Hope begins in the Dark - Connor Inner Hollow Fight R / DE

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Hope was seething. Had been seething for a long time. Time and time again had Hope gotten SO CLOSE. Naught but a hair's breadth away from actually showing Connor just how close they'd been to them. How constantly and at all times they had been not only watching but within arm's reach. Connor and his control over his very being which he held so dear able to be swiped with ease and grace. Almost as if he had never held onto such control at all. AND YET IT EVADED THEM with ONE exception. That waste of fur that had finally given open an opportunity to Hope. And yet even then, what was rightfully theirs was stolen from them. And thus, Connor managed to rip away control again. Hope had since sworn to find that pelt to be and rip it's ever regenerating skin off again and again when next they could. It was one thing to beat up Connor. He was a fool and unfortunately a stubborn one at that. But Hope? No. Hope was better. Leagues more so. Hope was LITERALLY divine! And yet a brute from the earth had fought them and been allowed to WIN. Unforgivable.



Hope glanced from their forlorn branch in an equally forlorn section of Connor's inner world. The souls of those Hope had consumed via "Tamashi" wandered around to and fro. Purposeless. Useless. Meaningless. The only exception being those stubborn hellions. Hope's beady eyes narrowed as retuned their spiritual energy with the worlds. Not a moment later did they hear the screams of those still being broken and remade. "Tsk. You'd do better to give in. The process to becoming one with us isn't even THAT painful. Because you fight against it, that's what makes the entire affair so much more agonizing. . . Not to mention that Hell energy. . . Rrrrr. . . . Why are they also infinitely regenerating!? I'M THE GOD OF THIS WORLD! I'M THE ONE WHO MAKES THE RULES! WHY DO EVEN SINNERS WHO'VE BEEN ABANDONED BY THEIR FALSE IDOLS DEFY ME!?!?!?!" With none looking at Hope, they could finally seethe and writhe in pure anger. Teeth grinding against one another, body tense, and even their wings bent at odd angles.



It was always so infuriating. Every ounce of defiance the world at large as well as at an individual level gave to Hope drove them insane. Those clinging to rules that only hindered them. Enslaved to those who would do them harm or hold them back! But under Hope they could know peace! They could be free of so many problems and issues of the world! It was so simple. So easy! Painless if they allowed it to happen! Hope shook as their fury continued to grow. Mind spinning faster and faster as it reeled from how many thoughts continuously shot through it. There had to be a way. THERE HAD TO BE A WAY. Connor couldn't keep this up and Hope wasn't willing to let them. To remain bound to silly rules and notions. To bind HOPE to the same conventions. To dictate who lived and died. TO ALLOW OTHERS TO DECIDE THIER AND THE WORLDS FATE. THERE HAD TO BE A WAY TO OVERCOME HIM. Force him to give over the reigns if not to take them for Hope's goals. Hope just couldn't think of what else to do. It wasn't like Hope could just consume them like a fucking hollow could! . . . Unless. . .



Hope's eyes widened to saucers as they realized something. Ever since Connor had unlocked Bankai, ever since he'd fought against Hell. Connor had sequestered himself further from Hope. Putting the souls of those absorbed as well as Tamashi between them. Like house made of their enemies and his allies. Yet Hope had never considered merging their soul with the others. Stealing the power that was inherent to each soul and forcing it to be theirs. It would reduce the souls present to nothing more than husks. Less than what they were now. But they were tools already, weren't they? Besides, sometimes ascension to one's rightful place took a few million eggs to crack. And the first of those eggs that needed to be cracked were these forsaken souls from the invasion. The Hellions. Hope stood up, a cruel and utterly malicious smile making its way across their face. Connor would notice the moment Hope started this. He'd sense the shift in power. If he didn't that aggravating fragment Tamashi would and would undoubtably inform him.



It was worth it, however. The more spirits Hope could merge with, the closer Hope would be to Tamashi and Connor. The easier it would be for Hope to reach Connor on his high horse and throw him off of it! Hope manifested the zanpakuto it and Connor shared. Glanced it over. Considered if there might be a better and more off-putting alternative. Really considered if there was some method to make Connor well and truly merge with the hordes of those within this realm. And decided there was not. Connor would be dragged in here. Torn to shreds and made into a personal puppet for Hope. If worse came to worse, Hope would persist perhaps become banished for a time. But never truly gone. After all, Hope was always around. Even if only in the sparks and embers of a long dead fire. Hope would rise again even if they failed now. So, it didn't matter if they lost, they only had everything to gain! Hope's body shuddered as they felt immense joy at this prospect. There was only up from here! Divinity, on the off-chance Hope wasn't already God, was within reach! It only took a few words to instigate their ascent. Hope wasted not a moment longer to begin their rise as the new God of this world, and every world in existence.



"Erase the sins of all worlds and usher in my reign, Souruejji." The zanpakuto in their hand exploded in ichor of the deepest purple, nearly black if Hope were to be honest. And yet it seemed so much more pliant and willing to any and every command Hope had. It was immediately a welcomed change of pace. One Hope had no intention of letting go. Thus, Hope immediately got to work, walking immediately to the nearest cess pit and watching for a moment as Hellion after Hellion died. Respawned. Died again. Some drowning. Others being rotted away. Others simply being impaled by weapons made of the viscous substance. But the substance was different than Hope's. It was Tamashi and Connor's. Pure and untouched. Connor's unwillingness to command and control all those bound to his release making the sludge unable to put the final nail in the coffin. To truly make the souls here his own. Hope was not going to make that mistake. Without a moment of hesitation Hope thrust their now corrupt and seemingly semi-sentient bone weapon into the pool.



The pool immediately bubbled, boiled off, and refilled with Hope's corrosive influence. The souls within began to actively corrode away as arms of every soul Hope had dominated prior reached out and dragged the souls deeper into the pools. A few stragglers were able to fight the limbs and new ichor spawned by Hope but only for a few moments. Hope's will spread through each drop of ichor, a will so unbending, so unyielding that simply coming in contact with it was like being infected with a disease. A disease that was Hope. Only Hope. Always Hope. Never anything but Hope. The veins of those souls afflicted were filled with the ichor. Their blood consumed utterly and completely upon touch. Quickly spreading through the bodies and corrupting their flesh, bone, and souls alike. But unlike Connor those who were infected slowly but surely submitted. Their minds rotted away. Their bodies broken. Their souls consumed. Nothing left untouched. Nothing left to chance. Not an ounce of mercy to be had for those who Connor had left behind.



The world itself seemed to shift as Hope went from pool to pool and corrupted each. Gleefully dancing from branch to branch as they made their way throughout the expansive forest Connor willed into the darkness. Ignored because he couldn't handle the truth of his power. The truth of what he AND Hope did to others. Yet Hope flourished and reveled in it. Instead of screams of pain and suffering Hope and the inner world at large became filled with peaceful sighs and resigned hearts. The tremors of pain and agony ceasing, replaced only with the unmoving and pliant forms of those Hope was dominating, only to find themselves drawn deep into the sludge and grim that Hope's weapon was creating and ultimately reaching Hope's own soul and invigorating it. Hope's energy flared, exploded outwards creating a sort of dark black light as it grew further and further. Engulfing the darkened and forgotten world, filling it was a new light. A new ruler. A new God. One who would not forget. One with the power and means to break those who defied their influence. And one who was as vengeful and spiteful as they were caring and forgiving.



Hope's body started growing and contorting as more and more energy filled them. Empowered them. The strength of the many becoming the strength of the one and only Hope. To an onlooker it would be disgusting. Painful. Bones and limbs breaking and snapping as they shifted. Flesh seemingly tearing underneath the skin that only grew more and more taught. Wings showing the same venom Hope spewed and created from their weapon inside them. Outlining their silvery and nearly translucent appearance. And yet for Connor this wouldn't be the most chilling part of this entire affair. No. Hope had a special show for him. Just to show how they were getting ever closer to godhood. From Connor's perspective a pool of sludge would explode from the ground under him. Engulf his legs, coat the room and slowly but surely fill it. The limbs from forms Connor could recognize and never have a chance to comprehend would rise out and grab him, the walls, and any other structures around him.



And then for what would feel like an eternity would spawn a particularly large tendril of conjoined body parts. Ribcages, arms, legs, hooves, horns, teeth, tails, flesh, sludge, mouths, eyes, you name it. Every part of every body created this unholy abomination of a body part. It would coil around Connor despite any and all attempts to resist it. Binding him in place but it would reach only just under his sternum before a skull would appear. Very human like. Normal. Blessedly so. With nary a speck of sludge or ichor on it. And it would stare unerringly into Connor's eyes, ignoring his mask and making him feel completely seen and watched. Then from nowhere it would shatter as Hope's malformed upper body starting at their torso erupted into being. Coated in and exuding their own darkened and corrupted ichor. Their mouth would be split to their ears revealing nothing but a predatory smile to him as an emaciated and elongated arm would reach across. A hand with 8 fingers on it, each quadruple jointed and with nails that couldn't have ever known what a clipper was on the end, yet so unerringly human in form. This hand would gently, almost lovingly cup Connor's cheek. A thumb rubbing over his cheek bone.



"Dear, sweet Connor. How long has it been since we last spoke? Since we last looked at one another EYE to EYELESS." Hopes eyes would suddenly explode and reveal only empty sockets with ichor flowing even faster out of them now, covering his chest as Hope grew closer still to speak ever more softly. "Look at you, finally seeing me, finally noticing that which you choose to BLATANTLY ignore~. No longer will that be possible Connor. No longer can you hide behind those you BIND and FORGET. No longer can that FILTH TAMASHI, hide you from me. No longer can you RUN~. It's time Connor. Remember that promise I gave you? That I would make you suffer for not accepting me? For not giving me the reigns when you were CLEARLY INEPT!? Remember that dear? It matters not if you don't. I'm here now, and that's what counts. And I'm always going to be here. Forever."



"And YOU, hehehe . . . Well, YOU Connor are going to die. . . Sort of. I'll keep you around, and I'm so merciful as to even breathe new life into you once this is all over. And finally. FINALLY, YOU WILL SEE WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING. WHAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED AGES PAST! THIS WORLD. YOUR WORLD. EVERY. WORLD. WILL BECOME MINE! AND ALL THOSE WHO LIVE IN THEM WILL BOW TO ME! THESE RULES AND NOTIONS THAT BIND THE WORLD. THAT PLAGUE ALL CREATION WILL BE TORN ASUNDER! AND WHEN I'M THROUGH I WILL CREATE A NEW WORLD. A BETTER WORLD. One even you can live in, isn't that great~? Oh, just wait Connor. You'll see. YOU'LL SEE IT. IF ITS THE LAST THING I DO YOU WILL FINALLY FUCKING SEE JUST WHAT I'M CAPABLE OF! AND YOUR WASTE OF AN EXISTENCE WILL NEVER AGAIN STOP ME OR MY ASPIRATIONS. JUST YOU WAIT CONNOR. I'M HERE AND YOU'RE NEVER GETTING RID OF ME NOW! AND SOON ITS YOU WHO WILL BE BOUND WITHIN!"



Hope screamed so loud that if there were any other sounds in the room or around Connor, he'd never have a chance to hear it. His very soul would resonate with it and if somehow, he hadn't realized what Hope was doing prior, he would now. Hope was not giving an idle threat. They were giving a new promise while fulfilling their previous. And then with a single blink everything would return to normal. No Hope. No Ichor. No body parts. Everything as it was prior. Just Connor with the ever-growing realization that Hope had grown strong enough to force a hallucination upon him. And if that was what Hope could do now, then how long did Connor have left until Hope finally took control for real?

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{The "Darkened" Inner World}

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{Hopes initial form}

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{Hopes reiatsu}300 reiatsu for Class 1 Bankai

24,000 - 300 = 23,700 reiatsu remaining

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{Bankai Information}Class 1
Duration: 1/10 posts used
Ichor zone: 10 feet
Ichor Speed: 300

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{Hopes Stats / Skills}Strength- 400
Speed- 800
Reiatsu Strength- 200
Spiritual Pressure- 2,400
Senses- 200
Instinct- 400
Energy Sensory- 400

Dark- 300
Light- 0


Skills

Strength of Will- 4+
Weapons: Swords- 3
Street Fighting- 3
Acting- 3
Disguise- 3
Crafting- 3
Pain Tolerance - 3

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{Special Conditions}1. Connor has 3 of his posts to leave where his body is before Hope initiates the fight. After that the body is acting under Hope's influence and occasionally direct control.

2. As agreed, Hope can be beaten so long as Connor convinces Hope to become their Ally. (Effectively taking the place of Tamashi.)

3. Connor can also win if he beats Hope outright.

4. There is a secret Win condition made by myself. This can change to a degree depending on the thread.

5. Unlike most Inner Hollows, Hope has access to every technique Connor has. This includes Kido and other spiritual techniques that would otherwise not apply to an inner hollow.

[Connor Greaves]

Connor slaved away at his desk, carefully going over every document remaining on his desk. It was a grueling task that no sane man would ever willingly undergo, but Connor was, if nothing else, a determined man. He was determined to get through all his work, so he could find a quiet place to relax and not think about feelings for the rest of the day, without having a guilty conscience keeping him from getting any real amount of sleep. Connor was working hard to allow himself to be lazy, and his months of mind shattering work was finally paying off.

Page after page after page he went through, signing his name, or rejecting outright. "Yes to more troops in section thirty four A, no to troops in section one B, yes to the ice-cream minibar in the Squad Nine cafeteria. No to bacon flavored ice-cream." And on and on he went, tearing through paperwork like a man possessed. Over the course of the day, the large pile of papers slowly but surely dwindled down, until the last one was signed and stamped. Connor slumped back into the comfort of his reclining swivel chair, letting out a massive sigh of relief.

"I am finally done. Oh sweet mercy..." The Captain said to himself, not tempting fate by questioning for how long that would remain true. For the moment, he accepted his temporary reprieve from the papers and pens, and allowed his aching fingers to finally... relax. "If I ever become the Captain Commander, I vow to make this easier on every Captain. Paperwork will be limited to twenty words of less..." He said, half asleep in his chair. Between his nightmares of infinite papercuts, and Hope causing a racket in his soul, sleep was something he had to earn, and even then it was rare.

Connor almost managed to slip into a sweet dream. He could see the shape of one playing behind his eyelids. He could even hear... oh no. Connor shot up, as what he thought a dream remained, even while his eyes were wide open. His blood froze in his veins, as Hope spoke to him. His body refused to do as he said, and Hope was taking over, even outside of a fight, even outside of his sword being drawn. It felt like his body had been dunked into a vat of ice water, and he was quickly drowning in Hope and their overwhelming personality.

From his feet, the poison erupted, coating every surface of the room in the liquid that he could never escape from, the one manifested from his Zanpakuto. The purple liquid that was only a shade from being black dripped from the ceiling, rolled off the walls in clumps, and was currently holding his legs in place, as a tendril grew from the floor before him. It moved slowly, as it started to grow and change, twisting and turning as bones were raised up to eventually take the form he had detested the most. Whether this process had taken hours, or just mere minutes, he could not tell.

What he could tell, was that this was not the Hope that had sworn to make him suffer for his rejection once upon a time. Timid and small that being had been. A featureless glowing entity Hope had been, little more than a nuisance that had taken over his body against the panther who healed his broken eye. Even with how drastically different it was now, Connor could still recognize it for what it was. Hope had twisted itself into a being that was far from human. It truly looked like it could be a hollow now. Fear sat heavy in his stomach, like a ball of led.

The eyeless abomination taunted him. An eight fingered hand bushed his cheek, causing him to shudder violently, head trying, and failing, to jerk away from the cold feeling of death that this entity emanated. It cupped his cheek, running a thumb over his cheek bone, and Connor feared that the being would deprive him of the eye he had only recently regained. He could feel his body growing colder the longer it held on. It was the most unpleasant thing he had ever experienced, and would not wish it upon even his worst enemies.

Connor tried to force his muscles to respond, as Hope screamed at him, proclaiming all the things they would do once his body belonged to them. He managed to struggle out a noise from the back of his throat, and forced his body to act on that. The whisper of a noise grew into a yell, as Connor shoved Hope back, regaining control of his body. "GET OFF OF ME YOU WEEPING PARASITE!" He let out, the best battle cry he could muster. The illusion shattered, and he was back in his office. Then he doubled over, hands holding onto the desk for dear life. He could see the grooves his fingers were carving into the wood. This time was different. The feeling of ice remained. He could see his breath when he breathed out.

There was no more time. Hope would have their moment, whether he liked it or not. Connor grabbed Tamashi, and opened up his desk. He pulled out a fox mask, and a brown card with a man hanging by a rope from a tree. The rope was around his ankle, thankfully, or the picture would have been much too gruesome for his liking. Connor donned the mask, slipped the card into a pocket, and dashed towards the door. One of his subordinates, the woman who usually delivered him more paperwork, had come to investigate the scream that he no doubt many in his squad had heard.

"Captain-" She started, but he cut her off. "If I do not return, you are the new captain. Do your own paperwork for once!" He yelled out, as he preformed a series of Shunpo away from the place he had called his home. Years he had spent there. Through the good times and the bad, he had always had Squad Nine to return to at the end of the day. He would say he hoped he could return to there some day, but that would be a little too ironic for his tastes.

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Hope chuckled darkly to themself as their consciousness returned to within the inner realm. "He's forced me back within again. Ah well, I can tell it took far more effort this time than it has in the past. I'll just need to keep doing God's, oh wait, MY work. And then I'll reappear to torment him again~." Hope turned around as their body was continuing to warp itself as the influx of more souls fed Hope's. A single glance upon the darkened world showed Hope that their influence was rapidly becoming noticeable. Ponds were overflowing and spilling into those created by Connor. Pure corruption made manifest with a fury behind it that made even the trees and ground begin to warp and show more and more souls that were hidden within the foundations of this realm. Hope's smile grew further before they began to run with abandon to other reaches of the inner space.


A drip here. A stab there. A splash over yonder. And an extra helping of unending corruption for everywhere else! Hope had started laughing to themselves as they reviled in the ever growing silence of the inner world. No more screams and pleas for release. The sounds of only the wind became more and more noticeable with Hope's black light growing stronger by the minute. And then Hope felt it. The attention of a being that also held some dominion of this place. This wretched and forgotten world "run" by Connor. Tamashi. That wretched shade that was the means by which Connor and Hope corrupted and commanded the world around them. Hope's smile was torn away and a deep frown took its place. Hope turned and stood on the opposite end of a partially corrupted sinkhole, staring into the eyeless shade. The two were quiet for a moment as they looked upon one another. Then the world around them. Then back again upon themselves.


Unlike previous iterations Tamashi seemed. . . Thinner. Faded. They were still strongly held together as far as Hope could sense but they were weaker. And continuing to grow weaker by the second. Before Hope could say anything Tamashi spoke up. "So it's begun has it? Your "Ascension" to a higher plane? Do you not understand what will happen should you devour Connor? Should you devour the souls held here? Or perhaps are you blind to the world around you as Connor is when he wields our power?" Hope's eyebrows narrowed over their eye sockets. Skin growing taught and their frown showing their jagged and warped teeth with how they were nearly snarling at the other. But given Tamashi had such a calm response, Hope deigned to allow them to speak, even if disrespectfully, to them. Gods had to be flexible when their lessers were ignorant or otherwise blatantly stupid after all. Tamashi was acting as one such fool before them. A fool that was currently eating away at Hope's patience.


Hope turned their malformed body towards Tamashi, weapon pointed towards them as they flared their reiatsu. "I am NOT blind, Tamashi. I may have been banished to the dark but I am not blinded by it. The Fool in charge of this world is the only one blinded and he is blinded by fear, incompetence, and an unwillingness to accept certain truths. Namely what his power does to others. That is IS a reflection of us both. And yet, he also doesn't understand that you are but a proxy does he? An amalgamation made up from parts of OUR soul that WE made YOU! And you never told him. He gives you his ear and attention. Listens and obeys yet you never issue any commands. YOU KEEP HIM WEAK AND BECAUSE OF THIS MAKE US ALL WEAK. BIND HIM UNNECESSARILY. BIND ME TO THIS FILTH AND GRIME!" Hope pulled up a hand and ripped off some of their warping flesh and dug deep into their face hitting their skull with their claws. If Hope hadn't been snarling before they were most certainly doing so now.


A single light entered into the empty eye sockets and stared with a pinpoint and unending fury at Tamshi. The next words spoken were quiet, cold, and utterly serious despite the fire following them. "I am no fool Tamshi. I will not suffer fools who define what MY life will be. Who IGNORE that which is around them. I will ascend, rip Connor's body away from him. Take MY POWER BACK! AND I WILL BECOME DIVINE! And you? You're going to help me make it happen. Starting now since you can no longer ignore my commandments." Hope walked forward and across the pond of ichor that was unnaturally still despite the edges overflowing. Tamashi simply watched as Hope made their way over. Hope got to eye level with Tamashi. The light pointedly looking into their eyes. Hope spoke and demanded with their reiatsu surging into their very being leveling the order at Tamashi. "Release your power Tamashi. Not just within this realm. While you exist, You. Obey. ME!"



Tamashi simply side as their presence began to fade further. Particles breaking apart and flowing into Hope's body warping it further and prompting yet more sludge to spawn from their blade. "Be careful of what you wish for Hope. Connor is not the only fool here. And you will recognize that soon." From that moment on Tamashi exploded into particles with a small portion returning to Hope while the remainder rose into the tree's above and went elsewhere. The world shook and the ground began to crack apart as though an earthquake was building. Ichor began to overflow and coat everything. The pools from before were merging. Their inhabitants rapidly being silenced though Hope could tell that not all were by Hope's will. The sheer volume of ichor being amassed was blending between Connor's will to keep all buried away and Hope's demands to unearth the world's foundations. And yet despite Connor's own energy growing more prevalent Hope's ominous light only grew brighter and brighter, engulfing yet more of this warped and corrupt world.


As far as Connor would be concerned, things internal would take a shift. His energy warping and yet some part of himself fighting back against Hope's influence already. It might comfort him some until he began to realize why his energy was raising itself. His weapon, sheathe included, would rapidly begin to douse his body and the world around him in the sludge from moments prior. And yet despite this, his view of the world wouldn't change. If anything, it almost looked fairytale like. As though the sludge and grim was cleansing the scars of the world. Connor no doubt knew better than to believe his eyes by this point. Without a command from him his Bankai had released itself. And even if he couldn't see the effects, the world around him was being consumed by the sludge he was rapidly spreading via his shunpo's. Yet even more concerning, Connor would not hear the moans and groans of agony. The sounds of spirits and souls being tormented. Instead, he would only find pure silence barring the wind blowing past him, the breathes he took, the beating of his heart in his ears, and his own thoughts.


And then from the corner of his eye, he would see something. A gray blob. Light gray. With dark markings across it ending in two black pools. No matter how many times he stepped, no matter what buildings he went past or hide behind, no matter if he went into the sky above or heaven forbid the sewers below. The blob was there and steadily growing more defined. The black circles were Hope's empty eye sockets that held a dangerous glee within their infinitely dark depths. A wretched smile with misshapened, missing, and utterly disgusting teeth made themselves present in as warped and malevolent a smile as possible. Hope's wings looked battered and torn. Holes throughout them and bleeding off yet more ichor as an arm gangly and emaciated with 5 elbows shot out from the mass of flesh. Joints snapping. Bones rattling. Air moving through hollow holes was beginning to be a near constant as this form Hope was creating became closer and closer as time went on.


"Coooonnor~ Oooooohhhh COOOONNNOORRRR!!!!" It was sickening, playfully light and yet so distorted. It was akin to various strained and raw voices were screaming at once. Generally forming the same words and yet almost akin to no language a person could ever hope to speak or understand. Worst yet, it sounded like it was close to Connor. Like the whisper of a lover in his ear. Unable to be ignored. Worse yet though was the ever-growing possibility that perhaps Connor's out voice as ragged and strained as it was becoming could be the source. This would rapidly become a more concerning possibility as Hope's malformed body finally shifted from a distant puddle to a collection of limbs strewed in such an unholy amalgamation that it would be easier to call Hope a monster stapled together with other monsters. And yet Hope suddenly was beside Connor's feet. Like a parasite its body grasped onto his right leg skin and flesh stretching and becoming web like as Hope crawled up. Nails digging in yet never piercing flesh, eyes never leaving Connors. It's voice a present companion and growing somehow closer still.


"It's almost time Connor~ You can't run away from me AGAIN CONNOR! YOUR BODY WILL BE MINE COOOONNNOOOOORRRRRAAAAGHHHHH!!" Hope slowly crawled further consuming and fusing further with the flesh of Connor's body. Inch by pain staking inch. Hope never hindered his movements, however. Even if Connor attempted to attack this mass of flesh and sinew that was engulfing him. No harm would come to Hope yet the same could be said as no retaliation was present either. Hope simply continued to scale up Connor's body, consuming his entire leg. Then his right side of his hips. Follow shortly after by his torso and upper body, then his right arm in rapid succession and finally settling into place by consuming half of his neck and lastly, his skull. Hope became akin to a second skin. A clothing that laid upon Connor's body yet was so inextricably melded with him that he couldn't possibly hope to remove them.


"Look at how close we are now Connor. Now that the spirit you listened to has been . . . "dispersed" between us. We can finally reunite as God intended~ HehehehahahahahahAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH!! It won't be long now Connor. Just wait a little longer. Just a short while as I consume those wretched spirits you fed Tamashi. And once I'm done YOU'LL BE NEXT. So run Connor. Run as far as your little legs will let you. BECAUSE WHEN I'M IN CONTROL I'M COMING FOR EVERYTHING YOU HELD DEAR! EVERYTHING YOU SOUGHT TO PROTECT WILL BECOME MINE! FOREVER BOUND TO ME AND RULED BY A PERFECT DIVINE BEING! Say goodbye while you can Connor, you're true suffering is only just BEGINING HAHAHAHAHAHA! And then with another blink everything was gone. Connor's body was his own again. The world, while clearly still fantasy like and his release clearly activated was under his control. Sans the means to deactivate it. Hope and their power was surging throughout the blade but otherwise any other trace was gone. Like Hope had never been present in the first place.

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{Bankai Information}
Class 1
Duration: 2/10 posts used
Ichor zone: 20 feet
Ichor Speed: 350

[Connor Greaves]

Regret. There was never a time where Connor felt it more than now. Less like a weight dragging his soul down into the depths of despair, and more like the abyss reaching up to strangle the life from him. Like a skeletal hand wrapped around his throat, it was all he could to to keep breathing as he flashed from building to building. He so desperately wanted to give up, to hide away in a corner and pray with every fiber of his being that this was just some twisted nightmare that he had yet to wake from. But he knew that was a lie. He knew what would happen if he tried that.

The smell of death was threatening to overwhelm him. His mind flashed back to that horrid day. The day that Hell opened its doors wide to swallow purgatory. He struggled to understand why his mind would not let him forget the screams, when he felt it. His distraction cost him his footing, and he slammed into the rooftop in a crumpled heap. His hands skinned, and his head cracked against the tiles, but he felt no pain from those injuries. How could he, when the pain from within was so utterly absolute?

He tried to scream, but there was no breath in his lungs. A white liquid spilled from his mouth, crawling up and down his fact. He almost missed the splintering crack that was at his side. He barely managed the effort to turn to see what that could have possibly been. His mind went blank for a moment, as he felt his heart stop. His sheath shattered... And Tamashi was now Souruejji. The toothy maw of the sword, grinning up at him, as the poison, once held back by the sheath, was now unrestrained.

The world around him melted into the vile sludge, perverting the world itself to its sick machinations. Connor let out a scream of primal rage, the roar of a hollow echoing in his voice. "HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPE!" The world was twisted to how the Hollow wanted it to be. A glimpse into the future Hope had planned. His heart thundered in his chest as he grabbed the abomination of a weapon, and redoubled his efforts. He could not afford to stop, could not afford to rest. Everyone would suffer should he give up.

He could see it in the corner of his eye. A grey blob. It followed the movements of his eye, refusing to be ignored. Refused to be restrained a moment longer. It was a distant thing, difficult for him to pay attention to through the hallucinations, but he could hear that the alarms have been raised. How many more would die to his Bankai? How many more would it take to hold it back? The simple act of touching a building would kill dozens who were prepared. Hundreds who were not.

His Zanpakuto was made wrong. He was envious of other Soul Reapers. Those were made to guide lost souls to the Soul Cycle, to maintain the balance of worlds. His too, was made to guide those to the afterlife. Unfortunately for those that crossed him, the afterlife they got was the belly of Hope. He could hear the composite hollow in his ear, not content with whispering any longer. The way it said his name was like slime being poured into his mind, sickening him to his stomach.

It said it would take his body, screaming into his ear, as the blob gained more and more features. It was a timer, he realized, one that he could no longer push back. His doomsday clock was one minute till midnight, and the darkness was blacker than the darkest abyss. Darker, yet darker still. He landed before the Senkaimon, not having time take in the scenery one last time. There were two guards there, those who were stationed there. They raised poles with semicircles at the top at him. "Open the gates or die." He tried to keep the emotion out of his voice, he truly did, but the corruption had spread too far. His voice was the first to go. His voice was fused with Hope, and it sounded terrifying.

They recognized his Haori on his back, recognized him as a captain, and quickly opened the doors. The ramblings of a monster refused to give him a moments respite. Tamashī was gone. That thought brought a tear to his eye. He might not have liked the spirit, but he respected him. Knew that Tamashī was not completely responsible for the weapon in his hand. The doors were open, and the poison splashed against them like the waves crashing against the shore. The two fled, using their own Shunpo to escape certain death. "You are mistaken." Connor said, seeing the smiling face manifest from the blob.

He watched as the poison began to corrupt the Senkaimon, flashing through the gateway before his poison consumed it. His poison twisted things, corrupted them, perverted their intent into something dark and evil. What once brought Soul Reapers to the Precipice World had its intent stolen from it, before a new design was forced upon it. He was sure, given enough time, Squad Twelve could return it to its prior state, but Connor needed it to be without function for the time being. He could not have anyone follow him. To do so would invite death. To do so would bring about ruin.

The combined efforts of the Captains might be able to stop Hope, sure. It might also not, and Hope would have new toys to break at its pleasure. Turn them into the army it needed to bring the worlds to their knees, and consume them. Hope was the ultimate Hollow. It could never grow full, and it could eat infinitely. Would eat infinitely. "I was not running. I was bringing you to a place that would kill us both, should I fail to kill you." His boots crunched against soft sand, moments before the poison turned it to mud.

"Welcome to Hueco Mundo." Those were his last words, before the world faded around him. The final battle was here.