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THE BAD JOKE is the thirty-third volume of the Bleach manga series.

Publisher's summary[]

Ichigo Kurosaki's mission to rescue his friend Orihime Inoue from the Hollow world has turned into a struggle for survival against a succession of enemies, each one more powerful than the next. Now another vicious challenger has entered the fray, one that happens to know the startling truth about Ichigo's new friend Nel!

Bleach All Stars[]

All-Stars
ザエルアポロ
Szayelaporro Granz
Ep320RenjiCharaPic 石田 雨竜
Uryū Ishida
Ep190SzayelCharaPic 阿散井 恋次
Renji Abarai
Ep269UryuCharaPic

Ep190NnoitraCharaPic2 ネリエル
Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck
Ep216IchigoCharaPic2
ノイトラ
Nnoitra Gilga
Ep192NellielCharaPic 黒崎 一護
Ichigo Kurosaki



Chapters[]

287. Don't Forget Till You Die[]

Nnoitra Gilga begins his assault on Ichigo Kurosaki as Szayelaporro Granz forcibly resumes his battle against Uryū Ishida and 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai.

Summary :

287Cover

The cover page of 287. Don't Forget Till You Die.

With a grinning Nnoitra Gilga resting his Zanpakutō in the sands of Las Noches and approaching him, an unnerved Ichigo Kurosaki demands to know who Nnoitra is and whether the latter is an Espada. Suddenly, a prone and grievously injured Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez curses Nnoitra, who is annoyed by the former still being alive and leaps into the air to slam his Zanpakutō down onto Grimmjow, only for Ichigo to intercept it with the sword of his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu. When a surprised Nnoitra questions what he is doing, Ichigo counters that Nnoitra is the one who needs to explain himself since he is attacking someone who cannot move, leaving Grimmjow speechless as Nnoitra disengages and criticizes Grimmjow for being so pitiful that the man who just defeated him is now protecting him. After Ichigo introduces himself, Nnoitra sarcastically promises to try to remember his name until Ichigo is dead, startling the latter, before attacking him.

While the impact of Nnoitra's strike shatters one of the broken buildings nearby, Ichigo leaps out of the resulting dust cloud into the air, but quickly finds himself struggling to hold back Nnoitra's Zanpakutō with both hands on his own sword when Nnoitra follows him into the air and swings it at his side, leading him to mentally observe that Nnoitra is incredibly strong despite his thin frame and that the Zanpakutō itself is extremely heavy. Sending Ichigo crashing back down to the sands below, a manically grinning Nnoitra brings his Zanpakutō down once more, forcing Ichigo to block it by holding his sword overhead, and when a concerned Orihime Inoue calls out to Ichigo, Nnoitra has Tesra Lindocruz appear behind her with Sonído to push Orihime to the ground and restrain her. With Ichigo frantically calling out to Orihime, Nnoitra instructs him to stay focused on the battle and slashes his Zanpakutō near Ichigo's head, which Ichigo barely dodges.

Ichigo demands that Nnoitra let Orihime go, only for Nnoitra to express amusement at Ichigo's assumption that he can win if Orihime is free and stick out his tongue to reveal his Espada tattoo of the number 5, leaving Ichigo shocked as Nnoitra explains that this means he is a lot stronger than the opponent Ichigo only just barely defeated and that Ichigo himself is doomed. After admitting that he has already forgotten Ichigo's name, Nnoitra swings his Zanpakutō down at a stunned Ichigo's face.

Meanwhile, Uryū Ishida, 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai, Pesche Guatiche, and Dondochakka Birstanne run up a flight of stairs in Szayelaporro Granz's palace, where Uryū responds to Dondochakka wondering why they are running away by reminding him that they are there to save Orihime rather than defeat the Espada and that it makes no sense to wait around in a room where their powers do not work. Concurring with this, Renji notes that they will have to save Rukia Kuchiki and Yasutora Sado now as well, prompting Uryū to conclude that they must get out of here just as the group reaches the doorway at the top of the stairs. However, Uryū and his friends are astonished to find themselves back in the chamber that they just left. Inquiring about whether they enjoyed their run, Szayelaporro steps out in a new, undamaged outfit and declares that it is time to begin the second act before preparing to release his Zanpakutō.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


288. THE BAD JOKE[]

Szayelaporro Granz activates his Resurrección, Fornicarás.

Summary:

288Cover

The cover page of 288. THE BAD JOKE.

Despite admitting that it is not worth explaining how this was accomplished, Szayelaporro Granz details how he has absolute control over the interior of his palace much like he does his own body and that he has cameras implanted in every wall as well as the ability to rearrange the hallways at will, which resulted in him shifting the corridor that Uryū Ishida, 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai, Pesche Guatiche, and Dondochakka Birstanne were running down so it led right back to him because he knew they would flee the moment he left. Noticing Uryū and Renji glaring at him, Szayelaporro deduces that they are aggravated by having wasted so much time and energy running down long hallways and up staircases just to arrive back here anyway.

Though he compares this to a bad joke, Szayelaporro asserts that being forced to work to defeat worms like them is an even worse joke and draws his Zanpakutō before activating his Resurrección, Fornicarás, by shoving it down his throat, which causes his body to rapidly inflate and release a large amount of fluid before slimming down and gaining a vast amount of layered tentacles covering his lower body, two sets of elongated and thin wing-like appendages comprised of long, dark, and thick strands hanging from the light bases, and lengthened fingers ending in spherical tips. After the tentacles almost fully recede into his body to reveal his legs and form a skirt, Szayelaporro apologizes for keeping his enemies waiting and announces that the second act will now begin, only to correct himself and assert that the second act will instead end prior to initiating Carbon-Copy by releasing a large amount of fluid from his back that splashes against the ceiling, causing it to begin raining down on Uryū, Renji, Pesche, and Dondochakka.

With Renji panicking over this, Uryū warns Pesche and Dondochakka to keep evading and not let the fluid touch them, but while they protest that this will not be easy, a drop of the fluid lands on Dondochakka's head, causing a near-identical clone of him to begin rapidly forming from this spot. Alarmed by this, Uryū notices another drop of the fluid land on his cape just as several clones of himself and Renji rise around them. A maniacally laughing Szayelaporro sits down on a throne formed by his Fracción and observes that all of the characters have been introduced before explaining that the clones have the exact same abilities as the originals, who will have to battle fiercely if they want to live, and revealing that the device which was sealing their powers has been deactivated so they can fight freely. While Szayelaporro cackles at this, Uryū notes with trepidation that being forced to fight themselves before they can fight the enemy is akin to a zen riddle and admits that this really is a bad joke.

Simultaneously, Ichigo Kurosaki evades a swing of Nnoitra Gilga's Zanpakutō while wielding his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, and springs off the outer edge of its blade toward Nnoitra, who ducks beneath a slash of Ichigo's sword and commends how well he moves, which leads him to deduce that this is not Ichigo's first time facing a hafted weapon. However, when Ichigo declares that this is the second time he has done so, a bemused Nnoitra simply slams the handle of his Zanpakutō into Ichigo's back instead, sending him careening into the sands as a restrained Orihime Inoue protests that this is not fair due to Ichigo's injuries. In response, Nnoitra denies this mattering since inequality is to be expected in battle, which is born of that and intolerance, and elaborates that making an enemy for any reason causes one to enter a battle until someone involved stops breathing. Reprimanding Ichigo thinking he could cause a commotion in his enemy's backyard without being noticed as a bad joke, Nnoitra invites him to continue attacking because he knows all of Ichigo's tricks from his battle with Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez while Nel Tu cowers in fear behind a nearby chunk of wall.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


289. The Scarmask[]

Ichigo Kurosaki continues to battle Nnoitra Gilga as Nel Tu is forced out of hiding, to Nnoitra's intrigue.

Summary:

289Cover

The cover spread of 289. The Scarmask.

Panting in exhaustion, Ichigo Kurosaki rushes toward a grinning Nnoitra Gilga, who calls him slow and jabs his Zanpakutō forward. However, Ichigo sidesteps the vertical blade, to Nnoitra's surprise, and stabs at Nnoitra's head with the sword of his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, only for Nnoitra to casually grab the blade with his left hand and let it grind along his palm without injury until it reaches the base. After mocking Ichigo over the sword only appearing to be sharp and questioning why he even bothered to dodge it, Nnoitra headbutts Ichigo directly in the face, sending him crashing into a broken building that is further destroyed by the impact.

Nearby, Tesra Lindocruz continues restraining Orihime Inoue and warns her against even thinking of fighting him since he can easily destroy the hairclips comprising her Shun Shun Rikka despite their immense power, which he has only refrained from doing so already because Sōsuke Aizen owns that power and has ordered the Arrancar to not destroy it unless Orihime attacks them with it. With Tesra concluding that she has incentive to not resist, a concerned Orihime realizes that she cannot see Nel Tu, and when Tesra asks her if something is wrong, Orihime denies this, but Tesra notices that the Arrancar who was with Ichigo and Orihime is now missing and detects Nel behind a nearby chunk of wall, which he proceeds to destroy with Cero Córnea.

Sent tumbling along the sands by this while Orihime calls out to her, Nel sees a battered Ichigo hurtle through the air above her and is petrified when Nnoitra approaches him. However, Nnoitra stops midway and identifies Nel by name, to the shock of Ichigo and Orihime, before specifically recognizing the estigma across her nose, though he is bemused by her raggedy condition and wonders if her broken mask is tingling while a stunned Ichigo questions if he knows Nel.

Meanwhile, in Szayelaporro Granz's palace, Dondochakka Birstanne lunges toward Uryū Ishida, who steps back just before Dondochakka crashes onto the ground in front of him. When Dondochakka claims that it is not nice to get out of the way like this since he was scared and wanted a hug, Uryū counters that Dondochakka seemed to be attacking him just before several of Dondochakka's Carbon-Copy clones lunge toward him in turn, forcing both of them to dodge before the clones slam into the ground where they were standing. With the clones accusing him of dodging the deadly Dondochakka Press, Uryū punches Dondochakka in the cheek and takes this as proof of his assumption, though he is left cradling his injured knuckles afterward. Despondent at the situation, Dondochakka proclaims that they have to find Nel, and when an annoyed Uryū asserts that they will once they escape, Dondochakka clarifies that they have to do so right now before Nel travels any deeper into Las Noches.

Back outside, Nnoitra admits that he was wondering what Nel was doing here and infers that Ichigo brought her here, only to realize that Ichigo does not know who she is. With Ichigo expressing confusion at this, a grinning Nnoitra identifies Nel as Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, a former Espada, to Ichigo's astonishment.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


290. Unleash The Beast[2][]

Nnoitra Gilga reveals that Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck is a former Espada.

Summary:

290Cover

The cover page of 290. Unleash The Beast.

Having learned from Nnoitra Gilga that Nel Tu, really named Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, is a former Espada, a stunned Orihime Inoue reiterates his words, prompting Nnoitra to mock her and Ichigo Kurosaki for being tricked into believing that Nel was a helpless child. When Nel meekly denies this, Nnoitra turns to face her and assumes that she has somehow forgotten, but Nel insists that her memory is fine and that she was never an Espada. In response, Nnoitra lifts his foot to Nel's face and asserts that she is annoying in a new way now because she bores him before attempting to stomp on her, only for Ichigo to move between them and bash Nnoitra's leg away with his fist. As Nel begs him to believe that she was not trying to trick him, a smiling Ichigo assures her that he knows this and begins to remind her that they are friends, but Nnoitra interrupts him by kicking Ichigo hard in the side of the head, sending him flying away while Nel calls out to him in concern.

Nnoitra observes that Nel really has lost her memory and admits that he should not be surprised since her head was cracked open the last time he saw her, and when Ichigo picks up on this in disbelief, a grinning Nnoitra grabs Nel by the head and proclaims that he was the one who cracked it open, causing Ichigo to lunge toward him in rage. Though Nnoitra strikes Ichigo in the ankle with his Zanpakutō, Ichigo pushes through the pain and slashes down at Nnoitra's chest with the sword of his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, only for Nnoitra to remain completely unharmed and remind Ichigo that he cannot be cut prior to delivering a powerful upward kick to Ichigo's jaw that sends him flying through the air to land several meters away.

Looking down at a struggling Nel, Nnoitra muses that she was annoying in the same way Ichigo is now, which is why he cracked her head open and dumped her in the desert. With Ichigo demanding that he let her go and Nnoitra telling him to shut up, Ichigo lunges toward him once more, but Nnoitra simply holds Nel in front of him, startling him just long enough for Nnoitra to slam his Zanpakutō down onto Ichigo and smash him into the sands below. After tossing Nel away, Nnoitra kneels down next to Ichigo and expresses disdain for people who do not know they are beaten before grabbing his sword hand and slowly bending it to the side in an attempt to break Ichigo's arm, causing him to groan in pain. Suddenly, a screaming and concerned Nel emits a powerful explosion of Reiatsu behind Nnoitra, who turns in shock to see an adult Nelliel glaring at him in the clearing sand cloud.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


291. Thank You For Defend Me[]

Having regained her adult body, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck reveals her former Espada rank and begins battling Nnoitra Gilga herself.

Summary:

291Cover

The cover spread of 291. Thank You For Defend Me.

In Szayelaporro Granz's palace, as Dondochakka Birstanne and his friends face off against their Carbon-Copy clones, he suddenly senses an immense Reiatsu and calls out to Pesche Guatiche, who confirms that he has as well. When Uryū Ishida questions what is going on, Pesche muses that even though he has not felt this Reiatsu in a long time, he still recognizes it as Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck's.

Meanwhile, in the sands of Las Noches outside, Ichigo Kurosaki stares in astonishment as Nelliel stands before him, Nnoitra Gilga, Tesra Lindocruz, and Orihime Inoue in her adult form, with Orihime expressing disbelief at this being Nel. When Nnoitra observes that she has regained her old form, a silent Nelliel immediately moves behind him with Sonído, only to grab Ichigo and move him several meters away rather than attack a startled Nnoitra, who curses at her. Upon being asked by Ichigo if this is really her, Nelliel confirms this and thanks Ichigo for giving her the opportunity to return to this form by bringing her here and protecting her, which she wants to repay him for. Though Ichigo panics at the idea of her fighting Nnoitra as she stands up, a smiling Nel looks back and assures Ichigo that this will be over quickly while the wind blows up the back of her tattered shirt, revealing the number 3 tattooed on her back, to Ichigo's astonishment.

Nelliel rushes toward Nnoitra with her Zanpakutō in hand, and despite Nnoitra preparing to defend himself, he is shocked to find himself cut horizontally across the chest by Nelliel and attempts to attack her in turn, only for Nelliel to casually kick the blade of his Zanpakutō away in midair and slam her leg into the side of his neck, resulting in Nnoitra hurtling back across the sands. Angered by this, Nnoitra comes to a halt and fires a Cero from the tip of his tongue at Nelliel, only for her to stop it by holding out her hand, drawing the Cero into her mouth, and firing it back at an intimidated Nnoitra with Cero Doble, resulting in a massive explosion engulfing him.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


292. Rupture My Replica[]

Nnoitra Gilga reveals that he is much stronger than Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck presumed he was while Szayelaporro Granz decides to battle Uryū Ishida and 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai personally.

Summary:

292Cover

The cover page of 292. Rupture My Replica.

With Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck having engulfed Nnoitra Gilga in a massive explosion with Cero Doble, to the astonishment of Ichigo Kurosaki and Orihime Inoue, a concerned Tesra Lindocruz releases Orihime and frantically rushes past Nelliel toward Nnoitra's location. As Orihime approaches him with the intention of healing his injuries, a stunned Ichigo continues to stare at Nelliel, who turns around and suddenly embraces Ichigo in a strong hug, causing his bones to begin creaking while Nelliel tearfully expresses relief at him being okay and Orihime warns her that she is killing him, though Nelliel continues to embrace Ichigo despite his eyes rolling back in his head.

However, Nelliel is interrupted and alarmed when Tesra is thrown into a nearby chunk of rubble hard enough to smash it, causing her to look over her shoulder at Nnoitra, who emerges from the smoke with his right arm bloodied and part of his hood burned off as he berates Tesra for letting go of Orihime. Noticing Nelliel's expression, Nnoitra infers that she is wondering how he can believe after being hit by both of their Ceros at once and admits that he should have been anticipating her Cero Doble technique since he had forgotten it, but warns Nelliel that the Espada have become much stronger in the lengthy time that she has been away from Las Noches and that the tattoo on her back no longer means anything.

Meanwhile, in Szayelaporro Granz's palace, 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai faces off against his Carbon-Copy clones and narrowly evades a downward hand chop from Dondochakka Birstanne, whom he admonishes for not realizing he is the real Renji and for attacking without verifying this first prior to Pesche Guatiche landing a flying kick to Renji's lower back. With an aggravated Renji claiming that they must be doing this on purpose once Pesche recognizes him, Uryū Ishida interrupts Renji kicking Pesche in retaliation to inform them and Dondochakka that the main difference of the clones is the markings around their eyes, as well as Dondochakka's clones lacking dots on their backs and Pesche's clones wearing pants instead of loincloths, to their collective shock. After Uryū wonders what they were looking at if they did not notice these traits before, Renji mocks Szayelaporro for making such prominent mistakes, but Szayelaporro interjects to clarify that he only removed the spots and loincloths because they did not appeal to him, leaving Renji aghast at him doing this purely out of personal preference while Dondochakka continually insists that the spots on his back are polka dots.

Upon clashing with one of his clones using their Shikai, Zabimaru, Renji tells Uryū that they need to leave this space because it is too cramped to fight here, and when Uryū questions how they will do that when they already failed once before, Renji reveals that he has had an idea and activates his Bankai, Hihiō Zabimaru, which prompts a startled Uryū to realize what is about to happen just as all of Renji's clones activate their Bankai as well, resulting in an enormous surge of energy that erupts through and blows apart the entirety of Szayelaporro's palace. In the aftermath, Renji confidently stands in the rubble and details how he believed that the clones were copying his moves, which led him to assume that they would follow suit if he performed Bankai as well.

Noticing Uryū climbing out of the rubble, Renji asks him about what he thinks of this clever move, only for an exasperated Uryū to assert that Renji is just like Ichigo, though Renji simply dismisses this as a non-compliment despite Uryū confirming that he did mean it as an insult. After musing that Pesche and Dondochakka should be fine even though he cannot see them since they are fairly tough, Renji cautions Uryū that they need to watch out for Szayelaporro because the latter could pop out directly underneath them. Suddenly, Szayelaporro emerges from the rubble, having shielded himself with Telon Balon, and expresses annoyance at having to tell Sōsuke Aizen that his palace was destroyed prior to snapping his fingers, which causes the clones surrounding Uryū and Renji to pop like balloons. Admitting that this was not much fun anyway, Szayelaporro invites Uryū and Renji to witness the true power of his Resurrección, Fornicarás.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


293. urge for unite[]

Szayelaporro Granz reveals the insidious power of Teatro de Titere as Nnoitra Gilga continues his battle with Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.

Summary:

293Cover

The cover page of 293. Urge for Unite.

Upon noticing a remaining Carbon-Copy of 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai behind him, Szayelaporro Granz notes that the former did not hear him and snaps his fingers again, causing the clone's head to burst like a balloon as the real Renji notes that it is disconcerting to watch himself get blown to pieces like this. When Szayelaporro apologizes for keeping them waiting and announces that he will show them the true power of his Resurrección, Fornicarás, Uryū Ishida dashes away from Renji with his Heilig Bogen, Ginrei Kojaku, and asserts that they are going to have to interrupt this demonstration because they are not interested in said power, which Renji concurs with as they both attack Szayelaporro.

However, Uryū's Heilig Pfeil and Renji's Bankai, Hihiō Zabimaru, are both intercepted by the two large Arrancar who had been comprising Szayelaporro's throne, leaving Szayelaporro to claim that he is the sorry one because they have no choice in the matter due to this demonstration being mandatory. From behind a startled Uryū, one of Szayelaporro's wing-like appendages bursts out of the rubble and engulfs him, but before Renji can assist a struggling Uryū, the appendage spits him back out, leaving Renji confused while Szayelaporro licks his lips and one of the globules near the base of his appendage expands until it pops open, which releases a small doll resembling Uryū into Szayelaporro's waiting palm.

With Renji urging Uryū to wake up and the latter insisting that he is alright, Szayelaporro draws their attention to the doll by pretending to voice it, and when Uryū questions what he is doing, Szayelaporro states that someone called its name and declares that it is the new Uryū. Seeing Uryū's bewilderment, Szayelaporro presses his thumb to the right side of the doll's head, causing Uryū to feel a pressure on the same part of his face, and explains that the doll is akin to a remote control for Uryū's senses before flicking the left side of its head, which results in Uryū being cut on his left temple and falling back in shock. While Renji expresses concern and astonishment at this, Szayelaporro prepares to twist the doll in half at the waist despite Renji's pleas for him to stop, but the doll simply pops apart without harming Uryū, leading Szayelaporro to call Renji foolish for believing that Uryū would break in half since the doll is designed to come apart.

Szayelaporro holds up the bottom half of the doll to display a myriad of small, labelled pieces with distinct shapes, which he compares to little toys and notes are the true greatness of the doll prior to deciding to show Uryū and Renji their function rather than explain it by holding up a piece labelled "stomach" and crushing it between his fingers, which causes an agonized Uryū to double over and begin vomiting a large amount of blood. With an enraged Renji attacking him, Szayelaporro encloses the latter in another appendage and sighs over his opponents always losing perspective the moment they experience a little teasing and surprise in battle. After claiming that all Humans, Shinigami, and Quincy are equally vile, Szayelaporro concludes that Sōsuke Aizen should exterminate all of them solely for this vileness.

Meanwhile, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck is thrown back across the sands by Nnoitra Gilga, who grins while closing in on her for an attack. However, the two of them end up holding their respective weapons inches from each other, where Nnoitra questions why Nelliel did not strike. When Nelliel returns the question, Nnoitra insists that he stopped because she did and backs up while musing that he cannot help recalling the past when fighting Nelliel because she is exactly the same after all this time.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


294. IF YOU CALL ME BEAST, KILL YOU LIKE TEMPEST[]

Nnoitra Gilga recalls his past with Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck and the events leading up to her fall from the Espada.

Summary:

294Cover

The cover page of 294. IF YOU CALL ME BEAST, KILL YOU LIKE TEMPEST.

With a wounded Ichigo Kurosaki trying to get to his feet, Orihime Inoue frantically tries to stop him from aggravating his injuries, but Ichigo insists that he must help Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck because she is being hurt in her battle against Nnoitra Gilga. Suddenly, Tesra Lindocruz kicks Ichigo away, grabs Orihime by the throat, and asserts that he cannot let them interfere because Nelliel is a boulder in Nnoitra's path that he must destroy.

In the past, a younger Nelliel defeats a younger Nnoitra during a sparring session and notes that she is glad they finished in time for lunch since her Fracción get worried when she is late, only for a bleeding Nnoitra to demand that she finish their duel. When Nnoitra confirms that he wants her to kill him, Nelliel declines and criticizes his assumption that they are equals as she reminds Nnoitra that they were once Humans who became Hollows before regaining their reasoning as Arrancar, which means they need a reason to kill that Nnoitra does not have. Though Nnoitra claims that his reason is his hatred of her, Nelliel counters that this is an instinct rather than a reason and refuses to burden herself with the life of one who is a beast instead of a warrior before leaving.

Standing nearby, a younger Tesra inquires about Nnoitra's wellbeing and offers to help him up, prompting an angered Nnoitra to throw his Zanpakutō into the pillar behind Tesra, narrowly missing the latter, and reprimand him for believing they are equals just because he cannot defeat Nelliel. In response to Tesra inquiring about why he is fixating on Nelliel alone when there are several other Espada, Nnoitra coldly states that he cannot accept the idea of a woman standing above men on the battlefield, leaving Tesra stunned.

In the present, Nnoitra clashes with Nelliel, whom he reminds about her calling him a beast unfit for killing, and asks her how it feels to be killed by a beast, which she narrows her eyes at.

In the past, Nelliel enters her residence within Las Noches and questions where her Fracción are due to feeling hungry for dinner, but finds herself greeted by Nnoitra, who stands in the open area before her with his Zanpakutō balanced on his shoulder and wonders if she is looking for someone. Nelliel calmly asserts that this is none of his business and remarks that he should put his weapon away if he wants people to respect him since openly carrying it is a pathetic attempt at intimidation while walking past Nnoitra, who merely grins prior to a large explosion blasting through the wall behind Nelliel. Upon turning around in surprise, Nelliel is mortified to see Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne lying on the floor with blood covering their clothes and their masks forcibly removed.

With an enraged Nelliel demanding to know if Nnoitra knows what he has done to them, the Nnoitra before her dissipates in a shimmer of light as the real Nnoitra delivers a powerful slashing blow to her head with his Zanpakutō, cutting through her mask and leaving a large gash across the center of her face while drawing a large amount of blood. After an unconscious Nelliel collapses, Nnoitra brings her and her Fracción to the edge of the roof at the dome of Las Noches and presumes that she would also call this the act of a beast, though he does not care. From behind Nnoitra, Szayelaporro Granz approaches him, and when Nnoitra bluntly wonders what he is doing here, Szayelaporro claims that they are comrades working together toward a common goal, which is why he wants to at least see the outcome.

Annoyed by this, Nnoitra clarifies that they simply share a common interest and states that he is sickened by philosophy once Szayelaporro observes that these are what common goals come from prior to throwing Nelliel, Pesche, and Dondochakka off the roof and onto the sands below. Looking down on them, Nnoitra ruminates that he is only separated from Nelliel by their combat experience rather than their power, which is why he will have risen so high that her sword will no longer be able to reach him by the time she heals her wounds and crawls back to Las Noches.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


295. The Last Mission[]

After recalling how he and Dondochakka Birstanne came to act as Nel Tu's guardians, Pesche Guatiche confronts Szayelaporro Granz directly.

Summary:

295Cover

The cover page of 295. The Last Mission.

In the past, at the edge of the roof of Las Noches, Nnoitra Gilga tells Szayelaporro Granz that they should go, and when Szayelaporro requests that the former not speak to him like this, Nnoitra points out that Szayelaporro is not even an Espada anymore, prompting Szayelaporro to remind Nnoitra that he was only able to catch Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck off-guard due to Szayelaporro's device generating a holographic projection of Nnoitra. Suddenly, Nnoitra feels energy surging behind him and looks over the edge of the roof to see that an unconscious Nelliel has transformed into a child-like form, to his bewilderment. Though Szayelaporro theorizes that that is due to the crack in her mask leaking Reiatsu and causing the Reishi comprising her body to shrink, Nnoitra claims that it does not matter and laughs maniacally at Nel's state before musing that he will miss their blades crossing and departing.

Down in the sands below, Nel regains consciousness and stares in confusion at the unmasked and shrouded Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne before her. With Nel not recognizing him or Dondochakka and complaining about her head hurting, Pesche determines that there is only one path left for them now that Nelliel's broken mask has sealed her powers and erased her memories, which is them protecting her from Nnoitra, Szayelaporro, pain, suffering, and everything else with their lives because they swore to do so.

In the present, Pesche pushes up a large chunk of rubble in the wreckage of Szayelaporro's palace and narrows his eyes while observing Szayelaporro, who watches 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai bleed heavily from the mouth and notes with annoyance that he should be unconscious after all the organs he has had crushed through the doll produced with Teatro de Titere. When Renji rushes forward with his Bankai, Hihiō Zabimaru, Szayelaporro simply asserts that he must stop the former and crushes a piece representing Renji's left Achilles tendon, causing the latter to collapse mid-run, before explaining that he will be crushing every major tendon in Renji's body one at a time since crushing any more of the latter's organs would kill him. With Renji cursing him and struggling to get up, Szayelaporro insists that he not move and crushes a tendon in Renji's right arm, which Renji screams in agony at, as he claims to not want to hurt Renji any more than necessary.

Suddenly, a stream of Infinite Slick splashes over Szayelaporro's wings, leaving him perplexed prior to the liquid coating the dolls in his hand and causing them to slip from his grasp just as Pesche slides along the ground next to him and catches them. At a rejoicing Pesche's behest, Dondochakka has Bawabawa emerge from his gut through his mouth and slither along the ground to knock Pesche onto his back. When a shocked Uryū Ishida questions what he just saw, Pesche details how Bawabawa is one of the many combat insects contained inside Dondochakka, which they never told Nel about because they were afraid too much information about themselves might cause her memories to return. After recalling how Nel was finally freed from the cycle of combat that she had always disliked and how he and Dondochakka wanted to quietly protect her by not triggering her memories of battle, Pesche declares that it is their duty to help her if she wishes to fight now and warns Szayelaporro that they cannot waste time on the likes of him while Bawabawa rears over the unperturbed latter.

Simultaneously, Nelliel kicks away Nnoitra's Zanpakutō by the blade, sending him skidding several meters back, and when Nnoitra claims that she does not know when to quit if she is still resisting, Nelliel holds out her own Zanpakutō and laments having to use this so soon after regaining her original form due to the strain it will impose before preparing to activate her Resurrección, to Nnoitra's shock.

Characters in order of appearance:

Episodes adapted from this chapter:


Author's Notes[]

Volume 33 Intro Image
I received a ton of postcards addressed to the Seireitei Bulletin that was included in the bonus material of Color Bleach+, which went on sale last summer. The editorial office still gets them once in a while too. I don't know how or why they get delivered, but the Japanese postal service really is amazing.

-Tite Kubo

References[]

  1. Bleach 33 (Japanese). Shueisha.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 This chapter originally appears as "The Broken Mask" in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine

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