SOUL KING PALACE, VESTIBULE ROAD
Done!
We're ready now.
You should be ready too, right? Ichigo.
I'm ready too.
By the way, isn't it a bit much to make me dress like this?
That clothing is capable of breaching the 72 barriers
that stand between the Soul King Palace and Seireitei.
It's necessary for you, isn't it?
You'll have to walk back.
I wish I could send you back through the Heavenly Pillar,
but we can't always just go down.
Anyhow, the distance is not that long.
Using Flash Step, you would normally arrive in about a week.
Alright.
Is that so?
If I travel at my fastest speed, I would only need half a day at most.
As long as I can get back before those guys attack--
You don't have to worry about that.
The Quincy launched an attack three hours ago.
You should've told me earlier, damn it!
You were still training three hours ago.
Ichigo, this is a rice ball.
Thanks.
He's changed quite a bit, hasn't he?
Yeah.
He's a real Soul Reaper now.
A real Soul Reaper who has transcended Soul Reaper.
So, how do we begin to turn things around from now on?
Let's see…
Hello.
Kurosaki.
Yeah. This is how things are, so I will need some time to get to you.
I see…
Understood. Please take care of yourself.
Um, Urahara.
What is it?
I know it sounds arrogant,
but even if the battle on your side becomes extremely dangerous,
I hope you can hold out until I arrive.
I'll definitely try to find a way.
I got it.
We'll wait for you, Kurosaki.
Urahara didn't mention anything about the situation on their side.
What kind of existence is His Highness?
It should be fine to tell you now.
After all, you are the successor.
Come with me.
The execution of the losers will commence now.
STERNRITTER'S SECOND SPIRE, EXECUTION CHAMBER
The Iron.
You're very lucky to have blocked the blade.
But the same amount of bad luck
will take away the life that luck saved.
Can you see it?
The scene of the scales tilting.
You seem quite puzzled.
Everyone whose soul was given by His Highness
will have their power absorbed by His Highness after they die.
Their soul's knowledge and abilities will all become His Highness' power.
These two were powerful forces.
Is it necessary to take their lives?
His Highness' aim is not the Soul Society.
So, it is up to His Highness to decide
what is needed and what isn't.
You too, who drank His Highness' Blood Chalice
and had Schrift etched on your soul,
cannot escape.
If we don't continue to fight,
or we don't continue to absorb souls,
His Highness will…
AFTER THE INVASION, URBAN AREA
I can't feel the Spiritual Pressure of the Court Guard Squads at all.
That means the Soul Reapers are in a bad situation right now.
In that case, I will wait for Renji to join me first,
then attack the enemy's base all at once, which might be a good plan.
What was that touch just now?
Who is it? And where is it hiding?
Are you scared?
I… am so lonely.
So lonely…
Who are you?
So lonely…
I'm so lonely.
Where is my Senbonzakura?
I see.
So you're the one who stole my brother's Bankai,
As Nodt.
I know you.
You're the sister of Byakuya Kuchiki,
Rukia Kuchiki.
Where is Byakuya Kuchiki?
I'm under no obligation to answer you.
If I kill you, will he come here?
Maybe.
That is his ability,
"The Fear"?
Sleeved White Snow.
That's useless.
Ice can't block The Fear.
That is the fear.
Fear is something like this.
This is the fear?
Exactly.
Then, what do you fear?
What?
Will it be a fear for you when The Fear no longer works?
The Fear no longer works?
That's impossible.
That's impossible?
If you really think so, then use those thorns to stab me again.
Look at it, and then feel fear.
This is the true Sleeved White Snow.
Although I've become able to use Sleeved White Snow's true power,
my body needs more time to adjust.
So I cannot be attacked by you until then.
Even if you freeze it, what can you do?
I already said that ice can't block The Fear.
My Fear doesn't invade from wounds.
It will seep into the body
once it touches the skin even if only slightly.
It's impossible to block, absolutely.
Everyone has things that make them feel safe
and things that make them fearful.
If you enter a place that feels safe
and you are asked why it feels safe,
you will only give ambiguous answers
such as "I just have that feeling."
However, if you enter a place of fear,
no matter how stupid you are, you can clearly state the reason for your fear.
Too dark, too cold, too high, too narrow, too painful, too dirty.
You will identify numerous causes of fear.
This is due to the fact that
all safeness is associated with life, whereas all fear is associated with death.
It's just like those who can't explain why they want to live
can at least explain why they don't want to die.
This is not limited to emotional creatures.
Every living thing instinctively avoids death,
in other words, they avoid fear.
Anything with life exists to avoid fear.
They train themselves to avoid fear,
and they grow to avoid fear.
So fear is never ineffective.
As long as you have life…
Yeah.
That's why The Fear doesn't work on me.
Don't you understand yet?
What I mean is, I don't have life now.
What does that mean?
Sleeved White Snow is not a sword that radiates cold from its tip.
Sleeved White Snow is…
a Zanpakuto that lowers the wielder's body temperature to below freezing.
Everything it touches freezes.
The blade is simply an arm used to extend the freezing range.
Don't be ridiculous.
Humans cannot survive
if their body temperature falls below freezing.
You can't possibly stay alive.
That's right, I'm dead now.
I've learned to kill my own body temporarily
by controlling my Reishi.
In this body, all molecular movements stop.
Even The Fear that seeps into my body
has stopped at the skin's surface.
How could this be?
Negative 18 degrees.
Blood will freeze.
You won't bleed from a wound.
Negative 50 degrees.
The water inside the ground where my feet touch will freeze,
resulting in an icequake.
Negative 273.15 degrees,
absolute zero.
I need to finish this quickly.
My activity limit at this temperature
is four seconds.
Negative 198 degrees.
Negative 142 degrees.
Negative 116 degrees.
Negative 85 degrees.
If I don't take the time to slowly thaw,
my body tissue will collapse…
Looks like my training is still not enough.
Did I go a little over four seconds?
Fear, huh?
Is this what you call fear?
Breathing is painful.
If you don't bear this pain, you can't survive.
Living is quite inconvenient, isn't it?
Is heaven a place where I can breathe freely?
Is hell more painful than where I am now?
If so, that is truly frightening.
Let me give my power
to you who survived.
No, this is not what the real fear is.
My fear…
Only when His Highness chastises me do I feel fear!
In comparison, things like battle
will not cause me to feel fear or pain!
Tatarforas!
You can't reach me, can you?
It's useless, you can't reach me.
Because you feel weak at the knees.
What are you saying?
You are looking at me, aren't you?
Although your body's cells have stopped functioning below the freezing point,
but…
your nerves have not.
Tatarforas is the fear that penetrates you through the optic nerve.
Look.
No matter where you face, you will see my eyes.
Your nerves can't avoid it.
It's useless even if you close your eyes.
Good memories linger in your heart for a long time.
Bad memories, on the other hand, will linger in your heart for even longer.
Just like your fears from the past come back in the dark at night.
If you close your eyes,
the fear you witnessed will only intensify,
echoing in the depths of your mind.
Come on.
Let the fears you have been avoiding completely fill your heart.
You are…
Byakuya Kuchiki.
Brother.
You finally came. I've been waiting for you.
How are the parts of you that I took out?
I completely scooped out your stomach.
You must be starving, not being able to eat anything.
Have you lost a little weight?
No, Brother!
Don't look at his eyes!
It's too late!
Who exactly is it too late for?
I see.
You've surrounded this area with Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, haven't you?
Not bad.
I really want that Bankai.
Bankai?
Look closely.
Since you once obtained my Bankai, you should be aware that
this is Shikai, simply Senbonzakura.
What are you saying?
Because you took away my Bankai,
I was able to see the essence of Senbonzakura once more.
Bonds are all similar to Pointillism.
You need to keep a distance to see their true appearance.
I had forgotten about this before.
I have to thank you, As Nodt.
I won't kill you…
I absolutely won't kill you!
I will render you incapable of fainting or going insane.
I will drown you in pain and fear, thinking it would be better to die,
-while keeping you alive forever. -Rukia.
I could feel your Spiritual Pressure
all the way down here.
You've become stronger, Rukia.
Brother…
Brother said I…
became stronger.
Fear is not something that comes out of nowhere.
It appears when a slight unease in your heart is eroded.
Do you still have fear, Rukia?
I don't.
It's time to end this, Byakuya Kuchiki!
Is that so? It's time to end it, huh?
But I'm sorry.
I'm not the one who will defeat you.
What?
Don't underestimate me!
Take a good look, Rukia.
What's reflected in him is not fear.
As long as there is no fear in your heart,
all you see is
his own timidity.
Bankai,
Hakka no Togame.
I'm so scared.
Am I… going to die?
Please forgive me, Your Highness.
Don't be angry.
I am so afraid of suffering and pain.
I'm so scared…
I'm so…
Rukia, you can gradually thaw.
Must gradually.
Your Bankai is excellent.
But it's also a very difficult Bankai.
One false move, and you're dead. It's a very dangerous Bankai.
You must handle it carefully. Do not rush.
You must understand that a blade wielded
at the expense of life can't protect anything.
Let's go, Rukia.
Let's protect the Soul Society.
Yes.
Brother.
FORMER DORMITORY OF SQUAD 4, INFIRMARY
Kotechin!
I found something that can be used as new mattresses.
I am sorry I asked you to do such a dangerous job.
It doesn't matter because Kenny hasn't come back, so I was very bored.
Besides, I just found the mattress and medicine, grabbed them, and ran away.
It wasn't even dangerous.
I can't believe no one's found this place…
You're wondering why no one's found this place until now, right?
Where are you looking? I'm here.
Here.
Look, I'm disappearing again.
Punch!
Huh? I thought I had punched it.
Punched it? What was I trying to punch?
Lieutenant Kusajishi!
Did it look like you punched me?
There's no way that could happen.
My existence has vanished completely
from your awareness and consciousness.
So-called beauty
is nothingness.