Chapter Summaries

Asano Kiyoshi reunited with Halibel, Ulquiorra, Nel, and the others in Hueco Mundo, bringing gifts and discussing their impressions of Shinigami. After learning they knew little about Shinigami, he decided to recruit powerful Hollows as the first step toward uniting Soul Society and Hueco Mundo.

• Nel ate the snacks she had brought for Dondochakka and Pesche as punishment for their rude remarks, then fought them over the remaining food.
• Asano Kiyoshi gave Halibel cookbooks and presented Ulquiorra with a pocket watch engraved with a message about their everlasting friendship.
• Ulquiorra asked Asano Kiyoshi to put the watch around his neck, and Nel watched them with an unreadable expression.
• Halibel asked why Asano Kiyoshi had come, and he said he had important matters to discuss before asking the Hollows what they thought of Shinigami.
• After hearing their limited views of Shinigami, Asano Kiyoshi decided to win over powerful Hueco Mundo Hollows, including the Espada, to advance his plan for uniting the worlds.

Grimmjow fled from a group with overwhelming spiritual pressure, but Asano Kiyoshi trapped him with a barrier and introduced himself as a Shinigami seeking friendship. Grimmjow attacked him, only for Kiyoshi to catch his blow and prepare a counterattack.

• Grimmjow spat out the flesh of his companions and fled from the figures whose spiritual pressure terrified him.
• Grimmjow vowed to stop running one day and continued deeper into Hueco Mundo to grow stronger.
• Asano Kiyoshi used Four Beast Closure to trap Grimmjow, whose powerful Cero failed to damage the barrier.
• Asano Kiyoshi introduced himself and asked Grimmjow to be his friend, but Grimmjow roared and pounced on him.
• Asano Kiyoshi caught Grimmjow's attack barehanded and swung a fist toward his head.

Asano Kiyoshi fought Grimmjow in hand-to-hand combat, overpowering him while teaching him how to improve his attacks. After Grimmjow could no longer stand, Asano asked whether they could be friends.

• Grimmjow barely dodged Asano Kiyoshi’s punch but was injured by its force.
• Asano decided to recruit Grimmjow and used their fight to break down his resistance while pointing out flaws in his technique.
• Asano slammed Grimmjow into the ground and taught him to focus Reishi on his left leg, increasing the power of his attack.
• Grimmjow tested Asano’s advice, saw his attack improve, and kept charging as Asano repeatedly threw him aside.
• Halibel remarked to Ulquiorra that Asano knew how to handle hot-blooded fighters, while Ulquiorra wondered if that described him too.
• When Grimmjow could no longer stand, Asano crouched beside him and asked if they could be friends.

Asano Kiyoshi recruited the defeated Grimmjow as a companion and introduced him to the group. After Grimmjow’s rowdy behavior caused trouble, Asano tricked him into trying a healing milk candy, leaving him torn over whether to use more in battle.

• Grimmjow accepted Asano Kiyoshi’s offer to become companions after Asano promised him chances to fight powerful opponents.
• Asano introduced Grimmjow to Nel and the others, whose spiritual pressure impressed him.
• Grimmjow’s abrasive attitude caused arguments and roughhousing, and Halibel punished him after the group knocked her ingredients into the sand.
• Asano offered Grimmjow a milk candy, and Ulquiorra threatened to dye Grimmjow’s blue markings white after Grimmjow mocked him.
• Asano tossed a candy into Grimmjow’s mouth, and Grimmjow discovered that it healed his injuries but hesitated to carry more into battle.

Asano Kiyoshi explained his plan to build cooperation between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, with the support of Nel, Halibel, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, and the others. Just as they agreed to follow him, an aged voice condemned Hollows as having ugly, vile souls.

• Grimmjow blushed as the others teased him for eating milk candy, then charged into their playful brawl without using his claws.
• Nel reminded Asano Kiyoshi that they had come to Hueco Mundo for the First Step Planning, and he explained his goal of gradually building cooperation between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo.
• Halibel agreed to help cautiously, while Ulquiorra pledged to accompany Asano Kiyoshi as his friend.
• Asano Kiyoshi told Ulquiorra to choose his own path, and reassured Grimmjow and the others that they were precious companions with beautiful souls.
• An aged voice interrupted them and declared that Hollows' souls were ugly and vile.

Barragan Ruisenbang appeared before Halibel, Asano Kiyoshi, and the others, demanding that they submit as his spiritual pressure crushed most of them. Asano protected Grimmjow and confronted Barragan, then unleashed a Reverse Kido as the battle began.

• Barragan Ruisenbang arrived and declared that Halibel and the others should kneel and submit to him.
• Barragan’s spiritual pressure pinned Sun-Sun, Pesche, and the others down and left Grimmjow struggling to stand.
• Barragan sent a deathly aura at Grimmjow, but Asano Kiyoshi cut it apart with his Zanpakuto.
• Asano’s blade remained unharmed, and he taunted Barragan, provoking the King of Hueco Mundo to attack with a massive wave of death aura.
• Asano released four pillars of spiritual pressure that tore open Barragan’s canopy of death, then raised his arm and opened with a Reverse Kido.

Asano Kiyoshi unleashed his Reverse Destructive Kido Eleven, Scarlet Piercing Light, against Barragan, who initially blocked the beam with his power of decay. The beam then erupted in a massive explosion that engulfed Barragan, leaving the battle’s outcome unclear.

• Barragan underestimated Asano Kiyoshi’s Kido until the gathering Reishi made him sense the threat and swing his Great Axe.
• Asano Kiyoshi fired Scarlet Piercing Light, a crimson beam that tore through Hueco Mundo’s night sky and melted everything in its path.
• Grimmjow watched the attack in shock and resolved to develop long-range techniques of his own.
• Barragan intercepted the beam with his decaying aura and cut it in two, declaring that his opponents should submit.
• Asano Kiyoshi warned Barragan against boasting before understanding an enemy’s abilities, and the beam erupted in brilliant light.
• The explosion swallowed Barragan and burned away his decaying aura, lighting half the sky with scarlet flames.

Asano Kiyoshi fought Barragan while Ulquiorra narrowly escaped death, and the clash revealed the king’s overwhelming strength and lethal decay ability. As Barragan resumed their battle, a yellow-flashing attacker suddenly targeted Asano from behind.

• Asano Kiyoshi’s Scarlet Piercing Light wounded Barragan but failed to incapacitate him.
• Ulquiorra attacked Barragan with Thunder Spear, but Barragan’s decaying aura trapped him and began destroying his wings.
• Asano Kiyoshi rescued Ulquiorra by severing his corrupted wings and told him not to die without permission.
• Barragan warned Szayelaporro not to appear behind him again, then resumed fighting Asano with his Great Axe.
• Asano assessed Barragan’s high Captain-level strength and deadly decay ability as a yellow-flashing attacker rushed at his back.

Nel and Halibel fought Nnoitra while Szayelaporro unleashed a monstrous Hollow Eater and Zommari restrained Nel. The Hollow Eater emerged as Grimmjow and the others faced the threat of death, while Ulquiorra attacked Szayelaporro.

• Nel and Halibel intercepted Nnoitra’s attack, and Nel sent him crashing down before he charged back at them.
• Szayelaporro revealed that chaotic spiritual pressure beneath the sand was part of his plan to overwhelm their forces.
• Halibel stayed to fight Nnoitra while Nel raced to confront the approaching threat, but Zommari immobilized her with his Control Flowers.
• Zommari questioned Nel’s betrayal of the Hollows, but she continued struggling against his control.
• Szayelaporro revealed the Hollow Eater, a Gillian fed hundreds of thousands of Hollows whose spiritual pressure reached Vasto Lorde levels.
• Ulquiorra attacked Szayelaporro as Grimmjow and the others sensed the threat of death.

Grimmjow and the others struggled against Szayelaporro's modified Hollow Eater, while Nel turned the battle against Zommari. The chapter ended with Nel shattering Zommari's defenses and slamming him into a stone wall.

• Grimmjow tore off one of the Hollow Eater's tentacles, but realized he was still no match for the creature.
• Pesche and Dondochakka used their Fused Cero to destroy several tentacles, then collapsed from the strain.
• Grimmjow told Sun-Sun, Pesche, and the others to flee, and Dondochakka summoned Bawabawa to carry them away.
• Zommari used his black pattern to control Bawabawa, but Nel struck him with overwhelming force before he could crush the fleeing group.
• Zommari tried to control Nel again, but his patterns no longer affected her, and Nel swept him into a stone wall with her spear.

Nel rescued Grimmjow from the Hollow Eater and sent him to help the others, while Asano Kiyoshi faced Barragan alone. After Barragan countered his first spell, Asano began a supplementary incantation, leaving their battle unresolved.

• Nel left Zommari alive and broke through the Hollow Eater's tentacles to rescue Grimmjow.
• Nel told Grimmjow to take Sun-Sun, Dondochakka, and the others somewhere safe, and he went to them after warning her to be careful.
• Barragan accelerated his decay attack against Asano Kiyoshi, who escaped with the Prison Sun Remnant Garment and its shadows.
• Nel urged Ulquiorra and Halibel to focus on their own opponents while she attacked the Hollow Eater.
• Asano announced he would keep fighting until Barragan died and fired Hado Number 91—Senjū Kōten Taihō!
• Barragan tore apart the spell with his bare hands, and Asano retreated and began a supplementary incantation.

Asano Kiyoshi unleashed his Bankai against Barragan, while Szayelaporro released his Zanpakuto and attacked Ulquiorra. As Szayelaporro headed for Asano, Ulquiorra felt pain in his heart, remembered Asano calling his name, and his mask began to shatter.

• Asano Kiyoshi's amplified Kido cracked Barragan's bones, but Barragan released his deathly power and began pushing through the attack.
• Asano Kiyoshi retreated from Barragan's decay and released his Bankai, summoning wrathful ghosts and eighteen demonic heads.
• Szayelaporro abandoned his opponent, released Lewd Princess, and tried to reach Asano Kiyoshi.
• Ulquiorra attacked Szayelaporro, but tentacles caught his spear and fluid splashed onto him, creating clones that rushed to fight him.
• As Szayelaporro charged toward Asano Kiyoshi, Ulquiorra felt a sharp pain, heard Asano's voice in his memories, and his mask shattered piece by piece.

Ulquiorra recalled how a smiling Shinigami and his companions gave meaning to his name and helped him discover a heart, then fought Szayelaporro after releasing his black wings. Meanwhile, Nnoitra released his Holy Crying Mantis form against Halibel and charged through her Cero.

• Ulquiorra remembered his lonely existence in Hueco Mundo and how the Shinigami who called his name, along with his companions, filled the emptiness in his heart.
• Ulquiorra's mask shattered, and he confronted Szayelaporro, who declared that he would take both Ulquiorra and Asano Kiyoshi for experiments.
• Ulquiorra released Black Winged Great Demon and cut through Szayelaporro's tentacles, promising to tear apart Szayelaporro's mask.
• Nnoitra fought Halibel, whose strength and speed overwhelmed him and provoked his rage.
• Nnoitra released Holy Crying Mantis, severed Halibel's Cero with his scythe, and charged toward her.

Asano Kiyoshi interrupted Nnoitra’s fight with Halibel and battled him with Kido, Shunko, and other abilities. He pierced Nnoitra’s throat, ending the mantis’s life.

• Halibel retreated from Nnoitra after hearing a faint signal, and Nnoitra smashed her into the ground.
• Asano Kiyoshi appeared and confronted Nnoitra, saying he had given up fighting Barragan to kill him.
• Asano Kiyoshi tore off one of Nnoitra’s arms and used Fushibi to bind him before striking him with Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō.
• Asano Kiyoshi restrained Nnoitra with Bakudo and attacked as Nnoitra tried to fight back using his mouth to wield his scythe.
• Asano Kiyoshi pierced Nnoitra’s throat, killing him.

Nnoitra died after reflecting on his hatred of Nell and his inability to drag her down to his level, while Asano Kiyoshi burned his body to ash. Asano Kiyoshi, Nel, and Halibel then confronted Barragan together, and Szayelaporro urged Barragan to retreat.

• Nnoitra watched Nel stab the Hollow Eater before Asano Kiyoshi burned him to ash.
• Szayelaporro escaped Ulquiorra and appeared beside Barragan with the unconscious Zommari and remnants of the Hollow Eater.
• Szayelaporro advised Barragan to return because their forces were insufficient to kill the Shinigami.
• Asano Kiyoshi and Nel attacked Barragan as he charged Halibel, forcing him back.
• Barragan recognized that he would likely lose against the three opponents, and Szayelaporro again urged him to return.

Asano Kiyoshi and his allies forced Barragan and Szayelaporro to retreat, then regrouped and planned to use the Forest of Menos as the first step toward replacing Barragan as ruler of Hueco Mundo. Barragan ordered Szayelaporro to devise a plan to kill them within two months.

• Barragan and Szayelaporro vanished after Asano Kiyoshi and his allies drove them off.
• Asano Kiyoshi rested after exhausting himself fighting Barragan and killing Nnoitra, then checked that Nel, Ulquiorra, and Halibel were unharmed.
• Barragan confronted Szayelaporro over the failed battle plan and demanded a plan to cut off their heads within two months.
• Asano Kiyoshi told his allies that Barragan would keep hunting them and proposed hiding underground in the Forest of Menos.
• Halibel warned that the Forest of Menos was under Barragan’s control, but Asano Kiyoshi declared that they intended to replace him as ruler of Hueco Mundo.

Asano Kiyoshi explained that studying Gillian evolution in the Forest of Menos could let them build a loyal army of intelligent Adjuchas, but the plan required Soul Society’s involvement. After winning the group’s agreement, he prepared a Dangai interface and contacted the Research and Development Department.

• Grimmjow questioned why they should make the Forest of Menos their base, and Asano Kiyoshi explained that studying Gillian evolution might allow them to produce intelligent Adjuchas.
• Halibel warned that the plan would require Soul Society’s help, and Asano Kiyoshi declared that Shinigami and Hollows should not have been enemies.
• Asano Kiyoshi showed Grimmjow and the others that Nel’s spiritual pressure flowed through his bloodline while his own flowed through Nel’s soul, prompting an embarrassed and comedic reaction from the group.
• Halibel agreed to the plan, and Asano Kiyoshi promised to work toward harmony between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society.
• Asano Kiyoshi found a site for a large Dangai interface, set up Reishi barriers, and contacted Soul Society; the Research and Development Department rushed into action.

Asano Kiyoshi and Mayuri Kurotsuchi coordinated to open a large Reishi channel between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, allowing Mayuri and the Twelfth Division to arrive. Asano was unsettled when Aizen appeared with them and wondered why he had supported the development of Hueco Mundo.

• Mayuri Kurotsuchi received Asano Kiyoshi's urgent request for a channel large enough to transport over a hundred people and worked with Nemu to prepare it.
• Asano Kiyoshi directed Reishi in the Dangai with precise control, and both sides completed the channel in less than half an hour.
• Halibel and the others tensed as Mayuri and the Twelfth Division emerged, but Asano explained that the Hueco Mundo residents were friends and partners, not experimental material.
• The Twelfth Division members examined Hueco Mundo's Reishi-rich surroundings while Mayuri remarked that Asano's initiatives had increased the department's workload.
• Aizen appeared and praised Asano's peaceful coexistence with the Hollows, leaving Asano wondering why Aizen had come and why he had supported the plan.

Asano Kiyoshi watched Aizen leave the Research and Development Department, then rescued Acidwire from a Hollow ambush in the Forest of Menos. Acidwire revealed that he was a Gotei 13 seventh seat carrying out a mission to stop Hollows from reaching the Living World.

• Aizen greeted Asano Kiyoshi, spoke with Halibel and Ulquiorra, and left to report to the Captain-Commander and bring Shinigami to protect the Research and Development Department.
• Asano Kiyoshi decided he needed a powerful guard for the spatial passage and chose Acidwire, who had lived in the Forest of Menos for hundreds of years.
• A bird-shaped Adjuchas ambushed Acidwire, but Asano Kiyoshi killed it with Hado #33—Sōkatsui.
• Asano Kiyoshi introduced himself as the Chief Kido Master, and Acidwire said he was a seventh seat of the Gotei 13.
• Acidwire told Asano Kiyoshi that his mission was to lead his subordinates in eliminating every Hollow heading to the Living World.

Asano Kiyoshi brought the exhausted Acidwire back to the Soul Society and reported progress on coordinating with Hueco Mundo. The Captain-Commander then told him Zero Division had been seeking him and arranged to send him there the next morning.

• Asano Kiyoshi told Acidwire to rest and return to the Soul Society, and Acidwire collapsed from exhaustion.
• Asano Kiyoshi carried Acidwire to the base, then sent him to the Fourth Division before returning to Hueco Mundo.
• Researchers questioned Halibel and Ulquiorra about their traits and transformations, while Sun-Sun and the others restrained one researcher who annoyed Halibel.
• Asano Kiyoshi and Nel returned to the First Squad office, where he reported that the first stage of cooperation with Hueco Mundo was complete.
• The Captain-Commander told Asano Kiyoshi that Zero Division wanted to see him and said he would send him there the next morning.