Chapter Summaries

Aizen explained that he trusted Lu Li to fight his own battle and revealed his Bankai, Ruri Illusion World, against Kenpachi Azashiro. Meanwhile, Lu Li endured the Soul Singer’s soul-note assault, lost his Hollowification power, and unleashed an even more violent force as the battle seemed about to end.

• Aizen and Kenpachi Azashiro exchanged blows while arguing over friendship and whether Lu Li should fight alone.
• Aizen said he trusted Lu Li and activated Bankai—Ruri Illusion World.
• Lu Li used Prison Demon to break the Soul Singer’s notes, but the fragments flooded him with memories and inflicted damage.
• Lu Li’s memories of Master and Senior Apprentice-Sister surfaced as he dodged attacks and pressed toward the Soul Singer.
• Lu Li’s mask shattered when his Hollowification ended, causing his attributes to plummet.
• As the Soul Singer expected victory, an even more violent force erupted from Lu Li.

Lu Li fought the Soul Singer with the Ogre Spirit Evasion Armor while Soul Notes forced him to relive memories of his childhood. As Lu Li fought on instinct with his eyes closed, the memories revealed the night armed attackers came for Lu Feng, and the chapter ended as two of them moved to seize Lu Gui and Lu Li.

• Lu Li activated the Ogre Spirit Evasion Armor after Hollowification ended, damaging his body as he fought through the Soul Singer’s relentless Soul Notes.
• The Soul Notes showed Lu Li’s memories of Master finding him as a baby and of Lu Gui caring for him and sparring with him as a child.
• Lu Li closed his eyes and fought by instinct, becoming more adept at dodging and counterattacking while his consciousness followed the memories.
• In a childhood memory, Lu Feng told Lu Gui to take Lu Li and flee as armored attackers demanded the ancient texts and Sacred Soul he had taken from the Sky Pit.
• The attackers ordered Ma Huguo and Lin Qin to go around the wooden house and capture Lu Gui and Lu Li.

Lu Li relived the night his Master and Senior Apprentice-Sister were killed, awakening the strength to defeat an armored attacker before a mudslide buried the battlefield. In Hueco Mundo, the memory’s pain drained his Life Source, but he clung to the wish to reclaim the home he had lost and charged at the Soul Singer.

• Lu Gui dragged Lu Li away as Lu Feng fought the attackers in Exoskeleton Armor.
• A throwing knife struck Senior Apprentice-Sister in the back, and she died after urging Lu Li to run.
• Lu Li shattered an attacker’s mechanical arm, defeated him, and collapsed while trying to reach Senior Apprentice-Sister.
• A mudslide swept over the battlefield and buried the attackers and Lu Li; days later, his hand emerged from the debris.
• In Hueco Mundo, Lu Li’s painful memory drained much of his Life Source, but Healing Kidō and a restorative item kept him alive.
• Lu Li realized he wanted to reclaim the home he had lost and charged through the Soul Note’s vortex at the Soul Singer.

Lu Li broke through the Soul Singer’s Soul Melody and unleashed Bankai—Demon Advent as his strength waned. The Soul Singer prepared for their final clash while Aizen, Kenpachi Azashiro, Nel, and Ulquiorra sensed Lu Li’s ominous new power.

• The Soul Singer used Soul Melody to flood Lu Li with memories, believing his exhausted body and falling attributes would soon leave him unable to fight.
• Lu Li recalled his past and used Martial Saint Swordsmanship: Reverse Universe to shatter the soul notes at their source.
• As the Soul Singer prepared a final bombardment, Lu Li summoned his martial will and released Bankai—Demon Advent.
• Lu Li’s purple-black Reiatsu spread across Hueco Mundo, drawing shocked reactions from Aizen, Kenpachi Azashiro, Nel, and Ulquiorra.
• Lu Li’s Bankai transformed his appearance and Prison Demon into an immense executioner’s blade, and he challenged the Soul Singer to finish the battle.

Lu Li defeated Soul Singer in a desperate battle after awakening Bankai, but the fight left him critically injured and drained his lifespan. As two fighters arrived, Kenpachi Azashiro used a sand attack to try to kill him.

• Soul Singer recognized Lu Li's Bankai and launched a final assault against him.
• Lu Li used Martial Saint Swordsmanship: Unite the Eight Wastes, while Soul Singer countered with Soul's End: Tide Convergence, leaving both severely wounded.
• Lu Li dodged Soul Singer's next attack with a Crotch-Destroying Kick, then struck his neck with Martial Saint Swordsmanship: Silent Soaking.
• Lu Li survived Soul Singer's exploding attack through Ice Cloud Armor's last invincibility skill and claimed a Doomed Chest after Soul Singer died.
• With Lu Li critically injured, Kenpachi Azashiro sent a wave of sand to swallow him after Soul Singer's death removed his empowering force.

Lu Li defeated Kenpachi Azashiro but collapsed from his injuries, while the Shinigami forces won the battle against the Quincy remnants. In Karakura Town, Soken Ishida resolved to surrender to the Shinigami and preserve the Quincy bloodline, as Adolf had asked.

• Kenpachi Azashiro arrived after Soul Singer's death and attacked Lu Li, but Aizen intervened and protected him.
• Lu Li taunted Kenpachi Azashiro, then used Prison Demon to exploit his vulnerability and fatally wound him.
• After confirming his mission was complete, Lu Li collapsed, and Sōsuke, Nel, and Ulquiorra rushed to him.
• Head Captain Yamamoto broke free of Fairy-Tale Dragon's illusion and led the Shinigami in routing the remaining Quincies, while Blood Rain escaped.
• Mandala, Yoruichi, and Kisuke Urahara discussed Lu Li and Aizen's chances of survival after the battle.
• Soken Ishida mourned Adolf's death and decided to surrender to the Shinigami so he could preserve and teach the traditional Quincy bloodline.

Kukisha and Blood Rain reflected on the battle’s aftermath while Lu Li recovered in Hueco Mundo after defeating the Soul Singer and Kenpachi Azashiro. After Nel’s saliva healed him, Lu Li discovered that the battle had sharply reduced his lifespan, then prepared to return to Soul Society with Aizen.

• Kukisha judged that the Pioneers’ fighting had weakened them and left Rukongai to consider his next Concept Extraction.
• Blood Rain reached Hueco Mundo after the battle had ended and headed toward the Forest of Menos, disappointed that she had missed the confrontation.
• Lu Li awoke to find Nel treating his injuries with her saliva, broke free, and confirmed that her healing had restored his body.
• Lu Li checked his status and found his lifespan had fallen to 28 years after he repeatedly pushed his body beyond its limits in battle.
• Aizen told Lu Li that Kenpachi Azashiro’s body had been preserved for a Soul Burial ceremony in Hueco Mundo, and Lu Li decided to return to Soul Society.
• Lu Li asked Aizen what might happen if part of the Soul King’s power were added to the Hōgyoku.

Lu Li and Aizen left Hueco Mundo after defeating Soul Singer, then returned to Soul Society with a fabricated account that branded Kenpachi Azashiro a traitor. Their report shocked the Captains, who learned that Lu Li had killed the Quincy leader while Aizen claimed only a minor role.

• Lu Li and Aizen discussed the Hōgyoku’s possible forms and left Hueco Mundo after Halibel asked them not to bring another devastating battle there.
• In the Dangai, Aizen helped Lu Li disguise himself as battle-worn, and Lu Li gave Aizen a controlled wound so their injuries looked convincing.
• Aizen and Lu Li returned to Soul Society and told the Captain-Commander that Kenpachi Azashiro had betrayed them, died fighting the Vasto Lordes, and that Lu Li had killed Soul Singer after awakening Bankai.
• The Captain-Commander and Captains reacted with shock and sorrow to the report, while Aizen said Lu Li had defeated the Quincy leader Kantote largely on his own.

After demonstrating his newly awakened Bankai, Lu Li was unanimously appointed Captain of the Eleventh Division and the new Kenpachi. He left the meeting with Gosuke, who showed him the destroyed barracks and explained that the Captain’s residence was still being rebuilt.

• Lu Li demonstrated his Bankai, Demon Advent, before the Captain-Commander and the other Captains, whose Lieutenants struggled under its Reiatsu.
• The Captain-Commander nominated Lu Li as Captain of the Eleventh Division, and all eight Captains supported the appointment.
• The Captain-Commander formally named Lu Li the new Captain, and End Space notified him that his talent awakening mission was complete.
• The Captain-Commander questioned Gosuke, the Eleventh Division Lieutenant, then dismissed the meeting and sent everyone to recover.
• Lu Li greeted Aizen and followed Gosuke to the ruined Eleventh Division barracks, where Gosuke explained that the Captain’s residence had not yet been rebuilt.

Lu Li treated wounded squad members in the Fourth Division while studying his newly advanced Bankai, then considered his goals and the possibility of taking Sōsuke on future adventures. Unohana told him Chamber 46 had ordered him to teach at the Spirit Arts Academy, where Lieutenant Aizen would also be an instructor.

• Lu Li offered to help treat the wounded in the Fourth Division in exchange for meals and a chance to study Healing Kidō.
• After completing a day of treatment, Lu Li examined Prison Demon's advancement to Dark Gold Grade and learned the effects of his Bankai had grown stronger.
• Lu Li reflected on finding his departed mentor and Senior Apprentice-Sister and considered bringing Sōsuke into End Space after conquering the Bleach World.
• Unohana told Lu Li that the Eleventh Division barracks had been rebuilt and teased him about his heavy food expenses.
• Unohana informed Lu Li that Chamber 46 had ordered him to teach at the Spirit Arts Academy, alongside Lieutenant Aizen.

Lu Li accepted Central 46’s order to teach swordsmanship at the True Spirit Arts Academy, then began rebuilding the devastated Eleventh Division. As the Soul Society settled into postwar recovery, Aizen noticed Lu Li’s unusual urgency to grow stronger and wondered what he was worried about.

• Unohana explained that the war had left the True Spirit Arts Academy short of instructors, and Lu Li agreed to teach swordsmanship there.
• Lu Li reflected on Soul Intent, the Demon God within his soul, and clues about the Sky Pit and Sacred Soul that he had learned from the Soul Singer’s memories.
• Lu Li found that only thirteen Eleventh Division members had survived, appointed Gosuke Chief Seated Officer, and ordered the division to recruit strong members from Rukongai.
• Lu Li learned that nearly every Captain had been assigned to teach, while Aizen had exchanged his classes for calligraphy and planned to discuss the Hōgyoku with Kisuke Urahara.
• Aizen noticed Lu Li’s restlessness and asked whether his Hollowification power had disappeared, wondering why Lu Li seemed so anxious to become stronger.

Lu Li taught swordsmanship at the True Spirit Arts Academy, where Byakuya Kuchiki and Isshin Shiba demonstrated their exceptional skills. He then called on Yushiro Shihouin and Nanao Ise, reflecting on the Ise Clan’s place among the Five Great Noble Clans and wondering about Nanao’s apparent age.

• Lu Li told Aizen that he would leave on a training journey in a few months but promised to return before Aizen’s ultimate plan began.
• Lu Li taught swordsmanship at the True Spirit Arts Academy, drawing packed classes and even Seated Officers and Lieutenants seeking to learn from him.
• Lu Li called Byakuya Kuchiki and Isshin Shiba to spar, and they fought fiercely until he stopped their attacks with his fingers.
• Lu Li sent Byakuya and Isshin back to the audience, then called Yushiro Shihouin and Nanao Ise to demonstrate.
• Lu Li considered how the Ise Clan’s divine sword was connected to the Five Great Noble Clans and questioned how old the childlike Nanao might be.

Lu Li expanded his True Spirit Arts Academy teaching with Shadow Clones, and Aizen learned to use the technique too. After trading with Mandala for a device that tracked the Soul King’s body parts, Lu Li found a fingertip in Zaraki District and led the Eleventh Division there.

• Lu Li taught Yushiro Shihouin and Nanao Ise, then the Captain-Commander ordered him to open more classes with Shadow Clones.
• Lu Li and Aizen developed their Shadow Clone abilities, which let them manage their duties while pursuing plans to gather Soul King fragments for a Hōgyoku.
• Mandala offered Lu Li a tracker for eight hundred thousand Doomsday Coins, and Lu Li signed a contract to acquire it.
• Lu Li used the tracker to locate a Soul King fingertip in Northern Flowing Soul Street, District Eighty, in Zaraki District.
• Lu Li led the Eleventh Division out under the pretext of suppressing rioting refugees, heading toward the fragment’s location.

Lu Li separated from the Eleventh Division to use Mandala’s radar to find and extract pieces of the Soul King’s flesh. After collecting a fingertip from a vagrant in District 80, he followed the radar to a larger piece and encountered Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi; he extracted the flesh from Kenpachi’s opponent and learned how Kenpachi got his name.

• Lu Li left Gosuke and the Eleventh Division members to handle rebels near District 50 while he headed deeper into Rukongai alone.
• Lu Li used Mandala’s radar to extract a glowing fingertip of the Soul King’s flesh from an unconscious vagrant in District 80.
• The radar led Lu Li beyond District 80 to a moving target, where he found Kenpachi fighting a local strongman with Yachiru Kusajishi on his back.
• Lu Li stopped Kenpachi’s opponent from attacking, then used the radar to extract the Soul King’s flesh from the unconscious man.
• Kenpachi told Lu Li that he had no name and wanted to fight, while Yachiru reminded him that he had named himself Kenpachi Zaraki.

Lu Li extracted the Soul King's lungs and fought Kenpachi Zaraki, whose battle lust and strength grew as they traded blows. Lu Li released Prison Demon’s Shikai, and Kenpachi suddenly lost sight of him.

• Lu Li stored the Soul King's lungs, introduced himself as the Eleventh Division Captain, and challenged Kenpachi Zaraki to join his division if he lost.
• Kenpachi Zaraki attacked Lu Li, who caught Nozarashi with one hand and wounded him with a burst of Reiatsu.
• Kenpachi Zaraki returned to the fight after sending Yachiru away, and his slash failed to cut Lu Li.
• Lu Li and Kenpachi Zaraki traded increasingly powerful blows as Kenpachi's attributes and Reiatsu rose.
• Lu Li ended the warm-up, activated Prison Demon’s Shikai, and vanished from Kenpachi Zaraki’s dynamic vision.

Lu Li defeated Kenpachi Zaraki, healed him, and brought him to the Eleventh Division as its new Lieutenant. Meanwhile, Tokinada Tsunayashiro agreed to help a mysterious green bird kill Lu Li, and Lu Li showed Aizen a piece of the Soul King.

• Lu Li defeated Kenpachi Zaraki in battle, healed his wounds, and persuaded him to join the Gotei 13 as the Eleventh Division's Lieutenant.
• Tokinada Tsunayashiro agreed to become clan head and kill Lu Li at the request of a mysterious green bird.
• Lu Li welcomed Kenpachi Zaraki to the Eleventh Division, while news of the appointment reached Unohana and stirred her interest.
• Aizen told Lu Li that he planned to fuse Hōgyōku powered by Hollow and Shinigami strength, and Lu Li revealed a fingertip of the Soul King.

Lu Li told Aizen about the Wandenreich, Yhwach, and the Quincy factions, while revealing that the hidden empire lay beneath the Seireitei. The two considered the threat and Aizen deduced that the Quincy were connected to the Soul King, leaving Lu Li surprised by his reasoning.

• Lu Li showed Aizen a radar that tracked Soul King body parts and said it had come from a Quincy, then attributed its advanced technology to the Wandenreich.
• Lu Li explained that Yhwach had survived the war eight hundred years earlier and that the Wandenreich was hidden in the shadows beneath the Seireitei.
• Lu Li told Aizen that the Wandenreich had watched the recent battle and that the Quincy who left for the Living World had rejected Vollständig.
• Lu Li explained why he had not told the Captain-Commander about the Wandenreich, and Aizen discussed how he might counter Ryūjin Jakka while Lu Li insisted Yamamoto must not be killed.
• Aizen examined the Soul King's fingertip and deduced that Yhwach and the Quincy were connected to the Soul King, surprising Lu Li.

Lu Li and Aizen examined clues suggesting the Soul King had been betrayed and made into the foundation of the Three Realms, and discussed how that history shaped the Quincy and Shinigami. They gathered Soul King organs and prepared to create Hōgyoku, leaving Aizen poised to begin the final experiment in Hueco Mundo.

• Aizen compared the Spirit King Palace’s layout to a Quincy Cross and proposed that the Soul King had been the Quincy’s true ancestor.
• Lu Li considered how the Five Great Noble Clans might have betrayed the Soul King, and concluded that Yhwach’s desire for revenge could have been justified even if the Shinigami were protecting the world as they knew it.
• Lu Li and Aizen discussed the origins of the Three Realms, the Dragons of the Western Branch Office, and the limits of the Soul King’s omniscience and omnipotence.
• Aizen said he wanted to stabilize the world and renew its corrupt power structures, while warning that the Tsunayashiro family might possess powerful hidden defenses.
• Lu Li gave Aizen a bottle containing the Soul King’s lungs and asked him to make a Hōgyoku, while noting the Quincy prophecy that Yhwach would revive in about two hundred years.
• Aizen returned to the Fifth Division barracks to arrange a Shadow Clone and prepare to travel to Hueco Mundo for the final Hōgyoku experiment.

Aizen completed a Mythic-grade Hōgyoku infused with the Soul King's Fingertip, and Lu Li arranged to take the stronger Hōgyoku containing the Soul King's Lung. Back in the Seireitei, Lu Li resumed sparring with Kenpachi Zaraki until Unohana confronted them over the trouble they had caused.

• Aizen showed Lu Li the completed Hōgyoku, whose appraisal revealed its Mythic quality, evolutionary power, and temporary Luck bonus, though authenticating it would cost fifty Inheritance Crystals.
• Lu Li agreed to take the Hōgyoku infused with the Soul King's Lung, while Aizen kept the one containing the Soul King's Fingertip and planned to search for more Soul King organs.
• After Lu Li's Shadow Clone relayed its memories, his true body became distracted by the Hōgyoku's Luck bonus during a spar with Kenpachi Zaraki, then continued teaching him swordsmanship.
• Unohana arrived at the Eleventh Division dojo and warned Lu Li about the injuries and complaints caused by his and Kenpachi Zaraki's sparring.
• Kenpachi Zaraki recognized Unohana and challenged her to a fight, while Lu Li apologized and invited her to send him to the Fourth Division for treatment.

Unohana invited Lu Li to a supervised duel in the Central Underground Great Prison, and he agreed, bringing Kenpachi Zaraki along. As they headed to the First Division, Unohana and Lu Li told Kenpachi that years of fighting weak opponents had badly dulled his strength.

• Unohana challenged Lu Li to spar and revealed that she had secured a training ground in the Central Underground Great Prison under Head Captain Yamamoto’s supervision.
• Unohana demonstrated her speed by pressing Minazuki to Kenpachi Zaraki’s throat, then told him he was far weaker than he had been centuries ago.
• Lu Li accepted Unohana’s invitation and asked to bring Kenpachi Zaraki, whom Unohana said might be recruited as a Captain-class powerhouse.
• Kenpachi Zaraki asked whether he could fight Head Captain Yamamoto, and Lu Li warned him that Yamamoto was vastly stronger than he was.
• As Lu Li, Unohana, and Kenpachi Zaraki left for the First Division, Lu Li admitted he had used only about ten percent of his strength against Kenpachi, and Unohana blamed Kenpachi’s decline on fighting weaklings in the Rukongai District.