Dominion

Shut inside a confinement cell and hollow-eyed from grief, Momo is visited by Rangiku, who hands her a sealed letter recovered from Aizen's room. Rangiku notes that Hitsugaya's discovery of it spared the letter from being locked away as evidence, and urges Momo to read her captain's last words with gratitude. Opening it, Momo finds Aizen explaining that if she is reading this he could not return; he apologizes for the grief he has caused, says he kept silent to shield her, and now entrusts everything he uncovered to the one person he trusts most, since he is likely already dead. The revelation leaves Momo trembling.

At the pavilion before Senzaikyu, Ichigo, Ganju, and Hanataro are pinned by a crushing spiritual pressure. Ichigo orders a retreat, but no matter how far they run the threat never falls behind, and he feels as though a blade rests constantly at his throat. When Hanataro collapses, Ganju doubles back to carry him. Kenpachi studies each of them, dismisses Ganju and Hanataro, and locks onto Ichigo, who suddenly envisions himself run through and clutches his chest, questioning whether killing intent alone could produce such a sensation.

Kenpachi then appears directly behind him and asks whether he is Ichigo Kurosaki. Recalling Ikkaku's warning about a fighter he might not survive, Ichigo insists on knowing his identity. Kenpachi introduces himself and states plainly that he has come to kill Ichigo or to die trying.

Aizen's posthumous letter plants the seed of a larger conspiracy and deepens Momo's turmoil. Kenpachi's killing intent alone overwhelms Ichigo's group, and the captain formally confronts Ichigo, announcing his intent to fight to the death.

The chapter comes from the twelfth volume and was adapted into Episode 36, Kenpachi Zaraki Approaches!. Aizen appears in flashback as the writer of the letter, and Ikkaku's earlier warning is recalled.