Son of Darkness

Byakuya's swarm of blades tears Gerard's head apart, and Hitsugaya follows by freezing the giant's torso and shattering it before slumping over from exhaustion, barely conscious as Byakuya catches him. Their relief is brief. Fresh energy gathers above Gerard's severed legs, rebuilding him into a new shape crowned by a helmet-like head and a spike jutting from each shoulder.

Far above, Yhwach stirs from a dream in which Ichigo steals close and cuts him apart. He opens his eyes as the sun climbs, feeling The Almighty return, and muses that a vision so splendid nearly qualified as a nightmare. On a lower level, Haschwalth turns aside an arrow loosed by Uryu and notes that daybreak has come. Uryu argues the Sternritter squandered his window to finish him before sunrise, but Haschwalth counters that his own combat gifts outstrip Yhwach's and unleashes a blast from his sword.

Elsewhere, Ichigo and Orihime reach the great doors and feel the king's presence beyond them. Ichigo asks Orihime to serve as his shield and tells her he is relying on her, which she accepts with surprise and quiet joy at finally standing beside him in the fight. As they cross the threshold, Yhwach welcomes his long-awaited guest, the one he names his son of darkness.

Gerard appears destroyed by the captains' combined assault, then regenerates into a fresh, helmeted form. Hitsugaya collapses after freezing and shattering the giant's torso. Yhwach wakes with the sunrise and reclaims The Almighty. Haschwalth wounds Uryu and boasts that his abilities suit battle better than his master's. Ichigo and Orihime enter the throne room, where Yhwach greets Ichigo as his son of darkness.

This is the 672nd chapter of Bleach and the ninth entry in the seventy-third volume, BATTLE FIELD BURNING. It marks the moment the final confrontation between Ichigo and Yhwach begins, folding the ongoing Gerard fight and Haschwalth's duel with Uryu into the buildup toward the throne room clash.