Welcome to Paradise [Joint Training, R]

[Deleted]

(Reference to Thread Title Here)

Getting used to their surroundings in Seireitei was something that was starting to come naturally for Camila and Albin. They began to get familiar with the surroundings of the area, doing what they could to learn where everything was, as well as future places to stop by. Seireitei was massive, after all. There was no doubt that they could've spent at least a month looking through the place if they wanted to learn everything about it. Though, this was unlikely due to two things; One, Albin really didn't care. He didn't like being in Seireitei, and only did so to continue following around Camila. And, two; Camila didn't have the time to spend on that! For today, she wanted to get to know some people, as well as pick up a bit of combat practice. She was fairly... Incompetent right now, to say the least. So, what better place to both meet new people and practice in combat than the Squad 11 Barracks?

Staying by, but not quite entering, Camila began to watch as people walked in and out, waiting to pick someone to be her new "friend", essentially. Once she found someone both she and Albin deemed interesting, she was going to do everything in her power to make sure the three of them were going to spar. Even if it happened to be someone like the Vice Captain! Granted, both her and Albin knew next to nobody at the moment, aside from knowing of the Captain of Squad 13. Neither of them had actually met him, and this was something that needed to change. Eventually, they'd meet, there was no doubt about that. But, for the time being, his existence was merely something they had heard about. Even so, perhaps he'd also make both a strong and willing participant in a spar?

"Not very lucky here, huh?" Albin said, "Why not just give up and make your way back to our Barracks? Fuckin' honestly, you're wasting not just your time, but mine as well." Camila took what appeared to be a look of disgust. "Wasting your time? What exactly are you in a rush to do?" "That, Cami, is for me to know, and for you to never find out." "'Cami'? I'm not exactly fond of that." "And? What's your point?" "I'd prefer if you didn't call me that, is my point." "Last I checked, I don't believe you have a say in that." "Last I checked, I believe I do, considering it's how you're referring to me!"

The two of them continued to go back and forth, arguing about trivial things, and constantly changing the topic from one pointless fight, to the next. This was fairly common between the two of them; Albin would provoke Camila, she'd retaliate, and he'd continue to fuel the fire. Eventually, though, after one of them reached their tipping point, it'd end, both of them would go quiet, and they'd resume their business. This is exactly what happened here. Within a few moments, the two of them eventually went silent, after spending a good five minutes screaming at each other and getting rather hostile with one another. No doubt that onlookers would turn their heads, as their situation both seemed, and legitimately was volatile. 

[Celes Castellanos]

The Seireitei is host to all kinds of Shinigami. The greenhorns academy Shinigami, more experienced Seated Shinigami and Vice Captains, and finally the elite Captains. Each had a specific niche to fill, but no matter the Squad, every Shinigami could be sure that they had a place in the Seireitei. This being said, an interesting case was walking through the twisting pathways of the Seireitei. Celes was an Unseated Shinigami of Squad 11 looking to better herself in her combat skills and she loved above all else to spar.

The Shinigami, blonde hair flowing down and her Zanpakutou at the hip, was just going on a walk in the Seireitei. Despite the sometimes bustling activity, it was a rather peaceful place to walk. The Squad 11 Barracks were not too bad of an idea either since she would head out ot the training grounds and do what she does best, but overall she just had a good time on her walk. As she did though, a voice she simply did not recognize could be heard. It sounded like someone bickering, but she earnestly was not sure.

As the Shinigami rounded the corner, she saw one of her cohort. She did know them by name or even what Squad that they were from, but she firmly believed that could all stick together and become stronger as a group. That's what the Seireitei needed. Those that could lead and show compassion to one another while having the strength to back up that leadership was something that the Soul Society seemed to lack. Her own squad had no figurehead, no sense of direction along with a Vice Captain that Celes had never even met before.

Either way, Celes approached the other Shinigami with a smile, but had some thoughts residing in the back of her mind. Above all else, Celes valued combat skills and the ability to hold your own against an opponent. Especially as a Shinigami she felt that aspect was so important that she recently has placed her heart and soul into learned the art of Zanjutsu or mastery of the Zanpakutou. Regardless, as Celes continued to look at the Shinigami, she chuckled a little. Never having seen her around, Celes did not know what type of impression she would make.

The young Shinigami would speak calmly yet steadily. "Hello there. My name is Celes, Unseated Shinigami of Squad 11 of the Gotei Thirteen. I guess it would be likely to assume that you are a fellow Shinigami and part of a squad?" The girl was very forward. To Celes, a name was a sign of respect and honor not only exclusively given to an opponent, but also those that would call themselves her allies. Celes would try to found out what she can with this woman starting with a name.

One thing Celes could immediately notice is that the fellow Shinigami seemed to be visibly distressed. Almost as though she were talking to someone who really was not there. Celes was not sure if this was accurate, but would maintain it in the back of head. Overall, the Shinigami would just smile at the one standing before her. If Celes was lucky, this one was interested in honing her skills as well. That is something Celes placed great respect into. To try to push your limits and continue on to new heights. It was the mark of a true warrior. Someone who was not comfortable with where they were the day before.

[Deleted]

"Oh!" the young shinigami exclaimed, caught off guard by the approach of Celes, "hello there! It's a pleasure to meet you! My name is Camila, and this-" she cut herself off rather abruptly, before taking a moment to plan out what she was going to say. "...Nevermind that! I'm also an unseated shinigami, though I'm in the 13th squad! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Camila did a quick bounce from excitement, and completely shut Albin out for the time being. She didn't really want to hear his voice at the moment; she was about to potentially make a new friend! "So, you're squad 11? That must mean you really like to fight, right? Would you perhaps be willing to teach me a bit?"

Since she left the Academy, Camila hadn't been one for hand-to-hand combat. That much was painfully obvious. She was never good with her fists, but where she lacked there she excelled in both kido and swordmanship. She needed a refresher to say the least, and hopefully this girl before her would be the one to help her do so! "I do kinda want to apologize in advance," she began to say, "I only just recently left the academy, so I'm still a newbie of sorts!" She did what she could to laugh that fact off. She was still a bit embarrassed by her overall lack of skill, but that would be corrected in due time, no? Nothing that a little bit of time, effort, and training couldn't fix. She wanted- no. She needed to improve in certain fields, else when those situations arrived, like those where she'd be unarmed, she'd surely fail.

She began to think on what the two of them could possibly do. Perhaps Celes would be willing to spar with her? Granted, there was bound to be a difference in strength between the two of them for sure, especially if Camila had known just how skilled Celes actually was compared to her. When it came down to it, she probably wouldn't stand a chance in a spar. Still though, it was an idea nonetheless. If nothing else, it would be a good learning experience to see how the woman fought, and whether or not she'd be reliable in a situation where neither of them had their zanpakuto in the future. She was quickly reminded of the thought that she didn't have a zanpakuto, but that was quickly brushed aside.

"I do have a question, though; how long have you been a shinigami? Like, how long have you had your fancy zanpakuto powers? How long did it take you to obtain them? When would I be able to expect my fancy powers?" She seemed both genuinely interested, and genuinely excited to get her powers. Who knew what they might hold? With her luck, though, she'd get stuck with some kind of correlation to Albin with her powers. But, her luck wasn't that bad, right? She wouldn't get stuck with someone like Albin forever, right??

[Celes Castellanos]

Celes tilted her head atleast a little at this newcomer. She seemed oddly bubbly, yet at the same time terrified. She was admittedly a little intrigued. Celes didn't it imagine to be a Zanpakutou spirit. The girl was too new to properly commune with one. Atleast Celes thought so because it took her a good bit before Yunorashi would even begin talking to her. It was with the guidance of another that Celes learned how to perform the Jinzen and communicate with Yunorashi, her Zanpakutou spirit. She was not sure what this girl was going through, but it made her curious.

"hello there! It's a pleasure to meet you! My name is Camila, and this-" There it was, that little pause, but Celes just passed it off, caterogizing it under her earlier thoughts. This was not the time. Celes had to make a good impression on this young Shinigami. Well, in hindsight, Celes did not need to, but she just liked to be polite. Even the field of battle let her be polite and filled with honor. It was very important to the Shinigami and Camila was honoring Celes by telling her name. Celes nodded with a smile.

She quickly responded after Camila offered her squad and position. "Oh. Well it's a pleasure Camilla. An unseated Shinigami of Squad 13.." Celes thought it sounded familiar and if her memory served her correctly, Wycliff the Shinigami who had tried to teach her a bit of Kido was from that Squad. Due to this, Celes felt as though she owed the Squad a personal favor of sorts. If the Squad worked as one, Celes should respect and be able to do something for members of that Squad. Atleast that's how Celes rationalized it.

It was then that Camila made a remark and an offer that Celes had to chuckle at. "So, you're squad 11? That must mean you really like to fight, right? Would you perhaps be willing to teach me a bit?" She knew that it was common for Squad 11 members to pursue the path of combat and blood, but this greenhorn knew about that too. It seems that the legacy of Squad 11 reached deep into the Soul Society. Either way, the Shinigami chuckled again and mulled it over a little in her head. She could train this girl, but Celes admittedly wanted to spar a bit.

Celes sighed a little and thought about it a little more before she decided to speak. "I won't like, my Hakuda could use some work as well, but I've been practicing Zanjutsu lately. If you would be up for a friendly spar, I could gauge how your form is and what you could improve on. It would give me a chance to train on holding back potentially." Celes giggled. The rush of combat was unlike any other feeling or impulse available to her. In fact, it was the one thing that kept her going. The thought of fighting to the bitter end.

As Celes turned to go to the little training area around the Squad 11 Barracks, she motioned Camila to follow her as she heard the Shinigami once more. "I do have a question, though; how long have you been a shinigami? Like, how long have you had your fancy zanpakuto powers? How long did it take you to obtain them? When would I be able to expect my fancy powers?" Celes was a little caught off guard by this question, but she shrugged as she called out a few things out as she walked forward, still expecting Camila to follow. "A good two decades. My Zanpakutou spirit revealed herself to me only recently. Long enough. Can't say. Everyone must take it at their own pace."

[Deleted]

Camila couldn't do anything other than whine. "A few years?! But, I can't wait that long! I'll die of boredom! Again!" She looked generally disheartened at the matter, but knew that she couldn't really do anything different in order to fix that. She was a slave to whatever kind of training she needed to put in just to obtain a zanpakuto, let alone unlocking Shikai or even potentially Bankai. She'd learned about what those were back at the academy, but what they actually were was somewhat of a mystery to her. She had been told that everyone's manifests differently, but she'd never seen one in person. Perhaps Celes had one, if not both of them? She'd have to ask.

"I do have a question," she said, following Celes to wherever she might've went off to, "do you have one of those super cool Bankai? If you do, would I be able to see it?" She lit up with excitement at the thought of possibly seeing a Bankai today, without even getting a confirmation as to whether or not Celes may have actually had one. This brought her back to what Celes had actually said, mentioning a zanpakuto spirit. Her mind went absolutely WILD. What could her spirit be? Could it be some sort of stalwart warrior, fighting to defend those who they care for? Could it perhaps be some kind of animal? Only time would really tell. Unbeknownst to her, she might've already awoken to her spirit, without actually even possessing a zanpakto.

"So, where are we headed?" The girl asked. Her mind was one to frequently run and speak about whatever might've come to her mind. She had very little filter and a very active mind, causing her to say whatever she might've wanted to as constantly as she did. "You're willing to train and stuff, right? I do wanna get as strong as I possibly can, and I'd like your help to do so!" Almost immediately after speaking, she cut off the potential for any sort of response, and immediately went into a different point. "What if today I end up getting my zanpakuto from training with you?! Wouldn't that be awesome!?" She did very little to hide the growing excitement in her eyes.

[Celes Castellanos]

The whining of Camila admittedly ended up irritating Celes a little. After all, she had worked hard for her Shikai. She had fought Hollows, trained hard and even went into her inner world to fight her own Zanpakutou. This was not the original plan, however it was certainly something she had to do as Yunorashi showed her the depth of her weakness and displayed to her just how much teamwork will help in this situation. The two were connected and this Shinigami who was next to her was trying to potentially cut corner.

Celes left her rage aside, however and just let it settle. This Shinigami was a greenhorn and they were normally impatient. Admittedly Celes was not sure of her age, but she seemed to be a little on the younger side. Maybe in her mid 20s. Then again, Celes could not say anything. The woman appeared to be around 27 years of age, but she was in fact 55 years old. The perks of being dead she guessed. Ultimately though, she was thankful where she was and that she had others to mentor her. After all, what would she have done without Venus.

The next question that the Shinigami would put out towards her made Celes chuckle a little. Raise an eyebrow in fact even. "Do you have one of those super cool Bankai? If you do, would I be able to see it?" Celes kept moving forward while shaking her head. She spoke calmly, yet firmly. "I'm afraid you are out of luck, little one. I am nowhere near where I need to be to achieve Bankai. I unlocked my Shikai just recently, but one day...I will have Bankai!" She bellowed this last one victoriously. It was in her nature to be optimistic. 

The older Shinigami would continue onward as Camila had continued with another question. "So, where are we headed?" The blonde-haired beauty just chuckled once more. "We are going to the Training Grounds. After all...it is the spot where all great warriors are born. Think about it this way. A black belt is a white belt who never gave up." Celes offered the girl a smile afterwards to reassure her that she could get where she needed to. It just took persistence or as a wise man once said, "Pushups, sit-ups and plenty of juice".

As they would arrive towards the Training Grounds, Celes noted the posts were still standing up to practice sword drills and other basics of hand-to-hand combat. As she was about to walk around, she noticed a black figure flying up to her. Celes had rarely seen one of these, but knew it only as a Jigokuchō. The butterfly like critter landed on Celes' finger and communicated to her a message before flying off. Celes was admittedly a little astounded and turned to Camila who was most likely seeing this.

Celes said with a little bit of disbelief. "That was interesting...I just received a promotion it seems...due to lack of Seated Officers, I was assigned the rank of 3rd Seat of Squad 11. Effectively immediately." If Camila had even the simplest sense, she could most likely tell that Celes was astounded. The Shinigami had worked hard and it was beginning to be recognized by a promotion. This fired up her soul even more. She was definitely in a sparring mood now as she smiled at Camila. She had to get her excitement out.

As the Shinigami kept staring at Camila, she cleared her throat and chuckled. "Well..don't let this discourage you. I am not necessarily your superior within your Squad so just treat me as regularly." Celes thought about what now and knew exactly what to do with the young Shinigami. "You mentioned not having a Zanpakutou, but I am sure you have an Asauchi don't you? The blade given out to all fresh Shinigami so they may imprint upon the blade to fashion a Zanpakutou?" Regardless of whether Celes had her suspicion confirmed or not is irrelevant. 

She chuckled. "Alternatively, we can use Bokken, but it will not have the same effect." Camila had apparently expressed interest in forming a Zanpakutou spirit. She felt that the best way to develop one was in times of need. Combat was one of the best ways in her opinion to imprint upon the Zanpakutou. "As such..I will be practicing a bit of Zanjutsu with you to see where you stand." That being said, Camila would see the elder Shinigami unsheathe one Zanpakutou and hold it in both hands. "Soul Reaper Basics 101: Zanjutsu, the art of the Zanpakutou." Celes would stand, waiting for Camila.

[Deleted]

"Due to lack of Seated Officers, I was assigned the rank of 3rd Seat of Squad 11. Effectively immediately." Camila couldn't believe her ears from this statement. Aside from her very, very brief interactions with her squad captain, she never expected to meet someone of such a high position so quickly! Her face began to show just how ecstatic she was about the whole situation, and did absolutely nothing to even begin to attempt to hide it. "That's amazing!" She exclaimed.

If someone she just met was able to reach a super high rank like 3rd seat like that, then she'd have to try incredibly hard to do so, right? She'd need to push to the absolute limits of what she'd be capable of right now, but it was doable... right? Surely it was. At the very least, hopefully she'd be able to manifest a Zanpakuto spirit today. She was quite literally ready to stop at absolutely nothing until her goals for the day were accomplished, and she felt somewhat confident that she could at least try to rope Celes into it.

"You mentioned not having a Zanpakutou, but I am sure you have an Asauchi don't you? The blade given out to all fresh Shinigami so they may imprint upon the blade to fashion a Zanpakutou?" To this question, Celes simply nodded. She did indeed have an Asauchi - currently sheathed on her hip - but she wasn't very skilled with it. She was still new to this whole "swordsman" thing. Though, she's used swords plenty of times in video games, how hard could it have been to wield her own personal Ashbringer?

"Sure do!" She cheered, unsheathing her blade and holding it out in front of her in a somewhat crude stance, "I'm not very good with it though. I'd prefer to use something like a broadsword, but I guess this'll have to do for now!" She couldn't help but keep a smile on her face over the fact that she might've been about to fight the girl she just met. After all, what better way to get to know someone than to fight with them in an exhibition match?

 "Soul Reaper Basics 101: Zanjutsu, the art of the Zanpakutou." Zanjutsu. Words she grew too familiar to solely for her barely passing marks on the subject in the Academy. When push came to shove, she was never very adept with a sword in her hand. That much likely wasn't going to change anytime soon, though one could certainly hope. She definitely did, especially about to lock herself in combat with a third seat! She took a deep breath, and focused on her combat partner in front of her.

[Celes Castellanos]

Swordfighting was something that Celes placed alot of faith in. She used to use Kido as a way to even the battlefield, but straying away from that, the Shinigami realized a good sword hand can even out an encounter just as well. That is what Celes did. She trained where she could, realizing that if she could become proficient and eventually master Zanjutsu, she could atleast go toe to toe with any opponent. After all, Celes was a warrior. Warriors lived to do combat, to die for what they believed in.

As Celes had asked about the Asauchi, it seemed that Camila nodded and promply took it in hand. "I'm not very good with it though. I'd prefer to use something like a broadsword, but I guess this'll have to do for now!" Celes chuckled and relaxed her stance slightly. Years of hardening and learning taught her what it meant to use the blade. It was an extension of her arm. She kept her mental checklist. Feet on train tracks, relaxed and even, steady yet firm. These were characteristics of what it meant to be a good swordfighter. 

That aside, it seemed that Camila was focused. This was good. It was focus that would give her the ability to see oppurtunities. Admittedly Celes had subpar spiritual pressure especially after her training. It used to be one of her key defining features, yet now she could match some of the best in terms of strength. She was incredibly durable and a force on the battlefield. Tenancity is what carried her forward. For now, though, she would put that side. After all, she was fighting one of her own. She needed to hold back. 

With that being said, Celes sped towards her sparring partner with a modest speed of 50. Fast enough to maybe appear threatening, but slow enough to appear like a leisurely jog to others. The Shinigami would close in and bring her blade down against Camila. If the two would clash, Celes would be holding her strength wayyyyy back. In the case of them clashing, Celes would find that she would still almost pushing Camilla feet into the ground if she did not ease up and so used strength slightly above the other Shinigami. Didn't wanna scare her off after all.

If Celes clashed, however, she would then grin and ease up her assault as she would use impressive footwork to spin around in a counterclockwise manner at a speed of 100, a good margin faster than her initial strike. Once again, she would tune her strength down quite significantly. After this flowing movement, the Shinigami found herself continuing the spin and if Camilla would not react in time, she would feel a blade slowly scrape the flesh in her side. Atleast this would be with most people like Celes. 

If Celes hit this second strike, Celes would feel her blade not only not slash Camila, but she would additionally feel a minor laceration on her hand. The skin just suddenly ripped open. Celes having become accustomed to pain would not flinch, but if this is how the scenario turned out, she would quickly jump backwards and look at her hand as she knelt at the ground. It would seem that this Shinigami had rather abnormal spiritual pressure for her ability. Celes chuckled and would gain a rush. A thrill of wanting to keep fighting her.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}Strength- 300 x 1.75 = 525
Speed - 75 x 1.75 = 131
Spiritual Pressure - 200 x 0.5 = 100
Reiatsu Strength - 50 x 0.5 = 25
Light Aura- 90
Dark Aura - 10
Instinct - 50
Senses - 50
Energy Sensory - 25
Healing Expertise - 0

Total SP: [750]

Strength of Will: 2

Pain Tolerance: 2

Damage Recovery: 1

Analysis: 2

Martial Arts: Hakuda: 2

Battle Analysis: 2

Lack of Fear: 2

Heat Tolerance: 2

[Deleted]

Seeing Celes move toward her with the fair speed that she was, Camila readied herself for impact. There was absolutely no way that this girl was going to go full-strength against her, right? She seemed way too nice for even the possibility of that happening. That being said, though, Camila could probably still go all-out, and there'd be very little repercussions to it. After all, she was far weaker than the third seat before her. Even then, though, she still wanted to be able to feel what Celes could do at full strength, and would definitely press to see it.

Camila managed to block the first swing, as it wasn't that fast and she was ready for it, moving her blade in order to force Celes' Zanpakuto off of it. She was ready for this fight, even if there were some weak points Camila had, some of which about to show themselves. Truth be told, especially at a time this far along the training she'd need to go through over the next few years, she was far from perfect, and needed a lot of practice. She really did have quite a few flaws in her fighting. For one, she was nowhere near ready to see Celes' second attack coming for her. 

Far from being unable to do anything against the second swing, Camila took it head-on. Sure, it stung like a bitch, but it wasn't anything she couldn't deal with, right? After all, she'd taken numerous hits from Albin before that sure enough felt real, what was this slash going to really do? Though, the slash at her did come with a rather interesting effect not on her part, but on Celes' part; both of them were about to have their first experiences with a nasty little effect called cutback.

Upon seeing Celes jump back, Camila took this time to focus all of her energy. She wanted the shinigami to be able to come close to using her full strength. She felt bad having to limit the shinigami in the way that she was, after all. As such, she took a deep breath, and began to force her fairly strong reiatsu around her blade. It took a few seconds of concentration, but after a bit, she was able to hold it there fairly easily. She smiled at what she had accomplished.

"Miss Celes, are you alright over there?" She exhaled, holding her reiatsu to her blade, "I don't believe I even made contact with you, what happened?" She dared not approach in case it was some kind of ploy, so she sighed and continued to hold her blade up. "Whatever happened, use it to fuel you! Please, go all out here, in terms of force! I want to see what you can do, minus the drastic difference in how fast you can swing your blade; that I don't particularly care for!" She laughed, now ready to fight her fellow shinigami head on.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cami's Stats}

Type: Fractured


Cami's Stats


Strength: 38 (28 after type changes)

Speed: 20 (27 after type changes)

Spiritual Pressure: 205 (307 after type changes)

Reiatsu Strength: 115 (81 after type changes)

Light Aura: 80

Dark Aura: 20

Instinct: 40

Senses: 40

Energy Sensory: 0

Healing Expertise: 0


-------------------
Albin's Stats


Strength: 38 (29 after type)

Speed: 51 (69 after type)

Spiritual Pressure: N/A (153 after type)

Reiatsu Strength: 37 (25 after type)

Light Aura: 20

Dark Aura: 80

Senses: 20

Instinct: 20

Energy Sensory: 0

Healing Expertise: 0


------------------
Skills


Weapons - European Swords: 1

Charisma: 1

Mental Incantations: 1

Strength of Will: 1

Pain Tolerance: 1

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Costs}
Dropping 257 Spiritual Pressure into RS, new values below.
Spiritual Pressure: 50
Reiatsu Strength: 338

Reiatsu Pool: 500/500

[Celes Castellanos]

As Celes knelt on the ground, she actually had some time to look at her hand. The hand itself had very minor lacerations. She had become used to little cuts like that and as such she did not really bother too look at it in the middle of combat. Celes chuckled a little as she thought about what this could be. She had never really encountered it before, but this would be the Shinigami's first experience with cutback. Celes knew her Spiritual Pressure was lower than most, but not like this. SHe was wondering what was up with this girl.

Celes listened to the girl as Camila took her out of her thoughts. "Whatever happened, use it to fuel you! Please, go all out here, in terms of force! I want to see what you can do, minus the drastic difference in how fast you can swing your blade; that I don't particularly care for!" The Shinigami was beginning to like this girl. She had the will that Celes was looking for in every warrior. The one that burnt to see what your opponent was capable of. Celes grinned as her hand was still dripping with a little bit of blood, but the Shinigami stood up.

She sighed and tilted her head as she also felt something different about the blade. It was odd since Celes simply had rather poor senses when it came to energy. As such, the girl just shook her head and passed it off as an afterthought. That being said, the warrior relaxed her stance once more as Camila would see the Shinigami pull another blade. Celes grinned. "My Zanpakutou is actually a set of twin blades. Prepare yourself Camila. Here I come." A burning fire roared in Celes' eyes. She was absolutely excited for all of this.

Right after her little statement, the Shinigami would simply dash at Camila. This was at an impressive speed of 130. One of her blades would strike much similar to the very first strike Celes initiated in this engagement. It was an overheard strike and Celes was still holding back a little, but striking with an overall force of 450. If the Shinigami blocked the first strike, she would see Celes grin as the elder Shinigami raised her foot and kicked Camila in the stomach with a strength of 500, presumably knocking her back a good bit back again.

If this was the case and Camila stood on her feet, Celes would maintain her relentless assault, but she perform something more akin to a leaping strike. The difference is that midair, the Shinigami switched her off-hand to more that of a Zatoichi style grip. She would then proceed to spin and in something akin to a whirlwind of steel would then slam her blades against the other Shinigami with an overall force of 525. She would potentially have time to block it, but she needed to be quick. This was her way of returning the favor. Camila wanted her best, then she would get it.

Celes was a relentless attacker. To her, effectiveness in battle came from using every aspect of her being to her disposal. She would use her speed, two Zanpakutou and aerial movement to absolutely lay into her opponent. This would be a test for Camila. If she could block the first strike and retaliate in time. Alternatively, she could block the first strike and continue defending against the bombardment until she saw an opening. Celes would make this easy on her and this was all before Celes even thought about using her Shikai on this girl.

[Deleted]

When she said she wanted the shinigami's best, this was exactly what she meant! She was more than ready for the girl to attack her, and watching her on the ground gave her more than enough time to prepare for her attacks. She didn't like to allow herself to be caught off-guard, and she wasn't going to be caught like that. She needed to make these next few moments count; she needed to make sure she'd have a reasonable path to counterattack, should she need one.

As Celes rushed toward her, Camila did what she could to turn her stance into something she could use to protect herself. Needing to turn her blade very minimally, Camila managed to parry the overhead slash attempt from the superior shinigami. She was taken back by the woman's strength, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle for the time being. Sure, it'd get overwhelming later on, but for now, she'd have to put up with it. The force from the clashing of blades, however, did send her a step back.

Thankfully, while Celes was going in for the kick, Camila was recovering her balance and preparing for another block attempt. That hit from Celes was... strong, to say the least. She needed to step up her game, but wasn't sure how to do so. Only time would tell of a reasonable plan of action. She needed to find a way to overpower Celes, who was already much quicker and a fair deal stronger than her. But what to do? Upon catching her balance, Cami managed to come up with a plan of action.

Upon seeing Celes take to the air, Camila saw it as a perfect chance to strike. She took to a form lower to the ground, and when she spotted an opening below the shinigami, preferrably when she was at peak height in the air, began a vertical slash, in an attempt to not only aim for a strike against the shinigami, but to also try to stop her spinning. An attack like that would be absolutely devastating to deal with, and she was in no rush to attempt to take it head on. 

She continued with her "slide" along the ground, and stood up as soon as she was on the other side of Celes, and took a deep breath. She continued to hold it, entering another defensive stance. She seemed to enter a state of concentration whenever she held her breath, and here would be no different. She watched Celes, now hopefully reaching the ground, and went for a strong slash against her back, should she see the opening to do so.

If there was no opening for an attack, Camila would simply back off, giving both of them a chance for mid-combat recovery should they need it. She knew she certainly did, after that. She needed a moment to catch her breath for certain. This girl certainly was one hell of a fighter, and kept Camila on her toes. She knew for a fact that this whole parrying thing wasn't going to work forever. If she wanted a chance for victory, she'd need to think hard, and take breaks mid-combat frequently. If she didn't have those opportunities, then this fight was as good as over.

[Celes Castellanos]

As Celes was spinning in the air, careening towards the other Shinigami it seemed as though she would try to block it again. Of course Celes knew this was most likely the worst of her options. Her guard was suddenly stronger without a doubt, but overall, she had a number of effective options most of which included dodging. As Celes saw the girl running towards her, a smirk ended up popping up on Celes' lips. The girl seemed to have atleast somewhat of a combat sense.

As Celes noted, she watched the girl assume a low stance and with atleast decent speed slide under Celes and strike at her with a vertical slash. One thing was for sure, Celes was getting slashed as aerial combat was not her biggest forte and it left her open. Celes felt the slash go across her lower abdomen and side due to the ways he was spinning. Granted, Celes' immense strength gave her a kind of superhuman durability, but not quite yet against bladed weapons. As such, it would hurt like a bitch, but her ability to tolerate pain helped her albeit she did flinch.

Of course now when she landed, the girl landed on her feet and quickly used the momentum to spin around so she may be facing her opponent giving the other girl not too much of an opening as she immediately placed her hand on the wound and sighed. This would take a bit to heal, but atleast Celes felt for the most part, pretty okay. Ultimately, the Shinigami felt that she may have to change her plan of attack. She of course did not want to take this duel too far, but this Shinigami was becoming better as time went on. Maybe she could even play around with her Shikai.

Celes kept her stance ready, but smirked. "Better than I expected. You seem to have a keen battle sense despite your being a novice. I won't lie to you, that slash got me good." Celes chuckled a little and raised her Zanpakutou at the Shinigami. "Prepare yourself. Don't let your senses or instincts waver and betray you." Celes would suddenly disappear in a blur. The foundation of all movement for Shinigami is what carried Celes at a speed of 1300 straight towards Camila. 

Camila would most likely be able to hear a chuckle as the Shinigami appeared right behind her and Celes did strike. She struck with a strength of 300, but this time she would hit the other Shinigami with the hilt and was aiming right at her temple. If this hit, it would throw Camila into a daze, one unlike any other she may have felt. If this did work, Celes would place her other Zanpakutou a few inches before the neck of Camila. Celes would smile which naturally would not be visible to Camila. She would then speak softly. "If I were you. I would act now. Other enemies may not show you the same mercy..." This was a hint to Camila for her to do something. Not that Celes would kill her, but Camila may not know that.

If she dodged or did anything to avoid the hit to the temple, Celes would giggle in a thrill. If a retaliation was involved, Celes would do her best to block it or dodge. That being said, Celes was enjoying herself so much. Even against someone weaker than her, the immense spiritual pressure able to build and seemingly transfer into her blade was incredible. With a little bit of grooming, this Shinigami could become a force to be reckoned with. Now Celes was just wondering how she would respond.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}
-50 Shunpo
Reiatsu Total: 1450/1500

 

[Deleted]

Completely caught off guard from the shingami's excessive speed, Camila took the hit to her temple head on. Almost immediately, she hit the ground. The world was spinning, both from the hit, and her head coming crashing against the cold floor. She tried to stand up immediately after, and could, but the world around here was swirling a million miles a minute. She couldn't focus, and ended up with a splitting headache because of it. She immediately went to grip at the side of her head, and forced her eyes shut.

She hadn't noticed the blade just inches from her neck at this point, as she was still looking to recover from the blow to her head. She took a step back, and opened her eyes once again. She needed to see if she could continue fighting. She needed to continue trying to fight. She couldn't let an attack like this cause her to waver when she could very well experience significantly worse somewhere down the line. She needed to be able to power through it, and she'd be damned if she didn't try to do so.

Even despite her lack of stable sight, Camila rushed in on Celes, and feigned an overhead swing. Upon slashing downward, she quickly hooked her weapon to the right, and went in for a horizontal slash instead. Her only hope of winning this exchange was through cheap tactics; normally, she would not have attempted a feign like this, as she frowned upon the ability to do so, but at the same time, it was the only real tactic she could utilize without it being for naught. She wasn't going to back down, no matter the cost. No matter how much damage she'd have to endure, she'd fight until the bitter end.

[Celes Castellanos]

Celes was impressed with the way that this Shinigami was contending with the oppressive tactics that Celes was using. She was barely letting up and not giving her any breathing room. One could say she was preparing the Shinigami for the real world. One where none would show her even a shred of mercy. Of course Celes was going to show her mercy if she asked for it. She just needed to display it though like she was being serious. Overall, Celes was rather friendly, but the field of battle hardened her. She needed to be.

Yet it seemed that Camila still had a trick up her sleeve. Celes felt the Shinigami back up almost into her as she felt dazed. Yet despite this, Camila still performed what simply appeared to be a blind strike. The Shinigami admittedly was rather impressed with this display. It was almost like a herculean switch that flipped in the girls' head. It appeared that she was going for an overhead strike. It was something that Celes like she could handle well as her positioning did not make it auspicious.

It seems arrogance really does destroy the foothold of victory. Or atleast Celes thought that it was said so in hindsight. Seems that Camila wanted to be cheeky and instead of continuing that strike, the Shinigami on the floor abruptly hooked it around and went for a vertical slash. Caught off guard with no real ability to block it due to lack of preparedness. Not having enough time to move her blade in the way, Celes suddenly disappeared again and showed up about 10 ft away.

Celes was more than ecstatic. She was having the time of her life. And there is one thing she was beginning to pick up on. The Shinigami really had shifted her spiritual pressure into the blade as there was no longer none of that nasty cutback. Celes rose to her feet as the Shunpo left her on her knee from rushing into it. The Shinigami chuckled and cracked her neck. She relaxed her stance as it appeared that at this distance, it would be telling if Camila tried anything. Celes could not help, but smile wildly.

She spoke calmly yet joyfully. "I have to admit. You are getting better as we go into this. I'm sincerely impressed. Then again, my reaction speeds have never been the greatest so I may not be the best judge of how effective your strikes are. One thing is for sure you. The sharpness of your blade is no joke and I can cut you. I assume you put some of your spiritual ability into that blade didn't you?" Celes smiled as she thought she could have a moment to relax. This would not last forever though.

The Shinigami once again raised her guard and her twin blades as her chuckle became a little..darker. "Now then. Let's kick this up a notch as it seems you have some fight left in you." Celes simply knelt as she stuck her blade into the dirt ground. Camila may be confused by what was going on, but it was going to become clear soon. If the Shinigami had any sense of energy sensory, she would feel the reiatsu of Celes flare and contort as if it were becoming concentrated within the blade.

Unlike her opponent, Celes was not moving her pressure into the blade itself. Celes softly spoke. "By blood may my spear earn its name. By Aries, may my shield carry my broken body home. Name me the Goddess of War..." Celes looked up at Camila and winked a little. This would be a tough few minutes most likely for the fledgling Shinigami, but Celes would naturally hold back. It was not in her nature to kill without reason. Besides, this was one of her cohort. Yet after this cheeky wink, Celes finished. "Yunorashi."

As she said her Zanpakutou's name, the two blades would change. Camila would see the blade stuck in the ground elongate as the actually blade itself became shorter, but the tsuka became longer. The katana now appeared to be a 5 ft. long spear. In Celes other hand, the blade formed into a circular 2'6" shield that appeared around her wrist and forearm. The Shinigami now wielded weapons befit of a Spartan warrior as she rose and held one hand on the staff and kicked it, flipping it out of the ground and bringing the spear to look up at the sky. Celes would give the Shinigami a moment to steel herself.

Shikai: 1/10

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}-50 Shunpo
-200 Shikai
Total Reiatsu: 700/1000

[Deleted]

Upon coming to her senses after that nasty attack, Camila began to watch Celes as she crouched down, and focused her reiatsu into her blade. She appreciated the words that the elder shinigami had said, but she decided not to comment on them for the time being, as Celes seemed to be focusing. It'd be dishonorable to prevent her opponent from fighting at full strength, so she wasn't even going to attempt to interrupt whatever it was that was going on. By the feeling of her flared reiatsu, though, Camila could tell something was about to happen. 

"By blood may my spear earn its name. By Aries, may my shield carry my broken body home. Name me the Goddess of War..." These words made Camila go wide-eyed. She had learned about Shikai and Bankai chants in the academy, and she had one hell of a suspicion that this is exactly what that was going to be. She couldn't help but smile wide, her mouth agape with excitement. She was actually going to be able to see a Shikai! She was practically bouncing with excitement, though not literally due to the minor beating she had taken.

Upon listening to the finishing of the Celes' chant, Camila couldn't help herself. "YOU GO, CELES!" She shouted as loud as she could, still unable to control herself. She felt honored that the woman needed to use her Shikai on her, even if that might've not been the case. She was suspicious as to whether or not it was a necessity, and more or less a want. Even then, though! It was certainly an interesting thought to entertain, that she was strong enough to require Celes to pull out all the stops like this.

As soon as she saw Celes' new weapons, she thought to herself; I'm fucked, aren't I? Welp. She knew she wasn't going to stand a chance against Celes, so she needed to mentally prepare for what was to come. An all-out offensive was absolutely needed here, and she couldn't hold herself back. As such, she pointed the tip of her sword toward the Shikai-bound shinigami, and smiled. "Don't worry, Celes," she began to say, "I'm far from down to the count. I'll be fighting 'til the bitter end. I expect you to do the same."

She began to focus an amount of reiatsu into the tip of her spear; moreso than the sword itself normally had. She dragged her finger along the blunt edge of the blade, and effectively "scooped" up a portion of the focused reiatsu from the tip of the blade. With this reiatsu focused in her index and middle finger, she charged the shinigami before her, a strategy in her mind that she could hopefully use in an attempt to overpower the woman in Shikai. It likely wasn't going to work, but it didn't hurt to try.

She pulled her blade back behind her as though she was going for a one-handed swing, and began to run. She pulled her arm back - the one currently holding her Asauchi - and as she got closer to Celes, she swung her arm forward at the highest possible speed she could manage, and- nothing. Before Celes could tell, she was gone. Through the clever use of a Shunpo, Camila had appeared behind the shinigami, and pressed her two fingers against her back.

"Hado #4: Byakurai."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Costs}
-50 for Shunpo
-25 for Byakurai

425/500 Reiatsu total