Arc 1: Canon 1: The Hell Message [Complete]

[Zou ۞]

Name: [New Arc 1: Canon 1 - The Hell Message] - The Adventure Name

Participants: [Anyone, 3 RPCs maximum] - Who can participate?

Location: [Las Vegas, Nevada] - Where does this take place?

Difficulty Level: [Medium] - Easy, Medium, Hard, Extreme. How difficult is this adventure?

Setting: [DE] Is this DE or NDE? Death Enabled or Non Death Enabled?

Plotline: [Shinigami: A powerful Hollow reiatsu has appeared in Sector 44, Freemont Street. It's powerful, but it isn't anything special. Dispatch maximum of two Shinigami to exterminate the Hollow. Special order: After extermination, head to a back alleyway and into a shop called "Deuces." Purchase Gigai, enter them, and await further orders. Phones and Gigai are already paid off.

Hollows/Arrancar: A familiar Hollow reiatsu has appeared in Las Vegas, exact location unknown. At start point, "Grand Galley Casino," begin a search for this Hollow's reiatsu. When located, neutralize and capture the Hollow. Return to Hueco Mundo once this is done.

Other Races: You're here for whatever personal reason your character would have to be here, when suddenly you sense a powerful Hollow's reiatsu. You're at start point, "Indian Black Casino."

Let's begin.] - Explain the plot of your adventure.

Estimated Enemy Strength: [6-2] Estimate the strength of the NPC's people will fight in this adventure. Class 7-1, what is their strength on average?

Estimated Time Until Completion: [4 pages] - How many pages do you think this adventure will run for until it is over?

Starts: [Now] - When does the adventure begin?

Special Conditions: [No rank level 3s. Meaning no High Tier Espada, no Executives, no Captains, no Xcution Seven Guns, etc. Any class is allowed as long as the rank quota is met. Fast posters preferred.] - Any special conditions, limitations, or other things. [/b][/i]

Side note: Guys, seriously. In previous arcs, you didn't understand the concept of a canon. You can EASILY alter what's going to happen. Feel free to deviate a bit! Based on what you do, the plot will change dramatically!

[Schultz Silverhult]

((OOC: Note, I've talked with Zouma, and Schultz is the "acting Septima Espada" until Magnus's problems settle down and we can continue/finish our fight.))

These casinos are fascinating… humans think they’re working with luck, when it’s merely machine-rigged to fool them with pathetic odds… I’ll have to do more research on these.

Crimson eyes stared across the floor as Schultz sat atop the banister at the second floor of the casino’s grand staircase. The building had an interesting setup, with three floors for various entertainments. The first was dedicated to slot machines, simple “one-armed bandits”, as they were often referred to, and they were the most packed with people who had a little spare money and didn’t have enough skill or expertise to win at the other games. The second floor was table games, ranging from craps to blackjack and other card games. These were the games that required a bit more skill and less luck, though luck still played a major role. And finally, on the third floor, was a restricted room for various “entertainments”, which was generally restricted to the more carnal pleasures. Two grand staircases connected the floors to the ones above and below, while an elevator along the wall provided faster transport for those who didn’t care to walk the stairs.

Schultz found himself staying near the second floor more often than the first, merely browsing about and viewing the humans while they toiled and tried to win a little money. It was an almost amusing pastime, though Schultz himself didn’t participate. He had little use for money, except for a few small purchases in the real world, and if he needed it he simply went to play some of the card games. He could calculate the odds of any card coming up, and make productive choices based on it. The Espada could easily count his cards as well without giving any indication of such, and as a result he won more often than he lost. With wins being more luxurious and losses minimal, money was easy enough to come by if he was looking to buy a drink or something.

Of course, it was fun to just watch the various humans and determine their level of skill. Schultz identified three cheaters with cards up their sleeves as he walked around, amused at their use of a fellow human’s gullibility to earn money. Then there were those who worked simply on blind luck, and often lost. The Espada wondered why they played cards instead of the slots, but human minds were constantly confusing and illogical. Some did it because they said they had more luck at cards, others because they claimed they had skill where they didn’t. Such odd creatures, humans.

Schultz had initially come to Las Vegas because he wanted to do a study on the human belief in luck. And what better place than the land where casinos reigned? Of course there were other entertainments, but the Espada’s detached demeanor made him uninterested and studious demeanor kept him from engaging in simple pleasures. Instead he kept himself aloof and only interacted where he needed to, enjoying the ability to study where he could and observe the crowds around him.

Reaching into his jacket and pulling out a small tome that he kept with him, Schultz grabbed the pen that was connected to his grimoire, which hung from a chain at his side. He wrote swiftly in his small book, making small observations on the humans, deciding to make a small study on their likelihood of taking chances. To test his study, he went to a blackjack game and waited for the deck to be reshuffled, and then started watching the various hands. Oddly, the chances of a person bidding varied by person; one man that Schultz was watching tended to bid when his chances of winning were at 40% or higher. The other waited more carefully, and only bid when his odds were at 65% or higher. It was fascinating, and the Espada could use it to pick out the more crafty humans. Of course, then there were those who bet even with a 5% chance of winning; those were just the ones going by luck. Truly, humans were a variable and interesting study.

However, as he was striding past a new table to start observing another pair of humans who were trying their luck with craps, Schultz felt a strange Reiatsu nearby. It was… familiar? Why would he think that? The Espada frowned and shut his book, tucking it into the pocket that he had pulled it from before he turned to leave. With no care to the reactions of humans around him, he simply turned and headed for one of the windows that overlooked the main street. The lights outside the city were fluorescent, almost painfully bright as they flashed advertisements for various locations. The streets themselves were filled with all sorts of vehicles. There was just so much here to study… pity it would have to wait.

A simple fist through the window caused it to shatter before Schultz leapt out the window. There were gasps and screams behind him from those who had noticed the scholarly-looking young man leaping out the window, several of which were cries of “suicide.” Fancy that, Schultz committing suicide when he’d already died once. The Hollow hole in his chest was proof enough of that, right over his lungs, or where they should be. Rather than be fazed, however, the Espada simply stepped out of his Gigai, letting it fall to the ground below him. He stood in the air, standing atop the Reishi in the human world as he tried to get a lock on the “familiar” reading of Reiatsu.

Once he had a good idea of the direction, Schultz performed a quick Sonido and appeared in a mostly-abandoned alleyway below. A hobo or two might have seen him if they were spiritually aware, but the Espada didn’t care; he just didn’t want to be seen by someone who could decide to turn him into target practice. Instead he hurried along by foot, heading in the direction that he felt the Reiatsu from. Though he wasn’t the most physically fit person, death had given him a fair deal of endurance that he hadn’t had when his lungs were damaged in life, and as a result he could run a good while before he tired out.

As he ran, however, Schultz had several questions pop up in his head. Why did this Reiatsu feel so familiar? What was this Hollow that he was pursuing? The Espada hated being ignorant of facts, and as a result he had to find out what was going on here. If not… well, he was going to have to do something very unpleasant to the next few humans he met. For their sake, he’d better find something interesting, or else there were going to be a series of unsolvable murders in the city.

Remaining Reiatsu: 3900/4000 (-100 from Sonido)

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength - [150 x 60%] (90) Points

Speed - [300 x 60%] (180) Points

Spiritual Pressure - [400] (400) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [350] (350) Points

Light Aura - [40] Points

Dark Aura - [60] Points

Instinct - [150 x 200%] (300) Points

Senses [150 x 200%] (300) Points

Energy sensory - [100 x 200%] (200) Points

Healing Expertise - [75] (75) Points


Total SP: 1675 Points

[Zou ۞]

14 hours earlier.

"Guuuoooohhhhh!!!!"

The hideous voice of the Hollow boomed. It could be heard distinctly even by those with no spiritual awareness. The metallic sound behind it had neither melancholy nor remorse. It was an agonized voice of misery and of hunger. It was a starved voice, and the roar of a child. And yet, it was neither child nor adult. It was a Hollow, and regardless of what it once was, it was a monster then. It would never again be man, woman, or child. It could only be a beast that would feed on and devour everything that seemed to be appetizing. That was what it meant to be a Hollow. And that was why it had to be slain by the figures that stood before it.

One was human, and the other was Quincy. The human wore jeans and a t-shirt, and also had long hair that was in silver color. He was muscular, a male. The Quincy was male as well, and wore white pants and a white jacket. Unlike the human, the Quincy's hair was blond, and it was cropped short. The two of them stood there, in the pitch black night. The moonless sky loomed overhead, and they gazed into the eyes of the enormous beast before them. Red, hungry eyes evaluated their worth, and the value of their strength. It quickly deduced how likely they were to taste good, and how much growth would be attained from devouring them. "What's your name, Human?" the Quincy asked simply, a bow of solid white reiatsu materializing in his hands. The human glanced back at the Quincy, spinning a long bladed chain in his grasp. "Doesn't matter." he responded. The Quincy smirked. "Fair enough."

The two of them suddenly blew forwards, their bodies fast, light. They glided gracefully towards the monstrous Hollow that faced them. It was the human who struck first, his blade soaring towards the face of the Hollow. It reflected off the mask, leaving no mark or damage at all. It was soon grabbed by the beast, only a split second later, and yanked on by a huge fist. The human gasped as he was yanked forwards, for the chain had a part of itself coiled around his arm so he couldn't just be disarmed. The Quincy quickly materialized in front of the human, shooting the chain in half, and catching the ally so that the human couldn't be eaten or killed by the Hollow. The human nodded his thanks, only to look up into the face of the Quincy, and see solid black eyes, and red lips with blood leaking out. Veins were all across the Quincy's face, and a look of hunger too. The Quincy had been hit while saving the human.

The human looked down, noticing a tendril had pierced the Quincy's heart. This one was dead already, and was some kind of puppet too. However, the human did not get the chance to process this before suddenly, a hand tore through his chest, and blood flew out of his mouth. Simultaneous to this, dozens of cuts exploded into existence across his body. He gasped, his vision blurring instantly. His eyes began to lower, and then he saw the gigantic mouth that was stretched overhead, above him and his Quincy ally. His eyes widened once more, and in that time it was his scream that was heard splitting the air. All of this happened before the mouth closed in for a sickening crunch.

Present time.

Schultz didn't take very long to home in on the Hollow beast, which had once again surfaced. It had been 14 hours since the time when it had first been detected by anyone, and it had suddenly disappeared immediately afterwards. This was why Shinigami and perhaps others had been sent to investigate. The strong reiatsu was nothing special, but a strong hollow was still a strong hollow. There was no telling what it could do if it was allowed to run amok. It therefore stood to reason that it was necessary to exterminate it. Well, this was Schulz's first time sensing it, as he was an Arrancar. Though Las Noches had detected it too, and deemed it a "familiar" reiatsu, Schulz had not been sent to investigate it. He'd just picked it up when it resurfaced. Still, one thing should be noted.

Schultz would not notice it, but the beast that he was sensing had gotten stronger since it first initially appeared. The first time it had been sensed, it had been significantly smaller and weaker in feeling than this second appearance. It didn't seem like something that would be easy to fight against for Shinigami, once they arrived. At any rate however, Schultz got deep into an alleyway quickly, and a corner turn brought him to a large open space in the streets. Surprisingly, this was a very dark area, and it was empty. Very few lights, no people at all. It was a perfect, ideal setting to fight an enemy. Don't get any humans involved, or there could be some consequences. It would be especially bad if a reiatsu aware being found Schulz because of it. But, regardless, it was the Hollow he encountered that would truly make this troubling.

The thing had an enormous body, which at first appeared to be made of stone, or at least appeared to be as hard of stone. It had an emotionless face that did not move, and was ground into a blank expression. The body was that of a man, and it was gray, heavily muscular. It was perhaps thirty five feet tall, by rough estimate, in total. It was not on legs, but slithered on a gigantic reptilian tail that was also gray. Noticeably, the tip of the tail was not a tip at all, but a snake's head. The creature also appeared to have large stone wings. It seemed to be several spliced together Egyptian creatures in one. The level was definitely uncertain, but this Hollow looked like a contender. It was regarding Schultz like he might just be a tasty meal. Those enormous buff arms led to large fists as well. That thing was not to be taken lightly. And suddenly, it attacked. A huge fist soared towards Schultz with great speed. Just what was going to happen?

SPOILER: Click to show

SPOILER: Click to show

• Venom Reiatsu Cannon: Shoots a giant burst of reiatsu from the creature's snake tail mouth. Upon contact with inferior reiatsu strength, it will poison a foe with a vicious muscle and nerve destroying toxin. 100 reiatsu direct cost.
  
  
• Takeover - Can release black tendrils from the chest, all very thin, but very long. They can pierce like a needle. Beings of inferior reiatsu strength that are pierced will be taken over, and forced to fight for this Hollow. (So long as the tendrils stay connected.) Absorbs the reiatsu of the victim as well.
  
  
• Stone Body - A defensive technique very similar to Hierro. Anything of inferior reiatsu strength is ineffective rather than lesser in damage. The minimal requirement for being ineffective is a distance of 100 in reiatsu strength.
  
  
• Consumption - Immediately copies the strongest power or technique of any enemy that is successfully killed, and is Class 3 or higher. Lower than class 3 will not be copied. These abilities remain with the Hollow forever. All abilities listed in this spoiler are a part of this Hollow. Nothing is hidden. Some of these might be abilities that belonged to others.
  
  
• Overdrive - Allows the Hollow to push power across the body, increasing or decreasing stats. Essentially, is able to transfer points between stats. Is even able to transfer increases and decreases. By default, this Hollow is a Soldier type. The increase from Soldier will vary based on the rank level of the strongest devoured enemy. At present, this is a Level 2 enemy. It can change stats around every 2 (of my) posts.
  
  
• Big Bang Shot - A powerful punch attack that releases a mass of violet reiatsu upon impact with a target after activation. The reiatsu joins with the target's soul, and draws out all inherent reiatsu. This causes that reiatsu to manifest inside of the fist that is impacting, and releases both the target's reiatsu and the Hollow's reiatsu in a gigantic explosion attack with the combined reiatsu strength of the user and enemy. It drains the victim's reiatsu count to 0 as well. Costs 300 reiatsu.
  
  
• Tremor - A technique that causes "cracking" in all techniques of inferior reiatsu strength that are punched. They will be obliterated after cracking and shattering. This is an instant process. Costs 50 reiatsu.
  
  
• Fire breathing - Out of the snake mouth or regular mouth, this Hollow can release a wide breath of fire that sweeps over a large area. This is a very, very hot white fire. Costs 100 reiatsu.
  
  
• Overlearning - Is able to use techniques of any class at any class. There is no class limit to the techniques that this creature can use, regardless of its current level.
  
  
• Overbuild - Allows this Hollow to have twice the normal amount of maximum SP for whatever level it is presently at. This could be an indication to its actual level. At present, it is a regular Hollow, Class 6. Class 6 at minimum has 280 SP without anything earned. It has 980 maximum with earned. Therefore, this Hollow is capable of having up to 1960 SP.
  

Stats are below.

Strength: 400

Speed: 200 (100)

Reiatsu Strength: 300 (525)

Spiritual Pressure: 200

Instinct: 200

Senses: 50

Healing Expertise: 0

Energy Sensory: 100

Light/Dark Aura: 0/100

Total SP: 1450 SP

[Schultz Silverhult]

Where did it go…

Schultz lost track of the Hollow’s reiatsu briefly, but he caught it again after a moment to pause and take in his surroundings. If it weren’t for his photographic memory, he would have easily gotten lost with all the twists and turns he had made. Of course, it didn’t matter; if he really needed too, he could simply take a Gargantua back to Heuco Mundo whenever he wanted to, and then step back at another time; being lost in the human world was no real detriment in most cases. But it was rather annoying that this Hollow was so far out of the way; Schultz almost imagined that the thing was mocking him. It was all in his head, probably but… he didn’t care. He was starting to get angry.

Where the hell did that fucking Hollow g—Oh hey, there it is.

The Espada’s naturally mercurial mood swings hit again as he turned a corner and found himself in a large space. It was an odd area in the middle of nowhere, but at the same time it was a perfectly prepared battlefield. There were no humans around that could potentially turn out to be spiritually aware beings and cause trouble, or anyone that could become food for the Hollow to make it stronger. The lights were dim, which was somewhat annoying, but it wasn’t pitch-black and there was enough ambient light around that he could see clearly. That was a good thing; Schultz had decent low-light vision, but he preferred to be able to see his target clearly.

Unfortunately, the Hollow saw him before he could begin a sneak attack, and unfortunately Schultz was forced on the defensive right away. He had enough speed to dodge the attack, and the mental reflexes to react in time, so he stepped out of the way and threw his small blade at the Hollow’s head, tugging at the long chain so that it would be able to stab into the creature’s right eye and then immediately be pulled out, further aggravating any wound that would be caused by the hit. Several more quick jabs in the same manner were aimed at the creature’s other eye, its throat, and its mouth if an opening presented itself, attempting to pierce through the creature and cripple it for study.

Schultz had no intention of killing this Hollow, at least not yet; he wanted to find out what it was, and why its Reiatsu felt so familiar. Ascertainment of its combat abilities and its usefulness were also bonus observations, and if it was good enough, he could bring it back to Hueco Mundo, perhaps request to keep it as a pet. Or else use it to slaughter Shinigami, kill them by the hundreds, drench Seireitei in blood… no, no, no, it wouldn’t do to have it be too mindlessly brutal, would it? The Espada’s mood swings were becoming more frequent as he began to get excited about the battle.

After the jabs, Schultz simply fired a quick Bala at the creature’s chest, hoping to knock it back and stun it. Of course, none of these attacks were particularly powerful; he didn’t want to kill his new test specimen, after all. It would be so sad if he didn’t get a chance to properly study this creature and find out why its Reiatsu was so familiar, after all. Schultz just had to know what that was. He hated not knowing, he hated it, hated it, hated it! It was enough to almost drive him into another frenzy as his eyes glowed an even more powerful crimson. He almost wanted to just release his Chimamire no Shinjutsu and show this creature real power for making him so goddamned curious and proving his ignorance on the matter!

“By all that is truth, I want to kill you so badly… You’re lucky you’re enough of a curiosity to be kept alive.”

Current Reiatsu: 3850/4000 (-50 from Bala)

[Zou ۞]

Scraping sounds could be heard as the blade reflected directly off of the creature's eye first, and then also off the rest of its body. It returned to Schultz, proving itself ineffective. Even the Bala did nothing, leaving not a single mark. In fact, all that seemed to happen was that the beast may have become a little bit angered, just like Schultz was. He'd see it, since the Bala left a minimal amount of steam. He'd see that there were no injuries on the beast at all. It had not a scratch! The thing had just taken multiple hits, not even bothering to evade them, and it had done so without batting an eye. On the other hand, since its eyes were not moving, it could be assumed that that mask might have some kind of covering over the eyes, or otherwise that the eyes were part of the mask, and well protected for it.

The Hollow punched once more towards Schultz, who would arguably be able to easily dodge the second punch too. It was then however that the snake became more visible, just at the left side. It had coiled its way to be out of view until it opened its mouth wide and hissed. It was just after the punch, and it was then that the snake began to release a large stream of flames from its mouth. Its forked tongue could not be seen. In fact, the entire snake was obscured from the view of Schultz, who if looking in that direction would be able to see only the hot white flames moving towards him like a wave. If they struck him, if those hot burning flames washed over him, he would suffer a horrific burning damage. The reiatsu strength of this Hollow was massive as well, so his Hierro would do nothing to deter the flames.

It was sudden, but the Hollow's own mouth opened up as well. The main head took a good solid look at Schultz, and fired a large green blast, roughly the size of a Cero. It looked like a green Cero was rushing out towards him. So, there was a punch, a stream of flames, and a large blast of green reiatsu. All of those happened in one sequence of attacks. It didn't seem like any monster that was traditional. No Hollow at that level should have nearly that kind of power. It might terrify Schultz, once he got to a more adequate understanding of the creature that was attacking him. It should be evident that it was not an Adjuchas or Vasto Lorde. But it didn't have the form befitting a Gillian either. So if it wasn't a Menos, it was a regular Hollow.

It wasn't a Menos, but it was still that strong. Just what kind of horrifying monster was that thing? Well, there were also some pros to this, and not just cons. What if Schultz captured it? It would be an invaluable asset to Las Noches if it could be captured. This horrific beast was a regular Hollow. There was no telling how powerful it could become at later levels of its life. It would probably even be enough to wipe out the Escudo rebels back home in Hueco Mundo. It might even turn the tides against Soul Society! And what if it was made into an Arrancar later? It would surely boast enough power to shame even the top tier Espada, and even the Primera! Who knew? It might even have a power that rivaled Sonken Kouhai. In fact, if it became an Espada, Kouhai's strength would exponentially increase as well.

Therefore, it was definitely within good interest to defeat and capture this scary monster. However, how could that be done? That reiatsu strength was enormous. It wasn't on the same level as the top level Espada, but it was higher than several of the Low Tier Espada. It was higher than Schultz's. That thing was hard to strike too. Thus far, it had proven that Schultz's default attacks were not strong enough to hurt it, let alone defeat it. He was going to have to resort to some other methods if he hoped to bring this thing in. Under a barrage of relentless attacks, Schultz was going to be pushed to his outermost limits while fighting this maniacal monster, this demon of unknown origin.

And elsewhere, where no sunlight could ever possibly reach, and where only the artificial bulbs and the torches provided illumination, there sat a man with a top hat and a suit. He lounged in a chair that resembled instead a spiked metal throne, and had in front of him a chessboard, and wore on his face a huge cheshire grin. Yellow eyes continued to observe the chessboard, and pieces began to shift and move on their own. His eyes began to glow, and he smiled coldly. "Yes...Do what you want..." was all that he said out loud. No one else was present in the room, but he spoke anyway. To whom, any listener would be uncertain. He began to cackle right there, in the middle of the nothingness.

Hollow's Remaining Reiatsu: 1800 Reiatsu

[Schultz Silverhult]

Two things went wrong right away. First off, none of Schultz’s attacks pierced the creature’s armor. That wasn’t good; he couldn’t harm it due to that stone-like skin. Even his Bala didn’t seem to cause a dent in the Hollow’s defenses, and the Espada’s Reiatsu Strength wasn’t exactly puny. Maybe compared to other Espada or Shinigami captains, sure, but to a basic Hollow? This creature wasn’t even a Menos! Something was up here… this thing was powerful. And at the same time, that power was so satisfying; now Schultz really wanted to capture it, to make it his prize to bring back to Hueco Mundo. And at the same time, he was pissed off; how dare this creature just shrug off his attacks off like they were nothing. He was the Septima Espada, one of the strongest Arrancar there were! No one should shrug him off!

Of course, then came the second problem, and that was that the creature was immediately counterattacking. The punch was no threat at all, and Schultz simply leapt atop the creature’s arm and ran along its shoulder to leap down behind it. The snake flames and the blast of Reiatsu exploded behind him too as the three attacks converged, missing him completely. While he was close to the creature’s head, Schultz guided his weapon thanks to his connection to the grimoire so that it stabbed at the Hollow’s eyes, face, and neck again, only to be greeted by that same stony armor. He couldn’t begin to pierce the monster’s defenses, no matter what he did. It was infuriating!

“Well, if that won’t work…” The Septima Espada landed behind the creature, grabbing his pen out of the air and stabbing it into the lock of his grimoire. A powerful crimson Reiatsu as bright as blood spilled free from the pages as the cover lifted, bursting outwards through the area. “Reveal your knowledge, Chimamire no Shinjutsu!”

Suddenly, crimson seemed to stain Schultz’s white robe as if blood were dripping onto it; small patches appeared across the white, then large blotches, and finally the whole thing turned a bright red. The robe melted into his skin, staining it red too, leaving him bare-chested. Claws tipped his new fingers, and chains burst out of his back as four more blades like his natural weapon emerged from their tips. His skin itself began to drip with blood as it pooled around his feet, and slowly his grimoire floated from his side to hover before him, pages still leaking that powerful bloody Reiatsu into the air. Schultz’s eyes were wild now too, as emotion took hold even more strongly under the effects of his Release.

“Now, sit still so I can tear you apart and leave you just alive enough to bring you back to Heuco Mundo, you fucking monster. I’m going to enjoy tormenting you when I’m done here.”

With that, all four blades at the ends of their chains began stabbing wildly at the Hollow’s body, stabbing into limbs, torso, neck, and face, rapidly and with no delay between the attacks. It was like a hundred blades were all attacking at once, they were so fast. And with a twenty-foot range on the chains, Schultz had more than enough room to dodge if an attack came his way. During the barrage, three more Bala went off, exploding against the creature’s body, exploding with crimson Reiatsu as they struck. Each hit was ineffective, though the sheer force of the attacks should be driving the creature back… right?

Unfortunately, the stone armor was still too much due to their Reiatsu difference. Schultz found himself even angrier, his eyes practically flashing with bloodlust, but managed to force it down with difficulty. Getting upset and overworked over a goddamn pathetic weak excuse of a Hollow wasn’t going to help him capture it. He had to think rationally, calmly. Waterfalls, tranquil meadows… what else had been in those anger management tapes that the humans had? Either way, he was beginning to relax from his rage, but he was still angry. Still very, very angry. This Hollow was going to suffer a little for making him angry, and for making him so goddamn curious! Soothing waves, dolphins… calm came once more.

Slowly analysis and detached observation began to take hold. This Hollow’s defense was very strong, which meant that it had a Reiatsu Strength vastly above his own. For the moment Schultz assumed that the stone armor worked like Hierro. Unfortunately, the mask itself wasn’t part of the creature’s actual face; it was a covering, meaning that the usual weaknesses of the facial openings weren’t quite a weakness. That left the snake head, which was vulnerable; perhaps that could be exploited as an opening. Schultz reminded himself that he had to capture the creature, not kill it, so perhaps an attack on the snake head would be best, followed by a semi-crippling injury that would weaken it long enough to be taken to Heuco Mundo. Surely someone at Los Noches would be able to patch it up so that they could work on bringing it to their side, right?

But he would need time, and a bit more strength to attack with. Quickly, Schultz used a Sonido to quickly move to a nearby rooftop, leaving behind only the whisper of his words as he vanished. “My knowledge will show you endless possibilities.”

Dozens of Schultz illusions appeared around the creature in every direction but up. The real Espada watched from above as his illusions surrounded the Hollow, trying to distract it from Schultz. While it was distracted, he began gathering up his energy to counterattack, converting his Spiritual pressure into Reiatsu quickly so that he would be able to pierce the Hollow’s armor. He felt the power welling up inside of him, becoming more focused and stronger as he began to prepare a counterattack. This Hollow wasn’t going to make a fool out of him again…!

Remaining Reiatsu: 3000/3000 (Infinite, -400 from Release, drops from 3450 to 3000 due to Spiritual Pressure Conversion at the end)

Ressurection: 1/12

Reiatsu Loss after Release: 550 (150 from Bala x3, 100 from Sonido, 300 from conversion)

Converted 100 Spiritual Pressure to Reiatsu Strength (New Totals: 450 Reiatsu Strength, 300 Spiritual Pressure).

[Zou ۞]

SPOILER: Click to show

The creature seemed to be seething with a sudden, uncontrolled, and unpredictable rage at the sudden use of such a trick as that. Little did Schultz know, its reiatsu was pumping, and it was beginning to reroute all of its powers. Despite its appearance, the beast did not get off on being unintelligent. No, rather it had things that it could do to increase its ability to fight against him. Reiatsu was pumping throughout its body, taking different statistic values and converging them on its ability to move. More or less, this meant it could not hear anew. It could not smell anew. It could not see anew. By the end of this, it was not that not even a heartbeat would likely escape its notice. It was that it would be a blinding monster. Taking its sensory abilities and allowing its energy sensory to realize that Schultz was powering up, the creature seemed to decide on more destructive means.

This sensory was made just before that ability to sense reiatsu was put into an entirely different sense. The beast did not wish to dawdle, it seemed. It wanted its tasty meal and its power increase just as well. The Hollow had taken security in its defensive powers before, and this was why it didn't defend against the illusion attackers. It ignored them completely, as if they didn't even exist. It had a decent energy sensory. Therefore, since Schultz was still relatively close, and his reiatsu was the only one powering up, logic in the Hollow's mind would state to it that of course Schultz was using a petty trick to escape and power up, and it would even tell the creature where he was. The wings began to beat wildly, blasting the creature high into the air, where it hovered.

It looked down on Schultz, its eyes gazing at him ferociously. It did not look pleased at his sudden change of strategies. He would soon find out just how angry it had become. Even its weakness had been completely relocated during the time that it changed out its powers. The Hollow continued to watch Schultz, who was on that rooftop, and then suddenly blew towards him. It was fast! It had become a huge mass faster, and it was certainly something that Schultz would have an unbelievable amount of trouble keeping up with. The creature's ability to move had increased so drastically that Schultz would most certainly be absolutely shocked by it. He was going to get hit! How could he evade what was coming?! That blinding speed far outmatched his own, and even his instinctive ability would prove useless if he lacked the speed to match it.

It was also a completely unexpected turn of events for this monster to be able to move so quickly, and therefore it would leave Schultz baffled once the monster attacked him. The entire building was eaten away as flames devoured and annihilated it from out of the snake's mouth, wide open and shooting anew some white flames. If they hit Schultz, he'd be burned to a crisp. And yet, it was a new attack that he might want to look out for. How he would dodge was questionable, due to the unexpected speed, which in the first place was explosive and far beyond him anyway. How would he defend remained up to him. The new attack of course appeared to be some sort of punch attack. It brought the creature dangerously close, right up to Schultz, with its fist slamming forwards.

Violet light and reiatsu had materialized all around the creature's fist. Its attack was going to be dangerous. The white flames were surrounding everywhere that Schultz could move anyway. If he moved, he risked being burned severely by the white flames that were everywhere. They were in a ring around him when the Hollow's punch was nearer to him, and they continued pouring down from above, where the snake head was angled. This punch was evidently going to pack a lot more punch than Schultz would like. He was going to have massive troubles if he continued to fight this beast without a re-evaluation. It was a regular Hollow that had forced him to release. What else might it possibly do against him?

The monstrous thing roared as it attacked him. The roar was loud, and it was a terrifying thing. The creature's body was tensed up as it attacked, and it seemed like it might even be ready at proper notice to produce a counter to something that appeared. Whatever happened, it had decided to devote its powers to killing Schultz for the moment. It clearly wanted to gobble him up, and take all of his power too. Unknown to Schultz, its growth would be exponential if it managed to defeat him there. It wasn't a favorable situation to be in. And, worse yet, with his sensory, he'd probably feel it. Another reiatsu of a relatively decent level was approaching. Someone had sensed this Hollow, and was closing in on it! What could Schultz do? Well, first he had to find a way to survive the attack barrage.

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength: 100 (50)

Speed: 700

Reiatsu Strength: 300 (525)

Spiritual Pressure: 200

Instinct: 100

Senses: 50

Healing Expertise: 0

Energy Sensory: 0

Light/Dark Aura: 0/100

Total SP: 1450 SP

[Schultz Silverhult]

Oh dear… Why does everything have to be so bloody fast all of the time?

The Hollow’s surge of speed was surprising as it appeared before Schultz, causing the Espada to stumble back. Only by reflex did he fire a Cero Viga just as another burst of flames came his way, scattering them around him. It was only a slightly effective defense, however, cutting the flames to burst against the building around him and burn it away. The heat was intense, causing Schultz to wince at the flames crackling around him, but it was much better than being directly incinerated. The attack was brutal! There was no way this was an ordinary Hollow; with this much power and speed, it was a monster!

What was worse was that it hadn’t stopped yet. The Hollow’s fist came about in another lightning-fast attack, and it was only Schultz’s mental reflexes that saved him from a crippling if not fatal blow. Illusion was not limited to merely sight; touch was just as easy to fool. The creature’s muscles would stop automatically as its brain believed that it had just crashed into an impenetrable wall, the brain’s impulses telling it that there was a solid object there that it could not break through. It was a desperate move, and hard to maintain, as Schultz was fighting muscle reflex with simple intellectual impulses. This Hollow was nearly mindless, and as a result it wasn’t a strong defense by a long shot, but it was all he needed to escape.

Before the creature’s muscles would override its simple thought processes—which would take only seconds in the best case scenario—Schultz used another Sonido to get behind the monster. Again dozens of copies appeared in the air around him, illusions of the Espada surrounding the powerful Hollow. With no energy sensory now, it wouldn’t even be able to tell which was really Schultz. Of course, the real Schultz was smart and leapt back with yet another Sonido, landing on a rooftop further away to assess the situation and hoping that his clones would work this time. His breathing came heavily after that rapid flurry of attack and defense, and it was clear that this battle was not in his favor. The Hollow was just far too powerful.

Damn this thing is annoying… all the more benefit if I can bring it to Heuco Mundo, but how do I do it…?

Unfortunately, there was neither time nor luxury to examine the creature in detail and turn out a foolproof plan. Schultz began to detect another Reiatsu coming close. It wasn’t weak either; it was someone who could be at least decently comparable. Who the hell could that be? Schultz didn’t recognize it right away, so it could be ally or enemy… likely the latter. The Espada almost predicted that it’d be a Shinigami that showed up to kill a Hollow. Hrm… Shinigami here to kill a Hollow? An interesting chain of thought began to sprout from that simple phrase, and Schultz smiled as he began to plan.

Why did he need to fight when someone else could do it for him? Yes, the Espada realized that there was a good plan in the works there. Let the two fight each other to death, as long as the Hollow had the upper hand, and if the other showed some advantage, Schultz could simply cut him down where he stood, and capture the weakened Hollow with minimal difficulty. All he had to do was stay away from the battle, out of range of becoming collateral damage, but close enough that he could strike when necessary. Yes, that would be a brilliant idea, to let this stranger do his work for him. It was a fitting punishment for the one who was interrupting his battle, yes it was.

With that, Schultz dispersed all but a few images, and they landed on a rooftop opposite the real Espada before running off in the direction of the other Reiatsu that was coming closer. The images would vanish as soon as they leapt out of sight, giving the Hollow a direction to start charging and stampeding in. Hopefully it didn’t cause too much collateral damage, as that might attract more unwanted attention, but no plan was perfect. At least it would enable Schultz to save his Reiatsu for when it became necessary in combat. Hopefully, it would only require minimal work… but that would be determined by this other Reiatsu.

This is becoming very interesting…

Reiatsu: 3000/3000 (Infinite)

Resurrection: 2/12

Reiatsu Loss after Release: 1030 (280 from Cero Viga, 200 from two Sonido)

[Zou ۞]

The Hollow's muscles tensed up and stopped, but only momentarily. It resumed instantly afterwards, whiplashing its body to shake off the prior effects. Schultz may have gotten away in that time frame, but it didn't matter. This monster was far stronger than just about any adversary he'd face for a long time in both past, present, and future. It was also his mistake to allow that Hollow to go after another enemy. It flew in the direction of that other reiatsu, rushing outwards towards it. It disappeared soon after that, into wherever that other one was. And then, it became apparent that the large reiatsu had been joined by a weaker, smaller one, which had been hidden by the large one. Since it got closer, it could be sensed more easily. Both could be identified as individuals.

Yes, and this was what made it a mistake. Thirty seconds passed, and then one scream echoed. Even if Schultz tried to go to where the sources of reiatsu were, he'd quickly find that the reiatsu were suddenly blurring around to different locations at the same time. It was apparent that either they could move fast, or there was some sort of other technique involved. Either way, what made it a mistake was when the reiatsu sources stopped moving. Another scream filled the air. It was obvious that these two signatures had not expected quite so powerful of an enemy. This Hollow was definitely incredibly powerful. And it had just killed and eaten those two enemies, devouring them whole. That wasn't good at all. And, if Schultz had any ability to sense reiatsu amount, he'd find that this Hollow had restored itself.

He'd also find one more thing. It had been a mistake to let it go after unknowns like that, especially if one had been significantly powerful. Suddenly, a huge shadow exploded into existence behind him, and the giant tail lashed into Schultz. It was so sudden, so unexpected, that not even an instinctive reaction should be enough this time, and it was likely that he would be sent flying from the rooftop, crashing down in the alleyway. Luckily, damage would be quite minimal, more or less, with the exception of some shock and bruising. What on earth had that been?! It had been instantaneous. The Hollow had directly materialized behind Schultz, pinpoint.

It should not have had the means to get there so quickly or instantly, or take him by surprise so suddenly. The approaching reiatsu had not been present until already there. It should not have been able to find him so easily too. This couldn't be good. Whatever ability this Hollow was using, it wasn't one it had chosen to use before. Schultz was lucky he hadn't been attacked by something more vicious. Luckily, this one liked playing with its food too. It was possible that he could have been dangerously injured, or even killed, had that Hollow chosen to be more serious about the matter.

It was unfathomable. What happened? The snake tail also wreathed up. The Hollow was on a rooftop, and Schultz was down in the alley. He was cornered by an enemy that had high ground. And in that instant, the entire alleyway filled with white flames, being fired down so that they filled and encompassed that entire space. It immediately would burn Schultz and destroy him if he didn't find some way to escape. His body would be reduced to a nothingness, or worse, if he could not find some way to escape. Still, it seemed unlikely that he would escape unharmed. Either way, it still stood to reason, where had these new techniques come from? Had they been held in reserve, or worse?

Suddenly, the flames stopped. Regardless of if Schultz had been hit or not, they simply stopped. If he'd been hit, it was unfortunate. If not, lucky. Either way, they ceased completely altogether, and instead something else began happening. It was a new attack charging. It started off at first as a yellow orb in the snake's mouth. However, when it fired, things did not look good. A gigantic blast of gold reiatsu rushed outwards. It was huge. A simply enormous attack that encompassed and swallowed the entire alleyway, and six large buildings! Any humans residing in those buildings had been killed, definitely. And, all of a sudden, a new, blue aura began to radiate around the Hollow. What else had just happened?!

Hollow's Remaining Reiatsu: 1600 Reiatsu

SPOILER: Click to show

New techniques added to this Hollow's arsenal.

• Teleport Lock-On - This can work for or against the user depending on the circumstances. Within a mile radius only, the user is able to lock onto and instantly teleport to the strongest reiatsu signature, leaving behind only a flash of light. It's instantaneous, even faster than Shunpo or Sonido. It simply happens, and it leaves enemies entirely baffled. If the target is not the strongest reiatsu signature, this will backfire. This causes 100 reiatsu to use.
  
  
• Ursa Cannon - An enormous blast attack that encompasses and incinerates anything in its path. As displayed earlier, it was enough to wipe out many large buildings and leave nothing but ashes and destruction in its wake. This was the strongest attack of the stronger of the two Fullbringers killed. It costs 300 reiatsu to use, and it now belongs to this Hollow.
  
  
• Resizing - This ability was obtained at the very end of this post. A weak mod soul was in fact present in one of the destroyed buildings. This allows the Hollow, for 50 reiatsu, to resize one of its body parts. Usually, the limbs. It can massive increase their size, making them much, much bigger, to cover more area and inflict far more damage with a single attack.
  

OOC Note: Around 140 casualties have been made. Luckily, it's still a deserted area, since the area surrounding was empty. However, the field is now much larger and more open. It also means that this Hollow increased its strength by defeating an enemy.

[Schultz Silverhult]

Now all I have to do is wait for the two forces to fight it out, and then the Hollow should be weak enough for me to capture it.

Schultz smirked as he watched the creature move from his safe rooftop hideout. It was going straight after the other Reiatsu source, just as he had hoped. It was a perfect plan, and he was going to show the other Espada that he deserved to be in their ranks, hopefully enough to make them leave him alone. Schultz had too much research to do to continue to be bothered by things like other people or Hollows trying to consume him; if he had power, then those individuals would respect or fear him to the point that they’d leave him in peace. That was his goal in becoming Espada; the ability to obtain complete solitude when he wanted it, to research and seek out the Truth in peace.

But his goals aside, he had to actually capture this Hollow first. Judging by the screams and the fading Reiatsu, however, it was going to be a bit trickier than he had expected. What was stranger were the energy signatures jumping around; was one of those who had come to fight the Hollow someone who possessed some kind of teleportation ability? Theoretically it was possible, by using one’s Reiatsu to break down the body into something intangible like light or air in a second and then transport it before reforming instantly. It was an interesting idea, though, one that was worth studying. Maybe it would be better to stop the fight and capture the one with those powers too, to see if he could replicate them…

Another scream. Oops. Too late. What a shame; that’s a great study, now lost. Oh well…

Well, it was about time to go see what damage had managed to be inflicted on the Hollow. Schultz adjusted his glasses as he prepared to hop on over there and observe, until he felt that familiar Reiatsu again... directly behind him. Startled, Schultz turned soon enough to see a fist crash into him, something he had no chance to avoid. The gigantic blow slammed him through the lip of the building he was resting on and straight down into the alley below, crashing into the ground painfully. If it weren’t for his Hierro, the Espada might have been more than just bruised and battered as he got up from the ground.

What the hell was that, though? Schultz hadn’t even detected the Hollow getting close, and suddenly it had been behind him without warning. Had it masked its Reiatsu? No, it had just seemed to… jump. That was odd though; where had the creature gotten such an ability? One of the Reiatsu sources from before had been jumping around, and it wasn’t the Hollow’s, but the ability wasn’t so common that multiple beings within a short time frame or distance would possess it short of coincidence. And Schultz was one to easily discount coincidence; something was up here. Was the Hollow able to copy techniques it had seen, or was it a form of absorption? Either way, this was becoming much more interesting…

The sea of flames raining down from above was met the same way as the first one, with a basic Cero cutting right through them and splitting the flames out to either side of him. The alleyway caught fire easily, stone even melting from the intensity of the heat, but once more Schultz managed to emerge unscathed. He was thankful, because right now he was not anticipating a joyous feeling at becoming a pile of melted slag on the pavement. At least they were easy enough to dodge for now, but if he wasn’t careful, the Espada wasn’t going to live to hold his position much longer. Schultz wasn’t even sure of his survival if the creature kept getting more powerful like this—wait, what was going on?

Suddenly a surge of golden Reiatsu formed in the snake-mouth. Quickly Schultz used a Sonido to get above it and land on the main body’s head before the shot even went off, and he was thankful that he did; beneath the two combatants, several buildings had simply been annihilated. They were gone, no more; they simply ceased to be. The Espada couldn’t begin to imagine the number of deaths that might have been caused in that time. He felt no remorse from the losses, more a horrified fascination that he could have been included in that blast. Certainly he’d have to watch out for that golden Reiatsu again, because if he got hit by it, that would be game over.

“Oh my… so powerful, yet so mindless… it’s sad that something of your power has no intellect whatsoever… Just think of how strong you could be if you knew how to wield it!”

Schultz leapt from atop the Hollow’s skull with a Sonido and fired a pair of Bala at its back, trying to catch it off-guard. He was beginning to design another plot to capture this creature. After all, he didn’t necessarily need to contain it… he merely needed to release it in Heuco Mundo. One of the more powerful Espada would be more suited to deal with it than he was, and they could certainly contain something even this powerful. So Schultz wouldn’t get credit for capturing it; he’d at least get the credit of localizing it in a team effort or something… bah, the upper tier Espada wouldn’t care, likely. Oh well, at least it’d be in Heuco Mundo for studying once it was tamed. That was something of a victory, right?

Actually, it might not be the best idea without neutralizing the creature first. If it really could absorb abilities, then unleashing it on an area with thousands of weaker Hollows was a bad idea. It’d simply gobble them all up and gain so many different abilities that even the higher Espada might have a hard time dealing with it. Somehow, he was going to have to handle it and neutralize it himself. But how to do so was the problem… if Schultz had to cripple it some way, he had to deal with that snake-head in particular, and keep it from releasing more attacks. After that, he could worry about the main body. The majority of attacks seemed to come from the snake head and fists, though.

Alright, it was time to begin. Schultz had made physical contact with the Hollow, so he put up one of his usual defenses for a physically powerful opponent. “My observations give me foresight.” His mind raced with knowledge as he deciphered the creature’s reflexes and muscle memory, getting him some advantage in this fight. Though this Hollow’s speed was so high, he could at least reduce the impact of its attacks now by a good deal and anticipate the motions to some extent. That teleportation ability though… that would be trouble. Even anticipation of physical movements would be pushed to its limit with only a split second to react.

Once his defenses were in place, Schultz charged forward at the Hollow from his position in the sky, all four of his blades stabbing downwards. Each one was aimed at a different point, one at each of the shoulder joints while the remaining two attempted to stab into the snake head and the length of tail that made up its “body”. The blades, while not particularly long, were sharp enough and long enough to pierce all the way to the muscles with ease if they struck, and with a little work once the creature’s upper limbs and tail might slow down so that its attacks wouldn’t be as powerful. This was only a hopeful best-case scenario, unfortunately; Schultz didn’t know this creature’s anatomy well enough to be completely certain.

Remaining Reiatsu: 3000/3000

Resurrection: 3/12

Reiatsu Loss after Release: 1610 (280 from Cero Viga, 200 from two Sonido, 100 from two Bala)

[Zou ۞]

The Hollow's attacks missed, and it didn't wait long to defend. Schultz moved behind it to try to use Bala, but it suddenly vanished instantly, materializing behind him again. It should be more expected this time. It seemed that the teleportation that it used brought it behind the foe. Either that, or it could choose where to go. If it was choosing, then it was doing so predictably. Many adversaries came from behind, and this made them predictable. However, the instantaneous methods behind it made it very difficult to deal with. It seemed that Schultz might want to come up with a new strategy to fight against this monster.

However, as he began attacking with his blades, he might note something. The beast was moving with speedy zig zag maneuvers to dodge his blades. He was so much slower that evading his attacks was nothing. But it stayed near him. And, as the last attack came in, the Hollow grabbed Schultz's wrist, gripping it tightly as it caught him. From there, its other arm tensed up, and suddenly expanded, growing much larger. It was bigger than Schultz's body. A huge fist crashed down, smashing into Schultz. If this hit, he'd be blasted back down to the alleyway, where he'd receive some broken ribs, and some bruises. The Hollow released him as the punch impacted, or got to where it should have impacted, so that was why he'd fly.

Regardless of whether or not the attack hit, the Hollow swerved away afterwards as its arm began shrinking back down to a normal size. It was dangerous to continue to fight against it. The thing was starting to learn too. It seemed that perhaps, at the very least, it had a fine mind for adapting. That earlier attack would be near impossible to guard against because of the speed, and the Hollow's giant fist probably wouldn't be stopped by another wall illusion, simply because Schultz most likely lacked the time to make one, given that it was so fast. His defense would need to be something better. On the other hand, there also existed the philosophy of take a hit to make a hit. The Hollow had done something similar, catching, but staying in range.

Either way, it should be noted that Schultz's ideas hadn't been bad. Sending this thing to Hueco Mundo would seem difficult, but not impossible. It followed strong reiatsu signatures. He could just bring himself into a Garganta and it would follow him. From there, he'd just have to survive inside of the Garganta until it opened back up in Hueco Mundo. Though, this admittedly would be difficult, given the limited space. However, it was absolutely known that several high levels were present in Hueco Mundo at that time. Kuroi Naito, Segunda Espada, was present in Las Noches at that time, resting up after having returned from a mission. The same was true of Shiroi Hokai, Exequias Leader. (OOC Note: Mostly those two are the ones there because they're my characters. I can't just go and control someone else, after all.)

There was also Cain, the Decima Espada. Though his rank was lower than Schultz, he possessed a noteworthy ability that none of the other Espada did. The curse of the first sinner. The first murderer in the world was Cain, and his curse for this deed, this crime, was to walk through life as an outcast, marked by his white skin. He was to suffer without emotions, and all who tried to kill him would receive seven times his damage, and he would reincarnate as he died. Essentially, he could neutralize the Hollow better than anyone else, simply because it couldn't attack him. Though, there was danger that it might accidentally be killed. Maybe there were other options on top of that.

Perhaps, for example, Schultz could run away. If he ran away, and tracked the Hollow, then he might be able to get it while its guard was lowered, when it was resting or something. Then again, there was danger that it would become even more immeasurably powerful by the time he got to it, if that happened. It was unfathomable what that thing would be like by the time it became a Menos. It could certainly spell bad news and absolute disaster for those who attempted to fight it. Schultz would have to worry about quite a few things. Maybe he could find some assistance. It would be hard, though, given the circumstances. He definitely needed to think of something, though. That Hollow was strong. It would be impossible to capture it without getting hurt.

Meanwhile, the Hollow itself seemed to pick up on another strong reiatsu signature that was approaching, obviously drawn by all fo the flaring reiatsu and by all of the destruction. It turned towards it, and started moving towards that other signal. What would happen if it got there?! Would it kill that person too? Well, most likely. In that case, what could Schultz do? Let it go and come back later? Get assistance from the other guy? Not let the Hollow go that way? All sorts of options, and there were also all sorts of possible, and horrifying consequences. Whatever happened, he'd best be careful.

Hollow's Remaining Reiatsu: 1550 Reiatsu

[Schultz Silverhult]

This thing was far too powerful. Something was up with this Hollow, and it was a frightening creature. Schultz couldn’t think of the last time he had actually been this scared for his life, but he was there now. It was a very… disturbing feeling. But one thing was for sure: the Septima Espada could not beat this creature on his own, not with his specialties lying in illusions and knowledge; the creature was far too mindless. With pure instinct and not intellectual thought leading it, Schultz had little power over the creature. Unfortunately, that meant that there was a high probability of his death, something he was not too pleased with. He had to figure out a way to stop this thing!

The problem was that the creature was fast, making it difficult to land a strike. That teleportation technique that it used was a problem, allowing it to dodge any attack that was sent its way. Beyond that, it was in possession of several very powerful techniques. Though Schultz had been able to avoid the worst of them so far, there was no guarantee that the trend would continue. At this rate, it was going to surprise him in the one key moment that would finish him off. This was bad; it was obvious that Schultz could not defeat his opponent; not alone anyway. And if he let the Hollow go after others and absorb their abilities too, then it would only be that much more difficult to capture.

There was only one solution: send it to Heuco Mundo before it grew too powerful. Schultz wasn’t sure who was at Las Noches at the time, as he had been away for a bit, but several of the other Espada were more than capable of dealing with this creature. If any of them were present, they’d be better suited to dealing with the Hollow. With that in mind, Schultz prepared to open a Gargantua, hoping to draw the creature into it. It seemed to be seeking out any sort of power that it could find, but Schultz was sure enough in the strength of his Reiatsu that he was confident that he would remain the main target. There wasn’t anything else around that should draw its attention…

What the—!

Suddenly the creature jumped in position again, dodging his Bala. It appeared behind him, making it easy to follow up with his stabbing blades, but it simply avoided them with the amazing speed that it possessed. And then it reached out for him even as the weapons slid past it, one huge hand catching him as it suddenly grew in size. Even with the Hollow’s predictable nature, Schultz just wasn’t fast enough to avoid the crushing grip that squeezed around his wrist. This was getting worse by the moment! And now he was caught, unable to do anything while he was in the monster’s grip.

Of course, he didn’t remain in its grip for long. A powerful hit smashed into him as the Hollow resized its fist, sending Schultz hurtling across the ground to smash into the side of a building. He distinctly heard a loud snap, and pain blossomed on his right side as he felt two of his ribs break from the impact. Though his Confidence technique had helped him twist his body to reduce the injuries taken and the impact from the hit, it was powerful enough that it still inflicted an amazing amount of damage. The Espada winced as he pushed himself up, wondering if he was bleeding internally from how his ribs had snapped. Hopefully that wasn’t the case, but he could worry about someone patching him up later. Right now, he had to deal with this Hollow, before it got even more powerful.

He had to send it to Heuco Mundo… and there was only one way to do it: through a Garganta. Convincing the creature to enter the Garganta would be bad enough, but then he’d have to guide it through to Heuco Mundo while trying to not be killed. Frankly, Schultz felt that his odds of survival were low if he wasn’t careful. He had already used up a good chunk of time on his Resurrection, and if he didn’t act soon, those chances would be zero. The Espada was certain that the loss of his Primera Etapa would spell doom for him if he tried to take the Hollow through the Garganta in his normal state.

“Alright. Time to deal with you, Holl—hey wait, where are you going!?"

Out of the blue, the Hollow had decided to change directions. Schultz noticed another Reiatsu signature nearby, and swore to himself; the creature couldn’t be allowed to gain any more power! A quick Sonido placed him in front of the Hollow, and immediately a Cero Viga exploded in its face. Crimson Reiatsu tore into the sky, hopefully after piercing the creature through the stomach as the shot had been intended. Though it was a painful and crippling shot, the attack wouldn’t have been fatal if it struck. The stomach wound would only leave it weakened and much easier to capture.

But Schultz, just like the Hollow, adapted quickly. He expected that teleportation technique again, and immediately after his Cero Viga fired, all four of his blades were facing behind him and each released a single Bala. Beyond where he expected the Hollow to appear, he created a Garganta, so in the event that the Hollow moved behind him as he expected, it would be blasted upon reappearing, and the force would stagger it back into the Garganta. He could follow after it, close the gate, and lead it to Heuco Mundo. Of course, Schultz also was going on the assumption that it did indeed move behind him, and that he wouldn’t be killed in the process of leading it through the Garganta. It was a low chance of survival, unfortunately.

Now Schultz understood why humans were so willing to take chances and gamble when their odds were low; desperation overrode hesitation. And he could not afford to hesitate here.

Remaining Reiatsu: 3000/3000

Resurrection: 4/12

Reiatsu Loss after Release: 2190 (280 from Cero Viga, 100 from one Sonido, 200 from four Bala)

[Zou ۞]

The Hollow stopped dead as Schultz appeared in front of it, a Cero charging. It had only a moment, but it chose not to move. Instead, which might even be very alarming to Schultz, it simply stayed put, completely still. Reiatsu pumped around its body at the exact instant that the Cero fired, and it was directly hit too. The Hollow would not be so easy to get into a Garganta as expected. Rather than teleport, it had chosen to enhance itself once again. This meant that its stats were swapping around. However, unlike before, it was harnessing its own power so that its ability to defend itself with reiatsu strength was much higher. When the Cero Viga completed, it would be found that it was ineffective. The Bala fired into the Garganta, but had no effect, as the Hollow didn't appear there.

It had been waiting for a time to give itself an even higher ability again. When it blew forwards, it was noticeably that its speed was slower, but that it was still significantly fast. It hadn't reduced its speed to the original, normal amount that Schultz had seen it start with. It had kept itself a huge amount faster than he was, significant in such a way that dodging would still be impossible more than half the time, and difficult the rest of the time. It was a difficult predicament to be in, certainly, but that mighty Hollow did not show any signs of letting up against Schultz with its attacks. The Cero Viga had already failed, and its defense had gone up even more. Therefore, the natural thing to do was find a new way to trap it.

Schultz might note that it wasn't intelligent, so of course it would be best to go into the Garganta himself. However, there was also that other reiatsu signature to worry about. What if it went after that one then, instead of after Schultz? It would prove to be very dangerous if that happened. For one thing, it would potentially get even stronger. For another, it would defeat Schultz's entire plan in the first place. At long last, he was feeling what many learned in their endless years of battle. He was learning to fear for his life, for he was finding a threat that typically surpassed his ability to deal with it. Just to survive, he might have to resort to killing that thing. On the other hand, there was no doubt that he could catch it.

He might take one more injury while catching it, but he might still just catch it. The Hollow was moving towards him, and it was at that time that the mouth of the Hollow opened. At such a close range, Schultz was going to have some trouble. White flames shot out of its mouth, heading for him at close range. They swept over a huge radius in the air, for both Schultz and the Hollow at that point were in the air, over the alleyway. It would be disastrous to get hit by, but the difference in reiatsu strength previously had already been quite significant. With this new difference, which once again made it immune to most of Schultz's attacks, it would blast through any Cero that he fired.

Schultz wasn't out of the clear over that technique, either. Black tendrils, thin like pencils, began extending out of the Hollow's chest. They extended forwards, moving with sinister attention towards Schultz himself. It was uncertain what those did, as this was the first time that Schultz had encountered the Hollow's tendrils thus far in the battle. However, considering what the sinister effects of the other attacks had been, it didn't exactly seem like it would be good to get hit by any of them. They looked pointed, and sharp. They could potentially stab into Schultz. Worse yet, there was more than one reiatsu signature too. There were four approaching.

All of them had been drawn by the chaos, and by the destruction. The surges of reiatsu had attracted many who had otherwise been hiding, and who felt fear at that time. It seemed that some Shinigami had arrived. Two Shinigami were approaching. One unidentified type, probably human. And, there was an enormous reiatsu heading their way as well. It was even bigger than Schultz's. In fact, it was a reiatsu larger than Schultz's, the two Shinigami's, and the human combined. It was also an unknown signature type, indicating that it was not a Hollow, not a Shinigami, not an Arrancar, and certainly in general no race that Schultz had ever thus far encountered.

So, therefore, what could he do? Flames were heading his way, and four new signatures were approaching too, at exactly the same time. It seemed like whatever happened, things were not going to be good for Schultz. If he didn't hurry and wrap this up as quickly as possible, he was going to find himself in a world of hurt. Four signatures, three of which were mid level at best, but one of which had a huge power. Assuming the Hollow could get stronger from defeating enemies, it would probably grow very progressively just from beating those four enemies. Dealing with it wouldn't be nearly so easy if that happened. Schultz had to do something. He had to do it fast.

Hollow's Remaining Reiatsu: 1450 Reiatsu

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength: 100 (50)

Speed: 600

Reiatsu Strength: 400 (700)

Spiritual Pressure: 200

Instinct: 100

Senses: 50

Healing Expertise: 0

Energy Sensory: 0

Light/Dark Aura: 0/100

Total SP: 1450 SP

[Schultz Silverhult]

The downside to making plans was that one assumed the enemy would follow them as well. The Hollow adapted faster than Schultz had expected unfortunately, putting him at a disadvantage as it simply took his attacks directly, causing his Bala to explode harmlessly into the depths of the Gargantua. What was worse was that it was learning at an exponential rate, finding new depths to its strength and making it even more difficult for the Espada to handle. His blades couldn’t pierce its stone-like armor, his Bala and Cero were becoming less and less effective, and even his illusions only worked so well on a mindless creature. In the end, Schultz was reduced to a severe disadvantage in fighting this creature. The only chance he had was to lure the creature into a Garganta before others came into the fray and allowed it to gain more power… but that was going to be difficult.

Still, there were ways, and Schultz was determined to find them. No one was getting between him and his goal of capturing the Hollow before him, with the exception of it growing too powerful for capture. If that became the case, then he would sadly have to kill it. It would be a great loss, but it was better than letting the Hollow rampage and kill anyone that it wanted. If it became too powerful, it would be great for taking out Shinigami in great numbers, but at the same time it would be just as deadly to either side. It fed on power, after all, and the Espada were more powerful than the Shinigami Captains on average. They would become a target eventually, and if this creature gained the ability to create Garganta on its own, it would potentially wreak havoc upon Hueco Mundo.

Alright, I need a plan…

Unfortunately, there was little time to think. The wave of fire that greeted him was greeted reflexively by a Bala that exploded in the Hollow’s face as its mouth opened and fire met Reiatsu. The heat didn’t even have a chance to wash over Schultz as the creature’s own attack exploded at near point-blank. The Espada was knocked back as well from the proximity of the explosion, but quickly rebounded and immediately darted forward, expecting to be able to catch the creature in a quick tackle while it was stunned from its own attack, even as a Garganta appeared behind it. It wasn’t a Sonido-enhanced tackle or anything, but while the Hollow was stunned it would be easy to shove back.

The tendrils that came from its chest made Schultz quickly rethink that plan, however. He immediately leapt up as the tendrils stabbed forward, and they curved around beneath him. As he leapt over the Hollow, the Espada stabbed and slashed at any of the reaching protrusions that came too close to him with deadly precision, the four blades on his back piercing any that came within a range of five feet. The weapons moved quickly, extensions of Schultz’s mind that attacking just where he wanted them to, and kept the tentacles at bay while he moved behind the Hollow, his blades still swinging to slice apart any of the tendrils that were still following.

As soon as he was between the Garganta and the Hollow, however, three of the chains that connected Schultz to his blades wrapped around the monster’s neck and head. The Espada wasn’t too physically strong, as he was a scholar and not normally a major fighter, but he had enough for this. Leaping into the Garganta with a Sonido, Schultz literally pulled the Hollow along with him, tugging it powerfully while its head was bound. The snake head was not forgotten, tied against the body by the remaining chain and aimed so that any attacks fired off would be directed at its own head. It was a measure to assure that no surprise attacks would distract Schultz while he was getting the creature into the Garganta. From there, it was only a test of survival until he could get to Heuco Mundo, assuming he survived.

The timing of his maneuver couldn’t have been better either; more spiritual pressures were converging on the battle. Two of them were obviously Shinigami, which was bad; they would attempt to kill the Hollow, if it didn’t kill them first and take their powers. Then there was something odd, maybe a human, but it wasn’t particularly a threat aside from the ability for the monster to gain more powers from consuming him. But that last one… that last one was foreign, immensely powerful, and intimidating. That one had to be avoided at all costs, and with that in mind Schultz quickly tugged the Hollow into the Garganta. If he managed to pull it in, he’d simply close it behind the two of them and continue creating a path to drag the Hollow along. If not… he’d deal with the situation as it came.

Remaining Reiatsu: 3000/3000

Resurrection: 5/12

Reiatsu Loss after Release: 2340 (-100 from Sonido, -50 from Bala)

[Zou ۞]

Schultz was met by the rudest awakening he'd ever be met by. It was the fact that his Bala was destroyed completely in the pathway of the fire. The white flames ate away at the Bala, destroying it. Rather than block the flames as they shot out, it was merely consumed and destroyed. The Bala was in fact too weak. The difference in reiatsu strength had become enough that the flames, which before could be split by Schultz's Cero, were enough to overpower anything that he fired out. In this way, he was met with fire as he aimed to actually tackle the mighty hollow that was fighting against him.

He attacked and cut tendrils, and yet his rush forwards brought him head on into flames. Despite his defense against the tendrils succeeding, Schultz was met with intense fire that sent burns scorching across his entire body. Luckily for him, a leap to get behind the hollow and bring chains around it got him away from the flames, albeit barely. His body was covered by that point in third degree burns all over, and even some fourth degree burns. White flames were naturally much, much hotter than any normal fire. Their appearance indicated a massive temperature. He was lucky to be alive, having suffered such grievous injuries. Indeed, bubbly parts of his flesh popped to release blood to.

Schultz's efforts tugged the Hollow successfully into the Garganta, which closed behind them. However, his strength failed him completely against his injuries, and the hollow simply yanked itself free of the chains, and it turned around to face Schultz. It was in the Garganta, but Schultz was also in there. They were stuck inside the Garganta together, fighting in a world of infinite and merciless black. Some Espada were capable of simply forcing the Garganta to act like an "elevator," in which the user simply stood inside of it and waited. Others had to create the pathways that led them back and forth. In this case, it seemed that Schultz might want to consider trying the elevator method, rather than the pathway method.

And he'd better do it soon, for the Hollow's snake like tail instantly whipped out at him, lashing in an attempt to smack him aside. Quite unfortunately, his body was in such poor condition after that last encounter that he was in no position to dodge. He wouldn't be recovering if he got hit, and he was probably going to have the worst of luck trying to get out of the way of this attack, now that his body was so heavily strained. Furthermore, continuous battle and ongoing strife were probably going to begin taxing his stamina sooner or later. Not yet, but quite possibly very soon. In fact, his reiatsu count was going to be damn near depleted by the time his ressurection ended too. Once this ended, he was dead.

He really had to pitch it to himself to survive this, these next few minutes. If he could do that much, then the hollow would be in Hueco Mundo, where at least three or four high levels that could subdue it existed. Directly in Las Noches, quite a few options for people that could subdue this thing existed. Schultz would definitely want to find a way to get it to them, too. His life depended on it. This Hollow was one of the greatest finds in many, many years. This was certain, mostly because it was so powerful despite not even being a Menos. This thing would be unlike any other ever to live if it became an Arrancar. The strength that it would exhibit would likely dwarf all of the other Espada. It could not possibly be considered weak.

For this Hollow to be able to fight on par with an Espada without even being Menos, the damned thing was indeed a devil from the very pits of Hell. It might even be able to fight against some of those wretched Envainar that Kouhai had started employing, once it was a bit stronger. It was almost certain for it to be a strong monster. And soon, it would be in Las Noches, if Schultz survived this encounter. Soon it would be a monster that belonged to Sonken Kouhai, and it would be used to attack and demolish the Shinigami and the Escudo both! Though, there also remained one last question. Why did this Hollow's reiatsu feel familiar, if Schultz had never encountered it before?

Hollow's Remaining Reiatsu: 1450 Reiatsu