Stranger's in the Woods

[Tsuyoshi Minamoto]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cinematic Post}Cinematic Post meant to reset the thread state after a brief hiatus - No actions taken against active participants. Bleeding timer progresses by one. Gravitational Pressure is cinematic and does not require reiatsu to pay for. Tsuyoshi’s stat-line will be fully unrestrained for his next combat post, but for RP purposes it is very clear to Raphael and Arcadus that he has no intention of holding back.

Tsuyoshi was still reeling from the sudden sonic display while Arcadus seemed to recover faster than he did, either out of practice or out of anger. The ringing in his ears continued emanating for several seconds, but his vision had fortunately righted itself just in time to see Arcadus’s assault on Priscilla, albeit with difficulty. At Arcadus’s current speed, disoriented, Tsuyoshi was having difficulty keeping up, but it was clear that the Espada had several different tricks up his sleeve that Tsuyoshi hadn’t anticipated. Conflicting thoughts ran through his head as his natural bloodlust quickly overpowered the attention he had for Arcadus’s movements and techniques. Fireballs again? Quick, but far too slow to be a reliable threat at my fastest. I can’t keep it up forever, but I should be able to overwhelm him in bursts. Powerful swings, but not nearly enough to match mine - that blade of his seems to be exceptionally good when it’s coated; it sliced through my skin like a hot knife through butter and I still haven’t stopped bleeding. . . . What was that? His eyes widened once Arcadus coated his blades in electricity as he watched, newly intrigued. A blade combination right into a Cero? I didn’t even see him charging it. Are you serious? He’s been holding back this entire time?

Tsuyoshi grit his teeth, placing his hands on his hips as he watched the display. The angry facial expression on his face deepened until his lips began to twitch, and then contort into a grin. His lips parted to show off his teeth as he slowly floated down to the desert ground where Arcadus was standing after the display. Impressively, the Quincy managed to maneuver around most of the attacks with some significant effort, and she was gone again utilizing her step techniques. At this distance, Tsuyoshi was completely unprepared for the explosion of sound around his being which rocked him nearly to his core. ”RrrrrRRRAAAAAHHHH!” The sound cascaded through his body, causing him to flinch aggressively inwards, before shouting aloud in a fury. He brought his hands up to his face and then dropped them abruptly along with his yell, noticing that the ringing in his ears were taking significantly longer to dissipate than before, his eyes struggling with the sudden changes in pressure as he fought to right his vision.

He grit his teeth, clenching his fists, one empty and one tight around the hilt of his Uchigatana. He brought his blade up and across his body, before swiping swiftly and powerfully in a crescent, sending a myriad of shockwaves in a singular arc around his body. These were significantly slower than the shockwaves he traditionally used for combat and were easily avoidable, clearly meant for clearing out the amplifiers around his body. Once he had regained himself, he looked about himself, first spotting Arcadus in all of his flaming glory. His eyes next checked for the Quincy and, in being unable to find her, spotted Rafael instead. As the Beast-clan began to revert into his more humanoid form, his spiritual energy went from being completely undetectable to being fairly prominent. ”Y’er a bold one, eh? I didn’t even notice you in the distance, and now it’s impossible not to. Haven’t seen a Clansman put out that much spiritual energy… well… ever.” Tsuyoshi scoffed and then turned his eyes back over to Arcadus. ”Speaking of - where’d our Quincy friend go, eh? Loud and annoying, did you actually hit her with any part of that display?”

Given that Priscilla had retreated using Hirenkyaku, Tsuyoshi could only come to the conclusion that she was out of the fight for the time being, though he was wary about her suddenly returning - not that it particularly mattered much. In a moment or two, it would be far more dangerous to simply be in the vicinity. Tsuyoshi leveled his Uchigatana with its scabbard at his side, letting it slink back inside with a series of metallic clicks. ”You know, Arrancar are usually nothing but giant disappointments, eh? They talk a huge game; they talk about how they’re ‘superior’; they talk about how there’s no way a Shinigami could beat them, eh? But you don’t do any of that, Espada. And yet, that little display just showed me that you don’t find a Shinigami Captain to be a big enough threat not to hold back. Tch.” His look of frustration gave way to another toothy grin as he flashed a smile over to Arcadus, slowly walking so as to put Rafael and Arcadus equidistantly away from him, resting his left hand lazily on his Uchigatana hilt, with no clear intention of drawing it.

As he walked, the spiritual energy pouring out of his body had suddenly stopped sputtering, instead letting out erratic, violent expulsions as though whatever was corking up the faucet had begun to struggle against the sheer weight of it all. Once he’d reached the spot he wanted to, shooting for about fifteen meters away from either of his two potential combatants, the density of his spiritual energy had begun to create a visible aura around his body. The pressure in the area increased as the atmosphere grew thicker around him. Hues of blue and violet floated angrily around his body to any with even a modicum of ability to sense spiritual energy until it began to coalesce around his body, forming a coalition of haunting visages around his person. ”Fine. Fine. I guess it’s just as much my fault. No introduction, no threat - but I can see that this won’t be fun if I don’t put a little into it too, eh? I have no quarrel with you, Beastclan, but if you intend to fight, do so with just as much force as this Espada does. Otherwise? I’ll kill you. Both of you.” His eyes flit between Rafael and Arcadus, his grin widening on his face. With his energy fully unleashed, the sheer malevolence hidden deep inside of his core had nowhere to hide. The real fight was about to begin, and he was excited.^[1]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}Strength: 1,375
Speed: 1,237
Reiatsu Strength: 50
Spirit Pressure: 600
Instinct: 150
Senses: 150
Energy Sensory: 100
Healing Expertise: 0
Light Aura: 35
Dark Aura: 60

Hoho: 3
Hakuda: 3
Japanese Blades: 1
Battle Analysis: 1
Battle Focus: 1
Lack Of Fear: 1
Strength of Will: 2
Bleeding Tolerance: 1
Pain Tolerance: 2

SPOILER: Click to show

{Items}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spiritual Steel Uchigatana, C1}Name: Spiritual Steel Uchigatana
Description: A rather basic weapon, this katana has a blade about twenty-eight inches in length, and is curved at the end. It is made to be wielded either one- and two-handed with ease.
Type of Item: Weapon
Class: 1
Item Power (IP): 750
Offense Type: Physical
Durability: 1500
Bonuses: None
Drawbacks: None
Costs: 9000

Tsuyoshi's Uchigatana is a 28in. slightly curved Japanese blade that he primarily wields one-handed. While there is nothing astonishingly impressive about the blade itself, the hilt and guard are fashioned much like a Zanpakuto might be. It sports an oval guard that is securely fastened between the hilt and the blade, and the hilt itself is slightly longer than normal, though Tsuyoshi almost exclusively handles it directly underneath the cross-guard. The hilt is wrapped in a series of interlacing black and white wraps and dangles approximately two inches from the end.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spiritual Steel Scabbard, C1}Name: Spiritual Steel Scabbard
Description: Made to be paired with a specific bladed weapon, this scabbard is customized to fit the weapon perfectly and allow it to be drawn with ease. Additionally, the scabbard itself is made of a stronger spiritual steel to protect its weapon while sheathed, making it incredibly sturdy and even able to be wielded as an improvised, albeit weaker, weapon.
Type of Item: Weapon
Class: 1
Item Power (IP): 750
Offense Type: Physical
Durability: 2,250
Bonuses: This item must be purchased at the same time as another item from the bladed weapons category. It is identical in shape and size to the weapon's blade, and can be wielded as a weapon in itself thanks to its durable structure.
Drawbacks: Due to being a sheath, this weapon cannot cut or pierce an opponent, only deal blunt damage. Additionally, it will only hold the weapon that it was made for.
Costs: 9000

The scabbard for Tsuyoshi's Uchigatana is built specifically for the blade itself and is fashioned in a much older Japanese style than modern swords are. It is constructed to be clipped and worn at the waist, and the scabbard itself is fairly ornate with depictions of dragons and clouds along the front and the back. At the base of the scabbard, closest to the Uchigatana's cross-guard, is the clan insignia for the Minamoto clan, circa 1100 AD.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Combat Stats}Reiatsu: 5800/6000
Fatigue Posts: 0/5 Stage 0
Moderate Bleeding - Second Post

SPOILER: Click to show

{1}As a Kenpachi, Tsuyoshi has little control over his own spiritual pressure outside of his natural affinity for using his spiritual energy to augment his own physical abilities. Because of this, when Tsuyoshi isn’t actively holding himself back, and especially when he’s been egged on, challenged, or is otherwise overly inspired into combat, his spiritual pressure leaks out of his body erratically, like a faucet with far too much pressure behind it, despite being turned all the way open. For combatants with their own abundance of spiritual energy, experience in fighting stronger opponents, or particular tenacity for combat, there is often little to no effect outside of the sheer impressiveness of his spiritual reservoir and its output. For individuals who don’t fit that criteria or are simply too weak to overcome Tsuyoshi’s massive spiritual presence, however, simply being in the same vicinity as him when he isn’t holding back can be disorienting, debilitating, and downright lethal.

When unleashed, Tsuyoshi’s spiritual aura takes the form of an ethereal blue and violet glow. The sheer density of it gives it an almost black tinge, not entirely unlike a Hollow or Vaizard, despite it being distinctly a Shinigami’s spiritual pressure. Depending on exactly how charged his spiritual energy is, Tsuyoshi’s spiritual aura can take a variety of spiritual forms. If he is moderately motivated or focused on his opponent, his aura becomes almost haunting - vague facsimiles and shapes can be seen inside of his spiritual pressure and, at range, it can almost seem as though spirits are emanating from his person. Because of this faucet-like effect, Tsuyoshi exerts gravitational pressure (following gravitational pressure rules) automatically against all entities, friend or foe currently in the area of combat around him. This can make simply being in the same combat arena as Tsuyoshi a daunting and potentially lethal state of being.

[Arcadus]

Arcadus stood up from the dust. The Quincy was leaving, scared probably. He had nothing but contempt for that kind of fighting, all bluster and defense, but no offense. Thankfully, the Cero seemed to have scared them off. As for the appearing beast clan, he couldn't care less, it wasn't a big deal. Beast clan were all brutes and savages, and he wasn't going to get concerned because one decided to slink its way into his domain. 

Turning to face the Kenpachi, Arcadus rolled his eyes. "That jealous that someone payed more attention to someone else in a fight than you , my big bad captain?" Rocking his head back as he said that, the smugness that radiated from him was near immeasurable. Taunting Tsuyoshi was likely a poor decision, but it wasn't like it wasn't going to be relatively the same outcome. "Don't you worry, I am the real deal, the genuine article, and the baddest Hueco Mundo has to offer. I just like to warm up, something we both seem to be fond of." 

"Don't get me wrong, I'm simply going along with the way you seem to do things. Little in the way of threats, just on sight testing each other till we glass the state and we slink back to our fortresses. The Quincy and my kind have a more strained relationship. Us, Arrancar and Shinigami, its mostly business after a few encounters shakes off the propoganda. But Quincy want both of us extinct, and I'm not for stealthy types in general."

"So C'mon, give me all you've got. I've only had a single shinigami pierce my skin, and they were rogue, unwanted by your kind, and a different breed altoghter. You, tsuyoshi, might have something new to show me so, please. Give me your best shot." Turning his smirk to the leapord, "If you get in front of me, I won't wait to rip you in half and wear your pelt like a cape." 

Focusing his senses, Arcadus waited for a flicker, a shift, anything that would tell him that Tsuyoshi was going to move. It wasn't like taunting a massively faster and stronger captain was going to result in  him getting a fist through his chest. Readying his saber and falcion, Arcadus took his high and low guard, and set his feet wide. He was expecting an attack from behind, but he couldn't telegraph that, and he had to account for the reality that the leopard might jump in. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats}
Strength 400/1000
Speed 327/327
Reiatsu Str 400/1100
Spiritual Pres 500/250
Instinct 150/100
Senses 100/100
Energy Sensory 223/502

Charisma (5) 4
Analysis (2)
Cero (3)
God Form Art(Curved Swords), (3)
Crafting (3)

Ressurection 3/16
Hierro Hits 6/6
Electrica 2/6
Item Durability (All are Class 1)
Bleeding Edge 2200/2200
A.N.G.E.L. 2000/2000
Steel Silk 1600/1600

Rieatsu Pool 1450/2500 (0)
Rieatsu Tab 1200 ()
Stacks: 20 (10 Doubled, )

[Rafael]

Getting closer to the small group of opponents wasn’t hard, something that Rafael had accepted knowing that they’d likely have no issue fighting him yet running away wouldn’t be the same. Although witnessing the female apparently run away was a bit of a disappointment. He’d seen what she could do and while it would have been a major pain to deal with it was something different. He hadn’t seen anyone just make something like a guitar from nothing, even the Shinigami transformed the swords they carried. So now he was sure that girl had been something else or maybe a different kind of Shinigami. “Wait though, why'd she be fighting this one then?”

An answer that he couldn’t quite figure out at the moment. One that he’d have to think about later since it looked like this was going to turn into a battle between three men of exceptional power with him being perhaps the longshot. One of them from what he’d witnessed so far, favored spells such as throwing out fireballs that could explode and using a ghostly looking sword that was likely to cause an abnormal amount of pain, something Rafael was certain he’d experience soon. The other hadn’t shown anything beyond the standard so far, but Rafael had the feeling that he possessed strength that wouldn’t be something to underestimate. His instincts were screaming at him to be careful as he got closer.

The shinigami was strong enough to produce shockwaves even with his sword, a feat that Rafael wouldn’t be able to take lightly as just a couple of those would be enough to push him towards actually giving it his all. The other kept revealing more and more of what he could do to the point that now it seemed he had some sort of electric ability as well. “As if Zadora wasn’t enough to handle already.” Rafael thought to himself having been electrocuted quite a few times by the white tiger of his pack during training. He wasn;’t certain if this man’s lightning would be as potent , but his fireballs weren’t weak so he doubted his lightning would be any less dangerous.

Arrancar? Espada?

Terms that Rafael hadn’t heard in the past yet he’d encountered these sorts of people in the past, the ones that had bone attached to the face and could likely transform into animals similar to Beast yet at the same time completely different. He’d just have to keep his wits about him while trying to gain the upperhand. The shinigami put some distance between them, but moved in a way that now the three of them were especially in a standoff like something from a western movie. The energy that he was emanating wasn’t anything to joke about, telling Rafael that his instincts had been right. Then came the threat though and Rafael couldn’t contain a smirk of his own to challenge the grin the shinigami was giving off.

So the shinigami was going to be a challenge and then came the remarks from the Arrancar, Quincy? Another term that he didn’t know yet by the conversation he could tell it was whatever that woman had been. Based on what this guy was saying Rafael was starting to piece together more of the power structures of all these different groups although following completely was hard when he didn’t know what certain words meant like Hueco Mundo. That didn’t prevent Rafael from exploding with emotion at the insults he was issued. The moment that he was threatened like a small child Rafael’s reiatsu would burst forth indenting the ground slightly while deep violet reiatsu poured from his figure. His gray orbs turned into brilliant bright purple while Rafael decided that he wasn’t going to go full force out the gate, but he wasn’t going to allow this man to leave with his entire body intact either.

This guy bragged a lot about his skin, so it was time to see just how tough it was and if it would really protect the weakness inside of him. Unleashing a large roar right away Rafael sent a shockwave towards the Arrancar that wasn’t meant to cause damage, but would knock him off his feet if he didn’t do anything. It wasn’t composed of energy so blocking it with his aura wouldn’t be possible, a frustrating little method he’d seen in the past. Rafael wasn’t certain if his roar would work, but he got the feeling the moment this guy countered or dodged the Shinigami was going to act and when he did Rafael would execute shunpo to appear to the side of the Arrancar and deliver a roundhouse kick with his right leg set to impact the stomach. He’s arms up and his weight distributed Rafael would be in his stance ready to lean backwards or hop if needed knowing that he was facing weapons yet the length of his legs were quite long themselves.

Yaseishin: 1/7

Remaining Reiatsu: 2600/3000
Yaseishin: (-400)

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}
Strength: 435 (870)
Speed: 365
Spiritual Pressure: 300
Reiatsu Strength: 50 (25)
Light Aura: 75
Dark Aura: 25
Instincts: 250 (500)
Senses: 200 (100)
Energy Sensory: 0
Healing Expertise: 0


Muay Boran: 2
Acrobatics: 2
Battle Focus: 2
Pain Tolerance: 2
Strength of Will: 2
Battle Analysis: 2

SPOILER: Click to show

Technique Name: Howlburst (Proficient)
Class: 4
Technique Type: Other
Usable By: Beast-Clan
Technique Element: Wind/Sound

Technique Description and Effects: A variation of the Howlrazer Ferality, Howlburst is an attack that focuses on raw damage rather than striking at something's hearing. A common tactic from an animal to cause intimidation is to roar, something that the Beast Clan know all too well about. Howlburst is used when someone has gotten too close for comfort and the Beast wants to make some distance. Using this technique, the Beast Clan roars and releases a sound wave from their body, pushing anything away from them. The wave is equal to their Strength stat, throwing back anything that has less strength than them.

How to use technique: Take a deep breath, build Reiatsu in the throat, and release it with a scream or howl of some sort.

Technique Drawbacks: Obviously, this technique cannot be used by mute characters. This technique also targets everyone except the user, including allies. This technique costs no reiatsu, due to being a physical feat. If used this technique can only be used three times within the span of ten posts since the first use, otherwise the character will lose their ability to talk for fifteen posts.

[Tsuyoshi Minamoto]

SPOILER: Click to show

{NDE Modification}Because this is an NDE thread and all participants agree, the Gravitational Pressure part of Tsuyoshi’s power is cinematic. The other debuffs from his aura remain intact and function as normal.

”That jealous that someone paid more attention to someone else in a fight than you, my big bad captain?” Tsuyoshi scoffed at the goading, though it was clear by the slight shift in his stance that it hadn’t fallen on deaf ears. His eyes stuck to the Arrancar; his attention was glued tightly to the man and his extra on either side of the bleeding wound flexed tightly, pushing the tissue of the wound closed and forcing the blood flow to stop. Whatever pain that Tsuyoshi might have felt from the flesh wound was absent from his face and his movements. As Arcadus’s words continued to strike various chords inside of the Shinigami, Tsuyoshi’s spiritual energy continued to stiffen and become more dense. Originally, where an amalgamation of skulls and spirits were floating around his person within his spiritual energy, there was instead a nearly solidified skull of dense energy around his form, burning and flickering with black and blue reiatsu which radiated outwards from his body, creating a harsh aura around him.¹

Tsuyoshi went to open his mouth to retort when Rafael suddenly took the first step into the fight. First, the Clansmen let out a mighty roar that caused ripples in the air as it cascaded towards Arcadus. Tsuyoshi’s eyes shifted to Arcadus, and immediately leaned forwards on his front foot, disappearing in a burst of Shunpo speed meant simply to close distance and not actually to engage, attempting to position himself at a perpendicular angle to Rafael’s roar. His visage reappears in the sands about five meters away from Arcadus, or at least where Arcadus was, in order to reorient himself. Once he’s got a grasp on where Arcadus has initially gone, he disappears in a second, much faster shunpo meant for engagement, aiming for Arcadus’s front and center with a wide grin on his face, eyes locked to the best of his ability on the Arrancar.²

He opens with a very short series of weak, rapid-fire strikes once he’s in engagement range, making a point to keep his legs underneath him as he tests Arcadus’s defenses at a speed that the Arrancar should be able to keep up with, watching his movements carefully for any kind of opener. While he isn’t necessarily fighting in clear conjunction with Rafael, he makes a point to juggle his attacks with the Clansmen’s, using his excessive speed to pursue and follow Arcadus when he repositions or his knocked aside in order to maintain a dynamic and harrowing, albeit simplistic assault on the Espada. Given Arcadus’s longer reach, Tsuyoshi makes the point to engage him with blows of varying strength intensity, cautious to avoid blocking the glowing red blade in Arcadus’s hand, but surprisingly willing to flex in defense against the other blade, provided that it doesn’t also begin to glow or prove to be particularly threatening in close quarters.³

Tsuyoshi keeps his eyes locked on Arcadus’s center, paying attention to any suddenly aggressive momentum shift or the characteristic buildup of a Cero that might pose a legitimate threat to the Shinigami, preparing himself to flash step out of the way if something poses an immediate threat that could disrupt his combination.⁴

With the intention of keeping this first battle pulse as short as possible, once he feels that Arcadus has been pushed on his heel, if allowed to get that far, he sends a lightning-fast combination consisting of an absolutely devastating straight punch from the side of Arcadus’s blood-red sword, aiming at the shoulder responsible for controlling the blade. He immediately follows this with a roundhouse kick coming from the opposite direction at about shoulder height, hopefully unseating him out of his stance at the very least. Finally, he uses his immense strength to spin into an immediate follow-up kick embroiled with enough spiritual energy to threaten the area in front of it with a shockwave meant to forcefully knock Arcadus back and give Tsuyoshi a moment to reset himself.⁵

SPOILER: Click to show

{Combat Stats}Reiatsu: 5700/6000
Fatigue Posts: 1/5 Stage 0
Moderate Bleeding - Flexed Close

SPOILER: Click to show

{1}In the case that Tsuyoshi is completely focused or engaged in the battle (or in the unfortunate case that he has become completely enraged), his spiritual aura takes the shape of a demonic skeletal head, with Tsuyoshi at its center. The more charged his energy is, the more distinct the shape, to a point. If Tsuyoshi has been completely enraged for longer than one or two posts, the skeletal shape itself begins to deform and become distorted, as though the fabric of reality around him has begun to shift and warp due to the sheer output from spiritual energy around his body. Because of this faucet-like effect, Tsuyoshi exerts gravitational pressure (following gravitational pressure rules) automatically against all entities, friend or foe currently in the area of combat around him. This can make simply being in the same combat arena as Tsuyoshi a daunting and potentially lethal state of being.

This, however, is not the extent of his spiritual aura. The true nature of his aura is the way that it interferes with an individual’s ability to maintain their grip on reality and their semblance of self in a 50m radius, centered on Tsuyoshi himself. Tsuyoshi, due to being oblivious to his own spiritual pressure’s effects, is largely unaffected. Combatants within two classes (I.E. Class 3 or higher if Tsuyoshi is Class 1) of Tsuyoshi who have a Reiatsu Strength greater than Tsuyoshi’s are completely unaffected. Individuals that have less Reiatsu Strength than Tsuyoshi or are greater than two classes away from Tsuyoshi, however, are subject to a variety of sensory and mental ailments centered by the terrible force that he outputs passively when he is fully unleashed.

All individuals unfortunate enough to be negatively affected by Tsuyoshi’s spiritual pressure find, primarily, that it is difficult to maintain their sense of bearing within Tsuyoshi’s aura. While directions do not directly reverse, it is very common for individuals to feel ‘off-balance’ or ‘uncentered’ by his presence, suffering vertigo of varying degrees and making it difficult to concentrate on any task at hand. All individuals with a Battle Focus or Strength of Will of 1 or higher are unaffected by this.

Further, the closer an entity is to Tsuyoshi, the more debilitating the effects. Within 35m of Tsuyoshi, it is exceedingly common for all beings to suffer visual and auditory hallucinations that dramatically worsen the closer they are to him. At the furthest distance, they may only hear whispers or see things from the corner of their eyes, while at its closest, a combatant may view Tsuyoshi as an actual demon, traditionally with black sclera, red eyes, a number of bodily malformations and disfigurations and any other variety of horrifying and terrifying attributes that tend to be unique to the individual’s fears. This can cause hesitation, a general sense of fear or terror, and can significantly impair an opponents’ ability to focus on their abilities. All individuals with a Battle Focus or Strength of Will of 2 or higher, or an Illusion Resistance or Lack of Fear of 1 or higher are unaffected.

Within 15m of Tsuyoshi, an individual’s sense of reality, space, and time begin to dramatically warp. Their ability to keep track of the passage of time, including anticipating the travel speed of techniques and abilities, the speed of Tsuyoshi’s movements, and their own positions of space is significantly hampered, making it extremely difficult not only to focus on fine reiatsu control, but also to aim attacks, defend against attacks, or even keep track of where they are relative to Tsuyoshi and their terrain. All individuals with an Illusion Resistance, Battle Focus or Strength of Will of 3 or higher, or a Lack of Fear of 2 or higher, are unaffected. Individuals with an Instincts stat of 300 or higher are able to fight mostly unhindered, though their body must be running mostly on autopilot (I.E. They must throw away the majority of their conscious, predictive thought and fight relying on their senses and instinct to the best of their ability.) A light or dark aura of 100 can mitigate, but not completely remove these effects.

Within 5m of Tsuyoshi, individuals begin to lose the sense of the world around them, as Tsuyoshi’s spiritual aura demands their full attention. In addition to the previous effects, which are near their optimal debilitating strength at this range, individuals find their peripheral senses completely encompassed by a violet tempest of what look and sound like screeching, demonic entities. This effect is directly due to the density and resonant energy of Tsuyoshi’s spiritual pressure. As a result of this, they lose their ability to see beyond Tsuyoshi and must either disengage or focus entirely on their opponent. This ability preys on the opponent’s adrenaline and fear response as the mind and body enter a survival state. Individuals who do not have the required Reiatsu Strength to defend themselves against these effects may still mitigate them depending on their skills. Individuals with a Strength of Will of 4 or a Lack of Fear of 3 or higher are able to maintain themselves and fight at their full capacity, though they are still unable to focus on peripheral information. With an instincts stat of 300 or higher, their body may automatically respond to threats outside of the listed range provided they are relying primarily on instinct and reaction to fight. A light or dark aura of 100 can mitigate the fear and panic aspect of this aura, but does not restore their peripheral senses.

In this way, Tsuyoshi becomes a literal terror to fight against up close - he demands the full attention and focus of his opponents and the very concept of fighting him in close range is enough to unnerve most opponents, even if they are able to resist the overall effects of his spiritual pressure. This aspect of his spiritual aura has earned him the alias ‘Seireitei no Oni’ or the Demon of Seireitei. Combined with his natural bloodlust and penchant for close range combat, fighting Tsuyoshi, while no easy feat in and of itself, becomes an absolutely harrowing and nearly traumatizing experience for all but the most stalwart of opponents.

SPOILER: Click to show

{2}Shunpo to gap-close (4000 speed), Shunpo to engage (5000 speed) -100 Reiatsu

SPOILER: Click to show

{3}Basic Attack(Opening Flurry, 700-1000 Strength, 350-450 Speed), Basic Defense (1200 Strength, 450-600 Speed)

SPOILER: Click to show

{4}No Attack, Shunpo Defense to disengage if combo broken with a significant frontal attack.

SPOILER: Click to show

{5}Basic Attacks(Jab to Bleeding Edge Shoulder - (400 Speed, 800 Strength); Roundhouse Kick to Zanpakuto-Wielding Shoulder - (600 Speed, 1150 Strength), Shockwave-Empowered Reverse Side Kick to Torso (900 Speed, 1375 Strength)

[Arcadus]

Arcadus took in the happenings. He was able to keep the captain at bay with his words, but then the rush of combat began again as a roar from the kitty-man reached his ears, a shockwave following it. A flick from his blade, and a shockwave came to split the roar, and Arcadus could sense a new aura, the Captain must have released something. Simultaneous to the split shockwave passing him, Arcadus could sense the Captain was now to his right, the panther to his left. 

A hail of blows came from that direction, and Arcadus, eyes shut to avoid what he saw in the aura of the captain, sould sense, and almost see the movements of his opponent. A vertitable onslaught of blows, but they were weak. Rolling and blocking hits across his swords, his armors, he avoided the majority of the damage, though he could also sense the panther moving. At his back now, the panther had positioned himself to the captains right to swing a kick at him. 

He couldn't block it actively, his swords were occupied with the arms and hands of the shinigami at that moment, and a thud pressed into his gut, the iron skin of the espada stopping the blow from doing any real damage. That brief moment, where this new opponent had interceded the rush attack of this shinigami, Arcadus, perhaps in the fear generated in him by this new ability he was under, or through a rage at the corner he had been pushed into, hooked his arm about the panther's leg, twisting him infront of the captain. 

Whatever blows the beastman sustained were from the shinigami, and as Arcadus pinned the foot of Raphael, and a red light flashed out, the near instant cero of the Espada burning the desert sands for a second time. Sensing the Captain had moved back, Arcadus made his own attack, cutting into the abdomen of the panther, his crimson sabre and blue gold lightning flashing as it met flesh, the muscled torso giving way to blood and flesh. This cut allowed Arcadus to drop his pin on the beast, and panting slightly, looked at the shocked, bleeding, burnt body infront of him. 

Panting slightly, Arcadus wieghed his options. He'd struck a massive blow at the interloper, and repelled the shinigami's attacks, if only for now. He had the ability to try intangibility, but with the shockwaves this man could likely produce it would be putting a candle infront of a gale wind, but they didn't seem to be a specialist in that matter, or they were holding back. The interloper didn't seem very strong comparitively, they could barely scratch him through his hierro, but they were a problem. They'd proved useful in providing an opening to shield himself the the shinigami's attacks to gain a the breif instant he needed to gather a cero, even if that cero was aimed at a pinned opponent. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Combat actions}
Arcadus shockwaves at 1000 str the roar, weathers Tsu's storm of weaker jabs with items and hierro, and uses raph's kick as a opening to grab the beastman's foot and shield himself, cero'ing into Raph and using the AOE of that to drive tsu away from him. Arcadus then cuts raph with Electrica'd bleeding edge down the center of his body.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats n skills n items}
Strength 400/1000
Speed 327/327
Reiatsu Str 400/1100
Spiritual Pres 500/250
Instinct 150/100
Senses 100/100
Energy Sensory 223/502

Charisma (5) 4
Analysis (2)
Cero (3)
God Form Art(Curved Swords), (3)
Crafting (3)

Ressurection 3/16
Hierro rounds (Tsu) 6/8
Hierro Rounds (7/8)
Electrica 3/6
Item Durability (All are Class 1)
Bleeding Edge 2200/2200
A.N.G.E.L. 2000/2000
Steel Silk 800/1600

Rieatsu Pool 1450/2500 (0)
Rieatsu Tab 1600 (Cero, Bleeding Edge Charge)
Stacks: 40 (20 Doubled, )

[Rafael]

Getting into a bad situation was something Rafael, like the majority of others didn’t particularly enjoy, sure a tough fight was enjoyable, beating on someone far below himself wasn’t fun, it wasn’t anything other than disappointing and sad, it seemed though that he’d underestimated these two. He really wouldn’t be able to hold back this time even if it meant starting at full speed right from the get go he couldn’t risk being in this situation more than once.

Rushing in everything went as he had planned with the only exception being that the Shinigami seemed to be giving it his all now, the e every that he was pumping out was more dense than before surpassing what Rafael could and had accomplished when he had activated his Yaseishin only a couple moments ago. Rafael couldn’t feel it yet, but he was already in a dangerous position being so close to someone that specializes in making it harder to fight in melee. His roundhouse kick found the side of this bone face guy. Still unaware of what term meant what Rafael couldn’t really label him even in his head.

Rafael had hit others like him in the past and they always felt like stroking a metal wall, something that he had been anticipating, but this felt different. He could feel the resistance, the extra weight of the clothing on his body. He was wearing something like a bullet proof vest or a suit of armor that looked like normal clothes. More surprising though was that this armor didn’t break. Rafael in his confusion slipped up allowing this guy to hook his leg and pull with strength he hadn’t been expecting. Being pulled to his front Rafael’s left arm went to work immediately ready to counter what was being done.

Until suddenly everything in the corners of his vision turned black and he got the feeling that something menacing was right on his shoulders. What had been a hook set to strike the side of this enemy’s face moved inwards. In the next moment while a red wave of reiatsu waved over Rafael the arms of the Beast were crossed up protecting his face, throat and the top of his chest. The reiatsu was hot, burning his fur and skin as if a torch was being held right on him. Rafael held through the pain with his eyes closed while the only thing he could hear was the low noise that made him think of a vacuum cleaner.

Resistance though was something he’d trained for extensively. Pushing through the pain that swelled in order to focus his reiatsu. The moment after the cero was finished the two foes may realize what they were dealing with, but with everything happening so fast there was a chance they wouldn’t. Rafael’s burned skin, burned fur and that which had been incinerated. . . was already healing. That red sword brought down would clash against Rafael’s arms; the shock of electricity running through him caused the Panther to scream in pain, but the sword was stuck.

The sword was sharp and definitely meant to cause quite a bit of blood to leave the body, but it wasn’t sharp enough to cut clean through Rafael’s forearms. The bones of his body unbenounced to his foes were now stronger than either of them would have ever believed. The blade cuts into his fur, skin, flesh down to the bone making a fracture that spreads out yet holds together. It was in that next moment in a brief period of time that this foe was most likely to be surprised that Rafael took action. He could still feel whatever was behind him and knew it was trouble so he’d take out everything.

A panther, even one as pitch black as Rafael possessed spots over its body. Leopards, cheetahs and jaguars all with different spots that normally people recognized right away. Rafael just happened to be lucky that his spots couldn’t be seen when his entire coat of fur was as dark as the void in space. He was a panther that seemed absent of color and now that pitch extends outwards all over his body dozens and dozens and dozens of spikes rushing outwards to impale both his foes. All the spikes extend eight feet in length from him while some are thin like a finger and others thick like a wrist. Moving out at 800 speed with force set to impale equal to Rafael’s physical strength. This was his first real attack in this fight while he opens his royal purple eyes.

Yaseishin: 2/7

Remaining Reiastu: 2200/3000
Spot Spike (C3): (-400)

SPOILER: Click to show

Technique Name: Spot Spike (Class 5 Mastered) (Class 3 Proficient)
Class: 5-3
Technique Type: Ferality
Usable By: Beast-Clan
Technique Element: N/A

Technique Description and Effects: A technique of Rafael's own making that like many mammal techniques utilizes his fur. The fur slightly darker in shade known as spots which dot Rafael's body are the catalyst of this technique as these spots of fur grow at an exponential rate outwards from Rafael in a straight spike like manner.

Class 5: At this stage the technique has only blossomed from concept embarking through the first level of development. It's at this point that by focusing on a single spot located on his body Rafael is able to trigger a rapid rate of growth in his fur of that singular spot. The fur at a speed of 800 grows outwards in a linear shape much like a spike. This spike of fur will reach a total length of eight feet in distance from the rest of Rafael's normal coat while impaling anything in that distance with force equal to Rafael's Strength.

Class 3: This is the true strength of this technique as at this point Rafael has learned to grow the fur of every spot across his entire body simultaneously. What this means is simple while the Class 5 version effects only a single spot making it into a long spike this version causes dozens of spikes to grow from Rafael while still impaling anything inside the range of their growth with force equal to Rafael's Strength

How to use technique: Rafael must concentrate his reiatsu into the spots dotted across his body.

Technique Drawbacks: The spikes of this technique can't penetrate through anything that has durability superior to Rafael's Strength. If they do collide with something of superior durability than the force will still be impacted on the point of collision yet the spike itself will immediately fall flat returning to normal fur.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Alright, lots going on here, but no clear winner due to an unfinished fight, so no winner reward!

Arcadus: 40 Paragraphs x 10 (NDE) = 400 TP
Helena: 23 Paragraphs x 10 (NDE) = 230 TP
Tsuyoshi: 28 Paragraphs x 10 (NDE) = 280 TP
Rafael: 37 Paragraphs x 10 (NDE) = 370 TP

[Arcadus]

Taking Ryo rewards for 4000 ryo