Chapter Summaries

Asano Kiyoshi arranged a public investigation of the Kasumioji Clan and used the captured Deer-Masked Man to announce the Reishi ID Card system. He left the chapter preparing to use the new identification system as part of his broader plan against the Tsunayashiro Clan.

• Rurichiyo agreed to cooperate with the investigation and asked that Reishi Images record the entire process so the Kasumioji Clan could be cleared of suspicion.
• Kumoi realized Asano Kiyoshi had blocked communications around Sōkyoku Hill with a Reishi field, preventing him from warning his subordinates.
• Asano Kiyoshi told Rurichiyo that someone in her household had likely joined the Bakuyō Sword affair, and Rurichiyo accepted the consequences and offered compensation.
• The Captain-Commander ordered Soi Fon to lead the search of the Kasumioji Clan, with Aizen and Fifth Division members providing support while the Research and Development Department broadcast it live.
• Asano Kiyoshi assessed the mentally broken Deer-Masked Man and decided to take the initiative against the Tsunayashiro Clan by creating a Reishi ID Card system.
• Asano Kiyoshi announced that the Twelfth Division would record citizens' spiritual pressure in a database so their identities and information could be verified.

Asano Kiyoshi defended his Reishi ID Card policy against nobles who feared it would expose their private forces and secrets. Tsunayashiro Sosuke challenged him over inspections of noble residences, and Asano said he would personally lead those inspections if necessary.

• Asano Kiyoshi explained that Reishi ID Cards would help the Gotei 13 track residents and assess noble houses’ private forces, while nobles worried the policy would expose their secrets.
• A noble questioned whether the cards should be compulsory and raised concerns about administration, fraud, and privacy, but Asano outlined the rollout schedule and said cards would be needed to enter buildings.
• The nobles fell silent under Tsunayashiro Sosuke’s pressure and fear of provoking Asano Kiyoshi.
• Tsunayashiro Sosuke asked whether verifying Reishi ID Card information would require searches of noble residences, and commoners watching the broadcast loudly accused the nobles of hiding crimes.
• Asano Kiyoshi said verification would not involve private information, then offered to lead inspections of the Great Nobles’ residences himself.

Asano Kiyoshi rejected Tsunayashiro Sosuke’s attempt to dissuade him and committed to investigating the noble family’s Reishi ID Cards. The Captain-Commander concluded the hearing, named Asano leader of an investigation into Yoshida Tomoya’s affairs, and appointed him Chief Kido Master.

• Tsunayashiro Sosuke warned Asano Kiyoshi against personally investigating the Tsunayashiro Family, but Asano insisted he would oversee the work himself.
• The Captain-Commander declared that Asano had acted in self-defense, ordered a public review of the Kasumioji Clan, and established an investigation into Yoshida Tomoya’s work and correspondence under Asano’s leadership.
• The Captain-Commander celebrated Asano’s appointment by using Ryūjin Jakka to create a vast display of flames and sparks above Sōkyoku Hill.
• The Captain-Commander draped the Chief Kido Master’s blue-purple cloak over Asano’s shoulders and congratulated him on reaching the pinnacle of Kido.

Asano Kiyoshi inherited the Chief Kido Master’s robe and staff, then began his inaugural speech by revealing that his silence had been part of it. He used Reflecting Mirror to display the crowd’s words and expressions, introducing them to Kido’s power.

• The Captain-Commander gave Asano Kiyoshi the Chief Kido Master’s robe and the staff engraved with “Demon,” explaining the oath and the first Chief Kido Master’s devotion to Kido.
• Asano Kiyoshi remembered the late master’s plea not to abandon Kido and bowed toward his departing figure.
• Asano Kiyoshi stood silently for five minutes as the crowd and nobles speculated about why he had not begun speaking.
• Asano Kiyoshi silenced the crowd with a tap of his staff and said his inaugural speech had begun when they started talking.
• Asano Kiyoshi cast Reverse Kido No. 21—Reflecting Mirror, showing the crowd clear records of their recent words and expressions.

Asano Kiyoshi demonstrated Kido that let him alter events shown in recordings of the past, then explained its limits. He urged the Shinigami to reform Kido and invent new spells, leaving the crowd inspired by his vision.

• Asano Kiyoshi used a mirror recording to give a civilian called Uncle a thousand-Kan banknote, which appeared in Uncle’s chest in the present.
• Asano Kiyoshi punished a noble who had accused him of gaining his post through connections by giving him a humiliating haircut through the mirror, and the noble fainted.
• Asano Kiyoshi clarified that his Kido could only alter certain past events if activated beforehand and was unlikely to kill or save someone.
• Asano Kiyoshi called on the Shinigami to create new Kido and reform existing spells instead of relying on centuries-old teachings.

After Asano Kiyoshi’s coronation, he introduced Nel as his lover and the Kidō Corps’ new Combat Unit Captain, revealing that she had Captain-level spiritual pressure. The Kidō Corps celebrated its rise in status, and the chapter ended with Nel waking Asano Kiyoshi for their first day of work.

• Asano Kiyoshi’s shattered mirror images became a rain of Reishi that healed the crowd’s injuries, and the people celebrated him.
• Asano Kiyoshi presented Nel as his lover and the Kidō Corps’ new Combat Unit Captain.
• Nel revealed her Captain-level spiritual pressure, silencing doubts about her appointment and inspiring the Kidō Corps to celebrate having two Captain-level figures.
• Asano Kiyoshi urged the Kidō Corps to work with him and Nel to build a new face for the organization, and its members answered with confidence.
• The next morning, Nel woke Asano Kiyoshi and dragged him out of bed for their first day of work.

Asano Kiyoshi and Nel shared a quiet morning walk, but Aizen interrupted their almost-kiss to ask Asano to help investigate sealed areas in the Kasumioji Clan estate. Asano agreed, though he wondered why Aizen needed his help, and he and Nel reached the Kido Corps office.

• Asano Kiyoshi asked Nel whether she was upset about what he had said the previous day, and Nel confessed she would have been happier if he had said it sooner.
• Asano Kiyoshi leaned toward Nel, but Aizen appeared and interrupted them, mistakenly assuming he had walked in on a couple's date.
• Aizen explained that lost Kido spells had blocked the investigation of suspicious areas in the Kasumioji Clan estate, and asked Asano to help remove them that night.
• Asano agreed to help, then wondered why Aizen could not undo the spells himself.
• Asano took Nel's hand, and the two arrived at the entrance to the Kido Corps.

Asano Kiyoshi and Nel arrived at the dilapidated Kido Corps headquarters and found it nearly deserted and badly neglected. After learning that the staff had grown lazy under Yoshida Tomoya, Asano ordered the absent members to report, only to discover that even basic communication capabilities were lacking.

• Asano Kiyoshi and Nel inspected the shabby headquarters and found almost no Kido Reishi or staff present.
• Asano Kiyoshi decided to punish the members if they failed to arrive by eight, while Nel supported his approach.
• Several masked members arrived shortly before eight, and Matsumoto Taku reported that twenty people were assigned to headquarters that day.
• Matsumoto Taku explained that the absent members had ignored warnings to arrive early and that the staff had become lazy under Yoshida Tomoya.
• Asano Kiyoshi ordered Matsumoto Taku to notify the absentees, but learned that Matsumoto Taku did not know Tenteikūra and could not send a large-scale notification.

Asano Kiyoshi waited for the Kidō Corps members to arrive so he could begin reshaping the organization. After most arrived late and two noble-born members strolled in more than an hour after work began, he confronted them with a cold glare.

• Asano Kiyoshi used a Kido technique with Matsumoto Taku's help to identify the Spiritual Pressures of the members who had not yet arrived, then summoned them through Reishi communication.
• Asano Kiyoshi reassured the members who had arrived on time that he would explain his plans for a new Kidō Corps once everyone was present.
• Asano Kiyoshi let a distant member who arrived late stand with the group, then waited as more than a dozen others arrived.
• Matsumoto Taku explained that the two remaining members were noble children using the Kidō Corps to pad their résumés.
• At 9:07, two noble-born men arrived; one disdainfully strolled in, and Asano Kiyoshi asked them why they were so late.

Asano Kiyoshi confronted two nobles who arrived late to repair a Kidō Corps building and punished one when he defied him. He issued strict new rules to the Corps, leaving its members shaken and ordered to relay them to personnel elsewhere.

• Asano Kiyoshi challenged two nobles over their late arrival and rejected their claim that they had hurried to the headquarters.
• When the buzz-cut noble argued that two people could not repair the dilapidated building, Asano Kiyoshi struck him with Byakurai, crippling his legs and throat, and expelled him from the Kidō Corps.
• Asano Kiyoshi ordered Matsumoto Taku to remove the injured noble, while the gathered members watched in fear.
• Asano Kiyoshi reprimanded the members for arriving more than half an hour late and used his spiritual pressure to demand their compliance.
• Asano Kiyoshi announced that repeated neglect or serious incidents, bullying civilians, and abusing authority would bring expulsion and further punishment, and ordered members to pass the rules on to personnel elsewhere.

Asano Kiyoshi began rebuilding the Kidō Corps with strict standards, recruitment plans, examinations, and a merit system. After targeting the Aomura Family for investigation and working with Nel on the new system, he received a visit from Aizen Sosuke.

• Asano Kiyoshi announced new regulations for the Kidō Corps and ordered an internal review and open recruitment.
• Asano Kiyoshi appointed Nel as his temporary assistant and tasked Matsumoto Taku with collecting members’ spiritual pressure and information for Reishi ID cards.
• Asano Kiyoshi reviewed Aomura Shinichi’s file and planned to have the Second Division investigate the Aomura Family for possible confiscation of its property.
• Nel organized ways for members to earn merit, while Asano Kiyoshi established rewards for service and missions and set the cost of learning advanced Kidō.
• Aizen Sosuke arrived at the office and asked to speak with Asano Kiyoshi.

Asano Kiyoshi joined Aizen and Nel on their way to investigate the Kasumioji Clan, stopping first at the Repentance Palace to free someone he had promised to help. His arrival stunned the prisoners, many of whom recognized him from his past.

• Aizen apologized for interrupting Asano Kiyoshi's work, while privately wondering why Kiyoshi kept his distance from him.
• Asano Kiyoshi paused his work with Nel and agreed to accompany Aizen to the Kasumioji Clan, but said he first needed to visit the Repentance Palace.
• Aizen correctly guessed that Asano Kiyoshi intended to visit the Repentance Palace and urged him to hurry before Soi Fon grew impatient.
• Asano Kiyoshi and Aizen discussed the palace's imposing staircase as they approached under the moonlight.
• The prisoners recognized Asano Kiyoshi when he arrived at the cells, and their whispers turned to cries of shock.

Asano Kiyoshi returned to the prison as Chief Kido Master and told the prisoners he had not become like the people who imprisoned them. He and Aizen reached Naka Tatefuru, and Kiyoshi invited him to the front lines to expose the darkness.

• Asano Kiyoshi told a prisoner that he remained himself and would never become one of the people who had thrown him in prison.
• Aizen asked how Kiyoshi would deal with the prisoners if he became the highest ruler, and Kiyoshi called for equal laws and justice for the guilty and innocent alike.
• Aizen said Kiyoshi’s answer gave him direction and hope, and the two lit torches and continued through the corridor.
• Naka Tatefuru kept writing against injustice with his blood despite imprisonment, beatings, and starvation.
• Asano Kiyoshi found Naka Tatefuru and invited him to join the front lines to expose the darkness, and Naka agreed.

Soi Fon waited at the Kasumioji Clan estate while nobles tried to pressure her over the investigation, but the Captain-Commander backed her and ordered a thorough inquiry into the clan’s connection to the Baku Katana. Aizen and Asano Kiyoshi arrived with Naka Tatefuru, and Soi Fon began explaining how delays in setting up surveillance may have given the clan time to destroy evidence.

• Soi Fon scolded Omaeda for eating during work, while he urged her to take a break and wait for Aizen and Asano Kiyoshi.
• Kasumioji Clan retainers brought nobles to pressure Soi Fon, and the Tsunayashiro Family sent a letter to the Captain-Commander, who burned it and ordered Soi Fon and Aizen to investigate the clan’s connection to the Baku Katana.
• Aizen arrived with Asano Kiyoshi and Naka Tatefuru, whom Soi Fon recognized and questioned about his release from the Repentance Palace.
• Asano Kiyoshi showed Soi Fon the Captain-Commander’s sealed authorization to release Naka Tatefuru and reopen the investigation into his case.
• Soi Fon explained that the Twelfth Division had monitored the estate’s Reishi, but noble privileges delayed setup by six minutes and gave the Kasumioji Clan time to prepare.

Soi Fon explained how the Kasumioji Clan had activated Kido at eight points around its estate, while Asano Kiyoshi began carefully dismantling one of the barriers to preserve evidence. As the barrier vanished, a clan head suddenly charged toward it.

• Soi Fon told Asano Kiyoshi that the Kasumioji Clan had used the estate’s complex layout to activate Kido at eight locations and then refused to dispel the spells.
• Asano Kiyoshi asked Naka Tatefuru to record the investigation exactly as it happened and said they would breach the clan’s defenses while preserving evidence.
• Asano Kiyoshi examined an incomplete Kido barrier whose unstable core could cause a Reishi explosion if handled incorrectly.
• With Aizen’s encouragement, Soi Fon trusted Asano Kiyoshi as he used the Scroll to dismantle the barrier, pretending to struggle so she would not lose face.
• The Kido barrier vanished, and a Kasumioji Clan head suddenly charged toward it.

An attacker used poison smoke and a bomb to delay Soi Fon while Asano Kiyoshi worked on dismantling the barrier. As more Kasumioji Clan servants attacked, Nel released Antelope Knight to protect the barrier point and Asano.

• A hidden attacker drew a Baku Katana from his chest and ambushed the group near the barrier, but Soi Fon subdued him.
• The attacker released poison smoke that disrupted spiritual pressure, then revealed a bomb strapped to his body.
• Soi Fon carried the bomber hundreds of meters away, but he detonated the bomb less than three hundred meters from the second barrier point.
• Soi Fon activated Shunko and flew toward the explosion to stop it from reaching the barrier, ordering Omaeda to hold off the attackers.
• Kasumioji Clan servants shed their disguises and charged, and Nel released Antelope Knight to confront them.

Nel defended Asano Kiyoshi from the Death Warriors’ suicide assault, killing many while preventing her spiritual pressure from rising beyond Captain level. After she triggered a chain of explosions and used Bakudo #62—Hyapporankan, she was injured but pushed toward Asano Kiyoshi.

• Nel attacked the Death Warriors as they charged at Asano Kiyoshi, killing them before many could detonate their explosives.
• The Death Warriors split their assault, with six fighters self-destructing toward Nel while others rushed toward Asano Kiyoshi.
• Asano Kiyoshi told Nel not to expose her spiritual pressure and said he could handle the attackers reaching him.
• Nel hurled her spear, triggering a chain of explosions, then used Bakudo #62—Hyapporankan against the remaining attackers.
• Nel spat blood after the blasts and rushed toward Asano Kiyoshi despite her injury.

Asano Kiyoshi joined the battle against the Death Warriors after Nel and Aizen were injured, releasing Yellow Springs and summoning rain that strengthened nearby allies and dispersed the poison gas. He began a powerful Reverse Destructive Kido attack as the Death Warriors kept charging.

• Aizen and the Second Division reinforcements attacked the Death Warriors, who released poison gas from their fallen comrades’ bodies.
• Aizen raised a Dankū barrier against the gas, but repeated explosions broke it and left him apparently injured.
• Asano Kiyoshi abandoned his analysis of the Reishi barrier after seeing Nel cough up blood and released his Zanpakuto, Yellow Springs.
• Asano Kiyoshi summoned icy rain that increased spiritual pressure and dispersed the poison gas.
• The Death Warriors resumed their advance, and Asano Kiyoshi cast Reverse Destructive Kido #3—Iron Wind Kill.

Asano Kiyoshi annihilated the Death Warriors at one Reishi guard point and rushed to support Soi Fon, who was close to being overwhelmed. Yoruichi arrived just as Soi Fon was caught by a Death Warrior’s tentacles.

• A dragon-shaped blast of concentrated Reishi erased the Death Warriors and everything across a stretch of ground, after which Asano Kiyoshi found Nel and treated her wounds.
• Nel hugged and kissed Asano Kiyoshi, then urged him to help Captain Soi Fon; he ordered the Punishment Force to defend the other guard points and left Omaeda to tend the wounded and secure evidence.
• Aizen watched Asano Kiyoshi depart and thought that he would keep creating or clearing away enemies to help him grow.
• Soi Fon continued fighting the Death Warriors despite having spent much of her spiritual power and being barely able to maintain Shunko.
• A Death Warrior’s tentacles trapped Soi Fon’s leg as she prepared to cut it free, but Yoruichi caught her hand and arrived to help.

Asano Kiyoshi and Soi Fon defeated the Death Warriors attacking them, while Isshin Shiba reported that the attackers included members of the long-exiled Ryūtoji Clan. The Captain-Commander summoned a meeting for the next morning, leaving Asano Kiyoshi to consider what he knew about the clan.

• Asano Kiyoshi rescued Soi Fon from an exploding Death Warrior and used Shunko, prompting her to ask where he had learned the technique.
• Asano Kiyoshi bound the Death Warriors with combined Kido, then joined Soi Fon in killing them.
• Isshin Shiba arrived after stopping another group of Death Warriors who had tried to break open the Maggot's Nest.
• Isshin Shiba told Asano Kiyoshi and Soi Fon that the captured attackers included private soldiers and people bearing the aura of the Dangai, apparently from the exiled Ryūtoji Clan.
• Isshin Shiba relayed the Captain-Commander's order for a Captain's Meeting the next morning and told Asano Kiyoshi to bring his lieutenant.
• Asano Kiyoshi began recalling what he knew about the Ryūtoji Clan.