BABY, HOLD YOUR HAND

As the surviving captains and lieutenants press toward the central palace of Wahrwelt, Kenpachi Zaraki and Mayuri Kurotsuchi come upon the hooded Sternritter Pernida Parnkgjas. Kenpachi charges recklessly and has his arm twisted into ruin, forcing him to tear it off before it can be turned against his own head. Recognizing the danger, Mayuri warns that the only safe approach is to keep away from the creature entirely, but Kenpachi ignores him and attacks again, whereupon his whole body begins folding in on itself.

To salvage the situation, Mayuri stabs Kenpachi through the chest and paralyzes him with Ashisogi Jizō, coldly admitting he let his ally charge in as a test subject. The experiment reveals the nature of The Compulsory: Pernida slips its nerves into an enemy's body to seize control of its movements, an extension of the Quincy practice of channeling Reishi through the veins. Armed with this knowledge, Mayuri counters the flailing nerves with acid, protective Kikaisan umbrellas, and shoes that let him use the Quincy flight technique Hirenkyaku.

Pernida sheds its cloak to reveal its true form, a giant left hand with a dual-pupiled eye set in its palm, which Mayuri identifies as the detached left arm of the Soul King, mirroring Ukitake's contract with Mimihagi. Delighted rather than frightened, Mayuri severs Pernida's pinky with an explosive Jinmen Himo to take a sample, only for the finger to sprout an eye and grow into a full copy of Pernida. The arm keeps duplicating itself, demonstrating its power of advancement.

With clones rearing before him, Mayuri activates his Modified Bankai, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō: Matai Fukuin Shōtai, a massive infant that births a nerve-covered Ashisogi Jizō. Because its nerves are layered 70,000 times over, The Compulsory can only peel back one layer at a time, letting the creature charge in and devour Pernida and its clones whole. Meanwhile, outside Silbern, Liltotto Lamperd sends Bazz-B to settle his score with Jugram Haschwalth while she and Giselle Gewelle move to kill Yhwach.

Kenpachi loses his arm and is paralyzed by Mayuri, who uses him to expose Pernida's power. Mayuri deduces The Compulsory and counters it with acid, Kikaisan, and Hirenkyaku shoes. Pernida reveals itself as the Soul King's left arm and multiplies into clones. Mayuri unveils his Modified Bankai and its layered-nerve Ashisogi Jizō, which consumes Pernida and its copies. Bazz-B is sent after Haschwalth as Liltotto and Giselle target Yhwach.

This episode is the four hundredth of the Bleach anime and adapts Chapters 635 through 640 within the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. The adaptation moves Mayuri and Kenpachi's fight ahead of Bazz-B's clash with Haschwalth, and an error carries over Mayuri's reference to Urahara's cut description of Mimihagi. The episode's summary names the battleground branch of Wahrwelt as Vier Ast, or Fourth Branch.