Recaps

Ichigo fought the Zanpakuto rebels and discovered that the ice wielder Hyōrinmaru had lost his memories and did not recognize his master. Renji struggled against Monkey Woman and Snake Man, while Tōshirō confronted Hyōrinmaru and was challenged to prove their bond.

• Ichigo defeated the Zanpakuto attacking the Twelfth Division, but Hyōrinmaru ambushed him with ice dragons and trapped him in an ice prison.
• Ichigo broke free with Bankai, but Hyōrinmaru asked whether he was his master and left after learning he was not.
• Hyōrinmaru trapped Ichigo again with Thousand-Year Ice Prison, and Tōshirō identified himself as Hyōrinmaru's master.
• Renji fought Monkey Woman and Snake Man, who said they had abandoned him because they did not want to remain weak with him.
• Renji tried to release Zabimaru after hearing through Tenteikūra that his Shikai might return, but the attempt failed.
• Hyōrinmaru rejected Tōshirō's claim, explaining that he had lost his memories, then demanded proof that Tōshirō was his master.

Ichigo escaped Hyōrinmaru’s ice prison and left Tōshirō to reclaim his Zanpakuto while he went to help Rangiku. Sylvan revealed that Gin’s soul fragment was inside Rangiku and offered to connect it with her soul, taking her into her Inner World to begin the process.

• Hyōrinmaru froze Ichigo’s Getsuga Tenshō and sealed him inside the Thousand-Year Ice Prison while his Ice Dragon defeated Tōshirō.
• Ichigo broke out with Getsuga Cross Blast, but Tōshirō asked him to help Rangiku and insisted on facing Hyōrinmaru alone.
• Ichigo left for Rangiku’s battlefield, and Tōshirō prepared to reclaim Hyōrinmaru through a heart-to-heart talk.
• Rangiku and Sylvan hid while Haineko chased Rain, and Sylvan explained that Gin’s soul fragment was preventing Rangiku from using Shikai.
• Sylvan offered to connect Rangiku with Gin’s soul fragment, and Rangiku agreed to try Integration.
• Sylvan drove the Blade of Power into Rangiku’s chest, bringing them both into her Inner World.

Sylvan used the Book of V and the Blade of Power to reunite Rangiku with the fragment of Gin’s soul in her Inner World, where she chose Gin over recovering the piece Aizen had stolen. After Ichigo and Rain held Haineko off, Rangiku returned to face her Zanpakuto and invited her to come home.

• Sylvan brought Rangiku into her Inner World, where she recognized the ruined house she and Gin had built in Rukongai and learned that Haineko had kept her from entering.
• Following the blue particles, Rangiku found young Gin in a frozen wasteland, repeating his promise to protect her and recover what she had lost.
• Rangiku asked Sylvan to bind her and Gin together, and he pierced them both with the Blade of Power to begin their Integration.
• Ichigo arrived to help Rain fight Haineko, and the two worked together to keep her occupied while Sylvan dealt with Rangiku.
• Rangiku told Gin she no longer wanted the stolen soul fragment, embraced him, and gained his consent to merge with her; her Inner World then began to flourish again.
• Rangiku returned to the ruins, approached Haineko, and held out her hand, asking her to come home.

Rangiku defeated Haineko and learned that Haineko had resisted returning because Rangiku’s Inner World had withered, but she reconciled with her and asked for help bringing Gin back. Meanwhile, Monkey Woman and Snake Man forced Renji to confront his reliance on Ichigo and Hu, then continued attacking him as he questioned how to become stronger.

• Haineko attacked Rangiku with ash, but Rangiku’s silver-gray ash overwhelmed and subdued her.
• Rangiku explained that Gin’s soul fragment had integrated with hers, giving her access to some of Gin’s power, and Haineko revealed that she feared returning to the barren Inner World.
• Rangiku apologized and asked Haineko to help bring Gin back, and Haineko accepted while teasing her about romance.
• Renji rose from the rubble after Monkey Woman and Snake Man had beaten him, but Monkey Woman accused him of relying on Ichigo and Hu instead of seeking power within himself.
• Monkey Woman and Snake Man attacked Renji together, leaving him wounded and wondering what to do after his Zanpakuto seemed to reject him.

Renji endured Snake Man’s brutal beating as Monkey Woman prepared to abandon him, but memories of Hu and his feelings for Rukia helped him find his reason to fight. He awakened Zabimaru’s Shikai and challenged his Zanpakuto spirits to continue their battle.

• Snake Man whipped Renji until he lay bloodied and unable to fight, and Monkey Woman ordered that he be killed.
• As Snake Man raised Zabimaru to strike, Renji recalled Hu’s determination to prevent tragedies and remembered his own history with Rukia.
• Renji imagined Rukia grieving his death and resolved to protect her from suffering, then sprang up and blocked Zabimaru’s blade.
• Renji pushed Snake Man back, declared that he would become strong enough to protect Rukia, and released Zabimaru with the command “Roar, Zabimaru!”
• Renji’s Zanpakuto transformed into a segmented snake-belly sword, and he announced the start of the second round.

Renji fought Monkey Woman and Snake Man, Zabimaru’s spirits, and defeated them after realizing he could use the broken pieces of his Zanpakuto as a surprise attack. He left determined to become strong enough to protect Rukia, and Monkey Woman and Snake Man acknowledged his resolve.

• Renji declared he would fight Monkey Woman and Snake Man with everything he had, but Monkey Woman transformed Snake Man into the Bone Serpent with Bankai.
• The Bone Serpent overwhelmed Renji with blasts and its crushing jaws, and Monkey Woman struck him down when he tried to attack her.
• Renji kept firing Shakkahō after losing Zabimaru, then used the blade fragments from Snake Man’s limp sword to unleash Fang Boil: Devouring Bite and defeat both spirits.
• Renji admitted he had relied on others to protect Rukia and vowed to become strong enough to protect her himself.
• Monkey Woman and Snake Man spoke from Zabimaru and praised Renji, and he turned back toward them.

Fon Shaoling and the Onmitsukidō took over the fight against the Zanpakuto while Kyōraku and Ukitake investigated Muramasa’s attack on the Twelfth Division. A blue field shattered the barrier and left Unohana and Nemu gravely injured, as Muramasa’s mysterious ally appeared among the ruins.

• Fon Shaoling arrived to rescue the Inner Court Corps, and Sakiro stopped Shadow Crossing’s attack as the Onmitsukidō surrounded the Zanpakuto.
• Kyōraku and Ukitake concluded that Muramasa had split up his forces and might be using weaker Zanpakuto as expendable helpers to reach something in the Twelfth Division core.
• A chilling Reiatsu erupted behind the Gray Barrier, and Kyōraku ordered everyone to flee from an expanding blue field.
• The field tore apart space and shattered the Sekkiseki barrier, leaving Retsu Unohana with severed limbs and Nemu critically injured.
• Nemu entrusted Kyōraku with a wriggling mass she identified as Lord Kurotsuchi, then collapsed as the Fourth Division tried to save her.
• Kyōraku saw Muramasa standing in the ruins beside a white-haired stranger wearing a Blue Coat and holding a Zanpakuto.

Rangiku and Ichigo found Hyōrinmaru carrying an unconscious Tōshirō, who had restored Hyōrinmaru’s memories by defeating him with his own Shikai. When Jiku'a’s Reiatsu surged from the Twelfth Division, Sylvan sensed Oren’s distress and chose to go help Fon Shaoling while Ichigo and Rangiku stayed to confront Jiku'a.

• Ichigo and Rangiku collided with Hyōrinmaru, who explained that Tōshirō had exhausted his Reiatsu while restoring Hyōrinmaru’s memories.
• Rangiku took the shivering Tōshirō from Hyōrinmaru after realizing his icy hands were making the unconscious captain colder.
• Jiku'a’s dangerous Reiatsu erupted from the Twelfth Division, while Sylvan felt Oren’s anger and saw through their soul connection that Fon Shaoling was struggling against Suzumebachi.
• Ichigo and Rangiku persuaded Sylvan to help Fon Shaoling, warning that his incomplete soul made confronting Jiku'a too dangerous.
• Sylvan flew off with Rain, and Ichigo vowed to face Jiku'a and told Hu to trust him.

Jiku'a fought off Kyōraku and Ukitake after Muramasa retreated, while the injured captains and division members received emergency treatment. Kyōraku and Ukitake released their Zanpakuto together and prepared to face Jiku'a again.

• Jiku'a claimed he had held back, angering Isane as she continued reattaching Unohana's limbs, while Kyōraku entrusted Captain Kurotsuchi's condition to a Fourth Division member.
• Muramasa withdrew after Jiku'a told him to retreat, and Ukitake pursued him before Jiku'a trapped him with Summoned Swords.
• Kyōraku attacked Jiku'a, but Jiku'a turned aside his strike and then shattered Ukitake's Dankū with a Beowulf-powered punch.
• Ukitake coughed up blood after the blow, but he and Kyōraku refused Jiku'a's offer to let them leave because of the wounded and the destroyed research building.
• Kyōraku released Katen Kyōkotsu and Ukitake released Sōgyo no Kotowari, then Jiku'a drew his sword and challenged them to come at him.

Kyōraku and Ukitake fought Jiku'a, whose time and space abilities, Summoned Swords, and regeneration overwhelmed their defenses. After Jiku'a wounded both captains, they coordinated a trap, and Ukitake launched Zanka no Tachi at him.

• Jiku'a slowed time around Ukitake and Kyōraku and attacked them with a spatial rift, but Kyōraku's Dankū shield saved them.
• Kyōraku and Ukitake combined their Zanpakuto abilities and Kidō, but Jiku'a injured Kyōraku and trapped Ukitake in the Shadow Space.
• Jiku'a battered Ukitake until Ukitake unleashed Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō, blasting Jiku'a out of the Shadow Space.
• Kyōraku struck Jiku'a with Takaoni and carved an X-shaped wound across his chest, but Jiku'a regenerated and resumed attacking in earnest.
• Jiku'a used Irooni and Lunar Phase to knock Ukitake away and slash Kyōraku, but Kyōraku grabbed him and called for Ukitake to attack.
• Ukitake rose despite his injuries, called out Blue, and fired Zanka no Tachi at Jiku'a.

Jiku'a unleashed his Bankai and fought Kyōraku, who tried to hold him off while Ukitake and the others withdrew. Ichigo arrived and challenged Jiku'a after hearing his belief that the weak must accept the strong's choices, while Kyōraku lay unconscious and Jiku'a's true goal remained unrevealed.

• Jiku'a released Bankai, forcing Ukitake back and driving Kyōraku to order Sentarō and Kiyone to evacuate Ukitake.
• Kyōraku stayed to fight Jiku'a and recalled Captain-Commander Yamamoto's request to bring Yexing Hu back if he got the chance.
• Jiku'a wounded Kyōraku despite Katen Kyōkotsu's game rules, while Sentarō and Kiyone persuaded Ukitake to accept treatment.
• Ichigo Kurosaki arrived to help Ukitake, and Kyōraku realized Jiku'a had been holding back and confronted him about his intentions.
• Jiku'a told Kyōraku that the weak had to accept the strong's choices, then knocked him unconscious before he could warn Ichigo.
• Ichigo attacked Jiku'a in anger as Kyōraku lay in a crater.

Ichigo Kurosaki fought Jiku'a in the ruins of the Twelfth Division barracks but was defeated, and Jiku'a escaped through a spatial fissure. Ashisogi Jizō then released a poisonous mist, while the 11th Division prepared to face it and an unidentified voice ordered them aside.

• Ichigo Kurosaki charged Jiku'a, but Jiku'a outmatched him, shattered his Getsuga Tenshō, and inflicted severe wounds.
• Muramasa told Ashisogi Jizō to cover Jiku'a's retreat and incapacitate the Soul Reapers without killing them.
• Ichigo collapsed from exhaustion, and Jiku'a opened a spatial fissure and disappeared through it.
• Ashisogi Jizō used Bankai and spread poisonous mist across the Twelfth Division barracks, forcing the Soul Reapers to retreat.
• The 11th Division members moved to confront Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo, but a bold voice ordered them out of the way as a bell rang through the mist.

Fon Shaoling fought Suzumebachi in the woods while Oren struggled to protect her and wished for the power to fight beside her. Sylvan reunited with Oren, whose soul fragment joined him, and they set off to help Shaoling.

• Suzumebachi wounded Fon Shaoling repeatedly with Bee-Crest Flower, exploiting her smaller size and greater agility.
• Fon Shaoling kept Oren away from the battle, even blasting him clear with Hadō #31: Shakkahō, but Oren returned and lost track of her.
• Oren demanded power to fight alongside Shaoling, and Sylvan and Rain found him through their connection.
• Oren rejected Rain's offer because he felt Rain did not care about Shaoling, but Sylvan persuaded him that Hu's soul fragments needed to reunite to help her.
• Oren's black-and-red particles joined Sylvan, forming a feline butterfly-pattern tattoo and giving Sylvan Oren's power.
• Sylvan, Rain, and Oren headed into the woods to help Shaoling.

Soi Fon and the Onmitsukidō battled Suzumebachi until Sylvan and Oren arrived and helped turn the fight in their favor. Soi Fon defeated Suzumebachi, who then transformed into a ball of light that settled into Soi Fon’s hand.

• Soi Fon lured Suzumebachi into an Onmitsukidō ambush, but Suzumebachi countered their tactics and wounded Soi Fon.
• Oren transformed into a large shadow panther and attacked Suzumebachi as Sylvan arrived to assist Soi Fon.
• Oren and Sylvan overwhelmed Suzumebachi, while Rain struck her with Hadō #33: Sōkatsui.
• Soi Fon delivered the final blow, severing Suzumebachi’s right arm and defeating her.
• Suzumebachi acknowledged that Soi Fon had changed, then turned into a ball of light that fell into Soi Fon’s hand.

After the Onmitsukidō defeated the remaining Zanpakuto, Sylvan took Oren to meet Captain Kyōraku and learned that Jiku'a had likely been brainwashed by Muramasa. At the Twelfth Division barracks, they found several captains and officers badly injured, and Sylvan broke down over Jiku'a’s role in hurting his companions.

• Sakiro reported that the Onmitsukidō had recovered their Zanpakuto after Suzumebachi’s defeat, while Oren spoke clearly to Fon Shaoling for the first time and celebrated fighting alongside her.
• Sylvan explained that Oren was a fragment of his soul, then left with Rain and Oren to meet Captain Kyōraku as Fon Shaoling prepared to join them.
• Fon Shaoling arrived at the Twelfth Division headquarters and found the building destroyed, Retsu Unohana, Jūshirō Ukitake, and Shunsui Kyōraku gravely injured, and many other members wounded.
• Kenpachi Zaraki emerged from the poisonous fog carrying Ichigo Kurosaki and Yumichika Ayasegawa, while Yachiru Kusajishi dragged Ikkaku Madarame; he said he had only defeated Kurotsuchi’s broken Zanpakuto.
• After hearing how the battle had unfolded, Sylvan went to a deserted alley and angrily demanded to know why Jiku'a had hurt his companions and turned against him.

After the Gotei 13 regrouped at the Fourth Division, Sylvan wrestled with guilt over the losses while the captains assessed the Zanpakuto rebellion and debated how to handle Muramasa and Jiku'a. Kyōraku assigned Jiku'a to someone else, and Sylvan entered the meeting as the captains turned to face him.

• Fon Shaoling led the Gotei 13's scattered forces back to the Fourth Division, where the injured captains gradually awoke and Nemu helped Mayuri communicate using a device.
• Rangiku reassured Sylvan that Jiku'a's attack was not his fault, and Sylvan decided to attend the captains' meeting.
• The Lieutenants discussed their Zanpakuto, while Nanao broke down in tears over Nemu's injuries and Rangiku comforted her.
• Mayuri explained that Jiku'a was not Brainwashed and had opposed the Gotei 13 of his own will, prompting the captains to debate how to divide the fights against him and Muramasa.
• Kenpachi proposed that Ichigo fight Muramasa, then argued with Komamura until Kyōraku stopped them and said someone else would handle Jiku'a.
• Sylvan entered the hospital room as Kyōraku's chosen person to deal with Jiku'a.

Sylvan explained that Jiku'a had taken his soul fragment Dagon and proposed recovering Dagon by finding Rook and confronting Jiku'a. Fon Shaoling agreed to lead the search for Rook, while Sylvan insisted he had to bring Jiku'a back.

• Fon Shaoling objected to letting Sylvan handle Jiku'a, believing it was an internal Gotei 13 matter.
• Sylvan revealed that Rain, Oren, Rook, and Dagon were fragments of his soul, and said Jiku'a was using Dagon's Hollow-like nature to replenish its Reiatsu.
• Sylvan explained that finding Rook would restore much of his power and help him retrieve Dagon from Jiku'a, but he would need the others to create an opening for direct contact.
• Fon Shaoling assigned Marechiyo Ōmaeda and the Second Division to search for Rook after Sylvan agreed to describe him.
• Kyōraku privately recognized that Sylvan had guided the meeting by mixing truth with concealment, while Ukitake and Unohana chose not to expose him.
• After the meeting, Sylvan told Kyōraku he had to bring Jiku'a back because it was his responsibility.

Ōmaeda searched for Rook while Sylvan spoke with Yoruichi, and Muramasa introduced Jiku'a to the surviving Zanpakuto and planned an attack on Peony Mountain. After hearing rumors about strange changes there, Ōmaeda decided to take Sylvan to investigate the mountain the next morning.

• Ōmaeda ordered the Patrol Corps to search Seireitei and Rukongai for Rook, but the search found no sign of him inside the city.
• Sylvan, Oren, and Rain discussed their familiar-looking forms before Yoruichi visited Sylvan and urged him to seek help at the Urahara Shop if needed.
• Muramasa defended Senbonzakura’s absence from the battle and introduced Jiku'a, who overwhelmed Tobiume with his reiatsu.
• Muramasa ordered Gonryōmaru and Tenken to target Peony Mountain and planned for the other Zanpakuto to distract the Soul Reapers.
• Hanatarō found that the Fourth Division was running low on hemostatic medicine and decided to visit Peony Mountain.
• Ōmaeda heard reports of a month-old meteorite, darkening soil, increased herb yields, and a watching presence at Peony Mountain, then ordered Sylvan to meet him there the next morning.

Sylvan, Ōmaeda, Ichigo, and Hanatarō traveled to Peony Mountain and discovered unusually fertile soil, rapidly growing herbs, and reports of a one-eyed mountain god protecting visitors. As Sylvan and Ōmaeda headed to inspect the mountain-god statue, two figures arrived and planned to disrupt the Soul Reapers’ supply lines.

• Sylvan met Ōmaeda at Hakutōmon, and Ichigo and Hanatarō joined them on their journey to Peony Mountain.
• Hanatarō explained how local Pluses gathered rare medicinal plants for the Fourth Division as the group noticed the soil and trees had grown unusually lush.
• At the settlement, Hanatarō found oversized, potent herbs, and a shopkeeper said the mountain’s growth had changed since a child reported being guided to safety by a one-eyed mountain god.
• The shopkeeper pointed out a statue made to resemble the child’s description, and Sylvan and Ōmaeda went to see it.
• Two figures reached the mountain path, where one dismissed the mountain god as superstition and said they would destroy the Soul Reapers’ supply lines with Peony Mountain; Tenken signaled agreement.

Sylvan and his companions climbed Peony Mountain toward Rook, finding injured Pluses in the wake of a battle between Rook and Tenken. Ichigo drew Gonryōmaru away from the wounded to fight elsewhere, while Sylvan and Marechiyo Ōmaeda continued toward the summit and Hanatarō stayed behind to treat the Pluses.

• Sylvan recognized the statue at the mountain shrine as Rook, then sensed Rook clashing with Tenken near the summit.
• Sylvan, Ichigo, Hanatarō, Marechiyo Ōmaeda, Gegetsuburi, Oren, and Rain climbed the damaged mountain path and helped rescue injured Pluses.
• Gonryōmaru appeared and admitted that he and Tenken had not taken care to protect the Pluses from the destruction.
• Sylvan told Ichigo that Gonryōmaru belonged to Chōjirō Sasakibe, and Ichigo's taunt provoked Gonryōmaru into attacking with lightning.
• Ichigo protected Hanatarō and a wounded Plus from a lightning bolt, then dragged Gonryōmaru away from the mountain path to fight elsewhere.
• Hanatarō stayed to tend the injured Pluses as Sylvan and Marechiyo Ōmaeda continued toward the summit.

Ichigo and Gonryōmaru fought on a deserted riverbank, where Gonryōmaru unveiled his refined Bankai and Ichigo answered with a combined attack that shattered its spear. At Peony Mountain, Sylvan rescued Rook’s surviving eye from Tenken Wisdom King, while Ōmaeda and Gegetsuburi joined the fight against it.

• Ichigo dragged Gonryōmaru away from the settlement to keep the Pluses safe, then challenged him to use his Bankai.
• Gonryōmaru released Bankai—Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū—and attacked Ichigo with a golden lightning spear and a Lightning Domain.
• Ichigo used Getsuga Cross Blast against Gonryōmaru’s spear, and the collision shattered the spear and devastated the riverbank.
• Sylvan and Marechiyo Ōmaeda reached the summit of Peony Mountain as Tenken Wisdom King battered Rook until his body disintegrated, leaving only his purple eye.
• Sylvan retrieved Rook’s eye and escaped Tenken Wisdom King’s crushing foot with the eye’s shield, while Rain and Oren attacked the giant.
• Ōmaeda recovered from Tenken Wisdom King’s blow, drew Gegetsuburi, and prepared to fight the giant head-on.

Hanatarō and Hisagomaru returned to help the injured as the fight against Tenken Wisdom King drove Sylvan and the others to the brink. After Sylvan collapsed from Rook’s memories, Hisagomaru’s ability revived Ōmaeda and Gegetsuburi, while Sylvan awoke in a dark space before a gigantic eye.

• Hanatarō exhausted his Reiatsu treating injured Pluses until Hisagomaru arrived, rescued those trapped under rubble, and helped treat them.
• Tenken Wisdom King shrugged off the attacks of Ōmaeda, Gegetsuburi, Oren, and Rain, then crushed Oren and Rain and left Ōmaeda badly injured.
• Rook’s eye sent images of memories into Sylvan’s mind, overwhelming him until he collapsed unconscious.
• As Ōmaeda and Gegetsuburi prepared to face Tenken Wisdom King, Hanatarō and Hisagomaru arrived and used their blades to absorb and heal their injuries.
• Hisagomaru and Hanatarō released their Zanpakuto and knocked Tenken Wisdom King down with the stored energy, while Sylvan awoke in a dark space and found Rook’s memories gathering into a gigantic eye.

Sylvan understood that Rook’s power came from protecting the ordinary, meaningful lives that gave people strength, and his Inner World opened as their reiatsu resonated. He returned to the battle on Peony Mountain with Rook, Oren, and Rain restored, and defeated Tenken’s Tengen Myō'ō.

• Rook showed Sylvan memories of a lost child and the peaceful daily lives of Peony Mountain’s residents, helping him realize that such memories could sustain people through hardship.
• Sylvan recognized that Rook embodied the desire to protect what was beautiful and create a safe haven, and the barriers in his Inner World opened as his reiatsu joined with Rain, Oren, and Rook’s.
• Tenken drew Tengen Myō'ō’s great blade and badly injured Ōmaeda and Gegetsuburi, while Hanatarō stood between the giant and Ōmaeda to defend him.
• Sylvan awoke and blocked the myō'ō’s killing strike with Rook, then restored Rook, Oren, and Rain to stronger forms.
• Rook held the myō'ō in place as Oren wounded its legs and Rain bombarded it with Kidō, allowing Sylvan to ignite the Blade of Power and decapitate it.

Sylvan and Ichigo recovered after defeating their opponents on Peony Mountain, while Muramasa revealed his plans to Jiku'a for rescuing Kōga and advancing the Golden Fruit Plan. Jiku'a agreed to cooperate but worried that Muramasa’s loyalty to Kōga would lead him to a pointless death.

• Hanatarō helped Sylvan stand after Sylvan defeated Tenken Wisdom King, and Ichigo arrived after defeating Gonryōmaru.
• Ichigo realized that the injured Ōmaeda had secretly helped him during the battle on Sōkyoku Hill, apologized, and helped carry him back toward the Seireitei.
• Muramasa admitted that he had used the attack on the Soul Reapers’ medical system to distract them, then told Jiku'a that they could leave for the World of the Living the following day.
• Muramasa explained that Captain-Commander Yamamoto had sealed himself to protect Ryūjin Jakka and outlined a plan to keep Yamamoto occupied while Muramasa and Jiku'a pursued their goals.
• Jiku'a discussed Muramasa’s plan with a voice emerging from the cavern wall and lamented that Muramasa’s devotion to Kōga could lead to his death.
• In Muken, the refined man wondered whether he understood Urozakuro, while Jiku'a watched his reflection and wondered if she would blame him afterward.

After the Peony Mountain battle, Sylvan examined the changes in his group’s powers and discovered that the Book of V now recorded images of Ichigo, Rangiku, and Muramasa. Meanwhile, Gin Ichimaru encouraged Shimizu to develop Daku despite its connection to Sōsuke Aizen, and a new Soul Link unexpectedly connected Gin and Rangiku through their sighs.

• Ōmaeda received praise from Shūhei, Iba, and Renji for facing Tenken, while Hanatarō told Unohana he regretted being unable to fight effectively and she urged him to grow stronger.
• Sylvan observed Rain being played with by Kusajishi Yachiru and Oren relaxing with Fon Shaoling, then reflected on how the group’s abilities had changed since the battle.
• Sylvan summoned the Book of V in the real world and found images of Ichigo and White, Rangiku with Haineko and Shinsō, and Muramasa, while later pages remained blank.
• Rangiku practiced with Haineko in the Fourth Division ruins but made no progress toward Bankai because Haineko could not return to her Inner World.
• Gin Ichimaru sparred with Shimizu and urged him to pursue the direction Sōsuke Aizen had suggested for Daku, and Shimizu agreed to try.
• As Rangiku and Gin sighed at nearly the same time, a Soul Link formed between them, and each heard the other’s sigh.