Ichigo and Rukia find stored records on Nozomi at the Department of Research and Development, and realize the World of the Living is in danger. Hurrying to get back, the two regroup with Yoruichi, who proposes to get past the heavily guarded Senkaimon by force. Meanwhile in the World of the Living, Kon and Nozomi find themselves attacked by Kira, Nanao, and a Soul Reaper calling himself Kageroza.

Ichigo is placed under arrest by the Soul Society under suspicion of being responsible for the disappearance of the Soul Reapers in the Precipice World. With Rukia’s help, the two make an escape, when Renji and Ikkaku appear to do battle.

Peace has seemingly returned to both the World of the Living and the Soul Society with Aizen’s defeat. But reports of Soul Reapers going missing after entering the Precipice World begin to surface in the Soul Society. Meanwhile in the World of the Living, Kon finds an unconscious girl lying in the street and brings her home to care for, while Ichigo and Rukia discover that they are unable to contact the Soul Society.

Hitsugaya has taken some time off and comes to Karakura Town to visit Haru, an old lady he met during a previous visit to the World of the Living. Grandma Haru introduces Hitsugaya and Karin to Yosuke, a young spirit who died before being able to experience his first snow. Hitsugaya decides to wait on performing Konso on Yosuke until the boy gets his wish, when Haru’s health suddenly worsens…

Yachiru encounters a Soul Reaper saving a girl from a Hollow, and quickly recognizes him as Masayoshi, her old friend. As the two celebrate their reunion, Yachiru learns that “Mappy” has lost his wife to a Hollow. Since then, Masayoshi has sworn to kill all Hollows for the people of the Rukon District, and for his late wife. But something about Masayoshi’s story does not sit well with Yachiru.

While Ichigo is looking into a possible Hollow incident in the World of the Living, Kon, inside Ichigo’s body, meets a beautiful woman who can see spirits. But the woman was dumped by her boyfriend because of this power and now wishes to die. Kon tries to stop the woman from killing herself when a handsome Hollow appears!

While sparring with Ikkaku and Renji inside Squad 11’s dojo, Ichigo meets Seizo, whose mild-mannered personality seems out of place within the hot-blooded Squad 11. Once a powerful Soul Reaper, Seizo lost most of his spirit energy after taking a hit from a Hollow meant for Ikkaku. Ichigo, having seen Seizo’s unfair treatment within the squad, questions if he is truly content with his current life.

Ichigo hits Grimmjow with a mighty blow. Grimmjow is about to collapse, but he grabs Zangetsu and pulls himself up. He begins to remember his time as an Adjucha, a Hollow that has an extreme hunger for souls. They continue to obsessively devour souls until they reach the level of Gillians, and then finally they become Adjuchas. But those who become Adjuchas have the fear of degenerating. If they don't continue to consume Hollows, they will degenerate into Gillians. Grimmjow continues to attack his fellow Hollows until he meets an interesting band of Adjuchas.

While slacking off on his duties, Omaeda falls from a cliff. Recovering from the fall, Omaeda finds a young boy named Ryuzaburo staring at him with admiration and learns that he has unintentionally saved the boy’s life from a Hollow. When asked for his name, Omaeda lies and says he is the captain of Squad 2.

A wild battle begins between Ichigo and Grimmjow. As swords and Spiritual Pressures clash, Grimmjow unleashes his strongest Cero, the Gran Rey Cero. Orihime and Nel are about to be caught in the attack, so Ichigo Hollowfies in order to save them. Grimmjow shouts for joy when faced with Ichigo's power. He releases his Zanpakuto and shows his most powerful form. Orihime watches as the battle rages on. She becomes frightened when she compares Ichigo's ominous Spiritual Pressure to that of her brother who became a Hollow.