As Kariya is about to stab Ichigo with his own zanpakutō, Ichigo grabs it and stabs himself with it, forcing his subconscious into the world of his zanpakutō, Zangetsu. After a discussion with Zangetsu, Ichigo returns to reality and uses his bankai, which enables him to fight evenly with Kariya. Uryū arrives and uses his powers to open the gateway created by the Bounts into the Soul Society. When Kariya thanks him, Uryū informs Kariya that he did so to defeat the Bounts in the Soul Society.