Chapter Summaries

Szayelaporro confronted Mayuri Kurotsuchi in his laboratory and used poisonous gas, believing he had incapacitated him. Mayuri revealed that his Zanpakuto resisted the poison and unleashed Golden Ashisogi Jizo, leaving Szayelaporro facing the infant's attack.

• Szayelaporro and Mayuri Kurotsuchi traded insults as Szayelaporro threatened to dissect him and subjected him to poisonous gas.
• Szayelaporro watched Mayuri Kurotsuchi display the poison's symptoms and approached cautiously, convinced the gas had worked.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi appeared unharmed and explained that his Zanpakuto could resist the poison.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi released Bankai, Golden Ashisogi Jizo, and the infant swallowed Szayelaporro's poisonous mist.
• Szayelaporro's tentacles attacked Mayuri Kurotsuchi, but Mayuri dodged as the tentacles burst and filled the room with more gas.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi faced Szayelaporro and his own replicated Bankai while the other captains fought the Arrancar. After Nel headed to assist Asano Kiyoshi, Unohana warned her to keep her identity secret until Kiyoshi was strong enough to replace the Captain-Commander.

• Szayelaporro explained how Reishi-based toxins could vary, then grew a replica of Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s Bankai and used it to swallow Mayuri.
• Shunsui kept his Bankai in reserve against the regenerating Aaroniero, hoping the other fighters would finish soon.
• Kenpachi and Byakuya argued over Zommari, then joined forces to trap him as they both told him to quit getting in the way.
• Sister Hana defeated Yammy while Nel watched, then sent Nel to help Asano Kiyoshi and went to support the other captains.
• Sister Hana warned Nel not to reveal her identity until Kiyoshi could replace the Captain-Commander, and Nel promised to keep it secret.

Asano Kiyoshi struggled against Barragan’s amplified aging power until Stark agreed to hold him off. With Stark and Ninny battling Barragan’s deathly aura, Asano Kiyoshi completed the Four Beast Closure and summoned gigantic spiritual beasts around him.

• Asano Kiyoshi had Sister Hana accompany Nel to fight Yammy, and he saw that Sister Hana accepted Nel despite knowing her true identity.
• Asano Kiyoshi struggled to evade Barragan’s decay and considered, then rejected, using the Gate of the Underworld.
• Stark offered to help Asano Kiyoshi and agreed to hold Barragan back for two minutes.
• Stark and Ninny unleashed a stream of blue Ceros, but Barragan’s black aura overwhelmed them until they pushed back with their spiritual pressure.
• Asano Kiyoshi completed the Four Beast Closure, summoning several enormous phantom spiritual beasts around Barragan.

Asano Kiyoshi trapped Barragan in Four Beast Closure and worked with Stark to bombard him, but Barragan’s Hogyoku-fueled decay broke the barrier. A black-flamed swordsman appeared before Barragan and began the Ten Questions of Yama.

• Asano Kiyoshi formed Four Beast Closure, slowing Barragan’s movements and suppressing the Reishi around him.
• Stark fired Ceros infused with Asano Kiyoshi’s spiritual pressure while Asano explained how the barrier worked.
• Stark unleashed Red-Eyed Giant Wolves, and Barragan countered with Skull Great Emperor Fate, erasing the attacks with his decay.
• The Hogyoku replenished Barragan’s Reishi as Stark’s strength waned, and Four Beast Closure collapsed.
• A man wreathed in black flames appeared before Barragan and attacked with Ten Questions of Yama—First Question—Cycle.

Asano Kiyoshi and Nel worked together to defeat Barragan in Hueco Mundo. Barragan’s axe and body crumbled to sand, leaving his crown fallen in the dust.

• Asano Kiyoshi revealed he had hidden inside Barragan’s Cero and struck at the Hogyoku as Nel charged in with her Scarlet Dragon.
• Asano Kiyoshi used Mirror Image to switch places with Nel’s dragon and evade Barragan’s death aura.
• Asano Kiyoshi fused Shunko and Bankai, then attacked Barragan with a blade that inflicted the memories of countless deaths.
• Barragan survived the flames and raised his Great Axe against the exhausted Asano Kiyoshi.
• Stark stopped Nel and told her Barragan was already dead as Barragan’s axe and body disintegrated into sand.

After Barragan fell, Asano Kiyoshi picked up the Hogyoku fragment, which fused into his body and was revealed by the Scroll to be specially modified. Asano and his allies headed to help the other fighters, while Aizen watched from a裂 in the sky, smiling.

• Asano Kiyoshi reflected on the limits and risks of fusing with the Wrathful Ghosts in his Bankai.
• Asano Kiyoshi picked up the glowing Hogyoku fragment, which dissolved into Reishi and entered his body.
• The Scroll identified the fragment as a specially modified Hogyoku that could guide hearts, alter reality, and improve Asano Kiyoshi's soul essence by 0.074% per day.
• Nel checked Asano Kiyoshi for injuries, and he assured her that the silver flash had caused him no harm.
• Asano Kiyoshi, Nel, and Stark left to help the other fighters, while Aizen watched through a crack in the sky and smiled.

Byakuya and Kenpachi defeated Zommari, while Asano Kiyoshi destroyed Szayelaporro’s flesh mass and the strange sphere that kept reviving him. The survivors turned to their injuries and losses, as Sister Hana and Shunsui wondered about the gemstone-like sphere found with the dead Hollow Eater.

• Byakuya and Kenpachi charged Zommari together and killed him, though both were too badly wounded to stand without their Zanpakuto.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi admitted he could not kill Szayelaporro permanently because a strange sphere repeatedly revived him.
• Asano Kiyoshi arrived and erased Szayelaporro’s flesh mass and the sphere with a torrent of Reishi.
• Mayuri asked Asano Kiyoshi for more funding and authority to research Hueco Mundo, and Asano promised to secure benefits for Captain Nemu.
• Sister Hana and Shunsui examined the dead Hollow Eater and wondered what the gemstone-like sphere was.

After the Hollow Eater died, its gemstone vanished, and Asano Kiyoshi healed the gathered fighters as they recovered and joked together. Meanwhile, Aizen revealed that the Hogyoku in Asano Kiyoshi had been deliberately modified and told Gin their paths would cross again.

• Shunsui and Sister Hana concluded that the gemstone had destroyed itself, and Sister Hana urged Shunsui to rest and receive treatment.
• Asano Kiyoshi thanked the fighters and used Lycoris Radiata to heal them further, while Kenpachi, Byakuya, Nel, Stark, Ninny, and Unohana bickered with their companions.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi searched Szayelaporro's palace for experimental records and materials.
• Gin told Aizen that the Hogyoku inside Barragan had entered Asano Kiyoshi, and Aizen explained that he had modified it so it was never meant to be recovered.
• Aizen told Gin that Asano Kiyoshi's path had begun to overlap with theirs and that they would meet in the future.

Asano Kiyoshi confronted Central 46 over its failure to send aid during the Hueco Mundo campaign, but Aizen, disguised as Tsunayashiro Kumata, tried to excuse the delay. Asano revealed that he had sent many letters and proposed placing wartime correspondence under Gotei 13 control.

• Asano Kiyoshi challenged Central 46 over its failure to respond to his requests for aid during the Hueco Mundo campaign.
• Aizen appeared disguised as Tsunayashiro Kumata and claimed a butler's negligence had delayed the letter, prompting Central 46 to echo his excuse.
• Asano recognized Aizen's disguise and realized that Tsunayashiro Kumata was dead.
• Asano revealed that he had sent dozens of letters through Ulquiorra, catching Aizen off guard.
• Asano proposed that Gotei 13 manage all official wartime correspondence.

Asano Kiyoshi negotiated with Central 46 and the Noble Conference over Hueco Mundo, preserving Gotei 13’s sovereignty while accepting supervised representatives. Afterward, Nel thanked him, and Kiyoshi reflected on the people and home he wanted to protect.

• Asano Kiyoshi gave Central 46 and the Noble Conference a way to end their dispute over the earlier incident.
• Aizen, disguised as Tsunayashiro Kumata, questioned Kiyoshi about ordinary Hollows and proposed joint supervision of Hueco Mundo.
• Kiyoshi negotiated an agreement granting Gotei 13 absolute sovereignty in Hueco Mundo while allowing noble and Central 46 representatives to be stationed there under surveillance.
• Nel waited for Kiyoshi outside the conference hall, listened to the results, and kissed his cheek in gratitude.
• Captain-Commander, Shunsui, and Jushiro Ukitake watched Kiyoshi and Nel from the trees as Kiyoshi resolved to protect those he cared about.

Several years after the campaign against Hueco Mundo, Asano Kiyoshi used evidence gathered through surveillance to pressure nobles over river tolls while reflecting on his purge of corrupt families and the newspaper business he had built with Omaeda. He left the shipping-route dispute poised for confrontation with the nobles.

• Asano Kiyoshi reviewed the excessive river tolls and sent nobles letters detailing their crimes to force them to negotiate over the shipping route.
• Asano Kiyoshi had previously used Aizen's help and evidence from Central 46 to try and execute thirteen noble families, earning the title Blood Judge.
• Asano Kiyoshi used Mayuri Kurotsuchi's Reishi surveillance devices to monitor nobles and spent seven nights dredging rivers and clearing waterways.
• Asano Kiyoshi recalled how Omaeda had pledged his family's wealth and become president of the newspaper, which had grown into a profitable Gotei 13 enterprise.
• Asano Kiyoshi reminded Omaeda that the newspaper could exaggerate stories but could not fabricate them.

Asano Kiyoshi used Omaeda’s sensational newspaper stories and merchandise to bring Soul Society and Rukongai closer, while fostering better relations with Hueco Mundo. Over several years, his efforts transformed Soul Society’s culture, commerce, and technology, and his larger plan remained underway.

• Omaeda’s scandalous articles about Byakuya, Yachiru, and Kenpachi became popular, though they also provoked dangerous confrontations that Asano Kiyoshi had to resolve.
• Asano Kiyoshi used captain merchandise and personal stories to win Rukongai residents’ interest, and the Captain-Commander approved of his work.
• Asano Kiyoshi’s newspaper agency promoted cooperation with Hueco Mundo, bringing tourists, merchandise, and new friendships between residents of both worlds.
• Ulquiorra took up reading and writing, Grimmjow found a home among the Eleventh Division’s fighters, and Dondochakka and Pesche prospered as tour guides.
• Soul Society developed railways, roads, appliances, technology, transportation, entertainment, and education as Asano Kiyoshi continued his broader plan.

Asano Kiyoshi reflected on the Captain-Commander's explanation of Soul Society's duty to preserve the balance of the four worlds and continued reading about his reforms. With Soul Society largely under control and his spiritual pressure at one hundred percent, he prepared to travel to Hell and claim territory there.

• The Captain-Commander explained to Asano Kiyoshi that the Gotei 13's primary duty was maintaining the balance of souls among the four worlds, and promised to guide him as he grew into his responsibilities.
• Asano Kiyoshi read a newspaper exposing a noble's tax scandal and considered how his reforms had weakened the nobles and reduced disappearances.
• Asano Kiyoshi noted that Aizen had devoted himself to reform work but remained wary that he might be dealing with an illusory double.
• Nel joined Asano Kiyoshi in the courtyard and asked to read the newspaper.
• Asano Kiyoshi saw that his spiritual pressure had reached one hundred percent and decided it was time to go to Hell and claim a piece of land.

Asano Kiyoshi told the Captain-Commander that his Zanpakuto required him to visit Hell to grow stronger and learned that deceased captains were there, possibly changed by Hell’s will and miasma. He went to Urahara Shop to ask Urahara for a way into Hell, leaving Urahara stunned when he threatened to collect unpaid wages.

• Asano Kiyoshi explained to the Captain-Commander that his Zanpakuto resonated with Hell and that he needed to go there to improve his strength.
• The Captain-Commander warned Asano Kiyoshi that Hell had its own will, could try to absorb him, and might have altered the deceased captains who resided there.
• Asano Kiyoshi bid farewell to the Captain-Commander, who warned him that dying in Hell would prevent his return.
• Asano Kiyoshi went to Urahara Shop after deciding that Urahara could help him reach Hell.
• Hachigen Ushōda greeted Asano Kiyoshi with a powerful hug, and Asano Kiyoshi asked Urahara for help while threatening to collect his unpaid wages.
• Urahara dropped his fan and looked tearfully at Asano Kiyoshi.

Asano Kiyoshi entered Hell after learning and reciting the Word Spirit used to open its gate. Urahara and Yoruichi worried about the powers in Asano Kiyoshi’s body and the attention they might draw, while Asano Kiyoshi arrived in a horrific world of imprisoned Koguto.

• Urahara warned Asano Kiyoshi that he could send him to Hell but could not yet reliably bring him back, and Asano Kiyoshi chose to go anyway.
• Urahara and Hachigen Ushōda began the Word Spirit ritual, and Asano Kiyoshi memorized its spiritual-pressure fluctuations and recited the incantation alongside them.
• A huge scarlet Hell Gate appeared, and Asano Kiyoshi entered before it closed.
• Urahara considered whether Asano Kiyoshi’s Hogyoku, Soul King, Shinigami, and Hollow powers came from his own plans or from Aizen, while Yoruichi warned that Zero Division might notice him.
• Asano Kiyoshi arrived in Hell and saw chained, tormented Koguto confined within cubes amid a pervasive stench.

Asano Kiyoshi explored Hell and found that he could not establish Fengdu City in its outer region. After discovering that the Koguto drew strange powers from their chains, he suspected the chains embodied Hell’s authority and plunged into the cloud sea to investigate.

• Asano Kiyoshi used his Spiritual Sense to examine Hell’s crimson Reishi and the immense black cloud sea at its deepest point.
• Asano Kiyoshi tried to establish Fengdu City with his Zanpakuto, but the Scroll said the region lacked sufficient resentment, Reishi density, negative emotions, and sinfulness.
• Asano Kiyoshi killed attacking Hell’s Will with Sōren Sōkatsui, and the Koguto fought over the creatures’ flesh.
• Asano Kiyoshi observed that the Koguto’s chains vanished as they released powers such as flames, frost, and reflection.
• Asano Kiyoshi suspected the chains were manifestations of Hell’s authority and entered the cloud sea to search for them.

Asano Kiyoshi explored deeper levels of Hell, discovering enormous chained monsters whose power seemed tied to Hell and a vast ocean surrounding the corpse of Hell Intent. There, Gunjo ambushed him and announced that his leader wanted to meet him, but Asano attacked instead of agreeing to go.

• Asano Kiyoshi examined the giant chained creatures in the sea of clouds and collected fragments of their flesh before moving on.
• Asano Kiyoshi reached a vast azure ocean and found the corpse of Hell Intent pierced by stone pillars on a lotus island.
• Gunjo emerged from underground and attacked Asano Kiyoshi, then revealed that his leader wanted to meet him.
• Asano Kiyoshi rejected Gunjo's forced invitation and slammed Gunjo's head into the ground with a black flaming crow.

Asano Kiyoshi defeated Tai Jin and overwhelmed Gunjo and Wo Lvyai, learning that they wanted him to break Hell Gate and free the souls imprisoned in Hell. Gunjo escaped with Wo Lvyai, while an unseen presence in the depths watched Asano and anticipated his arrival.

• Asano Kiyoshi guessed that Gunjo mistook him for someone who could help release the Koguto from Hell, and considered seeking Hell's Will's recognition for himself.
• Gunjo demanded that Asano shatter Hell Gate and threatened to keep him in Hell when Asano refused.
• Wo Lvyai attacked Asano, who evaded him using Hirenkyaku.
• Tai Jin lunged at Asano with a mouth in his belly, but Asano retrieved his thrown sword and cut Tai Jin in two before the Reishi explosion destroyed him.
• Gunjo told Asano they would wait for him in the Depths of Hell, then fled with Wo Lvyai.
• A bloodshot eyeball in the deepest part of the ocean watched Asano and remarked that Soul Society had finally produced someone useful.

Asano Kiyoshi entered Hell’s third level to seek a breakthrough in spiritual pressure, where two former Captains rescued him from Hell Intents and confronted him. He met Saito and Katori, who remained interested in the Soul Society and its history.

• Asano Kiyoshi continued into Hell after the Scroll reported insufficient Reishi density, intending to reach the ninth rank of spiritual pressure.
• He crossed the Lotus Sea behind a Reishi barrier and reached the magma-covered third level of Hell.
• Two powerful Hell Intents attacked Asano Kiyoshi, but a pink-purple figure cut them apart before he could draw his Zanpakuto.
• Saito struck at Asano Kiyoshi, and Katori stopped her blade and explained that he was their junior.
• Asano Kiyoshi recognized Saito and Katori and told them the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy taught courses about their era, pleasing both former Captains.

Asano Kiyoshi demonstrated his strength to Saito Undying and Katori in Hell before continuing to the Great Scorching Hell, where the Scroll identified the Karma Fire Reincarnation Pool as a suitable foundation. There, he encountered Crimson Lotus and the other Koguto, along with the newly appeared Szayelaporro.

• Asano Kiyoshi used Bakudo #81—Dankū to shield himself and the others from the magma, impressing Saito Undying.
• Katori warned Asano Kiyoshi to leave Hell, then knocked Saito unconscious and leapt with her into the magma after splitting a volcano with one slash.
• Asano Kiyoshi marked the location and traveled deeper into Hell, reaching the Great Scorching Hell and the Karma Fire Reincarnation Pool.
• The Scroll recommended the pool as a foundation because the Reishi concentration there was sufficient.
• Crimson Lotus greeted Asano Kiyoshi, explaining that he had expected him to come, then revealed Szayelaporro behind him.