Chapter Summaries

After Chojiro Sasakibe’s death, the Soul Society’s captains began searching for the culprit while Shunsui Kyoraku and Jūshirō Ukitake suspected Aizen. In hiding with Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Ren examined the Captain-Commander’s stolen treasures and learned that a broken blade was the Soul King’s Zanpakuto.

• The Captain-Commander carried Chojiro Sasakibe’s body back to the ruined First Division barracks as the other captains dispersed to investigate the upheaval.
• Jūshirō Ukitake signaled Shunsui Kyoraku, and the two discussed whether Aizen was behind the attack.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi returned to Ren’s secret chamber, frightened by the Black Menos Grande’s attack and Chojiro Sasakibe’s death, and urged Ren to keep a lower profile.
• Ren examined a damaged book taken from the Captain-Commander’s collection but could not read its script.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi recognized the broken blade Ren was holding and found a book identifying it as the Soul King’s Zanpakuto.
• Yoruichi confirmed that the broken blade was indeed the Soul King’s Zanpakuto.

Ren and Yoruichi identified the broken blade as a fragment of the Soul King’s first Zanpakuto, and Yoruichi recounted how the Soul King created the Three Worlds and how the blade’s shattering destabilized them. The damaged book proved to be written in the same script as the Soul King’s Notes, and Yoruichi connected it to records kept by the great families.

• Yoruichi recognized the broken blade as the Soul King’s Zanpakuto and described the Shihōin Clan’s records about the Soul King.
• Yoruichi explained that the Soul King divided the world into three, and that the later destruction of his Zanpakuto helped cause spatial instability and Hollow invasions.
• Yoruichi said the broken blade could strengthen a Death God’s soul and Zanpakuto, while Ren wondered whether Heavenly Sin could plunder it.
• Ren showed Yoruichi and Mayuri a damaged book, and Yoruichi recognized its writing as the script used in the Soul King’s Notes.
• Yoruichi recalled that the Soul King had recorded the four great Death God techniques for the earliest great families, and she described how those families and their records changed over time.

Ren learned the history of the Four Great Clans and examined a damaged book written in the Soul King's script, which might contain lost Kido or Hakuda notes. Unable to translate it through the hostile or inaccessible scholars, Ren decided to seek out Isshin Kurosaki and put Yoruichi back in a cat cage.

• Yoruichi explained how the Kuchiki Clan acquired its status, traded Ryūtōji Kido to the Shihōin Clan, and failed to create a new inherited technique.
• Yoruichi described the lost Ryūtōji Family and the decline of the Shiba Clan, while Ren questioned the nobles' fixation on bloodlines.
• Yoruichi suspected the damaged book held one of the Soul King's lost Kido or Hakuda notes and explained how nobles had rejected his script.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi learned that few people could read the script, and Ren concluded that Isshin Kurosaki was his only viable source of help.
• Yoruichi remembered that Ren had imprisoned her and tried to escape, but Ren restrained her and later placed her in a cat cage.
• Ren decided to seek out Isshin Kurosaki to learn what the damaged book contained.

Ren learned that the Captain-Commander claimed the Soul King as his teacher, and he and Yoruichi suspected the tattered book held the Soul King's legacy. As the enraged Captain-Commander approached Central 46 to confront the nobles, Ren remained in the secret chamber and coveted Zanka no Tachi.

• Ren preserved the tattered book and examined the Soul King Broken Blade while the Seireitei prepared for war after Chojiro Sasakibe's death.
• Shunsui Kyoraku told the Captain-Commander that nobles were organizing against him, and the Captain-Commander declared that the Soul King had been his teacher.
• Ren intercepted their conversation with Kayle and guessed that the Captain-Commander had inherited the Soul King's legacy from the tattered book or other relics.
• Yoruichi explained that the Shihōin Clan had no need to fight the Captain-Commander for political benefits, unlike the nobles provoking him.
• Kayle warned that the Captain-Commander was approaching, and Ren sensed Zanka no Tachi above the secret chamber but decided not to plunder it.

Shigekuni Yamamoto burned Central 46 and ordered Shunsui Kyoraku to punish the nobles involved and rebuild it. As Yamamoto left to train Chojiro Sasakibe while Ren remained missing, the other captains recognized that he was positioning Shunsui to succeed him as Captain-Commander.

• Shigekuni Yamamoto slaughtered Central 46’s sages and noble representatives with Zanka no Tachi after they angered him by trying to pressure him.
• Shunsui Kyoraku and Jūshirō Ukitake recalled how Yamamoto had wiped out noble families that colluded with Yhwach a thousand years earlier, while Byakuya Kuchiki worried that members of his clan might be involved.
• The final sage warned Yamamoto that someone was about to revive and would bring about his death, but Yamamoto engulfed Central 46 in flames and reduced it to ash.
• Yamamoto ordered Shunsui to eliminate the incident’s ringleaders, demand resources from the other involved families, and rebuild Central 46, then departed to train Chojiro Sasakibe until Ren was found.
• Byakuya Kuchiki and Soifon realized Yamamoto was paving the way for Shunsui to become the next Captain-Commander.

Shunsui Kyoraku organized the extermination of troublesome noble families while Ren continued his Hōgyoku and Soul King research in hiding. After nearly a hundred families were wiped out, the divisions prepared to search for Ren, who remained outside Seireitei with Yoruichi still confined in a cat cage.

• Shunsui Kyoraku assigned Byakuya Kuchiki and Soifon to rebuild Central 46 and asked the other captains to help eliminate the troublesome nobles.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi left with Nemu Kurotsuchi to lead the Twelfth Division in the exterminations, while Ren insisted that the Hōgyoku experiments and study of the Soul King's treasures continue.
• Yoruichi explained that captains were forbidden from using Bankai in the fragile World of the Living, but Ren said he wanted to test whether the Shura Sword could devour Zanka no Tachi's flames.
• The divisions slaughtered nearly a hundred noble families and seized their resources, while the Shihōin Clan and Kuchiki Clan supported the rebuilding of Central 46.
• The Captain-Commander ordered that Chojiro Sasakibe not be buried until his killer was found, and the divisions prepared to search for Ren.
• Ren studied the Soul King's Notes and Soul King Broken Blade outside Seireitei while Yoruichi complained about being kept in the cat cage and found herself unable to sustain her anger toward him.

Yoruichi explained how the Soul King’s Notes inspired techniques across the Great Clans, including a Hakuda family that was later destroyed. After Mayuri found fragments of the Notes in a noble house’s treasury, Ren and Yoruichi examined the pages, which appeared to contain Hakuda techniques.

• Ren asked Yoruichi about her cat transformation, and she explained that a Forbidden Kido fused her Zanpakuto into her soul but left her with only the ability to become a cat.
• Yoruichi described her Zanpakuto’s shadow-based Shikai and Bankai abilities and explained how the Soul King’s wisdom shaped the four major techniques.
• Yoruichi recounted how a powerful Hakuda family was destroyed by wary noble houses, while the Shihōin Clan acquired many of its techniques.
• Mayuri arrived with fragments of Spirit King Script found in a noble treasury and said they recorded Hakuda techniques from the Soul King’s Notes.
• Yoruichi doubted that the fragments could be the lost Hakuda Notes, while Ren examined them thoughtfully.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi revealed that Kenpachi Zaraki descended from the Hakuda Family, once known as the Zaraki Clan, and brought Ren a mysterious stone that could not be broken and absorbed Spiritual Pressure. Ren learned that the stone might trigger inherited knowledge in Kenpachi Zaraki’s bloodline, but Mayuri suspected Retsu Unohana and the Captain-Commander had secretly protected him.

• Mayuri Kurotsuchi explained that a clan had stolen ancient Hakuda Family records and treasures, including torn pages written in Soul King Script and a strange black stone.
• Ren and Mayuri tested the stone, finding that it resisted Ren’s strength and absorbed Spiritual Pressure without limit.
• Mayuri revealed that the Hakuda Family was the Zaraki Clan and described traits that matched Kenpachi Zaraki.
• Mayuri recounted how the clan tried and failed to kill Kenpachi Zaraki, who survived their attacks and eventually became captain of the Eleventh Division.
• Yoruichi explained that inherited Sealing Kido could pass a family’s knowledge through its bloodline, and Ren considered using the stone to awaken Kenpachi Zaraki’s inheritance.
• Mayuri suspected Retsu Unohana and the Captain-Commander had protected Kenpachi Zaraki, but Ren doubted his explanation.

Ren tried to understand the bottomless Black Stone, which absorbed all his Spiritual Pressure without reacting. When he touched it to the Prismatic Crystal left by the Black Menos Grande, the stone began absorbing its energy and trembled.

• Ren drained his Spiritual Pressure into the Black Stone, but it showed no response, and Yoruichi could not identify it among her family's records of treasures.
• Morgana and Kayle restored Ren's Spiritual Pressure, and Orihime prepared roasted Soul Beast meat to help him recover.
• The Captain-Commander ordered the Death Gods to keep searching for the Sōkyoku thief, suspecting Ren had stolen it and killed Chojiro Sasakibe.
• Ren continued testing the Black Stone over the following days, repeatedly exhausting his Spiritual Pressure without making it react.
• Morgana suggested feeding the stone Spiritual Pressure absorbed from Menos Grandes, and Ren instead brought out the Prismatic Crystal left by the Black Menos Grande.
• When Ren touched the Prismatic Crystal to the Black Stone, the stone devoured its energy and began to tremble.

After the Black Stone awakened Heavenly Sin and released its darkness, Ren entered his Zanpakuto Space and encountered a powerful Hollow inside himself. The masked man revealed that the Black Stone had released the Hollow, while Chojiro Sasakibe’s manifested Zanpakuto remained imprisoned nearby.

• The Black Stone reacted to the Prismatic Crystal, and Heavenly Sin emerged from its sheath and pierced the stone.
• Heavenly Sin absorbed the darkness leaking from the Black Stone, then tainted Ren when he grabbed its hilt.
• Ren found himself in the Zanpakuto Space, where the masked man warned that the Black Stone had released a dangerous being.
• A masked Hollow fired a Cero at Ren, and Ren countered with a Medium Heilig Pfeil.
• The masked man changed the Zanpakuto Space into a plain and revealed Chojiro Sasakibe’s manifested Zanpakuto trapped in a cage.

Ren discovered that the Black Stone had drawn out the Hollow formed from his evil thoughts, and learned he would have to subdue it to control its power. He fought the masked Hollow in his Zanpakuto Space and overwhelmed it with his attacks.

• Ren appeared in his Zanpakuto Space, where the masked man dismissed the imprisoned Japanese samurai after the samurai threatened Ren.
• The masked Hollow explained that the Black Stone had gathered Ren’s evil thoughts and formed them into a Hollow, which represented his inner Mind Monkey.
• The masked Hollow attacked Ren with a pitch-black Heavenly Sin, and the two fought across the Zanpakuto Space.
• The masked Hollow fired a Cero at Ren, who countered with a Large Heilig Pfeil and sent the Hollow crashing into an explosion.
• Ren followed up with a Small Heilig Pfeil, intensifying the blast around the masked Hollow.

Ren learned that the Black Stone held Hollow energy comparable to a Soul King Fragment, possibly left behind by the Soul King, and recovered from the transformation it triggered. He absorbed the remaining darkness into Morgana and invited Yoruichi to leave her cat form and stay by his side.

• Ren questioned the masked man about the Black Stone, and the masked man said its Hollow energy was as pure as the energy in a Soul King Fragment.
• Yoruichi told Kayle and Morgana that Shihōin Clan records suggested the Soul King had cut away his Hollow aura and condensed it into a gem, which might be the Black Stone.
• Ren regained consciousness and poured the darkness remaining in his body into Morgana, who absorbed it and felt herself evolving.
• Ren told Yoruichi she could leave the cat cage and take human form, and she regretted not escaping while he was unconscious.
• Ren stroked Yoruichi and asked her to stay by his side, and she accepted contentedly.

Ren faced Retsu Unohana in the Seireitei, where she confronted him over his crimes and attacked him, but his newly strengthened defense let him stop her Zanpakuto with his fingers. Retsu Unohana realized that her improved Sword Dao still could not match Ren as he caught her blade between two fingers.

• Retsu Unohana appeared in the courtyard and accused Ren of causing chaos in the Seireitei, including stealing the Sōkyoku, sending in a Black Menos Grande, looting the Head Captain's collection, and killing Chojiro Sasakibe.
• Retsu Unohana drew her sword and charged, but Ren stopped her first strike with one finger without being injured.
• Retsu Unohana questioned Ren's motives, while Yoruichi said she had been unable to stop him from killing Chojiro Sasakibe and saw no reason to intervene.
• Ren teased Retsu Unohana and explained inwardly that a Hollow's Hierro and High-Speed Regeneration had strengthened his body.
• Retsu Unohana attacked again, and Ren caught her Zanpakuto between two fingers, leaving her shocked and convinced that her Sword Dao could not match his.

Ren fought Retsu Unohana after she found him, and she unleashed Bankai, Minazuki, in a furious attempt to kill him. Their clash exposed the Sōkyoku’s location to the Commander-General, who ordered an alarm and summoned all divisions.

• Ren seized Retsu Unohana, kissed her, and disarmed her before she stabbed at his navel with a hidden short sword that could not pierce his skin.
• Retsu Unohana recovered her Zanpakuto and, when Ren asked how she had found him, unleashed Bankai—Minazuki, flooding the courtyard with corrosive blood.
• Retsu Unohana attacked Ren with a blood-red blade, while Ren called the Shura Sword and met her strike with a flaming blade.
• Ren and Retsu Unohana fought as their battle shattered the courtyard and caused the darkness concealing them to collapse.
• The Commander-General sensed the Sōkyoku and Retsu Unohana’s bloody aura, identified the hidden location, and ordered Chojiro to sound the alarm and summon all divisions.

After Chojiro Sasakibe's death, the Captain-Commander and the captains rushed toward Ren's reported location, where Retsu Unohana was fighting him amid a sea of blood. Ren remained composed as Unohana's murderous instincts took over and she prepared to continue attacking.

• The Captain-Commander left Chojiro Sasakibe's mourning hall and ordered the alarm sounded to summon the Death Gods.
• Byakuya Kuchiki and Aizen learned Ren's location and headed toward him, while Gin Ichimaru killed a tortured noble and fed his corpse to a Menos Grande.
• The Death Gods approaching the battlefield saw crimson blood mist, and the Captain-Commander recognized it as the result of Retsu Unohana's Bankai.
• Ren and Retsu Unohana exchanged sword strikes as their flames and blood-based attacks clashed.
• Ren knocked Retsu Unohana to the ground, and she turned the courtyard into a lake of blood as her killing intent intensified.

Ren defeated Retsu Unohana in a clash of killing intent, but Captain-Commander Yamamoto arrived and attacked him in fury over Chojiro’s death. As Yamamoto unleashed his Bankai, the other captains prepared to contain the flames, while Kayle and Morgana watched with cold smiles.

• Retsu Unohana unleashed Minazuki—Corpse Mountain, Blood Sea, and Ren countered with Heavenly Sin—Slaughter's Sin.
• Ren’s attack overwhelmed Unohana’s killing intent, leaving her weakened and conceding defeat.
• Captain-Commander Yamamoto arrived in a sea of fire and demanded to know whether Ren had killed Chojiro.
• Ren admitted that he had killed Chojiro, and Yamamoto erupted in rage and engulfed the battlefield in flames.
• Yamamoto released Bankai—Zanka no Tachi, while Shunsui Kyoraku and Retsu Unohana urged the captains to contain the fire with barriers.
• The captains eyed Kayle and Morgana warily as the two women watched with cold smiles.

Ren fought the Captain-Commander in a fierce clash of swords, fists, flames, and Sword Aura, while the Captain-Commander sensed Chojiro Sasakibe's soul imprisoned in Heavenly Sin. Ren suppressed him in close combat, but the Captain-Commander continued relying on Zanka no Tachi as the battle intensified.

• Ren countered the Captain-Commander's flames with lightning, then struck at him with Heavenly Sin's Wrathful Sin slash.
• The Captain-Commander sensed Chojiro Sasakibe's soul within Heavenly Sin and vowed to kill Ren for imprisoning and tormenting it.
• Ren and the Captain-Commander exchanged sword strikes and punches, with Ren answering the Captain-Commander's One Bone with Killing Fist.
• Shunsui Kyoraku and Jūshirō Ukitake watched in disbelief as Ren matched and sometimes suppressed their teacher in close combat.
• Aizen assessed that Ren's Hakuda and swordsmanship outclassed the Captain-Commander's, but recognized Zanka no Tachi as his greatest strength.
• The Captain-Commander swept his sword through the flames and formed a scorching blade.

Ren fought the Captain-Commander through increasingly powerful flames and proved that neither he nor Heavenly Sin could be burned or melted. The Captain-Commander recognized that Ren had fused the stolen Sōkyoku into his Zanpakuto, while Ren urged him to use his full strength; Shunsui Kyoraku then sensed an ominous chill beneath the heat.

• Ren shattered the Captain-Commander's flaming attack and challenged him to use Zanka no Tachi's abilities.
• The Captain-Commander discarded his haori and unleashed a fiery tornado, which Ren countered with Dark Great Tornado.
• The Captain-Commander used Blazing Hell and surrounded himself with the fifteen-million-degree flames of Remnant Sun Prison Garment.
• Ren clashed with the Captain-Commander without being burned, and Heavenly Sin remained intact despite the heat.
• The Captain-Commander realized Ren had fused the stolen Sōkyoku into Heavenly Sin, then attacked with Rising Sun Blade, but Ren blocked it.
• Shunsui Kyoraku sensed an ominous icy gust beneath the scorching sky.

Ren revealed his controlled Hollowfication and continued fighting the Head Captain, enduring his flames and powerful attacks. The Head Captain summoned a Skeleton Army with Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin, and Ren charged into it, claiming he had been waiting for the move.

• Aizen recognized Ren's aura as Hollowfication as a mask covered Ren's face.
• Ren warned the Head Captain, resisted his flames, and emerged unharmed from Hadō No. 96—Itto Kaso.
• Ren and the Head Captain exchanged sword strikes, while Shunsui Kyoraku, Jūshirō Ukitake, and Aizen wondered how Ren endured the heat.
• The Head Captain unleashed Zanka no Tachi: South—Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin and formed a Skeleton Army from the flames.
• Ren laughed, said he had been waiting for the technique, and charged into the Skeleton Army.

Ren revealed that he had lured the Captain-Commander into using Zanka no Tachi so Heavenly Sin could absorb and complete its flames. As the Skeleton Army and flames were devoured, the Captain-Commander unleashed Zanka no Tachi, Center—Blazing Sun, forming a fireball around himself.

• Ren used Heavenly Sin to devour the flaming Skeleton Army, and its black Fire Dragon grew stronger as it consumed the flames.
• Ren explained that Heavenly Sin had been tempered with the Sōkyoku’s flames and that he had baited the Captain-Commander into using Zanka no Tachi so he could plunder it.
• The Captain-Commander realized Heavenly Sin might seize a Bankai like a Quincy’s Cross Badge and grew cautious and enraged.
• Shunsui Kyoraku and Jūshirō Ukitake warned the other captains that the Captain-Commander was about to use a dangerous technique, and they began raising barriers.
• The Captain-Commander unleashed Zanka no Tachi, Center—Blazing Sun, drawing the surrounding flames into a blazing fireball around himself.