Bleach 229

Script Notes: For some reason, all the clocks in my house stopped within a few minutes of each other. Pretty freaky considering how the power remained on all the while. Anyway, after being creeped out a bit from that I decided to sit down to a pretty good follow-up to last week's bore-a-thon here Bleach-side. We've got a new Espada revealed, more Vizard antics, Zanpakutou mood therapy(?), and portents of a new battle to come!

Aki says: Katsura Hoshino-sensei's finally back to work on D.Gray-man this week! Look for c76 to be published in this installment of Jump! Plus, a shoutout to Binktopia who's been kicking ass with their releases lately!

As always, cross-post = bad, backlink = good!
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Fanning: Footsteps echo throughout the depths of the darkened spire somewhere within the hollows' darkness. Here, the hour of reckoning creeps forward with each passing moment.

(Ulquiorra enters the chamber in which Yamii is having his arm tended to. Removing his stitches is another Arrancar, a woman.)

Yamii: ...Ulquiorra? You need something?

Ulquiorra: Finally got around to reattaching it, I see. Bringing it back after you getting it lopped off seems to have been well-advised.

Yamii: Still, this is taking forever; I won't be surprised if it just falls off again at this rate. I hate how we all can't just heal as fast as that damn eye of yours.

Ulquiorra: Stay your tongue, there are others worse off than you. Espada membership seems to be quite fallible these days, especially for those who've permanently lost limbs. You'd do well not to seek that fate out like Grimmjow.
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Translation Notes: If you've grown senile, Grimmjow was once the Sexta (6th) Espada before he failed in his little raid on Karakura Town.
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Yamii: ...Shit ...I guess you're right.

(Yamii's shoulder is marked with the number 10.)
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Translation Notes: This of course, within the Espada's ranking system, would mean that Yamii is the weakest of the Espada. Remember, with Arrancar they are assigned a number 11 or above on the date of their creation/birth. Of all those Arrancar, 10 are selected for their extreme killing power/efficiency and are awarded a number 1-10 based on how powerful they are; plus they are given powers to dominate non-Espada Arrancar.
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Female Arrancar: ...Okay, we're all done here.

Yamii: Hmm.

Female Arrancar: How is it doing? Does it still retain its old performance pre-severance?

Yamii: ...Hmm

(At that, Yamii brings down his entire arm over the other Arrancar's head.)

Yamii: ...Pathetic. Back then, I'd have easily torn all the way through.

Ulquiorra: ...So you say, now follow me.

Yamii: To?

Ulquiorra: We've received summons from Aizen-sama.

Bleach c229 - The Howling Tempest
(There is no cover illustration this week.)

Caption: October 29th, Karakura Town: Underground Vizard Installation

Love: "You're already dead..." How can that line not hit you as awesome? This guy tells fools in the middle of a fight that they've been killed without even realizing it. C'mon, "can't you see it, you're a walking dead man," ain't that just really cool?
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Translation Notes: The manga that Rose bought and Love is reading here is most likely "Hokuto no Ken" by the manliest of all male mangaka, Buronson. Thanks to pocketmofo for the ID.
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Rose: Not really. Also, can you stop going through my manga and spoiling the good parts for me?

Hiyori: You slacker moron! Wake up already! You think you can get away with this because you've "died" so many times now? Is that it? Just because you call yourself a God of Death (Shinigami) doesn't mean that you can keep on using the "I'm dead" card!! Get up, baldie!!

Ichigo: ...Shut... it...!

(Kensei enters the scene with a cook's apron hitting a skillet to get some attention.)

Kensei: The slop's finished!! Come and get it, freaks!! Last one to the table cleans everything up!

Love: Oh---

Hirako: How's Ichigo's Hollow retention aptitude coming along?

Hiyori; If you've got eyes, it's obvious: he's made zero progress. For now, holding it for over 10 seconds is a miracle. He's a dunce at this, gotta be.

(Ichigo, stuck with dishes.)

Ichigo: (Daaammnnnnnnnnnn...)

Lisa: Maybe you just fail in general at this. Give it up.

Ichigo: I don't need your input, ero-freak!! You don't even get a say in this since you won't even bother to help me out!!

Lisa: As if, blockhead!! Did you forget all the nudie mags I let you borrow?!

Ichigo: What nudie mags? I haven't bummed anything off anyone!! Lose the act right now, you might just convince someone it's real!

Love: Flustered a bit, are we? I borrow 'em too once in a while.

Ichigo: Don't lump us together!!

Lisa: That's nothing, I burn through each one at least twice daily.

Ichigo: That's exactly it!! This is why I don't match up at all with you perverts!!

Lisa: Not me then!! I'm just a passing aficionado of the genre, that's all!!!

(Kensei, brushing his teeth.)

Kensei: You know, porn aficionados are what people call perverts.

Lisa: Pfft, takes one to know one!!

Hirako: (...A whole month has passed and he can only retain his mask for 10 seconds... Then again, you can't rush this sort of thing... The Hougyoku will be totally unsealed by New Year's... Two more months till showtime------...)

(Scene changes back to Aizen's lair.)

Ulquiorra: ...Ulquiorra reporting in, sir.

Aizen: ...Ah, Ulquiorra, Yamii, you've both arrived. I'm almost done here.

(There is an organic structure with four barriers set all around it. Aizen has set the Hougyoku down in front. Around the pedestal are 6 Arrancar, presumably Espada. One has a shaded countenance while the other is the female Arrancar shown during Ulquiorra's report immediately after their probe into Karakura. She has a Zanpakutou on her back as large as Zangetsu in its Shikai form.)

Ulquiorra: ...How has the Hougyoku's awakening progressed?

Aizen: All is as Soul Society had hypothesized. No one would know for certain since firsthand observation of the artifact is quite limited. Even Urahara Kisuke himself would be reduced to mere extrapolations given how quickly he sealed this after creating it.
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Translation Notes: Additionally, Urahara never unsealed the Hougyoku for any reason afterward, electing to stash it away in his infamous Rukia-Gigai-begone plan.
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Aizen: However, it would seem that the Hougyoku can be used while in a state of hibernation post-unsealing. By leeching onto Captain-level reiatsu, it can momentarily unleash its full potential.
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Translation Notes: If you've put two and two together (this line and the lines just before it), Aizen can use the Hougyoku to at or near it's maximum threshold. While he can't produce an entire legion of troops en masse, he can most certainly baptize full-strength Arrancar one at a time using this shorthand method.
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(A tendril shoots out of the Hougyoku and connects to Aizen's fingers. The barrier around the organic pedestal is broken and out steps forth a new Arrancar.)
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Translation Notes: This is particularly interesting since it would seem that the pedestal-like structure that sat before the Hougyoku must be a Hollow itself. Otherwise, the procedure wouldn't make sense since it would implicate that Aizen can create souls.
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Aizen: ...So, please introduce yourself to the family.

Newborn Arrancar: ...Wandaawaisu... Wandaawaisu... Marujera.
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Translation Notes: This romanization is directly taken from the phonics provided by the katakana. So, in other words, don't go asking around for a "better" version of the name since it's all guesses at this point.
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Aizen: ...Ulquiorra, do you recall the directive I issued to you a month or so ago?

Ulquiorra: ...I do.

Aizen: Execute that directive. You've been granted free-reign on how you want to approach this task so please handpick your team.

Ulquiorra: ...Very well, sir.

Aizen: ...And will you join him ...Grimmjow?

Scene changes to Karakura Town)

Yumichika: Ah~~~~~~~!!! No, damn you!! Shit shit shit!!! Break already!! Break!!! Damn it!!! Gah, you little pissface!!!

(Yumichika is flailing Fujukujaku around.)

Matsumoto: Oh, stop with the drama!! Do we all need to hear it!?

Yumichika: It's all Fujikujaku's fault!! She's being horrible and stuck up telling me that nothing can surpass her beauty in all the world! I just can't manage to get her to materialize out here. There's just no way to do it!!
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Translation Notes: Yumichika is probably referring to the ability in which a Zanpakutou spirit can assume an avatar form outside of the blade (or within a Shinigami's Inner World). This was seen as a natural technique when Zabimaru counseled Renji after being beaten by Ichigo in front of the Senzaikyuu and artifically when Ichigo used the Tenshintai to forcibly eject Zangetsu into the same world.
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Matsumoto: I see it takes after its master then. We're different, Haineko and I are worlds apart, I mean its pretty selfish, tempermental, a real slacker, and maybe even a bit dim.

Yumichika: Uhhuh, that's just like you Rangiku-san. The kind of girl that'd look at their reflection and scream out "that isn't me!!"

Hitsugaya: Both of you, shut the hell up!! Keep focused or I'll boot you all back to Soul Society!! ...I mean, c'mon... are you guys always so bubbly when you talk to your swords...

Ikkaku: (------...Something's off with the clouds...)

Hitsugaya: Hm? You want to chime in, Madarame?

Ikkaku: ...Nah... forget it...

(The skyline begins to fracture and split.)

Fanning: A short respite in which to train --- something caused it to end. Was it foolishness? Or fate? The sky now gapes open and begins to laugh at their misfortune...
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Translation Notes: And here's your chapter title tie-in o' the week (and an obvious one this time)! The shape of the Arrancar gateway opening here in Karakura Town resembles a mouth howling in laughter. The tempest part of course would come from the ominous clouds just seen by Ikkaku.
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End of c229