Back. [Leachbomb or Mom]

Recognizing Ichigo as a substitute soul reaper with an appealing soul, Shrieker regrets not hunting him first. Rukia forces Ichigo from his body, and he dodges the minions' leech streams to land atop the Hollow and cut his shoulder. Ichigo reveals he already stripped the servants from Yūichi's cage on his way over, and Rukia warns him the leeches are bombs, which finally clarifies why Sado dared not move and why she was left fighting alone.

Ichigo slices open several minions, but Shrieker notes the spilled leeches remain live and detonates them, only for Ichigo to emerge barely singed and halt his blade at the Hollow's neck to demand whether he killed Yūichi's parents. Shrieker confirms the murder, and a horrified Rukia realizes someone convinced Yūichi his mother could be revived.

Shrieker recounts that in life he was a serial killer of eight, and Yūichi's mother was his final victim, stabbed again and again yet still shielding her son. After he killed her on the balcony, the boy grabbed his laces and sent him toppling to his own death. Furious at being slain by a child, he tore out Yūichi's soul, sealed it inside a parakeet, and dangled a lie about resurrection to make the boy flee for months while he murdered everyone who tried to help. When Shrieker shoves the blade aside and flings leech-filled minions, Ichigo crams the leeches back into the Hollow's mouth and tears out his tongue.

Shrieker's history as a human serial killer and Yūichi's murderer is revealed, along with the cruel lie that drove the boy to run. Ichigo neutralizes the leech bombs and rips out Shrieker's tongue, stripping the Hollow of his detonation trigger.

A chapter of the second volume within the Agent of the Shinigami arc, this installment supplies Shrieker's backstory and motive. It was adapted into the anime's fifth episode, Beat the Invisible Enemy!. Viz Media renders the title as LEECH-BOMBS AND MOM.