Leviathan (R, NDE)

[Akira Hinosai]

Thread Title: Leviathan
Participants: Luca Castabella, Aia Kristal
World: Human World
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: Streets of Karakura, in between the UE building and a 7/11
Special Conditions: Luca's "inner hollow" is causing his reiatsu to flare, giving the impression he may be a hollow
Circumstances:

[Akira Hinosai]

Luca tried to visualize it. A dragon. His dragon. Of course, it was hard to do that when you had no idea what your dragon was supposed to look like. Red? Blue? Gold? Silver? Even the shape of it eluded him. In his mind's eye he struggled to imagine it. After what felt like hours of work reverse engineering the technique, all he could see was a grey formless mass. Luca had tried generating reiatsu and shaping it like a potter would shape clay, but all he got were increasingly unstable balls of energy that fizzled out as soon as he touched them. Even if he could create a reiatsu servitor, he was hardly in the right location for it. The basement of the Uzaki Enterprises building was suited to training in the spiritual arts, not housing a 20 foot scaled monster. Still, with the rate at which things were going, Luca didn’t have to worry about creating anything, even accidentally.

Luca let out a big yawn as he stretched his arms over-head. Rubbing his eyes, he tried to get back into the swing of things, but the fog of mental exhaustion was starting to creep into his mind. Luca twirled a lock of hair around his finger absentmindedly as he drew a little dragon in his notebook. Looking on what he’d created, he immediately scribbled it out. As he did, he heard the clatter of practice swords hitting the ground behind him. Oh, right. Forgot about those. Luca had at least made progress learning that new trick. Complex soul command allowing for the fine manipulation of multiple weapons. In layman’s terms: he could go all Darth Traya in this bitch.

The technique was easy enough, and would hopefully prove useful next time he fought someone strong. Though as Luca had learned, those kind of opponents became rarer the stronger you got. Since returning to the world of the living, Luca found hollows were mostly beneath him. Most weren’t good enough to qualify a warm-up, let alone a real challenge. Luca supposed it couldn’t be helped. Logically, it made sense. He was in the big leagues now. Lower end of the big leagues, but still. Big leagues. That was part of the reason he was in the dojo trying to practice reiatsu-craft. It didn’t require a sparring partner...most of the time anyway.

Luca groaned as he got up to his feet. He’d had enough of this for one day. Maybe he’d make more progress on the dragon thing at a time that wasn’t right then. Before leaving, he made his walk of shame to the pile of practice swords, 4 in total, to put them away. Irina would probably have him murdered if he didn’t clean up his mess. It was some small consolation that no one was there to see him fuck up. Kaz and Irina were...somewhere. Amare was doing Amare things. Raph was… Well, Luca didn’t want to think about Raph.

Luca was still trying to map out the web of theories on the technique as he took the elevator up. It had been Raph’s technique. When Luca first saw it, he thought it was his release. Regardless, Luca knew he had to take that idea and make it his own. It’s like a hero learning dark magic to fight the bad guys! That was cool. It meant Luca was ascending, not from human to something else, but from not-as-strong to stronger. Now he just had to figure out how the hell the technique worked.

When the elevator door opened, Luca could see the faint sliver of natural light from the windows. Did I really stay up all night? Luca took a look at his phone. 8:00 PM. He hadn’t worked through the night, he’d only worked two hours. Luca groaned. The whole night was ahead of him, and he still felt tired...Probably too tired to make any headway. “I’m done with this shit…” Luca made his way to the break room, and splayed his long body on the couch. It was a few feet too small for him, and not exactly comfortable, but he didn’t care. He was tired. Not the kind where one goes to sleep and feels good. The kind where he just felt awful. That was happening more and more since he’d gotten back from the soul society.

It wasn’t like he was traumatized, or that he was crying himself to sleep over Raph, but the new status quo was less than ideal. Luca missed the soul society. He missed Ken’ichi, hell, he even missed Kaen. He missed the actors who helped him traverse the rukongai. It was an ordeal, but Luca would be lying if he said there weren’t some fun things about it. He had a clear goal for most of it. Even when he was crashing in Ken’ichi’s lab, the cloak and dagger thing they had going was fun. None of it went as Luca had planned, but he still felt...special. Even with how things turned out in the end, it was hard to go from all the adventure to being back in Karakura, fighting pissant hollows again.

Luca allowed himself to drift off, thinking of it all, consequences be damned. It may have been early, but this wouldn’t ruin his sleep schedule...or maybe that was the tiredness talking. Images flashed before Luca’s eyes. He saw himself walking through the flooded ruins of a city. Trees sat blackened and dead in the water, and though buildings had collapsed or turned to rubble, the water was perfectly clear. Luca waded through the water as fish swam by him. They were black with no distinct features Luca could see. Dragons flew through the sky. He walked till he saw a ruined tower, with a grey wraith perched atop the remains of the structure.

Right as he looked at it, he woke, feeling worse than when he’d dozed off. It was as though sleeping had made him more tired. Luca checked his phone again. 11:00 PM. This really wasn’t his day. Luca brought a hand up to wipe the drool from his face. It hadn’t been a nightmare by any stretch of the imagination, but he could tell who the grey wraith was supposed to be. It was a minor thing, it could hardly be classed as a nightmare, but Luca didn’t want to go back to sleep. If the inner hollow was trying to contact him through dreams, they had another thing coming.

Luca scrambled to his feet. He was going to find something to keep his mind occupied. He just needed a few energy drinks. Fortunately for him, there was a convenience store not too terribly far from the UE building. With any luck, he could run over, get his caffeine fix, and maybe practice the dragon thing. Anything to take his mind off the inner hollow. It was growing bolder since the whole thing with Raph, even if it was still recovering from the blow Ken’ichi had dealt it. If he focused, he could hear it writhing in the back of his mind. The whole thing probably made him reek of hollow. If he was unlucky, he might show up on UE’s hollow detection system. If I’m especially unlucky, Amare’ll show up picking a fight because he thinks I’m a doppelganger and not really Luca.

Hollows mostly knew to keep their distance if they wanted to keep existing, so at the very least, the trip was sure to be uneventful. The night was cool, the moon was bright, and Luca had the street to himself. Well, mostly to himself. Walking out of the UE building, he could tell pretty quickly he was being tailed. Not by hollows, bount serial killers, or even those weird hell races. No, these were baseline humans. What, are they thinking of mugging me? That sort of thing was a non-issue for Luca. He rarely even thought about it. After all, why would he? Even the strongest street tough was a bacterium compared to Luca.

Right as Luca was starting to think he was wrong, he could hear once run up behind him. Oh this really is happening! Luca let his instincts take over as he pivoted away from the assailant. Looking back, Luca could see 3 other punks, waiting around like bad actors expecting a cue that wasn’t coming. “Give me all you got!” shouted the one who had ran at Luca. “Does this outfit scream “payday” to you?" Luca gestured at his outfit. A tanktop and trackpants weren’t typically worn by well-off salarymen. "Do I look like I'm fucking loaded?"

Luca barely felt the blow the first punk delivered, or the second, or third. Luca only hesitated as he tried to think what finishing move would look the coolest, and be least likely to kill this guy. Flicking him on his forehead? No, that would probably crack his skull. Throat punches were out of the question. THEY THINK YOU’RE WEAK. KILL THEM. KILL THEM

More were running at him, mistaking the hesitation for vulnerability. SWAT THESE FLIES KILL THEM and before he knew it, Luca had grabbed the first one by the throat. He hadn’t meant to. He just did. Without thinking, he tossed the punk at the charging group, knocking some down, but sufficiently scaring all of them. “Alright, dickheads, listen up, because you don’t wanna hear this twice-” Luca didn’t get to finish his badass speech before they were running away. Luca considered running at them, but thought better of it. They weren’t worth his time. Looking down, Luca the punks had left the one Luca had thrown at them. He lay there in a heap. Unconscious, but alive.  “Thanks for the free shit, asshole!” Luca said as he lifted the bag the unconscious teenager was wearing. The inner hollow screamed in the back of his mind. Luca ignored it and rummaged through the bag. Most of it was useless, just a bunch of paper, trash, and...a spraypaint can. Suddenly, Luca felt a wave of inspiration rush over him.

Running to the nearest alleyway, Luca let his inner vandal loose as he tried his hand again at visualizing the reiatsu structure he wanted to create through artistic means. A couple “s” shapes, consummate “v” shapes, an arm, wings… and then boom, it was done “This is the coolest shit ever.” Luca said to no one in particular. Maybe it was the rush of knowing this was illegal, but it felt kind of nice. The inner hollow kept screaming, Luca felt his reiatsu flare involuntarily, but he was feeling a little better. Maybe this night wouldn’t be completely terrible after all.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}
Strength: 300 (450)
Speed: 300
Reiatsu Strength: 200 (120)
Spiritual Pressure: 400 (700)
Instinct: 250
Senses: 100 (75)
Energy Sensory: 50
Healing Factor: 0
Light Aura: 70
Dark Aura: 30


Analyzing: 1
Strength of Will: 2
Weapon(War Knives):2
Poison Resist: 2
Battle Analysis: 2
Stealth: 2
Acting: 2

[Aia Kristal]

Aia felt the gentle breeze touch her fair skin. The breeze howled softly throughout the streets of Karakura. The Quincy always found the soft howl to be both ominous yet calming. As she walked along the sidewalks, the dress she wore swayed with the shifting wind. Grey in coloration and made from the cloth, the hem of the dress shifted from side to side. Laces adorned the front of the dress as a hood rested against her back. Sleeves snaked down to her lower arm just before her wrists. Covering her legs were a pair of fishnet stockings. Finally to complement the outfit, Aia wore a pair of black leather lace up ankle boots. Standing at 6'1" and being rather well-endowed, Aia was dressed like a gothic beauty. 

Aia's choice of clothing was not for any particular reason. She was not on her way to a party or looking forward to meeting a date. Instead Aia was simply enjoying the night off and there was little she liked more than being bathed in moonlight, enjoying a peaceful moment. The Vandenreich had nothing official for her recently. The Emperor gave orders from the shadows, typically to the Captain Supervisors to whom Aia was a subordinate to. Not even Priscilla had given her any tasks recently. This left Aia to her own devices. Normally she would spend days on end extracting information from those strapped to her table. This is how Aia served the Empire after all.

Some believed that the war against the other worlds would be won with large numbers. Others believed that sabotage and strategy would win the war. They certainly had good points that could be made. Yet Aia's specialization allowed her to contribute to the war effort in a different away. She firmly believed that the Achilles heel of any group was information. Information gathered by the enemy. This is where Aia came in. She rose through the ranks as one of the chief interrogation experts throughout the Vandenreich. Able to dig her way through countless mental defenses in an attempt to pry useful information from her victims. She was also quite the expert in torture which only aided her skills as an interrogation expert. 

It seemed that her quiet and calming walk would be quickly interrupted as she heard shouting in the distance. “Give me all you got!” The Quincy blinked a little. Just what was going on? From the words and tone of voice, it certainly sounded aggressive. Kakura was not typically known for aggression. Sure, the Hollow threat was quite prominent due to the sheer volume of Hollows that came to Karakura, but fights among residents did not seem all to common. Regardless, Aia was certainly intrigued by this. Could it be some upstart punk who could see Hollows and did not have the basic intelligence to run from such a threat? If so, Aia would certainly need to come to protect them.

She began to draw closer to the source of the conflict. As she drew closer, the presence of Uzaki Enterprises loomed in the background. Aia somewhat knew Uzaki Enterprises. She recognized them as a company, but not much more past that. She had heard her fair share of rumors. That Uzaki Enterprises was filled with Fullbringers. That they were in league with the Soul Society. The very thought turned Aia's stomach. AS soon as her thoughts shifted to the Soul Society, her demeanor darkened. Memories of woe filled her head and chilled her to the bone. If this rumor had an element of truth to it, Aia would certainly put them on her list of victims of interrogation. 

Drawing closer, she noticed two teenagers dashing towards her. Were they the victims in question? Aia did not have much chance to ask as she heard one of them blurt out, "Out of the way lady!" Weaving to the side, Aia let the two of them pass. The Quincy furrowed her brow. It seems that she was beginning get to the bottom of this soon. That's when she heard something else. A different voice. Definitely on the younger end. Adolescent perhaps? “Thanks for the free shit, asshole!” The vulgarity alone seemed to be confirmation enough of the culprit's age. Seeing a 7/11 in the distance, the Quincy reasoned that this had to be the source. 

It was becoming time to confront the source of this little mystery. Yet as she walked closer to the 7/11, she was beginning to sense something. Aia's sensory abilities were rather weak, but as she drew closer the sensation became quite clear. The air reeked of Hollow reiatsu. A pungent and almost acidic smell filled the air. If Aia was not on the verge of puking before, she would nearly be there now. She gritted her teeth as her hands curled into a fist. Under normal circumstances she could not hone in on such a signature, but its density made it clear. The alleyway next to this 7/11. Continuing to grit her teeth, the woman began to focus her reiatsu. 

Among the Quincy, Aia was anomalous. Quincy typically were known for their prowess in ranged combat. Archery was what defined them. Yet even among them, Aia was different. She disliked bows quite a bit. For now, however, her bow would likely be the best choice. Her own reiatsu suddenly flared as her hand produced a bow. An intricately designed bow formed around her hand. Suddenly the Quincy disappeared. It was the Quincy technique simply known as Hirenkyaku. This allowed her to move at a speed of 2000 as the reishi formed under her feet, riding it like a cloud. Her end destination was simple. The top of a car perpendicular to the entrance of the alleyway.

As she landed atop the car, the Quincy took a crouching position. Preemptively drawing a spiritual arrow, she took aim at anything within the alley. If Luca was still there, she would be aiming an arrow straight at him. Though if her eyes gazed upon him, she would hesitate. She was sure that the Hollow reiatsu was coming from there. She knew it without a shadow of a doubt. Yet what was there was no Hollow. Simply a human. A boy who couldn't be older than 18 or even 19. Her eyes would be filled with malice intermingled with confusion. Despite the radiant light that her bow gave off, Aia's reiatsu was far from glowing. It Luca made any attempt to sense her presence, he would likely feel a shadow.

Reiatsu that was dark. Chilling to the bone. There would be no solace in her presence. Meanwhile if Aia had Luca in her sights, she would keep her bow drawn, but in a less threatening way. If Luca made no attempt to attack her, Aia would lower her bow. She would appear calm and resolute. Slipping into the mindset of her role, she began to direct her words at Luca with a slight hint of authority. "Name and position. Quickly!" By position, Aia was undoubtedly referring to his role or career. The Quincy continued for a moment regardless of whether he answered. "Why do you carry the stench of a Hollow on you? Choose your words carefully.." For a moment, Aia's eyes shifted to the spray-painting on the wall, scoffing for a moment. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}Strength- 150
Speed - 200
Spiritual Pressure - 300 x 1.75 = 525
Reiatsu Strength - 50 x 0.6 = 30
Light Aura- 0
Dark Aura - 100
Instinct - 50
Senses - 50
Energy Sensory - 0
Healing Expertise - 0

Total SP: [800]

[Strength of Will] [2]
[Weapons: Greatsword] [2]
[Battle Analysis] [2]
[Interrogation] [2]
[Charisma] [2]
[Pain Tolerance] [2]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Hirenkyaku}Technique Name: Hirenkyaku

Class: 4

Technique Type: Quincy Technique

Technique Element: None

Technique Description and Effects:
Analogous to the Shinigami Shunpo or the Arrancar Sonído, the Quincy Hirenkyaku allows the user to move quickly over short distances; according to many Quincy, it is faster than flash steps, though a Captain's superior speed in comparison to a Master Quincy's speed suggests that this is just a generalization. Using it in its base form increases speed 10x for a single step, and costs 50 Reiatsu. However, unlike Shunpo and Sonido, this can be used for a constant movement as well. Giving up 400 Reiatsu allows for a constant movement over the duration of one post at 6x speed. Giving up 1000 Reiatsu allows constant movement over the duration of 3 posts of 4x speed.

How to use technique: To perform the technique, the user gathers spiritual particles under their feet and rides them to the desired location. Like the air-walking skill displayed by most Arrancar and Shinigami, it can also be used to hover or fly for long distances.

Drawback: None

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}
Class 3 Arrow - 50
Hirenkyaku - 50

Total Reiatsu: 5150/5250

SPOILER: Click to show

{Aia's Dress}

[Akira Hinosai]

Something felt wrong. Immensely so. Luca sensed the flaring of reiatsu not far away. Perhaps the most notable thing about it was just how...wrong it was. Just being near it made Luca feel colder. It was like a piece of the void had somehow entered the material world and now it was corrupting anything near it. Still, it was telling that he wasn’t immediately attacked by it. His back was turned, he was seemingly distracted. If the unknown entity wanted to ambush him, now would have been the time. That meant they weren’t necessarily out for blood.

The line of questioning in Luca’s head was cut short when he heard a woman’s voice behind him. Luca turned to face her. She was goth. Really goth. Hardcore goth. Not just a goth, but a quincy too, and her poise and demeanor weren’t at all like Ellie’s. “Name and position, quickly!” Luca’s apprehension faded into amusement. Who does this lady think she is? “What, are we in the military or something?” Luca chortled. To be ordered around by a complete stronger as if he was some junior soldier was so absurd it became funny.

"Why do you carry the stench of a Hollow on you? Choose your words carefully..."Luca’s smile faded. Oh fuck. “I-” Luca stopped himself. Yeah, I have an evil hollow spirit tied to my soul I have to live with for the time being! When he put it like that, it sounded insane. Yeah, right. Who in their right mind would believe something like that? Though for ever second Luca spent weighing his options, the woman grew more likely to attack him. She was Vandenreich. It was a miracle she hadn’t attacked him already.

Luca's mind drew a blank when he tried to think of a lie that would be more believable than the truth. Whether he liked it or not, this was the only shot he had. “Well, about that...Would you believe me if I told you I have a hollow that lives in my head and I have to deal with and sometimes it tries to usurp control from me?” Luca punctuated his explanation with a nervous laugh. He wasn’t scared...He’d already taken on one member of the vandenreich, what was one more? Even so, he was aching for a good fight and if she attacked first? Well, then no one could fault Luca for defending himself...

[Aia Kristal]

As the Quincy stood atop the car, peering at Luca with malice, she somewhat impatiently awaited an answer for him. It seemed that she had caught her prey by surprise. The Fullbringer initially had his back turned to her which left the the Quincy with a few options. If she did not like his answers, she could likely execute him. Alternatively she could attempt to cripple him. Drag him back to the Empire and torture him. Not for any reason that would benefit the Empire, but instead to satisfy Aia's own cruel lust for suffering and despair. Besides, she could learn a thing or two about this powerful hollow reiatsu that emanated from Luca. That aspect about him perplexed her the most. 

Finally Luca would give an answer. Naturally it would be filled with sarcasm causing Aia to grit her teeth a little bit. “What, are we in the military or something?” She did not answer. She did not have time for this foolishness. After barking her next question about the nature of his reiatsu, Aia noticed an immediate shift. Her eyes were fixated on him which made it easier to pick up on certain cues. The initial smugness that sheathed his words faded. Instead there seemed to be a hint of worry. “I-” Aia growled as he stopped short. He was hiding something. If his signature was not as fascinating as it was she would let a few arrows loose and turn him into a pincushion. Instead Aia felt it necessary to exercise patience. At least now that she was finally getting somewhere.

Despite this practice of patience, she needed to take precautions. Her bow would rise a little more. Not high enough to truly take aim yet. Instead it was more of a warning. She breathed out calmly as she would finally get her answer. Though she blinked upon hearing it, perplexed. “Well, about that...Would you believe me if I told you I have a hollow that lives in my head and I have to deal with and sometimes it tries to usurp control from me?” The Vandenreich Captain gritted her teeth. Was this kid being serious? Could that even be possible. She knew a little about Fullbringers, but everything that she knew about them made this seem unbelievable at face value. Was he a Fullbringer? Could he be more?

The little bits and pieces that Aia did know about Fullbringers was fairly common knowledge. Spiritually aware humans that gained their abilities due to a tragic attack upon the mother while the child was in utero. In a way their powers were granted by a Hollow as the residual reiatsu clung to the infant like a tumor. Aia was disgusted by the thought. Being granted reiatsu that was more similar to that of a Hollow made her stomach turn. Not only was that bad enough, but this one was claiming to have gone past that? To actually retain a sentient Hollow somewhere in the recesses of his mind. Perhaps it was fear. Perhaps it was merely curiosity. These feelings would all help Aia guide her to a final decision. 

Years of needing to wear a mask had defined Aia. She had become fairly proficient at misdirection and deceit. Traits that allowed her to disguise her true feelings of malice and a profound enjoyment of the suffering of others. This time, Aia did not hold that part of her back. The sensation would be sickening. Each word that Aia spoke dripped with ominosity. To Luca, it would likely feel as though Aia was a snake. A viper eyeing her next prey and simply looking when to strike next. Her aura would truly become vile and darkened. All the while, Aia kept a single arrow notched that she was prepared to use very soon. First she needed to explain his situation. 

"What a fascinating and grandiose tale..." Her words continued seeping with venom. "Unfortunately there are two complications. One. This explanation certainly is bizarre. Almost downright crazy. Albeit it would explain the pungent stench around you. Two and this is the more important one for both you and myself. If you are telling the truth then this puts me into a difficult position." She began to lowly rise to her feet. Within moments, atop the car, was a looming figure that due to her elevation even towered above the 6'2" that was Luca. Her bow still remained slightly elevated, but not yet in a position to properly take aim against Luca.

She continued to speak, the darkness enveloping every word that spilled from her. "Hollows are a pest. I'm sure that you and I can at least see eye to eye on that. They must be completely and utterly eradicated..." After this rather dispassionate and cold view, Aia raised her bow. With some dexterity, she released the notched arrow from the radiant bow. The arrow itself would zip towards the Fullbringer at an impressive speed of 800. The trajectory of the arrow would leave it flying towards' Luca's leg. Though even before the arrow would land its mark, the Quincy had something far more devious planned. The Quincy swiftly snapped her fingers.

The reiatsu of the arrow began to flare. Its bonds destabilizing. Within mere moments, the arrow began to expand. Within the immediate vicinity of Luca, assuming he made no intention to move, a moderately sized explosion occurred as the arrow itself bursted into a blast of reiatsu. The bright light of the blast would suddenly fill the alleyway, nearly flashbanging the Quincy due to the sudden source of light illuminating the otherwise dark streets of the alleyway. The Quincy would place her hand onto a pentacle as she began to draw in the atmospheric spirit particles that surrounded all of them. Aia breathed in calmly as she felt he pendant charge her reiatsu reserves. After doing so, she focused once more upon the coming fight if Luca was strong enough to endure or even dodge her initial attack. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}
Class 3 Arrow Detonation - 50
Reiatsu Regeneration + 300

Total Reiatsu: 5400/5250

[Akira Hinosai]

The air smelled sour, as if this woman's mere presence was poisoning each breath Luca took. Luca felt a pit open in his stomach, and his chest grew heavy. Just what the hell was this? Fear? No, I'm not scared. I'm not scared of anything! Whatever he was feeling, there was something very, very wrong about this woman. He could smell it in the acidic miasma around her. He could see it on her face, even in the dead of night. More than that, though, he could feel it in the back of his head, where his brain met his spine. A voice, muffled by radio static and quieted by distance. SHE'S GOING TO KILL YOU. ATTACK FIRST. KILL. CONSUME. KILL.

Since the procedure Ken'ichi had done, the inner hollow's ability to influence Luca was heavily diminished. That isn't to say, however, it was silenced entirely. That much was evidenced by the dream, and the lingering mark it left on his aura...And the near hollowfication Luca went through after the fight with the other quincy. The injured inner hollow's suggestions were primal, based on primal emotions of fear and killing intent. Luca heard them, if he focused, but most of the time they melded into his normal thought process. Now, though, he was ready to listen. Maybe it was growing more active, maybe it wasn't. Luca needed that primal reaction if he was going to survive this.

Conflict seemed inevitable the more he looked at her. She wasn't just a fanatic, she was a monster.  And now, I'm in her sights. She judged me guilty the moment she sensed a hollow. Luca's mind was flooded with half-formed analyses and plans. The deafening silence after his explanation certainly bought him some time. Lighter in front left pocket, close the distance, flourish, activate... When she finally spoke, Luca snapped to attention. "What a fascinating and grandiose tale..."  This was it. Planning time was over. All Luca could do now was face the ever-present darkness this woman represented. "Unfortunately there are two complications. One. This explanation certainly is bizarre. Almost downright crazy. Albeit it would explain the pungent stench around you. Two and this is the more important one for both you and myself. If you are telling the truth then this puts me into a difficult position."

When she jumped atop the parked car in the street, Luca almost activated his plan there and then. Still, his battle instincts stopped him. This is just pageantry. I should know, I do that myself! No, Luca was going to wait till the first arrow was fired. "Hollows are a pest. I'm sure that you and I can at least see eye to eye on that. They must be completely and utterly eradicated..." NOW! Luca had mapped the trajectory of hypothetical bringer light. There wasn't any time for second guessing, only for teleporting behind a bitch.

With a brief flash of green light, Luca was behind her, assuming she was still on the car. Soul command grabbed the lighter from his left pocket with speed that would put a quickdraw artist to shame. Then, Luca would attempt a quick horizontal strike aimed at the small of the woman's back. Whether it landed was irrelevant. It was a serviceable opening, given the circumstances, and Luca was prepared to go a lot harder if that's what it took. This woman was not going to win without a fight.

Reiatsu: 6750/7000
Bringer light: 50 (effective speed of 3000 during the step)
Fullbring activation: 200

[Aia Kristal]

Letting her arrow loose and allowing it to fly, Aia wanted to end this as soon as possible. Generally she preferred to toy with her opponents. To disarm them using her words alone. The Quincy knew that to utterly defeat an opponent, hope and will needed to fade first. Only then could someone truly be broken. These broken would then become further toys for Aia to satiate her lust for suffering. They were Quincy. Children of a God. They possessed a divine right to do what needed to be done. Sometimes that did involve breaking a few eggs along the way. It was all for the greater good. Aia firmly believed this. It was this belief that guided her actions to come.

Luca was cursed by Hollows. To carry a fragment of their vile nature within him. Yet it had been taken one step further. He was allegedly host to another entity. This Hollow was like a parasite and Aia could not help, but hate it. Hollows were the natural enemies of Quincy. Their toxic touch and miasma potentially lethal to even the most resilient of Quincy. Luca would have to become collateral in Aia's head. As the arrow flew with incredible speed, Aia snapped her fingers with delight. As the alleyway became filled with a radiant light, Aia focused upon the alleyway. Was Luca strong enough to endure her hasty assault? Part of her was hoping for the smoldering corpse of the Fullbringer. 

Though as the light and smoke began to clear, Aia would be in a rough surprise. There was no corpse. To further this dilemma, the Fullbringer would now be behind her with the use of a Bringer Light. The wheels began to turn in Aia's head, but by then it was already far too late. The moment her flesh came into contact with cold steel, she stifled a scream as all that came from her lips was a whimper. The slash to her back hurt quite a bit. Warm blood pooled from the wound. Her experience allowed her to focus some of her thoughts as she fought through the pain. As the stinging sensation clouded parts of her mind, there was one prominent sensation. One phrase that could define this encounter from now on. There would certainly be hell to pay.

Despite the wound that she had sustained, there was some benefit to the situation. Luca had done half of the work for her. He had entered her effective range. The bow of light that she wielded was more for formality. There was another type of combat that she excelled far more in. Now she would certainly attempt to retaliate. More than that, she would prey on the common belief that Quincy were far weaker in melee combat due to the range advantage of arrows. With Aia it was quite the opposite. She would draw upon her strength in melee combat. This would become abundantly clear shortly as she twisted her body to face Luca. 

As the Quincy twisted her body, the radiant weapon in her hand would change. The bow would warp, changing form into something far different. A hand would appear in her hand as a wide, 4' long blade emerged from the crossguard. The navy blue blade was adorned with a beautiful set of five complex runes. This alone would be imposing, but it was what changed within the blade that would be far more dangerous. A consciousness awoke within the weapon itself. It could likely not be felt directly by Luca, but the blade itself was giving off a menacing aura. More than just its appearance. Something spoke within the blade as Aia was about to tear into the Fullbringers' flesh. A deceptively cheerful voice that rang in Aia's mind. "The Harvest has begun..."

As the Quincy finished her 180° spin, she would attempt to crash the blade into Luca's chest. Not with the hilt, but the actual blade itself. It would be clear given the Quincy's aura that she was out for blood. If Aia was successful, her blade would attempt to sink into the flesh of Luca as she attempted to create a gash many times the size of her own wound upon Luca. If Luca was quick enough to block or even deflect her swing, he would find Aia's own strength to be lacking. In a physical fight she could not outmatch him and the blade itself would likely stop again Luca's much smaller weapon in this scenario. However either scenario would be far from ideal. 

Assuming that Aia rended flesh from bone or her blade came into contact with that of her opponent, Luca would still experience the horror of her abilities. If either situation came to pass, the blade itself would not just lash out at Luca physically. It would begin to tear at his very soul. The soul itself would fragment and would rip itself from the Fullbringer, descending through the blade that Aia wielded. The experience iself would feel rather uncomfortable and Aia knew that having part of ones soul fragmented was a traumatic experience. This is where her runeblade excelled. Not merely in physical warefare, but also in psychological warfare. 

Those that could not resist the hope-draining capabilities of the blade would quickly find their will diminishing. Luckily for Luca if he was subject to its ability, he was stubborn and strong-willed enough to resist the blade for now. While he would likely still feel a part of him being ripped from him, his will to fight would not be affected. Assuming this was the case, Aia would not stop her. She would continue her assault with merciless efficiency. If Luca was still atop the car with her, she would leap off the vehicle in an effort to land next to it. Additionally, the Quincy would use her greatsword and with great agility and practice, slashed at the Fullbringers' legs. If she sever his legs then this would be a grand opportunity for her.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Form Property - Runeblade of the Fallen Crusader}

Runeblade of the Fallen Crusader changes Aia's bow to a greatsword. This blade is unique as it is in fact a sentient weapon. A piece of Aia's soul, fragmented and sealed into the weapon, allowed to fester. This has made the soul sealed within blade effectively a different individual. It has the capability to communicate telepathically with the wielder and possesses an endless hunger for souls. The blade itself is a 5 ft long blade consisting of a 4 ft long blade with a 1 ft long handle. The blade measures to a width of about 1 ft while the whole crossguard sits at 2 ft. This gives it a very bulky, but intimidating appearance. The blade is a navy blue color that jags halfway along the blade with a gap at the front of the blade, giving it a two prong like appearance. An intricate looking skull adorns the hilt and part of the blade. Finally, the blade itself is decorated by 5, normally inactive runes. These runes activate and glow an eerie color when exposed to souls fragments as listed in Jailor of Souls. This runeblade allows Aia to change from a archer to a brutal close range fighter.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Power Property - Jailor of Souls}

Jailor of Souls serves as the backbone to Aia's release. While it is active, it grants Aia the ability to tear a fragment of the targets' essence when her weapon rends flesh. This fragment serves as a secondary resource simply known as a Soul Shard. Collecting Soul Shards is only possible using Runeblade of the Fallen Crusader. Soul Shards, however, last until consumed even if Runeblade of the Fallen Crusader or Jailor of Souls is deactivated. There are 2 ways to collect Soul Shards. The first is when the blade rends flesh. Each time, the blade rends flesh, it collects 1 Soul Shard. The second way is a physical clash between the blade and the opponents spiritual weapon. Stripping the soul from its victim is a traumatic experience. When this occurs, the victim feels emptiness and hopelessness. This can be avoided with a 1 in Strength of Will/Calm Mind/Lack of Fear. Soul Shards are available to Aia until used. She can hold a maximum of 20 at any given time. These Soul Shards can be used for her other abilities to empower them or be used as a resource for March of the Damned. While Aia primarily uses the Shoul Shards she collects for other abilities, the runeblade grows stronger as it feasts on these Soul Shards. Upon reaching certain thresholds, the Runeblade itself gains benefit. If Jailor of Souls were to be deactivated, Aia retains the current state threshold of the Runeblade, but removes any progress to the next stage. Additionally deactivation during Ravenous and Hungering states will pause the timer. Reactivation will resume the timer where it left off.

Ravenous - Upon initial activation of Jailor of Souls and Runeblade of the Fallen Crusader, the runeblade is in a ravenous state. This also occurs if no Soul Shards have been harvested. At this point, the Runeblade offers very little benefit and actually is more of a detriment as it lusts for souls from friend or foe. To start, Aia has 3 posts to obtain a Soul Shard. For every Soul Shard obtained, this post counter increases by 2 posts. Upon reaching 0 posts, the Runeblade begins to feast on Aia's soul. This translates to a 5% decrease in stats every two posts as the blade slowly feeds on Aia's own vitality. Every post that the runeblade isn't feeding on her soul, Aia regains 5% of her lost stats.

Hungering - Upon the runeblade harvesting 5 Soul Shards, the weapon is now in a Hungering state. At this point, the blade also activates its runes. These runes are required for using Runeforging. The amount of time Aia has to obtain a Soul Shard carries over from the Ravenous state. Now, however, each Soul Shard increases the counter by 3 posts, giving Aia more breathing room. Should this counter fall to 0, the runeblade continues to feast on Aia's soul for 5% of her stats every three posts and recovering 5% per post that it isn't feeding.

Sated - Upon the runeblade harvesting 10 Soul Shards, the weapon is now in a Sated state. From this point on, the runeblade will no longer feast on Aia's soul. The runeblade also gains a major benefit. Having tasted souls frequently, the runeblade once it is in a Sated state will harvest 2 Soul Shards. It should be noted that this is not taken into consideration when calculating the runeblades' progression. Each time the blade harvest Soul Shards, it counts as 1 for the purposes of progressing the state of the blade. Additionally, a Will/Calm Mind/Lack of Fear of 2 is required to avoid the feeling of emptiness and hopelessness.

Gorged - Upon the runeblade harvesting 15 Soul Shards, the weapon is now in a Gorged state. This is the pinnacle state of the runeblade as it has feasted on enough souls to evolve. The runeblade at this point will be able to harvest 3 Soul Shards from its victims. The hopelessness now becomes despair and the victim may lost the will to fight. A Will/Calm Mind/Lack of Fear of 3 is required to overcome this feeling despair and lost will to fight.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}
Runeblade of the Fallen Crusader - 100
Jailor of Souls - 200

Total Reiatsu: 5100/5250

SPOILER: Click to show

{Fallen Crusaders' Runeblade}

Jailor of Souls Soul Drain: 3/3

Runeblade State: Ravenous

Soul Shards: 0/20

[Akira Hinosai]

Luca didn't know what to believe at first. It was far too surreal, like he'd slipped into a dream. Any moment now, the woman would snap back, reveal some hidden form and kill him. It was never this easy. Yet as he brought his sword back, he could see the blood leaking from the cut he made. Underneath the streetlight, it looked almost black. It's the blood of a monster... Even if it was black, even if she was a monster, she was capable of bleeding. If she bled, she could be killed. It was a classic reversal of fortune. Just thinking about it made Luca's lips curl into a wolfish grin. Drunk on adrenaline, Luca laughed. He laughed triumphantly. He actually had a shot of winning this thing!

Luca had mostly recovered himself by the time she had turned to face him. Though as soon as she did, her bow had morphed into a fearsome piece of steel vaguely shaped like a blade. So, she isn't helpless in melee... Luca was strangely more annoyed than he was fearful. This was the second quincy who had some option for close range assailants. Her first strike was a downward strike aimed at his center of mass. The limited space of the platform made footwork difficult. It was good for delivering volleys of arrows, or delivering a quick sneak attack, but it would be hell for a prolonged melee. If he wanted to dodge, his best bet would be stepping off the car and onto another one.

Then again, he was a lot faster than the quincy woman... If he could land another blow quickly this whole thing could be over. In super close quarters, Luca knew that he could recover from attacks faster than her. Luca brought his sword up to parry her monstrous blade and was surprised at how easy he swatted it away. It was so anti-climactic, but still... Luca felt off. He'd lost something. It wasn't like his fighting spirit was crushed, but something was definitely wrong. People weren't supposed to feel like this, not unless something very very bad happened. The fact he couldn't even remember what he lost made it worse. He wanted to do an inventory of  friends, thoughts, worldly possessions, but battle wasn't the place for that sort of thing. A deep cold fear opened in Luca's chest as he realized this woman's ability possibly did something to him.

Something was gone. It wasn't a limb, it wasn't blood, it was something...important. What made it worse was that Luca didn't even realize what it was.A voice called out to him, noticeably clearer than before. JUMP! Without thinking, he did. Movement jetted him into the air.Looking down he saw the woman's blade strike at where his legs would have been. Then she was on the ground, and Luca was going to land there very soon. Soul command lessened his force on impact, and his natural endurance handled the rest. Luca quickly recovered himself. Taking a low guard, Luca's sword would destroy a chunk of the ground in a 1x3 foot line. Though whether Aia knew it was how he charged his attacks or assumed it was a show of strength was irrelevant.

"So, your sword has the power to make people feel bad?" Luca tried to take advantage of the lul in combat, however long it lasted to gain some information. Hopefully by wounding her pride, she'd reveal something useful. With his guard up, and his superior speed, he could hold out against any sneak attacks. Whatever she took from him, Luca was going to get back. He had to believe that. He wasn't about to lose a fight because of some stupid emotions. Ken'ichi wouldn't do that... Ken'ichi? Thinking about him brought Luca some comfort. Whatever he'd lost, it wasn't him or the memories of him. There was still hope. at least...

Reiatsu: 6425/7000

energy counters:-300
movement: -25

[Aia Kristal]

As the runeblade that Aia wielded would come down upon Luca, the Quincy would be met with quite the surprise. The Fullbringer had formerly evaded the arrow that was shot at him. Originally Aia had Luca pinned as easy prey. Prey that she could take back and study. She did not know the manner in which the Fullbringer eluded her arrow, but the condescending Captain chalked it up to luck. As she whipped around, prepared to bring her greatsword down upon Luca, her mind was fixated on one thought. "Lucky guess. Unfortunately for you...nobody gets lucky twice.." When her runeblade made contact with the knife wielded by Luca, she found herself in a bind.

Not only did he block her strike, but she found her blade unable to cleave down further. No amount of grunts or physical force could effectively bring the blade down any further. Despite her inability to cleave and rend the flesh of Luca, she was not entirely dissatisfied. As soon as their blades touched something within Luca fragmented. A shred of himself slowly torn from him as it traveled into the blade itself. The Quincy could certainly feel the satisfaction of her weapon. A deep, but approving growl rang in her head. Unfortunately for the Quincy this would not be enough and she'd have to land several more marks. This guided Aia's next movement.

As she leapt backwards in an attempt to bring her soul-devouring blade into Luca's legs, Aia would be met by another surprise. A jump that shot the Fullbringer into the air, allowing him to dodge Aia's attempt at severely crippling her foe. She bit her lip a little in annoyance as that was a 3rd strike that she had missed. The Quincy's eyes would fixate upon Luca as she watched him land on the ground. Though as he did, Aia would behold the first display of Luca's hidden power. The blade itself began to break apart the ground beneath him. This alone was enough to intrigue and surprise Aia. Suprise. That semeed to be a prominent aspect of this scuffle. 

As the fight had now entered a neutral state, it seemed that Luca would attempt to take advantage of it. The Quincy heard a remark about her abilities that elicited a bit of a scoff from her. "So, your sword has the power to make people feel bad?" After this scoff, she shook her head a little. Facing Luca, she began to pace from side to side. She was fairly proficient in social interactions. Her very being was cloaked under a shroud of deception and misdirection. Not only that, but she was an adept manipulator. She just wanted to end his miserable existence at this point. She would certainly give her retort, but it would be difficult to hide her intentions.

As she spoke, her words would be marred by malice. A peek into her soul at the moment would reveal a deep and dark place where only monsters that parents told their children at night roamed. "Oh my sword can make you feel more than just bad, sweetheart." Her use of sweetheart did not carry with it a gentle and warm disposition. Instead it would seem insidious and teasing. Almost cruel. "It can cleave through flesh and rend bone. It can make you suffer in unimaginable ways and this is only the beginning. Once I take you home with me, you will experience a whole new word of torment. Try not to struggle too much. I'd hate to damage you more than I need to." 

She licked her lips for a moment as she stared at Luca with a predatory glare. As she took one more step in midst of her pace, she used Hirenkyaku. Though she would use it in a notably different manner from her first usage of it. The Quincy began to concentrate a large amount of reiatsu under feet. Normally Hirenkyaku amplified a Quincy's speed for only an instant. This one, however, would turn out quite differently. The large concentration of reiatsu allowed it to not dissolve nearly as quickly. This came at a price. Speed. Aia's speed, but not be nearly as quick in that instant, but she would certainly be able to far surpass Luca's natural speed using this trick. 

Once she was finished focusing her reiatsu, the Quincy jetted off at an impressive speed of 800. Not only would she be able to maintain a speed of 800 in that moment, but it would last far longer than the movement techniques of others. Aia would use this notable distinction to hopefully gain an edge. She glid around the perimeter of the vehicle, attempting to use her heightened speed to effectively strike Luca from behind. The attack itself would be vicious. A heavy cleave that would attempt to seperate Luca's arm from the rest of his body. She hated the possibility of maiming her prey, but they could always heal it later. A severed arm would not be much in the grand scheme of things. 

If Luca met Aia's blade with his own or if the blade itself dug into the Fullbringers' flesh for even an instant, the drain would begin anew as the Fullbringers' soul would once more channel into the blade. Even if tjis worked, Aia knew that she needed more. The runeblade needed more. If she did not satisfy its hunger, she would be the next victim of its ability to shred the souls of victims. Knowing this, Aia would zip past Luca no matter whether she made her mark or not. Using her blade and incredible speed, she dug the blade into the ground. The blade would act as a pivoting point, allowing Aia to make a sharp hairpin turn as she made her way towards the Fullbringer again. She would kneel upon the disc of reiatsu as it traveled at a speed of 800, bringing her blade to Luca's waist. If it connected, Luca would feel the cold steel rush into the side of his waist as Aia attempted to zip past the Fullbringer again. If both connected, Aia would find value in this hit and run tactic that she was employing. If she was successful in zipping past Luca, she would concentrate upon the pentacle around her neck as it drew in more reiatsu for her use.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Hirenkyaku}Technique Name: Hirenkyaku

Class: 4

Technique Type: Quincy Technique

Technique Element: None

Technique Description and Effects:
Analogous to the Shinigami Shunpo or the Arrancar Sonído, the Quincy Hirenkyaku allows the user to move quickly over short distances; according to many Quincy, it is faster than flash steps, though a Captain's superior speed in comparison to a Master Quincy's speed suggests that this is just a generalization. Using it in its base form increases speed 10x for a single step, and costs 50 Reiatsu. However, unlike Shunpo and Sonido, this can be used for a constant movement as well. Giving up 400 Reiatsu allows for a constant movement over the duration of one post at 6x speed. Giving up 1000 Reiatsu allows constant movement over the duration of 3 posts of 4x speed.

How to use technique: To perform the technique, the user gathers spiritual particles under their feet and rides them to the desired location. Like the air-walking skill displayed by most Arrancar and Shinigami, it can also be used to hover or fly for long distances.

Drawback: None

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}
Hirenkyaku - 1000
Reiatsu Regeneration + 150

Total Reiatsu: 4250/5250

SPOILER: Click to show

{Fallen Crusaders' Runeblade}

Jailor of Souls Soul Drain: 4/5

Runeblade State: Ravenous

Soul Shards: 1/20

Hirenkyaku Constant: 3/3

[Akira Hinosai]

"Oh my sword can make you feel more than just bad, sweetheart." That last word echoed in Luca's head. He shuddered. Just hearing it from her was enough to make him feel dirty. Yet the way she said it really got to him. If there was any warmth insider her, it got snuffed out a long time ago. "It can cleave through flesh and rend bone. It can make you suffer in unimaginable ways and this is only the beginning. Once I take you home with me, you will experience a whole new word of torment. Try not to struggle too much. I'd hate to damage you more than I need to."  Disgust and uncertainty bubbled in Luca's chest. He'd scored a good hit on her. Even with the bad feeling, he was at a severe advantage. Still, the way she talked made him forget that, at least for a few moments.

No matter what, though, Luca wasn't going to cower like a scared puppy. This was someone who thrived on the misery of her opponents. He wasn't going to give her that satisfaction. So, she wants to torture me to death...what's a good comeback to that... "I'd like to see you try, you horrible bitch." A bit generic, but a perfectly serviceable line. As soon as he finished, she was gone. Oh fuck. Luca's instincts took over. Conscious thought, hesitation, inhibition all left him. He reconstructed the field in his minds eye, beyond what was in his immediate cone of vision. Enemy position unknown, possibly near, possibly launching an attack from where Luca's guard was weakest. There was no time to check where, whatever Luca's next step was going to be it would be without knowing where his enemy was.

Position: Unclear. Range: unknown, possibly close. His best bet was an area of affect attack that would throw off the attack no matter where it came from. Luca shot into the air with speeds that would make hirenkyaku look like snail's pace. In his place, Luca would place a shaped charge of reiatsu, formed into a large, jagged orb of obsidian, roughly the size of a medicine ball. As soon as Luca was in the air, he detonated it, causing tiny pieces of obsidian-shrapnel to blow across an orb 15 meters in all directions. Each shard was tiny enough, but each possessed tremendous cutting power relative to its size. Coupled with the sheer number of shards flying in all directions, it would be very, very bad for one to get caught up in such a field.

The shards would move at a speed of 600, making it possible for Aia to escape if she realized what was going on soon enough and clear 15 meters before then. Regardless, Luca's attack didn't need to hit her to do its job. Even just flushing her out and stopping her sneak attack would be enough. Luca hit the ground with a thunderous crash. He didn't bother to cushion his fall with soul command. He didn't need to, and he was past caring about collateral damage. A sizable pothole was created just from the force he'd just tanked. Leaning into the intimidation factor, He popped his neck as he looked at the quincy woman. If Form Obsidian didn't prevent her from attacking again, Luca would ready his defense.

Something had clicked in his brain. He wasn't the underdog for once. He was the one with power now, like Ailene or Ken'ichi. If he wanted to be powerful like them, he had to win this without taking any major hits. He had to win it quickly, even if he was holding back. I can't afford to waste any more time on a weakling like her! He'd fought a quincy before, enough to know that their step technique was entirely too slow. That problem was only multiplied by his ability to build speed with successive bringer lights. She'd surprised him once. She would not get that opportunity again. Assuming she was sliding towards him on a disk of reiatsu,  Luca would set up a simple line of defense before him. Air strings. Another flaw with excessive flashsteps was that it tended to give one tunnel vision. Luca was banking on that, and hoping she couldn't stop herself before connecting with the razor wire he'd set up.

Opening his hand and closing it he created a simple spiderweb style net to stop her from reaching him. Even if she collided at full speed, she probably wouldn't be cut to ribbons...Probably...

Reiatsu: 5775/7000

Bringer Light: -50 reiatsu, effective speed of 3000

Form Obsidian: -200 Reiatsu (250 OS, 600 speed)
Air strings (class 3):-400  Cutting power: 425, Durability: 500

[Aia Kristal]

Exhilirating. This was the only word that Aia had to describe her little skirmish with Luca. Her thoughts were racing, blood was rushing through her veins, and she felt positively brimming with energy. For as much as Luca's mere existence disgusted her, she had to admit that the rush was addicting. This is what guided her next movements upon the Hirenkyaku. The step technique of the Quincy had a unique distinction of being able to be used over lengthier periods of time for less speed at once. This, however, allowed Aia to take advantage of her enhanced speed in more creative ways than simply moving quickly for a brief instant. She began to whip around the perimeter of the car.

Her goals were rather simple. To rend flesh from bone. To dig her claws into Luca and slowly rip apart his soul. Such was the nature of her blade after all. It hungered for more after tasting a piece of Luca's soul. As Aia began closing in quickly she would in for quite the surprise as Luca disappeared from view. In his place was a blackened, jagged orb with rather rough features. Aia was not sure that it had the capability of doing, but she could deduce that this was Luca's doing. She was not going to take chances. Using her enhanced speed, she quickly raised her blade before her, treating it as a makeshift shield. It's natural bulk and length allowed it to cover a decent amount of Aia's body.

Aia quickly realized that she had made the right decision as the orb of obsidian detonated. Hundreds if not thousands of pieces of shrapnel flew towards the approaching Quincy. While many hit and consequently ricocheted off of her blade, she did not get out of this skirmish unscathed. The shards quickly dug into her legs and arms, the outer edges of her waist along with her shoulder. It was truly painful, but Aia had a surprising level of pain tolerance. It was this capability to shrug off pain that would allow her to stay in the fight albeit she bit her tongue of quell the pain in other areas. She shot off of the disc while landing on her feet with some alacrity.

The disc of reiatsu slowly began to dissipate as her landing was met with the thunderous crack of Luca's. She looked up at him and growled softly. She could not believe it. She had some difficulty striking Luca and was taking more blows than she was comfortable with. Was this a losing fight? Could she simply turn tail and run? That's when the realization hit her. She was one of the Emperor's children. She had the blood of a god flowing through her veins. If she was going to run from Luca, then how could she ever forgive herself and defend the Emperor's kingdom. She sighed as she slowly heard a voice in her head. "Strip his flesh from bone. I hunger for more...Aiaaa.."

She nodded wordlessly and placed her hand upon the blade. It slowly slid along the length as Aia focused her reiatsu. The once bulky blade became a sleek bonelike bow. Flaring her reiatsu once more, she formed a set of three arrows as she took aim. As she released three arrows all within a few moments of one another, Luca may have found that only one wad actually flying directly at him. The others were flying within 5 ft of his side. Aia had the suspicion that Luca had sized her up as a low threat. As such she was expecting him to show off by catching the arrow or not moving much to simply dodge the arrows. Either would be satisfactory in Aia's book.

As the arrows hopefully began to invade Luca's personal spaces, she flared her reiatsu once more causing the arrows the detonate. Unlike the first detonation in the alleyway, however, there was no explosive yield. He would feel no physical force. Instead, a misty swirl would fill his eyes as a cacophony of spirits wailed within. If Luca was within the swirl upon detonation, he would likely make out the last pleas of a few from the seemingly thousands of voices of the damned. "Murderer...All your fault...All your fault!...Please let me live...I..I'll do anything...No please stop. No...NOOO!!!" As each arrow detonated into its respective swirl, each with a 10 ft radius, the area began to linger with these misty swirls. Assuming Luca found himself within one of the swirls, he would find that not even leaving would allow his mind to be put at ease. Regardless, Aia prepared another arrow, hoping that he was preoccupied with the cacophony of screams and wails. She would let it loose at his current location aiming for the center of his chest.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}
4 Class 3 Arrows - 200
3 Arrow Detonation - 150
Wailing Arrow - 150

Total Reiatsu: 3750/5250

SPOILER: Click to show

{Firing Property - Wailing Arrow}
Wailing Arrow is a form property that naturally affects the arrows that Aia fires. While they still appear the be arrows, they are in fact a collection of souls gathered from Jailor of Souls. The arrows fired while this property is active have the standard costs, however, there is also a Soul Shard cost. One Soul Shard is able to fashion 5 wailing arrows. When flying through the air, a faint screech can be heard around the arrow. When a target is hit by arrows fashioned from this property, they are assaulted by a cacophony of dreadful wails of the souls of the damned. This affliction befalls them for 2 posts. This naturally makes concentration difficult. Being afflicted by these wails makes Mental Incantation impossible requiring verbal components for amplifying Kido. Any technique that requires concentration or focus to continue utilizing the technique over multiple posts cannot be used until they are no longer afflicted by Wailing Arrow. This can only be negated with a Calm Mind/Focused Eye of 2 or higher. Victims who are deaf or can nullify their sense of hearing are immune to the wails produced by this affliction.

Wailing Arrow also affects the detonation of arrows that Vandenreich are capable of. When an arrow affected by this property is detonated, the explosion instead becomes a swirl of souls that apply the Wailing Arrow afflication for as long as the target is within it. These swirls have a 10 ft radius and do not have an explosive yield like regular detonated arrows. These swirls remain in place and last for 2 posts. When leaving the swirl, the victim is afflicted by Wailing Arrow for 2 posts similarly to if they were hit. If they were to enter one of these zones, the duration of the affliction is refreshed. It should be noted that when an arrow is modified by Wailing Arrow, the arrow nor the explosion harm the foe.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Fallen Crusaders' Runeblade}

Jailor of Souls Soul Drain: 4/5

Runeblade State: Ravenous

Soul Shards: 0/20

[Akira Hinosai]

Luca snarled. This is really starting to get annoying. Maybe she was a zealot, maybe she was insane or just plain suicidal. Whatever her problem was, Luca was getting sick of her pointless struggle. It was clear that all she could do was stall for time. This whole time she'd yet to land a single blow. Still, for whatever reason, she kept fighting. She clung to a lost cause like it was a security blanket, thinking it might give her protection. Maybe she prided herself on her resilience. If she couldn't win, she could at least rise again after every defeat. That was stupid, though. Some things you don't get up from. I'm going to prove that!

A small part of Luca recognized how strange the words sounded in his head. The rest of him was too angry to care. As she formed her sword back into a bow, all Luca could think about was how much he'd love to kill her. The first volley of arrows was far from impressive. Plotting the trajectories in his head, Luca could see only one was close to hitting him. He quickly pivoted and saw it fly past him. She must be getting des- The thought was cut short. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" All of Luca's thoughts, up to and including his sense of self was interrupted by a cacophony of screams."NO PLEASE I DIDNT DO ANYTHING!" Maybe that wasn't the right way to describe it. It was a completely new experience. Worse than anything the inner hollow could do. At least with them, it was one voice.

Luca resisted the urge to cover his ears. No, fighting it will only make it worse. He had to get out of here. Away from the arrows, towards the quincy. Close the distance, It was like his original strategy. The plan was simple, only half-formed in his mind. That was enough, though. He didn't need to think. He could smell the air and feel it on his skin. Reiatsu crackled in the air.  He didn't need rational thought when his muscles knew how to do the thinking. Conclusions were reached in the blink of an eye. He didn't need to make connections when his body already knew them.

With movement, Luca launched himself away from the arrows, away from the bad sounds inside his head. Towards the quincy. Stab, rip, tear. parry, riposte. After the first burst of speed, Luca thrust his sword into the ground. As he pulled it back, a storm of grey ash filled the air. In addition to obscuring vision somewhat, Aia would find herself experiencing dizziness and nausea. Luca would keep his head down and move in erratic, unpredictable patterns as he closed the distance. If necessary, he would use soul dominance to move the cloud with him towards Aia. "NONONONO!!! PLEASE NOT THAT ANYTHING BUT THAT!!!"

Voices still screamed in his head. Now that he was actually executing his plan he'd need to think again. What worked before would probably work again. With bringer stealth, Luca would place himself behind the quincy bitch again. With bringer flash, Luca would quickly bring his blade into position to hack into the meat of her upper arm, intending to sever it before she knew he was there. Unlike last time, Luca was done playing around. This time he was going to end this. Luca's blade began to glow green before making contact. If his strike landed, not only would she feel grievous pain, but the radiation sickness she felt would worsen severely.

Techniques used:
Movement: -25 (effective speed of 900)
Ashes to Ashes (release tech): -100
Bringer stealth: -150, effective speed of 300
Bringer flash: -50, effective limb speed of 1500

5450/7000 reiatsu remaining

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}{Ashes to Ashes}
Ashes to Ashes: This technique is fundamentally different in both its application and use. Luca may chose to, rather than absorb the energy he creates, he may instead send the irradiated dust into the air for the same reaiatsu cost of gaining an "energy" counter. Visually, this is indistinguishable from the normal dust created by Luca's energy absorption, allowing for trickery on his part. This ability creates cover appropriate for Luca to use the stealth skill, even if he is in an open field. It does not render him invisible, or even unfindable to those with sufficient skills to locate him. Luca does not have control of this cloud after he creates it and wind based abilities, or abilities that can generate enough air displacement can cause the cloud to dissipate prematurely. The dust, while not as potent, may still cause radiation sickness symptoms of dizziness and fatigue

SPOILER: Click to show

{Exposed Core Strike (aka that melee thing he did) }
Exposed Core Strike: Luca can focus beta particles in a limb of his choice, or in the sword itself. This choice must be made before activation and cannot be changed until the technique is completed. Whichever Luca uses, the technique remains the same. By striking an opponent, he may expel the energy via a melee attack. This allows the attack to do far more damage than it otherwise would. The area around the point of contact, a few inches in all directions is given moderate burns (2nd or 3rd degree) and acute radiation poisoning which lasts 5 turns. The radiation sickness worsens for every absorbed dose. With the first two hits causing the victim to feel increasingly worse nausea and fatigue, with subsequent hits resulting in increased bleeding and necrosis. Each counter lasts 5 posts in the opponent after this attack is landed. (if the hits have been applied to the same general area)
(costs 1 energy counter)

Energy counters: 2/3 remaining

[Aia Kristal]

The arrows flew true towards their target and Aia was eager to see the result. As her reiatsu flared and the arrow was narrowly dodged by Luca, she had a pleased smile on her face. Quickly expanding into a swirl of mist, the wraithlike souls invaded Luca's mind and the very air around him. Aia could hear the voices, but thankfully was not plagued by them. She of course knew what they were. Souls that resided in her cursed blade. Who festered in eternal agony and cursed to never find a peaceful afterlife. Such was the fate of anyone felled by Aia's blade. It was a dark place and one that she herself did not like to think about. Regardless, she was quite pleased to see Luca shrouded in the howling mists. 

Despite the howls and torment that Luca was exposed to, it seemed that he was more resilient than Aia thought. As he began to move, Aia snarled softly. Why would he not succumb? Was Aia fortunate enough to find someone like her? Someone who did not share guilt in the misery that she brought. This was the main question that raced through Aia's head as Luca vanished for a moment. Within mere seconds, Luca had descended upon Aia. The Quincy found herself surprised by his wanting to approach and his overall strategy. As he dug his blade into the ground and proceeded to pull it right back out, Aia found herself before what could only be described as a dust cloud. 

It occluded her vision somewhat and left her questioning as to where the Fullbringer was. In a moment of panic, Aia summoned her blade once more. Gone were the arrows and the bow as they were replaced by the imposing greatsword that she wielded prior to great effect. She of course remembered where the Fullbringer was. Right before her. She could swing at him. She could cleave him in two. She could-....Her thoughts were disrupted as the silhouette in the smokescreen moved again and vanished. This one, however, was bizarre. Normally Aia had some semblance of where her opponents had moved to. If she lacked the sight then she could tell based of her other senses. 

This time something was different. There was no footprint. No trail of crumbs to follow. She desperately tried to peer through the cloud. He had to be somewhere. He had to be. Right? Just as she was questioning herself the Quincy felt an interesting sensation. A small trail of liquid rolled down her brow. She wiped it quickly and growled. "Am I...sweating?.." It couldn't be fear. Sure, she was in a slight panic, but she had a determination that could push through it. Suddenly she blinked as her vision blurred for a moment. Her head was pounding more and more. She swayed and groaned in discomfort. Her breathing quickened ever so slightly. "W..what's going on.." 

Suddenly she felt a pain. A sharp pain that radiated through her shoulder. Was it the adrenaline that eased it or was it the swift injury? She could not tell before she felt her dress be stained by a warm liquid. It was blood. She could tell immediately. She wanted to move her arm. Nothing. No movement. It was then that it hit her. Luca had just cut through her arm. She began to howl in pain. She dropped to one knee as blood continued to drip onto the concrete floor beside her now severed arm. She could not even focus on Luca for the moment. She had to regain her senses. She had to push through the pain. But how could she? She had lost an entire limb to this aberration. 

It was gut wrenching. In Aia's mind, Luca deserved to be eradicated. He had the foul stench of a hollow mark him. He was an abomination. A freak. She was justified in this situation. Not that Aia needed the reassurance. She was a child of the Emperor. Of a god. More than that, torture was what she excelled at. Killing was simply a part of the job and she accepted it. Even liked it. She was always the predator, never the prey. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that the roles were now reversed. She was at the mercy of Luca. Or at least so she thought for a moment. She quieted down, whimpering ever so softly. The pain was still prominent, but she could withstand it. At least for now.

Just like before, she continued to sweat. The dizziness. The discomfort. It was all becoming worse. She whimpered once more. Her voice went quiet and her mind continued to race. "How could I be brought so low...Am I not strong enough? Is this the end..?" She simply paused for a moment as she growled. This couldn't be the end. She needed to do this. Besides. If she was to die, she would not take it laying down. She would give one hell of a fight. She paused and looked up. Her voice loud, she began to scream. Not one of fear. Nor one of panic. This was one of passion. A battle cry to put all of the grief behind her. She was the child of the Emperor. She would carry out his will. 

As she came to this realization her body began to glow in certain areas. The veins of her arm, legs, back and neck began to glow a tint of blue. She suddenly felt the power of the Emperor course through her veins. A gift given by the father of all Quincy. She felt her spiritual capabilities rise to new heights. At the same time, she began to flow reiatsu through her remaining arm. It coursed through it violently as Aia gave it focus. She was going to take advantage of smokescreen and what she thought of as Luca's ego. She could pin him at the prideful type a mile away. She deduced that he must be feeling pretty great right now after severing her arm and being so much stronger than her. 

Rising to her feet and twisting, Aia was going to hit Luca with a punch. But not just a regular one. Two layers of reaitsu flowed within her as Aia attempted to deliver a jab to his chest. Together with Blut and Combat Cutback, Aia would attempt to strike at Luca with a hefty punch. If it connected, it would strike with a false strength of 1050 in an attempt to certainly knock the wind out of her adversary if not outright tear through his body with the physical force. If Luca was hit by this impressive strike and staggered in any way, Aia would spin around once more to dislodge her blade from the ground and slash at the Fullbringers' stomach. She didn't just want to gut him. She wanted to tear through his midsection with clear killing intent. No matter if Aia hit, missed or even followed up, she could feel the effects of her assault already. This layered reiatsu of hers took a lot out of her. She could already feel her arm straining and beginning to char a little. If the radiation wasn't going to cook her, then this strategy sure would if kept up for an extended period of time.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}
Runeblade of the Fallen Crusader - 100
Blut Arterie - 500
Combat Cutback - 675

Total Reiatsu: 2475/5250

SPOILER: Click to show

{Form Property - Runeblade of the Fallen Crusader}Runeblade of the Fallen Crusader changes Aia's bow to a greatsword. This blade is unique as it is in fact a sentient weapon. A piece of Aia's soul, fragmented and sealed into the weapon, allowed to fester. This has made the soul sealed within blade effectively a different individual. It has the capability to communicate telepathically with the wielder and possesses an endless hunger for souls. The blade itself is a 5 ft long blade consisting of a 4 ft long blade with a 1 ft long handle. The blade measures to a width of about 1 ft while the whole crossguard sits at 2 ft. This gives it a very bulky, but intimidating appearance. The blade is a navy blue color that jags halfway along the blade with a gap at the front of the blade, giving it a two prong like appearance. An intricate looking skull adorns the hilt and part of the blade. Finally, the blade itself is decorated by 5, normally inactive runes. These runes activate and glow an eerie color when exposed to souls fragments as listed in Jailor of Souls. This runeblade allows Aia to change from a archer to a brutal close range fighter.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Fallen Crusaders' Runeblade}

Jailor of Souls Soul Drain: 3/5

Runeblade State: Ravenous

Soul Shards: 0/20

SPOILER: Click to show

{Blut - RS/SpPr Doubled}Technique Name: Blut (“Blood”)

Class: 3

Technique Type: Vandenreich Technique

Usable By: Vandenreich only

Technique Element: None

Technique Description and Effects:
Blut, translated as “blood,” is a powerful technique that is passed down through all pure-blooded Quincies of the Vandenreich Empire. This technique is a gift from the Vandenreich Emperor, and only exists as long as he, or someone of similar power who as assumed his role, is alive. Channeling that leader's power through their very veins, Vandenreich Quincy are able to draw upon it and make use of it either defensively or offensively in combat. This technique is not active by default, however, and a cost must be paid to trigger it.

The first half of this technique is Blut Vein, the defensive half of the ability. Acting similar to an Arrancar's Hierro, Blut Vein allows the user to protect themselves on the skin level, preventing any physical damage to the body as long as the user possesses a superior offensive stat. Unlike Hierro, though, this armor will not degrade over time. However, attacks with impact behind them can still send the user flying, though the bodily damage will be negated. Blut Vein costs 300 Reiatsu per post to keep active.

The other half of the technique is Blut Arterie, which focuses on offensive ability. While this ability is active, the Emperor's power flows through the user's body and soul, doubling either physical or spiritual stats. This takes up one of the user's long-term stat boost slots, and costs 500 Reiatsu per post to keep active. Note that only one of these two techniques can be active at a time; if one is activated, the other is deactivated.

How to use technique:
Spend Reiatsu to draw out the latent power in the user's blood.

Technique Drawbacks:
The first major drawback to Blut Vein is that it can be bypassed in one of three ways. First, if the opponent's offensive stat is higher by even a single point, then Blut Vein is ignored. Second, if the opponent is of a superior Class, then Blut Vein is bypassed. Finally, “final forms” of Release, such as Bankai, can ignore Blut Vein.

Blut Arterie has its own drawbacks as well. When active, Blut Vein is removed, removing the user's defenses. Aside from taking up a stat boost slot, the user is constantly funneling excess energy through their body, which is a tiring effect over time. Finally, while active, the user draws in half as much Reiatsu per post as normal, as they are focused on output more than they are on drawing it in.

Reserved?: No

SPOILER: Click to show

{Combat Cutback - 900 Strength}Technique Name: Combat Cutback

Class: 4

Technique Type: Reiatsu

Usable By (Technique is available to which races?): Anyone with 300+ SpPr

Technique Element: None

Technique Description and Affects: Persons with high spiritual pressure are known for their large reiatsu pools, but they also tend to be known for their weaker reiatsu strength, which means they have a ton of reiatsu, but not that much to actually use it on. This techniques entire purpose is to take that sheer volume of reiatsu and turn it into a viable, dangerous weapon.

The user builds up a pool of reiatsu internally, increasing the internal pressure, before channeling it towards a set of limbs, such as the hands or feet, discharging it as a weapon. By doing this the user can harness their reiatsu into physical striking power, allowing them to match a physically stronger opponent blow for blow, or possibly even beat them. Upon initial use the user pays 75 reiatsu per 100 strength, maxing out at their spiritual pressure, but afterwards the per post upkeep drops to 25 per 100. The amount of force generated can be changed once per post, going down merely drops the upkeep, but going up, the user must pay the initial upkeep as well as an additional 75 reiatsu for every 100 strength they add to the technique.


How to use technique (How is it activated?): Building up internal reiatsu before focusing it on a set of limbs such as hand hands or feet (or other applicable appendage like a tail). Before mastery of this technique only a single limb, such as one hand or foot, may be selected at a given moment, after master is obtained both may be used at once.

Technique Drawbacks (Limitations, repercussions for use, etc): Besides a fairly large initial cost and a moderate per post upkeep this technique only has one major drawback; reiatsu burns. When using this technique the user is forcing a large amount of reiatsu to be funneled through a relatively small area, so extended use can be dangerous. 1st degree burns begin to form after about 3 posts, 2nd degree after 5, 3rd after 7, and finally after 9 posts the chosen limb becomes borderline useless and the technique can no longer be used in that area. Healing, specifically of the burns, will reset the timer of this technique.

Made By: Yetsuna

Reserved? No

[Akira Hinosai]

Quincy loved to act superior, as if nothing could hurt them. They clung to their ancient dogma like it was a security blanket. Every Vandenreich soldier had it drilled into their head that their power flowed from the emperor. Because they had his blood, they were superior. What they seemed to forget is that blood was blood, no matter where it comes from. Pure blood can be spilled just the same as impure blood. Maybe it was true that they could trace their lineage back to a single deified ancestor. That didn't change the fact they were just meat at the end of the day. Bones that break, flesh that tears, and blood that spills.

It was true. They were meat, and Luca was the butcher. Such a prospect may have terrified him once, but that weakness had been purged from him. Aia was a monster. She wanted to torture him to death, for the horrible crime of existing. As if that wasn't enough, the screaming in Luca's head was testament to the countless lives she snuffed out. Why should he show mercy? Why should he be scared of what he'd done and what he was going to do? As Aia writhed in pain at the loss of her arm, Luca began to laugh at it all.

His laugh was a manic, frenzied sort of thing. It quickly descended into breathless cackling. By the time he'd collected himself, the woman screamed. In a way, Luca was mesmerized by her determination. Most people would have given up by this point. Is she...Holy shit, she is! Missing an arm, dealing with radiation sickness, countless cuts along the side of her legs, and a massive laceration on her back...and she was still going for a last ditch attack. If her goal was to catch Luca off guard, she'd failed. A cornered animal could reliably expected to attack. Luca's main surprise was that she was even able to. Her veins glowed a bright quincy blue, making her look almost alien in the moonlight.

With the sheer mass of reiatsu she was taking in, Luca decided enough was enough. He wouldn't take any chances in dispatching her for what he'd hoped was the last time. Luca closed his eyes, fully opening the floodgate in his soul. He felt the world around him, the currents of reiatsu that flowed through the world. He felt his soul, and the connective tissue between the part that was him and the part that was his inner hollow. He opened his eyes, and pulled on the wellspring on energy inside him, channeling it all to his fist. His veins did not glow, but smoke began to emanate from his arm...

And with a blur of movement, his hand was in place to intercept and grab the quincy's hand. With 1350 strength, Luca would begin to squeeze her fist with all his strength as he began to twist it back. "You know, that's the problem with you Vandenreich types. You let your superiors do all your thinking for you. Dulls your minds. Makes you easy to predict." To prevent her from trying anything with her sword, Luca merely pointed at the ground and opened a large fissure, swallowing it up before closing the wound he'd created.

With his off hand, Luca punched the quincy in her gut, as many times as it took to knock her to her knees.

Luca's eyes glowed a bright green as crackles of reiatsu appeared around him.His energy made him shine like a beacon in the night, a terrible serpent who just might swallow the entire world. "For someone who places so much stock in their blood, you seem intent on losing as much of it as possible. It doesn't matter, though. Keep coming at me however you like, I'll swat you down just as effortlessly as the time before. You've shown me the depths of your power, and you still can't touch me."

With a final bringer flash, Luca would smack the side of her head with the bottom of his sword's hilt.

"I've never brought Uzaki a live one before. Huh...What do you figure that's gonna be worth?"

Willpower: Gate: -100 (SP: 1400 RS: 220, costs thereafter are doubled)
Combat Cutback: -800
Bringer Flash: -200 (Speed of 1500)

Soul Dominance: -300

3150/7000

[Aia Kristal]

It all came down to this. These next few seconds would determine the results of this fight. It was not only her body, but her very soul that radiated with power. The light shimmered beautifully under the moonlight of the night sky. The Emperors' blood was giving her the power to defy the odds. It would allow her to overcome this foe and execute divine justice. As Aia's mind fixated on this, she saw blood red. She did not even care about leaving Luca alive. She just wanted to tear into his body and remove the infection that he presented. He simply needed to die. Aia was sure of it. Hollows and Shinigami alike are a plague, and she was the cure. She could cut out this disease.

At least this is what Aia believed. In that moment she felt powerful. In control. Then in the next moment not so much. Anticipating her intentions and intercepting her fist, crackling with reiatsu, Luca simply negated her attack. In that short moment, Aia's breath stopped. Time almost seemed to slow for her as her skin began to crawl. Even after putting nearly all, she could into this strike, it was not enough. As he twisted her hand back, Aia winced in shock. Was she going to succumb to this monster? Was there truly nothing else that she could do to put him down or to defend herself? It was a tough pill for Aia to swallow as she closed her eyes. She could not believe that this had become her reality.

Just as she winced and tried to wake up from this nightmare, she heard Luca speak. She didn't have much choice, but to listen and each word stung like a dagger being pushed into her. "You know, that's the problem with you Vandenreich types. You let your superiors do all your thinking for you. Dulls your minds. Makes you easy to predict." She blinked and scowled. She still had her blade. She could- Just as she thought to use her blade in this desperate situation, Luca was already one move ahead. The street beneath rumbled as it split, and her blade fell into the depths before quickly stitching itself back together. Aia was speechless and bit her lip in disgust. 

Before she even had the chance to speak, she felt a sharp blow to her stomach. It hurt. It hurt like hell. Yet despite that she would do her best to stand. Then another punch hit her. She could not help herself as the Quincy violently spat up blood. It splat against the ground, staining it as Aia's veins slowly began to lose their glow. Was her will broke? Was she nearing death? She was not sure why her Blut deactivated, but she knew that it could not be good. Suddenly the pain in her hand intensified as Luca kept squeezing it. She could not help but scream in agony. Just what kind of power did he possess to make her an inconsequential opponent? She did not understand. 

A final punch to the gut abruptly disrupted her thoughts. Whatever posture that Aia had before degraded into one of kneeling in submission. Luca had forced her to her knees. Humiliated her. Then she spat again. More blood. She whimpered as the taste of iron in her mouth disturbed her. Would Luca spare her? Would he kill her? The Quincy had resorted to her bloodlust. She realized that if he returned in kind she was dead. She tried to struggle to the best of her abilities. To pry her hand and arm away from Luca, but to no avail. She could not get it free. She continued to whimper in agony from the pain she was forced to endure. 

Aia proceeded to look up at Luca's form. He crackled with green reiatsu as he shone much like Aia once did when she utilized the Emperors' blood that flowed through her veins. It seemed that Luca was not done gloating as Aia was once again forced to listen to him. "For someone who places so much stock in their blood, you seem intent on losing as much of it as possible. It doesn't matter, though. Keep coming at me however you like, I'll swat you down just as effortlessly as the time before. You've shown me the depths of your power, and you still can't touch me." Her eyes narrowed as she peered at him. There was only hate in her eyes. Nothing else, but the void of a woman who had dedicated her life to murder and had little cause for optimism. 

The Quincy bit her lip as blood continued to roll down the sides of her mouth. She wanted to come at him with vitriol. She wanted to curse his existence, but she couldn't. She could not form the words as the pain overtook her. She was beaten. Her will cracked yet not entirely broken although this did not mean much in the grand scheme of things. What could she do? She tried to move her hand once more and couldn't even get any feeling out of it. She nearly tried to rip her arm out of her socket in desperation to escape from this foe. She was stuck. She had no words for this foe as she resigned to her fate. That's when she felt a sudden jolt to the head.

The Bringer Flash allowed Luca to move in a blur as Aia just felt a crack against her head. She could already feel her vision dim. She knew that she would lose consciousness soon. Her words were soft as she managed to get some out. They were weak, but she could say them. "C..curse you..H..hollow.." With that, Aia's vision grew dark, and she fell forward in a pool of her own blood. She had no fight left in her. A Captain of the Vandenreich now lay defeated before Luca and completely at his mercy. Even amongst the darkness of her own thoughts while unconscious, Aia found no solace. How could she be a child of the Emperor after this loss. It would only be a matter of time before she would witness whatever fate awaited her.