Round 2: Team Major Chord vs Team Anti-Oreo

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen noted Hiro vanish as he launched his fireballs. Flash step! Kaen kicked off the air ground, launching himself backwards quickly, as Hiro reappeared and slashed at Kaen with his whip. Kaen saw the tip of the whip crack less than a foot from his chest. A near miss. Kaen quickly counterattacked though. Four crossbow bolts of flame formed in the air around Kaen and shot back at Hiro in retaliation. And then Kaen realized Hiro was casting a kido. "Could use a hand here old man!" Kaen exclaimed.

As Hiro launched his kido, a giant blazing tail shot up between Hiro and Kaen, the kido spell striking the tail instead. It appeared to have done some level of damage, but due to its nature of emphasizing a paralysis effect over direct damage, the tail was still in one piece. And because of a lack of natural nerves, Kaen's fire dragon was unaffected by the paralysis! That said, it was still unhappy about the damage the hado spell had dealt to its tail, and its jaws opened, unleashing an extremely large flame jet from them, aimed at Hiro. Although his reiatsu strength was higher than Kaen's, this would still probably cause some serious burns on the lieutenant.

It was an uncertainty if Hiro would still have thrown the shirt with a giant flaming dragon tail between himself and Kaen, but if he did, and it had somehow avoided being set on fire by Resshin Hachiryuu, Kaen would use his human arm to snatch it out of the air, while moving upwards to maintain his vision, and ensure it didn't block it. His other arm was still braced to defend or counterattack if Hiro attempted to close to distance. Kaen figured sooner or later Hiro would try and get close. His whip was going to have trouble hitting Kaen if he kept trying to hit closer to the edge of his own range. Sooner or later, Hiro would have to try and get closer, and that was when Kaen planned to spring his trap.

Until then, Kaen realized it was too risky to try and close the distance himself. Kaen liked to study various weapons, and knew the most dangerous property about the one that Hiro was using. Any strike he made could transform in an instant. The slightest alteration of his wrist could turn a successful dodge into being hit anyways. With a normal whip this was not a massive issue, as it was primarily the tip that would cause the most damage. However, Kaen acknowledged, from his prior experience that Hiro's whip was equally lethal the entire way along its length and if he was caught by it, it was very likely it would finish him. As a result, it would be a tactical error to try and close in himself. He would let Resshin Hachiryuu handle things for a little, and let the dragon be the one to put on the pressure.

Reiatsu: 1100
Bankai: 3/10

[hirokaname]

KADABALAFABOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMBBBAAARAAABBBOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!! That actually wasn't the sound it made, but Hiro secretly imagined that it was. There was a big explosion suddenly, and the entire attacking part of the dragon, and the incoming projectiles were all blown away by the huge blast. It was giant and smoking with billowing black clouds of it that seeped everywhere and blotted Kaen's vision for a few moments. Even the san-seki's sense of smell would be destroyed for that time by the blast. It wasn't any mediocre old small blast. Noticeably it didn't have much of a booming sound though. That was because it wasn't an explosion, but a giant blast of reiatsu.The smoke suddenly cleared up completely, showing that he stood on the air ground, unharmed. The dramatic, the almighty, the cool and incredible, the Hero, Hiro Kaname! He was there with a somber expression in his darkening eyes. He used his power to abrute the attacks, and he was holding something that was spinning rapidly in front of him because of his hands. It was a gigantic shuriken, over three times his size, but spun easily and held easily. It seemed a bit curved, or maybe it was just distorted. It was made of brilliant crimson reiatsu. What was noticeable though was what would probably be a downfall to Kaen too. It was the sound. In Shikai, Hiro's blade had made a sinister humming sound, as a warning of its power.

But this was...

"Bankai...Magna Lameta Di Ereo..."

Bankai. In Bankai, it created an enormous shrieking noise. Even Hiro got a bit annoyed and a bit of a headache from it. The shriek was huge though. Kaen had the hearing ability of a dog. Dogs had ears so sensitive that they could even hear those whistles humans couldn't hear. To Hiro, who had only a bit above average senses, it was a headache. To Kaen, who had senses over three times Hiro's, it was a huge shriek that erased concentration entirely. That was why Hiro's senses weren't far above average. His Bankai disrupted the opponent's hearing. There was no way to form or maintain concentration amid the shrieking of the shuriken, and it was so loud and piercing that covering ears or plugging them couldn't shield someone from the sound.

It was impossible to stay focused, but focus was what Kaen needed. His vision was probably beginning to blur because of the damage to his ears. He probably had to focus to keep his limbs of fire. He couldn't focus in the sound. Animalistic beings as well, like the dragon, would be affected. Without focus, Kaen's limbs of fire would disrupt and disappear, and he'd start falling to the ground too. If he hit the ground from this height in the air, well then he'd die. The dragon would also be hurt by the sound. "LET'S GO, LA!" Hiro cried out as a Hero with a grin. He flew past the dragon, cutting into its tail further with the shuriken and spinning it.

His reiatsu strength contained within that giant shuriken was so strong that the flames couldn't damage the weapon at all, and were almost repelled by it. It cleaved through the dragon as knife through butter, even more easily than that even! Hiro could hurt the dragon. Kaen didn't have an ability to heal or rejuvenate the dragon. When it was damaged, it was damaged. That was the price for being hard to harm. If Hiro killed it, it would be destroyed, and Kaen would have to release his Bankai all over again to get it back. The Vice Captain of Squad 10, Hiro Kaname!

Koke Naa... everyone thought about him.

He was going to win, because he was strong.

"I'm all fired up. LET'S DO THIS! A HERO CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING!"

Soothing Hiro as he went about his triumphant winning of the world, La was singing within the Bankai world. While giving Hiro power, her calm, beautiful voice was soothing his mind. Since all he had was a headache from his own Bankai's shrieks, La's voice helped him a lot. It wouldn't work if anyone else tried it, unless they had a spirit that sang as well as La in addition to senses at Hiro's level.

Reiatsu: 2600/4050

Bankai: 1/10

[Kaen Youji]

Hiro countered by releasing his Bankai! Interesting tactic, and as soon as Kaen saw the flare of reiatsu, he leapt back several dozen meters in the air. Hiro had shown devastating close quarter skills, and Kaen certainly didn't want to be caught off guard. He was using Resshin Hachiryuu as a scapegoat in a sense-- which to a degree was a practical thing to do, as his dragon was virtually immune to regular impacts and blows. While Hiro's reiatsu based blade could indeed wound it, Resshin Hachiryuu had no normal veins, muscles, blood vessels or the like, and as such, could ignore serious wounds with little penalty to his performance, short of the removal of massive parts of him.

Because of the distance Kaen had created the effect of Hiro's bankai as far as sound was concerned was weakened, but certainly enough to cause Kaen significant irritation-- but not quite enough to cause him to lose control of the flames he had formed into his new limbs. That said, he recognized the threat. Kaen was, of course, quite used to pain, but even still, that would be an extremely debilitating condition to have to fight with. His concentration would be taxed to the maximum. Controlling even multiple flames normally wasn't much of an issue for Kaen in his bankai. But controlling multiple flames that composed his limbs, while dealing with ear splitting pain, accompanied by a migrane from hell? Totally different story. He had to figure out a way to prevent this... and he had an idea, that he figured was good as any. It might hurt a bit, but it'd work.

Meanwhile, Resshin Hachiryuu writhed as Hiro leapt to attack him. There were a few small problems with Hiro's plan. Indeed, the flames wouldn't harm his weapon, but Hiro himself might suffer some minor burns from being so close to such a hot creature. In fact, if he wanted to get as deep a cut as possible, his hand would have to be practically touching the flickering flames of Resshin Hachiryuu's body, which yes, burned just like normal flames. Either way, however, Hiro would be unable to slice through the dragon all the way, simply due to the thickness of his body. He would have to take one or two more swings to do that, and the Bankai spirit wasn't about to allow that. Despite the fearsome sound Hiro's Bankai produced it didn't stop the dragon from opening its jaws and unleashing a maelstrom of fire from right at Hiro, as he rushed to attack. Perhaps, if it was affected at all, it was resorting to an animalistic instinct of attacking the source of its pain. Either way, Hiro would have to deal with the massive wave of fire headed his way.

As for Kaen, he had made his attempted defense against Hiro's sonic attack. Flaming earmuffs. Crazy no? Well, once again, Kaen was getting saved by his near-immunity to his own flames. He could make them burn him if need-be, but most of the time he preferred they did not. They were his own reiatsu afterall. Naturally, the earmuffs would have some level of disadvantage, as Kaen's hearing was now dulled. Still, it wasn't completely blocked out, so with his heightened senses, he wasn't completely helpless.

Seeing Hiro busy fighting Resshin Hachiryuu, Kaen decided to try a little something of his own. A flame began to form just above him and began to steadily grow larger and larger.

Reiatsu remaining: 1100
Bankai:4/10

[hirokaname]

Hiro always knew he couldn't cut the dragon! His shuriken wasn't big enough. He was wounding it to piss it off, so it would stay near him. It was even trying to attack him! That was just dandy for a hero like Hiro. While he was just withdrawing his shuriken, Hiro was already commencing the next stage. His shuriken disappeared as his arms became covered in the reiatsu. He rapid punched twice in a shadow boxing style while the dragon attacked. It was with his left arm, and the flames were blown away, and so was the dragon too by the second punch. All of the reiatsu had condensed. The flames were close, but no dice. "LINING! ARM ONE!"

He only moved his arm while he did this, because that was all he had to do. He didn't need to put power into his attack. It was fast, though. He put speed into it. The explosion was of a super concentrated reiatsu, and lining had quadruple Hiro's reiatsu strength. To expend that huge surge of reiatsu in that attack was way more than enough to destroy the whole dragon. It was an explosion so big that it couldn't be avoided and so powerful that it couldn't be blocked. The dragon couldn't be regenerated either without rejuvenating Bankai. It would be difficult and taxing to release Bankai again, and if Kaen did this then his flames would shut off for a moment as his weapon booted down and booted back up.

He couldn't afford to do that, because then he would be immobilized instantly by Hiro's attack, and he'd lose his flame limbs in addition to his earmuffs anyway! His concentration would be so interrupted he wouldn't be able to make that release! Hiro also used his shunpo quickly after destroying the dragon. The entire process of shadow boxing started before lining appeared, so his first punch was completing as his lining formed. Then he didn't even withdraw his arm all the way, and just went from halfway onwards. The whole process for Hiro took half a second at best. Any average person could shadowbox two punches like that in one second. Hiro was slower than a lot of people who prioritized physical ability. He was a lot faster than an average person though! Hiro's punch was fast. He had time to do anything!

His shunpo brought him to Kaen, and that was Kaen's problem. He was only six meters away, and his arm had drawn back in the middle of shunpo, and released forwards as he got there. It snapped back halfway, and was going to lunge or snap. Hiro's other arm was devoid of the reiatsu, but it gleamed with something else of malicious property, electricity from Raikou Kawa forming in front of Hiro. Hiro kept his senses open, his toes ready and aware, and his attack there. If Kaen came head on, the electricity would get him. Even with earmuffs though, they were made of fire. Fire wasn't a proper material. No matter what properties he imbued it with, he couldn't make it like real earmuffs.

Real earmuffs didn't even mute sound. They dulled it, and they dulled it for the average person. Inferior earmuffs like that for someone with that kind of hearing wouldn't do anything. Kaen might have thought it was a good idea, but he would still lose all concentration by Hiro's approach. Since he'd thought it was a good idea though, he wouldn't know this while Hiro was approaching. That wouldn't be realistic at all. His earmuffs and limbs were both entities that were going to crumble from the disrupting sound, and Kaen was going to lose all of his focus entirely. What made it bad for him was that they were in the air. He'd plummet to his death. Hiro could also kill him while he was falling too.

Kaen was on the losing end of this fight now. He was running on low steam, and on artificial limbs and with earmuffs for chrissake. He should realize that it was wise to either give up and accept defeat, or change with a teammate. What happened was up to him, but Hiro the hero was deadset on winning! HIRO KANAME FOR CAPTAIN COMMANDER!


Reiatsu: 2100/4050

Bankai: 2/10

[Kaen Youji]

(ooc: Sorry for how long it's taking me to post. Left a message in the announcement board as to why :/)

It appeared Hiro had successfully taken out Kaen's dragon. However, the brief time Hiro took to fight fend off Resshin Hachiryuu had given Kaen sufficient time to charge his Daihou technique. It certainly wasn't as big as it could actually be (indeed, in theory its power and size was infinite, given an infinite time to charge it), but it was still Kaen's Daihou technique. Kaen's reaction to Hiro's Shunpo was pretty much reflexive. Using his remaining arm, Kaen launched the immense fireball that had been forming above his head straight at Hiro. The Fireball was roughly ten meters in diameter, and was formed of flames emitting heat so intense that it was likely that Hiro would actually be able to feel it even from that six meter distance. This fireball was really, really hot. If Hiro attempted to batter it aside with his lining technique as he had the dragon, while he certainly would survive it due to his reiatsu strength, the burns he would suffer just from letting it get that close, not to mention the fireball exploding in his face, would be rather severe. His reiatsu strength was much greater than Kaen's but fire was still fire, and flesh and clothing still burned quite easily. In fact, it would likely even set Hiro's clothing ablaze just by getting within a few feet of him, and cause light burns just by being close-- the heat was really intense.

Of course this was assuming Hiro would block it with his arms. Dodging it was virtually out of the question, as the fireball had been launched at roughly the approximate speed of a softball pitch-- as thrown by someone of Kaen's physical strength. This meant the fireball was hurtling at Hiro at faster than 300 miles per hour, at an extremely close range.

That said, Kaen quickly realized his earmuff's effects were minimal and he quickly began losing control of his limbs from his lack of focus, due to the sudden pain. The effects weren't immediate as they were within Kaen's realm of control, but the effects were still quite clear. Kaen got an idea, however, and deliberately cut off the air ground underneath him, causing him to rapidly fall towards the ground, after throwing his Daihou. Because of the size of the flame, it's brightness and the sound the flames made as they crackled, it would be doubtful that Hiro would manage to notice this until after he had dealt with the attack. Kaen began to fall to the point where he was less affected by the noise Hiro's zanpakuto produced. He was trying to figure out a plan, as he wasn't planning of leaving the fray without even having landed a single blow! Kaen wasn't the kind of guy to allow himself to go down that easily, no matter how bad the situation was.

In any case, Kaen also realized he would be of little use against Okusa and Ranmyaku, the former due to his tremendous strength, and the latter due to possessing a zanpakuto that adequately countered Kaen's abilities. So in truth, there was little lost in Kaen continuing to struggle his hardest against Hiro. Besides, despite his situation, Kaen was actually enjoying himself. He loved the thrill of being tested in battle, and this battle was like ecstasy to Kaen.

Reiatsu Remaining: 1100
Bankai: 5/10

[hirokaname]

"FIREBALL!" Hiro exclaimed with excitement. Well, Kaen had done something wrong with that. It wasn't quite at as close a range as he'd wanted. Hiro had used Shunpo, see? He had gotten himself into an adequate position where he could still move, and by getting to Kaen he hadn't launched an attack yet. Kaen had been attempting to launch a really strong fireball to hit Hiro, but this persistence was getting tedious. It was nothing but a chore to continue to fight, when the winner was quite obvious. Kaen's stamina should be pretty much depleted by that point. He was focusing his energies on maintaining those limbs, those earmuffs, generating that fire, and moving and fighting despite all of that.

His concentration was blitzed all the way to Sunday, torn apart at so many places it was a wonder why he didn't lose control, being a third seat with a Bankai, and probably not a mastered one. Kaen had used a lot of flames continuously for a while and tried stretching his focus a lot. It was probably tiring him out. He even let go of the air ground, but to think that it would help him was a mistake. It made things easier for Hiro. The fireball flew at Hiro, who'd only just gotten there, and who saw it coming. A second shunpo just from that ready position got him into a position a few meters below the fireball on lower elevation, and then he let himself glide downwards, but didn't let go of the reiatsu concentration at his feet, just in case. Hiro was going to demolish all the buildings, that was why he was moving down.

He noticed Kaen though, falling. Since Hiro's shunpo brought him much closer to Kaen, even if he hadn't intended for it to, the screeching would instantly disrupt Kaen's concentration a lot. Because of that, Kaen was not going to be able to counter. All of his concentration was sacked boiii, all his flames dispersed. While falling, Kaen couldn't do anything. Without limbs or concentration, he couldn't get a grasp of something, and they weren't even halfway to the ground yet. Hiro's arm had been in a ready position for a reason, and with it he snapped the arm forwards only. A huge explosion covered the air below him. Since he'd been near Kaen, having gone down at almost the same time, Kaen's concentration was disrupted. He had an immediate effect already. Without concentration, no limbs. Without limbs or concentration, no defense.

While in a mid air falling position, Kaen couldn't maneuver himself! The blast was really really big. It was too big to dodge. He'd let himself get into a position where he wasn't able to protect himself. Even if he managed to get shunpo out of this, it wasn't enough. He couldn't make it far enough on time to get out of the way of such a big attack. It was enough to destroy a lot of large buildings at once. It was obvious that Kaen didn't have a lifeline. He'd lost out on this attack by letting himself fall. It was the end of the line! HIRO KANAME FOR CAPTAIN COMMANDER! SUAVE AS HELL!

Reiatsu: 2100/4050

Bankai: 3/10

[Kaen Youji]

Unfortunately for Hiro, he was mistaken in assuming Kaen wouldn't be able to respond. He was right in saying the sound produced by his zanpakuto was harmful and disruptive to Kaen's concentration, but it wasn't to say that it was going to instantly incapacitate him. In fact, Kaen had been dealing with the sound of his zanpakuto since Hiro had released it, in some instances at fairly close distances (such as when he had initially released it). While it was getting more intense as Kaen got closer, he was able to grit his teeth and bear it, so-to-speak. He couldn't do it for long periods of time, indeed any longer than ten to fifteen seconds would be too long for Kaen, but under ten seconds he could maintain some semblance of concentration. At least enough to do what he had planned. It may have been a headache from hell, but it was still just a headache. Disrupting, yes. Debilitating to the degree Hiro thought they were? No.

He saw Hiro Shunpo lower and remembered what Hiro had done to Resshin Hachiryuu. He also had noticed earlier the reiatsu covering his spare arm, and it was therefore not unreasonable that he could do it again. Kaen had seen the size of the blast and instinctively knew he couldn't outrun it. Fortunately, he didn't have to. Kaen formed airground beneath him as Hiro appeared and then launched his Shunpo. Not away from Hiro of course. That wouldn't have done anything. Kaen was launching his Shunpo past Hiro, as his flame limbs hadn't quite escaped Kaen's control yet.

Also, this Shunpo was not just a Shunpo. Kaen was using his skill at Senka to use his Shunpo for offensive purposes, combining Senka with his Iaido, using his free hand-- his flesh and blood hand; to to draw and slash with his sword simultaneously. Normally Senka was a fight ending move, but in order to avoid Hiro's impending attack, Kaen had used Senka off to Hiro's side, using his blade to attack Hiro's free arm-- the one not launching the attack. If it connected, it certainly wouldn't remove it, Kaen was coming in too far off to the side to accomplish that (unless Hiro, for whatever reason, raised the arm, or came closer to Kaen in some manner). Still it would be a fairly deep slash across his upper bicep, and the main motive-- that is, moving Kaen out of the path of Hiro's blast, would be accomplished.

Even if everything below Hiro was obliterated, his attack wouldn't hit anything behind him. Which was Kaen's entire goal. With the speed of his Senka, he would be just passing Hiro as he launched his attack. Everything below would be obliterated, that much was certain, but since Kaen was above him, he would be safe-- from that attack at least.

Furthermore, Kaen used his Senka to carry him some twenty meters away from Hiro, protecting him from a counterattack, and lessening the strain of his zanpakuto's sound. Although Kaen could manage to fight for a short period of time within that, as mentioned above, anymore than ten seconds, and, as Hiro surmised, he would start losing control of his body.

But Kaen wasn't quite finished! Attempting to capitalize on his advantage of having temporarily gotten Hiro's back, he launched his Chire attack again, launching a dozen tennis-ball sized, exploding fireballs at Hiro's back. While this, like his slash, wasn't a fight ending move, it would definitely hurt a lot. "This is getting fun! You're even better than I'd hoped! It's small wonder you were able to take down fukutaichou!" Kaen complimented with a grin. He was having an absolute blast it seemed.

Reiatsu remaining: 1000 (-100 for Senka)
Bankai: 6/10

[Ranmyaku Youmei]

SPOILER: Click to show

As soon as Kaen used Senka he’d notice his target disappear. Was this shunpo? No... Hiro literally had been teleported off of the battlefield. Kaen should know what this meant. The next opponent was about to make his appearance. But where? Obviously since Hiro was gone, Kaen wouldn’t be firing the Chire attack at empty space. That’s when the san-seki would hear a frightening battle cry from above him. It was none other than the captain of Squad 8, The Beast of Soul Society, Ranmyaku Youmei. “YEEEAAAAHHH!!!!” yelled a deep, raspy voice sounding pumped and thrilled to be on the battlefield. If Kaen had any sense in him he’d realize that things were only getting harder for him and he’d also notice that the lizard held a long, glavie-like weapon in his hand. Was this his shikai or his bankai?

Kaen wouldn’t have time to think for long, the reptile was dropping down at a high speed at the san-seki. His sharp teeth were bared and he held his glavie in front of him as he dove. Hiro had destroyed the dragon portion of Kaen’s bankai which meant the only part left was attached to his person. It seemed like the captain didn’t care about that though as he got closer and closer to the third seat. The third seat might notice that a set of rings pierced the captain’s shikai on the bladed portion, but it was missing the second ring. Only four seals remained on the reptile’s shikai, leaving one empty space. Little did the san-seki know that this was an aspect of the captain’s shikai. He’d broken the seal of Osiris to be precise and now his weapon was much like a ghost and could pass through inanimate objects such as zanpakutou, shields, armor, and even clothes without leaving a mark, but as soon as it came in contact with flesh it would cleave right through it like a hot knife through butter.

As soon as the captain came into range of his opponent he thrust his shikai forwards, effectively attacking Kaen from seven feet away with an unblockable strike that could render him incapacitated, or even dead. The shinigami hoped that wasn’t all it took to end his fun, and doubted that Kaen would be taken out by just that. But maybe, just maybe, the power of his shikai would catch Kaen off-guard and he’d try to block the unblockable strike.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2,300
Shikai: 1/10

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength - [350] Points

Speed - [200] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [250] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [400] Points

Light Aura - [60] Points

Dark Aura - [40] Points

Instinct - [50] Points

Senses [100] Points

Energy sensory - [50] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

[Kaen Youji]

Hiro was gone huh? That was a pain! Kaen was just starting to enjoy himself! But Ranmyaku's cry alerted Kaen to the captain's presence. This wasn't quite like Hiro. Kaen knew what Ranmyaku was capable of. He'd fought alongside the captain once before. He'd seen the captain release in that battle, and knew his capabilities. Fortunately, Ranmyaku didn't know Kaen. But Kaen was looking significantly relieved, as the damaging effect of Hiro's sonic attack had completely faded by now, due to his adversary's disappearance. He could fight at close to full strength now.

Ranmyaku's attack may have succeeded, if he hadn't announced his presence. But he had, and Kaen saw the thrust coming at him. A polearm. Hmmm... obviously he wants to keep this battle at a distance... That's fine with me, I suppose... Kaen determined, dodging the thrust by kicking off the air and dodging to the side. "Chire!" Kaen declared, launching the same dozen fireballs he had intended to launch at Hiro at Ranmyaku, at fairly close range. He had intentionally created a relatively wide spread attack, so that even though only a few fireballs would hit, it would be difficult to avoid all of them!

Kaen was grinned though. "It's an honor to face you, Ranmyaku-taichou! This Gauntlet is simply full of interesting people to fight! It's so exciting!" He proclaimed gleefully as he launched his fireballs. Kaen was clearly getting more excited and more bloodthirsty by the minute. He was a brawler by nature and loved to fight! And he couldn't ask for a better opponent than a captain! This was going to be great!

Bankai: 7/10
Reiatsu Remaining: 1000

[Ranmyaku Youmei]

Ranmyaku quickly realized that his enemy had simply evaded his attack and adjusted his decent accordingly, flipping around to land on the air-ground at the same level as the san-seki. This is when the captain heard his opponent yell the name of his attack, “Chire!” At that moment a dozen small fireballs rocketed out from his person pelting the captain. Sure the 8th division captain could have avoided them if he felt like it, but why? They would do minimal damage against his natural armor. “GRAAAAAH!!!” grunted the captain, thrusting his long shikai in the san-seki’s direction as he was pelted by two or three of the fireballs. The beast simply ignored the blows and lunged forwards, his shikai threatening to stab directly through the third-seat’s midsection.


“It's an honor to face you, Ranmyaku-taichou! This Gauntlet is simply full of interesting people to fight! It's so exciting!” said the other shinigami excitedly. “Careful what you wish for... You might get more than you bargained for...” spat the captain with a smirk. His tongue flicked out of his mouth as he finished his lunge. Whether Kaen chose to dodge or block was completely up to him, but one thing was for certain. Ranmyaku relished the heat, and Kaen’s bankai was simply making his blood boil like crazy. The cold-blooded creature loved it. It made him preform that much better, and if the san-seki was smart he’d realize this terrible mismatch of his abilities to Ranmyaku’s body.

The lunge not only threatened to end Kaen’s life, but it kept him at bay. With his arm extended, Ranmyaku’s range was well over seven feet. As far as physical range went, Ranmyaku reigned superior, but Kaen had Ranmyaku in non-physical range. His shikai could deliver projectiles from a further distance as could his bankai. Unfortunately for the third seat though, Ranmyaku’s thick scales were best at defending against multiple small projectiles. That was essentially their forte. The san-seki would learn shortly that Chire was not a well-suited ability to use against such a fearsome lizard.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2,300
Shikai: 2/10

[Kaen Youji]

Hmm. Ranmyaku had largely ignored his Chire attack. He wasn't entirely surprised, though he was slightly disappointed. Ranmyaku should have taken some damage from that attack, resiliant to heat or not. Having those fireballs explode on him couldn't have been fun. Still, it showed Kaen that he'd have to hit the reptile with big attacks not small ones. Alright then... if he wants to play rough, we'll play it rough then![/color] As Ranmyaku came in for a second thrust, Kaen's reaction was the same as before, dodging back, but this time to the opposite side from before. If a small hit wouldn't work, Kaen planned to use a heavier one. This time, he quickly began to shape a flame into a long javelin, about five feet long, and hurled it at Ranmyaku with his good arm to gain maximum acceleration on it. Ranmyaku may have been able to absorb lighter projectiles with relative ease, but a javelin would likely be capable of piercing through even his scaly hide.

But Kaen also knew he had to be on full alert. This was a captain he was fighting afterall. Ranmyaku doubtlessly had multiple tricks up his sleeve, and Kaen would have to deal with them. Noting Ranmyaku's choice of a Glaive, Kaen decided to play around at his game as well, generating a Kousa Yari of flame, which he grasped in his fire-arm. "Don't disappoint me, Ranmyaku-taichou!" Kaen taunted as he thrust the weapon forwards at Ranmyaku's torso, aiming up under the rib cage, so he could impale his vital organs. Kaen had made his Yari eight feet long. A full foot longer than Ranmyaku's Glaive. In a battle of polearms, Kaen had a reach advantage, which was a considerable edge. And even simply circling to the inside of the thrust to negate that would be difficult, because of Kaen's weapon choice.

The Kousa Yari was notable from other spears for the two long prongs that jutted out from the sides of the head. Each was about a foot in length, and, along with preventing the spear from getting stuck inside an opponent, also served to keep opponents simply slipping by the head to get inside the spear's reach! Kaen may not have known the full extent of Ranmyaku's powers, but he did know his weapons, and was taking advantage of his weapon knowledge here, to claim the edge in the battle of polearms!

Reiatsu Remaining: 1000
Bankai: 8/10

[Ranmyaku Youmei]

(OOC: Sorry man, I would have assumed that Kaen made his weapon a foot longer then mine, but you specifically stated he made his 8 feet... Either way, my move would have been the same probably)

It wasn’t that Ranmyaku was unharmed by the Chire technique, it was simply that the reptile’s pain tolerance was so high combined with the fact that it didn’t do any debilitating damage against his thick scales. In truth the captain felt the burning against his skin, although it was lessened because of his natural armor it was still there. Although that was all in the past now. Ranmyaku’s shikai shot forwards at Kaen. As with his previous attack, Kaen quickly evaded his thrust and launched a counter of his own. In the san-seki’s hands a javelin of fire formed and Kaen threw it at the captain. As the third seat had guessed, this attack would definitely be powerful enough to pierce through his natural armor, but the captain wasn’t about to let that happen. As the shinigami threw his javelin, the reptile dropped low. If he was at ground level he would have been on all fours at this point, but the two shinigami were suspended in the air.

The captain watched curiously as Kaen formed another weapon out of fire. This time it appeared to be taking the form of a weapon similar to his own. Ranmyaku smirked, and waited for Kaen’s fire formation to finish. He didn’t feel he needed to interrupt his next attack. In a fight of pole arms, Ranmyaku would emerge victorious, for he fought with such weapons much more than Kaen, not to mention he had the skill of a captain. “Don’t disappoint me, Ranmyaku-taichou!” said Kaen, finishing his yari of flame. This gave the captain a HUGE tactical advantage, and Kaen didn’t even realize it. Now that the san-seki had something to block with, he’d naturally be more apt to parry and halt Ranmyaku’s strikes. Another thing Kaen underestimated was the length of Ranmyaku’s shikai. The reptile actually possessed a reach advantage over Kaen’s eight foot weapon. Isutsu Natsuin in shikai form was eight and a half feet long exactly. The pole portion of the shikai was six feet while the heavy, blade on the end jetted out an additional two and a half feet. His reach was indeed well over seven feet. In fact, it was a little over eight and a half feet if you counted his extended arm.

Before Kaen could change this fact however, Ranmyaku delivered a powerful sweep from seven feet away. He delivered it quickly and with plenty of power behind it. Kaen, now possessing a weapon, would most likely parry, for he had formed the weapon with the intention to duel Ranmyaku in a battle of pole arms. If he did, however, he’d find that the lizard’s shikai would pass directly through his weapon like a ghost and leave a debilitating wound if not a life-ending blow. If on the off-chance that Kaen did dodge again, the captain would keep the attack up by following up his sweep with a uppercut-like swing that threatened to cleave Kaen in two vertically. Ranmyaku was a beast that was not to be underestimated.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2,300
Shikai: 3/10

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen had initially missed that his polearm was, in fact shorter. However, the grip Kaen was adopting with his Yari actually made it so that it didn't matter. To take advantage of the full reach of his weapon, Ranmyaku was likely holding the polearm near the base, while Kaen was gripping his own much more alike to a normal spear-- around roughly the center. Kaen wasn't an experienced spear fighter, so it was likely he would use his weapon in a more similar manner to a staff, using shorter ranged attacks than Ranmyaku's massive sweeping motions, but his attacks would be faster as a result.

However, first he needed to get closer, as he quickly realized, and Ranmyaku actually provided him with the opportunity to do that! As the lizard captain unleashed his sweeping blow, Kaen lunged FORWARDS, rather than backwards. Why would he do that? For the simple reason that the sweeping motion Ranmyaku was using was enough to allow Kaen to dive past the head of the spear, though he would likely still be struck by the shaft. To counteract this, Kaen lifted his own spear to block Ranmyaku's attack, intending to slide it down the shaft and impale Ranmyaku with one of the prongs that extended from the head of the spear.

Naturally, of course, this didn't happen, as Ranmyaku's weapon passed through Kaen's! Wait, what?[/color] Kaen wondered as the shaft of Ranmyaku's weapon slammed into his side, simply passing through his spear. But how did he... dammit! His shikai must have some kind of phasing ability! I know I blocked that! Kaen was injured by the blow, but his superhuman strength and high pain tolerance enabled him to grit his teeth despite it. Now Ranmyaku would discover why Kaen's bankai was so formidable in close quarter combat.

Kaen's bankai had two notable abilities. The first was the fact that it came with a living incarnation of his zanpakuto, Resshin Hachiryuu. That was often the thing most opponents focused on, causing them to miss the second part of his ability. The fact that Kaen could generate his flames however he desired within a six foot radius around his arm guards. And Ranmyaku was within that six foot radius now.

To perform his Immolation attack, unfortunately, would take time, and to actually shape a flame to attack Ranmyaku would likewise alert him to the danger he was in. Kaen decided to strike a blow that, while it would not finish Ranmyaku, would certainly impair his combat abilities. To counterattack, rather than striking with his Kousa Yari, Kaen attacked with an unshaped flame. Since Kaen could create them anywhere within a six foot radius, he had decided to create the unshaped flame literally around Ranmyaku's head, to blast him. If Ranmyaku did not move, then the first indication that he would be under attack would be that his entire world would suddenly be consumed in flames.

Now, these were unshaped flames, and so while they would burn terribly, Ranmyaku's natural armor would likely protect him from serious effects, and would likely only suffer light burns on his scales. At least, as long as he didn't accidentally inhale them. If that happened, THEN he would be in a very unpleasant scenario, the same situation that Magnus had lost to in Kaen's last match in the Gauntlet.

What Kaen's fire attack was actually intended to do was two-fold. It was designed to drive Ranmyaku back, up also to attack his eyes. While his scales would absorb the worst of the attack, his eyes were devoid of such protection. Between their lack of protection against the flames, and it being night, the combined effects would likely blind the lizard captain, if not from the eyeballs being actually burned, than by the sudden flare of intense light. Either way, it would prove advantageous to Kaen.

Reiatsu: 1000
Bankai: 9/10

[Ranmyaku Youmei]

Unfortunately for Kaen he did indeed do what the reptile suspected and attempt to block the swing, but instead of being hit by the deadly blade, the shinigami was nailed with the pole of the reptile’s shikai. Quickly attempting to recover, Kaen began to manipulate the flames of his bankai. However, this manipulation of flames only reached six feet from his arm guards. Ranmyaku was indeed within that range for a moment, but Kaen had underestimated one thing. He’d been pummeled by the captain’s swing. Now it was true that the san-seki was stronger than Ranmyaku, but one should not underestimate the captain’s own strength. Not only did Kaen not expect to get hit, but the two shinigami were flying in mid-air. There was nothing Kaen could do as the lizard’s blow sent the san-seki flying towards the school crashing through the roof and through all of its floors. It wasn’t a matter of whether or not Kaen could overpower Ranmyaku, for the fact that he’d been hit was already established. It was a matter of whether the lizard’s strength was enough to send someone of Kaen’s weight plummeting to the ground, and yes, it was...

There was no way that the captain would be in range of the san-seki’s flame manipulation, and Kaen was beyond simply injured. The san-seki had fought a lieutenant and was now against a captain. He’d been fighting for minutes and had been severely injured in the process. Ranmyaku on the other hand was fresh and uninjured. There was simply no way Kaen would be able to keep up with the reptile. Ranmyaku took this break in the action to hook his finger around the third ring of his bankai. “Third Ring... Seal of Isis... RELEASE!” bellowed the captain as he shattered the third ring on his shikai’s blade. Immediately the ability Ranmyaku gained from the seal of Osiris left him and the shinigami gained powers from the seal of Isis. Ranmyaku counted on the san-seki being ignorant to the fact his shikai was now able to be blocked. As far as Kaen was concerned, his shikai was still able to pass through inanimate objects.

That was the thing about Ranmyaku’s shikai that was impossible to deal with. Just when an opponent began to figure out his abilities, the reptile could change everything and make his opponent start from scratch. In this state, all reiatsu usage was halved, meaning that he could fire kidou after kidou for half the cost. It was certainly a fearsome ability for one who possessed some truly frightening spells in his arsenal. The captain smirked as he waited for the third seat to emerge from the wreckage, or perhaps it wouldn’t be Kaen emerging. Perhaps he’d tagged out with whoever his teammate was. The captain kept this in mind as he waited for the shinigami to make his move.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2,300
Shikai: 4/10

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen went flying from the force of Ranmyaku's blow and grit his teeth. That had been annoying! Kaen could also sense his Bankai beginning to weaken. He had to do his damage now, before he lost his Bankai-- and by extension, his proxied limbs. Naturally, he could always recreate them, but it would require re-releasing his Bankai. And he wasn't certain if Ranmyaku would give him the time to do so! Because of Kaen's physical strength however, he was able to control himself as he fell. Also, as Hiro had destroyed the school prior, Kaen wouldn't crash into, it slowing his descent with the air-ground so that he landed where the school had BEEN!

Could Ranmyaku see that far in the dark? Well... actually, it probably didn't matter as Kaen's limbs were literally glowing, but that was fine. He'd make due. Rapidly shaping his flames Kaen drew back both arms. Let's see him take on these![/color] Kaen thought as he began unleashing a storm of bodkin arrows, created by his flame! Bodkin arrows were arrows with much narrower heads and finer points than ordinary arrows. This meant that when they struck a target, all the force was concentrated much better than a normal one, enabling for better armor piercing capabilities-- something that would be quite useful against Ranmyaku.

Kaen unleashed a continuous storm of these arrows-- or as close to one as he could manage, using the time it took to fire them, to shape the flames for additional arrows. In total, Kaen was able to send slightly more than two dozen arrows hurtling into the air at Ranmyaku, covering a fairly wide area. Not only would evasion be difficult, but it would be probable that Ranmyaku would be hit by more than one if he stayed in the general direction of the flying arrows. Kaen reasoned that since Ranmyaku's weapon phased through objects instead of directly connecting with them, he wouldn't be able to use his staff to parry them aside either!

But no sooner had Kaen launched the last of his arrows, but his bankai abruptly vanished on him, his proxied arm and legs disappearing, and causing Kaen to fall to the ground, his kodachi zanpakuto gripped in his hand. This would be a problem, and he realized he'd have to release again as soon as he could. Kaen pulled his zanpakuto before him, ready to try a second Bankai.

Bankai: 10/10 (ended)
Remaining Reiatsu: 1000