Post by Celes Castellanos on Mar 4, 2023 10:42:22 GMT -5
Just like that, an entire street had been decimated. Beyond that, the debris that got caught in the shockwave continued soaring through the air to cause even more destruction, wherever it landed. Dozens, if not a hundred, lives had been ended in that brief moment. It was, however, of no concern to the Hollow. Her mind was focused on a singular thing. Did Camila survive the devastation? She'd briefly look through the Tengu's eyes. Her eyes surveyed the streets. Nothing. She could only find debris and rubble.
Could it really be that Camila perished from that singular attack? Possibly. However, the Hollow knew not to solely trust her eyes. They could be deceiving. Sure enough, she could feel an energy surge above her. Directing her gaze upward, the Hollow found Camila lingering in the air. Not only that, but she was also charging some attack. The hum and accompanying glow of the Cero were obvious. Wrapping around the Cero, however, was the same writhing rot that coated Camila's blade.
As the Cero launched towards the Hollow, she'd have only a moment to act. However, the Hollow wouldn't move. Hell, she didn't even flinch. Suddenly, the Cero crashed into the Tengu construct! An incredible explosion of red filled the sky before dissipating into a cloud of smoke and dust. Even the Tengu was consumed in the smokescreen once more. Would Camila fire another Cero at her? If she did, the Vizard would be in for quite the surprise.
If another Cero was formed and be discharged, its destructive force would tear through the cloud of smoke. At the same time, however, the Hollow was ready for this one. Using her longsword, the Tengu's blade cut through the smoke, dissipating it with a shockwave. Despite Celes' body being unharmed, the Tengu's clothing demonstrated some tears and cracks. It was clear that it had been dealt some level of damage, but it remained otherwise standing beneath the destructive potential of the Cero. Additionally, once the blade came into contact with the Cero, the orb of searing reiatsu followed its movements. Unlike before, in which Celes merely redirected the Cero, the Hollow began to consume the Cero. The energy glided along the blade, covering it in a crimson glow before dissipating harmlessly. The Vizards' attack had been utterly nullified!
”LET ME SEE WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF!!” The Vizard roared at the top of her lungs. ”FIGHT ME LIKE YOU FUCKING MEAN IT, HOLLOW!” The girls' reiatsu bled from her form, exerting a harsh gravitational pressure upon her surroundings. She had a crazed look in her eye. Something told the Inner Hollow that this was not the girls' full potential. She wanted more. She w- Crack. Small rifts began to form themselves in the demon's visage that covered half of Celes' face. She muttered under breath for a moment. "Tch. Seems like I don't have much time left."
With this in mind, the Hollow decided to offer her one last attack. After all, she didn't want to play her entire hand too early. Bring her blade down low to the ground, its tip pressing against the weak concrete, the Hollow let the stored energy loose. Sparks began to ignite along the length of the blade. Each one crackled loudly before the blade ignited into a shocking display of green plasma. This plasma gave off a familiar hum that the Vizard would likely know all too well. This... was a Cero! At the same time, the Tengu's torso seemed to mend itself. The clothing-like armor stitched itself back together, the cracks faded. It seemed practically good as new!
Dragging the blade along the ground, everything the blade touched practically melted or burned to a crisp. Approaching slowly, the Avatar raised its blade, staring the Vizard down. First one second. Then two. Finally, three. If no movement had been made by either in this time... then the Hollow offered its attack. Plunging the blade forward, a shockwave leapt forth and with it, the burning energy of the green Cero. Clinging to the shockwave, the burning wave of air and reiatsu threatened to consume the Vizard. Whether it hit or not didn't really matter as upon coming into contact with the ground, the shockwave dispersed outward, but the usually harmless gust of air was accompanied by a wave of lethal reiatsu. Instead of a street, the whole block and beyond was likely incinerated.
Nevertheless, more cracks formed along the visage covering Celes' face. Expecting Camila to have survived the attack, the Hollow spoke through the Avatar itself, amplifying her voice amongst the smoldering remains of a once peaceful street. "It seems we've run out of playtime. Lucky devil." There was a hint of mocking disappointment in her voice, almost as if Camila was nothing but a toy to her. "Your Cero was quite splendid. I look forward to next session" She grinned as the mask attained a few more cracks before finally... Split!
Crumbling into tiny fragments before dissipating into reishi, the Tengu let out an otherworldly wail before dissipating. The Captain's body, now free from the Hollow's control, was utterly drained. In fact, Celes' body fell to the ground rather unceremoniously. Crashing with a loud thud, the burning embers lightly sizzled against her flesh, but the girl was too numb to care. Barely hanging onto a thread of consciousness, she couldn't believe the destruction she had wrought. More than that, a tear streamed down her eyes as she thought about all she had lost. As she drifted into darkness, almost as if to serve as a cruel reminder, her Zanpakutō returned to its sealed form. A far cry from her twin katana, the girl's body went limp with a silver longsword laying before her.
Complete Takeover: 3/3
