Patros's Rebellion

 is an event taking place during the Arrancar Invasion in Karakura Town, revolving around a trio of rogue Arrancar defecting from Sōsuke Aizen by taking the Hōgyoku for themselves in a bid to gain ultimate power.

Prelude
Within Las Noches in Hueco Mundo, Patros walks down a hallway and opens the door to a chamber containing Sōsuke Aizen's throne and the Hōgyoku, with a smiling Aizen sitting on the throne. However, when Patros walks over to the throne from behind, he sees that it is empty and smirks at this prior to turning to the Hōgyoku on its exposed platform, which he notes is in the place he expected it to be. Before Patros can take the Hōgyoku, Ulquiorra Cifer appears in the doorway behind him and questions what he is doing.

When Ulquiorra reminds Patros that this is a place he should not be entering without Aizen's permission, Patros states that he does not like how Ulquiorra always says the same thing, and when Ulquiorra questions what he is talking about, Patros clarifies that he referring to Ulquiorra and the other Espada revering Aizen as their master even though he is a Shinigami, something Patros finds unpleasant because he does not understand why Hollows like them should take orders from a Shinigami.

Patros elaborates that it is in their nature to consume Souls and crush Shinigami, something he does not see the point in abandoning, before angrily questioning why they should have their freedom taken away for someone like Aizen and moving next to Ulquiorra with Sonído to slam the side of his fist into the wall next to Ulquiorra's head, cratering it upon impact. Bringing up how Ulquiorra should know that Aizen continuously used Hollows like them and Grand Fisher in his experiments, Patros responds to Ulquiorra bluntly wondering why this matters by asserting that this place has changed ever since Aizen showed up.

After Patros refuses to follow Aizen and begins walking back toward the Hōgyoku, he suggests that he and Ulquiorra use the Hōgyoku to control the world, but Ulquiorra disparages this idea since Patros cannot even become an Espada. Upon realizing that he cannot gain Ulquiorra's support, Patros notes that he has no choice as Menis suddenly slashes through a shocked Ulquiorra's upper back and disappears with Sonído when Ulquiorra swings his hand at Menis prior to Aldegor shoving his Zanpakutō through Ulquiorra's chest from behind, with Patros revealing that he already has two supporters aligned with him.

Once Aldegor pulls out his Zanpakutō and moves back with Sonído, Patros moves in front of Ulquiorra with Sonído and partially draws his own Zanpakutō prior to replying to Ulquiorra cursing him by calling this unfortunate and slashing vertically through Ulquiorra's left side, leading the latter to collapse in a shower of blood. Rejoining Menis and Aldegor, Patros observes that the Espada have truly fallen and admits that he held no animosity toward Ulquiorra while Menis comments on how easy this was and Aldegor calls Ulquiorra pathetic. Turning around to pick up the Hōgyoku, Patros vows to make Aizen regret strengthening them and to become the king.

Leaving for Business
Meanwhile, outside the Urahara Shop in Karakura Town in the Human World, Kisuke Urahara stands next to Tessai Tsukabishi and Yasutora Sado in front of 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai, Jinta Hanakari, Ururu Tsumugiya, Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba, whom Urahara tells to take care while they are away and Tessai instructs to eat three meals a day as well as to brush their teeth after every meal. When Jinta wonders why they are taking Sado with them if they are just stocking up, Urahara claims that this is so Sado can relax.

Urahara elaborates that Sado will burn out if he continues to focus solely on training and that he needs to get some fresh air every now and then as Sado affirms that he appreciates Urahara's consideration even if he wants to continue training. With Renji requesting that he bring Sado back soon since there are still a lot of things that they have to do, Urahara observes that Renji is short-tempered as usual and promises that it will be alright prior to walking away with Tessai and Sado, leaving Ririn to assert that the Urahara Shop can be left to them and Kurōdo to wish them a nice trip, though Ririn notes afterward that Urahara is very good at this.

When Kurōdo asks her about what she means, Ririn points out how he is going to make Sado carry a lot of things despite saying that this is about Sado getting time to relax, surprising Ururu as Kurōdo concludes that they will be able to bring back a lot more at once than usual if Sado is with them. Suddenly, an annoyed Jinta questions how much they plan on bringing back when they do not sell that much in the Urahara Shop to begin with, which Ururu warns him not to say prior to an alerted Tessai running back to the entrance of the Urahara Shop, grabbing an alarmed Jinta by the shoulders, and demanding to know if he said something. With Ririn staring in shock at a screaming Jinta, Kurōdo observes that they should be careful about what they say.

Later, at the Urahara Shop, Renji lies on his back in his Gigai on the raised platform of the main room and yawns before apologizing and sitting up when Ururu kneels next to him with a rag and requests that he move so she can continue cleaning. With Renji admitting that he does not know what to do when he has free time like this, Ururu comes over to him with a feather duster and tells him to move again. As Renji stands up, Jinta stop sweeping the floor and berates him for not training for the upcoming battle, but Renji counters that he already knows this without Jinta bringing it up prior to Ururu asking him to move once more.

While Renji sits on a nearby display so Ururu can sweep the area where he was standing with a push broom, Jinta criticizes him as being useless when he is not fighting and demands to know if an irritated Renji wants to fight when the latter tells him to repeat what he just said. During this, Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba sit on the roof of the Urahara Shop, where Kurōdo comments on what a nice day it is and Noba concurs with him. When Ririn asserts that it is boring without Ichigo Kurosaki and relishes in how fun it is to tease him, Kurōdo wonders if cursing at him was her way of teasing him, which Ririn confirms due to his serious reactions making them fun.

Arrancar Confrontation
However, Kurōdo states that he believed they were having a lovers' quarrel, and though a blushing Ririn denies this, Kurōdo picks up on her wishing that Ichigo would come by once in a while by pointing out how she seems to be very worried about him and Noba agrees with this, causing a furiously blushing Ririn to claim that it is not like this and knock them away with her arms. Suddenly, the three of them experience a powerful Reiatsu, which they are startled by the appearance of, and a Garganta opens in the sky above to reveal Patros, Menis, and Aldegor standing within as the latter two grin ferociously.

Around Karakura Town, 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto, 11th Division 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame, and 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa are alerted to a confirmed Arrancar presence appearing in Karakura Town by Rin Tsubokura and move out. Upon being told that the Arrancar presence is at coordinates 3800, Hitsugaya acknowledges this and requests a Gentei Kaijo, only for Rin to inform him that they have already simplified the procedure for this and that he should receive permission for it soon, leaving Hitsugaya to muse on how easy they have made it.

Leaping into the air, Hitsugaya contacts Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika through his Denreishinki and inquires about whether they can hear him, which leads Rangiku to affirm this while Ikkaku observes that it is going to get fun again and Yumichika concludes that it might be troublesome too prior to all three of them jumping into the air as well. Meanwhile, Renji lands on the ground near a park in his Shinigami form and tells the others to go on ahead of him since he is the furthest from the Arrancar. In the air above them, an amused Menis realizes that the Shinigami have quickly noticed them and are coming this way.

When Aldegor comments on how weak they seem to be and requests orders from him, Patros tells him and Menis to handle the Shinigami since he does not want them to interfere with his investigation even though they do not seem to be very powerful, and when Aldegor questions if there is really someone in Karakura Town who knows how to use the Hōgyoku, Patros reminds him they have come here to find out because it is just a sphere if they have only obtained it and do not know how to use it. After concluding the real battle will be when someone from Las Noches comes after them, Patros tells Menis and Aldegor to act swiftly before they depart with Sonído.

Elsewhere, Hitsugaya moves through the air with Rangiku and warns her that the Arrancar are close as they land in an empty lot and are joined by Ikkaku and Yumichika prior to Menis and Aldegor appearing before them. Bemused by the cockiness of the Shinigami, Menis draws his Zanpakutō and activates his Resurrección, Erizo, causing his Reiatsu to surge in intensity while he gains a mane of red fur encompassing a mask covering his entire face, two segmented tendril-like sheathes over his arms, carapace-like armor, and a long, segmented tail. Aldegor declares that the difference in their power is self-evident and that he does not need to take them seriously.

However, Aldegor notes that they do not have time and need the Shinigami to die here prior to drawing his own Zanpakutō and activating his Resurrección, Jabalí, which results in his orange Reiatsu surging over Menis and the intimidated Shinigami. Simultaneously, Kon walks down a street and complains about how bored he has been ever since Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue went to Soul Society before searching the surrounding area for a beautiful woman he can worship and pointing into the air above as a direction he might find one in. Suddenly, Patros appears in the air where Kon is pointing, to his mortification.

Upon noticing Kon, Patros disdainfully wonders who he is and moves closer to a panicking Kon, who introduces himself. Back in the air above the empty lot, a panting and sweating Hitsugaya stands before Menis with his Zanpakutō drawn and comments on this being the power of his release, which leads Menis to confirm that this is his true form and declare that he is going to finish this all at once prior to extending his tendril arms toward Hitsugaya, who evades upward at the last second and releases his Shikai, Hyōrinmaru, to create a large ice dragon from his blade that hurtles downward toward a cackling Menis.

However, when Menis easily shatters the ice dragon with his tendrils and attacks Hitsugaya with them once more, Rangiku moves in front of Hitsugaya with Shunpo and deflects the two tendrils with a swing of her Zanpakutō. With Rangiku angrily lunging forward between the tendrils in an attempt to stab him, Menis proclaims that this is useless and brings his tail down onto her from above, forcing a startled Rangiku to block with her Zanpakutō. During this, an intrigued Ikkaku stands before Aldegor, who has gained large white armor over his arms and chest as well as six thick, arching appendages curving over him from his back.

As Aldegor laughs maniacally about this being his true power, Ikkaku tells Yumichika that this is going to be his fight, and after apologizing to Yumichika when the latter complains about Ikkaku preventing him from fighting once again, Ikkaku releases his Shikai, Hōzukimaru, and leaps in front of Aldegor, who criticizes Ikkaku as foolish for fighting him alone. When Ikkaku rapidly spins Hōzukimaru and begins jabbing it repeatedly at him, Aldegor arranges the appendages on his back in front of his body in an inward-pointing circular arrangement, blocking all of Ikkaku's strikes with their Hierro until Ikkaku moves back.

Ikkaku observes the Arrancar always have such tough skin and thrusts Hōzukimaru forward once more, but Aldegor covers his body with the appendages by arranging them in a half-spherical shape around him and sends Ikkaku flying back by quickly opening them outward once the latter's attack is blocked again. Simultaneously, Renji runs down a street and is startled to see Kon lying defeated on top of a streetlight. After Renji gets him down and bluntly wakes him up while holding him upside-down by the leg, Kon tells him a man with strong Reiatsu suddenly appeared and points down the street when Renji demands to know where he went.

With Renji shocked by what this could mean, Patros appears in front of the Urahara Shop with Sonído and smirks as he begins walking toward it. Suddenly, Jinta and Ururu slide the front doors open and point their Muteki Tekkon and Senren Bakusatsu Taihō at Patros while the Mod-Souls stand behind them. Though Jinta asserts that this is no place for Arrancar to come and Ririn warns him that terrible things will happen to him if he does not stop, Patros continues approaching them, to Ririn's alarm, and Kurōdo wonders what they should do, prompting Noba to remind them that they cannot take on someone so powerful in their current forms.

Kurōdo interprets this as them needing to retreat and runs away, forcing Ririn and Noba to follow him as Patros stops outside and brings up how he heard someone here knows how to use the Hōgyoku, startling Jinta and Ururu, before stating that he would like to meet this person. However, Renji steps in behind Patros and declares that he is not here, and after Renji identifies himself at his request, Patros asks him where the person who knows how to use the Hōgyoku is, which leads Renji to clarify that he has gone out. In turn, Patros decides to simply wait for his return, but Renji draws his Zanpakutō and refuses to let him to so.

Once Renji reveals that he has been tasked with looking after the shop, Patros admits that simply waiting would be boring anyway and challenges Renji to get the battle started as Renji releases his Shikai, Zabimaru, and extends it toward Patros, only for the latter to dodge with Sonído, leaving Zabimaru to crash into the main room of the Urahara Shop and break several objects inside, to Jinta's annoyance. When Renji sees him standing in the air above and jumps up to attack him again, a yelling Patros exerts his Reiatsu, stunning Renji into stopping in midair and forcing Ururu to her knees, which results in Jinta taking her inside the Urahara Shop.

With Patros claiming that it does not matter if they hide and questioning what Renji plans to do since the Urahara Shop will immediately be crushed if they fight here, Renji exerts his own Reiatsu and denies this since the shrewdness of Urahara himself means that it should not be so easy. As Renji concludes that he just needs to finish the fight before this happens, Patros whirls around and invites him to try while gripping his own Zanpakutō, which Renji grins at. Down in the Urahara Shop, a concerned Ururu asks Jinta about what they should do, prompting Jinta to proclaim that they have to fight despite Ururu's uncertainty.

Suddenly, the doors behind them slide open to reveal Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba in their Gigai bodies, to Jinta's surprise. Walking forward with Noba, Ririn asserts that they are going out first so they can assist Renji and Kurōdo brings up how they cannot keep hiding due to being freeloaders, leaving Jinta impressed. Back outside, Patros exerts his yellow Reiatsu, and after a startled Renji exerts his own red Reiatsu in turn, causing their respective Reiatsu to form tall pillars, the two of them move forward and clash perpendicularly. After separating from Patros, Renji swings an extended Zabimaru toward him, but Patros evades with Sonído.

Reappearing behind Renji, Patros criticizes him for being too slow and punches Renji in the back, only to be caught off-guard when Renji recovers mid-fall and sends Zabimaru hurting toward him again, forcing Patros to deflect it with a jab of his right hand and note that the scuff marks it left on his hand and sleeve mean that Renji is at least a little capable, though Renji insists that he is better than this. In response, Patros decides to use his Zanpakutō even though he did not intend to show it to the likes of Renji and grasps its handle as a circle of wind gathers around him, with Renji assuming a battle stance as well.

Despite encouraging a smirking Patros to attack, Renji is left shocked when Patros quickly unsheathes, slashes, and sheathes his Zanpakutō in a single fluid motion, creating a powerful blast of yellow energy that slams into Renji and sends him crashing down into the ground in front of the Urahara Shop. As he stands above a gasping Renji, Patros calls him weak and explains that he has twenty levels to that attack, with the one he just used being the lowest and weakest, Level One, which he intended as a gesture of respect toward Renji, before concluding that Renji is nothing if he cannot even keep up with such a weak attack.

Mod-Soul Intervention
Renji claims that he just let down his guard a little and struggles to get up with Zabimaru, but Patros simply tells him to take this once more and unleashes his Level One energy blast with another rapid slash that crashes into the crater Renji created in the ground, obscuring it with a cloud of dust. However, an unimpressed Patros is surprised when Noba brings Renji, Ririn, and Kurōdo out of a portal behind him, and when Ririn declares that it will not be this easy, Patros demands to know who they are, which leads Kurōdo to state that they are also watching over the Urahara Shop while Ririn tells Patros that he will pay unless he leaves.

Though Renji attempts to discourage them from joining the fight, Ririn insists that they will do so and Kurōdo tells Renji that it is the job of a freeloader to defend the household at a time like this, with Noba concluding that they will not do anything rash as Ririn laughs and an exasperated Renji tells them to not say he did not warn them. Once the three Mod-Souls leap away, an astonished Patros finds himself standing on solid ground that quickly parts underneath him, causing him to fall several dozen feet and slam into the ground further below. As Patros looks around in confusion, he sees Renji attacking him with an extended Zabimaru once more.

When Patros jumps into the air to evade Zabimaru, Ririn comes down on him with a large ball of pink energy formed between her hands that she hits him in the back with, resulting in Patros falling into a Wormhole created by Noba that deposits him back on the ground, where a circle of energy forms a barrier around him and the ground he is standing on while the rest falls away around him. Upon being told by Ririn that Patros has been forced inside the barrier, Kurōdo shapeshifts into Renji and joins him in running toward Patros despite Renji finding this duplication unnerving, leaving Patros to stare in bewilderment at them jumping off the walls.

Suddenly, with Renji and Kurōdo attacking him from opposite sides in unison, Patros demands that they not underestimate him and rapidly slashes the barrier with his Zanpakutō, causing it to fade and the ground in front of him to rupture into chunks of rock that intercept Renji's slash with Zabimaru. After catching an attacking Kurōdo's Zabimaru by the tip of its blade, Patros points out how the difference in his and Renji's Reiatsu is obvious even if he looks like the latter and punches Kurōdo away, causing him to return to his normal form. With Ririn lunging toward him from behind, Patros grabs her by the throat and throws her to the ground next to Kurōdo.

Angered by Ririn tricking him with illusions upon seeing the surrounding rocky area fade to reveal the Urahara Shop, Patros tells her and Kurōdo to die and fires another energy blast at them, but Noba leaps in front of them and absorbs the blast with his shield, to Patros's annoyance. Firing a second blast, which Noba is barely able to withstand, a chuckling Patros fires three more and wonders how long Noba will be able to last, with Noba collapsing after the fifth blast. Before Patros can deliver the finishing blow, Renji extends Zabimaru from the dust cloud directly next to Patros's head, startling him, and promises that he will not let this happen.

As Renji retracts Zabimaru, Patros appears upside-down in the air above him with Sonído and muses that Renji does not seem to understand what Patros means even when told prior to unleashing a Level Two blast that slams into the lot in front of the Urahara Shop, creating a dust cloud nearly as tall as the surrounding buildings, and declaring that this is still just the beginning. During this, in the park where he and Yammy Llargo crashed down, Ulquiorra appears in the air with Sonído and looks down emotionlessly. Back in Las Noches, Aizen enters his throne room and releases his Shikai, Kyōka Suigetsu, causing the body of Ulquiorra and its blood to shimmer and disappear in a burst of light before Aizen sheathes his Zanpakutō and sits on his throne.

Commenting on how elaborate this was, Gin Ichimaru emerges from the doorway and enters the throne room as well. Gin asserts that Aizen should have simply killed Patros, Menis, and Aldegor as soon as he became aware of their plot instead of fooling them into believing that they had killed Ulquiorra with Kyōka Suigetsu and letting them take the Hōgyoku out of Las Noches, and when Aizen reveals that he has something else for Ulquiorra to take care of, Gin offers to do it instead if Aizen gives him the order, but Aizen concludes that this would be a boring method to use and simply smirks at Gin's confusion.

Meanwhile, at nighttime in Karakura Town, Patros stands before the Urahara Shop, which has had its left side heavily damaged by his last attack, and glares expectantly at the rubble. Suddenly, Ururu Tsumugiya stands up and fires a blast from her Senren Bakusatsu Taihō at Patros, only to be shocked when it is blocked by a spherical barrier of his Reiatsu surrounding his body. After chastising Ururu for this, Jinta springs off her head with his right hand and attempts to perform Jinta Home-Run by coming down on Patros with an overhead strike of his Muteki Tekkon, though he is also repelled by the barrier.

With a concerned Ururu dropping her Senren Bakusatsu Taihō and rushing to Jinta's side, Patros asks them about when the person who knows about the Hōgyoku will return since he is beginning to get bored. In response, 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai emerges from the rubble nearby and declares that he will return when a show-off like Patros is dead. As Renji assures Jinta and Ururu that he is somewhat alright, Patros acknowledges this and tells Renji that it is useless no matter how much he struggles, leading Renji to demand that Jinta and Ururu get Kisuke Urahara and urging them to go when they protest.

Turning the Tables
Once Ururu encourages him to leave, a reluctant Jinta orders Renji to not die and runs off with her, leaving Patros to thank Renji for taking the time to have Urahara brought to him prior to questioning if Renji can survive until then. However, when Patros threatens to unleash his Level Three energy blast, Renji counters that he is cheating by raising the level of his attacks little by little and promises that Patros will be ruined later if he continues to put up such a confident front before causing his Reiatsu to surge by initiating Gentei Kaijo and activating his Bankai, Hihiō Zabimaru, which Patros admits he has not seen one of in a long time.

When Renji sends Hihiō Zabimaru hurtling toward him, Patros fires his energy blast at it and is astonished when Hihiō Zabimaru simply bites through it, crashes into him, and pushes Patros through the ground and into the air, though he claims that it is nothing to him. Eventually, Hihiō Zabimaru smashes through the ground next to the Urahara Shop with Patros still in its jaws and emerges in the Study Chamber beneath the building to slam Patros into the ground therein, where Renji joins it and pulls Hihiō Zabimaru back while telling Patros to wake up since he knows that this attack did not kill him.

Patros emerges from the resulting dust cloud unscathed and observes that this is an interesting area, prompting Renji to assert that they do not have to hold back here and prepare to resume the battle. Elsewhere, shards of ice float through the air as a sweating and panting 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya stands in midair before Menis, who has entered his Resurrección, Erizo. Behind Menis, 10th Division Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto expresses concern for Hitsugaya, whose fatigue is noticed by Menis prior to him calling the five Arrancar who were defeated by the Shinigami Strike Force pathetic.

After extending and whipping his tail out to send Rangiku crashing down into the city below with a single blow, Menis begins rapidly striking Hitsugaya with his tail and arms, forcing the latter to block each attack with his Zanpakutō, as he tauntingly wonders if this is too much for Hitsugaya to handle. Suddenly, Hitsugaya repels Menis's arms and releases his Shikai, Hyōrinmaru, to freeze them solid while they are extended, but when Hitsugaya proclaims that he cannot waste time on Menis when he is not even an Espada, an initially startled Menis warns Hitsugaya to not get cocky with this attack and shatters the ice around his arms.

Simultaneously, in a different part of Karakura Town, the concrete comprising a road is shattered and upturned in a straight path while 11th Division 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame wields his Shikai, Hōzukimaru, and ferociously attacks Aldegor, who has entered his Resurrección, Jabalí, and blocks Ikkaku's slashes with his back appendages between throwing his own punches that Ikkaku evades. Upon being attacked with a two-handed strike by Ikkaku, Aldegor connects his back appendages into a half-sphere that shields his entire body and blocks Ikkaku's strike once more prior to rapidly spinning into a ball underneath the blade.

With Aldegor rocketing forward and into the air, Ikkaku is sent flying back and falls to the ground as Aldegor lands on the street with enough force to crack it and asserts that Ikkaku cannot win no matter how many times he tries. However, 11th Division 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa observes from a streetlight behind Aldegor that he boasts too much for someone who attacks solely by hurling himself at the enemy, which Yumichika finds revolting. After an annoyed Aldegor promises to kill Yumichika next, Ikkaku reprimands him for looking away from his opponent and throws Hōzukimaru blade-first at Aldegor, who shields his face with one of his appendages.

Despite this, Hōzukimaru shatters the tip of the appendage upon impact, leaving Aldegor shocked, and Ikkaku grabs it while noting that he has now gotten one hit in. Back in the Study Chamber, Patros fires a Level Ten energy blast that briefly darkens the surrounding area at Hihiō Zabimaru, which powers through the blast unharmed and roars before slamming into the rock that Patros was standing on just after the latter moves away with Sonído. Sliding back along the ground with strands of his hair falling in front of his face, a stunned Patros watches as Renji declares that he is not fighting seriously yet either.

When Renji points out that Patros is not very strong if this is his Level Ten, Patros criticizes him for getting carried away, to Renji's irritation, and stands up while claiming someone like Renji could never be his opponent because he has been killing Shinigami for many years, only to fall silent upon recalling Aizen on his throne. Picking up on Patros's hesitation, Renji brushes off being told that it is of no concern to him and declares that he cannot ignore Patros calling him an insignificant Shinigami when the latter should not underestimate them. In turn, Patros decides to display his true power out of respect for Renji's fearlessness in the face of death.

Maximum Level, Minimum Camaraderie
With his yellow Reiatsu swirling around him, Patros grasps his sheathed Zanpakutō and activates his Resurrección, Gerifalte, causing his mask to grow to cover all but the top-right section of his head while he gains bulky white armor around his torso and long, hinge-like arms ending in tapered, blade-shaped limbs in large sheath-like constructs, which he calls his maximum level of power. Meanwhile, in the wreckage of the Urahara Shop above, Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba slowly get up, and when Ririn claims that she fell asleep, Kurōdo observes that it is more accurate to say they lost consciousness, which a blushing Ririn angrily denies.

Upon realizing that Renji is not here, Ririn assumes that he has already been defeated, though Kurōdo chastises her for thinking so negatively, and Noba informs them that he can sense Reiatsu coming from the Study Chamber where they will be going, leaving Kurōdo surprised that they are going while Ririn firmly concurs. Down in the Study Chamber, a yelling Renji sends Hihiō Zabimaru hurtling toward Patros, who swings up his right arm and fires a powerful yellow energy blast from it. Upon attempting to bite through the blast, Hihiō Zabimaru is instead send reeling back by it and smashes into multiple rocks while flailing about.

As a startled Renji pulls Hihiō Zabimaru back to him, Patros sarcastically apologizes and reveals that he cannot control his power in this form, to Renji's surprise, before observing that this is the end of his method of passing the time and vowing to hit Renji next time. With Renji demanding that Patros not underestimate him, Patros announces that he is beginning his next attack and withdraws his right arm from its sheath again to fire another powerful blast, which Renji has Hihiō Zabimaru charge headlong into, only for the latter to repelled by the sheer force of the blast and separate into segments, allowing the blast to engulf Renji.

During this, Jinta and Ururu run through a forest with Urahara, Tessai Tsukabishi, and Yasutora Sado, and when the latter wonders if Renji is okay, Urahara assures him that Renji will not be defeated so easily and Tessai bluntly states that he is more worried about the Urahara Shop's condition than he is about Renji's safety. However, when they reach a clearing leading to the local park, Jinta and the others stop and stare in astonishment upon seeing Ulquiorra Cifer standing in front of the crater that he and Yammy Llargo crashed down into, which leads Ulquiorra to look over his shoulder at them dispassionately.

Back in the Study Chamber, the dust clears to reveal that Renji blocked most of Patros's blast with a segment of Hihiō Zabimaru, though he has been left with head injuries, and he responds to Patros noting this by proclaiming that it is not over yet, which Patros affirms. Behind two rocks several meters away from Renji and Patros, the Mod-Souls express concern for Renji prior to Noba stating that it will be dangerous if he continues to fight and Ririn confirming this. When asked by Renji about what he plans to do with the Hōgyoku, Patros calmly asserts that he will gain control of all worlds with its power.

With Renji questioning if this means means that he is rebelling against Aizen, Patros furiously declares that he refuses to accept the latter, prompting Renji to deduce that the Arrancar army is not so unified after all, and concludes that a Shinigami should never become the ruler of Hueco Mundo. Suddenly, the ceiling above Patros is broken through in two areas while a wounded Menis, now in his sealed state, emerges from one of the resulting dust clouds. After Patros questions why he is in such a pathetic state, Menis points to Aldegor, who is still in his Resurrección and lean against a nearby rock in exhaustion with a head wound.

As Aldegor warns Patros that pursuers could come at any moment and inquires about whether he knows how to use the Hōgyoku yet, to Renji's confusion, Menis approaches tells Patros and tells him that he is wasting time on Renji, but is cut off when ice begins forming on his left leg and rapidly grows upward to encase a terrified Menis's entire body before shattering and leaving nothing behind. Next to him, Aldegor admits that he somewhat regrets taking up Patros's offer and collapses while he dies from his injuries, leading Renji to realize that Patros knew from the start that there would be sacrifices if he wanted to accomplish his agenda.

Patros affirms this as something that cannot be helped and claims that anyone who could be defeated by a Shinigami will not be useful in furthering his goals. With Patros concluding that he cannot lose to Renji here when he is working to defeat Aizen with the Hōgyoku, Renji proclaims that he has no reason to lose here either and separates the segments of Hihiō Zabimaru to reveal the red Reiatsu glowing between them. Once Patros suggests that they finish this, Renji agrees and sends Hihiō Zabimaru rushing toward Patros once more, which leads the latter to fire another energy blast that explodes in a wide radius upon colliding with Hihiō Zabimaru.

Weakness Discovered
Following Ririn shielding her eyes from this and expressing concern for him, Renji is sent crashing into a rock behind him with Hihiō Zabimaru no longer attached to the hilt in his hand and slides down as Patros congratulates Renji for slightly changing his opinion of Shinigami even though this must come to an end. Despite Renji insisting that he cannot decide this on his own, Patros counters that giving up is important sometimes and wonders if Renji has any last words, only for Renji to remain silent. However, before Patros can deliver the finishing blows, dozens of copies of Renji appear and attack him with Zabimaru, forcing him to block.

Though Patros realizes that each Zabimaru he blocked was illusionary and did not inflict any damage, Kurōdo appears behind him as Renji and cuts through the back of Patros's armor with his Zabimaru while declaring that this one is real, causing an aggravated Patros to turn around and fire an energy blast at Kurōdo, who disappears before it can hit him and reappears in the air above Patros with more clones as they all laugh. With Patros angered by this mockery and leaping up to pursue the scattered Renji clones, Ririn runs over to Renji, who berates the Mod-Souls for following him even though they cannot handle Patros.

Despite this, Ririn asserts that they cannot leave Renji alone and moves under his left arm to help him stand up. Above them, Patros sees dozens of Renji clones appearing and disappearing around him with Shunpo and stops charging a blast with his right arm to unleash a simultaneous blast with both that sweeps through all the illusionary clones, forces Noba to save Kurōdo by teleporting him out of the air, and nearly engulfs Renji and Ririn prior to Noba teleporting them away as well. With a satisfied Patros looking over the large crater left in the ground by his attack, Noba huddles with Kurōdo behind a rock several meters away.

Once Noba brings Renji and Ririn out of the alternate dimension and onto the ground with his hand, Renji reiterates that he told them to stop, but Ririn insists that they are fine and informs Renji that they have discovered Patros's weakness, to Renji's surprise, before confirming that Kurōdo and Noba understand whatthey need to do. As Kurōdo clutches his aching hip, Ririn tells Renji that they will restrain Patros so he can hit the latter with a powerful attack, and though Renji warns her that the Mod-Souls will be in serious danger if they continue fighting, Ririn reminds him that they were made for combat and cannot quit just because they cannot win.

After Ririn concludes that she knows he cannot let it end in a place like this, a smiling Renji accepts this and tells the Mod-Souls to not die. Nearby, Patros questions how long Renji and the Mod-Souls are going to keep hiding from him, prompting Ririn to appear on a rocky outcropping under Patros and claim that they are no longer hiding since they have figured out his attack. Initially startled by this, a laughing Patros calls Ririn a weakling and mocks her for only being able to create illusions, but an annoyed Ririn counters that she does not use a single attack over and over like Patros does and challenges him to use a different technique if he wants to win.

With Patros deciding that he has no choice other than to obliterate her if she is going to go this far, a smirking Ririn internally asserts that he fell for it and begins glowing with pink Reiatsu before creating dozens of illusionary duplicates of herself, Kurōdo, and Noba all around Patros, who yells the command "Burst Forth" while his right arm begins generating energy within its sheathe, resulting in a vertical surge of energy that releases a massive explosion when he withdraws it and wipes out all of the duplicates. As Ririn is sent flying back by this, Patros calls her foolish and begins to sheathe his arm, but Kurōdo is teleported in and grabs it.

While Kurōdo struggles to hold a shocked Patros's arm in place, Ririn gets to her feet and states that Patros is the foolish one because he relies on iaido and always resheathes his weapon immediately after drawing it and firing energy blasts, which means that he is storing energy in his sheath and simply using his weapon as a trigger to release the energy, consequently preventing him from attacking so long as he cannot sheathe his weapon. Bringing up how Patros's movements become larger as he uses stronger attacks, Ririn concludes that this makes it possible for Noba to put things in his way even when he is using iaido.

Angered by this, Patros splits apart the hinge on his left arm and fires a point-blank yellow Cero at Kurōdo, but Noba leaps in front of it at the last second and absorbs the blast with his shield, leading Ririn to tell Renji to do it now. From the rocks behind Patros, Renji leaps high into the air with Hihiō Zabimaru reassembled and fires Hikotsu Taihō at Patros, whom the Mod-Souls leap away from just before the blast engulfs him. Within the Hikotsu Taihō, Patros expresses disbelief at losing in a place like this and screams as his body is destroyed, leaving the Hōgyoku to fall to the ground once the dust clears.

Aftermath
A pleased Ririn begins to collapse, only to be caught from behind by Urahara, who apologizes for being late as he stands behind her with Tessai, Jinta, Ururu, and Sado. While Renji runs over, Urahara states that he just got back before Noba drops himself and Kurōdo out of a portal behind Urahara, with Sado catching Noba. Though Urahara praises the Mod-Souls for all fighting well, a chuckling Kurōdo observes that they all got beat up too and Noba admits to Sado that there were a lot of problems. Behind Renji, Hitsugaya, Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika appears with Shunpo and run over to Renji, whom Hitsugaya asks about his condition.

Once Urahara notes the battered appearances of all but Yumichika indicating that they had some problems as well, Ikkaku inquires about what happened to the Arrancar, which prompts Urahara to inform him that they are dead and that Aizen seemed to be toying with them, to Hitsugaya's confusion. Upon being noticed by Urahara, the Hōgyoku on the ground nearby cracks apart and its case shatters, leading Urahara to conclude that Aizen must have let the Arrancar steal a fake one because the real Hōgyoku would not be so easily destroyed, especially since he is the one who made it, which means Aizen must have tricked them with Kyōka Suigetsu.

With Urahara concluding that there is no way Aizen would let the Hōgyoku be stolen so easily, Renji wonders why he let Patros, Menis, and Aldegor take it, only for Urahara to admit that he does not know this much because, during his encounter with Ulquiorra in the park, Ulquiorra had responded to him inquiring about whether Ulquiorra came after the other Arrancar by stating that he had no intention of fighting Urahara and opening a Garganta with a snap of his fingers before letting it close around him and disappearing. After recounting this, Urahara muses that Aizen may have had a different goal and used the Arrancar to create a front.

Urahara asserts that there is no way Patros's group would not have been pursued after all this time and that the Shinigami would have dealt with them even if the other Arrancar left them alone prior to concluding that it is fun for Aizen to plan out farces like this when he is simply purging Arrancar from his army's ranks. Meanwhile, in Las Noches, Ulquiorra stands before Aizen sitting on his outdoor throne and reports that he found traces of Orihime Inoue's Sōten Kisshun that restored Sado's Fullbring, Brazo Derecha de Gigante, still lingering in the park, which has allowed him to get an idea of her abilities instead of simply guessing at them. Ulquiorra suggests that Orihime's abilities will be useful for Aizen, and when Aizen wonders where she is now, Ulquiorra theorizes that she is likely not in the Human World before departing.