Chapter Summaries

Liu Hao led Ichigo Kurosaki and the others to the Fifth Tower, where the seventh Espada, Zommari Rureaux, blocked their way. After mocking Zommari and redirecting him toward Byakuya Kuchiki, Liu Hao effortlessly stopped his speed-based attacks and left him furious and uneasy.

• Ichigo Kurosaki worried that the group could not return to the World of the Living, and Liu Hao told him Mayuri Kurotsuchi would find a way past Aizen’s Garganta blockade.
• Liu Hao and his companions reached the plaza beneath the Fifth Tower, where Zommari Rureaux appeared and blocked their path.
• Liu Hao tried to persuade Zommari to fight Byakuya Kuchiki instead, provoking Nel’s laughter and leaving Ichigo Kurosaki, Pesche, and Dondochakka stunned.
• Zommari attacked Liu Hao with his fast Sonído, but Liu Hao caught his Zanpakuto blades with his bare hands and dismissed his speed as insufficient.
• Liu Hao continued taunting the enraged Zommari while Nel laughed uncontrollably.

Liu Hao blocked Zommari Rureaux’s Resurrección ability with Dankū and drew the Imperial Sword to unleash Imperial Flame: Blazing Graveyard. Zommari was trapped in the flames and his scream fell silent.

• Zommari Rureaux released his Resurrección, Gōrō, after Liu Hao failed to interrupt it with Byakurai.
• Zommari’s marking waves struck Liu Hao, but Dankū repelled them and imprinted their marks on its surface.
• Liu Hao explained that he knew how to counter Zommari’s ability and raised the Imperial Sword as his Reiatsu terrified the Espada.
• Zommari launched hundreds of marking waves at Liu Hao, but Dankū remained unbroken as Liu Hao drew the sword three inches.
• Liu Hao used Imperial Flame: Blazing Graveyard, surrounding Zommari with pillars of fire and magma.
• A huge pillar of fire engulfed Zommari, and his scream faded into silence.

Liu Hao killed Zommari Rureaux and led Ichigo Kurosaki and the others to the top of the Fifth Tower to retrieve Orihime Inoue. There he negotiated with Ulquiorra, provoked Yammy Llargo into attacking, and caught Yammy’s punch with one hand.

• Liu Hao’s flames burned Zommari Rureaux to nothing, leaving only fragments of his Zanpakuto and a vitrified stretch of ground.
• Liu Hao, Nel, Ichigo Kurosaki, Pesche, and Dondochakka continued to the Fifth Tower, where they found Ulquiorra guarding Orihime Inoue and Yammy Llargo blocking their way.
• Liu Hao asked Ulquiorra to let them take Orihime Inoue and explained that the remaining Espada faced several Soul Reaper Captains and a likely defeat.
• Yammy Llargo angrily charged at Liu Hao and swung a powerful fist at his head.
• Liu Hao caught Yammy’s fist one-handed and pointed out that Nel and Ichigo could fight back, then told Yammy he was not strong enough to make him warm up.

Liu Hao effortlessly defeats Yammy and entrusts Ichigo Kurosaki with fighting Ulquiorra Cifer. Ichigo begins battling Ulquiorra in the sky above Hueco Mundo while Liu Hao and Orihime Inoue follow to watch.

• Liu Hao kicks Yammy through a tower wall, then slaps him out of the tower and sends him plummeting toward the desert.
• Liu Hao tells Ulquiorra that Aizen is his true target, then leaves the fight against the Fourth Espada to Ichigo Kurosaki.
• Ichigo attacks Ulquiorra with two swords and fires a Getsuga Tenshō, but Ulquiorra dodges it and escapes through the damaged wall.
• Ichigo pursues Ulquiorra into the sky, and Liu Hao praises Ichigo while reassuring the worried Orihime Inoue.
• Orihime Inoue forms the Santen Kesshun barrier and carries Liu Hao, Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka upward to watch the battle.

Ulquiorra led Ichigo Kurosaki to the true space above Las Noches and released his Resurrección, then overwhelmed him in a fierce exchange of attacks. Liu Hao and the others arrived as the fighters clashed, but Liu Hao insisted Ichigo had to win the battle himself.

• Ulquiorra opened a rift in the false sky above Las Noches, and Ichigo Kurosaki followed him into the desert realm beyond it.
• Ulquiorra explained Lord Aizen’s restrictions for the battlefield and released his Resurrección, Enclose, Murciélago.
• Ulquiorra attacked Ichigo with Moonlight Swords, wounding his shoulder and forcing him to defend himself against a barrage of strikes.
• Ichigo counterattacked and locked blades with Ulquiorra, refusing to retreat despite his injury.
• Orihime Inoue, Liu Hao, Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka emerged into the battlefield, and Liu Hao refused to intervene, saying Ichigo had to finish the fight himself.

Ichigo Kurosaki fought Ulquiorra in Above the Canopy, enduring a relentless series of sword attacks while his golden power surfaced in desperate moments. The chapter ended with Ichigo bloodied but still facing Ulquiorra after managing to create some distance between them.

• Ulquiorra wounded Ichigo Kurosaki with a Moonlight Sword and a powerful kick, then pursued him through the air with successive attacks.
• Golden light appeared in Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes, allowing him to catch a Moonlight Sword and narrowly evade another before counterattacking with Zangetsu.
• Ulquiorra dodged Ichigo Kurosaki's slash and said that Ichigo's mind was no longer as focused before launching another assault.
• Ulquiorra outmaneuvered Ichigo Kurosaki, cut his back, and drove him across the sand with repeated Moonlight Sword attacks.
• Ichigo Kurosaki stopped his backward flight by anchoring Zangetsu in the sand, blocked Ulquiorra's descending strike, and retreated more than ten meters to face him.

Ichigo Kurosaki confronted his dependence on Liu Hao, Zangetsu, and his companions, then resolved to take responsibility for his own battles. His renewed Reiatsu let him surprise Ulquiorra with a two-sword assault, forcing Ulquiorra to retreat as Ichigo’s attack continued.

• Ulquiorra told Ichigo Kurosaki that the arrival of Liu Hao and the others had made him fight as though he expected them to rescue him or finish the battle for him.
• Ichigo Kurosaki recognized that he had relied on Liu Hao, Zangetsu, and his companions instead of bearing the full responsibility for his fights himself.
• White mocked Ichigo Kurosaki for depending on others, while Zangetsu urged him to use every source of power and guidance as a means to fight for himself.
• Ichigo Kurosaki thanked Ulquiorra for helping him understand, declared that he would use his blades and abilities rather than depend on others, and his Reiatsu surged.
• Ichigo Kurosaki charged Ulquiorra, clashed blades with him, and fired a golden Getsuga Tenshō from his second sword.
• Ulquiorra abandoned the blade lock and dodged backward, but Ichigo Kurosaki’s crescent slash grazed his chest and scorched his Hierro.

Ichigo Kurosaki fought Ulquiorra after Ulquiorra unveiled his Segunda Etapa and overwhelmed him with relentless attacks. As Ichigo’s focus returned, a surge of Reiatsu transformed his appearance and turned Zangetsu pure white, leaving his new power revealed but untested.

• Ichigo’s second Getsuga Tenshō shattered Ulquiorra’s Black Cero, prompting Ulquiorra to acknowledge Ichigo’s strength before releasing his Segunda Etapa.
• Ulquiorra revealed that he alone among the Espada could achieve Segunda Etapa, then vanished from Ichigo’s perception and attacked at overwhelming speed.
• Ichigo narrowly dodged Ulquiorra’s lethal claws as the two fought across the desert, while Orihime Inoue asked Liu Hao whether Ichigo could win and Liu Hao urged her to keep watching.
• Ulquiorra’s assault wounded Ichigo repeatedly, but Ichigo regained his focus on the fight as golden light strengthened in his left eye and a faint white halo appeared on Zangetsu.
• After the fighters separated atop stone pillars, a white Reiatsu whirlwind enveloped Ichigo, who rose with a black Hollow horn, a golden left eye, and a newly pure-white Zangetsu.

Ichigo Kurosaki awakened the true form of his Soul Reaper and Hollow power and began fighting Ulquiorra with newfound control and strength. After Ichigo survived Ulquiorra’s strongest attacks and struck from behind, he brought down his white Zangetsu as the battle continued.

• Ichigo Kurosaki transformed, and Liu Hao explained to Orihime Inoue that Ichigo had awakened his Hollow power and was controlling it.
• Ichigo Kurosaki described how his black short Zangetsu represented his Quincy power while his white long Zangetsu embodied his fused Soul Reaper and Hollow powers.
• Ulquiorra fired a Black Cero, but Ichigo Kurosaki casually dispelled it with a golden Getsuga Tenshō.
• Ulquiorra hurled a Lanza del Relámpago, and Ichigo Kurosaki dodged it before appearing behind him.
• Ulquiorra blocked Ichigo Kurosaki’s short-sword strike with a newly formed lance, but Ichigo brought down his white Zangetsu in a powerful slash.

Ichigo Kurosaki overwhelms Ulquiorra, whose High-Speed Regeneration drains his Reiatsu, until Ulquiorra accepts defeat and asks to die. Liu Hao challenges Ulquiorra to find meaning in protecting Hueco Mundo, then leaves with Ichigo and the others while Ulquiorra remains beneath the moon, pondering the heart.

• Ichigo Kurosaki cuts off Ulquiorra's arm and wounds his chest, but Ulquiorra heals himself with High-Speed Regeneration.
• Ichigo Kurosaki repeatedly wounds Ulquiorra, draining his Reiatsu until Ulquiorra admits he is outmatched and asks Ichigo to kill him.
• Ulquiorra explains that he believes he has no reason to exist after failing the mission Lord Aizen gave him.
• Liu Hao tells Ulquiorra that Hueco Mundo is his homeland and urges him to consider protecting it instead of serving Aizen's ambitions.
• Ulquiorra begins questioning what it means to protect Hueco Mundo as Liu Hao, Ichigo Kurosaki, and the others depart.
• Orihime Inoue asks Liu Hao about Ichigo Kurosaki and Ulquiorra, and Liu Hao reassures her as the Santen Kesshun carries them toward the spatial rift.

After returning to the battlefield beneath Las Noches, Liu Hao prepared to take Ichigo Kurosaki and Retsu Unohana through Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s Garganta to reinforce Karakura Town. They left the injured and other companions behind as Yammy fought Kenpachi and Ulquiorra remained Above the Canopy, contemplating.

• Liu Hao reassured Orihime Inoue that Ichigo’s awakened Hollow power was under control, then told Ichigo to train until he could enter the form at will.
• Liu Hao and the others found the captains treating Renji Abarai and Yasutora Sado while Kenpachi Zaraki fought Yammy Llargo, who grew into a gigantic form by building up his anger.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi finished stabilizing a Garganta, and Retsu Unohana agreed to join Liu Hao and Ichigo on the journey to Karakura Town.
• Liu Hao refused to take the injured and other companions, including Orihime and Nel, through the Garganta, and they stayed behind as he, Ichigo, and Retsu departed.
• After the Garganta closed, Renji, Orihime, and Nel watched the light disappear while Ulquiorra continued contemplating Above the Canopy.

Liu Hao, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Retsu Unohana traveled through the Garganta toward Karakura Town as Ichigo wondered whether Aizen could be defeated. In Karakura Town, Aizen emerged from Castle Ignition, killed Starrk and wounded Harribel, then challenged the remaining Soul Reapers and Arrancar.

• Ichigo Kurosaki asked Liu Hao whether Aizen would really lose, and Liu Hao said that every enemy had weaknesses and every plan could fail.
• Aizen emerged from the collapsing Castle Ignition and confronted Starrk, who explained that Liu Hao had urged him to survive the battle and protect Hueco Mundo.
• Aizen struck Starrk down, and Lilynette caught him as he fell and cried out over his injuries.
• Aizen attacked Harribel after revealing he had no use for the Espada; Harribel's Tidal Surge hit an illusion, and Aizen wounded her from behind.
• Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake recognized that Aizen had discarded Starrk and Harribel, and Aizen turned his sword toward the Gotei 13 and the Arrancar.

Aizen provoked Shinji Hirako, and Gin Ichimaru critically wounded Hiyori Sarugaki when she charged at Aizen. As Hachigen Ushōda tried to save Hiyori, Kaname Tōsen revealed his complete Hollowfication to Sajin Komamura and Shūhei Hisagi.

• Aizen taunted the Visored and claimed their deaths had been inevitable since a hundred years earlier.
• Hiyori Sarugaki charged Aizen, but Gin Ichimaru pierced her abdomen with Shinsō, and Shinji Hirako caught her as she fell.
• Shinji Hirako asked Hachigen Ushōda to keep Hiyori alive until Liu Hao and Ichigo Kurosaki returned, while Aizen explained his views on trust and dependence.
• Kaname Tōsen told Sajin Komamura and Shūhei Hisagi that he had a power greater than Bankai, then transformed through complete Hollowfication.
• Tōsen declared that Aizen had bestowed his new power upon him and challenged Komamura to defeat him.

Kaname Tōsen’s Hollowfication let him overpower Sajin Komamura and cut down Shūhei Hisagi, while he defended his pursuit of power as a way to escape fear. Hisagi used the half-step Tōsen had taught him to survive, and Komamura unleashed Bankai, but Tōsen stopped its enormous sword with one hand.

• Kaname Tōsen revealed his Hollow mask, and Sajin Komamura and Shūhei Hisagi confronted him over his transformation.
• Tōsen struck Hisagi down and blocked Komamura’s Tenken before kicking Komamura through a ruined building.
• Tōsen questioned why Komamura despised Hollowfication, but Komamura condemned him for betraying his friends and subordinates for power.
• Hisagi attacked Tōsen with Kazeshini and explained that Tōsen’s own half-step sword lesson had helped him dodge the fatal blow.
• Tōsen pierced Hisagi’s abdomen and admitted that he had pursued power because he feared being assimilated and dying.
• Komamura unleashed Bankai, Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō, but Tōsen stopped its giant sword with Suzumushi and said Komamura could not defeat him with Bankai alone.

Shinji Hirako released Sakanade and used its ability to reverse Aizen’s sense of direction, but Aizen adapted and wounded him. Aizen explained that Kyōka Suigetsu’s control of all five senses surpassed Sakanade, then turned his attention toward the brightening Garganta passage.

• Shinji Hirako released Sakanade and filled the area with pink mist, creating an inverted world for Aizen.
• Shinji Hirako explained that Sakanade reversed directions, including the direction Aizen saw and the direction he slashed, then wounded Aizen’s right arm.
• Shinji Hirako attacked again, but Aizen struck him and left a deep wound across his back.
• Aizen dismissed Sakanade as a limited illusion and contrasted it with Kyōka Suigetsu’s control over all five senses.
• Aizen said Shinji’s caution a hundred years earlier had been wise, but claimed absolute power made such techniques meaningless as he looked toward the brightening Garganta passage.

Sajin Komamura confronted Kaname Tōsen over Tōsen’s revenge and his idea of justice, but Tōsen released his Resurrección and overwhelmed Komamura. The chapter ended with Tōsen preparing a Cero to kill the fallen Komamura.

• Kaname Tōsen regenerated his severed arm and told Sajin Komamura that he had joined the Soul Reapers for revenge against his friend’s murderer.
• Tōsen condemned Komamura’s peaceful life as a betrayal of the dead, while Komamura said he had forgiven him and would eliminate him for Soul Society.
• Tōsen released Suzumushi Hyakushiki, Grillar Grillo, transformed into a giant insect-like monster, and declared that he could finally see.
• Tōsen shattered Komamura’s Zanpakuto and defeated Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō with his Nine-Phase Wheel Slaughter, leaving Komamura gravely wounded.
• Tōsen gathered a Cero in his mouth as Komamura lay among the rubble, unable to fight back.

Shūhei Hisagi stopped Kaname Tōsen, who regained his sight and reconciled with Sajin Komamura before Sōsuke Aizen killed him. Ichigo Kurosaki and Liu Hao arrived to confront Aizen, while Retsu Unohana began treating Hiyori Sarugaki; Aizen challenged Liu Hao’s confidence in defeating him.

• Shūhei Hisagi stabbed Kaname Tōsen’s Resurrección form with Kazeshini, causing Tōsen to return to human form and barely survive.
• Kaname Tōsen opened his restored eyes, spoke with Sajin Komamura, and asked to see Shūhei Hisagi before Sōsuke Aizen cut him to pieces.
• Sajin Komamura erupted in fury and prepared to charge Aizen, but Ichigo Kurosaki emerged from a Garganta and struck Aizen with Getsuga Tenshō.
• Aizen blocked Ichigo Kurosaki’s attack with a multicolored shield, and Ichigo retreated to a damaged building.
• Liu Hao and Retsu Unohana emerged from the Garganta; Liu Hao asked Unohana to treat Hiyori Sarugaki, and she began healing her with Hachigen Ushōda’s help.
• Liu Hao told Ichigo Kurosaki he had expected the attack to fail, and Aizen questioned whether Liu Hao believed they could defeat him.

Liu Hao and Aizen debated whether Liu Hao’s plans depended on his knowledge of the future, and Aizen concluded that Ichigo was meant to defeat him. Aizen attacked Liu Hao, but Liu Hao stopped his blade barehanded and revealed that he had chosen not to force Ichigo to grow stronger at a terrible cost.

• Aizen accused Liu Hao of changing people’s fates because he believed he knew the future, then questioned whether that future was reliable.
• Aizen argued that Ichigo was Liu Hao’s intended key to victory and threatened to kill him before he could grow stronger.
• The Soul Reapers and Visored formed a defense around Ichigo, while Aizen identified Liu Hao as the most important person and rushed to attack him.
• Liu Hao caught Aizen’s Zanpakuto in his bare hand without being injured, shocking Aizen.
• Liu Hao admitted Ichigo could surpass Aizen but said he did not want to make him strong enough in such a short time because the price would be too great.
• Aizen asked whether Liu Hao would fight him himself and defeat him.

Liu Hao separated the Gotei 13 and Visored from his battlefield and prepared to fight Aizen before the Hōgyoku could evolve him further. Aizen sent Graphees, an Arrancar made to seal the Imperial Sword, to block Liu Hao’s attack.

• Liu Hao told Aizen that the Hōgyoku had fused with him and that he would keep evolving, then called Ichigo Kurosaki to watch Aizen alongside him.
• Liu Hao summoned the Four Beast Gate Block to trap the Gotei 13 and Visored, explaining that he wanted them kept out of the fight.
• Liu Hao drew the Imperial Sword and told Ichigo to keep Gin Ichimaru occupied while he challenged Aizen before Aizen evolved.
• A white Arrancar named Graphees intercepted Liu Hao’s strike, and Liu Hao recognized that Aizen had sacrificed Graphees’s reason and language to give him the ability to seal Zanpakuto.

Liu Hao overwhelmed Graphees after the Visored transformed into his Resurrección, Emperor-Slayer. The battle continued with Graphees losing an arm, while Aizen watched and Liu Hao remained unimpressed.

• Graphees attacked Liu Hao, who caught his punch and slashed him from head to abdomen.
• Graphees transformed into a demonic Resurrección, and Aizen named it Emperor-Slayer.
• Liu Hao caught Emperor-Slayer’s claw, punched him twice, and sent him crashing through ruins.
• Emperor-Slayer fired a powerful black Cero, but Liu Hao scattered it with one hand.
• Emperor-Slayer tried to stab Liu Hao at close range, but Liu Hao dodged and severed his arm with the Imperial Sword.