Chapter Summaries

Toshiro Hitsugaya froze Luppy in a massive ice prison, but Ulquiorra destroyed it and five Espada gathered against the Shinigami. Duan Mu arrived as the Espada prepared for their real objective and ended the chapter by teasing Halibel with an offer to consider her invitation.

• Luppy overwhelmed Toshiro Hitsugaya, Matsumoto Rangiku, Renji Abarai, and Shuhei Hisagi with his tentacles, and his taunts provoked Matsumoto Rangiku and Shuhei Hisagi into provoking him in return.
• Luppy struck Matsumoto Rangiku and Shuhei Hisagi hard enough to leave them badly injured, while Toshiro Hitsugaya used the time to prepare a counterattack.
• Toshiro Hitsugaya trapped Luppy in his Thousand Year Ice Prison, but a black Cero from Ulquiorra melted the glacier almost instantly.
• Ulquiorra, Halibel, Szayelaporro, and Luppy joined Tier, and Szayelaporro told Tier to handle the Shinigami while the others prepared to welcome their guests.
• Duan Mu arrived, and Szayelaporro invited him back to his laboratory before Duan Mu said he might consider an invitation from Halibel.

Halibel and the other Espada trapped Duan Mu in a barrier that suppressed his Spiritual Pressure, then Luppy attacked him inside it. Duan Mu fought back with sheer physical strength, badly injuring Luppy, while the Soul Reapers watched from outside.

• Duan Mu refused Halibel’s invitation to Hueco Mundo, so she released her Resurrección and unleashed a torrent of waves at the group.
• Toshiro Hitsugaya blocked the waves with an ice wall, but the Espada used a modified Hanmaku to seal Duan Mu inside a barrier that suppressed his Spiritual Pressure.
• Tier explained that the barrier had been designed specifically to capture Duan Mu and that the Espada had been ordered to take him alive to Hueco Mundo.
• Luppy attacked Duan Mu with his tentacles, but Duan Mu shattered them with his fists and struck Luppy hard enough to smash him into the barrier.
• Duan Mu said that someone could be killed without Spiritual Pressure, though he realized that defeating an Espada with physical strength alone would be difficult.

Duan Mu fought Halibel and Luppy while trapped in Szayelaporro’s barrier, relying on his physical abilities and healing to survive. Just as Halibel and Ulquiorra cornered him, Urahara Kisuke shattered the barrier, and Duan Mu confronted him for arriving late.

• Halibel attacked Duan Mu, who endured her blows and used her reluctance to kill him to lock onto her, but she broke free with Waterfall Crash and severed his legs.
• Duan Mu regenerated his legs by spending experience points, then dodged Luppy’s tentacles and used them to hurl Luppy past Halibel.
• Ulquiorra ambushed Duan Mu and severed his arms and part of his leg while Halibel prepared another strike.
• Szayelaporro’s barrier shattered, and Duan Mu unleashed his Spiritual Power as Urahara Kisuke appeared outside it.
• Duan Mu berated Urahara for arriving late, while Urahara explained that he had studied and broken the barrier.

Duan Mu fought Halibel, Ulquiorra, and Luppy after Urahara’s barrier shattered, using powerful Kidō and close-combat techniques to withstand their attacks. The battle continued as Duan Mu and Halibel were both blasted backward by their Ceros, while Tōshirō and the others watched in shock.

• The barrier shattered, and Duan Mu emerged uninjured as Halibel and Ulquiorra prepared to continue the fight.
• Duan Mu blocked Ulquiorra’s spear with Dankū, counterattacked with lightning, and blasted away Luppy with a punch.
• Duan Mu trapped Ulquiorra with Kurohitsugi, but Ulquiorra broke free and clashed with him again.
• Duan Mu used Ikka Tōkasō against Halibel’s water dragon, then combined lightning and flames to overpower it and charge at her.
• Duan Mu and Halibel fought at close range before their golden and purple Ceros collided and sent them both flying.
• Tōshirō and the others watched in disbelief as Urahara recognized Duan Mu’s growing strength and combat instinct.

Duan Mu fought Halibel and Ulquiorra with a newly created earth-controlling Kido while the other battles continued across the area. Tōsen Kaname arrived and used his Bankai to cover the retreating Arrancar, and Duan Mu left with Shuhei Hisagi before Ikkaku Madarame arrived looking for him.

• Duan Mu overwhelmed Halibel and Ulquiorra with Daichi Fanyong, a Kido that let him command and reshape the surrounding soil.
• Tōsen Kaname appeared behind Duan Mu, then revealed that Aizen had ordered the Arrancar to withdraw because the plan had failed.
• Tōsen Kaname activated Bankai: Enma Korogi, and the Arrancar vanished under cover of its darkness despite Duan Mu’s attempt to seize them with soil.
• Urahara Kisuke found that Luppy’s corpse had already been taken, while Duan Mu realized Kurotsuchi Mayuri had likely carried it off.
• Duan Mu and Shuhei Hisagi returned to the Soul Society, and Ikkaku Madarame arrived afterward, furious that Duan Mu had killed his opponent.

Duan Mu prepared to train with Unohana Retsu while worrying that he lacked enough experience to endure her instruction, then encountered a troubled Orihime Inoue in Seireitei. He reassured her about her importance to Ichigo Kurosaki and offered to escort her back to the Human World, hoping to prevent Aizen from using her as bait.

• Duan Mu taught Soul Reaper Academy students about Kido and reassured Ryūnosuke that he could find a suitable Gotei 13 division.
• Duan Mu told Man'ya Ori that he would be away for an extended period to receive Zanjutsu instruction from Unohana Retsu.
• Duan Mu worried that his remaining experience would not let him last long enough in training to satisfy Unohana Retsu.
• Duan Mu met Kuchiki Rukia and Orihime Inoue shopping in Seireitei and realized Urahara Kisuke had discouraged Orihime from fighting.
• Duan Mu reassured Orihime that she was indispensable to Ichigo Kurosaki and offered to escort her back to the Human World.

Duan Mu visited the Comprehensive First Aid Station, where Konai recalled how his drunken behavior had once seemed unusually genuine. After treating a wave of injured 11th Division Soul Reapers, he reunited with Kotetsu Isane and invited her to dinner.

• Konai told Duan Mu that, while drunk, he had stubbornly waited outside Captain Unohana’s door and seemed more emotionally candid than usual.
• Duan Mu learned that Isane was absent because Captain Unohana had been handing over her duties, and that Unohana and Isane had also completed arrangements with the Soul Reaper Pharmacy.
• A large group of injured 11th Division Soul Reapers arrived, and Duan Mu organized their treatment and personally handled the seriously injured.
• The 11th Division Soul Reapers explained that their captain’s sparring had caused more injuries because Ikkaku and Kiyone were away in the Human World and Isane had not been there to stop the fight.
• After finishing the treatment, Duan Mu met Kotetsu Isane, heard that her handover was complete, and invited her to eat with him.

Duan Mu spoke with Kotetsu Isane about training under Unohana and then encountered Hinamori Momo, who was struggling to accept Aizen's defection. He reassured Hinamori that Aizen's past contributions and her good memories did not need to be erased, and her favorability toward him rose to 60.

• Kotetsu Isane told Duan Mu that he reminded her of Unohana and worried that he would keep risking himself against Aizen.
• Duan Mu received an unexpected increase in Kotetsu Isane's romance value, then left the Comprehensive First Aid Station and wandered through Seireitei.
• Duan Mu encountered Hinamori Momo, whose favorability toward him had recovered to 38, and she asked whether Aizen had seemed unusual before defecting.
• Duan Mu rejected Hinamori's belief that Aizen was innocent and listened as she described her admiration for him and her inability to move on.
• Duan Mu told Hinamori that Aizen's defection did not erase his contributions or make her good memories false, raising her favorability to 60.

Duan Mu began Zanjutsu training with Unohana Retsu, who forced him into combat and exposed the deadly indifference beneath his controlled demeanor. After Duan Mu was overwhelmed by her first strike, Unohana attacked again, intent on killing him.

• Duan Mu met Unohana Retsu beneath Sokyoku Hill, where she said her instruction would consist of relentless combat rather than conventional teaching.
• Duan Mu formed a Kido Blade and entered a feral combat state as Unohana attacked him with a technique modeled on someone who had once defeated her.
• Unohana's first strike sent Duan Mu crashing through an artificial mountain, despite their reiatsu being equal.
• Duan Mu recognized Unohana's strength and unleashed a gray mist and a darker, deadened presence, while explaining that his frenzy ultimately returned to calm.
• Unohana said Duan Mu's indifference toward life reminded her of herself and disgusted her, then vanished and struck at him with killing intent.

Duan Mu endured Unohana Retsu’s relentless, deadly Zanjutsu training as his skills and spiritual pressure transformed, while Unohana grew increasingly eager to see what he would become. Near death, Duan Mu entered his mental world, encountered a small white dog that seemed connected to his Zanpakuto, and was abruptly forced back into combat.

• Unohana Retsu repeatedly slashed Duan Mu, driving his Zanjutsu from advanced to supreme as he studied the styles she used.
• Unohana’s murderous intent intensified, and she recognized that Duan Mu’s spiritual pressure and newly reforged Zanpakuto were undergoing a transformation.
• Unohana continued pushing Duan Mu toward death because she wanted to witness the monster he might become, even if one of them died.
• Duan Mu fell into a gray forest in his mental world and encountered a small white dog with purple eyes.
• The dog reacted fearfully to Duan Mu, and the space suddenly darkened before he was thrown back into battle and formed the Kido Blade.

Ichigo Kurosaki and the Visored discussed Duan Mu’s strength and unusual history before Ichigo recognized him on the cover of a Human World photo book. The Visored discovered the image was from a seven-year-old news report about a naked man who fell from the sky, leaving them wondering how Duan Mu had appeared there.

• Ichigo trained with Hiyori Sarugaki and reflected on how he had learned to control the Hollow power inside him with the Visored’s help.
• Shinji Hirako told the group that Duan Mu was not a Shinigami, had fought Aizen, and seemed powerful and unsettlingly similar to Aizen.
• Ichigo explained that Duan Mu had saved him and his mother when he was young, and that he trusted him because of it.
• Ichigo recognized Duan Mu on the cover of Lisa’s photo book and insisted it was impossible for him to be pictured in the Human World.
• Lisa found a seven-year-old news report saying Duan Mu had appeared naked from the sky and vanished, becoming known as “The Saint Who Fell From the Sky.”

Duan Mu finally reached his newborn Zanpakuto, a frightened white dog that revealed its name as Same and Different Together in Darkness. After he awakened from his training, he found Seireitei in turmoil, saw Rukia’s Sode no Shirayuki shatter, and realized Orihime Inoue was missing.

• Duan Mu caught the white dog in his mental world and struggled to communicate with it until it revealed the name Same and Different Together in Darkness.
• The dog’s name filled the mental world with purple mist and gave Duan Mu an insight into the distinctions between sameness and difference and the alternation of life and death.
• Duan Mu awoke at the training ground beneath Sokyoku Hill and sensed numerous Soul Reapers fighting across Seireitei.
• A pale-purple-haired woman holding a copy of Rukia’s Zanpakuto fell into the training ground, and Unohana Retsu cut her in half.
• The woman turned into ice dust that merged into Rukia’s broken Sode no Shirayuki, and Duan Mu asked where Orihime Inoue was.

Duan Mu arrived at the Ninth Division and subdued the corporeal Zanpakuto attacking Seireitei, then ordered their masters to defeat them and restore them. He told Shuhei Hisagi to accompany him to the Thirteenth Division's rear-mountain training grounds.

• Saane Aya organized the Ninth Division members to hold off the attackers until Captain Duan Mu arrived.
• Shuhei Hisagi confronted Wind Death, whose Zanpakuto could not be released, and learned that it had left his body after hearing a voice urging it to follow its instincts.
• Duan Mu restrained the attackers with enormous hands made of soil and explained that the Zanpakuto were being provoked and controlled by another enemy.
• Shuhei Hisagi killed Wind Death, restoring his Zanpakuto and freeing Wind Death from the control.
• Duan Mu ordered the Ninth Division members to search for and defeat their own Zanpakuto, then took Shuhei Hisagi to the Thirteenth Division's rear-mountain training grounds.

Duan Mu rushed to the Thirteenth Division to find Orihime Inoue, but Aizen appeared and revealed that he had come to personally recruit him. With the area isolated and Shuhei Hisagi behind him, Duan Mu faced Aizen as the chapter ended.

• Duan Mu told Shuhei Hisagi that the Onmitsukidō was containing the Zanpakuto rebellion and explained why its members were less dependent on their Zanpakuto.
• Duan Mu hurried to the Thirteenth Division to check on Orihime Inoue, while Wind Death helped Shuhei Hisagi keep pace.
• Duan Mu found Orihime Inoue treating the wounded, but a strange shriek sounded in his mind and he pulled Shuhei Hisagi out of the barracks as a slash struck him.
• Aizen appeared in the emptied, darkened Thirteenth Division, and Duan Mu recognized him as the former captain of the 5th Division.
• Aizen said he had come to invite Duan Mu personally and explained that Captain Commander Yamamoto had been drawn away by the Zanpakuto rebellion.
• Duan Mu questioned Aizen's plans, and Aizen revealed that no distress signal could escape the isolated area.

Duan Mu faced Aizen and refused his offer to join him, then fought back with his lightning and earth abilities. Aizen’s newly elevated spiritual pressure overwhelmed him, leaving Duan Mu struggling to find a way to survive.

• Duan Mu warned Shuhei Hisagi not to intervene, since Kyōka Suigetsu could make him attack the wrong person.
• Aizen appeared beside Duan Mu at tremendous speed, and their blades collided with enough force to shatter the ground and throw Shuhei Hisagi into the air.
• Aizen offered Duan Mu greater power and a new world, but Duan Mu rejected the offer and unleashed Flash Cry and his earth-controlling ability.
• Aizen countered Duan Mu’s earth attacks, dispersed his Raikōhō, and used a Super Spiritual Pressure Wall to withstand his punch.
• Duan Mu’s lightning dragon failed to stop Aizen, who struck him repeatedly and cracked his Kido Blade with his overwhelming strength.

Duan Mu risked his life to pierce Aizen’s Super Spiritual Pressure Wall and apparently defeat him, but the Hogyoku rose to Aizen and encased him in a glowing cocoon. Duan Mu was left gravely wounded and unable to stop Aizen’s evolution.

• Shuhei Hisagi remained trapped at the battlefield’s edge and watched as Aizen’s attacks overwhelmed Duan Mu.
• Aizen drew on the Hogyoku’s power, prompting Duan Mu to abandon defense and unleash a devastating combination of lightning, flames, and Kidō.
• Duan Mu’s blade pierced Aizen’s barrier after Duan Mu used Soul Combination Exchange, and the two unleashed their full power in a final clash.
• Duan Mu survived with his experience points exhausted, while Aizen stood gravely wounded with much of his right side missing.
• A transparent orb rose from the ground and enveloped Aizen in a cocoon, leaving the powerless Duan Mu to watch as the Hogyoku began his evolution.

Duan Mu’s attack disrupted Aizen’s evolution but left him gravely injured, and Aizen nearly killed him before Kurosaki Isshin, Urahara Kisuke, and Yoruichi intervened. Aizen withdrew to adjust his incomplete transformation, while Urahara treated Duan Mu and prepared for the next response.

• Duan Mu realized the Hogyoku had fully merged with Aizen, leaving Aizen transformed but incomplete, and Aizen questioned how Duan Mu had achieved Soul Combination Exchange.
• Aizen deduced that Duan Mu could predict events through observation and inference, then decided to kill him and preserve his corpse for later study.
• Kurosaki Isshin blocked Aizen’s strike, and Yoruichi moved the helpless Duan Mu beside Shuhei Hisagi as Urahara Kisuke joined them.
• Urahara Kisuke, Kurosaki Isshin, and Yoruichi confronted Aizen, who withdrew through a black hole after Urahara pointed out that his evolution was unstable and the group was unprepared to fight.
• Urahara Kisuke gave Duan Mu a restorative pill, explained that Duan Mu had disrupted Aizen’s evolution, and said he would revise his preparations while they waited for help to arrive.

Duan Mu lay gravely injured and searched for a way to restore his damaged spiritual core, concluding that he might need to develop a new healing Kido inspired by Orihime Inoue’s power. He then considered asking Komamura Sajin to let him study the Humanization Technique, leaving his recovery plan pointed toward Komamura.

• Duan Mu examined his system status and realized his existing experience points and near-maxed physique could not repair his Core of Spiritual Pressure, Sekketzu, or Soul Sleep.
• Duan Mu decided that a new form of healing Kido might restore his vital spiritual functions and considered Orihime Inoue’s ability as a reference.
• Duan Mu ruled out experimenting on large numbers of Soul Reapers because it would cause casualties and attract Captain Commander Yamamoto’s wrath.
• Duan Mu recognized Komamura Sajin’s connection to the wolf-men clan and considered studying his Humanization Technique as a possible route to recovery.

Duan Mu, unable to use Spiritual Pressure despite recovering from his wounds, planned to find Kuchiki Kyōka by letting Muramasa’s scheme succeed. He left the Fourth Division and mobilized his Rukongai network to search for Muramasa and the rebellious Zanpakuto.

• Duan Mu confirmed that his body had healed but his Spiritual Pressure and spiritual abilities remained damaged.
• Duan Mu identified Kuchiki Kyōka as a potential source of spiritual power and reasoned that Muramasa would lead him to the sealed Soul Reaper.
• Duan Mu left the hospital, traveled through the eastern gate, and teleported to the Yorozuya’s main branch in District 38.
• Duan Mu ordered his people to search Rukongai for several targets, keep their distance, and report any sightings of Muramasa or the Zanpakuto.

Duan Mu located the deserter Zanpakuto and revealed that he had lost his Soul Reaper abilities, prompting him to prepare for a purge of disloyal villains in Rukongai. When his powerful allies arrived covered in blood after killing large groups, he tested Golden Horn and Silver Horn’s cultivation in the rear courtyard.

• Duan Mu ordered his subordinates to watch the cave where the Zanpakuto were hiding and explained that he wanted them to achieve their objective, not be destroyed.
• Duan Mu told the tavern that he had lost his Soul Reaper abilities after fighting Aizen, and he noticed several villains reacting with hostile interest.
• Duan Mu stopped Diao Ao from pursuing the suspicious villains and quietly prepared to deal with them while sharing drinks with his companions.
• Uzuki recounted how Duan Mu had arrived in Soul Society unable to use most of his limbs and had practiced smiling and speaking to people.
• Habutae, Nishijin-ori, and Takahashi arrived covered in blood after killing groups of villains, and Golden Horn and Silver Horn arrived after apparently doing the same.
• Duan Mu dragged Golden Horn and Silver Horn into the rear courtyard and tested their strength, leaving the others relieved when they heard Golden Horn scream.