The Royal Guard vs. The Wandenreich is a battle taking place during the Quincy Blood War that focuses on the Royal Guard facing off against the Quincy Emperor Yhwach, Sternritter "A" Uryū Ishida, Sternritter Grandmaster Jugram Haschwalth, and Yhwach's Schutzstaffel when the latter invade the Soul King Palace.
Prelude[]
Yhwach initiates the next phase of his plan by having Jugram Haschwalth create a Hagal rune on the roof of the tower.
After Ichigo Kurosaki returns from the Soul King Palace and begins fighting the Bambies in the replaced Seireitei, Yhwach notes that it is time and has Sternritter "B" Jugram Haschwalth use the "key" to form a Hagal rune on the roof of the tower behind Silbern, from which a beam of light pierces the sky, alerting Ichigo and all the other combatants within the city.[2] With Ichigo turning to face the tower, Yhwach addresses him as the one who will guide them to the light, knowing that his voice reaches Ichigo, and thanks him for making Yhwach's invasion of the Soul King Palace possible, to Ichigo's shock.[3]
Yhwach reveals that Ichigo Kurosaki's arrival has allowed him to invade the Soul King Palace.
Yhwach reveals that the robe Ichigo is wearing is Ōken clothing, woven from the bones and hair of Royal Guard members, in order to force him though the 72 barriers between the Seireitei and the Soul King Palace, as well as protect him from the friction caused by doing so where all other materials would be insufficient. Though he praises the magnificent resistance and protection of the clothing that makes it the best garment a Shinigami can wear, Yhwach announces that the sheer defensive power of it means that the 72 barriers it broken cannot be closed for the next 6,000 seconds, alarming Ichigo, who immediately begins rushing toward the tower.[4]
Uryū Ishida reveals his allegiance to Yhwach and attacks Ichigo with Licht Regen.
Moments later, as Ichigo approaches the tower and screams Yhwach's name, leading Yhwach to muse that he is here, Haschwalth offers to intervene, but Sternritter "A" Uryū Ishida steps forward and fires a Heilig Pfeil down at Ichigo, who deflects it and is aghast to see him standing alongside Yhwach and Haschwalth on the tower. When Ichigo asks him what he is doing up there, Uryū tells him to leave before he wastes his life since he cannot stand up to Yhwach. Though Ichigo demands an answer, Uryū simply raises his Heilig Bogen and unleashes Licht Regen, causing dozens of Heilig Pfeil to hurtle down toward Ichigo.[5]
Yhwach, Uryū, and Haschwalth reach Vestibule Road to invade the Soul King Palace.
However, Orihime Inoue intercepts the Heilig Pfeil with Santen Kesshun as she and Yasutora Sado emerge from a Garganta nearby, alerting Uryū while she looks down at him with confusion. With Yhwach asking him if he has said all his farewells since it will be an eternal parting, Uryū confirms this before they and Haschwalth begin rising in the light beam. Though Ichigo continues to call out to Uryū, he remains silent before disappearing alongside Yhwach and Haschwalth[6] to reappear on the end of the Vestibule Road[7] when the pillar of light blasts through it, alerting the Royal Guard as they sit in their palaces.[8]
Tenjirō Kirinji confronts Yhwach and his subordinates.
Standing on the end of the platform alongside his subordinates, Yhwach comments on this being the Soul King Palace, and when Haschwalth claims to know how he feels, Yhwach questions what he means because he does not feel anything from looking at this decaying grave, prompting Haschwalth to apologize. At Yhwach's prompting, Haschwalth uses a Shadow to bring out several Soldat that rush toward the stairs, only for Tenjirō Kirinji to suddenly appear with Shunpo and repel them with a swing of his sealed Zanpakutō.[9]
Battle[]
As Kirinji proclaims that they do not allow losers into the Soul King Palace, Yhwach identifies him as the First Officer of the Royal Guard and the Divine General of the East before haughtily demanding to know if Kirinji believes he can stop him, only for Kirinji to counter that he would not be here if he did not think so while summoning a tidal wave of White Bone Hell water that engulfs Yhwach, Haschwalth, and the Soldat, the latter of whom are rapidly boiled by it, causing them immense pain. Asking them how the temperature is, Kirinji explains that this bath squeezes out both blood and Reiatsu and promises that he would not cool it down even if it were too hot for them prior to leaping into the air, unsheathing his oar-shaped Zanpakutō, and releasing his Shikai, Kinpika, which causes the blade to grow with a brilliant light.[10]
Yhwach mysteriously bypasses Kirinji without harm.
Some time later, a sweating Kirinji stands before Yhwach with his unsheathed Zanpakutō and internally expresses bewilderment at his inability to hit the latter. When Yhwach suggests he stand aside if he has run out of ideas, an angered Kirinji slashes at him through the floor, but finds the resulting cut and a large portion of the Vestibule Road to be warped around Yhwach, Haschwalth, and Uryū as they proceed, leaving Kirinji baffled at how this is happening when Yhwach is not dodging his attacks or deceiving his eyes.[11]
Senjumaru Stands Guard[]
Senjumaru Shutara confronts Yhwach with a dozen Divine Soldiers.
Suddenly, as Yhwach reaches the base of the stairs, Senjumaru Shutara appears at the top of the stairs with a dozen Divine Soldiers flanking her, where she observes that it has been a long time since she has seen Yhwach and asserts that defeating Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto has gone to his head if he is entering the Soul King Palace uninvited. With Yhwach silently climbing the stairs and passing her, an unimpressed Senjumaru tells him to become rust on the Soul King's blade for his discourtesy as the Divine Soldiers all come down on him with their swords stabbing toward him, only to find themselves slashing away from Yhwach in a circle.[12]
Yhwach brings out Nianzol Weizol, whose Schrift protects both him and Yhwach from being harmed.
Seeing this, a startled Senjumaru wonders why their blades did not reach Yhwach when he did not attempt to dodge them just before Sternritter "W" Nianzol Weizol emerges from a Shadow at Yhwach's feet and calls Senjumaru and her Divine Soldiers discourteous because their attacks are squishy and bent, as they were nowhere close to Yhwach.[13] Seconds later, Nianzol stands between several Divine Soldiers, whose swords are bending away from him at an angle after their attempt to cut him down, and asserts that this is pointless before identifying his power as The Wind, which causes every enemy he finds to bend and warp to avoid his body, leading Kirinji to realize that Nianzol was the one preventing his White Bone Hell water and Zanpakutō attacks from hitting Yhwach while he was concealed within the latter's Shadow.[14]
Nianzol demonstrates the offensive aspect of The Wind by moving his finger toward three Divine Soldiers, who are ripped in half.
Senjumaru coldly states that Nianzol said too much just before the area behind him is revealed to be composed of fabric sheets that more Divine Soldiers rush out of to attack him from. However, as Senjumaru notes that this would mean he cannot bend enemies whom he cannot detect, Nianzol admits that he is often criticized for not explaining enough while the swords of the Divine Soldiers abruptly bend away from his back before they can pierce him. Nianzol clarifies that he finds enemies through instinct so that they always bend away from his body and holds out his index finger prior to moving it toward the Divine Soldiers, who begin warping around it and are eventually split in two by the force of The Wind pushing their bodies in opposite directions away from it, while he apologizes for the lack of clarity.[15]
Nianzol is impaled by dozens of giant spikes sewn into his new garment by Senjumaru.
In turn, Senjumaru assures him he does not need to worry about this since they all have their bad habits before before inquiring about when she said that the enemy which Nianzol could not detect was the Divine Soldiers. With Nianzol startled by this, Senjumaru asserts that enemies are harder to see they closer they are, like the clothes on one's skin, while holding a sewing needle and thread in her mechanical hand. Suddenly, Senjumaru reveals that she retailored Nianzol's robe with her own design while he was dealing with the Divine Soldiers as Nianzol sees the Royal Guard's insignia on the bottom of his coat and finds himself unable to slip out of it as he claims she is lying. Noting that she does not lie and produced the finest garment for him while claiming that he should be grateful to even get to wear it as a foot soldier, Senjumaru concludes that he should not expect to remove it while alive just before dozens of spikes impale Nianzol and protrude from his body through the robe, killing him instantly.[16] Senjumaru recalls that she was just talking about bad habits, and as the spikes impaling Nianzol from within his robe retreat, she admits that her bad habit is failing to remove her sewing needles from her garments. With Senjumaru apologizing for not explaining herself clearly, Nianzol's corpse falls to the ground and splatters blood across the Vestibule Road as Senjumaru is joined by more Divine Soldiers and observes that their blades can finally reach Yhwach.[17]
Yhwach brings out his elite guard, the Schutzstaffel, to face the Royal Guard.
However, Yhwach merely questions if this is true and creates another Shadow that several Soldat emerge from. Claiming that they will be enough to handle the Divine Soldiers, Yhwach startles Senjumaru by bringing out Sternritter "X" Lille Barro, "M" Gerard Valkyrie, "C" Pernida Parnkgjas, and "D" Askin Nakk Le Vaar from another Shadow while he declares that his Royal Guard will be Senjumaru's opponents. With the three Schutzstaffel other than Pernida dropping their hoods, Askin realizes that he was the only Sternritter to be brought up from the replaced Seireitei below and muses that he has to prove himself.[18]
Gerard Valkyrie overpowers Senjumaru's defense and injures her with a single swing.
In turn, Gerard boisterously confirms this and promise to cut down Askin himself if he proves to be useless. After discarding his cloak, Gerard draws his Spirit Weapon, Hoffnung, and rushes toward Senjumaru to slash down at her, shattering the sewing needle that she blocks with and drawing blood from her, while proclaiming that a woman's slender arms cannot block his sword. As the attack blows a hole in the Vestibule Road, Senjumaru leaps back and calls out the Second-Level Divine Soldier, who lands behind her with a loud boom as Gerard comments on its size and Pernida mutters something unintelligible behind him.[19]
Pernida Parnkgjas crumples the massive Second-Level Divine Soldier up into a mangled ball.
When Senjumaru wonders if it has something to say, Lille clarifies that Pernida stated the size of the Second-Level Divine Soldier does not matter while Pernida inhales just before the Second-Level Divine Soldier is brutally twisted and crushed into a ball, leaving Senjumaru to stare in shock at it. Assuming that Senjumaru is realizing the Soul King Palace might fall, Lille casts aside his cloak to reveal his Spirit Weapon, Diagramm, and claims that the losing side is always late to realize and react. After concluding that the Soul King Palace fell the second Yhwach set foot in it, Lille fires a bullet-shaped Heilig Pfeil that punches a hole through Senjumaru's head.[20]
Lille Barro destroys the floating cities after Senjumaru falls.
With blood pooling from the hole in Senjumaru's head once her corpse collapses, Gerard loudly criticizes Lille for killing her there because her body is in Yhwach's path, prompting Lille to have Pernida crumple her remains into a ball and roll it to the side of the platform. When Gerard observes that this was easy and question if the Royal Guard cannot do any better, Lille reminds Gerard that no enemy has ever proven a challenge to them and shoots down all five of the cities before them. Announcing that everything in their way has fallen, Lille kneels before Yhwach and invites him to proceed.[21]
The Royal Guard's Plan Unveiled[]
The real Senjumaru reveals that Lille only destroyed a fabric illusion of the Soul King Palace.
Suddenly, with Yhwach remaining stationary, the falling cities in the air behind Lille are revealed to be fabric that ripples and withdraws behind him, leaving Lille bewildered and demanding to know what is happening while the rest of their surroundings also pull away as fabric to reveal tree branches surrounding the platform and an unharmed Senjumaru, who reveals that this was a false Soul King Palace constructed to lure them in while the real one is being hidden by Ichibē Hyōsube, whose midair seal reveals itself alongside the real palace. Surprised by Senjumaru revealing this, Ichibē deduces that she has done so because the cage is ready.[22]
Kirio Hikifune creates a Cage of Life around the Vestibule Road that traps Yhwach and his subordinates inside.
When Lille levels Diagramm and fires a Heilig Pfeil at him, the nearest tree branch rapidly grows and stretches to intercept his shot, to Lille's surprise. After popping out from behind the branch, Kirio Hikifune confirms that it is ready and admits that she has not had to create a womb this big in a long time while the rest of the fabric withdraws to reveal a Cage of Life surrounding the platform. With Askin and Gerard unnerved and confused by this, Lille fires four more Heilig Pfeil at the branches, only for them to do minimal damage. Upon seeing the middle Heilig Pfeil intercepted by a smaller branch that grows from one of the main branches, Lille observes that the branches cannot be pierced even with consecutive shots to the same area.[23]
Hikifune reveals that the Cage of Life absorbs all Reishi, preventing any powers from breaking or passing through it.
As Lille details how the branches grow more branches instantaneously to block anything moving between their gaps and Gerard mocks him for being a disgrace to The X-Axis, Hikifune clarifies that they actually were pierced and explains that manipulating food equates to manipulating life, with her cooking to shape lives and her ingredients coming from her own body, before revealing that this tree bears fruit by feeding on her Reiatsu. Inferring that Lille's Heilig Pfeil are composed of highly concentrated Reishi, Hikifune claims that the Cage of Life could never pass up something so delicious and asserts that it grows faster than it can be pierced or damaged, meaning that their abilities can never escape it no matter how much they struggle.[24]
The Royal Guard vs. the Schutzstaffel, Round One[]
Ōetsu Nimaiya confronts the Schutzstaffel.
After landing before the Schutzstaffel with Sayafushi in a tank of gel, Ōetsu Nimaiya introduces himself as the number one Zanpakutō creator prior to drawing Sayafushi, declaring that there is no path for the Schutzstaffel to walk on, and inviting them to come at him all at once because the Royal Guard's fight begins here.[25] However, Nimaiya notices the blade of Sayafushi rattling and laments that this is likely due to him not drawing it in a while just before Gerard leaps forward and slashes horizontally at him, creating a shockwave that damages the nearby branches. With Gerard impressed by him casually leaning back to evade this, Nimaiya claims that it is simple manners to dodge another man's hug, but when Gerard decides to continue his attack, Nimaiya asserts that it is his turn and moves past Gerard, who abruptly and wordlessly collapses next to Nimaiya.[26]
Nimaiya reveals that he cut down Gerard with one attack.
As Askin expresses disbelief at what he is seeing, blood spurts high into the air from a stab wound in Gerard's torso, leading Nimaiya to remind the remaining Schutzstaffel that he is the number one member of the Royal Guard whose blade cuts down everyone in a single swing. When Lille accuses him of using a strange trick, Nimaiya wonders what he is talking about, prompting Lille to assert that he can tell Nimaiya is using a trick just by looking at him because there is no way a blade that has been soaking in jelly and whose blade is wobbly can kill Gerard. Lille raises Diagramm and fires a Heilig Pfeil, but is shocked to see the projectile split into two pieces that are deflected to either side of Nimaiya, impacting the Cage of Life behind him without injuring him.[27]
Nimaiya effortlessly slashes through Lille after cutting through his Heilig Pfeil.
Upon being asked what he did, Nimaiya asserts that he did nothing aside from hold up Sayafushi at the right angle to intercept the Heilig Pfeil, slicing it in two, prior to effortlessly cutting through Lille's subsequent Heilig Pfeil and slashing him across the chest. With Lille's hand and part of Diagramm severed by this, Nimaiya walks away from him while a large amount of blood spurts from Lille's chest and throws Sayafushi through Pernida when the latter's hood starts wriggling before moving to Pernida's falling body with Shunpo, pulling Sayafushi out of it, and slashing a startled Askin across the chest. Despite this, Askin remains alive on the ground, which prompts Nimaiya to praise him for moving backward in time with the slash because he realized how sharp Sayafushi is, though Askin merely notes that Nimaiya saw through it before the latter cuts his throat open with another slash.[28]
Nimaiya explains that Sayafushi is a failed blade because it is too sharp and smooth.
Nimaiya turns to Yhwach and explains that he considers Sayafushi to be a failure because its edge is too sharp and its blade is too smooth, preventing it from ever chipping no matter how much he cuts with it, before claiming that it would put swordsmiths like himself out of work and revealing that he cannot create a sheath strong enough to hold it, which means that he could not send it down to the Seireitei as a complete sword. However, as Nimaiya thanks him for storming the Soul King Palace so Sayafushi can be put to use,[29] Yhwach pulls out his Medallion and throws it between the branches toward the main palace.[30]
Yhwach is transported outside of the Cage of Life by switching places with his Medallion.
With those present watching in confusion, the Medallion passes through the branches and is suddenly replaced by Yhwach in midair, leaving it to fall back on the platform where he was standing while the Royal Guard and Haschwalth express shock. As Ichibē claims to be impressed by Yhwach escaping from the Cage of Life and Nimaiya commends him for a brilliant rising, Haschwalth inquires about whether the Royal Guard are going to pursue Yhwach, only for Kirinji to counter that he is wondering the same about Haschwalth and observe Yhwach is heading toward Ichibē, whose bloody stench cannot be washed away by his hot springs.[30]
Yhwach confronts Ichibē, leaving Uryū and Haschwalth to face the Royal Guard.
Musing that Kirinji says such terrible things about him when he is not around, Ichibē turns to Yhwach for his thoughts as the latter stands in the air before him. When Yhwach addresses him by name and asserts that Ichibē will let him through, a grinning Ichibē gets up and recalls how he has chastised Yhwach many times for saying his name lightly before warning Yhwach that he risks losing his voice from this.[30] Nimaiya levels Sayafushi at Uryū and Haschwalth while lambasting Yhwach for running away like this and deciding to kill his successor instead, though he is not sure whether this title belongs to Uryū or Haschwalth. With Nimaiya promising to wait until Uryū and Haschwalth are ready, though he notes that it will not make a difference either way, Haschwalth draws his sword.[31]
The Cage of Life is twisted and broken into two halves by an unknown power.
Suddenly, Haschwalth warns Nimaiya that he will soon regret his good fortune of not having to battle Yhwach as the branches of the Cage of Life begin to creak and rattle around them, to the confusion of the Royal Guard. Upon seeing the branches twist and break sufficiently to separate the Cage of Life into top and bottom halves that begin to fall away from each other, Hikifune runs along one of the branches and asserts that her womb cannot be so easily destroyed even if she does not know what power was used here prior to reaching the top and blowing several seeds from her hands that rapidly sprout and grow along the branches.[31]
Senjumaru Shutara attacks Uryū Ishida, who blocks her strikes with Blut Vene.
The sprouting seedlings wind along and bind the two halves of the Cage of Life back together, resealing it around the platform, and Kirinji announces that he is also joining the battle before throwing a giant sphere of White Bone Hell water at Uryū and Haschwalth. With the water engulfing part of the platform, Uryū reappears near Senjumaru with Hirenkyaku, leading the latter to ask him if he is sure he wants to pass up a bath in the water since it is the right temperature before attacking him several times with her needles, with Uryū rapidly blocking her strikes with his Blut Vene-infused hands.[31]
Tenjirō Kirinji and Jugram Haschwalth clash with Kinpika and Freund Schild.
After leaping into the air and forming his Heilig Bogen, Uryū promises to consider it once he defeats Senjumaru and fires a Heilig Pfeil at her. Simultaneously, Kirinji suggests that Haschwalth treat himself to a sunbath after his outdoor bath and releases Kinpika by pulling the sheathe off his paddle to reveal a glowing blade prior to leaping down toward the water surging around Haschwalth and slashing, with Haschwalth defending himself by raising Freund Schild to intercept the blade. Nearby, Nimaiya walks up the stairs and laments having his prey stolen after returning to the stage for the first time in years.[31]
Askin Nakk Le Vaar reveals that he can still fight because of his unnatural endurance.
However, while musing on Yhwach not even being here for him to fight, Nimaiya is struck by a strange sensation and expresses shock as Askin asserts that their battle is not over yet because the wounds he received were not fatal enough. With Nimaiya wondering what is going on, Askin reveals that Yhwach selected him for the Schutzstaffel because he simply would not die, an ability he considers disgraceful, and describes how he always gets a fatal feeling when he thinks about this ability prior to licking the blood dripping from his face off the back of his hand and identifying his Schrift as The Deathdealing.[31]
Askin explains how he has lowered the lethal dosage of Nimaiya's blood.
Askin details how this allows him to accurately calculate the lethal dose of any substance and adjust it at will, and when Nimaiya expresses confusion at this, Askin admits that he found it confusing as well, but assures Nimaiya that he does not need to understand it since he is about to die anyway. When Askin licks more blood off the back of his hand, Nimaiya falls to his knees, which prompts Askin to detail how he is lowering the lethal dosage of Nimaiya's blood and lick more blood off his palm while noting that the blood that allows Nimaiya to move will now bring him closer to death the more it flows through his body, which Nimaiya cannot do anything about.[31]
Uryū unleashes Licht Regen on Senjumaru after moving higher in the Cage of Life.
With Askin concluding that this is a fatal feeling which he shares and gulping down more blood from his palm, Nimaiya fully collapses on the ground. Meanwhile, Senjumaru follows Uryū as he flies up through the branches and muses on the difficulty of collecting Reishi while the Cage of Life is absorbing it prior to evading a Heilig Pfeil fired by Uryū once he lands on a branch. Jumping back to dodge two strikes from Senjumaru once she joins him on the branch, Uryū leaps high into the air and unleashes Licht Regen on Senjumaru, who extends her mechanical arms above herself and stretches out their fingers.[31]
Senjumaru creates an umbrella with her mechanical arms to protect herself from Licht Regen.
Rapidly running a needle and thread between the outstretched fingers to create an umbrella, Senjumaru shields herself from the barrage of Heilig Pfeil without injury, to Uryū's shock, and compares the attack to gentle spring rain. Simultaneously, Kirinji brings Kinpika down onto a defending Haschwalth's Freund Schild several times while moving around him with Shunpo and promising to crack his shield in two if he does not fight back. Though Haschwalth questions if he can really do so, Kirinji counters that he does not need to answer this and thrusts Kinpika toward Haschwalth, who intercepts it with Freund Schild.[31]
Kirinji cuts down Haschwalth with a single slash after disarming him of his Freund Schild.
Seemingly shocked by Haschwalth stopping his attack, Kirinji reveals that he was joking and takes advantage of his blade being embedded in Freund Schild to change his grip on Kinpika, rip the former out of Haschwalth's grasp, and slam it hard into the ground, sending it flying toward the edge of the platform. After drawing his broadsword once more, Haschwalth performs a final clash with Kirinji and ends up several feet behind him, where he collapses as a large amount of blood spurts from a wound on his chest while Kirinji remains unharmed. Nearby, Askin approaches a prone Nimaiya and observes that the latter is at his limit.[31]
Nimaiya cuts open his own neck with Sayafushi after hearing Askin's explanation.
Inferring that Nimaiya underestimated him and acknowledging that he looks and talks like an underling, Askin admits that he is okay with this even though it used to bother him because he has convinced himself it is one of his charms and draws his Heilig Bogen out of the bracelet on his left wrist prior to apologizing for sounding pessimistic since that is another of his fatal flaws. Suddenly, Nimaiya thanks Askin for the information and uses Sayafushi to cut open the side of his neck, causing a large amount of blood to spurt into the air and alarming Askin just before Nimaiya reappears next to him with Shunpo and slashes at him.[31]
Askin explains to Nimaiya why he cannot simply drain enough blood from his body.
With Askin narrowly evading this by rolling away and losing his cape in the process, Nimaiya infers that the lethal dosage of his blood being lowered means he will die from having a lot of blood in his body and concludes that he simply needs to lose enough blood to lower the quantity in his body underneath the lethal dose. After shaking his head at Nimaiya's recklessness, Askin warns him that it is not that simple and estimates from his physique that Nimaiya weighs about 60 kilograms, with Nimaiya praising his deductive abilities and clarifying that he weighs 62 kilograms, before noting that the approximate volume of blood per kilogram is 65.7 milliliters.[31]
Kirinji envelops Nimaiya in water from the Blood Pond Hell at the latter's prompting.
Askin explains that a body weighing 62 kilograms would have about 4 liters of blood in it, losing 2 liters of which would be enough to kill Nimaiya, and reveals that the lethal dosage for Nimaiya's blood is currently set to about 1.6 liters, meaning that Nimaiya's own blood will kill him unless he bleeds himself to death. Despite this, once Askin assumes that he is having a hard time determining whether he is standing or collapsing, Nimaiya merely wonders what he should do before calling on Kirinji, who envelops him in a massive wave of water from the Blood Pond Hell as Nimaiya informs Askin of the water's ability to wring out blood and Reiatsu.[31]
Nimaiya cuts down Askin after having his blood replaced by Kirinji's hot spring water.
Once Kirinji clarifies that only the White Bone Hell water does this, Nimaiya reveals that the Blood Pond Hell water replaces lost blood with new blood, astonishing Askin, prior to attacking the latter faster than he can perceive, coming to a halt several feet behind Askin, and inquiring if he looks cool after being reborn. Admitting that Nimaiya does look cool, Askin chastises himself for prematurely thinking he had won because he was ultimately the one underestimating his opponent and concludes that this was fatal before blood spurts from a stab wound in the center of his chest, causing him to collapse behind Nimaiya.[31]
Senjumaru incapacitates Uryū by firing the Reishi from Licht Regen back at him.
Above them, Senjumaru stands with spheres of Reishi from Licht Regen bobbing up and down on her umbrella and clarifies that she does not like her clothes getting wet even though she does not despise the rain before grinning and separating the spheres into smaller pieces, which proceed to burst upward and away from her as thick tendrils of Reishi that a startled Uryū tries to flee from, only for three of them to slam into his stomach, incapacitating him enough to fall back down to the platform. At the top of the Cage of Life, Hikifune comments on this being what she expects from a Royal Guard fight and tells Ichibē that he is the last one.[31]
The Second Auswählen[]
Yhwach creates a massive ring of Reishi around the Greater Soul King Palace.
Having halved Yhwach's strength and power by cutting his name in half with the brush of his sealed Zanpakutō, Ichibē stands in the air before Yhwach, who kneels weakly on the platform they started their battle on, and observes that a thousand years was too short for Yhwach to repent. Ichibē dismisses this since he will ensure Yhwach repents for all eternity this time, only for a chuckling Yhwach to begin gathering Reishi into an orb in his palm while he recites an incantation, which culminates in the collected Reishi surging outward and forming a massive ring around the Greater Soul King Palace as Uryū regains consciousness and sees this.[31]
Liltotto and Giselle have their Quincy: Vollständigs absorbed by the Auswählen.
With the spell complete, a smirking Yhwach initiates Auswählen, causing bells to toll and thick, vein-like pillars of Reishi to descend from the ring to the replaced Seireitei below, where the Soldat finishing off Shinigami are confused by the sight of the pillars hitting the ground in the distance. Upon seeing this, Liltotto Lamperd tackles Giselle Gewelle to pull her back inside the cave of rubble just before one of the pillars strikes the ground where they were standing, but is bewildered when the wings and halos of their respective Quincy: Vollständigs begin disintegrating from their Reishi being pulled into the pillar.[31]
Meninas McAllon helps Candice Catnipp through the rubble during the Auswählen.
While Giselle realizes that the pillar is draining their powers and Liltotto questions what is happening, 12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi watches NaNaNa Najahkoop be struck by one of the pillars and deduces that the power inside the Souls of the stricken Sternritter is being absorbed. Elsewhere, as Meninas McAllon helps Candice Catnipp walk through the rubble, they are both struck by a pillar, and with the stricken Soldat screeching in pain from the flesh being ripped from their bones, a furious Liltotto looks up and demands to know what they even mean to Yhwach, who simply calls them his comrades.[31]
Liltotto and Bazz-B defiantly refuse to be killed by the Auswählen.
Screaming in agony from being caught in the center of one of the beams, Bazz-B responds to 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai wondering what is going on by asserting that this is what he wants to know and angrily inquiring if this is Yhwach's way of doing things. With the stolen power gathering around Yhwach's hands, Giselle frantically assures Bambietta's corpse that she will not die, leading Liltotto to refuse to die here as well alongside Bazz-B. During this, Captain-Commander Shunsui Kyōraku tells his lieutenants, Nanao Ise and Genshirō Okikiba, that he is leaving the barracks because the Soul King Palace is in danger.[31]
Askin is revived and has his Quincy: Vollständig, Hasshein, partially activated.
Once it finishes gathering power, the ring of Auswählen condenses into a sphere that enlarges to envelop Yhwach, engulfing the nearby Cage of Life with enough force to completely shatter its branches. As Kirinji expresses confusion at this from one of the branch pieces falling through the air, power begins falling from the enlarged sphere onto the unprotected Vestibule Road, where Senjumaru holds out her mechanical hands in confusion while Pernida and Askin's Quincy: Vollständigs partially activate, granting them each wings and a halo. Seeing this, Ichibē comments on Yhwach's ruthlessness in sacrificing his comrades.[31]
Haschwalth explains the effects of Auswählen and declares that the scales have tipped.
Yhwach asserts that comrades help each other so they can resurrect and move forward as Gerard and Lille are revived by their respective Quincy: Vollständigs, Aschtonig and Jilliel, partially activating in turn. Getting up alongside Uryū, Haschwalth explains to a perplexed Nimaiya that Auswählen collects the lives and power from unnecessary Quincy to redistribute them to others in need, with those taken from dying and those given to receiving additional power and coming back to life. After noting that this is just one of Yhwach's powers, Haschwalth observes that the scales of this battle have finally tipped.[31]
Nimaiya has two holes punched in his left shoulder by Lille's empowered The X-Axis.
Drawing his broadsword, Haschwalth concludes that the Royal Guard shall be purged.[31] Seconds later, Nimaiya finds two fist-sized holes punched in his left shoulder by Lille, shocking the other members of the Royal Guard, and assumes that this is the power increase granted by Auswählen because Lille's Heilig Pfeil were not able to reach Nimaiya before now. However, Lille counters that Nimaiya has two things wrong and clarifies that rather than being a power increase, this is a power he has always possessed and simply did not have time to use earlier, prior to asserting that Nimaiya's body was not pierced by a Heilig Pfeil.[32]
Kirinji and Hikifune attempt to protect Nimaiya.
Lille fires another shot directly at Nimaiya's chest with Diagramm, and though Kirinji and Hikifune intercept the shot with their Zanpakutō, they are shocked to find that a hole has been punched between their Zanpakutō and through Nimaiya's chest regardless as Lille reveals that this power cannot be blocked by anything. Explaining that his power is The X-Axis and that it allows his gun to uniformly pierce everything between its muzzle and his target regardless of durability, Lille claims that this is why he would like the remaining Royal Guard to line up so he can kill them all with one shot.[32]
The Royal Guard vs. the Schutzstaffel, Round Two[]
Senjumaru fills Nimaiya's injuries with cotton that replaces and heals his body tissue.
Suddenly, Kirinji unsheathes Kinpika to blind and distract Lille with its light while Senjumaru leaps away with Nimaiya held by her mechanical arms. Musing that sleeping too soon has its disadvantages, Senjumaru places cotton in Nimaiya's injuries that quickly weave themselves into his body, restoring his muscle, skin, and bones. Revived by this, Nimaiya enthusiastically greets the Schutzstaffel below, prompting Gerard to call him stubborn for not dying despite the injuries Lille inflicted, and lands beside the other Royal Guard as he questions if the Schutzstaffel expected to make a comeback just by sprouting wings.[32]
The encroaching Cage of Life separates the Schutzstaffel from each other.
After Kirinji declares that the Royal Guard are stronger than the entire Gotei 13 put together and Senjumaru asserts that the Schutzstaffel are living in a dream if they believe that they can enter the Soul King Palace, Hikifune claps her hand together, causing more seedlings of the Cage of Life to begin rapidly growing from the platform. The seedlings thicken and entangle around the Schutzstaffel, who are carried off and separated from each other in chambers formed by the Cage of Life, leaving Senjumaru facing off against Gerard, Hikifune with Pernida, Kirinji approaching Askin, and Nimaiya battling Lille.[32]
Gerard finds himself restrained by Senjumaru's thread after she throws him to the ground.
Upon seeing Senjumaru, Gerard quickly thrusts Hoffnung through her chest, but is surprised to discover that she is actually a stuffed doll with Senjumaru's features just before Senjumaru comes down on him from above with her Shikai, Shigarami. When Gerard blocks her stab with his shield and slashes Hoffnung at her, Senjumaru evades around him, grabs Gerard with her mechanical arms, and throws him into a nearby thick branch of the Cage of Life before rapidly thread around his wrists, ankles, and midsection to pin them to the ground. Seeing Shigarami, Gerard mocks Senjumaru for being so attached to her knife and proclaims it will not hurt him.[32]
Askin Nakk Le Vaar slides underneath Tenjirō Kirinji's slash while running from him and evading the Blood Pond Hell water across the arena.
In turn, Senjumaru warns Gerard that Shigarami will pierce his tongue if he does not watch what he says before stabbing it at his chest. Above them, several lengthening branches are crushed into nothing by Pernida before Hikifune withdraws dozens of seeds from her haori and throws them toward Pernida with a powerful gust of wind, causing them to sprout in midair and extend their tendrils toward Pernida, who continues to crush them individual before apparently being overwhelmed and crushed by their combined mass. Nearby, Kirinji rains his Blood Pond Hell water across the platform and releases Kinpika, which leads Askin to comment on how dazzling it is and run away when Kirinji comes down on him with a downward strike. After Kirinji catches up and slashes horizontally at him, Askin slides underneath his blade.[32]
Nimaiya rapidly evades Lille's shots as The X-Axis creates holes in the Cage of Life.
With Kirinji startled by this, Askin comes to a halt and holds up his Reishi Staff, and as Kirinji leaps forward to attack him, a smirking Askin releases five Gift Balls from its tip, only for Kirinji to engulf and dissipate them with a geyser of Blood Pond Hell water and continue chasing Askin, who bluntly refuses to stop running since Kirinji is a fatally bad matchup for him. At the top of the Cage of Life, Nimaiya rapidly evades a confused Lille's shots, which create holes in the surrounding wood between them, and leaps toward him with a grin before slashing down at Lille with Sayafushi, creating a loud impact in the process.[32]
Gerard's heart glows and stops Shigarami from piercing his body any further.
At the bottom of the Cage of Life, an initially triumphant Senjumaru is bewildered to find Shigarami barely piercing Gerard's heart and the skin in front of it, which starts to glow as a laughing Gerard declares that his mighty heart cannot be killed with such a small blade and rips through the thread binding him to punch Senjumaru away with one fist and stand up with Shigarami still partially embedded in his chest. After pushing Shigarami out of his chest by simply flexing the muscles around it, a still-smiling Gerard walks over to a prone Senjumaru and viciously stomps on her head, rendering her unconscious.[32]
Pernida Parnkgjas easily compresses the wooden structure created by Kirio Hikifune.
During this, Pernida fully compresses the wooden branch structure that had seemingly crushed it prior, to Hikifune's shock, and stretches its wings toward Hikifune, who fails to bind them with more tendrils that she quickly sprouts from the ground and is forced to create much thicker pillars of wood that coalesce and wrap around Pernida to encase it in a building-sized structure of branches. Having had her excess body fat consumed by this process due to the Reiatsu required for it, Hikifune is caught off-guard when Pernida creates a hole in the side of the structure by compressing the wood and flies toward her to attack.[32]
Askin paralyzes Kirinji by toxifying the water and fires a Heilig Pfeil through him.
Nearby, a running Askin narrowly evades a slash from Kirinji, who notes that he is faster than Askin in addition to having powers that are a bad matchup for him and catches up when Askin flees once more, though Askin simply narrows his eyes at this while the falling water begins to turn poisonous. With Kirinji stepping in a pool of green liquid in front of him, Askin leaps high into the air to avoid the former's strike and lands behind Kirinji, who finds himself paralyzed by the lethal dose of the water being lowered, before asserting that Kirinji underestimated him just like Nimaiya and firing a Heilig Pfeil through Kirinji's side.[32]
Nimaiya is shocked to see Sayafushi slip through Lille's body without harming him.
As Kirinji collapses from this, Askin muses that doing so could be fatal. At the top of the Cage of Life, Nimaiya is shocked to discover that Sayafushi slipped through Lille's body without injuring him and leaps back while claiming that Lille is using a strange technique. When Lille states that his eyes have gotten used to Nimaiya's speed and promises that the next shot will end this, Nimaiya simply launches himself toward Lille, who assumes that he has resigned himself to death before expressing shock upon seeing Yhwach standing in the path of his shot far above and behind Nimaiya on the edge of the platform.[32]
Nimaiya, Kirinji, Hikifune, and Senjumaru are tossed together after seemingly being defeated by the Schutzstaffel.
Despite Nimaiya presuming that Lille cannot take the shot because it would hit Yhwach, Lille fires Diagramm and puts a hole in Nimaiya's abdomen, and when a stunned Nimaiya questions why it did not hurt Yhwach as he collapses, Lille reminds him that The X-Axis only penetrates what lies between its muzzle and his target. With the four Royal Guards incapacitated, the Cage of Life begins to crumble around the Vestibule Road, and moments later, Senjumaru is thrown into one of the remaining pillars of the Cage of Life and slides down to the ground where Nimaiya, Kirinji, and Hikifune are located while Gerard mocks the idea of them being more powerful than the entire Gotei 13 put together.[32]
Nimaiya, Kirinji, and Hikifune cut open their throats with their respective Zanpakutō to let Senjumaru continue fighting.
However, Nimaiya gets to his feet and reveals they have yet to use the power of even a single division. After proclaiming that the Royal Guard cannot allow Quincy to get the best of them, Nimaiya orders the others to get to their feet and tells Senjumaru she will be the one to kill the Schutzstaffel, Haschwalth, and Uryū, to her bemusement. With Hikifune drawing a blade from her spoon and claiming that six people should be enough for someone with a thousand arms while Kirinji warns her to not overdo it, Senjumaru assures him that she will not and walks past the three of them. Promising to show the Quincy how the Royal Guard get serious, Nimaiya slits his throat with Sayafushi as Kirinji and Hikifune do the same with their Zanpakutō.[32]
Senjumaru's Reiatsu surges after a seal with four candles is weakened by the sacrifice.
Uryū and Haschwalth express alarm at this, and as a smiling Senjumaru is coated in blood, three of the four candles in front of a seal are snuffed out one at a time, with corresponding sections of the seal disappearing simultaneously, until only one is left, causing Senjumaru's Reiatsu to surge around her and forcing the Quincy to shield themselves from the wind it produces. Though Gerard questions what a lone Royal Guard can do when all four of them were not able to defeat the Schutzstaffel, Senjumaru reveals that even a brief usage of a Royal Guard's full power would cause the heavens and earth of all three realms to tremble.[32]
Senjumaru activates her Bankai, Shatatsu Karagara Shigarami no Tsuji, enclosing the area.
Explaining that the Royal Guard linked their Souls to each other to seal away their true power because of this, Senjumaru informs the Quincy that the Blood Oath's Seal has now been broken and orders them to prepare themselves before activating her Bankai, Shatatsu Karagara Shigarami no Tsuji, which produces a gigantic loom from behind her and rolls out a long red cloth as the surrounding area is closed off by rapidly-sewn thread, sealing the confused Quincy inside while intricately-decorated fabrics hang from the top. In the replica Tenchūren, Ichigo and Ganju Shiba are astonished by the pressure they feel.[32]
Lille has holes punched into his own body when trying to escape Hitokase Tokaba: Banra no Me.
With Shunsui observing the replaced Seireitei vibrating as Isshin Kurosaki and Ryūken Ishida look up in confusion at the trembling sky in Karakura Town, Senjumaru ominously approaches the Quincy at a slow pace and recreates the sounds of shaking and rattling with her voice before initiating Hitokase Tokaba: Banra no Me, which starts by creating eight tall and connected mirrors around Lille. When the image of Senjumaru and dozens of eyes appear in each of them, Lille fires several shots into the mirrors, only to find them undamaged while his own body has holes punched into its torso instead, causing him to collapse.[32]
Askin is crushed underneath metal silhouettes during Futakase Tokaba: Hagane no Yoroi.
Having been surrounded by eight mirrors as well and questioning what is happening, Askin sees Senjumaru appear in the mirrors and initiate Futakase Tokaba: Hagane no Yoroi, which produces spikes across the ground that punch through Askin's right foot and shoe prior to the images of Senjumaru peeling off the mirrors to reveal large spiked metal silhouettes of her that fall upon a shocked Askin, leaving him trapped underneath a large pile of crumpled metal. Meanwhile, having been placed in a much larger and more multifaceted hall of mirrors, Pernida sees the ground underneath it spiral and stretch out as Senjumaru begins Mitsukase Tokaba: Kokusa no Harawata.[32]
Pernida is crushed by a pit of black sand through Mitsukase Tokaba: Kokusa no Harawata.
Though Pernida attempts to twist and crush its surroundings with The Compulsory, the images underneath it flicker out to reveal a large pit of sand that begins dragging it down, with no amount of sand compressed able to free it before it sinks beneath the black soil. Following this, Gerard stands surrounded by patterned blue tapestries and falling sand while Senjumaru begins Yotsukase Tokaba: Itetsuku Shitone, which causes more of the tapestries to bind his legs. Despite claiming that he can easily cut though this, Gerard is startled when a second set of tapestries binds his arms, leaving him immobile in front of a massive glacier.[32]
Gerard is frozen solid by Yotsukase Tokaba: Itetsuku Shitone while struggling to move.
An icy wind blows over Gerard, freezing him solid as he attempts to move and free himself, as Haschwalth stands in a long hallway with red linens depicting trees on either side. Once Senjumaru unleashes Itsukase Tokaba: Yakenohara, Haschwalth sees the linens and small branches on the ceiling catch fire before a large wall of flame rushes into him, where Haschwalth sees flickering silhouettes of Senjumaru in the dancing flames. Slashing through the silhouettes, Haschwalth discovers that there is nothing within the flames and is set on fire himself, producing a towering pillar of flame that stretches to the ceiling.[32]
Senjumaru defeats and seals away all six Quincy with Shide no Rokushiki Ukimon no Hata.
Finally, Senjumaru appears behind Uryū in his hall of mirrors and activates Mutsukase Tokaba: Yamiyo no Hoshiyo, creating a large version of the Wandenreich emblem in front of him that begins draining Uryū's power into itself in the form of glowing particles, which ultimately causes him to fall to his knees as his energy vanishes. In the aftermath, Senjumaru glides through the main hall of her Bankai, tells her opponents to take a look while she seals off the threads from the loom, and concludes with Shide no Rokushiki Ukimon no Hata, which causes six tapestries depicting the fates of Lille, Askin, Pernida, Gerard, Haschwalth, and Uryū to fall before her.[32]
Uryū Ishida breaks out of his tapestry after Yhwach's awakening of The Almighty empowers him and his Blut.
After Yhwach awakens The Almighty, Uryū's tapestry glows just before he breaks free of it and lands before a bemused Senjumaru. Noticing Uryū's glasses briefly sparking with Blut as he draws back a Heilig Pfeil in his Heilig Bogen, Senjumaru asks him if Yhwach's awakening caused him to develop new powers, and with Uryū remaining silent as his eyes briefly glow red, sparking with more Blut all the while, and Haschwalth takes notice within his tapestry, Senjumaru promises to help him sleep by sewing his eyes shut instead. In turn, Uryū invites her to try as long as she can move faster than his Heilig Pfeil and fires it at her, only for Senjumaru to quickly sidestep it behind a roll of fabric as her image appears on the tapestries around Uryū.[33]
Senjumaru turns the floor beneath herself and Uryū to lava before the latter can attack her.
Uryū leaps into the air as the dozens of fabric strips surrounding him follow his movements, forcing him to dodge through them with Hirenkyaku before finding the real Senjumaru on the ground below and unleashing Licht Regen. As the barrage of Heilig Pfeil collides with the fabric strips, Uryū flies through the smoke and lands behind Senjumaru, but is alarmed when the floor beneath his feet turns to lava, forcing him to jump back up while his shoes singe and a patch of Blut Vene on his cheek protects him from a droplet of lava. Below Uryū, Senjumaru questions if he can feel it stirring inside his veins.[33]
Senjumaru continues to outmaneuver Uryū with her tapestries while mocking him.
After clarifying that she is referring to the blue blood that he inherited from Yhwach, Senjumaru drops several swirling tapestries with her image on it around Uryū and mockingly inquires about what a mere Quincy could inherit, as well as what possible legacy one forsaken by the Soul King could leave, prior to surrounding Uryū with flames. With Uryū leaping into the air, evading dozens of large rocks dropped on him from above, and being protected by his Blut Vene when shards of one that he destroys with a Heilig Pfeil strike him, Senjumaru asserts that his kind has outlived their time and promises to eradicate his bloodline.[33]
Uryū is forced to fend off dozens of artificially-created Huge Hollows.
Looking up in surprise, Uryū finds dozens of Huge Hollows dropping down onto him and blasts through one with a Heilig Pfeil to continue moving upward, but is caught off-guard when several thick threads within the corpse's wounds reach up and wrap around his leg. As dozens more Huge Hollows fall onto him, Uryū is forced to destroy them with another barrage of Heilig Pfeil rather than free himself and crashes into the mound of bodies on the ground, where he is left restrained by and struggling to break out of even more threads just before a smirking Senjumaru raises her hand to summon even more tapestries around Uryū.[33]
Uryū is bound by his arms and hung from the ceiling after Senjumaru traps him.
When the tapestries separate, Uryū is left hanging by his bound arms from the ceiling, and while approaching him, Senjumaru assures Uryū that she does not like tinkering with dead bodies as Mayuri does. Though Senjumaru points out that he would not have died a needless death if he had just stayed hidden in the Human World, Uryū insists that he has a reason to fight before Senjumaru, who promises that this will only slightly hurt, reaches around to the back of his neck with one of her artificial limbs and sticks a sewing needle into the base of his neck, causing Uryū's body to begin glowing with a bright light.[33]
Uryū's Quincy: Vollständig is activated.
Meanwhile, a newly-freed Uryū floats in the air with the massive wings of his Quincy: Vollständig surging with Reishi behind him, and as a nonplussed Senjumaru wonders if this is the power of a Sternritter, Uryū grimaces and floats to the ground while his wings refine and condense themselves to a more standard size. Though Senjumaru decries the idea of him being able to overcome her Bankai even with this power boost, Uryū points out to her that she is the one currently caught up in her Bankai, causing an aghast Senjumaru to realize that she is wrapped up in her own fabrics where Uryū was previously bound.[33]
Uryū shoots Senjumaru through the heart after somehow trapping her in her own Bankai.
After vowing to kill her on his honor as a Quincy, Uryū fires a Heilig Pfeil through the center of her chest. leaving Senjumaru to begin bleeding from the mouth and fall to the ground, to the shock of Ichigo, Kisuke Urahara, 13th Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake, and Mayuri as they sense Senjumaru's Reiatsu disappear from far below.[33]
Aftermath[]
Senjumaru's death frees the other Schutzstaffel from their tapestries.
With his eyes glowing red and crackling with even more Blut, Uryū grits his teeth and kneels as his wings surge in size and strength before dispelling his Quincy: Vollständig in a blast of energy. After confirming that his Blut is back under control, Uryū watches Shatatsu Karagara Shigarami no Tsuji disintegrate and is approached from behind by the other Schutzstaffel as Yhwach walks over to the Seal placed by Ichibē, whom he notes died three steps short just as predicted, and destroys it by simply placing his hand on the barrier, opening the path to the stairs approaching the Greater Soul King Palace.[33]
Yhwach creates a long set of Reishi stairs to reach the Greater Soul King Palace.
The last candle on the Blood Oath's Seal flickers out, with Senjumaru's portion burned through, while Yhwach declares that the Royal Guard have fallen, prompting Haschwalth to assert that their thousand years of prayer are about to be rewarded. As the Schutzstaffel kneel on either side of him, Yhwach begins walking toward the end of the Vestibule Road and breaks down the pillars lining it to create a long set of glowing blue stairs leading directly to the Greater Soul King Palace, which he begins ascending as he ruminates on the long road he walked to reach this point and prepares to slay the Soul King.[33]
References[]
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 536, page 16
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 584, pages 3-5 & 16-17
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 585, pages 1-4
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 585, pages 5-6
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 586, pages 8-14
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 586, pages 14-17
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 587, pages 16-18
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 588, pages 1-3
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 588, pages 3-8
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 588, pages 8-12
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 597, pages 5-7
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 597, pages 7-13
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 597, pages 13-15
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 598, pages 10-11
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 598, pages 11-14
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 598, pages 14-17
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 599, pages 1-3
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 599, pages 4-10
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 599, pages 10-15
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 599, pages 15-17
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 600, pages 1-7
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 600, pages 7-11
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 600, pages 11-14
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 600, pages 14-15
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 600, pages 15-17
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 601, pages 2-6
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 601, pages 6-9
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 601, pages 9-15
- ↑ Bleach manga; Chapter 601, page 16
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Bleach anime; Episode 390
- ↑ 31.00 31.01 31.02 31.03 31.04 31.05 31.06 31.07 31.08 31.09 31.10 31.11 31.12 31.13 31.14 31.15 31.16 31.17 31.18 31.19 31.20 Bleach anime; Episode 391
- ↑ 32.00 32.01 32.02 32.03 32.04 32.05 32.06 32.07 32.08 32.09 32.10 32.11 32.12 32.13 32.14 32.15 32.16 32.17 32.18 32.19 Bleach anime; Episode 392
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 33.4 33.5 33.6 33.7 33.8 Bleach anime; Episode 393