Soul Burnt [NDE, Hard]

[Deleted]

Waiting beneath the liquid-metal disc for the swarm to approach, Ken'ichi felt a massive tremor shake the ground as Edward's castle of ice slammed into the monolith and crushed numerous cloaks beneath it's massive form. He didn't have long to ponder the meaning of this before a commanding voice rang out across the frozen plain.

"I, Edward the Executioner claim this land for the Emperor, surrender and death will be swift."

Great! That's all Ken'ichi needed. Some brainwashed, holier-than-thou Vandenreich who thinks they are literally the servant of "God's" own child. This One expects the tremors were this 'Edward's' doing. Hey, Suigin - let Ken'ichi know if you sense anything he doesn't. Last thing This One needs is a bloody genocidal, zealot of a Quincy sneaking up behind him, and with a self-styled title like 'Executioner', this one prides himself in his genocide. Alas, twould be nice to occasionally meet a Quincy who didn't drink the Koolaid - as humans are prone to say. Not that Ken'ichi understands what that even means. All This One could figure out is that it is some kind of fruity powder added to water....

His trail of thought was cut off mid-sentence as several of the cloaks shattered themselves on the sub-zero disc that sheltered him. Looks like company has arrived Suigin, Dear.

Ken'ichi didn't hesitate. The moment he heard the impacts on his shelter, he lept gracefully skyward, mentally commanding the disc to reform itself as he did into several long, pseudopods that he commanded to assault the 90-odd "creatures" that hovered with indecision nearby, uncertain how to act given their comrades shattered bodies below. Commanding the pseudopods to grapple and slam the cloaks into the cold, unforgiving ice with their 200 Strength, Ken'ichi lept toward the nearest creature and drew his sheathed zanpakutou slicing it in half with a swift and deadly Iaijutsu attack. The speed of his attack was at a blistering 800 Speed, and without even stopping to watch the creatures bifucated body liquefy, he turned both of his weapons on the two nearest creatures cutting them down in his very next movement.

Ken'ichi had slain fully a dozen of the creatures in the time it had taken them to process what was even happening, and as they rallied to attack him, he unleashed a rapidfire burst of Hane Yaiba darts in a wide arc, striking several dozen more of the creatures with his razor sharp, liquefying darts. As their bodies became gelatinous and melted into yet additional liquid-metal that instantly fell under his mental command, Ken'ichi liquefied his zanpakutou and spun it protectively around himself in a spinning corkscrew of deadly metal. Mentally compelling some of the newly formed liquid metal to join his zanpakutou into additional spinning vortices, Ken'ichi allowed his enemy a moment to retaliate.

And retaliate they did, launching themselves at him in vast numbers only for those whose attacks came close to striking Ken'ichi to be struck instead by his spinning zanpakutou and liquefy on contact. Adding their liquefied bodies to the spinning vortex, he waited for the second wave to attack him and as they approached he projected dozens of pseudopods to grapple his would-be attackers, then pull them directly into the path of the deadly vortex that was his zanpakutou. Like their comrades, these insignificant creatures melted and joined Ken'ichi's considerable supply of telekinetic liquid-metal.

Commanding what liquid he didn't need as part of his defensive matrix to chase down and ensnare additional cloaks with 200 Strength pseudopods, it was not long before Ken'ichi had ensnared yet dozens more of the creatures and mentally commanded the liquid to smash them into his spinning zanpakutou. Before long, the vast majority of the creatures had become part of a massive swimming-pool size volume of liquid metal, with the few creatures that remained having chosen retreat rather than face off against such a formidable opponent.

Separating the volume of liquid into 8 even volumes, each approximately 10 feet cubed - Ken'ichi finally allowed himself the moment to observe the monolith. To his mild surprise, he noted that it was covered in vast quantities of shattered ice that at this distance, Ken'ichi could not make out its form. What he did note however, was that a giant cloak-like creature had formed somewhere to the south of the Monolith. Ken'ichi could not tell who it was fighting, but assumed that it may have been this 'Edward' that so rudely announced his presence.

At least, that is the working theory. It cannot be ruled out that some other individual has come to investigate this phenomenon, but sans any other information it can be assumed it is most likely this 'Edward' in that direction. At the very least, such a boastful claim, and an attack of such magnitude as he sent against the Monolith would normally warrant such an extreme response as to send out their 'giant' members. Note to self: Watch out for additional 'giant' cloaks. Where there is one.....

And with that, Ken'ichi raced off again toward the Monolith, making swift progress via air ground in order to ignore the difficult terrain below, sheathing his wakizashi as he did while keeping his other weapon spinning around him in a protective vortex. Eight large 10' diameter orbs of liquid metal lazily hovering equidistant around him in a loose "sphere".

SPOILER: Click to show

{Techniques Activated}

Iaijutsu: No Cost; speed 800. Creatures with less than 200 Instinct flat-footed.
Hane Yaiba (x3): Cost 150; rapidfire x1
Ittou Suigin: Cost 100; Transformed Katana into liquid form (wakizashi unchanged).

Total Cost: 250 reiatsu
Reiatsu Remaining: 1850 / 2500

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shikai (2/13 posts)}

Stat Adjustments [Total]: Speed [400], Reiatsu Strength [1000]

[Col Arana]

It seemed the creatures weren't planning on leaving Col alone. Fine then. In that case....

"Bakudo #62. Hyapporankan."

Col's wrist flicked and a storm of thirty rods of violet energy cascaded up from the arrancar, shrieking through the sky, piercing through a cloak apiece and then launching each one to the earth where it would be pinned like an insect by Col's binding spell. Any onlookers might have noticed the flash of purple streaks in the sky. Ken'ichi might even have recognized it as a Bakudo spell, though that would probably confuse the Shinigami as to why another of his ilk was out here. Not that Col paid it any mind. The former Escudo ignited his plasma blades and immediately got to work. The creations were fast, certainly-- faster than Col even. But they were weak and unskilled. With a series of dazzling flourishes, Col swept through them like a scythe through wheat. With each flick of his wrist, a cloak fell smoldering, but there was little amusement in this sport to Col. They didn't bleed. They didn't cry out, they didn't put out a fight. There was no life in these creatures, and without that vital force driving them, that urge to fight and survive, to Col this had all the engagement of cutting up training dummies.

In fact to hasten his work hewing through their ranks, a second crimson blade emerged from Col's opposite sleeve, and the arrancar spun through them, blades in each hand, slicing, cutting at anything within reach, and then whirling to slice again, each step the arrancar made deliberately made towards the structure in the distance. Eventually, unless the creations displayed a sudden unique technique or resistance to his attacks, there would be none remaining and Col would extinguish his plasma blades, having failed to even break a sweat.

The arrancar didn't miss the massive, thunderous earthquake that emitted from Edward's castle. Col had never seen a Vandenreich ice palace before in person, but the Escudo had made him aware of him. Quincy, is it? Col thought. He'd have to be very cautious indeed then. Not because he feared the Vandenreich-- not at all. He was a very bad matchup for any Vandenreich due to his nature as a Hollow. No, but because they could still be troublesome, and the most effective way to dispatch one would be to strike swiftly and suddenly, and would them before they knew he was there. Vandenreich were especially susceptible to the toxins of a Hollow after-all. Col's venoms would likely be a game-ender for any unfortunate Quincy that crossed his path. But their preference to ranged fighting was annoying. Once Col dispatched of the Cloaks, he returned at once to his stealth tendencies, ignoring the ice palace for now. It was nothing but a distraction. The real prize would be in the structure up ahead-- of that Col was certain. The Vandenreich wouldn't be able to linger in his ice palace forever, but the longer he remained there, the more of a head start Col would have.

Or maybe the Vandenreich were declaring war on whatever entity lay ahead? That would be good as well, for Col's purposes. Nothing said "distraction" like a war breaking out.

But Col's mind was flickering through possibilities now. He probably wasn't alone here. His showing with Hyapporankan moments ago might have attracted more attention than he'd have liked. Thankfully it was a Shinigami kido he had used, so the odds of being identified as an arrancar were low, but he would still have to move quickly. Making full use of his stealth, Col pulled up his collar to partially mask the silvery sheen of his hair and swiftly moved onward through the black wastes, his gothic choice in clothing helping him to blend in. Col was moving quickly now, to put as much distance between himself and his prior battleground as possible, in case someone came to investigate. Though on the other hand... the Vandenreich castle probably proved a much more enticing distraction. Col kept an eye out for both structures as he advanced towards the central structure that the ash cloaks had come from.

[Kitai Yoru]

Kitai spun and danced about, ripping and tearing his war through the hoard of cloth and fabric. One by one the swarm of cloaks slowly started to dwindle, as the Lunatic had his chains cut down his enemies. His laughter was more like a war cry, and he yelled out in glee. There was no blood to spill onto the ground, but strips of his enemies covered the snow around him in its entirety. Kitai stood in the center of a small island of destroyed clothing, as he panted for breath, a satisfied smile spread wide across his face. With a few more gasps of air, he decided to examine a bit of the fabric.

After picking up a small scrap of it, he remembered that he didn't know anything about clothing. Before he could move on further however, he heard a thunderous crash. His head snapped in the direction of the sound, and his eyes practically popped out of his skull. There, beside the castle he was supposed to be invading... was another castle. He couldn't believe his eye, so he lifted his eyepatch to get a better look. It was still there. He rubbed his eyes, because he still couldn't believe it. It wasn't there this time, but only because all of the cloaks he'd just killed reformed into a massive cloak, at least five times taller than Kitai.

If Kitai hadn't been busy gawking at the absurdity of someone with the power to summon a castle, he'd have noticed the winds swirling around the monster like some sort of princess. The Saika stared up at the massive construct in awe, before he gave it a truly joyful smile. Then the cloak smashed into him with the force of a freight train. Kitai was trying to conserve the longevity of this body, and hadn't been pushing past its limits in terms of strength and speed. When this mega cloak moved, he hadn't been prepared, and caught the full force of its strength to his sternum. If his body wasn't so durable, he'd have been smashed to pieces.

That didn't mean he couldn't feel the pain, however. While he was still in one piece, he felt like he'd been stuck by a car. And it made him feel alive. His bladed chains came to life once more, extending forward, but this time was different. The ends of the chains glowed a Hellish red, before a long arm extended from each of the Bladed Chains. Kitai called it Grasp of the dead. These techniques combined, Kitai had a reach of sixty four feet, which he viciously used to his advantage. The hands, each as nimble as his own, clawed into the hood of the cloak, pulling it towards him.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! I'M GONNA EAT YOU ALIVE!" He yelled, sounding more than a little psychotic. True to his word, he bit into the fabric, before opening his jaw as wide as he could. If the Cloak monster had any eyes, it would see a mark on Kitai's tongue, one that might stir feeling of hunger, or a desire for food. Either way, it would be getting a closeup of it, as the reiatsu hands forced the being deep down his throat. Users marked with the sin of gluttony had stomachs that many claimed were bottomless. And that was true, as the Lunatic forced the entire monster down his gullet.

It took him a good three minutes to do, but with the fact that the monster was made of fabrics, his Mark of Sin, and the fact that both his Grasp of the Dead, and his Bladed chains were three times the strength of the cloak, it was managed. By literally shoving the monster down. Immediately afterwards, Kitai collapsed into the snow, panting and wheezing, trying desperately to catch his breath. Both of his techniques deactivated, as he lay there. The thing hadn't counted as alive enough to grant him a stat boost, so he just felt incredibly winded at the moment. It had a terrible flavor to it, and he was pretty sure his throat was covered in friction burns, but it made for a pretty filling meal. It took the Saika another five minutes to get back to his feet, and continue on toward the castle.

Bladed Chains x2: 200
Grasp of the Dead x2: 200
Mark of Sin: Gluttony: 250
Total Reiatsu Remaining: 10,650/16,000

Out of Hell posts: 10 3/3

SPOILER: Click to show

{Techs used}Technique Name: [Mark of Sin: Gluttony] Learned

Class: [2]

Technique Type: [General Sinner Technique]

Usable By: [Hell Races]

Technique Element: [None]

Technique Description and Effects: [Being stuck in the bad end of the afterlife tends to bring out of some of the more negative aspects of the soul. One of seven that can be concentrated and brought forth in a physical form. This manifests as a mark on the body. For Gluttony, this mark appears on the user's tongue. Passively, this allows the user to eat and digest anything perfectly, seemingly having a bottomless pit for a stomach. When activated, this allows the user to bite through anything with a lower original stat than the user's original highest spiritual stat, or strength stat. When successively used on a living being, the user absorbs a portion of their power, increasing one stat by 50% for three posts. When used successively again within the three posts will reset the duration of the posts and stack the boost, up to three additional times per stat. 250 reiatsu per bite.]

How to use technique: [Pay cost, bite into someone.]

Technique Drawbacks: [Does not count random background npc's for boost. If the user is unable to bite and eat something, then no boost. Once the user's stat is boosted, every time this is used afterward increases the cost by 50 reiatsu. While the user has a boosted stat or stats, they feel an intense and painful hunger, requiring a point in pain tolerance or anti-torture specifically for each boost after the first.]

Made By: [Kitai Yoru]

Reserved?: [No]

---

Technique Name: [Grasp of the Dead] Learned

Class: [2]

Technique Type: [General Sinner Technique]

Usable By: [Hell Races]

Technique Element: [Fire]

Technique Description and Effects:[This is a very tricky ability for Hell users to first pickup, but absolutely invaluable once they've gotten the hang of it. By manipulating their chains, the users of this ability are able to channel heat and flames through the blackened bindings tethering them to Hell, creating a long arm of energy. The construct is an extension of the user in almost every way, being as dexterous as its creator. The Hands are spiritual in nature, and scale off of the user's highest spiritual stat. For every 50 in either rs or sprp, the hands can extend one foot. Hands move at a speed of 600, or equal to the user, whichever is faster. Hands have a piercing power equal to the spiritual stat of the user, and burn away anything with less than half of the users spiritual stat, destroying anything it touches. Cost, 100 reiatsu per post. Each level of mastery grants the user an additional pair of arms, up to three pairs.]

How to use technique: [Stated above.]

Technique Drawbacks: [User must have at least a 2 in pain resistance, or similar Skills in order to use this ability.]

Made By: [Kitai Yoru]

Reserved?: [No]

[Edward]

Edward’s eyes looked over the battlefield that was going on before him, countless cloaks had sprung up from the monolith and all had been spewing out ready to defend whatever it really was. To Edward it didn’t matter, all he needed to know was that the Emperor had wanted it so he would claim it for the glory of the Vandenreich. He started towards the castle that he had dropped on the monolith unbothered by the cloaks. While his eyes scanned the on going battle his ability to sense those based on energy kicked in. These cloaks had a strange energy around them, however more important was the other three sources of energy.

One was clearly shingami, easy to deal with as they often based everything on kido and their release. The other was some sort of being from hell, it didn’t matter what it was from hell, it was already doomed to a fate worse than Edward could give it. Edward knew that he would just return it back to the pit from where it came. Lastly was the arrancar that seemed to be here for one moment then hide it’s self. That seemed odd given that the Arrancar that he had dealt with before were very egotistical and usually wanted to fight anything and everything. Taking a breath Edward drew in some reiatsu from the air around him into his cross and his mask fragment. 

Unbothered by any of the cloaks Edward rushed towards the monolith. If everyone else was fighting then he would make use of them being busy. The cold could be felt through the metal armor that he was wearing, however it wasn’t anything that he couldn’t handle. As he rushed towards the Monolith surrounded by his ice castle he drew his blade. With the hell denizen’s energy in vision Edward swung his blade hard towards where the being would be. This swing would create a shockwave that would rip up the ice and fly right at the being. Turning his attention towards where he had last sensed the arrancar he swung his blade in the general direction, closer towards where the pillar was, hoping to hit the arrancar. If he was able to slow them down even a little bit it would be useful as Edward had to navigate his own ice palace before reaching the monolith.

remaining reiatsu 
4800/4000 +800 from regain 
2 slicing waves sent out 

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

Through various methods and machinations, the cloaks had been liquified, eaten, and left lifeless on the Antarctic ground. The monolith offered little in the way of response, remaining cold and motionless. However, on the top of the monolith, where the cloaks had emerged from, was a pale red light that was growing steadily stronger. It refracted through the crystals of the ice palace and created an eerie blood-red aurora around the twin structures. Edward was the first to advance towards them, trying to hinder two of the other factions present with large slicing waves before rushing in. As he neared the ice palace, he'd hear a crashing sound as two of the large cloaks (the kind which Kitai ate) emerged from his palace, ice crystals falling to the ground from where they had smashed through.

Through the hole in the palace Edward would be able to see that the cloaks had been busy inside, using their strength to smash up the place into a hollow shell. It would be easy to navigate to the Monolith once he had passed the two towering Cloaks as there were no longer hallways or corridors or stairs or floors left inside the palace. Just an empty shell refracting the growing light coming from the top of the tower into that eerie aurora.

Coming from the opposite side was Ken'ichi, who would have less to contend with in terms of opposition to the monolith, having already dispatched almost a hundred of the cloaks and powered up his Zanpakutou with their "flesh". He went for the high road, coming over by air ground to avoid the icy tundra. Nothing stopped him from running straight to the top of the Monolith if he desired to travel all the way. If he did, he'd see very little, save for an altar of stone that possessed a glowing red portal and a twin pair of gorilla-sized bird cages possessing nothing.

3

[Deleted]

As Ken'ichi raced on air-ground toward the towering monolith, an edge of concern crept into his steely resolve. Suigin Dear, what do you make of that ominous glowing crimson light? If I didn't know better, it appears to be growing inn intensity.

"That's what it looks like to me. Look how it plays among the ice crystals of the shattered castle. It is beautiful, in an eerie kind of way," replied Suigin mentally.

Rushing forward, two arcing shockwaves appeared from the opposite side of the monolithic structure to the west. Tearing through the ice and snow each of these shockwaves travelled in opposite directions heading in both a south-eastern, and north-easterly direction. The power and reiatsu strength of these shockwaves was apparent to Ken'ichi even at this distance, and he quickly deduced that the representative of one of the opposing factions was obviously attacking the other two targets. Thankful that he was coming from the opposite direction and that the monolith shielded him from direct attack at this moment, Ken'ichi paused for a brief heartbeat in order to activate the Shihoin stealth techniques he still remembered how to use. Mouthing their command words silently, Ken'ichi first activated "Sairento Satusgai", the silent killing technique. Under it's protection, Ken'ichi's movements became silenced so that only those with Senses of 250+ would be able to hear his approach.

He immediately followed up this technique by activating "Kage no Kuroku" and silencing the reiatsu flare of the technique with the class 4 version of "Sairento Satusgai". By silencing the reiatsu flare in this way, only characters with Energy Sensory of 300+ would be able to sense the activation of the technique, and hidden within the shadowy veil of his stealth technique, Ken'ichi would become all but invisible against the night sky to anyone with less than 200 Senses.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Techniques Activated}

Sairento Satsugai (Class 5): Cost 100; 1/10 posts; Requires Senses 200+ to be heard.
Kage no Kuroku: Cost 150; 1/7 posts; Requires Senses 200+ to be seen.
Sairento Satsugai (Class 4): Cost 150; Silences reiatsu flare from Kage no Kuroku; Requires ES 300 to detect activation.

Total Cost: 400 reiatsu
Reiatsu Remaining: 1450 / 2500

Satisfied that he was properly concealed to cursory observation, Ken'ichi continued his relentless approach toward the foreboding structure. As he neared the towering structure, Ken'ichi spied an altar of stone and two massive, but empty cages flanking it. With nothing else to go on, he slowed his approach and looked for a point of entry to the towering structure. His eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of danger. Moments later, Ken'ichi heard the crashing sound of ice falling from somewhere on the far side of the structure. If Edward made any move to attack the two giant cloaks which attempted to block his path, Ken'ichi would hear the tell-tale sound of battle coming from his direction as well. Otherwise, Ken'ichi would hear nothing but the sound of falling ice as he looked for a method of entry.

Failing that, Ken'ichi would instead land near the altar and it's glowing crimson light, and carefully investigate the plinth for any signs of traps, markings, or other means of identifying the purpose of the altar, and the structure as a whole. As he investigated the structure, he extended his 8 volumes of liquid mattter to spin in a large, spinning dome at the top of the structure, intending to use it to completely obscure both himself, the altar, it's glowing crimson light, and the two bird cages from sight. At the same time, he mentally commanded his liquefied zanpakutou to spin within the dome in a thin, but densely wound spiral throughout the metallic grey liquid. Spinning the entire conjuration at high speed, anyone foolish enough to try and trespass on Ken'ichi as he studied the structure would fall foul to his zanpakutou's deadly liquefaction abilities.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shikai (3/13 posts)}

Stat Adjustments [New]: Strength [100], Senses [125]
Stat Adjustments [Total]: Strength [100], Speed [400], Reiatsu Strength [1000], Senses [125]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Active Techniques}

Sairento Satsugai: 1/10 posts
Kage no Kuroku: 1/7 posts

[Col Arana]

By the time Edward's blow ripped through the space Col had occupied, the arrancar's presence had long since disappeared to anyone without Anti-Stealth, his reiatsu suppressed and gone. As such Edward would not be able to know if his blow had landed, though with the massive amount of distance between them-- such that Edward would not have even been able to make visual confirmation, Col had long since left the area the shockwave crashed through by the time it had reached his former location. He was somewhat curious of the red light it emanated, and stretched out his senses to see if he could detect any spiritual presence from it.

Whether he could or not, Col stayed low now, and aimed to keep a low profile. His stealth skills continued to find use as he crept in on the Monolith with relative swiftness despite his stealth. And it seemed he was not the only one, though unfortunately for Ken'ichi, Col's energy sensory was indeed high enough to detect the use of Kage no Kuroku, and his gaze traveled upwards, seeing naught but the black of the night sky. So there's a Shinigami as well? He thought to himself, considering at last the reiatsus of those he could detect. As expected of the Vandenreich he knows nothing of subtlety. He is powerful, I suppose but if those wild haymaker swings of his are any indication, I don't believe I have anything to fear from him. Even if he would be formidable head on... well. I just won't give him the fight he desires, if it comes to that.[/color] The arrancar concluded. As for the last one... Hrn... If I didn't know better I'd swear I know that one. How interesting... He thought, a wicked smile crossing his features. Oh, perhaps this would be fun indeed!

Whether it was due to his stealth, due to Edward and Kitai making such a racket, or another purpose, it seemed to Col that the path ahead was clear, but still he approached with caution and subtlety. Blending in with his surroundings, it was likely that Edward or Kitai would be the first to be seen by Ken'ichi and each other than Col. But that would have to be seen. The plasma blades, of course, had been turned off, and hidden back up Col's sleeves to be redeployed at a later time. Col hated to waste the element of surprise when it was possible to preserve it. While it did seem like the Quincy was reasonably good at reiatsu detection-- his shockwave had been accurate enough that it had hit the ballpark of Col's previous location (even though at its size that wasn't hard), Col doubted his aptitude at actively finding a hidden target. No subsequent shockwaves had been deployed after-all. No, Col was forming a profile of the Vandenreich as he moved along. Strong in terms of physical abilities? Most certainly. High ranking, judging by the ability to call down that ice palace. And reasonably high skill at sensing reiatsu. Col would have to be careful about how he used his powers it seemed....

[Kitai Yoru]

It took what felt like months for Kitai to get over the indigestion that the giant cloak gave him, but he managed to power through it. "Ugh. Why does something so cool taste so bad...?" He groans as he shakily climbs to his feet, brushing the show off his cloths. Fist things first, he had to get to that castle dogpile and figure out why he was in the Antarctic circle. Then he finds the guy who can break his chains, and if there is no one there, Kitai would accelerate global warming by blowing up the Antarctic.

He managed a single step forward, when an avalanche of snow ate Kitai. As he lay there, in a small mountain of snow, all he could think to himself was, "Too much snow? Snow problem!" He said to himself, chuckling like a loon. What pleasant chaos. He would have to find the one who did this to him and return the favor! Someone was throwing snow at him! "AHHAHAHAHAHHAHAA! I'M GAME! LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT!" Kitai was never one to turn down a snowball fight! Kitai built up a mass of reiatsu in his gut, almost curling up into a fetal position, before releasing it all in a burst of energy.

A wave of power erupted from Kitai, as his Cutback Assault spread across the snowy lands like a rolling avalanche. Unlike the shockwave launched at him, this ability wouldn't dissipate over the course of a mile, moving with a speed of 600, with a matching force behind it. Kitai, now free of the thoroughly destroyed snow pile, watched as an increasingly growing black and white wave covered the tundra. Laughing to himself, Kitai would utilize airground to continue on his his journey towards the tower that was underneath another tower.

Cutback Assault Max: 900
Total Reiatsu Remaining: 10,600/16,000

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cutback Assault}Technique Name: [Cutback: Assault] Mastered

Class: [1]

Technique Type (Kido, Hollow/Arrancar Technique, Human World Dweller Technique, Other): [Cutback]

Usable By (Technique is available to which races?): [All Races]

Technique Element: [None]

Technique Description and Effects (Explain appearance, powers, and effect):

Traditional cutback is triggered by a physical strike from a spiritually inferior source. Among those with immense spiritual pressure it is a useful defense. This technique converts that same cutback into an offense. The user gathers all of their spiritual energy at their core before releasing it outward with a burst. An invisible wave bursts outward with a speed and force of 600, pushing back everything in its path. It functions like a larger Martial Discipline: Ken to all those around. The user may choose to spend an additional reiatsu to increase the range of the wave. At its lowest range, the wave will travel 200 meters in every direction. If the user doubles the cost, this range will also double to 400 meters in every direction. But get this. If the cost is TRIPLED, the radius will also triple to a whopping 800 meters.

However, the real effect of the technique only kicks in when the wave makes contact with any individual. If the difference in spiritual pressure between the user and target is great enough, this technique will automatically inflict the same damage they would face had they triggered cutback. This property is what makes Cutback: Assault truly deadly.

How to use technique (How is it activated?): [Insert Below]

Charge reiatsu and release it.

Technique Drawbacks (Limitations, repercussions for use, etc) (Insert Below)

This technique costs 300 reiatsu to use, and it must be mastered before employed in battle. It may only be activated once every 3 posts, and while it’s on cooldown, the user loses access to natural cutback. However, that is hardly the most serious drawback. As this technique causes the sudden output of such a large amount of energy, it puts a heavy strain on the body, worsening all injuries the user suffered prior to activation. When used the first time, if the user has any deep lacerations or stab injuries, they will begin to bleed profusely, giving them 5 posts before they lose consciousness. When used the second time, even if the user only had thin cuts, these will widen and deepen as blood rapidly escapes them, giving the user 5 posts before they pass out from blood loss. After employed a third time, even if the user is completely unharmed, their nose and eyes will begin bleeding. In fact, their internal organs would be struggling to function as the strain of a third Cutback: Assault also caused them hemorrhage. The internal bleeding would cause the user to pass out in 5 posts after activating the technique.

Made By: Douma

Reserved? (Yes/No) (Can others use your technique, or just your character?): [No]

Out of Hell Posts: 9 1/3

[Edward]

From what Edward was able to tell there was one that was able to survive the basic attacks he had thrown out, not that the strikes were aimed at exactly killing the two of them. He had been trying to slow them down as he moved towards the massive pillar. From where he was the inside of his palace was now empty, the cloaks had cleared up everything, making the trip to the pillar a straight line, rather than having to navigate hallways and stairs. “Annoying flies actually did something useful for me.” He muttered to himself as he continued towards the pillar.

Suddenly Edward could no longer sense the fourth individual that wasn’t a tower spawn. He had sensed it using reiatsu for something, several somethings then vanishing. Edward wondered if the shingami simply ran from all the cloaks, however he doubted that Soul Society would send someone who ran at the first sight of resistance. More likely than not the being was either hiding or died to the cloaks, either way it didn’t’ matter the top of the peak was were his attention was and his ultimate goal. Edward moved quickly as the ice palace was hit by a massive wave of snow and frost brought up by where he could tell the surviving victim was. He paid no mind to it as he ran towards the top of the pillar keeping the other two he sensed in the back of his mind.



Edward saw the two massive bird creatures with cages. It was interesting, however if they didn’t move or act he wouldn’t bother with those things. Edward would be there as the shingami was attempting to obscure everything in it’s strange metallic liquid, while Edward couldn’t see the shingami he could still see the strange liquid moving to coat everything. Edward would slam his hands together at full force to form a massive shockwave all around him and towards the red light and where the shingami was standing this shockwave would push away and destroy part of the liquid metal attempting to cover the light. If the shingami didn’t move he would turn to paste from the force of it. Either way Edward would draw in more reiatsu to top off his reserves.



remaining reiatsu

5600/4000 +800 from regain

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

Ken'ichi and Edward started to get into conflict as the former put up a dome and the latter attempted to blast it away with a shockwave. The shockwave would make quite a bit of noise, but not nearly as much as the thunderclap coming from the streak of lightning that stretched from the heavens to the altar. The lightning coalesced into a humanoid shape that solidified into a man in a yellow suit kneeling on top of the altar. Everything on top of the Obelisk was filled with an impressive boom, most likely sending Ken'ichi flying from the force of the landing and even bothering Edward's nearby walking. Standing up, the man took in a deep breath.

"Ahhhh...."

With a great relaxed sigh, he stretched his neck lazily. The ash of the ground surrounding the Obelisk started to shudder, then move inwards towards the structure with great speed. Everyone who was within the mile radius of the tower would feel the ash rush past them on its way to the strange man who had appeared. He didn't seem concerned by Edward, or Ken'ichi, or anyone in the area, really. As the ash poured into his body just moments after him standing up, there was a pulse of that strange red light and then everything went dark. The clouds boiling over top of the antarctic circle dissipated leaving only the light from the moon in the sky.

"How wonderful... Powerful subjects are near."

He glanced at Ken'ichi, then Edward, then his piercing gaze bored its way towards where Col was rushing and finally where Kitai was running. The Obelisk was unfazed by the Saika's Cutback Assault and no one else had really been within 800 meters to be able to be hit by it either. The ash that had been on the Antarctic ground started to ooze out of the man's pores, gathering into a black regal cloak around his shoulders, a black crown, a black pair of shoes, and a (you guessed it) black pair of bracelets. As he looked at the four "subjects" he just smiled. An evil grin that would come with dark suspenseful music if this was a Hollywood movie.

"None of you are particularly fast, though... This won't be nearly as exhausting as it usually is."

Almost like this wasn't new to him, this environment, this scenario, he swept his cloak up and jumped off the altar to land on the top of the tower. His landing nearly cracked the nigh-impregnable structure and a shudder of force nearly knocked over the empty bird cages. "Yes.... this will be fun." With a kick, the altar broke off and flew towards Ken'ichi with an insane amount of force. Enough force to be incredibly lethal if struck by it. With a snap of his fingers, a bullet of air streaked across the open air at Edward, followed by identical ranged attacks towards the flying Kitai and the scurrying Col. Each of these bullets would have been lethal if struck by, as well.

And then he just stopped, his cloak billowing around him. And he watched the four like they were expected to respond in kind.

SPOILER: Click to show

{?????}
Stats:
Strength: 1320
Speed: 400
Reiatsu strength: 1400
Spiritual Pressure: 1600
Senses: 150
Instinct: 450
Energy Sensory: 420
Healing Expertise: 33

1

[Deleted]

(OOC: Apologies for my absence due to depression. Upon reviewing the thread to refresh my memory, I am uncertain how Edward was able to detect Col or Kitai over 1 mile away with 75 ES, in order to Shockwave; clarification required).

To a lesser mind, the sudden flurry of simultaneous events would likely overwhelm their ability to react as their mind reeled under the sudden assault of competing sensory information. Fortunately for Ken'ichi; his sharp, computer-like mind suffered no such disadvantage. Having arrived at the top of the Monolith unopposed by the Vandenreich. Still as yet unaware of both Col, and Kitai, Ken'ichi had little time to begin studying the altar before a multitude of near-simultaneous events happened in short succession.

Firstly, there was Edward's shockwave which upon connecting with the liquid metal of Ken'ichi's rapidly spinning dome, and more importantly - his zanpakuto, alerted him to the impact. Almost simultaneously with the shockwave, a bolt of lightning struck the altar, effortlessly piercing the top of Ken'ichi's dome, crashing with a deafening boom of thunder. As the flash of light subsided, Ken'ichi spied a figure dressed in bright yellow kneeling upon the altar. Finally, at approximately the same time both of these events occurred, Kitai's own retaliatory shockwave would carve a path through the snow nearby the tower, but at a safe distance from Ken'ichi. Unfortunately for the shinigami, his lackluster Energy Sensory combined with his vision being obscured by his own dome would leave him unaware of this development.

Reacting instinctively, Ken'ichi stepped diagonally backward and above, using Shunpō coupled with Saurento Satsuigai in order to mask his reiatsu flare, hoping to remain undetected beneath his veil of Shihoin darkness.

As Edward's shockwave smashed a hole through his dome, Ken'ichi mentally willed his zanpakutō and 3 volumes of liquid metal to shoot toward him out of the top-rear of the dome. Positioning the massive torrent of liquid metal before him, Ken'ichi formed his zanpakutō into a pair of decorated, filigree katana within the center of the liquid-metal mass. Reaching his hand into the mass, Ken'ichi retrieved one of the Katana while simultaneously shaping the remaining liquid metal into a humanoid shape.

Standing right behind the mass of liquid metal, Ken'ichi chose not to silence the reiatsu flare from Ittō Suigin, hoping that his opponent(s) were incapable of so precisely pinpointing his location directly behind the mass of liquid metal, and may assume it came from within the mass instead.

From Edward's perspective, he would see the liquid metal coalesce into what appeared to be a glistening, metallic shinigami. One volume of liquid metal would form the figure's body, head, and legs, while the two remaining volumes would each form 200 Strength pseudopods. Within seconds, Edward would see the Faux'nichi take up a defensive posture, with his zanpakutō gripped in both hands. With his 100 Senses and 75 Energy Sensory, Edward would not detect Ken'ichi standing just to the left of the metallic figure. Not wishing for his dome to obstruct his own vision, Ken'ichi converted the remaining 5 volumes of liquid metal into a number of spinning rings and had them circle about his decoy.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Techniques Activated}

Shunpō: Cost 50
Ittō Suigin: Cost 100; Suigin transformed into a pair of Katana
Sairento Satsugai (Class 4): Cost 150; Silences reiatsu flare from Shunpō; Requires ES 300 to detect activation.

Total Cost: 300 reiatsu
Reiatsu Remaining: 1150 / 2500

While Edward could not detect Ken'ichi's presence, the same could not be said for the newcomer, who upon standing surveyed his immediate environment and looked in the direction of all four characters in turn. While the newcomer would not be able to see or hear Ken'ichi with his 150 Senses, his imposing 420 Energy Sensory was more than sufficient to detect the shinigami's location from his spiritual pressure alone. Uncertain of what the newcomer's agenda was, and even whether they were friend or foe - Ken'ichi watched, and waited for him to react.

Hmm. Judging from the stranger's reaction, it is logical to deduce at least two additional spiritual pressures nearby. One to the south-East, and one to the North. Either they are distant yet, or concealing their presence like myself.

"Ahhh.... How wonderful... Powerful subjects are near......
....."Yes this will be fun"

The implicit threat within the stranger's words did not go unnoticed by Ken'ichi, who steeled himself for any surprise attack that might occur, and so was not all that surprised when the figure kicked the altar beneath his feet, and yeeted it into the air toward Ken'ichi at high velocity.

With a moments thought, Ken'ichi took telekinetic control over the liquid metal faux-nichi, and willed it to intercept the altar. Requiring no more effort than moving his own limbs, Ken'ichi willed the psuedo-pod gripping his zanpakutō to position his edge alignment in the path of the oncoming altar. Drawing on his skills of yadomejutsu and applying them to the oncoming projectile, Ken'ichi rapidly calculated the moment when the altar would close range, and in that precise moment willed his faux-nichi to slice downward with the zanpakutō. It was obvious to Ken'ichi that the stranger was exceedingly strong, and so chose not to rely entirely upon his liquid-metal decoy for defense, side-stepping the attack himself on the off-chance that his zanpakutō was ineffective in liquefying the object.

If his decoy was successful, the object would be instantaneously liquefied on contact with his zanpakutō. If he was unsuccessful, Ken'ichi's preemptive dodge would take him outside the impact zone. Should it impact with his decoy however, it would pass harmlessly through the liquid metal body, which would rapidly reform under Ken'ichi's mental will.

This newcomer is a definite threat. I must quickly even the odds.

Moving swiftly, yet silently - Ken'ichi would make a wide circle around the battlefield, looking for an opening in Edward's defenses so that he could launch a surprise attack, hoping that the Vandenreich would be duped by his faux-nichi decoy. After dealing with the altar (or upon reforming if impacted by it), Ken'ichi would further sell his deception by telekinetically willing Faux-nichi to rush toward Edward, the deadly edge of his zanpakutō aimed directly at Edward's neck.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shikai (4/13 posts)}

Stat Adjustments [Total]: Strength [100], Speed [400], Reiatsu Strength [1000], Senses [125]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Active Techniques}

Sairento Satsugai: 2/10 posts
Kage no Kuroku: 2/7 posts

[Col Arana]

Col could overhear a booming voice on the wind. It's certainly familiar enough.... Yes, it must be that one. Curious indeed. But enough of that-- the Vandenreich was approaching. Col masked himself, well but it seemed futile in the end. The Quincy's attempt at a thunderclap showed, for the briefest of instants, a figure clad on yellow atop the obelisk that had gazed directly at Col. Oh my. Here comes quite a tough one. He thought, an instant before a shockwave pierced Ken'ichi's liquid metal sphere in three directions-- one headed directly for the arrancar. Col's eyes narrowed a touch. Here was an enemy he would have to take quite seriously. Of that he was certain. Col deftly launched himself to one side, the piercing shot shattering the Antarctic ground where he'd been standing. At such a distance, the evasion for Col was a simple matter-- however a counterattack from the arrancar would no doubt be avoided just as easily at this range. Observant as well. It seems that stealth will not avail me then. Col continued his thought process.

The arrancar continued to close the distance. With stealth no longer being an option, Col took to the skies, bounding off of air ground to climb towards the tower's pinnacle, but being wary of the liquid metal sphere that Ken'ichi had wrapped the rooftops in. Tarentella flashed into Col's hand as the arrancar bided his time. There was no sense in rushing in just yet. There were a total of five combatants. Col would wait and conserve his strength, whilst the others warred and battled about. The Quincy in particular seemed quite aggressive. One to be wary of though-- His reckless assaults could easily endanger Col as well as the others. And that other reiatsu... the voice....

Ah, yes. That was it. Kitai. Col had performed a task for him atime back. That's right. The Hellion! He was a reckless one as well. No doubt between Kitai and the Quincy, this enemy would have their hands quite occupied, leaving Col to establish the fighting abilities of the individuals involved here. Perhaps he'd be able to spare a blow towards Col as well, but an errant strike or two would be defeated-- of this Col was certain. The enemy was strong. This was true. Col could sense that his spiritual power rivalled his own, and in terms of reserves, Col's were dwarfed. And that physical might...

But was that all there was to this one? Just raw power? Col had fought such enemies and bested such enemies. This man would be no different. For now, the scarlet eyes of the arrancar watched carefully and patiently. His ears primed for any disruptions. All of his senses on high alert. A battle with multiple high level opponents. No, he could not afford to let his guard down carelessly. In fact... speaking of raw power... No, there was no reason Col couldn't begin to make preparations. "Hmhmm~ Very well." As Col watched he raised a hand, palm extended towards the sphere and roof of the obelisk. "Oh raging god of disaster and storms, incarnation of destruction and herald of lightning! Arise before this one who has summoned you, come forth and wreak devastation upon our enemies! Cracked sky, scorched air, calamitous noise! Let these things become your image! Burn them into the immortal souls all beings who witness your power! Bring forth your fury and anger, the power of the lord of the skies! Strike down all who oppose us, deliver them unto their heathen gods...." Col began an incantation to bolster the kido to come, though had yet to fire it. He couldn't hold the kido back for long, but by preparing the incantation he'd certainly have ample time to unleash a truly formidable blast when it came to it.

[Zeich Yajuu]

I've been debating the best way to grade this since the thread itself has lost two of its participants and there was a clear stop in posts from back in March, with two players having posts left before the DM's turn. So I'm going to say that given the length and the termination of the thread being on both sides, I'll allow it for the sake of SKP counting, but with no other rewards. Please feel to DM me if you wish to discuss this.