Chapter Summaries

Mu Yu stopped Gin Ichimaru from attacking Jidanbo at Byakuto Gate and faced him in a clash of captain-class Spiritual Pressure. As Ichigo and the others continued toward Rukia, Mu Yu drew his Zanpakuto and challenged Gin Ichimaru over the length of Shinsō.

• Jidanbo opened the gate for Mu Yu and the others, but Gin Ichimaru arrived and tried to strike him with Shinsō.
• Mu Yu caught Shinsō between his fingers and stopped its extended blade from piercing him, then taunted Gin Ichimaru about its speed and force.
• Gin Ichimaru and Mu Yu released their Spiritual Pressure, alerting Seireitei, while Sosuke Aizen recognized Mu Yu and Kenpachi Zaraki set off with Yachiru Kusajishi to find the intruders.
• Mu Yu told Ichigo Kurosaki and the others to leave him to fight Gin Ichimaru, and Gin Ichimaru let them go.
• Mu Yu drew his Zanpakuto, recited a poem that mocked the limits of Shinsō, and Gin Ichimaru offered to show how long it could extend.

Mu Yu overwhelmed Gin Ichimaru in battle after releasing Yggdrasil and using Cycle of Fate against Kamishini no Yari. Gin Ichimaru lay near death, regretting that he had failed to avenge Rangiku, when a newcomer approached despite his warning.

• Gin Ichimaru attacked Mu Yu with Shinsō, but Mu Yu evaded the barrage and quickly closed the distance.
• Gin Ichimaru released Bankai, Kamishini no Yari, while Mu Yu released Yggdrasil, whose Spiritual Pressure suppressed the attack and began eroding Gin Ichimaru's clothing.
• Gin Ichimaru used Muta Raiden, and Mu Yu countered with Cycle of Fate, striking him down and leaving him gravely wounded.
• As Gin Ichimaru's power and connection to his Zanpakuto faded, he regretted that he had not killed Aizen or recovered Rangiku's soul fragment.
• A newcomer approached Gin Ichimaru, who warned them not to come closer, but they continued toward him.

Rangiku Matsumoto rushed to Gin Ichimaru after Mu Yu defeated him, but Mu Yu spared them and Gin recovered as the spiritual power in his wounds stabilized. Gin tried to leave Rangiku again, but she embraced him and confronted him about still being the Gin she knew.

• Rangiku Matsumoto arrived and attacked Mu Yu with Haineko, but her Cat-of-many-whirls dispersed before reaching him.
• Mu Yu evaded Rangiku's defensive ash clouds and vanished into the distance without harming her.
• Rangiku found Gin Ichimaru critically weakened, but Gin's Spiritual Pressure soon stabilized, revealing that Mu Yu had not intended to kill him.
• Gin explained that Mu Yu's lingering spiritual power had been eroding his wounds and recited Mu Yu's claims about his Zanpakuto's power.
• Gin thanked Rangiku and tried to leave, but Rangiku embraced him from behind and insisted he was still the Gin she knew.

After Gin Ichimaru’s defeat by Mu Yu, Soul Society’s leaders began preparing for war and summoned the captains to assess the Ryoka’s strength. The captains learned that Mu Yu had decisively overwhelmed Gin, and Yamamoto ordered them to track Mu Yu and wait for another captain before attempting to arrest him.

• Gin Ichimaru’s defeat drew Soul Society’s attention, and alarms sounded as the restrictions on releasing Zanpakuto in the Seireitei were lifted.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto convened the captains, though Kenpachi Zaraki was absent.
• Gin Ichimaru warned the captains that most of them would likely lose to Mu Yu in a one-on-one fight.
• Gin Ichimaru described how Mu Yu had overcome Rangiku Matsumoto’s Shikai and defeated him, burning through his defenses with scorching Spiritual Pressure.
• Soi Fon questioned how Gin Ichimaru had survived, and Gin explained that Mu Yu had spared him.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto ordered the captains to monitor Mu Yu and wait for another division’s captain before trying to arrest him.

Mu Yu crossed paths with 11th Division Shinigami in the Soul Society and tested their resolve, killing Shigeru Araki after he stood back up to defend his division’s honor. He then encountered Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru, who appeared ready to face him.

• Mu Yu reflected on Aizen’s schemes and considered how his own unexpected actions might disrupt them.
• A squad of 11th Division Shinigami drew their swords despite being terrified of Mu Yu, and he knocked them unconscious with Conqueror’s Haki.
• Shigeru Araki endured Mu Yu’s Haki and stood up to uphold the honor of the 11th Division, so Mu Yu drew his Zanpakuto and killed him.
• Mu Yu left with a new understanding of the Shinigami, but Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru soon appeared after breaking through a wall.

Mu Yu and Kenpachi Zaraki began a ferocious, head-on battle that shook Seireitei, with Mu Yu overpowering Kenpachi despite his sealed Spiritual Pressure. Kenpachi tore off his eyepatch to unleash more power, and the captains realized how formidable Mu Yu was.

• Mu Yu and Kenpachi Zaraki sensed each other's strength and erupted with Spiritual Pressure, shaking Seireitei as Yachiru Kusajishi watched from a nearby tower.
• Mu Yu told Kenpachi to discard his bells and eyepatch, then charged him as Kenpachi rushed forward to meet his sword.
• Their clash devastated the surrounding buildings, and Mu Yu's Zanpakuto struck Kenpachi with a surge of power that sent him crashing through several walls.
• Kenpachi returned with his haori torn and praised Mu Yu for giving him a satisfying battle.
• Kenpachi removed his eyepatch, causing his Spiritual Pressure to surge and alerting the captains that Mu Yu had forced him to unleash more power.

Mu Yu continued his battle with Kenpachi Zaraki as the arriving captains watched, revealing a gravity-based technique that overwhelmed Kenpachi. Kenpachi survived the assault and prepared to fight with a two-handed sword grip.

• As captains and lieutenants gathered, Mu Yu used Hirenkyaku to reach Kenpachi and struck him with crushing force, driving him into a deep pit.
• Mu Yu increased the pressure on Kenpachi, then removed it and launched him into a barrage of air-splitting slashes.
• Kenpachi, bloodied but exhilarated, forbade the others from interfering and endured Mu Yu's attacks.
• Mu Yu criticized Kenpachi's swordsmanship, prompting Kenpachi to grip his sword with both hands and promise to cut him down.

Mu Yu defeated Kenpachi Zaraki in a devastating sword clash, leaving Kenpachi satisfied and badly wounded. After Yachiryu took Kenpachi away for treatment, Mu Yu challenged Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Soi Fon to fight him together.

• Mu Yu used Total Concentration Breathing, compressed his Spiritual Pressure, and infused his Zanpakuto with gravity as Kenpachi Zaraki prepared to strike.
• Kenpachi Zaraki and Mu Yu exchanged powerful Cutting Down attacks, unleashing a shockwave that devastated the battlefield and injured the watching captains and vice-captains.
• Mu Yu emerged without a wound while Kenpachi's injuries bled under the effect of Mu Yu's crimson Spiritual Pressure, and Kenpachi admitted defeat before collapsing.
• Yachiryu thanked Mu Yu for giving Kenpachi a satisfying fight, then carried Kenpachi away for treatment and promised they would return to fight him again.
• Kaname Tōsen stepped forward to confront the weakened Mu Yu, but Mu Yu challenged Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Soi Fon to attack him together instead.
• Soi Fon readied her Zanpakuto, Tōshirō ordered the vice-captains to retreat, and the two captains prepared to face Mu Yu.

Mu Yu faced Kaname Tōsen, Tōshirō, and Soi Fon, then effortlessly overcame Kaname Tōsen’s attacks and Bankai. After Mu Yu shattered Enma Kōrogi with Yggdrasil, he left the wounded Tōsen furious and bewildered.

• Kaname Tōsen’s Suzumushi: First Verse failed to affect Mu Yu, and Mu Yu’s gravity manipulation stopped and destroyed the flying swords of Crestfallen Bell.
• Kaname Tōsen activated Enma Kōrogi, trapping himself and Mu Yu inside its barrier and depriving Mu Yu of his senses.
• Tōsen repeatedly slashed and attacked Mu Yu with his sword and Hadō #54: Haien, but none of his attacks harmed him.
• Mu Yu released Yggdrasil, broke Enma Kōrogi’s sensory law, and annihilated the barrier and Tōsen with a single slash.
• Tōsen, wounded and with his visor shattered, demanded to know how Mu Yu broke his Bankai, but Mu Yu refused to explain.

Mu Yu fought Tōshirō Hitsugaya after defeating Kaname Tōsen, revealing that his wooden Zanpakuto could wield immense gravity and seemingly erase ice and snow. Hitsugaya unleashed Ice Flower Sky Burial, confident it would decide the battle, while Mu Yu remained unfazed.

• Mu Yu defeated Kaname Tōsen, who speculated that Mu Yu's Zanpakuto could break through his Enma Kōrogi barrier.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya released Bankai and attacked Mu Yu with ice, but Mu Yu's gravity crushed Hitsugaya's Ice Clone and forced him to retreat.
• Mu Yu cut through Hitsugaya's ice attacks, leading Hitsugaya to suspect that Mu Yu's Zanpakuto could erase ice and snow.
• Mu Yu teased Hitsugaya by calling him a kid, prompting Hitsugaya to gather water across the Seireitei and charge his ultimate technique.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya unleashed Ice Flower Sky Burial, believing its hundred-bloom effect would kill Mu Yu, while Mu Yu remained confident.

Mu Yu survived Tōshirō Hitsugaya’s Ice Flower Sky Burial, evaded Kaname Tōsen and Soi Fon’s coordinated ambush, and let Soi Fon use her Two-Hit Kill on him. The chapter ended with the Bee Flower Crests overlapping on Mu Yu and his spiritual pressure erupting, leaving Soi Fon stunned that her ability had apparently defeated him.

• Mu Yu used Water Breathing: Eleventh Form: Dead Calm to nullify Tōshirō Hitsugaya’s Ice Flower Sky Burial.
• Kaname Tōsen released Suzumushi as Soi Fon attacked Mu Yu with Suzumebachi, but Mu Yu caught her wrist and restrained her.
• Marechiyo Ōmaeda attacked with Gokōtō, but Mu Yu caught the meteor hammer and crushed it.
• Mu Yu used Soi Fon’s hand to stab his chest once with Suzumebachi, creating a Bee Flower Crest, and joked about her Two-Hit Kill ability.
• Mu Yu made Soi Fon strike the crest a second time, and the overlapping crests triggered an explosive surge of spiritual pressure that left her believing he had fallen to her attack.

Mu Yu confirmed that Yggdrasil could sever Zanpakuto abilities and used its power to overwhelm the Soul Society fighters. After Tōsen broadcast the revelation, Mu Yu left Hitsugaya, Soi Fon, Tōsen, and several vice-captains badly injured.

• Soi Fon's Two-Hit Kill struck Mu Yu, but he emerged without a wound and teased her as the captains questioned how he survived.
• Hitsugaya and Tōsen deduced that Mu Yu's Zanpakuto could counter other Zanpakuto, and Mu Yu confirmed that Yggdrasil could sever all laws.
• Tōsen used Tenteikūra to broadcast the warning across Soul Society, alarming Yamamoto and Aizen.
• Mu Yu summoned Yggdrasil's spirit, whose kiss empowered him, then wounded Hitsugaya and Soi Fon and cut Tōsen's Suzumushi in two.
• Mu Yu defeated Rangiku, Marechiyo Ōmaeda, and Shūhei Hisagi before departing, leaving the group injured and stunned.

Mu Yu defeated three captains and broke into the Prison Palace to free Rukia, while Yamamoto considered whether to recruit or imprison him. The chapter ended with Mu Yu cutting off Rukia’s restraint collar.

• Orihime Inoue and Retsu Unohana treated the injured captains and lieutenants after Mu Yu’s battle, and Tōshirō Hitsugaya awoke.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya told Orihime that only Mu Yu’s continued victories might change the Central 46 Chambers’ judgment against Rukia.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto weighed recruiting Mu Yu against imprisoning him if he refused to submit.
• Rukia worried about Ichigo and Mu Yu from her cell in the Prison Palace as she sensed the battle outside.
• Mu Yu reached Rukia’s cell, split open its door, and severed the restraint collar around her neck.

Mu Yu freed Rukia from the Prison Palace and reassured her that her companions were safe, then confronted her brother Byakuya Kuchiki on the rope bridge. Byakuya released Senbonzakura, and Mu Yu answered with a similar display of petals as their battle began.

• Mu Yu led Rukia away from her cell, told her that Ichigo and the others were safe, and gave her snacks to eat.
• Mu Yu proposed picnicking near the Sōkyoku, but Byakuya Kuchiki appeared on the rope bridge and made Rukia tremble with fear.
• Mu Yu revealed that he had defeated five captains and said he would fight his way through the Soul Society to clear Rukia's name.
• Byakuya drew his Zanpakuto and released Senbonzakura, while Mu Yu silently moved Rukia to safety.
• Mu Yu's blade produced a storm of cherry-blossom petals, stunning Byakuya and beginning their clash.

Mu Yu defeated Byakuya Kuchiki in a fierce battle that showcased their similar cherry-blossom techniques and Byakuya’s full range of skills. Byakuya left badly injured, and Rukia watched him go, distressed but understanding the conflict he had faced over her execution.

• Mu Yu and Byakuya Kuchiki clashed with their cherry-blossom blade techniques, and Byakuya escalated the fight by releasing Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.
• Mu Yu shattered Byakuya’s blade fragments with Getsuga Tensho, and Byakuya deflected the attack with Dankū before engaging him in close combat.
• Byakuya used Utsusemi, Senka, and Rokujō Tōrō against Mu Yu, but Mu Yu read his movements and cut through the binding spell.
• Byakuya unleashed Shūkei Hakuteiken in a final charge, but Mu Yu defeated him and left him severely injured.
• Byakuya admitted defeat and walked away without stopping when Rukia called after him, while Rukia watched him depart in pain.

After Byakuya Kuchiki’s defeat, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto prepared to confront Mu Yu while Sosuke Aizen moved to seize the Hogyoku. At the Sōkyoku, Mu Yu revealed to Rukia that the Hogyoku was hidden in her soul and explained why Aizen had arranged her execution.

• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto decided to intervene after Mu Yu defeated Byakuya Kuchiki, while Sosuke Aizen planned to use their confrontation to take the Hogyoku.
• Sosuke Aizen left Central 46’s underground assembly hall after finding Kisuke Urahara’s method for extracting the Hogyoku.
• Kenpachi and Yachiryu headed toward Mu Yu, and Ichigo Kurosaki completed the final stage of his Bankai training.
• Mu Yu ate and drank with Rukia at the Sōkyoku while powerful spiritual pressures approached.
• Mu Yu questioned Rukia about her death sentence and revealed that Aizen had targeted her because the Hogyoku was hidden in her soul.
• Mu Yu told Rukia he did not want the Hogyoku and warned her to abandon it if she wanted to avoid Aizen.

Mu Yu sent Rukia to Ichigo, then faced Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto at the Sōkyoku. When Yamamoto’s Spiritual Pressure surged, Mu Yu released his Sword Seal Spirit Butterfly, revealing power that shocked the assembled captains.

• Mu Yu sent Rukia away from the Sōkyoku, where she reunited with Ichigo and told him what Mu Yu had said about the Hogyoku.
• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto arrived at the Sōkyoku with several captains and confronted Mu Yu for trespassing in Soul Society.
• Mu Yu rejected Yamamoto’s offer to join the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and declared that the weak had no right to speak of justice.
• Yamamoto unleashed overwhelming Spiritual Pressure, but Mu Yu held his ground and admired the Captain-Commander’s strength.
• Mu Yu released his Sword Seal Spirit Butterfly, and his green Spiritual Pressure collided with Yamamoto’s fiery red pressure, leaving the captains to wonder whether he had used only twenty percent of his power in their earlier fights.

Mu Yu and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto fought as their Spiritual Pressures matched, astonishing Soul Society and making Aizen reassess Mu Yu as a serious threat. Their battle left both men absorbed in the clash, and Yamamoto released Ryūjin Jakka.

• Aizen was shaken by Mu Yu's concealed strength and decided he should act as soon as possible.
• Mu Yu's Spiritual Pressure spread across Soul Society, and Rukia realized why he had ignored the Hogyoku inside her body.
• At Sōkyoku, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto welcomed Mu Yu as a worthy opponent, and the two charged at each other.
• Mu Yu and Yamamoto traded sword strikes and Getsuga Tensho as the captains and vice-captains retreated from the battle.
• Yamamoto released his Zanpakuto, declaring, "All things in the universe, turn to ash—Ryūjin Jakka!"

Mu Yu and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto fought a fierce duel, with Mu Yu’s Yggdrasil breaking through Yamamoto’s flames before Yamamoto struck him with a surprise punch. Mu Yu recovered and revealed a second sword, leaving Yamamoto badly wounded.

• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto released Ryūjin Jakka, and Mu Yu endured its heat as his World Tree powers grew stronger.
• Mu Yu released Yggdrasil, whose power erased Yamamoto’s fire-type Spiritual Pressure and shattered his Inferno City Wall.
• Yamamoto combined swordsmanship with Hakuda and struck Mu Yu with One Bone, caving in his chest and leaving him embedded in the dirt.
• Mu Yu rapidly healed with EX-rank Battle Continuation and World Tree Photosynthesis, then rose to continue the fight.
• Mu Yu revealed Kanemoto in his left hand and slashed across Yamamoto’s chest, badly wounding him.

Mu Yu and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto continued their deadly duel, with Mu Yu’s swordsmanship improving as they fought. Fearing what Mu Yu might become, Yamamoto released his Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, and turned Seireitei into a blazing inferno.

• Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto healed from Mu Yu’s wounds and resumed the fight with ruthless attacks.
• Mu Yu endured grievous injuries and countered with swordsmanship drawn from Isshin-ryu, Breathing Techniques, and Shinigami sword pressure.
• Retsu Unohana and the other captains watched in astonishment as Mu Yu’s skill rivaled Yamamoto’s.
• Yamamoto realized Mu Yu’s swordsmanship was improving during the battle and feared his future power.
• Yamamoto released Zanka no Tachi, raising the temperature across Seireitei and setting the area around Sōkyoku ablaze.