Chapter Summaries

Unohana Retsu killed the Quincy who attacked the 11th Division Barracks, then left after the Captain-Commander summoned her. The Third Seat Officer took charge of the barracks and ordered patrols as the war continued.

• Unohana Retsu swiftly killed the Quincy leader and cut down the remaining attackers when they drew their bows.
• Unohana sheathed her Zanpakuto, told everyone to clean up the barracks, and sat back down.
• Unohana sensed a summons from the Captain-Commander and left the barracks using Shunpo.
• The Third Seat Officer took command and ordered Ishikawa, Tanaka, and Tsuchida to patrol for enemies.

The Gotei 13 captains gathered beneath Sogyoku Hill and fought off a Quincy assault while Araki faced Yhwach far from the barracks. Yhwach tried to recruit Araki as his son, but Araki attacked him instead.

• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and the captains assembled beneath Sogyoku Hill, with Araki missing from the gathering.
• Yamamoto explained that Araki had chosen the meeting point after discovering enemy troops, and the captains realized he might be in danger.
• Quincies surrounded the captains, who charged into battle as Saito Furofushi worried about Araki.
• About thirty ri from the barracks, Araki encountered Yhwach, who offered to make him his son and enlist his power.
• Araki rejected Yhwach's offer and activated K-ROOM: Piercing Wave, apparently striking Yhwach's horse.

Araki rejected Yhwach’s offer to become his son and join the Sternritter, then killed Schubert when the vice-captain challenged him. Yhwach attacked Araki after he chose to fight, and the chapter ended as they clashed.

• Araki rejected the Quincy mission and slashed Yhwach’s horse rather than accept Yhwach’s offer.
• Yhwach assigned Schubert to fight Araki, but Araki stabbed Schubert from behind and split him in two.
• Yhwach destroyed Schubert’s remains with Reishi arrows and offered Araki Schubert’s place as vice-captain if he became Yhwach’s child.
• Araki released Ruriko with the command “Intimidate them!” and fired a barrage of light arrows at Yhwach.
• Yhwach blocked Araki’s arrows, declared that Araki had made his choice, and charged at him with his blade.

Araki fought Yhwach, using mistification, Haki, and his Zanpakuto’s abilities to evade attacks and land a serious wound after testing whether Yhwach could see the future. Yhwach became enraged and released immense power, so Araki unleashed his full Bankai, the Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli.

• Yhwach cleaved Araki in two, but Araki turned to mist and re-formed before striking back.
• Araki coated his Zanpakuto with Armament Haki and Conqueror’s Haki, wounding Yhwach and forcing him to retreat.
• Araki dodged Yhwach’s Heilig Pfeil and evaded a giant spear by opening a hole in his body, then used K-ROOM: Piercing Wave to pierce Yhwach’s chest.
• Araki used ROOM to swap places with a Quincy, who was caught and destroyed by Yhwach’s attack.
• Yhwach erupted with Spiritual Pressure and vowed to punish Araki, who answered by releasing his Bankai, Medicine Master Buddha: Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli.

Araki used his Yakushi Twelve Vows Bankai to trap Yhwach in a Buddhist Pure Land, but Yhwach eventually broke free, and their battle left Araki exhausted. After Araki refused Yhwach’s demand to submit, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni arrived with the Gotei 13 and confronted the wounded Quincy king.

• Yhwach resisted Araki’s Yakushi Twelve Vows illusion, but the vows drained much of his power before he escaped back to the Soul Society.
• Araki attacked Yhwach with the Chakravartin Holy King’s palms and a defense-piercing sword, then detonated the Holy King and two Attendants in a final blast.
• Yhwach survived the explosion and held a Quincy sword to Araki’s neck, demanding that he submit or die.
• Araki refused Yhwach and escaped with ROOM, then stabbed the half-dead Quincy Sedlitz, prompting Yhwach to pursue him.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni arrived with the Gotei 13 and confronted the injured Yhwach, preparing to release his Bankai.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni defeated Yhwach with a Bankai strike after Araki and Chōjirō Sasakibe created an opening, and the Soul Reapers celebrated their victory. Yhwach survived as a charred corpse in the shadows, where he and Jugram Haschwalth began the Wandenreich’s plan to return and conquer the world.

• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni activated Bankai and prepared to fight Yhwach, who drew his sword for their final clash.
• Araki manipulated Yhwach’s reishi, allowing Chōjirō Sasakibe to stab him from behind and distract him.
• Yamamoto brought down a flaming sword strike that apparently burned Yhwach to ashes, while Saito Furofushi and Unohana Retsu caught the exhausted Araki.
• A 1st Division member took Araki for treatment after Obana Danjirō stopped Saito and Unohana from fighting over him.
• Chōjirō announced the Soul Reapers’ victory, though Yamamoto suspected Yhwach would return and thought Araki might one day face him.
• Yhwach revealed he had survived in the shadows, renamed his empire the Wandenreich, and told Jugram Haschwalth that he would reclaim his power and the world.

After recovering in the hot springs, Araki returned to healing injured members of the 11th Division. Hyosube Ichibei then arrived on behalf of the Soul King and asked whether Araki could use his ability to put the Soul King back together.

• Araki woke from a nightmare in the hot springs, where Yamamoto and the First Generation Gotei 13 captains crowded around him and demanded sparring matches.
• Araki left the hot springs after Yamamoto said the Soul King had personally named him and wanted to see him, though Araki remained wary of the summons.
• Several days later, Araki used ROOM to reattach the final injured squad member's leg and restore him.
• Hyosube Ichibei appeared behind Araki, introduced himself as a member of Division 0, and said the Soul King wished to see him.
• Hyosube Ichibei asked Araki whether his ability could put the Soul King back together.

Hyosube Ichibei invited Araki to join Division 0, but Araki initially refused until Oetsu Nimaiya tempted him with daily parties. Araki accepted the invitation to visit the Soul King Palace, leaving Unohana Retsu worried behind.

• Araki prepared to release his Zanpakuto when Hyosube Ichibei approached, but lowered his hand after Hyosube explained he meant no harm.
• Hyosube asked whether Araki's ability could affect the Soul King and invited him to join Division 0, but Araki refused.
• Oetsu Nimaiya arrived and offered to throw parties with Araki every day, prompting Araki to nearly accept before noticing Unohana Retsu's icy aura.
• Araki accepted Division 0's invitation to visit the Soul King Palace and left with Oetsu Nimaiya, while Hyosube explained the situation to a worried Unohana Retsu.

Araki agreed to help gather the Soul King’s scattered fragments, then learned his Zanpakuto unnerved Hyosube Ichibei because it had evolved beyond the monk’s ability to control. Araki departed with Division 0 for the Soul King Palace, leaving Sasakibe worried but reassured by Yamamoto.

• Hyosube told Araki that Division 0 wanted him to gather the Soul King’s scattered fragments if his power could affect the Soul King, and Araki agreed.
• Oetsu examined Araki’s Zanpakuto, and Hyosube revealed that its Shikai and Bankai names differed from the ones he knew.
• Hyosube recoiled from Araki’s sword, while Araki’s Zanpakuto hinted that the monk feared the “True Buddha.”
• Araki, Hyosube, and Oetsu reached Shiba Clan territory, where Yamamoto and Sasakibe came to see them off.
• The Shiba Clan head fired the Shiba Cannon, launching Tenchuren and carrying Araki and Division 0 toward the Soul King Palace.
• Sasakibe worried that he might never see Araki again, but Yamamoto told him to leave everything to Araki.

Araki arrived at the Soul King Palace with the Monk, who explained its layout and offered to raise Araki’s Spiritual Pressure to First-Class before he met the Soul King. Araki accepted, suspecting the Monk intended to use him for a hidden purpose.

• The Monk and Araki reached the Soul King Palace aboard the Tenchuren, and Araki felt the immense spirit particle density as he stepped onto the Omotesando.
• The Monk showed Araki the detached palaces of himself and Oetsu Nimaiya, while Araki recognized that the palaces were vital to Division 0 members’ survival and resurrection.
• Araki asked where Oetsu had gone, and the Monk claimed he had sent him to fetch something.
• The Monk told Araki he would visit his detached palace before meeting the Soul King because Araki’s current Spiritual Pressure was too weak to restore the Soul King’s lost fragments.
• The Monk offered to train Araki to First-Class Spiritual Might, and Araki agreed while deciding to turn the Monk’s plan to his own advantage.

Araki agreed to let the Monk reshape his body and unify his powers, but discovered the Monk intended to prepare him as a replacement Soul King. Araki had anticipated the scheme and planned to take Ikkomikidō’s power for himself.

• The Monk explained that Araki’s many powers needed to be unified and offered to reshape him using the Soul King’s power, and Araki agreed after testing the Monk for lies.
• The Monk began the trial, and Araki was transported to a familiar path beyond the reach of his future sight.
• Araki realized the Monk meant to make him a replacement Soul King and gather the scattered Soul King Fragments.
• Oetsu brought the Monk a Zanpakuto, and the Monk explained that Division 0 needed a new Soul King if Yhwach won.
• The Monk removed the seal from Ikkomikidō, while Araki revealed that he had anticipated the plan and intended to steal the Hollow Eater’s power.

Araki's Zanpakuto subdued Ikkomikidō, who was renamed Kumbhira, while the Soul King's power and Kumbhira's strength helped Araki fuse his Haki with his Spiritual Pressure. Araki's Spiritual Pressure reached first-class, and Monk fled rather than risk facing him.

• Araki's Zanpakuto struck Ikkomikidō with lapis lazuli light, and Ikkomikidō recovered his memories and began to announce his true name.
• A formless Buddha subdued Ikkomikidō and bestowed on him the name Kumbhira.
• Monk feared Araki might use Yakushi Rurikō to subdue him too, so he fled and left Oetsu Nimaiya behind.
• Araki fused his Haki and Spiritual Pressure with the Soul King's power, his accumulated rewards, and the power Yakushi Rurikō drew from Kumbhira.
• Araki's Character Panel showed that his Spiritual Pressure had reached first-class.

After completing his training, Araki realized his reconstructed Oken body would draw powerful enemies, but he remained determined to return to the Seireitei. He rejected Oetsu Nimaiya’s offer to join Division 0 and left the Soul King Palace, while Hyosube Ichibei stayed hidden in the Soul King’s Great Inner Palace.

• Araki reviewed his strengthened character template and recognized that his Oken body could make him a target for those seeking access to the Soul King Palace.
• Araki learned that Hyosube Ichibei had gone to the Soul King’s Great Inner Palace and planned to remain there for over a thousand years.
• Oetsu told Araki the Great Inner Palace was closed and that the Soul King had already blessed Araki’s ability to deal with scattered Soul King fragments.
• Araki asked Oetsu where the Tenchuren was and declined to remain in the Soul King Palace or join Division 0, saying the Soul King, Soul Society, Yhwach, and Central 46 did not matter to him.
• Araki rode the Tenchuren down from the Soul King Palace, and Hyosube appeared after his departure.

Araki learned that his transformation had created a palace bound to his life, then considered three dangerous missions involving the Soul King and Yhwach. He decided to use Aizen to reshape Soul Society and later revealed that he had anticipated Aizen’s plans and could overpower him.

• Hyosube Ichibei told Oetsu Nimaiya that Araki’s new palace was inseparable from him, making each impossible to destroy while the other survived.
• Araki reviewed his three missions: serve in the Gotei 13, help Yhwach remake the Three Worlds, or gather the Soul King’s fragments and restore him.
• Araki rejected all three missions and decided that Aizen Sōsuke should become Captain-Commander and eliminate Soul Society’s enemies under his control.
• Years later, Araki offered Aizen the Captain-Commander position as Aizen prepared to defect with the Hogyoku.
• Araki revealed that he knew about Aizen’s plans and challenged him to try defeating him with Kyoka Suigetsu, half a Hogyoku, and his Hollows.

Araki returned to the 11th Division and discovered that Saito Furofushi had been dismissed as Sixth Division captain and left without a division. He accepted her into the 11th Division as Third Seat Officer, then left to demand an explanation from Yamamoto for the nobles’ treatment of his people.

• Araki crashed the Tenchuren through the 11th Division barracks, greeted his members, and ordered them to send the transport to the Shiba Clan estate and repair the damage.
• Araki found Saito Furofushi in his Captain’s Office and learned from Unohana Retsu that Saito had abandoned her Sixth Division members during Yhwach’s invasion and been stripped of her position.
• Saito admitted she was homeless, and Araki approved her enlistment in the 11th Division as Third Seat Officer, telling her she could become vice-captain if she defeated Retsu.
• Araki left to confront Yamamoto and demand an explanation for the way Saito had been treated, while Retsu kept Saito in the office for tea.

Araki confronted Genryūsai about the First Generation Gotei 13’s captain positions and secured permission to take the dangerous former captains under his control. After summoning Ikkomikidō to tease Genryūsai about their past, Araki provoked his master into drawing his Bankai to test his strength.

• Araki released his Spiritual Pressure at the 1st Division Barracks, incapacitating the members in his way and impressing Oshiba Genshirō before entering Genryūsai’s office.
• Araki demanded to know why Genryūsai had handed the Gotei 13 captain positions to the nobles, and Genryūsai explained that the Seireitei needed to move beyond its First Generation’s bloodshed.
• Araki asked to take responsibility for the dangerous former captains, and Genryūsai agreed as long as Araki kept them from threatening the Seireitei.
• Araki drew his second Zanpakuto and awakened Kumbhira, revealing Ikkomikidō and prompting it to mock Genryūsai about their past encounter.
• Araki laughed at Genryūsai’s embarrassment, so Genryūsai released his Bankai and advanced to test his disciple’s strength.

Araki returned to the 11th Division after fighting Yamamoto, whose office was damaged and whose eye was bruised. Araki told Unohana and Saito that he had provoked the clash to draw the noble factions into trying to recruit him, leaving him ready to turn their schemes against them.

• Araki and Yamamoto fought in the 1st Division Captain's Office, and their clash blasted away the roof and left Yamamoto with a swollen eye.
• Sasakibe told the concerned 1st Division members that Yamamoto had subdued a large mosquito, and Yamamoto backed up the explanation before sending them away.
• Yamamoto praised Araki's rapid growth and questioned Sasakibe about what he had heard and seen, while Sasakibe denied knowing anything about the fight.
• Araki returned to the 11th Division and explained to Saito that Yamamoto had bruised his eye, then drank a pot of tea poured by Unohana.
• Araki told Unohana and Saito that the nobles were their real enemies and that he had fought Yamamoto to make the noble factions approach him with offers.

Araki confronted a Central 46 judge who tried to use the law to pressure him and the 11th Division. He revealed his Division 0 affiliation, leaving the judge speechless while Fake Monk noticed a section of haori missing from a cabinet in Soul King Palace.

• Araki sensed the nobles' retainers arriving and led Unohana and Saito to meet them outside the 11th Division Barracks.
• A Central 46 judge used an 11th Division member's threat against him to pressure Araki into choosing between the law and his subordinate.
• Araki slapped the judge twice, then removed his 11th Division haori and put on a Division 0 haori.
• Araki asked whether Soul Society's rules could control Division 0, and the judge fell silent.
• In Soul King Palace, Fake Monk noticed that a section of haori was missing from a cabinet.

Araki used his Division 0 authority to end the judge’s attempt to intimidate him and protect the 11th Division soldier he had targeted. He then made the judge lead him to the nobles who had arranged the confrontation, preparing for a bloody reckoning.

• Araki taunted the judge and his retainers about trying to prosecute a Royal Guard, while the judge kicked a retainer who threatened Araki.
• The judge explained that Division 0 served the Soul King, prompting the retainers to kneel and beg Araki for forgiveness.
• Araki used his Spiritual Pressure to keep the retainers pinned down and helped the 11th Division soldier to his feet.
• Araki revealed that he had ordered the soldier to defend the barracks and said he had come on the Soul King’s orders to meet Captain Unohana and Vice-Captain Saito.
• Araki reminded the judge why he had come, and the judge realized Araki had seen through the nobles’ attempt to intimidate him before recruiting him.
• The judge agreed to lead Araki onward, while Araki smiled and touched his Zanpakuto, anticipating bloodshed.

Araki led Unohana Retsu into Central 46, killed Tsunayashiro Yasushuku, and used Kiba to slaughter the gathered Sages and judges while leaving one judge alive until Kiba ate him. He arranged for the massacre to be blamed on a Menos Grande and planned a Hueco Mundo expedition, while Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni received secret reports of the events.

• Araki ordered Saito to prepare the 11th Division for battle and took Retsu and a judge to Central 46.
• Araki entered Central 46 with Retsu and the judge, where Tsunayashiro Yasushuku introduced himself.
• Araki killed Tsunayashiro Yasushuku, then released Kiba, who slaughtered the Sages and judges and swallowed the surviving judge.
• Araki told Retsu to report that a Menos Grande had attacked Central 46 and request Division 0 investigators, while Kiba escaped after firing a Cero.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni received secret reports that Central 46 had been wiped out and that Araki planned a Hueco Mundo expedition.