User blog comment:Xilinoc/Ch. 540 - The Sword Five/@comment-8669536-20130605182414/@comment-2211792-20130605195716

That sword is a real zanpakuto. It can be used to perform konso, it sent Shrieker to Hell instead of destroying him, and it has shikai and bankai. It's just that the Old Man wasn't the real power behind it.