The King Feels Despair [R / NDE]

[Deleted]

Thread Title: The King Feels Despair
Participants: Sebastian and Ranth
World: Soul Society
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: 30th District of the West Rukongai
Special Conditions:
Circumstances: Sebastian, under orders of his the Vandenreich superiors, has been tasked with the elimination of a Shinigami. By causing chaos in the Rukongai, he hopes to draw out a worthwhile member of the Shinigami forces. Ranth Omanyte of the Kido Corps is the first to respond to the ensuing chaos, and is the one chosen as Sebastian's target to test his powers.

[Deleted]

His role was simple. He was tasked with the elimination of His Majesties enemies. Their allies were few and their enemies were many. From a strategic standpoint, the Vandenreich had too many knives pointed at their throats. Xcution, at least, had been in a position of strength and control in the Human World. Uzaki Enterprises didn’t dare step on the global goliaths toes. Soul Society was intimidated by the leader of Xcution, the human god known as Satsujun, and didn’t dare make a move against the shadowy organization. Xcution had been in a comfortable place on the power scale, able to operate and do whatever it wanted without hardly any resistance from anyone else. But things were...different now.

For once, Sebastian understood what it meant to be playing for the losing team. The Vandenreich, even with the revival of The Emperor Himself, was still licking its wounds as Sebastian saw it. The Holy Army had lost many of its angels and was currently, he supposed he could say, a shadow of itself. It was recovering. No longer was the Vandenreich something that openly marched upon Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, destroying all in their path, it was instead a force that pushed against the weakened legs of the forces standing above it. At least that was how Sebastian saw things. He was certain that there were others with a different viewpoint that he had, but he was far more realistic than many of the remaining zealots. But, despite being dealt a bad hand the Vandenreich persisted.

Looking at it like poker, the Vandenreich had been dealt a strong card that could flip the game. The Emperor had returned. But one strong card would not win the game. They needed a much stronger hand. For that reason, Sebastian was finally sent out on a mission. He was not out looking for deserters this time. Nor was this the task that his superior, Captain Supervisor Vollbrecht, had ordered him to accomplish. Her personal mission would have to wait for now. Sebastian, the Silencer, was tasked with once again displaying his loyalty to the Vandenreich. This time he was ordered to kill a Shinigami. Any Shinigami. Their name didn’t matter. So long as they were a Seated Officer. Sebastian realized rather quickly that this mission was a training mission for him. A good chance for him to shake the building rust off of himself and truly get a taste of the power that the Emperor had given him. But who would be his target?

Chaos. That was the perfect word to describe the mayhem in the streets. Spirits who had been trying to live their day to day lives in the Rukongai screamed and shouted as they sprinted around like headless hens. Some tried to put out the fires that consumed the buildings that had, without warning, exploded. They ran with buckets filled with water, trying to drench the tongues of flame that licked hungrily for more to eat. They had given up on the houses and buildings that had been reduced to rubble already and were merely trying to put out the flames before they spread.

The Souls that fought the flames though were keenly unaware of the other problem though. The screams in the streets were not from the flames, but the Souls that were being besieged upon by hungry Hollows. The ravenous corrupted souls descended upon the defenseless, roaring with glee and satisfaction as they dined on easy prey. Over a dozen Hollows had suddenly, without warning, appeared in the 30th District of the West Rukongai. A decently peaceful place, not terribly far from Soul Society, where Hollow attacks like this shouldn’t happen. They cried for help as they were torn apart, as another random building suddenly exploded with any warning at all. Was it a Hollow? What was going on?

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills + Items}
Type: Cunning | Rank: 2

Strength - 100 - 70 Points

Speed - 250 Points

Spiritual Pressure - 250 - 175 Points

Reiatsu Strength - 300 - 435 Points

Light Aura - 50 Points

Dark Aura - 50 Points

Instinct - 100 - 175 Points

Senses - 100 Points

Energy sensory - 0 Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points

Total SP: 1100 Points



[Weapons: Firearms] {2}

[Stealth] {2}

[Focused Eye] {2}

[Analysis*] {2}

[Battle Analysis] {2}

[Acting] {2}

[Calm Mind] {2}

[Acrobatics] {2}

x1 Soul Gauge
x1 Convert-a-Weapon
x1 Storage Scroll
x1 UE1 Sniper Rifle
x3 Spiritual Bullets
x3 lumps of Explosive Clay

[Ranth]

A routine assignment. That was what this was meant to be, but as Ranth found himself sprinting through the crowded streets of the Rukongai the orange haze of distant flames told a story that was anything but routine. In his bid to arrive as quickly as possible he alternated between the sprawling narrow streets and the barely stable rooftops of the twenty something districts. A lifetime ago he'd made his home on this side of the wall, albeit a dozen districts closer to the center but he still remembered well the threat that fire posed to any district.

As he drew nearer, the stench of smoke was the first thing that reached him. The second thing he noticed were the screams and he felt a chill run down his spine as he realised not all of the screams were human. Leaping high into the air as he crossed the threshold between the undamaged portion of the district and the portion that had been alternately set ablaze and demolished, he was disheartened to see corpses littering the streets and realised that the screams that drifted up to him were no longer human... there were no living citizens left in the area.

Those who had been able to flee had done so and the rest... well, they hadn't been so lucky. Supposedly it wasn't uncommon for the outer districts of the Rukongai to see Hollow activity from time to time, but Ranth had never heard of anything of this scale occurring outside of the kinds of rampages that he'd heard tales about from before his time as a Shinigami. He'd been too late to prevent casualties, which meant his job- as per his training- was to put a stop to this rampage before it could spread any further.

As the momentum of his leap ran out and he began his downward arc towards the center of the carnage, Ranth was able to visibly locate the Hollow's responsible for this tragedy and his Zanpakuto slid from its sheathe as he descended into their midst. Drunk on the blood of the innocents they'd been able to slay with such reckless abandon, nothing could have prepared them for the reckoning that Ranth's blade wrought upon them and in moments, every last one of the monsters exploded into black ash.

With the immediate threat disposed of, all that should have remained to deal with were the flames- which left unchecked would tear through the slums more thoroughly than any number of Hollows. Yet there was something that didn't sit right with the Kido Corps Officer. From his brief aerial observation, he'd noticed that the destruction seemed too... neat. From his aerial vantage, he'd been able to clearly see that the damage didn't extend beyond the 30th district, when there should have been a trail of destruction spread across the neighboring districts as one would expect from such a large number of Hollows making it this far.

To the best of his knowledge, reports of similar occurrences were always accompanied by an Arrancar mastermind... which meant that either these Hollows has been hit by a streak of pacifism as they trekked across the Rukongai, or they'd been brought here by someone- or something- more powerful and if that was the case, then the flames were the least of his worries. The trouble was... how on earth was he supposed to find anyone in the midst of all this chaos?

Cautiously, Ranth made his way down the ruined street. The once narrow confines expanded by virtue of the fact that the Hollows in their rampage had quite literally torn down much of the buildings on either side and thick plumes of black smoke rose up from the ruins, creating numerous hiding places whilst the pervasive sound of crackling flames and the occasional crack of splintering wood and collapsing buildings was loud enough to cover almost all other ambient sounds.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}

STATS

Strength- 150
Speed - 150
Spiritual Pressure - 200 (250) (+25%)
Reiatsu Strength - 400 (600) (+25%)
Light Aura- 100
Dark Aura - 0
Instinct - 100 (75) (-25%)
Senses - 100 (75) (-25%)
Energy Sensory - 0
Healing Expertise - 0

SKILLS

Kido: 2
Battle Analysis: 2
Mental Incantation: 2
Learning: 1
Strength of Will: 2
Hakuda: 2
Pain Tolerance: 2

[Deleted]

The Rukongai had always been a curiosity. The fact that the afterlife was actually a recreation of a former period of Japan had never ceased to be strange to the assassin. Every religion in the world had its own interpretation of the afterlife, their own gods, and their stories. But because the Shinigami and Rukongai, and Soul Cycle, existed that made every religion in the world into a work of fiction. Every single one was wrong. Ever since the dawn of man, humans have killed each other complete falsehoods. Truly, it was amazing. The Shinigami did nothing to stop the slaughter either. They carried on, uncaring, unwilling to lift a finger to try and stop the senseless killing. The Shinigami were truly a contemptible bunch.

Still, Sebastian enjoyed his brief time in the Rukongai. Things were simpler. He was able to enjoy some tea and dango along the road before he would begin his work. In order to draw out the Shinigami he would need to set some bait. You couldn’t trap crabs without bait. Sebastian knew the perfect bait to draw out the Soul Reapers too. But he needed some time to prepare. The assassin would spend three days scoping out the perfect location. Once done with that, he got to work on the night of the third day setting everything up. With his skills, sneaking into the barely secure homes of the sleeping spirits was child’s play.

Sebastian set up high grade, C4 plastic explosives, in a variety of homes and buildings. He made sure to not just hide them in places that the residents wouldn’t easily fine, but also in places where their explosions would do the most damage to the support of the structures. Once daybreak came, Sebastian put his plan into action. Being a part of the Vandenreich now, he had access to a commodity he once could only obtain in limited qualities from another Quincy. The small tablets known as Hollow Bait would be used to draw in the monsters into the district, and them along with the chaos of the detonating C4 would cause a hard to ignore commotion.

That would be what Ranth would stumble into. The young man would believe this to be nothing more than another run of the mill attack on the Rukongai by Hollows, not even realizing that he was the prey who had just blindly walked into a trap. The Kido Corps Officer demonstrated tremendous skill with dealing with the Hollows too occupied with enjoying their meals. Such basic Hollows that had not even crossed the boundaries to becoming Menos would prove to be paper tigers next to a storm.

As Ranth trekked down the road, he would be unaware of the target focused on his back. Sebastian slowed his breathing as he steadied his aim, the scope on his altered UE1 Sniper Rifle focused on the unaware Shinigami. The Sternritter lay hidden, behind the serving bar of a small restaurant. The entrance flaps, the lightless interior, the chaos going on, it all served to further mask the assassin. His reiatsu remained suppressed, as it normally was, masking him from Ranth’s Energy Sensory, or lack thereof. ”Mmmgh..” a mumble came from beside the assassin, yet failed to break his focus.

Beside him, behind the bar, where three bound and gagged Spirits. All cuffed together at the wrist, with backs placed against each other, the father, mother, and son spirits all looked at Sebastian. He had told them to remain quiet. He would let them live if they did not interfere. So far they had kept their end of the bargain. They were the family that owned this restaurant. Calmly, with a steady hand, Sebastian lifted his index finger and turned off his rifles safety. A Spiritual Bullet was loaded into chamber, ready to be fired.

Normally a Spiritual Bullet couldn’t be fired from the UE1. The bullet had a maximum capacity of what it was capable of handling from the gun that fired it. But Sebastian, proficient with firearms, had altered his UE1 to lower it’s overall damage. Anyone with any respectable skill in firearms would be able to dismantle and rebuild their firearms. Those who were proficient in skill would be able to alter their weapons. He had dropped his sniper rifles power down to 300, but managed to maintain its bullet speed of 500. It might have been a bit odd for a Quincy to now use his bow, but it remained to be seen if Ranth lived long enough to see it. There was no point in testing his abilities against a Shinigami that couldn't survive the opening shot.

He pulled the trigger. The barrel exploded with light and sound as the bullet flew ahead at 500 Speed. It was now entirely up to Ranth if he could react to this. With the screams and shouts of the Rukongai souls and the crackling of hungry flames it would be impressive if Ranth could make out the gunshot and dodge the bullet in time. Regardless, the ball was in Ranth’s court. But should the Spiritual Bullet find its mark, the Shinigami would suddenly find a apple sized hole in him. Punched through from behind and out his stomach, it would be a crippling and serious injury. But, being a Shinigami, Ranth probably wouldn’t die from it.

[Ranth]

As Ranth moved down the street, he kept to a low crouch as he searched for... well... he didn't know what. For all he knew he was making a mountain out of a molehill, but his gut told him that there was a greater threat than the Hollow's that he'd already put down. As he moved through plumes of black smoke it was difficult to ignore the bodies. Some lay in full view, whilst others were only partially visible beneath the debris of collapsed buildings. Then there were the dismembered limbs, the sight of which nearly made Ranth retch.

His eyes roamed over open doorways and shattered windows for any signs of life, but to his dismay he found no signs of movement other than the flicker of shadows cast by fire or the roiling smoke stirred by the occasional gust of wind as it swept through the streets. As he reached the end of the street, Ranth found himself at a T-intersection with the right path blocked by the collapsed roof of what looked like it had once been an incredibly cramped multistory apartment complex.

It was as he turned to go left that he heard the gunshot. Compared to the soft crackle of flame and the splintering crash of collapsing infrastructure, the sharp crack of a firearm rang in Ranth's ears like an alarm and then a moment later he heard the scream. Breaking into a run, Ranth tore down the path in his best approximation of where the scream had come from and soon found himself looking through the burned out husk of a building into the street on the other side where a man in distinctive Shinigami robes had fallen and was struggling to crawl into the doorway of the building on the opposite side of the street from where Ranth was watching.

It wasn't difficult to piece together the relationship between the gunshot and the sobbing Shinigami in the street, but it made Ranth's next move difficult. He didn't know where the other Shinigami had been shot from, but all things considered the most logical location would be from one of the two ends of the street, likely from an elevated position. This meant that the shooter would likely still have line of sight on the downed man and would likely fire again at any moment.

To save the man would mean putting himself in the potential firing line- this was the right things to do, morally speaking. On the other hand, if he waited where he was and watched for another shot, he'd be able to narrow down the location of the shooter- but almost certainly at the cost of the man's life. Nobody would ever have to know if he made such a choice... there was nobody else around to hold him accountable. But even as the thought crossed his mind, Ranth had already dismissed it as he cautiously stepped through the charred doorway and after taking a deep breath, he launched himself forwards.

---

From Sebastians vantage, if he was still watching the downed Shinigami from the same position, he would see a peculiar sequence of events unfold. One moment, the man would be lying face down and crawling desperately to the right side of the street. In the next moment, a blur of motion and a flash of white moved from the building directly to the man's left and dragged the man out of the street like a rag-doll and into the ground floor of the building on the left and out of sight.

---

Ranth's heart was racing as he dragged the man out of the street with the aid of Shunpo. The man had been sobbing quietly before, but after the unavoidably rough manner in which Ranth had been forced to seize him, he'd apparently made the pain of the injury worse. An injury which, now that Ranth could actually get a look at it, was incredibly severe. "Y-you've got to help me", the man croaked. "The bastard... shot me in... the back...", he continued with a grimace as he placed his bloodied hands over the wound in a vain effort to stop the blood.

Now Ranth was left with a new dilemma. This man was in no condition to go anywhere by himself and Ranth couldn't afford to stay with him in an effort to protect him from an assassin that he didn't know the first thing about, but who would easily be able to track them to this building from the man's wailing alone. "I know it hurts, but if you don't stay quiet then you're as good as dead", Ranth said with a calmness that he most certainly didn't feel. Then he said something that he really wished he didn't. "I'll try and keep whoever shot you at bay. You need to send a hell butterfly back to Seireitei to request reinforcements"

To his credit, the man did manage to subdue his moans to muffled gasps and nodded with his eyes closed and teeth clenched as he accepted Ranth's instructions. In some ways, Ranth almost envied the man- all he had to do was sit here and wait for help while he had to go out and play a game of cat and mouse with an unknown enemy of unknown affiliation, unknown motives and unknown powers in an environment that would make locating such an individuals incredibly difficult.

Rising from his position at the Shinigami's side, Ranth took two steps towards the opening that he'd entered from and paused, wondering how on earth he'd ended up in a situation where he was more worried about being shot than stabbed, bitten or blasted with magical energy. Was the assassin watching the entrance at that very moment, or were they on the move even now for an angle to finish what they'd started? Then again, perhaps they were long gone.

Sighing because he knew he couldn't afford to hope for anything other than the worst case scenario, Ranth mentally recited the incantation for Bakudo #26: Bending Light. "Arise, God of Shadows. Flee, God of Light. Make the cloak of darkness cover the earth and mask the heavens with your might". As he felt the technique settle upon him almost like a second skin, he waved his hand before his eyes and was pleased to confirm that he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. Then he stepped out into the street and turned left.

The man had said he'd been shot in the back, which meant that the shot had come from somewhere in that direction. All Ranth had to do was find the assassin before the assassin found him. It wasn't a task he relished by any means, but he did feel a small measure of comfort that he couldn't be seen by the naked eye. If someone possessed sufficient energy sensory on the other hand... well... it was best not to think about that as he stalked carefully and quietly down the street, eyes peeled for signs of movement and taking extra care to avoid disturbing anything as he went.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stat Stuff}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Bakudo #26}
Technique Name: [Bakudo #26: Kyakko (Bending Light)]

Class: [6]

Technique Type: Kido

Technique Element: [Light]

Technique Description and Effects:

Hides the target from sight, by bending light. The spell has the ability to mostly hide the presence and reiatsu of the user or specified object. Those with high level energy sensory will be able to detect the user. Costs 50 reiatsu per post to maintain. Users can be sensed by radar techniques (Pesquis) and with energy sensory worth 1/10 of their reiatsu strength. Users can be SEEN as if Kyakko has not been cast at all by those with energy sensory superior to their reiatsu strength, or those with marginally (triple or higher) higher reiatsu strength.

How to use technique:

A basic speaking of the technique name as well as a hand motion over the caster's own body suffices.

Incantation and Effect:

The incantation increases the reiatsu strength behind the technique by 15%. (I.E. Reiatsu strength valued at 100 is instead weighed in at 115.) "Arise, God of Shadows. Flee, God of Light. Make the cloak of darkness cover the earth and mask the heavens with your might".

Bakudo #26 Reiatsu Cost: -50

Shunpo Cost: -50

Reiatsu: 2400/2500

[Deleted]

Sorry if this post is bad

Target down.. Sebastian mentally said to himself as, from where he sat behind the scope, the Shinigami he had targeted hit the ground. Removing his eye from the scope, Sebastian watched from his hiding spot as the victim of his attack desperately tried to get away by crawling. Shinigami were truly durable. Books, documents, and files explained in good detail how durable the spiritual body of a Shinigami was. They could take more damage and had better chances of surviving injuries that would kill a normal human with ease. That had been why Sebastian chose to shoot him through the stomach despite the risk it would bring him. He had wanted to see this durability for himself.

But as Sebastian watched, something peculiar happened. One instant the downed Shinigami was there, and then the next he wasn’t. Sebastian blinked, his eyes expressing surprise and confusion. Where had his victim gone? Where his eyes playing tricks on him or had he seen a flash of white in the briefest of moments? Did the Shinigami use some sort of Kido or other technique to get away? Or was there another answer? Did he have back up? Frowning, Sebastian pulled his rifle off of the counter of the bar and placed it down on the ground. If another Shinigami’s shown up.. Sebastian began to think to himself before he heard the wails.

He could hear the anguished moans and shouts of the first Shinigami, but in a different location that before. Sebastian would need to proceed with the assumption that another Shinigami had shown up, and most likely had used the Flash Step, Shunpo, to rescue his downed comrade. He couldn’t help but curse under his breath. This entire operation was stupid and out of character for him. Sebastian was best when working under the condition of having identified targets, not causing random chaos and picking off random individuals.

Retreat was the best option. Sebastian was now dealing with a new, unidentified, enemy. Narrowing his grey eyes, Sebastian decided that retreat was the correct option. But, he’d at least try to finish what he started before hand. The assassin pushed himself away from the bar, turning to look at the bound family beside him. Reaching forward he gripped the tape plastered against the child’s mouth, the Quincy lifting his finger to his lips to signal for him to be quiet before tearing the tape off. Quickly, like a spectre, the assassin fled the restaurant out the back. The child spirit, watching Sebastian go out the back, immediately began to cry and scream for help once he believed the intruder was gone.

”H-Heeeelp! So-someone help us!” the kid screamed, shaking back and forth trying to free himself from being bound to his parents. His father, still muffled, made noises at his son just as the mother did. They were desperate to get free. So desperate, in fact, that they failed to notice the thing resting, hidden, underneath the bar counter that they were bound beside. A lump of clay, with a red lit control panel stuck to it. A stick of C4, laying in wait.

[Ranth]

I too apologise if this post is bad haha

---

Ranth held his breath as he stepped out into the street, half expecting the crack of a gunshot and the inevitable impact of a bullet piercing his body. However, as the seconds ticked by and no lethal bits of metal came hurtling towards him, he allowed himself a sigh of relief. Either the sniper had moved, or wasn't able to detect him thanks to his Kido but in either case, it seemed that it was safe... ish... to proceed down the street. or at least... as safe as anyone could reasonably claim it to be under the circumstances of a rogue shooter being out there somewhere with an itchy trigger finger.

He didn't have to go far to reach the other end of the street, but he heard the shouts for help long before he saw their source. Whilst some might have increased their pace in order to render assistance to such sincere cries of distress, Ranth was far less confident in his abilities and this lack of confidence led him to being more cautious than heroic. Ranth had never been the heroic type, in fact it just wasn't something that had ever occurred to him to think about, much less aspire to. Heroism was such a subjective thing that it basically didn't matter anyway, right?

Therefore, he moved cautiously as he approached the two story building that seemed to be a bar or restaurant of some kind. Ranth was no sniper, but a single sweep of his surroundings with his eyes showed no other possible vantage point for a sniper to shoot from other than this building- either from the first floor, the second floor, or the roof. At a glance, he couldn't see any signs of a sniper on the roof or the second floor, but the source of the please for help was easy enough to see as he approached the front door.

There were three people huddled at the back of the room next to a back door with an emergency exit sign posted above it. The trio consisted of a man, woman and child who had been thoroughly bound both individually and together. It was here that Ranth hesitated as he tried to make sense of the situation- which was difficult due to the child's incessant yelling. Although studies suggested that to the parents of the child, the shrill screech was far less annoying and in some cases, actually endearing. Go figure!

Clearly this had been the building that the sniper had shot from. It was equally clear that the shooter seemed to have fled, but there was something bizarre about the family. Namely, the fact that two of them were gagged whilst only the child had been left free to make noise. But why? If the shooter was responsible for the Hollow attack, then they'd shown themselves to not care at all for innocent life, so why spare these people? Could the mysterious shooter have had a sudden change of heart? Perhaps they suffered from bipolar or schizophrenia.

Perhaps they had simply been in a hurry to make their escape and had deemed their lives inconsequential, but that didn't explain why one gag had been removed and the others had not. From the hysterical shouts of the kid, it was obvious to anyone that he'd have found it impossible to hold back his screams and sobs without a gag, yet Ranth had heard nothing until after he'd saved that Shinigami. In other words, there was a game afoot and simple deductive logic confirmed it.

He closed his eyes, still standing just beyond the doorway as he rubbed his temple and shut out the shouts as he tried to muddle his way through the facts to draw out the most logical conclusion. In the end, he narrowed it down to a few scenarios. The first of these scenarios was that the sniper had removed the kid's gag so that he'd be able to call for help and eventually be discovered when rescuers arrived. As a first responder rather than a rescuer, it was Ranth's task to secure the area so that reinforcements could go about their job in peace.

The problem with that scenario though, was that there was no reason under such circumstances to not remove the gags from all three hostages. There was no reason Ranth could think of that explained the fact that only the hysterical child had been ungagged under the circumstances. Not that there seemed to be any survivors around, but if the Sniper had put any value on stealth, then just leaving them all gagged was the only sensible option- especially since he was no doubt aware that someone had saved that Shinigami earlier.

This led him rule out that scenario and move on to the second... which made his heart sink. In the second scenario, the sniper had specifically removed the gag from the person who would make the most noise and be the most likely to draw in a heroic savior. The only reason that someone would want to draw someone's attention in such a manner was if they were lying in wait, ready to spring some kind of ambush. Ambushes were bad and Ranth didn't like them, nope, not one but. One might even say that he was fatally allergic to ambushes in some cases.

He'd have much preferred it if he could convince himself that the sniper had just left in a hurry and removed the kids gag because he'd experienced a stab of conscience... but Ranth was, at his core, a logical and analytical individual and overthinking things- which was normally his greatest weakness in a fight- was in this instance perhaps his greatest strength. Or at least, it would be nice if that was the case and it was a convenient way to justify his typical response to stressful situations.

Gritting his teeth, Ranth felt like he was floundering in an impossible situation. He wanted to help the family, but he had no confidence that if he set foot inside that room that he'd be of any help at all. What if the sniper sprang out of some hidden shadow and shot him in the back? or worse, what if the family was more than just bait... what if they were on the snipers side? What if. The eternal question that could almost never be answered. If he had a dollar for every time he'd thought those two words... well... he could probably pay off Ana's debt.

Ranth shook his head as this thought occurred to him, a classic example of how his tendency to over analyse things going into overdrive when a hard decision needed to be made. In theory, the hostages were safe so long as they were serving their purpose as bait. Therefore, the best strategy for both Ranth's safety and their was to ignore them. The sniper couldn't know who or what he was dealing with any better than Ranth did. Or could he? There was no way Ranth could determine with any certainty that the sniper didn't possess psychic powers!

Following along with that ling of thought, Ranth realised that although Ranth could be the one to rescue them, he didn't have to be the one who rescued them. He'd already reported the situation via hell butterfly, which meant that reinforcements- including medics and emergency response teams- would be on their way to render assistance. The glory- if there was any glory to be had- could go to those people and Ranth wouldn't lose any sleep over it. In fact, he didn't do well under the spotlight- both literally and metaphorically- so he'd probably have an anxiety attack if he drew a crowd or became famous.

In the end, Ranth spent almost ten full minutes deliberating his next course of action. In that time, the child had screamed himself hoarse and fallen silent other than the occasional sniffle or sob. Finally, Ranth decided on a course of action and forced himself to follow through on it before he thought of some other factor or scenario that could cause him to reassess. Given that he hadn't seen any sign of anyone leaving the building through the front door, that meant that they could only have left through the upper floors or that back fire escape.

To that end, Ranth's priority was to confirm whether or not the sniper was still around. If they'd fled, then he could return to help the family, but if they hadn't fled then he couldn't afford to walk right into what his extensive and lengthy inner debate had concluded was a trap. Therefore, Ranth bent his legs and leaped with the extraordinary ability that only Shinigami and other spiritually aware beings were usually capable of, springing from the ground to the balcony of the second floor and then up to the rooftop.

Upon arriving, Ranth easily confirmed that there was nobody else up here thanks to the completely flat surface with not even so much as a chimney to provide cover. Then he crossed the roof to the other side and peered down into the wide street which connected to the back entrance to the restaurant. He didn't really know what he was looking for or what he expected to see, since there was surely no chance that if the sniper was in fact waiting around in ambush then he surely wasn't going to be just standing out in the open.

From his new vantage, Ranth could finally see the true extent of the destruction that had brought him here. Before him, the fires still burned steadily still for almost a mile, whilst behind him and to the sides it only extended roughly one hundred meters- indicating that he was still more or less on the edge of the assailed district. He almost gasped now that he could see just how widespread the destruction was. Up until that point he'd only seen the destruction up close, but seeing it from afar was oddly mesmerising.

Shaking his head to break the fiery spell, Ranth knew there was nothing to be gained waiting on the rooftop for an enemy who might not have even been there any longer. So he stepped up onto the edge of the building and dropped to street level- another example of a superhuman feat that no regular being could achieve. He landed in a crouch to absorb the impact, whilst the sound wasn't altogether different from the crack of a splintering support beam. This was important because it masked his presence to anyone who may have been close enough to listen out for signs of approach.

Sweeping his gaze across the street once for good measure, Ranth moved towards the back door of the restaurant, side stepping columns of smoking/ flaming wreckage from the adjacent buildings in the process. Upon reaching the door, Ranth found that it was ajar. Carefully, Ranth pushed on the door with one hand, whilst standing with his back against the wall in case anything leaped out at him. When nothing did, he poked his head around the corner and recognised the interior of the restaurant and peeking to the right, he saw the three hostages still bound in place.

It was at that moment that the explosion happened. One moment, Ranth was standing in the doorway and then the next his world became red and orange and awash with pain as the C4 detonated- whether by remote or by some other trigger Ranth would likely never know- and the explosion caught and knocked him across the street and through the window of the library on the other side of the street. In that moment, if someone asked why the chicken crossed the road, it would be reasonable to respond 'because it got caught in the detonation of some sneakily placed explosives'.

It all happened so quickly that for Ranth, there was no recollection of the time between the detonation and finding himself lying amidst the wreckage of bookshelves, broken glass and brickwork. Slowly it dawned on him that the hostages were dead, that much was obvious just by tilting his head down so that he could look out over his torso and through the shattered window to where the sight of the restaurant awaited him. Yes, the restaurant had become the focal point for this bizarre battle- if it could truly be considered as such- and the way things played out from here would ultimately determine the winner and loser of this encounter.

It looked as though a giant had punched through the back of the building from the inside, remnants of the walls, floors, ceilings and furnishings littered the street. Ranth groaned, his entire body feeling at once both hot and cold from the exposure to the sudden burst of immense heat, whilst his body ached from the simultaneous explosion to the concussive force of the blast. What had happened? Where had he gone wrong? Dimly, he realised that he could see himself- indicating that his invisibility had dropped due to his sudden break in concentration. This was indeed exactly what had happened, after Ranth had crashed into the building along with the rest of the debris, his Kido had faltered and ultimately failed.

His head was swimming and his clothes were tattered and scorched in equal measure, but he pushed himself to his feet regardless. It looked like he'd been right about it being a trap... it just hadn't made any difference in the end. A brief check of himself for injuries revealed nothing life threatening, but he was covered cuts and bruises from head to toe. All he could make of such a thing was that the explosion hadn't been an attack, or at least, not a spiritually constructed one as only a mundane explosion could possibly have left him in such a relatively functioning state.

But the implication of such a thing was that his opponent was a human wielding human guns and, unless he missed his guess, human explosives as well. Doubting very much that a normal human had made their way into the Soul Society, that meant just one of two options was possible. Either he was facing a Fullbringer, or a Quincy. What made things worse than that though, was that he still had no idea where this mysterious opponent was! it hardly seemed fair, but Ranth had learned the hard way over the past few months that 'fair' was never a factor when it came to life as a Shinigami.

[Deleted]

I apologize for the wait.

Finish what he started.

That’s what Sebastian told himself he was going to do. But the more he thought about it the more he came to realize that retreating really was the best option. What he was doing was risky. It was foolish. It was murder without reason. Violence without cause. Sebastian wasn’t behaving as an assassin, he was behaving like a terrorist. This didn’t sit well with the Sternritter. He was a professional whose skills came from gathering information and hunting down a specific target, not causing random chaos and shooting whatever fish showed up in the barrel. This whole situation was forced and outside the comfort zone of the assassin, and was so far beneath someone of his talents that it almost felt insulting.

The thought of retreat was tempting, like a sweet tart in his mind. But, as he thought on it, he knew that retreat just wasn’t an option. He knew that if he left now, empty handed, then the response from his superiors would not be something he’d enjoy. It wasn’t that he feared ridicule, it was that he feared the repercussions he’d suffer at The Particles hand if he didn’t return with some kills to his name. After exiting the restaurant through the back door, Sebastian stepped into the alleyway and went to his right. From there he went down a connected alley to the left and, after hiding behind some back alley junk, he reached into his suit.

Removing a scroll from within his clothes, the assassin placed it down on the floor after unhooking the string latch that kept the scroll bound. Gently tapping the parchment to unravel itself, the Sebastian looked down at the various circle like seals that were drawn all across the item. Getting to work, Sebastian did not fail to take the moment to absorb reiatsu into his Quincy cross, he knew he wouldn’t have much time. He was only able to do what he was doing because, unbeknownst to him, Ranth was taking so much time overthinking the situation.

Placing his hand on one of the seals, a puff of smoke exploded into existence as two small items were suddenly, and without explanation, placed onto the scroll from seemingly nowhere. One was a small vial that contained, what seemed to be at least, a black liquid. The other was a small, gold, ring. What Sebastian had just done was use his Storage Scroll, a black market item, to summon two more illegal items that he felt would be useful in this situation. Placing the ring around his finger, he squeezed his fingers together a few times before pocketing the small glass vial.

Wrapping the scroll back up, Sebastian was preparing to get up when he suddenly heard the explosion. He ducked down again, frozen, when he heard his C4 trap go off. So, there really had been someone else. Lifting his head and stepping out from behind the junk, Sebastian looked at the remains of the house. The back wall had been turned into a massive, rubble filled hole. But the assassin wasn’t stupid. Peeking around the corner, the assassin spotted the Shinigami that had been blasted into the pile of rubble. He had been the one to enter the building. Was it the same as the one who had saved the other Shinigami, the one he had shot? Regardless, it seemed the information about Shinigami durability was true. Despite walking into a stick of C4 the Shinigami seemed able to move, albeit covered in some burns and bruises.

Hmm.. Sebastian wondered, looking at Ranth from around the corner. He was confident he was out of sight and was confident Ranth wouldn’t be able to sense his presence. His reiatsu was naturally suppressed, and he kept his presence hidden as well. The Quincy was left wondering just what he wanted to do with Ranth. This was a test of Sebastian’s abilities, after all. At the same time, he was curious to see what Ranth could do. It would be incredibly stupid for Sebastian to just walk right up to the Shinigami bow summoned and drawn back.

Reaching into his pocket, Sebastian decided to make use of the item he just summoned. Letting reiatsu flow into the glass vial he stepped back from the alley and, as if it were a Sunday stroll, make his way further down the alley. But before he did, he made sure to toss the glass vial behind him and into the wall of a home. Ranth would, undoubtedly, hear the glass break and see it on the floor. But what his attention would be focused on was the growing puddle of black goo. Doubling, no, tripling in size every second, the black sludge grew and morphed with horrible wet and cracking sounds.

Not long after it had become the size of a human world SUV, eight sharp growths emerged from the sludge and began to push it upwards. They were legs. Whatever this thing was it had just grown legs. But it didn’t stop growing. No doubt Ranth would be confused, maybe even afraid for his life, as whatever this thing was kept growing and growing until, finally, it stopped. It stopped after having grown so big the houses around it were destroyed for its body and legs to have room. What it was, or what it looked like it was, was a fifty foot tarantula. Standing before Ranth was a giant arachnid. Was it a Hollow? Was it a monster? No, this was V.E.N.O.M.

Kill him. But restrain yourself.

The spiders fangs twitched for a moment before opening up to reveal the summons “mouth”. But, in that same moment, Ranth would see reiatsu gathering together. With the speed, shape, and structure of a Arrancar Bala something was shot at Ranth. Under the expectation of him dodging, the “Bala” would collide with the rubble, ground, and building that Ranth had just been standing near. But instead of simple exploding, the Bala ruptured into fluid that would cover all of those. Everything would begin hissing and steaming as they were eaten away and melted by the fluid. The spider had fired a Bala like ball of acid at the Shinigami.

Remaining Reiatsu: 1550 1750
+300 for Quincy Cross
-500 for V.E.N.O.M

[Ranth]

Ranth rose on unsteady feet in the aftermath of the explosion that had caught him. Under different circumstances, he might have seen the funny side in how things had turned out. He'd accurately guessed that there had been a trap and in the end he'd still walked right into it. Had he really thought that he could avoid the trap of someone who was so obviously open to collateral damage just by approaching it from a different angle? Yes, he had... and he'd been wrong. So very, very wrong.

What made it worse was that he'd been right about something else as well. The family. He'd come to the conclusion that they would be safe so long as they failed in their purpose to draw someone in- Ranth in this case. In hindsight, it seemed absurdly obvious that the correct decision would have been to bypass them entirely. He wasn't under any kind of time restraint, so he could afford to be patient. If anything, it was the unseen foe who should have been forced to act out of turn by the reality of the situation.

Ranth's head swam as he realised that he'd become too preoccupied with the single variable that was the family and as a result, he'd squandered one of his biggest advantages- he had reinforcements on the way- and brought about their death's as well. Maybe the bomb had been on a timer. maybe they would have perished regardless, but that was pointless conjecture based on nothing of substance. The facts stated that Ranth had absolutely killed those people as surely as if he'd planted the bomb himself.

Unfortunately, as the haze of colours that had clouded his vision cleared Ranth found that he didn't have the luxury of beating himself up over something he couldn't undo. Something odd was taking place before him and he watched with morbid fascination as a stunning transformation took place before his very eyes. At first he hadn't noticed it, but soon the squirming bean of black substance began to grow and become simply impossible to miss. This wasn't good. In fact, one could probably say that it was bad!

A mixture of confusion, curiosity and dread warred within the young Shinigami as he took an involuntary step backwards from the ever growing thing that writhed and thrashed before him. That step was followed by another and then another and another as the shapeless mass quickly became larger in both height and width than Ranth himself and only then did its shape begin to change. Or more accurately- only then did it begin to take on any shape at all. Unless being shapeless was somehow a shape, like how atheism was supposedly a religion.

Tendrils struggled from within the depths of the writhing mass, each one twisting and thrashing like enormous leeches question for blood as they continued to grow in both length and width. In what felt like no time at all, the main 'body' of the mass was lifted off the ground by a total of 8 such appendages and as the twisting black mass went through its final phases of evolution, Ranth felt his stomach churn as he realised what he was facing. An enormous spider. Not the kind of 'enormous' that would have a girl scurrying for a broom or for their partner to fetch a newspaper or shoe though.

No, this was the kind of spider that was only ever seen in movies and comic books. The kinds of spiders that were dealt with not by a brave boyfriend armed with a slipper. This was the kind of spider that was dealt with by an entire nation's military, a giant radioactive lizard or enormous war machines equipped with beam sabers and nuclear warheads. In other words, this was absolutely not something that Ranth of all people could deal with. But alas, Ranth was the only person present and thus the duty fell squarely upon his shoulders.

But in the moments following the spider- or VENOM as it was known- Ranth took in the sight of the spider and delved through every book he'd ever read on spiders, every article he'd perused, every documentary he'd ever watched, every anecdote his friends had shared with him. Every spider themed interaction he'd experienced in the past decade was wrung from his mind in a vain attempt at identifying this imposing creature in the laughable hope that he could uncover a weakness.

For starters, the distinctive hairy body that VENOM possessed could only mean one thing. This thing... was at least based upon a tarantula. Now, a little known fact was that tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy arachnids belonging to the Theraphosidae family of spiders, of which about 900 species have been identified. So narrowing it down to a 'tarantula' wasn't nearly as specific as one might assume. Then again, when faced with a spider that was literally taller than the average family home, who really cared what kind of spider it was?

It would be rather similar to trying to describe something purely by saying they had a beard or blue eyes. Technically it narrowed it down, but it still left you with an enormous pool of unique individuals. That being said, on the face of things, the tarantula family was about as distinct as Ranth was likely to get under the circumstances and so he discarded all other knowledge and focused on them and only them. But to answer the earlier question of what kind of person cared about any of this under the circumstances... Ranth was the kind of person who cared about what kind of spider this was.

Like all arthropods, the tarantula was an invertebrate that relies on an exoskeleton for muscular support. Like other Arachnids, a tarantula’s body comprises two main parts, the prosoma (or cephalothorax) and the opisthosoma (or abdomen). The prosoma and opisthosoma were connected by the pedicel, or pregenital somite. This waist-like connecting piece is actually part of the prosoma and gives the opisthosoma a wide range of motion relative to the prosoma. In other words, despite its massive size, VENOM was sure to possess an alarming degree of flexibility when it came to its range of motion compared to its size and body shape.

Tarantula sizes range from as small as a fingernail to as large as a dinner plate when the legs are fully extended. Depending on the species, the body length of tarantulas ranges from 2.5 to 10 cm (1 to 4 in), with leg spans of 8–30-centimetre (3–12 in). Leg span is determined by measuring from the tip of the back leg to the tip of the front leg on the opposite side. Some of the largest species of tarantula may weigh over 85 g (3 oz); the largest of all, the goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) from Venezuela and Brazil, has been reported to attain a weight of 170 g (6.0 oz)[2] and a leg-span up to 30 cm (12 in), males being longer and females greater in girth. The fang size of this tarantula reaches a maximum of 3.8 cm (1.5 in).[2]

Of course, all of that information was ridiculously unhelpful under the circumstances as the absolute monster that stood before him blew all of those measurements out of the water by a magnitude of a-fucking-lot. It was 15 meters tall for christ sake, that was roughly equal to a three story building. In fact, as the VENOM had grown, it had popped the remains of the building that both it and Ranth had been standing in like a popped pimple and the debris had been sprayed across the surrounding area like so much puss. Ew, puss, what am awful mental image to have to deal with under these circumstances!

Disregarding his textbook knowledge of how large tarantulas were supposed to be, Ranth quickly moved on to something which might conceivable stay the same even if it was scaled up to such a ridiculous degree as VENOM had been. A tarantula's central nervous system was typically located in the bottom of the inner prosoma. A tarantula perceived its surroundings primarily via sensory organs called setae (more commonly referred to as 'hairs'). Did that mean that if he could remove all of tis hair then it would be completely unaware of its surroundings? Possible, but unlikely, because a Tarantula still had eyes...

Although a tarantula has eyes, touch was its keenest sense, and in hunting, it primarily depended on vibrations given off by the movements of its prey. A tarantula's setae are very sensitive organs and are used to sense chemical signatures, vibrations, wind direction, and possibly even sound. Tarantulas were also very responsive to the presence of certain chemicals such as pheromones.
The eyes were generally located above the chelicerae on the forward part of the prosoma- which Ranth could at least confirm was also the case for VENOM, for whatever small comfort that may have been worth. They were small and usually set in two rows of four- which again Ranth could confirm was the case here. In short, most tarantulas were not able to see much more than light, darkness, and motion. Of course, whether this would be the case for VENOM Ranth didn't dare to guess.

All types of tarantulas had two sets of lungs; the first pair were located in a cavity inside the lower front part of the abdomen near where the abdomen connects to the cephalothorax, and the second pair were slightly farther back on the abdomen. Air entered the cavity through a tiny slit on each side of and near the front of the abdomen. Each lung consists of 15 or more thin sheets of folded tissue arranged like the pages of a book. These sheets of tissue were supplied by blood vessels. As air enters each lung, oxygen is taken into the blood stream through the blood vessels in the lungs.

Of course, with a tarantula on the scale of VENOM, how much of this knowledge was accurate was anyone's guess. Ranth certainly wouldn't have been surprised if the basic mechanics of its body were the same, but on a much grander scale than anything anyone who had ever written any of the materials he had gleaned this knowledge from could have ever dared to imagine. At a glance, he thought he could see the slits that he'd read about- due merely to the fact that when scaled up to such a degree they were less like slits and more like fish gills in terms of visibility.

In terms of useable information, so far none of this had given ranth anything even remotel;y resembling a 'Eureka moment', but then he remembered what he'd read about the circulatory system that Tarantula's possessed and his eyes widened a little with the first glimmer of hope he'd experienced since the explosion. The tarantula’s heart was a long, slender tube located along the top of the opisthosoma. What made a tarantula's heart unique was that they were neurogenic as opposed to myogenic. In laymen s terms, this simple meant that nerve cells instead of muscle cells controlled the beating of the heart. The heart pumps 'blood' to all parts of the body through open passages often referred to as sinuses, and not through a circular system of blood vessels. If the exoskeleton is breached, loss of 'blood' was commonly known to kill the tarantula unless the wound is small enough that the 'blood' could dry and close the wound.

In other words, if Ranth could inflict a large enough wound on virtually any part of VENOM's body, then it would only be a matter of time until it bled out. That was IF and ONLY IF this enormous cousin to the standard tarantula possessed these same internal traits. if it didn't... then... well... fuck. He might have gone on to ponder what changes might have occurred between a tarantula's venom and that of VENOM when the spider abruptly reared back on its find legs in a classic attack posture and its enormous chelicerae (also known as fangs, or in VENOMS case, more like short swords) writhed and although Ranth couldn't sense reiatsu to save his life, the fact that he could literally see it gathering was more than enough reason for him to get the heck out of the way.

In a blur of motion, Ranth shunpo'd sideways. Although he didn't immediately see the effects of the subsequent attack as it sailed past him and hit the exact spot he'd just left, Ranth could actually smell the awful, acrid stench of the acid breaking down the concrete, steel and other debris like a hot knife through butter. Realising that this was his best chance to go on the offensive, he immediately thrust his hands outwards towards VENOM and before it had lowered itself back down onto all 8 of its legs, he unleashed a brilliant pillar of electricity condensed into a beam roughly the same dimensions as a bus straight at the approximate center of VENOM's mass.

He hadn't dared taken the time to try and squeeze in the incantation, so the spell wasn't as potent as it could have been, but all things considered if this attack proved ineffective then Ranth would have no choice but to conclude that nothing in his arsenal would have any hope at defeating this thing in a direct confrontation. If that proved to be the case, he didn't know what he would do, or perhaps more accurately, he didn't know what he could do to put this monster down. On top of all that, he still didn't know where the one responsible for all of this was.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stat Stuff}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Hado#63}

Technique Name: Hado #63: Raikōhō (Thunder Roar Cannon)

Class: 4

Technique Type: Kido

Technique Element: Thunder

Technique Description and Effects: This spell is an advanced lightning-based technique, far larger than basic spells such as Byakurai, and its destructive force is increased as well. Upon release, this spell fires an enormous blast of electrical energy in a concentrated blast that devastates all before it.

How to use technique: Speak the spell and point hand towards the target.

Incantation and Effect: “Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!” With the incantation, this spell gets a 25% increase in Reiatsu Strength (i.e. if Reiatsu Strength is 100, this is treated as 125 with incantation).

Hado #63: -150 Reiatsu
Shunpo: -50 Reiatsu

Reiatsu Total:2200/2500

[Deleted]

With his back against the wall of one of the many interconnected buildings of the Rukongai, Sebastian was aware that he wouldn’t have to worry about being found by the Shinigami. Even if he realized where I was he’s too busy dealing with V.E.N.O.M Sebastian thought to himself, lifting his left hand to look at the Quincy cross he kept hidden in his suit cuff. I won’t even need to use my Bow. Hmph. He concluded, before returning his attention to the fight for a moment. But, as he did so, a thought popped into his head. If Ranth was preoccupied with the giant tarantula, it meant that Sebastian wouldn’t be interrupted with what he wanted to do.

Back to the fight though, while VENOM was certainly powerful it certainly wasn’t the greatest of things. It wasn’t like a Bount’s Doll that was intelligent. As a result, Ranth would be pleased to see his Hado’s blast hit true. The beam of electricity would blast its way through the spider, due to the fact that it was an Item, but unlike what Ranth predicted not a single drop of blood fell from it. Why would it? VENOM wasn’t a natural spider after all. So even though Ranth dealt a major blow against the creature, he’d be shocked to find the creature was still moving.

What VENOM did next was a rather simple move as it was under the orders to hold back. It also couldn’t fully exert itself with the injury left by Ranth. Lifting one of its front legs, the Spider then lunged it forward at its maximum speed of 900 to try and crush the Shinigami in one go. Unless Ranth could outmaneuver VENOM he’d find himself pinned beneath the giant spiders leg, no doubt his legs being crushed from a combination of the spiders strength and weight. What would Ranth do next?

Meanwhile, back to where Ranth had deposited the Shinigami that Sebastian had originally shot, the wounded man would suddenly open his eyes as he heard something scuffle next to him. He’d begin to gasp with surprise before suddenly having a hand cover his mouth and a barrel placed against his forehead. In the man's left hand was a firearm that could be described as the unholy fusion of a automatic pistol and a revolver, something that would never naturally exist. A Spirit Weapon formed from Reiatsu, or in other words the assassins bow.

Having released his Bow Form Property, Sebastian loaded an arrow into the chamber of his gun before, without hesitation, pulling the trigger. The arrow shot true, puncturing the injured Shinigami’s forehead and causing his head to slump over thanks to its weight. His original target finally dead, Sebastian turned his attention to VENOMs fight. He’d deal with Ranth next if VENOM hadn’t already. Bow in hand, Sebastian decided to just start casually strolling in the direction of the battle between the spider and Shinigami.

Remaining Reiatsu: 1420 / 1750
-100 for Bow Form Property
-30 for Class 5 arrow

[Ranth]

It was difficult to explain how someone could quantify a literal bolt of lightning as feeling 'satisfying' when it hit. Every niche of combat from armed combat to hand to hand had the concept of a 'satisfying hit'. For a swordsman, when they accumulated enough experience they could attain an innate understanding of how an 'effective' stroke felt. For a martial artist, that same feeling could be applied to being able to tell when a blow had hurt their opponent and when it had been ineffectual.

This same phenomenon existed for kido as well and although Ranth felt that he was far from being a master of the art, he hadn't done thousands of hours of practise without being able to innately feel the difference between a solid hit and a glancing blow. Though again, it was a difficult sensation to articulate due to the simple fact that kido was an altogether different beast to fighting with fists or even with weapons. It was a combination of sight, sound and innate instinct that created the feeling and that feeling was telling Ranth that he'd managed to achieve a solid hit upon this bizarre 8 legged monstrosity.

Yet as the smoke cleared, Ranth found himself suffering a classic case of cognitive dissonance as the sight before him defied all sense of logic that all of his careful training and study had led him to rely on. In a way, his instinct hadn't been wrong- for the spider had clearly suffered significant damage. Its body had partially melted where his Kido had connected, but the problem was that although the damage was there... it didn't seem to be affecting the creature in the slightest.

"Hey, is this even legal?, Ranth asked of nobody in particular as he took an involuntary backward step as the partially melted tarantula righted itself and affixed its attention upon the shinigami once more. "Hey now, I think maybe we got off on the wrong foot...", he muttered as the spider lifted one of its enormous legs like a person might draw back their hand in order to bring the smack down on an offending instinct... which was a rather fitting analogy under the circumstances.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze in place. Ranth standing with his hands drawn up as though he were in a boxing match. It was a comical sight really, given that the spider towered over him by a factor of at least 5. It was a David versus Goliath match up if ever there was one, except Ranth has no sling and he was fresh out of rocks... and 'Goliath' had 6 extra legs and didn't play by the rules of the observably universe. Yet still Ranth put up his dukes despite the fact that there was no world, no universe, no timeline in which him trying to block the inevitable attack.

Yet there was no time for regrets, not anymore. For the momentary suspension of time came to an abrupt end and the world exploded into motion. For the spiders part, its leg shot forth with incredible speed. Given the mere size and weight within any of its limbs, it wouldn't even matter how much strength it had when moving at such incredible speed. It was a matter of simple math that dictated that in no universe could Ranth sustain a direct- or perhaps even a glancing- blow from such an attack.

Which is, of course, why Ranth had no intention of directly opposing the attack with any part of his body. At this point, most people would assume that this meant that he intended to dodge the attack instead, but those people would be wrong. Ranth simply didn't possess the speed required to deal with such an explosion of speed. Tarantula's- and spiders in general for that matter- had an incredibly quick acceleration speed and when combining that innate speed with the sheer bulk of its current form, a truly fearsome beast was created. One from which there could be no running... not for Ranth, not as he was now.

At this point, one would be forgiven for thinking that the only remaining option for Ranth was simply to take the blow and die. But once again, that person would be mistaken. For Ranth had one thing at his disposal that only a Shinigami could. Kido. In that moment, a 360 degree sphere of sheer force erupted from Ranth's body, sweeping away all of the debris that had been scattered around the room, as well as knocking down and blowing away the weakened remains of the foundations of the building their battle had been taking place within it.

On top of that, the wall of force collided with the enormous spider's limb and deflected the strike. Yet that wasn't all it did, as the ever expanding sphere of outward force slammed into the body of the beast, along with a veritable tsunami of debris and sent it flying into the street whilst simultaneously pummeling the spider with the debris that had been carried away as well. In addition to this, the unique effect of this particular technique was that it sent Ranth soaring into the air, giving him an aerial view of the half buried spider.

Its new resting place was inside the now completely collapsed remains of the family restaurant. Formerly, the surprise explosion had demolished the lower floor of the building, but now having a 50 foot spider flung into the side of it with supernatural force, what little stability it had left was reduced to nothing and the entire building simply collapsed. Whether this was enough to defeat the spider was yet to be seen, but from Ranth's aerial perspective, he noticed something else. A strange figure moving down the street dead ahead of him, on the other side of the now ruined restaurant.

Whoever it was, they were over a hundred meters away, but there was one thing that was painfully obvious even from this distance: they weren't no gosh darn Shinigami. Knowing that his upwards momentum was about to fade, Ranth only had one choice available to him without the ability to use air ground in the Soul Society... he had to fire a hail Mary at the person who he strongly suspected didn't belong here. “Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!”.

With these words spoken, a dazzling bolt of golden lightning burst forth from his outstretched hands in a jagged line towards where he had seen the unidentified stranger. An hour ago, he would have stopped to ask questions and analyse the probability of the person's identity. Or more accurately... an hour, a surprise explosion, a dead family and a gigantic mutated fucking spider ago. Ranth wouldn't get a chance to see the result of his literal long shot as he began to fall back to the ground and he lost sight of the street on the other side of the ruined restaurant once more.

It took him 4 and a half seconds to hit the ground, landing in a crouch to absorb the worst of the impact. After only 3 seconds of falling he heard the telltale explosion of his attack hitting the ground and, hopefully, catching his target in the explosion- though before he could focus his full attention on his desperate gamble, he needed to check if he'd actually managed to defeat the gigantic spider. At this point, he was resolved to just outrun the stupid thing if it was able to shrug off being caught under a collapsing building.

But of course, now having a very vague idea of the location of his alleged foe, there was only one sensible thing to do. Become invisible. Thus, Ranth cast Kyakko upon himself for what he hoped would be the final time and then he just stood there, more or less in the middle of the street which had been swept clean by his earlier area thrust and waited. In theory, nobody would expect to find their opponent waiting for them in the middle of the street- much less for them to be invisible on top of that. Thus, Ranth just scanned his eyes back and forth, eyes somewhat unfocused in order to focus on catching signs of movement rather than anything else.

This was just as well, because Ranth could feel sweat trickling down his neck and he had to breathe long and deep in order to try and offset the breathlessness caused from chaining together three mid tier spells in such quick succession. It was all well and good to be able to have as many options as he did, the downside was that if he caved in and tried to tap into too many in quick succession then he was bound to tap himself dry and lose a fight due to poor resource management. Given that his opponent hadn't had to do much of anything up to this point- that he knew of- it stood to reason that Ranth would need to be especially careful if a proper fight broke out because Ranth would surely be the first to tire out.

SPOILER: Click to show

{stat stuff}
Reiatsu:

Area Thrust: -150
Thunder Roar Canon: -150
Kyakko: -150

Reiatsu Total: 1750/2500

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

+320 TP for Sebastian

+790 TP and 100 victory TP (Sebastian forfeits) to Ranth