Even Devils Cry [ Joint Training / R ]

[✱Paiva "Amalia" Vollbrecht✱]

"It just looks like you can't read. The squinting and strain in your face seems uncharacteristic of the awe one might feel while holding a family heirloom in their hands." She noted before directing her attention elsewhere. Amalia looked around for a place to sit, but couldn't deny the layers of dust and filth. She pulled a cloth cover from a nearby display case and began wiping the seat and back of the chair. Her eyes wandered the room as if to find a surface to lay the dirtied cloth. With a shrug and a dismissive expression, Amalia tossed the cloth on a nearby table. 

The the large wooden chair creaked from age as Amalia leaned back. She slid her fingers down the spine of a book before sliding back the front cover. "Ah, a section on specialized runes." She eagerly flipped the pages as a cool smile crossed her lips. She didn't bother paying any attention to Alexander as he scurried from the room like an animal that had smelled the faint aroma of food. Amalia continued to quietly read the book, nodding her head as she glossed over images and familiar text. 

Boom! Amalia glanced from her periphery, allowing for only a momentary interruption. She flipped the page, resulting in an audible reaction. "Ohh. That's interesting. I didn't know those signs could be merged. Intriguing method." Boom! Amalia scoffed as she raised her head to examine the source of the noise. She was notably irritated by the distraction, but felt no impulse to intervene. "I'm sure he's got it covered." She said casually as she looked down at her book and rooted herself in the chair. Boom! She glanced at the ceiling before shrugging off the noise. "If he needed me he wouldn't have just run off. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

Amalia rolled her eyes as he lifted herself off the chair. She stubbornly tossed the book onto the table and made her way up my stairs. "This is becoming more trouble than it's worth. I shouldn't be indulging this silly conflict he has with demons." Oy. Where’s the woman you brought with you? "Looking for me?" She asked with her arms raised and off to her side as if she were presenting herself on a game show. An arrogant smile tugged at her lips while her hips swung from side-to-side.

Amalia's confidence and grace was a defining characteristic. Even in the company of Hell spawn she was cool and at ease, though it wasn't entirely without purpose. With lashes flapping like a bird's wings, Amalia's eyes scaled her opponents. She wasn't impressed. Then again nothing they could do would likely impress her. To her, they were nothing but trash life discarded to hell. "Ah, more hell garbage. Great..." She said with blunted emotion. Wyld leered at her as he bore his teeth with a smile. "Ah, the woman. Mmmm...I like what I see." He said just before his tongue flopped out of his mouth and over his bottom lip. 

It was subtle, but the faint sign of amusement passed over Amalia's face. While she viewed their guests as paltry souls of no worth, she did find their display of arrogant entertaining. It was moments like these where she was able to truly appreciate her position and authority. She knew at the end of the day she'd be returning to the Silbern and would resume her duties as a high-ranking member of the Vandenreich. For them, this was likely as good as it gets. A couple wisecracks and a few attempts at sinister wit all they had for by the end of this they'd be dead. That or slithering back to their hole in full retreat. 

Amalia looked over at Alexander, her gaze demanding his attention. "Why is it no matter where we go I am forced to look at your disgusting fixation?" Amalia gestured to the others casually as her berated them, paying them no mind. "If I had known opening this vault was going to result in the collection of vermin outside said vault I would have brought others." Phantom rubbed his head in confusion as Wyld snarled. The woman narrowed her eyes, feeling nothing but contempt for Amalia's unkind words. "You stupid bi..." Before Wyld could finish his sentence Amalia casually fired a 1600 speed explosive arrow  with a flick of her wrist. The arrow would explode upon contact, the area of effect big enough to concern the others. "Vermin should never deign to speak over someone of my standing. Your family didn't properly teach these demons a lesson. Creatures of hell have no place speaking directly to a godly emissary." 

[Deleted]

As her gaze demanded, Alexander turned his attention to the crimson haired beauty standing beside him. Despite her words sounding as though she was frustrated with the turn of events Alexander couldn’t help but notice the slightest sense of entertainment coming from Amalia. The hot aired Quincy smirked, shrugging with his shoulders and holding his hands out with palms towards the sky, as he responded with, ”What can I say? I’m a magnet for excitement. Also, fixation? You honestly shouldn’t be surprised this happened, my lady. Just another day on the job for me.” Well, it was kind of surprising. Alexander didn’t think that his archnemesis would have planted agents in hopes of retrieving the contents of his family vault. ”You’d have brought others?” Alex asked with a laugh. ”And who might that have been? The Hour?” Alex joked, knowing full well what that name would do to her.

Turning his attention back to the gang of demons, the Quincies smirk never left his features. ”Besides, if it’s numbers you want I can more than provide..” he said with a soft voice that oozed with all the confidence of the world. Despite the odds against them, Alexander did not falter nor did he ever once believe that defeat of any kind was possible. And, believe it or not, this was not because Amalia was standing beside him. Amalia was a trump card. No, Amalia was the equivalent of flipping the entire table and pointing a gun at and shooting the other player. Alexander’s confidence was like that of a sport’s team playing the game of their life in their home state. Reputation, legacy, life, knowledge and power, all of this and more was riding on this fight. While many people might panic with all those things weighing down on them Alex was instead reviling in it. With stakes as high as they were, it was sure to make the game even more fun.

Of course such feelings were not mutually shared by their enemies. When the demon named Wyld had started to open his mouth to say something, Amalia made the first move and fired a high speed arrow with the ease of a yawn. While this undoubtedly caught the demons by surprise, what managed to also be surprising was the fact that the four unique demons managed to escape completely unscathed. The two Saika, woman and child, simply vanished with a Step Technique. Both had detected and had reacted to the arrow without any risk of harm. But the thing that caught Alexander’s attention was the fact that Wyld, despite having been mid sentence, had managed to block the arrow. Not entirely, nor perfectly, but as the projectile neared him he had simply reached out and grabbed the arrow. Naturally, it exploded. The explosion was massive enough that the nearby lower Hason had been wiped out. Even the tub of lard called Phantom was sent flying through the air.

But when the dust settled, Wyld was still standing. Albeit… changed. The hand he had grabbed the arrow with was no longer the same hand. That needed a better explanation. The human hand that he had grabbed the arrow with was gone, and instead was replaced with a monstrous brownish leather like skin colored hand. From a inch or so from his wrist, an oversized arm was reaching out from the normal sized human arm like toothpaste from the container. Skin Steal.. Alexander thought to himself, recognizing the technique. ”They’re wearing human skins to hide their true appearances.” Alexander quietly explained, though Amalia would no doubt have understood what was going on upon seeing it.

Wyld, his eyes hidden by his hair and the shadows, smirked wildly as his lips peeled back to reveal his teeth. ”I hope you’ve got more kick in you than that, sweetpea.” the demon snarked, lifting his head so his red eyes could catch the light. Opening his palm back up to look at the seared and torn flesh of his hand, Wyld made a “tch” sound as he shook the pain off. The Butterfly Saika simply watched the two Quincies, before drawing her attention to the quivering mass at her feet. ”I-I don’t want to fig-fight her! She-She’s so strong! I’m scared I’m scared I don’t want to die I don’t want to die..” he rambled and muttered. The female Saika made a cooing sound, bending down to pet Kaneki on the head. ”There there my little sweet. Everything will be fine. You just need to pull their insides outside.” the Sinner said sweetly, though it was obvious that her words had no effect on the young Sinner.

And, like the drop of a hat, the woman’s demeanor changed. ”Get up you worthless little shit!” she screamed before slamming her healed foot directly into the kids face, causing him to yell out in pain. ”I am so sick and tired of listening to your simpering and crying! Lord Diavolo chose you for this task and you will NOT make me look bad! I will pull your fingernails off! I will peel your skin from head to foot and make you eat it! I’ll reduce you to nothing but dust and do it all again when you regenerate! Get! Up! You! Fucker!” she screamed as she beat the child senselessly before grabbing him his hair and dragging him to his feet.


”Quite the circus..” Alexander commented, watching the spectacle before refocusing his attention on the kid. Something wasn’t right about him. In fact, as Alexander looked, he quickly came to realize that Kaneki wasn’t actually even hurt. Sure he was acting as though he was with the cries and begging but there wasn’t even a single smudge or bruise on him. This caused him to narrow his eyes a little. These demons might actually be tougher than they were letting on. When the Butterfly Saika let go out of Kaneki’s hair, the kid stumbled forward a little while crying into his hands. That’s when his back started to squirm beneath, what Alex thought, was the skintight black suit he was wearing. Suddenly the fabric tore apart as four, twelve foot long, muscle like tendrils sprouted clear from his back. In the next instant, the Saika was gone. Alex then realized that the Saika was in his space, in front of him, crouched down, and the tendrils were already in motion to strike. Fast! Alex realized, only starting to move right when the tendrils struck him.

It was like being hit by a truck. Four, in fact. He was hit with such speed and force he was knocked clear off his feet and fired through the air like a bullet. Kaneki wasted no time going after him, screaming like a banshee as he did so and completely ignoring Amalia’s presence. The force from his leap caused the ground to shudder and crack, betraying the hidden strength that Kaneki possessed. ”Oh, and there they go. I’d best follow after them. Dear little Kaneki can get oh so worked up.” she said softly as her body began to break apart into hundreds of small black butterflies. Flying in a stream, the butterflies ascended into the air and followed after the Quincy and Saika’s battle into the forest. Peculiarly, each butterfly had a purple pattern on its wings and also seemed to be generated purple electricity between one another. This left Amalia, alone, and with Wyld and Phantom. ”Basket cases.” Wyld commented once the other two were gone. Lowering his gaze back down to Amalia, the Hason grinned. ”And now I’ve got you all to myself.” he chuckled, beginning to take a step towards her.

”I’ve been wondering what part of you I’m gonna fill up first. Your mouth? Your cunt? Maybe even your asshole. Or, hell, all of them. Or, fuck it, maybe even your skull. Or I’ll just make a new hole and fuck that one till you’re cold as stone. So many choices but so little time. We’d better get started.” Wyld was practically drooling all over himself, but he stopped when a new commotion interrupted what was going on. ”Red! Red red red red red! Red red red red red!!” Phantom was suddenly screaming, thrashing around on the ground where he had landed after Amalia’s arrow exploded. Wyld blinked, confused, watching his comrade thrash about like a tard having a meltdown. ”Red red red red! Red red red red!” He kept screaming the word red over and over. ”The fuck is wrong with you, Phantom?” Wyld shouted, frustrated.

As though hearing Wyld’s voice brought him back to his senses, Phantom lay still and unmoving for several moments. Suddenly his body convulsed and what seemed to be multiple “things” thrashed wildly underneath his body. Finally before long, Phantom’s skin tore itself apart as several long, glowing red, insectoid limbs emerged from within his body. It should have been impossible for a monster of such size to fit inside that human body. One by one, until all six legs were out, Phantom pulled his true form from the skin suit. The demon was massive. Far larger than any of the others. In fact, his head was as large as his human body. When he finally emerged Amalia could see what he was. A demon shaped like a spider but with a body made entirely out of both hardened and liquid lava.

As the demon turned, one step at a time, towards Amalia it became clear he wasn’t truly a spider. Firstly, six legs. But while he possessed a spider's eyes, his mouth was more like that of a beast rowed with hardened magma for teeth. He also possessed two, smaller, limbs that ended in pincers. ”Phantom what the fuck are you doi-” Wyld started to yell before Phantom roared, releasing a wave of lip peeling heat as he did so, before he charged towards Amalia like a freight train. Every step he took caused the ground beneath his legs to melt. The path he traveled over was caught on fire. It was obvious that he was more than just made up from lava, he had the heat of it as well. Did Amalia want to test her Blut against pure lava?

Meanwhile..

It was only thanks to Blut that every organ inside his body, along with his bones, hadn’t been turned into a fine paste after that blow. Granted, it still hurt like hell. Alongside the number of trees that he had been slammed through. But with his feet finally back on solid ground, Alexander could return the favor to that little brat. Wiping his mouth of some blood, Alexander raised his head up to see if he couldn’t catch sight of the Sa-oh there he was. Right on top of him. Already. Again. The child had reared himself back, those tendrils reared back as well, as he prepared to gouge Alexander yet again. Not this time. With the reflexes of a cat Alexander unleashed his Firing Property and let loose a number of arrows from the ground around his feet. Catching Kaneki by surprise, the arrows sudden appearance threw him off balance as he tried his best to avoid them.

Alexander rushed to his feet, leaping into the air to deliver a jumping kick right into Kaneki’s face. With Alex’s strength it wasn’t intended to actually hurt, but to finish the act of knocking him over. It was successful too. Using a Hirenkyaku, Alexander reappeared in the air overhead. He needed some distance from the little shit. The Quincy cross in his hand illuminated before forming a traditional Quincy bow. Pulling back a reishi arrow, Alexander lined up his sight and fired. His one arrow split into five and the numerous beams of light swooped down like missiles into the forest below. Detonating on impact, the forest lit up with the flames of the explosions. But Alex didn’t stop. Because almost a moment later, his eyes widened and he turned to look behind him. Kaneki was behind him, screeching like an animal and descending down towards him with his four tendrils grouped together into one. Ah shit! Alex thought to himself just before that massive noodle slapped him, sending him crashing down into the forest at what felt like terminal velocity.

Thank the Emperor for Blut. It was the only reason Alex was still alive. Wincing, the demon hunter struggled a little to pull himself out of the hole in the ground he was now in. ”Berserkers… my worst matchup.” Alex said to himself, looking upwards to see Kaneki looking around for Alex in the dust and debris. The Quincy came to realize he couldn’t just rely on Blut fighting this thing. It would fail him at some point, especially since that second hit had been harder than the first. This Saika wasn’t sure how hard he had to hit Alex before he was hurt. And everytime he failed he was going to hit Alex even harder until, finally, his Blut broke. The hunter had to take him out before that happened. At least he didn't have to worry about Amalia calling out his illiteracy right now.

[✱Paiva "Amalia" Vollbrecht✱]

Amalia's expression cooled as she bared raised brows. So there's more... She thought while her eyes explored the demon clawing its way out of its fleshy suit. A faint curiosity rose to the surface as tendrils burst from its back. She turned her head slowly as the curiosity spread across her face. Her eyes narrowed and her gaze fixated on Phantom, a smile lightly tugging at the corners of her parted lips. It was subtle, but Amalia’s interest had been piqued. One could never be quite certain whether this aberrant interest stemmed from a drive for destruction and cruelty or utter madness.

What was certain was her blatant sense of superiority and confidence. They were radiating from her very person, captured in each expression and mannerism. The way she stood and held herself was very much intended to communicate to others the distance between them. A literal distance of existence. She, of course, believed herself superior and therefore far above any demon, even if they are able to wear humans like coats. After all, she wasn’t a regular human. She was the descendant of a god and therefore removed from the threats of a typical mortal frame.

But what to do about this hideous creature standing before her? It had become immediately apparent he was no pushover, otherwise he wouldn’t have so bravely embraced her arrow. Surely he must know it wasn’t her strongest. Even so, the outcome could not be ignored. Foolishness or bravery aside, he was proving to be formidable, or robust at the very least. Yes, what to do. How does one humiliate a creature whose very existence is already an embarrassment? Would such a creature even be fazed? Amalia wasn’t certain, but the need for a decision was becoming direr now that the creature had set its sights on her.

Phantom roared, a searing heat filling the air around him. Amalia could feel the heavy spiritual energy emanating from his body. It was strong, making the very air around him raise in temperature. “Ohhhh…” She said breathily with pronounced lips. “An elemental.” She added with a calm but incendiary tone. “And I’ve hurt his feelings and now he’s mad.” She lightly scoffed with a notable exhale, her expression mocking Phantom. Phantom then charged, each step sending noticeable vibrations across the ground. The heat he generated from his semi-solid body was of some concern as he left a trail of flames.

Upon charging, Amalia raised her hands as she looked onto the battlefield with a cold, yet seductive stare. Suddenly her Eiku materialized from reishi and into her right hand. She swung her weapon swiftly in a horizontal motion, prompting nearby reishi to begin hurtling toward her opponent at high speeds. Almost instantaneously, the clumsy particles glommed onto one another thereby creating a large, spherical body resembling a meteor. Phantom swiftly maneuvered around the pseudo celestial body by using his deceptively powerful legs to spring into the air. He quickly landed on a reishi platform and launched again in quick succession and managed to traverse the area to her right.

Amalia’s eyes beamed as her projectile grew in size, but was quick to notice her opponent’s gift for athleticism. Her eyes darted across the sky, easily following his movements. In a matter of seconds, he soared past her attack and into the air, before launching himself toward the ground. Amalia looked up just before using hirenkyaku to distance herself from the area of impact. His numerous legs slammed into the ground, creating a shockingly generous shockwave that rippled across the ground, uprooting the soil. As the impact reverberated in a neat, circular radius, Amalia could be seen appearing in the distance. She gracefully arched her feet and dug into the soil as she faced Phantom, her eiku boomeranging through the air before stabbing the soil beside her. Upon reappearing, before even coming to a stop, she outstretched her right hand and summoned an austere bow that was stitched from pure reishi. The thinly sutured bow fired five arrows in quick succession.

Phantom belched, his stomach inflating slightly just before he vomited magma from his mouth. Just as magma was reaching his lips two of the arrows pierced his body, lodging in his eye and neck. The magma gushed from his mouth like a fire hose. It quickly enveloped the three additional arrows, though the final arrow was an explosive. From within the molten body, the arrow exploded, splashing the lava all around. The density of the lava muffled the sound of the blast, all one could see was the lava quickly ballooning before there was a pop and it scattered.

Despite the final arrows explosive nature, it couldn’t fully stop the force of his attack. The wave of lava approached with great speed, forcing Amalia to quickly clutch the handle of her eiku. Gripping it with both hands, she swung the broad size of the eiku, creating not one but two meteors. Each of the meteors bathed in the lava, thwarting Phantom’s initial strategy. As the lava draped the meteors, Phantom quickly scurried to his left to avoid the impact. Amalia twirled the eiku, rested it on her shoulder, tilted her head, and smiled mockingly at Phantom. Phantom roared as the crackling orange drool oozed down his jaw, his spidery eyes moving around to focus on Amalia.

The eye pierced by the arrow abruptly popped out as molten lava pooled in the crevice and hardened. “A self-healing elemental. That’s a rarity, I’d say.” Amalia unexpectedly vanished before appearing to the side of Phantom. She glided by him as her eiku sliced into his side, prompting lava to spray from him as blood would. He quickly turned and fired a volley of semi-hardened projectiles. These sloshy grenades would deliver quite the punch, but also leave an opponent drenched in fiery fluids. Amalia slid across the ground before swatting one of the projectiles. While she successfully diverted the projectile, the impact caused the material to spring a leak. Droplets of lava landed on Amalia, prompting her to quickly discard her cloak.

She clutched her shoulder as her skin bubbled from the heat. She gritted her teeth just before loudly screaming. Amalia could feel the magma burning away her skin as it blistered. The pain pulsated across her shoulder, her eyes vibrating with violent energy as they yo-yoed between her wound and opponent. Amalia bolted into the air using hirenyaku, appearing directly above Phantom. In a flash she appeared and with great force heaved her eiku downward as if it were a javelin. Phantom’s tendrils stretched like rubber bands, twirling and swiveling around before seizing the eiku. They skillfully ensnared her eiku, but the force of the throw had been gravely underestimated, requiring Phantom to place additional energy toward halting its trajectory.

Phantom knew little of Amalia’s abilities, so he was ill-prepared for the true purpose for having thrown her weapon. Piecing her opponent would simply be an added bonus. The primary function was concealed by the weapon’s simple nature. The eiku would suddenly explode with considerable force, far greater than any of her previous arrows. Amalia’s smile maddening smile widened as the explosion engulfed his tendrils. Pieces of Phantom’s tendrils fell to the ground, leaving him with mere stumps. Lava pooled at the tips and hardened along with other parts of his back. Injuring him isn’t difficult, but his self-clotting mechanism will save him from potentially fatal injuries. I can’t quite tell whether he is vulnerable to such attacks. Dicing him into tiny pieces will have to be an option if not incinerating him altogether. She pondered carefully.

“All this commotion over him.” She said, gesturing to Alex. “If you just stayed where you belong none of this would be happening and I wouldn’t be out this expensive outfit.” Amalia calmly put her hands upon as if to stop Phantom from responding. She closed her eyes and sighed. “I get it. You’re angry. Hell is awful and you’re stuck there, but this world isn’t for you. He knows that, I know that, and you know that. This world belongs to his Majesty and no grimy hell spawn can change that. The divine always trumps the cursed and damned. And that’s all you really are after all. A wretched soul cursed to live in the bowels of hell.”

Phantom roared as the word “bitch” seemed to rumble in his throat alongside flaming saliva. His body glowed and ballooned as he prepared to fire a fountain of lava at Amalia. “No.” She said punitively with a snap of her finger. Suddenly a massive arrow that resembled a giant spear, slammed into his backside. It managed to pierce his body and strike the ground beneath him. The roaring flames gurgled as he gasped, lava pooling at his mouth and exiting like drool. “Animals must listen when commanded. And that’s all you are, an animal who managed to claw his way out of hell. He might take you seriously,” she said while pointing to Alex,  "but I couldn’t care less. You’re nothing but trash and no amount of indignation will change that.”

Suddenly three more massive javelin-like arrows slammed into him, pinning him to the ground. “I’m going to demonstrate the difference between us. You need to learn that you’re nothing. You and your kind are but vermin.” She said venomously, each word drenched in disdain and condescension. “And vermin...are always the first to die.” With those words, each of the arrows lodged into his body detonated into one, giant, ostentatious inferno. “I might not be able to kill you through piercing alone, but the same can’t be said for having your body torn asunder by raw power.” Amalia slowly turned her body, peering over her shoulder with a most haunting expression. “And now onto the other vermin!”

[Deleted]

Like a lightweight missile from the sky, the human sinner that went by the name of Kaneki landed upon the peat bog. His four tentacles thrashed about before stopping and freezing at irregular angles. Panting heavily and drooling like a dog the deranged Sinner looked from side to side as he scanned the bog for any motion or movement. ”Where…? Where, where, where did he go??” Kaneki asked, his searching becoming more frantic as he could not figure out where his prey had gotten to. ”No, no no no. If-if I don’t kill him then I-I’m gonna be b-beaten again!” the boy stammered, panic starting to fluid his voice. He turned fully around, going in circles to try and find some sign of where Alexander had been battered to.

Of course, predictably, the answer was a lot more obvious than Kaneki had realized. Blue light began to emerge from the grassy bog at the Sinners feat before the muddy mess erupted outwards. Kaneki only had enough time to look down in shock before he was caught up in the detonation of the five arrows, his screams being heard over the sound of the various explosions. The bog was disturbed yet again as Alexander burst out of it, covered from head to toe in filthy bog water and wet grass. Heading skyward, Alex turned to look down at his handiwork. ”Disgusting. You knock me into that mess so you can at LEAST have the decency to die!” Alexander shouted, the clean freak part of him freaking out over what he was covered in.

Having had enough of dealing with this annoying, rampaging, nutjob Alexander decided to finish this off now. Raising his right hand over his head Alexander focused his reiatsu in an attempt to finishiate the finishing technique. Materializing from spirit particles in the air, alongside a little extra help from the demon slayer, massive javelin sized constructions of reiatsu appeared with their tips trained on the general direction where Kaneki was. Mächtiger Pfeil was the name of the technique. Each arrow was roughly eight feet long and had the general shape of a naginata. But as Alexander began to hurl his hand forward in order to launch them his efforts were interupted. By a sharp, electrical pain, in his back.

Purple electricity had suddenly generated from his back, spreading out across his body and causing the Quincy to rear back and yell in pain. He fumbled forward, falling back down into the bog below as smoke billowed out from his back. ”Ohoho~” erupted the haughty laughter of the second Sinner, Madam Butterfly, who had perched herself up there on an air platform. A cloud of butterflies hung around her, one such returned from where Alex had been and perched itself upon her extended finger. ”I certainly hope you don’t mind my intrusion, hunter, but I just couldn’t stomach the thought of my poor, dear, Kaneki getting hurt.” she mocked, grinning.

Those same butterflies had congregated around the massive arrows Alexander had created as well. Each started to vanish as the small insects seemingly started to feed upon them, reducing them to nothing once again. Pulling himself to his feet, Alexander couldn’t help but smirk. ”So I’ve your wonderful company to keep me entertained now, huh? Alongside the screaming toddler.” Alex remarked, thinking to himself that this situation had gone from annoying to actually somewhat difficult. He might have to try. Who would have thought. You’d have thinked that with Amalia fighting just on the other side of the forest he would have put in a little more effort to impress her, but Alex would always be Alex.

But what an interesting ability nonetheless. From being hit by it, Alex had a rough understanding of what her power, or Dark Skill, was. From watching her over the next few seconds, Alex could see the butterflies were coming out of the black dress she was wearing. Each butterfly seemed to be jam packed with electrified reiatsu, explaining earlier why it felt like a lightning bolt had struck him in the back. They could also feed on reiatsu it seemed. Why? For what purpose? Alex didn’t have these answers yet. But he was going to find out. OR it would kill him and we didn’t want that. Looks like I might have to take these two seriously.. Alex thought to himself, unconsciously licking his lips in excitement and anticipation.

But, of course, things wouldn’t go his way right away. A fleshy tentacle would spring out from the murky bog at his feet, ensnare his ankle, and pull him under. The fight continued on.

------

One would think that witnessing the death of a comrade would be upsetting, morally damaging, and cause some sort of reaction from their still living allies. And they would be right. Witnessing the death of Phantom actually got a reaction from Wylde, despite the demons apparent cruelty and lack of humanity. His weirdly shaped lips peeled back into a scowl, his forehead furrowed into a tight v, and hot coals came to life in his eyes. ”That stupid … Phantom, you retard.” Wylde sneered. He had crossed his, disproportionately sized, arms across his chest at some point during the fight. In his frustration the arm of his that still looked human had scratched away at the flesh of his other forearm, letting some of the fur hidden beneath reach outwards.

But instead of rushing in, Wylde instead took a deep breath. Held it. Then slowly let it out. Phantom was a retarded dipshit. That was why he was killed. Sure, Wylde had spent about eighty years sitting around with the muttering moron. And sure, a demon of Phantom’s caliber was easily replaced. But Phantom and Wylde had grown close. As close as can be for the two of them. He’d be avenged. While Amalia enjoyed her victory, Wylde did not simply sit around. While the Quincy mocked and berated Alexander and his family, Wylde was transforming.

The bones inside his body snapped and cracked. The muscles were torn and restructured. He grew. The fake flesh he wore tore apart and fell to the ground, rotting away near instantly. ”Godly emissary?” Wylde asked, nearly laughing, with a much deeper voice than before. When Amalia would turn to see her new opponent it was almost as though it was someone entirely different than before. Wylde now stood, easily, over fifteen feet. His body had become massive, while still also rather humanoid. He was covered in white fur, save for some black hair coming from the top of his head and spreading down his back. Three new eyes had grown, two on his shoulders and one on the center of his chest directly above the new mouth he had grown there as well. Where Wylde’s head was supposed to be, was his human torso and head.

Of course, what was also impressive, was the pressure of reiatsu coming from him. Much stronger than Phantoms. Many times stronger in fact. In fact, his reiatsu was like that of a hurricane blowing against Amalia. ”Infernus..” Wylde growled, causing his reiatsu to spike outwards yet again. He couldn’t keep himself from giggling though. But then the giggling slowed down and he began to exhale. Exhale until his lungs were emptied. That larger mouth on his chest began to open. The instant, the instant, those teeth separated Amalia would only have a moment to feel the air pull towards him. The lightest part of her hair be pulled towards him. Then, in the next moment, Wylde opened that mouth fully and inhaled.

Everything was gone in that instant.

The ground, the trees of the forest, the ruins of Alexander's home, chunks of it all were simply gone. Like a high powered laser had swept through and cleanly cut everything out perfectly. Everything within the “vision” of Wylde’s mouth was just gone. ”Hahaha!” Wylde laughed, throwing those massive arms in the air and cheering. ”Where did all that confidence go?! Can’t be smug when you’re DEAD!!” Wylde shouted, laughing and cheering at his apparent victory. Consume All was an invincible ability, after all. There was never a single person who escaped its reach. A near instantaneous ability whose activation triggers were the open mouth and Wylde inhaling.

[✱Paiva "Amalia" Vollbrecht✱]

He’s about to do something big. She thought with a scrupulous gaze. He’s not trying to hide anything. He wants me to know he’s about to do something. He’s just arrogant enough to think even if I know I’ll still end up dying. Amalia narrowed her eyes as the warning signs blared like sirens. But what to do? At first, she wasn’t certain of his talents, but she had some ideas based on appearance alone. Amalia didn’t have much time to contemplate her next move as his dense spiritual pressure crashed against her as a tsunami would land. She was at a disadvantage purely because demons were a race she knew the least about. After this, she'd need to be sure to make use of Alexander’s library.

Ambient reishi gathered around Amalia as if it were swirling storm clouds. Like a thirsty desert, Amalia’s fingers imbibed the precious reishi that rained over her. It surged through her body with promise and potential. Those small, practically imperceptible particles coursed through her blood, tracing her veins like a finely woven pattern. While Amalia knew little of what he had planned for her, the same could be said for him. Amalia’s advantage was her Quincy blood. This same blood which had been spilled for centuries was able to host immense power. This blood enabled her to see and utilize the vast energy surrounding them.

Blut Arterie. The words echoed in her mind as it activated, granting her tremendous power. Paired with Hirenyaku Amalia was able to move so swiftly even her opponent would have a difficult time, if not unable, sensing her movement and subsequent relocation. Amalia used her extensive boost in speed to completely maneuver behind him. She witnessed the devastation caused by his technique. She had never seen anything quite like it. Nearly everything around where she once stood had been extracted. The landscape had been carved out, resulting in a most peculiar design. The destruction was clean. There was no debris or mess like one might see from a projectile or explosion.

That’s a bit of a quandary. She thought as he loudly boasted his success. Where did all that confidence go?! Can’t be smug when you’re DEAD!! Amalia wasn’t smiling. She had little urge to gloat or mock his poor aim. In fact, it wasn’t poor aim at all. She was fortunate to have escaped unharmed. Based on the aftermath, she would have been atomized had she been in range of the technique. She wondered  if even her Teilkenaufprall could have remained intact from such an assault. Suddenly Wylde turned his large, clumsy body to see Amalia standing distantly behind him. He let out a raspy, guttural exhale as his eyes focused in on Amalia.

“How’d you get back here?” He asked curiously. “You’re fast. And here I thought you had died. We’ll just have to try again won’t we.” He said with an exaggerated laugh. It seemed the tables had turned and Amalia was no longer on the laughing side of things. She wasn’t feeling an impulse to taunt or mimic. Her mind was busy trying to manufacture an idea that would do away with him without risk of confronting that technique. There was much she didn’t know but she was watching. She was focused on every nuance of his spirit energy and behavior. This would grant her access to vital information about whether there was a cool down drawback and the length of the interval.

Amalia already knew it required considerable energy to perform that technique but she suspected not enough reserves to do so continuously. Her mind continued to calculate the circumstances as her contemptuous gaze focused in on Wylde like a spotlight. “Where’s that same energy from before?” He asked as he stepped forward, the ground shaking. Her tongue remained sheathed despite his condescending tone. She was surprisingly unshakable with only her malice discernible from his distance. A malignant aura flooded the surrounding area as her bloodlust became more pronounced. “I think I might have hurt your feelings.” He added with a hearty laugh. “If its any consolation, none before have escaped me in the way you did.” He said before pausing. “You’re still going to die, of course. Horribly. I’m gonna make sure it hurts.”

Wylde stopped his banter, staring at Amalia incredulously. “What the fuck is wrong with you?! Are you that clueless? That scared? And here I thought you were strong. Maybe Phantom was just that weak. Well, fuck...” Wylde opened his mouth and a monstrous tongue rolled out. “Since something has your tongue, I guess I’ll just have to use mine.” He said crudely before his tongue darted forward like a striking a snake. Amalia activated hirenyaku constant, avoiding each of the lashes. It was fast, much faster than she thought it would be. She skated back on the ground and fired an arrow, but suddenly a mouthpiece formed on the tongue and simply inhaled the arrow.

Amalia’s eye’s widened in a moment of shock. What? He has the ability to replicate that technique into a more compact version? That’ll be trouble. She thought as she continued to avoid his tongue. She used the reishi in the air to climb, placing distance between them. Amalia fired another arrow in an effort to test a theory. A mouth part formed and swallowed the arrow, but something wasn’t quite right. Her arrow exploded. She felt it. He must need to keep the ability active long enough to ingest everything. Still, projectiles wouldn’t be effective Maybe...just maybe. She thought curiously. Suddenly 10 massive arrows formed above them before raining down Wylde. Seven arrows would pierce separate locations along his tongue while the others were focused on his body. Let's see the extent of this ability of his. To Amalia's excitement, the arrows were able to pierce his tongue while three were consumed.

Wylde growled as the arrows pinned down his tongue. It appeared he was limited to how many objects he was able to absorb, and would likely be even more challenging if he was overwhelmed from all sides. Wylde suddenly clenched his teeth, severing his own tongue, but he was now challenged with the task of dispensing with the three massive javelin-like arrows hurtling toward him. Amalia wondered about his defensive capabilities and if he could easily defend against even this technique.

[Deleted]

This was starting to get just a little bit frustrating. Before Alexander just had to worry about a mentally unstable kid with four super strong whippy whappy tentacles thrashing all over the place. Now on top of that he was having to contend with an equally frustrating woman with reiatsu eating lightning bomb butterflies. Credit where it was due, these two actually made a pretty good team. Those butterflies surrounded the Saika called Kaneki like a barrier. A fluttery, zappy, barrier. She was making sure to keep just out of distance enough that Alex would have had to actually make some effort if he wanted to take a shot at her. But with Kaneki’s super strength rampaging it was going to be difficult.

His feet came to rest atop the thick tree branch. Taking a few deep breaths to get some air in his lungs, Alexander looked down at the destruction. He had just, once again, managed to dodge Kaneki’s ballistic assault. The rampaging Saika had managed to destroy a few more trees again causing hippies all around the world to cry out in agony. Despite the beads of sweat dripping down his face, Alex couldn’t help but smile. ”Been awhile since somethings gotten’ me working this hard.” He commented to himself, referencing the fact he had a habit of being rather lazy and this being his first real fight in some time.

Back on the boat (see Loveboat for Two) he had let Amalia handle the demonic agent that had been sent there as a trap for them, while he handled the much weaker corpse possessor. Was it dirty? Yeah a bit. Alexander had wanted Amalia to tag along for the sake of being his ace in the hole. Even now he was having her play the same role, although her involvement in this matter was much larger than last time. Opening the Hold and all was directly beneficiary to her. He wondered, though, how she was handling the two he had left her with. He noticed that he was only fighting the two Saika which meant the Hason had stayed behind. For a second he felt worried but that feeling quickly passed. He didn’t have time to be worried for the Particle. She would be just fine.

”UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!” Kaneki started to scream, in frustration, when he realized that he had once again failed to smash out Alexs life. ”You’re quite skilled at running away, hunter. Perhaps the rumors of your skills were ...misinformed?” Alex heard Madam Butterfly remark. Alex smirked, biting his tongue for once as he contemplated his situation. But the tongue biting didn’t stay bit for long. ”I guess I’ll just have to start taking this a little seriously.” he said to himself with another deep breath. It was true that he’d been on the defensive this entire fight. He was working himself into a sweat just trying to dodge all of Kaneki’s attacks. The years of doing nothing were catching up to him.

But he had not been simply doing nothing. The entire time he had been taking in reiatsu like a mad man. So much so he was near double his natural limit of reiatsu. It was about time he took to the offensive or else he might just pop. Casting his gaze to the Quincy cross dangling from his wrist, he decided it was now or never. He needed to get back to Amalia. The reiatsu he had just recently felt back from the Manor was concerning. ”Please just diiiiiieeeeeee!!!” Kaneki screamed out after having spotted Alexander, causing a peculiar thing to happen. Following his scream everything around Kaneki began to decay and rot. The tree on which Alex stood suddenly began to rot and decay into a pulpy slush, catching Alex by surprise and nearly preventing him from leaping backwards. The ground around Kaneki was reduced to slime, and the air shimmered as though it had become a visible, noxious, gas.

This is Soul Decay! Alex remarked, recognizing the twisted and Hellish version of the Fullbringer ability to manipulate souls. Flinging himself backwards through the air, Alex suddenly blinked when he saw the ground on which Kaneki stood erupt into flames as he vanished. Suddenly the demon child was in front of him, all four of those tendrils tensed up and flung back, before striking like vipers and slamming into Alex like cannonballs. The air exploded as Alex was hit so hard some of the clothes on his torso were blown to shreds. But he wasn’t harmed. Thanks only to the sudden, and quick, activation of a Human ability known as Gate. Combining it with his Blut meant that he was able to tank the blows, although he was still sent hurtling backwards.

Sent rolling through the dirt, grass, and mud, Alex quickly collected himself and got back to his feet. ”Why can’t I hurt you??” Kaneki screamed as he also landed. They were on even ground now. Now! Alex realized, raising his hand towards Kaneki. ”Arise! Army of the Underworld!” Alex announced just as his black reiatsu burst to life around him. The dark energy formed a ring in the ground around him before vanishing, just as something began to rise from the earth. His Form Property, Army of the Underworld, caused his arrows to take on the form of knights clad in armor. Formed out of his black reiatsu and illuminated with otherworld, blue, lights beneath their helmets they served as the footsoldiers of Alexander’s infinite army of the dead. Two were summoned with long swords, one with an axe, one with a spear and the other with a hammer.

While Kaneki started to panic a little he still began to approach slowly before breaking into a full sprint towards Alex. The Quincies eyes narrowed before his lips erupted into a wolfish grin. Once Kaneki got juuuust close enough he would suddenly explore. Or, well, the air would suddenly explode. Followed by his sudden scream of pain. ”Kaneki??” Madam Butterfly shouted. ”Oh I wonder what happened there. Did you step on a mine? Try and be more careful.” Alex commented, smugly, knowing full well what he had just done. As he had released two of his Bow Properties he had simultaneously activated the technique known as Minefield.

A fifty square foot radius of reiatsu now surrounded Alexander where any section of it was ready to be detonated by the Quincy at will. An all surrounding defensive field of destruction. When Kaneki got ten feet deep within the field, Alex decided to detonate a portion of it. Letting him get inside the field was part of Alex's plan, because now if Kaneki tried to back pedal Alex could still blow him up. ”K-Kaneki? Are you-” Madam Butterfly descended closer to the fight, just as Alex wanted. She suddenly gasped when she saw the five soldiers Alex had spawned flying upwards to her, each at the speed of a Quincy arrow, gaining on her in only a few seconds.

Panicking she tried to ascend back up, but the soldiers were already on her. ”Get back!” she shouted, calling out a horde of her butterflies from her dress. The insects swarmed and surrounded the five shadows, slowing down and beginning to feed upon their reiatsu make up. But that was all part of Alex’s plan. Smirking, he suddenly snapped his fingers. The five shadows would detonate and explode, blowing away the butterflies and obscuring Madam Butterflies vision. ”Wha-” she began to say befor being interrupted, right before something rushed through the cloud of smoke and was immediately upon her.

”Champions of the Risen Dead~”

The shadow who had swung his oversized sword was much different than the five prior. He was more detailed. The presence surrounding him was different. The thin armored knight who had just cut Madam Butterfly into two with his weapon was an entirely different category compared to the others. Silently, the Saika fell. No words or sounds left her mouth as the two chunks of her plummeted lifelessly to the ground. With a splat she hit the ground just as her body began to break down and vanish into black particles. ”That’s one down.” Alexander said with a smirk. ”Without mommy how are you going to take care of yourself? Looks like you’re being pushed out of the nest sooner than expected.” Alex joked, tossing his head back and forth to get some cracks out of his neck.

But he didn’t get a response back. ”Hmm? You’re alive over there, right?” Alex asked, looking at the cloud of dirt and dust where Kaneki had blown up. When it all finally started to clear, Alex noticed that the Saika was just crouched there. ”Can you hear me? I didn’t deafen you with that big boom did I?” Still no response. Maybe he did? ”So… Butterfly is dead then, huh?” Kaneki suddenly asked in a real, unstuttered, sentence. Alex immediately frowned and turned his guard up. The tone in Kaneki’s voice was different. It was calm. Collected. No trace of the crying and screaming kid was there.

”And who might you be?” Alexander asked with a grin. ”You couldn’t be that sniveling twerp, could you?” Kaneki rose to his feet by this point, his tendrils hanging loosely from his back. He turned his head to look at Alex, his red eye glowing ominously in the dark. ”Don’t be stupid. I’m not a nut case with multiple personalities.” Kaneki explained, cracking his own neck as he stood up straight. ”Oh? Was peeing yourself all part of your plan then?” Alexander asked, entertained. ”I roll with a rough crowd down there. They’re strong. You couldn’t imagine what it’s like to live in Hell, hunted by those Monsters everyday. So I made myself look weak, mentally, but strong. They saw me as useful and took me in. Protected me. But I don’t want to be used. I just want to be protected. So I don’t show them my real self. But since that bitch Butterfly is dead, I can reveal myself and kill you with my full strength.” Kaneki explained, though Alexander still didn’t really understand his motivations for acting like a mentally disabled child.

”Okay kid, you’re stupid.” Alex remarked before causing that area Kaneki was in to explode again. ”And you’re also something I’m going to make sure can never come crawling back out of Hell again.” The demon hunter remarked, causing the area to explode two more times as he also summoned out five more shadows. His Champion, returned to his side, stood behind him and watched. But then Alex noticed something. ”Those don’t hurt, by the way.” Kaneki commented through the dust and debris, which was suddenly swung away by the new growth that was coming out of the kids back. The four tentacles had converged into one, massive, length that had turned into a massive centipede shaped entity. ”Dark Skill Level Two.. Millipede Train.” the kid remarked, before his growth twitched.

Without Alex even realizing, it was beside his head. There was a burning pain on the side of his face. His cheek and ear had been sliced open. A line of the forest and landscape behind him was absolutely wrecked. He could hear the destruction behind him. The Champion behind him had its entire upper half torn off. Alex didn’t even realize Kaneki had moved. ”Hmph. I missed. This thing’s hard to control.” Kaneki commented, glaring ahead at Alex from his single eyeball. ”Well ...shit.” The hunter commented, realizing now he had taken out the wrong demon first.

---

Being forced to sever his own tongue did not leave Wylde very pleased. Taking a few steps backwards, the demon looked upwards to spot the three other massive arrows heading right for him! An expression of panic painted itself on his face before he reared himself up, exhaled, and then opened the secondary mouth on his chest. As before everything within the “sight” of his stomach was just gone. Cut through perfectly cleanly. Two of Amalia’s arrows, as well as the clouds in the sky, were gone. However while he was able to almost effortlessly take out two of her arrows, the one that escaped his stomach’s view found itself penetrating through his left shoulder. ”Graaah!!” Wylde roared out in pain, grasping at the arrow of energy in frustration.

Steeling himself and digging his toes into the dirt, Wylde tugged into the opposite direction with enough force that he tore his own shoulder apart to dislodge the arrow. He couldn’t just pull it out on account of the other end of the weapon being lodged in the ground. Steaming, black, blood gushed out of his wound and created a sizzling puddle around his feet. Grasping at his own wound, he turned to glare daggers at Amalia. ”I’ll make you suffer ten times this pain!” he shouted with a swipe of his bloody arm.

Was he really going to have to use his full power here? Against her? She was just a human. Just another stinkin human. He’d eaten and defiled hundreds of humans like her. There was nothing about her that was special! Sneering at Amalia, the mutated demon looked at his own injury before deciding that victory meant more than pride. ”I’ll show you… I’ll show you what real power is!” Wylde shouted as glowing red veins began to bulge beneath his skin all across his body. Amalia would have a front row seat to see the spectacle of Wylde’s further transformation.

With a mighty, bellowing, roar Wylde was suddenly enveloped in a tower of dark red reiatsu climbing higher and higher into the sky. The wind pressure pushing away from him was intense, almost like a hurricane, as the power produced from his further release was expelled. The ground cracked and pushed away as his power threatened the stability of the land. The silhouette of his body within the reiatsu remained still for a second, just before his right arm suddenly doubled in size. Soon the rest of his body followed. Wylde’s body further transformed into its true demonic state.

With a wave of his arm the reiatsu dissipated, revealing his new form to Amalia. Far more bestial than before he no longer had the human torso as his head. Instead he was looking right properly like a Hason should. ”I’ll show you true power. The power that comes from the absolute desire of survival.” Wylde growled, his voice far more guttural and beastial than before. ”You couldn’t imagine what it takes to survive in that place. To fight to not be subject to pure agony. Give up for a second and you risk losing it all. Fighting those Monsters every, damn, day. You wouldn't understand. You wouldn't understand Hell!” Wylde shouted before leaning back.

The mouth he now had on his stomach opened, ejecting its teeth outwards as the “jaw” inside Wylde’s abdomen widened as far as it could. The teeth pulled backwards as well, further expanding the mouth to its absolute limits. Wylde was heard exhaling through his original mouth all the way until he couldn’t exhale any further. Then he inhaled. Everything was inhaled into him in that instant. Five football fields wide worth of the world was suddenly gone in that instant. Cleanly cut as before. No mistakes. It was as though he just erased everything right there. His second mouth clamped shut as he lurched forward a little, placing a hand over his stomach.

”That’s why you’re weak. Your power pales in comparison to mine. Mine was born through the fires of Hell. I was given even more by my Master! Mine is the power to conquer Hell itself! Your power is only that of the living world how could it even come close to comparing to mine, huh?” Wylde shouted, realizing where Amalia had gone and turning to face her.

[✱Paiva "Amalia" Vollbrecht✱]

I’ll show you… I’ll show you what real power is! Wylde’s reiatsu began to intensify again, taking on an even darker quality. Amalia could feel the atmosphere change. This amount of power added a unique texture to the air. It left it feeling heavy like iron and coarse like sand. It was a rare phenomenon, but those with transformative reiatsu could affect everything around them and add to the properties comprising even the air. Such a phenomenon required dense spiritual energy, the kind of power possessed by souls like her own.

Amalia’s exceptional spirit was undeniable which made this experience all the more uncommon. Few people could match Amalia’s raw spiritual power but this opponent was growing closer with each passing second. As she watched his body undergo another transformation she could feel him unleashing even more of his latent strength. The power of demons and the essence of their release were foreign to her. Unlike other races, Amalia knew very little about them. They were a rare sight and never warranted much study. This oversight was proving an inconvenience now that she was confronted by a considerably strong opponent.

Amalia exhaled sharply as she narrowed her eyes. Even Amalia, with all her might and authority, was not immune to death. Despite what others might believe, she fears death just as much as they do. The only difference was her aforementioned might kept such mortal fears subdued. She rarely felt her life threatened on this level which gave the illusion of immortality. But Amalia had seen death and tragedy before. Amalia had clawed her way from the brink of death once before and thus was not so easily raddled even by Wylde’s fearsome strength.

That ability. She contemplated. The landscape. The way everything was so neatly separated. It’s not messy like one would expect. Can he displace what he sees? No. Not sight in the traditional sense. It’s not that simple. It’s something else entirely. It’s a hunger. It literally sees and takes. But he doesn’t just take a bite. It’s more precise...or perhaps it’s not. It’s primitive and simply takes on a more sophisticated appearance. Whatever his gluttonous, no, envious gaze sees he takes. He can’t take everything, though. But he does take it as it is, not as he wants it to be. You’re not nullifying anything, are you? You’re just displacing it. Amalia identified as her gaze sharpened.

The problem now was testing her theory without falling victim to his technique. She would again dodge, but he now knew she was capable of dodging it. So then why use it? That was a piece of the puzzle she couldn’t quite decipher. Why use an ability you know can’t land? Amalia then figured it out. Reishi. Amalia looked down at her Quincy cross and wiggled her fingers. Bastard. She realized bitterly. He’s not trying to hit me. He’s trying to limit the ambient reishi by displacing it with his ability. Amalia clenched her fist as unmistakable hate reflected back at him from within her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” He said. “Still unable to speak? Does my strength petrify you that much that your tongue can’t move? Where’s that same fire from before? I guess what I once thought was a blaze was just a spark that I easily extinguished.” Wylde let out a full, hearty laugh. He was pleased with himself. He had effectively silenced Amalia, a feat he could not yet understand. Despite his apparent success, he wasn’t aware of Amalia’s insights. While he was close to matching Amalia in strength and arrogance, their paths diverted in one respect. Amalia might be arrogant, but she rarely underestimated her enemies. She didn’t let her sense of superiority cloud her better judgment so much so she lost sight of the facts staring back at her. She let people tell her what she wanted to know, and they always did. All she needed to do was watch and listen.

It was apparent Wydle wasn’t doing either. He saw the beauty, the entitlement, the cruelty, and the composure but that’s all he saw. He couldn’t see beyond that. He ignored what Amalia’s words said about her, even if she was silent now. Amalia tilted her head as Wydle attempted to mock her. “Beeinträchtigung.” She said. “What?” He shouted. He was befuddled by her comment. “The first thing you say is gibberish?” Amalia then held out her hand as a sphere materialized in her palm. “Sorry, Alexander. The situation necessitates this. You’ll have to find a way to manage the effects.” She said in a near whisper.

Amalia carefully channeled reishi into the sphere, corrupting its basic properties to suit her needs. Amalia was a gifted Quincy and her mastery over reishi was unparalleled even among her peers. Even without a proper bow release, her talents allowed her to assume the title of The Particle. She was now putting those talents to use in the creation of a most insidious technique. Unfortunately, the densely compressed reishi forming this sphere would not only affect Wylde, but all others in a 100ft radius, including Alex. It was a necessary sacrifice to hasten Wylde’s defeat.

Upon completion, the piceous pearl seemed to hum an ominous melody. The malefic whisper traveled through the air unobstructed. It reached out and grabbed those in its vicinity. It’s cold, unyielding embrace penetrated even the deepest parts of one’s soul. It was a foul and corrupt sensation, feeling it creep past your defenses and crawl into your person with ease. Wylde would be feeling the effects of her technique. The closer you were the more harmful its song. Wylde blinked several times, his body swaying back and forth as he struggled to stabilize his footing. It was made even more difficult due to his sheer size. His vision became blurry and his airways tight. “What...the fuck...are you doing to me?” He asked sluggishly.

“I’m sorry?” She responded with feigned sweetness. “You’ll have to repeat that. You’re not making much sense…” Amalia smiled as her voice echoed in Wylde’s head. He couldn’t gather his thoughts well-enough to speak in coherent sentences. His mind felt disjointed and his body heavy and weak. He stepped forward as he slurred his speech, stumbling over his own feet and falling to the ground. Amalia took this moment to glance over at Alex, knowing while he wasn’t experiencing quite what Wylde was, he would be feeling the effects of her technique. Unfortunately, she had no time to explain to him the effects. He’d have to navigate that himself.

Amalia’s gaze returned to Wylde. Beeinträchtigung had enfeebled him, greatly pleasing Amalia. Despite his tremendous power, Amalia too had just such a thing on her side. She had spent centuries honing that power which allowed her to forge techniques of this caliber. Where he lacked sophistication, Amalia had it in spades. Amalia snapped her finger, summoning five giant arrows directly above him. The arrows descended upon him with great speed, piercing his body and pinning him to the ground. The initial effects of the technique made it nearly impossible for him to dodge those arrows, but that bloated form likely didn’t help. With an arrow through each hand and foot, he was now at the mercy of the woman he formerly mocked.

Despite this, he managed to tear his body from his restraints and face his stomach toward Amalia. “That again.” She grabbed her orb and used hirenyaku to escape the subsequent inhale. It was slow to take effect and to Amalia’s surprise, was considerably weaker in both strength, range, and intensity. Amalia glanced down and noted one of her arrows was missing a few feet of length. I knew it. She thought. You greedy little vermin. You can’t nullify anything. You can only take it and put it elsewhere. That’s good to know. You did consume a great deal of resihi, leaving me with far less than usual. I need to be conservative.

Wylde freed himself from his restraints, but the use of that technique weakened him. “What...the fuck.” He felt far more energy loss than normal. He knew he needed to destroy the sphere Amalia was holding otherwise he’d be using far too much energy per attack. Suddenly eyes all across his body opened and focused on Amalia. “You can’t hide from this.” He said. “You’re mine!!” Wylde attempted to use the eyes to take possession of Amalia’s orb, but soon discovered he could not. He began to growl, his voice getting loud with each passing second. “Fucking bitch.” He said. He then jumped into the air with intense ferocity.

Amalia’s eyes widened as the orb slid from his reach. He swung his fist and struck Amalia with enough for to send her hurtling toward the ground. Amalia crashed into the soil, come to a slow stop as she slid across the ground’s surface. Wylde feverishly lunged toward the orb in an attempt to destroy it. Unfortunately, the closer he got the more intense the effects. He simply couldn’t manage to catch the orb that swiftly moved around the sky to avoid him. Amalia lifted herself from the rubble, clutching her arm as she glared at Wylde. Anger filled Amalia’s body as she focused on Wylde. She screamed loudly in rage and defiance as six spheres formed around her.

Strain and tension covered every inch of her body as she clenched her firsts. Just as Wylde grabbed the sphere, Amalia’s particle impact took on the form of a circular saw and sliced through his wrist. Wylde howled in pain as he swiped at the blade. Amalia’s rage and hatred were now aimed at Wylde, her particle impact encircling him and ensnaring his body. Amalia screamed and bared her teeth as she desperately drew upon the very power that was now causing her immense agony. Amalia took several steps forward as she slowly made a fist by pulling in her fingers by an inch. By doing that she caused the web of bindings to tighten around his body.

“You don’t understand survival” Amalia said in a low growl. “How could you when you’ve never truly been alive. Agony, you said? You know nothing of agony. Those are elements born of humanity.” Amalia neared Wylde as she pulled in her fingers by another couple inches, further tightening his restraints. “Despair, agony, strife, suffering, and desperation. All concepts out of your reach because you’ve never experienced true survival instinct. You’ve never had to claw your way from the precipice between life and death. You’ve never had to manage the delicate balance that is the mortal coil.”

As his bindings tightened, they began to split open his skin, blood pooling on the ground beneath him. "You fucking cunt. I'm going to get out of this and pluck that pretty little head off that body and then humiliate your corpse." He threatened but Amalia ignored him. “When defeated you simply find yourself back in hell and slither your way out once more. That’s why you’re about to lose. You simply couldn’t manifest a survival instinct pure enough to compete with my own. There is something you’ve overlooked.” Amalia said as a massive arrow began to coalesce from pure reishi. Wylde's expression seemed to project greater concern and worry the longer he was trapped. “I’m a Quincy. Do you know what that means? It means I deliver true death. In fact, your soul will be obliterated entirely. You won’t emerge from hellfire to wreak havoc after this. You’ll simply cease to exist.”

Amalia looked upon his face with a maddening smile as she raised her hand in the air. “You know, I guess in the end you will understand what true survival instinct feels like. A shame you’ll never get to put it to use!” With those words she dropped her hand, signaling the massive arrow above her to dart forward. The arrow quickly passed through his face, body, and slammed into the ground underneath him. The sheer force and size of the arrow split his head horizontally, severing his jaw. His mutilated face stared back at her, his eyes oozing blood and limbs twitching as the arrow cut through his body with ease. “Amalia fell to her knees as a vapor emerged from Wylde’s body before dematerializing in the air. “I hope your comrades enjoyed seeing your soul obliterated.”
 

[Deleted]

Being in a sticky situation wasn’t really anything new for Alex. Not terribly new anyways. Sure, he was relatively out of practice from sitting around in the Silbern but he was always able to get himself out of any situation with a little bit of skill and a touch of luck. Alex wondered if, for a moment, that his luck was running around. He had to confess, to himself, that he may have underestimated his opponent a bit. This Saika, this sinner named Kaneki, was far more fearsome and powerful than he had initially realized. His acting of a fool to hide his true self had worked on Alex just as it had worked on his demon compatriots. Now Alex was suffering the consequences of not killing this Saika first. He instead chose to deal with the one with reiatsu eating butterfly bombs first, and now look where he was.

With a few deep breaths, Alexander peaked around the tree he was hiding behind. Okay, well, not so much a tree at this point. More like a ripped apart log that was just big enough for Alex to hide behind if he sat on his rump. He could see Kaneki, that little brat, looking around at the destroyed portions of the forest as he searched for his prey. Hoooh boy. How am I gonna get outta this one? Alexander wondered to himself as he ducked his head back down and sighed a little, using the opportunity to absorb some reiatsu from the air. But he noticed something. The reiatsu was getting harder and harder to gather. Amalia couldn’t have been utilizing everything in the area could she? Was something else going on?

Alexander’s lack of training was getting the better of him. His senses and instincts were slowed down. He wasn’t able to call on as much power as he once had been able to. He had deteriorated. It made him reflect a little. The Emperor did not often call on Alexander for tasks that he would assign to the other Captains. He was considered a specialist. Someone to call on for very specific tasks. But up until this point those tasks had been very few and far between. Like it or not demons were rare. Very rare. Alexander had once almost gone ten years without any demon related work. In his off time he would enjoy the privileges that his position afforded him. And this meant that he hadn’t kept up with his training.

Chastising himself for his lack of preparedness, Alex bonked the back of his head against the tree as he wished he had taken his training a bit more seriously. If he got out of this then he’d make some changes. But first he had to make it out of this. The Vandenreich, his family's work, and even Amalia all needed him to make it out of this. A plan started coming to mind just as the wood next to Alex’s head exploded. A fleshy pink centipede shaped tentacle had burst through, nearly taking off Alex's head again. Alex quickly sprang to his feet like a cat, using Hirenkyaku to get the hell out of dodge. ”Tch. Missed again.” Kaneki commented as he looked to where Alex had landed. ”Is running away all your good at?” Kaneki asked as he withdrew his tentacle.

”Oh, am I running away? Am I? Or am I actually leading you into a carefully laid trap?” Alex asked, knowing full well he didn’t have anything like that set up. Unentertained, Kaneki thrust his tendril at Alexander again. Wincing in pain as it slashed through his forearm as he tried to dodge out of the way. As he regained his balance on his feet, Kaneki already had his tentacle reared back again. Thrusting it forward, Alex had no choice but to cause numerous deteonations in his Minefield. He’d still been keeping that technique after. The resulting explosions knocked Kaneki’s tendril off course, and even seemed to have damaged the Saika a little, but Alex knew that would only be temporary. ”The same attack again?” Kaneki asked, clearly unimpressed with Alexs efforts.

As Kaneki began to step towards Alex however, something bizarre happened. Alex suddenly found himself dizzy. Concentration on the fight at hand was suddenly difficult at well. Alex wasn’t sure what he was doing one second only to be confused about what happened the next. Looking up as he stumbled forward a little, Alexander also saw that Kaneki was suffering the same effects. He, likewise, seemed confused. Disoriented. Dizzy. Open. Alexander realized he had a opportunity now. But reiatsu was difficult to call upon. What was going on? Was something happening over with Amalia? Alexander tried to call forth reiatsu but was having such absurd difficulty doing so. Damn it.

The Quincy needed to focus. He would wedge his lower lip between his teeth and bite down hard enough for the skin to be penetrated. The sudden pain was just enough to snap Alex back to reality. Just enough for him to be able to call upon enough reiatsu to cast electrical hell upon the Saika before him. Lunging his left arm forward, Alexander channeled the power within and released outwards a current of electricity. Lightning itself jumped from his fingers and crashed into the Saika’s body. The current didn’t stop either. Alexander continued to fire out electricity, letting out a efforted yell as he did so. Kaneki screamed in pain when he could, thrashing uncontrollably on the ground as his skin was incinerated with third degree electrical burns. Alexander was suffering a similar fate as well. His arm was also becoming heavily burnt.

Alexander doubled his efforts, electrocuting the Saika to death with the full power of Electrocution. Until, finally, Alexander could no longer keep up the stream. His left arm was charred and burnt. Damaged heavily by the double edged sword that was the technique. He winced in agony, letting out a pained breath, as he kept himself from grabbing at his arm. ”Ah this hurts. Oh yeah this fucking hurts..” Alexander grimaced, looking up at the sky for a moment as he took a deep, pained, breath. He needed to focus. He needed to get back to Amalia.

But as he started to walk back in the direction of the manner he heard a sound. A grumble. A groan. A exhale. ”Not...enough….” he heard Kaneki say, prompting Alexander to quickly turn. ”That isn’t...enough...to kill me…” the Saika started to hiss as the centipede tentacle on his back began to become thicker as similarly covered flesh began to cover Kaneki’s body. Nope. Alexander wasted no fucking time. Reaching to his waist and hooking his finger around the handle of a Selee Schnieder. Twirling the silver hilt until it was properly in his grip, the energy blade ignited to life like a lightsaber just as Alex lunged forward with another Hirenkyaku.

Sinking the “sword” through the chest of the Saika and out the other end, Alex was confident that he halted whatever it was the Saika was about to do. ”How about you just stay dead this time?” Alexander asked before swinging upwards to cut up through Kaneki’s head and end him.Taking a few breaths and looking at the body, Alexander was finally confident the Saika was dead when he watched his body break apart and disappear into black particles. ”Not my best line but… what’s done is done.” he commented with a sigh, taking a few steps back. The night air felt cool. Cool air felt nice against Alex’s sweat, blood, bog drenched, and dirty skin. Oh god he was filthy. He needed a bath. He needed to get his arm checked out. He needed to get back to Amalia.

---

Was this it? Despite everything was this to be his end? As Wylde looked up to see the massive arrow looming before his head, eagerly approaching to split him in two, he thought back to the events that lead him to this point. A flashback. A remembrance of his life. Before he was Wylde he was a Shinigami. He had worked tirelessly to enter into the Academy and graduate. He trained himself to the point of collapse in order to finally be selected into the Gotei Thirteen. He was to be appointed the fourteenth seat of Squad 2. The beginning to his climb to greatness. But that position was stolen from him. A woman who did not deserve the spot was chosen over him. How could that be fair? He worked hard not her. He did nothing wrong when he gutted her. How could nobody see that he was one who deserved greatness and not her? He had done nothing wrong.

He wasn’t quite sure how he died. He remembered taking his own life in the Maggot’s Nest, afraid to face the Sokyoku. When next he realized that he had been forcefully dragged against his will into the pits of Hell. Agony and suffering where all that awaited him there. Tortured and devoured. He was constantly hunted by the Guardians that prowled the first level, scarfing down any that they happened across. Eventually his body began to change. After each reincarnation his body began to change little by little over the years. How many years was he down there? Hundreds? Thousands? Time was different in Hell. Eventually Wylde changed to become a Hason, strong enough to defeat one of the first level Guardians and try to escape Hell. But that was the trap.

Everyone believed that defeating a Guardian would let you leave Hell. So you survived, so you trained, so you gained power in order to defeat one of the towering monstrosities. Eventually Wylde did just that. But it was all a trick. A trap to make the prisoners gain hope, only to rip it away from them. There was no liberation or freedom. There was only further damnation. Wylde was dragged deeper into Hell, into the second level, where his torture was worsened and despair consumed him. He was dragged down to Torture where his own island above the River Styx was formed and he was endlessly tortured with his worst nightmares for many, many, more years.

And eventually, as all sinners do, he somehow wound up in the Wandering. After finally succumbing to his punishments he awoke upon the infinite black continent. The black ground burned the bottom of his feet. Lakes and pools of magma everywhere. And, as all do, Wylde wandered. With no real goal. With no direction. Wylde wandered the infinite fissure trying to find something, anything, to escape Hell. He came across others. He had to fight for his survival. Each battle made him stronger than before. And eventually, after a few hundred years, a near rabid Wylde finally encountered Him. A being of such clear superiority that Wylde offered himself to it. A being that took notice of Wylde and gave him the recognition and power that he deserved.

”Lord...Diablo…” Amalia would suddenly hear from the split in half corpse of Wylde. His voice was gurgling, wet, and should have been impossible to have heard. Wylde should have been dead. ”I will...not die...I will...not die!” Wylde started to mutter, as he began to lift his arm. ”I WILL NOT DIE!!” the two halves of his face suddenly screamed before his body violently erupted into energy once again. This shouldn’t have been possible. Amalila would come to notice that the energy erupted from Wylde was far stronger than what had previously been felt. His body was changing. What looked like magma spurted from his body and formed into hard and spiked formations across his body. Black tendrils of energy erupted from the inside of his body, streaking upwards with the rest of Wylde’s energy. Upon the appearance of those tendrils, however, the feeling of Wylde’s power changed.

Whereas before it had felt violent and hot, this new energy felt empty and cold. As though the warmth from everything had just been sucked away. It was also many, many, times stronger than what Wylde had displayed himself. Only comparable to one other being that Amalia had met before. The energy escaping Wylde was similar in feel to that of the Emperor in its density. But it felt wrong. Alien. Foreign. Amalia was seeing a glimpse of the true foe that Wylde had sworn fealty to. The black, inky, reiatsu escaping Wylde’s now lifeless and disintegrating corpse banded and swirled together to form three spheres in the shape of a triangle. For a second, Amalia would feel something. Like she wasn’t alone. That within those three spheres that looked to be collapses of life themselves, something was looking through them at her. A instinctual sense of fear would shoot into her as she would recognize what she was feeling. Amalia was experiencing a source of True Evil. Just what was the reiatsu that was accumulating before her? Who did it belong to? What purpose did it serve and why had it been hiding within Wylde’s body?

But almost as soon as it had arrived it began to vanish. Reiatsu could not exist without a host or form, after all. It dissipated like air itself, breaking apart and taking with it all the sensations that came with it. Amalia was left on the battlefield, alone, as the corpse of Wylde finally fully vanished. His death was true. He would never return to Hell with his life ended by the arrow of a Quincy. ”That reiatsu..” Amalia would hear from behind her, as Alexander had finally rejoined her. Naturally he looked rather worse for wear himself. A arm covered in third degree burns, the side of his face sliced open, and a chunk of the skin on his back shredded and burnt from an explosion. ”I’ve… felt that before. On that night when…” Alexander remarked, thinking back to something before seeing Amalia’s own condition.

”You’re injured, Milady.” Alex remarked, shock and surprise flashing on his features before he winced himself. ”Not that I’m in any better condition.” he commented with a pained chuckle, looking around to see the destruction around them. ”You had as rough a time as I did then.” He said with a bit of surprise, not having expected Amalia to have any difficulty. With their injuries he realized that they would need to see medical professionals immediately. ”I’ll contact the Silbern. Have them get us checked out right away. Even get some guards stationed here in case any of them come back.” Alexander remarked. They had won this battle. But it seemed that they only won just barely.

[✱Paiva "Amalia" Vollbrecht✱]

"I'm fine." She remarked by cloaking her injuries with her outfit. Amalia retracted emotionally and became stoic and silent. She knew whatever it was she had just fought was only servant to something much greater. She was normally thrilled by victory, but this left her feeling less than victorious. It felt incomplete. The incompleteness was unnerving. Yet another annoyance she was forced to deal with now that Alexander had roped her into his games with demons. It was undeniable that Amalia relished victory. She derived a twisted satisfaction from humiliating her enemies, but that sensation was all too absent.

Where had it gone? Why wasn't she filled with that thrill of victory? Instead she was left with Wylde's lingering words and the nature of his departure. It felt less like the soul leaving through a delicate exhale and more like force choked the breath from his body. Lord Diablo? Amalia questioned in her mind. Who is this person and why are they after Alexander? Amalia's eyes panned over to Alexander. Her scrupulous gaze bore into him as she analyzed the events so far. He's at the center of this. A practical nobody has acquired the attention of a demon capable of wielding minions of that caliber? What has this fool gone and entangled me in? 

I’ll contact the Silbern. Have them get us checked out right away. Amalia glanced over at Alexander before turning away from him. "You're welcome to seek medical care. I am perfectly fine. No paltry demon could come close to harming me. I will say this, you let the others escape while you fooled around with that weakling. Now our enemy has vital information on our battle prowess and abilities." Amalia scolded Alexander as a means of disguising her own concern. The shadows would subsequently swallow their bodies and transport them back to the Silbern.

A day or so later, Amalia could be seen tending to her wounds. She had privately dealt with them, so not to draw attention from any of her peers or subordinates. Appearance was everything to Amalia. In order to keep up appearances she had to project what she wanted others to see. Stumbling into an infirmary and demanding her wounds be soothed with treatments was not an option. Instead she would retreat to her private quarters and allow a select few medics. Amalia stared at her reflection as a pale-faced Quincy quietly unwrapped her bandages. "It has healed nicely." She said with a wave of her hand, the bandages disintegrating into reishi. 

"I must admit. This stitching was some of my best work." Amalia directed her attention to the woman's reflection in the mirror. "There is no scarring, I hope." The woman shook her head in confirmation. "You are free from scars, with the exception of..." Amalia's body tensed. "Yes, I know. You can't seem to rid me of those even with your 'best work.'" She said mordantly. "How did you get these wounds again? A demon, you said?" The woman asked as she walked toward the door. "Filthy creatures from hell, like I said." 

The woman nodded as she looked back at Amalia without judgement. "Well, please do be careful. Take care." The woman said kindly as she left the room. Amalia adjusted her posture and stared into her mirror as her fingers caressed her shoulder. Lord Diablo. I WILL NOT DIE! She heard his voice still, echoing in her head. His last moments in existence were dedicated to a plea to his master. "Diablo." She said quietly. "Who are you? ...And why are you so interested in Alexander?"

[Deleted]

<sub>With a sigh he turned yet another page. Yet more and more mind numbing text about things that just were not relevant to the thing that he seeked. Didn’t help that he could barely read what he was looking at without needing to spend thirty or so seconds on a word. Thank the Emperor that Amalia didn’t find out that he was near illiterate. Reaching to his left and grabbing a hold of the crust of a slice of delicious doughy goodness. The still steaming hot cheese left gooey trails as it was pulled into Alex’s mouth, the mixture of all the toppings exploding Alexander’s taste buds. Deep dish, stuffed crust, with everything he liked on it pizza. Oh, he was in heaven. Leaning back in the red wooden ornate chair he sat in, Alexander leaned his head as far back as he could to look up above him.

His blue eyes looked upwards to the high above him ceiling of the Hold. He sat quietly, alone, within the great library of his family. This realization still gave him butterflies in his stomach. He was finally here. It was finally all his. It had taken nearly a hundred years but he had finally reclaimed his family's greatest treasure; their knowledge. It was all his. All of it. The secrets they suffered to discover were his to learn. It brought a smile to his face. While he wasn’t too excited to have to read it all, and knowing he in no way had the time to comb through every book, the pros outweighed the cons.

Leaning his head forward again, Quincy settled his eyes on the subject of his study. Sitting before him on the rather large desk were a variety of large papers. Drawn upon them were diagrams of the artifact that was at the heart of his and Amalia’s actions; the Black Marker. One paper simply had drawings of the Marker, while another had all of the runes and markings listed. Alexander opted to have someone who was much better with a pen than him make a sketch of the Marker instead of physically bringing it into the Hold. He felt his own private quarters in the Silbern was a much safer place to keep the Marker contained until the time that the Hold, in its entirety, could be relocated into the Silbern. Some time was needed in order to construct such a space for the Hold.

Alexander looked thoughtfully at the drawing of the Black Marker, his eyes narrowing slightly as the questions in his head continued to pile up. ”Just what are you to Them?” Alexander asked himself, holding the paper up so it acted as a filter between him and the nearest burning torch. ”After a hundred years they finally come out of hiding just for you. What makes you so damn important?” The demonologist asked the paper again as though he believed it would actually answer him. Nearly a hundred years without a single lead on Diablo.

Alexander had personally hunted down almost all the demons that had escaped Hell during the Hell Gate incident in Karakura Town a few years ago. He had suspected that that had been orchestrated by Diablo, but it turned out it had been a completely different demon that had gone by the name of Discord. The biggest demon related event in nearly a century and it wasn’t even related to the one he was personally hunting. Not a single of the escapees even knew who or what Diablo was. But suddenly Alexander gets his hands on this little trinket and he not once but twice encounters the agents of Diablo? This artifact was more important than Alexander had initially realized. Obtaining it had gotten the ball rolling for something.

He wondered if he should reject Amalia’s request to further study this thing and find a way to utilize it. Though he quickly dismissed those thoughts. He owed the Sternritter for her services now. It was only thanks to her that he not only possessed the artifact, but had reclaimed the Hold as well. He basically had no choice but to complete his research on the Marker and figure out a means to utilize it. In fact he could imagine what Amalia would do to him if he suddenly waltzed up to her and told her he’d no longer be helping her. He’d be a bonfire in the center of the Silbern no doubt. But now that he had access to the knowledge of the Ciphers he could figure out a way to turn the Marker into a tool. But it would take some time. Some time and some effort. Ugh, that word.

”I want a bath.” Alex complained with a sigh as he tossed his head back in the chair again. He didn’t like the idea of hard work. He liked to take life easy. But this recent battle had shown that Alex had taken life a little too easy. His enemies had been more than prepared for him. Hell, if he had come alone then he was certain he’d have died and those demons would have taken the Hold. It was only thanks to Amalia that any of these recent victories had been possible. And that was the problem. Lifting his head back up to look at his raised hand, Alexander had no option but to confess that he had grown soft. Flabby. Lazy. He was out of practice. Coasting along on childhood training. He’d grown rough around the edges.

He couldn’t rely on Amalia anymore. He was certain if he asked her to tag along on one of his little hunts again he’d, at best, get an arrow between the eyes. While she was a fantastic ace in the hole he had overused her. She wouldn’t help him again. Which was fine. No totally it was. He preferred to act alone anyhow. He was a big bad lone wolf. This was his family's work after all. Sure spending some sweet and quality time with her was nice but he decided to put his goals before getting his dick in that. He needed to start training and practicing again. Ugh. He really hated the thought. Reading and training. But he would resolve himself to do it. But for now he had required reading to do.

Well, in reality, for now he had healing to do. Alexander’s right arm was held close to his chest as it was held in a cast. His left leg's knee had also been broken so naturally the entire leg had been wrapped up as well. Tight rabbings bound his torso as well, the result of having numerous ribs broken during his battle with the Saika, Kaneki. Alex was actually in a lot of pain. He was just handling it rather well. Sometimes. It was actually some of the reason he was hanging out, alone, in the Hold rather than back in the Silbern. Call it recovery leave. Until his boo-boos were healed he was off duty. It gave him time to study even if he was in near agony.

With a long, drawn out, groan Alexander leaned over to his left to grab the crutch he had been given. ”Alright up we go..” Alex said to himself before making a series of water sprinkler sounds and pained exhales as he got himself to his feet, somehow, and began hopping his way over to the lectern holding the glossary in the center of the bottom floor. ”One foot in front of the other boy scout. You’re great. The best. Amazing. Everybody loves and adores you and is jealous of you. You can handle a broken knee and a few shattered ribs… oh it hurts to breath.” Alexander complained. This was going to be a long, long, few weeks.</sub>

Did all this Training for TTP

[Col Arana]

Total paragraph count: 272, I think. This was a whopper of a thread. Well done both of you. Works out to 1360 TP to both participants, converted into TTP for Alex.