Chapter Summaries

Azer fought an Adjuchas, using powerful Kido to burn and restrain it before defending against its Cero. He finally drew his Zanpakuto and killed the Hollow with a single slash, leaving Renji Abarai, Kira Izuru, Hinamori Momo, and Hisagi Shūhei stunned.

• Azer blocked the Adjuchas's strike with Bakudo #39, restrained it with two more Bakudo, and hit it with Hado #73: Double Lotus Blue Fire Fall.
• The Adjuchas regenerated its injuries and fired a Cero at Azer, who protected himself with Bakudo #81: Dankū.
• The Adjuchas charged Azer and swung its fin-like hand at his head, but Azer drew his Zanpakuto and knocked the attack aside.
• Azer used Shunpo to pass through the Adjuchas and cut it in half with a fleeting slash, causing it to turn to dust.
• Azer sheathed his Zanpakuto as the watching Soul Reapers stared at him in shock.

After Azer killed an Adjuchas-class Great Hollow, he warned the other students that more Hollows and missing students might still be in danger. Captain Aizen Sōsuke and the 5th Division arrived to organize the rescue, and Aizen revealed Kyoka Suigetsu when another Hollow attacked.

• Azer admitted that he had mastered Shikai, astonishing Renji Abarai, Hisagi Shūhei, Kira Izuru, and Hinamori Momo after he killed an Adjuchas-class Great Hollow with one slash.
• Azer warned that other Hollows might still be roaming the training grounds and urged everyone to find the missing students.
• Hisagi Shūhei asked Azer to search for the scattered students, but Aizen Sōsuke and Gin Ichimaru arrived with the 5th Division and began rescue operations.
• Aizen Sōsuke praised Azer and invited him to join the search, but Azer chose to stay with the others.
• A giant Hollow lunged at Azer, and Aizen Sōsuke released Kyoka Suigetsu to kill it before Azer could draw his Zanpakuto.

After the disturbance in the Living World was contained, Azer was summoned to the 1st Division barracks to meet Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni. He calmly endured the captains’ combined Reiatsu, and Yamamoto broke the silence with a strike of his staff.

• The 5th Division quelled the disturbance, and the Fourth, 8th, and Second Divisions arrived to treat the wounded and investigate what had happened.
• Renji Abarai, Kira Izuru, Hinamori Momo, Hisagi Shūhei, and the other injured students returned to Soul Society with the Fourth Division for examinations.
• Azer returned to Soul Society with Aizen Sōsuke, but Chōjirō Sasakibe stopped him and said the Captain-Commander wanted to see him.
• Chōjirō Sasakibe led Azer to the 1st Division barracks, where Azer discovered that several captains had gathered to meet him.
• Azer entered the room and withstood the gathered captains’ Reiatsu without faltering, then focused his attention on Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni struck his staff against the floor, ending the silence.

Azer recounted the practical training incident to the captains while concealing that he had anticipated it, and the Gotei 13 concluded that someone had deliberately engineered the attack. Yamamoto ordered a high-priority investigation, then turned to discuss Azer’s future posting.

• Azer gave the captains a revised account of how he discovered the injured students, defeated the Hollows, and encountered an Adjuchas-class Great Hollow.
• Aizen confirmed that the Hollows’ Reiatsu could not be sensed, while Mayuri reported that monitoring and communications had been cut off and the culprit had left no leads.
• Soi Fon reported that the barrier had been opened without signs of force, and Shunsui said the students had noticed nothing unusual before the attack.
• Yamamoto declared that the incident involved human intervention and ordered every division to find the culprit as soon as possible.
• Yamamoto told Azer that his strength had exceeded expectations and that it was time to discuss his future posting.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni offered Azer early graduation and a place in the Gotei 13, prompting captains to debate whether the young student truly had captain-class strength. Kenpachi Zaraki challenged Azer to fight him, leaving the decision untested.

• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni proposed that Azer graduate early and join the Gotei 13.
• Kenpachi Zaraki questioned whether Azer could really kill an Adjuchas with one slash, while Tōsen Kaname, Komamura Sajin, and Shiba Isshin voiced doubts and Retsu Unohana, Aizen Sōsuke, and Shunsui Kyoraku supported Azer.
• Kenpachi Zaraki argued that only a direct test could prove Azer's strength.
• Kenpachi Zaraki challenged Azer to fight and find out who was the strongest swordsman in Zaraki.

Kenpachi Zaraki challenged Azer after seeing him kill an Adjuchas-class Great Hollow with one slash. Azer accepted, hoping to prove his strength before the captains, and Yamamoto ordered Mayuri Kurotsuchi to arrange a venue for their fight.

• Kenpachi Zaraki explained his rise from Zaraki District to become captain of the 11th Division and challenged Azer to a battle.
• Azer recognized that the captains wanted to assess his strength and decided that a public victory could establish his standing in the Soul Society.
• Azer agreed to fight Kenpachi Zaraki and asked to move somewhere with enough room for them to unleash their power.
• Kenpachi Zaraki eagerly accepted the change of venue.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni ordered Mayuri Kurotsuchi to arrange the venue, and the captains looked forward to the fight.

Azer and Kenpachi Zaraki began their battle in Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s sealed experimental arena, with Azer refusing to release his unusual Zanpakuto. After enduring Zaraki’s relentless attacks, Azer countered with a precise slash that wounded him.

• Mayuri Kurotsuchi brought Azer and Kenpachi Zaraki to a fortified underground arena and started recording their fight.
• The Captains observed Azer’s ornate Zanpakuto and discussed its unusual Reiatsu and his apparent mastery of Shikai.
• Azer declined to release his Zanpakuto, while Zaraki unleashed his Reiatsu and charged at him.
• Zaraki repeatedly struck Azer, whose blocks held firm as the arena floor cracked beneath them.
• Azer stepped inside Zaraki’s guard and slashed his chest, drawing blood.

Azer used Shunpo to evade Kenpachi Zaraki’s attacks and cut him repeatedly, while Zaraki welcomed the wounds and insisted on continuing the fight. Zaraki removed his Reiatsu-absorbing eyepatch and unleashed his true power, and Azer released his own Reiatsu to face him.

• Azer used Shunpo to dodge Kenpachi Zaraki’s strikes and inflicted wound after wound while Zaraki fought without defending himself.
• Shiba Isshin, Komamura Sajin, Tōsen Kaname, and the other Captains watched and discussed Zaraki’s recklessness and Azer’s skill.
• Azer stopped attacking and warned Kenpachi Zaraki that he could die, but Zaraki said he wanted to keep fighting and experience more battles.
• Kenpachi Zaraki removed the eyepatch that absorbed his Reiatsu, unleashing a powerful golden aura that formed a skull behind him.
• Azer released his own Reiatsu and challenged Kenpachi Zaraki to continue the fight.

Azer and Kenpachi Zaraki unleashed their full Reiatsu in a final Sword Pressure clash, and Azer emerged victorious. The captains left the ruined testing ground as Unohana carried the fallen Kenpachi away, while Azer reflected that Kenpachi might have won if he had mastered his Zanpakuto.

• Azer matched Kenpachi Zaraki's overwhelming Reiatsu and gathered his power into his Zanpakuto for a final strike.
• Azer and Kenpachi unleashed Sword Pressure at the same time, and their golden attacks collided, devastating the testing ground and overwhelming the captains' barrier.
• Azer's Sword Pressure gradually crushed Kenpachi's, and Kenpachi admitted defeat before collapsing in his own blood as his Zanpakuto broke.
• Retsu Unohana carried Kenpachi away, and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni ended the battle and praised Azer before the captains departed.
• Azer reflected that Kenpachi had never mastered his Zanpakuto's Shikai or Bankai, then silently left the testing ground.

After Azer defeated Kenpachi Zaraki, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni appointed him captain of the Third Division, with his inauguration set for one month later. Aizen Sōsuke recognized that Azer was wary of him and told Gin Ichimaru that his plans to make Gin captain of the Third Division had been thwarted.

• Retsu Unohana reported that she had treated Kenpachi Zaraki's severe injuries and that he was resting in the Fourth Division's squad barracks.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni appointed Azer captain of the Third Division after the captains accepted that his victory over Kenpachi Zaraki proved his strength.
• Azer accepted the appointment, and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni scheduled his inauguration ceremony for one month later.
• Azer challenged Aizen Sōsuke to a match, but Aizen declined and claimed that his Zanpakuto was too weak to defeat Azer.
• Aizen Sōsuke told Gin Ichimaru that Azer seemed wary of him and that Azer's appointment ended his plan to make Gin captain of the Third Division.

Renji Abarai, Kira Izuru, and Hinamori Momo were discharged after recovering from their unstable spiritual bodies and returned to the Shinigami Academy. There, Rukia told them that Azer was graduating early and would become Captain of the Gotei 13's Third Division in one month.

• A Fourth Division member discharged Renji Abarai, Kira Izuru, and Hinamori Momo after confirming that their spiritual bodies had stabilized, and relayed Azer's message that they would meet again in the Gotei 13.
• The three discussed the deaths caused by the Hollow attack and how Azer had saved them, while Renji Abarai vowed to challenge him again.
• Renji Abarai, Kira Izuru, and Hinamori Momo returned to the decorated Shinigami Academy, where Rukia ran into Renji and scolded him for leaving her worried without sending word.
• Rukia explained that the decorations celebrated Azer's early graduation and announced that he would become Captain of the Gotei 13's Third Division in one month.

Azer prepared to graduate from the Shinigami Academy after only half a year and become captain of the Third Division, leaving his classmates unsettled by the gap between them. He urged Renji Abarai, Kira Izuru, Hinamori Momo, and Rukia to keep striving so they could meet him at the summit again.

• The Shinigami Academy celebrated Azer's unprecedented early graduation and planned a ceremony, interviews, and a statue in his honor.
• Renji Abarai, Kira Izuru, Hinamori Momo, and Rukia found Azer and confirmed he would graduate soon and become Third Division captain.
• Azer explained that his graduation ceremony would take place in about half a month and that his captain inauguration would follow within a month.
• Renji Abarai worried that he and the others would never close the gap between themselves and Azer after he became a captain.
• Azer urged them to graduate, join the Gotei 13, and strive to become officers and captains, telling them they could meet again at the summit.
• After Azer left, Renji Abarai, Kira Izuru, Hinamori Momo, and Rukia resolved to work hard and catch up to him.

Azer prepared to become captain of the Third Division and learned that Byakuya Kuchiki would take office as captain of the 6th Division alongside him. Before their joint appointment ceremony, Azer and Byakuya met and agreed they would have a chance to test each other’s strength.

• Azer left the Shinigami Academy and met Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who told him he would become captain of the Third Division the next day.
• Yamamoto explained that Captain Kuchiki was retiring and Byakuya Kuchiki would succeed him, making the ceremony a joint succession for the Third and 6th Divisions.
• Azer accepted the appointment and stayed at the 1st Division barracks, where Chōjirō Sasakibe began addressing him as Captain Azer.
• Azer dressed in his captain’s haori and walked with Chōjirō Sasakibe to the ceremony, whose Reiatsu convinced Chōjirō of his qualifications.
• Azer met Byakuya Kuchiki in a side room, where Byakuya asked to see his strength and Azer agreed there would be an opportunity.

Azer and Byakuya Kuchiki became captains in a ceremony led by Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who also ordered the investigation into the academy training-ground attack to continue. After rejecting Kenpachi Zaraki’s challenge, Azer urged him to learn his Zanpakuto’s name if he wanted to grow stronger, then met his lieutenant, Chiketsu Shiro, who offered to escort him to the Third Division barracks.

• Chōjirō Sasakibe announced that the captain appointment ceremony was ready, and Azer and Byakuya Kuchiki entered the gathering of captains.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni formally appointed Azer captain of the Third Division and Byakuya Kuchiki captain of the Sixth Division, then reminded the captains of their duties.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni reviewed the unresolved academy training-ground attack, noting that the Hollows had been artificially modified and that the culprit and motive remained unknown.
• Kenpachi Zaraki pressed Azer for another fight, but Azer told him to learn his Zanpakuto’s name and release its power if he wanted to challenge him again.
• Chiketsu Shiro introduced herself as Azer’s lieutenant and offered to escort him to the Third Division Squad Barracks.

Azer arrived at the Third Division barracks and faced a challenge from its members, who doubted whether the young captain could lead them. After crushing their resistance with his Reiatsu, he took command and learned that the division was understaffed and burdened with decades of accumulated work.

• Chiketsu Shiro arranged for the Third Division members to block Azer’s entrance and demanded that he prove he was fit to be captain.
• Azer released his golden Reiatsu, knocked every assembled Shinigami down, and warned them not to challenge him again.
• Chiketsu Shiro ordered the division members to recover and return to their posts before following Azer into the barracks.
• Chiketsu Shiro reported that the Third Division had only 147 members, vacant Seat Officer positions, and a large backlog of unresolved business.
• Azer learned that the Third Division handled support work across the Gotei 13 and recognized staffing shortages and accumulated tasks as his first problems to address.

Azer reorganized the Third Division and cleared its backlog before personally pursuing dangerous fugitives and threats across Rukongai. He killed Ishino Ginji, captured two former Technology Development Bureau researchers, and began confronting an Adjuchas.

• Azer rejected other divisions’ attempts to dump work on the Third Division, hired non-Shinigami laborers to handle logistical tasks, and arranged to recruit more Shinigami.
• In West Rukongai, Azer found Ishino Ginji, restrained him with Kido, and killed him with White Lightning.
• In South Rukongai, Azer bound two wanted former Technology Development Bureau researchers and took them away to await judgment.
• In North Rukongai’s District 80, Azer encountered an Adjuchas-class Menos and drew his sword to fight it.

Azer proved himself as a captain by swiftly resolving difficult missions, transforming the Third Division, and developing his Shunpo and Kido. Just as he prepared to continue training, Chiketsu Shiro told him that a Shinigami Academy student who knew him had come to visit.

• Azer completed dangerous missions and other difficult duties, silencing doubts about his strength and earning widespread respect as a captain.
• Azer's leadership revived the Third Division, impressed Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, and attracted students who hoped to join the division.
• Azer studied high-level Kido at the Kidō Corps and focused his training on Kido and Shunpo.
• Azer practiced Shunpo at extraordinary speed in the Third Division's training grounds, then planned to work on incantationless spells.
• Chiketsu Shiro informed Azer that a Shinigami Academy student who claimed to know him wanted to visit.

Renji Abarai visited Azer to ask about Rukia after she was adopted by the Kuchiki Clan and graduated from the Shinigami Academy. Azer realized Renji wanted to know how his childhood sweetheart was doing, but Rukia’s circumstances remained unknown.

• Renji Abarai met Azer in the Third Division barracks and told him that he, Kira, and Hinamori were excelling at the academy.
• Renji told Azer that he had come to ask about Rukia, who had been adopted by the Kuchiki Clan.
• Chiketsu Shiro confirmed that Captain Kuchiki had adopted an academy student named Kuchiki Rukia.
• Renji explained that Rukia had graduated and that the Kuchiki Clan would arrange her Shinigami training and entry into the Gotei 13.
• Renji admitted that he had lost contact with Rukia and asked Azer to find out how she was doing.

Azer visited Byakuya Kuchiki and Rukia, challenged Byakuya over Rukia’s adoption, and began to reveal the truth about Byakuya’s late wife. Byakuya attacked before Azer could finish, and the two vanished from the reception room, leaving Rukia behind.

• Azer entered the 6th Division barracks and met Byakuya Kuchiki and Rukia in the reception room.
• Azer teased Rukia about not checking in with an old friend, while Rukia remained formal and reserved.
• Azer questioned whether Rukia was doing well after being adopted into the Kuchiki Clan, and Byakuya insisted the matter was the clan’s business.
• Azer suggested that Byakuya had adopted Rukia because of his late wife, then began to tell Rukia that the woman was her...
• Byakuya’s Reiatsu overwhelmed Rukia as he lunged at Azer, who seized his wrist; the two disappeared from the room, leaving Rukia alone.

Azer confronted Byakuya Kuchiki over his treatment of Rukia, and the two fought as Azer proved faster and wounded Byakuya. Byakuya released Senbonzakura, and as its blades closed in, Azer unleashed a tremendous Reiatsu.

• Azer accused Byakuya Kuchiki of hiding the truth from Rukia, prompting Byakuya to challenge him to a fight.
• Byakuya used Flash Step and White Lightning against Azer, but Azer blocked the attacks and countered with faster Shunpo.
• Azer struck Byakuya's arm with his Zanpakuto, drawing blood and claiming that Byakuya would lose if the fight continued.
• Byakuya declared that a Soul Reaper's true power lay in their Zanpakuto and released Senbonzakura.
• Azer blasted Senbonzakura's approaching blades with Red Fire Cannon, but they repeatedly regrouped and rushed at him.
• As Senbonzakura was about to engulf Azer, an astonishing Reiatsu erupted from his body.