Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Asguiaro Ebern

 is a battle taking place during the Quincy Blood War, marking Ichigo Kurosaki's first encounter and conflict with someone affiliated with the Wandenreich.

Prelude
Having lured out Ichigo Kurosaki two nights prior to demonstrate his capabilities by scattering Hollow Bait, Asguiaro Ebern suddenly appears on Ichigo's bed in the Kurosaki Clinic and introduces himself when Ichigo asks for Ryūnosuke Yuki's name, but Ichigo states he does not know who Ebern is and demands that the latter get off his bed.

At Ebern's request, Ichigo reiterates this, only for Ebern to refuse to leave, and upon hearing this, Ichigo kicks Ebern hard in the face, sending him flying out of the window that Orihime Inoue quickly opens behind him, which causes Yuzu Kurosaki to assume that he is fooling around with his friends upstairs as Yasutora Sado questions who he was and Uryū Ishida infers that he is probably an Arrancar due to the mask fragment on his face. Grabbing his Substitute Shinigami Badge, Ichigo promises to drive Ebern away since it will be a pain if he comes back and enters his Shinigami form to follow Ebern.

Battle
In an intersection below, Ebern clutches his face and questions why Ichigo kicked him before the latter calls out to him from the air above and promises to hear Ebern out if the latter follows him since he assumes Ebern is here for him. Though Ebern calls him arrogant for this assumption and claims that Ichigo must be curious about who he is, Ichigo denies this and leaps away, resulting in Ebern frantically following him and demanding that Ichigo stop while the latter notes with annoyance that Ebern is acting just as expected. When Ichigo asks Ebern if Uryū was right about him being an Arrancar, to Ebern's annoyance. With Ichigo wondering if Ebern desires revenge for Sōsuke Aizen, inquiring about whether he came with anyone, and questioning why he is here, Ebern expresses irritation at being called an Arrancar.

After moving into the air in front of Ichigo, who wonders what is wrong, Ebern firmly states that he is not an Arrancar and flicks out his hand, revealing a Quincy Cross, before creating a set of Reishi Cannons from the air, leaving a startled Ichigo to recognize the Quincy Cross as Ebern asks him if he sees something familiar. Ebern fires several blasts of Reishi from his Reishi Cannons at Ichigo, who evades and cuts through them with his Shikai, Zangetsu while he mentally struggles to reconcile Ebern using a Quincy Cross like Uryū's despite looking like an Arrancar. As Ichigo continues evading blasts from Ebern, the latter reorients his Reishi Cannons and questions if this is really the extent of Ichigo's power.

Noticing that Ebern has been taunting him like this and encouraging him to use his Bankai, Ichigo decides that he has no choice but to play along since he does not know who Ebern is or what he wants here before readying Zangetsu. Manically delighted by Ichigo preparing to activate his Bankai, Ebern pulls out a Medallion and activates it, releasing a surge of energy around him that forms a massive X in the air, which he declares will be the end of Ichigo's Bankai. After activating Tensa Zangetsu, Ichigo is startled by the activated Medallion, which releases several beams of light to envelop him while Ebern begins reciting a chant in German.

However, despite the left arm of his longcoat beginning to crack and break off into the air from the effects of the Medallion, a yelling Ichigo manages to destroy the beams of light with a slash from his sword, to Ebern's disbelief, and fires a Getsuga Tenshō directly at Ebern. Shortly afterward, a badly burned, but alive Ebern emerges from the resulting cloud of smoke and demands to know why Tensa Zangetsu did not disappear, only for Ichigo to appear behind him, hold his sword to Ebern's throat, and pick up on this while musing that he now has many questions to ask Ebern due to the events of the last five minutes.

Suddenly, when Ichigo asserts that Ebern is coming with him, a cursing Ebern creates a Shadow in front of himself, causing Ichigo to move back in alarm, and assures Ichigo that it only covers the chosen before vanishing once the Shadow moves back to envelop him and disintegrates into the wind, leaving Ichigo to wonder what this was since it was not a Garganta.

Aftermath
Shortly afterward, at Silbern, Luders Friegen walks into the main hall alongside his six companions and notices Ebern kneeling nearby, which he mockingly commends as he considers forgiving Ebern for getting overzealous on his mission and being left injured, though Ebern quickly clarifies that he would never bow before Luders. Suddenly, an aggravated Luders is interrupted when Yhwach cuts off his right arm, causing him to collapse and scream in agony while Yhwach reminds him that they are not to argue in his presence since he dislikes conflict before requesting that they relay their report for peace to him.

Back at the Kurosaki Clinic, Ryūnosuke Yuki sits around the box of bread with Shino Madarame, Orihime, Sado, and Uryū, where he takes a bite of bread and laments that "he" is late. Upon being asked by Uryū about who he is referring to, Yuki clarifies that he means Ichigo and questions if they should not go help him, but Uryū asserts there is no need to do so since the enemy's Reiatsu has already vanished and Ichigo would never lose to such an opponent. After Uryū declares he would never help Ichigo anyway and Sado counters that he would, Orihime chuckles and explains to Uryū that she appreciates how he and Ichigo have become such good friends.

With Orihime concluding that this is what she likes about him and a flustered Uryū demanding that she not tease him like this, Ichigo suddenly announces his return and confirms to a pleased Orihime that he is not injured before Yuki's Denreishinki begins ringing with a recording of Shino humming, which he apologizes for and which Shino is alarmed by. After being punched in the face by Shino once again for pointing out how horrible the recording sounds at a certain point, Yuki answers the call, but quickly grows shocked and serious when informed of a funeral for 1st Division Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe that he relays to Ichigo and his stunned friends.