The Top One Percent [JT]

[Deleted]

Humming a chipper tune to themselves, Orobas found themselves skipping through the World of the Living with a rather positive attitude; such was generally abnormal from the Akki, all things considered. Though, today was going to be somewhat different. Interestingly enough, they actually had a desire to meet with someone in the Human World, for once! With a devilish smirk, they ran through the situation in their head numerous times over, making sure that things were going to go even somewhat as desired. Truthfully, they didn't particularly worry about the events about to unfold, given the information they'd been able to acquire over the decades, they'd figured that this meeting was going to go rather well. Given their planned conversation opener for the evening, they had hoped that the girl they were meeting up with was going to be on-board with the proceedings.

Eventually, Orobas found themselves stumbling upon a sleek black building, stranded somewhere within the World of the Living. Looking down at the business card that the Akki managed to rob off of some lower-ranked Sword within the faction, they thankfully didn't have in too much effort in order to find the building. That was nice, at least. Granted, some Sword will likely be screwed out of their return to the faction, but that was semantics. For the time being, Orobas was an Akki on a mission, and wasn't going to let some no-name, likely disposable piece of infantry within the organization stop them from achieving their own goals; quite the opposite, in fact. They were going to take advantage of the opportunity presented to them. Swiping said business card on a reader outside of the building, they allowed the doors to open and simply walked inside.

As they stepped inside, sliding door closing behind them, Orobas simply chuckled to themselves over the situation at hand. It... really hadn't been that hard to get inside the building, all things considered. Finding a seat on one of the few chairs out in the headquarters' main hall, Orobas sat down and pulled out a small book of sorts; upon closer inspection, those that decided to glance at them would find that this book was actually a Sudoku puzzle book. For what it was worth, they hadn't expected anyone to really approach them; whether or not this was going to be the case left itself waiting to be seen. Instead, they had simply decided to wait for one particular person; a Miss Shizuka Sanamizu.

After a few moments of waiting, and subsequently growing impatient, Orobas decided to allow their reiatsu to flare, subjecting a rather surprising area around them to rather abhorrent amounts of Spiritual Pressure; while not allowing it to spiral out of control and actively inflict gravitational pressure on the world around them, something like this was simply more of a "reiatsu flex"; they actively went out of their way to make sure they'd be detected; at least, by those that weren't just incapable of sensing spiritual energy entirely. Crossing their legs, Orobas simply went about their time, working on a particularly difficult puzzle within the book while awaiting someone of note to approach them; after all, an Akki in the Human World was quite the sight.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Myriad of Many Faces (Reserved)}
Technique Name: Myriad of Many Faces [Cinematic]

Class: 3

Technique Type: General Sinner

Usable By: All Sinners.

Technique Element: Body.

Technique Description and Effects: A cult-classic ability of the Akki that created the technique, Myriad of Many Faces is a technique that allows the user to easily "hot-swap" their physical appearance as they wish. Through almost instantaneously shifting their own flesh into different shapes, the user can take on the form of any being they've since slain and consumed sometime in the past. This technique is an upgraded version of the Akki and Nakabakki Technique, Skin-Stealer, and as such, possesses the unique trait of being able to remain active through the shifts in form to their release, should they desire. Naturally this doesn't change anything mechanically, merely their shape changes. This technique lasts until toggles off. At Learned, someone can store one separate appearance at a time. At Proficient, this goes up to two. At Mastered, this goes up to three.

Those that have this technique possess the option to start a thread with this technique active. In doing so, 100 reiatsu is immediately docked from their pool upon the first post. This decreases to 50 at Proficient, and 0 at Mastered, though every time over the course of a thread they desire to switch this body, they must still dock 100 reiatsu from their pool, regardless of level of Mastery.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Orobas' Guise For The Thread}

How to use technique: Release a wave of 100 reiatsu across the user's body.

Technique Drawbacks: No combative use. With beyond a 3 or higher in Analysis, someone will easily determine this isn't the user's real body.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

How many months had it been since her promotion? It was unanimous amongst the organization. She came forward after no one had, the de facto leader, and claimed full leadership. They clapped, they raved, and some seemed displeased but ultimately conceded. Even so, she expected more. No one was coming after her like she thought they would. Was this disappointing? Maybe. It's not as if she were looking for a fight every two minutes, but some excitement would have been nice. As of right now, she had none of that.

This must have been how Satsujun felt. He was alone in his office most days and Shizuka rarely ever saw his face. He'd speak through actions rather than words, relying on her brain to understand his desires. She was usually right, only ever asking for guidance a couple of times during the beginning stages of her employment when she was lower on the totem pole. But now, having to live out his wishes while twisting them into her own, she found this world so bland. Was this the life of a leader? Did Kazura run into the same issues? Was he bored?

Shizuka stretched and stood up from her desk, exiting the office. As she walked, something tingled within her, somewhat like a Spidey sense, that made her pause. She wasn't expecting company. She sniffed the air, as if it really helped her, and focused on the feeling. Someone was definitely there. Someone was intruding. This wasn't a new hire. This was a stranger, and Shizuka had to make sure she stopped them in their tracks. She was not going to let someone she didn't even know into her second home without an explanation.

She practically sprinted down the stairs, ignoring the elevator that absolutely would not have gotten her to the lobby in time. As she moved, she felt a pulse of Reiatsu penetrate her body in such a way that made her feel completely uncomfortable. She wasn't used to this feeling in the first place, considering blocking this part of her off entirely as she had done for so many years prior to her ascension. The Fullbringer glanced around at some other employees, meeting their worried eyes with her own. She had to protect them.

Within a moment's notice, she reached the lobby and saw a being she'd never met before. Despite who she was, she felt entirely too concerned. She hadn't felt this way in so long and it almost... excited her. She had to stifle a smile while she approached the person, forcing a stern look to paste itself to her face. They weren't going to show up out of nowhere and threaten her territory without being utterly stomped. She stepped in front of them, her golden heels clacking against the ground as her white, mildly distressed pants draped down against her legs in a flattering way. The hem reached down to her ankles, her pastel pink blouse tucked neatly into the waist. Such was her outfit for the day.

Shizuka crossed her arms. "I have a building full of people eager to watch me tear you apart. Mind telling me what you're here for before I entertain them?"

[Deleted]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play Me!}

It couldn't have been more than five minutes that they were waiting. Truthfully they hadn't expected to wait very long at all; even ten, twenty minutes would've been somewhere around what they'd expected. But five minutes? Oh, they felt honored. Thrilled, even. They couldn't quite describe it, but nothing but pure, unchecked ecstasy ran through Orobas' mind. This whole situation brought about a sort of euphoric power-high for the Akki. Looking up toward Shizuka as she approached, seeming to know all too well that they were there, this feeling only grew that much stronger.

"I have a building full of people eager to watch me tear you apart. Mind telling me what you're here for before I entertain them?"

With a soft chuckle, a genuine smile, and a slow rise to their feet, Orobas tucked away their Sudoku book within the suit they'd been wearing, and simply held their hands behind their back. Staring into the girl's eyes, making absolutely no effort to hide or otherwise suppress their current emotions, Orobas decided to speak. "Well, well, well," they spoke softly, "Miss XCution, I presume? How are you? Hopefully you're doing well? I hope I didn't catch you at a poor time." They couldn't help but chuckle once more at their own, likely unwelcome joking.

Letting out a soft sigh, Orobas decided that getting to the point was likely the best option in this scenario. "If it's a fight you're looking for, I absolutely won't turn that down, but I'd like to think that now is not the best time for that. We can have our little skirmish later if you'd prefer; for now, I'm here for two things; an offer, and a favor. One toward you, and one toward XCution in general. I'd like to think that you'll enjoy what I've to say, especially if the information I've been given is anything to go off of."

Allowing their own reiatsu to falter, Orobas allowed themselves to reach a suppressed state once more. Since they'd gotten the audience they wanted, there wasn't a need to continue with that. They'd made themselves known already. "So, Miss Sanamizu, I won't bother disguising my words, or hiding my motivations with you at all; the denizens of Hell grow restless with each passing day. Most of us thrive on the conflict we're able to create, and bring about into this world even after damnation. So, in typical hellion fashion, the lot of us - including those non-affiliated with Hell - are plotting a rather large-scale attack. More specifically, an attack against Soul Society."

Pausing for dramatic effect, or for comments from Shizuka, Orobas continued. "Despite being a small infiltratory group, the lot that we have actually willing to fight on the front-lines are some of the most capable individuals you could ever even hope to meet. On the day of reckoning for Soul Society, we are going to make ourselves known, easily slip through those barriers of theirs, and tear everything to the ground. Our end-goal is taking out the big-man himself; the one that they call their Captain Commander. By the time the day finishes, that man will be dead. We've taken proper precaution to assure we're able to accomplish that goal, so, assuming that everything goes as expected... Soul Society will be left irreparable."

As they finished up their last few words, a rather grim smile found itself rising to Orobas' face; they made absolutely no effort to hide the fact that they were truly excited about this. "Though, during this attack, in order to assure that things go as we'd like, I'm personally going to be tearing myself apart. I'm sure you're aware of the concept of a Concluding Release, no? The Saigo no Houmen? I've spent whole days down in the depths of Hell steeling myself; trying to unlock that level of awakening required to obtain such a power; I've recently hit a breakthrough. It's only a matter of time until I truly figure out the inner workings of such a power. In turn, though, utilization of such an ability will leave me... weak. Weaker than I'd like. So, I'm here with a favor. In exchange for giving you the information regarding Soul Society's downfall, as well as extending the offer to you personally to join us in the carnage, I'd like to take up refuge here under XCution's wing, once everything sees its end, and I'm Human once more."

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Their mannerisms were off-putting for the sole reason that they were just entirely too happy. Whatever this excitement within their expressions was made Shizuka uneasy and she braced herself for the possibility that a fight may happen. After glancing around her lobby, she lamented over the fact that any amount of physical activity would likely destroy the architecture and she really dreaded having to pay that repair bill. After she sighed, she resigned herself to calming down and hearing them out. It was the least she could do.

"If it's a fight you're looking for, I absolutely won't turn that down, but I'd like to think that now is not the best time for that. We can have our little skirmish later if you'd prefer; for now, I'm here for two things; an offer, and a favor. One toward you, and one toward XCution in general. I'd like to think that you'll enjoy what I've to say, especially if the information I've been given is anything to go off of."

"You're hilarious. I'm not going to let you leave this place. I know exactly how to squash you like a bug and don't you dare think for even a second I won't do it."

The Fullbringer was calmed for a moment when she felt their Reiatsu pulses dwindle enough to reach a more reasonable level. If she were to flex to her full potential, she wondered how they would react? She could tell at the very least that she was stronger in some form, even if only in the most basic of ways. She could level cities. What was stopping her from pressing them so hard against the ground that their organs were spontaneously expelled in a most painful way? Well, it was what they presented to her next.

"So, Miss Sanamizu, I won't bother disguising my words, or hiding my motivations with you at all; the denizens of Hell grow restless with each passing day. Most of us thrive on the conflict we're able to create, and bring about into this world even after damnation. So, in typical hellion fashion, the lot of us - including those non-affiliated with Hell - are plotting a rather large-scale attack. More specifically, an attack against Soul Society."

Soul Society? Shizuka's ears twitched when she heard the words. She had been trying to gather as many capable people as possible for so long for exactly this purpose. She knew that was such a cliche thing to do as an organization leader, but Soul Society couldn't be trusted and took so many things from her family. She couldn't believe the stories she'd heard from her aunt, especially. It made her angry, but she couldn't figure out what they needed from Xcution. Her people were talented but it wasn't as if she let her goals be widely known in any way, so how did they think this would entice her?

"I'll admit you've grabbed my attention, but I haven't dealt much with beings from Hell. You all are a rare breed, so my interactions have been few and far between. I don't know if I can trust you at all and I'm not sure how this could benefit me in the long run. I'm sure you can imagine that my field of work doesn't exactly come with the most honest people."

"Despite being a small infiltratory group, the lot that we have actually willing to fight on the front-lines are some of the most capable individuals you could ever even hope to meet. On the day of reckoning for Soul Society, we are going to make ourselves known, easily slip through those barriers of theirs, and tear everything to the ground. Our end-goal is taking out the big-man himself; the one that they call their Captain Commander. By the time the day finishes, that man will be dead. We've taken proper precaution to assure we're able to accomplish that goal, so, assuming that everything goes as expected... Soul Society will be left irreparable."

She was interested, though possibly for the wrong reasons. She had been wanting to take down the people who took lives from those she loved and made matters worse for others. She had needed an army and struggled to fill the ranks, but this was practically being handed to her on a silver platter. It was too good to be true and had to come with a cost... Giving up her organization, maybe? No. She worked too hard for this and would risk her life to protect it. So what could this person possibly want with her?

"Though, during this attack, in order to assure that things go as we'd like, I'm personally going to be tearing myself apart. I'm sure you're aware of the concept of a Concluding Release, no? The Saigo no Houmen? I've spent whole days down in the depths of Hell steeling myself; trying to unlock that level of awakening required to obtain such a power; I've recently hit a breakthrough. It's only a matter of time until I truly figure out the inner workings of such a power. In turn, though, utilization of such an ability will leave me... weak. Weaker than I'd like. So, I'm here with a favor. In exchange for giving you the information regarding Soul Society's downfall, as well as extending the offer to you personally to join us in the carnage, I'd like to take up refuge here under XCution's wing, once everything sees its end, and I'm Human once more."

Shizuka watched carefully as their facial expressions mimicked what could be mistaken as ecstasy. The Fullbringer felt guilty as she remembered times where she was entirely too happy to watch someone take their last breath and wondered how she could have possibly gotten that way. But as this visitor spoke their last words, her eyes widened, realizing the whole reason why they came here in the first place. It wasn't for a fight unless that was to assert dominance. No, it was to ask for Xcution's help in destroying the Soul Society in exchange for protection.

Knowing a decent amount about Saigo no Houmen, she cringed. They were going to effectively become no less than a suicide bomber and that concerned Shizuka for several reasons. But something else passed through her mind. There was confirmed to be life after death, and then beings in that state were able to perform this act to become human again. A kind of forced resurrection. From what she was able to gather, this allowed for them to be even stronger in some aspects and was relatively... enticing. Relaxing a bit, the blonde shifted her weight on her left foot and returned some thoughts.

"I feel like this can be done for a relatively low cost. If we are to protect you, you cannot betray us. If you do, I will make sure you're erased from existence. Beyond that, I can offer what you want and ensure you're kept safe. Do not make me regret that." She stepped closer to them and stared straight in their eyes as she continued. "By the way, who are you?"

[Deleted]

Listening to Shizuka's comment on the denizens of Hell being a "rare breed" as she put it, Orobas found themselves chuckling. "I suppose you're not wrong about that; it's not that often that a full-blooded demon finds themselves leaving Hell. Even with the conditions down there, most of us tend to find ourselves keeping within our Rings. It's just easier that way. Though, in recent times more of us have been coming and going as we please, myself included. Given interaction with folk like myself is, in time, going to become common place, if you've any questions, I'd be delighted to answer them. For the time being, though, I think you'll appreciate this plan."

As they continued to make mention of the attack plans against Soul Society, Orobas watched the girl's reactions to their own words. Seems that she wasn't particularly fond of the concept of Saigo no Houmen. They weren't going to try to sway her stance on the matter; they'd made up their own mind over the fact that this was going to happen, so they weren't all that worried about the matter. They were going to make use of a technique like that when push came to shove, and they were going to do so spectacularly; hopefully, wiping out at least half the population of Shinigami from existence entirely.

"I feel like this can be done for a relatively low cost. If we are to protect you, you cannot betray us. If you do, I will make sure you're erased from existence. Beyond that, I can offer what you want and ensure you're kept safe. Do not make me regret that." With a slow nod, Orobas smiled. "Oh, I promise you that you won't regret it in the slightest. Even just reaching my neck out like this to come and have a chat with you is enough to earn Lucifer's scorn. I'm not going to make matters worse by agitating someone like yourself down the line with betrayal. I know I personally don't take kindly to turncoats; I can only imagine how you feel about the matter, similarly leading an organization of your own."

As Shizuka asked about them, staring into their eyes, they returned the same gesture with a soft chuckle. "Lord," they started, "please forgive me, I hadn't realized that I never introduced myself; I've gone by many names over the last couple of millennia, but the one that had stuck the most was Orobas. I've since assumed numerous different identities; I'd like to think that the form I'm currently in is clearly not what I truly look like, no? Merely a disguise. That said, the name I'll be taking up under XCution is going to be Saburō Shimada, if you needed that information for setting up an identity like that.

"Personally, I spend my time residing down in Hell in a position of leadership, commanding legions of demons larger than the general population of Japan. We unite sinners, hellions, and other demons of all kinds under one common banner, with myself as one of three current leaders down in the depths of Hell. While I can't share too much information at the moment, given my position underneath Lucifer's thumb, I'd be glad to share more sometime down the line as a celebration of our newfound friendship and alliance." Orobas couldn't help but chuckle as they finished speaking.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

With arms firmly crossed, Shizuka's eyes squinted at Orobas, wondering if they were going to stand by their own bargain or find a way to betray the Fullbringer anyway. She was confident she could hurt them, but she didn't know much about this person or what they were capable of. So for the moment, the safest thing for her to do was to agree. She didn't think she could possibly make a worse decision, and if everything actually worked out, Orobas would owe her a massive favor. She didn't mind that part.

Hearing more about how Hell operated was going to be one of Shizuka's priorities. If Hell existed and the Soul Society was basically always a thing, that truly did mean that when people died, they went to one place or the other. Judging how she'd lived her life thus far, Shizuka didn't have much doubt in her mind that she'd be going to Hell. She hated that thought. Even bad people who she knew on a personal level in life had been killed and made it to the Soul Society, but this was different. She was the leader of Xcution. They weren't exactly known for being good people.

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. If she were to die, was that actually going to be the end of it? Would she keep her memories from when she lived on Earth? Would she ever see her friends? What about family? Pets? Other loved ones? The woman chewed her bottom lip as she pressed the thought of Orobas thinking she was insane out of her mind. What could they possibly judge her for? She was freaking out over the confirmation of such a thing. This idea stuck around inside her brain for years but she was living in blissful ignorance. What was she going to do?

After a huge sigh, she looked back at Orobas and noticed she had been pacing the floors quite intensely. In fact, she'd been doing so enough to where her intense worry had mixed with her innate ability to control the souls of everything. Beneath her feet, the ground had started to sink just a bit. There was a fairly well-defined path where she'd been pacing, so she calmed her mind for a moment and held up her hand, palm facing upwards. As she raised it slightly, the indentations in the ground raised, as well. She fixed the floor in an instant.

With the same hand, she gracefully held it out in front of Orobas as an offering. She didn't know exactly what this was going to do to her reputation, and it certainly wasn't going to help get her out of her inevitable future in Hell, but she did know one thing. Orobas was going to do for her what others haven't yet been able to accomplish, and that guaranteed a future where those who caused her pain would be gone. So with one long, slow blink to help center her thoughts and reassure herself that this was a good idea, Shizuka spoke.

"You have yourself a deal, Saburō. You will be admitted into Xcution as a Sword. Shake my hand, earn your mark, and don't ever give me a reason to rip it away from you."

[Zeich Yajuu]

I'm afraid I can't really accept this as a JT, unfortunately - it was completely social. And unfortunately, with the other character deleted, I'm not sure I can really offer you anything as a reward for this, since the Social Bonus only applies to threads with said character. You can count this as a thread towards SKP, however!