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THERE IS NO HEART WITHOUT YOU is the thirtieth volume of the Bleach manga series.

Publisher's summary[]

Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends are moving ever closer to the center of Hueco Mundo and rescuing Orihime Inoue. But their battles against the Arrancar are testing them in ways they never thought possible. Can they keep their honor in a world where it doesn't exist, or will Hueco Mundo leave an indelible mark on their souls?!

Bleach All Stars[]

All-Stars
ノイトラ
Nnoitra Gilga
Ep190SzayelCharaPic アーロニーロ
Aaroniero Arruruerie
Ep190NnoitraCharaPic2 ザエルアポロ
Szayelaporro Granz
Ep153AaronieroCharaPic

Ep158SadoCharaPic 朽木 ルキア
Rukia Kuchiki
Ep216IchigoCharaPic2
茶渡 泰虎
Yasutora Sado
Ep320RukiaCharaPic 黒崎 一護
Ichigo Kurosaki



Chapters[]

261. LEFTARM OF THE DEVIL[]

Yasutora Sado concludes his battle with Gantenbainne Mosqueda, but finds himself suddenly confronted by Nnoitra Gilga.

Summary:

261Cover

The cover page of 261. LEFTARM OF THE DEVIL.

With Yasutora Sado having manifested the other half of his true Fullbring, Brazo Izquierda del Diablo, on his left arm, an initially stunned Gantenbainne Mosqueda laughs nervously at this and claims that the name sounds sinister as he charges up two energy spheres in front of his hands, combines them, and fires Rugir del Dragón at Sado. However, Sado simply grabs the projectile with his left hand, stopping it in midair as its energy erratically careens around him during its dispersal, and begins calmly approaching a sweating Gantenbainne, who roars and runs forward while throwing an energy-infused uppercut. In response, Sado effortlessly blocks the blow with his right arm's manifested Fullbring, Brazo Derecha de Gigante, and holds out Brazo Izquierda del Diablo, which begins crackling with energy at its fingertips as Sado clenches his fingers into a fist and performs La Muerte, delivering a powerful blow to Gantenbainne that completely shatters his Resurrección, Dragra, and imprints a large and fearsome skull onto the wall behind him.

The force of Sado's blow destroys the wall and sends a near-unconscious Gantenbainne flying onto the sands outside, where Sado, having sealed both halves of his Fullbring, kneels at the former's side and observes that he only discovered his power because Gantenbainne's attack was so ferocious. Thanking Gantenbainne for helping make him stronger than ever before, Sado promises to not kill him and wishes Gantenbainne well while standing up to depart, only to see a sunny blue sky above him and wonder if he is not within the walls of the dome after all. Sado ruminates that he cannot see the ceiling of the dome and that the sunlight does not make sense considering that Hueco Mundo is a land of perpetual darkness with an unmoving moon, but is alerted when an alarmed Gantenbainne tells him to run and turns around to see Nnoitra Gilga standing between them with his massive Zanpakutō slung over his shoulder.

Despite Gantenbainne frantically urging him to run away, Sado manifests Brazo Derecha de Gigante once again and observes that Nnoitra is not attacking him despite being visibly strong. Not wanting to find out what Nnoitra can do by waiting, Sado manifests Brazo Izquierda del Diablo as well and resolves to finish this in one blow before slamming his energy-imbued left fist hard into Nnoitra's chest. However, a grinning Nnoitra remains completely unharmed and questions if this is all a shocked Sado has got before attacking him in turn.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


262. Unblendable[]

With Nnoitra Gilga easily defeating and seemingly killing Yasutora Sado, Orihime Inoue and her friends are shocked by his loss as Rukia Kuchiki has an unexpected encounter.

Summary:

262Cover

The cover page of 262. Unblendable.

Having been slashed across the chest by Nnoitra Gilga's Zanpakutō, which severs a large chunk of his Fullbring, Brazo Derecha de Gigante, in the process, a stunned Yasutora Sado collapses in a shower of blood as a disappointed Nnoitra observes that he knew Sado would be weak. Around Las Noches, Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai, and Uryū Ishida are startled upon sensing the plummet in Sado's Reiatsu, with Rukia hoping that was not Sado and Pesche Guatiche asking Uryū what is wrong. As Nel Tu wonders what is happening while under his arm, Ichigo resumes running down the hall they are in and refuses to accept Sado being killed, though he realizes that all he can do right now is believe that they will all come back alive.

Simultaneously, Orihime Inoue stares up at the moon from within her room prior to Ulquiorra Cifer announcing that he is entering. With Orihime solemnly turning to face him, Ulquiorra deduces that she has sensed it and criticizes Nnoitra for getting impatient instead of waiting in his palace as ordered. When Orihime insists that Sado is not dead, Ulquiorra has an Arrancar attendant wheel in a cart with food on it and tells Orihime to eat it, only for her to claim that she is not hungry. In turn, Ulquiorra asserts that it is Orihime's duty to maintain her health until Sōsuke Aizen calls upon her and threatens to shove the food down her throat or strap her down and feed her intravenously if she does not comply. Though Orihime reiterates that Sado is not dead, Ulquiorra dismisses this as irrelevant and questions if Orihime wants him to assure her that Sado is still alive, which he considers nonsense since he is not here to comfort her.

After a moment's pause, Ulquiorra admits that he does not understand why it matters if Sado is dead since all of Orihime's friends will die soon and one of them simply happened to die before the others did, prompting Orihime to look at him in shock. Ignoring Orihime's request for him to stop, Ulquiorra states that she should have known this was coming and calls her friends idiots whom she should be disgusted with for rushing into Hueco Mundo to be slaughtered so easily, which leads Orihime to sprint over to him and slap Ulquiorra hard in the face. Staring silently at a panting Orihime for several seconds, Ulquiorra departs and promises to be back in an hour, where he will tie down and force-feed Orihime if she has not eaten by then. Once Ulquiorra leaves, Orihime huddles against the wall and begins sobbing into her hands.

Elsewhere, Rukia runs up a set of stairs in an attempt to reach Sado before his Reiatsu completely fades, only to stop in astonishment upon exiting the corridor to find herself underneath a blue sky on a bridge leading to a large building outside. With Rukia wondering how this is possible, Aaroniero Arruruerie appears behind her and offers to explain, and as Rukia whirls around, Aaroniero moves past her with Sonído to the front door of the building at the other end of the bridge, where he encourages Rukia to come inside with him. Once Rukia rushes after him and enters the dimly-lit room, Aaroniero expresses relief at finally being able to relax and apologetically explains that he has never been fond of sunlight, which cannot penetrate this room, before identifying himself as Espada #9. and taking off his mask to reveal that he is actually Kaien Shiba, to Rukia's utter shock.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


263. Unexpected[]

While Yasutora Sado's confrontation with Nnoitra Gilga concludes, Rukia Kuchiki reunites with Kaien Shiba, who has been masquerading as Espada #9.

Summary:

263Cover

The cover page of 263. Unexpected.

With Rukia Kuchiki stunned to see Kaien Shiba standing before her as Espada #9. Aaroniero Arruruerie, Nnoitra Gilga sits on a bent tree in the sands of Las Noches as he uses Indice Radar, where he is greeted by his Fracción, Tesra Lindocruz. Approaching Nnoitra from behind, Tesra notices a wounded Yasutora Sado lying face-down in the sand nearby and observes that Nnoitra has not finished him off yet, prompting Nnoitra to confirm this and question who would be impressed by him killing a thousand pests like Sado since there is no profit in squashing bugs.

Suddenly, Nnoitra senses Aaroniero confronting Rukia and gets up to seek out the source of an enormous Reiatsu he has just detected so he can crush it, but is interrupted when Sado gets up behind him with his left arm's Fullbring, Brazo Izquierda del Diablo, activated and refuses to let Nnoitra do so. Though Nnoitra grins and prepares to battle as Sado rushes toward him to attack, Tesra moves between them at the last second and blocks Sado's punch with Plato Colmillo as he disparages Sado for daring to attack Nnoitra in his condition, leaving the latter to curse as he collapses once more. While Tesra sheathes his Zanpakutō and asks Nnoitra if they should go now, Nnoitra holds the edge of his own Zanpakutō diagonally across Tesra's upper body and questions why Tesra believed Nnoitra needed his help, prompting Tesra to explain that all of Sado's remaining power was in that blow. However, Nnoitra denies the possibility of it having ever reached or injured him regardless and warns Tesra to never forget that no one can break Nnoitra's body because he is the Espada's best.

Back in Aaroniero's palace, Rukia frantically asks Kaien if this is really him and begins to tell herself that it cannot possibly be true since she killed Kaien years ago, but a smiling Kaien notes that it has been a long time and tells Rukia that she looks well. Jumping down from the pillar he was standing on, Kaien complains about how hard his clothes making moving around and becomes annoyed as he tells Rukia to stop staring at him since she should be happy to see everyone's favorite lieutenant alive and well. With Kaien requesting that she say something so he is not left standing here like a buffoon, a tearful Rukia realizes it really is him and recognizes the warmth he exudes like she has just put her hand into sunlight without realizing it.

Pleased at Rukia finally believing him, Kaien pulls out two sitting pads and tosses Rukia one so he can sit down with her and explain the situation. Shortly afterward, Kaien details how his body that had begun decaying soon after Rukia killed him disintegrated in the Shiba Clan residence, which transported him to Hueco Mundo because Metastacia had been designed by Sōsuke Aizen to reconstitute there whenever it was killed, and that merging with Kaien caused it to take his form upon reconstituting as expected by Aizen, only for Kaien's mind to end up controlling the body instead because his iron will had not been factored in. Startled by this, Rukia demands to know why Kaien is joking around on such a serious topic, and when Kaien claims that he thought Rukia looked sad and wanted to lighten the mood, Rukia clarifies that this is her serious face, which he accepts as he concludes that he took a position as an Espada and waited for a chance at Aizen following this.

Bringing up how it was sunny outside, Kaien reveals that Aizen created a blue sky inside the dome of Las Noches and can see everything the light touches, to Rukia's shock, prior to noting that he is glad Rukia is the one who found him since she is the only one who can execute his plan. When Kaien asks her to come with him because they cannot talk here, Rukia immediately runs over to follow him, only to suddenly find Kaien's Zanpakutō pointed directly at her face and approaching her right eye. With a shocked Rukia barely managing to evade this at the last second and leaping away with a large cut on her cheek, Kaien turns to look at her and casually observes that she has improved.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


264. Don't Say That Name Again[]

Kaien Shiba reveals his true nature to Rukia Kuchiki as 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai is confronted by Szayelaporro Granz.

Summary:

264Cover

The cover pages of 264. Don't Say That Name Again.

As Gin Ichimaru interacts with a screen in his control room in Las Noches, Ulquiorra Cifer asks him if any of the intruders have reached an Espada's palace yet, prompting Gin to comment on how unusual Ulquiorra starting a conversation with him is since he believed the latter hated him. When Ulquiorra denies this, Gin requests that the former be kinder to him since he has been feeling depressed ever since Luppi Antenor died, with the latter being someone he liked talking to. Upon noticing the screen that Gin was interacting with, Ulquiorra inquires if he has been manipulating the corridors, but Gin claims that he is not that cruel and simply likes happy endings.

Meanwhile, in Aaroniero Arruruerie's palace, blood drips from a stunned Rukia Kuchiki's wounded cheek while Kaien Shiba notes that she looks confused and holds out his Zanpakutō that he wounded her with as he admits to being impressed over Rukia surviving an attack that would have killed her when he last knew her, which he describes as a subordinate's progress being a superior officer's joy. With Rukia nervously wondering if this is all true, Kaien affirms that it is and refutes the idea that he is an impostor because he looks like himself and hopes that Rukia has not forgotten how she killed him. Recounting how he is the former lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division who merged with a Hollow and came to Hueco Mundo, Kaien describes Rukia as the woman who took his life, and as Rukia remembers impaling a possessed Kaien with her Zanpakutō, Kaien assumes that she now understands why he is trying to kill her, asserts that the time has come for him to repay the favor, and asks Rukia if she is ready to pay with her life for killing him.

Rukia confirms this, but clarifies that she cannot do so right now and describes how the guilt from her killing Kaien has not gone away no matter how many years pass before promising that Kaien can kill her if doing so will bring him peace. However, Rukia informs Kaien that she has come to Hueco Mundo to save her friend Orihime Inoue and will not let him kill her until the latter is safe, no matter how bad she feels about Kaien's death. After a moment's pause, Kaien throws up his hands and apologizes for such a bad joke, leaving Rukia speechless while he elaborates that he kidding and does not actually want to kill Rukia even if he wants her to pay for what she has done. Walking over to a kneeling Rukia, Kaien gently places his hand on her head and reveals that there is something she can do for him if she truly wishes to atone for what she did. With Rukia picking up on him wanting her to do something, Kaien cheerfully asks her to bring him the heads of all her friends.

As Rukia stares down in numb disbelief, Kaien states that it would be easy and points out how Rukia knowing all their strengths and weaknesses means that she would simply have to take them by surprise, which would let him forgive Rukia for killing him. When Rukia remains silent, Kaien wonders what is wrong, and in response to Rukia flatly observing that he is not joking, Kaien confirms this, leading Rukia to assert that asking her to kill her friends could never be a joke and grab Kaien's hand prior to angrily rebuking him for shaming Kaien's memory, to Kaien's surprise. Pushing Kaien's hand away and repelling him, Rukia emphatically declares that he is not Kaien because the real Kaien, as a man of honor whom everyone in the Thirteenth Division loved and respected, would never ask her to betray her friends. Before Kaien can claim to be himself again, a furious Rukia demands that he never say his name again and releases her Shikai, Sode no Shirayuki, which leads a grinning Kaien to hold out his own Zanpakutō as well.

Simultaneously, 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai is startled to sense Rukia's Reiatsu rising, and when Dondochakka Birstanne asks him what is wrong, Renji assures him that it is nothing. In turn, Dondochakka steps forward and tells Renji to stop worrying him since he is already worried as it is, only to step onto a floor panel that causes a square section of the floor beneath him to fall away. With a surprised Dondochakka falling into the shaft below, Renji steps forward in concern and causes a second section of the floor to fall away from under him, leading to Renji falling into a second shaft as well. Moments later, Renji lands in a large chamber further down and wonders where he is as Szayelaporro Granz laughs over an intercom and admits that he did not expect anyone to fall for the simplest of the many traps he set along the way. Emerging from a nearby doorway, Szayelaporro tells Renji to remember his sole introduction as best he can and pulls out the microphone embedded in his ear while identifying himself as Espada #8.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


265. Bang The Bore[]

6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai finds himself outmaneuvered by Szayelaporro Granz as Rukia Kuchiki struggles to battle Kaien Shiba effectively.

Summary:

265Cover

The cover page of 265. Bang The Bore.

With Szayelaporro Granz having introduced himself as Espada #8., 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai realizes that he is one of the ten commanders of the Arrancar before hearing the wail of Dondochakka Birstanne, which alarms and confuses him since the latter fell into the trap before he did. Upon realizing Dondochakka's voice is emanating from the passage he came out of, Renji quickly moves out of the way and expresses relief at Dondochakka not falling on top of him, but a second hole opens up in the wall behind Renji just before Dondochakka flies out of it and lands on top of Renji. Complaining about how much that hurt and how scary it was in the shaft he was sliding down, Dondochakka sees an unamused Szayelaporro standing before him and immediately recognizes him as Hueco Mundo's top scientist and spiritual weapons expert.

As Dondochakka continues outlining Szayelaporro's position and history, an aggravated Renji berates him for expositing so blatantly and demands that Dondochakka get off of him, and when Dondochakka wonders why Renji is underneath him, Renji angrily kicks him in the eye to force him back and threatens to do so again while noting how hard Dondochakka's face is. Asking Renji if he is done with his comedy routine, Szayelaporro sees the former glaring at him and assures Renji that he is not much of a fighter despite being an Espada before affirming Dondochakka's description of him as a scientist. However, Renji cuts off Szayelaporro's explanation and draws his Zanpakutō while asserting that he came here to crush the Espada rather than talk, though he does not mind if Szayelaporro keeps talking while being cut down where he stands, before activating his Bankai, Hihiō Zabimaru, which immediately bursts apart into hundreds of small pieces.

With Renji staring in shock at this and questioning what just happened, Szayelaporro resumes his explanation and informs Renji that he cannot perform Bankai in this room, which Renji repeats in disbelief. Mocking Renji for needing to say it again in order to memorize it, Szayelaporro elaborates that the shape, nature, Reiatsu, Reishi composition, and ultimate form of Hihiō Zabimaru are all familiar enough to him that he was able to make some adjustments to the area in order to seal it. When Renji counters that only someone who was struck by Hihiō Zabimaru could know these things, Szayelaporro attributes this to his older brother and, upon realizing Renji does not remember his name, informs the latter that Yylfordt Granz is his older brother, to Renji's astonishment.

Once Szayelaporro comments on him remembering such a fool, Renji deduces that he is not here to avenge Yylfordt, which Szayelaporro confirms prior to detailing how he had implanted Rokureichu all over Yylfordt's body prior to his battle that he collected data on Hihiō Zabimaru from while examining his corpse afterward and describes his brother as just a box for his data collection that he is too mature to get mad over the breaking of. Renji coldly states that Szayelaporro is the fool if this is the case, but Szayelaporro simply notes that Renji's comments continue to confirm his judgement of Renji being mind-bogglingly stupid and promises Renji that he can neither win nor escape prior to drawing his own Zanpakutō and admitting that this is an exciting moment for him due to being the first time he has met someone who can actually perform Bankai, prompting him to request that an unnerved Renji not struggle too much so that his corpse is left as intact as possible.

Meanwhile, in Aaroniero Arruruerie's palace, Kaien Shiba springs off a platform with his hand just before a wave of ice surges over the area where he had been located, which leads him to land on the ground below and mockingly inquire if this is all Rukia has got. As a panting and bloodied Rukia stands on the platform above him with several more wounds sustained, Kaien brings up Rukia's Some no mai, Tsukishiro and Tsugi no mai, Hakuren techniques to remind Rukia that he knows them very well because he is the person she invented and practiced them with. Kaien wonders if Rukia really believes that they will work against him, and when Rukia simply levels her Shikai, Sode no Shirayuki, in response, Kaien assumes that she has either forgotten who he is or has nothing better to muster and twirls his Zanpakutō around to release his own Shikai, Nejibana, transforming it into a long trident that releases a wave of water while he warns Rukia that the battle is over now.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


266. Hide Away From The Sun[]

Overwhelmed by Kaien Shiba's Shikai, Nejibana, Rukia Kuchiki realizes that he is hiding something and uses Kidō to reveal the truth.

Summary:

266Cover

The cover page of 266. Hide Away From The Sun.

Having released his Shikai, Nejibana, Kaien Shiba levels it at a stunned Rukia Kuchiki and tells her to raise her sword before lunging forward to attack, which forces Rukia to frantically block the tip of the trident inches from her head with her own Shikai, Sode no Shirayuki. Upon seeing Rukia attempting to reposition herself, Kaien rapidly twirls Nejibana in his hand and strikes it into the ground underneath Rukia to rip it out upward, and with Rukia sent flying into the air on a chunk of rock by this, Kaien twirls Nejibana once more along the ground to bring it crashing down onto her. When she blocks this as well with one hand on the blade of Sode no Shirayuki, Rukia sees a torrent of water massing above Nejibana and moves backward just before Kaien brings it crashing down onto the ground in front of him, destroying a large portion of the floor in the process.

As she lands behind Kaien, Rukia mentally observes that the unorthodox style, high-held weapon, style of spinning, dance-like technique, and method of trapping the enemy between the trident and massive waves of water are all Kaien's moves, which her eyes and body know even if her heart does not want to believe it. However, Rukia continues to clash with Kaien and internally asserts that while Kaien's body is here, the Kaien she is fighting is not the kind lieutenant who taught her how to fight and helped her find her place in the world that she remembers. Suddenly, Kaien disarms Rukia of Sode no Shirayuki with a flick of Nejibana and tells her that it is over, but Rukia holds out her hand in front of a startled Kaien's face and fires Hadō #33. Sōkatsui, which Kaien dodges by moving his upper body to the side at the last second, leaving the spell to blast through the wall behind him.

Though Kaien praises Rukia's skill and strength in using Eishōhaki, he stops in surprise upon seeing the hole left in the wall behind him and quickly moves several meters away to a high platform with Shunpo, which prompts Rukia to wonder why he is fleeing. Recalling Kaien asking her to come inside when they first met here and how that did not make sense, Rukia acknowledges that he is not the real Kaien and that his words are all lies, but questions why he only removed his mask after going indoors and decides her theory is worth confirming prior to restraining Kaien's arm with Bakudō #4. Hainawa.

Initially assuming that Rukia is trying to buy herself time to escape, Kaien sees Rukia reciting an incantation for two different spells and realizes that she is performing a Nijū Eishō just before Rukia restrains his entire upper body with Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō, to his chagrin, and unleashes Hadō #73. Sōren Sōkatsui, a massive blast of energy that destroys a large chunk of the wall directly behind Kaien to let in the sunlight, causing Kaien to scream as his flesh falls off to reveal a large glass capsule containing fluid and two spherical Hollow heads floating inside. With Rukia staring in bewilderment and wondering what this is, Aaroniero Arruruerie expresses annoyance at his disguise coming off and introduces himself once more.

Characters in order of appearance:

  1. Aaroniero Arruruerie
  2. Kaien Shiba (Aaroniero's forecasting)
  3. Rukia Kuchiki

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


267. Legions of the Reglets[]

Despite exposing Aaroniero Arruruerie's true form, Rukia Kuchiki is unable to overcome the power of his Resurrección, Glotonería.

Summary:

267Cover

The cover page of 267. Legions of the Reglets.

Having had his true head exposed by sunlight, Aaroniero Arruruerie responds to a stunned Rukia Kuchiki wondering what he is by expressing irritation at having to repeat his introduction and warning Rukia to not say anything about his appearance, since he has heard it all before. Aaroniero turns his attention to the Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō restraining him, which he shatters, and comments on it being 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki's specialty, to Rukia's shock, before admitting that there is nothing in his memory of Rukia being able to use such advanced Kidō techniques and calling her foolish because she might have wounded him had she aimed her Hadō #73. Sōren Sōkatsui at him. However, Rukia counters that this was of secondary importance compared to her need to learn Aaroniero's true identity and her suspicion that sunlight would neutralize his ability to mask himself, and as she pulls her Shikai, Sode no Shirayuki, out of the ground it had embedded itself in, Rukia assumes a battle stance and concludes that she can now cut down Aaroniero without hesitation.

In response, Aaroniero muses on Rukia believing she can defeat him and reappears behind her with Sonído while clarifying that while he cannot use his powers in the sunlight, he can use them without constraint in the shadows, which he demonstrates by reforming Kaien Shiba's head around his capsule. With Rukia left speechless by this, Aaroniero complains about the surveillance method employed by Sōsuke Aizen involving the construction of a sun in a dark world like Hueco Mundo when there are beings like himself who can only use their powers in darkness. After asking Rukia if she believes he has the power to transform, which she nervously affirms, Aaroniero criticizes her for not knowing better, to her confusion, and informs her that he is the only Gillian among the Espada.

When Rukia bluntly wonders why this matters, Aaroniero elaborates that Gillians do not possess the abilities necessary to be Espada and, after noting that he is Espada #9. despite this, informs Rukia that he was able to join their ranks because he is the only Arrancar with unlimited evolutionary potential, which allowed him to gain Metastacia's Spirit Body Fusion ability by consuming the latter's rotting body when it returned to Hueco Mundo. With Rukia picking up on his mention of consuming Metastacia, Aaroniero pulls the glove off his left hand to reveal his Zanpakutō, a circular mouth with several fleshy tendrils taking the place of his left hand, and reveals that it lets him absorb the Reiatsu and powers of dead Hollows by consuming them, which is what let him take Kaien's appearance by consuming Metastacia after the latter possessed Kaien. As Rukia realizes what this means, Aaroniero confirms that the recognition she felt was not an illusion because he is using Kaien's real spiritual body containing all of his thoughts and experiences exactly as they happened, meaning that Aaroniero only had to act upon those memories.

Seeing Rukia rendered speechless by this, Aaroniero declares that it is over and decides to show her an Espada's release as a parting gift before activating his Resurrección, Glotonería, creating a massive, blob-like mass beneath his main body with dozens of tentacles and a massive face akin to a blobfish. As Rukia stares in shock at this, Aaroniero calls the terror on her face beautiful and proclaims that it will be multiplied by the physical manifestation of all the Hollows he has ever consumed while warning Rukia that the release of an Espada's power is far above that of a normal Arrancar because Glotonería can employ the powers of all his victims simultaneously.

With Aaroniero proclaiming that he has consumed 33,650 Hollows, which makes fighting against him akin to battling over 30,000 Hollows at once, Rukia leaps forward to attack him as she mentally apologizes to Kaien for causing his body to fall into the hands of the Hollows by killing him that night to save her own life, even though she had kept telling herself she had saved Kaien by recovering his body, which has ended up not being true. Struck hard by one of Aaroniero's tentacles, Rukia admits that she no longer has the strength to swing her sword or strike down Kaien's body and bids him farewell just before a thrust of Kaien's Shikai, Nejibana, snaps the blade of Sode no Shirayuki in two and impales Rukia, who is held aloft by a maniacally laughing Aaroniero while she remembers Kaien.

Characters in order of appearance:

  1. Rukia Kuchiki
  2. Aaroniero Arruruerie
  3. Kaien Shiba (Aaroniero's forecasting)
  4. Metastacia (flashback)

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


268. 君 死にたもうこと勿れ[]

Upon recalling an important conversation she had with Thirteenth Division Lieutenant Kaien Shiba long ago, Rukia Kuchiki gains the resolve to defeat Aaroniero Arruruerie.

Summary:

268Cover

The cover page of 268. 君 死にたもうこと勿れ.

Impaled by Aaroniero Arruruerie's Shikai, Nejibana, Rukia Kuchiki slips into unconsciousness.

In the past, Rukia is woken up by a slap to the back of her head from 13th Division Lieutenant Kaien Shiba, who responds to her demanding to know why he did this by asserting that she did not respond when he called her name and shook her by the shoulders, and when Rukia protests that he could have injured her neck, Kaien wonders if she was sleepwalking before informing her that they are almost there. With Rukia looking around and realizing that she remembers the forested area they are in, Kaien threatens to leave her there, prompting Rukia to frantically run after him into the clearing ahead. Rukia recognizes the trees, her apprehensive and excited feeling, and the sensation akin to leaping as part of the time she spent training with Kaien at Mount Koifushi on the northern edge of Western Rukongai's third district.

Soon afterward, a sweating Rukia stands across from Kaien, who instructs her to go again and begins sparring with her, causing the nearby birds to take flight. With Rukia briefly distracted by this, Kaien sweeps aside her second strike and disarms her, easily catching her Zanpakutō with his free hand afterward. Ruminating on how she can remember everything about this even though she was absorbed in training, Rukia's stomach growls, causing her to blush in embarrassment as a smug Kaien comments on how unsubtle her desire to eat lunch is. Rukia asserts that she could not help it and notes that she was consumed by one insecurity at this time, which was her lack of skill in Zanjutsu, and as she ponders how her Kidō was only considered average in the Gotei 13 even though she scored well at the Shin'ō Academy, which has left her questioning if she really belongs here and where her heart is, Kaien declares that she is here to fight and protect.

Upon being asked by Rukia what she is meant to protect, Kaien says that she will do so with all kinds of things all over the place, and when a confused Rukia requests that he be more specific, Kaien gets to his feet and inquires if Rukia knows the philosophy of their captain, Jūshirō Ukitake. With Rukia denying this, Kaien explains that Ukitake believes there are battles to protect lives and battles to protect honor, but clarifies that he believes this means everything they have to protect comes down to the heart. Though Rukia calls this sappy, an annoyed Kaien asks Rukia where she believes the heart is, and once a flustered Rukia motions to her upper chest as the likely location, Kaien approaches her with a smile and holds up his fist between them as he theorizes that the heart lies here because it is born between people who grow close to each other and care about things, rather than lying within their bodies.

With Kaien concluding that someone who was alone in the world could not have a heart because of this, Rukia recalls that Kaien believed one's heart longing to be here meant it was here and it being here was reason enough for one to be here. Shortly afterward, Kaien sits with Rukia again and instructs her that, whenever she fights in the future, she must make sure to never fight alone prior to detailing how a Soul dying causes their bodies to disintegrate and become the Reishi that shapes Soul Society, which means that the heart is instead left with their friends. As Kaien concludes that leaving her heart with her friends is why Rukia must never die alone, Rukia remembers him asserting that he could leave his heart with her when he died in her arms.

In the present, Rukia regains consciousness and grips the handle of Nejibana, leading a surprised Aaroniero to note that he is not sure if Rukia's survival is impressive or pitiful since she will never be able to kill him no matter how long she clings to life. While ice begins to encrust Nejibana outward from her left hand, Rukia states that she has remembered it as she lifts her broken Shikai, Sode no Shirayuki, to Aaroniero's face with her trembling right hand, and though Aaroniero mocks her for pretending to fight with a broken sword instead of dropping it, Rukia performs San no mai, Shirafune, forming an icy blade outward from Sode no Shirayuki that pierces through a stunned Aaroniero's head and the capsule inside. Rukia elaborates that she remembered where Kaien's heart is and tells Aaroniero that he only has his spiritual body, while his heart remains with her, before bidding him farewell and shattering the capsule by slashing downward.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


269. The End is Near[]

Aaroniero Arruruerie's death is sensed around Las Noches by the other Espada, who react in different ways to the first of their number falling.

Summary:

269Cover

The cover page of 269. The End is Near.

With Rukia Kuchiki slashing through Aaroniero Arruruerie's glass capsule with her reformed Shikai, Sode no Shirayuki, its contents spill out as his Resurrección, Glotonería, collapses in on itself in a large wave of fluid and Rukia falls to the ground alongside Aaroniero's body, with one of his heads screaming in agony over its inability to breath and demanding to know why Sōsuke Aizen has not saved it while the other simply curses and cracks in two from being impaled by Sode no Shirayuki. Nearby, a struggling Rukia attempts to crawl away with pieces of Aaroniero's Shikai, Nejibana, still lodged in her abdomen and remembers Kaien Shiba's instructions for her to not die alone as she remembers all of her friends and family. Upon thinking of Orihime Inoue, Rukia mentally assures her that she knows the loneliness of captivity, the joy of being rescued by a friend, and the horror of seeing a comrade fall, which leads her to promise to come for Orihime just before collapsing.

Around Las Noches, the other Espada and their Fracción learn of Aaroniero's death through his Cognition Synchronization. While Emilou Apacci asks Tier Harribel what she wants to do, Baraggan Louisenbairn calls Aaroniero a stupid punk for getting himself killed like this as Zommari Rureaux meditates in his palace. Meanwhile, Coyote Starrk is woken up by Lilynette Gingerbuck jamming a finger into his mouth, causing him to bolt upright and violently gag while Lilynette cheerfully greets him. When Starrk attempts to fall back asleep, Lilynette hits him until he stays awake and informs him that Aaroniero has been killed, only for Starrk to question what she wants him to do about it.

Simultaneously, Szayelaporro Granz is told by Lumina and Verona that Aaroniero is dead, which leads him to admit that he was too preoccupied to notice the report he received and take a moment to process the information before telling a battered 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai that both of them are dead. With Renji expressing confusion at this, Szayelaporro elaborates that one of his friends and an Espada killed each other, which he sarcastically claps for and praises as an accomplishment, and responds to Renji wondering how he knows that they are both dead by asserting that they are and revealing that the woman's name was Rukia, prompting an angered Renji to swing his Shikai, Zabimaru, at Szayelaporro. Though Szayelaporro easily blocks this with his Hierro-protected wrist and comments on how predictable Renji's reaction was since he has already been told that Shikai is not enough to harm an Espada, Renji rips Zabimaru back toward himself in an explosion of force, grazing an alarmed Szayelaporro's temple in the process, and demands that Szayelaporro get out of his way.

Elsewhere, Ichigo Kurosaki stops in shock with Nel Tu under his arm upon sensing the drop in Rukia's Reiatsu, which leads Ulquiorra Cifer to admit that he underestimated Ichigo's senses due to believing the latter was just a boy with a lot of Reiryoku while appearing on the steps behind Ichigo and noting that it has been a while since they last met.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


Author's Notes[]

Volume 30 Intro Image
I saw a bunch of elementary school kids the other day standing around a Bleach card game machine. As I got nearer, one of the bigger, bossier kids said "Don't you know? This is Genryūsai's Bankai - Kikō'ō, the Firebird King!"

I thought to myself, I've got to work harder.

-Tite Kubo

References[]

  1. Bleach 30 (Japanese). Shueisha.
  2. Bleach, Vol. 30. Viz Media.
  3. English translation: You must not die (Japanese romaji: Kimi shinitamō koto nakare)

Navigation[]

THE SLASHING OPERA THERE IS NO HEART WITHOUT YOU DON'T KILL MY VOLUPTURE

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