CRUSH

Renji descends the tower steps and, impressed that Ichigo recalls his name, vows to end things, insisting Rukia can never reclaim her powers while their thief still lives. Ichigo counters that this same lieutenant was ready to cut Rukia down just to haul her back, then draws Zangetsu and meets him head-on in a burst of force that drives the lieutenant back against the wall.

Watching Ichigo overwhelm a lieutenant, Ganju and Hanataro can scarcely believe their eyes. Renji presses him on the impossibility of his goal, counting off the eleven other lieutenants and thirteen captains still in his path, but Ichigo swears he will crush anyone who stands between him and Rukia. Dismissing the boast, Renji hurls Ichigo back and releases Zabimaru, its extending segmented blade battering him straight through a building.

Renji then explains the truth behind Ichigo's early success: officers of lieutenant rank and above have their power suppressed in the living world to spare nearby humans, meaning he now fights at five times the strength Ichigo once faced. Rather than despair, Ichigo climbs bleeding from the wreckage and remarks that if every lieutenant is only this strong, he may actually stand a chance, earning a grin and a scoff from Renji. The chapter was adapted in episode 30, Renji's Confrontation.