SORRY I AM STRONG

Having seen a zombified 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya appear on a nearby rooftop, 11th Division 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame and 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa express disbelief at this after having sensed the former's Reiatsu nearly vanish, and when Hitsugaya prepares to attack, Yumichika attempts to protect himself and Ikkaku with a Bakudō spell, only for Ikkaku to frantically warn him that this will not stop Hitsugaya and slam his Shikai, Hōzukimaru, into Yumichika, sending him flying back. With Hitsugaya's slash unleashing a massive wave of ice, Yumichika tumbles to a halt and thanks Ikkaku for his reckless action, only to be horrified upon seeing that Ikkaku's right leg has been frozen by the blast.

Though Ikkaku claims to be lucky to have only lost a leg since Hitsugaya is still a captain even as a zombie, Hitsugaya appears behind him and stabs his Zanpakutō into a cursing Ikkaku's right shoulder before slashing him across the back, forcing Yumichika to intercept Hitsugaya's next slash with his own Zanpakutō, promise to make Hitsugaya pay for hurting Ikkaku, and attempt to release his true Shikai, Ruri'iro Kujaku. Before Yumichika can do so, Hitsugaya knees him in the stomach with a shard of ice on his kneecap, headbutts Yumichika, and finally slashes him across the chest, leaving him to collapse as blood splatters across the ground. Nearby, 12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi comments on Hitsugaya's lack of diminished mobility despite his zombification, prompting Hitsugaya to attack him as well. However, Mayuri reappears unharmed behind Hitsugaya once he concludes his slash and theorizes that the latter was zombified while still alive because Bambietta Basterbine still has a mind of her own, which leads Sternritter "Z" Giselle Gewelle to confirm that this keeps the cells of the zombies fresh while landing behind Mayuri.

Once Giselle concludes that this lets those zombies move faster and also removes their personality to make them easier to control, which she describes as fully positive for her, Mayuri questions what is fun about controlling individuals with no minds of their own, only for Giselle to counter that she does not know since she is not a sadist. Suddenly, Charlotte Chuhlhourne lands in front of Hitsugaya, whom he presumes will be his next opponent now that he has defeated Bambietta prior to expressing joy that an attractive young man like Hitsugaya will battle him and moving to attack the latter with his hand. Before Charlotte can react to Mayuri's urgent warning to retreat, Hitsugaya slashes through his chest and cuts off his left hand with a single attack, leaving Charlotte to collapse as a bloodied Hitsugaya attempts to finish him off.

Moving next to Charlotte, Mayuri erects a net-like Kidō barrier to block Hitsugaya's strike, punishes Charlotte for not realizing Hitsugaya is far more powerful than him by leaving him near-dead, and turns to Hitsugaya, whom he refuses to allow to kill his test subjects. Upon remembering that conversing with Hitsugaya is useless, Mayuri asserts that he would never harm someone without their consent. After attributing this to himself overflowing with kindness, Mayuri announces that he has several drugs to test on Hitsugaya and assures the latter that this is all for the sake of the Seireitei.

12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi announces that he has several drugs to test on a zombified 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya and assures the latter that this is all for the sake of the Seireitei. Quickly evading a strike from Hitsugaya in response to this, Mayuri fires a swath of sticky web-like fluid from his sleeves that Hitsugaya leaps off the ground in order to dodge. When Hitsugaya comes down on him and begins performing rapid slashes with his Zanpakutō, Mayuri effortlessly blocks every attack and assumes that Hitsugaya is wondering how he can be so proficient in Zanjutsu when he rarely leaves his laboratory before informing Hitsugaya that he installed a sensor on his Zanpakutō recently that detects and intercepts any blade that comes within two feet of himself at an angle of 60 degrees or more, allowing it to automatically block all of Hitsugaya's strikes.

In turn, Hitsugaya attempts to drive his knee into Mayuri, but the latter catches this with a cushion in his left hand and infers that Hitsugaya thought to attack him with something other than his sword before pointing out the possibility that he was baiting Hitsugaya into this while the cushion flattens onto Hitsugaya's knee and explodes, leaving it visibly burnt and forcing Hitsugaya to cover it with ice. Despite this, when Mayuri slashes at him, Hitsugaya blocks it with his Zanpakutō and activates his Bankai, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru, to encase Mayuri's Zanpakutō in ice and perform a vertical slash up the middle of Mayuri's body before shoving his blade through Mayuri's chest, causing the latter to cough up blood.

However, as he begins to address Hitsugaya, Mayuri appears unharmed several feet away from him, with Hitsugaya no longer having Daiguren Hyōrinmaru activated, and announces that he has several drugs to test on Hitsugaya, whom he assures that this is all for the sake of the Seireitei. Leaping forward to attack Mayuri, Hitsugaya responds to the former assuming that he is wondering how Mayuri can be so proficient in Zanjutsu when he rarely leaves his laboratory by asserting that Mayuri already told him about this and demanding to know what is going on, though Mayuri merely expresses delight at discovering that Hitsugaya can still hold a conversation in this state. After activating Daiguren Hyōrinmaru once more, Hitsugaya swings his Zanpakutō to the side, engulfing Mayuri in a wave of icy air that completely freezes him solid. With his body shattering and thawing out, Mayuri commends Hitsugaya for his strength.

Suddenly, Mayuri appears unharmed several feet away from a startled Hitsugaya, who no longer has Daiguren Hyōrinmaru activated, and announces that he has several drugs to test on Hitsugaya while the latter questions what is happening. Realizing that Hitsugaya's brain is becoming aware, Mayuri greets Hitsugaya and inquires about how many times he has returned to this point before details how all of his drugs provide new and wondrous sensations to the users in order to bestow them with power, sensation, reaction, and courage beyond human comprehension, with Hitsugaya himself having been given the power to see the past. Mayuri elaborates that Hitsugaya's mind returns to a moment in the past every time he crosses a certain point in their battle, with that point being when he kills Mayuri, and clarifies that Hitsugaya's future continues forever if he does not kill Mayuri and ceases whenever he does kill Mayuri, presenting a predicament where Hitsugaya is unable to win the fight.

Despite this, Mayuri notes that the one shortcoming of the Postcognition Drug is that it affects the user's hippocampus, which controls the brain's short-term memory, and prevents them from remembering how many times they have returned to the past. With Mayuri revealing that the part of the brain which controls one's sense of balance becomes paralyzed for thirty seconds once the user returns to the past ten or more times, Hitsugaya drops his Zanpakutō and collapses as Mayuri presumes that Hitsugaya has no issue with this paralysis since he is so kind-hearted, only to note that it can be fatal if it occurs in the middle of battle. After lamenting that the Postcognition Drug cannot currently be introduced to the market even though side-effects are inevitable with new drugs, Mayuri asks Hitsugaya to ponder when the drug was administered to him and promises to receive his answer in the past before stabbing his Zanpakutō downward and drawing blood.

Stabbing his Zanpakutō down into a zombified 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya's neck, 12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi releases his Shikai, Ashisogi Jizō, to paralyze Hitsugaya's limbs before withdrawing a syringe from his sleeve and claiming it pains him greatly to administer this to someone who cannot fight back. As Hitsugaya begs him to stop, Mayuri notes Hitsugaya can at least resist with his words and pushes the syringe into Hitsugaya's neck, causing a darkness to begin spreading across his body while Hitsugaya screams in pain. In response, the zombified 3rd Division Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, 9th Division Captain Kensei Muguruma, and 10th Division Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto appear behind Mayuri. Mayuri simply states that another two captains and a lieutenant being turned into zombies as well is too pitiful to even be funny and asks his Arrancar to take care of them since they are interrupting his follow-up observation, prompting Luppi Antenor to attack Rangiku, Cirucci Sanderwicci to clash with Rose, and Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio to kick Kensei. With the attacks kicking up a huge cloud of dust, Mayuri continues impassively watching the darkness progress across a screaming Hitsugaya's body.

Meanwhile, 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki stands among the rubble and over the unconscious bodies of Sternritter "U" NaNaNa Najahkoop, "T" Candice Catnipp, and "N" Robert Accutrone, prompting Sternritter "G" Liltotto Lamperd to call them pathetic. Behind her, Sternritter "P" Meninas McAllon points out that it makes sense for them to be the only ones left considering their abilities, which Liltotto acknowledges as she questions if Byakuya is really the captain defeated by Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt and curses his toughness. Preparing to eat an apple, Liltotto demands to know where Sternritter "L" PePe Waccabrada has gone since the battle would be more even with his powers, and when Meninas insists that they can fight without him since she finds him disgusting, Liltotto counters that he is better than nothing.

During this, 9th Division Lieutenant Shūhei Hisagi lands near Byakuya and announces that he defeated one of the Sternritter. Looking around, Hisagi realizes that Byakuya has already defeated three others and ruminates on how this displays the difference between a captain and a lieutenant while approaching Byakuya with his Shikai, Kazeshini, only for Byakuya to strike away one of Hisagi's kusarigama with his Zanpakutō. Shaken by this, Hisagi questions Byakuya's intentions and moves to swing the other kusarigama at him, prompting Byakuya to casually block it with his Zanpakutō, return the question since he does not understand why Hisagi is attacking him, and theorize that Hisagi is under the enemy's control or an enemy in disguise. In response, Hisagi assures Byakuya that he is himself and not being controlled by the enemy, and as Liltotto realizes who is responsible, Hisagi proclaims that he is just following the will of his master, PePe, before attacking Byakuya again.

Nearby, PePe floats along the ground on his basket and describes how a single glance from him will split the one heart and body that everyone has in two so they can belong to him prior to announcing himself as Sternritter "L", The Love. Having formed a heart shape with his hands during this, PePe fires a heart-shaped projectile from them at Liltotto, who dodges so that the heart instead hits Meninas. Instantly becoming enamored with PePe and ignoring Liltotto's warning, Meninas enlarges the muscles in her right arm and punches Liltotto in the face, leaving PePe to halfheartedly tell them to not fight over him and claim that he never even considered killing them all so he could keep the glory to himself.

With 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki repeatedly clashing with 9th Division Lieutenant Shūhei Hisagi, Sternritter "L" PePe Waccabrada asserts that all battles are sad because love is always present and assumes that Byakuya believes battles occur due to the differences in what people believe to be just, only to claim that they occur for love every time. PePe lists off love for one's wife, child, parents, friends, master, and god as potential motivation, additionally proclaiming that faith, believe, and attachment to material things are also love, before declaring that there are no battles where there is no love and that this is also what makes them beautiful. Suddenly, Byakuya slams the hilt of his Zanpakutō into Hisagi's abdomen, causing him to collapse, and assumes that PePe is done with his speech since Byakuya is also done.

Byakuya deduces that PePe's babbling about love simply means he can control people at will and points out that this does not mean anything if those being controlled are immobilized prior to concluding that cutting down the puppeteer will also sever the strings from the puppet while raising his Zanpakutō. Confirming this, PePe praises Byakuya and calls him scary before repeatedly claiming to be scared and unleashing a heart-shaped beam of energy from his hands that Byakuya rushes across the rubble to evade, tracing a pink trail behind him. After cutting through the beam with his Zanpakutō, Byakuya observes that The Love cannot control anything without a Soul due to the rubble simply being partially melted, only for PePe to question why he blocked it with his Zanpakutō if he knew this. Upon seeing his Zanpakutō moving toward his head, Byakuya is forced to let it cut into his free hand instead while PePe affirms that he knows of Zanpakutō having their own souls and reveals that this is why he did not steal a Bankai during the first invasion, as he can steal a Zanpakutō at any time.

With Byakuya throwing his Zanpakutō away so it embeds itself in a nearby broken wall, PePe wonders why he did this since it has only presented an opportunity for a Shinigami who loves him to use a weapon that loves him while Hisagi pulls the Zanpakutō out of the wall with his right hand and coughs up a small amount of blood. Claiming that the power of love lets one get up no matter how badly they are wounded and accomplish any purpose, which makes it important to overcoming challenges, PePe calls it magnificent as Hisagi begins rapidly assaulting Byakuya with both the latter's Zanpakutō and his own Shikai, Kazeshini. While moving back across the rooftops and fending off Hisagi's strikes with Hakuda, Byakuya internally muses that he can only do this for so long and ruminates on what to do, as using Kidō may kill Hisagi, prior to chastising himself for discarding his Zanpakutō instead of breaking its blade and lamenting that he would have merely cut his arm off if it was the only part of him being controlled. Suddenly, PePe appears behind Byakuya and hits the back of his right shoulder with Love Kiss, but Byakuya continues defending himself against Hisagi, to PePe's surprise.

After assuming that Byakuya has no love in his heart and refusing to forgive him for this because Byakuya's purpose is to die for him, PePe traces a heart through the air with his hands and activates his Quincy: Vollständig, Gudoero, destroying his glasses in the process and stripping him down to a large thong while granting him a pair of cherub wings emblazoned with large eyes and a flat Heiligenschein. As he asserts that he is now as innocent as a baby and that this must make Byakuya want to love him, PePe embeds three Love Ropes in Byakuya's right shoulder, and when Hisagi moves to attack Byakuya, PePe orders him to wait since he has decided to kill Byakuya with his own love before pulling a Heilig Bogen and Heilig Pfeil out of his throat. However, with PePe preparing to fire the Heilig Pfeil at Byakuya, he is kicked in the face by the zombified 9th Division Captain Kensei Muguruma and sent crashing into a building dozens of meters away while Byakuya turns to see Kensei and the zombified 3rd Division Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, now with black markings on their faces.

With a zombified 3rd Division Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi and 9th Division Captain Kensei Muguruma standing before him, 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki questions what happened to them just before 9th Division Lieutenant Shūhei Hisagi falls on Kensei from the air with a downward stab of Byakuya's Zanpakutō. However, Kensei punches him in the gut and slams him into the ground, knocking Hisagi out and causing him to release Byakuya's Zanpakutō, which Kensei picks up and approaches a cautious Byakuya with before offering it to him handle-first, to Byakuya's further surprise. Stepping up behind Byakuya, 12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi asserts that it is quite a coincidence to come across an enemy like this because it is the perfect time to test his Corpse Unit. Upon being interrogated by Byakuya about what he did to Kensei and Rose, Mayuri counters that he has actually saved them.

In the past, the zombified Kensei and Rose collapse and lie incapacitated on the ground before the Arrancar, where Mayuri asks them how it felt to travel to the past and reveals that he injected the Postcognition Drug into the bodily fluids of the Arrancar, causing Kensei and Rose to come into contact with it when the two of them were sprayed with their blood. In turn, Cirucci Sanderwicci looks in shock at Mayuri, who advises her against trying to inflict it on him since his body has a tolerance for all of the drugs he creates. With Kensei groaning in pain, Mayuri promises to ease his pain shortly and injects more of the drug from his sleeve into both Kensei and Rose, causing them to begin screaming as Mayuri turns his attention to Sternritter "Z" Giselle Gewelle and infers that the amount of blood she needs to zombify someone is dependent on the victim's Reiatsu, with weak individuals needing only a single drop of blood to reach their brain while strong ones need the blood to multiply and travel throughout their body.

After concluding that this is why the captains and lieutenant she has taken control of have a reddish-brown hue to their skin, which Giselle does not deny, Mayuri reveals that his drug alters the composition of that blood by using the blood samples he has of every officer in the Gotei 13 to replace Giselle's blood with a blood-like substance of his own making. Though Giselle admits to not understanding what he is saying, Mayuri decides to skip to the conclusion and informs Giselle that this drug turns her zombies into his zombies, and as Kensei and Rose rise behind him, Mayuri thanks a mortified Giselle for listening and has Kensei stab her in the chest before telling her that she loses.

In the present, Byakuya asserts that Mayuri could have let Kensei and Rose die if he wanted to and demands to know why he is toying with their lives, prompting Mayuri to observe that they have a difference of opinion as usual and ask Byakuya if he does not believe it is the duty of the Gotei 13 to protect the Seireitei even in death, though Byakuya calls this a rationalization and Mayuri dismisses him. Suddenly, a chuckling Sternritter "L" PePe Waccabrada fires a heart-shaped mark at Kensei's left shoulder and claims that The Love is stronger than The Zombie since he has taken control of one of Giselle's zombies in the past, only for Kensei to punch him in the face. With PePe being propelled through more rubble by the force of this, Mayuri admonishes him for not listening, reminds PePe that Kensei and Rose are now his zombies instead of Giselle's, and proclaims that his zombies do not understand the concept of love, leaving PePe horrified as Kensei batters him with Sandbag Beat and flings him into another building. On the ground floor, PePe curses Mayuri and vows to make him pay, but is startled when a bloodied Sternritter "G" Liltotto Lamperd appears behind him.

Having been confronted by a bloodied Sternritter "G" Liltotto Lamperd, Sternritter "L" PePe Waccabrada claims that he is glad to see she is okay, only to scramble back when Liltotto wordlessly activates her Quincy: Vollständig, Gagael, and approaches him. After reminding PePe that he tried to kill the other Sternritter by pitting them against each other, Liltotto asserts that he knows how to take responsibility for that and begins enlarging her mouth with The Glutton, leaving PePe to tearfully beg for forgiveness before Liltotto devours him.

Meanwhile, in the Soul King Palace far above, a sweating Tenjirō 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, Jugram Haschwalth, and Uryū Ishida as they proceed, leaving Kirinji baffled at how this is happening when Yhwach is not dodging his attacks or deceiving his eyes. 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 circular pattern around him. 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.

Simultaneously, a section of the ground in the replaced Seireitei opens and the artificial Kakaku Taihō emerges as loud music plays. In the chamber below, Ichigo Kurosaki yells at Kisuke Urahara to turn down the music, only for the latter to claim that he cannot hear this and claim that playing the music is important because it helps establish a mood for this, leading Ichigo to indignantly realize that Urahara actually can hear him. Counting down from 3, Urahara prepares to launch Ichigo, Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, and Yoruichi Shihōin.

With Kisuke Urahara counting down the launch of the replica Tenchūren from the artificial Kakaku Taihō, Ganju Shiba rides into the cannon chamber on Bonnie and reprimands Ichigo Kurosaki's group for forgetting about him. As the entrance to the cannon opens to reveal him, Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, and Yoruichi Shihōin within, an annoyed Ichigo admits that he recognized the voice and questions if Ganju is here because he has nothing better to do, wants to grow as a person, or wishes to be popular with women, prompting Ganju to counter that he is not going out for drinks, joining a school club, or playing in a rock band. When Ganju wonders if Ichigo remembers who launched the Tenchūren, Ichigo points out that it was Kūkaku Shiba and not Ganju who did so, both of which Ganju readily confirms while Ichigo observes that he does not give up easily.

Ganju reveals that the Royal Guard handed something over to Kūkaku when she launched them and pulls out a roadmap to the Soul King Palace given to him by Kūkaku that he claims Ichigo and his friends require in order to reach it, leaving Ichigo briefly aghast and asking Urahara if this is true while the latter inquires if Ichigo believes he has not prepared for this. However, Ichigo merely questions if Ganju is sure about this because the upcoming battle will be more dangerous than any other. In response, Ganju proclaims that this is exactly why he is coming, and after a smiling Ichigo acknowledges his resolve, Ganju joins them inside the cannon while Urahara completes the launch sequence and fires the replica Tenchūren, whose engine ignites and launches it into the sky in a zig-zagging pattern, shocking Ichigo as he realizes that this is why it can only be used once.

Within the replica Tenchūren, Orihime notes that this brings back memories of when they saved 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki, where Yoruichi was still in her cat form and Uryū Ishida was part of their team, prompting Yoruichi to note that she can still turn into a cat if Orihime wants her to. When Orihime wonders if he will come back with them, Ichigo firmly declares that he will because they decided to smack Uryū and bring him back after they defeat Yhwach, though he quickly claims that this is obviously secondary while a pleased Orihime agrees.

Meanwhile, as Uryū stares up at the Soul King Palace on Vestibule Road, Sternritter "W" Nianzol Weizol 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, preventing Tenjirō Kirinji's White Bone Hell water and Zanpakutō attacks from hitting him while he was concealed with Yhwach. With Kirinji realizing that this is why he could not harm Yhwach, 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. 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.

Senjumaru Shutara recalls that she was just talking about bad habits, and as the spikes impaling Sternritter "W" Nianzol Weizol 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. 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 startled Senjumaru by bringing out Sternritter "X" Lille Barro, "M" Gerard Valkyrie, "C" Pernida Parnkgjas, and "D" Askin Nakk Le Vaar emerge from 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 below and muses that he has to prove himself, prompting Gerard to boisterously confirm 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.

Despite this, Pernida mutters something unintelligibly, and 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 extends a thin arm from beneath its cloak and 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. After claiming that the losing side is always late to realize and react, Lille concludes that the Soul King Palace fell the second Yhwach set foot in it and fires a bullet-shaped Heilig Pfeil that punches a hole through the top of Senjumaru's head.

With blood pooling from the hole in Senjumaru Shutara's head once her corpse collapses, Sternritter "M" Gerard Valkyrie loudly criticizes Sternritter "X" Lille Barro for killing her there because her body is in Yhwach's path, prompting Lille to have Sternritter "C" Pernida Parnkgjas 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.

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, and when Lille levels his Spirit Weapon, 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 Sternritter "D" Askin Nakk Le Vaar 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 and grow more branches instantaneously to block anything moving between their gaps, which Gerard considers a disgrace to The X-Axis, but 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.

As he lands before the Schutzstaffel with Sayafushi in a tank of gel, Ōetsu Nimaiya and 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.

Having confronted the Schutzstaffel and drawn Sayafushi, Ōetsu Nimaiya dares them to attack him all at once because this is where the Royal Guard battle truly begins. 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 Sternritter "M" Gerard Valkyrie 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 collapses.

As Sternritter "D" Askin Nakk Le Vaar 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 Sternritter "X" Lille Barro 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 his Spirit Weapon, 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 without injuring him. 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 Sternritter "C" Pernida Parnkgjas 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. Turning to Yhwach, Nimaiya 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 Yhwach for storming the Soul King Palace so Sayafushi can be put to use, he 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.