Chapter Summaries

Azer overwhelmed Byakuya Kuchiki with his immense Reiatsu and rapid attacks, forcing Byakuya to use Utsusemi to escape a fatal strike. Byakuya acknowledged Azer’s strength and began revealing his Bankai.

• Soul Reapers across the Gotei 13 sensed Azer’s unleashed Reiatsu, and Byakuya Kuchiki faced the golden Sword Pressure it sent crashing toward him.
• Byakuya used Dankū to block Azer’s attack, but the barrier cracked under the force.
• Azer appeared behind Byakuya and wounded him with fast, shifting strikes before breaking his Six Rod Light Restraint with his Reiatsu.
• Azer restrained Byakuya with the same Bakudo and struck him, but Byakuya escaped with Utsusemi, leaving his haori in the blade’s path.
• Byakuya admitted he had underestimated Azer, raised his Zanpakuto, and began to release Bankai.

Byakuya Kuchiki unleashed his Bankai against Azer, and the two captains fought with escalating attacks until other captains intervened. Azer and Byakuya Kuchiki were escorted to the 1st Division barracks to face the Captain-Commander.

• Byakuya Kuchiki activated Senbonzakura Kageyoshi and sent its countless blades after Azer.
• Azer evaded Byakuya Kuchiki's attacks with Shunpo, then used a Kido binding and Hado #88 to strike him with a powerful blast.
• Byakuya Kuchiki survived the explosion and charged Azer, who met his attack with a powerful sword strike.
• Soi Fon, Komamura Sajin, Shiba Isshin, Shunsui Kyoraku, and Jūshirō Ukitake restrained Azer and Byakuya Kuchiki before their blades connected.
• Shunsui Kyoraku and Jūshirō Ukitake ordered Azer and Byakuya Kuchiki to accompany them to the Captain-Commander, and the captains escorted them to the 1st Division barracks.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni reprimanded Azer and Byakuya Kuchiki for fighting in the Seireitei and confiscated their Zanpakuto while confining them to their barracks. Azer’s Zanpakuto unleashed overwhelming Reiatsu when Shunsui Kyoraku tried to take it, revealing its extraordinary power before Azer calmed it.

• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni scolded Azer and Byakuya Kuchiki for their fight and ordered Shunsui Kyoraku and Jūshirō Ukitake to take their Zanpakuto.
• Azer’s Zanpakuto released terrifying Reiatsu when Shunsui Kyoraku reached for it, forcing the captains and nearby Shinigami to their knees or unconscious.
• Azer told his Zanpakuto to withdraw its Reiatsu, and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni acknowledged that the blade was extraordinary.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni ordered Azer and Byakuya Kuchiki to remain in their squad barracks for a month, while Byakuya asked to see Azer’s Zanpakuto’s true power and form.
• Azer warned Byakuya Kuchiki to take good care of Rukia, then left to serve his confinement.

After a period of calm following his clash with Byakuya Kuchiki, Azer learned that Hinamori Momo had joined the Third Division instead of accepting Aizen Sōsuke’s offer. Three days later, Hinamori arrived at the division’s barracks, preparing to meet Azer.

• After his confinement ended, Azer resumed his duties and turned away people who sought his Zanpakuto, while Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni protected him from major trouble.
• Chiketsu Shiro told Azer that a promising Shinigami Academy graduate had joined the Third Division and that she hoped to retire once she found a successor.
• Chiketsu Shiro explained that Renji Abarai had joined the 11th Division, Kira Izuru had joined the Thirteenth Division, and Hinamori Momo had chosen the Third Division.
• Azer asked Chiketsu Shiro to bring Hinamori to him when she arrived at the barracks.
• Three days later, Hinamori arrived at the Third Division’s squad barracks and gathered her courage to enter.

Hinamori Momo joined Azer’s Third Division after declining Aizen Sōsuke’s invitation to the Fifth Division, choosing to follow the Shinigami who had once protected her. Azer welcomed her, learned about her strong Kido skills and her progress toward Shikai, and left her looking forward to becoming his Vice-Captain.

• Hinamori Momo reported for duty in the Third Division, and Azer welcomed her with delight.
• Azer asked why Hinamori had declined Aizen Sōsuke’s invitation, and she remembered choosing the division of the Shinigami who had protected her.
• Azer told Hinamori he was glad she joined because several of his acquaintances had entered other divisions.
• Hinamori described her skill with Kido and admitted she could not yet use Shikai, while Azer praised her talent and urged her not to rush.
• Azer called Hinamori his future Vice-Captain, and she eagerly accepted the prospect.

Hinamori Momo became Vice-Captain of the Third Division as Azer continued to sense someone watching him through his Zanpakuto. After Shiba Isshin disappeared and the Gotei 13 named Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya candidates for the vacant captaincy, Azer anticipated trouble between Gin and Rangiku Matsumoto.

• Azer promoted Hinamori Momo to Vice-Captain after she mastered Shikai, and Chiketsu Shiro retired from the Third Division.
• Kira Izuru became Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth Division, Renji Abarai transferred to the 6th Division as its Vice-Captain, and Hisagi Shūhei became Vice-Captain of the 9th Division.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya graduated from the Shinigami Academy after mastering Shikai in one year, joined the 10th Division, and became its Third Seat.
• Azer continued to feel watched whenever he held his Zanpakuto, while keeping his life in Soul Society quiet and avoiding major moves.
• Shiba Isshin disappeared after investigating attacks on Shinigami in the Living World, and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni ordered a search before naming Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya candidates to replace him.
• Azer realized Gin might become captain of the division where Rangiku Matsumoto served as Vice-Captain and expected an entertaining reunion.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni ordered Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya to duel for the 10th Division captaincy. As the combatants headed toward the arena, Tōshirō admitted he was unsure he could defeat Gin, while Azer looked forward to their match.

• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni announced that Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya would duel for the 10th Division captaincy, with the fight scheduled at the 12th Division barracks.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya met Azer and Hinamori Momo in the 1st Division corridor, where he and Hinamori bickered over childhood nicknames.
• Azer asked Tōshirō whether he was nervous, and Tōshirō admitted he lacked confidence against Gin Ichimaru, who had years of experience with Bankai.
• Azer noted that Tōshirō's Zanpakuto was powerful, encouraged him, and watched Gin leave with Aizen Sōsuke as he anticipated the duel.

The captains gathered to witness Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya duel over the 10th Division captaincy, while Azer reflected on his age and unchanged sense of self. The duel began with both fighters drawing their swords, and Gin privately wrestled with the thought of becoming captain of the division where a certain girl was.

• Shunsui Kyoraku reminisced with Azer about their earlier gathering, and the captains regarded Azer as a celebrated and powerful captain.
• Azer wondered whether Soul Society residents’ mental states stayed young as their bodies aged, and considered whether the Library of Fantasies had frozen his own sense of self.
• Kenpachi Zaraki challenged Azer to another fight, but the other captains warned him not to disrupt the proceedings.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni called the captains’ attention to Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya as they prepared to duel.
• Gin Ichimaru privately worried about becoming captain of the 10th Division because a certain girl was there, and wondered whether Aizen Sōsuke had arranged it deliberately.

Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya fought before the captains to determine the next captain of the 10th Division, displaying captain-class Reiatsu and refined combat skills. Hitsugaya released Hyōrinmaru, but Gin answered with Shinso and pierced the ice dragon, leaving their duel unresolved.

• Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya released their captain-class Reiatsu and began a fast-paced sword fight using Zanjutsu and Shunpo.
• The captains discussed whether the two were all-rounders as they watched the battle intensify.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya released Hyōrinmaru and sent a Dragon of Ice and Water diving toward Gin Ichimaru.
• Gin Ichimaru released Shinso, extended its blade at great speed, and pierced the ice dragon, which burst into falling shards.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya’s immature use of Hyōrinmaru left him at a disadvantage against Gin Ichimaru, so he unleashed Bankai to turn the fight around. Gin’s Bankai struck too quickly for anyone to follow, defeating Hitsugaya and winning him the Captaincy of the 10th Division.

• Azer observed that Hitsugaya relied on crude ice attacks and failed to use Hyōrinmaru’s control over the weather.
• Hitsugaya released Bankai and charged at Gin with his enhanced icy dragon form.
• Gin released Bankai, God Killing Spear, and used its extension and retraction ability against Hitsugaya.
• Gin’s blade pierced Hitsugaya’s shoulder and cut through his icy wings, sending him crashing to the ground.
• Gin defeated Hitsugaya and became the Captain of the 10th Division.

Gin Ichimaru became the 10th Division captain and made Tōshirō Hitsugaya his Vice-Captain, prompting Hinamori Momo to ask Azer to help Hitsugaya improve his use of Hyōrinmaru. Azer agreed to visit Hitsugaya, where they found Rangiku Matsumoto celebrating her demotion by drinking in his room.

• Gin Ichimaru officially became captain of the 10th Division and appointed Tōshirō Hitsugaya as his Vice-Captain, moving Rangiku Matsumoto down to Third Seat.
• Hinamori Momo told Azer that Hitsugaya was upset about losing so quickly to Gin and asked Azer to guide him.
• Azer said Hitsugaya’s problem lay with the way he wielded Hyōrinmaru and agreed to go see him.
• Hinamori Momo led Azer to Hitsugaya’s room, where they heard Rangiku Matsumoto drinking and arguing with him.
• Rangiku Matsumoto said she was celebrating her demotion because it meant she could pass her former duties to someone else.

Azer visited Tōshirō Hitsugaya with Hinamori Momo and explained that Hitsugaya’s defeat by Gin Ichimaru came from his shallow mastery of Hyōrinmaru, especially its Shikai. Azer took Hitsugaya to the edge of Zaraki and told him to draw his sword, where Hitsugaya recognized a familiar Zanpakuto.

• Azer, Hinamori Momo, and Tōshirō Hitsugaya encountered Rangiku Matsumoto drinking heavily, and Hitsugaya scolded her while Hinamori tried to get her to stop.
• Azer told Hitsugaya that his recent poor state stemmed from his loss to Gin Ichimaru and argued that Hitsugaya had rushed to Bankai without mastering Hyōrinmaru’s Shikai.
• Hitsugaya agreed that he had not mastered Hyōrinmaru, and Azer told him to begin by understanding its Shikai before pursuing Bankai.
• Azer left Hinamori to care for Rangiku and led Hitsugaya in Shunpo from the 10th Division barracks to the edge of North Rukongai’s 80th District, Zaraki.
• Azer asked Hitsugaya to draw his sword, and Hitsugaya froze when he saw a familiar Zanpakuto.

Azer brought Tōshirō Hitsugaya to the border of the Soul Society and used his own Hyōrinmaru to demonstrate its power, overwhelming Hitsugaya even after he activated Bankai. Azer left Hitsugaya frozen unconscious and told him to return to training from Shikai.

• Azer summoned a Hyōrinmaru identical to Tōshirō Hitsugaya’s and froze the surrounding landscape to demonstrate its power.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya activated Bankai, but Azer’s control of the ice and sky overwhelmed him and prevented him from using his techniques.
• Azer struck Tōshirō Hitsugaya with Ice Dragon Whirlwind Tail, and Hitsugaya escaped only because his own Zanpakuto was Hyōrinmaru.
• Azer explained that Hitsugaya’s rapid progress and impatience had kept him from mastering Shikai or controlling Bankai properly.
• Azer shattered Hitsugaya’s Bankai and froze him unconscious, telling him to return and train from Shikai.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya woke after his defeat by Azer, who returned Hyōrinmaru and denied using a second one. Hitsugaya resolved to learn his Zanpakuto’s power by speaking with it, while Azer warned that chaos would soon come to Soul Society.

• Tōshirō Hitsugaya woke beside Azer’s campfire, found Hyōrinmaru returned, and saw that the icy battlefield had vanished.
• Azer denied using Hyōrinmaru, while Tōshirō Hitsugaya admitted he had rushed past understanding his Shikai and Bankai.
• Azer advised Tōshirō Hitsugaya to speak with Hyōrinmaru and learn about his Zanpakuto from it.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya learned that Hinamori had asked Azer to help him and thanked Azer for his guidance.
• Azer warned Tōshirō Hitsugaya that Soul Society would soon descend into chaos, then left with Shunpo to return for Hinamori’s cooking.

After Kuchiki Rukia was arrested for giving her Spirit Power to a human, Azer warned Hinamori Momo that Soul Society’s peace was ending and visited Rukia in the 6th Division Prison. The chapter ended with Byakuya Kuchiki confronting Azer as their Reiatsu rose.

• Azer trained Renji Abarai, Hinamori Momo, and Kira Izuru while Tōshirō Hitsugaya continued seeking his guidance.
• Hinamori Momo reported that Kuchiki Rukia had transferred her Spirit Power to a human in Karakura Town, prompting Captain-Commander Yamamoto to order her arrest.
• Azer told Hinamori Momo that dangerous events were approaching and that Soul Society would no longer remain peaceful.
• Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai captured Kuchiki Rukia and brought her back to Soul Society for temporary detention in the 6th Division Prison.
• Azer and Hinamori Momo went to visit Kuchiki Rukia, where Byakuya challenged Azer’s decision to come and their Reiatsu began to intensify.

Azer visited Kuchiki Rukia in the 6th Division Prison, where Renji Abarai and Hinamori Momo worried over her fate before the Central 46 Chambers. He challenged Rukia’s assumptions about Byakuya Kuchiki, then touched her chest and sensed a strange crystal within her.

• Byakuya Kuchiki confronted Azer and warned him not to reveal anything he should not, then left.
• Azer arrived at the 6th Division Prison and found Renji Abarai keeping Kuchiki Rukia company.
• Hinamori Momo stopped Renji from revealing her feelings for Azer by drawing her sword and slashing at him.
• Renji believed the Kuchiki Clan could secure leniency for Rukia, but Rukia said Byakuya valued the clan’s reputation and Soul Society’s order more than her.
• Azer told Rukia that she also did not understand Byakuya, then appeared inside the cell and pressed his hand against her chest.
• Azer sensed a strange crystal inside Rukia as gilded patterns flickered within his body.

Azer discovered a mysterious gemstone fused with Kuchiki Rukia’s spirit body and warned Renji Abarai that she might face execution, but he withheld what he knew about the scheme. Days later, the Central 46 Chambers sentenced Rukia to death, and the captains gathered at the 1st Division barracks to question the suspicious verdict.

• Azer sensed a gemstone parasitic inside Kuchiki Rukia but failed to remove it, then told her and Renji Abarai that she had been caught in a scheme and might die.
• Azer asked Renji Abarai what he would do if Rukia received a death sentence, prompting Renji to run back to her cell after Azer warned him not to live with regrets.
• Azer told Hinamori Momo that a Person of Destiny would soon appear and shake the world’s future.
• The Central 46 Chambers sentenced Kuchiki Rukia to death, shocking Renji Abarai, Jūshirō Ukitake, and the other Shinigami who knew her.
• Azer and Hinamori Momo went to the 1st Division barracks, where the captains questioned the verdict as Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni waited in the conference room.

Azer challenged the Captains’ unquestioning acceptance of Kuchiki Rukia’s death sentence, prompting Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni to suppress a brewing confrontation and order the execution preparations to begin. Azer then questioned whether the Central 46 Chambers truly protected Soul Society’s order and cited several unresolved incidents, leaving the Captains facing his accusation that the Gotei 13 had failed to maintain that order.

• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni told the Captains that they had to obey the Central 46 Chambers’ judgment, while Jūshirō Ukitake protested and Byakuya Kuchiki defended the ruling.
• Shunsui Kyoraku and Kenpachi Zaraki challenged Byakuya Kuchiki, and their dispute escalated into a clash of Reiatsu among several Captains.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni overwhelmed the Captains with his Reiatsu, ended the discussion, and ordered preparations for Kuchiki Rukia’s execution to begin.
• Azer asked Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni what the Gotei 13 protected and whether it could object if a Central 46 Chambers judgment harmed Soul Society’s order.
• Azer cited the attack at the Shinigami Academy, Shiba Isshin’s disappearance, and a suspicious incident from over a hundred years earlier, then challenged Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni to explain the Gotei 13’s failures.

Azer challenged the captains over the Central 46 Chambers’ rulings and demonstrated Shunpo that shocked the room before leaving. The Gotei 13 ordered Kuchiki Rukia’s execution at Sōkyoku Hill, while Azer returned to the Third Division and reassured Renji Abarai that she would be fine.

• Azer pressed Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni to say what the Gotei 13 should do if the Central 46 Chambers endangered Soul Society, and Yamamoto affirmed that protecting Soul Society’s order came first.
• Byakuya Kuchiki and Soi Fon tried to stop Azer, but his Shunpo and afterimages left the captains unable to track him; Yamamoto ordered Soi Fon to monitor him.
• Yamamoto sentenced Kuchiki Rukia to detention at the Repentance Palace and execution at Sōkyoku Hill, leaving Jūshirō Ukitake and the other captains troubled.
• At the Third Division barracks, Renji Abarai told Azer he felt helpless about Rukia’s fate, and Azer reassured him that she would be fine.

Ichigo and his companions entered the Soul Society to rescue Rukia, triggering alarms and spreading chaos through the Seireitei as they defeated Shinigami officers. Azer left the Third Division barracks during the invasion, but Soi Fon and the Execution Force intercepted him and questioned his intentions.

• Ichigo and his companions arrived in Rukongai, and Ichigo vowed to save Rukia from the Seireitei.
• The Seireitei sounded alarms over the Ryoka invasion, and Shinigami were ordered to find and capture the intruders.
• The Ryoka defeated the Third and Fifth Seats of the 11th Division, prompting Zaraki and other Shinigami to mobilize.
• Azer covered the sleeping Hinamori Momo with a robe and left the Third Division barracks as the Seireitei descended into chaos.
• Soi Fon and the Execution Force surrounded Azer, and he said he was only taking a stroll.