Chapter Summaries

After the Soul Reapers searched for Urahara Kisuke, Ren returned home to find Orihime cooking and learned that Morgana’s transformation had granted her Black Dragon traits and powerful reconnaissance abilities. Morgana mapped the captains’ movements, and Ren spotted Shigekuni Yamamoto at the site of their earlier battle.

• Shunsui Kyoraku and Jūshirō Ukitake hoped to uncover the truth about Urahara Kisuke, while Aizen reassured Gin Ichimaru that Urahara would not be believed.
• Gin Ichimaru privately weighed Aizen’s words and decided he needed to plan carefully as he followed Aizen and Kaname Tosen.
• Ren returned to the courtyard, ate with Orihime, Morgana, Soken Ishida, and Uryū, and told Soken Ishida that the outside threat had been handled.
• Soken Ishida took Uryū away to help him manage the Spiritual Pressure gained from the Soul Beast food, while Morgana concealed the area with a barrier.
• Morgana explained that her transformation had awakened Black Dragon traits, enhancing her defense, attacks, and ability to track people by scent and dark aura.
• Morgana created a three-dimensional map of the Death God captains’ movements, and Ren identified Shigekuni Yamamoto near the site of their earlier battle.

Ren and Morgana monitored the gathered defectors and Ren speculated that Urahara Kisuke, Shunsui Kyoraku, and Jūshirō Ukitake had orchestrated Aizen's future downfall. Morgana discovered that Aizen could detect and erase her hidden darkness, and Ren began examining her as another Death God approached.

• Morgana used the Shadow-Shadow Fruit to create miniature figures of the gathered Death Gods, including Urahara Kisuke, Shunsui Kyoraku, Jūshirō Ukitake, Tessai, the Visored, and Yoruichi.
• Ren concluded that Shunsui Kyoraku and Jūshirō Ukitake might be collaborating with Urahara Kisuke in a plan involving Aizen, Ichigo Kurosaki, and the Seireitei.
• Morgana told Ren that Aizen had detected and erased her darkness from his shadow and from Gin Ichimaru's and Kaname Tosen's shadows.
• Ren and Morgana noticed Ichigo Kurosaki with Isshin Kurosaki and his daughters on the map, then saw another Death God heading toward their position.
• Ren examined Morgana's concealment and kissed her, briefly easing her frustration.

Ren explained that Aizen had detected Morgana because her unstable aura carried traces of Baraggan Luisenbarn. Nemu Kurotsuchi arrived with a Fixed Garganta from Mayuri Kurotsuchi, whose message led Ren to agree to work with him.

• Ren explained that Morgana's aura had alerted Aizen because it still carried traces of Baraggan Luisenbarn's aura.
• Ren spotted a Death God approaching and identified her as Nemu Kurotsuchi, whom Mayuri Kurotsuchi had sent to find him.
• Soken Ishida confronted Nemu, then escorted her to Ren after Morgana ordered him to bring her in.
• Nemu explained that Mayuri had found Ren's location by studying the damaged city's buildings and Ren's earlier movements.
• Nemu gave Ren a Fixed Garganta and relayed Mayuri's priorities, prompting Ren to say he looked forward to working with him.

Ren and Morgana discussed whether Mayuri Kurotsuchi truly intended to cooperate, then Morgana sabotaged the barrier hiding Urahara Kisuke and the others. With the group exposed in the World of the Living, the Captain-Commander identified their spiritual pressure and rushed toward them.

• Morgana wondered whether Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s offer was a trap, but Ren concluded that he had little loyalty to Seireitei and accepted the risk.
• Morgana revealed that she had gathered dark energy around the group’s barrier, and Ren told her to destroy it so he could see Yamamoto’s Ryujin Jakka.
• Urahara Kisuke and Shunsui Kyoraku joked with each other until Yoruichi struck them, then Urahara sensed that something was wrong.
• Hachigen Ushoda announced that the group’s barrier had vanished, leaving Urahara Kisuke, Yoruichi, and the others exposed.
• The Captain-Commander recognized Yoruichi’s and Shinji’s auras, deduced that Urahara Kisuke was present, and rushed toward them with Chojiro Sasakibe following.

Aizen realized Ren had exposed Urahara Kisuke by using darkness to collapse his barrier, and he hurried toward the newly revealed group. Urahara and his allies fought Shunsui Kyoraku and Jūshirō Ukitake to disguise their connections while preparing to escape, leaving Hiyori Sarugaki firing a Cero at Shunsui.

• Byakuya Kuchiki and Soifon sensed Yoruichi's Spiritual Pressure and rushed toward her, while Aizen learned Urahara Kisuke had been exposed.
• Aizen explained that Ren's darkness had devoured the Spirit Particles in Urahara's barrier, then departed with Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen.
• Urahara Kisuke attacked Shunsui Kyoraku as the Captain-Commander approached, and Jūshirō Ukitake fought Yoruichi to make their group appear divided.
• Urahara ordered Tessai Tsukabishi and Hachigen Ushoda to prepare an escape passage, then explained to Hiyori Sarugaki that they lacked the evidence and strength to expose Aizen.
• Urahara asked Shinji Hirako and Lisa Yadōmaru to use their Hollow Spiritual Pressure to help Tessai cast Negación, while Hiyori donned her mask and fired a Cero at Shunsui.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto confronted Urahara Kisuke and the Visored, using the heat of Ryujin Jakka to overwhelm Hiyori Sarugaki and the arriving captains. Urahara led the group in a retreat and activated Tessai Tsukabishi’s Kido patterns as the Visored poured in their Spiritual Pressure.

• Shunsui Kyoraku and Jūshirō Ukitake released their Zanpakuto as a Cero threatened them.
• Captain-Commander Yamamoto found Urahara Kisuke’s group and raised the temperature with the heat of his sealed Ryujin Jakka.
• Hiyori Sarugaki fired a Cero and then a Sword Aura at Yamamoto, but his flames and heat crushed both attacks.
• Toshiro Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto arrived, followed by Yoruichi and Soifon as more captains gathered.
• As Yamamoto began to unseal his cane, Urahara forced Shunsui back, grabbed Hiyori, and ordered the group to retreat.
• Yoruichi joined Urahara, and the Visored poured their Spiritual Pressure into Tessai Tsukabishi’s Kido patterns when Urahara called for action.

Urahara Kisuke and the Visored escaped using Negación while Aizen watched, and the Captain-Commander withdrew from the World of the Living. Retsu Unohana returned and beat Shunsui Kyoraku for insulting her, while Ren watched their fight on a map of darkness.

• Tessai Tsukabishi completed the Negación escape, and Urahara Kisuke's group vanished beyond the Captain-Commander's reach.
• Aizen greeted Urahara Kisuke, hypnotized Hiyori Sarugaki into cursing the Captain-Commander, and left after the escape.
• The Captain-Commander assigned the World of the Living to Shunsui Kyoraku before returning to the Seireitei, and Aizen and the other captains departed as well.
• Retsu Unohana told Shunsui Kyoraku to find Ren so she could kill him, then left after healing him and Jūshirō Ukitake.
• Retsu Unohana returned after overhearing Shunsui Kyoraku call her unpetty and beat him while Jūshirō Ukitake watched.
• Ren sipped tea and watched Shunsui Kyoraku and Retsu Unohana fight on a three-dimensional map made of darkness.

Ren watched the Death Gods return to the Seireitei, then entered the Soul Hall with Soken Ishida to forge Spirit Bows from rare materials. After several days of work, Mayuri Kurotsuchi arrived through the distorted black box, leaving Ren to face the Twelfth Division captain.

• Ren learned from Morgana that the Death Gods had returned to the Seireitei and remembered him, especially Retsu Unohana.
• Ren showed Soken Ishida the Soul Hall and explained how he planned to forge a thunder Spirit Bow from the Demon Whale King's spine.
• Ren gave Soken Ishida rare materials for himself and Uryū to forge Spirit Bows, then began hammering the spine with the Haotian Hammer.
• Over several days, Ren refined the spine into a bow shape and further refined the Haotian Hammer while working toward completing his Asauchi.
• Morgana told Ren that the black box Nemu Kurotsuchi had left behind was glowing, and Ren waited in the courtyard as it formed a black hole.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi emerged from the black hole into the courtyard, followed by Nemu Kurotsuchi.

Ren received a scroll containing ninety-nine Kido spells from Mayuri, who sought an alliance against the Seireitei’s restrictive noble hierarchy. Mayuri revealed how political factions shaped the divisions and explained why even Yamamoto could not simply destroy the nobles.

• Mayuri questioned Ren about his powers and tried to collect a sample of Morgana’s darkness, but Ren stopped him with a display of pressure.
• Mayuri offered to work with Ren and provided a scroll of ninety-nine Kido spells, which Morgana transferred to Ren through their soul connection.
• Mayuri explained that the nobles hoarded powerful Kido and resources, fueling his resentment and desire to oppose them.
• Mayuri described how the Seireitei’s divisions split among the Captain-Commander’s faction, the nobles, and the commoners, and recounted the political events behind Urahara Kisuke’s defection and the Visored captains’ downfall.
• Ren asked why Yamamoto had not wiped out the nobles, and Mayuri said their connections to the Soul King made that too dangerous, so Yamamoto built up the divisions and trained new captains instead.

Ren learned Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s account of the Soul King’s creation of the Three Worlds and the nobles’ control over Soul Society’s resources. Mayuri sought Ren’s help to grow stronger, and Ren agreed to cooperate on costly terms, leaving them ready to discuss Asauchi.

• Mayuri Kurotsuchi recounted legends that the Soul King divided the worlds and that the nobles descended from his followers, while noting Kirio Hikifune’s links to Zero Division.
• Ren refused Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s request to study his body and warned him that the weak were prey to the strong.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi revealed that nobles had imprisoned and mutilated him, leading him to modify his body and pursue strength through research.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi offered to serve Ren in exchange for a chance to grow stronger, and Ren accepted while demanding repayment.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi explained that the nobles controlled half of Soul Society’s resources, prompting Ren to declare them his enemies.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi began shifting their discussion to Asauchi.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi explained how noble families’ superior Asauchi, Kido, Shunpo, and combat traditions gave them an advantage over common-born Death Gods, while Ren recognized that the nobles’ resources would make them his enemies. A year later, Ren and Orihime walked through the snow and stopped outside a school.

• Mayuri Kurotsuchi told Ren that Asauchi quality shaped Zanpakuto power and described the rare first Asauchi wielded by the Captain-Commander.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi explained how noble families used superior Asauchi and inherited Kido techniques to strengthen Zanpakuto, including Byakuya Kuchiki’s Senbonzakura.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi described noble traditions in Shunpo, Taijutsu, and merging a Zanpakuto with the body, then said common-born Death Gods had surpassed nobles only in swordsmanship.
• Ren concluded that his need for power and resources would put him in conflict with those who controlled them.
• A year later, Ren walked hand in hand with Orihime through falling snow and stopped outside a school.

Ren’s schools protected students from Hollows while strengthening their souls, and Isshin Kurosaki wondered at Ren’s mysterious ties to the Seireitei. The chapter left Isshin heading to question Ryuken Ishida after seeing Soken Ishida serving Ren, while Ren remained puzzled by Isshin’s past and intentions.

• Ren watched Orihime enter his girls’ school with Tatsuki Arisawa, then greeted Isshin Kurosaki as Karin and Yuzu went inside.
• Isshin explained that Hollows threatened Karakura Town and that Ren’s barrier-protected schools made him feel safer about his children.
• Ren’s schools absorbed Hollows into Spirit Particles, strengthening students’ souls and turning their lessons into research material for Ren and Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
• Isshin saw Soken Ishida escort Ren into a car and left to ask Ryuken Ishida what was happening.
• Ren and Soken discussed Isshin’s complicated connection to the Ishida family and Ren’s uncertainty about Isshin’s erased Seireitei history.

Ren and Mayuri Kurotsuchi brought the Sōkyoku to the Soul Hall to complete the forging of Ren’s Shura Sword. Ren’s furnace consumed the Sōkyoku’s flames and life to temper the blade, while the furious weapon began revealing a power beyond what Ren expected.

• Mayuri Kurotsuchi presented Ren with the Sōkyoku, which Morgana freed from its dark aura.
• The Sōkyoku transformed into a golden Phoenix and charged at Ren, but the Soul Hall’s furnace absorbed its flames.
• Ren used the Sōkyoku’s fire and accumulated killing aura to temper the Shura Sword, strengthening its Killing God Domain.
• The Sōkyoku struggled to escape the fire-resistant Soul Hall as the furnace continued consuming its power.
• The Sōkyoku formed numerous Zanpakuto from its flames, surprising Ren, who asked Mayuri Kurotsuchi what was happening.

Ren used the stolen Sōkyoku to temper the Shura Sword, discovering that the execution weapon contained a million flame-made Zanpakuto and remnants of the Death Gods it had killed. As the Forging Furnace consumed the Sōkyoku, the sword grew stronger, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi asked Ren which of his many assigned tasks he meant.

• Ren watched the Sōkyoku transform into a golden Phoenix composed of countless flame-made Zanpakuto, then try to escape by ramming Soul Hall.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi realized the Sōkyoku had absorbed the Zanpakuto and remnants of Death Gods executed with it, and Ren agreed with his explanation.
• The Forging Furnace devoured the Sōkyoku’s flames and weapons, while the Shura Sword’s Killing God Domain consumed the soul remnants and grew stronger.
• Ren speculated that the Sōkyoku and Ryujin Jakka might be connected because their flames preserved different traces of those they killed.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi reflected on how Ren had exploited him for a year while giving him knowledge and resources that helped him grow stronger.
• Ren praised Mayuri Kurotsuchi for stealing the Sōkyoku and asked about his assigned matters, but Mayuri replied that Ren had given him too many tasks to know which one he meant.

Ren sought the Hōgyoku, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi shared his old research notes and explained the obstacles to creating one. Ren warned Mayuri about Aizen and told him to quietly reveal his Hōgyoku research plans, leaving Mayuri curious about Aizen’s true nature.

• Ren asked Mayuri Kurotsuchi about the Hōgyoku, and Mayuri gave him the surviving notes from Urahara Kisuke’s research.
• Ren memorized the notes but could not understand their soul-research terminology, then asked Mayuri whether he could create a Hōgyoku.
• Mayuri explained that he lacked enough information and proposed finding Urahara Kisuke, obtaining his complete records, or locating ancient Hōgyoku research.
• Mayuri admitted he knew several of Urahara Kisuke’s secret research bases but had not found the original records.
• Ren told Mayuri to leak word of his Hōgyoku research to Aizen, then warned him that Aizen was far more dangerous than he appeared.
• Mayuri remained puzzled by Ren’s warning and became eager to investigate Aizen.

Ren completed the forging of the Shura Sword, which began absorbing his Spiritual Pressure and soul as it evolved from an Asauchi toward a Zanpakuto. The Sōkyoku was destroyed in the process, and Yamamoto discovered its empty seal room and suspected it had been stolen.

• Ren warned Mayuri Kurotsuchi to conduct his research quietly and leak information about the Hōgyoku to Aizen.
• The Forging Furnace bound and devoured the Sōkyoku, then consumed the Zanpakuto and remnant souls formed within its flames to strengthen the Shura Sword.
• The Shura Sword flew to Ren, who infused it with his Spiritual Pressure and soul as it began evolving into a Zanpakuto.
• Yamamoto sensed the Sōkyoku's destruction and rushed with Chojiro Sasakibe to its seal room.
• Chojiro Sasakibe saw that the seal room was empty and asked whether the Sōkyoku had been stolen.

The Captain-Commander revealed that the Sōkyoku had been created from a portion of Ryujin Jakka’s flames and explained why its destruction alarmed him. Ren forged the Shura Sword with the Sōkyoku’s flames, while the Captain-Commander’s rage drew the Death God captains and Mayuri back toward him.

• The Captain-Commander told Sasakibe that the stolen Sōkyoku had been destroyed and revealed that it was part of Ryujin Jakka.
• The Captain-Commander explained that he had separated the Sōkyoku from Zanka no Tachi to restrain his Bankai’s destructive power and contain the wills of the dead.
• The Captain-Commander feared that someone could feed Spiritual Pressure to the missing flames and awaken the wills and Zanpakuto within them.
• Ren completed the Shura Sword after the Killing God Domain consumed the Sōkyoku’s flames and their contained wills.
• Nemu Kurotsuchi warned Mayuri that the Captain-Commander had released Ryujin Jakka, so Mayuri prepared to return to Seireitei.

Ren sent Mayuri Kurotsuchi back to the Soul Society with the Gum-Gum Fruit to study, then learned that Urahara Kisuke and his group had returned from Hueco Mundo to the World of the Living. Kayle and Morgana monitored the group as they began discussing their next move.

• Ren gave Mayuri Kurotsuchi the Gum-Gum Fruit to take back and research, and Mayuri left through a spatial passage.
• Ren explained that he trusted Mayuri because of the Thunder within him and Kayle's ability, while Kayle and Morgana bickered.
• Kayle reported detecting Death Gods emerging from a spatial tear and identified them as Urahara Kisuke's group, who had vanished into Hueco Mundo a year earlier.
• Morgana formed a dark image of the group, and Kayle used radio waves to capture their conversation.
• Urahara Kisuke celebrated his return by teasing Yoruichi, and Hiyori Sarugaki urged the group to find Ren and beat him up.

Urahara Kisuke and the Visored returned from Hueco Mundo and planned to deal with Ren, while Yoruichi set off to find him. In the Seireitei, Mayuri Kurotsuchi hurried back to cleanse Spirit Particles from his body before the furious Captain-Commander could discover them.

• Urahara Kisuke, Hiyori Sarugaki, and Kensei Muguruma vowed to settle their score with Ren, while Shinji Hirako noted that the Visored had grown stronger during their year in Hueco Mundo.
• Yoruichi left Urahara Kisuke to search for Ren, and Urahara Kisuke and the Visored returned to their base and shop.
• Ren watched the returning group through Morgana and Kayle, told Kayle to monitor them, and joked about catching Yoruichi as a pet.
• Nemu Kurotsuchi prepared the Spirit Particle Eliminator as Mayuri Kurotsuchi warned that Spirit Particles from the World of the Living could expose his visit to the Soul Hall.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi rushed into the Spirit Particle Eliminator, which began removing the red Spirit Particles clinging to him.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi rushed to the Captain-Commander after learning that his flames had put the Seireitei on alert, while Aizen and Gin Ichimaru discussed Mayuri’s hidden abilities. The Captain-Commander ordered martial law and a search for the stolen Sōkyoku, giving the Death Gods three days to find it.

• Mayuri Kurotsuchi used his Spirit Particle Eliminator to hide the Spirit Particles around him, then hurried toward the Captain-Commander when Nemu Kurotsuchi described the Seireitei’s extreme heat.
• Aizen and Gin Ichimaru watched Mayuri leave and speculated about his speed and the changes he had undergone while searching for Urahara Kisuke’s old laboratories.
• Soifon reported which division captains had not arrived, and Gin Ichimaru appeared using Shinso before Mayuri Kurotsuchi arrived with an excuse about his experiment.
• The Captain-Commander drove Ryujin Jakka into the ground and announced that the Sōkyoku had been stolen.
• The Captain-Commander imposed martial law, sealed the passage to the World of the Living, and ordered the Death Gods to search for the Sōkyoku within three days.