Post by Kaen Youji on May 26, 2016 1:49:21 GMT -5
It appeared that Kimiko had read Kaen's pattern of attack. She anticipated the Senka. But it wasn't enough. While she had anticipated the attack, she tried to rely on her natural speed to evade the blow. While she was fast enough to leave an after-image, what she had failed to consider was that Kaen might be able to track her anyways. The after-image was a wonderful trick, but it did not hide her movement, only disguise it. Kaen was still able to track Kimiko's location, even with her afterimage. Kaen's senses were good. Very good. And perhaps the one trait that he had to take advantage of in this fight, was that he was quicker than Kimiko by a hair. Without Shunpo or another Step technique, there was no way Kimiko could move fast enough for Kaen to lose her. When Kaen launched into his Senka strike, unfortunately for Kimiko, he still had her in his sights. His short sword flashed twice in quick succession, to savagely wound Kimiko across her front and back, with Kaen landing behind her.
Though this would badly wound Kimiko, it wouldn't prevent her launching the full body shockwave. Kaen whirled to face her in time to recognize the explosive gesture. Kaen had fought enough individuals that he recognized the act of flinging one's arms outwards generally represented an area-of-effect attack, originating at the user. Ah.... hell. There was no time to dodge. Kaen threw his arms across himself in a cross block and was blasted backwards by the attack as the shockwave rocked his body. He rolled with the blow as much as he could, absorbing the impact and allowing it to hurl him backwards, rather than trying to hold his ground against it. He braced his body, as he was flung by the force of Kimiko's attack into the stands, shattering the wall as he collided with it. "Urgh..." Kaen grunted in an involuntary breath of pain, and hacked up blood. He felt a fresh warm feeling on his arm. The shockwave had ripped his arm injury back open. Dammit. Kaen had absorbed the blow as well as he could have, and had avoided breaking anything, but it didn't stop his whole body aching. He slowly moved back to his feet, eyes locked on Kimiko, legs quivering slightly from the strain of standing. He curled his left hand into a fist and struck his thigh with a hammer fist blow, the fresh jolt of pain snapping him back. "Not bad." He admitted. "But don't tell me you shirk from this." He stated.
"You pride yourself as a Hakuda master, Kimiko Shihoin. So why are you creating distance?" He queried, lifting his blade, still in the reverse grip. "Don't tell me that you fear a simple weapon." He taunted, shifting his weight onto his back leg, before launching himself in a charge at Kimiko. "Even I could conceive of no less than eight counters to a conventional katana in this situation." He stated coolly. "And this Zanpakuto of mine is even shorter." Of course, that too was a taunt. In the hands of a hand to hand master like Kaen, a shorter weapon was even better than a long katana. The short length of his Kodachi allowed him to employ it in conjunction with his hand to hand combat. The blade in effect, served to enhance his hand to hand fighting, rather than simply being a weapon in and of itself. It was a distraction. A deadly distraction, but no less deadly than Kaen's fists.
Speaking of....
Kaen's charge culminated in a sudden slash at Kimiko's hip. But Kaen did not stop to deliver the cut, rather he sprinted right past Kimiko, delivering the cut at her left side in passing. The instant he passed her, he stopped and whirled with a vicious spinning knife hand strike towards Kimiko's neck. Kaen never threw just one strike if he could help it. Always a combination attack. His knife hand strike was followed up with another blade strike, but not with the blade. Holding the blade in reverse grip, Kaen threw a punch with the pommel of the weapon, augmenting the force of his strike, aimed at the center of Kimiko's back. Were the Captain to spin to meet her, the blow would instead by targeting the Captain's solarplexis. A blade may be a blade, but to Kaen it was a tool. An enhancement. A threat. But his body. That was his pride. His martial skill built up over a centry. That was his pride here. His blade merely served to finish a foe that he had already bested. Kaen didn't even consider himself stronger or more powerful when wielding his sword. It merely changed his rhythm. His fighting style, forcing an opponent to re-adapt, during which he could gain an advantage.
Though this would badly wound Kimiko, it wouldn't prevent her launching the full body shockwave. Kaen whirled to face her in time to recognize the explosive gesture. Kaen had fought enough individuals that he recognized the act of flinging one's arms outwards generally represented an area-of-effect attack, originating at the user. Ah.... hell. There was no time to dodge. Kaen threw his arms across himself in a cross block and was blasted backwards by the attack as the shockwave rocked his body. He rolled with the blow as much as he could, absorbing the impact and allowing it to hurl him backwards, rather than trying to hold his ground against it. He braced his body, as he was flung by the force of Kimiko's attack into the stands, shattering the wall as he collided with it. "Urgh..." Kaen grunted in an involuntary breath of pain, and hacked up blood. He felt a fresh warm feeling on his arm. The shockwave had ripped his arm injury back open. Dammit. Kaen had absorbed the blow as well as he could have, and had avoided breaking anything, but it didn't stop his whole body aching. He slowly moved back to his feet, eyes locked on Kimiko, legs quivering slightly from the strain of standing. He curled his left hand into a fist and struck his thigh with a hammer fist blow, the fresh jolt of pain snapping him back. "Not bad." He admitted. "But don't tell me you shirk from this." He stated.
"You pride yourself as a Hakuda master, Kimiko Shihoin. So why are you creating distance?" He queried, lifting his blade, still in the reverse grip. "Don't tell me that you fear a simple weapon." He taunted, shifting his weight onto his back leg, before launching himself in a charge at Kimiko. "Even I could conceive of no less than eight counters to a conventional katana in this situation." He stated coolly. "And this Zanpakuto of mine is even shorter." Of course, that too was a taunt. In the hands of a hand to hand master like Kaen, a shorter weapon was even better than a long katana. The short length of his Kodachi allowed him to employ it in conjunction with his hand to hand combat. The blade in effect, served to enhance his hand to hand fighting, rather than simply being a weapon in and of itself. It was a distraction. A deadly distraction, but no less deadly than Kaen's fists.
Speaking of....
Kaen's charge culminated in a sudden slash at Kimiko's hip. But Kaen did not stop to deliver the cut, rather he sprinted right past Kimiko, delivering the cut at her left side in passing. The instant he passed her, he stopped and whirled with a vicious spinning knife hand strike towards Kimiko's neck. Kaen never threw just one strike if he could help it. Always a combination attack. His knife hand strike was followed up with another blade strike, but not with the blade. Holding the blade in reverse grip, Kaen threw a punch with the pommel of the weapon, augmenting the force of his strike, aimed at the center of Kimiko's back. Were the Captain to spin to meet her, the blow would instead by targeting the Captain's solarplexis. A blade may be a blade, but to Kaen it was a tool. An enhancement. A threat. But his body. That was his pride. His martial skill built up over a centry. That was his pride here. His blade merely served to finish a foe that he had already bested. Kaen didn't even consider himself stronger or more powerful when wielding his sword. It merely changed his rhythm. His fighting style, forcing an opponent to re-adapt, during which he could gain an advantage.