Virtuous vs Depraved? (R-HW-DP)

[Teresa]

Thread Title: Virtuous vs Depraved?
Participants: Lucien vs Teresa
World: Human World
Death Setting: Permanent Injuries Enabled
Rating: R
Location: Karakura High School
Special Conditions: N/A
Circumstances: Teresa has returned to the high school in order to fill her empty stomach once again. While on the move to plague the students of Karakura once again an unforeseen individual crosses paths who may manage to spare the civilians of another nightmarish day.

[Teresa]

The sensation of the warmth given off from the sky above was something almost welcoming now. A sensation that the Adhucha knew the majority of others who would be placed in the same category as herself wouldn’t experience often. It wasn’t the sort of thing they could relish in yet one of the few things she realized still remained from her time as a human. Despite being something completely different now, something vastly superior, something true, she felt a wave only describable as pleasant from the warmth of the sun. “Just another reason to hate that damned place.” She remarks to herself while the image of Heuco Mundo crosses through her mind.

Despite being a Hollow, Teresa wasn’t one to spend time in the dimension of her kin, nor did she consider it her home like some. It was a cold lonely place where everything tasted horrific so to her there was no real reason to stay. Well one reason at least, but despite it all Teresa knew she wasn’t prepared to accomplish that reason yet. Middle of the day with the sun high in the sky. Bright light, warm and fitting what almost any human would deem as peaceful. It’d been little more than a week since her last meal, a fact only reinforced by the growl of her stomach.

Teresa had come to this spot of the city in the past, in fact now that she thought about it a little more she realized this was the first place she’d come after getting back to the human world. Standing on the roof of the high school was the Adhucha known as Teresa, The Antlered One. Last time she’d been here it had led to a large group of Shinigami facing off against at least a dozen or so Hollows and a Gillian. She’d gotten close to her fill, although she had no knowledge of it the attack had been just over a year ago and now was finally leaving the forefront of civilians minds, a fact that would soon be rectified today.

This place was a gathering spot for healthy young bodies that tasted delicious. Not strong enough to fight against her yet enough of them that she could gorge herself full. Almost like a fat kid finding a candy shop with an all you can eat sign. Walking to the edge of the roof that overlooks the main entrance Teresa inhales calm preparing herself for the feast she was about to undertake. She couldn’t hear the voices of any humans outside though which meant she’d have to slip through and start her search for the most tasty piece of meat inside.

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength: 50
Speed: 50
Spiritual Pressure: 400 (500)
Reiatsu Strength: 400 (500)
Light Aura: 15
Dark Aura: 85
Instincts: 150 (112)
Senses: 150 (112)
Energy Sensory: 140
Healing Expertise: 0

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

[Lucien Dantes]

Another Hollow... Lucien thought, as he sipped his afternoon tea. The Vandenreich officer stood atop a tall building, not two miles from Teresa. A hot cup of English Breakfast tea was in his right hand and a saucer in the other. Lucien sipped from the cup for a moment, and closed his eyes, as if concentrating. Mmm... Three Hollows. One more powerful than the others. He mentally corrected himself. Another day of death... The melancholy thought entered his mind. It was a shame. Hollows could not help their natures, but it was still a shame to have to take their lives. To eradicate them from existence entirely. Never again to be reborn in a new, better world. There was certainly a part of Lucien that lamented that his arrows removed a being from the Soul Cycle entirely. But then, there was no doubt wisdom in that. The Emperor's Wisdom. His arrows would not eradicate a soul, unless the Emperor wished it so. And if the Emperor wished it so, then it was for good cause. His Majesty would never permit Lucien's arrows to bring harm to one undeserving. Lucien forced himself to remember this, and it set his heart at ease.

Another sip and Lucien kneeled to place the cup and saucer down on the rooftop beside him. A black bow formed in his hand, and he raised it. His eyes closed again. Vision was of no use here. He would seek these Hollows by nothing but his aptitude at sensing reiatsu. His arm turned in a quarter circle. An arrow-- a brilliant blue light, flashed from his bowstring and flew a mile and a half away, where it struck down a Hollow that had been haunting a cafe, looking for its next meal.

A half-circle turn, and another arrow flew out. A second hollow, flying its way above the town was pierced through the heart and was no more. Now the third. Lucien thought. This one felt stronger than the first two. The weak Hollows needed to be culled as well of course, but this one would require Lucien's proper attention. I must be closer... If it is this strong, it may react to my attacks from this far away... Lucien retrieved his teacup and saucer and kicked off the rooftop, moving with balanced poise and grace through the skies above the city, finally alighting on a building just across the street from the highschool. From its rooftop, Lucien could see the Hollow, though he did not know if the Hollow could see him. It was skulking about-- it seemed just about to prey upon the unwary students of the school! That will not happen. Those students may one day belong to the Emperor, and you have not the right to take that from them. Lucien thought. He took a deep breath, and checked his pulse. His vitals were steady. Good.

The Vandenreich's golden eyes open. Normally filled with a sad warmth, Lucien's gaze upon Teresa, even from a few hundred feet away was now cold. Lucien finished a final sip from his teacup and set it back down on the rooftop beside him. He did not expect this to take long. But that did not mean that he could afford to underestimate his enemy. Though his power dwarfed this Hollow's, if he held anything back, it could result in the deaths of the students. Collateral damage was unacceptable. Lucien raised his arm. Be at peace. There will be no pain in oblivion. Lucien thought-- a silent prayer to the Emperor.

Then a flurry of arrows was loosed at Teresa from behind, each slicing through the air with a speed of 600. Three arrows in total launched at her, and in addition, acknowledging Teresa's strength, Lucien had even activated not one, but two of his Bow Properties before loosing his attack. The permission, granted by his Holy Majesty, to command the battlefield: Echo. The power to command the physical world: Vector. Lucien's Firing and first Power Property were already active. Lucien did not believe in half-measures. Each Arrow was greater than Teresa in class, Class 3, and possessed of tremendous power. If these attacks struck, it was plausible Teresa might fall right then and there. That was certainly Lucien's expectation. But he had activated his Firing Property for a reason. If Teresa evaded, Lucien was prepared to hunt her down and eradicate her immediately.

On top of that, there was little warning. If Teresa didn't take notice of Lucien's arrival before he fired she would have little opportunity to evade his arrows. She was a Hollow, and there was little purpose in speaking to them. They were not as Shinigami; beings of Reason that could be converted to the Vandenreich. They were a blight upon the world. A mistake, made by the Soul King. The Shinigami had failed to correct the mistake, so now it was the Vandenreich's turn to show them how it was done. Besides... Lucien did not want to humanize this creature anymore than he had to. Had no interest in a dialogue that might cause his heart greater pain when he was required to carry out his duty. This creature was a monster, and he was here to slay it. That's all. That's all I can allow it to be, lest my aim falters. Lucien reminded himself. And I am not permitted to falter.

Combat Posts: 1
Reiatsu Remaining: 9,980/10,000 5 arrows fired (2 Class 7 arrows (20), 3 Class 3 arrows (150 reiatsu), Activated Firing Property (150) and First Power Property (200); 400 reiatsu recovered with Quincy Cross and Spirit Fragment)

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}
Strength: 300 (200)
Speed: 400
Reiatsu Strength: 100 (250)
Spirit Pressure: 400 (1000)
Light Aura: 100
Dark Aura: 0
Senses: 120
Instinct: 200
Energy Sensory: 100 (250)
Healing Expertise: 80 (52)
Total: 1700/1700

-----

Skills:
Marksmanship: 4
Battle Analysis: 3
Calm Mind: 3
Strength of Will: 1

Spent: 12/15

[Teresa]

Finally it was time to start feasting once again, several days with nothing to consume always pushed Teresa to the edge of what she could handle mentally. Although she assumed it wasn’t far of a stretch to just assume it was her limit physically as well. Despite living with the constant need to feed and knowing that it often led to many Hollows losing themselves mentally, she couldn’t simply assume that a Hollow couldn’t die from starvation. One thing she knew for certain though was she wouldn’t be the test subject to find out. Whether Sonadora wanted to find that out more than her or not. These humans, although weak, would provide her enough to stave off hunger for another few days.

Just as Teresa was going to start her descent into the building she felt the spike of energy off in the distance. It wasn’t something that she would have noticed usually, a fact that she only knew as she hadn’t picked up on it until suddenly it was gone. What she didn’t know was that the reiatsu that she had sensed that vanished was from another Hollow. The first one in the area that was eliminated by an arrow fired from an archer off in the distance. Gazing around with a shift of her head Teresa attempts to spot what was going on yet didn’t see anything notable.

Less than five full seconds passed though and suddenly Teresa felt the same sensation once again. This wasn’t just someone randomly leaving the area to get into a different world. Teresa had an ill feeling and didn’t like being out in the open now even if the sun was a welcome change. Her left hand . . . only hand was already down at her side which allowed her to almost immediately fire off a small Bala to the roof beneath her feet blasting her way through the building to the interior below where she’d hoped to be safe from whatever was occurring outside. Whether she was or not though once inside Teresa wasted no time now believing that a Shinigami was likely hunting her like they tended to.

Whoever was hunting her was doing so in a way that Teresa couldn’t sense, something that she wasn’t surprised about considering she only started to pick up on the ability a couple of days ago. . . wait had it been a week already? Teresa paused for a moment unsure of how long she’d actually been training herself to use the ability as the only thing she could connect it with was the loss of her right arm. Staying in the darkness constantly in order to avoid endless battle took its toll. Something more serious had already happened that Teresa only realized now that she was rushing out of the room she’d dropped down from the roof.

Where were all the humans!

Standing in the middle of a hallway looking around Teresa had been expecting to smell, hear and even run into a herd of humans yet everything seemed to be empty. She could still pick up the smell of humans yet that didn’t mean anything as this was no different than a pen for them. She had to find some of them somehow and quickly otherwise this entire day was going to be a waste. Teresa though a soul born in the early 1900s didn’t know the current manner of education which included weekends being off for human children. Not that it would have mattered much anyway as she didn’t know the day of the week either.

“Where are they!”

[Lucien Dantes]

No. No you don't. Lucien thought as he saw the Hollow smash through the roof to evade his arrows. His Firing Property, Echo, was active. Even though Teresa had evaded his shots, his aim had been true. And that meant that there may as well have been a firing squad of three right above her head. Three more arrows streaked down from above like the judgement of heaven, to skewer Teresa from above, and no sooner had the Hollow been given time to process this, but Lucien was abruptly next to her, his crisp white Vandenreich uniform shining in the sunlit hallways. The Vandenreich art of the Slide Shot-- allowing a Quincy to hide within the shadow of their own arrows. Combined with Echo, Lucien's mobility was unparalleled and as long as Teresa was within sight of even a single arrow, he could hound her to the ends of the Earth.

Death from above and death from beside her. "Die quietly, and embrace the peace of oblivion." Lucien raised his bow and unleashed another two arrows at point blank range, to skewer through Teresa's body, followed by springing back away from the Hollow, as if to sell his disdain of close range combat. Lucien was an archer, not a brawler. Hmm... Well that wasn't inaccurate. He wasn't a Brawler, he was a technician. Efficiently dismantling his opponent through providing false information to mislead them while angling for his killshot.

Even while he was doing this, Lucien was preparing countermeasures for Teresa's tactics. The Hollow was not especially large, but he had not ascertained any of its abilities as of yet. Perhaps it would have a technique that would allow it to survive being pinned down by the arrows from above and beside it. Lucien's next move, even as he sprang back was spreading his reiatsu throughout the area. The Vandenreich's reiatsu flooded the zone fifty feet all around the two. In the cramped quarters of the school building though, that may as well have been everywhere. Adjacent rooms and hallways were no protection. With his Energy Sensory Lucien could pick out Teresa's location and he could destroy her. As was his plan.

"My apologies. But my Lord's utopia has no place for one such as you in it." He warned her, as, even if Teresa had somehow evaded or survived the storm of arrows, the area Teresa was standing on suddenly exploded with tremendous force. An Energy Generate technique; Minefield. A Class 3 explosion that was, admittedly weaker than Lucien's arrows, but nonetheless a blast that Teresa would probably not be expecting. There wasn't a tell or telegraph. If the Hollow could not anticipate it, she'd likely be caught with her guard down, and at a perfect moment of vulnerability for the Vandenreich to finish her off immediately. Lucien's bow was, indeed, up and ready to loose a storm of arrows her way the instant he saw an opening to conclude the battle.

In short? Teresa had far more severe things to worry about than the lack of food in the school. Without paying Lucien proper credit, her existence would end outright in the next few seconds, if she didn't start figuring out what to do about the Vandenreich immediately. It was clear that Lucien was not toying with her. Holding back only enough to ascertain if she had any tricks up her sleeve, but otherwise unleashing just as much devastating power as was required to execute the filthy Hollow that stained his Emperor's world.

Reiatsu Remaining: 9,830/10,000 (5 Class 3 Arrow [-250], -150 reiatsu for Dia-Aufnahme, -100 to maintain Minefield, -50 to detonate a mine. +400 reiatsu from Cross and Spirit Fragment with two properties active)

Combat Posts: 2

[Teresa]

Dropping down form the roof into the hallway of the high school Teresa believed that the arrows coming towards her wouldn’t be able to pierce her yet she naively hadn’t yet come across a Quincy. The arrows that rained downwards was something that Teresa hadn’t picked up on now had she been ready for as two of them found her body while the third missed her slim figure. Eye contact was not made with Teresa now so while the arrows were sent in the right direction the aim wasn’t precise. All the same though Teresa felt the sting of an arrow cutting along her left shoulder down to about the end of her shoulder blade and then hitting the floor.

As for the other arrow it had been positioned more to the right managing to strike Teresa in her bicep. Ironic although it may be Teresa would feel the intense pain all the same. She’d have to wish later that the arrow had only been a couple centimeters more to the side where it’d miss. The stump of her right arm now with an arrow sticking out of it she looked up to see nothing and then a figure right to her side. This enemy moved in a way that she hadn’t experienced before, she’d never come across someone that could appear right beside her without an open area!

A simple sentence that marked her for death and a bow in his hand all the same, Teresa reacting on instinct felt a burst coming from her feet as cero burst forth propelling her backwards just as this foe finished his sentence. Teresa would feel the impact of the wooden door breaking against her back making it difficult to focus her reiatsu. Although she’d manage all the same to form a large golden orb of reiatsu between her horns. “Devour him!” She screams as the golden orb rushes forward. Sunken eyes, a wide jagged mouth that begins munching everything in its path. This Bala was going to bite through arrows and Quincy alike with its solid golden body, moving through the air in search of the one it’s meant to now devour.

Right after firing off her Bala, Teresa would focus her reiatsu just a bit more and then slip through an opening. Ulcera was the only method she could think of at the moment to get some distance. She’d made a mistake in coming to a building. She still had no clue how she’d gotten shot or how this foe had appeared beside her, but one thing was for certain. A building with walls wasn’t a good choice. This archer was different and she’d want to have a wide view of things in order to see the arrows at all times. She’s have to shoot him down first and now he had the advantage even more something that pissed her off.

The best choice she could think of was stepping out onto the air beneath her. Over a hundred feet above the building roof that she had been on originally, Teresa now looked over at the school building with the knowledge that the archer was inside. She had the thought. “Why not just blow up the entire thing?” Almost immediately though she realized the issue, if she did that then where would the teenagers converge in the future? It would be like destroying her own dinner plate. So instead she channeled her reiatsu and the moment she saw the archer she’d fire off a bala with the intent to strike his center mass.

Remaining Reiatsu: 4637/5000
Ulcera: (-75)
Bala: (-50)
Sonriente Bala: (-150)
Luna Paso Cero: (-50)
Propósito de Influencia: (-38)

[Lucien Dantes]

Teresa was going to have a very bad day. The two arrows that had struck her in the body, immediately caused Lucien's Power Property to trigger.
Vector. The command of the physical world. Of physical matter. And Teresa's physical body was no exception. Neither, in fact, was the school's floor which his third arrow had struck. A jagged fragment of linoleum launched upwards into Teresa from below, while an invisible force attempted to slam Teresa downwards to the floor, torso first, almost as though forcing the Hollow to prostrate herself before the arriving Vandenreich. This was Lucien's Power Property. Whilst it was active, any physical matter struck by one of his arrows fell under his control, so long as its power was lesser than his own. He could only command such things briefly-- enough to force a single motion. But it was enough in this case, as it would likely cause Teresa to impale herself on the projectile Lucien had created out of the floor, and leave her extremely exposed for the Vandenreich's follow-up attacks.

Ironically, the severing of Teresa's arm did mean that Lucien could not manipulate her further, and the Vandenreich saw now further purpose in attempting to issue a command to the severed limb. Perhaps that would be her salvation from this attack? At any rate, her Cero evasion would likely allow Teresa at least a chance of propelling herself away from Lucien's arrows, though a complete evasion, given her prone form, would be difficult. If any of Lucien's arrows yet found their mark, his Vector power would prevent Teresa's escape, slamming the Hollow back down to the ground, and rendering her an easy mark for follow-up shots. If that was the case, it would be dealt with accordingly at that time.

She attempted to throw out a golden Bala to dissuade Lucien, but the Vandenreich merely slipped aside. The frantic efforts on Teresa's part were easy to read, and by the time the Bala flew out, Lucien had sidestepped its location. Unless the Bala had tracking powers, it would hit nothing but air, smashing through the school wall behind where Lucien had been standing a moment earlier. The Hollow was trying to escape above the roof. Cramped quarters weren't in its favor were they? So be it. But Lucien could still track Teresa's current location, and his firing lanes were still active above the school. A total of four arrows streaked up from the firing lanes, seemingly appearing out of thin air and launching towards Teresa. With three arrows fired from them, the lanes dissipated into aether. Not that Teresa would realize that inherently. And besides, in this case, each of the four arrows flying up at her were creating new lanes from which Lucien could fire!

Believing Teresa to be quite occupied with the four arrows launched at her, Lucien then pursued out the open roof of the school to provide visual confirmation of her location. With his power property active, shooting into the sky was a waste of time. The Vandenreich instead employed Hirenkyaku to try to get fifteen feet above Teresa, at an angle that he wouldn't be at risk of being shot by his own arrows, and loose a fifth arrow to pierce the Hollow's heart, whilst her attention was still on the assault from below. Lucien was going to execute this Hollow. That was his sacred duty. How agonizing and painful that was for Teresa? That was up to her.

There were no words coming from Lucien's lips here. No need for them. Lucien had proclaimed Teresa's sentence, and there was nothing more to be said to a creature that was about to be erased. No purpose in talking to a dead woman. Teresa may have been stronger than the average Hollow. But she was still naught but target practice to Lucien Dantes.

Reiatsu Remaining: 9,730/10,000 (5 Class 3 arrows [-250], -100 to maintain minefield, -150 for Hirenkyaku, +400 regeneration)
Combat Posts: 3

[Teresa]

A brief sting on the right side, though those arrows shouldn’t have been fast enough to get me while I was falling. Either way though, in the next couple moments it was all I could do to react at all, a weight coming over me as my body falls harder than if I had tripped over my own feet. This feeling was normal, something was off, something was making me fall to the side. Something was using my own power against me! Slamming against the floor of the building though wasn’t the only thing painful as a massive bolt of pain screamed out at me from my side. Hardly having even a moment to look down to see a spike of the floor had impaled the right side of my hip. One of my own tactics had just been used against me, infuriating yet confusing at the same time.

Utilizing the reiatsu from the sole of my feet had succeeded as I had hoped although the impact of the wooden door on the top of my mask caused pain. Enough of it that I could only compare it to someone larger than me knocking the back of my head with a closed hand although hitting like a hammer instead of using the knuckles. Firing off Sonriente Bala was the first action that actually seemed to give me a moment. One that allowed me to slip away with Ulcera. All I could see at the moment though was the movement of this archer stepping to the side only for my jagged mouthed hungry bala to alter course. It’d been given an order and it would follow this man until it ate every last piece of his body!

Slipping through Ulcera up into the air above the school roof was one thing yet almost right away the sight of arrows coming up my way. Arrows that had been fired from the air itself with no sign of this archer! How was he firing off these arrows without actually using his bow nor even being present? He’s too strong for Green to help, Club is too slow to land anything so it’d be pointless to bring either out. Can’t let myself get shot again so I have to evade as much as possible.

Expelling further reiatsu from my feet to bring me even higher up into the sky, out of the way from these arrows. Raising my left hand up above my head I channel my reiatsu into a golden orb releasing it as one of my cero. A moment later the golden beam of reiatsu stops reshaping itself into a massive orb that begins to shake with anticipation then despite everything I feel the sensation of a smile in the depths beneath my mask. Soon this orb was going to burst and when it did not only would this archer feel the burning sting of hundreds of drops, but the land below and the building as well would be scared with countless holes.

In case the archer managed to deal with the bala of smiles and then execute his step technique to close the distance on me, well I wouldn't notice anything until the noise of that technique made him apparent. Fifteen feet above my current position in the sky would place him right next to the large orb of golden reiatsu, close enough that if only I could fire it off to the side, he'd have virtually no chance of evading it. No such attack was possible though. As for the few arrows fired up towards me, I didn't think allowing my experience to guide my actions as I channel a cero in my mouth and then release it as fast as possible to envelop the arrows. If they're strong enough to move through hopefully the cero moved them off course.

Remaining Reiatsu: 4437/5000
Bala: (+50) (Didn't use)
Cero: (-200)
Cero Lluvia: (-300)
Luna Paso Cero: (-50)

SPOILER: Click to show

Technique Name: Cero Lluvia (Proficient) 13
Class: 3
Technique Type: Hollow/Arrancar
Usable By: Hollow Races
Technique Element: N/A

Technique Description and Effects: This technique begins by the user firing off a standard looking cero into the sky that will suddenly stop once it’s reached an altitude of 300 feet. The beam shape of the cero will change at this point becoming a large orb that will tremble almost as if it were shivering. It’ll stay like this until the beginning of the following post when it will burst apart forming into thousands of rain drops capable of burning everything they fall on. The rainfall covers a massive area capable of devastating a village.

How to use technique: One must fire off a cero into the sky while envisioning rain.

Technique Drawbacks (Limitations, repercussions for use, etc): Costs 300 reiatsu. After each use is unable to cast another cero based technique for 2 rounds. The droplets being so small can only burn through a small surface area before fading. This means that those inside buildings or beneath ground are much less likely to suffer any damage.

[Lucien Dantes]

So the Bala could track him afterall? Very well. Lucien would resolve that matter forthwith. He deactivated Vector, and in its place activated his Majesty's power to command the very reiatsu in the air. Spirit Command. An arrow loosed from his bow and crashed into the Bala, ideally dispersing it through the power of Spirit Command-- upon collision with a spiritual ability, so long as Lucien's power exceeded the attack's he could destroy it with his arrows. Now then. Even if that failed, the Hollow still needed to be addressed, and so Lucien pursued with Hirekyaku. He had come to realize something over their exchange. Teresa's movements...

They were slow.

Lucien was not entirely sure if they were simply trying to bait him in with their sluggish movements. But unless this was an elaborate ruse, the requirement to use a movement like Ulcera just to avoid his arrows spoke to the colossal disadvantage in speed. And Lucien had never been one for prolonging a conflict beyond necessity. Very well then.

Lucien flashed next to the golden Cero in the air, and then, using air ground, sprang away from it to give himself maneuvering room, white-blue lightning flashing in his bow as he loosed the aforementioned fifth arrow to the Hollow's heart. That attack looked dangerous, and Lucien didn't want to be near it. Then he saw it. Teresa charging a Cero, and crashing into Lucien's arrows. Unfortunately, a Cero of that caliber wouldn't be enough. As Lucien's arrows were Class three, and the Vandenreich possessed greater power than Teresa, the aquamarine bolts sliced through Teresa's Cero, their trajectory altered only slightly, and certainly not enough to veer completely off course. Teresa's torso would be pierced through by the four arrows from below if she didn't find a way to move, and her heart destroyed by the fifth if she still did not.

Though if she did, she would not last long. Once Lucien visually confirmed the arrows connecting, he would detonate them, doing his utmost to ensure the Hollow-- the threat to his Majesty's order, was eradicated and blown to pieces. Lucien held no hate in his heart for Teresa. Indeed, at this moment his heart held nothing at all. In order to perform his duty, and go against the man's own nature, he had to harden it. To freeze it an ice even colder than his Majesty's palace. He had to be a soldier. A weapon.

And nothing more.

Reiatsu Remaining: 9,880/10,000 (-250 for second Power Property active, +400 regeneration
Combat Posts: 4

[Teresa]

Just like that the smiling bala that had sought out the Quincy clashed against an arrow that didn’t necessarily overpower it through raw force instead causing the golden orb to dissolve back into the environment merging back with the abundant reiatsu of the human world. Although Teresa was unaware of what had just happened due to the environment of the school building and her position up in the air blocking any sort of view she may possess, the fact it happened would give the Quincy confirmation to what he already believed, he could handle the Hollow.

Teresa could feel the stability of her cero falling apart signaling to her that it was just about ready to be deployed and the advantage stripped away from this foe. The golden beam she fired down to handle the arrows soaring up at her, proved ineffective, something that Teresa hadn’t much experience dealing with. This was one of the first times she could think of that involved her taking on anyone else with superior spiritual might, who could handle her variety of techniques. Teresa believed that she had developed and experienced enough that the degree of individuals would be miniscule, but this man was countering everything she was doing.

Just like that Teresa felt the impact of not one nor two, instead multiple arrows fixing themselves right into her torso knocking her backwards. The strength of the arrows was immense, retaining most of their power even after having to force themselves through her cero.in the next moment though two things would happen simultaneously, Teresa’s golden orb burst sending out thousands of rain drops of cero that would no doubt cause widespread damage to this small area of Karakura. While the Quincy would have to protect himself from a wave of raindrops, Teresa was already shot.

Another arrow fired off aimed at her heart that only missed thanks to the force of the others hitting a moment earlier. Teresa by no means was safe though now with four arrows embedded in the front of her torso and a single arrow from the left side of her chest out through the front. A lung pierced through and consciousness just about to snap. The wounds on her body were nothing less than severe, greater than everything else that had ever been inflicted upon her including the removal of her right arm. Using the last bit of her strength the slender Hollow would vanish though falling backwards while slipping out of the human world with Ulcera. She’d lost the battle in a display of overwhelming difference yet another mark on her pride.

[Lucien Dantes]

Hmph. The Hollow was critically wounded, but even so, Lucien was not the sort to leave a job undone. A final arrow flashed from his shortbow, flying at maximum speed, hoping to blast Teresa as she escaped to Hueco Mundo. Ultimately, the choice between stopping her and stopping her Cero was fundamentally a question of duty. It was Lucien's duty, given to him by His Majesty to purge Hollows. It was Lucien's desire to protect the people and property of Karakura Town. The desires of one man could never override his Majesty's prerogative. But once Teresa had slipped away into the world between worlds? That was a different matter.

In order to create her widescale destruction, Teresa's many attacks would have to travel long and far. Lucien flitted about, utilizing Hirenkyaku's glide mode to hurtle across the air at a tremendous velocity. From his bow, sang dozens of arrows, intercepting as many of Teresa's shots as possible. From the firing lanes he had created shot still more. But of course... Stopping all of the attacks was impossible, when Lucien had prioritized the Hollow's destruction over intercepting the attacks to begin with. Explosions rang out below, causing damage to many homes and businesses, though mercifully, most of the blasts had fallen amidst the empty school and its surroundings. Fewer people would die or be harmed as such... and fewer still would be destroyed by the Hollow.

It did not please Lucien to leave this battle undone, the Hollow's death not confirmed. But even he could not pursue it through the rift between worlds, and his posting was here in Karakura Town for the moment. The Vandenreich breathed deeply. It was likely the Hollow had died, or would die soon from its wounds. A messy end. More unkind than he had wished for. But Lucien was only a man at the end of the day. Only mortal. Even if he wielded the Emperor's power, he himself was still only human. There were things beyond his reach. Beyond his power. At least alone.

It would not always be this way. One day. One day. The Vandenreich vowed quietly as he looked above the battlefield. A quiet breeze blew his white hair across his face and he closed his golden eyes, the coldness that had frozen his heart now at last allowed to thaw. Perhaps it wasn't too late.

He was not, after-all, forbidden from helping mere humans. Lucien lowered himself to the ground. He would go now and see who he could yet help in the wake of his attack. He was sure that there may be some wounded that he could yet help. Those he could yet absolve of their pain, and perhaps even bring into the light. The Captain-Supervisor of the Vandenreich strode off at an even and determined stride into the streets of Karakura to indulge his personal desires.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Teresa - 23 Paragraphs = 230 TP
Lucien - 23 Paragraphs = 230 TP + 100 for Victory = 330 TP