Chapter Summaries

Byakuya Kuchiki completed his Bankai training by defeating Senbonzakura with a powerful combined Kido and Zanjutsu attack, but the battle damaged Urahara Kisuke’s underground base. By the time Byakuya and Ailin headed back, Ginrei Kuchiki was preparing to appoint Ailin head of the Kuchiki Clan, while Ailin was left behind to help Urahara repair the Sky Canopy.

• Ailin reminded Byakuya Kuchiki that Ginrei Kuchiki was running out of time, prompting Byakuya to stop prolonging his fight with Senbonzakura.
• Byakuya combined Binding Path #58—Tenran with his Zanpakuto and Zanjutsu to unleash White Emperor—Slash, cleaving through Senbonzakura’s blades.
• Urahara Kisuke blocked the slash with Bakudo #81—Dankū, but the clash damaged the underground base and destroyed the Sky Canopy.
• Ginrei Kuchiki told Ryoma to inform Haruko that he had decided to appoint Ailin as the twenty-eighth head of the Kuchiki Clan, and asked that Haruko be told he had wronged her.
• Urahara Kisuke pressured Ailin into staying to help repair the Sky Canopy, using Byakuya’s possible detention as leverage.

Ailin completed Byakuya’s Bankai training and returned him to Ginrei Kuchiki, who admitted he had sent Haruko a message that put her in danger. Ailin broke with the Kuchiki Clan and rushed to the Human World to find his wife.

• Ailin finished the Sky Canopy barrier, and Urahara Kisuke confirmed it worked before Ailin left with Byakuya.
• Byakuya told Ginrei Kuchiki he had completed his Bankai training, qualifying him to inherit the Kuchiki Clan and captain the Sixth Division.
• Ginrei Kuchiki confessed that he had sent Haruko a message in a moment of confusion, and Ailin erupted in anger.
• Ailin tore off the Kuchiki Clan hairpins and scarf, declared that Haruko was no longer part of the clan, and warned Ginrei that he would kill him if Haruko was harmed.
• Ailin used Byakuya’s Zanpakuto to open the Senkaimon and rushed to the Human World, leaving Ginrei to admit to Byakuya that he had made a grave mistake.

Haruko Kuchiki refused Ginrei’s plan to bind Ailin to the Kuchiki Clan by making her sacrifice herself, but Morikawa Gangliang attacked her anyway. Ailin’s Zanpakuto Alice Synthesis Thirty appeared to protect Haruko and overwhelmed Morikawa, who then targeted Haruko with a fire spell while Alice was restrained.

• Morikawa Gangliang told Haruko that Ginrei had awakened but had little time left, and that Ginrei wanted Ailin to become the twenty-eighth head of the Kuchiki Clan.
• Haruko refused to sacrifice herself for the clan and said Ailin mattered most to her.
• Morikawa drew his sword and attacked Haruko, but Alice Synthesis Thirty emerged from a Zanpakuto and blasted him away.
• Alice repeatedly struck Morikawa, who used Kido spells to restrain her and create an opening.
• Morikawa cast Hadō #34: Kongōbaku toward Haruko while Alice remained trapped in Six Rods Prison of Light.

Alice defeated Morikawa Gangliang after he attacked Haruko Kuchiki, who severed her ties with the Kuchiki Clan. Ailin returned to Sakura Source Village and reunited with Haruko, while Ginrei Kuchiki regretted his actions and wondered whether the Spirit King had influenced him.

• Alice released her Zanpakuto, broke Morikawa Gangliang's barriers, and wounded him with her Bankai after he tried to flee.
• Haruko told Morikawa that she chose Ailin over the Kuchiki Clan and ordered him to tell Ginrei that she was severing all ties with the family.
• Ailin returned to Sakura Source Village, embraced Haruko, and learned that she had stayed safe with Alice and Fanatio.
• Morikawa reported to Ginrei that Ailin could materialize Zanpakuto and had left two Bankai-capable swords to protect Haruko.
• Ginrei asked Byakuya to preserve Haruko and Ailin's place in the family, then wondered whether the Spirit King had influenced his decision to pressure Haruko.

After Ginrei Kuchiki died and Byakuya became head of the Kuchiki Clan and captain of the Sixth Division, Ailin and Haruko reconciled over their decision to leave Soul Society. Haruko began training in Kido with Alice as her guardian Zanpakuto, while the Sixth Division’s Shinigami lamented how the Kuchiki Clan had treated Ailin.

• Ginrei Kuchiki died, and Byakuya Kuchiki inherited the clan leadership and the Sixth Division captaincy.
• Ailin and Haruko laughed together as they forgave each other for keeping one another from returning to Soul Society before Ginrei’s death.
• Haruko asked Ailin to train her, and he agreed to teach her starting the next day.
• Ailin gave Haruko the Zanpakuto Alice, who volunteered to protect her, and began teaching her Kido.
• Sixth Division Shinigami condemned the Kuchiki Clan’s treatment of Ailin after Byakuya assumed command.

Byakuya Kuchiki reflected on the Kuchiki Clan’s betrayal of Ailin and began seeking solace in the Rukon District, while Souya Jōshirō sensed the Soul King’s Will and planned to eliminate Hell’s access to souls. In the Human World, Haruko Kuchiki condensed spiritual power and began learning Kido from Ailin.

• Byakuya Kuchiki let Sixth Division squad members speak about Ailin, then returned to the Kuchiki Clan and considered how its history of betrayal might lead to its decline.
• Byakuya repeatedly visited the Rukon District to train and linger at a place associated with Ailin.
• Souya Jōshirō recalled sensing the Soul King’s Will influencing Ginrei Kuchiki against Ailin and wondered why the Spirit King wanted Ailin expelled.
• Souya Jōshirō resolved to turn Soul Society’s Rukon District residents into an invincible army and purify every Hollow in Hueco Mundo to prevent Hell from taking souls.
• Haruko Kuchiki successfully condensed spiritual power, and Ailin began teaching her Hadō #1: Thrust.

After forging another Zanpakuto and breaking through his spiritual pressure, Ailin perceived the Soul King's Will and learned that the Soul King sought liberation, so he decided not to interfere in the conflict surrounding him. Meanwhile, Shihoin Yoruichi continued training to prepare for a possible clash with Ailin, until an urgent alarm summoned the captains to a meeting.

• Ailin forged a Zanpakuto using a character's combat experience, and the feedback from it pushed his spiritual pressure closer to the Shinigami limit.
• Ailin perceived the Soul King and learned that the Soul King had accepted his sealing and dismemberment in pursuit of the world's stability, but now sought liberation.
• Ailin concluded that the Soul King's death and Yhwach's role were part of the Soul King's Will, so he chose to stay out of the conflict unless Aizen or Yhwach targeted him.
• Shihoin Yoruichi continued developing Shunkō under Urahara Kisuke's guidance because her Zanpakuto had rejected her after she neglected it.
• An urgent emergency signal rang through the Seireitei, and Shihoin Yoruichi ordered Soifon to accompany her to the Captain's Meeting.

Souya Jōshirō confessed that he had planned to turn every Plus in Rukon District into weapons to eradicate Hueco Mundo’s Hollows, but abandoned the plan after sensing the Spirit King’s disapproval. As Jōshirō was sent to stand trial, Yamamoto began selecting a new captain for the Eleventh Division and Shunsui Kyōraku proposed Vice-Captain Gōsuke.

• Yamamoto convened the captains and asked Jushiro Genpachi, also known as Souya Jōshirō, to state his crime.
• Souya Jōshirō confessed that he had intended to transform all Pluses in Rukon District into weapons and send them to destroy Hueco Mundo’s Hollows.
• Souya Jōshirō explained that he surrendered after sensing the Spirit King’s will rejecting his plan.
• Yamamoto ordered Shihoin Yoruichi and Kensei Muguruma to escort Souya Jōshirō to Central 46 for trial.
• Yamamoto said the Eleventh Division needed a new captain because Hollows were increasingly entering Rukon District.
• Shunsui Kyōraku proposed promoting Vice-Captain Gōsuke to become the 9th Kenpachi, and Jūshirō Ukitake supported the suggestion.

The captains debated who should become the Eleventh Division’s new captain, with Retsu Unohana recommending the expelled Ailin instead of Gōsuke. Byakuya Kuchiki rejected the idea and left the meeting, but the remaining captains began recommending Ailin.

• Shunsui Kyōraku proposed Vice-Captain Gōsuke for the Eleventh Division captaincy, and several captains recommended him.
• Retsu Unohana argued that Gōsuke lacked the strength to lead the Eleventh Division during the growing Hollow threat and suggested the exiled Ailin instead.
• Byakuya Kuchiki released his Reiatsu, recognized that Unohana meant Ailin, and left the meeting after declaring that Ailin would never return to serve as captain.
• Byakuya used Tenteikūra to tell Ginjiro that the meeting had ended, and Ginjiro hurried after him.
• After Byakuya left, Aikawa Love and other captains began recommending Ailin, citing his prior captaincy and strength.

Captains in the Seireitei voted on appointing Ailin as Captain of the Eleventh Division, but postponed the decision until two absent captains returned. In the Human World, Ailin continued training Haruko, who mastered basic Kido and became the miko of Sakura Source Village.

• Captain Hirako Shinji, Captain Kiryuo Hikifune, and Shunsui Kyōraku voted to appoint Ailin, bringing his supporting votes to five.
• Captain-Commander Yamamoto postponed the vote until Captain Shihoin Yoruichi and Captain Kensei Muguruma returned.
• Ailin reflected on the Spirit King's plans and decided he only needed to remain strong.
• Haruko learned to cast Hadō #1 and eagerly asked Ailin to let her exorcise spirits.
• Within a month, Haruko mastered basic Hadō and Bakudō with Kishōtenketsu, and Ailin gave her a miko outfit and named her the miko of Sakura Source Village.

Ailin and Haruko left Sakura Garden Village to travel as exorcists after Haruko completed a barrier protecting the village. At Fujiwara Castle, they discovered a powerful evil spirit that was close to becoming a Hollow.

• Ailin told the villagers that Haruko had purified the village’s evil spirit and set up a protective barrier, and the villagers farewelled them with promises to care for Ailin’s dojo and storehouse.
• Ailin and Haruko left the village, and Ailin reassured Haruko that her spiritual pressure and Kido made her a formidable miko.
• Fujiwara Junichi waited anxiously for Haruko after a sorcerer warned that the evil spirit haunting his residence would soon grow beyond their ability to handle.
• A servant reported that Haruko had arrived, and Fujiwara Junichi ordered a welcome prepared.
• As Ailin and Haruko approached the lord’s residence, Haruko sensed the powerful evil energy, and Ailin judged that the spirit would become a Hollow within five days.

Haruko and Ailin reached Fujiwara Castle to exorcise the powerful spirit haunting Lord Fujiwara’s manor. Haruko restrained the spirit with Kidō and began preparing a lightning attack, leaving the exorcism battle underway.

• Fujiwara Junichi welcomed Haruko and Ailin, then led them toward the evil spirit occupying his manor’s main hall.
• Haruko recognized that the spirit was close to becoming a Hollow, but chose to exorcise it rather than risk a city’s lives for the chance to fight one.
• Fujiwara Junichi left the hall before the exorcism began, while Haruko entered to face the spirit.
• The spirit charged Haruko, and she restrained it with Kidō spells after knocking it down twice.
• Haruko began chanting Hadō #4: Byakurai and gathered blue lightning at her fingertips.

Haruko purified the evil spirit in Fujiwara Castle and stayed to guard against Hollows drawn by its lingering spiritual pressure. Urahara Kisuke arrived through a Senkaimon and told Ailin that he had been chosen as the new Eleventh Division captain, leaving Ailin doubtful of the appointment.

• Haruko told Fujiwara Junichi that she had purified the evil spirit and ordered everyone to keep away while she purged the remaining evil aura for three days.
• Haruko explained to Ailin that the spirit's lingering spiritual pressure could attract Hollows, so they stayed to protect Fujiwara Castle's residents.
• Ailin and Haruko saw Urahara Kisuke arrive in the Human World through a Gotei 13 Senkaimon.
• Urahara told Ailin that Jushiro Genpachi had been imprisoned in Mugen Jigoku after turning himself in over his plan to turn Rukon District residents into weapons against Hueco Mundo.
• Urahara announced that Ailin had been selected as the new Eleventh Division captain, and Ailin questioned why the captains would recommend him.

Urahara Kisuke told Ailin that Soul Society had chosen him to become the Eleventh Division’s Ninth Kenpachi, and offered to bring Haruko back with him. After learning that she would lose her memories of the Human World when she died, Haruko chose to become a Soul Reaper, and Ailin agreed to return to Soul Society with her.

• Ailin doubted Urahara Kisuke’s claim that the captains had recommended him for the Eleventh Division, but Urahara explained that most of the captains had approved his appointment.
• Urahara offered to convert Haruko’s body so she could enter Soul Society, then warned her that souls lose their Human World memories after death.
• Haruko panicked at the thought of forgetting Ailin and decided she wanted to become a Soul Reaper so she could stay with him longer.
• Ailin agreed to return to Soul Society as the Ninth Kenpachi, and Urahara went ahead to prepare the Senkaimon in Sakura Source Village.
• Ailin and Haruko waited together until the evil spirit’s spiritual pressure faded, then prepared to leave.

Ailin’s leadership turned the Eleventh Division into a faster, more competitive fighting force while Haruko trained at the academy and followed reports of his exploits. During a patrol, Ailin discovered Aizen and a companion extracting a blue light from the injured Rangiku, and confronted them over the Hollow incursions.

• Ailin became the Ninth Kenpachi and pushed the Eleventh Division to improve its Shunpo by killing most Hollows before the slower members arrived.
• Kiyone Shunjō defeated Gōsuke and became vice-captain, while Maki Ichinose earned the Sixth Seat.
• Haruko Kuchiki trained at True Zero Spirit Arts Academy and listened to her classmates discuss Ailin’s growing reputation.
• As Hollows began appearing across the Rukon District, Ailin investigated a spiritual-pressure trace in a grove and fought two black-robed figures.
• Ailin recognized the injured girl as M Matsumoto Rangiku and identified the surviving figure as likely Aizen Sosuke after defeating his companion.
• Ailin shielded Rangiku and accused Aizen and his companion of directing the Hollow attacks and betraying the Soul Society.

Ailin drove Aizen away after breaking through his Dankū, then healed the injured Matsumoto Rangiku and discovered that Aizen had taken part of her soul. Gin Ichimaru begged Ailin to use part of Gin's own soul to restore Rangiku, despite the danger.

• Ailin chased Aizen with projected Zanpakuto and shattered his Dankū with Hadō #92, but Aizen escaped through a Garganta.
• Gin Ichimaru found Rangiku unconscious, realized someone had taken something from her, and ran after Ailin and Aizen in search of strength.
• Ailin dispelled Rangiku's barrier and treated her, but discovered that part of her soul was missing and her life was at risk.
• Gin begged Ailin to save Rangiku and offered part of his own soul to replace what she had lost.

Ailin healed Rangiku by taking a fragment of Gin Ichimaru’s soul, then urged Gin to become a powerful Shinigami. Later, as he considered how to help Haruko surpass her limits, Ailin devised a plan to study the Anti-Membrane and create Avalon, though he still needed someone’s help to analyze it.

• Ailin used a projected Soul Extraction Medium to remove a fragment of Gin Ichimaru’s soul and repair M Matsumoto Rangiku’s injury.
• Gin Ichimaru thanked Ailin, who encouraged him to study at the Central Spirit Arts Academy and offered to train him in the Eleventh Division.
• With Hollow activity reduced, Ailin returned to the Seireitei to train and watched Haruko study, worrying that her weak spiritual pressure would leave her vulnerable.
• Ailin decided that using an incomplete Hogyoku on Haruko could expose her to Hollow power and resolved to wait until Aizen completed the Hogyoku before borrowing it.
• Ailin realized that the Anti-Membrane might provide the principles needed to create Avalon and thought of someone who could help him analyze it.

Ailin visited Soifon to ask Yoruichi to arrange a meeting with Urahara Kisuke, and learned that Ranshiro had renewed her plea for the Bount to be accepted in Soul Society. He asked Urahara to obtain an Anti-Membrane so he could study it and forge a defensive sword for Haruko, but Urahara refused.

• Ailin teased Soifon at the Second Division until she summoned a Hell Butterfly to tell Yoruichi he wanted Urahara's help.
• While assisting Soifon with paperwork, Ailin read Ranshiro's report asking the Seireitei to accept the Bount, and Soifon explained their origins and repeated rejections.
• Yoruichi's message directed Ailin to the underground base, where he met Urahara Kisuke.
• Ailin asked Urahara to obtain an Anti-Membrane, explaining that he wanted to study its defensive properties to forge a sword for Haruko.
• Urahara recognized that Ailin's sword-forging ability required him to understand the abilities he replicated, then said he could not fulfill the request.

Ailin traveled to Hueco Mundo to study the Anti-Membrane after Urahara Kisuke opened a Senkaimon for him. While searching for the Forest of Menos, Ailin found Tenkai Shusuke at the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force’s base, abducted him, and left him waking in an unfamiliar place.

• Urahara Kisuke refused to find Menos to help Ailin study the Anti-Membrane but opened a Senkaimon to Hueco Mundo for him.
• Ailin entered Hueco Mundo, killed the Hollows that attacked him, and used Grasping Cicada to search for Menos and the Forest of Menos.
• Ailin sensed the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force’s base and recognized the spiritual pressure of Kisaragi Taiho’s Zanpakuto, realizing Tenkai Shusuke was there.
• Ailin concealed his spiritual pressure, infiltrated the base, knocked Tenkai Shusuke unconscious, and carried him away.
• Tenkai Shusuke woke in an unfamiliar place and wondered whether he had been kidnapped and whether his identity had been exposed.

Ailin abducted Tenkai Shusuke, tested his swordsmanship, and revealed that he had come to repay a favor owed to Tenkai’s father by teaching him for three days. After two days of rebuilding Tenkai’s Zanjutsu foundations, Ailin began the final day of training, leaving Tenkai determined to grow strong enough to avenge his father.

• Tenkai Shusuke woke in Hueco Mundo and attacked Ailin, who criticized his poor Zanjutsu and challenged him to fight.
• Tenkai Shusuke released Raikō and used Raien Dan, but Ailin avoided the blast and emerged unharmed.
• Ailin healed Tenkai Shusuke and explained that he had come to repay a favor owed to Kisaragi Taiho by teaching Tenkai for three days.
• Ailin spent two days and two nights teaching Tenkai the fundamentals of Zanjutsu, while Tenkai practiced without sleeping.
• Ailin began the final day’s lessons in Shunpo and Hakuda, and Tenkai called him his teacher despite Ailin’s refusal to accept him as a disciple.