All the Beautiful Snacks [Rampage DP]

[Eris Discordia]

The tapping of the pipe led to what she had expected to happen, as was the intention. A growing foul odor eminated from somewhere close by as the noise she caused with the rod in hand drew attention to whatever was causing, or perhaps, joined in on this assault on the Human School. There were a number of Hollows that were present in the vicinity from what the Bount could tell, and yet.. A figure quickly emerged from her side, taking the space beside the woman to occupy it with a familiar face, and one that she knew well enough. "Leon." she uttered softly. The Bount whom she began teaching a measure of their techniques and overall nature, as the man lacked much of the knowledge that their kind was capable of utilizing. As such, it was necessary for an elder of their kind to provide some insight in general.

Just as quickly as the foul odor entered the area it had immediately dissipated along with an utterly despressing aura that followed it. The woman's swirled irises peered about to only gander at what must have caused such a drop in emotions to wander about as it left, yet, "It is good that you recieved my message. And it is as you can see, we will need to clench this infestation quickly before it grows beyond the perimeter." The Hollows in this area were growing in number as the density of their combined reiatsu was steadily expanding from what it was before. The expansion of such reiatsu only meant that more of their kind were arriving, which could pose much of an issue, and one that would continue to worsen if not eliminated quickly. "We will use your Dolls for this as they are more versitile than my own, and can cover more of this area. While it does that you can scour the other areas while I take on smaller confind sections." she ordered.

Looking over the overall information in her mind, the suggested plan made sense according to what each of them were capable of doing. There was an issue concerning Mako, her own Doll, at the moment. The lack of ability to move made it so the Doll was not able to conduct her operations as was intended. Was it due to the time of usage? Was the Doll rebelling against Eris? The number of possibilities grew from the lack of movement yet did not occupy the Bounts thoughts for long as it was not of importance. Such a matter would be dealt with under better circumstances. Besides, what Mako was capable of doing were more preferred to be utilized in open areas, and not those of enclosed spaces. It made sense to use Leons Dolls as she was familiar with one of them. "I will move to the roof and aid your Doll into conducting its attacks and abilities to where it is needed. So, let us be on our way."

The roof top was the best strategic position for the woman to make full use of as it did provide the best view of the surrounding area within the school's borders. The best position to make use of her abilities despite how meager they were next to that of Leons. Eris had become weak during her travels rather than expanding on what she was teaching others within the Covenant. But now she will change that, and divet that desire into actual strength. With the sunlight bathing the Bounts skill with its light, the Bount snapped her phone open and began calling out details as to what was going on.

[Colina Conejita]

Colina loomed over her finished meal, the blood dripping from her sharp teeth hidden between the breakage in her mask, and stared deeply into the pool of blood that was flowing from the fallen Adjucha. She then turned, feeling the energy of a Quincy and the destruction of a dozen hollows in the hall above her. Colina could feel the pooling of energy building up, holding in a singular space and not moving. It was certainly odd, but Colina knew that when it came to Quincy energies holding still that meant a powerful arrow lying in wait. She tilted her head slightly and looked down the hall on her current level, towards the energy, and began pacing down it.

In the hall on her level there were a few hollows gathering underneath, attracted mindlessly to the energy. They resembled moths drawing ever closer to a burning flame that would consume them. Ironically, these were small flightful hollows whose bodies were almost entirely of their mask. Colina picked up one of the little tadpole like hollows in her claw, easily pulling it out of the air as it had been mesmerized into only following the energy of the Quincy a floor above. She bit into it with ease like an apple in her grasp, devouring the little critter before swallowing the snack into her soul. The little thing was almost hardly worth the effort, but it was still quite delicious.

Colina grabbed another two of these hollows and chewed through their flesh, alternating between each one. They each had different flavors, she found, and decided to continue tasting them with a lackadaisical fashion. She was simply taking her time in devouring these two bird like hollows. The orbs of their body seemed to slump inwards, as if trying to absorb itself in order to preserve their life essence with each of Colina's bites. It wasn't until the very end that they seemed to snap out of their mesmerized state and tried to struggle out of her grasp. But by then, she consumed them easily, slurping up the rest of their spiritual energy before licking her lips clean.

Finally, after taking her moment to enjoy the taste of the little hollows, Colina grinned and stared upwards. She could identify the outline of the Quincy's body through the floor and it's position. This was enough for Colina to go on and thus she decided how she was going to handle this threat. Colina squatted close to the floor, her rear end almost touching to the laminated flooring, before launching herself upwards in a directly upward jump. Her claws went straight up, tearing through the ceiling above her and into the cement flooring of the next level up. Colina moved to launch herself partially through the floor and, with a touch of surprise, grip the legs of the Quincy.

If Colina successfully grabbed onto the Quiny's legs, she would pull them through the floor and to the level she was occupying and thrash them into the floor. Afterwards she would most likely begin tearing at the Quincy with her claws, attempting to pull it's flesh from their body in order for Colina to more easily taste the delicious meats hidden within. If Colina was however unsuccessful in grabbing the Quincy's legs, she would abandon that pursuit and simply drop to the floor and scurry away to try and find another route of attacking the Quincy.

---

Consumed

• 3 Hollows [Class 8]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats}
Strength - 200
Speed - 250 (+50%= 375)
Spiritual Pressure - 100 (-30%= 70)
Reiatsu Strength - 200
Light Aura - 90 Percent
Dark Aura - 10 Percent
Instinct- 100
Senses- 150
Energy sensory - 100 Points
Healing Expertise - 200 Points
Reiatsu (Energy Bank)- 700
Total: 1200

[Deleted]

Survival took precedence before anything else. That included their delusions, or the need for any rational explanation for whatever strange thing was going on with Caballero. At this point, Colina's words needed to take the backseat as their mind became entrenched in battle, focused on it far better than the other low-end strays that had wandered inside the cafeteria in search for easy prey. Their side still stung from before, and they would most likely need to somehow take care of that injury, but it was not debilitating in any way... for the time being. Thus, the little creature assumed their battle stance for the second time as four Hollows invaded the cafeteria using the same hole Colina had punched through. The little humans, some of them Caballero-sized, some of them taller and more mature, were all cowering in the exact same way. As a member of the Gotei 13, they would not allow no harm to come to them.

The offenders were nothing but a pack of strange hybrids of spider and rat. Eight legged, fuzzy, multiple eyes, chelicerates, but the same tail and ears the rats had. Eight eyes were painted on their masks, and while their senses clearly were not the best given how they took a while to 'locate' the humans in the cafeteria, this did not make them any less dangerous. They ickily skittered on the ground, ready to pounce upon the first tasty morsel, and when Caballero rushed to intercept them they immediately turned in their direction, but took some time to identify them once they were standing still, as if they could see right through them. Regardless, no time to think about those things. Still hurting from their right side, and with some of the black Reiatsu leaking as if it were blood, Caballero stepped forward to strike.

At the exact moment they took a step forward, the spider rats hissed and also began their advance, only these were more intelligent than your average Hollow. They didn't all try to rush at once, or break formation in an attempt to pig out on the humans. They moved in better coordination, and thus two initiated a pincer attack on Caballero while the others... the other went straight to the humans! The moment Caballero noticed, they forgot about the two opponents that were about to close in and tried to rush toward the other two, but those damned monsters closed their way real fast. Bites and lunges followed, trying to get them to back down. Some, they dodged; the others, they blocked with their blade, but the creatures were not leaving them a moment of respite. In that state, Caballero could not find an opening, and were in fact driven back by the compounded attack. While individually weaker than they were, they were not strong enough to easily offset a numerical advantage. Did they not have proper sight, but respond to movements in their vecinity?

One of the spider-like rats finally pounced onto one of the humans, and his screams echoed in the cafeteria, prompting the rest to also scream in shock as the monster tore skin and flesh, gnawing it down. The sounds shook Caballero to the core, their rage boiling to its breaking point. Without regards to their stamina, Caballero redoubled their efforts, pressing forward on the defense and starting to gain some ground by dropping any concerns for their well-being. They got bitten on the arms and cut by the blade-like legs, but they cared not and continued to swing their katana. They first cut off one of the creature's legs, and then rammed the sword through anothers' head, but they were taking far too much time. More children screamed as the other two continued to devour.

Without the second member of the pincer formation, Caballero was able to decapitate the first without so much trouble, and quickly turned to the remaining monsters. The sight of the two beasts eating was seared into their two braincells, and prompted them to plunge into battle once again. Being faster than the other Hollows, the little knight mercilessly--and not brutally enough, in their opinion--finished them quickly by splitting their masks in half with multiple strokes of the blade, in what was mroe of a beatdown than a swordsman's fine cut. Their strength being so low, conventional weapons were clearly not as effective when wielded by Caballero, so they required multiple strikes to finish them off. Gnawing feelings of inadequacy continued to arise: if only they had been more powerful, they would have been able to save all of those humans.

While Caballero continued to fend off the ever-increasing Hollow threat, the children finally seemed to snap out of their terrified state. Either that, or their survival instincts overpowered the freeze response, even when it seemed that they could be killed by an invisible force. It took far too long for the first of them to attempt to safely get out of the cafeteria, under the watchful gaze of the rest of the children. Of course, as often happened with pioneers, the second one follow not too much time after that. Once two people were out, it suddenly turned into a human marabounta: all of them were trying to escape, and some actually got into quick spats because of it. Those would not last for too long, however, as the doors would be rapidly cleared, and with one of the very few adults in the cafeteria hopefully picking up their slack and taking them off to safety.

This allowed Caballero the much needed downtime to replenish their strength by consuming the four Hollows they had just killed. They didn't consider the implications of said consumption anymore, as a fighter cared for nothing else but the battle at hand when consumed by the heat of it. No, they needed to recover and continue. There was still so much else to do. Without even thinking about their safety, the little bean decided that they needed to tag along those humans, protect them from whatever Hollows might try to get to them on their way out the building.

Of course, there was a problem. If Colina saw them, she would kill them. No, her words had been "follow me, and I'll kill you." But Caballero was not following the rabbit-like monster. They would not try to engage her again, as long as she kept her promise not to eat any more humans. However, whether they ran into the other, stronger Hollows that had also joined Colina's feast would be nothing short of unlucky, but it was a real possibility that they were completely unaware of, given their abysmal energy sensing abilities.

OOC: Consumed x4 Class 8 Hollows (x7 Hollows consumed total).

Summary: Caballero defends the humans in the cafeteria and tags alongside them to escort them to safety. This way, they might run into any of the other rampage participants.

Injuries: so far, Caballero has taken some mild injuries to the side of their body, and some bits and cuts on their arms, nothing too debilitating.

[Eshin Sōtō]

Eshin cursed himself for being so weak and vulnerable, crouching down and trying to make himself as small as possible. He faded into the shadows using his ability, becoming more like a wraith than ever before. His presence was completely disguised, aside from the golden mask peeking from the darkness. He was disgusted with his cowardice, feeling like a mere worm beneath the ground. He knew that he should be out there, taking what he deserved, rather than hiding like a frightened child. It was infuriating, knowing that he had the power to become stronger, but too afraid to take it.

As he hid there in the shadows, he felt the hum of spiritual energy around him. He could hear the laughter of the more powerful hollows as they feasted on the unsuspecting humans, and it made him furious. He wanted to be up there with them, joining in the feast, but he was too afraid to make a move. The arrow-shooting human would make them regret their decisions soon enough. Eshin gritted his teeth and cursed his weakness as he slowly focused on his spiritual senses, slowly feeling out for each of the laughing hollows, and how their spirits died out one by one as an arrow of energy coursed through them.

His malice burned like a flame inside him, the frustration and anger only growing more intense with each passing moment. Eshin knew that he needed to become stronger, but he couldn't even face a mere human. It was the second time now, after the scarlet warrior with an axe, the one that had embarrassed him and pushed him out of the Kiyomizudera temple, his own home. The thought of his own weakness sickened him, and he loathed himself for it. He had to get stronger, he needed to feast. But he couldn't, not right now, not when everything was so dangerous. 

The self-loathing only grew as he sat there, watching the other hollows feast while he hid like a coward. Eshin was disgusted with himself, feeling like he was unworthy of the power that he sought. He knew that he had to find a way to overcome his fear, but he didn't know how. He could only seethe in anger and frustration, hating himself for his weakness. All he could do was bide his time and wait, wait for any unfortunate souls that approached his hollow mask, golden and alluring in its splendor, like a religious relic that had somehow been misplaced. For now though, none approached.

Instead, the Quincy stood unbothered as she let out lightning in the form of arrows, one after the other, clearing out the rabble that feasted amongst themselves in the current hallway. She pushed up her red-framed glasses with a cold demeanor, completely still as she managed her spiritual pressure expertly. In a single moment, her spiritual pressure was immense, creating a volley of arrows powerful enough to completely disintegrate the hollows that came into contact with it. In the next moment, her presence vanished again, at least, in Eshin's mind. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Quincy Pic}

Unfortunately, that was not enough for the young Quincy to escape the grasp of the Hollow that came from below her. She was overconfident and powerful, more powerful than most of the hollows that overwhelmed the school. In her arrogance, she had been treating the hollows as rodents, trusting that each one would stay in their spots, only for her to burn them out. That belief was shattered as a Hollow broke through the ground beneath her feet, pulling her down to the floor below. 

Blood gushed out of the young woman's skin as her body was wracked with pain, as her frame hit the floor over and over again. The Quincy's eyes went wide as her bones cracked under the Hollow's immense strength. It wasn't even a battle, it was a complete domination. The Hollow played with her without even taking a single blow or strike. At the end of the first barrage of strikes, the Quincy felt her willpower surge, acclimating her body with the reiatsu in the air to increase her speed, trying her best to scramble out of Colina's grasp long enough to release a volley of lightning like arrows. "Klavier!" She exclaimed with all of her strength being put into this attack. Her ribs were all but broken, blood pulsing out of her torso, staining her dress with the scent and color of blood. 

---

Previously Consumed:

1x Human [Class 8]



4x Hollow [Class 8]



Reiatsu:



1250/1500

- 50 for Mascara de Inocencia

Wounds taken: 
Hole through the shoulder from last round

[Akando Bena]

It seems Akando just keeps getting off track for whatever he plans on doing. As the Wendigo was silently making his way down the stairs towards the sounds off death he heard minutes ago, he noticed movement on one of the floors. It seems a bunch of still living humans were making their way out of a large room, the cafeteria maybe? With all the commotion they were making some Hollows were being attracted to their location. The two smaller Hollows resembled some kind of weird mutant rats, the bigger one on the other hand looked a lot like a Sloth bear that walked on two legs.



Akando could immediately tell that the larger of the three was more than likely a small Gillian, with it's head lowered to avoid breaking through the ceiling. As the two Rat Hollow's were about to attack the Humans, the Sloth Bear looking one didn't even hesitate to slash them into ribbons with it's extraordinarily long claws. They didn't even have time to react before the claws met their flesh, shredding them on the first swipe. It bent over to feast on the remains, taking it's sweet time as it held no fear towards the unknowing Humans surrounding it. It would be at this time it spotted Caballero joining the surge of Humans as their protector.



With a sinister smile the towering Sloth bear like Gillian would stand up as much as the Ceiling would allow, it was hard to tell but it might have been around 12 Feet tall if it could stand up fully. It would start taking slow steps toward the little Hollow knight, unaware of the danger nearby. Though the stench of death hung strong in the air, the Gillian wrote it off as all the deaths that happened recently. This was a blunder, considering this stench was that of something that died long ago, rotting flesh and blood. No matter how far away Akando was this stench always seemed to remain just as potent, never growing weaker or strong with distance.



The Gillian would be starring straight down at Caballero by this point, slowly raising it's left clawed hand up into the air. Just before it swung downwards at the little Hollow warrior, However, it was starring up at it's own body which started to fall lifelessly to the right landing on top of a few students and a teacher. The light would finally fade from it's dying eyes just before it could see what had the power to so easily kill it. Thus is when Akando move from the shadow the dead Gillians body was casting, moving onto the giant carcass where it began eating at a rapid pace. If Caballero was watching the Wendigo begin eating it could be described as eating like it had been starving for months.



Akando devoured that body within minutes, never slowing down as it ripped chunks and swallowed them whole. It was only slightly bringing his never ending and always growing hunger down, yet of course the moment he swallowed the last bit of Gillian the hunger returned full force and more so. The Wendigo would look around, spotting the four students and the teachers body that were no longer moving. It seemed the weight of the Gillian was enough to quickly end them. Only one of the souls coming out of the bodies felt remotely good enough for the Adjuchas to eat, However, he was never one to turn down free food when that meant moments of his hunger going down slightly.



In order to ensure his prey doesn't move, Akando flexes his reiatsu which is filled with his dark intent. With his 100 dark aura this flex would paralyze the souls of the students and teacher. Being unable to move due to the sheer amount of fear flowing through their spiritual bodies, if they could sweat they would be. Even though the Wendigo's focus was mainly on the souls, he was still keeping a watchful eye on Caballero. After all the Adjuchas finds the little Hollows form and reiatsu makeup interesting.



While not quite the same height as the Gillian he killed and ate, Akando stood at ten feet tall, needing to bend his head down while not on all fours to keep his antlers from smashing through the ceiling. For the purpose of being able to move easier, the Wendigo mostly remained hunched over in the school if not moving completely on all fours. Just like he quickly decapatated the Gillian, Akando moved his right clawed hand so fast it all but disappeared to the souls looking at him with fear. Thus they were unaware only four of the five souls remained standing.



Licking the blood off his claws Akando proceeded to lash out again, dropping yet another of the souls so that only three students remained standing. It would be quite clear to all onlookers that the Wendigo was taking pleasure in these kills. Knowing that dropping them one at a time would only cause the fear in the remaining souls to grow more and more until their turn came around. With that Akando would turn his head to face Caballero before continuing his slaughter, giving a dark grin to the little Hollow.



Turning his head to yet again face the remaining three souls, he'd yet again striking in a fashion the souls wouldn't be able to perceive well if at all. Thus another one of them dropped to the ground. It would be at this time Akando get's bored of their fear, lifting both of his claws to quickly deliver a fatal slash at both remaining souls. With all of them finished the Wendigo looks over his meal before once again turning to face Caballero. In a voice that sounds as if it doesn't belong to this monster he would speak to the little Hollow, "Food, glorious food, I'm anxious to try it."



After he finishes all but singing in a male Childs voice, Akando begins devouring all five of the souls and their bodies in mere moments. If Caballero didn't avoid looking it could only be described as a scene from a horror movie. With his Hunger returning to full force yet again after barely lessening at all, the Wendigo would now turn his full attention to little Caballero. Speaking in his true voice which sounds as if he was scratching a chalk board with his own claws he'd say, "So little one, normally I'd gobble you up in mere seconds. Today, however, I might not do that." With the way this Hollows reiatsu worked, Akando knew it'd grow into something even more delicious and maybe even filling.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Consumption}Class 8 Humans x5
Class 5 Hollow x1

[Colina Conejita]

As Colina finished flopping the poor human's body against the ground, the thuds growing more and more wet with each collision against the linoleum of the floor, she pulled the Quincy's body up by the ankles wrapped in one of her large, clawed hands. She lifted them so they would meet, eye to eye, as Colina cooed to herself. "You look so very tasty.... So scrumptious to taste. I wonder what you might be-
" However Colina was cut off as the Quincy showed some strength left in her by pulling up her hand and firing a volley of lightning like arrows through Colina's abdomen. She even shouted something that Colina was too busy receiving pain to interpret. Each arrow slipped through Colina's midsection like a hot knife through butter and cauterizing the wounds as they left. This let no blood escape but still sizzled with heat and steamed from the heat of the attack.

Colina howled with rage and pain as she slammed the Quincy one more time into the ground with her arm arching all the way back before delivering the bone crunching slam. The linoleum and stone beneath it cracked at the sudden explosion of energy ripping through the girl and into the very ground beneath her. The girl became nothing but a mess on the ground for Colina to stare at with rage. 'She fucking hurt me.... Urgh...' Colina thought to herself as she gripped her abdomen in pain with her left claw. With her right she scooped up the rest of the girl, whether she was conscious or not, and ate what remained of her body and soul after all the damage Colina unleashed on her.

Colina focused next on leaving this playground of treats, finding having reached out with her energy sensory that not much was left here that she wanted. There were two strong energy signatures that might have been fun to eat, however her appetite was now very spoiled by the little Quincy snack. She trudged down the hall quickly, limping slightly from the pain each step took, and towards the outside of the building. As soon as she made it to the open and free air, Colina would begin to shimmer and seem like the heat above a fire, shifting slowly back to the world of Hueco Mundo. There, she would hunt and heal. She also made a note to make the next Quincy she crossed suffer very painfully.

---

Consumed

• 1 Quincy (Class 4)

[Deleted]

Caballero thought that after having somehow been spared by Colina and killing the rest of the Hollows, they would have been able to save the human children from suffering a terrible fate. They were so, so close to the exit, where they would be able to just run away from there and leave the accursed building behind. Hope bubbled first within the little knight, then turned into a full-blown surge as they didn't notice any Hollows around them! Excited, they turned once again to face the small crowd that they were attempting to escort, as if trying to tell them that it was going to be alright. That was the moment when the lifeless corpse of one of their brethren landed right on top of a few of the students and a teacher, crushing them under its massive weight. None of them would survive this. The little knight was left completely dumbfounded for a few precious seconds, struck by the sudden turn of events, until another monster emerged from the shadows.

The creature resembled nothing Caballero had ever seen before, other than the mask that immediately allowed them to identify it as a Hollow. Its apparent hunger also seemed completely out of this world. It went to town on the downed corpse, gnawing, tearing off chunks of flesh and downing them with ease, in a harrowing spectacle that, fortunately, most of those kids would not be able to see. Upon laying eyes on Akando, the little knight immediately knew that, once again, they were completely out of their league. There was no way in hell that they would be able to fight that creature at full strength, let alone after taking some damage from the other Hollows in the cafeteria.

When Akando flexed his dark Reiatsu, all the humans fortunate enough to remain alive were paralyzed by a deep fear. This pressure did not affect Caballero nearly as much, whose overwhelmingly positive aura neutralized that reaction--unfortunately, it was not nearly strong enough to overpower Akando's effect on the humans. For the second time that day, Caballero felt completely and utterly useless, unable to help in any meaningful way. Having mustered most of their willpower to defy Colina and protect the humans, this time they were mostly left frozen in sight of the much stronger monster eating the humans. He was gigantic, over triple Caballero's own height.

Then, Akando slashed at the humans. His claw swipe was so fast that it all but blurred in Caballero's eyes, just like Colina's. Or, perhaps, even faster than hers? It was impossible for the little knight to tell the difference at that level of power, and instead they were, once again, left dumbstruck as the blood of the human that had just been felled splattered his mask, dotting it with crimson beads that soon began to trail down the whiteness of his visage, painting a grim picture. If Caballero could've screamed, they would've done so at that moment... but alas, they had no voice to cry suffering.

The monster was not going on a hurry with this. If he had killed only one of the humans like that, perhaps Caballero would've chalked it up to a Hollow's hunger, an unfortunate reality, but nothing that could be avoided. However, Akando killed a second one with pure, sheer delight and relish... and then grinned to Caballero. This was not the same amused smile that Colina had given them, when she had been mildly impressed by their guts and willingness to stand up. Oh, no, nothing could be further from it. Instead, Akando's malicious grin was all but taunting, as if daring them to come at him... and knowing full well that there was absolutely nothing that the little knight could do to save those people. All they could do was tighten their grip on their already battered sword, the class 8 Beat Stick that could not do much but cut down the weakest of the weakest. If only they had a way to create a more powerful weapon, like Celes did...!

Akando finished his careful slaughter of those humans, enjoying every kill--although he did get bored of the last few and ended them in one fell swoop. The monster then all but taunted Caballero again, saying that he was anxious to try that glorious food, and that's exactly what he did... in a horrendous way. The Wendigo-like Hollow gobbled up those fresh corpses in what could only be described as the most horrifying horror movie come to life. The humans were gone and incorporated into the monster's system in a matter of moments, and then he turned toward Caballero.

"So little one, normally I'd gobble you up in mere seconds. Today, however, I might not do that."

Caballero wanted to stand up to the monster, to defy him, to turn the tables and destroy him. Akando was nothing short of a demon that deserved not a single shred of mercy, given the way he took pleasure in his nature. However, the scene was far too much for the young Hollow to bear. They had seen far too many people die that day, far too many innocents that they, contrary to their nature had been unable to save. Their strength of will and perhaps unhealthy lack of fear were not nearly enough to make them push through for a second time into what seemed like a certain death.

So, to all their damned shame, Caballero could do nothing but take Akando's offer and run away to safety. They turned tail and tried their best to leave the corridors behind as soon as possible, knowing themselves outmatched in all possible ways. On the way to the exit, to their one shame in their short-lived days, the path to the end was blocked by another three different Hollows, Hollows that were too busy chasing down more humans to mind them. Perhaps with a more suitable target, Caballero's fear and frustration turned to blind rage, as pure hatred boiled out of control within their body.

Caballero launched themselves at the first of them, using their black Reiatsu body to begin consuming the creature, all while using the blade to outright maul the not-so-unfortunate creature and prevent it from escaping. The other Hollow, who was not that much taller than them--in part due to being quadrupedal--did a desperate effort to try and shake them off, to no avail. By the time the other monsters noticed, the little knight had all but killed that Hollow, taking in its power in an instinctive drive to, at the very least, destroy the beasts that were in front of him.

Once he was done with that first one, they turned their attention to the second monster, who had a human cornered. Before Caballero could reach it, it pierced through the gut of its victim, sparking even more anger in the usually cute and cuddly tiny bean. They brandished their beat stick, giving the other Hollow just enough time to turn and see the blade head straight to the mask. Of course, given their lackluster strength and the injuries to their side, Caballero was unable to cut it open in one go. Instead, they once again delivered a barrage of downward strikes, more focused on brute force rather than technique. The beast could barely try to defend itself before Caballero also consumed it, feeling refreshed by the intake--but leaving them more lost in the frenzy.

Now, for the last one. This one became more aware of Caballero's attack, and turned to face them. Its claws were sharp, but nothing like Akando's or Colina's. Nothing they couldn't handle. Nothing they could not use to, at the very least, vent out that feeling of failed duty. The class 8 beat stick collided with the beast's attack once, twice, then three times. The blade was already nicked and chipped, but the strength behind those attacks was enough to challenge the rather poor craftsmanship of the blade. By the time Caballero had managed to weave through and take advantage of an opening, the blade cut the mask open, and a loud, metallic sound rang through the corridors.

Just as his spirit had that day, his measly blade snapped in half after cutting down that last Hollow, leaving them with nothing to continue fighting. This was naught but a reminder of what this day had meant to them. They had been shown their current limits, and how they were hopelessly overpowered by the monsters they needed to protect the innocent from. They could not do anything, nothing at all there. Even those ten Hollow kills felt meager and empty in comparison, as they had only tackled a symptom, not the disease itself. Caballero consumed the last Hollow, still filled with rage. However, having no way to turn it onto any of those monsters, the little knight had no choice but to leave the school gates and hopefully get lost amidst the buildings of Karakura, where Akando and Colina would not be able to find them.

As they escaped, one thought echoed in their mind. A Shinigami, turning tail from Hollows? How utterly shameful.

[EXIT THREAD]


OOC:
Caballero has consumed x3 class 8 Hollows this post (x10 class 8 Hollows consumed in total)
Total injuries sustained: Caballero has taken some mild injuries to the side of their body, and some bits and cuts on their arms, nothing too debilitating.

[Eshin Sōtō]

Eshin stood in the shadows, his body trembling as he tried to control his breathing. The spiritual pressure of the humans and hollows around him was suffocating, overwhelming his senses. He had never felt so weak and vulnerable in his entire existence. How had he fallen so far? He was once a proud and powerful warrior, the pinnacle of monks and men in the Kiyomizudera temple. He was feared and respected by all who knew his name, and since his death, he had only grown stronger! He was uninhibited by the wretched limits of humanity, so why was he so afraid? Here he was, reduced to hiding like a common thief.

As he crouched in the darkness, Eshin could feel his hunger growing, gnawing at his insides like a ravenous beast. He could smell the scent of fresh blood and flesh, and it made his mouth water. But he dared not move, not yet. He needed to wait for the right moment, the perfect opportunity to strike. He couldn't afford to be seen, not when his enemies were so powerful. Thankfully, his wraith-like form had allowed him to fully extinguish himself into the shadows, concealing his presence and his energy completely.

But even as he waited, Eshin knew that he was fooling himself. He wasn't waiting for the right moment, he was simply too scared to act. He was afraid of being defeated, of being exposed as the weakling that he was. The thought filled him with deep shame and self-loathing. He could feel the rabble already running, disappearing, returning to Hueco Mundo or succumbing to the strong. All the possible meals had been devoured, leaving him left as the last unclaimed meal. No matter how desperate or hungry he was, if he faced the various denizens that roamed these halls, he would be devoured.

As he listened to the sounds of the humans and hollows moving around him, Eshin couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him. He had once been so sure of himself, so confident in his power and his abilities. But now, he was nothing but a shell of his former self. He had lost his way, and he didn't know how to find it again. Where was the prodigy, the man destined to change the face of Japan itself? He was the rising star of Kiyomizudera temple, his students were all prodigies themselves. He was a master of Shorinji Kempo, an enlightened mind and soul, a great teacher, but he was reduced to this meaningless existence. Why had the Buddhas forsaken him?

"There is no Buddha, not here. There is no hope for you, Eshin. There is no peace. This is all your fault." 

The spiritual pressures around him were suffocating, but the voice within his head felt like a vice around his throat, tightening and collapsing upon himself. The silence within this darkness was deafening, all of his senses simultaneously on edge and dulled. He felt trapped, devoured by the thoughts that threatened to consume him. A part of him wished to break free from this prison, but he knew that if he did, he would come face to face with death. True death. Not this false punishment that he received, this false chance at a life beyond his life. It was that death that he was afraid of. That end beyond the end that truly cemented how worthless he had become.

He had thought he was better than the other hollows, stronger than the humans, but now he realized that he was just as weak as they were. He was not a leader, he was not a god, he was just a hollow. Eshin hated himself for his weakness, for his cowardice, but he could not stop himself from hiding. He was too scared to face his own failures, too scared to confront his own inadequacies. He had always been afraid of being alone with his thoughts, afraid of what he might find. Now, he was trapped in his own mind, forced to confront the truth about himself.

The darkness of the corridor seemed to be closing in on him, suffocating him. He felt trapped, unable to escape from his own thoughts. He tried to shake off the feeling, to focus on the task at hand, but it was no use. The darkness was consuming him, swallowing him whole. He was drowning in his own despair, unable to find a way out. He began to hear voices, voices that could not be, reminder of who he had been, who he had devoured. "Teacher?" Eshin wanted to claw at his face, rip apart the mask that concealed his face. He wanted to scream, but no sound left his decrepit lips.

The silence was thankfully broken by the sound of footsteps approaching, and Eshin was shaken out of these thoughts, readying to defend himself if necessary. But as the figure passed by him, oblivious to his presence, Eshin couldn't help but feel a sense of relief mixed with disappointment. He was relieved that he hadn't been discovered, but disappointed in himself for not taking the opportunity to strike. Why did he not consume? Did he not still feel hungry? Actually, strangely enough, he didn't.

As the night wore on, Eshin remained hidden in the shadows, the hunger that once tried to claw its way through his stomach had become nothing more than a pit. It was a black hole that threatened to devour Eshin whole, if only he had allowed it to. He knew that he couldn't stay hidden forever, that he would eventually have to face his enemies and either win or die trying. But the thought terrified him more than anything else. He had been waiting for the chance to escape, for enough time to pass that all the threats would leave. Eventually, they did. After that, he followed. 

[EXIT]

---

Previously Consumed:
1x Human [Class 8]
4x Hollow [Class 8]

Reiatsu:

1200/1500

- 50 for Mascara de Inocencia

Wounds taken:

Hole through the shoulder from last round

[Kitai Yoru]

colinaconejita: 28 paragraphs for 280 TP, plus 960 consumption TP
Akando Bena: 22 paragraphs for 220 TP, plus 350 consumption TP
Eris Discordia: 8 paragraphs for 80 TP
Caballero: 54 paragraphs for 540 TP, plus 500 consumption TP
Eshin Sōtō: 42 paragraphs for 420 TP, nice, plus 260 consumption TP
Leon Strife: 5 paragraphs for 50 TP