Chapter Summaries

Azer used Heavenly Crown King and its power over every Zanpakuto to overwhelm Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, leaving the Captain-Commander badly wounded and unable to stand. Azer challenged him to use Bankai, but Yamamoto refused, wary of the danger it posed to Soul Society.

• Sōkyoku Hill collapsed under the bombardment of countless Zanpakuto, and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni emerged wounded before Azer struck him into the ground.
• Azer used the Arrow Blade Matrix to withstand Ryūjin Jakka’s flames and repeatedly overpowered Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni with Heavenly Crown King.
• The observing Shinigami realized that Heavenly Crown King wielded the combined power of every Zanpakuto, explaining how Azer had reversed his earlier disadvantage.
• Azer’s relentless attacks drove Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni several kilometers across the battlefield and left him exhausted, bleeding, and unable to stand.
• Azer pointed out that Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni might need Bankai to defeat him, but Yamamoto refused to use it against a mere brat.
• Azer explained that Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni’s Bankai could endanger Soul Society, which was why the Captain-Commander could not use it casually.

Azer defeated Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and learned through Kotetsu Isane’s announcement that Aizen Sōsuke was alive and had deceived the Gotei 13. Meanwhile, Aizen extracted the Hōgyoku from Rukia and declared that he had finally obtained it.

• Azer used Divide to halve Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni’s power, restrained him with Zanpakuto and gravity, and declared victory.
• Kotetsu Isane used Tenteikūra to reveal that Aizen Sōsuke was alive and that the Central 46 Chambers had been murdered before Rukia’s return.
• Azer and Yamamoto realized that Aizen Sōsuke had orchestrated the deception, while Aizen said it was already too late.
• Aizen defeated Orihime Inoue, Uryū Ishida, and Chad Yasutora near Sōkyoku Hill and captured Rukia.
• Aizen used Urahara Kisuke’s extraction device to remove the Hōgyoku from Rukia and said he had finally obtained it.

Gin Ichimaru and Tōsen Kaname attacked Azer under cover of Tōsen’s Bankai, but Azer broke the barrier and defeated them. Aizen Sōsuke then appeared alive, confirming the conspiracy behind Rukia’s execution and Azer’s framing, as the assembled Shinigami turned against him.

• Tōsen Kaname trapped the gathered Shinigami inside Enma Kōrogi, and Gin Ichimaru used God Killing Spear to attack Azer.
• Azer’s Arrow Blade Matrix blocked Gin’s strike, and his Sword Pressure shattered the Bankai barrier and revealed Gin and Tōsen’s location.
• Azer caught up with Gin and Tōsen and badly injured them, explaining that Heavenly Crown King let him sense his enemies even without his five senses.
• Azer revealed that Gin and Tōsen had attacked him in the 5th Division barracks, and the captains questioned the pair about their betrayal.
• Aizen Sōsuke appeared alive and admitted that Gin and Tōsen were his men, confirming the truth behind his faked death and the events surrounding Rukia’s execution.
• Aizen addressed Shihoin Yoruichi and taunted her that Urahara Kisuke had not come to stop him from taking the Hōgyoku.

Azer explained that Aizen Sōsuke had pursued a way to break the limits of Shinigami and created the Hōgyoku through experiments combining Shinigami and Hollow powers. The gathered captains and vice-captains realized that Aizen’s past experiments and disappearances might have served that goal.

• Soi Fon asked Azer to reveal what he knew about Aizen Sōsuke, and Aizen invited him to explain his motives.
• Azer described the Wall of Strength that Shinigami eventually reached and explained how his own abilities had developed.
• Azer said Aizen had reached the limits of his abilities over a century earlier and had sought to transcend the nature of a Shinigami.
• Azer revealed that Aizen had used hundreds of souls with Shinigami power to create the Hōgyoku, which could Hollowfy Shinigami and Shinigamify Hollows.
• The gathered Shinigami connected Azer’s explanation to past Hollowfication experiments, a strange Hollow, and Shiba Isshin’s disappearance.

Aizen Sōsuke revealed how he had pursued Urahara Kisuke’s Hōgyoku and orchestrated the recent events to complete his own. After Aizen suggested Kuchiki Rukia and the Ryoka might be dead, Kurosaki Ichigo and the captains attacked him, but Azer warned that they were not attacking Aizen.

• Aizen Sōsuke explained that his Hōgyoku and Urahara Kisuke’s were incomplete, and that combining Shinigami and Hollow souls would complete one.
• Aizen Sōsuke admitted he had framed Shinji Hirako and his group, pursued Urahara Kisuke’s Hōgyoku, and caused Shiba Isshin’s disappearance.
• Aizen Sōsuke revealed that he had hidden the Hōgyoku inside Kuchiki Rukia and arranged her execution to extract it.
• Aizen Sōsuke said he had discarded Kuchiki Rukia and suggested she and the Ryoka might be dead, enraging Kurosaki Ichigo.
• Kurosaki Ichigo activated Bankai, and Renji Abarai, Byakuya Kuchiki, Komamura Sajin, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Kenpachi Zaraki, Soi Fon, Shihoin Yoruichi, Shunsui Kyoraku, and Jūshirō Ukitake joined the assault on Aizen Sōsuke.
• Azer shouted for the attackers to stop, warning that they were not attacking Aizen.

Aizen Sōsuke used Kyoka Suigetsu’s Complete Hypnosis to turn the captains’ attacks against one another and wound Kurosaki Ichigo, while Azer confronted Aizen using instinct and his Zanpakuto. Aizen trapped Azer in a powerful spell, but Azer broke free, leaving Aizen wary of his strength.

• Aizen Sōsuke’s hypnosis made the captain-class Shinigami attack their allies, while Kurosaki Ichigo alone reached Aizen and was defeated with one slash.
• Azer blocked Aizen’s surprise attack and revealed that Kyoka Suigetsu controlled its victims’ five senses through Complete Hypnosis.
• Aizen deduced that Azer had been resisting the hypnosis by relying on instinct, then Gin Ichimaru and Tōsen Kaname attacked him.
• Azer closed his eyes and trusted Heavenly Crown King to guide his movements, blocking the attacks and striking Aizen from behind a boulder.
• Aizen Sōsuke cast Hado of the Ninetieth: Black Coffin, but Azer shattered it and forced Aizen to retreat, visibly unsettled.

Aizen Sōsuke assessed Azer as a dangerous rival whose Heavenly Crown King he could not overcome, so he prepared to retreat. Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni confronted him, but Great Hollows opened a Garganta and used Anti-Membranes to extract Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, and Tōsen Kaname as Azer tested the barrier.

• Aizen Sōsuke recalled how he had monitored Azer and concluded that Azer understood his plans and would not fall for his traps.
• Aizen Sōsuke decided to retreat, admitting that he could not break through the protection of Azer’s Heavenly Crown King, while Tōsen Kaname kept Azer occupied with Kyoka Suigetsu’s help.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni arrived in flames, but Aizen Sōsuke judged that his battle with Azer had weakened him too much to stop the retreat.
• A Garganta opened above them, and Great Hollows sent down Anti-Membranes that enclosed Aizen Sōsuke, Gin Ichimaru, and Tōsen Kaname.
• Azer struck the Anti-Membrane without breaking it, recognized the barrier, and then pressed a hand against its wall of light.

Azer broke Aizen Sōsuke’s Anti-Membrane and nearly killed him, but Aizen escaped after using Hinamori Momo as a decoy and declared his intention to surpass his limits and challenge the vacant throne. In the aftermath, the Soul Society struggled to absorb the devastation, and Yamamoto convened the Captains again.

• Azer unleashed overwhelming Reiatsu and severed both Seireitei and Aizen’s weakened Anti-Membrane with his strongest attack.
• Azer pursued Aizen and nearly beheaded him, but stopped when Aizen appeared as Hinamori Momo; the disguised Aizen struck him and escaped into the Garganta.
• Aizen told Azer he would break through his limits, challenge the vacant throne, and meet him again before the Garganta closed.
• Azer returned to the surviving Shinigami, and the upheaval in Seireitei finally ended.
• Rumors about Azer’s attack spread through the Soul Society, and Yamamoto convened another Captains’ meeting on the third day after the incident.

Azer revealed that Aizen Sōsuke’s true goal went beyond obtaining the Hōgyoku: he intended to replace the Soul King and rule the Three Realms. The chapter ended with the captains stunned by the revelation.

• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni told the captains that Aizen Sōsuke had orchestrated the Hollowfication experiments and other disasters, and that the Central 46 Chambers had ceased functioning.
• Retsu Unohana confirmed that Kuchiki Rukia and the Ryoka were safe, so Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni set Rukia’s crimes aside and left the invasion unpursued for the time being.
• Soi Fon called for Shihoin Yoruichi’s name to be cleared, while Mayuri Kurotsuchi accused Urahara Kisuke of taboo research and demanded his arrest.
• Kenpachi Zaraki asked what the Gotei 13 would do about Aizen Sōsuke, and Azer revealed that Aizen also planned to replace the Soul King and ascend the throne of the Three Realms.
• Azer explained that Aizen would use the Hōgyoku to transcend Shinigami limits and seek a way to reach the Spirit King Palace, leaving the captains stunned.

The captains discussed how Aizen could create the King's Key and learned that Karakura Town was the Spirit Land he needed for its sacrifice. Yamamoto ordered an urgent campaign against Aizen in Hueco Mundo, and the captains began forming a strategy while guarding Soul Society and the Living World.

• Byakuya Kuchiki explained that creating the King's Key required one hundred thousand souls and a Spirit Land, and Soi Fon identified Karakura Town as the current Spirit Land.
• Azer warned that Aizen could use Karakura Town's living population as sacrifices, and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni declared that Aizen must be stopped immediately.
• Jūshirō Ukitake noted that Aizen was in Hueco Mundo, while Shunsui Kyoraku argued that it was likely Aizen's true base and the source of his Hollow experiments.
• Kenpachi Zaraki eagerly raised the prospect of attacking Hueco Mundo, and Yamamoto cautioned that Soul Society and the Living World still needed protection.
• The captains began discussing an urgent plan to attack Aizen without leaving the other realms exposed.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni discussed Tōshirō Hitsugaya’s appointment as 10th Division captain with Azer, then apologized for doubting Azer during the Aizen Sōsuke incident. He left Azer with the expectation that the younger generation would protect Soul Society, ending with a plea not to disappoint him.

• After the captains left the meeting, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni kept Azer behind and said he intended to appoint Tōshirō Hitsugaya as 10th Division captain.
• Azer approved the appointment, noting Hitsugaya’s strength and improving mastery of Bankai despite his young age.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni asked when Azer had discovered something was wrong with Aizen Sōsuke, and Azer said he had known from their first meeting.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni apologized for misunderstanding Azer and acknowledged that Azer’s actions during the incident had been correct.
• Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni said Soul Society would eventually be entrusted to the younger generation and asked Azer not to let him down.

After meeting with Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, Azer wondered whether the Captain-Commander planned to retire or appoint a successor. On the way back, Azer reassured Hinamori Momo that he had left her behind to protect her from Kyoka Suigetsu, not because he despised her weakness.

• Azer left Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's office and wondered whether the Captain-Commander intended to retire or pass his position to a younger generation.
• Hinamori Momo waited for Azer outside and asked why he had left her behind when confronting Aizen Sōsuke.
• Azer explained that Kyoka Suigetsu could have made Hinamori Momo attack him, so taking her along would have put them both in danger.
• Azer told Hinamori Momo that he had once been weak himself and did not despise the weak, easing her shame and self-doubt.
• Hinamori Momo caught the corner of Azer's clothes and walked beside him as they continued through the Seireitei.

While the Seireitei repaired the damage from the battle and Azer’s reputation rose, Tōshirō Hitsugaya took command of the 10th Division and the 5th and 9th Division Captain seats remained vacant. The story shifted to Karakura Town, where numbered Arrancar emerged from a Garganta and began an operation.

• The Gotei 13 repaired the Seireitei and built bridges across Azer’s unfillable abyss as rumors made him widely regarded as the strongest Shinigami.
• Azer visited wounded Shinigami and learned that Byakuya Kuchiki had told Rukia the truth about her late sister and why he had adopted her.
• Tōshirō Hitsugaya became Captain of the 10th Division, Rangiku Matsumoto resumed her post as Vice-Captain, and the 5th and 9th Division Captain positions stayed vacant.
• Several powerful Shinigami were secretly stationed in Karakura Town as Soul Society watched for trouble.
• A Garganta opened in Karakura Town, and Arrancar marked with the numbers 6, 10, and 4 emerged before the pale, green-eyed man ordered the operation to begin.

Azer received orders to go to Karakura Town after Arrancar attacked the Living World, and he brought Hinamori Momo with him. They arrived to find Kurosaki Ichigo struggling against a powerful Arrancar, while another enemy confronted Azer.

• An Onmitsukidō messenger told Azer that Arrancar had attacked Karakura Town and caused heavy casualties among the stationed Shinigami.
• Chōjirō Sasakibe relayed Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni’s order for Azer to protect the Spirit Land, and Azer agreed to go with Hinamori Momo.
• Azer and Hinamori traveled through the World Crossing Gate and received Limiter Seals that restricted their Reiatsu; Hinamori sent Soul Society a request for authorization to lift hers if needed.
• Azer and Hinamori sensed powerful Reiatsu upon reaching Karakura Town, and Azer used Shunpo to reach Kurosaki Ichigo.
• Azer saw Kurosaki Ichigo’s unstable Bankai leave him unable to fight effectively as a burly Arrancar battered him into a building.
• Another Arrancar confronted Azer and asked how he wanted to die.

Azer confronted Grimmjow, the Sixth Espada, and the two began fighting after sizing up each other’s strength. Their clash ended with Azer blasting Grimmjow at close range with Blue Fire Fall.

• Azer identified the Arrancar with the number six as Grimmjow, the Sixth Espada serving Aizen Sōsuke.
• Grimmjow recognized Azer as a Shinigami Aizen had warned them about, but dismissed him as no threat.
• Grimmjow used Sonido to rush Azer and struck at his chest, but Azer met his attack with a punch.
• Grimmjow drew his Zanpakuto and slashed at Azer, who blocked the blade with Circular Gate Fan.
• Azer cast Blue Fire Fall at close range, engulfing Grimmjow in azure flames.

Azer fought Grimmjow while Kurosaki Ichigo struggled against Yammy and a violent consciousness awakening inside him. After Azer badly wounded Grimmjow, Hinamori Momo and Ichigo struck Yammy together, ending the chapter with a huge explosion.

• Azer arrived above Karakura Town as Ichigo fought Yammy, the Tenth Espada, and Grimmjow challenged Azer.
• Ichigo struggled to control an awakening consciousness while Hinamori Momo waited nearby for permission to remove her Limiter Seal.
• Azer deflected Grimmjow's attacks, wounded him repeatedly, and severely injured him with a powerful slash after blocking his Cero with Dankū.
• Yammy stopped attacking Ichigo when he noticed Grimmjow's injuries, giving Hinamori Momo an opening to remove her Limiter Seal and cast Hado #73: Double Lotus Blue Fire Fall.
• Ichigo joined Hinamori Momo's attack with Getsuga Tenshō, and their combined strikes hit Yammy in a tremendous explosion.

Azer defeated Grimmjow and nearly finished him, but Ulquiorra arrived and revealed that Azer had fought with his Reiatsu limited to one-fifth. Ulquiorra withdrew with Yammy through a Garganta, and Azer moved to stop them.

• Azer explained that Grimmjow’s arrogance and underestimation had led to his defeat, then restrained him with Bakudo and fired Hado #88.
• Ulquiorra appeared and knocked Azer’s attack aside, burning his hand as he protected Grimmjow.
• Azer identified Ulquiorra as the Fourth Espada and a Vasto Lorde, while Hinamori Momo and Kurosaki Ichigo felt the danger of his Reiatsu.
• Ulquiorra told Grimmjow that Azer’s Limiter Seal restricted him to one-fifth of his Reiatsu and that Grimmjow could not defeat him.
• Ulquiorra retrieved the wounded Yammy and opened a Garganta to retreat under Aizen’s orders, but Azer moved to stop them.

Azer followed Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, and Yammy through the Garganta into Hueco Mundo, where he burned away his Limiter Seal and revealed Reiatsu greater than the strongest Arrancar. He summoned his Zanpakuto, Heavenly Crown King, and Grimmjow transformed into Pantera to challenge him.

• Azer entered the closing Garganta and used Grimmjow and Yammy as shields to force all three Arrancar into Hueco Mundo.
• Azer surveyed Hueco Mundo and burned away his Limiter Seal, unleashing Reiatsu that surpassed Ulquiorra's and even the top three Arrancar.
• Azer declared he would start raising hell with the three Arrancar and released Heavenly Crown King, summoning countless blades.
• Ulquiorra warned Grimmjow about Azer's Zanpakuto, but Grimmjow released Pantera and transformed into a leopard-like form.

Azer fought Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Yammy in the white desert, using the Arrow Blade Matrix to withstand their attacks and kill Yammy and Grimmjow. Ulquiorra escaped, leaving Azer victorious over two Espada.

• Grimmjow released his Resurrección and attacked Azer, but the Arrow Blade Matrix blocked his Panther Hook and Azer wounded him with repeated strikes.
• Ulquiorra and Yammy joined the fight, but Azer's blades stopped their Cero and Bala attacks.
• Azer used Arrow Blade Domain Kill to pierce Yammy, then blasted him apart with golden Sword Pressure.
• Grimmjow unleashed Cero Oscuras, but Azer gathered the power of his Zanpakuto into Arrow Blade Square Extinguish and cut through the attack and Grimmjow.
• Grimmjow split in two and died, while Ulquiorra remained alive after evading Azer's blades.

Azer defeated Grimmjow and Yammy, then transformed into the White Dragon Emperor's Armor and flew toward Las Noches. Aizen had planned to trap Azer while moving ahead with his schemes, but Azer's sudden arrival shattered the fortress ceiling.

• Azer sensed that Ulquiorra had escaped after Grimmjow's and Yammy's Reiatsu disappeared.
• Azer absorbed Heavenly Crown King, transformed into the White Dragon Emperor's Armor, and flew toward Las Noches.
• Aizen explained that he had lured Azer to Hueco Mundo to remove him from the board while preparing to create the King's Key.
• Aizen ordered the remaining Espada to prepare for the Living World and declared Las Noches would become Azer's prison.
• A powerful force approached Las Noches, and Azer burst through its ceiling in a flood of white light.