Challenge from an Outcast

[Rafael]

Rushing in on this Shinigami was something that Rafael had to do as it seemed melee combat was actually going to be possible against her unlike the last one. So far she’d displayed speed and strength that outclassed his own which meant he’d have to utilize his knowledge, talent and skill in order to pull ahead. He hoped that he could win this without needing to unleash his Yaseishin once again although he was certain that was something that would need to happen eventually. The knee that Rafael employed first though managed to hit nothing and Rafael immediately processed what was in front of him. The Shinigami’s figure wasn’t clear and now he’d passed right through her. “Is she really that much faster than me?”

In the next moment Rafael thrust his right hand out attempting to deliver the punch to her tiny face yet once again she displayed that she wasn’t to be underestimated. Blocking his punch with her hand almost like a grown man being stopped by an infant yet all the same it almost felt like she wasn’t trying to stop his hand although that’s exactly what happened. What he saw right away though, told him how she managed to stop his punch. He’d noticed it some time ago, but things had gotten simpler. Now when he saw something, especially a movement it just seemed clear how it was done, he didn’t know why or how it started but right now he was glad he could tell what she was doing.

Concentrating on the front of his paws Rafael would step off the ground just as Celes moved her hand forward at his chest. Moving upwards at a speed above 3000 Rafael would thankfully avoid what he saw as a potentially very painful impact against his chest. He could tell what was going to happen based on her body movement yet how such a technique could exist was something he didn’t. Rafael loved martial arts and put them on a pedestal, yet his knowledge was incredibly limited compared to most. The idea of reflecting a physical blow back on the aggressor wasn’t something that seemed possible, yet he’d just witnessed such a move with his own colorless eyes.

Rafael had seen many Shinigami employ the movement technique called shunpo to avoid attacks like he had just been forced to do although almost always he saw them gain distance. Rafael on the other hand was now above Celes utilizing his skills as an acrobat to execute a forward flip with his right leg extending downwards. If he was successful, his right leg would impact the Shinigami downwards right on her head. She possessed the physical strength that she likely wouldn’t die, but if he scored a full blow, he wasn’t certain it would continue either. A part of him knew that would be far too easy though while a different part didn’t even want that to happen. He’d found someone that could push him in a way he enjoyed.

Remaining Reiatsu: 1950/3000
Shunpo: {-50}

[Celes Castellanos]

At a glance, it seemed that the plan would go off without a hitch. Rafael struck nothing more than an afterimage with his knee. She had caught his fist and was ready to apply her palm to his chest. It was a devastating technique that would leave more than a mere scratch. She had to know his secret. Did the Beast-Clan have something akin to Orobas? Could he simply recover from injuries? It was quite vexing. After all, a healing factor combined with physical durability would be difficult to deal with...

Next came something Celes did not expect. Not even in the slightest. As Rafael vanished, Celes' eyes widened. She recognized the resulting signature whoosh almost immediately. "A S- Shunpo?" By all accounts, it was a sensible maneuver. That wasn't the problem. It was the fact that the panther had used Shunpo at all. Hohō was a Shinigami art. Taught to students of Shin'ō Academy. It turns out that this Rafael would be trickier than originally thought. "I wonder what else he knows of Zankensoki..." 

She shook her head. "Focus, Celes. Focus!!" The Captains' eyes darted around. She listened for anything in her nearby vicinity. "..." Nothing. Thankfully Celes had decades worth of combat experience. If not behind her then the next best location? "Above me!" Looking up, she saw the black panther ready to strike at her. This time? It was his leg about to come crashing down upon her. "Ugh... damn it..." Reflexively, Celes brought her arms up above her head. She took a deep breath before flexing her muscles tightly. 

This maneuver likely seemed innocuous. Mobilizing every muscle in one's body was not an uncommon response to danger. Unlike most Shinigami though, Celes was quite unique. Having trained her physical prowess to the peak of supernatural ability, her muscles were akin to steel. As the kick came crashing down upon the Captain's arms, a powerful gust of wind pushed against her. She grit her teeth. This Rafael was strong. No doubt about it. However, Celes would not let any invader to frolic freely. She was not afraid to use a body as a shield. 

Having warded of the kick from the Beast-Clan, Celes realized that it was time to go on the offensive once more. Utilizing a Shunpo, Celes closed in on Rafael with 10000 Speed. Many would be hard-pressed to even notice the Captain's movements. It was time to see if Rafael could react! Using her Shunpo to flicker next to Rafael's leg, she'd try to wrap her hands around his leg. trapping it. If the girl was successful, she'd lift and seemingly effortlessly whip Rafael around like a ragdoll. From this position, Celes would try to slam Rafael's backside into the ground. Then she'd do so again, this time utilizing his frontside. If successful, the ground itself cracked violently as Celes was using her full force to slam him. This would do a little more than leave bruises...

SPOILER: Click to show

{Celes' Reiatsu Pool}
Total Reiatsu: 1450/1500

Shunpo - 50

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{Shunpo}Technique Name: Shunpo (Flash Steps)

Class: 7

Technique Type: Kidō

Technique Element: None

Technique Description and Effects:

A movement technique that allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow. The focal point that determines the basis of this technique is speed. As speed is the main point of the technique, the method is best characterized by how fast one can get from Point A to Point B in the least amount of steps. Training and skill are what determines how fast a user of Shunpo can move. Those of little skill in the technique or those who haven't used it for an extended amount of time would obviously be out of practice, causing those individuals to be considerably slower. This requires the use of more steps to move the same distance and become tired more easily in a shorter amount of time. A single step magnifies speed for that step by ten times. Shunpo uses fifty Reiatsu per step. This one is automatically learned in the academy. All Shinigami know this when created. This technique does not take up a technique slot.

How to use technique:

Focus of Reishi around the feet area and launch off into a single blurring step. It is not unlike teleportation in appearance, but it is simply extremely fast movement. It is often used to gain an edge in a single moment of combat or to dodge incoming attacks.

[Rafael]

His leg descending downwards struck the Shinigami with her lime green hair that was proving more and more, she was someone who could really provide an enjoyable fight. The downward kick that Rafael had just used was stopped right away, something that he hadn’t experienced outside of practicing it on a mountain. Even when practicing against massive pieces of stone his physical strength was enough to break apart nature like a bad set of legos. To anyone watching the clash between the titans of muscle it would be like a toddler taking the hit from a full-grown adult, a display that only the knowledgeable would be able to accept.

This Shinigami though kept on her feet, her arms didn’t break while the floor beneath both of them now sunk down deep. Massive cracks emanating from his physical strength that stretch out from Celes’s feet. What had been a flat bit of land in the surrounding chaos that the previous Shinigami had caused was now an indent several feet deep. His opposing left touching down on the ground now would allow a follow up right away, yet he could see the Shinigami there in front of him one moment and then the next fade away. It didn’t take more than a fraction of a blink for Rafael to pick up on her new position on the side of him, but by that point he could already feel the grip on his leg.

Getting picked up by the Shinigami was something that Rafael and many others may deem hilarious to look at given the size difference between the both of them, a toddler picking up the parent and then tossing them around. A sight to see truly, but Rafael already knew the physical strength this Shinigami had displayed and knew he couldn’t mess around with her. Flexing his upper body while moving his arms up he’d accept the blow against the ground receiving most of it to his arms. Upon impact the indent in the ground would cave downwards casting up a massive amount of dirt and debris.

Being lifted up once again though Rafael’s right leg would shoot downwards hitting the ground while his tail coils around one of the Shinigami’s arms and then squeezes as hard as possible along her forearm. Neither of them seemed to be going to let the other go. Rafael knew his size wasn’t always an advantage to himself, something this Shinigami was taking advantage of for herself at the moment. The major limitation right now was the fact he couldn’t reach her with his head. A headbutt right now would work well in his opinion, but the distance along with the position wouldn’t allow it. Instead, his left arm would swing forward in an attempt to deliver an elbow to his opponent’s head.

Facing off against someone so much smaller than himself meant that Rafael couldn’t rely on his full arsenal of movements as many couldn’t touch her. He’d have to take time in order to change the angle to many of them, which against this foe he couldn’t trust would be done fast enough. Currently due to the close proximity between them he was truly limited, but he knew his size could work for him as well. His elbow was large enough that it could damage her entire head with the small section of his arm being roughly the same size as her face. He wanted to face off against her as a martial artist now so would try to rely on his powers as little as possible, although he knew it was a selfish wish, it was something in the forefront of his mind.

[Celes Castellanos]

The longer she fought Rafael, the more she started to see the disparity between the two of them. The Captain of the Tenth was known for her monstrous strength and lightning-fast speed. In fact, there were maybe one of two Captains that outstripped her. While Rafael outpaced most Shinigami in physical strength, he wasn't quite as strong as her. He was also slower by a rather sizeable clip. Would he have something else up his sleeves? Something that could level the playing field? If not then Celes would certainly feel a little bad afterwards.

Nevertheless, Rafael was an invader. No matter his intentions, Celes swore an oath to everyone in Soul Society. She would fiercely protect them with her life and ward off any intruder that came her way. For this reason, the Captain rushed forward with blinding speed and grabbed the panther's leg. Mustering her incredible strength, she picked the larger combatant up like a ragdoll and brutally slammed him into the ground beside her. This blow left a clear indent, marking the streets of Seireiti.

There was no reason to stop, either. Lifting him up for another slam, Rafael did something quite unexpected. Just as Celes had used the panther's size to her advantage, so would Rafael use it to his advantage. Celes felt the earth beneath her shake slightly as the panther brought his long leg down, planting it against the ground. It cracked and crumbled before sending little shards of stone upward. One of them struck Celes cheek and garnered nothing but a slight drop of warm blood that rolled down her cheek.

Despite having superior physical strength, Rafael's foot forced her to exert more force to swing him out of balance. Besides, there was another move from the panther. Coiling around her arm, Celes felt the embrace of a tail. Needless to say, Celes' skirmishes with animals, much less Beastclan-Men, were so rare that she hadn't really considered his tail until now. Celes could likely free herself, but that would take time and effort. She could try to draw her Zanpakutō and sever the tail, but cutback was always a risk.

Unfortunately, she didn't have that much time to mull it over. Rafael's arm would be swinging for her head, threatening to drive his elbow into her body. Celes' heart suddenly beat loudly. Its beats became rapid. Complementing this physiological change, Celes began to vibrate her body. Starting at her head, shooting down to her torso, and finally to her arm. She wasn't sure whether Rafael could actually see this incredibly fast vibration of her body, but that didn't really matter. As his elbow closed in... it would simply pass right through Celes' head, almost as though it had passed through a ghost! At the same time, Celes' vibrating arm slipped right through his coiling tail.

After letting his elbow pass her by, Celes would have an excellent chance to retaliate. The Captain instead utilized another Shunpo to create some distance, roughly eight feet of space between the two of them. As she hopefully generated some adequate distance, she'd stop vibrating her body. Her physical mass returned to her and she raised her arms to stretch. Thankfully, the strain on her heart diminished as it beat slower once more. A soft yawn escaped her lips as she shook her head at the panther. "Not bad, Rafael. There aren't many in Soul Society as physically capable as you. That being said, I'll offer you a chance to retreat again. Live to fight another day before I'm forced to do something we'll both regret." While her voice carried a genuine hint of concern, there was also some conviction in her voice. She didn't want to approach this the same way she'd tackle Orobas. Hopefully, Rafael wouldn't force her hand.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Celes' Reaitsu Pool}
Celes' Reiatsu: 1400/1500

-50 for Shunpo

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{Daikotsu}Technique Name: Daikotsu

Class: 2

Technique Type: Hakuda

Technique Element: None

Technique Description and Effects: Shigekuni, the 33rd Captain Commander, had two well known impact techniques. Ikotsu and Sokotsu. They were both renowned as ridiculously powerful impact techniques. Unfortunately, he was the last known user of them both. These techniques have been lost in time. However, luckily, his friends and others of the time knew similar impact techniques.

Daikotsu is a personal invention of Kenpachi Shingai, who was never able to match Shigekuni in physical strength. Because of the strength deficit, Shigekuni was never able to teach Ikotsu or Sokotsu to Shingai. This resulted in the creation of the impact technique Daikotsu.

Daikotsu causes the user to vibrate their body at great speed. When this happens, the user actually gains the ability to go through defenses. The vibrations of the body allow the user to phase through even an enemy's blocking arms or sword. This can be done with sword or other weapon strikes as well, causing the weapon to vibrate through other weapons. This cannot vibrate through reiatsu based defenses, but can vibrate through physical structures, the equivalent of physical manifestation, and the enemy's body.

The possibilities are limitless. When this vibrates through an enemy, the user can suddenly stop vibrating, and thus have their arms impaled into an enemy. But the most applicable hit attack is that when this vibrating punch hits something, it adds the user's speed force into account. Therefore, the user's speed stat is thrown on top of the user's strength stat for the punch. This sends powerful force through the opponent's body. This does not bypass Hierro or cutback, but it is a lethal attack that can kill just about any properly hit enemy in one hit.

The end result of the technique is usually that their body is left vibrating as the force ruptures and obliterates the majority of their internal organs. The vibrations will shatter nearly all of the bones in their body, and more likely a large hole will erupt into the torso. The body will soon fall apart and be destroyed.

How to use technique: This is a very specialized technique. It requires a base speed of 1000 to work, and it also requires a 3 in Hakuda. It requires a minimum strength stat of 300 as well. To boot, if one wants to use this with a weapon, it requires at least 2 in that weapon's use. It requires a minimum physical age of 20. One must at least be in their prime to attempt this technique.

Drawback: It can tax stamina, sure, but really its drawback is a strain on the heart. The healthy heart may be able to use it several times, but less healthy specimens will find great pains in its use. The vibrations on the body consistently strain muscles and cause great damage to the heart if overused.

Made by: Kenpachi Shingai

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shunpo}Technique Name: Shunpo (Flash Steps)

Class: 7

Technique Type: Kidō

Technique Element: None

Technique Description and Effects:

A movement technique that allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow. The focal point that determines the basis of this technique is speed. As speed is the main point of the technique, the method is best characterized by how fast one can get from Point A to Point B in the least amount of steps. Training and skill are what determines how fast a user of Shunpo can move. Those of little skill in the technique or those who haven't used it for an extended amount of time would obviously be out of practice, causing those individuals to be considerably slower. This requires the use of more steps to move the same distance and become tired more easily in a shorter amount of time. A single step magnifies speed for that step by ten times. Shunpo uses fifty Reiatsu per step. This one is automatically learned in the academy. All Shinigami know this when created. This technique does not take up a technique slot.

How to use technique:

Focus of Reishi around the feet area and launch off into a single blurring step. It is not unlike teleportation in appearance, but it is simply extremely fast movement. It is often used to gain an edge in a single moment of combat or to dodge incoming attacks.

[Rafael]

Managing to shove his leg right through the ground gave Ragfael the stability that he needed, while his tail curled down the arm of the shinigami and then in the next moment he delivered the elbow. A very intimate attack with minimum range for most although the size difference between himself and this shinigami gave him a big bonus. His elbow’s reach was just as long as her arm meaning that he could potentially hit her with something vastly more dangerous at any point so long as he didn’t let his guard down. Despite knowing this and keeping her in his view Rafael watched as the shinigami pulled off something he wouldn’t have believed could be done before this moment. The vibrating of her body allowed his elbow to move right through her.

Rafael watched intently giving her every bit of his attention as he watched his body move right through her own and then felt the tight squeezing on his tail vanish. Rafael’s mind had evolved to a point that it was completely different than when he’d been human, it wasn’t even the same as when he’d first started this new life as a Beast. His mind processed everything after developing it to a limit he couldn’t now surpass. Immediately despite not believing what was happening right in front of him Rafael connected the dots enabling him to come to the conclusion of what just allowed this shinigami to escape from his attack.

Just like that the Shinigami accelerated her speed once again to put a small bit of distance between them, disengaging just enough that she could speak to him without worry of being hit. Rafael knew with the distance between them that he could attack her immediately without needing to move from where he was standing, his physical size was one thing although his arms wouldn’t reach her, his tail could all the same. He wasn’t here to kill her though, thus his tail moves downwards and curls around his waist once more returning to the belt like stance. Pulling his foot up out of the ground Rafael stares at the Shinigami while she begins to speak once again.

“What sort of training has she done to pull that off?” Rafael thinks to himself having seen Celes pull off a technique that he would have argued couldn’t be done. He knew his eyes gave him insight or rather he could figure things out just by giving it a little thought, but to be able to vibrate oneself so fast that other things just pass through. The notion of such a thing didn’t make sense, the stress it would place on her heart. Rafael felt a connection to such a disadvantage almost like he understood what she must be feeling at the moment now despite the fact she was standing against him. If nothing else, he’d proven a decent point so far and learned that he had to open his mind to the possibilities even more.

"Not bad, Rafael. There aren't many in Soul Society as physically capable as you. That being said, I'll offer you a chance to retreat again. Live to fight another day before I'm forced to do something we'll both regret."

“Not here to kill you, not here to kill anyone. I’ve told you that Shinigami need to stay out of Wilderness. Western wilds belong to me now. I came to make this known and show my strength. I’m ready to leave whenever this is accepted, although I’d be disappointed as you’ve shown so much skill already. Curious what sword may turn into for someone so adapt with hands.” Rafael had a feeling that no matter how many Shinigami he told, his wants weren't going to be heard. He was ready though and now excited, in the pit of his gut hoping that Celes wouldn't accept his terms just so he could continue this fight against a worthy opponent.

At the same time though after he had already fought against two others that wore the same stature as this one, he knew nothing more was likely to come from this. He'd come in order to show that the Beasts of the West weren't to be pushed around, they weren't to be treated like animals or discriminated against like he and his family had been. By defeating the previous two he'd already accomplished what he'd sought. Now he was just feeding his own ego and thus the panther closed his eyes and began to turn away. Disappointed in himself for not seeing nor hearing his own actions. "Anyone that comes to the West, best be prepared." Rafael started to walk away knowing it would take him quite a while to get back home. Stopping though he turned back to Celes with a wide fanged smile. "Anyone seeking a good fight though is welcome at my doorstep."

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Rafael: 98 paragraphs total + 100 TP for winning = 1080 TP

Senshi: 13 paragraphs total = 130 TP

Connor: 49 paragraphs total = 490 TP

Celes: 33 paragraphs total = 330 TP