As Nodt manifests his Reishi thorns and attacks Rukia. She evades the initial attack and, seeing something is spreading from where the thorns make contact, wonders if the substance coming from the thorns is the fear she has heard about.
As one of the thorns rapidly approaches her, Rukia releases Sode no Shirayuki and forms an ice shield to block the attack, but the substance comes through and strikes her.
As states fear cannot be stopped by ice and laughs menacingly before saying Rukia cannot move because she has been infected by fear.
Unaffected by As's power, Rukia calmly asks him if this is fear and wonders what As fears before asking him if he is afraid of meeting someone whom his ability does not work on.
As says fear cannot be ineffective, prompting Rukia to state he should attack her again to see if this is correct.
As Rukia holds out her sword and tells him to fear the true Sode no Shirayuki, As launches his thorns at Rukia again and mocks her about running away from them earlier.
Rukia blocks the thorns, which are frozen by her very touch, and reveals she had to run away before so her body could adapt to her Shikai's true power.
As claims freezing his weapon will not help because the fear enters through initial contact rather than wounds before claiming Rukia will always feel fear as long as she is alive.
Noting this is the very reason she is unaffected, Rukia reveals she is currently dead.
When As wonders what she means, Rukia explains how the real power of Sode no Shirayuki is to bring her own body to temperatures below zero.
Rukia moves forward and states that anything which she touches will freeze, with the blade of the sword merely increasing her range. Dismissing this as nonsense, As is further confused by Rukia's claim that she can momentarily kill her own body and remain alive by controlling her Reishi, thus making the substance unable to infect her body because its components are not moving.
Still unable to comprehend Rukia's power, As continues to claim that this is impossible. Rukia appears next to him and slices his shoulder with her body at a temperature of -18 degrees, freezing As's blood and stopping it from flowing out of the wound.
Lowering her temperature to -50 degrees, Rukia causes a cryoseism due to the moisture in the ground being frozen. After Rukia lowers her temperature to -273.15 degrees, she notes that she can only move for four seconds at this temperature before attacking As.
Completely frozen by the attack, As wonders if what he is experiencing is fear.
As Rukia slowly raises her temperature so as to avoid any permanent damage, she notices a small wound on her thumb and wonders if she exceeded her four seconds.
Meanwhile, as concludes that what he is feeling is not genuine fear because his only fear is feeling Yhwach's wrath and losing his body.
He breaks free, losing his mask in the process to reveal a decaying mouth. Activating his Quincy: Vollstandig, Tatarforas, As moves behind Rukia.
She tries to strike him, but realizes she is paralyzed.
When an incredulous Rukia states the fear should not be affecting her, As reveals that the effect of his Quincy: Vollstandig occurs through his opponent simply seeing him before surrounding Rukia with eyes so she cannot escape his gaze.
Rukia tries to close her eyes, but finds that it amplifies the effect of The Fear.
As Rukia starts to scream and give in to the fear, As proclaims her heart will now be burned to death by the fear she has avoided so far, but they are interrupted by the wall of eyes being breached by Byakuya.
The two combatants note Byakuya's arrival as he steps forward.
As begins taunting him about the injuries he received in their previous fight, but Byakuya ignores his comments.
Realizing As fought her only to get Byakuya to appear, Rukia warns Byakuya to avoid eye contact with him, but As proclaims it is too late as he surrounds Byakuya with eyes.
When Byakuya destroys the eyes with blade petals, As notes Byakuya must have used his Bankai to surround the area before expressing how much he would have liked to keep.
Telling As he should be aware that his Bankai uses the entire sword, Byakuya shows As he is holding the hilt and reveals he is using his Shikai, confusing As.
Byakuya explains how he decided to gain a greater understanding of his Shikai after losing his Bankai and thanks As for giving him this opportunity.
Infuriated, As rips his torso open and begins to transform, declaring he will not kill Byakuya but rather make him experience such terror and despair that he will wish he had died instead.
While As transforms, Byakuya turns to Rukia and reveals he felt her Spiritual Pressure during his descent to Soul Society before saying she has become strong.
Deeply touched by Byakuya's acknowledgment of her power, Rukia begins to cry.
Noting fear does not simply come from nothing and any small thing can become a fear, Byakuya asking Rukia if she is still afraid, prompting Rukia to deny this.
Now in a monstrous form, As tells Byakuya the end has come.
Confirming this, Byakuya reveals Rukia will be the one to bring that end, prompting As to ask him if he is joking.
Byakuya tells Rukia to look closely at As and know that she will see As's fear if she herself has no fear.
Rukia calmly releases her Bankai, Hakka no Togame, resulting in a column of white mist forming around the area.
After her Bankai release, her clothes changed into beautiful white kimono with lined patterns. The robe has attached to ornate collar and edges, and a shoulder design with long, wide sleeves. There are long, flowing ribbons tied at her back that form numerous large loops. She has a small ice flower formation at the center of her chest, and a half-crown of ice that extends around the back of her head. Rukia's hair becomes white, and her blade becomes ice.
Her form was as beautiful and majestic as a white rose. But as every beautiful flower has thorns, her Bankai's ability was rather a fearsome one, completely lowering the temperature to Absolute Zero.
As Nodt completely freezes after Rukia's Bankai release and crumbles away after a while.
After defeating As Nodt, Rukia slowly raised their temperature after stopping her Bankai.
Suddenly they were attacked by a column of fire.
Byakuya took Rukia and dodges a column of fire.
"Arrancar?" Byakuya asks after inspecting the enemy.
"Pleased to meet you. My name Ignacio Angarika, the 10th Espada." Ignacio introduces himself with a solemn tone.
"Espada? Why is an Espada helping Quincy? I thought you guys won't be meddling with us." Byakuya asks as it crucial information. If Arrancars joined with Quincy the battle will be much harder.
"We just want our queen to be alive." Ignacio didn't answer fully before attacking them once again.
***
On the other side of Wandenreich, Hitsugaya alongside his vice-captain was killed by Bazz-B after defeating Cang Du who stole his Bankai which was a devastating blow to Shinigamis.