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HEAR,FEAR,HERE is the sixty-third volume of the Bleach manga series.

Publisher's Summary[]

Mask De Masculine's onslaught continues as he takes on multiple Shinigami captains at once. However, he may have met his match when Renji makes his appearance. Meanwhile, the secrets behind the Quincy king's power may finally be revealed.

Bleach All Stars[]

All-Stars
阿散井 恋次
Renji Abarai
Ep387RukiaCharaPic エス・ノト
Äs Nödt
Ep387RenjiCharaPic 朽木 ルキア
Rukia Kuchiki
Chap502Pg1NodtCharaPic

Ep371MaskCharaPic 鳳橋 楼十郎
Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi
Ch494Pg3KenseiCharaPic
マスク・ド・マスキュリン
Mask De Masculine
Ch494Pg3RoseCharaPic 六車 拳西
Kensei Muguruma



Chapters[]

561. THE VILLAIN[]

9th Division Captain Kensei Muguruma and 3rd Division Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi continue their battle against an empowered Sternritter "S" Mask De Masculine.

Summary:

561Cover

The cover pages of 561. THE VILLAIN.

Atop the tower he crashed into, an annoyed 9th Division Captain Kensei Muguruma sits up and cracks his neck before launching himself down toward Sternritter "S" Mask De Masculine, who is still facing away from him while posing. Suddenly, Mask disappears from the ground below and reappears in front of Kensei with Hirenkyaku to knee him in the chest with Star Eagle Kick and smash his head with Star Headbutt. Angered by this, Kensei switches the right gauntlet of his Bankai, Tekken Tachikaze, to brass knuckles and delivers a powerful punch to Mask's blocking forearm, creating a barrage of force that engulfs them. However, once James cheers for him again, Mask grabs Kensei's fist, proclaims that this has no chance of working on him, and breaks Kensei's right arm with a downward chop before smacking him down to the ground, where Kensei screams in pain over the bone protruding from his elbow. Slamming down knee-first into Kensei, Mask sees the latter has lost consciousness and concludes that he will not need a ten-count just before James is ripped in half by 3rd Division Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi's Shikai, Kinshara.

Though Mask curses him for harming an innocent fan, Rose counters that he does not care what Mask says since the latter cannot release his power without James and refuses to let this chance go to waste after Kensei went to such great lengths to create it before activating his Bankai, Kinshara Butōdan, creating a dozen large, humanoid figures, a large set of hands in the air behind him, and a conducting wand out of the length of Kinshara. After describing Kinshara Butōdan as a dance troupe of death whose admission cost is Mask's life, Rose has the figures encircle Mask and initiates Sea Drift, crushing a bewildered Mask in a surging flood of water. For his second attack, Rose unleashes Prometheus, causing the figures to blast Mask with fire generated from the petals on their faces while the latter expresses disbelief at a Zanpakutō being able to use both fire and water. With Mask realizing this must be an illusion, Rose confirms this and asserts that illusions captivate the heart.

Rose elaborates that his control of music causes the deceptive melody in Mask's ears to captivate his heart, which means that Mask will burn and breathe his last from hearing the melody, causing Mask to notice that the right shoulder of his shirt has been burned off. Despite this, before Rose can finish him off with Ein Heldenleben, Mask sticks his fingers in his ears, and though Rose states that covering his ears will not help, Mask withdraws his fingers to reveal they are covered in blood. Upon seeing this, a horrified Rose realizes that Mask ruptured his eardrums to deafen himself, which Mask grins at prior to blasting a star-shaped hole into Rose's torso with Star Flash and declaring that the villain shall die by the hero's beam of light. Laughing maniacally at this, Mask stops when he sees Rose's hand twitch and comments on his remarkable vitality before unleashing another Star Flash. However, the blast is deflected off 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai's Shikai, Zabimaru, into a building as the latter appears in front of Rose in new clothes and introduces himself to a surprised Mask as a villain.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


562. THE VILLAIN 2[]

While 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki takes care of the wounded captains, 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai engages Sternritter "S" Mask De Masculine in their stead.

Summary:

562Cover

The cover page of 562. THE VILLAIN 2.

Landing next to 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai as he confronts Sternritter "S" Mask De Masculine, 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki is told to carry 3rd Division Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi and 9th Division Captain Kensei Muguruma to safety while Renji handles Mask alone. After looking over a clueless Mask, Rukia agrees to do so since Mask is no match for what Renji has become and carries the captains away with a shawl, leaving Mask to question if Renji does not want to gang up on him with Rukia since Kensei and Rose teamed up against him in a cowardly manner and villains are free to use whatever dirty tactics they would like to against him.

Though Renji decides to fight in a cowardly manner because of this, Mask admits that he cannot hear what Renji said because of his ruptured eardrums and calls on James, whose top half leaps over and cheers on Mask to heal his eardrums, which quickly reform. When Mask proclaims that his hearing is better than ever and invites Renji to say something to test it out, an unnerved Renji simply calls him creepy, prompting Mask to claim that this insult is unforgivable and launch himself toward Renji with Star Rocket Headbutt, the force of which pushes them both several blocks away upon collision. However, as the dust clears and he tells Renji to die from this headbutt of justice, Mask is nonplussed to find Renji completely unharmed just before the latter slams his right elbow into Mask's back, smashing him into the ground with enough force to create a large crater and embed Mask's head in the stone.

Upon pulling his head out of the ground with considerable effort, Mask admits that Renji seems to have luck on his side due to dodging the Star Rocket Headbutt and landing a strike of his own, but warns Renji that he made a mistake in angering Mask because now the star crest has appeared on his fist as a sign that he is meant to defeat evil before attacking Renji with Star Satsujin Punch, which he claims is ten times stronger than his usual punch and has become an iron hammer of justice. Despite Mask declaring that Renji should die quietly while his brains are beaten out by the fist of justice, Renji emerges unharmed and holding Mask's fist back with his own hand from the dispersing energy around the punch as he wonders if Mask cannot kill a Shinigami with a murderous punch.

Momentarily bewildered by this, an infuriated Mask proclaims that it is unacceptable for a mere villain to catch a hero's fist and performs dozens of additional Star Satsujin Punches while telling Renji to die, toppling nearby buildings and creating a massive cloud of dust. Suddenly, from behind Mask, James tearfully apologizes prior to being cut into several large pieces, leaving Mask shocked and confused while Renji reveals that he took care of James while Mask was throwing his punches in order to prevent the latter from regenerating any further. Though Mask calls him a coward for this, a grinning Renji reminds Mask that villains are supposed to be cowardly and slashes his Shikai, Zabimaru, horizontally across Mask's abdomen.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


563. SUPERSTAR NEVER DIE[]

Healed from his near-lethal injuries by James, Sternritter "S" Mask De Masculine continues his fight against 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai by activating his Quincy: Vollständig.

Summary:

563Cover

The cover page of 563. SUPERSTAR NEVER DIE.

With a large amount of blood spurting from the wound on his abdomen as 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai watches impassively, Sternritter "S" Mask De Masculine suddenly forces his wound shut and emphatically asserts that a star cannot be killed by a villain before calling out to the bloody remains of James, from whom multiple clones of James emerge to cheer Mask on in a chorus of voices, causing Mask's wound to heal and his mask to change color and design while his enlarging muscles rip through most of his clothes, leaving him nearly naked. Mask declares that his Star Power-Up is complete and that Renji can die now, though Renji merely wonders why it changed his mask's appearance, before waggling his finger at Renji and recalling that he is the one Mask once defeated with his Star Dropkick during the Wandenreich's first invasion of the Seireitei, with him claiming that he had forgotten until now because heroes do not remember every villain they vanquish.

As Renji realizes that this means Mask did not even know who he was fighting until now, Mask admits that he does not know how Renji became this strong, only to declare that Renji should be proud to witness his true power and winds his arm back, to Renji's alarm, before unleashing a Star Lariat, which creates a wave of air pressure in the shape of his arm that cuts through a nearby building and sends Renji hurtling back at high speeds. With Renji unable to overcome the pressure on his body, Mask brags that he can take down an enemy from a mile away with this technique and his full power available, which is why others call it his One-Mile Arts, and performs a rapid volley of punches that impact Renji with dozens of pressure waves that push him back even faster, preventing him from staying in place by grabbing onto a building due to the wall breaking off around his hand.

Proclaiming that Renji can no longer brace himself against a wall, Mask activates his Quincy: Vollständig, gaining a cape and a Heiligenschein behind his head, while promising that Renji will die and turn to dust at the hands of a divine superstar without ever touching the ground again. After tracing a large star in the sky with his flight pattern as the clones of James cheer him on below, Mask creates an energy star from it and unleashes Star Flash: Super Nova by slamming it into the ground below, creating a massive explosion that incinerates the stunned clones. However, as he watches this from above and bids Renji farewell, a laughing Mask expresses confusion upon seeing Renji emerging from the smoke with a thick blade protruding from a large snake skull around his right hand.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


564. Red Bristled Kings[]

Having acquired the true form of his Bankai, Sōō Zabimaru, during his time training with Ichibē Hyōsube, 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai overpowers and defeats Sternritter "S" Mask De Masculine.

Summary:

564Cover

The cover page of 564. Red Bristled Kings.

With his Star Flash: Super Nova obliterating the clones of James as they weakly call out to him, a laughing Sternritter "S" Mask De Masculine assures James that their link will ensure he eventually comes back to life so long as Mask himself stays alive. However, upon seeing a large snake skull in the clearing smoke below, Mask assumes that 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai activated his Bankai just before dying, something he considers pitiful, but is bewildered when Renji's hand grabs the underside of the skull, which clamps down in the smoke and produces a long blade from between its fangs, leaving Mask to question if a Bankai is supposed to change its form like this.

In the past, at his temple in the Soul King Palace, Ichibē Hyōsube tells Renji that the name "Hihiō Zabimaru" is a lie, which leaves Renji aghast and confused at how this can be possible. Admitting that calling it a lie makes it sound bad and elaborating that it is only half of the true name, Ichibē tells Renji that his Zanpakutō only partially acknowledges him, and when Renji expresses disbelief at this happening after fighting alongside Zabimaru for so long, Ichibē clarifies that this is why he found it hard to tell Renji before cheerily announcing that he will just tell Renji the real name. Though Renji assumes that he is joking, Ichibē reveals that he named Zanpakutō, Shikai, Bankai, and every other phenomenon occurring in Soul Society because the Soul King assigned him the title of "Monk Who Calls the Real Name". After promising to reveal the true name of Renji's Bankai to him, Ichibē warns Renji that he will have to prove his strength to Zabimaru right now in order to wield it.

In the present, Renji activates his true Bankai, Sōō Zabimaru, which is comprised of the snake skull and its protruding blade on his right hand, a large ape-like left arm attached to his left shoulder, and a snake spine coiled around his waist, which Mask calls dangerous. Declaring that he cannot allow Renji to live any longer after withstanding his ultimate move and claiming that his soul is burning with the flames of true justice to defeat Renji, Mask flies down toward Renji, who uses Hihiō to reach out and grab Mask with the large left arm on his shoulder. Despite Mask claiming that this is nothing and attempting to break it apart, the hand easily breaks his left arm, causing Mask to scream in pain, and throws him into a nearby building, where Mask bursts out of the rubble and curses Renji.

With Mask vowing to abandon thoughts of justice and evil in order to murder Renji for breaking the left arm of a star, Renji simply activates Orochiō, giving his blade a serrated edge, and leaps up to impale a startled Mask on his sword before twisting it and unleashing Sōō Zabimaru, Zaga Teppō, which creates a giant snake head composed of burning Reishi that bites down on Mask, reducing him to an ashen husk. In the aftermath, as Mask's body crumbles and flies away in the wind, Renji observes that he completely burned himself out and concludes that this is what Mask ultimately wanted.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


565. God Like You[]

With Yhwach absorbing the soul and power of James after the latter's death, Sternritter "B" Jugram Haschwalth tells Uryū Ishida about his origins.

Summary:

565Cover

The cover page of 565. God Like You.

Over a thousand years ago, an infant Yhwach lies unable to see, hear, speak, or even move, leaving him with no means of surviving, but remains unafraid. Though he cannot cry because he cannot use his throat, Yhwach would not even if he could because he knows he will survive even without any means of survival, as the people around him treasure him for the phenomenon they experience when touching him, which gradually causes ailing lungs to be healed, lonely hearts to be filled, timid souls to grow courageous, and lost legs to be slowly regained. Unbeknownst to the people around him, Yhwach's power is to automatically impart a portion of his Soul to whoever touched him, simultaneously healing what their own Soul could not and ingraining all knowledge, talents, and abilities they had gained in the imparted portion of Yhwach's Soul, which return to Yhwach when the recipient dies. Despite those who touch Yhwach dying anywhere from a few years to a few days after doing so, people continue to come to him while Yhwach's senses and body are slowly healed by the Soul pieces returning to him. Eventually, Yhwach gains the ability to hear and realizes that the people around him were referring to him by the name of the god they worship, Y.H.W.H., which he decides to make his own name as he grows to a teenager.

In the present, Yhwach sits on his outdoor throne in Silbern and muses that James is dead before praising the latter's performance and having the latter's Soul return to him. Elsewhere in Silbern, Uryū Ishida approaches the entrance to Yhwach's throne room, only for Sternritter "B" Jugram Haschwalth to inquire about what Uryū wants with Yhwach. Explaining that Yhwach is asleep because he can only fulfill his role as the Father of the Quincy by saving his strength in that state and that nothing is allowed to disturb him, Haschwalth responds to Uryū acknowledging this by reiterating his question about what Uryū wants, only for Uryū to counter that he does not need to explain the business he has with Yhwach to Haschwalth before observing that the latter also seems much different from his daytime appearance. In turn, Haschwalth notes that he and Yhwach are two halves of a balanced scale, with him assuming the Mask of the Ruler whenever Yhwach falls asleep, and states that they are connected prior to correcting himself because Yhwach is connected to all Quincy. With Uryū remaining silent at this, Haschwalth acknowledges that he has a right to know the details as Yhwach's successor.

Haschwalth explains that Yhwach possessed the power to share his Soul with those around him since he was a child, and while all Quincy can gather Reishi from their surroundings and turn it into their own power, Yhwach alone held the opposite power to share his Soul, and while he initially did so through touch, Yhwach eventually discovered a stronger method by engraving letters signifying abilities directly onto the recipient's Soul to give them a deeper and more powerful portion of his Soul. When Uryū expresses confusion at Yhwach managing to engrave a Soul, Haschwalth reveals that Uryū's own Soul has already been engraved and reminds him of the cup of Yhwach's blood that he drank, which completed the ritual by having him take a part of Yhwach into his own body. Slamming his hand into the door next to an alarmed Uryū's head, Haschwalth assumes that he is having regrets and notes that it is too late since Uryū lost his path of retreat from the Wandenreich the moment he joined them, despite likely only doing so to avenge Kanae Katagiri.

Additionally, Haschwalth informs Uryū that not only will everyone who has received a piece of Yhwach's Soul return their power to him upon death, but pieces of Yhwach's Soul were scattered across the Seireitei during the Wandenreich's first invasion, leaving Uryū speechless as Haschwalth asserts that this battle is for Yhwach due to all the Sternritter and the Shinigami who have come into contact with pieces of Yhwach's Soul offering their own Souls to him upon death. Summarizing this as Yhwach only becoming stronger and living longer no matter who dies during this battle, Haschwalth notes that fighting is Yhwach's means of living since he will revert to his senseless, immobile state if he ever stops absorbing Souls and concludes that he will never end the fighting because there is no way to escape it, meaning that both Haschwalth and Uryū live and die for Yhwach. With the dawn breaking, which Haschwalth notices, Yhwach awakens and thanks the Souls of the dead who have allowed him to see the world clearly again.

Characters in order of appearance:

  1. Yhwach
  2. Uryū Ishida
  3. Jugram Haschwalth
  4. Ayon (flashback)
  5. Äs Nödt (flashback)
  6. Byakuya Kuchiki (flashback)
  7. Bambietta Basterbine (flashback)
  8. Sajin Komamura (flashback)
  9. Cang Du (flashback)
  10. Ichigo Kurosaki (flashback)

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


566. What is Your Fear?[]

While 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai is observed by Sternritter "U" NaNaNa Najahkoop, 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki is confronted by Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt.

Summary:

566Cover

The cover page of 566. What is Your Fear?

In the past, as they fall toward the Seireitei from the Soul King Palace, 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki tells 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai that they should decide on what they are going to do once they land, and when Renji reminds her that they already settled on splitting up, defeating the enemy, and regrouping to storm Silbern, Rukia clarifies that this is not what she is referring to and sets aside Renji's poor understanding of the plan to bring up how they will be landing in the middle of enemy territory, which will leave them at a disadvantage even with their training if they let themselves be surrounded. After pointing out that Renji's fighting style will quickly attract attention and assuring a flustered Renji that she has already accepted this, Rukia warns Renji to conceal himself after each battle to avoid letting the enemy surprise him.

In the present, as dawn breaks, Renji wakes up inside a building and muses that it is time to find the next Sternritter now that he has hid long enough before looking around to make sure he is alone and departing. From behind the pillar that Renji was sleeping against, Sternritter "U" NaNaNa Najahkoop expresses disbelief at Renji having actually been asleep the whole time and recounts how he came here to find out who killed Sternritter "S" Mask De Masculine, with him assuming that Renji was setting a trap upon finding him asleep and cautiously observing him through the night, only to be let aghast at Renji sleeping in the middle of enemy territory. However, a grinning NaNaNa asserts that Renji's luck has run out because he has never observed someone for this long and declares that it is over for Renji, whom he calls "red monkey".

Elsewhere, Rukia moves through the air and mentally notes that she cannot sense the Reiatsu of any of the Gotei 13, which she takes as an indication of how badly the Shinigami are outnumbered, though she admits that this allowed her to find 4th Division Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu, who is now treating 3rd Division Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi and 9th Division Captain Kensei Muguruma. Suddenly, when she lands on a rooftop and considers meeting up with Renji to attack Silbern right now since she cannot sense any Quincy nearby either, Rukia experiences the sensation of a thin hand gripping her wrist, causing her to instinctively pull it back and realize someone is nearby. Asking Rukia if she is scared, Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt appears behind her and claims to be lonely before asking her where his Senbonzakura Kageyoshi is.

Once he and Rukia identify each other, Äs discards his cloak and questions her about 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki's whereabouts, and when Rukia declines to answer this, Äs wonders if Byakuya would come here if he kills Rukia. Admitting that he might, Rukia dodges dozens of Reishi Thorns fired by a smiling Äs and sees them spread a dark liquid across the surfaces they hit behind her, causing her to realize that this is his fear-inducing ability. Upon seeing another Reishi Thorn hurtling toward her, Rukia intercepts them by creating a wall of ice with her Shikai, Sode no Shirayuki, but a chuckling Äs calls this useless because fear cannot be stopped by ice as the liquid spreads through the wall to splash onto Rukia's arm, which results in her freezing and dropping Sode no Shirayuki into the roof. Despite this, once Äs gloats to her that this is what fear feels like and confirms that it is what she is experiencing, an unaffected Rukia questions if his fear is fear having no affect.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


567. Dance With Snowwhite[]

13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki reveals that the true power of her Shikai, Sode no Shirayuki, has rendered her immune to Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt's The Fear.

Summary:

567Cover

The cover page of 567. Dance With Snowwhite.

With 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki apparently unaffected by The Fear, Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt leans to the side and coldly asserts that this is impossible. In turn, Rukia invites Äs to fire more Reishi Thorns at her and tells him to behold the true power of her Shikai, Sode no Shirayuki, and when Äs attacks with more Reishi Thorns, Rukia catches one with her left hand as Äs mocks her confidence since she was running from his Reishi Thorns only seconds ago. Despite this, Rukia freezes the Reishi Thorn in her hand solid from the point of contact, to Äs' disbelief, before letting the frozen chunks fall to the ground, acknowledging that she was running, and explaining that it takes some time for her to draw out the true power of Sode no Shirayuki, which is why she could not afford to be hit by one of his attacks until then.

Äs dismisses this because fear cannot be stopped by ice and elaborates that instead of entering through wounds, the fear-inducing liquid dissolves and seeps in from the slightest skin contact, such as Rukia's hand, without any way to stop it before explaining that every person has places of safety and places of fear, with them unable to concretely state why a given place makes them feel safe but always able to explain why they feel afraid of something for any reason, because the feeling of safety is tied to life and the feeling of fear is tied to death. Claiming that even those who cannot come up with a reason for living can explain why they do not want to die, Äs declares that all living things avoid death and consequently fear, which means that they live, strengthen themselves, and grow solely to evade fear, concluding that fear will always have an effect so long as Rukia is alive.

However, Rukia clarifies that she is saying she is not alive right now, and when Äs expresses confusion at this, Rukia reveals that rather than emitting frozen air from its blade, Sode no Shirayuki lowers her own body temperature to below freezing to freeze everything that it comes into contact with and extends her range with its blade. Though Äs calls this ridiculous because Rukia's body would be unable to function and she could not stay alive if its temperature were reduced below freezing, Rukia confirms that she is currently dead and has gained the ability to temporarily kill her body by controlling its Reishi, causing her molecular movement to cease and the fear seeping in from her palm to stop functioning altogether at the surface of her body.

With Äs shocked by this, Rukia moves past him with Shunpo, cuts deeply into and freezes his left shoulder, and announces that she is currently at -18 degrees Celsius, where blood freezes and will not flow out of any wound. Upon reaching -50 degrees, Rukia details how the ground shaking around them is from her freezing the water beneath the ground to cause an ice quake, and as Äs rushes toward her, Rukia reaches -273.15 degrees and internally muses that she can only function at absolute zero for four seconds before freezing Äs completely solid, leaving him to mentally wonder if this is what fear is.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


568. Hear. Fear. Here 2[]

Though seemingly defeated, Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt activates his Quincy: Vollständig, Tatarforas, and overwhelms 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki.

Summary:

568Cover

The cover page of 568. Hear. Fear. Here 2.

Standing several meters behind a frozen Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt, 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki begins slowly raising her body temperature and mentally notes that her tissue breaks down if she does not do this gradually, something that makes the power troublesome, before noticing a small cut on her thumb, which she takes as an indication that she spent slightly longer than four seconds at absolute zero. Suddenly, Rukia senses something and turns in shock to look back at Äs, who disparages the idea of this being fear because the only thing he fears is being rebuked by Yhwach, making this pain and fear nothing by comparison, while the ice encasing him shatters, ripping large chunks of flesh off his face. With his eye rolling back into his head to expose a Wandenreich emblem, Äs activates his Quincy: Vollständig, Tatarforas, creating a long stitch along the length of his body while he gains a barbed wire-like Heiligenschein and wings.

Upon landing behind Rukia, Äs stands still when she leaps forward and slashes at him several times, only for her blade to not reach his body each time, which he attributes to her becoming afraid and stilling her feet. Though Rukia calls this impossible because her body is still "dead", Äs points out that she is seeing him since her nerves are still active and reveals that Tatarforas instills fear through the optic nerves. Suddenly, Rukia finds herself standing inside a large dome of diamond-shaped plates, each of which forms a large eye that looks at her, and Äs declares that she will not be able to escape his gaze. When Rukia frantically closes her eyes, Äs decries this as useless because bad memories last much longer than good ones do and claims that a fear experienced once will resonate even stronger within the depths of Rukia's mind once she closes her eyes, akin to fears surfacing at night. Envisioning Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, and 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki with pure black eyes, Rukia screams in terror as Äs promises to burn her soul away with her past fears.

However, this is interrupted by the dome being vertically cut open behind Äs, releasing hundreds of blade petals and revealing Byakuya standing in the air.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


569. The White Haze[]

Having intervened in 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki's battle against Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt, 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki reinforces her resolve and leaves her to conclude the fight with her newly-achieved Bankai.

Summary:

569Cover

The cover page of 569. The White Haze.

With the rest of the dome formed by his Quincy: Vollständig, Tatarforas, crumbling around them and 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki staring at her brother in astonishment, Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt welcomes 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki's arrival because he has been looking for the latter and inquires about how the internal organs he gouged out are doing. When Byakuya descends to the ground below, Äs reminds Byakuya of how his stomach was scraped out, meaning that he must not have been able to eat and lost some weight, which prompts an alarmed Rukia to realize that this was all to lure out Byakuya.

Despite Rukia warning him to not look at Äs and the latter proclaiming that it is too late as pieces of the dome with their eyes manifested coalesce around him, Byakuya simply destroys the assembling pieces of the dome with large masses of blade petals forming thick thorns that impale them while questioning whom it is too late for, and when a startled Äs assumes he has surrounded the area with his Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, and expresses a desire to have kept it, Byakuya indicates the bladeless hilt he is carrying and reminds Äs that this means he is using his Shikai, Senbonzakura. With Äs bewildered by this, Byakuya asserts he was able to rediscover the true essence of Senbonzakura due to Äs stealing his Bankai because he was able to examine his bond like a pointillist painting.

Once Byakuya thanks him for this, an enraged Äs refuses to kill him and pushes his organs out of his chest while the material comprising the eyes gathers around his body, creating a larger being as he promises to engulf Byakuya in a sea of pain and fear while keeping his mind intact so he begs for a peaceful death for all of eternity. Walking up to Rukia, Byakuya notes that he could sense her Reiatsu even as he was approaching the Seireitei and praises her strength, to Rukia's tearful awe, before asserting that fear is born from the insecurity in one's heart rather than in a vacuum and asking Rukia if she still has any fear, which she denies.

Having formed a much larger, misshapen, and grotesque version of his body with his skin hanging off its chin, Äs declares that it is time to end this, but Byakuya apologetically reveals that he is not the one putting an end to this and walks away, leaving Rukia to hold up Sode no Shirayuki in a battle stance. Though Äs claims that he has had enough of Byakuya's mockery, Byakuya points out to Rukia that he does not see any fear in her, which means the only fear here is what Äs feels, prompting Rukia to activate her Bankai, Hakka no Togame, in a pillar of ice that engulfs Äs in a vast cloud of freezing air.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


570. Closer, Closer[]

While 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki helps 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki survive the deactivation of her Bankai after her slaying of Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt, 4th Division Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu and 11th Division Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi are confronted by another Sternritter, Guenael Lee.

Summary:

570Cover

The cover pages of 570. Closer, Closer.

In the past, Äs Nödt lies in a hospital bed while attached to a ventilator and thinks about how painful it is just to breathe and live, which makes life inconvenient because he is not dead yet. As Äs wonders if Heaven is a place where it is easy to breathe and Hell is a place even more agonizing than this, which he is scared to go to, Yhwach appears next to his bed and decides to grant Äs power for surviving.

In the present, having been frozen by 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki's Bankai, Hakka no Togame, Äs realizes he is going to die, apologizes to Yhwach while begging for his forgiveness, and agonizes over the pain he is feeling before the top half of his larger body's head is destroyed, leaving the rest of the body to crumble and fall apart in large chunks. Standing in front of Äs' remains in an icy kimono with transparent adornments and light-colored hair, Rukia's hand begins to crack, only for 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki to grasp it with his own, causing his fingers to become encrusted with ice, and encourage her to undo it slowly. With Rukia exhaling cold air, Byakuya calls her Bankai magnificent, but warns her that it is perilous and could take her life with a single misstep. After advising Rukia to handle Hakka no Togame with caution and never be impatient with it, Byakuya concludes that nothing can be won by a sword swung in exchange for one's life and invites Rukia to come with him and protect Soul Society, which she accepts.

Meanwhile, 4th Division Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu watches over the unconscious 3rd Division Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi and 9th Division Captain Kensei Muguruma inside a building before being approached by 11th Division Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi, who has returned with more bedding for her to use and comments on how high-quality the bedding used by the Quincy is. Though Isane apologizes for giving her such a dangerous assignment, Yachiru insists it is not a problem and explains that she has nothing else to do since her captain, Kenpachi Zaraki, is taking a while to return and that she simply runs in to get what she needs whenever she spots bedding or medicine, leaving Isane beginning to express surprise at them not being discovered yet.

However, Isane's thought is finished out loud by Guenael Lee, causing her to begin looking around for him as he encourages her to do so before appearing on her back. Suddenly, with Guenael promising that Isane will not see him again, Yachiru punches him in the face, but Guenael vanishes from sight, leaving Yachiru confused since she thought she hit him and wondering what she was trying to hit. Hitting Yachiru in the face in turn, a laughing Guenael questions if Yachiru thought she hit him and claims this will never happen because his presence will completely disappear from their sight and minds.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


Author's Notes[]

Volume 63 Intro Image
One of my assistants gave me a bunch of books as a gift. Among them was a photography book, which, unable to wait for the Japanese release, I had already bought the foreign edition of.

It's like my tastes are super obvious or I'm being watched.

Not sure if I'm happy or worried.

-Tite Kubo

References[]

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HEART OF WOLF HEAR,FEAR,HERE DEATH IN VISION

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