Spirits Are Forever With You I Translated by Tenshiscave

translated by https://tenshiscave.tumblr.
com/
Spirits Are Forever With You I

Translated by tenshiscave
https://www.deviantart.com/blackbommer22/gallery/63888112/Spirits-Are-
Forever-With-You
Preface (p10-11)
The story starts with the 1st page of an article written by Hisagi Shuuhei for Seireitei
Communications. His readers asked him to write about Don Kanonji. Why? Because there
was a certain "incident" in the 17 months between Kurosaki Ichigo losing and regaining his
powers. Hisagi wrote an article to shed light on this incident — However, the rest of the
article is missing. Central 46 replaced it with a censored version and the original one was
burned.
Chapter 1 (p12-20) — Present day | Karakura Town, Tokyo Metropolitan Area

Asano Keigo and Kojima Mizuiro are walking outside, heading back home after a Christmas
party. Keigo lost a game during the party and got a mohawk hairstyle as punishment. He
isn’t exactly happy about it, but reminds himself that Robert De Niro looked cool with a
mohawk in Taxi Driver — Orihime Inoue had told him this little fact to cheer him up. Mizuiro
makes sarcastic comments and they bicker as usual. Keigo is afraid people will think he’s
some kind of delinquent. He sees a woman with black, shoulderlength hair who has a
somber expression on her face. He reassures her: "Ah! It’s not what it looks like, miss! I’m
De Niro!" But then his smile freezes — covering the right part of her face… is a pure white
skull. Cold sweat runs down Keigo’s back. He realises she resembles the monsters that
Mister Afro (Kurumadani) is always chasing. Sado and Inoue have told him that those are
evil spirits (he forgot what they’re called). Mizuiro also notices her and tells Keigo not to go
near her. Keigo agrees, although he silently thinks that he would’ve jumped at her anyway
if she’d had a larger bust. Then the woman suddenly looks distressed and, as if melting into
the air, she disappears. Keigo freaks out and Mizuiro remains calm. However, they’re not
the only ones who had seen her. They’re on a bustling shopping street and many people are
pointing to the spot where the woman disappeared ("Did you see that!? She
disappeared!?"). Although he didn’t really want to admit it, Keigo knew he had recently
developed the ability to see spirits (reikan). But it would be weird for all these people to
possess that ability as well, wouldn’t it? Why could everyone see her? Kurumadani
Zennosuke arrives on the scene. He came because he had sensed a suspicious reiatsu
(spiritual pressure), but he’s too late. She’s gone.
Keigo knows Kurumadani is a Shinigami. He notices that the other people can’t see him.
Which means that those people don’t share Keigo’s ability to see spirits. So why could they
see that woman earlier? Keigo and Mizuiro exchange a glance and continue on their way
back home, feeling unsettled. They didn’t know this was just the beginning. Witness reports
about a masked woman continued for over a year in Karakura and its surrounding towns.
Time and time again, Kurumadani, Shinigami supervising the other towns and the Quincy
Ishida Uryuu would sense her presence, but then she would be gone before they could get
to her. Someone eventually managed to film her. They put it on the Internet and she
became a nation-wide sensation. Rumours flew. Was it fake? Was she a ghost? An intruder
from another dimension!? Eventually she also caught the eye of a certain spirit program
producer. The producer suggested to record a special episode in which "he" will try to find
out the truth behind this masked woman. Who will? The charismatic spirit medium: Don
Kanonji.
Chapter 2 (p21-47) — 250 years ago | Soul Society, somewhere in Rukongai

On a plain, somewhere in the outskirts of Rukongai, there’s the sound of metal clashing.
Shinigami are the protectors of spirits in the Human World and Soul Society, but they are
translated by https://tenshiscave.tumblr.com/
also hunters. Hunters who slice down Hollows with their Zanpakutou. These hunters are
currently dancing around the battlefield, slicing down a group of Hollows that appeared in
these outskirts. They’re shinigami. They’re warriors. They’re blade edges. They’re swords.
They belong to the 11th Division; the division most specialised in 'battle' amongst the 13
divisions. They’re smiling because they love to fight life-threatening battles, but also
because they have absolute faith in their leader. This man seemed to radiate "danger". The
height of the reiatsu surrounding his body made the Hollows' masks shake. The captain of
the 11th Division: Kuruyashiki Kenpachi. He was the 7th "Kenpachi", a name passed on to
the strongest Shinigami.
Kuruyashiki fought the previous Kenpachi to the death in a duel. He has protected his title
for several hundreds of years now. He was actually quite social and popular, even outside
his own division. A "crack" appears in the sky and a Menos Grande appears. Kuruyashiki
takes it out with one swing of his sword ("Not you"). He isn’t interested in the Gillian, no,
there’s something else inside the "crack". He tells it to come out. Countless white threads
fly out of the crack. They intertwine, turn into rope and then knit together into one big net.
The net wraps around Kuruyashiki’s sword and pulls him towards the "crack". There’s a
short tug of war. Then a small Hollow is dragged out. It looks like a white spider. Its reiatsu
is stronger than that of the Gillian, heavier. It’s a Adjuchas. Suspended on one of its
threads, it hangs midair between the crack and the ground. Kuruyashiki tells it, "Not you
either. There’s another one behind you. It might be a Vasto Lorde." The spider doesn’t
respond and attacks again. Kuruyashiki stabs it. Still no response. Kuruyashiki pities it. He
says, "You have no contents, huh. I don’t have time to be cutting dolls. Come out". He
tosses the spider back into the crack. He knows there’s "someone" inside there, but the
crack closes. Kuruyashiki is disappointed for a moment, but then happily rejoins the battle
on the ground again.
— Several hours later

The battle is over and the 11th Division is having a drinking party. The 4th and 8th Divisions
arrived to offer backup, but seeing as the battle was already over, they moved to leave
again. However, Kuruyashiki semi-forces them to join their party. The 11th Division
members are impressed with their captain’s strength ("Only Captain Kuruyashiki can take
on a Menos like that!"). Kuruyashiki tells them not to forget about Captain Yamamoto, or
12th Division Captain Hikifune, or those from the Kuchiki and Shihouin clans. His members
respond, "But you never hear about anyone taking down a Vasto Lorde like you did in the
past, Captain." Kyouraku Shunsui is also present. Kuruyashiki asks him if he could take
down a Vasto Lorde. Kyouraku responds it depends on compatibility. He could win against a
Vasto Lorde and lose against a Gillian. You never know. Kyouraku asks if it’s alright for
them to be drinking like this. Yamamoto might yell at Kuruyashiki again if he doesn’t report
back on time. And what will Captain Unohana say if he gets her soldiers drunk? Kuruyashiki
agrees that Unohana (he calls her Retsu-neesan) is scarier than any Menos when she’s
angry. They discuss what happened earlier. It’s strange for several Hollows to appear, plus
a Gillian, Adjuchas and maybe even a Vasto Lorde. Are the Hollows starting to use battle
formations and organise themselves? Kuruyashiki thinks they might in the future, but not
yet. Although he does remember the Vasto Lorde, which he had defeated in the past, yelling
"Baragan-sama!" before he cleansed it. A Hollow general, hah. He’d like to fight it someday,
but Kanou Ashida might kill it before him. Ashida disappeared into Hueco Mundo a few years
ago with a few subordinates, chasing a Hollow.
The way Kuruyashiki and Kyouraku spoke about him made it clear they thought he’s still
alive. Kuruyashiki says that even if the Hollows will continue to evolve, the Gotei 13 will
improve as well. In two, three hundred years, all Captains and even Vice-Captains may be
able to take on a Vasto Lorde. Kyouraku jokes they may have to retire then. Kuruyashiki
says he might already be dead by then. But that’s no problem, the 11th Division will always
be lead by a "Kenpachi". One of his members quietly asks him if it’s true that the Zero
Division invited him. It’s true, but he refused. He’s not suited to protecting a king, hiding
away in a different dimension until the enemy manages to get in. And it’s not like he was
officially ordered to join by Central 46 either. Furthermore, as "Kenpachi", he has to wait
here until someone manages to surpass him. — "Excuse me. Can I have a second of your
time?" A young man uttered those words. He spoke softly, but his words somehow
resounded clearly in the partying Shinigami’s ears. His appearance made it clear he was a
noble. But he wore the bare minimum of decoration. Even Kyouraku, the second son of a
high noble family didn’t recognise him. Kuruyashiki asks the young man what he wants. A
drink maybe?
The young man hears a female voice behind him ("That’s him! That’s Kuruyashiki
Kenpachi!"). The black-haired woman laughs loudly. She’s wearing a white kimono, worn in
a way that exposed much skin, and an excessive amount of decorations. Two wide leather
straps are crossed over her face, covering her eyes. The man tells her to not to state the
obvious and to move away. She does as he says, although she calls him cold and says she
hopes he’ll lose. — "Kuruyashiki Kenpachi. I heard that… if I kill you in front of over 200
soldiers, I will gain the title "Kenpachi" and the position of Captain." Kuruyashiki confirms
this. The young man says he’d like duel to the death right now. Although he doesn’t mind
waiting until Kuruyashiki has sobered up. The other Shinigami laugh at his request. Does he
have a death wish? But Kyouraku, the worried 4th Division members and Kuruyashiki aren’t
laughing. Kuruyashiki says he doesn’t need to sober up and stands up. His members are
shocked, but quickly make room when they realise he’s serious. They send pitiful glances
towards the young man. He’ll lose. He isn’t even carrying a Zanpakutou.
They form a circle around Kuruyashiki and the young man. Kuruyashiki asks Kyouraku to
act as witness. Kyouraku tells the young man there are other ways to become a captain.
The man responds that he has no interest in small talk. The man’s words may appear
arrogant, but Kyouraku notes the lack of emotion in his voice. Kyouraku warns Kuruyashiki
to be careful. Kyouraku silently thinks that the man’s lack of a Zanpakutou doesn’t
necessarily mean he’s weak. Leader of the Kidou Corps, Tsukabishi Tessai, could compete
with a Captain with the power of Kidou alone. However, seeing Kuruyashiki’s smile,
Kyouraku knows it’s pointless to try and stop him. Kuruyashiki has won many of these kinds
of duels. The young man asks if the requirements for the duel have been met. Kuruyashiki
says they can start anytime. — "I see, then your life won’t be pointless." The next moment,
blood sprays out from all over Kuruyashiki’s body. It’s as if a tornado of blades burst out of
his body. No one saw the young man draw his Zanpakutou, nor throw a Kidou. He hadn’t
even moved. Even so, he was now the new "Kenpachi". A man stronger than Kuruyashiki
had appeared, just as Kuruyashiki had wished for.
— Somewhere in Hueco Mundo

The Shinigami weren’t the only ones who had witnessed the 7th Kenpachi’s demise. Even
though, at this point in time, the sheer concept of "surveillance camera" didn’t exist in the
Human World yet, there were bug-type Hollows that did possess this kind of ability. And a
certain humanoid Hollow, who had these small Hollows under his control, had used them to
watch the duel.
He was a Vasto Lorde and he was the one behind the Hollow attack in Soul Society a few
hours ago. — "This is Yammy’s phrase, but.. this is truly suerte." He had planned on
dissecting Kuruyashiki’s dead body. However, he doesn’t mind this development either. He’ll
rewind the records of the recording-spirit-bugs to analyse what happened in the duel. The
man lets out an insane laugh. Then he turns his eyes to the white spider-type Hollow. He
tells the spider to feel honoured. He had planned to kill it, but these events inspired him to
try a new experiment. He’ll let it continue to be his marmot. The spider lowers its head,
feeling slightly happy. It expresses its gratitude towards the Vasto Lorde who will eventually
become an Arrancar and Espada thanks to Aizen Sousuke, — "Thank you very much…
Szayelaporro-sama."
— Present day
The name "Kenpachi", after being passed to its 10th successor Kiganjou Kenpachi, is now
held by its 11th successor, Zaraki Kenpachi. However, there is no record of the 8th
Kenpachi ever being defeated. There’s not only no record of the fight, there is no record of
the man himself either. All records were destroyed on order of Central 46. Even so, his
existence was carved deeply in the hearts of many Shinigami. He was an extraordinary
criminal who had exposed even Soul Society itself to danger.
Chapter 3 (p48-67) — Present day, Hueco Mundo

An endless sea of white sand. The home of Hollows, Hueco Mundo. A young Arrancar, Nell
Tu, runs across the sand near Las Noches, crying out for help. She’s followed by
Dondochakka Birstanne, Pesche Guatiche and their pet, Bawabawa. They love to play
eternal tag. Today, however, Nell isn’t the only one being chased. All four of them of
running for their lives. A group of more than a hundred Arrancars is chasing them. They say
they want to play with Nell. But, considering the way they sometimes released a Cero, Nell
didn’t feel inclined to stop running. Most of them resembled children, looking slightly
younger than Nell. One of them was wearing something that looked like white headphones.
There were also some who didn’t look human, more like small animals. Even so, they all
had the number 102 somewhere on their bodies. They were called Pikaro, a name given to a
group of child-type Hollows. They didn’t have individual names. They were considered one,
lumped together under the number 102 as Privaron Espada. Pesche curses their luck for
running into them. Dondochakka says the Pikaro run free outside Las Noches now that
Runuganga is gone. The Pikaro have the intellect of a child and are loyal to their desires.
They originally ran free under King Baragan and there were briefly named Espada under the
new king Aizen, but were demoted to Privaron Espada and sent to Tres Cifras’s Nest.
Runuganga kept them there with his endless sand storms so they wouldn’t cause havoc in
the Human World. But now the Pikaro were free to roam around. Whenever they found a
partner to play with, they’d play until their partner broke and could no longer move. They
were a nightmare to the weak.
— "I-Ichigo! Help us, Ichigo!" Nell met Kurosaki Ichigo 18 months ago. Nell remembers
Ichigo being in trouble when faced with the Espada Nnoitra, but she doesn’t remember what
happened beyond that. She woke up to the sight of a scary Shinigami and ran for her life.
Afterwards she heard from the Quincy and the humans that Ichigo had already returned to
the Human World. She had tried to go with the humans in order to express her gratitude
towards Ichigo, but she had caught the eye of another scary Shinigami, Kurotsuchi Mayuri,
who wanted to use her as sample. She managed to run away thanks the Quincy and the
others stopping Mayuri, but when she returned, the Quincy, humans and Shinigami were
already gone. Until now, in order to stave off loneliness, she hadn’t uttered Ichigo’s name
even once. Pesche and Dondochakka share a glance and decide to fight back ("Alright,
brother. Time for Plan B!"). They mix sand and Pesche’s Infinite Slime to create a
quicksand-like substance, but their plan backfires when Nell nearly drowns too. They save
her, but she’s passed out. The Pikaro also free themselves.
Pesche and Dondochakka release Cero Sincretico and hit the Pikaro. The attack takes out
roughly half of the Pikaro. The other half release their own Cero’s in response. Not just
once, no, several seconds they each continue releasing Cero attacks, creating a large crater
in the sand. Nell and the others are nowhere to be found. Did they vaporise? The Pikaro
think about who’ll they play with next. Rudbornn? Nah, he’s been putting on airs ever since
Baragan and Aizen left. What about Luppi? Nope, he’s dead. Kukkapuuro? Don’t know where
he is. Gantenbainne? Don’t know either. How about we go to the Menos Forest? They says
there’s a strong red-haired Shinigami there! Great! They head towards Menos Forest, but
then suddenly sense a strange reiatsu. There’s a lonely-looking woman with a mask
covering the right side of her face ("Who?", "I’ve seen her in Las Noches!") They head
towards her but she melts into the air and disappears. They try to find her using Pesquisa
and notice there was another familiar reiatsu besides hers, but they can’t remember
whose.
The Pikaro decide on their next game: the first one to find the masked woman wins. They
open a Garganta and, carrying their fallen fellow Pikaro on their shoulders, head into the
Dangai. Silence returns to the desert. Then Dondochakka jumps out of the sand. He had
dug himself in the crater. He opens his mouth and throws up Bawabawa, Nel, Pesche and a
large amount of sand. He had swallowed the three and dug himself deep in the sand by
swallowing sand. They think this helped them to evade being picked up by the Pikaro’s
Pesquisa. They didn’t know the Pikaro had actually been distracted by someone else. Pesche
decides to dub this Plan C. But then Pesche frowns. He can sense the remainders of two
familiar reiatsu, but he tells himself it’s impossible. Then, Nell wakes up, asking where the
Pikaro went. Pesche can’t sense them anywhere and assumes they used a Garganta to go to
the Human World. Nell is worried for Ichigo, but Pesche reminds her of Ichigo’s strength,
which reassures Nell. She doesn’t know that Ichigo has lost his powers. He wouldn’t even be
able to see her now. But she also doesn’t know that there are others who can protect the
people, in place of Ichigo. A stubborn Quincy. A Shinigami with an afro. And one more
person. A hero much more famous than the previous two. The hero’s name is —
Chapter 4 (p68-87)
— "His name is, of course, Mister… Don Kanonji!" The host announces his name and the
audience cheers. Don laughs and shouts, — "Bohahahaha! Spirits are always with you!" The
people in the audience cross their arms in front of their chests at the same time and laugh
along, "bohahaha". Don, dressed in gaudy clothes and a pair of sunglasses, waves proudly
to his audience. He’s a spirit medium and a hero to children across the entire nation. His
real name is Kanonji Masao. Don’s spirit program is starting to fall in ratings lately, but that
didn’t slow him down one bit. He’d be satisfied with just a single viewer. His producer and
staff knew this, but still put all their effort into this Karakura Special. Even so, they couldn’t
give him the same spectacular entrance (skydiving) as the last time. That’s because
Karakura Town, famous as a spirit hotspot, had suffered many civilian casualties nearly 2
years ago. It had cast a dark shadow over the city. The city was hesitant to cooperate with
a spirit medium show nowadays.
Many people had died because of Yammy’s Gonzui (Soul Inhalation), and by getting into
contact with Aizen, who had merged with the Hougyoku. The "natural outbreak of gas" had
been declared as the official cause of death to the civilians who had no knowledge of
Hollows and Shinigami. In the past, Don ran around Karakura Town, fighting Hollows as
leader of the Karakura Defence Force. But he has been busy shooting overseas for another
program this past year. He hasn’t seen the Defence Force members in a while. The purpose
of the show is to exorcise the masked woman which had been appearing all over Karakura
Town. Don surmised she might be connected to Hollows in some way. And, although they
had a bus to take him and his crew to the woman’s location whenever she should appear,
Don preferred to use his own beloved, imported, high-class, open car: Jeanne d’Arc. There
was a sudden noise and Don felt a chill. He and his crew turn to the direction of the noise.
But Don is the only one who can see the child with white headphones standing on top of the
bus. Behind him, there’s a large black hole, like a wild beast’s open mouth. Then the hole
closes. Don can sense that the boy is no ordinary spirit.
The boy murmurs, "Weird. I’m sure it’s around here!" Noticing eyes on him, the boy talks to
Don and his crew. Don responds. The boy realises Don is the only one who can see him and
asks if he’s a Shinigami. Don denies this and introduces himself. The boy gets his name
wrong and calls him Donkan Onchi instead. Don is appalled, but quickly recovers and asks
what the boy is doing here. Is he looking for his parents? Don will help him look! The boy
says he’s looking for a woman with a skull covering half her face. Don responds that they’re
probably looking for the same person. The boy proposes a race. Who can find her first? If
the boy wins, Don will "play" with him. Don agrees, not knowing how dangerous "playing"
with the boy would be. The boy is thrilled.
The boy taps his headphones and starts talking to the other Pikaro ("Did you hear that?").
The other Pikaro appear from behind trees, telephone poles and roofs. They chatter
amongst themselves. Won’t they get scolded if they play with a human? But Baragan is
gone. And so is Tousen. Won’t Hallibel get angry? Let’s just ignore her. Let’s kill and play!
He looks weak, though? The Pikaro jump out into the night in search of the woman. Don
mutters to himself. How should he play with so many of them? A soccer ball tournament?
His producer, who didn’t hear the conversation, is confused and worries whether Don has
been possessed or something. Don assures him he’s alright. He’s ready to take on the boy’s
challenge. The producer doesn’t get it, but he’s happy that this will probably create a
wonderful program. The headphoned Pikaro is looking for the woman using Pesquisa. He
notices she’s no longer in the Human World. A Garganta opens next to him and another
Pikaro beckons him inside. Several Pikaro have assembled inside. They use Pesquisa again
and sense something strange. Weird remains of reiatsu were left in the area, different from
the reiatsu of Hollows or Shinigami. It was also slightly different from what Shinigami call
reiraku (spirit coils). It was thin like a spider’s thread. And it stretched out into the torrent
of reishi. Where does the thread lead to? One Pikaro remembers, ""Qrrr… I remember… over
there …that’s where Aizen-sama came from… Qrrr." Soul Society. Led on by curiosity, the
Pikaro decide to go there. Not realising how foolish it was to go to their enemy’s land. Their
purity was both their weakness and strength. To which side will the scales fall?
— At the same time | In the Garganta, at unknown coordinates

The "valley of space" exists between Soul Society, Hueco Mundo and the Human World. It’s
a Garganta road where reishi-storms swirl. A darkness filled with heavy reiryoku (spiritual
power). And a beautiful young woman, with a mask covering half of her face, was walking
on the thin road she had made inside it. She’s walking alone but there’s another presence
whispering in her ear. The voice asks her why she let herself be seen by the Pikaro. Did she
want to save Nelliel? She shouldn’t pay attention to that outcast. But he’ll forgive her. Those
Pikaro might work as decoy later. Nevertheless, the voice reminds her she’s just a tool. She
apologises. He says he’ll let it slide. He’s in a good mood. His research might bear fruit
soon. But she mustn’t be killed or else all will be for naught. He tells her to hide out in the
Human World and to flee whenever she runs into a Shinigami, Hollow or Quincy. No need to
engage in battle. Although the voice doubts that any Shinigami could actually kill her. The
woman responds with a sad look in her eyes: — "Understood… Szayelaporro-sama."
Chapter 5 (p88-127) — Soul Society, Research And Development Institute, under

12th Division jurisdiction
Hiyosu is yelling at Tsubokura Lin to stop eating sweets. This is the heart of Soul Society.
Seireitei, surrounded by the Rukongai, is the place where Shinigami live and work. And the
Research And Development Institute lies inside Seireitei. It’s a place most Shinigami prefer
to avoid, but it’s also one of Seireitei’s most important institutes. The Spiritual Wave
Measurement Lab is vital to the Shinigami working in Soul Society and the Human World. It
monitors the appearance of Hollows in both worlds and observes the Dangai. Normally a few
members such as Lin work in the lab, but the entire staff is present today. They’re
monitoring Karakura Town, because a few hours ago, over a hundred Garganta and
Arrancars were measured in that area. But the Arrancars had disappeared before they could
even declare a state of emergency. They didn’t know what the Arrancars were after, and
Karakura Town was an important area to Soul Society. That’s why the Gotei 13 was on strict
alert, ready to strike, and why the Institute was monitoring Karakura Town.
Niko murmurs it’s weird that the Arrancars all had a very similar reishi quality and that they
opened separate Garganta instead of one big one. Hiyosu agrees and asks for Akon’s
opinion. He says they need more data first. Meanwhile Kon is being experimented on. He
yells that they should at least pay him or something. Rukia won’t let it slide if anything
happens to him, you know! But he won’t mind if Nemu or another female researcher
experiments on him… The Institute’s President isn’t present. He’s on trial. Central 46’s court
is the highest juridical organ in Soul Society, second in power only to the Soul King Office.
Mayuri was summoned to court as the accused of a certain incident. But none of the
researchers were worried about the outcome. Not because they didn’t care. They respected
their president. No, because they knew that Central 46 couldn’t judge Mayuri currently.
— Central 46
The judges and sages of Central 46 are angry with Kurotsuchi Mayuri ("Are you even
listening!?"), but the man in question wasn’t concerned in the slightest. He merely found
the trial a waste of time and he didn’t hesitate to tell them that.
— Research And Development Institute

Hiyosu asks Akon what Mayuri is on trial for. He answers it’s about Mayuri making several
12th Division soldiers blow themselves up, during the time when Kurosaki first appeared in
Soul Society. The 12th Division also had members who weren’t Institute researchers. Mayuri
had deemed this to be a good way to make use of those soldiers.
This incident had happened quite a while ago, but Central 46 didn’t have time and capacity
until now. First, the previous members had all been murdered by Aizen, then the Arrancar
ordeal happened and then, after Aizen had been sentenced to the Muken, they had spent
more than a year arguing about the fate of the Vizards. The new Central 46 can’t condemn
Mayuri for experimenting on Quincies because that had been authorised by the old Central
46. Akon surmises that the new Central 46’s true motive is to try and strike their president
down with this self-destruct incident. The other researchers agree. They’re not impressed.
Most of them were originally residents of the Nest of Maggots.
Lin admits that from a normal person’s perspective, Mayuri may belong in prison. Akon says
that Central 46 isn’t thinking in ethical terms, not truly. It’s the same as when they stopped
the project of developing mod souls, Project Spearhead: They’re simply scared of weapons
falling into enemy hands. If they did care, they would never have ordered things like the
execution of hollowfied captains without even checking the facts properly. Lin rebuts that
that was done by the previous Central 46. Akon says nothing has changed. If it had, then
Central 46 would call Urahara back. But they’re too scared that Urahara holds a grudge for
being falsely accused. Hiyosu adds that the current Central 46 is bringing Mayuri to court in
order to dangle the promise of a reduction of penalty in front of him to make him their tool.
Moreover, Central 46 benefits a lot from the Development Institute. They wouldn’t send its
president to prison quickly.
Akon jokes that even if Mayuri was sent to Muken, he’d be happy with the opportunity to
dissect his fellow prisoners. The others agree. Lin asks if they are other prisoners besides
Aizen in Muken. Akon says there should be a few. Muken was the lowest underground
prison, level 8. It held the worst criminals who, due to circumstances, could not undergo
execution by the Soukyoku. Another prisoner was Azashiro, a man sentenced to over
10.000 years in prison. But Akon’s explanation is interrupted by the loud sound of candy
being crunched in someone’s mouth. Akon scolds Lin, but it’s not him. No, it’s the 11th
Division’s Vice-Captain, Kusajishi Yachiru. Akon asks why she’s here. She says she’s here to
help Lin eat candy, but Lin refuses to give her any. Suddenly one of their measuring
instruments rings. It signals the arrival of a Ryoka (intruder). It’s the Arrancars that entered
Karakura Town earlier. They’ve appeared in various locations, spread out over Soul Society.
The researchers quickly send out a warning to all areas. And Yachiru leaps out the window
with a smile on her face. — "I’m gonna wake up Ken-chan!"
— Rukongai, Western Area, White Road Gate

There are four gates in the wall that separates Seireitei and Rukongai. The giant Jidanbou,
the guard of White Road Gate, is on alert for the Ryoka. One of the Pikaro appears before
him and she tells him she wants to go into Seireitei. Jidanbou, who didn’t sense any hostility
from her and didn’t know Arrancars look similar to humans, assumes she’s a Rukongai child
and gently turns her down. 12 of 37 Oh, he’s a guard? So if she kills him, she can pass?
How about they play a game? Jidanbou doesn’t take her serious until he notices the sword
hanging from her waist. …Could she be a Ryoka? Suddenly the girl closes her eyes, tilts her
head and, as if she’s talking to someone, says, "No way. Shibata-kun? Really?" The girl tells
Jidanbou she doesn’t have time to play with him anymore and leaves. Jidanbou is happy he
didn’t have to raise his axe against a little girl and continues guarding his gate. A few
minutes later, he’ll hear a thunderous sound which will shake the air surrounding Seireitei.
— Rukongai, somewhere in the Western Area

— "Hey, could you be Shibata-kun?" Shibata Yuuichi turns to the owner of the voice and
stiffens. The boy in front of him is smiling innocently, but has the faint air of a Hollow.
Shibata affirms that he is indeed Shibata. The boy smiles and calls the other Pikaro ("Come
over here, everyone. Shibata, who once turned into a parrot, is here!"). Several Pikaro
appear and surround Shibata. Amongst them are those who look like little animals with
white skulls. Shibata is immediately reminded of the Hollow who killed his mother, Shrieker.
The Pikaro start chatting amongst themselves, "Shibata? The boy we found when one of us
slipped into the Human World? We talked about saving him and killing Shrieker for him once
he became a Hollow. But a Shinigami saved him, so Shibata never became a Hollow… No
fair… He could’ve become our new friend." Yuuichi, not knowing what to do, tries to talk to
them. The Pikaro turn to him and tell him he was quite famous for playing chase with
Shrieker. How about you become a Hollow and play with us?
Yuuichi is scared and thinks of Sado, the man who he had relied on before. But it’s not Sado
who saves him. A large shadow suddenly appears like a gust of wind, grabs him by the neck
and tosses him to the roof of a nearby house. The man who tossed him has a bald head and
a stern look on his face. A Shinigami. Madarame Ikkaku, 3rd Seat of the 11th Division.
Madarame had been on patrol in West Rukongai just as the alarm rang. All seated officers
had been ordered to repel the Ryoka and/or to investigate their motives. He thought this
meant it was his lucky day, but after seeing a bunch of children before him, Madarame felt
he was unlucky instead. Seeing as the Arrancars weren’t attacking anyone nor radiated any
hostility, Madarame tells them to just scram off back to Hueco Mundo. — "No, no, you can’t
just let them leave like that, you know? The mission also includes finding out the enemy’s
motives." Ayasegawa Yumichika, 5th Seat of the 11th Division, appears behind Madarame.
The Pikaro ask them if they’re Shinigami. If so, can they take them inside Seireitei?
Madarame angers at the ridiculous request. Ayasegawa explains Arrancars aren’t allowed
inside. The Pikaro say that’s unfair. After all, "that lady" is an Arrancar, yet she’s inside.
Their words surprise Ayasegawa and Madarame. Seireitei is protected by its Sekkiseki wall,
which doesn’t allow any reishi to pass through, and the Shakonmaku (dome-shaped
barrier). Yes, gates could be breached, or the dome could be pierced with great force, but
for an Arrancar to sneak in, unnoticed, was unheard of. — "After all, her "threads" continue
inside the walls." Madarame asks them what they mean, but then suddenly there’s a
thunderous noise and black smoke rises from Seiretei’s centre. Where the Development
Institute is located. Maybe there’s really someone inside already? Madarame turns back to
the Pikaro to ask them who "that lady" is, but they’re already gone. Yuuchi says they ran
away and Madarame tells himself, "I really am unlucky today…"
— 3 minutes earlier, Research And Development Institute

None of the researchers had noticed "that". If Mayuri had been present, he may have, but
he was currently on trial. A thin thread of Negacion, so thin it was invisible to the human
eye. It crept further and further into the Institute. The researchers are chatting amongst
themselves while analysing the data about the Ryoka that’s being sent in. It seems
Kurumadani had also reported about the masked woman earlier, but they hadn’t analysed
his report yet. Akon suddenly felt a chill. Not only him. The others did too. They could sense
a sinister reiatsu boil up from inside the observatory room — the room which they were
currently in. Everyone stopped what they were doing. And yet they heard the sound of
someone typing on a keyboard from the corner of the room. From the president’s desk.
When they turned to the sound, they saw a man sitting behind the desk, with a faint smile
on his face. — "I see… The man who killed me is the president of this place?" While looking
at the data on the screen, the Arrancar with a glasses-shaped mask, calmly uttered those
words. One of the researcher whispers, "Isn’t that the specimen that’s being preserved in
fluid..?" The word 'specimen' angers the Arrancar. His corpse has been degraded to
specimen!? How insulting. — "Even so, I think I’ll take a look at this 'specimen'. You don’t
get the chance to observe your own corpse every day, you know. I don’t clearly remember
the moment I died, though." The researchers remember the name on the specimen’s tag:
Szayelaporro Granz. One of the Espada. Akon and the Arrancar, who looks identical to the
specimen, exchange some words until the Arrancar draws his sword. — "Enough chatter. If
you want to know more, figure it out yourself. If you can survive long enough, that is." A
few seconds later. Even though the following explosion in the Institute acted as a signal to
everyone that a Ryoka had infiltrated Seireitei, only one person had actually noticed the
Negacion thread. This person was locked deep underground. In a place for the worst
criminals.
— In the dark
The criminal remained silent, only opening his eyes. As if on cue, a woman’s laughter rang
in his ears. — "Kyahahaha! It’s been a while! When did you last open your eyes? 250 years
ago? Or 500? Or maybe 20.000? Or was it 3 seconds ago? Kyahahaha!" The criminal slowly
opens his mouth and says, "When Aizen Sousuke was locked up here." A small light, as if
triggered by his voice, burns in the darkness. Left, right, up, down — darkness everywhere.
The criminal sees a woman in a white kimono with a leather obi (kimono sash) covering her
eyes. She remembers. It’s true, the criminal last opened his eyes when Aizen had been sent
to this place. She retells the events that lead to Aizen’s downfall — receiving the orange-
haired Shinigami Representative’s massive attack, being sealed by Urahara Kisuke, being
sentenced for 20.000 years. She knew it all. So why did the criminal open his eyes this
time? — "A thin thread… entered me. A thread of reishi…? No, of Negacion." He offered no
further explanation. The criminal was a man of few words. — "…I’ll take a moment to
consider whether I should leave this place, the Muken."
Chapter 6 (p128-150)— Research And Development Institute

The Institute is heavily damaged. The 4th Division has arrived to take care of the injured
researchers. The Szayel-lookalike is nowhere to be seen. Mayuri’s trial has been put on
hold. He and Nemu (he had taken her with him to the trial) are back at the Institute. Mayuri
is talking to Akon. Akon apologies for the damage, but Mayuri just wants answers. And why
didn’t the enemy finish them off? Akon answers it’s because the lookalike had a strange
reaction when he found the specimen.
— 30 minutes earlier
All the researchers had survived the Arrancar’s attack. He praises them. Seems they weren’t
as noncombatant as he had assumed. He’ll be sure to study their corpses later. But he has
something else to take care of first. The male Ryoka walks towards a pillar-shaped tank.
The specimen which he’s looking for is floating in a luminous fluid inside it. Usually, when an
Arrancar dies after being cut with a Zanpakutou, its soul is purified and its body disappears.
Mayuri made a special device to prevent this, allowing him to preserve his specimens. The
man laughs when he finally gets a look at the specimen, "Hahaha, this matches the
recording spirit-bugs’ data. A dumb look on my face, not even realising my own death." He
turns back to the researchers and says, "Rejoice. You get the rare chance to see the re-
fusion of a soul and body that died once." Then he dips his hand in the liquid and touches
the specimen.
Nothing happens. He curses Mayuri — he must’ve done something. He reaches for his
sword, ready to take his anger out on the researchers, but stops. He senses the reiatsu of
the man who cut Nnoitra and Yammy. He doesn’t want to take that beast on in his current
condition. The Ryoka blends into the air and disappears, along with the specimen. At the
same time there’s a thunderous noise.
— Present time
Having heard Akon’s retelling of the events, Mayuri grinds his teeth, "In other words…
Captain Zaraki is the one who destroyed the wall…" The 11th Division had supposed to be
near the gates. However, Zaraki had probably gotten lost again, had seen the explosion and
had headed towards the Institute. Mayuri asks if the Arrancar blended into the air in the
same way as the masked woman in Karakura Town. Akon says that, judging by the footage
on the woman, it’s the same. Akon asks if Mayuri knows "what" the Ryoka was. Mayuri says
he can make a guess, but… — "I hope my guess is wrong, though."
— Soul Society, somewhere in Seireitei

Kyouraku Shunsui sees her standing near the little retreat where Ukitake Juushirou, the
13th Division’s Captain who suffers from a lung disease, tends to rest. Ukitake hadn’t
attended the emergency captain meeting due to his health. Kyouraku planned to check up
on him, and, if possibly, to discuss things. Captain-Commander Yamamoto had informed the
attendees that they were now permitted to use their full powers and to carry their
Zanpakutou at all times. A white skull covered the right side of her face. An Arrancar.
Kyouraku lowers his reiatsu as low as he can to remain unnoticed. He decides to wait and
see what she’ll do. Kyouraku feels both curious and cautious at how quiet her reiatsu is.
Everything in Soul Society is made up of reishi. Hers was as quiet as that of a stone lantern
or a tree.
— "Are you lost, miss?" She turns to him in surprise, and at the same time, the kind of
reiatsu which you’d normally expect of an Arrancar, does rise up now. — "You are… You are
the person who was with Kuruyashiki Kenpachi-san back then, aren’t you?" Her words
surprise Kyouraku. She starts to melt into the air. — "I… I’m sorry. The scenery was just so
beautiful that I unintentionally connected to it. I’ll disappear now, so please don’t mind me."
Why does she know Kuruyashiki? However, the woman is already gone before he can ask
her. Ukitake pushes the bamboo screen in front of his retreat to the side and calls out to
Kyouraku, "Kyouraku? What’s wrong? I thought I sensed an Arrancar for a second…"
Kyouraku says it’s nothing. And he really hopes it’s nothing, but he has a bad feeling. Not
because of the name Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, but because he remembers the man who had
killed Kuruyashiki.
— North Seireitei, Black Ridge Gate

A few Pikaro and Shinigami are in battle near the Black Ridge gate. The Shinigami are
suspicious of how quickly these Arrancars seem to heal. They do go down when cut, but
then stand up again as if nothing happened after a short while. The Pikaro suddenly stop
fighting. They notice that there are suddenly a lot less "threads" inside the walls. The
masked lady must’ve left. Some Pikaro want to continue "playing" with the Shinigami, but
the headphoned Pikaro reminds them of their race against Don Kanonji and they use Sonido
to leave. Meanwhile, the Shinigami receive word that Zaraki is heading towards them to
engage the enemy. But the enemy is already gone… Zaraki isn’t going to be happy.
— Underground Prison, lowest level, 8th prison: Muken

Darkness. Everywhere. Making you lose sense for what’s left, right, up or down. That is the
prison called Muken. There were only a few prisoners in Muken, but even so, Soul Society
preserved this space at all costs. To make its criminals unable to feel "the world". And, at
the same time, to hide its criminals from "the world". To make them be forgotten. To make
them into beings which "didn’t exist". There was barely anyone in Soul Society who knew
who the Muken’s first prisoner was, and whether that person still existed. But many knew
its latest prisoner.
Aizen Sousuke. A Shinigami, yet king of the Hollows. The traitor who tried to attack the Soul
King. Immortal thanks to the power of the Hougyoku. And now imprisoned in Muken. His
limbs, eyes, ears, mouth, the feeling of touch — everything had been bound and sealed. But
a part of his senses was suddenly freed. Part of the cloth covering his face was peeled off,
freeing one eye, one ear and his mouth. His freed eye saw darkness. But not pure darkness.
In this place where there should be no light, there was a lantern burning brightly in front of
his chair. There was also a man standing next to the lantern. Neither of these things
seemed to surprise Aizen. And while a normal person would’ve needed several hours to
regain the ability to speak properly after being sealed for over a year, Aizen spoke calmly,
— "Should I be honoured to lay my eyes on such a senior prisoner? What should I call you?
Your real name, Azashiro Souya? Or the title given to the strongest Shinigami in Soul
Society? The 8th Captain of the 11th Division… Azashiro Kenpachi."
The woman standing behind Azashiro finds Aizen’s calmness hilarious. She suggests to take
the Hougyoku from him. Azashiro tells the woman to stay quiet. Azashiro tells Aizen that he
has no interest in the Hougyoku, nor in Aizen’s crimes. He simply wants to ask about "the
outside". Aizen asks why, — "You can see through all of Seireitei, even while being in
Muken. You’re a man on who even my Kyouka Suigetsu’s illusions will likely not work. What
could I possibly tell you?" Azashiro remains silent, but the women laughs, saying it took
Azashiro two days to see through Suigetsu’s illusion. He had muttered, "something is
strange", the entire time. He silences her again. He says he wants to know about outside of
Seireitei. And he also wants to ask about Aizen’s defeat. He hadn’t expected him to lose
against Kurosaki Ichigo. The woman interrupts again. She says Azashiro had predicted
Aizen would be stopped by the Zero Division. But it never even got to that point. Is he
embarrassed he got it wrong?
— "My defeat? If I look back on how disordered my heart was back then, I can say that
defeat in itself was a meaningful experience. You should experience it once." Azashiro
disagrees with Aizen’s words. He sees no merit in experiencing defeat. But they will discuss
it no further since he has no interest in meaningless chatter. Aizen says he’ll answer
Azashiro’s questions. Azashiro thanks him. After all, this serves no merit to Aizen. Aizen
disagrees, — "On the contrary, predicting your actions and its outcome based on your
questions will serve as a nice way to kill time." Having gotten answers to all his questions,
Azashiro disappears by melting into the air. In the same way the masked woman and the
Szayel-lookalike had done. Aizen closes his eyes with a faint smile on his face, imagining
the outcome of Azashiro’s actions. The Muken returns to being a place of absolute darkness
once again.
Chapter 7 (p151-171) — Half a day later, morning | Karakura Town

Don is standing in front of the Kurosaki’s home. Don was planning to look for the masked
woman with his number-1-pupil, Kurosaki Ichigo. However, Yuzu tells him that her big
brother is currently at his part-time job. Don doesn’t know that Ichigo has lost his powers.
He can’t sense him anymore, true, but he assumes that Ichigo learned to mask his
presence. He asks if Yuzu’s father, Isshin, is home. He wants to ask Isshin’s opinion about
his new outfit. But, alas, Isshin is also gone — he’s at a paediatrics conference. Yuzu
assures Don he looks great, though.
— 10 minutes later | In front of Urahara Shop

Don has a secret identity. He’s Karakura Gold, the leader of the Karakura Defence Force —
an organisation which fights Hollows. He had planned to take two of its members,
Tsumugiya Ururu and Hanakari Jinta, with him in his quest to find the masked woman.
However, the duo has to watch the shop, because its owner is out. Jinta tells Don to hand
the position of Gold to him. Don ignores him, dubs himself "Gold the Eternal" and agrees
they should continue to watch the shop. Jinta gets angry at how Don slipped in the "the
eternal" part, but Tessai catches him in a headlock before he can do anything else.
Meanwhile, Don is impressed with Tessai’s "fantastic hairstyle".
— Several minutes later | On the road

Don is driving in his car, Jeanne d’Arc. Yuzu gave him the phone number of Ichigo’s part-
time job, Unagiya. Don decides to order a meal. That way he can see Ichigo without actually
bothering him at work. He calls the number and orders eel, but gets yelled at, "We’re
Unagiya, not unagiya!" Don is understandably confused. Don isn’t good at fighting. He’s
powerless compared to a captain-class Shinigami. He can’t use Kidou, and he doesn’t have
various skills like a Quincy. But he does excel at one thing. When Ishida first challenged
Ichigo and caused a large increase in the number of Hollows, Don was 30 kilometres away,
shooting a program. Even so, even at that distance, he had been able to sense the increase
in Hollows. Before meeting Ichigo, Don didn’t know that his methods to help spirits actually
accelerated Hollow- fication. Nowadays he tried to free spirits of any lingering regrets
through conversation. Viewers had been surprised by the change, but the program could
continue to run because its core — the ability to sense spirits — had stayed the same.
— Karakura Town, Mashiba Area, Sunflower Sewing Shop

The Quincy Ishida Uryuu is on the phone with Inoue, using the pay phone outside of
Sunflower Sewing. Both had sensed the Pikaro last night. They decide not to inform Ichigo,
it would just upset him. And they haven’t seen Sado around — he’s frequently out of town
lately. Ishida reassures Inoue that she should go and cheer on Tatsuki at her championships
(they’re being held in another town). He’ll handle things here. Ishida had also sensed the
masked woman time and time again for over a year, but she’d always be gone before he
could get to her. Ichigo must’ve heard rumours about the masked woman, but he never
asked, and Ishida, Inoue and Sado never brought it up. He felt frustrated at how Ichigo
pretended not to care. Ishida knew what it’s like to lose your powers. It had happened to
him. His father had helped him get his powers back, but it seemed that that method didn’t
work on Shinigami. Heading towards the shop, Ishida passes a poster promoting Don
Kanonji’s show. As far as Ishida had seen during the public recordings, Don could indeed
see spirits, but his exorcism methods have been all wrong. He takes one last glance at the
poster and mutters, — "His fashion sense is pretty good, but… his colours lack uniformity.
He should focus on cold colours."
— Several hours later

Don has driven all over Karakura Town in search of the masked woman. He "feels"
something. It feels like a thread of spiderweb touching his skin. These threads are laid out
all over the city. The sensation grows stronger as he drives in direction of Tsubakidai. That
must be where the web’s centre lies. He doesn’t know whether these threads are harmful or
not. And, as a hero, it’s his duty to find out. The hero steps out of his car, having reached
his destination: Matsukura Hospital. It’s abandoned and no longer in use. This is where he
first met Ichigo and learnt just how mistaken his exorcism methods had been. It was an
important place to Don. He could sense that this abandoned building was the web’s centre.
From here, threads stretched out into town. With his beloved stick in hand, Don approaches
the building. He briefly remembers the mysterious man who had attacked Ichigo’s friends a
year ago (Aizen). He didn’t feel such a life-threatening sense of danger as he had back then,
but he did sense something mysterious on the hospital’s roof. And although he was nervous,
he would never flee.
He looked up to the roof. He didn’t see a monster or gigantic spider as he had feared, no,
he saw a young lady with a skull covering half her face and a lonely look in her eyes. She
was looking out over the town. She surprised him. She indeed had the air of a Hollow, yet
she could also be seen by normal humans. She seemed to own a nature of both Reishi and
Human World matter. Nevertheless, Don struck his signature pose and shouted, "Spirits are
always with you!" The lady — she looked somewhere between late teens and twenty years
old — looked at him in surprise. Don approached her and said, — "Beautiful lady, rest
assure, I am your ally. Please tell me, Don Kanonji, the reason behind your sad eyes." And
so, the hero stepped into the girl’s life, and — unbeknownst to himself — threw himself into
danger.
Chapter 8 (p172-238) — Soul Society, Seireitei’s shopping district, in front of the

Silver Dragonfly Glasses
Half a day had passed since the Arrancar attack. All the Arrancars were gone now. The
danger level had been lowered in all areas except near the Development Institute. Even so,
the general populace was encouraged to stay inside. The shopping district felt deserted.
There was hardly anyone outside and most shops were closed. However, the glasses shop
Silver Dragonfly is open for business. It’s run by Shirogane Ginjirou, the former 6th Division
Vice Captain. Oomaeda Mareyo — the youngest child of the Oomaeda nobles — enters the
shop. Ginjirou warns her that she shouldn’t be outside. She apologises, but says she really
wanted to collect her order: a pair of glasses for her brother, Marejirousabu. They exchange
small talk. It seems Marejirousabu has been invited to join the Development Institute. Many
members of the Oomaeda family enter the Onmitsu Kidou, but Mareyo hopes to enter the
4th Division someday. The glasses are a birthday gift. But it seems that Mihane — Ginjirou’s
granddaughter who works parttime in the shop while also working as the 6th Division’s 9th
Seat — forgot to refill the gift paper. He goes to the back of the store to find some more. He
tells Mareyo to sit inside in case the Ryoka reappears. After a minute or so, Mareyo sees a
white shadow. Briefly, she’s afraid it’s the Ryoka, but she’s reassured as she catches the
glimpse of a haori. However, she didn’t know. She didn’t know that the man wearing this
haori wasn’t one of the Gotei 13’s current captains. Nor did she know he was supposed to
be locked up in the Muken. The man approaches the counter. He places a cloth bag on the
counter. It has money inside it, judging by the sound. He calls out to her, — "You’re…
Oomaeda Mareyo. Out of the good-for-nothing Oomaeda Clan, you’re the best one. You
should leave that house right away if you do not wish to waste the rest of your life."
— Several minutes later | Somewhere in Seireitei

The vice-captain of the 2nd Division, Oomaeda Marechiyo, is chewing on some rice crackers
while whining about having to stay up all night. He’s also the commander of the Patrol
Corps of the Onmitsu Kidou. He will not be able to take a break until the danger level has
gone down completely. He gets a call that his little sister is in the shopping district.
Furthermore, she seems to be arguing with "a man wearing the haori of the 11th Division"
in front of the Silver Dragonfly. He rushes to the scene, under the mistaken assumption that
little sister has gotten into a fight with Zaraki of all people.
— In front of the Silver Dragonfly

Azashiro calmly left the store after his blunt remark to Mareyo. She followed him outside,
assuming the man must have some misunderstanding with her family. Azashiro says he’s
never been directly wronged by her family, but they are a waste of space as nobles. They
exchange some more words, but Azashiro has no interest in any further useless chatter.
Marechiyo arrives, notices that the man is not Zaraki, and tells him that falsely wearing a
haori is a grave crime. Azashiro says he knows this, calling Marechiyo by his full name.
When Azashiro moves to leave, the enraged Marechiyo tries to grab him, but he’s suddenly
lifted into air and thrown to the ground again. It’s as if some invisible force had grabbed
him. Azashiro hadn’t moved, but his words made it clear that it had been his doing, — "I
don’t like pointless fighting. I hope this was enough to make you understand to the
difference between our powers."
Marechiyo stifles his fear and gets back up. He draws his sword and tells Mareyo to run.
Suddenly they hear another voice, ("Bakudou #63!). Ginjirou immobilises Azashiro with a
spell. Then, another man appears. Mareyo and Marechiyo’s father: Oomaeda Marenoshin.
He throws the binding spell Bakudou #75 at Azashiro. Five pillars of light surround the
criminal. Ginjirou throws another spell, Bakudou #61 and Marenoshin finishes it off with
Bakudou #81, Dankuu. Mareyo and Marechiyo are impressed with this serious side of their
father, which they hardly ever see. It seems Marenoshin was warned by his subordinates
about the situation. Both Marenoshin and Ginjirou are no longer Shinigami. Their names
have been removed from the Gotei 13’s register at request. They had to hand back their
Zanpakutou at retirement, but they were former vice-captains. They weren’t powerless in
the least.
Azashiro asks them why they are doing this. Marenoshin tells him not to play dumb. He
used to be in the Onmitsu Kidou, you know. — "You’re a man who still has over 19.000
years left in the Muken. I have no other choice but to do this when I hear word that a man
like you is talking to my precious daughter." Marechiyo realises what his father’s words
mean. The man before him is a Muken escapee? A place that’s even harder to escape from
than Hell itself? Who in the world is he? Azashiro sighs. — "It seems I didn’t explain my
question well enough… " The 4 layers of Bakudou melt into the air in an instant. — "I asked
why you attacked me… while knowing that your attacks won’t work on me."
— Somewhere in West Rukongai

One of the Pikaro is surprised to see two large arms growing out of the ground. They’re
holding up a banner saying "Shiba Kuukaku". — "What’s that!? It’s so cool!" Fascinated by
the Shiba’s unique style, the Pikaro walks around for a bit. Then he hears a voice behind
him — Shihouin Yoruichi. She’s amused that an Arrancar likes the Shiba’s style. The Pikaro
asks Yoruichi if she wants to play. Yoruichi says she doesn’t mind playing tag with him. On
one condition: She’ll do the chasing. Then the Pikaro senses another presence near him
and…
— In front of the Silver Dragonfly

The laughing woman in the white kimono appears behind Azashiro again. She asks him why
he — someone who hates wasting time on chatter — spent time talking to the girl. Is she
his type? I know! It’s because this sheltered little girl reminds you of "her", doesn’t it? Are
you worried this girl will end up the same way "she" did? Azashiro tells her to be quiet,
again. He addresses Ginjirou and says he left money on the counter to pay the consolation
money which he still owed his family 250 years ago, with interest. Please take it. Ginjirou
knits his brows, it seems he understands what Azashiro is referring to. Azashiro leaves,
melting into the air.
Then another person arrives on the scene, yelling at Marechiyo for leaving his post — Sui
Feng, captain of the 2nd Division and commander-in-chief of the Onmitsu Kidou. However,
Marechiyo’s father scolds Sui Feng instead (he used to be her superior). Does she, the
commander-in-chief, not know what just happened? Azashiro Kenpachi was here! How could
she, and her Supervision Corps, not have noticed his escape!? Has she been sleeping on the
job since Yoruichi’s return!? While Marechiyo thinks Sui Feng will probably take her anger
out on him later for his father’s tirade, Sui Feng contacts the Supervision Corps to confirm
whether Azashiro really has escaped. Marechiyo tries to calm his father by praising him,
"You were amazing, father! I wouldn’t be able to throw spells like that!" But his plan
backfires. His father now starts criticising Sui Feng for not teaching his son Bakudou
properly. Sui Feng admits her mistake and bows her head. This calms his father down. He
tells her to train his son vigorously. Much to his lazy son’s dismay.
The father picks up his daughter, says he’ll report their experiences to the 1st Division, and
leaves. Ginjirou goes back to his shop. Left alone, Marechiyo drops to his knees and begs
for his captain’s forgiveness for his father’s tirade. Sui Feng tells him this isn’t the time for
such things. Marechiyo asks if Azashiro is really that strong. Sui Feng says the Azashiro
incident happened before even Yoruichi was captain. He committed a grave crime and all
captain-level staff moved into action to arrest him. However… the Gotei failed to capture
him with their own hands. They couldn’t even scratch him.
— 30 minutes later | 1st Division Barracks

All captains, aside from Ukitake (sick), Zaraki and Mayuri, have gathered before Captain-
Commander Yamamoto. Sui Feng reports the situation: Azashiro Kenpachi has escaped the
Muken. The other prisoners are still in captivity. Five captains reacted to Azashiro’s name:
Unohana Retsu, Kyouraku Shunsui, and the newly reinstated Hirako Shinji, Ootoribashi
Roujuurou (Rose) and Muguruma Kensei. Azashiro was captured before Hirako was captain.
Rose adds it happened over 200 years ago. And Kensei interjects they were still merely
Seated Officers back then. Unohana whispers that she didn’t expect to hear that name again
so soon. And Kyouraku thinks back to the Arrancar girl he saw earlier. Is she connected to
this? Hitsugaya Toushirou says he never heard of him. Kenpachi? Is that a joke or a
coincidence? Kuchiki Byakuya says that the previous Kenpachi loses his title to the next
Kenpachi when killed in battle, but he heard there was an exception. Yamamoto confirms
that Azashiro is the exception.
Azashiro became the 8th Kenpachi after killing the 7th Kenpachi, Kuruyashiki, in battle. But
Azashiro was sent to Muken, undefeated. And the title of 9th Kenpachi was appointed to the
vice-captain of the 11th Division at the time. Kyouraku explains that the 9th Kenpachi was
killed by Kiganjou, a strong warrior from the Rukongai. And Zaraki is the one who killed
Kiganjou, thereby becoming the current Kenpachi. Kyouraku explains they’ve never even
seen Azashiro’s Zanpakutou. They knew he had one, but they couldn’t see it. Komamura
Sajin asks if it was an illusion-type Zanpakutou, like Aizen’s Suigetsu. Kyouraku admits that
that possibility exists, but when questioned by Central 46 during his arrival, Azashiro had
said that "he was already showing it". Hitsugaya is surprised Central 46 let this slide.
Kyouraku says that the "Kenpachi" is a special case. The 10th Kenpachi, Kiganjou, hardly
ever listened to Central 46 too. — "Well, in other words, you could say that the "Kenpachi"
is a privileged class in Seireitei. …Now that I think about it, Azashiro-kun may have decided
to become Kenpachi with that in mind."
— At the same time | Somewhere in Seireitei, the ruins of an execution site

Ayasegawa Yumichika is in a bad mood. That’s because this place reminds him of his defeat
against Shiba Ganju. The old execution site is a large and deep hole. With walls of Sekkiseki
and the top sealed with Shakonmaku. It had been a large prison. There were 2 large doors
at the bottom. One to release criminals into the hole, and one to release Hollows. Fighting
to the death as form of spectacle. One of Soul Society’s dark sides. It was no longer in use,
but many Shinigami and nobles had fallen prey to Hollows in it. When Yumichika and Ikkaku
had returned from the Rukongai, they had sensed a suspicious reiraku (spirit coils). It was
definitely from a Shinigami, but it was something they had never felt before. It felt
ominous. The reiraku split in two halfway, into different directions. Yumichika and Ikkaku
had split up and Yumichika ended up in this place. The reiraku had been cut off. It had
probably hit the Shakonmaku halfway down the hole and vaporised.
Suddenly Yumichika hears the voice of a young man, asking when they’ll fill up the hole. It’s
a waste of space, really. The man tells Yumichika he could’ve win his fight against Shiba
Ganju. He talks about the fight as if he had seen it himself. But that’s not what angers
Yumichika most, no, the man was wearing the haori of the 11th Division. The haori that
only Zaraki was allowed to wear in his eyes. Azashiro says Zaraki doesn’t deserve the name
"Kenpachi". He never cut down a real Kenpachi, after all. And he lost to Kurosaki Ichigo
before the boy had even mastered his Bankai. Those are the facts. Insulted on his captain’s
behalf, Yumichika releases Fuji Kujaku and attacks Azashiro. But it fails. Then his foot sinks
into the stone pavement. An illusion? He can’t get it out. Then his sleeves wrap around him
like a snake, immobilising him. The grip on his Zanpakutou weakens. What’s happening? As
if pulled on by an invisible thread, his Zanpakutou moves in midair and eventually lands in
Azashiro’s hand. It returns to its pre-Shikai state. Azashiro asks Yumichika why he
continues to hide Ruriiro Kujaku’s true nature from his allies. Kujaku absorbs its opponent’s
reiryoku. The 11th Division tends to look down on Kidou-based Zanpakutou. That’s why
Yumichika refused to use its power in public, even at cost of his own life.
— "Zaraki and Madarame Ikkaku don’t seem like the kind of men who would hold you in
contempt merely for using a Kidou-type Zanpakutou, though?" Azashiro didn’t utter those
words to anger Yumichika. It was purely a question. Yumichika answers that even if those
two wouldn’t mind, he himself would not be able to forgive himself for bringing shame to
the 11th Division’s name. Azashiro assures him that he will not expose his secret. However,
he will borrow Kujaku for a little while. Yumichika objects, of course, but he can’t move.
Azashiro sighs and turns his heel, ready to walk away. But the woman reappears before
him, laughing as always. She says that for someone who dislikes pointless chatter, he sure
does it often. Lingering attachment? You did work properly as a captain the first year, after
all. Did you think that that would make them agree with your ideas? No way! Kihahaha.
Maybe if you had cut down Kuruyashiki with a sword fair and square. But you used a sneak
attack in their eyes. Azashiro irritably answers that this is the 3245th time she’s told him
this. It makes perfect sense for him to have done his work as captain properly. After all, the
extermination of Hollows is his wish. She’s amused he actually bothered to keep the score.
He tells her to disappear. Then Yumichika, still immobilised, speaks, "…Can I ask one thing?
Who are you talking to?"
— 1st Division Barracks

Oomaeda Marenoshin finishes his report to Yamamoto. But then he remembers one last
thing: Azashiro had turned to a direction where nobody was standing, and had said "be
silent"…
— The ruins of the execution site

Azashiro tells Yumichika that he was simply talking to himself, something like that.
Yumichika asks him why he won’t finish him off. Azashiro says there’s no need. Shinigami
exist to exterminate Hollows, to guide spirits and to maintain the balance between Soul
Society and the Human World. There’s no need for bloodshed amongst themselves. He says
he’ll return Kujaku once he’s done with it, and disappears once again.
— 1st Division Barracks

From a corner of the room, Yoruichi suddenly speaks, — "Azashiro Kenpachi was talking to
Urozakuro." Yamamoto says he doesn’t recall summoning her, but she might as well stay if
she’s here. Yoruichi says she had wanted to come earlier, but she was busy playing tag. Sui
Feng asks who or what Urozakuro is. Yoruichi answers it’s the name of Azashiro’s
Zanpakutou. Yamamoto asks her why she knows this. Yoruichi answers that she heard it
from Urozakuro herself.
— One hundred years + several decades ago | Soukyoku Hill, underground training
grounds
Urahara shows his new Tenshintai (Divine Transfer Body) to Yoruichi. It’s a human-shaped
doll that can materialise a Zanpakutou when stabbed with said Zanpakutou — a training
tool. His current model can only do it for 30 minutes, but the finished one should last 3
days. Urahara is about to test it out with his own Benihime, but the doll starts to change
before he has even drawn his Zanpakutou. It turns into a lively woman, whose eyes are
covered by a leather obi. She laughs, "Kihahaha! I wanted to see you, Kisuke-chan! Did you
miss me? Or were you too busy with Yoruichi-san, forgetting me?! Kihahaha!" But Urahara
doesn’t know her. She introduces herself, she’s Urozakuro. They’ve never met before, but
she knows everything about them. Kihahaha! Yoruichi wasn’t captain yet at this point in
time, but she was part of the Onmitsu Kidou. And she couldn’t ignore Urozakuro’s next
words, — "I’m the Zanpakutou of Azashiro Kenpachi, who is currently in the Muken. Nice to
meet you!"
— Present time, 1st Division Barracks

Yoruichi says they got on wonderfully for the remaining 30 minutes. Urozakuro had talked
freely about her own abilities, saying she’d enjoy seeing her wielder fall into crisis.
Yamamoto says he never heard about this before. Yoruichi answers she had reported it to
the head of the Onmitsu Kidou, who in turn had reported it to Central 46. Central 46 had
ordered to keep it quiet to prevent an outbreak of panic. She probably won’t get in trouble
for saying it now, though. The Central 46 sages from that time are all dead now — by
Aizen’s hands or by illness and accident even before that. Hitsugaya asks whether
Azashiro’s powers are really that great. Yoruichi answers he might make a good match
versus Aizen’s Kyouka Suigetsu. In shock, Marechiyo yells, "Eh— Wha— He’s on the same
level as Aizen!? Are you serious, Yoruichi-san!?" Sui Feng promptly kicks him. Yoruichi
explains Azashiro’s powers. His internal world is constantly fused with the outside world.
They couldn’t see his Zanpakutou, because he was always in Bankai mode. His power is "the
power to fuse with all of his surroundings and to control it." The air. The ground.
Everything.
She had tried to determine his coordinates back when he had been a wanted man. But she
could never pinpoint his location to something more specific than "he’s in Seireitei". If he
could fuse with the air itself, you could not cut him. Furthermore, it meant he could kill his
opponents simply by expanding the air in their lungs. Hitsugaya asks how far his range is.
Yoruichi says she has already answered that question: His location couldn’t be pinpointed to
something more specific than "he’s in Seireitei"… Marechiyo asks if that means he’s already
fused with all of Seireitei. Yoruichi explains that Azashiro can sense everything that happens
in the space he’s fused with as if it’s happening inside him. In other words, he could even
hear the conversation they were currently having. Komamura says Azashiro should’ve been
able to escape Muken earlier if that’s true. Yoruichi answers that the Muken isn’t that weak.
It has countless seals to weaken the Zanpakutou powers of its prisoners. If Urozakuro’s
words were true, Azashiro could see and hear everything in Seireitei, from inside the
Muken, but he was weakened to the point that he couldn’t control anything.
So how did he escape? Sui Feng says it’s because of the Ryoka attack on the Development
Institute. When Urahara was captain of the 12th Division, part of the sealing mechanisms
were transferred to the Institute. Because it seemed safer to spread their locations out,
rather than to control all seals in one spot. But this has now backfired. Normally, prisoners
entered the Muken unarmed, separated from their Zanpakutou. A slight weakening in the
seals shouldn’t allow them to escape. But Azashiro was different. He had always been in
Bankai mode. His Zanpakutou had never been taken. The seal had weakened enough for
him to be able to control the outside slightly. Hirako mentions one concern: Azashiro could
use his powers to release Aizen and the other Muken prisoners. Yoruichi assumes he won’t.
His aim isn’t to cause destruction or chaos, — "Isn’t that right, Azashiro Kenpachi?"
Azashiro slowly melts into the room. Yamamoto asks him how he, Azashiro Souya, dare
enter this room (purposely using Azashiro’s real name). Then he asks, — "For you, who
once linked himself to prison, to break out of prison. Tell us what you want." The Captain-
Commander’s sharp tone didn’t seem to affect Azashiro in the slightest. Azashiro is
surprised Yamamoto even bothers to ask him. In the past, Yamamoto would’ve tried to take
him out on the spot. He says he respected Yamamoto for doing anything if it was in Soul
Society’s interest — even if that meant playing the villain’s role. But Kurosaki Ichigo has
changed him. How unfortunate. Yamamoto has no interest in chatter. The other captain can
feel the air in the room starting to sting as his reiryoku rises. Azashiro says his goal hasn’t
changed. He doesn’t mean to bring harm to Soul Society. He simply wants to fulfil his
mission as Shinigami, that’s all.
— "As a foothold to the complete annihilation of Hollows… I will first "deal with" the Arrancar
who has half its face covered with a skull. That’s all." Kyouraku interjects that Azashiro’s
answer isn’t exactly persuasive. And what is he planning to do with the Arrancars powers?
(Having met her, Kyouraku was the only one who knew which Arrancar Azashiro was
referring to.) Azashiro confirms that it’s true that the Ryoka attack accidentally helped him
regain his powers, but he hasn’t colluded with the Ryoka. Even so, if he can take in the girl’s
powers, it’ll bring great benefit to Soul Society and the Human World. If possible, he wants
to work together with her. Yamamoto asks what "benefit" he’s referring to.
— "The eradication of Hollows and the mediation of spirits. I’ll purify Hueco Mundo and I’ll
slightly alter the hearts of the people in the Human World. That’s all. Resentment, greed,
instinct — those obsessions destroy the chains of the Plus and they become the seeds that
create Hollows. I’ll remove those, that’s all. They also teach this in Human World studies: In
the Human World, you have something called psychosurgery." Psychosurgery. Also known
as lobotomy. A healing art where they remove parts of the brain in an attempt to heal
mental illness. It has many side-effects and is no longer in practice in the Human World. But
Azashiro felt no problem raising it as example. Azashiro says he intends to do something
similar. He’ll improve part of the brains and spirits of humans in order to remove all those
things which can lead to the birth of Hollows. Eventually, no one will ever need to go to Hell
again.
His words could easily be reworded to "remaking mankind." Hirako was the first to react,
"Are you an idiot?" Even if he did, it would take forever. Does he know how many billions of
people exist? But Azashiro counters that if he had the female Hollow’s powers, he could do it
in one year. The blink of an eye in the life of a Shinigami. Although the captains didn’t know
the exact nature of this Hollow’s powers, they assumed — based on Azashiro’s words — that
her powers would increase Azashiro’s "fusion" power immensely. Hitsugaya says it’s ironic
for Azashiro to borrow a Hollow’s power even though he hates them. Azashiro corrects him.
He doesn’t hate Hollows. He just sees them as beings that need to be purified. Yamamoto
says Soul Society and the Human World are two sides of the same coin. Azashiro’s plan
lacks respect towards the Human World. It also lacks respect towards the justice that his
predecessors in Soul Society have built up. Azashiro counters that respect is a pointless
burden. — "The Shinigami should merely be a gear that keeps the world spinning, nothing
more. Including me." Then, noticing that his explanation has been a waste of time,
considering everyone disagrees with him, Azashiro heaves a sigh and disappears again,
fusing into the air.
Chapter 9 (p239-257) — 1 hour ago | Karakura Town, Tsubakidai, Matsukura

Hospital site
Why am I alive? This thought was on the mind of the masked female Arrancar, Roca
Paramia, as she stood on the roof of an abandoned hospital. Her master, Szayel, had told
her, "Don’t think you have any will of your own. When you aren’t useful to me, you are the
same as those roca over there. …Ah, that’s the perfect name for you." That’s how he had
named her — a spider-type Adjuchas — right before Aizen had turned her into an Arrancar.
She was a tool and yet she had a "self". Why was she alive? Roca was the result of Szayel’s
experiment in which he intertwined countless souls together and artificially created a Menos
Grande. Her life was supposed to end as foil against Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, but he had
spared her. She figured Szayel would end her life anyway. She felt relieved. This meant she
would no longer have to think about her own existence. But Szayel had gotten a new idea
after watching Kuruyashiki’s death. He would continue to experiment on her for another 200
years. Her body would be chopped up endlessly. He eventually gave her anesthesia when he
grew tired of her screams.
In the end, she got a new power. The power to connect with all matter via her Negacion
threads, and to share reiryoku and information. She felt happy to be useful to her master.
But it didn’t last long. After Szayel perfected his own ability, Gabriel, he no longer had any
interest in Roca. She had once again lost her reason of existence. In the end she did chores
and worked as nurse for the other Arrancars as Szayel’s Fraccion. She had met all the other
Espada, but none of them had needed her either. When she worked as nurse for Yammy, he
smashed her head in. She should’ve died. By becoming an Arrancar, she had lost the Hollow
ability of High-Speed Regeneration. But what laid at the heart of her ability was "Backup" —
external storage. Duplicating her own soul and memories, she could pull those from her
body whenever something happened to revive herself. As part of his research on
immortality, Szayel had connected himself to her "threads", constantly backing up his
memories inside her. Or, to be more exact, he had dispersed information to all matter in
Hueco Mundo (stones, quartz trees etc.) via her body. But then he achieved Gabriel. He
didn’t need her backups anymore to resurrect himself. Even so, he didn’t kill her. He let her
exist as some handy memo pad.
Through countless experiments, Roka had joint her soul with a large part of Hueco Mundo.
When she was about to die from getting her head smashed in, the information she had
dispersed in the stones, quartz trees and the palace’s walls regurgitated via her threads,
regenerating her body, soul and memories. After a long time, her broken body was
reconstructed. And she knew. While she had been busy being put back together, Aizen had
left Hueco Mundo and Szayel had been killed by a Shinigami. Without any purpose, she
wandered and wandered. She also visited Karakura Town, the town which her master and
Aizen had often monitored. But she found no purpose there either. Her Negacion threads
connected with everything around her, automatically. That’s why she’d frequently join her
soul with the matter of the Human World, becoming faintly visible even to humans without
reikan. She was empty. So empty. And then she heard her master’s voice, — "Can you hear
me, fool?"
She didn’t know that her Negacion threads had kept sending information about Hueco
Mundo into her while she was restoring herself. And so, she had continued spinning thread,
creating her master’s persona in her giant network of stored information. The voice talked
about needing a new body. But he wanted a suitable body. And so she returned to being
Szayel’s tool. Freedom meant nothing to her anyway. She wanted purpose. Back to the
present: A hero has appeared before her. She could run, but this man wasn’t a Shinigami,
Quincy or Hollow — the things Szayel had told her run away from. She didn’t move. She
didn’t talk either. But the man grabbed her hand and said, — "Beautiful lady, rest assure, I
am your ally. Please tell me, Don Kanonji, the reason behind your sad eyes."
Chapter 10 (p258-278) — Soul Society, Research And Development Institute

— "Look, look!" Torue, a female Development Institute member, shows her price in her
arms to the others: one of the Pikaro. She had captured it while playing tag with Yoruichi
and Kuukaku. It was asleep, under anaesthesia. — "Wait a minute!!" Kon appears from
under some rumble, complaining about the difference in treatment. Why wasn’t he captured
via Torue’s "sweet" trap? He throws himself at her, but she sends him flying. Torue asks
Akon where Mayuri is. Apparently he’s on minor business (he took Nemu with him). They
couldn’t contact him about the captain meeting because there are no communication lines
where he’s heading.
— Somewhere inside the Garganta

Hollows use the Garganta as a pathway. And the Szayel-lookalike, who has created "a
room" in that space, is staring at the corpse of Szayelaporro Granz with a frown. Why can’t
he merge with it? Did Mayuri alter his corpse in some way? He grabs a scalpel, ready to
dissect his own corpse, when Mayuri and Nemu appear behind him. Mayuri tells him it’s not
nice to mangle other people’s experiments. In turn, the Ryoka praises Mayuri for having
found him here in the Garganta. — "By the way, who are you?" Mayuri’s question annoys
him. Who is he? He’s Szayelaporro Granz! His nemesis sighs and changes the question, —
"Well then, what are you?" Is he joking? Or had he already forgotten Szayel’s name? —
"Hundred years. After administering the superhuman drug to Szayelaporro Granz, at least a
hundred years should’ve passed inside him before being penetrated by my blade. Did you
experience that passage of time?" What?
— "I took a tiny part of your reishi from your soul. I’ve already confirmed that your soul has
passed the gates of Hell." Mayuri asks him if he escaped from Hell. If so, then he’d definitely
like to know more. The Ryoka is in shock. It feels as if he can see a row of locked doors in
the back of his brain. This can’t be… — "It seems my guess was correct. Tell me, when did
you first start thinking you were Szayelaporro Granz?" This can’t be true! The Ryoka tries to
flee via the "threads", but Mayuri tells him he already cut the Ryoka off from the Negacion
threads before entering the room. Mayuri tells him he could still run by foot, though. Mayuri
won’t give chase — he’s not interested in him anymore, knowing that his guess was correct.
— "You’re not Szayelaporro Granz. You’re just… a lump of reishi of incompletely duplicated
memories and information. You’re just a computer virus in the masked woman’s web." Yes,
that masked woman, that’s who Mayuri is interested in now. The Ryoka is insulted. He’s
below his own tool!? He’s below Roca!? ("Oh, that’s her name? I’ll write that on her name
tag later.")
The Ryoka falls silent, thinks and then… accepts the facts. And when he does, a certain
"chain" inside him is released. His reiatsu swells up. Mayuri turns to him, but the Ryoka is
already gone. Leaving a giant hole in the room. Mayuri orders Nemu to measure the
residual reiatsu. The results interest him. The figure exceeds the reiatsu of Yammy Llargo —
the strongest Espada with the number 0.
— Somewhere in the Rukongai

The Pikaro are missing one member. They can’t sense him. They guess that means he’s
inside Seireitei. Should they save him? The opinions are divided. They need to hurry up or
they’ll lose to Don! Although they now consist out of more than a hundred children, the
Pikaro used to be one Adjuchas. Long ago, there was a human community. All the
caretakers had died and only the children had been left. Those children eventually died by
starvation and became earth-bound spirits. No Shinigami appeared to send them to Soul
Society. And so, they eventually turned into Hollows. They started eating each other, and
one Hollow was left victorious. Having filled his empty stomach, some of his reason returned
and he realised what he had done. The Hollow wandered Hueco Mundo and the Human
World, in search for the friends he had eaten. He eventually evolved into a Menos, a Gillian
and then into a Adjuchas. The Adjuchas — having now regained intelligence to a degree —
would look for other earth-bound spirits of children. He’d propose to become friends. And
after they had turned into Hollows, he’d feed them with part of his own body, believing
there would be no more fighting as long as their empty stomachs were filled. Eventually
these Hollows also evolved into Gillians and then into Adjuchas, possessing the same power
as him.
And after becoming Szayel’s experiment subjects, they were named the Pikaro — a group of
childrentype Hollows. The wish of "wanting friends" had been granted. A Garganta opens
above the Pikaro and the Szayel-lookalike appears. They greet him as Szayelaporro. They
realise he was the reiatsu they had sensed when they met Roca in Hueco Mundo earlier. The
Szayel-lookalike asks if half of the Pikaro will play a game with him. They agree. What will
they play? King’s game? Treasure hunt? The man says they’ll indeed look for a treasure.
And they’ll use that treasure to create a king. Once that’s done, they’ll look for Roca
Paramia. He gives a sinister smile. The unrest which he had felt during his meeting with
Mayuri is long gone. The Pikaro don’t notice how the 8 on the man’s body fades. And how
the number 100 appears on his left eyeball.
Epilogue (p279-291) — 11th Division Barracks

The 11th Division. The division most specialised in battle. In the past, when Kuruyashiki
Kenpachi was captain, the Division was seen as a group of brilliant military men and
women. After Kiganjou Kenpachi came on, the Division got its image as a bunch of crude
bandits. Nowadays there were hardly any women in their ranks, aside from vice-captain
Kusajishi Yachiru. Yumichika has lost his Zanpakutou. But rather than looking down on him,
his fellow division members were merely interested in the strong man who had managed to
beat their 5th Seat. Yumichika and Ikkaku exchange some words. Ikkaku understands
Yumichika’s frustration. Just remembering how Ichigo once healed his wounds during their
fight still ticks him off. Why did Azashiro steal Kujaku? Yumichika thinks it might have to do
with Kujaku’s abilities. But he can’t share this guess. After all, he’s hiding the truth behind
Kujaku’s powers. But he’s worried. Very worried. Outside the barracks, they hear the faint
sound of bells ringing. It draws closer and Zaraki Kenpachi enters the barracks.
Zaraki asks Yumichika about his fight with the Muken escapee. Yumichika says that
technically it wasn’t really a fight — they didn’t even cross swords. Yumichika tries to
explain something about Azashiro’s abilities, but Ikkaku stops him, telling him not to pull a
face like he’s about to die. Zaraki follows this up by stating that he doesn’t want to know his
opponent’s weakness. That’d be boring. Yumichika realises he was worried for nothing.
These men want to enjoy battle. That’s all. And Zaraki just wants to know one thing, "Is he
strong?" He smiles when Yumichika answers yes. The Captain-Commander has ordered him
to go to Karakura Town to find a female Arrancar with a skull on her face. Zaraki doesn’t
really understand why, but… the Captain-Commander told him he could fight to the death
with this Azashiro guy once he did. ~~ And so, three devils turns their eyes to Karakura
Town. Azashiro Kenpachi, the Szayel-lookalike and Zaraki Kenpachi. To find one frail,
masked, female Arrancar. But she has a hero on her side.
[Continues in Spirits Are Forever With You II]

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Spirits Are Forever With You I

Chapter 1 (p12-20) — Present day | Karakura Town, Tokyo Metropolitan Area

Chapter 2 (p21-47) — 250 years ago | Soul Society, somewhere in Rukongai

— Several hours later

— Somewhere in Hueco Mundo

Chapter 3 (p48-67) — Present day, Hueco Mundo

— At the same time | In the Garganta, at unknown coordinates

Chapter 5 (p88-127) — Soul Society, Research And Development Institute, under

— Research And Development Institute

— Rukongai, Western Area, White Road Gate

— Rukongai, somewhere in the Western Area

— 3 minutes earlier, Research And Development Institute

Chapter 6 (p128-150)— Research And Development Institute

— Soul Society, somewhere in Seireitei

— North Seireitei, Black Ridge Gate

— Underground Prison, lowest level, 8th prison: Muken

Chapter 7 (p151-171) — Half a day later, morning | Karakura Town

— 10 minutes later | In front of Urahara Shop

— Several minutes later | On the road

— Karakura Town, Mashiba Area, Sunflower Sewing Shop

— Several hours later

Chapter 8 (p172-238) — Soul Society, Seireitei’s shopping district, in front of the

— Several minutes later | Somewhere in Seireitei

— In front of the Silver Dragonfly

— Somewhere in West Rukongai

— In front of the Silver Dragonfly

— 30 minutes later | 1st Division Barracks

— At the same time | Somewhere in Seireitei, the ruins of an execution site

— 1st Division Barracks

— The ruins of the execution site

— 1st Division Barracks

— Present time, 1st Division Barracks

Chapter 9 (p239-257) — 1 hour ago | Karakura Town, Tsubakidai, Matsukura

exist as some handy memo pad.

Chapter 10 (p258-278) — Soul Society, Research And Development Institute

— Somewhere inside the Garganta

— Somewhere in the Rukongai

Epilogue (p279-291) — 11th Division Barracks

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