Chapter Summaries

Shiraishi continued training to subjugate Infinity by repeatedly attempting to wingsuit fly through the mountains and find her hiding place. Meanwhile, Mayuri Kurotsuchi tested a Bowel-Hunting Dog designed to track Shiraishi and brought Kenpachi Zaraki in to test its resistance to Reiatsu.

• Infinity hid in a mountain cave and challenged Shiraishi to find her by wingsuit flying, while Shiraishi repeatedly crashed and resolved to keep trying.
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi tested the Bowel-Hunting Dog's ability to identify scents, and it found each one in about one millisecond.
• Nemu Kurotsuchi suggested that a captain specializing in Reiatsu should test the dog, prompting Mayuri Kurotsuchi to call for Kenpachi Zaraki.
• Kenpachi Zaraki entered the testing area and released his Reiatsu, but the Bowel-Hunting Dog remained steady and circled him.
• Kenpachi Zaraki reached for his sword, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi warned him not to damage the dog because it was their hope of finding Shiraishi.

Sōya Azashiro learned that Aizen’s Kyōka Suigetsu could not affect him and confronted him in the Fifth Division barracks. After Aizen said he would not interfere with Azashiro’s plans, Azashiro left, while dark skies gathered over the Seireitei.

• Yamamoto ordered Kenpachi Zaraki, Shunsui Kyōraku, and Gin Ichimaru to prioritize tracking down Oniyasha, and Azashiro overheard the decision through his fusion with the Seireitei.
• Azashiro told Urozakuro that he planned to deal with a problem on July first, and she recognized that he meant Aizen.
• Azashiro confronted Aizen and explained that Kyōka Suigetsu could not affect him because the Reishi in the air was part of his body.
• Azashiro threatened to put Aizen to sleep, but Aizen warned him against overconfidence and said he would fight if challenged.
• Aizen said he had gathered the Espada to serve him rather than to protect them, and Azashiro left after deciding not to fight him.
• Aizen watched the darkening sky as the Seireitei faced its first heavy summer rain.

Sōya Azashiro gathered two hundred Modified Souls in Rukongai to serve as a vanguard for his campaign to purify Hueco Mundo. After Shiraishi joined him, the group prepared to enter Hueco Mundo through a Garganta.

• Sōya Azashiro began eroding beyond Hakutōmon while Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto chose to monitor him without intervening.
• Sōya Azashiro reached West District Two, took control of a sheep-headed Hollow, and gathered residents with strong Spiritual Power to modify their souls.
• Sōya Azashiro led the two hundred Modified Souls to West District Ten, where they ate food brought from Seireitei.
• Shiraishi met Sōya Azashiro and questioned the need for the Modified Souls, but Sōya Azashiro explained they would provide fighting strength for the vast Hueco Mundo.
• After the Modified Souls recovered, the sheep-headed Hollow opened a Garganta and Sōya Azashiro told the group to leave.

Shiraishi hunted down six Adjuchas in Hueco Mundo, reaching level eleven and strengthening his abilities. Sōya Azashiro caught up and recognized the fallen Hollows as Adjuchas-class Menos Grande.

• Shiraishi and Sōya Azashiro arrived in a remote area of Hueco Mundo, where Shiraishi sensed six Adjuchas nearby.
• Shiraishi ambushed the group and killed five Adjuchas as they fought or fled.
• Shiraishi killed the last two Adjuchas despite one using a disorienting scream and another pleading for mercy.
• Shiraishi reached level eleven, gained Reiatsu and experience, and raised his ultimate skill to level two.
• Sōya Azashiro caught up and asked whether the corpses were Adjuchas-class Menos Grande.

Sōya Azashiro discovered that Hueco Mundo held far more Adjuchas than he had expected, so he sent his Modified Souls back to Soul Society while he and Shiraishi continued hunting. Shiraishi killed the split-form Adjuchas Charlie Took, then fled when Sōya sensed a powerful Reiatsu approaching.

• Sōya Azashiro realized his Modified Souls could not handle Adjuchas and sent them back to Soul Society through a Garganta.
• Shiraishi found a lone Adjuchas and attacked it, only for it to split into two bodies that both called themselves Charlie Took.
• Shiraishi crushed Charlie Took and his split body with a powerful sword strike that raised a huge wave of sand.
• Sōya Azashiro warned Shiraishi to control his emotions and conserve his strength, and Shiraishi checked his experience, which had risen to 185.
• Sōya Azashiro sensed a powerful Reiatsu approaching, so Shiraishi ran off to seek weaker Adjuchas instead.

Nelliel investigated a massive disturbance in Hueco Mundo, traced Shinigami Reiatsu to a fading Garganta, and grew suspicious that the Second Espada was conspiring against Aizen. After checking surveillance footage, she learned he had left with Szayelaporro and his Fracción; another Garganta then appeared nearby without registering any Reiatsu.

• Nelliel searched the site of a massive battle but found no trace of the winner's Reiatsu, only a faint Shinigami-like trace heading west.
• Nelliel followed the trail to fading Garganta traces and six footprints, then suspected the Second Espada might be plotting against Aizen.
• Nelliel went to Las Noches and ordered Rudbornn to show her surveillance footage of the Second Espada's palace.
• Rudbornn found footage of Szayelaporro meeting the Second Espada on June 24, after which they left together with his Fracción.
• Rudbornn recalled that Szayelaporro had handled a Shinigami's Garganta earlier that day, then reported a new Garganta nearby that had registered no Reiatsu.

Shiraishi and Sōya Azashiro returned to Hueco Mundo, hunted Adjuchas, and discovered a passage into the Forest of Menos. There, they encountered Findorr Calius, a subordinate of Baraggan, who demanded that they die.

• Shiraishi and Sōya Azashiro returned to Hueco Mundo and saw the white palace of Las Noches from afar.
• Shiraishi hunted down four Adjuchas while Sōya Azashiro noticed a hidden hole nearby.
• Sōya Azashiro sent his fused goat-headed Hollow down the hole, then followed it with Shiraishi into the Forest of Menos.
• Sōya Azashiro called out a hidden Mid-level Menos Grande, and Findorr Calius emerged and introduced himself as Baraggan’s subordinate.
• Findorr Calius asked Shiraishi and Sōya Azashiro to die there.

Shiraishi killed Findorr and decided to stop avoiding the Espada pursuing them, then hid with Sōya Azashiro as Nelliel arrived in the Forest of Menos. Nelliel discovered that the surrounding Hollows were under someone’s control and released her Zanpakuto to face them.

• Findorr attacked Shiraishi with a high-pressure Reiatsu stream, but Shiraishi blocked it and quickly killed him.
• Shiraishi saw that Findorr had earned him 300 experience points and decided to confront the approaching Espada rather than keep avoiding them.
• Shiraishi and Sōya Azashiro hid in the Forest of Menos and waited for their pursuer to arrive.
• Nelliel found Findorr’s corpse and sensed a concealed Shinigami Reiatsu and an unusually quiet area around her.
• Nelliel called for the hidden Shinigami, then leaped aside when several giant Hollows attacked her and realized they were being controlled.
• Nelliel released her Zanpakuto, saying, “Praise, Gamuza.”

Nelliel fought Sōya Azashiro in the Forest of Menos, revealing her Resurrección and surviving his barrage of Kidō with a Gran Rey Cero. Both were gravely injured, and as Nelliel staggered through the darkness, an unknown figure approached her.

• Nelliel released her Resurrección and confronted Sōya Azashiro, who admitted he had come to purify Hollows and questioned her about Aizen and her Espada rank.
• Nelliel attacked Sōya Azashiro with Lanzador Verde, but his body dissolved into Reishi as he avoided the strike.
• Sōya Azashiro trapped Nelliel and unleashed hundreds of Kidō spells, while Nelliel answered with a Gran Rey Cero.
• The clash devastated the Forest of Menos, forced Sōya Azashiro back to his real body in the Seireitei, and left him unconscious.
• Nelliel reverted to her original form, badly injured, and demanded to know who was approaching her in the darkness.

Ggio attacked the weakened Nelliel, but Shiraishi killed him and carried her out of the Forest of Menos. Nelliel asked Shiraishi to heal her wounds, then fell asleep on his lap.

• Ggio approached Nelliel and mocked her weakened state before attacking.
• Shiraishi stabbed Ggio from behind and killed him as he struck at Nelliel.
• Shiraishi carried Nelliel out of the darkness, and she asked who he was and why he had saved her.
• Shiraishi called himself her husband and explained that he wanted to hunt Hollows, not wipe them all out.
• Nelliel asked Shiraishi to apply her healing saliva to her wounds, and she fell asleep on his lap.

Szayelaporro and Baraggan arranged to leave the Forest of Menos while Szayelaporro took the fusion experiment’s embryo with him. Sōya Azashiro awoke in Soul Society after being injured by the destruction of the space he had fused with, and prepared to return to Hueco Mundo.

• Szayelaporro told Baraggan that Nelliel had left the Forest of Menos and advised him to return to Las Noches by a new route.
• Baraggan agreed to leave, while Szayelaporro planned to send Genjirō to Soul Society with a Reiatsu Recording Bug.
• Szayelaporro recalled that he and Baraggan had helped conduct an experiment to fuse Genjirō with Aaroniero, hoping the process could give Baraggan a path to greater power.
• Szayelaporro opened a Garganta, removed the blood-red embryo from the laboratory, and carried it away.
• Rin Tsubokura detected Menos Grande Reiatsu in North Rukongai as Sōya Azashiro woke from unconsciousness with a headache.
• Sōya Azashiro told Urozakuro that he would return to Hueco Mundo and leave the Menos Grande for other Shinigami to handle.

Sōya Azashiro and Shiraishi fought Runuganga outside Las Noches and defeated it with water. The victory brought Shiraishi to level twelve, awakened his Bankai, and left him wondering whether he could unlock other forms.

• Sōya Azashiro emerged in Hueco Mundo near Las Noches and was attacked by Runuganga, the Guardian of the White Sands.
• Runuganga trapped Sōya Azashiro in a sandstorm, which Shiraishi stopped with Wind Wall as Nelliel woke and returned to her Espada duties.
• Shiraishi joined Sōya Azashiro's fight and told him that water was Runuganga's weakness.
• Sōya Azashiro poured water on Runuganga, and Shiraishi cleaved the weakened Hollow in two.
• Runuganga's defeat raised Shiraishi to level twelve and revealed his Bankai, Ignorance: Crimson Lotus Hellfire.
• Shiraishi considered whether he could unlock other Bankai forms as multiple Reiatsu signatures surrounded the area.

After Shiraishi killed Runuganga, the childlike Vasto Lorde group Picaro escaped its sandstorm prison and attacked Sōya Azashiro. Azashiro opened a Garganta to Soul Society, but Picaro’s Reishi-draining attack struck as Shiraishi entered, leaving Azashiro unconscious and Shiraishi’s fate uncertain.

• Picaro emerged after Runuganga’s death and asked Shiraishi to play, while he refused to attack them.
• Sōya Azashiro killed two Picaro, prompting the rest to attack him with Cero and Bala.
• Picaro decided to eat Azashiro but spare Shiraishi, and Shiraishi urged Azashiro to open a Garganta.
• Azashiro opened a Garganta to Soul Society, and Shiraishi darted through it with Steel Tempest.
• Picaro surrounded a three-kilometer area and drained its Reishi, knocking Azashiro unconscious before they ran off to find Nelliel.

Soi Fon investigated a giant embryo in North Rukongai and discovered that Genjirō had fused with Hollow-Eater to evolve into a colossal Menos Grande. After Genjirō’s attack killed hundreds of thousands of souls, he summoned Hollows to invade the Seireitei while Soi Fon faced his dangerous defenses.

• Soi Fon found a giant, blood-red embryo and attacked it with Suzumebachi, but its veins lashed out and blocked her approach.
• Genjirō revealed that he and Aaroniero had fused into Hollow-Eater after Soi Fon’s attack made them fear for their survival.
• Genjirō emerged from the embryo as a mountain-sized Hollow and fired a Cero that killed hundreds of thousands of souls.
• Genjirō declared that he would destroy the Seireitei, defeat Shigekuni Yamamoto, and seize the Soul King.
• Soi Fon tried to strike Genjirō’s foot but dodged his animated fur, while Genjirō roared and summoned Hollows to attack the Seireitei.

Rukia and the Thirteenth Division joined the defense against a Hollow horde while Jūshirō Ukitake and Kaname Tōsen went after an upper-level Menos Grande. When six Gillians appeared and threatened to overwhelm the Shinigami, Shiraishi intervened and stopped a Cero.

• Jūshirō Ukitake told the Thirteenth Division to help the Eighth and Ninth Divisions fight Hollows in District Thirty-Six of North Rukongai, then left with Kaname Tōsen to confront an upper-level Menos Grande.
• Nanao Ise took command at the Black Ridge Gate and organized the Shinigami into ranged support, close-combat rotations, and a reserve for evacuating the wounded.
• Rukia released Sode no Shirayuki and fought through the Hollow horde, freezing and cutting down Hollows as she pushed herself to match Kaien Shiba.
• After a roar, six Gillians emerged from Garganta openings above the battlefield, and Nanao Ise ordered a retreat.
• Nanao Ise's Dankū shattered under a Gillian's Cero, but Shiraishi stepped in and erased the blast with a wall of wind.
• Nanao Ise recognized the silver-haired stranger as Shiraishi, The Unforgiven.

Shiraishi arrived during a Hollow assault, destroyed six Gillians, and hurried to join the captains fighting Genjirō. Soi Fon’s Bankai struck Genjirō’s foot and blasted away his Reishi armor, but she was left badly injured, with the outcome of the battle unresolved.

• Shiraishi split six Gillians apart and Nanao Ise sent the rear squad members back to support the front lines.
• Shiraishi learned that an upper-level Menos Grande was fighting Soi Fon, Jūshirō Ukitake, and Kaname Tōsen, then rushed toward them.
• Genjirō overwhelmed Soi Fon, while Kaname Tōsen’s Bankai briefly blinded and deafened him before Genjirō broke free and knocked Tōsen and Ukitake aside.
• Soi Fon fired Suzumebachi Raikōben at Genjirō’s right foot, destroying the Reishi surrounding his body and reducing nearby mountains to dust.
• The blast threw Soi Fon into a distant mountain, leaving her bloodied and unable to move as she looked toward the explosion.

Soi Fon and her allies struggled against Genjirō until Shiraishi arrived and transformed with Bankai. Shiraishi’s Crimson Lotus Hellfire slowly consumed Genjirō, leaving North District 30 threatened by the destruction he unleashed before he died.

• Genjirō survived Soi Fon’s explosion and prepared to kill her with a lightning javelin while Ukitake and Tōsen were unable to intervene.
• Shiraishi appeared in time to make Genjirō’s lightning javelin vanish, then blocked his attack with a Wind Wall.
• Shiraishi activated Bankai: Ignorance: Crimson Lotus Hellfire, transforming his appearance and burning Genjirō’s soul with an orange slash.
• Genjirō rampaged with lightning and Cero as the hellfire slowly consumed him, despite Soi Fon urging Shiraishi to finish him quickly.
• Genjirō was swallowed by the hellfire and turned to ash.

After helping defeat Genjirō, Shiraishi rested beside the badly injured Soi Fon and discussed joining Jūshirō Ukitake’s Thirteenth Division as an acting captain. Isane Kotetsu arrived to treat Soi Fon while Ukitake planned to seek permission from Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

• Soi Fon asked Shiraishi to stay with her, and he waited beside her until Kaname Tōsen went to find Fourth Division help.
• Jūshirō Ukitake thanked Shiraishi for helping stop Genjirō and agreed to ask Seireitei to rescind his arrest warrant.
• Ukitake offered Shiraishi an acting captain position in the Thirteenth Division, and Shiraishi said he would consider it if Ukitake could persuade Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
• Isane Kotetsu arrived and assessed Soi Fon’s severe injuries, then began an emergency operation to stabilize her.

After Captain Soi Fon’s surgery, Shiraishi declined Jūshirō Ukitake’s offer to return to Seireitei and headed for West District Ten. In Hueco Mundo, Aizen questioned Nelliel, Baraggan, and Szayelaporro about their betrayal and demanded the rest of Szayelaporro’s records on Genjirō.

• Isane Kotetsu finished operating on Captain Soi Fon, and Shiraishi thanked her before declining Jūshirō Ukitake’s offer to return to Seireitei.
• Shiraishi asked for directions to West Rukongai and used Steel Tempest to head back to West District Ten.
• Aizen returned to Las Noches, where Nelliel reported that Baraggan and Szayelaporro had plotted against him.
• Aizen summoned Baraggan and Szayelaporro, exposed Szayelaporro’s excuse for their actions, and intimidated both of them.
• Aizen took Szayelaporro’s experimental records and ordered him to retrieve the missing data on Genjirō’s battle and defeat.

Aizen investigated Genjirō’s Hollowfication records before returning to Soul Society and attending a Captains’ Meeting. The captains agreed to appoint Shiraishi as an acting captain, but Yamamoto unexpectedly assigned him to the Tenth Division instead of Ukitake’s proposed Thirteenth.

• Aizen read Genjirō’s records, considered using Soul King Fragments to create a new Hōgyoku, and asked Szayelaporro to open a Garganta to North District 33.
• Aizen returned to Soul Society, helped settle survivors, and left Hinamori in charge when a Hell Butterfly summoned him to a Captains’ Meeting.
• Ukitake proposed withdrawing Shiraishi’s warrant and appointing him acting captain, while the captains debated the proposal and Matsumoto agreed.
• Yamamoto appointed Shiraishi acting captain of the Tenth Division, surprising Matsumoto and Ukitake, who had expected him to name the Thirteenth Division.