Byakuya and Renji, the 6th Division Returns

Renji Abarai arrives with a squad of manifested Zanpakuto Spirits at his back, and Sode no Shirayuki explains the turnaround: Mayuri Kurotsuchi has reversed the mind control that turned the spirits against their masters, so they have come to help. Tobiume, Haineko, Hozukimaru, Ruri'iro Kujaku, and the rest tear into the advancing Gillians alongside their wielders, though the old friction between the likes of Ikkaku and Yumichika flares up even mid-battle. Sui-Feng, uninterested in cooperation, moves to simply destroy the dome, but Uryu blocks her with a stream of arrows because Ichigo is still trapped inside; Hitsugaya finally halts the infighting and refocuses everyone on the Hollows.

As Byakuya and Senbonzakura carve through Gillians back to back, a fresh Garganta splits the cracked sky and black ooze births still more Menos. Rukia warns that an endless tide will pour through if the tear keeps widening, and dozens of glowing eyes confirm it. Hozukimaru recklessly proposes diving in to seal it, but the answer comes from Byakuya, who directs twin surges of blade petals against both sides of the opening while glowing with white Reiatsu, straining his already injured body to force the Gillians back.

Renji questions whether he can pull it off alone, so one by one the Shinigami and their spirits pour their power into him, each pairing blazing with its own color until columns of Reiatsu shoot skyward. The combined assault freezes, bites, and bifurcates the Gillians and drives the survivors back through the rift, which crackles with blue lightning and seals completely. Spent but victorious, the group turns its attention back to the dome, where Rukia admits they cannot risk approaching and must leave Ichigo to save himself, as Orihime quietly wills him to be okay.

Mayuri's countermeasure frees the Zanpakuto Spirits, who join the Shinigami against the Gillians. Sui-Feng's attempt to break the dome is stopped to protect the trapped Ichigo. When a Garganta unleashes a flood of Menos, Byakuya channels Senbonzakura's petals to hold the tear open long enough for every Shinigami and spirit to funnel their Reiatsu into a unified attack that closes it. The heroes are then forced to leave Ichigo's rescue to himself.

An anime-original entry from the Zanpakuto Unknown Tales arc with no manga source, the episode runs under the opening Anima Rossa and the ending Sakurabito. Comic beats include Marechiyo Omaeda's Spirit Gegetsuburi demanding to be addressed as mister before it will fight, Sajin Komamura's return to clear the field himself, and a Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book in which Kazeshini fakes a heartfelt apology only to stab the gullible Shuhei Hisagi in the back.