Bow and Blade [R, NDE] [Gerald Fromm v Hotaru Kuchiki]

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru watched the Quincy's reaction to her statements. Which turned out to be really no reaction at all. He was just calculating on ways to defeat her she knew. But, there had to be some way to negate him. Something that she wasn't thinking about that was pretty obvious to her. But, for the life of her, she couldn't figure it out right now. She just tried her best to calm her mind and think things through.

It seemed like this Vandenreich member was trying to prove something. She didn't know if he was trying to bring honor and glory to his Emperor, but it almost seemed that way. He was holding himself high, more than likely thinking that he was one of the best examples of his faction. A loyal Quincy to their Emperor only and willing to do whatever it took for their Emperor's ideals to become real.

It made her think of Vannan. He was nothing like this Vandenreich member. He was a member, but still lived his life the way he wanted to, not letting the creed of the faction define him so much. She could tell from their brief meeting that he valued his own goals and precious things more than whatever the Emperor wanted him to do. She believed that's the way a faction should be. It should be there to support its members, not make them believe everything one person said not giving them true freedom.

It was then that she noticed that the Quincy Gerald was able to avoid her attack again. It seemed that he would pretty much be able to avoid most, if not all, of her attacks. She needed to think of something quick before she passed out from reiatsu usage. She knew based on that alone he would win. But, she wanted to score at least one hit on the man before she passed out. She then heard him say that she was cordially invited to dodge this.

It was then that he shot an arrow towards her. She knew that there was no way in hell she could let that arrow hit her. She would have to avoid using Shunpo. But, she had no idea if he had arrows at the ready for her or not. She didn't have too much time to think of anything too complex. So, right when he launched the arrow, she quickly formed another grenade and let it leave her hand. When it did, she performed Shunpo Eichi, aiming for landing a few feet off to his right. Her thought was that the grenade would hit the shockwave and ride on the shockwave towards Gerald.

OOC: Reiatsu 475/1500 -50 Kasai shuryūdan for -150 for Shunpo Eichi Shikai 3/8

[Deleted]

This was a war of attrition, even now that Gerald was actively seeking to engage her. She had dodged out of the way of his arrow, which was a good decision on her part. If she hadn't, she'd now been facing a full on storm of arrows. Instead, however, she had dodged to his side using Shunpo, staying a few feet away. However, before doing so, she'd launched a grenade at him. Instantly, he activated Blut, and it was good that he did, because he needed the defensive strength.

A shockwave of force slammed against him, although it didn't have a direct impact on him, since it was significantly weaker than his Blut. And the grenade? It didn't come close to him. The second the shockwave hit, Gerald triggered Movement, and flew to the side, bodily slamming into Hotaru with his shoulder. Although he wasn't physically stronger than her, that didn't matter, because he was slamming into her fast, and at a single point: his shoulder.

His shoulder would slam into her nose while she was off balance from finishing her step technique. Because he wasn't giving any indication of moving, instead just forcing his body through the air with clever reiatsu usage, she wouldn't be able to predict the attack. And as his shoulder slammed into her nose, it would become clear the true might of the Vandenreich Blut. Even though she was physically stronger than him, Gerald's skin was an armor harder than she could scratch.

If she was lucky, she'd get away with a broken nose. If she wasn't, the shards could fly backwards into her brain and kill her. But that was a very small chance. However, this blitz was far from over. After that first attack, Hotaru would be able to react, and would likely have to, given that Gerald had no intention of slowing down. She might be off balance though, or intimidated, which was all he really needed to have happen. Small advantages would grow in size rapidly.

Gerald had little experience in close combat fighting. However, when his body was weaponized like this, he didn't really need it. He wouldn't give her room to breath. If she Shunpo'd away, he would close the gap. He knew that she was growing tired, and he wasn't, so he'd finish this battle by simply pressuring her down. A pity, she'd been an interesting opponent, but hadn't forced him any further than he was expecting. Moments after the first contact, he attacked again.

With the momentum from his shoulder breaking her nose, he drove his elbow into her gut, still reinforced by Blut. Then, continuing to chain the attack, he swung his fist down, using his elbow as a hinge, smashing her kneecap with his balled hand. "You're not nearly as strong as you think you are. Your willpower was the only admirable thing out of your traits, and even that comes across as stupidity. For future reference, Shinigami, do not speak to a Quincy unless you feel suicidal."

Reiatsu: 2480/1700 (+300 Cross, -300 Blut, -25 Movement)

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

She wathced as the shockwaved moved towards this Quincy Gerald and the grenade was still flowing on it, thankfully. She figured, from what she had already seen from this Quincy, that the trick wouldn't work. Because of that, she already had drawn her sword up and was ready. At least, as ready as she could be with this Quincy. He was definitely different from the other two Quincy she met. He was much more into the thought of their Emperor, more like a one track mind about it.

She watched the shockwave hit him with no effect whatsoever. She knew that he was going to move on her soon, and she needed to think of something that would work against him. Her speed could not match his own, but she did have some techniques that she could use to match his speed. But, thinking, in the long run, would that even help her? She could match his speed in defense, but she would pass out from lack of reiatsu before then.

She needed to attack him, to cause some damage against him. Defense is helpful, but it can only do so much in a fight. Especially against someone that pretty much, at least to her, seem like he had an infinite reiatsu reserve. She wouldn't be able to fight too much longer against him, but she wanted to make it worth his while, so he would remember her name. She might not win, but he will remember fighting her, that was for sure.

The grenade, she noticed didn't hit him. She assumed that he used a weird step technique again. She quickly thought of one technique that would work well. She just needed to keep contact with him for three seconds. Three seconds was all she needed for this technique to work. She saw him appear in front of him. She had no choice but to take the brunt of his attacks to make this work. She knew it would pay off though, if it all worked like she thinks it would.

He appeared and rushed at her with his shoulder. She reached a hand out and grabbed the left shoulder with her left hand. She started a mental count. One second. His shoulder slammed into her nose and she could feel some blood running down her face. It didn't phase her, she's been through a lot more than a broken nose. Obviously he thought that would intimidate her. It didn't. She's faced off against captains stronger than him and this wasn't going to deter her.

Two seconds. With the momentum from his shoulder, he drove an elbow into her stomach and then swing his fist down, aiming for her kneecap. He punched her kneecap fairly hard and her leg got a little weaker. But, she kept her hold firm on this Quincy's left shoulder. She was feeling the pain, but she's been broken by stronger men than this one. This pain is nothing compared to what she's had to endure in the past. She didn't know if he would be surprised she didn't show the pain on her face but she didn't care.

He started talking about her, saying her willpower is the only admirable thing about her and it comes across as stupid, she's not as strong as she thinks and for future reference, don't speak to a Quincy unless she feels suicidal. Three seconds. Once the three seconds hit, right after his last syllable. She said, "Tsuba." She materialized the blade inside his shoulder and it pierced him, coming out of his back. At least, she hoped that's what this technique would do. Since this attack was instantaneous from his last syllable, she was pretty sure that this attack was going to hit.

She retracted the blade from him after a few seconds, leaving her hand on his shoulder and she smirked. "I have many tricks up my sleeve, Quincy. Don't even dare to think you know my true strength. You have strong armor, but there are ways to get strong enough to break your armor. You think way too highly of yourself. Everyone can be defeated, EVERYONE, including your Emperor. I have talked to other Quincies and they are much nicer than you are. I know of one Quincy that plans to take your Emperor down and I plan to help, if he needs it. You will be beaten Quincy, even if it isn't by me."

OOC: Reiatsu 425/1500 -50 for Tsuba, Shikai 4/8

[Deleted]

As Hotaru's nose shattered, and blood flowed from it onto Gerald's shoulder, he knew that his victory was all but assured. She had tanked the attack, and offered little in response. However, her hand was now on his left shoulder, and she appeared to be concentrating. Obviously she planned on using some technique. But it required contact, meaning that she couldn't back away now. She was staking everything on that one technique, and she was going to be disappointed with the results.

Given her lack of resistance, his blow to her stomach would drive all the air out of her mouth, as well as hurting incredibly. But the truly great thing was that he wouldn't have to deal with he screams after he was finished with the assault. Then, he swung his hand down, smashing her kneecap. Her assessment concerning how much damage that it would cause was off, however, and that would cost her dearly. Because she hadn't so much as attempted to dodge the attack, Gerald activated Output: Impact, and his hand slammed into her kneecap at four times force.

If he hadn't augmented his strength in such a manner, he likely would've only caused her to lose her balance, and maybe given her a bruise. That advantage would've been helpful, but he was looking for something more. This act shattered her kneecap bone entirely. Of course, this was happening fast enough that most people wouldn't comprehend the specifics, but for the two locked in battle with each other, it'd be obvious what occurred. A little under three seconds had passed since she'd grabbed onto him, and he'd taken her nose, breath, and knee.

However, Gerald was not done. As he smashed the knee, he let his hand bounce back up so it was level with her chest. In his hand, he manifested his small bow, a tiny crossbow, and fired an arrow at Hotaru's gut at the same time that the word "Tsuba" left her mouth. In that moment, two things happened simultaneously. The arrow, which was fired point blank, while she was holding onto him, would strike into her stomach. And, of course, she summoned a sword in his shoulder.

Addressing the arrow first: So, given that Hotaru didn't have the capacity to dodge or block the arrow given both proximity and her now useless leg, it stood that the arrow would enter her stomach, and travel through. That alone would be bad, a gutshot would cause her to bleed out in minutes as well as cause incredible pain. But instead, when the arrow was halfway through into her, he caused it to detonate it like a grenade. This would rip her innards to bits, and if she didn't die from shock, she'd certainly be out of commission either with a second or within less than a minute at most. During that time, she'd suffer horribly and be basically unable to function.

However, that occurred at the same time that Hotaru summoned a sword inside of Gerald. Honestly, such an action would have likely ended the fight, had she been fighting most others. It was a clever tactic, and one that he was surprised that she was capable of. However, there was a flaw with the plan: while such a tactic would've worked on Arrancar's Hierro, which reinforced their skin, Blut reinforced all the blood vessel's of the Emperor's chosen people. What did this mean? Well, it meant that it wasn't just his skin that couldn't be pierced by Hotaru's blade.

Hotaru's sword, summoned inside of Gerald's body, could have caused problems. But Gerald's reiatsu strength was so superior to hers that when she summoned the sword in him, it actually simply shattered against the veins in his body. His organs were also reinforced, so the chance of the shards of sword actually hurting him were unlikely to say the least. Hotaru's tactic was clever, but the difference in their strength was too great. Gerald's body was a walking weapon and suit of armor, and he'd have been able to endure even a sword in his skull.

Once again, things were as they should be. He stepped away, staring at the situation. Hotaru's gut had a large hole in it, and she was bleeding profusely. Her kneecap was shattered, and her face didn't look so good now that he busted her nose. A pity. It'd been a pretty enough face. He, on the other hand didn't look phased. Truth be told, he was worried about the sword that was now in his stomach, and would likely need to maintain his Blut until he could recieve medical attention, or else he'd certainly suffer damage and die. Luckily, his cross would supply him with sufficent reiatsu to do so.

Reiatsu: 2242/1700 (+300 Cross, -300 Blut, -200 Impact, -25 Class 3 Arrow From Small Bow, -13 Detonation)

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Once Hotaru's hand touched Gerald's shoulder, she knew she was in for a bit of trouble. She could never imagine how much crap she was in until everything was over and done with with this fight. When she touched his shoulder, she felt his blow connect to her nose. She didn't think that the blow would be that powerful, but she should've known better. She felt the nose break and the blood flow freely down from her nose to his shoulder.

Through this pain, she was concentrating on this technique. She knew that if she was able to pull it off, she would be the winner. At least, in her mind that's what she was hoping for. She had decided before she put all her effort into this one technique and to tank all of this Quincy's attacks so she could keep her contact to him to make this technique work. But, she would soon find out that she shouldn't have decided to do that.

When he decided to punch her in the stomach, she felt the punch and she felt all the air leave her lungs at that moment. You could hear a slight sound coming out of her due to the air leaving her body. Right after that, you could hear a small intake of breath to stop her from getting light headed. She immediately felt the pain from the punch to her stomach. The force he put behind the punch was a little more than she thought, but she's been through this pain before.

When Gerald went to punch her in the kneecap, she assumed that he would use the same force that was used to punch her in the stomach. It was the main reason that she didn't think to block his attacks, because the force wouldn't be that bad. Well, once his punch connected with her kneecap, she was completely wrong. When the punch did connect with her kneecap, she felt the bone of her knee completely break and shatter under the skin.

How in the hell had he managed to do that? She had no idea how in the hell he was able to augment his strength from when he punched her in the stomach to completely shattering a kneecap. From the pain of a shattered bone, however, she almost teared up from all the pain. She had felt great pain before, but nothing really compared to feeling her own kneecap get shattered. But, through all of this pain, she held on tightly.

She was impressed that he was able to do this all in three seconds. She knew that if they ever met in battle again, she couldn't let this happen. She wouldn't let herself be beaten this badly again from her own stupidity. She watched as his hand bounced from hitting her kneecap to be on the same level as his chest. She watched him manifest a extremely tiny crossbow and fired an arrow at her gut. She said Tsuba at the same time he fired.

She really hoped that her attack would hit first and finish the fight before this arrow caused way too much damage. She looked towards his back to see anything start to protrude from his back. She was expecting the sword to pop out. But, sadly, nothing did. She didn't really understand why this technique didn't work. She thought that it would work, but maybe it had something to do with his insanely hard skin. It must effect more than just the skin.

With the arrow that he shot at her, however, since she didn't block it, hit her exactly where he wanted it, in her stomach. She felt the arrow go in farther into her actual gut. She knew that wound would be pretty horrible, since she's been hit with arrows before and they hurt like hell. But, she also knew that his arrows exploded on command. It was then she knew with his arrow in her gut that she was pretty much screwed now.

It was then that the arrow exploded. She felt the arrow rip through her and she assumed that her body went almost directly into shock. Once the arrow exploded, she lost her grip on Gerald and just fell to the ground, on her back, just staring up into the sky. Her Shikai immediately dissolved when she landed. She tried to keep her breaths deep and not concentrate on the pain. She just concentrated on her breathing. She looked over and saw Gerald, with that stupid smirk on his face.

She stared at him and felt pure rage for this man. She knew that a lot of it was her fault, but he didn't have to look that way towards her. She then spoke as loud as she could, saying "I hope Asmoskon defeats your Emperor like he wants. You can't stay on top forever." It was then when she passed out. She awoke back in the Fourth Division. She looked around and sat up, but she was warned to stay laying down.

She was then told that she had been in the division for at least a week, due to her condition. They were able to heal her, but barely. They told her that she needed to rest more, and to have a next to nothing work load. She needed to let her abdomen heal from her injury. It told her that she would be working on paperwork. When she was released, she immediately went back to her division and wrote a report about Gerald Fromm. Soul Society needs to know about this Quincy.

[Kento Waffles]

+220 TP to Hotaru

+360 TP to Gerald, and +100 for winning, thus +460 total.