Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Hiko and the assembled Soul Society fighters powered the Kido Cannon until it fired a blast that destroyed the spatial Valley hanging over the Soul Society. With the sky restored, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto feared that Hiko had died, while Kuchiki Byakuya and Soi Fon arrived at the launch platform.

• Kisuke Urahara, the Visored Army, Kenpachi Zaraki, and the division captains joined the crimson formation to strengthen the Kido Cannon.
• Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Mayuri Kurotsuchi stood beside Uchiha Hiko and were drained of energy as the cannon charged.
• The Kido Cannon released a sphere of white light that exploded inside the Senkaimon space Valley, destroying the spatial barrier and containing most of the blast.
• The skyscrapers above the Soul Society faded away, revealing a clear blue sky, and Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto went to check on Uchiha Hiko.
• Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto found Hiko encased in cold black grime and feared he was dead, while Kuchiki Byakuya and Soi Fon arrived and Shinji Hirako confronted them.

After Uchiha Hiko appeared to die saving Soul Society, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto honored him and appointed the Visored Army to his new Guard 14th Squad. Hiko secretly survived and appeared unconscious on a street, where a boy and Rukia found him.

• Kuchiki Byakuya cut away the black cylinder and revealed Uchiha Hiko encased in a lifeless-looking statue.
• Shinji Hirako and the Visored Army grieved over Hiko, while Kisuke Urahara noticed that the statue sounded hollow.
• Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto appointed Hiko the first captain of the Guard 14th Squad and made the Visored Army its members.
• Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto declared Hiko a heroic exemplar and ordered a Hero Hall built to honor him.
• Uchiha Hiko appeared unconscious and blackened on a street, where a boy and Rukia arrived and the boy stopped upon seeing him.

Ichigo Kurosaki and Kuchiki Rukia found the blackened, unconscious Uchiha Hiko and brought him to Urahara Shop. After recovering, Hiko learned that Soul Society had fallen and Yamamoto had been poisoned and weakened, while Urahara hinted that another ally was also guarding Karakura Town.

• Ichigo Kurosaki and Kuchiki Rukia discovered Uchiha Hiko lying blackened in the street, and Ichigo carried him to Urahara Shop while Rukia followed as a Soul Reaper.
• After Hiko’s breathing stabilized, he asked Kisuke Urahara about Soul Society, and Urahara sent Kuchiki Rukia away before explaining the crisis.
• Kisuke Urahara told Uchiha Hiko that Seireitei had fallen and Captain Yamamoto had been poisoned in an ambush by the Soi Fon Family and the Kuchiki Family, leaving him with only vice-captain-level strength.
• Kisuke Urahara revealed that the two families had hidden Yhwach in Soul Society, and confirmed that Yhwach had appeared while Aizen Sosuke remained unaccounted for.
• Uchiha Hiko praised Kisuke Urahara for guarding Karakura Town against Aizen Sosuke, and Urahara said someone else Hiko knew was guarding it too.

Uchiha Hiko learned that Ichigo Kurosaki had awakened his White Hollow and could hold off a weakened Yhwach, but Yhwach’s temporary weakness and powerful allies still threatened Soul Society. After Kisuke Urahara fell asleep, Hiko reconsidered the shifting balance of power and noticed the seven grayish-white pellets, wondering if Urahara could repair them.

• Kisuke Urahara explained that Ichigo Kurosaki’s White Hollow had helped stop the weakened Yhwach during the Soul Society crisis, and predicted Ichigo might awaken more power.
• Urahara warned Uchiha Hiko that Yhwach was only temporarily weakened, had powerful generals, and might not yet have reached his peak.
• Urahara told Hiko that Soul Society was counting on his return, and the two shared tea in silence until Urahara fell asleep.
• Hiko assessed the threats posed by Yhwach, Aizen Sosuke, Spirit King's Torrent, and Soul Society’s two great families, and considered how to keep the other factions from interfering.
• Hiko noticed seven grayish-white black pellets and recalled Space Dragon telling him to have Urahara repair them if he could.

Uchiha Hiko learned that the Space Dragon might grant a wish to revive Shizuku and sent Kisuke Urahara to work on the seven black pills. He planned to visit the besieged Soul Society with Ichigo Kurosaki, while invasion preparations continued unseen in Karakura Town.

• Uchiha Hiko woke Kisuke Urahara and sent him to his underground laboratory with the seven grayish-white pills, hoping he could repair them and help revive Shizuku.
• Ichigo Kurosaki visited Uchiha Hiko, who praised his training and asked him to accompany him to the Soul Society in two days.
• Ichigo Kurosaki told Kuchiki Rukia that Uchiha Hiko's strength might not recover and that he would face the enemy himself if Uchiha Hiko could not turn the tide.
• Kuchiki Rukia watched Ichigo Kurosaki leave, then went into the inner room without chasing him.
• In Karakura Town, invasion preparations continued as Barragan Louisenbourn listened to Aizen Sosuke and others boast around a round table.

Barragan Louisenbourn sent Uchiha Hiko news from Hueco Mundo, prompting Uchiha Hiko and Ichigo Kurosaki to head to the Soul Society. They emerged directly inside the enemy-occupied Seireitei, rather than at the outskirts as expected.

• Barragan Louisenbourn weighed whether to side with Aizen Sosuke or Uchiha Hiko, then chose to send Uchiha Hiko a message about Hueco Mundo.
• Uchiha Hiko received Barragan Louisenbourn's information and decided to leave for the Soul Society with Ichigo Kurosaki.
• Kuchiki Rukia asked to join them, but Uchiha Hiko told her to stay in Karakura Town and monitor Hueco Mundo with Kisuke Urahara's communicator.
• Ichigo Kurosaki followed Uchiha Hiko through the passage to the Soul Society, and they appeared inside the Seireitei, now occupied by their enemies.

Uchiha Hiko and Ichigo Kurosaki tried to flee the Seireitei Outskirts but were intercepted by Kuchiki Byakuya, who invited Hiko to join the Wandenreich before drawing his Zanpakuto. As Byakuya prepared to fight, Hiko dismissed Ichigo’s offer to face him and hinted that another opponent was present.

• Uchiha Hiko and Ichigo Kurosaki moved stealthily through the residential district toward the Seireitei Outskirts while concealing their spiritual pressure.
• A massive spiritual pressure descended on them and slowed their escape.
• Kuchiki Byakuya appeared ahead and confronted Uchiha Hiko and Ichigo Kurosaki.
• Kuchiki Byakuya formally invited Uchiha Hiko to join the Wandenreich on His Majesty’s behalf, then drew his Zanpakuto after Hiko refused.
• Ichigo Kurosaki offered to fight Byakuya so Hiko could escape, but Hiko refused and said his Ryujin Jakka would answer Byakuya.
• Uchiha Hiko announced that Ichigo’s opponent was there, leaving the threat unidentified.

Uchiha Hiko sent Ichigo Kurosaki to draw Soi Fon away, then fought Byakuya Kuchiki while hiding his true strength. Byakuya pressed the attack as Hiko pretended to struggle, hoping to mislead the owner of a nearby spiritual pressure.

• Ichigo Kurosaki panicked when Soi Fon arrived, and Uchiha Hiko told him to lure her away.
• Ichigo Kurosaki attacked Soi Fon, then pursued her as she retreated from Byakuya Kuchiki and Uchiha Hiko.
• Uchiha Hiko drew Ryujin Jakka and challenged Byakuya Kuchiki, who could not sense Hiko or the heat of his flames.
• Byakuya Kuchiki attacked Hiko to test whether he was a worthy opponent, raising Hiko's suspicions that Byakuya knew something about him.
• Uchiha Hiko feigned difficulty blocking Byakuya Kuchiki's continuous attacks to conceal his strength from the owner of a nearby spiritual pressure.

Uchiha Hiko fought Kuchiki Byakuya while concealing his true strength, drawing Yhwach’s attention. Yhwach arrived and ordered Byakuya to defeat Hiko within three moves, prompting Byakuya to unleash his Bankai.

• Uchiha Hiko grew more composed as he parried Kuchiki Byakuya’s lethal attacks, and their battle reduced the surrounding area to ruins.
• Yhwach and Haschwalth observed the fight and concluded that Hiko was hiding his strength, though they could not sense his power.
• Yhwach and Haschwalth discussed Aizen Sosuke’s possible cooperation and his plans in Hueco Mundo.
• Yhwach appeared above Hiko and Byakuya’s battlefield, causing the fight to pause as Hiko recognized him.
• Yhwach ordered Byakuya to defeat Hiko within three moves, and Byakuya activated Bankai, forming white wings behind him.

Uchiha Hiko used Ryujin Jakka's Bankai to kill Kuchiki Byakuya and made Yhwach reconsider attacking the Soul Society. Yhwach invited Hiko to join the Sternritter, but Hiko refused, and Yhwach resolved to steal his Bankai once his strength recovered.

• Uchiha Hiko unleashed Ryujin Jakka's flames against Kuchiki Byakuya, then used Zanka no Tachi, East to cut him down and turn him to ash.
• Yhwach was shaken by Hiko's mastery of Ryujin Jakka and invited him to join the Sternritter, but Hiko refused.
• Yhwach vanished, and White Ichigo emerged briefly before Ichigo Kurosaki returned to normal and followed Hiko toward the Thirteenth Division's gathering place.
• Uchiha Hiko and Ichigo Kurosaki reached the gathering place, while Soi Fon's body had also turned to ash.
• Haschwalth asked why Yhwach let Hiko go, and Yhwach said Hiko was his enemy and vowed to take his Bankai after recovering his strength.

Uchiha Hiko returned to the Thirteenth Division and met with Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, whose poison had left him gravely weakened. After revealing that Aizen Sosuke and Yhwach were discussing an alliance, Hiko identified the Soul King, Benliu, as a key uncertainty in breaking the deadlock.

• Kenpachi Zaraki escorted Uchiha Hiko and Ichigo Kurosaki through the crowd to the temporary command post.
• Uchiha Hiko told Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto that his mission had gone smoothly and remarked that the Thirteenth Division had nearly fallen.
• Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto said there was no cure for his poison but that he could endure one more battle.
• Uchiha Hiko warned that he could handle either Yhwach or Aizen Sosuke, but not both together, and showed Yamamoto information that they were considering an alliance.
• Uchiha Hiko said they needed time and had to confirm the Soul King, Benliu, prompting Yamamoto to slam his palm on the table in shock.

Uchiha Hiko urged Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto to question the Spirit King's motives and suggested the Spirit King could be freed from his role as the Three Realms' linchpin. Yamamoto was left furious and conflicted, while Hiko wondered about information from Kisuke Urahara before someone entered Hiko's room.

• Uchiha Hiko warned Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto that the Spirit King might want the Protection Guard dead and urged him to investigate.
• Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto recalled Yhwach's identity and the Spirit King's orders during the Quincy war, then insisted the Spirit King could not be defied because the Three Realms depended on him.
• Uchiha Hiko claimed there was an eighty percent chance the Spirit King could die and left Yamamoto to consider what Soul Society should do if the Spirit King treated its people as ants.
• Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto grew enraged at the thought that the Spirit King might despise Soul Society and roared his name inside his room.
• Uchiha Hiko wondered how Kisuke Urahara's information was faring, and someone opened the door to Hiko's room.

Uchiha Hiko told Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto he had suspicions about the Spirit King and agreed to go to the Spirit King Palace, while warning he could only offer an eighty percent chance of protecting the Three Realms. The next morning, Ichigo Kurosaki brought news that Kisuke Urahara was surrounded by Yhwach, who revealed that events inside the Spirit King Palace were going according to his plans.

• Uchiha Hiko admitted he had no proof of his suspicions about the Spirit King, and Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto asked him to accompany him to the Spirit King Palace.
• Uchiha Hiko said he had to wait for someone to bring him something before they could leave, and Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto departed without pressing him.
• Ichigo Kurosaki told Uchiha Hiko that Kisuke Urahara was surrounded by Yhwach, so Uchiha Hiko rushed to the scene.
• Uchiha Hiko unleashed his spiritual pressure, halted Haschwalth, and found Kisuke Urahara injured but alive.
• Yhwach offered Uchiha Hiko a chance to join forces and said the events inside the Spirit King Palace were the outcome he wanted; Uchiha Hiko refused his offer.

Uchiha Hiko returned with seven golden beads that he said could stabilize the Three Realms, and Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto agreed to take the group to the Spirit King Palace. After Yamamoto opened the passage with the King's Key, Hiko entered first.

• Yhwach warned Kisuke Urahara about the consequences of angering him, then left with Haschwalth.
• Uchiha Hiko returned to the Guard 14th Squad's gathering place with Kisuke Urahara and Ichigo Kurosaki, carrying seven golden beads.
• Uchiha Hiko said the beads were what he relied on to keep the Three Realms stable, and Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto agreed to go to the Spirit King Palace.
• Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto explained the plan to Ichigo Kurosaki and Kisuke Urahara, then met Uchiha Hiko at an open clearing.
• Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto used the King's Key to open a passage to the Spirit King Palace, and Uchiha Hiko entered first.

Uchiha Hiko and his companions reached the Spirit King Palace, where the Spirit King called out to him. Bing Zhubu Yi Bingwei took Hiko alone to meet the Spirit King, leaving Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Kisuke Urahara at an outlying palace.

• Uchiha Hiko entered the Spirit King Palace with Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Kisuke Urahara, and Ichigo Kurosaki, and the Spirit King greeted him by name.
• Haschwalth gathered the Sternritter in the Meeting Room and said the group needed to decide who would accompany Yhwach to the Spirit King Palace.
• Bing Zhubu Yi Bingwei said the Spirit King had named only Uchiha Hiko and offered to take him alone.
• Uchiha Hiko agreed to go with Bing Zhubu Yi Bingwei, while Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Kisuke Urahara waited at an outlying palace.
• Bing Zhubu Yi Bingwei led Uchiha Hiko toward the Spirit King's enormous palace, whose scale made ordinary construction seem impossible.

Uchiha Hiko met the Soul King, who revealed that he had sensed Hiko’s Spiritual Pressure before and demanded his submission. Hiko resisted the Soul King’s overwhelming pressure, and the two stood poised for a confrontation.

• Bing Zhubu Yi Bingwei proudly showed Uchiha Hiko the palace before leading him to the Soul King’s room.
• The Soul King told Uchiha Hiko they had encountered each other several times through his Spiritual Pressure, which Hiko recognized from his visits to the Soul Society.
• The Soul King revealed himself inside an amber-like boulder and said he could see everyone’s past and future except Uchiha Hiko’s.
• The Soul King demanded that Uchiha Hiko submit or die, offering him the highest authority beneath himself.
• The Soul King emerged from the amber and pressed Hiko with his Spiritual Pressure, but Hiko pushed it back with his own power.

Uchiha Hiko confronted the Spirit King over his attempts to control him and accused him of orchestrating the Quincy war and the current Soul Society conflict. Yhwach arrived, revealed his control of Pernida Parnkgjas, and attacked the Spirit King, leaving Uchiha Hiko facing a choice about joining the Wandenreich.

• Uchiha Hiko rejected the Spirit King's demand for submission and forced their spiritual pressures into a standoff.
• The Spirit King warned Uchiha Hiko that refusing him meant death, and Uchiha Hiko accused him of causing the Quincy war and the current Soul Society war.
• Yhwach entered and challenged the Spirit King over the attempt to kill him a thousand years earlier.
• Yhwach revealed that Pernida Parnkgjas, the Spirit King's missing left arm, was under his control.
• Yhwach killed Pernida Parnkgjas and evaded the Spirit King's devastating attack, then asked Uchiha Hiko to join the Wandenreich.

Uchiha Hiko refused Yhwach’s offer to join forces against the Spirit King, who restored his body and launched a powerful attack on Yhwach. The ensuing battle devastated the Spirit King Palace, drawing both the Royal Guard and the other fighters toward it.

• Yhwach urged Uchiha Hiko to work with him to destroy the Spirit King, but Uchiha Hiko refused because he did not trust him.
• The Spirit King restored his body with white strips and unleashed an overwhelming surge of spiritual pressure.
• The Spirit King summoned the Great Holy Bow and fired arrows at Yhwach, while Uchiha Hiko watched from a distance.
• Yhwach summoned a cross-shaped sword and used Schrift: Gottesgnadentum to make the Spirit King’s arrows vanish against a yellow radiance.
• The clash blasted apart the upper walls of the Spirit King Palace, prompting Ichigo Kurosaki, Kisuke Urahara, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, and the Royal Guard to react and rush toward the palace.

Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto joined Haschwalth and Gaskell against the Royal Guard, declaring that he trusted Uchiha Hiko to prevent the Three Realms from collapsing. As another explosion erupted inside the Spirit King Palace, Yhwach revealed his overwhelming power, leaving the Spirit King facing both him and Uchiha Hiko.

• Haschwalth and Gaskell blocked the Royal Guard, while Yamamoto, Kisuke Urahara, and Ichigo Kurosaki moved to stand beside them.
• Yamamoto accused the Spirit King of using both the Soul Society and the Quincy and said Uchiha Hiko could prevent the Three Realms from collapsing.
• Bing Zhubu Yi Bingwei ordered the Royal Guard to fight, explaining that the Spirit King's power bound their bodies and that they would vanish if he died.
• Yamamoto revealed that the Royal Guard could no longer pretend to surrender and launch a sneak attack.
• An explosion sounded from the Spirit King Palace as Yhwach's golden crown settled around him, and the Spirit King praised his son's strength while worrying about facing him alongside Uchiha Hiko.

Uchiha Hiko refused Yhwach’s demand to help fight the Soul King, leaving the two to settle their conflict themselves. As Yhwach and the Soul King clashed, Hiko watched and noticed that Yamamoto’s strength had risen above vice-captain level as his battle erupted in flames.

• The Soul King revealed two Zanpakuto and dismissed Hiko and Yhwach as threats.
• Hiko rejected Yhwach’s request for help, calling the fight a family matter and insisting he could defeat the Soul King alone.
• Yhwach and the Soul King distrusted each other, and Yhwach charged the Soul King with his cross-shaped sword.
• Hiko watched the pair trade blows and judged that he could match them in strength, technique, and speed.
• Hiko noticed Yamamoto fighting in a chaotic five-on-five melee, with his strength seemingly above captain level and Ryujin Jakka’s flames covering the battlefield.