Chapter Summaries

Asano Kiyoshi received Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s wristband and supplies from his allies before setting out on the Hueco Mundo expedition. He entered the Dangai and emerged beneath Hueco Mundo’s pale moonlight.

• Mayuri Kurotsuchi fitted Asano Kiyoshi with a wristband that concealed his dispersed Reishi, offered a small spiritual-pressure refill, and sent a distress signal.
• Head Captain Yamamoto told Asano Kiyoshi to call for help if he faced danger the King's Seal could not overcome.
• Jushiro Ukitake, Shunsui, and the Sparrow Step Vice-Captain gave Asano Kiyoshi protective clothing, a book, healing pastries, armor, and expedition equipment.
• The Kidō Corps opened a gate to the Dangai, and Asano Kiyoshi entered it beneath the others’ watchful eyes.
• Asano Kiyoshi reached Hueco Mundo, where pale moonlight and a desolate wind greeted him.

Asano Kiyoshi joined a Soul Reaper expedition in Hueco Mundo, where the reckless leader Maruya Naoto let the team face danger without guidance. Asano tried to organize the survivors against attacking Hollows, but several Soul Reapers fled and were immediately killed.

• Maruya Naoto killed a Soul Reaper who attacked him as soon as the expedition entered Hueco Mundo, then announced that the team had to kill 300 Small Hollows and that he would not protect them.
• Small Hollows were drawn to the dead Soul Reaper’s Spiritual Pressure and surrounded the expedition team.
• Maruya Naoto charged the Hollows alone, while Asano Kiyoshi called for the others to release their Zanpakuto and fight in pairs.
• Three Soul Reapers ignored Asano Kiyoshi’s instructions and fled into the sand.
• Small Hollows burst from beneath the sand and tore the fleeing Soul Reapers apart.

Asano Kiyoshi helped defeat a Hollow pack after the expeditionary team fell into chaos, then took command of the survivors by treating their injuries. The team was reduced to thirteen, and Asano Kiyoshi remained troubled by their fate and uncertain claims of persecution.

• After the expeditionary members panicked and scattered, Asano Kiyoshi drew his Zanpakuto and fought without releasing Shikai.
• Asano Kiyoshi protected endangered Shinigami and used Fushibi and Shakkahō to destroy a pack of Small Hollows.
• Asano Kiyoshi and Maruya Naoto helped the expeditionary team defeat the remaining Hollows, but seven members died in total.
• Maruya Naoto challenged Asano Kiyoshi to a match when they returned to the Soul Society, and Asano Kiyoshi gave a noncommittal reply.
• Asano Kiyoshi treated the survivors with Kaido and gained their recognition as their commander.
• Asano Kiyoshi learned that some survivors claimed nobles had persecuted them, but he remained troubled.

Asano Kiyoshi and his group endured repeated Hollow attacks in Hueco Mundo, while fear and despair took a toll on the survivors. After several deaths, including one man’s suicide, Asano buried the dead and was left wondering whether he had missed Uncle’s last plea for help.

• Asano Kiyoshi warned Maruya Naoto not to seek out stronger enemies alone as the exhausted group rested beneath a boulder.
• On the third day, ten Hollows attacked, and one Shinigami died after thanking Asano Kiyoshi.
• On the seventh day, fourteen Hollows, including an intelligent Mutant Hollow, attacked and killed three people; an elderly Shinigami died weeping in Asano Kiyoshi’s arms.
• On the eleventh day, Uncle handed his possessions to Asano Kiyoshi, walked behind a sand dune, and killed himself with his Zanpakuto.
• Asano Kiyoshi found Uncle’s body facing south, buried him, and wondered whether Uncle’s final glance had been a request for help.

After another Shinigami died by suicide, Asano Kiyoshi led the seven remaining survivors through Hueco Mundo and sheltered them in a sand cave. When a towering giant made of white sand attacked, Asano released his Zanpakuto, Yellow Springs, to face it.

• Asano Kiyoshi read the farewell letter of a young Shinigami who had died in battle and asked the survivors to look after his mother if they returned.
• Asano led the seven survivors through Hueco Mundo and warned them to dig no deeper than he did because the Forest of Menos lay beneath the sand.
• Asano and Maruya Naoto sensed an abnormal tremor, and Asano ordered everyone to use Kido to blast through the cave ceiling.
• A giant white hand smashed the cave and raised a fierce sandstorm as the survivors escaped to the surface.
• A towering white sand giant mocked the survivors and struck at them, so Asano released his Zanpakuto, Yellow Springs.

Asano Kiyoshi stayed behind to hold off Runuganka while Maruya Naoto led the surviving Shinigami to safety. Kiyoshi’s attacks began to threaten the sand giant after a mysterious force severed its connection to the sand, but Runuganka unleashed another sandstorm as the chapter ended.

• Maruya Naoto and Asano Kiyoshi attacked Runuganka’s giant sand hand, but it quickly regenerated and wounded Naoto.
• Asano Kiyoshi rescued Naoto and told him to retreat with the others while he stayed behind to fight Runuganka.
• Maruya Naoto led the survivors away and called for Kiyoshi to make sure he survived.
• Runuganka struck Kiyoshi down, but Kiyoshi refused to flee because the others would be caught if he did.
• Kiyoshi cast Hado #73—Sōren Sōkatsui, and a mysterious force cut Runuganka’s sand body off from the surrounding sand.
• Runuganka abandoned his damaged arm and sent a sandstorm at Kiyoshi, then realized that only one of the three sandstorms he had created remained.

Asano Kiyoshi exhausted his spiritual pressure suppressing Runuganka's abilities, then survived the remaining sandstorm inside a failing Bakudo shell. He awoke battered in the desert to find Nelliel and a small Hollow beside him, with Nelliel's saliva smeared over his face.

• Asano Kiyoshi erased two of Runuganka's abilities, but Runuganka fled when its regeneration failed and it feared for its life.
• Asano Kiyoshi used Bakudo No. 39—Enkōsen to shelter inside an iron-shaped shell as the sandstorm battered him unconscious.
• Nelliel and a small Hollow found Asano Kiyoshi and discussed his battered appearance.
• Nelliel vomited on Asano Kiyoshi, who woke and recognized her as the former Thirtieth Espada.
• The small Hollow told Asano Kiyoshi that Nelliel's saliva had healing properties, leaving him embarrassed by the suggestion to take it internally.

Asano Kiyoshi shared Captain Unohana’s pastries with Nel, Pesche, Dondochakka, and Bawabawa while asking Nel about her reasons for rescuing him. Nel initially mistook him for an Arrancar, then realized he was a Shinigami, leaving her frozen in shock.

• Nel and Pesche pretended that Nel was starving so Asano Kiyoshi would share his pastries.
• Asano Kiyoshi gave the group portions of the pastries and stopped them from taking more from the box.
• Nel said she had rescued Asano Kiyoshi because they were both Arrancar and she hoped he would provide good food.
• Asano Kiyoshi told Nel he was actually a Shinigami, and Nel stiffened as the realization hit her.

Asano Kiyoshi revealed that he was a Shinigami, alarming Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka before pastries distracted them. After Nel used Super Acceleration to crash into him, Asano asked the Arrancar what they were and quietly checked for signs of surveillance.

• Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka learned that Asano Kiyoshi was a Shinigami and ran around pretending they were about to be killed.
• Asano Kiyoshi calmed the three with pastries, and Pesche and Dondochakka argued over who should test them for poison.
• Nel used Super Acceleration to ram Asano Kiyoshi, then sat on his chest and ate pastries.
• Asano Kiyoshi scolded the three Arrancar and asked Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka what Arrancar were while checking for surveillance devices.

Asano Kiyoshi learned from Nel about Arrancar, their creation, and the mysterious figure who had transformed many Hollows and rebuilt Las Noches. Nel and Asano shared a warm moment over tea as the lesson ended, while Tsunayashiro Sosuke examined two reports in a secret chamber.

• Nel explained that Arrancar were Hollows who had gained Shinigami abilities and that their masks had broken to reveal human faces.
• Asano gave Nel tea, cooled it for her, and shared an awkwardly tender moment before Pesche interrupted them.
• Nel said a mysterious person had helped many Hollows undergo Hollowfication and rebuilt Las Noches, though she had never met him.
• Nel explained that some Vasto Lorde became Arrancar on their own, while the mysterious person transformed most weaker Hollows; Asano suspected Nel had been transformed by him as well.
• Nel asked Asano to cool her tea for her, while Pesche and Dondochakka watched uneasily.
• Tsunayashiro Sosuke examined two reports in the Tsunayashiro Family's secret chamber and smiled sinisterly.

Asano Kiyoshi told Nel about the Shinigami and Seireitei as she fell asleep beside him, and he resolved to show her the flowers, books, and other things she had never experienced. Meanwhile, Tsunayashiro Sosuke reviewed a spy’s report and remained intent on obtaining the King's Seal despite the Tsunayashiro Clan’s losses.

• Asano Kiyoshi described Seireitei and the Shinigami to a sleepy Nel while their companions slept nearby.
• Nel fell asleep on Asano Kiyoshi’s lap, and he covered her with a blanket after hearing her dream about food, books, and flowers.
• Asano Kiyoshi realized Nel had never seen flowers or many other things and quietly promised she was beautiful wearing them.
• Tsunayashiro Sosuke considered the fines, lost shops, and financial damage the Tsunayashiro Clan had suffered over its past cases.
• Tsunayashiro Sosuke decided the losses were worth it if the clan could obtain the King's Seal, then read the report from the spy placed near Asano Kiyoshi.

Tsunayashiro Sosuke read Baji Taro’s report about Asano Kiyoshi’s rapid growth and disappearance in Hueco Mundo, then ordered protection for Number Ten’s family. He also reviewed the Kidō Corps’ conditions for providing barrier technology and decided they would not prevent his plans.

• Tsunayashiro Sosuke read Baji Taro’s reports describing Asano Kiyoshi’s leadership, combat growth, and the team’s worsening situation in Hueco Mundo.
• Baji Taro reported that Asano Kiyoshi stayed behind during a powerful Menos attack, then vanished without leaving his Asauchi behind.
• Tsunayashiro Sosuke burned the report and ordered a subordinate to move Number Ten’s family into Tsunayashiro protection.
• Tsunayashiro Sosuke considered why Kojiro had to die while Number Ten and his family deserved protection for their loyalty to the clan.
• Tsunayashiro Sosuke read that an upper-ranking Kidō Corps member would provide barrier technology if the clan secured approval, paid the fee, and reported the operation to the Gotei 13.
• Tsunayashiro Sosuke decided the conditions were manageable and that delays in reporting would give his clan time to proceed.

Asano Kiyoshi deduced that Baji Taro had been secretly steering the team toward Hueco Mundo’s interior on behalf of the Tsunayashiro Family, who were tracking him to reclaim the King's Seal. When he heard movement outside the cave, he concealed it with Kyokkō and waited tensely for what was coming.

• Asano Kiyoshi studied the map and realized that the Hollow attacks had followed a nearly straight route, suggesting someone had been guiding the team.
• He identified Baji Taro as the likely traitor after recalling that Baji Taro repeatedly vanished before attacks and had concealed his strength.
• Asano Kiyoshi reasoned that the Tsunayashiro Family wanted a Hollow to kill him so they could recover the King's Seal without provoking the Captain-Commander.
• He realized the Tsunayashiro Family might be tracking his location and could be approaching the cave.
• Asano Kiyoshi used Bakudo #26—Kyokkō to conceal the cave and watched for the source of the rustling outside.

Asano Kiyoshi avoided the Shinigami searching for him and set out with Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka for Halibel’s territory, hoping to build an alliance in Hueco Mundo. On the way, a giant centipede-like Hollow attacked them in a dangerous region.

• Asano Kiyoshi hid with Pesche, Dondochakka, and Nel while Baji Taro and the other Shinigami searched nearby, then revealed that a traitor among them meant he could not safely rejoin them.
• Pesche suggested they seek shelter in the territory of a powerful, relatively peaceful female Hollow, and Asano Kiyoshi decided to head for Halibel.
• Asano Kiyoshi resolved to stop passively defending himself against the Tsunayashiro Clan and make Hueco Mundo the first step in building strength and alliances against the Wandenreich.
• After Nel woke, Asano Kiyoshi and the others rode Bawabawa toward Halibel’s territory, passing through a region crowded with powerful Hollows.
• A giant centipede-like Hollow lunged from the rocks, and Asano Kiyoshi told Nel to guard the pastries as a sea of flowers bloomed around them.

Asano Kiyoshi and his companions fought a group of Hollows in the desert, where he faced Echison Oen, a newly advanced Adjuchas. He unleashed Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō at the powerful Hollow, but the attack left his arm trembling and his body badly injured.

• Asano Kiyoshi pinned a Large Centipede Hollow to a wall with Shitotsu Sansen and destroyed it with Sōkatsui.
• Asano Kiyoshi blasted most of a swarm of Bird Hollows with Hyapporankan, then protected the group with Tōzanshō as Pesche and Dondochakka fought the survivors.
• Asano Kiyoshi identified the elephant-like Echison Oen as an Adjuchas and read its combat stats from the Scroll.
• Asano Kiyoshi unleashed his Bankai's crimson flower landscape and restrained Echison Oen with Gochūtekkan, but the iron pillars caused only minor abrasions.
• Asano Kiyoshi fired Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō at Echison Oen, melting the sand and earth in its path while the technique severely damaged his own arm and body.

Asano Kiyoshi fought an Adjuchas with help from Pesche and Dondochakka, using Kido and a carefully planned feint to set up a decisive strike. The Adjuchas believed it had trapped him and was about to fire a Cero when a powerful blow struck its head.

• Asano Kiyoshi reassured Nel that he would protect her, then faced the badly injured but still furious Adjuchas.
• Asano Kiyoshi called on Pesche and Dondochakka to help him fight, and the two cleared away the remaining bird-shaped hollows.
• Asano Kiyoshi used Daichi Tenyō, Byakurai, and Sekienton to lift, obscure, and injure the Adjuchas while provoking it into releasing its spiritual pressure.
• Asano Kiyoshi approached the Adjuchas with his sword, escaped its nose by using a dark-yellow liquid, and let it believe its counterattack had worked.
• Asano Kiyoshi revealed that he had planned the Adjuchas's moves, and an enormous force struck the top of its head.

Asano Kiyoshi and Dondochakka killed the Adjuchas, but the dying Hollow fired a Bala at Nel. Asano Kiyoshi awakened the King's Seal to reach and shield her, then collapsed in her arms.

• Asano Kiyoshi and Dondochakka drove the Ink-black Longsword through the Adjuchas, splitting it in two.
• The dying Adjuchas fired a crimson Bala at Nel and vowed to wait for Asano Kiyoshi in Hell.
• Asano Kiyoshi used the power of the King's Seal to reach Nel and take the Bala's impact, suffering severe wounds.
• Asano Kiyoshi comforted Nel and thanked her for protecting the box of pastries before losing consciousness in her arms.

Asano Kiyoshi woke after Nel treated his wounds, and Ulquiorra Cifer arrived, seeking to follow him in search of a heart. Asano told Ulquiorra that a heart was not located in the Hollow hole in his chest.

• Nel cared for Asano Kiyoshi's wounds, and he thanked her and reassured her that he did not hate her.
• Ulquiorra Cifer appeared beside Asano Kiyoshi and the others, alarming Pesche and Dondochakka with his spiritual pressure.
• Asano recognized Ulquiorra and asked what he wanted, and Ulquiorra said he wished to follow him and search for a heart.
• Nel pointed out the hollow in Ulquiorra's chest, then apologized when she saw there was no heart there.
• Asano walked toward Ulquiorra and said that a heart was not in that kind of place.

Asano Kiyoshi met Ulquiorra in Hueco Mundo and explained that a heart existed between people who remembered and cared for one another. Later, aboard Bawabawa, Ulquiorra realized that several more people had remembered his name.

• Asano Kiyoshi held Ulquiorra's hand, introduced himself, and asked Ulquiorra to remember him.
• Asano Kiyoshi explained that their memories and thoughts of each other formed a heart between their palms, which would endure even after death.
• Ulquiorra asked whether he would lose his heart if Asano Kiyoshi died, and Asano Kiyoshi assured him that remembering one another would preserve it.
• On Bawabawa, Little Nel asked Asano Kiyoshi what he had said to Ulquiorra, and Asano Kiyoshi told her she would understand when she grew up.
• Pesche and Dondochakka discussed Ulquiorra's name while directing Bawabawa, and Ulquiorra quietly noted that several more people had remembered him.

Asano Kiyoshi recovered while traveling with Nel, Ulquiorra, Pesche, and Dondochakka, but two Adjuchas ambushed them. A Vasto Lorde named Halibel appeared and confronted the attackers, leaving the group’s fate in her hands.

• Aizen watched Asano Kiyoshi leave and wondered whether he would act on his thoughts about the heart.
• Asano Kiyoshi healed his burns on Bawabawa while Nel watched him and Ulquiorra sensed multiple approaching enemies.
• Asano Kiyoshi concealed the group with three Kido barriers, but two Adjuchas fired Cero into the red smoke and assumed he was hiding nearby.
• The two Adjuchas stood back-to-back, then were badly wounded by a sudden attack from Halibel, whose Vasto Lorde presence filled them with fear.
• Halibel warned the two Adjuchas that she had told them not to return to the area.