The Rogues: Silence Forever [PG13, NDE, Hard]

[Kento Waffles]

Name: [The Rogues Part 2B: Silence Forever]

Participants: [Douma +1 affiliated NPC, 1 RPC ZK's choosing (optional)]

Location: [Kawada Manor]

Difficulty Level: [Hard]

Setting: [NDE]

Plotline:

A defeated Kawada, a coward who only wanted his own life spared, has told Douma a secret. That secret is of the underground facility from the Kawada Tower. Installed by Kenryoku Kawada during the Manor remodeling, the underground facility is no secret, but its hidden bottom floor is. There is an elevator that goes down a hundred floors beneath the earth. But there is a hidden floor, floor 101, which requires a special passageway. Floor 101 is comprised of five rooms. Each of five rooms contains secrets of one of the Kawada sources of combat, from weapons to hand to hand to reiatsu based techniques. Items, scrolls of power, and more exist here. But this Kawada cannot give Douma access, only information. Yet in his quest for power, Douma is now aware of this.. And he has a vendetta with the Kawada Manor now, and even further reason to complete a previously failed infiltration...

Estimated Enemy Strength: [2, class 1 final boss]

Estimated Time Until Completion: [4+]

Starts: [Now]

Special Conditions: [As reward for his performance in a previous mission, as well as an acknowledgment of a previous defeat Douma underwent against the Fullbringer named Axel Johnson, Lord Callus has decided to personally oversee "upgrades" to Douma, making him stronger than ever before. The thread begins with these upgrades.]

[Kento Waffles]

Cinematics for Douma's painful surgery to undergo the upgrades is up to you.

---

Item Name: (Helm of The Silent)

Item Type:: (Armor)

Item Rank: (A)

Item Description:

What appears as an exact duplicate of Douma's mask is fundamentally different. Douma's mask is just that. A mask. This is armor, and it serves other purposes as well. Firstly, it fuses directly into his spiritual power, making it heavily resistant if not outright immune to non spiritually integrated objects. This means that unless an object has been stated to possess spiritual effects, any random store-bought weapon or similar is ineffective with the exception of plasma weapons. All extensions of an enemy's non-release techniques and release weapons/powers can still damage this mask. It is merely resistant to ordinary things, including collapsing buildings and rubble as well as heat or cold from weather. The mask also provides night and thermal vision which Douma can switch between with a mental command, and provides temperature regulation against natural weather. It also provides regular oxygen, meaning it filters out toxic gases and allows the user to breathe underwater or in conditions without oxygen.

Unlike the original that the design was based off of, the eye holes are covered by green lenses. Furthermore, the mask is more of a helmet, as it actually wraps around Douma's entire head. The drawback to this item is that it is so powerful due to being imbued with sorcery. The sorcery can only be effective by grace of needles within the actual helmet. These needles stab into dozens of places around Douma's face, making it very uncomfortable. It is also pumping constant chemicals into Douma's bloodstream and brain, these chemicals being inert in that they are neither harmful nor beneficial on their own, but that they are extremely painful to have driven into one's blood like that. Removal of the helmet is extremely painful, as is putting it back on.



Item Name: (Heart of The Silent)

Item Type:: (Armor)

Item Rank: (A)

Item Description:

The centerpiece of Douma's upgrades. His literal heart has been replaced by this artificial, machine-like heart. The machine is twice as efficient as a regular heart, and three times as durable, but it pumps identical chemicals to the ones from the helm into Douma's body. Despite the pain, this heart is useful because it takes the sensation of pain and alters it for the body. The message sent to the mind is still pain, but added onto it is the effect of controlled rage and aggression, as well as willpower. This heart, in other words, changes pain to also incorporate increased will. The more pain and damage suffered by Douma as a result, the greater his desire to win and destroy his opponent, and the stronger his conviction. This also reduces bleeding, making it significantly more difficult for wounds to bleed Douma out. This is one of two pieces of armor Douma cannot remove from himself. He is thus always in pain.



Item Name: (Limbs of The Silent)

Item Type:: (Armor)

Item Rank: (A)

Item Description:

Douma's limbs have been granted armor. Black plating along the arms and legs. The plating wraps the entire limbs, and the plating is a light metal that allows Douma his proper movement. However, within it are needles that puncture into his body and pump even more chemicals of pain into him. While this drawback is tremendous given how much of his body by this point is simply drowned in constant pain, the limb additions ease stress on his own movement, meaning he spends significantly less stamina with movement than one normally would. In conjunction with the heart, this makes Douma seem to possess up to three times his normal stamina. The limbs are also resistant in all of the same ways as his helmet. Should they sustain damage, the rate at which they pump chemicals into Douma doubles, making his conviction to kill even stronger. Because of the chemical increase from these, Douma becomes significantly more resistant to damage. Even if he is severely burned inside the armor, or slashed and stabbed repeatedly, these limbs allow him to keep coming as if undamaged, even at the cost of his own health. This item makes him seem lighter, faster, more agile, all because of the ease of stamina consumption.



Item Name: (Chest Plate of The Silent)

Item Type:: (Armor)

Item Rank: (A)

Item Description:

This item possesses identical resistances to all other armor pieces. Like the others, it has needles that penetrate into Douma and pump chemicals into him. Unlike the others, it also comes with the effect of negating the effects of electrocution, making Douma highly resistant to electric attacks. By repelling electricity, it makes it so that facing Douma with any electric style attack is extremely difficult.



Item Name: (Liver of The Silent)

Item Type:: (Armor)

Item Rank: (A)

Item Description:

Identical features to previous armor pieces. This also filtrates toxins that would penetrate his body and damage him, making Douma highly resistant to poisons and the like. This piece is an artificial liver with twice the efficiency of a regular one as well. It is a machine. This is one of two pieces of armor he cannot remove from himself. He is thus always in pain.

[Royce The Great And Powerful]

I am capable of acceptance of all of these items if they are given the additional drawback of weakness to extreme heat. If they all shut down from extreme heat, this is acceptable. Extreme heat is also present in many Kido spells and other racial abilities, which is my reasoning for selection of such a drawback as this.

If this is not appealing, I can accept the Helm and Heart if the other items are removed or are replaced with something more reasonable.

Please let me know by text message or PM to my moderator account what you think.

[Douma]

OOC: Gonna go with the heat drawbacks. I think Kento's taking care of editting those in. In that case, Imma throw my intro up.

”I need to be stronger.”

Douma managed to evade death once again, barely surviving his battle against Axel Johnson during the war for Bludhaven. His body was scorched and broken, but worst of all, he had failed. The rogue hoped to establish a presence in the city and compete against the rivaling gangs, but he was too ambitious. Douma needed to expand his operations, but most of all, he needed to grow stronger himself to defend his future empire against threats like Axel Johnson.

And so he requested strength from his new patron, Lord Callus. Overnight, Douma was transformed from a man to a hollow shell filled with rage and pain. He was no longer a soul. A soul had a grain of humanity. It had its own desires and aspirations. It had a place in the world. It was selfish. The new Angel of Silence did not care about himself. If he did, he would never have subject himself to Callus’s procedures. He had forgotten what it felt like to care for his own life.

All he knew was pain. A burning sensation spread throughout his body. Occasional sharp pains in particular points. Throbbing pains. Numbing pains. He felt an accumulation of agony in all its forms, artificially pumped into him through his knew armor. His arms and legs were incredibly light, giving him more mobility and reducing the toll they took on his stamina. His defensive chest-plate protected him against electric attacks. His liver purified his blood, and his new headpiece that replaced his mask filtered the air he inhaled.

However, the key to his transformation rested in the replacement of his heart with a machine. Douma was no longer a person. His reflective blood was pumped throughout his body by a mechanic device, fusing his blood with more pain-inducing chemicals. However, the heart changed how he experienced pain. It was no longer a weakness. The more Douma suffered, the sharper his mind became. Anything that hurt him simply made him stronger, so even if an enemy could get passed his armor, his heart would keep him fighting through any injury. The Angel of Silence could fight any foe, but the only thing that could stop him was death. Douma is no longer a person. He is a monster.

---

“What are we here for again?”

The young woman in the black dressed shot a questioning look at the masked man beside her after her gaze swept over the tall tower before them. Her blue eyes were bent under her furrowed eyebrows, but the pout her mouth formed gave her a look of innocent curiosity. Douma knew better than to believe his companion’s charade, however. He could look into her soul, and he felt her unease. After all, invading the Kawada Tower wasn’t the safest weekend outing, yet here they were.

“I need that information.” Alice knew what Douma was talking about. She was the one to draw the information for the Angel of Silence in the first place. After Douma temporarily prolonged that cowardly Kawada’s life, Alice read his mind while hypnotizing him, giving him no choice but to reveal all he knew to the Neo-Bount. Alice knew that Douma didn’t care to actually follow through and kill the Kawada traitor in Team Josai, but what was so important about those secret Kawada skills? “Are those techniques worth the risk?”

Alice was right to be so skeptical. Perhaps Douma had become power-crazed since Callus turned him into a demon, but the truth was that the invasion of the Kawada structure did have very high risk. It had even more reward, though. Saeki Kuchiki had been captured and executed, but during her breakout of Senzaiku Prison, she had given Douma a task. He was to infiltrate the Kawada Tower and steal black beads. Now, Saeki was dead, but Douma had done research of his own. It would be nice to get those techniques, but in reality, Douma wanted more. His priority was the beads. With it, he could gain more power than Callus could ever promise him.

“The risk is small compared to the potential reward. Let us go.”

And with that, Douma began walking toward the entrance of the tower. He had witnessed the defenses of the tower before, so he was ready for the attack of the stone soldiers. This time, however, he would not be stopped.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats, Skills, and Items}

Stats

Strength - [100] Points (50)


Speed - [300] Points


Spiritual Pressure - [400] (1000) Points


Reiatsu Strength - [150] Points


Light Aura - [65] Points


Dark Aura - [35] Points


Instinct - [150] Points


Senses - [100] Points


Energy sensory - [400] Points


Healing Expertise - [0] Points


Total SP: [1600] Points

Abilities

• [Weapons: Sword] {3}
  
  
  
• [War Strategy] {3}
  
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {3}
  
  
  
• [Analysis] {3}
  
  
  
• [Leadership/Charisma] {2}
  
  
  
• [Guns] {2}
  
  
  

Items:
Blood Cross
Artificial Zanpakuto - Kagebokkusu
Storage Scroll

[Kento Waffles]

Douma had seen the massive tower that was the Kawada Manor before. In the past, when he had first become Douma to begin with. Back when an alliance with Saeki Kuchiki had brought him to the awful discovery that destroyed his heart forever... Back before he had thrown away everything that was his humanity. Back then, the huge skyscraper had loomed over him as an untouchable monolith guarded by warrior statues well beyond his capacity to engage against. He had been but a man. Now Douma was nothing but a machine, and machines did not understand the concept of injury or pain. They kept going, infinitely, until they broke down. Until death found them at long last, they would continue to attempt to function.

Snow was beginning to fall from the sky, slowly, in tiny, unique little flakes numbering well into the millions. Soon the white would blanket Soul Society. Winter was coming. With the cold and snow surrounding him, Douma would find himself in the same place as before. Nothing here had changed. The watery moat that surrounded the Kawada Manor and isolated it had not frozen, despite the cold, and rain from weeks of downpour prior to the snow had in fact raised its elevation levels to a point where it was dangerously close to being able to leak out of the high edge of the moat and release whatever insidious creatures were waiting within the water.

As with before there were many stone statues, all of them silently guarding the tower. Douma's approach, followed by a servant of his, was heralded by statues immediately turning toward them and coming to life. There were two, as before, adding evidence to the idea that they matched the number of invaders. Neither the late Kenryoku Kawada nor the late Jinbei Kawada were among the newly attacking statues, however. The first to step forth and prove itself was a statue with a face so stoic that it may as well have been stone in life as well. Yet, having grown for many years as a member of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads as Kagami Murai, Douma would recognize the statue all the same.

Holding what looked to be quite a heavy sword, former Squad 13 Captain Shade Kawada was his adversary now. Or, at least, a statue of Shade Kawada. Whether or not it had everything in its arsenal which Shade had once possessed was uncertain. But, what was certain was that this would be a different fight than last time. Whether or not it was easier? Who knew. Shade's statue was joined by another, one which was from before Douma's time. He would not recognize this one, but would see that it was quite tall. Though Shade was a big, burly man of 5'11 and 250 lbs, the bald headed statue next to his was at least two meters tall, and weighed probably more than Shade had.

This one had contours that looked like they had been a rough, trimmed beard in life. This statue was also at least twenty physical years above Shade, meaning that in its prime, or perhaps before death, this Kawada had outlived Shade and achieved greater experience. Perhaps it was because they were members of the same family, but the statue bore great resemblance to Shade. Still, irrelevant. It too had a huge sword, and both were coming up close on Douma. If he did not act, then surely he would be struck down by the might of these two attackers. Two stone warriors with their powerful swords burst forth, coming from either side of Douma in an attempt to strike him down vertically.

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength - [300 (x2)] = 600 Points >>> Currently cut in half to make {300}

Speed - [200 (x2)] = 400 Points

Spiritual Pressure - [350 (/2)] = 175 Points

Reiatsu Strength - [400] Points

Light Aura - [0] Points

Dark Aura - [100] Points

Instinct - [100] Points

Senses [100] Points

Energy sensory - [75 (x3)] = 225 Points

Healing Expertise - [75 (/2)] = 38 Points


Total SP: [1,600] Points

---

[Memory] {3}

[Learning] {3}

[Willpower] {3}

[Battle Analysis] {2}

[Hakuda] {1}

[Lack of Fear] {2}

[Weapons: Sword] {4}

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength: 400 (1000)
Speed: 400
Reiatsu Strength: 100 (50)
Spiritual Pressure: 300
Instinct: 200
Senses: 150
Energy Sensory: 50
Healing Expertise: 0
Total SP: 1600

---

[Bludgeon] [4]
[Fencing] [4]
[Battle Analysis] [3]
[Memory] [3]
[Learning] [3]
[Analysis] [2]

[Douma]

Douma and Alice were not surprised when the statues sprung into action. No, Douma was here before. He had faced this exact obstacle in the past. There were no surprises. The stone model of Shade had already exposed its ability in the past, so the only mystery was the other statue’s abilities. Douma would be cautious, of course. However, he and Alice had the strategic advantage. They had a plan, and it was time to execute.

As the statues began their approach, a heavy fog would set in, blinding both statues. Shade would be completely blind, and the other would barely be being capable of seeing ten feet in front of him. Alice’s doll Weib changed the entire conditions of the battle, and both Alice and Douma were still able to suppress their reiatsu to prevent the Kawada guardians from even locating them. Douma used shunpo to distance himself from his original location, moving about fifty feet to the right. The statues, however, would feel his reiatsu spike where he used to stand, but that wouldn’t be enough information for them to know which way he was going. Alice did the same with movement, going the opposite direction. The statues were lost.

And they were about to be destroyed. Both might look for their targets as they pleased, but after a few moments, each would suffer a horrible fate. Simultaneously, they would face attacks. The ancient Kawada’s statue would be pierced from behind by the claws of a mechanical dragon moving at the incredible speed of 1100. It flew through the air, only picking up its speed once it was behind the Kawada to avoid making any noise. Shade would not even hear his comrade shatter, for another dragon from above brought its heavy claws downward, destroying his stone body with its 600 strength before he was even aware of an attack.

By summoning the Shokans Dark Scythe and Dark Knife, Douma avoided using any reiatsu whatsoever, preventing the statues from even detecting the use of his technique. Unless they had any sensory abilities to see the simultaneous attacks coming, both statues would fall to Douma’s monsters. However, the Angel of Silence did not assume that the fight was over yet. The pain surging through his body kept him focused and observant. The outcome of the fight was not yet certain, but he would ensure his victory in due time.

Douma’s Reiatsu Remaining: 9950/10,000 (-50 for Shunpo)

Douma’s Life Force Remaining: 9400/10,000 (-600 for summoning each Shokan)

Dark Knife Duration: 1/4

Dark Scythe Duration: 1/4

Alice’s Reiatsu Remaining: 3050/3500 (-50 for Shunpo, -400 for Weib)

Douma White Counter: 1

Alice White Counter: 1

Alice's App

[Kento Waffles]

Play this

The Kawada statues did not seem perturbed. Naturally, it was because their expressions were frozen and stoic due to being statues, but also their actions did not seem to require any thought. What happened was executed perfectly, like a fluid moving or a machine's processing. It was too automatic to be human. In fact, it was probably because they weren't human. They weren't Soul Reapers. They were statues. They were machines. They had been programmed to act and respond in a certain way, and all of that time and thinking that went into an actual opponent did not exist for them. One disadvantage was that a cunning foe could easily outwit them.

One advantage was that they executed their attacks with far more fluidity than even the real life versions had. The nameless one that was not Shade Kawada swung its sword immediately as the fog settled over. The tremendous explosion of sheer physical force from a huge blade and a powerful strike blasted fog away from the statue, which then extended out its arms. With the physical shockwaves still emanating forth, gold flames suddenly ignited where there had been shockwaves. What had been mere expressions of physical power had become gold fire of such magnitude that the entire cloud of fog was blasted far away, out of reach, clearing the area once more.

The unfortunate secondary result was that as Douma summoned his two creatures, the gold flames reached out, as if alive, and washed over the creatures, turning them to ashes in seconds. That nameless Kawada then exploded out of place with raw physical strength and appeared directly in front of Douma with its heavyset stone foot twisting into the dirt as it swung a tremendous sword at him. If it wasn't clear who the statue was, it should be now, assuming that Douma read up on his nobles. The father of Shade, Kochikochi Kawada had been infamous for his gold colored fire. His uncanny ability to produce gold flames out of physical force had been one of his trademarks, marking him as the Kawada's "Golden Phoenix."

At a time before Sozen Kuchiki, Kochikochi Kawada had been the Noble Head to fear. It had not been until the Espada named Kuroi Naito brought him down that his name began to vanish from lore. What had made Kuroi so fearsome was that it had been his first appearance to the Soul Reapers, and in that first appearance he had succeeded in killing a Captain of the level of Kochikochi. While this statue probably wasn't as skilled or powerful as who it was modeled after, it still appeared that it was quite the overwhelming foe. A weaker man would have been broken by the statue. Douma would be able to stand firm, provided he did not lose sight of a strategy that outmaneuvered pre programmed machinery.

Regardless, if that heavy sword struck him, it was over. It didn't matter if it cut him or not. If it did, naturally he would be split in half. Yet it was the force behind the blow which was most dangerous. Waves of air and force washed over Douma's body as it approached, a full physical assault long before the sword. And if that sword hit, whether it be flat or edge, the force of it would shatter every single bone in Douma's body. Even his armor would be no match for the might of that sword. Such was the physical strength of Kochikochi Kawada. It had been heralded in its time, and now Douma was going to receive a taste of just how powerful that statue was while the statue of Shade stood idly, biding its time, waiting.

Kochikochi Statue's Remaining Reiatsu: 2800/3000 Reiatsu

SPOILER: Click to show

This class 4 technique costs 200 reiatsu and creates golden fire from anywhere that Kochikochi had extended physical force. The fire is instant when it ignites, and it does not burn, but rather rips apart what it touches with such force that the ashes left behind appear to be from incineration. The physical strength is equivalent to Kochikochi's own, and is his signature technique.

[Douma]

Douma could see everything play out. Even though the fog blocked his raw vision, his eyes could see the flow of reiatsu thanks to his sharp energy sensory abilities. Just after he summoned his creatures, he could feel one of the statues release hot flames that engulfed both beasts, destroying them both. That statue, who Douma will just consider not-Shade, was going to be troublesome. Even Shade would be difficult to engage in physical combat, as Douma attempted to in his last visit to the Kawada. He needed to take a more cautious approach.

But not-Shade didn’t seem to understand the concept of caution. As he burst forward toward Douma, he was smart enough to keep one foot on the ground in case the situation became unfavorable. However, that one foot wouldn’t be enough, and unfortunately, the situation had become very unfavorable. Douma had already created pockets of air below his feet to glide on, rapidly increasing his speed. He would be able to back up fast enough to avoid the swing of not-Shade’s fiery sword.

However, there was no such swing. Just when not-Shade would attempt to swing at Douma, a string of water would suddenly form, tying his right elbow to the single foot he planted on the ground. By the time not-Shade detected the string, he would have already committed to the action. The end result was that he pulled his foot off the ground, sending his body tumbling forward into the space Douma once stood in.

However, as Douma moved back at his accelerated speed, he had prepared an attack to turn the statue to rubble. His hands glowed with black energy that harnessed all of the pain he experienced from his new armor. Two blasts the size of a cero shot out of his fist, one aimed directly at not-Shade and the other targeting the ground between Not-Shade and Shade incase the other statue tried to help. Too bad Shade had stood idly, for now he wouldn’t be able to assist his father’s stone copy without closing the distance with Shunpo.

Douma’s heightened speed would allow him to just barely avoid the blast radius of his technique, Black Energy. It was a calculated move, one that Douma was 80 percent confident would succeed. There was always a chance that not-Shade had a trick or two up his sleeve, but it would be difficult for him to save himself without his feet in contact with the ground. Even his flames and strength wouldn’t be enough to resist Douma’s blast or even break Alice’s liquid string. Douma shot four more blasts at Shade and the ground around him. He didn’t expect such a straight-forward move to break the statue, but it would force to move and possibly make a grave error like the statue before him.

Douma Reiatsu Remaining: 9,100/10,000 (-300 for Shunkasho, -600 for Black Energy)

Douma Speed: 750

Weib Reiatsu Remaining: 13,900/14,000

Not-Shade White Counter: 0 (+1 for his fire thing, -1 for the string trap)

[Kento Waffles]

OOC: Worth noting that you made a typo which would allow me to kill Douma right here when you wrote Alice's app. You base the water trap on reiatsu strength in your description. 1400 SpPr is pretty impressive, but basing the doll's power on that measly 50 reiatsu strength isn't... Lucky you I'm not that mean

IC:

Kochikochi's statue came to a stop. A machine, it had been easily fooled by the presence of two opponents instead of one. And, as predicted, it was splintered into pieces. The Shade Statue seemed to lack prerogative to protect it the way it had protected the Shade statue. Perhaps they did not protect one another, only themselves, and helping one another was merely coincidental. However the Shade Statue did not relinquish its life as easily as the statue of Shade's father. A burst of energy encompassed it, but not because of the activation of reiatsu. It was the dissipating of something else... If Douma had been familiar with the Kawadas, the technique would have been obvious.

Meiunatsuin was a seal used by powerful Kawadas to reduce their power and let it build. When enough time passed and they released it, the power they were storing doubled. In this way, the Shade statue's strength would jump from 300 to 1200 in an instant, quadrupling from the poor cry of what it had been. With that increased strength, it exploded into the sky with a mighty jump, practically vanishing from sight. From the air, it looked over Douma and began slashing at him. Wave after wave of pressurized air attacks, invisible to the naked eye, flew at Douma. The statue was like its father, utilizing strength as its dominant form of offensive ability.

And, while it was in the air, it seemed to possess an advantage. Using its strength, it could actually maneuver itself in the air. It was notable that the imprint of where it had stepped off from was deep, indicating the statue to be far heavier than a regular person was. This made sense, given it was fashioned from stone and filled with who knew what sort of magic. As the statue came back down, it landed with a powerful thud that released yet another shockwave toward Douma. The statue seemed single minded in its desire to kill him, seemingly ignoring Alice completely. There may be a strategic reason for this, or perhaps it was a flaw similar to what had led to the other one's demise.

[Douma]

Douma recognized the sudden surge of reiatsu within Shade’s statue. Just the manner in which his energy flowed – far more intense and all throughout his stone body – hinted toward the nature of the ability not-Shade just used. It was some sort of enhancement technique, like the one that Ajraka was capable of using. Whether through speed, strength, or both, not-Shade had amplified his own capabilities.

The second not-Shade disappeared into the air, Douma spoke out to his partner. “Alice, now.” Suddenly, the fog vanished, and Douma could see the statue in the air above him. Not-Shade seemed to be much stronger, but his speed remained the same. Nonetheless, his shockwaves were a force to be reckoned with. So Douma did the sensible thing. He evaded them. By maintaining Shunkassou, he could continue to move at a speed of 750 to sidestep each shockwave. While he could not see the shockwaves themselves, analyzing not-Shade’s movement allowed Douma to understand the target for each attack.

However, Douma wanted to fire back too. Black Energy was still active, and it pumped even more pain into his agony-filled body, resulting in even larger beams of dark energy. These were the size of a semi-truck, and had far larger blast radiuses. However, not-Shade was not the target. After not-Shade landed, Douma sent five simultaneous beams around the statue, forming a semi-circle around him. Four beams covered the area above and around not-Shade while one moved straight toward him.

As each beam fell into position, they would harden into a black crystal before suddenly exploding into millions of shards. Shade could run all he wanted, but he would be engulfed with those shards. All Douma needed was for one grain of obsidian to make contact with not-Shade before it would be over. If Shade made contact with a shard of obsidian, without speaking a word, the Angel of Silence would activate his release. The world all around would turn black, and not-Shade would no longer be in sight. He wasn’t destroyed, not yet. No, he was trapped in a particle of air. Even with his 1200 strength, Shade would not have a means to escape. He simply wasn’t strong enough, so there was nothing stopping the final beam of Black Energy from vaporizing the air that encompassed him and ending his own artificial life.

Douma Reiatsu: 81,500/10,000 (-300 for Shunkassou, -150 for Form: Obsidian, -300 for Class 1 Bakkoto, -200 reiatsu for absorbing not-Shade)

[Kento Waffles]

The statue was successfully obliterated, confirming that the statues likely did not possess release abilities. Of course. It would have been impossibly difficult to arm those statues with the Zanpakuto powers of their masters, especially if those masters had been Captain level. At best they had some non-release techniques, fluid processing, and matching bodies. But to program a defense system superior to this one would have proved expensive and difficult. And, in the first place, most invaders would have been taken out by the statue defenses anyway. There was only rubble there where the statues had been, and in their circle of guardians now were two empty spots where the two that were now lost had once rested.

Still, despite his victory over the statues, Douma had a predicament. For one thing, the Kawada Manor was still on the other side of a huge moat. Without air ground in Soul Society there was no way of getting around. It meant that he actually needed to find a way to get across the moat and to the Manor itself. Afterward he would need to find some way to actually enter the Manor. He would know from past experience that some sort of force field existed around the Manor that prevented him from just leaping across, too. Yet that force field was bordered just at the Manor. The water below, which he would know contained vile creatures, did not have such a field.

If that were the case, might it be prudent to swim in the water and dig his way up into the Manor? That water was a putrid gray color, indicating that it might have something wrong with it. And there were still the creatures. However, it might be his only option. The force field didn't have a set strength he had been able to yet ascertain, and it shielded the place from his crossing as well as his sending a projectile to knock down the drawbridge. How other Kawadas got into here was a mystery. It was entirely possible that there was some sort of solvable puzzle, but more likely it just worked by having Kawada blood or something like that. So, what would Douma do?

[Douma]

“Good job,” Alice said cheerfully, slapping Douma on the back like they were best friends. He didn’t respond, at least not verbally. Instead, he simply ended his release, and the black blade in his hand returned into his palm. He was too busy examining the remaining obstacles in his path. He knew of a force field protecting the entire tower as well as a moat. Douma’s energy sensory was more than sharp enough to detect the bounds of the force field, and it was clear that the barrier ended along the ground that the tower rested on. Perhaps digging a hole from the moat to get past the force field wasn’t such a bad idea. Maybe because that was the only logical option. It was the point at which both defenses were weakest.

But Douma was not alone. His companion had very useful talents. “Alice, bring out your doll Ende. We need to get through that barrier quickly. And tell me what you detect within that moat.” Douma expended his life force to summon two Shokans, Dark Blade and Dark Knife. However, he instantly absorbed Dark Blade, taking advantage of the special ability it granted him. Douma pointed his hands, glowing with darkness from Black Energy, at far end of the moat. Normally, the barrier would stop any attack. However, after sending six more blasts at the moat, Douma’s reiatsu fluctuated once more. Each spell teleported 5 feet ahead, moving past the barrier into the end of the moat, creating an enormous blast would even destroy the closer walls and rooms of the Kawada tower’s first floor.

However, such an attack wouldn’t eliminate any monsters within the moat. That’s what Dark Knife was there for. That’s what Alice was there for. Her new doll with the appearance of a ninja in black clothes, had a very useful ability for transporting others in the blink of an eye. “Ende,” Douma said, addressing him. “Form a link with my spawn.” Alice nodded to the doll to reaffirm Douma’s order, and he obliged. An intangible string of reiatsu would form between the ninja and Dark Knife. Suddenly, with its full speed of 1100, the wyvern dove into the water moving in a straight path toward the hole in the ground that created a gap between the moat and the barrier.

Only if Dark Knife made it to its goal, Ende touch Douma and Alice before they all disappeared into the string of reiatsu, moving at a speed of 9,000 to reappear by Dark Knife on the other side of the force field. If at any point in time complications arose, Douma would reconsider, but as long as Dark Knife made it to the other side and there was no other detectable threat waiting for them, Douma would follow through.

Douma Reiatsu Remaining: 7850/10,000 (-300 for Dark Blade’s teleportation ability)

Alice Reiatsu Remaining: 2650/3500 (-400 for Ende)

Ende Reiatsu Remaining: 1150/1500 (-200 for Streamline, -150 for Cargo)

Ende Post Count: 1/7

[Kento Waffles]

Alarms immediately went off as the first floor was attacked. What Douma would be able to see were a few injured and strewn about inside the first floor. However, he would also see many more running around to figure out what had happened. No, not running around. Moving around cautiously yet fluently. They were extremely efficient. The medics were there very quickly, already tending to the wounded. That was, of course, the result of Kawada training. All of them had been specialized to a very specific role, and each of them excelled at whatever their role was. The medics were quick to arrive and quick in their reliable work. More importantly, soldiers began to gather. But, not necessarily Soul Reapers.

While there were a fair number of Kawada Soul Reapers, a good number of them, being only low ranked or weak or slow, couldn't just use a flash step to go to work in the morning the way a Captain level would, and the commute to Seireitei was long from the Kawada Manor. Therefore many, if not a majority of Kawada Soul Reapers lived in the barracks provided by their squads, only returning to the Manor when summoned for duties relating to their nobility. In their place, the warriors whose job it was to guard the Kawada Manor were not Soul Reapers, but were Kawadas bred for the sake of defending their home and their family. These were warriors of a different variety with a different set of tactics.

Gathering on the other side of the moat now were warriors. No, more specifically, these too looked like machines. Large, bulky framed hunks of metal which resembled a child's clumsy attempt at building a humanoid robot moved forwards, setting up a perimeter in wait for Douma's arrival if he breached the moat. Douma, or more specifically Kagami Murai, had not fought in the Tridential Conflict, and thus was likely unfamiliar with the suits of armor approaching him. If he had been wise during his time in Squad 1 and studied war history however, he would know that this design was a model copied from the fearsome "White Guardians" that had been the main forces of the Ogatago, a force that had warred with Seireitei during that time.

They had been well known as the foot soldiers, wielding a durability that even Lieutenants struggled to penetrate or damage. They had used a wide array of technological prowess to overcome their enemies, proving capable of defeating Soul Reapers and withstanding strikes from Kido. Facing these armies had required high level destructive weapons or higher level spells. Captains such as Sozen Kuchiki or Rave Haretsu, who had huge destructive ability, had had to come in for mass annihilation of enemy armies because of the durability and strength of the White Guardians, who had been stronger than the run of the mill Soul Reaper foot soldiers.

The difference between now and then was that the White Guardians had been machines. These replicas might look the same, probably having been stolen from the battlefield, studied, and adapted by the Kawadas, but they were clearly not just machines. They were armor, with people inside. The pro of this was that they could not be fooled in the way a statue guardian was, which had also been a weakness of the White Guardians. The con was they were now subject to pain and human error. Still, seeing at least a dozen of them now was certain to be jarring for Douma, who would be encountering this enemy type for the first time. It was eerie to watch machines like that in battle.

Yet, even with them waiting for him, he had to pass the moat. Dark Knife was lucky. Getting through the moat had worked because of speed, but that didn't mean safety. Sensory of the water would speak of unscrupulous, awesome monsters that were far more powerful than any of Douma's summons. Some of the fiends in the water might even be Lieutenant level or stronger. One or two might even be near Captain level. It was not this however that killed Dark Knife. When Dark Knife surfaced, it would be covered in the black water, and its body began to crack and splinter until eventually it was dust. This left Douma time to make it to the other side, but Dark Knife died seconds later.

Furthermore, Dark Knife had emerged covered in what looked like red leeches. When Dark Knife dissolved, the leeches fell onto the ground, and as Douma and Alice arrived, the leeches at once expanded. All of them grew many times until they were the size of cars, and then their bodies, wriggling around, developed tentacles with black blades on them. At once, Alice would be assaulted by many of these leeches trying to slash at her or land even one hit. She was being attacked from all sides. Meanwhile, Douma too was assaulted. One of the Guardians appeared in front of him in a burst of fire, using some sort of jet propulsion system to substitute for a step technique. It was as fast as Douma was, too.

A blade fashioned from white reishi appeared on the Guardian's wrist and it slashed at Douma. As this happened, three others appeared behind him in similar bursts of fire. They did not yet attack, but they were clearly there to cause damage once Douma countered the first slash. It seemed all of these enemies were as fast as he was. The question was whether or not he was powerful enough to destroy them regardless. If he flexed gravitational pressure, he would find that these machines acted as an armor and the soldiers within were thus immune. Which meant his only bet was to damage the armor directly. It would be appropriate for him to test just how strong the armor was.

[Douma]

To Set the Mood

EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE

The black explosion triggered blaring alarms that rang throughout the Kawada tower. Dozens of individuals ran in chaos. Screaming and shouting fought to be heard between each cry of the siren. Chaos held the Kawada tower in its violent grasp, and Douma, for just a moment, transformed from an agent to a bystander. It was like dropping an egg from the top of a building: after just a nudge, it will break and bleed on its own.

But the Kawada were resilient. They would try to piece themselves back together, but Douma would not let them. His initial blast only took the lives of no more than a couple dozen, and it was met with a rapid response. Medical personnel rushed to the deceased and injured while defensive forces charged toward Douma. He would not tolerate any of it. Now that the Kawada realized the danger their home was in, reinforcements would certainly be arriving soon. They would call out for their allies as well. Therefore, Douma had to act quickly and negate the ability of his enemies to reorganize.

With a burst of reiatsu, he released a high-frequency sound that penetrated the entire tower. All within half a mile of Douma would hear the whistle, and those who were too weak to resist it would meet an unfortunate fate. A blind rage would consume them. The people of the Kawada would lose their rationality and compassion only to have them replaced by a hateful, violent bloodlust. They would seek destruction. Healers would turn to murderers. Anyone below class 3 would turn against their own kin with a killing intent.

As for Alice? She was perfectly fine. Fortunately, Dark Knife had protected them from the dangers in the moat, but the leeches it brought with it were a little bothersome. As Dark Knife withered and die, the leeches turned on the lovely Bount. The woman wasn’t as well suited for combat as Douma, but she was easily at the level of Shinigami captain. With one simple technique, she repelled all of the parasites coming toward her, sending them flying back. Ken was only active for a split second, so it took care of the closest leeches. Any others that tried to assault her would be cut in half by one of Ende’s swords. The assassin made sure to protect his master.

Now, Douma was faced with only the guardians of the Kawada manor. Those defenders in their clunky armor would be subject to the same effects of the Wrath of Ira if they weren’t strong enough, and their armor wouldn’t be able to protect from a sound-based technique like Douma’s. However, if they were more powerful than the average soul and still held on to their wits, Douma would be more than capable of defending against their offensive maneuver.

The first man was bold. He attacked the Angel of Silence head-on, and he would die a horrible death for it. The masked man’s hands still resonated darkness from his technique Black Energy, and from his left fist, an enormous black blast emerged. As usage of Black Energy continued, it brought more pain into Douma’s body. However, he was no longer human, and pain did not slow him down. It was his fuel. The more agony he endured, the stronger he became. The mercenary’s will was hardened as a result of hitting his maximum pain threshold, and subsequently, Black Energy will have hit the peak of its power as well.

But the Kawada was not vaporized by the beam, for if Douma’s attack exploded, its blast radius was so huge that he himself would fall to its power. No, the projectile did not explode. Instead, it hardened. The cero-like blast, at its maximum size greater than that of a semi-truck, would slam into the Kawada at full force. If his armor somehow protected him from that initial impact, it would fail to do the same when he was sandwiched between Douma’s technique and the force field behind him.

Douma would be able to turn around and fire three more similar blasts at each individual target that moved in from behind him before they could safely dodge without some sort of step technique. Form: Obsidian hardened each of his attacks just as it did the first, ensuring that his enemies would suffer the same horrendous fate as their comrade. If they did not kill each other at the result of Douma’s Wrath of Ira, they would die by his hand. Fools following fools cannot avoid death for long.

Reiatsu Remaining: 7050/10,000 (-200 for Form: Obsidian 4 times, -600 for Wrath of Ira)

Life Force (I forgot to do this last post): 8950/10,000 (-300 for Dark Knife, -300 for Dark Blade, +150 for Dark Edge)

Alice Reiatsu: 2450/3500 (-200 for Ken)

Ende Post Count: 2/7

[Kento Waffles]

Music

Alice was safe. Douma was not. The power of the White Guardians was not something to underestimate. During the Tridential Conflict, more than one Soul Reaper had assumed their attacks to be quite more impressive than the power behind the White Guardians, and they had more than paid the price for it. While it could easily be said that a Captain should be much stronger than a White Guardian, it was also true that they were not easily dispatched, and could not be treated like Mooks. While Wrath of Ira started to drive some of the Kawada medics insane, Douma might find with his sensory that it was only those outside. The interior of the Kawada manor seemed very well sound proofed, quite possibly to hide their internal activities.

The medics outside would be running amok killing one another, but that only meant so much while other, powerful warriors were present. The White Guardians. Alice was safe for the moment. Douma was not. His basic mistake had just been to assume he was both so much stronger and so much faster than any White Guardian could be finished with a rather basic attack. The first, slashing White Guardian seemed to very fluently register that Douma's attack was incoming. In an instant, it transitioned into a different attack. It was not merely the arm stopping, retracting, and then attacking again. It was more seamless, and some of the joints bent in ways a normal arm could not. This was not a human feat, but that of a machine.

Additionally, Douma would find that its equal speed to his own was not all it could accomplish. Its transition into a different angle slash had been one single motion due to the seamless power of the armor. This meant that, as one motion, it had the capacity to outpace him... something it accomplished. Its movement was not only cut down into one motion, but a sudden jet propulsion burst from the entirety of the arm to accelerate it into an even faster motion at the same speed as a step technique. In other words, it was the same as if it had used a Shunpo Karin! Douma would have no time to react, especially because he had committed himself to attacking the others too.

The White Guardian that slashed him also had its blade grow. The blade literally exploded upward in size and it succeeded in carving through the incoming attack, splitting it in half with such force that the attack was blown to both sides, missing the Guardian. Its attack concluded in a single motion against Douma's chest and drew a huge slashing motion. The systems in his armor would note that the blade that struck him was extremely hot, enough to damage his armor! It did still cauterize the wound to prevent blood loss, but it was very damaging to his body nonetheless, especially with his armor. Behind the gems that were the eyes of the White Guardian, what was being seen?

That thing had reacted instantly the way a machine would, yet it was clear that there was a man in there. Still, no time to think! Douma had sustained damage that Alice would also be too slow to save him from given how instant that attack had timed out to be, and the fact that she was in the process of being attacked by leeches during the moment when the White Guardian and Douma first engaged. Still, that damage was nothing compared to what might happen next. He might also note while being slashed that the slash had very high physical strength, enough that he would be bruised and might break a rib. Enough to force him onto his bottom on the ground.

He had fired three more blasts at those behind him, and all of them were able to slice cleanly through the incoming blasts in the same way that their ally had. They disappeared into positions and surrounded Douma. Now there was one in front, one behind, and one on each side. All of them faced him and marched toward him mechanically, watching him. That wasn't all. Alice may have defeated the leeches, but more White Guardians began showing up, four more appearing to surround her as well in the same way that Douma was surrounded. The Guardians were not weak enemies. They could be beaten, but it was clear that their offensive capacity surpassed that of the attack Douma had just used.

It was also clear that they could not simply be mowed down. These were the same level soldiers that had fought in the Tridential Conflict. It was said that before the war, Sozen Kuchiki had only been forced by difficulty level to use his Bankai one time. It was said that by the end of the war, that number had increased to five. Douma was in trouble now. He could win, yes. It was doubtless that defeating these machines was possible. Yet it was also likely that he had to restrategize. That if he didn't, he would sustain more damage. He might even die against them. One alone was stronger than a Lieutenant. Four together might just be able to take on a former Captain.