Chapter Summaries

Kenma tested whether Konsō could draw Hell’s aura into Shadow Space, then entered Hell Gate after arranging for a sinner to be executed. Shisui repeatedly reopened the gate but could not find Kenma, and Sengoku arrived to learn that the Great King had gone to Hell.

• Kenma had Onmitsukidō members perform Konsō on dead Quincy and confirmed that the ritual brought Hell’s air into Shadow Space.
• Kenma ordered Gernika to execute a bound human sinner, causing Hell Gate to appear and pull the sinner’s soul inside.
• Kenma entered Hell Gate, told Shisui not to follow, and disappeared when the gate shut.
• Shisui ordered Gernika to execute more sinners and reopen Hell Gate, but Kenma did not return.
• Sengoku arrived, and Shisui told him that Kenma had entered Hell to sign a contract.

Kenma returned from Hell after making a contract that gave him authority over it, though Hell wanted to absorb him as its thinking organ and he left owing it a debt. After hearing Sengoku report that the Quincy prisoners repeatedly rebelled and would never submit, Kenma asked what Sengoku planned to do, and Sengoku answered that they should be killed.

• Shisui and Sengoku used captured sinners to summon the Hell Gate while they waited for Kenma to return.
• Kenma emerged from Hell, destroyed the giant arms reaching for him, and explained that Hell had accepted him as its administrator and wanted him to become its brain.
• Kenma showed the golden skull mark Hell had branded over his heart and said he had left after promising to repay a debt, though he intended not to pay it back.
• Kenma hid the mark beneath his skin and heard Sengoku explain that the Quincy prisoners hated them and had staged several rebellions.
• Kenma asked Sengoku what he intended to do about the prisoners, and Sengoku said they should be killed.

Kenma and Sengoku agreed to secretly slaughter the surrendered Quincy, then Kenma met a representative of the Great Noble family responsible for watching over Hell. The visitor refused to disclose information about Yhwach, leaving Kenma satisfied that the family would not interfere with the Shadow Space.

• Sengoku explained that the Quincy were a threat and that he had arranged to transfer likely objectors away before the executions; Kenma approved the plan to kill the Quincy while sparing the Sternritter for research and monitoring.
• Kenma asked Nobunaga to arrange a day off for Shimazu Toyohisa and Nasu Yoichi so they would not witness the executions, and Nobunaga agreed to coordinate with Sengoku.
• Kenma met the mysterious visitor at the Onmitsukidō and learned that the Great Noble family had detected repeated disturbances from the Hell Gate.
• Kenma explained that the Onmitsukidō had secretly executed criminals at its underground base, and the visitor accepted his explanation for the Gate's opening.
• Kenma questioned the visitor about Yhwach and his possible revival, but the man refused to reveal information without Yhwach's consent, even when Kenma warned that the Three Worlds were at risk.
• After the visitor left, Shisui and Tobirama Senju agreed that he had not lied, and Kenma concluded that the family would not expose or interfere with the Shadow Space.

Kiryū Kirishiki prepared to leave Seireitei for the Soul King Palace, and Kenma arrived with the leaders of the Kido Corps to see her off. As Zero Division’s transport descended, Kenma grew wary and prepared for the possibility that they had come to confront him.

• Kiryū Kirishiki said farewell to the Gotei 13 captains and asked Unohana Retsu to deliver supplements and pastries to the bedridden Ukitake Jūshirō.
• Shikashuin Kenma arrived with Tenjiro Kirinji, Hachigen Ushōda, and two Onmitsukidō members, explaining that he had come to congratulate his friend Kiryū Kirishiki.
• Kenma privately worried that Zero Division might know about his plans, while his forces waited in Shadow Space and he prepared to protect Yoruichi and his subordinates.
• Kenma teased Yoruichi about being jealous, then told her to stay near him when Zero Division arrived and ordered Shisui and his other subordinate to protect her.
• A white cylinder bearing the Zero Division emblem descended from the sky, and Kenma grew grave as its door opened.

Zero Division members Shutara Senjumaru and Tenjirō Kirinji descended to bring Kiryū Kirishiki to the Soul King Palace, where she recommended Kisuke Urahara as the next captain of the Twelfth Division. Kenma suspected their arrival was a warning from the monk, but remained determined not to retreat from his secret plans.

• Shutara Senjumaru and Tenjirō Kirinji arrived in the Seireitei and prepared to take Kiryū Kirishiki to the Soul King Palace.
• Senjumaru criticized the Onmitsukidō uniforms Kenma had made from her cloth, but accepted his explanation that they needed to be practical and discreet.
• Kirinji confronted Yoruichi over the hot spring she had stolen years earlier, then forgave the Onmitsukidō for using it for official business.
• Kenma suspected that the monk had arranged Senjumaru's and Kirinji's complaints as a warning about his secret actions.
• Kiryū Kirishiki recommended Kisuke Urahara to Yamamoto Shigekuni as the next captain of the Twelfth Division before departing with Senjumaru and Kirinji.
• Kenma watched the Tenchūren disappear and resolved not to retreat despite the monk's warning.

Kenma spent his day off with Yoruichi, who revealed she was considering leaving the Second Division and discussed the disappearances of souls in Soul Society. The chapter ended with Kenma hiding his role in Aizen’s experiments and learning that Six Vehicle Kensei had been sent to investigate.

• Yoruichi interrupted Kenma’s quiet day off and spent time gaming and flirting with him.
• Kenma told Yoruichi that Soifon had romantic feelings for her, and Yoruichi realized she had misunderstood Soifon’s behavior.
• Yoruichi said she wanted to step down from the Second Division to spend more time with Tōichirō and suggested Soifon as her successor.
• Yoruichi told Kenma that souls and investigating Shinigami had been disappearing, while Kenma concealed his involvement in Aizen’s Hollowfication experiments.
• Yoruichi said Yamamoto Shigekuni had sent Six Vehicle Kensei and his subordinates to investigate, and Kenma decided to wait before acting.

Kenma spent a lively afternoon with Yoruichi and his three visiting elders, who reminded him that their operation was imminent. After they left, Kenma learned Toji Fushiguro had returned and ordered Aizen to begin the operation that night.

• Kenma and Yoruichi joined Shimazu Toyohisa, Nobunaga, and Yoichi, who reminisced about Kenma’s troubling past while greeting Tōichirō.
• Kenma, the elders, and Yoruichi discussed history and literature, and Kenma realized he had confused a detail he had read in a novel.
• Nobunaga told Kenma the operation was nearly ready and that the elders had come to catch up before events made carefree days impossible.
• After the elders departed, Shisui informed Kenma that Toji Fushiguro had returned.
• Kenma ordered Shisui to summon Toji Fushiguro and tell Aizen to begin the operation at once.

Kenma spoke with Aizen about the disappearance of Six Vehicle Kensei and warned him to proceed carefully, while assuring Shisui that his plans also covered Kisuke Urahara. After the Gotei 13 assembled to respond to the missing Ninth Division members, Kenma arrived at the captains’ meeting and offered to help.

• Kenma spoke to Aizen through a Den Den Mushi, and Aizen reported that he had subdued Six Vehicle Kensei and gathered experimental data.
• Kenma told Shisui that he had hidden safeguards in place around Aizen and Kisuke Urahara, then learned from Toji Fushiguro that Megumi had married.
• The Gotei 13 called an emergency meeting after Six Vehicle Kensei, Mashiro Kuna, and other Ninth Division members lost their Spiritual Pressure.
• Kisuke Urahara asked to join the response because his lieutenant Sarugaki Hiyori was at the scene, but Yoruichi and Yamamoto Shigekuni stopped him.
• Yamamoto assigned Hōshō Rōjūrō, Shinjī Hirako, Aikawa Rabū, and the Kido Masters to the incident, while Kyōraku Shunsui proposed sending Yadōmaru Lisa instead of Hachigen Ushōda.
• Kenma entered the captains’ meeting and offered to lend a hand.

Kenma arrived at the Gotei 13 captains' meeting and argued that the unknown threat required cooperation among the Seireitei's three major organizations. Yamamoto rejected his proposals and ordered the captains to follow their original assignments, then invited Kenma and Tenjiro Kirinji to remain at the First Division for tea and updates.

• Kenma told Yamamoto that the Onmitsukidō had found no clues and warned that the threat could involve concealed abilities or high-ranking spies.
• Kenma proposed sending an Onmitsukidō special operations unit to support the captains, but Yamamoto refused, citing the need to protect the Seireitei.
• Tenjiro Kirinji proposed mobilizing more captains while the leaders of the three organizations held the Seireitei, but Yamamoto rejected the plan and ended the meeting.
• Kenma quietly warned Kisuke Urahara not to underestimate him, and Kyōraku Shunsui overheard their exchange.
• Yamamoto invited Kenma and Tenjiro Kirinji to stay at the First Division for tea and frontline intelligence, and both accepted.

Yamamoto kept Kenma under watch in the First Division, prompting Kenma to order a discussion about abolishing the Gotei 13 and erupt into a one-sided beating of the Captain-General. After Kenma calmed down, Tenjiro Kirinji fled toward the front lines, then changed course for the Twelfth Division.

• Yamamoto escorted Kenma and Tenjiro Kirinji to the First Division tea room, explaining that he wanted them nearby during the crisis.
• Kenma ordered Shisui to ensure the defensive forces did their duties and told Central 46 to discuss abolishing the Gotei 13.
• When Yamamoto tried to stop Shisui, Zhen'er restrained him, and Kenma confronted Yamamoto and overturned the tea table.
• Kenma repeatedly struck Yamamoto while Yamamoto refused to fight back, and Yamamoto ordered Chūbē to keep the other Shinigami out of the room.
• Kenma finally calmed down and asked Zhen'er for tea and warm water, while Tenjiro Kirinji escaped the First Division and headed toward the Twelfth Division.

Kisuke Urahara left the Twelfth Division to investigate the front lines, and Tenjiro Kirinji joined him after sensing the same ominous fear. Meanwhile, Kyōraku Shunsui discovered Urahara was missing, found Shikashuin Kenma at the First Division after Kenma had injured Yamamoto, and led Yamamoto and the others outside to discuss urgent news.

• Kisuke Urahara put on his stealth suit and left the Twelfth Division to search for Hiyori, but Tenjiro Kirinji confronted him and insisted on accompanying him to the front lines.
• Kyōraku Shunsui investigated his suspicions and discovered that Kisuke Urahara was absent from the Twelfth Division.
• Kyōraku Shunsui arrived at the First Division and found Yamamoto injured, Shikashuin Kenma present, and Yoruichi demanding an explanation for Kenma's attack.
• Chūbē explained that Kenma had struck Yamamoto after a dispute over Kenma's proposals and the Gotei 13, while Kyōraku judged that Yamamoto had brought the injury on himself.
• Kyōraku Shunsui privately told Yamamoto that he had urgent news, and Yamamoto followed him and the others outside.

Kisuke Urahara and Tenjiro Kirinji arrived as Aizen Sosuke’s Hollowification experiment was exposed, then prepared to preserve the affected captains and take them to the Twelfth Division. Elsewhere, Kyoraku told Yamamoto that Urahara had disappeared, and Yamamoto dispatched a team to investigate while Kenma remained under suspicion.

• Aizen prepared to kill Shinjī Hirako, but Kisuke Urahara and Tenjiro Kirinji arrived and interrupted him.
• Urahara identified the captains’ condition as Hollowification and accused Aizen and Shikashuin Kenma of conducting experiments together; Aizen acknowledged Kenma as his senior and vanished with Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen.
• Kirinji proposed using Time Stop and Spatial Transfer to preserve the Hollowifying captains and move them to the Twelfth Division, while Urahara admitted he knew a risky treatment method.
• Kyoraku informed Yamamoto that Urahara had disappeared and recounted his suspicions about Urahara’s conversation with Kenma.
• Yamamoto ordered Ukitake, Kyoraku, Unohana, and Sasakibe to investigate the scene, while Yoruichi remained with Kenma.

Urahara revealed the Hogyoku as a risky possible cure for Hirako and the other Hollowified captains, but Mu stole it and a hidden attacker drove Urahara and Kirinji away. After Kyōraku’s group blamed Urahara and Kirinji for the missing captains, Aizen refused Shisui’s plan to kill them, and Shisui withdrew rather than fight him.

• Urahara showed Kirinji the Hogyoku and explained that it had at most a twenty percent chance of restoring Hirako and the other captains.
• Mu stole the Hogyoku, and an unseen attacker used Shinra Tensei to knock Urahara down before Mu and the attacker escaped.
• Kyōraku, Ukitake, Unohana, and Sasakibe found the forest clearing and concluded that Urahara and Kirinji had used Spatial Transfer to conceal the captains’ disappearance.
• Aizen, Tosen, and Gin watched Kyōraku’s group leave, then met Shisui and three masked Onmitsukidō fighters.
• Shisui challenged Aizen for letting Kyōraku’s group go, but Aizen rejected his authority and warned him against attacking.
• Shisui decided that fighting Aizen was not worth the cost and left with his three companions.

Kisuke Urahara surrendered to Kyōraku Shunsui and offered to reveal the true masterminds behind the incident, while Chūbē reported his findings to Yamamoto. Kenma and Yoruichi joined the others at the Twelfth Division, where Unohana confirmed the captains were undergoing nearly irreversible Hollowification and identified Urahara and Tenjiro Kirinji as the criminals.

• Tenjiro Kirinji urged Kisuke Urahara to save the captains, but Urahara said Shikashuin Kenma and Aizen Sosuke would not give him the chance.
• Kyōraku Shunsui, Ukitake Jūshirō, and Unohana Retsu arrived at the laboratory, and Kyōraku arrested Urahara, who offered to name the true masterminds.
• Shisui met Chūbē on his way back to the First Division, then accompanied him to report to Kenma and Yamamoto.
• Chūbē told Yamamoto, Kenma, and Yoruichi that Urahara was suspected of causing the disappearing souls and the captains’ injuries, prompting Yoruichi to reject the accusation.
• Yamamoto’s group hurried to the Twelfth Division, where Unohana said the captains could not be saved and were being kept alive by Tenjiro Kirinji’s time stop.
• Yamamoto looked toward Urahara and Tenjiro Kirinji, whom Unohana’s account implicated in the Hollowification experiment.

Kenma and Yoruichi left the Twelfth Division after Aizen used an illusion to make Urahara’s accusations sound like desperate ravings. Kenma planned to persuade Central 46 to hand the accused over to the Onmitsukidō, buying time to investigate and save them, and arrived there with Yoruichi.

• Urahara accused Kenma and several others of orchestrating the Soul Disappearance Incident and the Hollowfication, but Aizen’s illusion made the witnesses hear different accusations.
• Yoruichi rejected the accusations, and Kenma left with her after Yamamoto allowed him to go; Yamamoto warned that he would intervene if Kenma went too far.
• Yoruichi told Kenma that Urahara and Tsukabishi’s behavior seemed unlike them, and Kenma agreed that Urahara had been framed.
• Kenma explained that he would seek an order transferring Urahara, Tsukabishi, Hirako, and the others to the Onmitsukidō, giving him time to investigate and search for a cure.
• Kenma and Yoruichi reached Central 46, and Kenma sent Shisui to announce their visit to the Grand Judge.

After securing Central 46's agreement to let the Onmitsukidō handle the captains' case, Kenma wrestled with his guilt and discussed Yamamoto's strength with Toji. The next morning, Shisui reported that Central 46 had instead sentenced Kisuke Urahara, Tenjiro Kirinji, Hirako, and the others to death that day.

• Kenma and Yoruichi persuaded the Grand Judge to hand the matter of the forcibly Hollowfied captains over to the Onmitsukidō, then returned to the Shikokuin Family estate.
• Kenma visited the sleeping Tōichirō, lamented that Yoruichi would eventually oppose him, and left the courtyard to speak with Toji.
• Toji told Kenma he could smell his guilt, and Kenma admitted that he had attacked Yamamoto partly to test his strength.
• Kenma warned Toji that Yamamoto could overwhelm his assembled forces, though he joked that Yamamoto might fear him.
• Kenma and Toji drank in the study, where Kenma shared his doubts about his past deeds before falling asleep.
• Shisui reported that Central 46 had sentenced Kisuke Urahara, Tenjiro Kirinji, Hirako, and the others to death, with the Gotei 13 ordered to execute them that day.

After Central 46 changed its ruling and ordered Kisuke Urahara, Tenjiro Kirinji, Hirako, and the others executed, Yoruichi decided to rescue them despite Kenma's objections. Kenma secretly sent Shisui to protect her, then prepared to make his own move as a masked rescuer freed Kisuke and Tenjiro on the way to the execution ground.

• Yoruichi arrived to tell Kenma that Central 46 had changed the sentence and ordered Kisuke, Tenjiro, Hirako, and the others executed.
• Kenma blamed the reversal on a traitor in Central 46, refused to help Yoruichi break out the prisoners, and warned her not to risk abandoning her family.
• Yoruichi left with Soifon and admitted she was using herself as bait to make Kenma help from the shadows.
• Kenma ordered Shisui to secretly protect Yoruichi and Soifon, then told Zhen'er that betrayal by his allies was his worst-case scenario and that he was still confident in his plan.
• A black-clad figure defeated the guards escorting Kisuke and Tenjiro, freed them from their Kido bindings, and ordered them to follow.

Kisuke Urahara and Tenjiro Kirinji reached a hidden refuge with the unconscious Hirako and the other captains, where Yoruichi and Soifon revealed themselves as their rescuers. Kenma arrived, admitted he had helped engineer the plot against them, and ordered Shisui to sever Kisuke’s arm, leaving Yoruichi furious and trapped by Walter’s threat against Soifon.

• A black-clad woman led Kisuke Urahara and Tenjiro Kirinji through the underground passages to a secret hideout where Hirako and the other captains lay unconscious.
• Yoruichi and Soifon revealed their identities, and Kisuke found the Gigai he had made to suppress a Shinigami’s Spiritual Pressure.
• Kenma entered with Zhen'er and Shisui, and Kisuke warned Yoruichi that Kenma had helped frame them.
• Shisui cut off Kisuke’s left arm on Kenma’s orders, while Tenjiro Kirinji used Kido to stop the bleeding.
• Kenma admitted he had worked with the person responsible for the captains’ plight and had helped steal Kisuke’s orb.
• Walter restrained Soifon with threads and warned Yoruichi that he could kill her if she attacked Kenma.

Kenma confronted Yoruichi and tried to recruit Kisuke Urahara, but Kisuke refused and accused him of plotting against the Soul King. Kenma confirmed Kisuke’s suspicion, then stole Kisuke’s Benihime and released it in Shikai.

• Kenma admitted that his ambitions had grown and faced Yoruichi’s anger over his betrayal of her and the Shikokuin Family.
• Walter severed Soifon’s hand when she moved, then restrained Yoruichi by threatening Soifon.
• Kenma offered to spare and treat Hirako and the others if Kisuke joined him, but Kisuke refused because he distrusted Kenma.
• Kisuke accused Kenma of planning to overthrow the Seireitei and attack the Soul King Palace, and Kenma’s response confirmed the accusation.
• Kenma drained Kisuke’s power, took Benihime, and released the Zanpakuto in Shikai, leaving Kisuke and Yoruichi shocked.

Kenma took Benihime from Kisuke and nearly released its Bankai before sensing an intruder, then arranged for Yoruichi and Soifon to leave. Aizen, Gin, and Tosen revealed themselves, and after Kenma eased his hostility toward Aizen, he turned his murderous attention back to Kisuke.

• Kenma recalled the contract with Kisuke, took Benihime, and planned to give it to Orochimaru as a reward.
• Kenma began Benihime's Bankai release but stopped, sensed someone hidden nearby, and gave Benihime to Zhen'er.
• Kenma ordered Walter to take Yoruichi away for her protection, and Yoruichi agreed after demanding that Kenma spare Hirako and the others.
• Toji Fushiguro and Zhen'er confronted an unseen intruder, prompting Kenma to threaten the hidden figure.
• Aizen, Gin, and Tosen emerged from concealment, and Aizen claimed he had only stopped by to greet Kenma.
• Kenma dismissed his hostility toward Aizen, then turned toward Kisuke with killing intent.