Chapter Summaries

Ulquiorra Cifer prepared to fight Liu Ziyun, while Ichigo Kurosaki encountered Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez on his way to the Arrancar and challenged him. After Grimmjow recalled losing his arm and Espada rank, Ichigo activated Bankai and began forming his Hollow mask.

• Ulquiorra Cifer raised his Reiatsu as he faced Liu Ziyun, who worried that a full battle would harm the nearby Soul Reapers.
• Ichigo Kurosaki hurried toward the strongest Arrancar Reiatsu but Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez blocked his path.
• Grimmjow recalled how Kaname Tōsen destroyed his severed arm and stripped him of his Espada position after his defeat.
• Grimmjow taunted Ichigo Kurosaki and asked whether Liu Ziyun was afraid to face him, but Ichigo said he could handle Grimmjow himself.
• Ichigo Kurosaki activated Bankai, reminded Grimmjow of the scar from their previous fight, and began forming a Hollow mask.

Ichigo Kurosaki gained the upper hand against Grimmjow with Hollowfication, but his mask shattered and left him exhausted and badly injured. Just as Grimmjow prepared a finishing Cero, an unknown attacker struck it with a blue slash, leaving Ichigo looking toward the source.

• Ichigo Kurosaki used his Hollow mask and Getsuga Tenshō to wound Grimmjow and damage his Zanpakuto.
• Ichigo Kurosaki split Grimmjow's Cero and continued attacking, but his Hollow mask cracked and vanished as his power ran out.
• Grimmjow overwhelmed the exhausted Ichigo Kurosaki with sword strikes and began charging a Cero for a final blow.
• An unknown attacker sent a blue slash from the sky that struck and detonated Grimmjow's Cero before it could be fired.
• Ichigo Kurosaki retreated and turned toward the direction the blue slash had come from.

Shinji Hirako defeated Grimmjow, but Coyote Starrk arrived and used Negación to retreat with him. Elsewhere, Negación descended around Ulquiorra Cifer during his confrontation with Liu Ziyun, leaving their encounter interrupted.

• Shinji Hirako parried Grimmjow's attacks, then used his Hollow mask and a Cero to blast him into a crater.
• Rukia Kuchiki joined Ichigo Kurosaki, who identified Shinji Hirako as a friend of his teacher and said he was strong.
• Grimmjow began preparing to release his Zanpakuto, but Coyote Starrk seized his arm and told him the mission was complete.
• Coyote Starrk and Grimmjow were enveloped by Negación, and Grimmjow vowed to kill Ichigo Kurosaki next time.
• Golden Negación descended around Ulquiorra Cifer as Liu Ziyun looked up at the changing sky.

The Negación pillars retrieved the Arrancar after their battle with the Soul Reapers, and Liu Ziyun realized their mission had been to abduct Orihime Inoue. Ulquiorra Cifer revealed that Aizen targeted her after seeing her reject an injury, leaving Liu Ziyun to face the consequences of having exposed her ability.

• The Negación shattered Tōshirō Hitsugaya's Thousand-Year Ice Prison and freed Luppi Antenor, who threatened to kill him when they met again.
• Yammy Llargo recovered from his wounds and glared at Kisuke Urahara, while Wonderweiss Margela silently watched from inside his pillar of light.
• Ulquiorra Cifer declared the mission complete, and Liu Ziyun realized the Arrancar had come to take Orihime Inoue.
• Liu Ziyun questioned why Aizen wanted Orihime, and Ulquiorra explained that he had seen her use her ability to heal someone during an earlier visit to the World of the Living.

After suspecting that Aizen had taken Orihime Inoue, Liu Ziyun arranged a rescue mission to Hueco Mundo and coordinated with Soul Society. He also asked Ryūken Ishida to keep Uryū out of the operation and train him to replace the power Yhwach had given him.

• Liu Ziyun told Tōshirō Hitsugaya and the others that Orihime Inoue had likely been taken by Aizen, then led them to the Urahara Shop to discuss their next move.
• Liu Ziyun reported the Arrancar attack and Orihime's disappearance to Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, who approved a Hueco Mundo rescue mission and agreed to recall Soul Society personnel from Karakura Town.
• Liu Ziyun told Yamamoto he would leave for Hueco Mundo with a group and gave him a three-day deadline for contact.
• Liu Ziyun visited Ryūken Ishida and asked him to keep Uryū out of the rescue mission because Yhwach's power could become a danger to him.
• Ryūken Ishida agreed to train Uryū in the Ishida Family's methods, and Liu Ziyun left to continue preparing for the mission.

At the Visored base, Liu Ziyun explained that Ichigo Kurosaki’s fear of his Hollow powers was preventing him from controlling his Soul Reaper power, then stopped his training. After teasing Hiyori Sarugaki, Liu Ziyun immobilized her with a Bakudō spell as she tried to run off.

• Liu Ziyun watched Ichigo Kurosaki spar with Hiyori Sarugaki and asked Shinji Hirako how long Ichigo could maintain Hollowfication.
• Liu Ziyun explained that Ichigo’s Hollow and Soul Reaper powers shared an origin and that his rejection of Hollowfication blocked his progress.
• Liu Ziyun told Shinji Hirako to stop the sparring, and Ichigo Kurosaki and Hiyori Sarugaki joined them.
• Hiyori Sarugaki charged Liu Ziyun with her Zanpakuto after he insulted her, but he held her back and Shinji Hirako dragged her away.
• Hiyori Sarugaki threatened to tell Isane Kotetsu that Liu Ziyun had harassed her, then tried to run off, so Liu Ziyun trapped her with Six Rods Prison of Light.

Liu Ziyun confronted Ichigo Kurosaki about holding back in battle and explained that Aizen had taken Orihime Inoue to lure Ichigo and his friends to Hueco Mundo. Ichigo resolved to rescue Orihime, and the group prepared to enter Hueco Mundo as the Visoreds stayed behind to ready themselves for Aizen’s attack.

• Liu Ziyun questioned Ichigo Kurosaki’s reluctance to kill his enemies and warned that his hesitation could endanger those around him.
• Liu Ziyun explained that Aizen had taken Orihime Inoue to draw Ichigo to Hueco Mundo and leave the World of the Living vulnerable.
• Ichigo Kurosaki accepted the truth and resolved to go after Orihime Inoue.
• Liu Ziyun told Shinji Hirako and the Visoreds to contact the Captain-Commander and prepare for Aizen’s attack.
• Liu Ziyun and Ichigo Kurosaki joined Yasutora Sado, Renji Abarai, and Rukia Kuchiki at the Urahara Shop.
• Kisuke Urahara opened the Garganta, and the group prepared to depart for Hueco Mundo.

Liu Ziyun led Ichigo Kurosaki, Yasutora Sado, Renji Abarai, and Rukia Kuchiki through the Garganta toward Hueco Mundo, explaining why Uryū Ishida had stayed behind. He made Ichigo practice forming Reiatsu footholds, but Ichigo’s unstable platforms turned their path into a hazardous mess, drawing Liu Ziyun’s scorn.

• Liu Ziyun led Ichigo Kurosaki, Yasutora Sado, Renji Abarai, and Rukia Kuchiki into the Garganta on the way to Hueco Mundo.
• Yasutora Sado asked why Uryū Ishida had not joined them, and Liu Ziyun said Ishida needed to stay home and train.
• Liu Ziyun ordered Ichigo Kurosaki to lead and practice making footholds with his Reiatsu.
• Ichigo Kurosaki struggled to control his Reiatsu, creating crooked, cracked platforms that made the path difficult to cross.
• Liu Ziyun criticized Ichigo’s poor Reiatsu control and said he was relieved he had not chosen him as his final disciple.

Liu Ziyun made Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai practice controlling their Reiatsu to create footholds as the group crossed the Garganta. They reached Hueco Mundo and fell into its sandy landscape, where Liu Ziyun landed safely with Yasutora Sado while Ichigo Kurosaki crashed into the sand.

• Liu Ziyun ordered Renji Abarai to make his own footholds after criticizing his Reiatsu control, and Renji joined Ichigo Kurosaki in building a rough path.
• Liu Ziyun led Rukia Kuchiki and Yasutora Sado along his smooth blue platforms while Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai followed on their uneven footholds.
• The group reached a distant white light, and Liu Ziyun announced they had arrived before the Garganta dropped them into Hueco Mundo.
• Liu Ziyun caught Yasutora Sado and landed them safely using Reiatsu platforms and Shunpo, while Ichigo Kurosaki plunged headfirst into the sand.

After landing in Hueco Mundo, Liu Ziyun scolded the Soul Reapers for failing to cushion their fall and urged Sado and Inoue to develop their Fullbring abilities. As the group followed him toward ruined buildings, a frightened girl ran toward them with three Hollows in pursuit.

• Ichigo Kurosaki, Renji Abarai, and Rukia Kuchiki landed awkwardly in the sand, and Liu Ziyun criticized them for not using Shunpo or Reiatsu to slow their fall.
• Liu Ziyun explained that Sado and Orihime Inoue had similar Fullbring powers and encouraged Sado to make better use of his ability.
• Liu Ziyun surveyed Hueco Mundo, sensed Reiatsu near some ruined buildings, and led the others toward them.
• A green-haired girl in a worn cloak ran toward the group while an enormous Beetle-like Hollow and two humanoid Hollows chased her.

Liu Ziyun recognized the child Arrancar as Nelliel, while Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions stopped Pesche and Dondochakka from pursuing her without killing them. Nel explained that they had only been playing a running-away game, leaving the group to reconsider what they knew about Hollows.

• Liu Ziyun recognized the child Arrancar as Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck and reflected that fate had brought them together despite his changes.
• Ichigo Kurosaki, Renji Abarai, Rukia Kuchiki, and Yasutora Sado rushed to help Nel, but Liu Ziyun told them not to kill the Hollows.
• Ichigo Kurosaki, Renji Abarai, and Rukia Kuchiki subdued the three Hollows without fatal injuries, while Yasutora Sado arrived after the fight ended.
• Nel asked the group not to hurt the Hollows and introduced herself as an Arrancar, shocking Ichigo Kurosaki, Renji Abarai, and Rukia Kuchiki.
• Liu Ziyun explained that Hollows could choose different paths and asked why the Hollows had chased Nel.
• Nel explained that she had been playing an endless running-away game with Pesche and Dondochakka, though they sometimes tore her clothes or she fell.

Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions traveled deeper into Hueco Mundo with Nel, but a giant sand Hollow named Runuganga emerged to block their way. Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō split its body, yet Runuganga quickly regenerated, leaving the group facing an enemy apparently immune to physical attacks.

• Ichigo Kurosaki apologized to Nel for mistaking her for an enemy, while Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki confirmed that Pesche and Dondochakka meant her no harm.
• Liu Ziyun silently watched Nel and the others as the group rested briefly and then continued across the white desert.
• Nel chatted with Ichigo Kurosaki about Hueco Mundo as they walked, and Ichigo gradually relaxed and began asking her questions.
• The sand shook and split open, revealing the enormous White Sand Guardian, Runuganga, who declared that no outsider could pass.
• Ichigo Kurosaki attacked Runuganga with Getsuga Tenshō, but the Hollow's sand body regenerated within seconds, prompting Renji Abarai to wonder whether physical attacks worked at all.

Rukia Kuchiki defeated Runuganga with Sode no Shirayuki, and the group reached the boundary of Hueco Mundo’s core area. After Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai opened a breach in the ancient wall, they entered a dark corridor leading into the unknown.

• Rukia Kuchiki froze Runuganga with Tsugi no Mai: Hakuren and shattered it into sand and ice.
• Ichigo Kurosaki, Renji Abarai, Rukia Kuchiki, Yasutora Sado, and Liu Ziyun crossed the desert and reached an enormous wall marking Hueco Mundo’s core area.
• Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai struck the wall together with Getsuga Tenshō and Zabimaru, opening a breach.
• Ichigo Kurosaki led the group through the breach into a dark corridor, where he used his Reiatsu to light the way.

At the end of the dark corridor, Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions found five identical doors and agreed to split up to search for Inoue. Ichigo, Renji Abarai, Rukia Kuchiki, and Yasutora Sado each entered a different door, leaving the middle door for Liu Ziyun.

• The group reached five identical, handleless doors at the end of the corridor.
• Ichigo Kurosaki proposed that everyone choose a separate path, and Renji Abarai, Rukia Kuchiki, and Yasutora Sado agreed.
• Liu Ziyun asked whether they could stay alive, and each of the four young people promised to return alive.
• Ichigo Kurosaki entered the second door from the left, Renji Abarai the far-right door, Rukia Kuchiki the far-left door, and Yasutora Sado the second door from the right.
• Liu Ziyun remained behind as the middle door waited unopened.

Liu Ziyun repaired Nel’s Arrancar mask and reassured Pesche and Dondochakka that her strength would gradually return. Nel then left with Ichigo to protect him, while her recovery remained incomplete.

• Liu Ziyun persuaded Nel to go with Ichigo and protect him, promising to repair her mask first.
• Liu Ziyun healed Nel’s broken mask and removed the scar on her forehead, restoring its ram’s horns.
• Nel joyfully showed her new mask to Pesche and Dondochakka, who recognized her as the former third Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.
• Liu Ziyun told Pesche and Dondochakka that Nel’s power would gradually return and that she could eventually switch between child and adult forms.
• Liu Ziyun explained that Nel would still revert to her child form whenever her Reiatsu became too low.

After the others entered separate doors, Liu Ziyun explained Nel’s past and her companions’ choices to protect her, then told Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne to choose their own paths. He entered the remaining passage, leaving them behind as fate’s course remained uncertain.

• Ichigo Kurosaki carried Nel through his chosen door, while Renji Abarai, Rukia Kuchiki, and Yasutora Sado entered their own passages.
• Liu Ziyun asked Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne what they planned to do and revealed that he knew Nel’s history and their past as her Fracción.
• Liu Ziyun praised Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne for leaving their former lives to protect Nel.
• Liu Ziyun told them that Nel’s future form would be her own choice and that they could choose whichever path they liked.
• Liu Ziyun entered the last passage, leaving Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne at the crossroads.

Liu Ziyun reflected on how his actions had diverged from the future he knew after Uryū Ishida was left behind, then encountered Cirucci Sanderwicci in Hueco Mundo. Cirucci challenged him, declaring that his journey ended there.

• Pesche Guatiche pursued Liu Ziyun while Dondochakka Bilstin followed Ichigo Kurosaki to protect Nel.
• Liu Ziyun considered how Uryū Ishida’s absence had changed the rescue party and wondered whether fate or a world’s will would guide events.
• Liu Ziyun sensed a dangerous Reiatsu and found Cirucci Sanderwicci waiting atop a stone pillar.
• Cirucci Sanderwicci looked down at Liu Ziyun and told him that this was the end of the road.

Liu Ziyun overwhelmed Cirucci Sanderwicci with his Reiatsu and revealed that his low rank had kept him out of Aizen’s intelligence reports. He left her with a warning about the Exequias, while Cirucci remained shaken by the strength she had felt.

• Cirucci Sanderwicci attacked Liu Ziyun, but his Reiatsu forced her to her knees and cracked the stone beneath her.
• Liu Ziyun identified himself as a former Fifth Seat of the Fourth Division and explained that Aizen’s intelligence had overlooked him because it focused on higher-ranking Soul Reapers.
• Liu Ziyun recognized Cirucci Sanderwicci as Arrancar number 105 and warned her that she was no match for him and should save her strength for the Exequias.
• Liu Ziyun continued down the passage after intensifying his Reiatsu to silence Cirucci when she tried to call after him.
• Cirucci Sanderwicci recovered after Liu Ziyun left and wondered whether all Soul Reapers were as strong as him, while concluding that his power was unlike anything she could measure or challenge.

Cirucci Sanderwicci followed Liu Ziyun through Hueco Mundo and discovered him confronting Szayelaporro Granz during Renji Abarai’s battle against replicas. Renji unleashed Bankai on Liu Ziyun’s command, destroying Szayelaporro’s laboratory and leaving the two men facing off amid the ruins.

• The Exequias found Cirucci Sanderwicci but withdrew, deterred by her condition and Liu Ziyun’s lingering Reiatsu.
• Cirucci Sanderwicci decided to follow Liu Ziyun to learn his purpose and what he meant by the “path of fate.”
• Liu Ziyun reached a laboratory where Renji Abarai was fighting replicas of himself, while Szayelaporro Granz watched.
• Liu Ziyun told Renji Abarai to use Bankai and destroy the place.
• Renji Abarai and his replicas released Bankai together, demolishing the laboratory and its contents.
• Szayelaporro Granz threatened Liu Ziyun, who calmly challenged him as Renji Abarai stood ready between them.

Liu Ziyun joined Renji Abarai’s group as Szayelaporro Granz transformed and attacked them. After a flower engulfed Liu Ziyun, his Reiatsu burst out and shattered it, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Liu Ziyun found Dondochakka Birstanne and Cirucci Sanderwicci with Renji Abarai, and Dondochakka explained that he had gotten lost while looking for Ichigo Kurosaki.
• Liu Ziyun called Pesche Guatiche to help Renji Abarai and Dondochakka Birstanne, while Cirucci Sanderwicci said she had followed to see what they would do.
• Szayelaporro Granz mocked the group, swallowed his Zanpakuto, and transformed after releasing Fornicarás.
• Szayelaporro Granz sent flower-tipped tentacles at everyone and enclosed Liu Ziyun inside a flower.
• Liu Ziyun unleashed powerful Reiatsu that burst the flower apart.