Chapter Summaries

Asano Kiyoshi refused Crimson Lotus and the Koguto’s offer to help them escape Hell, then unleashed his Bankai against them. He trapped them in a deadly maze of Kido walls and flooded it with blood, beginning his attack as they struggled to escape.

• Szayelaporro confronted Asano Kiyoshi and claimed Hell had transformed him into a new life-form.
• Crimson Lotus offered to help Asano Kiyoshi conquer the Soul Society if he broke the Hell Gate for the Koguto.
• Asano Kiyoshi activated Bankai and summoned Wrathful Ghosts as Szayelaporro attacked him with a Hell-enhanced Cero.
• Asano Kiyoshi blocked the Koguto’s attacks with Dankū and crushed Wo Lvyai between its walls using Dankū No. 2: Lost Paradise.
• Asano Kiyoshi trapped Crimson Lotus and the remaining Koguto in a maze, flooded it with the Blood Sea, and prepared to attack without holding back.

Asano Kiyoshi killed Tai Jin, Crimson Lotus, Szayelaporro, and the other Koguto with his new Karma Fire technique. He then established Fengdu City beside the Karma Fire Reincarnation Pool, and the Scroll announced that his spiritual pressure had broken through.

• Asano Kiyoshi used Karma Fire Sigh to burn Tai Jin and the other Koguto, then killed them when their attacks failed.
• Asano Kiyoshi explained that Karma Fire combined his Shunko's shadow movement with his Bankai.
• Asano Kiyoshi followed the power stirring within his Zanpakuto to the Karma Fire Reincarnation Pool.
• Asano Kiyoshi established Fengdu City, transforming the pool's magma into dark gray mist.
• The Soul King briefly opened his eyes toward Hell as the Scroll announced Fengdu City's establishment and Asano Kiyoshi's spiritual pressure breakthrough.

Asano Kiyoshi reached ninth-grade Spiritual Pressure and unlocked Fengdu City, where White Impermanence and Black Impermanence explained their connection to him. He left the empty city to find residents and froze a volcano with Reverse Kido Number Forty: Ice Coffin.

• Asano Kiyoshi’s power settled after his transformation, and the Scroll showed that he had reached ninth-grade Spiritual Pressure and unlocked Fengdu City.
• Asano Kiyoshi entered Fengdu City and met White Impermanence, Black Impermanence, and the other guards who maintained order there.
• White Impermanence and Black Impermanence told Asano Kiyoshi that they were both his souls and independent beings, and that his power came from himself.
• Asano Kiyoshi toured Fengdu City, then left to find residents for the empty city.
• Asano Kiyoshi arrived at a volcano crater and froze it and the surrounding volcanoes with Reverse Kido Number Forty: Ice Coffin.

Asano Kiyoshi entered Hell through a pit beneath a frozen volcano and found a misty district filled with Captain-level spiritual pressures. After a silver-haired man attacked him, Asano caught his kick and began preparing a Kido spell.

• Asano Kiyoshi decided to investigate the black pit beneath the volcano after White and Black Impermanence assured him Hell's Will would not notice if he took less than one-third of its population.
• Asano Kiyoshi used Byakurai to glimpse chained, cocoon-like figures in the pit, then jumped inside.
• Asano Kiyoshi descended past caves containing chained sinners and landed in a mist-shrouded place resembling Rukongai.
• Asano Kiyoshi sensed several Captain-level spiritual pressures, and a black-skinned, silver-haired man attacked him with a punch that shattered nearby buildings.
• Asano Kiyoshi caught the man's kicking ankle with his black-flame-covered hand as the man twisted around his arm, and Asano began forming Kido.

Asano Kiyoshi fought Shihoin Sennichi with chained Kido attacks, but Oto Kawausukiyo and Sakago Saizo intervened and battered him. Asano seized Shihoin Sennichi and Oto Kawausukiyo with his powerful Soul Severing Road technique before Sakago Saizo released his Bankai, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Asano Kiyoshi used Hyapporankan and chained Kido attacks to force Shihoin Sennichi back and badly damage him.
• Oto Kawausukiyo appeared and struck Asano Kiyoshi, breaking his arm and sending him crashing through two streets.
• Sakago Saizo emerged and warned Shihoin Sennichi and Oto Kawausukiyo that the fight had gone too far.
• Asano Kiyoshi appeared before Shihoin Sennichi and Oto Kawausukiyo, seized both by the throat, and unleashed Soul Severing Road.
• Sakago Saizo released his Bankai, Time of Sakabone, as the others remained trapped in the confrontation.

Asano Kiyoshi broke free of Sakago Saizo’s Bankai and reconciled with the First Generation Captains, who warned him that Hell had a will of its own. Their conversation ended when Saito Undying called for help restraining Katori, whose Hell Chains were breaking further.

• Sakago Saizo realized Asano Kiyoshi’s strength terrified him, while Shihoin Sennichi and Oto Kawausukiyo joined the fight.
• Asano Kiyoshi explained that he had used Reishi left in the area to escape Sakago Saizo’s restraints, impressing the captains with his Reishi control.
• Shihoin Sennichi and Oto Kawausukiyo apologized for attacking Asano Kiyoshi, and he thanked them and Sakago Saizo for their guidance.
• Asano Kiyoshi said he had come to Hell seeking a breakthrough after his Zanpakuto resonated with it, and Shihoin Sennichi urged him to leave because Hell had a will of its own.
• A distant clash revealed Katori standing blank-eyed as Saito Undying struggled to restrain her; Saito called the captains over because another section of Katori’s Hell Chains had broken.

Asano Kiyoshi watched Shihoin Sennichi and Oto Kawausukiyo subdue Katori, whose corrupted Spiritual Pressure was being consumed by Hell. After Asano Kiyoshi healed her, Sakago Saizo acknowledged that he had understood their situation, while the former captains remained resolved to endure their torment to protect Soul Society.

• Asano Kiyoshi sensed that Hell was corroding Katori and absorbing the Spiritual Pressure it broke down.
• Shihoin Sennichi and Oto Kawausukiyo released their Zanpakuto and worked together to capture Katori.
• The former captains continued to hold on through centuries of torment because they suspected Hell might eventually threaten Soul Society.
• Asano Kiyoshi used his Zanpakuto's life-force restoration to repair Katori's soul and calm her.
• Sakago Saizo told Asano Kiyoshi that enduring their suffering was part of their duty as Gotei 13 captains.

Asano Kiyoshi learned that the First Generation Captains were Hell’s prisoners, trapped by corruption and unable to return to Soul Society. He claimed to have prepared a safer place for them near the Karma Fire Reincarnation Pool and transported the group there to see it.

• Asano Kiyoshi asked whether only a few First Generation Captains remained, and Saito explained that others had been too badly corrupted to travel with them.
• Asano Kiyoshi told the Captains about modern Soul Society, and Shihoin Sennichi expressed a wish to see it again.
• Sakago Saizo explained that the gray mist was Hell Intent and that the Captains’ authority over it came at the cost of increased corruption.
• Asano Kiyoshi offered to bring the Captains to a place he had remodeled near the Karma Fire Reincarnation Pool, where they could remain in Hell more safely.
• After Katori woke, Asano Kiyoshi used Reverse Kido No. 72, Space Transfer, to take the group to the place he had prepared.

Asano Kiyoshi brought Sakago Saizo, Shihoin Sennichi, and the others to Fengdu City, where they found it could shield them from Hell’s erosion and repair their damaged Soul Bodies. After they agreed to stay, Asano’s spiritual pressure increased, and he opened the Dangai to negotiate with Aizen.

• Asano Kiyoshi and the others arrived before Fengdu City and were awed by its vast, star-filled form.
• Saito mistook the city for something Asano had built, and Katori corrected her before Asano interrupted their argument.
• The gates opened to reveal two strange officials, who welcomed the group as the Blood Sea boiled and ghosts filled the city.
• The group discovered that Fengdu City weakened Hell’s erosion and repaired their Soul Bodies, so they agreed to remain there.
• Asano Kiyoshi gained roughly two percent more Reishi and opened the Dangai to speak with Aizen.

Asano Kiyoshi met with Nel after returning, then investigated a suspicious Fifth Division report about disappearing souls and realized Aizen had arranged it to meet him. Aizen admitted to his past actions and said he wanted to advance Asano Kiyoshi’s reforms as a violent blaze lit the sky.

• Asano Kiyoshi returned to Nel, shared a quiet moment with her, and helped with her work.
• Nel gave Asano Kiyoshi a classified Fifth Division report about souls disappearing in West Rukongai, and he concluded that Aizen had sent it to summon him.
• Asano Kiyoshi went to the Fifth Division barracks and confronted Aizen about killing Central 46 and purging the Tsunayashiro Clan’s leadership.
• Aizen asked why Asano Kiyoshi had not stopped him, and Asano Kiyoshi said he had agreed with some of his actions.
• Aizen said Soul Society’s reforms were not secure and that he intended to push them further as a violent blaze turned the sky blood-red.

Asano Kiyoshi confronted Aizen over an explosion in the Tsunayashiro territory, then rushed to face the clan’s armed uprising. Tsunayashiro Sosuke copied Ryūjin Jakka with Enrakyōten, but Asano answered by releasing his Bankai and hinted that he had allies.

• Aizen told Asano Kiyoshi that the explosion had struck the Tsunayashiro territory and that the clan had likely seized power with thousands of Death Warriors.
• Asano Kiyoshi acknowledged the Kidō Corps’ monitoring system, then left to investigate the burning noble district.
• Tsunayashiro Sosuke and several thousand armed followers attacked Asano with Kido, but Asano blocked their spells with Dankū.
• Sosuke declared the Gotei 13 traitors, activated Enrakyōten, and wielded flames resembling Ryūjin Jakka while claiming Genryūsai could not return until the next day.
• Asano drew his Zanpakuto, dismissed Sosuke’s chance of victory, said he was not fighting alone, and released Bankai: Ten Directions Ten Worlds Bitter Great Hell.

Asano Kiyoshi unleashed his Bankai and used his authority as Acting Captain-Commander to rally the Gotei 13 against the Tsunayashiro Family’s rebellion. As the divisions mobilized across Soul Society, Asano faced Tsunayashiro Sosuke amid the storm and flames.

• Tsunayashiro Sosuke activated the power implanted in his heart, burned rebel Death Warriors to ash, and attacked Asano Kiyoshi with a massive blade of fire.
• Asano Kiyoshi released a surge of spiritual pressure, summoned a thunderstorm, and used Bakudo #77—Tenteikūra and Bakudo #58—Kakushitsuijaku to broadcast his orders across Soul Society.
• Asano Kiyoshi declared that the Tsunayashiro Family had rebelled and ordered the Gotei 13 and Kidō Corps to execute the traitors.
• Kenpachi, Byakuya, the Eighth Division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and Soi Fon led their forces toward the marked locations to fight the rebels.
• Tsunayashiro Sosuke besieged Asano Kiyoshi with a flaming dragon as Asano’s spiritual pressure peaked and black flames coiled around him.

Asano Kiyoshi battled Tsunayashiro Sosuke while discovering that Aizen had unleashed several threats across Soul Society. He coordinated the Gotei 13 to respond to the prisoner riot, noble elders, and Combat Souls as Captains moved to assist him.

• Monk questioned Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni about the danger below, but Yamamoto trusted his disciple to handle Tsunayashiro Sosuke.
• Asano Kiyoshi used Ice Coffin to bombard the rebel army, and Tsunayashiro Sosuke blocked the hail with a wall of fire.
• Asano Kiyoshi sensed Azashiro Soya, empowered Combat Souls, and seven Captain-level noble elders intercepting the Captains, and suspected Aizen had opened Avici Hell.
• Gin Ichimaru released the prisoners from the Maggot's Nest on Aizen's orders, triggering riots and explosions across Soul Society.
• Asano Kiyoshi sent squads to contain the prisoners, noble forces, and Combat Souls, then summoned the Third, Fifth, and Ninth Squad Captains to help him fight the rebels.

Asano Kiyoshi organized the Gotei 13 and kept Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tōsen close as they fought the noble rebels. Facing Tsunayashiro Sosuke, Asano summoned a vast, terrifying entity from a fissure in the sky as Sosuke prepared a final strike for his clan.

• Asano Kiyoshi coordinated the Gotei 13 and ordered Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tōsen to support him against the nobles.
• Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tōsen joined the battle, with Tōsen unleashing his Zanpakuto to slaughter the Tsunayashiro forces.
• Asano Kiyoshi confronted Tsunayashiro Sosuke and drew a jet-black longsword, causing the rain to halt and a fissure to open in the sky.
• A colossal face emerged from the fissure, spreading terror among the rebel nobles and drawing Aizen's wary attention.
• Tsunayashiro Sosuke rejected the apparition, revealed his Hogyoku-transformed heart, and began to fall apart under his rising spiritual pressure.
• Tsunayashiro Sosuke declared that his strike would raise the Tsunayashiro Clan to its peak and ignited Bright Sun.

As the Tsunayashiro Clan head’s blazing sun threatened to consume the Seireitei, Asano Kiyoshi answered with a deluge of rain that subdued the heat. Elsewhere, Shunsui and Jushiro fought the noble elders, while Kenpachi Zaraki faced Azashiro Soya; Kiyoshi prepared to confront the sun’s wielder.

• The Monk refused Captain-Commander’s request to descend, saying Asano Kiyoshi could stop the destruction in time.
• Asano Kiyoshi summoned torrential rain that flooded Soul Society and began extinguishing the blazing sun.
• Shunsui and Jushiro released their Zanpakuto and joined forces against the noble elders.
• Azashiro Soya identified himself as the Eighth Kenpachi and attacked Kenpachi Zaraki with a massive Reishi slash.
• Kenpachi Zaraki removed his eyepatch, reclaimed his stored spiritual pressure, and charged Azashiro Soya.
• Asano Kiyoshi raised his Ink-black Longsword as black blood poured from the rift behind him.

Asano Kiyoshi defeated Tsunayashiro Sosuke with his rule-based Zanpakuto technique, Avici Hell, and declared the traitor dead as Soul Society watched. His victory established him as a rising power, while Aizen recognized that Kiyoshi’s attack had entered the realm of transcendence.

• Asano Kiyoshi unleashed Ten Questions of Yama—Ninth Question—Avici Hell, connecting his Zanpakuto to Fengdu City and attacking Tsunayashiro Sosuke through causality.
• Asano Kiyoshi’s black Slash split Sosuke’s enormous sun attack, and black flames consumed the sun as the battle ended.
• Asano Kiyoshi held up Tsunayashiro Sosuke’s severed head and warned that anyone who kept resisting would meet the same fate.
• Reishi Surveillance broadcast Asano Kiyoshi’s victory across Soul Society, and residents of Rukongai erupted in cheers.
• Monk and Yamamoto discussed Asano Kiyoshi’s growing strength and his potential effect on Soul Society’s stability.
• Aizen recognized that Asano Kiyoshi’s strike had reached transcendence and hoped Kiyoshi might one day ease his loneliness.

After Asano Kiyoshi killed Tsunayashiro Sosuke, he left Aizen to handle the remaining noble Death Warriors and went to support the Eleventh Division, which was being pushed back by modified Combat Souls. Yachiru, Ikkaku, and Yumichika helped turn the tide as Kenpachi continued fighting Azashiro Soya above the battlefield.

• Asano Kiyoshi beheaded Tsunayashiro Sosuke and asked Aizen to deal with the remaining stragglers before heading to support the other captains.
• Aizen told Gin Ichimaru that he preferred not to force a checkmate against an interesting opponent, while Gin and Tosen continued killing the attackers.
• Modified Combat Souls drove the Eleventh Division back as Kenpachi fought Azashiro Soya in the sky.
• Yachiru released Three-Step Sword Beast and cut down several Combat Souls who attacked her.
• Ikkaku inspired the Eleventh Division with his powerful fighting, while Yumichika released Raving Bloom: Azure Peacock and drained the Combat Souls.

Kenpachi Zaraki battled Azashiro Soya, whose strange defense let Kenpachi’s attacks pass through him, while Azashiro prepared powerful Kidō. At the Kidō Corps base, Nel intercepted Shūsuke Amagai as he tried to leave, and their confrontation ended with Nel striking him into the rocks.

• Kenpachi Zaraki’s slash passed through Azashiro Soya without injuring him, and Kenpachi charged again with greater strength.
• Azashiro Soya sensed Kenpachi’s growing power and began preparing layered Hadō, while a female voice warned him that the surrounding Reishi concentration had dropped.
• Nel ordered the Kidō Corps to interfere with Reishi near Azashiro Soya and keep the area contained, while she watched Shūsuke Amagai closely.
• Shūsuke Amagai left the control room, but Nel tracked him down and confronted him away from the main base.
• Shūsuke Amagai released Thunder Fire and revealed captain-level spiritual pressure, but Nel told him to use Bankai and sent him crashing into nearby rocks.

Nel fought Shūsuke Amagai and released her Shinigami Transformation to overpower him, but he refused to abandon his hatred. Elsewhere, Azashiro Soya unleashed a barrage of Kido at Kenpachi Zaraki, while Mayuri Kurotsuchi weakened the attack’s spiritual pressure.

• Shūsuke Amagai attacked Nel with his Shikai, and Nel cut through his fire techniques.
• Nel released “Repent, Antelope Knight!” and narrowly missed Shūsuke Amagai with a powerful spear strike.
• Shūsuke Amagai revealed his Baku Yō Blades and asked whether Asano Kiyoshi had known his identity; Nel confirmed it and urged him not to give in to obsession.
• Shūsuke Amagai asked Nel to stop him because he still could not let go of his hatred, and Nel filled the battlefield with spiritual pressure.
• Azashiro Soya drew Kenpachi Zaraki into a Kido attack, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi used medicine to halve the spiritual pressure targeting him.
• Azashiro Soya made plants and Combat Souls chant multiple powerful Kido spells at Kenpachi Zaraki.

Kenpachi Zaraki survived Azashiro Soya’s Kido assault, but Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s poison disrupted Azashiro’s attempt to finish him. Azashiro then pierced Mayuri, and Asano Kiyoshi arrived as Nemu Kurotsuchi attacked.

• Mayuri Kurotsuchi told Nemu Kurotsuchi to prepare Nutrient Injections in case Kenpachi Zaraki survived the attack.
• Kenpachi Zaraki endured the combined Kido assault and charged at Azashiro Soya despite his severe injuries.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s poison took effect as Azashiro Soya absorbed Reishi, disrupting his attack and allowing Kenpachi Zaraki to strike him alongside a grotesque doll.
• Kenpachi Zaraki collapsed from exhaustion, and Azashiro Soya appeared behind Mayuri Kurotsuchi and stabbed him.
• Nemu Kurotsuchi charged Azashiro Soya, but Asano Kiyoshi arrived and confronted him.