Rome Ruined in a Day? (HW-DP-R)

[Teresa]

Name: Rome Ruined in a Day?
Participants: Kimiko vs Teresa
World: Human World
Death Setting: Damage Permanent
Rating: R
Location: Rome
Special Conditions: N/A
Circumstances: Wishing to see other sections of the human world, two different spiritual entities both arrive in Rome. Individuals with a history of violence against one another come across one another by chance and thus another city is potentially in danger as they clash.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Dusk was soon starting to settle in the heavenly Soul Society. The summer skies typically so vibrantly blue have started to take on more of a brighter orange or perhaps yellow hue as the distant sun began its descent towards the earth, and the air usually so pleasant has started to cool. For those who wandered about the roads of Seireitei and Rukongai alike, it meant that their day of labor in this afterlife was starting to come to an end and that they would soon be liberated from their duties. Some would head on over to play games and eat food, enjoy their spiritual life to its fullest with food and drink, while others would instead head on over home to spend a quiet and peaceful evening. In a way, the same could be said for the Shinigami of the Gotei 13, as many would finish their training then so as to do the exact same. Just now, many could be seen exiting Seireitei to head on over to Rukongai so as to visit shops, restaurants and other institutions. However, there were a few of these divine guardians who instead decided to not bring an end to their training just yet. Among them was Kimiko, the most recent arrival to the Eleventh Division's Third Seat.

Safe for the increased amount of paperwork she has had to complete in accordance to this new rank, today has been a relatively normal day for the girl. She rose from her bed as she did any other day, left the bedrooms in good shape and form, completed her paperwork relatively well, and then went off to complete her training session. By the time the aforementioned dusk arrived, she then sat onto the grounds of the training coliseum and conducted Jinzen so as to join Shizukakane within the Inner World. Later on, as she has scheduled, she would leave the barracks and head on over to Hikashi's ramen shop to eat, or possibly any other restaurant available then. It was a daily ritual that she has accomplished now for almost six years straight. Some would say that it was a monotonous process that would perhaps benefit from variety and diversity, but Kimiko, her, did not see it that way. Instead, she cherished it. It allowed her to benefit from a flexible timetable she could modify at any time if necessary, and to spend as much of her time enjoying what she loves most: becoming stronger with the blade, both physically and spiritually, and eating the greatest good this spiritual realm has to offer to her.

Unfortunately, she would not be able to complete this process today.

It happened during her Jinzen ritual, right before the end of yet another game of shogi between herself and her Zanpakuto spirit. The very moment she had been about to corner her adversary's pieces against a wall and eliminate them one by one for the win, she had heard the call of one of her comrades resonate through her Inner World, and disappointed, she was forced to forfeit the game entirely. Shizukakane had understood completely, taking the news with his usual kindness, though it did not do much to contain the swordswoman's emotions. It was why she was now heading towards the main hall of the barracks with a mixture of annoyance and plain discontent, following behind a man with crow black hair that reached his shoulders, sunken eyes and a beard that seemed as though it was shaved haphazardly. Although she said nothing during the trip, he could obviously tell that she wasn't really happy about the fact that she had been ripped away from her Inner World like that.

"Sorry about that. I wasn't really in the mood to come get you, but there isn't a whole lot of people around here," he apologized with a groggy tone as he lead the swordswoman throughout the halls, his demeanor tired and disheveled. If they would have met this person for the first time, he would have seemed as though he had just gotten out of bed. However, Kimiko knew him well enough: that was just more or less always how he was, even if he gets as much sleep as he possibly can. As such, she wasn't too bothered by the fact that he was the one who brought her away from her training.

"It's fine, Charles... It just sucks, is all. You pretty much got me out in the worst moment possible..." she sighed awkwardly as she replied to him, trying her best to not make him feel bad about it. He didn't take it badly, all things considered, for he simply smiled in response.

"Were you guys playing shogi again?" He guessed lightheartedly, which made Kimiko nod. To that, he hummed, shaking his head slowly in the process as his lightheartedness was instead replaced with dread. "Ah, that sucks... I know that feeling. I'm not good at that game, but I'll try to pay you back later."

Kimiko found herself smiling at his proposition. She hadn't expected that from him. Among the soldiers of the Eleventh Division, Charles Hensley was widely considered to be the absolute laziest officer there was within their ranks, so much so that many higher officers of the Gotei 13 that got a good glimpse at him generally thought of him as a pathetic slacker. The fact that he actually seemed to push himself to do something for his fellow squadmate was almost unprecedented. "Alright then," the aforementioned squadmate said in kind, "but you better at least learn the basics... I won't go easy on you."

"Yeah, yeah..."

The two of them continued to walk down the halls of the barracks before they would eventually one of the offices scattered about the place, one which was typically held by higher officers of the Eleventh who were simply too busy to go onto simple missions anymore, whether it be due to age or injuries. Onto the folding doors which would lead inside them was drawn "변" in a seal-like motif, with the drawing positioned inside a circle. Although she could not read the symbol itself as it was not Japanese, but rather Korean, she was well-aware of what this place was. Jin's office...? Her thoughts hummed as her annoyance left her, instead to be replaced with a sense of utmost curiosity and intrigue. This was unusual. Typically, the man gives her her orders in a more casual manner by simply reaching for her, not directly call her to his office, and if that ever happens, not by the interim of one of her squadmate. The fact that it was Charles, of all people, who delivered the news was strange too. It must be pretty urgent, especially since he then left without much impromptu.

Eventually, she went on inside and closed the doors behind her, causing her to end up in a fairly-enclosed room. It was supremely well-organized with tablets and shelves full with books and other work memorabilia, all of which were heavy and probably full of information. An attempt was also made to make it look as shockingly modern as possible with an office clock on the wall, a desk you would usually find in the penthouse of some big shot CEO of a large company, and a leather couch for relaxation. On the desk itself was a name tag displaying the words "Byun Jin", a metronome, and a piece of wood crafted by hand to look like a frame displaying a sort of urban landscape. Behind the desk itself was a man, tall, with a very refined look to him. His face was completely clean with facial hair at all, and his features were smooth, almost youthful. If it wasn't for his hair being almost distinctively punk-like aesthetically with a large strand hiding the right side of his face, he would have appeared more as a member of an entirely different squad.

Upon looking up towards Kimiko's face, his yellow eyes gleamed and his expression of previous passive seriousness instead turned into a large, almost unfitting smile. It made his cold features instead turn brilliantly sharp, which made him look much gruffer. "Ah, there you are," he grunted as he picked up one of the nearby books. "Charles didn't piss you off too much, I hope?"

"He doesn't... really ever piss me off," the swordswoman could only reply, still not used to how jarring Jin's look was as a whole. "That award goes to Dai." She liked the man as a friend and one of the only people in the Division who treats paperwork seriously, as she knew that she would never wish to complete any paper without his presence, but his appearance still unnerved her even after all these years. If it wasn't for the fact that she was a bit too anxious to propose it, she would have seriously suggested him to at least change his haircut or get a scar somehow... but then again, someone else probably already did that and failed to convince him to do so.

"Hmph, ain't that the truth," he huffed at the sheer mention of Dai's name. The hatred for the little prince of the Eleventh seemed to be very mutual. Even so, he did not allow that to completely unnerve him, as soon enough, he would grab a paper that was previously lying on the desk by the metronome. "Anyway, I didn't call you here to chat," he'd tell her immediately as his smile vanished to instead be replaced with a more serious visage. "This just arrived from the Ninth. Here, take a look."

Kimiko pushed herself towards the front of the desk before grabbing the paper offered to her. As she took it, her eyes scrolled from top to bottom, reading it in detail. At first, it did not seem as though there was anything special: it just seemed like a basic report from the Twelfth Division. However, as she continued to read it further and further, her eyes frowned, then slowly grew. Apparently, there has been a large amount of Hollow reiatsu congregating in a certain part of the Living World. The amount displayed isn't particularly impressive in hindsight, as such numbers are common in Karakura Town... but this was energy was located in Rome, the capital of Italy. More importantly, the corrupted spiritual energy was described as having a signature that was similar to another creature that was previously spotted in Karakura a few years ago. Fortunately, the report had a name to tie to that signature. Just reading it was enough to make the Shinigami freeze.

Teresa.

"... Jin..." she muttered then, her spiritual pressure slowly rising before she raised her eyes from the paper to the office man. This report.... She now fully understood what was the intent behind it and why she received it. Like she had believed, it was urgent, but it was not so because it was something important for the squad as a whole; rather, it was important for her. It was a way for her to battle a foe that she had fought in her past before the news would go around and more Shinigami would be sent into the fray. She did not realize it then, but a smile had unconsciously appeared on her face. A large one, cruel and vicious, one that demanded battle. "Thanks."

The man was unnerved by the smile. He was well-aware of why it appeared, or rather what exactly caused it to do so, and he was not going to do anything to stop it from becoming larger and larger on the woman's face. Heh... To think she was just some shy girl when she first joined us. Now, she looks like Francis, he believed then, smirking along with the younger woman before he finally replied to her: "You're welcome. Now, go kick that bitch's ass."

With that, she headed for the Senkaimon, and proceeded towards The Eternal City.

[Teresa]

This still wasn’t something that Teresa could say she was used to, stepping from one location to another was something so normal, something she had done thousands upon thousands of times throughout her life as a human. It was nothing special yet when one could step thousands of miles in a single heartbeat. Teresa wondered just what sort of life one led when they could be anywhere in the human world with a single step. A fickle little thought that appeared in her mind as the Hollow stepped into the heart of Italy.

She’d grown up in Europe, but never saw anything beyond the little village that she’d called home. That little girl was dead though yet even now the curiosity that had burned from her reached Teresa. Surviving, growing, learning all for the purpose of evolving. That was all Teresa had done since obtaining her freedom yet this was the first action that stepped away. Of course she was going to use this city like a buffet yet it wouldn’t be the same as eating with threats over her shoulder at every turn.

This was a choice that she made and she wasn’t really sure why. All she knew was that this city was beautiful by human standards and even though she was a Hollow it was far more pleasant than the endless desert. All the same though she wasn’t here for a pretty picture. She found herself here and just like it always did the hunger found itself inside of her. The hunger was growing in her faster than it had before something that really messed with Teresa, something she was determined to handle and would start doing now that she was at a human buffet.

This city was much more beneficial to what she had in mind than Karakura, Something that she hadn’t really been expecting or had thought about was the way it could help although it was simple. Thinner roads with closer buildings was all it took. Despite being in the light of day this would have made things easier for her, yet despite the environment playing in her favor she didn’t need it. The humans of this city couldn’t see her, nor did she assume they possessed much in terms of a spiritual connection. Something that made her question how they’d taste.

She’d get her answer soon though by devouring a human male that was speaking to himself while holding one of his hands up to his ear. Despite being in the human world for quite awhile now Teresa still had no concept of modern technology or the advancements that humans had really made in the last century. The human was alone though with no one close so after a few minutes Teresa would continue to walk with the only sign that something had happened being the bloody clothing on the ground.

“Not horrendous yet still nothing to seek out specifically. Either way it’ll serve to fill the void.”

Devoured:
1x Human Class 8

[Nakajima Kimiko]

In the lobby of the Senkaimon, Kimiko waited. She was standing absolutely still with her gaze focused onto the gates, looking as though she was about to rush out of the gates the very moment they would open to the skies of the Italian capital. Her eyes, widened, appeared as though they were burning bright, and perhaps they were, for the spiritual energy that surrounded her being at that point in time could only be considered as being outright brilliant. It was like staring at a geyser of power, one that was on the very verge of causing damage to the Senkaimon. The problem was such that the officers of the Thirteenth who were overseeing the travel from the heavenly realm to the Land of the Living where almost livid at the sight. "Nakajima-san, are... are you okay?" One of them asked almost carefully, unsure of what to say to her and honestly starting to be afraid of whatever was going to happen once she reaches Rome. "Your reiatsu... It's..."

"I'm fine," she only said then, her usual shyness eliminated in this moment. "Perfectly fine." There was no effect from the officer's talk on the burst of spiritual energy resonating around her, and perhaps this was good, for any more would most likely cause the gravity in the area to change. The officers, still very worried about what they were seeing, would look to each other for a moment as though still very unsure of what to do. They were here solely because Kimiko had told them to bring her to Rome on the behalf of Byun Jin, nothing else, and yet they were now starting to feel as though they were being a part of something oddly personal rather than official. In other words, it felt less so like they were bringing this officer to the Living World for a mission and instead more so for something that they should perhaps have no business being included within. If something bad happens over there, none of them could predict what would happen to them for their collaboration here.

Of course, they would be fine. The swordswoman had absolutely no worries for them; in fact, she barely worried about anything right now. Instead, she was feeling something strange, alien. It was something that was very difficult to describe for her still. On one hand, it was similar to the adrenaline that she felt then when she fought Teresa as a student of the Academy and not a Shinigami, the very same thing which made her act almost so bestially against the faceless atrocity. On the other hand, it wasn't quite only adrenaline. It was something more, something much more, perhaps something even overwhelming. It was a grand mixture of not only adrenaline, but also sheer excitement, frustration and anger. She could usually contain those last three emotions fairly enough even during her wildest battles, but combined with that aforementioned bestial energy, she now could barely contain herself from bursting to these doors and go hunt Teresa right away.

Through this emotional torrent, her rational mind attempted to find a reason behind its existence. It was not normal for her to act this way. Again, these feelings were unlike her, unlike her usual self. As mentioned before, she can contain herself fairly well in her battles even if she tends to get herself carried away at times. In response, her emotional mind almost became more powerful solely to push that rational side away. This was not just some random Hollow that she was excited to fight for the hell of it, like Roadrunner, Copperhead and Thresh. Those were just fodder, nothing more. No, this was Teresa. This was the beast who was deemed to be so powerful by Soul Society that they sent multiple Shinigami after her. This was the beast that had killed Yumi, the swordswoman's first guide to the Living World after she became a resident of Rukongai. Above all... this was the beast who ran away from her during their battle before she could land the final blow, the coward that refused to see their battle to the very end.

Once she made that conclusion, her rational side fully subsided. Not even the quiet ring of Shizukakane within her mind could quiet her down. All that remained was a bestial Kimiko who wanted to finish that fight with Teresa and cut her down to pieces for running away. You won't run away this time... I'll make sure of it! Her thoughts boomed against the soothing ringing, overpowering it completely. No one runs away from a fight... Not even you, you freak! Never before has this happened, and quite frankly, she was much too excited about the upcoming fight to care about such a inconspicuous detail. By that point, only another Shinigami she knew - someone that was so very close to her, the Captain of the Tenth - could potentially bring her away from this emotional hurricane. It is either that, a spell that could render her unconscious in some way or another so as to shut down all of these emotions, or the complete and utter extermination of Teresa.

The gates of the Senkaimon eventually finally opened, and once they did, the officers of the Thirteenth quickly stepped away so as to allow Kimiko to pass. Usually cheerful enough to tell her good luck, they this time were silent, watching her walk out of the gates with an excited grin on her face that almost reminded them of a Hollow. It wasn't against this enemy that she needed the luck: perhaps she instead needed it to control whatever urges were currently controlling her mind and body. However, the swordswoman was completely unaware of their wishful thinking as she stepped onto the Italian air and allowed the evening sun to shine brightly against her body. She did not even thank the officers for their work as she usually did while they closed the gates behind her, causing it to vanish as it returned to the Soul Society. Instead of doing that, her bloodthirsty gaze looked upon The Eternal City, and soon after, her grin turned into the large smile from before.

At this time of day, the beautiful city of Rome almost appeared as though right out of a painting. The evening skies, a mixture of blues and oranges, shone bright like a sheen of amber above the beige of the historical infrastructure below. From where she stood in the sky, the temperature was exactly what she would expect from the end of a summer day: moderately hot with cool winds to balance it all. It was rather curious how similar it was to the temperature that she had felt back when she was training in the barracks of the Eleventh, though she paid no mind to it. As for the Romans themselves, they too were on their usual evening schedule, though compared to the denizens of Soul Society, they instead acted more so like typical modern Humans. Office workers wandered about from the workplace to their homes, tourists visited monument after monument to gather many pictures they will most likely keep in the storage drives of their cellphones for the rest of their lives, and the clergymen of the Vatican remained close to their religious enclave without any awareness of the spiritual truth they so seek to understand.

For once, Kimiko did not give any care about any of that. She couldn't even care about the people she was supposed to protect. For all she knew, this was not a city anymore, but rather a battleground for her to use against her enemy. Rather, she was dead set on getting Teresa's attention. She knew she was somewhere in this place; after all, that was what the report said, and rarely is the Ninth ever wrong about their spiritual readings. As such, she moved, all the while her spiritual energy continued to shine brightly around her. Now that she was not in the Senkaimon anymore, she could barely contain her excitement in place. Knowing Hollows and what they are in nature, Teresa will most likely be able to smell her spiritual energy now. Well, her and other Hollows, that is, but in a place like this, they definitely will not be important enough for her to care about them. Give or take, she will most likely appear in a minute or so. If not? She'll chase her to the ends of the earth if she needs to.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}

Statistics

Physical	Spiritual		Sensory	Miscellaneous
Strength: 102 (135-33) Speed: 432 (320+112)	Reiatsu Strength: 30 (40-10) Spiritual Pressure: 432 (320+112)		Instincts: 210 Senses: 150 Energy Sensory: 25	Light Aura: 60 Dark Aura: 40 Healing Expertise: 0

Skills

Mental	Battle		Body	Utility
Analyzing: 2 Strength of Will: 2       Learning: 1	Iaijutsu: 2 Martial Art - Hohō: 2 Battle Analysis: 2 Martial Art - Hakuda: 1 Battle Focus: 1		N/A	N/A

[Teresa]

Eating one little human at a time wasn’t enough at the moment. No, she had to broaden what she was doing in order to get at least a few. For this reason Teresa moved away from the little spot she’d been at, a spot that seemed to be dead for the evening as very little human activity presented itself. One spot that she didn’t have to travel very far to find though. A building that didn’t look like anything she had seen while in Karakura nor while she had lived as a human. Although it looked completely different the inside was something she recognized all the same, a shop for food. Something that she had seen while in Karakura, but had only a small amount of knowledge about while she had been human.

This one was so large, bigger than any shop that had been in the village she lived in as a human. One big enough that she was certain a bunch of humans would be inside. Almost as if time itself was confirming her belief, a few walked past the window in different directions. Although they were inside a store to buy food for themselves, Teresa now only saw them as prey inside a large cage ready to be eaten. Thus that’s what she sought to do. Moving in from the doorway was as easy for her as any of the humans yet the moment she entered in the scent of homosapien set off her gullet.

Over the course of the next five minutes Teresa went on a killing spree rushing towards one human after another, no longer possessing the sharp fingers she had previously possessed now Teresa did something much more limiting. Not wanting to waste her actual energy on those that couldn’t fight back against her, the Adhucha chose to savor her reiatsu. Instead grabbing each human only to stab them repeatedly with the horns on her skull. One good puncture wound was enough to end most of them while she bit down on a throat consuming the soul before it could leave the corpse.

Those few minutes were filled with nothing more than consumption. They were the most blissful that Teresa had experienced as a Hollow. Shoving piece after piece down her throat as blood painted not just her white body, but the floor and shelves around her as well. Almost like a paint can had exploded where Teresa was kneeling on the ground. The hunger that drove her was absent, gone. The only thing missing was the potency of flavor that these normal humans didn’t possess.

Almost like she had found a beautiful restaurant with wonderful employees only for the food to be just a fraction off from perfect. This thought kept popping up in her mind over and over again only to repeatedly be pushed out by the overwhelming action that was eating. A snapping of bone in order to suck the marrow from within like a rare sugary treat. Tossing an eye through the blender of her mouth still remained a boost of flavor that no other piece could replicate.

By the time the Shinigami would reach the store the majority of the humans inside were already beyond saving. Enough that Teresa couldn’t count them on just one of her hands. She’d continue to eat what remained on the floor in front of her until she’d be able to hear the approach of the Shinigami. Kimiko was likely to come on the scene as Teresa stands, her body painted more red than it had been prior. Recognizing the Shinigami female would be no different than noticing someone again after meeting them the day before. “Once again you’re late Shinigami.”

Devoured: 9x Class 8 Humans

[Nakajima Kimiko]

People all across the Eternal City would feel a small shiver within their spine as Kimiko passed over them in the skies above. Her spiritual energy followed her like a cloak of darkened red, a powerful cloud which almost enveloped her entire body. If she would have been seen by the ones below, they would have most likely sworn that a literal demon had passed over them, and no one could blame, not even the swordswoman herself. Her expression had long since contorted itself into an expression of pure bestial excitement ever since she had left the Senkaimon, with widened eyes and a wild smile. Really, all that was missing were maybe red skin, horns and a tail, and the image of a true demonic beast would then be shown to the world. It was not often that she sported such an expression, and quite frankly, she was very glad that no Shinigami could see her at the moment: she much preferred keeping her quiet image out of combat intact.

However, as much as she typically kept an emotional hold over herself when she isn't fighting something, she could not do so now. She was not going after some random Hollow that happened to be located in Italy, not some mindless beast who just needed to be killed as quickly as possible before it would grow too powerful. No, this was different. This specific Hollow was not a mindless beast who couldn't even so much as mutter a single word for its own good, but a coward with enough intelligence to dare run away from their fight before she could deliver the final blow. As such, she understood the meaning of battle and the laws which govern it like any other intelligent being in this world, and so was to be treated as a full-fledged warrior just like she. For that, her dishonorable act could thus never be forgiven. Not now. Not later. Not ever. It shall forever hang over her head like the sword of Damocles, and in so doing, she shall never deserve any less than the fury the Shinigami was displaying now.

So the officer searched. She reached far and wide, going from building to building without paying any attention to the city's beauty. Apartments, shops, local monuments... None of their features would catch her eye. Instead, they flew by, passing her as fast as they appeared in her cone of vision as she sped. For a while, as usual, nothing would come out of her reconnaissance. The potency of her spiritual energy would have normally attracted a great number of Hollows by now in a place like Karakura Town, but here, none came. It caused Kimiko to clench her teeth harder against one another and to recon a bit faster. Show yourself, coward! You better not have run away again! She felt her thoughts boom instinctively in her head, causing her spiritual energy to almost flare in that moment. If it was not for the sight of bloodied clothing that she found on one of the many streets at that very moment, she would have probably unconsciously unleashed it by accident. Upon seeing it, she raised herself further above with Air Ground, then scouted. From there, she saw her destination.

Not too far from the bloodied clothing was a larger building that seemed to be about the size of a mall. It spanned about a few kilometers in diameter sporting both ancient and modern design, as though it was specifically renovated to fit with the rest of the district it was a part of. In front of it was naturally a parking lot. At first, there did not seem to be anything abnormal about the building, but eventually, Kimiko saw people running away from it screaming in horror. They would sprint as fast as they possible outside of what she could only assume from that distance to be a sort of shopping center. Their numbers, compared to the cars in the parking lot, were few. Those who were about to enter the parking lot would stop their cars in front of the fleeing citizens, and perhaps in a fit of shared panic, they would immediately turn around and drive as far away as they could from the edifice. No police cars could be seen yet, but judging by the fear that is being spread, they would most likely soon arrive. The Shinigami needed no more information. She was there.

It took Kimiko about a minute for her to reach the building, her excitement following her behind her wake. The passing of her spiritual pressure caused any remaining onlookers to run away even faster than before, convincingly feeling scared enough to not set foot into the store any time soon. Once she was there, she landed in front of the doors, waited for them to open, then headed inside. It did not take long for her to analyze what was happening. The shop, which was actually more so a supermarket, looked like a china shop which a bull had passed right on through. Fallen stalls everywhere, destroyed food products and broken glass covered the floor. Of course, there were also many corpses and not a single Plus in sight. Each and every single one of them had been defiled, emptied of their life, and then thrown away. Perhaps sadly, their sight did not impact Kimiko's excitement at all. After some time passed as a Shinigami, one can only go for so long before they grow used to sight of disfigured, mangled bodies.

Teresa was located in the middle of the store. She was covered in blood from head to toe having seemingly spent the time of her life with what remained of the corpses nearest to her, and so for a moment, the swordswoman failed to notice the changes that had come to her body. However, as she approached her, she noticed the presence of a few features that were not there the last time she fought. No longer did the Hollow look like a elongated antlered toothpick as she now more so resembled an armored feminine figure. Her once blank mask was now closer to the shape of a beast's skull with its antlers now forming a sort of a crown above her head. With the latter was paired a new pair of horns which curved upward towards the ceiling. Even the hole in which was once present her Chain of Fate had moved. Despite all of this, however, her face remained featureless in hindsight. No eyes. No ears. No nose. No mouth. If it wasn't for the fact she was presently consuming dead Humans, Kimiko would have outright mocked her for it.

The beast eventually made note of the Shinigami's presence, and the first thing she did upon doing so was comment on her tardiness. It made Kimiko snort. "So you remember me. Good. I don't feel like I need to introduce myself to you again," she replied with potent blood thirst fueling her every word. Perhaps instantly then, the Hollow would be able to tell that the girl had slightly changed. She still seemed as focus before, but the confidence was totally new. No more was she simple student from the Academy. She was now a full-fledged officer of the Eleventh, and a furious one at that who seemed to have double the reiatsu she had before. Her spiritual energy still tainted by the dark hummed around her, crying out like a snarling beast. "Ready yourself, shoot your Cero at me, whatever it is a worthless coward like you can do now. Do your absolute best, because I am not letting you run away this time. In fact, I'm going to be nice: the first thing I'm going to cut off from you will be your legs."

A pulse of spiritual pressure unlike any other then suddenly started to rise from the girl. This time, she made sure to actually fully let it go, which caused some of the objects that were around them to be pressed against the ground. The steel of the fallen stalls whined as the invisible force smashed into the concrete, and pieces of bread were left completely flattened. Somehow, this spiritual pressure felt even more powerful after she pushed her thumb against the guard of her blade. "Quieten, Shizukakane." With her declaration, her blade started to turn. The guard, once blank, became adorned with a design which depicted fish swimming in a river of gold, while her scabbard instead was marked by the drawing of a grass field under a rising sun. This latter drawing seemed drawing with black ink, something which somehow was exhumed from the blade as a white entity. It circled Kimiko and therefore Teresa with a diameter of about 25 meters.

And then, suddenly, the swordswoman disappeared with the aid of Shunpo to rush towards her opponent at a speed of 4320. It was mercilessly fast, a speed conjured by the fury of a knight scorned. Using this momentum, she would immediately attempt to slash at Teresa's legs the very moment she would appear in front of the beast, doing so in the same way she has always known: with a Iaijutsu strike. It too was mercilessly quick at a lesser yet still impressive speed of 864. All of these things were fueled by emotion and anger, both of which seemingly have been hidden within her core ever since the beast ran away from her.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu: 4070/4320 | Shizukakane (0.6m) : 10 Posts Remaining | Light Gauge : 0%}
Technique Name: Shunpo (瞬歩, Flash Steps)

Class: 7

Technique Type: Kidō

Technique Element: None

Technique Reiatsu Cost: 50/step

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.

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Technique Name: Iaijutsu (居合術, Sudden Strike Technique)

Class: 4

Technique Type: General Physical Technique

Technique Element: None

Usable by: Any

Technique Description and Effects

The user of this technique draws their sword and strikes with one fluid, lightning-fast motion. This technique can easily catch an unprepared opponent off-guard. This attack is made at 2x the user's Speed, or at a speed of 600 (whichever is faster). Due to the sudden nature of this attack, characters with less than 200 Instinct are caught completely flat-footed and unable to react to this attack, unless they meet one of the alternative requirements (see drawbacks below).

Except where noted, this is otherwise an ordinary melee strike and has no reiatsu cost. Proficiency with this technique allows the user to immediately sheathe their weapon after making their attack.

Mastery of this technique allows for it to be combined with Shunpo to draw, strike, and sheathe the weapon in the blink of an eye. This variant costs 50 reiatsu to perform, and gains the benefits of a 3x Speed Boost (instead of the usual 2x). This variant is imperceptible to characters with less than 200 Senses. Characters with 200+ Senses detect a blur of movement from the user but may not be able to react to the attack unless they have 200+ Instinct and/or one of the benefits listed in drawbacks below.

How to use technique

Simply draw your weapon and strike in a single fluid motion.

Drawback

This technique rarely works more than once per thread, as any opponent who witnesses this technique being used can react to it normally (regardless of Instinct). Even against aware opponents, this attack retains its speed however and should not be underestimated.

In addition, characters who know this technique or have Battle Analysis of 2 (or above) can easily identify the ready stances used in this technique and predict the user's intent. Such characters are never caught off-guard by this attack but will still need to react to its incredible speed.

This technique can only be used with a sheathed sword. In order to use this technique more than once during a single thread, the user must sheathe their weapon prior to using this technique again. This technique requires 2 SkP in Weapons (Sword) in order to be used, and 3 SkP to be mastered.

Made by: Kerrigan

Reserved? : No

[Teresa]

On the ground in a pool of human blood sat the horrendous Hollow known as Teresa. It wasn’t uncommon for Hollow’s to attack a good portion of people, ultimately eliminating them all in a similar scene to what had unfolded now yet the manner in which she ate was uniquely disturbing. Kimiko may witness it for herself as Teresa grabs at a severed arm raising it over her head to allow the blood to pour down into her mouth like a college kid drinking alcohol.

Bringing it down Teresa would take a moment to suck the marrow from the forearm only to then begin shoving the remainder of the flesh and bone down her mouth. She was no different now than a child pigging out on candy. Sitting around choosing to eat the most delicious pieces first, taking the sugary filling of a chocolate candy out only to then eat the outside afterwards. Eating in such a frenzied state that she wore a good portion of her food, no different than an overly excited child devouring everything as if at any moment it could all disappear.

Her snack time seems to be over now though. Rising up from the decorated floor around her Teresa’s attention is on the unwanted guest. Recognizing the adversary, a low chuckle would escape from her monster out mouth. “I remember you fondly as no one else ever came with a snack. Have you brought one again this time or is it just you?” Teresa asked both as a mocking statement, but also searching for the knowledge that she may be outnumbered.

The threat that came her way would sway Teresa absolutely in no way other than to confirm a fight to survive was beginning. “Your blade better be sharper than before Shinigami. Although it’ll truly please me to have you inside me just like the friend you brought last time.” The malice the adversary was emanating was pure, something she’d only felt from a couple others. The sensation of fear rising through her spine along her body was one that Teresa had felt recently yet she wouldn’t allow it to claim her actions.

Pushing through the fear was what made her strong, only by continuing forward through everyone else would she achieve what she sought. Everyone sought strength, everyone wanted to envision themselves upon the throne of power. Teresa knew this yet wouldn’t acknowledge any of them for she would be the one ultimately sitting on that throne. The next challenge to overcome on her way to that goal was right in front of her. Defeat this Shinigami not just for her own survival, but to make her vastly more powerful as a new servant added to her army.

The spiritual pressure of this Shinigami was flared over the next few moments as a sign of dominance yet the Shinigami would be met with an opposing force of equal strength. Teresa flaring her spiritual pressure as an answer to the Shinigami’s actions. Both of them releasing what they possessed didn’t just cause the ground to crack nor the shelves to start collapsing, but the entire building to rattle. It’d be clear that if both of them kept it up for long they could potentially bring down the entire market just by taunting one another with the power they’d achieved so far.

Kimiko made the first real move though by placing her hands on her sword and releasing even more of power spiritual pressure as she unleashed her true might. Teresa had seen several others do this in the past along with various other races that seemed to hold themselves back only to release something as a major tool. Wasting no time though Teresa focused her own reiatsu as two orbs of golden reiatsu formed at the tips of her horns. Bala set to be fired off right at Kimiko which would close the distance in an instant.

“Protect me.”

Teresa whispers as the bala is released from her horns only to float down to around her torso and begin rotating around her as if she were a sun. Something that she had picked up only recently that’ll prove to aid her in combat more than anyone will ever expect. Holding out her right hand though Teresa would point at Kimiko while the ink like reiatsu forms around the both of them marking the area of their battle inside the horror scene of this market.

The moment that followed was one that Teresa couldn’t follow as her vision was limited by the physical implications of her eyes. Due to the limited nature of her vision Teresa was left unable to counter the attack that Kimiko unleashed against her. The zanpakuto being drawn and brought horizontally across to her legs would bite into the flesh of Teresa’s right thigh slicing through the white armor that was her new skin. Blood would pour from the wound yet getting any deep then halfway through would prove almost impossible.

The bala that rotated around Teresa acted swiftly yet not fast enough to keep her from the wound Kimiko sought to inflict upon her. They’d love seeking to impact against Kimiko’s forearm holding her zanpakuto and her face. Both moving simultaneously Kimiko was likely to be hit by one or both due to the fact she was already almost right on top of Teresa from the start. Either way though Teresa would feel the cut on her thigh and in response she’d scream.

“Ruin her feet!”

In response the floor around them would rise up changing shape into small spikes that covered everything. Moving at all was going to be a problem and would cause either of them not just pain, but damage to their feet as the weight either of them had would push down onto the spikes. Essentially now Kimiko, although she had scored the first blow, would have to fight on a floor of constant pain and danger. Two additional bala bursting forth from her horns would be unleashed a moment after the words left her mouth set to impact Kimiko’s upper body.

Remaining Reiatsu: 4034/4310
Bala (4x): -200
Propósito de Influencia: -26
Influir en el Mundo: -50

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength: 50
Speed: 50
Spiritual Pressure: 345 (431)
Reiatsu Strength: 325 (406)
Light Aura: 15
Dark Aura: 85
Instincts: 150 (112)
Senses: 150 (112)
Energy Sensory: 0
Healing Expertise: 0

Anti-Stealth: 2
Battle Focus: 2
Illusion Resist:2
Pain Tolerance: 2
Battle Analysis: 2
Strength of Will: 2

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The ambiance outside of the supermarket was, to say the least, borderline on the verge of panic. There were people trying to run away from the building as much as they possibly could in order to get to safety, with some who were staying on the scene to call the police, while there were a few that were trying to see what was going on from the windows. Many of the younger and more daring folk among them had their phones and cameras out in an attempt to film what was going on, and one of them in particular, a young man in his early twenties, was the most daring of them all. "Angelo, look! This is awesome, man! Oh, they must be filming a horror movie or something!" He would call to his friend, who wasn't too far away from him and wasn't sharing his enthusiastic views of it all. "Come on, stop being a pussy and come here! We'll be world famous if we post this on the Internet!" Unfortunately for him, those were his last words, for the moment he reached the doors, his body was suddenly crashed like a can onto the pavement below in a morbid display of gravitational carnage as the windows cracked and shattered around him. It was enough to convince the others who were close to the establishment to immediately run away, clearing the area of any onlookers for the time being.

Kimiko, of course, didn't know that. She had absolutely no idea of how powerful her and Teresa's energy were combined, and how destructive it was to both nearby objects, Humans, and now Souls too. She didn't know that she had, in part, killed that young man outside. However, even if she would have been aware of it, it was very doubtful that she would have cared. If she would have even cared about that potentially happening, she would have actually planned to keep her spiritual energy on the down-low to keep those who were close safe; after all, she was already aware of how much power was stored in her body. Instead, this bloodthirsty anger of hers made sure that her mind could only possibly focus on the beast before her, collateral damage be damned. "Hmph, will you look at that: the coward has some power too. How did you get it? By hiding in a hole somewhere? Is that why you're smaller?" Her angered self noted in a disrespectful scoff. "Must have lots more pieces of your spine along the way."

Although she and Teresa have only met once, even the Hollow would perhaps be able to notice that there was something about the girl's behavior that seemed almost unfitting. Back then in Karakura Town, she was more nervous and wracked with adrenaline, but here, it seemed more like she was outright just utterly pissed off beyond no end. The more she spoke, the more vicious her words were starting to become, so much so that they almost came out automatically. Was this normal? To Kimiko, the person who was showcasing such anger, she wasn't quite sure anymore. It was a bit surreal. Usually, when she hates someone for doing something in a fight, she just thinks they are lame, nothing more, nothing less. It's not really hatred per say; if anything, it's disappointment. However, in Teresa's case, it was something more. It was so bad at the moment that it felt as though she wasn't totally there, like her entire being was being driven by her sheer hatred of the creature.

As the thoughts ran in her head during her introduction, her hatred went slightly down. For a moment there, it almost seemed as though she was going to take control of her emotions... but then, she heard the beast mock her. She heard it attempt to ridicule her by bringing the matter of the fallen Yumi in the conversation, and even went as far as to already confidently declare herself the winner. In an instant, the swordswoman's hesitation disappeared, and something exploded inside of her, enough so to cause the spiritual pressure around her to rise again. She said nothing, and yet she seemed more intimidating than ever before as her monstrous aura crushed the nearby shelves even further against the supermarket floor. Her eyes had grown wide with fury, and her teeth clenched against one another behind her closed lips so powerfully that they almost caused her jaw to shake. "I'm going to make you eat shit," she would eventually slowly express with a trembling voice as the dark started becoming overwhelming within her aura.

Soon after she said those words, the scarlet-eyed warrior than called forth the power of Shizukakane, and from that point onward, the battle truly began. The very moment the "ink"-like energy had finished being expelled by the blade, causing the area to suddenly be surrounded by a ring of that aforementioned energy, the girl had then blasted herself forward in the monster's direction with Shunpo. Once she appeared in front of the monster, she then unleashed her blade onto the monster's legs, hitting her right thigh in the process. The sheer spiritual power of the weapon allowed it to cut about halfway into the leg past the armor which covered its skin, something which it definitely could not do in its base state let alone back when it was nothing more than an Asauchi, but it did not go beyond that. It would most likely need another hit another hit to cut deeper, an initiative which an angry Kimiko will most likely oblige without hesitation.

Nevertheless, such a decision was not going to be taken lightly, for the beast reacted accordingly. Though physically overwhelmed by the swordswoman's speed, she made up for it by creating orbs which would surround her body. The way she made them appear and then suddenly had them start orbiting her body merely via a single declaration was enough to cause Kimiko to frown and openly bare her teeth to the Hollow. Magic. Of course it had to be magic. She wouldn't expect anything less from a cowardly creature like her. As quickly as she possibly could at that moment, Kimiko thus attempted her best to avoid the incoming projectiles by pushing herself past Teresa after she landed her attack by kicking the ground forward. She did so with great speed, but even so, she found herself forced to place Shizukakane in the way of the projectiles as she bent her body appropriately. Although she was fast, they were just as fast as she was, if not more so, and so of theirs hit her sword. She could hear the voice of the spirit within leave out a pained grunt in the process, and it was enough to fill her with further anger, so much so that it was starting to give her a bit of a headache as she returned the sword to its scabbard.

Fortunately, her sword wasn't broken, and that was all that mattered here. She needed Shizukakane in this. Without him, she was not going to beat this damned faceless rat of a Hollow. So once she took some distance from the beast, she growled and prepared to rush back into the fray, holding the handle of her blade with both hands. Before she could totally do so, however, the creature prepared another strategy, which was to cover the ground with spikes. Her demand for the ground to "ruin her feet", so she said, was enough to cause Kimiko to jump and merely stand above the spikes with Air Ground. She would stare at the spikes for a split-second in complete and utter disbelief before she then rushed towards the beast again with even further anger. "Seriously?!" The word was shouted with utter spite in her voice. "We can literally WALK ON AIR!" Not only was this beast brimming with confidence, but she was also downright taking her for an idiot! Has she forgotten they are currently in the World of the Living? If she wants to damage her own feet so bad, then so be it.

Again, the Shinigami would rush for the beast's legs, this time specifically aiming to cut at her right thigh again. She ran as fast as she could towards her destination, with her feet bringing her forward as they smashed against the air below her. Regardless of what the beast attempts to do, she knows that she is physically faster than her, and that is more than convincing enough for her to rush into the fray with only but the projectiles to worry about. All she needs to do is avoid them. That is simple as that. With that in mind, she attempted to deliver another a slower Iaijutsu attack aimed straight towards the creature's right thigh in an attempt to cut through it even further. Those projectiles? She'll use them to keep her momentum going and reduce this Hollow to pieces. Meanwhile, as her anger grew, the "ink" around her blade started becoming a bit more omnipresent, as the area slowly started becoming quieter and quieter.

   {Reiatsu: 4070/4320 | Shizukakane (0.6m) : 9 Posts Remaining | Light Gauge : 15%}

[Teresa]

Watching the anger build up in the shinigami was something of a pleasant little experience. Nothing that Teresa had really done in the past yet something new she found that was quite enjoyable all the same. Pushing the so called buttons of this one in order to wind her up and watch her spin out of control. The Hollow could understand now why so many humans in positions of power did such a thing. Although it proved to be something she may do onto others in the future, this shinigami was definitely becoming consumed by the rage that flooded her from the previous encounter. Strange though Teresa thought, One would almost not believe that the shinigami was the one coming into this fight blinded with primal emotion while the Hollow kept a level head planning out what was in store.

“Talk all you want I’ll listen to you forever once you're inside me like all of the others. Curious to see what you can bring to the table this time. This interview should be the best one yet.”

Just like that combat ensued as the shinigami closed the distance attacking Teresa in an attack so fast the Hollow couldn’t perceive it. The immense pain of the blade cutting through her flesh though only stopping as it struck bone was enough that Teresa knew she couldn’t hold anything back for certain. The next few moments played out and unfortunately it seemed this shinigami hadn’t just developed her ability to strike fast, but to evade swiftly as well. The bala rushing her struck the floor causing small crates in the ground and blasting material upwards yet not impacting her. An immense display yet all the same the slender Hollow kept her pace.

Now standing with most of her weight on her left leg Teresa could feel her blood draining from the wound on her right thigh although the pain did nothing beyond growing her desire. This shinigami would be a perfect addition to her army, one she could set loose on others such as herself who favored fighting with magic over melee. Turning the ground upwards into a field of spikes didn’t seem to do much though as the shinigami began to run on the air remarking as if Teresa didn’t know that. Once again though it seemed the Hollow was playing the long game while the Shinigami was rushing head long. The ground was now a constant threat, focusing her reiatsu to her feet was now a must at all times which meant her attention was divided if even a little and Teresa would capitalize on that fact.

Focusing her reiatsu once again Teresa’s golden orbs would form off the tips of her horns just like before the last exchange, it’d be obvious that she was planning to do the same thing that the shinigami had already proven herself able to counter. “Slam into her.” Teresa speaks in a calm yet aggressive tone as she stares right at her foe. About five feet of distance between them now and Kimiko would have to deal with the fact the flood was rising upwards towards her at a speed of 400 with the spikes positioned to stab into her. If she didn’t evade then she’d be stabbed and slammed into the ceiling of the market. The pillar of the ground was fairly thick as it was roughly the size of a pickup truck positioned vertically.

Teresa though after witnessing this shinigami evade her bala at such close range didn’t expect her pillar to land, no she watched and the moment this shinigami got herself out of harm she’d have to deal with the two bala fired right at her center mass. Closing the distance in an instant while she’d have to focus not only on getting away from the pillar, but keeping her feet on the air. Already another sphere of golden reiatsu formed now between her two horns instead of at the tips, a cero this time one that would produce a large beam with a low hum. “Guard me.” Teresa whispers as the sphere drops down like the bala had only to begin rotating around her.

Injuries: Cut on right Thigh to the bone

Remaining Reiatsu: Remaining Reiatsu: 3634/4310
Bala (2x): -100
Cero: -200
Propósito de Influencia: -50
Influir en el Mundo: -50

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Shizukakane sunk once again into Teresa's right thigh. Akin to a viper, the blade struck with visceral precision as it was guided through the Hollow's bleeding wound. Usually, it would not have been able to do much of anything to even the outer shell that covered the leg, though now that it was fueled with spiritual power, it almost ignored it as it cut and cut until it would strike the very bone. The sight was bloody, gory, and frankly horrific, but it brought joy to the Shinigami who wielded it. Back then, before she had fought Teresa, she would have perhaps found such awful violence revolting. Now, however, she found it rewarding. In her eyes, the pain that must be coursing through the beast's body was the greatest punishment she deserved. No one has the right to run away from her in battle. No one, not even the weakest Hollow there is! And should she survive and dare run away from her blade again, what will remain of her by then will be a grim reminder of what she can do to her.

But there was something strange about this. For as joyful Kimiko's raging self believed herself to be from dishing such violence, she felt as though the happiness that coursed through her veins was empty. It was hard to describe it. On one hand, she was very happy to see herself deliver such victorious blows to a being that she now fully considers to be an utter coward, and she was not regretting dealing them in the slightest. However, on the other hand, it again felt as though it was not her who was driving this body, but rather her own anger for the beast. It was as if this body of hers was not controlled by her own volition, but instead solely by her emotions, by her instinct... She was acting like a wild predator battle another, and in a way, it bothered her. Once more, was this normal? Has she ever felt this way before? What would Shizukakane think about this? Come to think of it, why hasn't she heard anything from him yet? She has not yet heard his voice ever since she arrived here.

More questions. More, more, more. It's like they never stop coming. Why can't they just stop coming? Why do they keep piling on without any definitive answer to give to any of them? How many questions are now rotting inside of her head? Ten? A hundred? A thousand? Why can't she just understanding things as they are? Why can't she just "get it" right away? Why is this stupid spiritual life so complicated?! Why, why, why?!

It was when she started pondering about this that there was a brief moment of hesitation. During that moment, she failed to hear what Teresa said after she struck her, and in so doing, she automatically prepared herself to move towards her again through Air Ground. However, as she did so, something would catch her eye, and she would be beckoned to turn her gaze towards the ground. That is when she saw the spikes rise. They rose quickly, so quickly that they were almost just as fast as her maximum speed. It was like staring the concept of death itself right in the face. Shit! Her thoughts screamed then, barging right through the many questions that kept multiplying themselves over and over within her head as they instead provided a very clear image of what was going to happen if she stayed. It was a clear fit of wild, beastly panic that she had never quite felt before, though it was powerful enough to force her to look for a way to escape what seemed to be her incoming end. In the split-second that followed, she saw what seemed to be an exit, and in so doing, she used Shunpo to propel herself towards its position at a speed of 4320.

She could not quite remember what happened next. It all happened so fast that her anger prevented her from following everything to its end. All she knew was that she had heard a window break while she was using Shunpo, and after that, she found herself in the supermarket's parking lot near a car. Her head was ringing, aching with pain, and multiple parts in her body stung. She was still miraculously holding onto her sword, which allowed the "ink"-like energy to move as it should, but the damage was there.  "Argh..." she winced with clenched teeth as she tried to regain her footing by bending against the aforementioned vehicle. It took a few seconds, but eventually, her vision became more focused and she started understanding what was going on. Her whole body was covered in glass with a few shards having left cuts. There were no deep lacerations, but they nevertheless hurt and caused some bleeding. The sight of them could only make her wince again. Needless to say, it all accumulated into an experience that was very much less than pleasant. "D-Damn it." 

In her daze, she would look back towards the supermarket. In that moment, she then saw two balls of energy blast through the entrance of the supermarket and head straight towards her direction. They were fast, packing more than just a light punch, and definitely were magical in nature. There was no way she was going to dodge any of them from where she stood, especially given that car was in the way, and so she reacted to them as fast as she could. "Tch!" A noise would come from her mouth as she tightened her grip around her Zanpakutō's scabbard. "Stupid... wizard!" She shouted before she then delivered two Iaijutsu strikes in a row towards the incoming projectiles, both of which were twice as fast at a speed of 864 compared to the ones she would typically throw around in combat. They were similar to the attack she had executed against Teresa herself, and so, they took a bit more effort out of her, especially this process required her to return her blade into her scabbard in-between each reflection. That was not even mentioning the energetic reverb she would feel from the projectiles in the process. However, given her increased spiritual power while Shizukakane is Released, it was all worth it. At least they won't hit her and instead be diverted towards the skies above.

Should she have been successful in her endeavor to reflect the projectiles towards another direction, she would then stand there and simply stare at Teresa. She could see through the supermarket's entrance seemingly preparing some kind of defense around her self. The sight caused the grip around her blade to shake as her anger flared yet again, which inadvertently caused her spiritual pressure to rise too. It only took about a few seconds for the ground around her to start to lightly crack from the invisible force. The car too was affected by it. Where it was once miraculously intact from all the chaos that surrounded it, its roof was now slowly starting to cave into its interior, causing it to press against the seats. The glass of its windows quickly broke, though they never reached Kimiko; instead, they were immediately smashed into the pavement below the moment they were expelled from their initial position.  "So you want to play that game?" She would huff between clenched teeth as her scarlet eyes - as red as the fury fueling them - glared at the monster from where she stood. "Fine! Go ahead!"

The Shinigami will then sheathe her blade before holding herself in a Iaijutsu position, waiting to see what Teresa would do next. She was not going to rush the creature down while she is hiding in that death trap of a supermarket. As angry as she was, she was not stupid enough to head back in there. So, instead, she'll focus on fueling Shizukakane with more power. It was exactly what she did. While she would stand there, the "ink" which presently surrounded the parking lot would slowly absorb the noise of urban chaos and horrified screaming that came from the Roman civilians who were still running away from the scene. Through this power, it converged onto Kimiko and her blade, resting respectively upon her shoulders and its scabbard. The latter was already starting to lengthen, becoming a new home for a greater blade. Previously spanning about half a meter, the energy now gave it an additional half, allowing it to now be a meter long as it shone bright through Kimiko's ever-so-darkening aura. It was like watching a warrior of darkness wield a weapon of light.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu: 4020/4320 | Shizukakane (1m) : 8 Posts Remaining | Light Gauge : 30%}
Technique Name: Shunpo (瞬歩, Flash Steps)

Class: 7

Technique Type: Kidō

Technique Element: None

Technique Reiatsu Cost: 50/step

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.

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Technique Name: Iaijutsu (居合術, Sudden Strike Technique) (x2)

Class: 4

Technique Type: General Physical Technique

Technique Element: None

Usable by: Any

Technique Description and Effects

The user of this technique draws their sword and strikes with one fluid, lightning-fast motion. This technique can easily catch an unprepared opponent off-guard. This attack is made at 2x the user's Speed, or at a speed of 600 (whichever is faster). Due to the sudden nature of this attack, characters with less than 200 Instinct are caught completely flat-footed and unable to react to this attack, unless they meet one of the alternative requirements (see drawbacks below).

Except where noted, this is otherwise an ordinary melee strike and has no reiatsu cost. Proficiency with this technique allows the user to immediately sheathe their weapon after making their attack.

Mastery of this technique allows for it to be combined with Shunpo to draw, strike, and sheathe the weapon in the blink of an eye. This variant costs 50 reiatsu to perform, and gains the benefits of a 3x Speed Boost (instead of the usual 2x). This variant is imperceptible to characters with less than 200 Senses. Characters with 200+ Senses detect a blur of movement from the user but may not be able to react to the attack unless they have 200+ Instinct and/or one of the benefits listed in drawbacks below.

How to use technique

Simply draw your weapon and strike in a single fluid motion.

Drawback

This technique rarely works more than once per thread, as any opponent who witnesses this technique being used can react to it normally (regardless of Instinct). Even against aware opponents, this attack retains its speed however and should not be underestimated.

In addition, characters who know this technique or have Battle Analysis of 2 (or above) can easily identify the ready stances used in this technique and predict the user's intent. Such characters are never caught off-guard by this attack but will still need to react to its incredible speed.

This technique can only be used with a sheathed sword. In order to use this technique more than once during a single thread, the user must sheathe their weapon prior to using this technique again. This technique requires 2 SkP in Weapons (Sword) in order to be used, and 3 SkP to be mastered.

Made by: Kerrigan

Reserved? : No

[Teresa]

While she had prepared herself for the next onslaught that was likely to come from the Shinigami, Teresa watched all the same as the shinigami charged forward right into the attack of the floor. Despite it all Teresa had to watch as the shinigami vanished from her sight once again, a particularly frustrating realization as she heard the noise of the window breaking. “Not going to make this easy huh. Nothing worth possessing is ever easy to get though.” Teresa speaks to herself as she leans backwards falling through a hole in the world only to appear on the roof of a building on the other side of the street from the market.

Stepping onto the roof Teresa feels the difference with the fresh air now all around her and for the first time comes to the conclusion that while it lacked the pleasant scent of blood it was good all the same. A welcoming sensation that allowed her to clear her mind much easier than being surrounded by the scent of things she’d like to devour. Almost like a human who had to focus on work while being forced to ignore their favorite dinner in front of them. Now she was even more free to focus on collecting the shinigami who’d been the most frustrating out of them all so far. Looking down from the edge of the roof she could see the shinigami getting up from the ground where she’d most likely landed after getting out through the window of the market.

Holding her right hand up above her head, Teresa focuses her golden reiatsu into a sphere in the palm of her hand, a wicked smile spreading across her face. Everything in that parking lot was going to be gone along with the market and all the humans that had gathered in the confusion. That was the plan at least though before Teresa lowers her right hand the smile gone replaced with a nothing as she laments over what she realized. She couldn’t destroy the shinigami completely otherwise devouring her wouldn’t be possible. She couldn’t unleash her strongest technique, a sorrowful realization for the Hollow.

The bala Teresa fired off before relocating herself didn’t amount to much as they were slashed by the shinigami with her zanpakuto although Teresa could see it was taking more effort now. A nice realization that gave Teresa her next move while she continues to focus her reiatsu into her hand yet not unleash it. The shinigami having the time to look inside the market wouldn’t see Teresa for she was no longer there; instead all she’d find was the sight of the interior distorted beyond belief by Teresa’s actions. A moment of confusion perhaps yet it would matter nought for another bala was set to impact the left thigh of the shinigami crossing the distance in a moment meant to surprise.

Teresa wasn’t about to let that be the only attack she sent down at her foe knowing that she was likely to vanish the moment she got the chance. Holding her right hand down right after she fires off the bala from her left horn tip. The shinigami would have to react immediately after the bala reached her to the wide beam of golden reiatsu heading right her way. A cero from Teresa’s hand positioned to encompass all of her foe with enough force to burn her body, cooking her like a nice slab of meat to be consumed fresh off the grill. The distance between the parking lot and the roof where she stood allowing Teresa to witness everything as it plays out and act accordingly.

Remaining Reiatsu: 3309/4310
Bala: -50
Cero: -200
Ulcera: -75

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The ground around Kimiko was starting to be reduced to rubble as she awaited Teresa's next move. The pavement was cracked all around her position, with the parking lines once freshly painted onto it now left obscured by rock and broken cement, and the car that was right by her side was still being crushed by the invisible force of her spiritual pressure, so much so that there was now an odd fizzling noise coming from it. In her focus, the energy had become so powerful that it also spread even beyond, reaching for the nearby street signs and another car that was nearby. Even the lamps were not safe as their lights cracked and their form started being pressed down like a soda can. It was a horrifying sight to witness, one that left that were filming from afar in utter shock as they attempted to justify what was going on. From their point of view, conveying a sort of plausible justification for what had happened in the supermarket was possible. This, however, was not. Not at all.

She could hear the sirens in the back. It was faint, like a ringing that tried desperately to catch the Shinigami's attention. Having never gone to Rome, she couldn't quite say to which service this noise was supposed to be attributed to, but she had somewhat of a vague guess that it was supposed to the police who most likely had been called here by the local populace. Just thinking about them trying to find a solution to whatever was going on here almost prompted her to laugh out loud in disbelief. None of the officers that were starting to occupy the street closest to the large parking lot had any semblance of spiritual energy in them, meaning that they probably could not even see her nor Teresa. It was doubtful that they could hear them either, making any attempts at potentially telling them to leave by shouting at them pointless. Even if they would have been able to identify the culprits of this destruction, what could they have done? Bark them orders? Shoot at them? It was pointless. Everything they would do here was pointless.

Just go away and let me kick this bitch's ass!  The scarlet-eyed woman's thoughts roared in anger as she stood there, allowing her blade to grow in power and her head to ache some more. This headache... God, it hurt. It hurt much more than anything the Hollow had thrown at her so far. She knew what was causing it, of course. It was not the pain that she had felt from ramming into that window, or at least not solely because of it, and it wasn't the ringing of the sirens. No, it was this pure, unadulterated, uncharacteristic rage that kept fueling her mind with unbridled adrenaline. Trying to calm down and properly asses the situation was a conflict of its own and she thoroughly could not understand why that was the case. It was just like back then, just like back when she had fought Teresa for the first time in that little clothing shop in Karakura Town, but somehow ten times worse. If only Shizukakane could set her straight... If only she could hear his voice, at least, to quiet her down, to set her on the right path.

Instead, what she heard was the cringing of the steel around her, the breaking of the ground below, and the frantic shouting of panicked policemen who tried to understand what was going on. "Oh, madonna santa!" Her ears captured a singular voice from far away, more specifically the one owned by an officer who was standing behind the open door of his car parked not too far from the parking lot. "I'm not nearly paid enough for this!" Without hesitation, he would then grab onto the transponder attached to his chest before then returning to his car. "Emergency at Piazzale 12 Ottobre 1492! 10-0! Stay away from the supermarket! I repeat, stay away from the supermarket! We need to get everyone to safety" It was needless to say that, with such an attitude, he did not stay for very long, and neither the rest of the police officers that were around once they got a good look at whatever was going on. No one could blame them for reacting in such a cowardly way, and in a way, Kimiko was thankful that they started leaving as rapidly as they possibly could. She did not need them here, whether it be now or later.

It was a good thing that they did not remain, for soon after they left, the Shinigami heard another kind of noise that distracted her from the distorted view which was inside the supermarket. It was a much deeper noise, one that sounded less like the strident screeching of the sirens and the now-distant screams of the Romans, and instead something like a gunshot. By the time she turned her violent gaze towards the source of the noise, she would soon come to understand the gravity of the situation. Teresa had moved away from her original position, and now, she was onto a nearby roof ready to cast further magic. In fact, she had already cast a spell that was heading towards her direction, something which revitalized the warrior's anger yet again. "Raaah!" The scarlet-eyed swordswoman would huff before unleashing her blade into the incoming ball of energy with yet another Iaijutsu attack, allowing its extended form to clash with it. "I'm... gonna... shove that magic down your throat!" She would then attempt to reflect the ball towards the Hollow's direction. The effort would be considerable, causing her arm to ache in tiredness and pain, but it was worth it.

What was less worth it was doing so without any knowledge of the attack which followed the projectile. Unbeknownst to Kimiko, the creature had prepared a much more potent spell after shooting her energy ball, which took the form of an immense beam of energy heading straight for her. Her eyes widened at the blinding sight of the golden wall heading right towards her position, and in that moment, the beastly fear of death overpowered her again. It struck her like an anvil, prompting her to reflexively Shunpo away once more before it could do some significant damage. A great amount of damage had been avoided by moving away from the beam towards higher up in the sky, though it was done almost too late, leaving the left side of her left arm with a visible burn. The pain she felt from it was staggering, enough so to cause her tense up a bit as she stood there in the air as she held onto her blade. It hissed, it ached... and it caused her spiritual aura to become blood red.

A loud cry came of Kimiko then, one that was loud enough to echo throughout the area. She had made a decision, one that she believed would decide the fate of this Hollow. She did not care about herself, did not care about the headaches, the burn, the pain. No, all she cared about was the death of her opponent, regardless of what would happen to her or the people of this city in the process. So, with a demonic glare pointed towards Teresa's direction, she would raise her blade and then drag its flat edge against her left forearm. As she would do so, the "ink" that covered the sword would spread from the weapon to the Shinigami's body before then entering her body in a process that was akin to absorption. The woman would wince as she got used to the supernatural influence the technique had over her body, though once the feeling then passed, she would then suddenly vanish from sight with another Shunpo, which caused the energy around her to also disappear at a speed of 6040.

At first, it truly seemed as though the girl had outright fled the scene. She was nowhere to be seen, and usually, she would rush from the front as she had always done so far. However, above the rooftop Teresa stood on, there was an abrupt amount of spiritual energy that caused the sensitive Hollow or two that wandered about the shadows of the city to look up in curiosity. That burst of energy the faceless beast could not detect would be at first silent, though as it descended towards her, she would hear a war cry so powerful that it cracked halfway. Kimiko had allowed her mind to fuel itself with such rage that it prompted her to strike from so far above, causing her to fall at an accelerated pace. Once she would be closer to the rooftop, she would allow herself to slide downward onto the air towards the Hollow's direction to lessen the speed at which she was about to collide with her, then suddenly use another Shunpo, causing her to vanish again. This time around, however, she would not be over Teresa again, but instead right in front of her to deliver a powerful slash fueled by Shunpo Karin towards the beast's throat in a vicious attempt to silence her. It was clear that she didn't care about the lack of control in her arm as she sent it with her blade in its hand towards her enemy at a speed of 6040.

Her body ached in pain and suffering, and it needed to deliver an equal amount of them to its enemy.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Boosted Stats & Skills}

Statistics

Physical	Spiritual		Sensory	Miscellaneous
Strength: 102 (135-33) Speed: 604 (320+112+172)	Reiatsu Strength: 30 (40-10) Spiritual Pressure: 432 (320+112)		Instincts: 210 Senses: 150 Energy Sensory: 25	Light Aura: 60 Dark Aura: 40 Healing Expertise: 0

Skills

Mental	Battle		Body	Utility
Analyzing: 2 Strength of Will: 2       Learning: 1	Iaijutsu: 2 Martial Art - Hohō: 2 Battle Analysis: 2 Martial Art - Hakuda: 1 Battle Focus: 1		N/A	N/A

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu: 3320/4320 | Shizukakane (0.6m) : 7 Posts Remaining | Kagayaku Kasoku (40%) : 3 Posts Remaining | Light Gauge : 5%}
Technique Name: Iaijutsu (居合術, Sudden Strike Technique)

Class: 4

Technique Type: General Physical Technique

Technique Element: None

Usable by: Any

Technique Description and Effects

The user of this technique draws their sword and strikes with one fluid, lightning-fast motion. This technique can easily catch an unprepared opponent off-guard. This attack is made at 2x the user's Speed, or at a speed of 600 (whichever is faster). Due to the sudden nature of this attack, characters with less than 200 Instinct are caught completely flat-footed and unable to react to this attack, unless they meet one of the alternative requirements (see drawbacks below).

Except where noted, this is otherwise an ordinary melee strike and has no reiatsu cost. Proficiency with this technique allows the user to immediately sheathe their weapon after making their attack.

Mastery of this technique allows for it to be combined with Shunpo to draw, strike, and sheathe the weapon in the blink of an eye. This variant costs 50 reiatsu to perform, and gains the benefits of a 3x Speed Boost (instead of the usual 2x). This variant is imperceptible to characters with less than 200 Senses. Characters with 200+ Senses detect a blur of movement from the user but may not be able to react to the attack unless they have 200+ Instinct and/or one of the benefits listed in drawbacks below.

How to use technique

Simply draw your weapon and strike in a single fluid motion.

Drawback

This technique rarely works more than once per thread, as any opponent who witnesses this technique being used can react to it normally (regardless of Instinct). Even against aware opponents, this attack retains its speed however and should not be underestimated.

In addition, characters who know this technique or have Battle Analysis of 2 (or above) can easily identify the ready stances used in this technique and predict the user's intent. Such characters are never caught off-guard by this attack but will still need to react to its incredible speed.

This technique can only be used with a sheathed sword. In order to use this technique more than once during a single thread, the user must sheathe their weapon prior to using this technique again. This technique requires 2 SkP in Weapons (Sword) in order to be used, and 3 SkP to be mastered.

Made by: Kerrigan

Reserved? : No

---

Technique Name: Kagayaku Kasoku (輝く加速, Radiant Acceleration)

Technique Type: Shikai | Stat Boost

Technique Element: None

Technique Reiatsu Cost: 300

Technique Description and Effects

A Speed boost which can be exchanged for 10-50% of Shizukakane's Light Gauge. Kimiko raises her left forearm before sliding the flat side of her blade against it, causing the white "ink" covering it to be absorbed by her body. This causes trails of the strange supernatural substance to appear on her akin to drawn mist emanating from her being. In response to this absorption, the swordswoman's physical being gains a drastic boost of Speed, allowing her to dodge her adversaries more efficiently. Depending on how much of the Light Gauge is used during this process, the boost will provide Kimiko with an effect of variable power and time:

• 10%: 10% Speed Boost for six posts
  
• 20%: 20% Speed Boost for five posts
  
• 30%: 30% Speed Boost for four posts
  
• 40%: 40% Speed Boost for three posts
  
• 50%: 50% Speed Boost for two posts

In exchange for additional percentages of the Light Gauge, Kimiko can reuse this technique to raise her boost up to a maximum of 50% and, consequently, reset its effect's timer. However, doing so will reduce the timer in question depending on the increment of ten that has been reached. Any further use of this technique beyond 50% will only reset the maxed effect's timer.

---

Technique Name: Shunpo (瞬歩, Flash Steps) (x3)

Class: 7

Technique Type: Kidō

Technique Element: None

Technique Reiatsu Cost: 50/step

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.

---

Technique Name: Shunpo Karin (瞬歩カリン, Pure Flash Steps)

Class: 5

Technique Type: Kidō

Technique Element: None

Technique Description and Effects

The famous "partial Shunpo" technique. This allows the user to initiate a single movement at Shunpo speed with one limb. This cannot be used without initiating the forward momentum. The user will need to move their arm the way they normally would before this technique can be activated. Momentum for this technique cannot be controlled. This means once the user initiates this technique, they cannot stop their limb from the movement.

How to use technique

Stated above.

Drawback

Also stated above. Higher Reiatsu cost than normal Shunpo. Limit is once per post. More taxing on stamina than regular Shunpo.

Made by: Admin

[Teresa]

“Strange”

Teresa thought as she watched the environment of the world below crumbling beneath the might of her strength. A sight that only a short while ago she wouldn’t have believed possible and with this sight a single question popped into her mind. “Has the world always been so fragile?” The metal lights crumble down while the screams of the humans decorate everything around her. This was a sight, a sensation that she hadn’t experienced all that much since coming to the human world. Sure she’d slaughtered and devoured more than two dozen aimless sacks of flavor yet only during that first day had she ever been showered with such screams as today. A sensation that for some inexplicable reason was shivering almost like it gave her something that was always missing. As if it were filling a void deeper than even her hunger.

“Is this what can fill you?”

Teresa asks herself while placing her right hand over her Hollow hole in the center of her chest. What she had felt was missing she couldn’t understand nor could she pin point and even now while feeling just as complete as when shoving flesh down her gullet, well she knew she wasn’t complete still. Either way though while she was missing something unknown she could see down below the humans were missing that which they loved to believe in so strongly. The police of this era flee from that which they cannot understand, wasting no time to save innocent lives, only seeking to preserve themselves. Exactly the sort of people that led to her original demise and the sort that would continue to fill her void.

It wasn’t more than another few moments of time that passed before the combat between old acquaintances continued. The bala that Teresa had fired off towards the adversary was met with a swift counter of considerable effort. Teresa could see the stress that it must have placed on her foe while only getting further confirmation by her shout. A fitting maneuver from the foe that had managed to keep herself so intact yet one that didn’t amount to much as the bala was sent back towards Teresa yet no longer possessed its otherworldly speed accompanied by precision. It was still fast and near Teresa yet all the thin Hollow had to do was lean to the right and feel the heat of the bala pass by her left. Afterwards she’d continue with her next attack and watch as her foe used her zanpakuto once again to save herself.

That wasn’t the answer to her attack that was given though, instead Teresa received an answer of evasion from her foe who chose to enhance her movement speed in order to swiftly get away from the cero’s splash zone. The golden beam of reiatsu not only burned the parking lot where Kimiko had been standing, but splashing over the area afterwards causing further damage to market while incinerating quite a bit of the surroundings as well including half a dozen vehicles that had been parked. Standing on the edge of the building Teresa for the first moment afterwards wasn’t sure what to expect although her left leg was continuing to bite at her attention. The wound inflicted on her caused the Hollow to feel even more cold than normal yet still the prospect of devouring someone so able to match her kept the thin Adhucha standing.

When the cry of pain came from Kimiko, Teresa’s head was directed upwards to spot her. No realizing it herself Teresa’s mask cracks open slightly revealing a devilish smile, pleased with the fact her adversary hadn’t been bested by such a simple method of attack. This was not just starting to get fun for Teresa, but had really started to become enjoyable almost like a child that had learned the basics of a game and fallen down the rabbit hole. Her foe though was someone that foguth up close and thus she wouldn’t stay far away for long and thus it was time to prepare once again. “Skewer her when she attacks me.”

An order to the roof



Teresa watched as her foe stabbed into her with nothing, but her eyes. The fury that her foe was directing upwards at her would only likely be intensified further as Kimiko would only see Teresa’s fanged smile directed right down at her as if mocking the very anger she felt at the moment. The next few moments would be a flash of different exchanges so precise that onlookers would have to be experienced or wish they could pause to keep track and follow along. Raising her hand out to her foe, Teresa channels her reiatsu ready to make this shinigami dance once again. Vanishing from sight with no immediate attack coming in Teresa was a bit disappointed as she’d been expecting the shinigami to either appear in front or behind her and attempt to cut her horizontally once more this time aimed at her face as her rage would likely dictate such a target. Falling downwards towards her with the intent to slash? Something seemed wrong as this was far to open.

Raising her right hand up Teresa finishes channeling her reiatsu ready to unleash another orb of swift pain when suddenly her foe vanishes once again. “Exactly.” Teresa whispers pleased with knowing her insight had truly started to develop. By the time her field of view was filled with her adversaries figure the arm of her foe was already in motion a tactic that would end the majority of Hollows and perhaps other foes, yet how would it stand to someone with a counter plan? The roof behind Teresa rising up at a ninety degree angle changing shape into thin rodes the thickness of a quarter. In a flash Teresa expelled golden reiastu from her right hand only after shifting the angle of her wrist allowing her to fire off the bala right towards her foe at point blank range. Teresa though hadn’t planned on the speed of her foe's attack. A bala fired and her arm severed virtually at the same moment the bicep of her right arm sliced in half while she felt the edge of the zanpakuto only just barely miss her chin.

She could only hope the more than twenty or so spears that formed from the roof would succeed in stabbing her foe, otherwise she was in a dangerous position now standing on the roof while severely limited in physical movement and pain beginning to overwhelm everything. A thick curtain draped across her mind that forced a savage howl from her mouth revealing her as a gravely wounded animal. Whether the spears impaled her adversary or not Teresa’s next action was one made by her more blind instincts as a Hollow, her golden reiatsu appearing between her horns and then firing off only a moment afterwards in another brilliant gold beam meant to burn her foe to ash.



Remaining Reiatsu: 3009/4310
Bala: (-50)
Influir en el Mundo: (-50)
Cero: (-200)

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko's anger had reached what could only be considered as its emotional apex. As she rushed onward towards Teresa with her blade ready to be launched towards its target once more, her almost-bloodshot eyes remained constantly opened and her teeth remained clenched against one another in a grimace of fury and rage. All thoughts she held for the people around her that were caught in the spiritual crossfire as well as all care she had for both they and herself had completely disappeared to instead be replaced with a wish to completely eradicate the Hollow from this world. In her head, she, the ultimate coward, did not deserve to live any longer. For her contempt towards life, her ignorance of all that is tied to the Bushido code, and for the idiotic pride that fuels her every move, she deserved to pay the highest of prices, and the officer believed her vessel to be the one who shall deliver this price upon her head.

It was thus with this burning will that the Shinigami moved onward towards the enemy. With abandon, she utilized several techniques to bridge the gap between herself and the other, a Shikai technique and Shunpo being the two most prominent ones that she has employed. Even though her arm had been burned by the Hollow's energy and the rest of her body burned from exhaustion, her wrath made it so that each of these techniques would be seen through in the most beastly of fashions. One moment, she was on the ground, and in the other, she was above Teresa, and then in the other, she was in front of her. It was a scary sight, especially given that this was no Captain, and even less so a Vice-Captain, but a Third Seat. Then again, with the ever-darkening aura that was currently surrounding the officer, it was somewhat becoming more and more difficult to qualify her as a Shinigami proper. If anything, her actions were becoming closer and closer to the ones that would be portrayed by something else.

This was only made more apparent once the swordswoman appeared right in front of Teresa's face so as to attempt to cut her throat. Though it came quickly, she would be able to witness the face of her opponent in all of its terrible glory. The expression it sported was nothing short of monstrous, demonic, the kind that would not typically be seen on a Shinigami. There was nothing about it that represented the holy task of those from the celestial realm, that showcased the will to defend the Soul Society in any capacity. All it instead scream was a will to kill. It was so intense that, for a brief moment, the color of her eyes had almost appeared to change. From such a close perspective, they appeared less so as two beads of burning red in a sea of white, but instead something more akin to silver. The white of their sclera almost appeared to take on a different color as well, instead becoming darker, slowly taking on a shade of black.

"RAAAH!" A loud scream would come out of the unaware woman's mouth as Shizukakane was then sent towards Teresa's throat. Perhaps unfortunately, it did not reach its intended destination. The creature, believing herself to be fast enough to prepare a proper counter-attack, had raised an arm to shoot a burst of spiritual energy straight towards Kimiko after she had appeared in front of her. Though her attack did not hit the Shinigami as her beastly instincts kicked in upon sighting the raised wrist, prompting her to kick the air behind her so as to ram her body even closer to Teresa, the fact that she had raised her arm in such a way had allowed her to save her throat, preventing her from a most painful injury as the blade missed it by an inch. However, such an act instead caused her arm to be swiftly cut in half from the bicep. The dismemberment was executed with such violence that the arm went flying about, landing away from the both of them on the roof with a splatter of Hollow flesh and blood.

Cutting of the arm of an Adjuchas should have been considered a powerful achievement for Kimiko in this moment. Any other Shinigami would have been quite happy to see such a great development occur in this fight. However, for Kimiko's raging mind, it was almost nothing. The satisfaction of reducing what she believed to be a cowardly enemy was somewhat satisfactory, yes, but it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. An arm is only a part of an enemy's body, not the whole. Moreover, there are beings which can fight even after being totally dismembered, which was something somebody like Teresa could no doubt execute without a problem thanks to her ability. She will only be satisfied with the outcome of this battle once Teresa is taken down proper, and so, with another powerful scream that threatened to rip out her vocal cords, she attempted to strike the Hollow yet again by directly stabbing her in the head with the tip of her blade. Since she was so close, it was only natural that such an attempt would be completed.

But then, she saw the spears. They appeared right as the Hollow desperately moved out of the way. In a flash, the roof had suddenly raised itself and produced a multitude of sharp tips heading right for her body. There was an immediate conflict that then formed within herself upon being granted this sight, and if not for a brief moment, it was as if time had slowed down to a crawl. Her mind had been practically split in two. The first part wanted to move forward still, to puncture the beast and eliminate it before it could have the chance to run away. The second, instead, wanted to move back away from the spears, fueled by the fear of death they oh-so-well represented. These two voices, the inconsiderate wrathful and the considerate careful, both shouted at one another, playing with the girl's senses as they tugged from one end to another. Eventually, however, just as the spears would hit them, another voice would hit be heard, one that Kimiko would recognize very well above them.

My turn, Kimiko-chan~.

A loud metallic noise would then be heard, and the area would grow silent. From Teresa's point of view, she herself would see anything in particular, only but the section of the roof she had raised to skewer Kimiko. There did not appear to be any blood shed behind them, and neither did it seem as though the Shinigami had escaped the attack, despite an apparent lack of spiritual energy surrounding it. Perhaps her body had been skewered by the spears and her blood had yet to become visible to the Hollow. Of course, for good measure, the beast decided in her great pain to completely annihilate the aforementioned section of the roof to make sure the officer was gone. Each tile that had been raised were subsequently burned to a crisp alongside the spears that had formed from them, so much so that they were disintegrated. The beam of energy even went so far as to hit another roof that was adjacent to it, possibly causing more Human deaths in its trail.

At first, it appeared as though the swordswoman had been eliminated. Her body wasn't there, after all, meaning that it could have only been disintegrated alongside the rest of the roof. However, not before long, the creature would be able to feel a sudden expanse of spiritual energy right behind her. It felt heavy, chilling, and extremely dark. Should she look behind her, she would see Kimiko standing above her in the air with prickles of blood covering the front of her body that were seemingly left by the tips of the spears that were launched at her. She could not see it, not without her lacking energy sensory skills, but the Shinigami was completely enveloped in an immense aura of black. Her eyes had changed completely now into what Teresa had potentially seen before, turned into confident icons of silver in a black sea. It wasn't just her eyes that had changed. Her expression, previously twisted with such anger, now simply sported what appeared to be an amused smile, and her demeanor was much less tense, almost relaxed. It was as if a completely different person had suddenly taken the place of the Shinigami. Combined with the white "ink" that surrounded her, it made her appear almost as a poltergeist.

For a moment, this new individual would simply look around and stretch, appearing to barely pay any attention to Teresa. "Hm~... finally, something different~. The grass and the trees were becoming so boring," she would speak with a casual tone as though she was only there to enjoy herself at first without any care for her own injuries. Eventually, however, she would finally properly look towards the bleeding Teresa. Calmly, she would start walking around the Hollow on the air above her. "Teresa, was it? We finally meet~. You'd be surprised at how much Kimiko-chan here has been talking about you." Every step she took was somehow louder than the one that preceded it, as though she was threatening to strike the Hollow at any given moment. Despite this, she also never once showed any threat to the beast. That is, until she would notice any initiative from her, which would cause her to raise a finger and wiggle it playfully. "Now, now, I'm just here to talk. I don't want to fight you. You're a big girl~. You don't need to lose another arm, trust me~."

Whoever this person was, she was much, much stronger than both Teresa and Kimiko were combined, and that tone she's using is definitely not good.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Boosted Stats & Skills (Inner Hollow Takeover) }

Statistics

Physical	Spiritual		Sensory	Miscellaneous
Strength: 204 [ (135-33) * 2] Speed: 1190 [ { (320+112) * 2} + 345]	Reiatsu Strength: 60 [ (40-10) * 2] Spiritual Pressure: 864 [ (320+112) * 2]		Instincts: 420 (210*2) Senses: 300 (150*2) Energy Sensory: 50 (25*2)	Light Aura: 0 Dark Aura: 100 Healing Expertise: 0

Skills

Mental	Battle		Body	Utility
Analyzing: 2 Strength of Will: 2       Learning: 1	Iaijutsu: 2 Martial Art - Hohō: 2 Battle Analysis: 2 Martial Art - Hakuda: 1 Battle Focus: 1		N/A	N/A

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu: 3320/4320 | Shizukakane (0.6m) : 6 Posts Remaining | Kagayaku Kasoku (40%) : 2 Posts Remaining | Light Gauge : 20%}
Technique Name: Kagayaku Kasoku (輝く加速, Radiant Acceleration)

Technique Type: Shikai | Stat Boost

Technique Element: None

Technique Reiatsu Cost: 300

Technique Description and Effects

A Speed boost which can be exchanged for 10-50% of Shizukakane's Light Gauge. Kimiko raises her left forearm before sliding the flat side of her blade against it, causing the white "ink" covering it to be absorbed by her body. This causes trails of the strange supernatural substance to appear on her akin to drawn mist emanating from her being. In response to this absorption, the swordswoman's physical being gains a drastic boost of Speed, allowing her to dodge her adversaries more efficiently. Depending on how much of the Light Gauge is used during this process, the boost will provide Kimiko with an effect of variable power and time:

• 10%: 10% Speed Boost for six posts
  
• 20%: 20% Speed Boost for five posts
  
• 30%: 30% Speed Boost for four posts
  
• 40%: 40% Speed Boost for three posts
  
• 50%: 50% Speed Boost for two posts

In exchange for additional percentages of the Light Gauge, Kimiko can reuse this technique to raise her boost up to a maximum of 50% and, consequently, reset its effect's timer. However, doing so will reduce the timer in question depending on the increment of ten that has been reached. Any further use of this technique beyond 50% will only reset the maxed effect's timer.

---

Technique Name: Shunpo (瞬歩, Flash Steps)

Class: 7

Technique Type: Kidō

Technique Element: None

Technique Reiatsu Cost: 50/step

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.

[Teresa]

Pain, physical pain that was astronomically higher than anything else Teresa could ever recall experiencing. That was all she could do to describe what she was feeling from the section of her right arm that was no longer attached. The stump leaking blood as if she were a bad that suffered a puncture hole. As she could do now by instinct was grab at the wound with her left hand hoping to slow the leakage of her own essence. This fight had caused graver wounds than anything Teresa had been inflicted throughout her other fights yet she was almost certain now that victory had been claimed by her.

It may have cost her more than any other, but watching the spears rise up around her to witness the sharp tips pierce into the body of her foe. It was reassuring to her that she was victorious. She may have lost an arm and her left leg was almost severed as well barely managing to support her light frame. Her foe was covered in minor cuts yet had been able to save herself by constantly moving. Now though Teresa had no doubt with the spears success her foe had suffered more damage than her and victory was in her grasp.

That’s when Teresa noticed something off. There was no blood spray, no leakage, no pool forming at her feet from this Shinigami. This sudden realization only furthered her next action blasting out a beam of golden brilliance that avicerated everything in its path while continuing onwards to impact another roof then exploding outwards as if a human had placed a bomb on that roof. Collapsing downwards was the result of that roof yet at the moment Teresa didn’t have the time nor the interest to check if she’d just added more to her dinner plate.

Her foe no longer in front of her for a moment Teresa allowed herself to believe that her cero had been successful in eliminating her foe yet after a moment a flash of realization crossed her mind. This wasn’t what she had wanted to happen, she didn’t want to leave no trace of the shinigami, especially not one that could push her to this extent. The goal had been to win of course yet the ultimate victory could lonely be achieved by devouring her. The satisfaction of winning had only lasted a moment before now all Teresa felt was frustration at her own actions. She’d just lost the chance to gain perhaps her most powerful tool yet because she lost control for a moment.

The frustration though wouldn’t last much longer than the joy of success for Teresa though as she felt a chilling aura looking down at her from the nap of her neck. It felt like a powerful Hollow of immense size was marking her as its prey and ready at any moment to snatch her body up with its teeth. Turning ready to slip into a Ulcera, Teresa sees her foe still standing with the only signs of her attack accomplishing anything being the blood dripping to the rooftop. The distance between the two of them wasn’t large, but even still Teresa with her emotions raging now wild without control couldn’t notice the change in her foe’s facial language nor her eye color.

Teresa felt fear once again, a sensation that she’d learn to dread more so than even most humans. An emotion that plagued Teresa and one she did her best to challenge. Right now though it seemed that she’d lost her chance to take the lead of this battle, there was almost no way for her to emerge victorious now which meant it was time to leave even if she hadn’t eaten as many humans as she’d planned. It wasn’t until her foe started to speak that Teresa noticed a change, while doing her best to keep herself steady. Channeling her rietasu Terea brings her left hand to the stump of her right arm. A bala held in her hand pressed to the wound, cauterizing it herself with a loud audible scream.

“Who are you? A soul inside a Shinigami or are you using her like a phone?” Teresa questions having very limited knowledge of the spiritual worlds and what exactly was happening in front of her now.

Remaining Reiastu: 2959/4310
Bala: (-50)