Bount Empowered

 is a major event taking place during the Bount Invasion where Jin Kariya reveals the power sources, known as Jōkaishō, that will allow him to destroy the Seireitei, placing the Gotei 13 on high alert and forcing them to devote all their remaining resources to stopping him.

Prelude
Outside the gate to the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, six Shinigami stand guard and discuss how they are unexpectedly guarding the facility due to the number of dangerous tools and bizarre items contained within before being startled upon seeing Jin Kariya approaching them in the distance. When one of the Shinigami realizes Kariya is a Ryoka, he and the others draw their Zanpakutō and rush to surround Kariya, who comments on what a nice day it is and grins maliciously as he looks around at them.

Meanwhile, inside the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, 12th Division Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi leaves Rin Tsubokura with a task at his terminal and begins to walk away, only to stop in surprise when a loud crash shakes the entire facility. Upon being asked by Rin what this could be while red emergency lights activate in the room, Nemu admit that she does not know and warns him that something with immense power is coming their way before being informed by a Shinigami that a Ryoka has invaded.

However, as Nemu moves to respond alongside the Shinigami and his comrades, the large doors to the room are suddenly destroyed by a powerful gust of wind that transforms into three tornadoes, sending Nemu and the researchers flying and destroying the equipment before dissipating to reveal Kariya on the other side of the hole in the wall. Trapped under the rubble with a bleeding head wound, Nemu stares up in terror at the stoic Kariya. Meanwhile, Ichigo Kurosaki comes to a halt while running through the Senzaikyū pavilion with Ririn when he senses a powerful Reiatsu.

With a shocked Ririn noting that a Bount Reiatsu disappeared in the midst of the ongoing battles and telling Ichigo that it is most likely Kariya upon realizing so, Ichigo begins running in the direction she points him in, but is interrupted when Yasutora Sado catches up to him with Noba. After confirming that Sado and Noba are alright, Ichigo assumes that they sensed the Bount as well, leading Noba to affirm that it is indeed Kariya prior to Ichigo and Sado running off with him and Ririn.

Back at the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, Kariya watches as Nemu attempts to free herself from the rubble. When Nemu fails to shift the rubble and collapses, Kariya snorts contemptuously and begins to walk away, but stops upon being asked where he is going by Nemu. Revealing that he is searching for a Bount crest, Kariya notes that it is the first ever created, and when Nemu admits that she has never even heard of such a thing, Kariya clarifies that he is not asking her where it is and is simply going to take it, but is interrupted when Ichigo demands to know what he is going to do with the crest as he stands in the hole left by Kariya with his Shikai, Zangetsu, over his shoulder and Sado, who has manifested his Fullbring, Brazo Derecha de Gigante.

Upon recognizing Ichigo and Sado, Nemu warns them that Kariya is dangerous, which Ichigo confirms he knows much better than Nemu does as he reiterates his demand to know what Kariya will do with the crest. In response, Kariya tells Ichigo to defeat him if he wishes to know this and summons a Wind Barrier that generates strong gusts throughout the room, forcing Ichigo and Sado to shield their eyes while being forced back by the currents before seeing that Kariya has vanished when the winds settle. Ichigo and Sado run into the room and push the rubble off of Nemu, whom they help up as Ichigo frantically asks her where the crest that Kariya is searching for is located.

With Nemu apologizing for not knowing where the crest is, Noba reminds Ichigo that they can simply follow Kariya's Reiatsu instead, leading Ichigo and Sado to run off. Elsewhere in the building, Kariya busts open the metal doors to a room filled with hundreds of labelled compartments lining the walls and steps inside to find his own Bount crest glowing red. After realizing that this resonance means the crest he is looking for is close, Kariya summons a small tornado and uses it to rip all the compartment covers off the walls, but does not see the crest in any of the compartments when he looks along the walls. Behind Kariya, Ichigo calls out to him and activates his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu.

Grinning at this while Ichigo and Sado run forward, Kariya leaps away when Ichigo slashes at him from behind, and when Ichigo follows him into the air, Kariya summons wind around his hands to block Ichigo's subsequent strike as Sado fires an energy blast at him from the ground. As Kariya separates from him to evade the blast, which crashes into the ceiling, and lands on the ground opposite him, Ichigo proclaims that he will not let Kariya do as he pleases while Kariya laments having to deal with Ichigo before he can spend time looking for the crest and looks over to Sado, who fires another energy blast that Kariya casually dodges by leaning to the side, leaving the blast to hit the wall behind him.

Kariya swiftly moves behind Sado, whom Ichigo warns to look out, and punches him in the gut, sending Sado skidding across the room into a wall, where Noba expresses concern for him while Kariya runs up and unleashes a horizontal cyclone of wind, only for Ichigo to move between them and protect Sado with his sword. Amused by Ichigo's furious expression, Kariya leaps forward and clashes with Ichigo using a disc of wind generated in front of his forearm. Upon being forced back alongside Ichigo, who leaps off the opposite wall toward him, Kariya fires two Wind Licht Schneide at him, but Ichigo evades one and deflects the other with his sword, leaving Kariya visibly surprised.

As he declares that he cannot let Kariya keep defeating him, Ichigo fires a Getsuga Tenshō at Kariya, who counters with another Wind Licht Schneide, resulting in the two attacks colliding and exploding in a burst of force that rips through the room and sends Ririn and Sado flying back. In the aftermath, having been pushed up to one of the upper compartments in the wall behind him, Ichigo is startled to see a large hole in the ground where the two attacks collided and wonders what it is while Kariya, whose crest briefly glows once more, admits that he never thought it would be here and looks down into the hole to see the Jōkaishō glowing at the bottom of a deep pit.

The Rise of Jin Kariya
Chuckling at the Jōkaishō being hidden in a place like this, Kariya stomps on the floor near the edge of the pit, causing a large portion of it to break off from the rest and fall into the pit with him still standing on it. With Ichigo leaping down to the edge of the pit and Sado joining him, the chunk of the floor shatters on the Jōkaishō and Kariya discards his coat to reveal his Bount crest as he proclaims that the Jōkaishō is the crest he was searching for. Kariya clasps his hands together with his index fingers pointing out and recites an incantation, causing the Jōkaishō to glow with a bright light that bursts out of the room and briefly illuminates the surrounding area.

After the light fades, Ichigo looks over the edge and demands to know what Kariya did while down in the pit, Kariya's Bount crest turns black as he asserts that he has gained the ultimate power, to the bewilderment of Ichigo and Sado. Kariya elaborates that he spent eons investigating and researching ancient records and had Maki Ichinose track the Jōkaishō to the Shinigami Research and Development Institute before explaining that the Jōkaishō is a crest that can purify and erase everything. With Ichigo stunned by this, Kariya reveals that this pit is where the experiments that created the Bount were performed and that the energy created by the accident was sealed in the Jōkaishō.

As he concludes that he has now become one with this energy, Kariya proclaims that he can now blow away the Seireitei at any time by releasing the energy of the Jōkaishō, and though Ichigo refuses to believe this, Kariya insists that it does not matter what anyone else believes, leading Noba to inform the others that Kariya's eyes indicate he is serious. Promising to release the energy of the Jōkaishō if Ichigo attacks him, Kariya orders Ichigo to tell the residents of the Seireitei that he will give them a one-day grace period to tremble in suspense and disappears, leaving Ichigo to demand that he wait and attempt to follow him before Sado reminds Ichigo of the consequences if Kariya was right.

Soon afterward, Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto stands in his office with 4th Division Captain Retsu Unohana, 7th Division Captain Sajin Komamura, and 8th Division Captain Shunsui Kyōraku, whom he relays the increasing number of casualties to prior to asking about the status of 2nd Division Captain Suì-Fēng and the Keigun. Unohana details how they are recovering but too exhausted to be moved, and as he states that this cannot be helped, Yamamoto turns to Shunsui regarding the report from the Twelfth Division, prompting Shunsui to recount the strange findings of an enormous sealed facility within the basement of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.

In turn, Yamamoto asserts that he cannot overlook how something as powerful as the Jōkaishō, which they never knew existed, was stolen from them and fell into the hands of the Ryoka as Shunsui elaborates that Ichigo said the Jōkaishō was used as a power source for past Soul experiments. With Shunsui concluding that the released power of the Jōkaishō could instantaneously reduce the Seireitei to ashes, Yamamoto observes that the Central 46 of the time completely sealed the Jōkaishō away and had its existence erased from the records, meaning that Kariya was likely not lying when he spoke of its immense power, before ordering that the divisions do their best to track Kariya down.

Outside, in an alleyway overlooked by Senzaikyū, Kariya walks with Gō Koga, who admits that he never thought something like the Jōkaishō existed. As Kariya revels in how good it feels to know everything will be blown away in one day, Koga insists that he does not need to go this far, and though Kariya assures Koga that the latter does not need to be worried about him dying in the process of this, Koga clarifies that he believes this is outrageous and reminds Kariya that several of their comrades' Reiatsu have already disappeared, which means that he should use his power to make the Shinigami kneel before them instead, but Kariya simply claims that this is no good.

When Koga points out to a walking Kariya that their plan is revenge and that it will not mean anything if all of the Bount are dead, Kariya stops and coldly asserts that this is the way it should be, leaving Koga mortified as he realizes what Kariya means. Koga recalls how he has thought since the first time he met Kariya that the latter is a blade which cannot be controlled and details how he had only been following Kariya until now because the rest of their tribe got caught up in his vision after suffering hardships, only to proclaim that Kariya using the Jōkaishō changes things because it being the source of their tribe's power means that they should not use it as a weapon.

With Kariya claiming that he has always liked Koga's serious side, an angered Koga grabs Kariya by the shoulders and slams him into the wall, where he begs Kariya to not perform an action equivalent to spitting on the heavens. Suddenly, Kariya thrusts his hand through Koga's abdomen, causing a shocked Koga to let go and collapse in a pool of blood, and expresses gratitude to the latter for having been with him for so long before walking away, leaving Koga to roll onto his back and clutch his wound while weakly calling out to Kariya. Elsewhere, Ran'Tao looks over the Seireitei in solemn silence while in the Seireitei Library, a coughing 13th Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake sits with several books.

Standing next to Ukitake, Shunsui blows dust off the shelf in front of him and asks Ukitake if he has found anything. As he notes that the vastness of the data has impeded him, Ukitake inquires about what Kariya said and is informed of the one-day grace period granted to them before the Seireitei is destroyed, which he acknowledges prior to drawing Shunsui's attention to a section in the book he is reading, which is a summary of the Jōkaishō written by Ran'Tao herself. As Shunsui wonders why such a thing is in the library, Ukitake explains that Ran'Tao accounted for the desire of people to know secrets by turning her secrets into a document and hiding it among many other documents.

After recounting how he confirmed with 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya that the Bount data was removed from here, Ukitake elaborates that the one who removed the data overlooked the Jōkaishō documents, and when Shunsui questions the significance of this, Ukitake concludes that there may be something else here aside from the documents he accidentally found because the important part is not written in this book, meaning that Ran'Tao must have scattered the information across several different books. Though Shunsui is aghast at the idea of searching through all the books, Ukitake reminds him that they still have time until tomorrow and that Shunsui came here to help him, resulting in Shunsui reluctantly agreeing to help and pulling a book off of one of the shelves to begin reading. As night falls, Koga manages to heal himself with Reishi and begins searching for Kariya, leading him into an altercation with Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

Following his battle with Koga, Hitsugaya returns to the Tenth Division barracks and finds a group of Shinigami standing guard outside, startling them with his approach. With the Shinigami cheering for his return and kneeling before him, Hitsugaya assures them that he is alright and has defeated the Bount. When Hitsugaya tasks them with retrieving Koga once the ice from his Shikai, Hyōrinmaru, thaws out in the southern district, the confused Shinigami question if he is still alive. Hitsugaya denies this and explains that they instead need to give Koga a burial if he left a corpse behind instead of simply leaving it there, which the Shinigami affirm.

After informing Hitsugaya of his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, helping 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai get medical treatment for the wounded, one of the Shinigami reveals that Ichigo is here as well. Following this, a surprised Hitsugaya enters his office to find Rangiku, Renji, Ichigo, and Sado. Having gathered around the injured Uryū, who rests prone on the floor, with her friends, Rangiku asks Hitsugaya about what happened with Koga and learns that Hitsugaya managed to take care of it. In turn, Hitsugaya inquires about why they are here to begin with, prompting Ichigo to recount how he and Sado happened to run into Rangiku while pursuing Kariya.

With Ririn interjecting to clarify that they needed a place for Uryū to rest because he was wounded and declaring that this was perfect timing, Kurōdo echoes this while pointing out that their lack of a base of operations in the Seireitei made this truly lucky, leaving Noba to apologize for the intrusion as Ichigo requests that Hitsugaya allow them to rest here despite the inconvenience, which Hitsugaya observes he has no choice for. On the floor, Uryū grunts in exertion, and as he promises Ririn that he is alright, Hitsugaya wonders if he is in pain, only for Uryū to state that he will take full responsibilities for any injuries he incurs since he brought the Bount to Soul Society.

Sado observes that Orihime Inoue would know how to treat these wounds and Kurōdo insists that her absence cannot be helped due to the Seireiheki preventing her from joining them while Renji details how the Bount invasion has left many injured across the Seireitei and kept the Fourth Division busy, though someone should be coming soon to help Uryū because he contacted them. When Hitsugaya assures him that he will be alright since his life is not in danger despite his injuries preventing him from fighting, Uryū protests this on the grounds that he came here to fight, but Hitsugaya warns him against being hasty and relays the defeat of Mabashi and Sawatari to him.

Counting his recent defeat of Koga, Hitsugaya concludes that there is only one Bount left in Soul Society. Though Kurōdo praises Hitsugaya for so easily dispatching Koga's metal Doll, Dalk, when it gave the group so much trouble before, Hitsugaya denies it being easy and brings up how Koga was acting strange during the battle by not even seriously injuring the Shinigami he encountered. Upon being asked by Hitsugaya about what has happened to Kariya, Ichigo informs him of Kariya's acquisition of a great power, with Renji identifying this as the Jōkaishō, and his intention to blow up the Seireitei with it, which leads Hitsugaya to note that these actions were extreme to Koga.

With Sado lamenting their inability to stop Kariya before he could access the Jōkaishō, Ichigo bluntly states that there is no point in worrying about it now that it is done, and when asked by Hitsugaya about the fate of Maki Ichinose, Rangiku informs him that 11th Division Captain Kenpachi Zaraki managed to defeat Ichinose. Suddenly, the group is alerted when Orihime runs into the room with 3rd Division Lieutenant Izuru Kira and expresses concern for Ichigo, who is shocked by their arrival. Orihime explains that she finished healing Jidanbō Ikkanzaka and found members of the Third Division guarding the gates when she went looking for her friends.

After Izuru concludes that he elected to bring Orihime here, Sado apologetically asks Orihime to begin tending to Uryū's wounds right away, which she agrees to as she kneels down beside Uryū. However, Uryū tells Orihime that he does not need to be fully healed and just wants to get back on his feet as soon as possible. In response, a baffled Rangiku demands to know if Uryū has been listening to what the group has been discussing and asserts that he must calm down and rest if he wants to fight properly, which Ririn concurs with, before pointing out how everyone has been on the move since the previous night as Renji promises Uryū that they will receive word right away if anything happens.

Acknowledging this, Uryū closes his eyes and relaxes while Orihime begins healing him with Sōten Kisshun. When Hitsugaya turns to him and inquires about who is still available, Izuru observes that the remaining able-bodied Shinigami are primarily from the Eleventh Division since their captain being busy prevented them from receiving any orders, prompting Renji to further explain that their lack of involvement in the afternoon clashes means that they are the healthiest division left at the moment, with Hitsugaya realizing that he did not send any orders to the Eleventh Division. Elsewhere, 11th Division 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame and 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa stand in an intersection.

Ikkaku laments his inability to fight the Bount before only one was left and Yumichika echoes this as he expresses a desire to get revenge on the Bount for what they did to him in the Human World. When Ikkaku brings up how Kenpachi has not yet returned, Yumichika mentions that he was fighting Ichinose after the latter allied himself with the Bount and presumes that Kenpachi is cheerfully sightseeing right now, which leads Ikkaku to angrily note that he wanted payback on Ichinose for humiliating him during their previous clash. With Yumichika informing Ikkaku that the last remaining Bount is powerful and asserting that he will definitely find Kariya, one of their subordinates approaches them.

Upon being told by the Shinigami that no suspicious activity was observed in the northern district of the Seireitei, Ikkaku reminds him that the other divisions being exhausted from the afternoon conflict means that the Eleventh Division can do whatever they want to Kariya if they find him before ordering the Shinigami to track him down no matter what. Meanwhile, Yamamoto's office, 8th Division Lieutenant Nanao Ise tells him that she has a report from Shunsui and Ukitake, whom Yamamoto observes was supposed to be in poor health. Learning that Ukitake lied about this in order to go to the Seireitei Library and find data on the Bount, Yamamoto dismisses this and inquires about the report.

When Nanao relays the discovery of Ran'Tao's data that details an explosive power held within the Jōkaishō, Yamamoto observes that this means Kariya was not lying, and as Nanao elaborates that Ran'Tao's research indicates a short period of time is required after activating the Jōkaishō in order to draw out its full power prior to clarifying that it takes roughly a full day, Yamamoto deduces that this is why Kariya decided to wait for a day before destroying the Seireitei and muses on him incorporating this into his tactics prior to proclaiming that they cannot let their guard down against Kariya and deciding to send directives to each division for the immediate capture of Kariya.

After Nanao acknowledges his observation that they do not even have time for a captains meeting, Yamamoto instructs her to have Shunsui and Ukitake continue examining the data, which she affirms. Back in the Tenth Division barracks, Ichigo and his friends join a feast with the Shinigami as 4th Division Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu relays Suì-Fēng's slow recovery leaving her on standby in her quarters and 12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi's extensive injuries hindering his return to Hitsugaya. With Isane revealing that Shunsui and Ukitake have secluded themselves in the Seireitei Library in order to gather information, Hitsugaya learns that 7th Division Captain Sajin Komamura is guarding Yamamoto and expresses understanding of the situation prior.

Confrontation with a Madman
Later, as the sun begins to rise over the Seireitei, Kariya stands on the narrow rooftop lining an elevated pavilion and looks over the area with a grin. However, Kariya is alerted when someone lands on the rooftop adjacent to him and turns around to see Ran'Tao wielding her Kidō Gun, which leads him to recognize her prior to Ran'Tao firing several violet Kidō blasts at him. Running along the rooftop to evade the blasts, Kariya expresses disbelief at there being a gun that can fire Kidō and leaps high into the air just as one of them crashes into the rooftop, creating a large and powerful explosion. Upon seeing Ran'Tao aiming the Kidō Gun at him in midair, Kariya summons wind around his right arm.

Upon releasing the wind as a concentrated blast to counter Ran'Tao's subsequently-fired Kidō projectile, Kariya is engulfed by the ensuing blast and crashes into the rooftop, damaging the tiles with his impact, where he gets to his feet as Ran'Tao leaps over to his location. With Kariya inquiring about how she found him, Ran'Tao confirms Kariya's assumption that she used a Bount sensor and reminds him that she knows the most about the Bount of anyone in Soul Society before responding to Kariya questioning why she did not share this technology with the Shinigami by declaring that she intends to settle everything by herself and leveling the Kidō Gun at Kariya, who has the left side of his coat blown off to expose his crest and his upper body injured by the blast.

However, with Kariya stating that the Kidō Gun is not enough to defeat him, Ran'Tao is left speechless upon noticing Kariya's crest and recalls her efforts to place the Bount under the protection of Soul Society, which ended in them being massacred by the Shinigami, before concluding that Kariya is the boy she rescued and gave an amulet that awakened his powers. However, though Ran'Tao attempts to promise him that she can still save him due to Soul Society and the Shinigami changing drastically, Kariya dismisses her story as irrelevant to bring up now, prompting Ran'Tao to counter that she is not lying and begin to warn Kariya against using the power of the Jōkaishō that was sealed in the Seireitei.

Informing Ran'Tao that he absorbed the power of the Jōkaishō into his body long ago, to her disbelief, Kariya proclaims that he will use this power to destroy the Shinigami. Simultaneously, a healed Uryū leaves his friends sleeping in Hitsugaya's office and senses Ran'Tao's Reiatsu, which he deduces must be where Kariya is located as well since she must be in a battle and Kariya is the only Bount left. Back on the rooftop, Kariya mocks Ran'Tao for being too late since he is the only Bount left, only for Ran'Tao to insist that she will save him regardless. In response, Kariya reminds Ran'Tao that she created the Bount and observes that he planned to kill her after she had seen the Seireitei destroyed.

Upon deciding to kill Ran'Tao right here instead of giving her time to repent for what she has done, Kariya summons swirling wind around his right fist, prompting a startled Ran'Tao to fire another blast of Kidō at him. However, Kariya's subsequent blast of wind powers through the Kidō and slams into Ran'Tao, pushing her back and disarming her of the Kidō Gun, which flies into the air. In the aftermath, Kariya stands before an incapacitated Ran'Tao next to a damaged wall and muses on having forgotten about her before declaring that he will destroy everything she holds dear and attempting to finish her off, only to find himself confronted by Uryū.

The Jōkaishō Sealing Effort
After Ichigo saves them and confronts Kariya while warning them to get to a safe location, Uryū helps Ran'Tao walk through one of the streets of the Seireitei, and as she thanks him for his concern for her, Orihime runs up to them with Kurōdo and Noba, where she expresses her relief at Uryū being alright as Sado joins them with Ririn on his shoulder. When Ririn inquires about what happened to his Quincy Bangle, a smiling Uryū nonchalantly notes that it broke, prompting a surprised Ririn to join her fellow Mod-Souls on the ground and bring up how it was supposed to explode if it broke.

Uryū explains that he learned how to use the Quincy Bangle solely for amplifying Reishi as he was reaching his limit, preventing it from exploding when he surpassed his limit because it was already empty at the time. With Kurōdo bluntly admitting that he does not understand what this means and Noba expressing his exasperation at this, Ririn insists that it is fine as long as Uryū is safe, but chastises the latter for going off on his own and leaving everyone worried about him, which Uryū apologizes for. Suddenly, Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto appear in the street next to them with Shunpo while Hitsugaya asks Orihime if Uryū and Ran'Tao are alright.

Once Orihime confirms this, Hitsugaya questions where Ichigo is, only to be alerted by the sound of an explosion in the distance after Uryū reveals that he is fighting Kariya. Though Hitsugaya and Rangiku agree that they cannot let Ichigo handle this burden on his own and prepare to depart, Ran'Tao frantically tells them to wait. As Hitsugaya and Rangiku are left startled by Uryū's identification of Ran'Tao and recognize her as the engineer behind the creation of the Bount, Ran'Tao requests that Hitsugaya do something for her upon learning that he is a captain and asserts that the Seireitei is doomed at this rate, which leads Hitsugaya to wonder what she means by this.

After Ran'Tao brings up Kariya's absorption of the power of the Jōkaishō into his own body, Hitsugaya affirms that they have already researched this and details how Kariya is currently buying time in order to use the full power of the Jōkaishō, but Ran'Tao reveals that the Jōkaishō power within Kariya is not important and that there is a different power they need to worry about, to Uryū's confusion, before clarifying that Jōkaishō is a general term for giant Reishi-generated devices that were used by her research team during their experiment on Souls and that there were at least several dozen of these devices located within the Seireitei.

Ran'Tao recounts how one of the Jōkaishō had a meltdown during an experiment and annihilated about a tenth of the Seireitei when it exploded, which the leaders at the time took very seriously, resulting in the Kidō Corps sealing away all of the remaining Jōkaishō within the Seireitei. With Hitsugaya astonished that there are more Jōkaishō, Ran'Tao concludes that Kariya detonating the Jōkaishō energy within his own body would most likely set off all of the other Jōkaishō in a chain reaction, releasing unfathomable energy, as his true goal, which causes a frightened Kurōdo to question why such dangerous things are kept within the walls of the Seireitei.

In response, Ririn asserts that the Jōkaishō are kept within the Seireitei because they are dangerous and must be monitored, which Kurōdo interprets as reflecting on how people often know little about what is happening in their own backyards, though Noba denies this. When asked what they should do by Hitsugaya, Ran'Tao concludes that they will simply have to seal each Jōkaishō with Kidō once more since their current seals have weakened over the years to the point where they will react to Kariya's explosion. Deciding to have the Jōkaishō re-sealed immediately, Hitsugaya inquires if Ran'Tao knows where the remaining ones are, prompting her to retrieve a book from her haori.

Suddenly, Ran'Tao grunts in pain and begins to collapse before a concerned Uryū catches and helps her up. As she assures Uryū that she is alright, Ran'Tao reminds him that she is overextending herself by fighting with her Reiatsu sealed away and has just reached the limit to which she can be active. After handing the book to a smiling Hitsugaya, Ran'Tao declares that she is leaving the rest to him and falls back into Uryū's arms. Upon being asked by Hitsugaya what they will do now while he and Rangiku prepare to leave, Orihime proclaims that they will be going after Ichigo, since they cannot just run away when he is fighting and since she will have to heal his injuries.

Sado requests that Uryū let him carry Ran'Tao to somewhere she can rest before they leave, which Uryū agrees to, and with Hitsugaya and Rangiku departing with Shunpo while Sado picks up Ran'Tao, Ririn instructs the others to get going and Kurōdo observes that they are drawing toward the conclusion as Noba concludes that they should see this through to the end, leaving a touched Uryū to encourage them to go after Ichigo. Some time later, at the Seireitei Library, Hitsugaya meets with Shunsui, Nanao, and Ukitake, whom he informs of the existence of the additional Jōkaishō around the Seireitei and gives Ran'Tao's copy of the map showing where they are.

When Shunsui expresses exasperation at something like this being left after all that has happened and rendering the time they spent researching the data here meaningless, Nanao admonishes him for saying such a thing at a time like this as Ukitake inquires if Hitsugaya has alerted Yamamoto to this yet, which Hitsugaya affirms he has sent Rangiku to tell him. After Hitsugaya observes that they should be receiving orders soon, Ukitake laments that they will have to mobilize their remaining captains, lieutenants, and seated officers in order to seal so many Jōkaishō at once, which causes Shunsui to wonder in turn what they will do about Kariya.

As Hitsugaya reveals that Ichigo has gone after him, a Jigokuchō flies down onto a nearby stack of books, allowing Nanao to relay the order being delivered to all captains, lieutenants, and seated officers that the Ryoka are after several Jōkaishō that need to be sealed away immediately and which they will be led to by Jigokuchō under a level one precautionary warning. In Yamamoto's office, Komamura instructs Rangiku to go after a Jōkaishō as well, and as Rangiku agrees to this, Yamamoto proclaims that he will be directly leading everything due to the nature of their circumstances and requests that Komamura assist him in this as Rangiku excuses herself and leaves.

During this, a resting Rukia Kuchiki wakes up upon hearing that Ichigo is fighting the Ryoka on Sōkyoku Hill and that the Shinigami are being mobilized to find the Jōkaishō in the Kuchiki Manor. With the attendants deciding to ask 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki for instructions, Rukia gets up to find Ichigo and walks out of the front gate to head toward Ichigo's location, only to be stopped by Renji, who inquires about where she is going. Explaining that he came to the manor because he could not find Byakuya elsewhere, Renji approaches Rukia with concern, but is astonished when the latter requests that he take her to the Sōkyoku.

Aftermath
Soon afterward, in an underground facility, Ukitake reaches a spot marked on Ran'Tao's map alongside his 3rd Seats, Sentarō Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu, and other subordinates. Once Sentarō breaks open part of the floor to reveal a Jōkaishō, Ukitake observes that Ran'Tao's information was correct and orders Sentarō and Kiyone to seal the Jōkaishō, only to internally admit his uncertainty that they will make it in time as the two of them leap down to begin the sealing process. Elsewhere, Shunsui is directed toward another Jōkaishō by Nanao, Hitsugaya and Rangiku run toward a different Jōkaishō, and Izuru and Hisagi assist in the sealing process of a fourth Jōkaishō.

While Ikkaku and Yumichika oversee the sealing of a fifth and ensure that the Shinigami do not falter, Yamamoto and Komamura look over a map of the Seireitei with markers for the Jōkaishō being placed by 1st Division Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe, and as Komamura expresses doubt that they will be able to seal all the Jōkaishō in time when there are so many, Yamamoto refuses to listen to this since the duty of the Gotei 13 is to protect the Seireitei and proclaims that they will do everything they can to stop the Ryoka's plan. Eventually, with Byakuya preventing Kariya's sole attempt to detonate a Jōkaishō, every last one is resealed by the Gotei 13.