The showdown with the Arrancars is in the winter.
Ichigo, Sado, Ishida, Rukia, and Orihime
are undergoing intense training
to get as strong as possible in what little time they have.
Meanwhile, Hitsugaya's advance troops remain in Karakura Town and
fight the powerful Hollows who appear
as they prepare for the showdown.
As that happens, the situation suddenly changes.
Several Espada appear in Karakura Town.
Hitsugaya and the others confront them.
But Luppi, the new Number Six,
releases his Zanpakuto, Trepadora, and defeats Hitsugaya.
But what if that attack just now
had been eight times stronger?
What?
Matsumoto!
Yumichika!
Crap!
What are you doing?!
Rangiku and the others are in great danger,
and then Kisuke Urahara appears before them.
Well... I made it in time.
That sure was close.
Meanwhile, Ichigo leaves his training mid-way to fight Grimmjow.
And while the battle continues to unfold across Karakura Town,
Orihime is heading to the World of the Living
from Soul Society to join the fight.
But someone unexpected ambushes her in the Senkaimon.
Come with me, woman.
Wha-?!
Well... That surprised me.
What was that attack just now?
I've never seen it before.
I'll tell you!
That was called a Bala!
We solidify our Spiritual Pressure and hit the enemy with it!
It's not as strong as a Cero...
But it's twenty times faster!
Hey, what's wrong?!
Can you dodge this?! You can't, can you?!
Die! Die, you clogged bastard!
- My, my...
I was going to kill the guy that interfered with me.
But Yammy...
Whatever the case, he's not alive...
Oh well!
Let's continue what we were doing, shall we lady?
You really are pathetic...
Even though that clogged bastard saved you,
you immediately got caught again.
Oh well...
You can't escape if it's eight against three.
You...
I've been thinking about it, and you're really talkative.
What about it?
I hate talkative men...
They're kind of disgusting.
Lady... Have you forgotten that I've caught you?
If you make me upset, I'll skewer you.
Wh-What is this?!
You've let your guard down against opponents who you've injured.
Haven't you ever heard of being "ready-minded"?
You're still alive?
Hyorinmaru is the strongest of the ice-type Zanpakuto.
Even if it breaks, as long as there's water,
it can be reborn a countless number of times.
You have no chance of winning anymore.
I've had a lot of time to prepare...
You've given me too much time.
If your weapon is eight arms...
Then my weapon is all the water within the atmosphere!
Sennen Hyoro!
Too bad... Guess eight arms just weren't enough.
Captain!
Wh-What?!
Luppi was defeated!
Crap! That's what happens when you underestimate your enemy, stupid!
At this rate...
"Lord Aizen's going to be furious!"
You bastard! Why?
Why am I still alive?
Who knows?
Are you making fun of me?!
I'm the one asking questions here!
Don't question me back!
Idiot!
He's been torn to pieces.
I saw you use that attack countless times...
It won't hit me anymore.
It doesn't make sense to you, does it?
In your flurry of Bala, you felt all of them connect.
But you're wondering why I'm still alive.
The answer is...this.
Wha-?
Wha-?!
It's a portable gigai!
What is that?!
I've never seen or heard of such a thing!
That's because I've never shown it to anyone since creating it.
Well, I created it as a test, but this is pretty difficult to use.
I don't think that anyone besides myself can use it!
It's also difficult to get the timing right when I want to use it to take my place.
So how well did I use it?
Did you know when I switched places with it?
Y-You piece of crap!
You just don't understand.
I told you...
That won't hit me anymore.
Earlier, I analyzed the reishi structure of your technique.
I've even analyzed how your muscles move when you fire it.
As long as I know these two things,
I can dodge it and even match your timing to cancel it out.
Well...It's pretty difficult, though.
Now then. Shall we finish this?
Crap...
It seems that once that mask breaks, you can't bring it back!
No, you're taking your stance to bring it out,
so I guess that's not the case.
But you've either taken too much damage,
or you've spent all your Spiritual Pressure.
Or maybe you have a limit to how many times you can use it.
I don't know why, but that mask...
You can't bring it out anymore...
Isn't that right?
Don't worry... It's a Cero at close range.
I'll wipe away that mask-wearing head of yours!
Wha-?!
Tsuginomai...
Hakuren.
Ichigo!
That's incredible power. When did you...?
Don't speak. It's difficult to get you free as is.
You'll just make it more difficult.
You seem to be using a pretty ridiculous power, too.
You're all rickety...
Shut up.
Ichigo...
Don't underestimate me, Soul Reaper.
Did you think you could kill me by
freezing me under a thin sheet of ice?!
Don't be foolish!
Rukia!
Wh-What happened?!
Sheesh...
I really don't like interfering in Soul Reaper fights, but I have no choice.
I can't ignore you if you're making so much noise.
Hirako...
Who are you?
Are you a friend of theirs?
Why would I be?
Well then who are you?
It doesn't matter who I am.
That's true. Whoever you are...
I'm going to kill you anyway!
Hold back a little when you fight.
If you keep destroying things when I dodge,
I'll get distracted and won't be able to dodge.
You call that dodging, do you?!
Jeez. What a hot-blooded guy.
That mask...
You really are one of his friends!
Don't make me repeat myself... It doesn't matter who I am!
Sorry, Arrancar.
Impossible...
You're pretty strong so...
I'm not going to hold back.
A Cero?!
Damn...
Damn! Damn! Damn!
So you hit it with your own Cero
right before it hit to reduce the damage?
That's pretty good.
Grind!
Ul...quiorra!
Our mission is complete.
We're leaving.
Tsk! Our mission's completed?
Negacion!
Too bad, Captain...
You couldn't kill me.
Don't forget my face...
When we meet again...
I'll twist off that little head of yours and crush it!
I'll remember that you said that you were going to finish this!
We'll finish this the next time we meet.
I'll crush you!
Dammit!
Captain!
Thank you very much.
We still haven't defeated them...
It'll only get more troublesome.
Crap!
What an inelegant ending.
There are some traces of Spiritual Pressure...
It seems he gained a new power.
But...is that the best he can do?
It's over...
You have no means to fight anymore.
The sun has fallen into our hands.
I had many things that I wanted to do.
I wish I had at least five lives...
Kurosaki, I...
ARRANCAR ENCYCLOPEDIA
HOGYOKU
In this episode...
HOGYOKU
I shall explain what the Hogyoku is.
No way...
When the Hogyoku temporarily fuses with a person who has
the Spiritual Pressure of a captain...
For an instant,
it displays the same power as if it were completely awake.
The Arrancar to be born by that power is...
Wonderweiss.
For Lord Aizen, I...