Chapter Summaries

Yamamoto Shigekuni fought through Heaven Dou City with Ryūjin Jakka, burning waves of Soul Masters while Halibel supervised the slaughter. As Zanpakuto-wielding Soul Masters killed their own allies to seize power and then charged Yamamoto, Halibel stepped forward, and the battle remained unresolved.

• Yamamoto Shigekuni called for Aizen Sousuke and unleashed Enmei, sending a fire dragon across Heaven Dou City that consumed residents and Soul Masters.
• Halibel watched from above and ensured the Soul Masters continued their death-bound assault without retreating.
• Yamamoto drove Ryūjin Jakka into the earth, raising flaming skeletons that marched against the charging Soul Masters.
• Terrified Soul Masters tried to flee, but Zanpakuto-wielders killed them and absorbed their strength.
• More than a hundred empowered Zanpakuto-wielders released their Martial Souls and charged Yamamoto, while Halibel prepared to join the battle.

Yamamoto Shigekuni and the Gotei 13 considered how to break their limits and draw Aizen Sousuke into a battle, but the Espada suddenly attacked Heaven Dou City. The chapter ended as Yammy unleashed a massive Cero toward the city.

• Urahara Kisuke proposed strengthening the Gotei 13 by creating the King's Key, which required sacrificing a Heavy Spirit Ground and many Soul Masters.
• Ulquiorra reported that Sea God Island was hostile to outsiders and that its High Priest could not leave, so Yamamoto Shigekuni decided to focus on cultivation and nearby Titled Douluo.
• A dark void opened above Heaven Dou City, and eight Espada appeared, announcing their mission to annihilate the Gotei 13.
• Yammy began devouring the souls of Heaven Dou City's residents, but Kurosaki Ichigo interrupted him with Getsuga Tenshō.
• Yammy retaliated with a scarlet Cero aimed at Heaven Dou City, leaving its residents in despair.

Urahara Kisuke, Kurosaki Ichigo, Kuchiki Byakuya, and Hitsugaya Toshiro fought Yammy, Nnoitra, Zommari, and Halibel as their attacks devastated Heaven Dou City. Halibel overwhelmed Byakuya and Hitsugaya with supercritical seawater, leaving Bibi Dong determined to become a god to survive.

• Urahara Kisuke deflected Yammy's Wrath God's Cero away from Heaven Dou City, but the blast destroyed buildings on the city's outskirts.
• Kurosaki Ichigo arrived and blocked Nnoitra's strike, then defended himself against Zommari's Gaze of Love with help from Kuchiki Byakuya's Senbonzakura.
• Halibel stopped Kuchiki Byakuya's Bankai and shattered Hitsugaya Toshiro's ice defense before unleashing supercritical seawater.
• Hitsugaya Toshiro was burned when he tried to freeze the seawater, which melted the ground into lava as the others dodged it.
• Xue Ye despaired over the threat to the Heavenly Dou Empire, while Bibi Dong resolved to hurry her effort to become a god.

As Aizen Sousuke’s Espada attacked Heaven Dou City, Yamamoto Shigekuni ordered an evacuation before confronting Halibel’s divine power. Yamamoto proved able to withstand her attacks and wounded her armor, while the battle continued amid widespread destruction.

• Shihouin Yoruichi and Kyōraku Shunsui urged Yamamoto Shigekuni not to fight the Espada recklessly, and Bibi Dong proposed using Yue Guan and Gui Mei to seal space and time while the Gotei 13 evacuated.
• Yamamoto Shigekuni ordered Hachigen Ushōda to prepare spatial transmission and went outside to face the eight Espada himself.
• Halibel released Imperial Shark Empress and overwhelmed the sky with the Colorless Sea Current, but Yamamoto’s Bankai, Flowing Flame Blade, evaporated more than half the water and protected Hitsugaya Toshiro.
• Yamamoto cut through Halibel’s water blades and erased Nnoitra’s golden Cero, then clashed with Halibel and began to evaporate her greatsword.
• Urahara Kisuke’s Hadō and a Cero collided in a huge explosion that devastated part of Heaven Dou City, giving Yamamoto an opening to cut Halibel’s armor, though she dodged before he could sever her arm.

Yamamoto Shigekuni fought Halibel in Heaven Dou City, where he sought to forge the King's Key by sacrificing the Soul Masters gathered there. He unleashed the full power of Flowing Flame Blade and left Halibel as the sole survivor besides himself, again offering her the chance to surrender.

• Halibel fought Yamamoto Shigekuni while the other Espada watched, until purple light swallowed him and emptied the Central Spirit Arts Academy.
• Yamamoto Shigekuni later appeared in Heaven Dou City and began slaughtering its Soul Masters to use the city as the Heavy Spirit Ground needed to forge the King's Key.
• Halibel attacked Yamamoto Shigekuni with a torrent of water and a greatsword, insisting that her divine power made her his equal.
• Yamamoto Shigekuni activated Bankai, Flowing Flame Blade, and used West: Remnant Sun Cloak to burn Heaven Dou City and its Soul Masters to ash.
• Yamamoto Shigekuni's Remaining Sun Prison Garb reached fifteen million degrees, and he again told Halibel she could surrender.

Halibel attacked Yamamoto Shigekuni, but Aizen appeared and stopped their battle, effortlessly blocking her strongest attacks. Aizen revealed that he had become the Soul King, leaving Halibel and Yamamoto stunned.

• Halibel’s Scorching Sea Current evaporated before it could reach Yamamoto Shigekuni, until Aizen appeared and declared that the battle could end.
• Halibel recognized Aizen and attacked him, but his Azure Ancient Wall stopped her golden current and sword.
• Halibel charged again and fired a golden Cero, which Aizen split with one hand as its light illuminated the fleeing residents and Tang San.
• Tang San watched the display while completing the Sea God’s and Asura God’s trials, and reflected on Ulquiorra’s power and his own suspicions about Ulquiorra’s past actions.
• Halibel asked whether Aizen had become a god, and Aizen revealed that he had recently become the Soul King.

Aizen revealed his immense new power as the Soul King while Yamamoto Shigekuni reunited with Zero Squad. After Halibel expected to be killed for opposing him, Aizen offered to join forces against Aizen Sousuke, and she began to consider trusting him.

• Yamamoto Shigekuni recognized Aizen as the Soul King, and Zero Squad gathered around them.
• Kirio Hikifune examined Yamamoto Shigekuni's injuries while Shutara Senjumaru offered to make him new clothes.
• Aizen asked Halibel if she still wanted to fight, and she said she would rather die than be humiliated.
• Halibel explained that she believed Aizen's power came from imitating others, and Aizen said he no longer needed to play anyone else's role.
• Aizen told Halibel she could be saved and proposed that they join forces against Aizen Sousuke.
• Halibel asked if she could trust Aizen, and he offered his hand and invited her to help rule the world with him.

Aizen returned to the Gotei 13’s Northernmost Land headquarters, where Qian Daoliu questioned his divine status and Qian Renxue asked where he had been. Aizen revealed that he had gone to Sea God Island and crippled Bo Saixi and destroyed the Sea God’s inheritance, prompting Qian Daoliu’s fury and Yamamoto Shigekuni’s intervention.

• Aizen arrived at the First Division’s courtyard with unfamiliar companions, and Qian Daoliu sensed his extraordinary power and asked whether he had obtained a divine position.
• Aizen identified Qian Daoliu as Qian Renxue’s grandfather and demanded that he call him Spirit King.
• Qian Renxue asked Aizen where he had been, and he replied that he had gone to Sea God Island.
• Qian Daoliu asked whether Aizen had seen Bo Saixi, and Aizen confirmed that he had crippled her Soul Power and destroyed the Sea God’s inheritance.
• Qian Daoliu angrily demanded to know why Aizen had harmed Bo Saixi, and Yamamoto Shigekuni drew Ryūjin Jakka to threaten him.
• Qian Daoliu sensed Yamamoto Shigekuni’s changed power and asked when he had reached Level One Hundred.

Yamamoto Shigekuni fought Qian Daoliu after Qian Daoliu confronted him over Bo Saixi, then overwhelmed him with Bankai: World Extinction. Qian Daoliu survived Inoue Orihime’s healing, and Yamamoto asked whether he understood the rules now.

• Yamamoto Shigekuni attacked Qian Daoliu with Ryūjin Jakka after Qian Daoliu angrily questioned him, while Aizen stopped Qian Renxue from intervening.
• Qian Daoliu fought back with his Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul and Sun True Fire, but Yamamoto’s flames forced him to use Martial Soul Avatar and borrow divine power.
• Yamamoto unleashed Bankai, Flowing Flame Blade, North: World Extinction, destroying the surrounding mountains and extinguishing Qian Daoliu’s borrowed divine power.
• Qian Daoliu fell from the sky, and Aizen shielded Qian Renxue from the lingering heat while assuring her that Kirio Hikifune and Inoue Orihime could save him.
• Inoue Orihime healed Qian Daoliu despite his severe burns, and Yamamoto asked him if he knew the rules now.

Qian Daoliu accepted defeat after Yamamoto Shigekuni demonstrated overwhelming power, then learned Bo Saixi was alive and had been transformed into one of Aizen’s subordinates. Aizen gathered the others to assess their forces and plan against Hueco Mundo and the Wandenreich.

• Qian Daoliu conceded defeat to Yamamoto Shigekuni, and Qian Renxue embraced her grandfather as he praised her choice of the Spirit King.
• Aizen told Qian Daoliu that Bo Saixi was alive, though he had taken away her Seagod Power and modified her body.
• Ichibei Hyosube said Bo Saixi’s potential could not match Yamamoto Shigekuni’s, and Aizen admitted he had neglected to explore The Almighty.
• Aizen explained that Yhwach’s The Almighty came from the Spirit King Power and that the strength of his believers depended on their abilities as well as their numbers.
• Aizen called everyone together to plan against Hueco Mundo and the Wandenreich, and Bibi Dong reported that Spirit Hall had seven Titled Douluo and thirty-three lower-ranked fighters remaining.

Aizen explained to Bibi Dong and the others that he and his followers came from another world, then outlined a plan to use Yhwach against Aizen Sousuke. He left to ask Halibel about releasing projections of the Hogyoku and King's Seal to make both sides believe he was dead.

• Aizen promised Bibi Dong he would restore Spirit Hall and revealed that his followers came from a different world.
• Aizen described Soul Reapers, Hollows, Quincy, and Reishi, while Kyōraku Shunsui explained that Zanpakuto abilities could operate like rules.
• Ichibei Hyosube suggested using Yhwach to counter Aizen Sousuke, and Aizen said he would intensify their conflict rather than fight them directly.
• Aizen told Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu to let scouts from both sides suffer heavy losses while allowing witnesses to return.
• Aizen asked Halibel whether projections of the Hogyoku and King's Seal would provoke a war, and Halibel urgently told him not to release them.

Chen Luo and Chen Feng hunted Soul Beasts in Hueco Mundo until a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast forced them to flee. They encountered three members of the Sixty-Third Squad, who blocked their path and coveted the beast’s soul bone and soul ring.

• Chen Luo fled through the forest with a glowing Treasure Jade as he recalled hunting Soul Beasts with his brother Chen Feng.
• Chen Luo and Chen Feng discussed the dangers posed by Quincies and the Gotei 13, then settled down for the night.
• A gigantic dragon-shaped Soul Beast destroyed their hut, and Chen Feng recognized it as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and ran with Chen Luo.
• Three members of Hueco Mundo's Sixty-Third Squad blocked the brothers, and Chen Feng warned them that the beast was approaching.
• The squad members decided to claim the beast's soul bone and let the female Soul Master absorb its hundred-thousand-year soul ring.

Chen Feng and Chen Luo watched a dragon-shaped Soul Beast battle three Soul Masters, only for a purple Treasure Jade to swallow the beast and all three fighters. Chen Feng took the jade but was killed by Quincy’s group, leaving Chen Luo to flee with it as a hidden observer identified it as the Hogyoku created by the Spirit King.

• Chen Feng persuaded Chen Luo to follow the three Soul Masters and investigate their fight with the dragon-shaped Soul Beast.
• The dragon-shaped Soul Beast healed from severe injuries, then used a roar and a purple beam to overpower the Soul Masters’ attacks.
• The young Soul Master unleashed powerful fire and lightning attacks, but the purple light from the beast’s forehead swallowed the beast and all three Soul Masters.
• Chen Feng grabbed the purple Treasure Jade and handed it to Chen Luo when Quincy’s group arrived and aimed their bows at them.
• Chen Feng used his Eighth Soul Skill to throw Chen Luo away, then screamed as Chen Luo fled with the Treasure Jade.
• A hidden man watched the scene and said the Hogyoku created by the Spirit King was too brutal.

Ichimaru Gin engineered a confrontation between Chen Luo and the Quincies to awaken the False Hogyoku's power. Chen Luo transformed into a powerful gorilla and killed one Quincy, while the other fled and Ichimaru anticipated the arrival of an even stronger Quincy.

• Ichimaru Gin revealed that he had implanted the False Hogyoku in a Dragon Blood Lizard and guided the Quincies toward Chen Luo to draw Aizen Sousuke and Yhwach into conflict.
• The Quincies caught Chen Luo, shot him with Holy Destruction Arrows, and pinned him to a tree while mocking him.
• As Chen Luo grieved for his dead brother and begged the Hogyoku for power, Ichimaru activated it from afar.
• The Hogyoku freed Chen Luo and flooded him with power, but his Zanpakuto shattered when he drew it.
• Chen Luo transformed into a giant gorilla with dragon claws and crimson chains, then used the chains to tear apart one Quincy.
• The surviving Quincy fled while firing arrows, and Ichimaru predicted that a stronger Quincy would soon arrive.

After Chen Luo fused with the Hogyoku, Reinis Venice attacked him with his rain-based Schrift and eventually destroyed his body. Ichimaru Gin waited for Reinis to send a message, then revealed his Bankai.

• The Hogyoku consumed the corpses and increased Chen Luo's power, but did not grant his wish to revive his big brother.
• Reinis Venice appeared and attacked Chen Luo, using rain to evade his blows and corrode his body.
• Chen Luo adapted to Reinis's corrosion and managed to damage his clothes, provoking Reinis into unleashing a torrential downpour and cutting off Chen Luo's arm.
• Reinis seized the Hogyoku and fired a massive Holy Cross Sword that severed Chen Luo's head and destroyed his body.
• Reinis sent a message requesting a pickup and identified the Hogyoku as an object Aizen Sousuke must not discover.
• Ichimaru Gin drew his Zanpakuto and activated Bankai, Kamishini no Yari.

Ichimaru Gin reported Reinis’s strength to Aizen, who ordered a scheme to draw Aizen Sousuke and Yhwach into conflict over the Hogyoku and a counterfeit King’s Seal. Shihouin Yoruichi delivered the seal to the Star Dou Great Forest and planted it in a Man Faced Demon Spider near Tang San.

• Ichimaru Gin escaped Reinis and reported that the Stern Ritter had gained power from a counterfeit Hogyoku.
• Aizen ordered Ichimaru Gin to spread news about the Hogyoku and sent Shihouin Yoruichi to give Tang San an imitation King’s Seal, planning to provoke Aizen Sousuke and Yhwach.
• Shihouin Yoruichi found Ulquiorra, confirmed Tang San’s location, and secretly followed him in the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Shihouin Yoruichi watched Tang San hunt a Man Faced Demon Spider and reunite with Xiao Wu, the Azure Sky Python, and the Titan Giant Ape.
• Shihouin Yoruichi found a fifty-thousand-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider, placed the imitation King’s Seal inside it, and activated the seal’s power.

Tang San hunted a powerful Soul Ring in the Star Dou Great Forest and fought a mutated Human-Faced Demon Spider Emperor with a teleporting ability. After killing it, he discovered a glowing seal within its red Soul Ring, while Shihouin Yoruichi waited in the shadows to report to Aizen Sousuke and Yhwach.

• Tang San searched the Star Dou Great Forest for a sixth Soul Ring suitable for his Clear Sky Hammer and found a gold-eyed Human-Faced Demon Spider Emperor.
• Tang San attacked the spider, but it repeatedly teleported away and countered his strikes with golden-black webbing.
• Shihouin Yoruichi watched from nearby and explained that the spider had only developed the flashing ability of the King's Seal.
• Tang San adapted his attacks, pinned the spider with the Sea God Trident, and drained its life force with the Eight Spider Lances.
• Tang San killed the regenerating spider with sixty-seven Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer strikes.
• A red Soul Ring appeared with a glowing golden seal inside, and Shihouin Yoruichi urged Tang San to take it so she could inform Aizen Sousuke and Yhwach.

Haschwalth and Ishida Uryu learned that Tang San had obtained the King's Seal, and Yhwach ordered the Quincy to enter the Star Dou Great Forest as Aizen Sousuke prepared to confront them. The chapter left Aizen gathering his forces while questioning whether the King's Seal was truly involved.

• Haschwalth told Ishida Uryu that Reinis had reported Tang San obtained the King's Seal and that Reinis had acquired the Hogyoku before fleeing into the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Haschwalth questioned Ishida Uryu about the reports and recalled how their fear of Aizen had faded as their strength grew.
• Yhwach appeared and ordered Haschwalth, Ishida Uryu, and more than a dozen Stern Ritter to enter the Star Dou Great Forest through a dark gate.
• Aizen Sousuke learned that Yhwach had arrived and ordered Tosen Kaname to summon Hueco Mundo's forces.
• Szayelaporro reported signs of the Hogyoku and the King's Seal, while Aizen said Halibel might have died fighting Yamamoto Shigekuni and questioned whether Yamamoto could wield Spirit King Power.
• Aizen gathered seven Espada and seventy squads, then questioned whether Tang San could truly wield the King's Seal.

Barragan led Aizen Sousuke’s forces into the Star Dou Great Forest to confront Yhwach, who recovered the Hogyoku from Reinis after learning Tang San had vanished. Their arrival alarmed Gu Yue, who gathered the transformed ferocious beasts at the Lake of Life and decided to wait and see what Yhwach intended.

• Aizen Sousuke ordered Barragan to lead the expedition and offered him the Star Luo Empire if he could defeat Yhwach.
• Barragan led the Espada and their followers into the Star Dou Great Forest as a dark gate appeared and Yhwach’s forces emerged.
• Reinis told Yhwach that the King’s Seal had transported Tang San somewhere unknown, and Yhwach tore the Hogyoku from Reinis’s body.
• Yhwach allowed Giselle Gewelle to turn the dying Reinis into a zombie before leading the others away.
• Gu Yue sensed Yhwach’s arrival and, despite a red-haired youth urging her to attack, chose to wait and see what he planned.

Yhwach and the Stern Ritter entered the Star Dou Great Forest, prompting Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin Yoruichi to warn Aizen of his plans to move the Wandenreich there. As Barragan’s army advanced to ambush them, Tang San and his companions sought Gu Yue’s help at the Lake of Life, but she rejected their appeal.

• Yhwach led the Stern Ritter away from Star Lake toward the Lake of Life, while Soul Beasts across the forest became aware of the invading Quincy forces.
• Shihouin Yoruichi summoned Urahara Kisuke, who identified Yhwach’s Spirit Pressure and warned that Yhwach planned to bring the Wandenreich into the forest and use Auswählen to seize power from the Star Luo Empire’s Soul Masters.
• Urahara Kisuke warned Aizen that Yhwach had appeared and intended to transfer the Wandenreich into the Star Dou Great Forest; Aizen recognized the danger and began making preparations.
• Barragan led the Hueco Mundo army into the forest and learned from Szayelaporro that Yhwach’s group was heading to the Lake of Life, where Barragan planned to ambush them.
• At the Lake of Life, Gu Yue accused Tang San and his companions of trying to shift their danger onto the forest’s inhabitants, then refused to help them because they were human.