Ichigo is still trapped in the ice prison Hyōrinmaru trapped him in as Hitsugaya and Hyōrinmaru confront each other. Meanwhile, Rangiku and Momo fight their zanpakutō in the woods and finally manage to overpower them with kidō spells. As Hitsugaya and Hyōrinmaru begin to fight, Hitsugaya tries to seal him but is shocked as Hyōrinmaru effortlessly dissolves the seal into fragments of ice. As their fight continues, Hyōrinmaru's tremendous power turns the whole sky black. Hitsugaya began to recall his past during his first encounter with Hyōrinmaru to convince him. Hitsugaya managed to activate Hyōrinmaru's shikai, thus managed to convince Hyōrinmaru that Hitsugaya is his master. Despite freezing himself along with his zanpakutō and losing consciousness, Hitsugaya manages to convince Hyōrinmaru of his identity.