice.
• Haruto unleashed his killing intent and told Kitahara he had been dead since Haruto arrived.
• Kitahara’s Shikai and drug-enhanced strength let him break free of Haruto’s Shiryū seal.
• Haruto doubled his Hyakurensan chains, broke through Kitahara’s Dankū, and pinned him to a dark silver cross.

Haruto used high-level Kidō to restrain Kitahara Kenshin and sealed him inside Bankin Taihō after he released his Bankai. Kitahara broke out of the seal, leaving Haruto and the others facing his transformed, weakened state.

• Haruto explained that his Hyakurensan was part of Bakudō #99 and used it to bind Kitahara Kenshin.
• Kitahara struggled against the chains, then released his Bankai, Armor-Cutting: Beheading.
• Haruto cast Bankin: Final Song, Bankin Taihō, and sealed Kitahara inside a black sphere.
• Haruto discussed how advanced Kidō could vary by user and encouraged Nanao to create her own spells.
• Kitahara shattered the sphere and emerged gasping for Reiatsu, still holding Beheading and bearing a glowing green blade.