Emerging from a dark cloud with his mask on, Ichigo claims that he doesn’t have time to explain and immediately attacks Grimmjow with a point-blank range Getsuga Tenshou. Across town, Hitsugaya isn’t able to do any damage to Yammy without activating his ban kai, and Yumichika’s faring poorly against Luppi. Ikkaku doesn’t help his friend because he isn’t interested in fighting two against one, though this gives Luppi an idea. He asks Yammy to give him Hitsugaya and then proposes that he fight all four Shinigami at once in his released form. Remembering what Shawlong could do in his released form Hitsugaya activates his ban kai and charges Luppi, but he doesn’t make it in time to stop him. Before the dust can clear from Luppi’s release, a tentacle strikes out at him, though Hitsugaya is able to block it with his ice wings. As it turns out, Luppi’s released form gives him eight tentacles, and he proceeds to attack Hitsugaya with all of them at once, causing the captain to crash into the ground. Meanwhile, Rukia has arrived in the real world and finds Renji getting a massage from the three mod-souls, so Renji explains how he exhausted his spiritual pressure in training and how Urahara went out instead of him or Sado.

Back above the city, Grimmjow is badly wounded from Ichigo’s attack and realizes that this isn’t a Shinigami’s strength. He demands to know what Ichigo did in this past month, but Ichigo reiterates that he doesn’t have time to explain and sandwiches Grimmjow between two Getsuga Tenshou attacks. As Grimmjow falls towards the ground, he manages to fire off a Cero blast that forces Ichigo to stop and defend himself. Grimmjow then flies back up and clashes swords with Ichigo several times before Ichigo regains his advantage and gets ready to make a swing that will end this. Unfortunately for him, his mask breaks right at that moment, and Grimmjow quickly uses the opportunity to retaliate. By now, Luppi is fighting Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika all at once and manages to grab all three with his tentacles. Admiring Rangiku’s body in particular, he sprouts some spikes on another of his tentacles and offers to fill her with holes. Before he can do so though, Urahara shows up and cuts off those two tentacles. However, shortly after Urahara introduces himself, Wonderwice Margera attacks him, and Urahara has to defend himself.

In Soul Society, Inoue is allowed passage through the dangai to the real world and is given two Shinigami as escorts. As they’re running through though, a rift in the dimensional fabric opens up and Ulquiorra appears. Recognizing him from the previous battle, Inoue tries to stop him from hurting her escorts, but he ignores her and blows away half of one Shinigami. Before that Shinigami can die, Inoue uses her power to start healing him and tells the other guy to run away. That escort doesn’t get a chance to do so because Ulquiorra blows a huge chunk out of him too, forcing Inoue to expand her healing to cover both men. Admiring Inoue’s power, Ulquiorra tells her to come with him and instructs her to reply with a yes. If she says anything other than that, he threatens to kill not her, but her friends who are currently struggling in their battles in the real world. He then reveals that Aizen wants her power and that he’s been sent to bring her back unharmed, so he’s ordering her to come with him.

To be continued...

In Las Noches, Ulquiorra and Yammy arrive in a room as Aizen about to complete an Arrancar using the 50% awakened Hougyoku. Despite its state, Aizen knows that he can temporarily fully awaken the Hougyoku by fusing it with someone who has twice as much spiritual pressure as a captain - someone such as himself. It is through this method that he finishes creating a young-looking Arrancar who identifies himself as Wonderwice Margera. With this done, Aizen sends Ulquiorra to execute the instructions he gave a month ago, and although he lets Ulquiorra choose who he wants to take with him, Aizen personally asks Grimmjow if he wants to go. Back at the Vizard camp, it’s been one month since Ichigo started his training, yet he’s only able to maintain his Hollow form for only 10 seconds. With two months left, Shinji feels that time is running out. Meanwhile in Soul Society, Hisagi finds Ukitake watching Inoue and Rukia train after Rukia had come to him personally to ask him to open up the training area. He’s glad that Rukia has a friend even if it is with a human, though he admits Inoue isn’t any normal human. As for Hisagi, he’s here to give Ukitake a magazine since he’s taken on of more captain duties in the absence of so many people. After Hisagi leaves to take care of other business, Ukitake thinks about little time they have and hopes that this temporary peace can last a little longer.

In the real world, Yumichika is getting quite frustrated with his zanpaktou while the others are trying to having a quiet dialogue with their swords. Soon after Ikkaku notices how fast the clouds are moving, all of them sense the arrival of four Arrancar. Among this group is Grimmjow who flies off as soon as he realizes that Ichigo isn’t here, and though Yammy tries to get him to stop, the Arrancar named Luppi thinks that it doesn’t matter since Grimmjow isn’t an Espada anymore. As Yammy leaps down to fight, Hitsugaya meets him halfway and the two introduce themselves. Luppi, the new No. 6, meanwhile faces off against Ikkaku and Yumichika while Rangiku tries to fight Wonderwice, but the boy is too intrigued by the nearby birds to care. Across the city, Ichigo has also sensed the Arrancar’s arrivals and wants to head out, but he’s held back by Love and Kensei. To their surprise, Shinji lets Ichigo go, and Ichigo rushes off.


News of this has also reached Soul Society, but Inoue can’t go back to the real world until she can get safe passage through the dangai since she doesn’t have a Hell Butterfly. After saying that she’ll be waiting for Inoue, Rukia hurries towards the gate thinking about how it’s too early for the Espada to have appeared.

By now, Ichigo has reached Grimmjow and almost immediately initiates ban kai. Grimmjow isn’t impressed, but Ichigo reminds him that the scar he has is from an attack Ichigo did while in ban kai. When Ichigo then asks Grimmjow about his absent left arm, Grimmjow claims that he threw it away and doesn’t need two arms to kill Ichigo. As Grimmjow starts to power up, Ichigo gets ready to put on his Hollow mask, knowing that he has to finish this fight in the 11 seconds he can stay in that form. Over at Urahara’s shop, Renji tries to keep Sado from leaving to go help in the battle, but Urahara wants both of them to rest and decides to go personally in their place.

To be continued...