Yhwach's True Objective

"Bankai: Kōkō Sendan!"

"Bankai: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"

"Bankai: Great Crimson Ice Dragon!"

"Bankai: Tree Realm Birth!!!"

For a time, as the Sternritter realized that their Schrift had been sealed by some unknown method employed by the Thirteen Divisions and could no longer be used—

Nearly every Sternritter member fighting the Soul Reapers cast aside their smug, cat-and-mouse expressions and released the Bankai they had stolen, attempting to swiftly crush the Soul Reapers.

Tree Realm Birth, originally stolen from Chiba Makoto, in particular, assumed a colossal form that nearly covered an entire division barracks.

Yet faced with this scene, the Soul Reapers whose Bankai had been stolen all revealed faintly amused smiles. Then, they took a special substance called Shadow Invading Medicine from their robes and fused it into their spiritual bodies.

At once, every Bankai that had been stolen by the Sternritter instantly collapsed and returned to the Soul Reapers' hands.

What?!

The sudden reversal left every Sternritter member wearing an incredulous expression of horror.

Not only had their crucial Schrift been sealed, but even the Bankai they had seized with their Star Marks had instantly been lost?

"We've been tricked! Even the Bankai we seized from the Thirteen Divisions earlier were part of the trap?"

At once, quite a few of the more sharp-witted Sternritter members realized where the problem lay.

In truth, with the abilities of Kurotsuchi Mayuri and Aizen Sōsuke, the Shadow Invading Medicine designed to counter the Star Marks' Bankai-stealing ability had been completed in less than a day.

After carefully analyzing the composition of the Star Marks and the process by which they stole Bankai—

Kurotsuchi Mayuri and Aizen Sōsuke both quickly realized that Hollowified reishi could easily disrupt the Star Marks' internal balance, rendering their abilities ineffective.

Shadow Invading Medicine, a substance that allowed