Trick The Past Again [NDE] [Hard] [R]

[Amagai Kuchiki]

Name: Trick The Past Again

Participants: Kagami Murai 

Location: Soul Society and Las Vegas

Difficulty Level: Hard
Rating: R

Setting: NDE

Plotline: Douma's vast criminal empire is being threatened on several fronts by assassins and counter agents. Slowly, the situation becomes clear: Xcution, which has tolerated his presence so far, has started to reject him and destroy his human world connections. This situation is complicated further by the highly proficient team of assassins that Satsujun has assigned to this task.

Estimated Enemy Strength: 4-1

Estimated Time Until Completion: 3-5 

Starts: After DM has made the opening post

Special Conditions: None Of Note

[Amagai Kuchiki]

(OOC: I took some cinematic liberties as a GM in this opening bit, hopefully that's fine)

Some Music To Set The Mood

As Douma's sword lashed through the air, aiming for his foe's throat, his enemy countered with a precisely aimed eruption from his hovering buckler. The fight had been relatively evenly matched thus far, perhaps even one that Douma had been winning, but this instant could've decided the fight for either side. Douma could have cut his foe's throat, although it was obscured under the red fabric used to cover most of his face and neck, and his foe, the Xcution Assassin, could've potentially broken Douma's skull, bursting through Douma's mask to do so.

And yet, neither succeeded. Both were too adept, too built for survival, to allow that to occur, and recoiled the instant that their lives were put into danger. After all, Kagami had already died long ago, and Douma was the result of that death: he knew better than to fall off the mortal coil that easily again. And Douma's opponent? Well, he was running on pure instinct, and while he'd been willing to sacrifice his body, he was uninterested in laying down his life. And that's how he'd made it this far: going all in but never quite losing.

But there still was some damage. Douma's sword had cleanly cut through the fabric that his foe wore, and as both parties fell back, attempting to minimize damage, the assassin's mask drifted down to the ground softly. And for a moment, everything seemed to halt.

Stop Music

There, standing before Douma, was a spectre, a dead man, staring back at him with eyes that didn't deserve to be in those sockets, their colors distorted from what he clearly remembered. Remembered from another lifetime. And suddenly, everything clicked into place. The nature of the Fullbring. The odd fighting style that he knew but couldn't quite place. The way those eyes had stared at his mask. All those clues came together, now that Douma could see the assassin's face. 

And he could hear a gentle cracking, and a trickling noise, as his own mask, which had been shattered by the attack, began to fall apart. A moment or so later, Douma's mask was on the floor instead of on his face, and the criminal emperor locked eyes with the assassin, a glimmer of recognition in both of their eyes. And yet, they wouldn't stop. How could they? The people who would've stopped had died long ago, and the two shadows that remained couldn't back down.

This fight would end in only one way, and the consequences would change the fate of the Human World's underground forever. And so, it only made sense that it was going to end like this. It only made sense that it would end in Vegas.

---

Three Days Before

Running a criminal empire couldn't be easy, and with things in the Human World growing unexpectedly turbulent recently, retaining control of the underground in cities throughout the states and Japan was only getting harder and harder with every passing day. But by now, it was becoming clear that this wasn't just the usual type of disruption from conflicts of interest. People weren't being bribed, or turning traitor on Douma, they were being picked off, killed one by one.

It had started in areas that had never been contested before: cities in south Japan, and across the continental US, people who helped move drugs and run illicit activities for Douma were showing up dead in their homes. Initially, it could've been ignored as standard drug related violence, but then three members of his inner circle turned up dead in hotel rooms. Casino owners, all of them. And, a day later, Douma caught wind of a rumor in the underground: Xcution was looking into expanding further throughout the human world.

Which meant that this wasn't just a small dispute: this was an act of all out war. Would he bend? Would he break? The eyes of the underground were resting on the new, rising star, and people were getting nervous on both sides. As the masked man sat in his impromptu office, one of his men knocked on his door. "Boss, one of them slipped up." The meaning was clear instantly: the nervousness was something that Douma had noted, and asked his men to try and acquire an Xcution member who was involved in the Corporate section, ideally someone relatively high up. People made mistakes when they were nervous, and it was easy to capitalize on that.

"He's in the next room. We left him untouched, like you asked. Should we start on him or..." Are you going to, the question hung in the air, but it would have been presumptuous for one of his men to ask that. And being presumptuous wasn't a good survival mechanism in Douma's organization, quite the opposite in fact. And so, the man had given the crime lord the chance to speak without being prompted, as if that deference would protect his life.


(OOC: In case it didn't go without saying, you're just going to respond to the second half, as we catch up in time to arrive at the first half)

[Douma]

Douma was getting bored. Everyday was the same routine, and despite the exponential growth of his projects, they remained the same. Kill this. Steal that. Guard this. Destroy this. Hide those. Transport these. And it was always the type of person he was requested to kill. It was always some sort of drug or weapon he had to smuggle around and protect. It was always some sort of evidence or building that he was told to vanquish. Sure the people got more notorious, the drugs got stronger, and the weapons got more powerful, but it was all too tedious.

But it was necessary. After all, look how large his operations had grown. He had several hundred souls under his wing now, most there willingly. And Douma himself strayed from the routine every once in a while. If a big company hired him to smuggle something, he’d simply steal it. If he heard about an item being transported by another group, he’d attack the caravan, steal the item, and make sure there were no survivors. However, they always knew it was him. He’d leave a message or let a witness go.

But today was different. Xcution was starting to get irritated with Douma’s growing presence, so they decided it was time to counter him and focus on their stakes in the underworld. The timing couldn’t be a coincidence. Slowly, Douma was losing grip throughout the human world. He’d lost much influence in major locations. A few of his uppermost fighters and smugglers were murdered by someone rude enough to disappear without leaving a name. It had to be Xcution.

And so Douma did what he always did when things got serious. He sent himself in. He couldn’t trust the vast majority of his followers to get anything done. After all, when their motivation was money, they didn’t have the will to fight beyond their limits for him. If Douma wanted something done, he had to do it himself. And so he did. The party he sent to abduct an Xcution official was led by his two executives. Both were unnamed and wore plain white masks with eye slots but no mouths. However, they did have one defining characteristics: their hair, one with red hair and the other with yellow hair. And so one was known as Blood and the other was Gold.

And Blood and Gold got the job done. He saw everything the say, for although no one knew it, they were just extensions of his soul. When the man walked into the room, Douma knew what to expect. His follower trailed off awkwardly and uncertainly, and Douma responded by rising to his feet and slowly walking toward him. Each step took an eternity, but when he finally reached the man… he kept walking past him to the side. The nervous criminal, who didn’t realize he was holding his breathe, let out a sigh of relief.

When Douma got to the room where their prisoner was held, he uttered one word with his deep, artificially distorted voice. “Out.” Everyone rushed through the door except for Blood and Gold. And Douma was left facing off in front of an undoubtedly nervous Xcution official. He would have had everyone search the man’s belongings, so an ID would give Douma his name. If he had an Xcution ID card, they may even learn his position and exact importance. But for now, he was going to start the interrogation process very simply.

“You will not die today. The only choice you have is to decided whether your life will be easy, painless, and enjoyable, or will every second of existence bring you unbearable agony?”

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats, Skills, and Items}

Stats

Strength - [100] Points (50)

Speed - [300] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [400] (1000) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [50] Points

Light Aura - [65] Points

Dark Aura - [35] Points

Instinct - [200] Points

Senses - [150] Points

Energy sensory - [400] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

Total SP: [1600] Points

Abilities

• [Weapons: Sword] {3}
  
  
• [War Strategy] {3}
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {3}
  
  
• [Analysis] {3}
  
  
• [Leadership/Charisma] {2}
  
  
• [Mental Incantation] {2}
  
  

Items:
15 Kunai
10 Shuriken
1 Giant Shuriken
5 Kunai Clips
5 Full Body Condoms
Blood Cross
Artificial Zanpakuto - Kagebokkusu

[Amagai Kuchiki]

As Douma uttered the world, and people fled, the man sitting in the chair, in the center of the room, would look up. He was tied to the metal chair, his wrists bound painfully behind his back, and he clearly hadn't been captured peacefully, although Kagami would distinctly know and remember that. He'd remember Gold and Blood breaking down the door, murdering the man's body guards, and shattering the man's lovely glass table with his body. He'd remember Gold slamming the man's face against a door, which would explain the man's busted lip.

Douma's troops had captured the man fast enough that the man hadn't been able to fight back, which was a good thing, as you simply didn't get as high in Xcution as this man was without developing a potent release, even in the corporate division. However, this man didn't look much like what most people would expect someone in Corporate to look like. He had messy black hair that stuck up at odd angles, and red eyes that looked like they belonged to a mad dog of some sort. He was emaciated, although relatively fit.

On the table next to the man, which Blood and Gold had set up, contained the man's belongings, which appeared to be close to fifteen knives, three rolls of wire, a handful of bells, and a wallet. In the wallet would be a fair bit of cash, of course, and a black card that read "Welcome To Our Xcution". If Douma turned the card over, the card would identify the man as one of Xcutions' Executives, Jack Guile, "Market Analysis And Research" division. 

As Douma spoke, Jack rolled his eyes. "What do you want to know? Because as much as I love dealing with the whole 'easy way or hard way' thing, I can never tell what you criminal types want to know. Sometimes, you want to know something trivial, like the bank account information for all the citizens of Japan, which I'd happily hand over. Sometimes, you want to know shit like 'Give us all of Xcutions' access codes', and I can't hand that over. So, ask the question, and then I'll tell you whether or not you should start cutting."

[Douma]

OOC: I'm new to mobile posts so I apologize if the post lacks quality. At least we get to move things along so yay

Jack Guile was an interesting guy. As far as Douma could tell, he had some influence in Xcution. The organization is so secretive that few know details of its structure other than the famous Seven Guns. However, being an Executive must mean you have some pull. But that didn't matter. What mattered was the fact that Jack had knowledge and that's what Douma was after.

"Money only goes so far. I'm less interested in banks and more interested in the reasons behind why Xcution doesn't want to be my friend." Something about his situation was so tense. Both liked to play games, but Jack could only go so far without a hand while Douma held a few aces. "I've noticed several of my men have run into some trouble and didn't quite make it out. Word on the street is that Xcution's getting a bit aggressive, and I feel confident enough to connect the dots."

Three cuts from Douma's jet black blade followed each other with cheetah-like speed. One went across Jack's torso, one down his forearm, and one along his calf. He wouldn't be able to resist considering that he is tied down. However, he wouldn't feel pain either. It was one of Douma's techniques, Silent Pain. Jack wouldn't feel anything. Not yet, at least. "For now, I just want to chat. What's going on with Xcution? We could've had a beautiful and mutually beneficial business partnership."

[Amagai Kuchiki]

Jack didn't flinch as Douma sliced him up, along his chest, his forearm, and his calf, and continued to stare directly at Douma's mask. The criminal would get a sneaking suspicion that even without Silent Pain, getting a reaction out of Guile would be hard to say the least. Of course, Douma's technique didn't suppress bleeding, and Jack's shirt rapidly grew slick with blood, and blood ran down his forearm to wet the ropes that bound his hands. Likewise, his calf's blood started to soak through the rope around his right foot.

Without a comment about the attempted torture, Jack began to speak. It didn't behoove him to hold back information, certainly not this type of info, as suppressing it would serve no purpose. "What's going on with Xcution? Same old, same old. Hostile takeovers and outright warfare. Those are the two action items right now. See, there's an issue with the Human World right now: there's too many cowboys for one small town. Between Wayne and Uzaki, Xcution already has too much competition in the legal aspects of it, and Anarchy and you are providing alternate options for it's illegal operations."

"And so, we've adjusted our business model to accomadate. Which is to say, we determined who we could reasonably send a clear message to, and we are fucking sending it. The message is 'Get out of town and go back to Soul Society'. We were fine with you operating there, it was a market we didn't really have much contact with. Doesn't hurt our bottom line, we can stay friends. But you operate in our world? You set up dirty casinos, smuggle contraband, assassinate people? Not gonna fly."

"So it's you, and UE. Those two groups are getting selected for pushback. We won't interfere with Anarchy's affairs, never have, never will. And Kayneth Wayne is too much of a wildcard for us to rush into right now. But you, you guys are a known element. We understand you, and your business model. We know how you want to act. And we're fucking done letting you do it. So Douma, please understand this. We can be friends, but we need to be goddamn penpals. Leave our town, leave our country, leave our world. And nothing has to go wrong."

And if Douma didn't? Well, Xcution had made it clear what they were willing to do in order to spur him into action. If things devolved into outright warfare, it would be far more bloody and gruesome. Jack had outlined a few of Xcution's greatest complaints so far, and Douma could easily tell that if he failed to comply, those would be the next targets. Jack continued to stare Douma down, seemingly unphased by his wounds. This man wasn't an ordinary businessman, that much was certain.

[Douma]

Xcution was starting to feel the need to assert its dominance, and they couldn’t have made two worse choices on who to push out of the Human World. They chose Douma and Uzaki Enterprise, two of the weaker groups and people that are still rising and gaining power. However, it is because of their growing potential that those two decisions could return to bite Xcution right where it hurts. Uzaki Enterprise is run by Kazura, a man who is constantly working on building alliances and strengthening his relationship with individuals as well as large organizations such as the Gotei 13. Douma was also expanding his connections by creating ties with the current Cuarta Espada and Katekarin Mekatoku, Xcution’s top scientist. Both groups were growing in numbers and strength, and the best part is that Xcution set up an alliance waiting to happen. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

But Xcution was making a mistake in assuming they understood Douma. He had a system for expansion and the type of business he affiliated himself with had a pattern, but Xcution couldn’t see an end-goal. Douma made no profit himself. All his money went back into his various projects and people. His target was Adalo De-Mona in the end. It didn’t matter that Sozen had slain the Primera, for Kagam- Douma was committed to surpassing that monster’s legend. He needed to win in the end, even if no real battle could take place. He needed to become far greater than the King of Arrancar had ever been.

Douma nodded to Gold, a silent communication that they really didn’t need considering that their souls were linked. In response, the woman approached Jack Guile and began to loosen the straps that held him down to his chair. Had he given Douma the right answers? Were they going to set him free? Just as the first strap came off his left hand, Gold moved with a speed so ridiculous that Douma’s eyes would barely have caught it if he didn’t know what was coming. With a speed of 1000, Gold delivered a solid punch that connected just between Jack’s legs in the grin region, undoubtedly crushing any treasures he may have been keeping there. Despite her monstrous strength, Gold only hit him with a force of 150.

But Jack wouldn’t feel a thing. Even with pain tolerance, the dirty move Gold had just pulled would be extremely difficult to tolerate without making a sound or flinching. Douma took all of that trouble away from Jack. The man didn’t need to worry about hurting at all, not yet. That time would come in a few moments. Soon, Jack would be up on his feet staring Douma in the eyes as the man stood before him. His sword was ready, but the masked man didn’t plan on using it. He didn’t need to.

“You’ve been extremely helpful, Mr. Jack Guile, and we hope to return you to Xcution shortly. However, there’s something I would like to ask you first. I know that Xcution wouldn’t be trying to clear space in the Human World unless they wanted to launch a few projects on their own, so what are they planning? And be sure you give me a satisfactory answer. You’re not going to get a ‘pretty please’.”

(( OOC: God that hurt to write, I’m cringing still x.x ))

[Amagai Kuchiki]

Let's Set The Mood


Douma had made a key error. An error that he would now pay dearly for. Because what he had planned to do was, effectively, abduct a businessman and subject him to torture, get him to crack, and then use that crack in order to fragment all of Xcution. In essence, that was a solid plan. But where it fell apart was the fact he picked an Xcution Businessman. And one thing was for certain: Xcution Corporates were not normal. They were monsters, just like the rest of Xcution.

And Jack "Jingle" Guile was a special kind of monster. A reformed monster. One who had hung up his combat prowess a long time ago, replacing it with an affinity for market analysis. But, if you stripped down the layers, one at a time, if you put him under pressure, put him in danger, threatened him, then survival instincts would kick in. Then, the monster that was "Jingle" would return. An aspiring Seven Gun, a man who had killed Shinigami, Hollows, Fullbringers alike. 

Unfortunately, Douma had put Jack in a position where he needed to be a monster. And that was a very poor decision. As Gold's fist was moving, Jack was reacting. Because even though she was fast, so fast she would blur, Jack could predict things with trivial ease. It was his incredible instinct and analytical skill that made him such a monster, as well as such a good businessman. When Gold's fist reached about an inch and a half from it's target, it would stop short.

And then, after it had stopped, it would redirect directly back into Gold's stomach, with a force of 825. This was a result of the Human World technique called Ken, which Jack was a master of. And Douma, Gold, and Blood would all fear him. In that one instant, they'd feel more fear for Jack Guile than they had ever felt. Even the two homunculi, incapable of most emotions, would react as if afraid. This was a simple, prey response. Because Jack Guile was an apex predator. 

During this moment, while his foes couldn't react, a knife appeared in Jack's hand, and sliced through the straps around his right wrist, a knife instantly appearing in that hand as well. Jack would be out of the chair before any of the three could react, and halfway across the room, on the other side of it, back against a wall. "I'll take a lot of hits, but losing my ability to reproduce isn't something I'm gonna allow. If I don't need to kill you guys, that'd be ideal, but I'm more than willing to if it comes down to it."

"But fighting me might not be in your best interests. After all, you still don't know where the Big Attack is going to hit you. And I can guarantee, it'll hurt. So, let's finish this like businessmen, or I'll end this like a monster."

SPOILER: Click to show

Rank 3 Shadow
Strength: 100 (50)
Speed: 310 (775)
RS: 400 (600)
SpPr: 250 (150)
Instinct: 200 (300)
Senses: 140 (105)
ES: 0
HE: 0

Jack's Remaining Reiatsu: 1300/1500 (-200 for Ken)
Combat Posts: 1/8

[Douma]

Jack Guile seemed to have a trick up his sleeve. He wasn’t helpless, and being tied to that chair barely deterred him. He wasn’t a push over or weak captive. In fact, it didn’t make sense how easily he had been captured after such a show of strength. Xcution let him slip into Douma’s grasp without worry. They must have had faith that he wouldn’t talk about anything that he wasn’t supposed to. It all started to smell fishy.

When Gold’s fist was redirected back to her, she didn’t flinch from the force. Her instinct was to flex and block the punch, which was ultimately successful butit still would’ve pulled a grunt from Douma, who received all pain his homunculi felt. But not immediately. He used the same technique he used on Jack, though in this case it targeted the masked man himself. He wouldn’t feel any of the pain until he wished to.

Jack’s aura suddenly caused the minds of all those present in the room to fill with terror. Most people, including several captains, would be struck with fear and petrified for a few seconds. Kagami reacted differently, however. What began as dread suddenly turned into vengeful motivation. Douma had been across the worst of the worst. Col Arana, Anarchy, Ryunosuke. They all had extremely powerful and sinister reiatsu. However, the worst of the worst was Adalo De-Mona. Douma wouldn’t allow himself to be defeated by or even fear anyone inferior, and so Jack’s attempt to deter Douma had failed.

Jack definitely felt like he controlled the situation, and there was no way in hell Douma would let him think he had the upper hand just because of one surprise. "But fighting me might not be in your best interests. After all, you still don't know where the Big Attack is going to hit you. And I can guarantee, it'll hurt. So, let's finish this like businessmen, or I'll end this like a monster." The second Jack finished speaking, he’d find himself go blind from a suddenly flash of light from Douma. Distortion Sakkaku: Strobe Lights. Several flashes would follow each other, each half a second apart, but only the first mattered.

Jack’s eyes became useless, and it only made sense that he would try to stay mobile in order to avoid getting hit while vulnerable. Douma didn’t even give him the chance to do so. Right when Jack was about to shift his weight for a step, all of the cuts and pain he had felt earlier suddenly appeared. However, they were focused acutely in his toes. Even if he could resist pain with ease, the burning consuming his toes would at least cause him to hesitate just from surprise.

And that’s when he would get hit. Hard. Thanks to Shunpo Karin increasing her arm’s base speed of 10,000, a shockwave from Blood sped toward Jack’s legs with a force of 10,000 behind them. If they hit, his legs would be shattered. Douma didn’t want to target any vital part of his body. After all, Jack still had information he desired. The Fullbringer came with a tip, and Douma sure as hell was going to get it.

If Jack looked up at Douma, he’d only get a look at the man’s face between the flashes of light. Within each interval, the masked man didn’t move. He simply stared at Jack with those frightening eyes as a dangerous, red aura generated from the blood cross at his wrist danced around him like blood red flames, striking terror into Jack’s heart. Douma didn’t need to attack Jack. He just needed the Xcution agent to give him information, which he seemed willing to do. However, Jack needed to be put in his place. He wanted to solve things like business men, not monsters? There was no difference for Douma.

“I am a monster.”

The message was clear. Tell me about the Big Attack or die.

Reiatsu Remaining: 9450/10,000 (-100 for Strobe Lights, -150 for Shunpo Karin, -300 for Silent Pain

[Amagai Kuchiki]

Douma's Strobe effect may not have had entirely it's intended purpose. In fact, it was fair to say that it had tipped his hand, somewhat. Jack had incredible reaction times, as well as a gut Instinct that allowed him to figure out strategies with terrifying speed and accuracy. And so, the second that the flashes went off, Jack made his decision of what to do. It wasn't, like Douma had expected, to run. But it wasn't to stand still and die. No, Jack was choosing to go all out. Douma had earned it.

An explosion of reiatsu erupted from Jack, and when the dust settled, it was clear that Blood's punch hadn't connected. Jack wasn't broken, in fact he looked better than ever. He was at the prime of his life, maybe three years younger, 22 now, and in a black suit that was breathtaking. About him, there was an air of royalty, of importance. He possessed a Timeless Form, in this moment. And then, there was the sudden appearance of something utterly terrifying.

Above Jack were two massive clock hands, 4 feet and 3 feet long respectively, which were slowly ticking in a circle. The ticks, as Douma realized quickly, were actually somewhat slower than a normal clock. This was a Fullbring of the truest, highest form. This was Fullbring Release Level Two, and it was being used by a master of the art. With a flick of his wrist, the clock descended, moving to be positioned in front of Jack, it's hands ticking slowly, parallel to him. He nodded his head, as if beckoning Douma to charge him.

But something was bother Douma, and he'd realize why in a few moments. It was that ticking. It was intrusive, and no matter how much he would try to ignore it, it would press into his mind, as if it was the most important thing in the world. Something was insidious about the eternal ticking of the clock, and if Douma didn't deal with Jack soon, he'd find out the hard way the nature of it. 

Combat Post: 2/8
Level 2: 1/10 posts
Reiatsu: 700/1500 (-500 for Level 2)

[Douma]

This Jack guy was something. He clearly let himself get captured considering how powerful he appeared. This was the first time Douma had ever seen the highest level of a Fullbring, and he wasn’t disappointed at all. If Jack had achieved that stage of release and managed to cope with a 1000 strength shockwave, he wasn’t a push over. Those clocks meant something over his head. The fact that his face seemed younger meant something as well. The dots were so close that it didn’t take much effort to connect them.

His power is time… There were few abilities with such unique concepts behind them, and Jack was clearly something special. Douma wanted to test his strength and give him a fight worth his time. Douma was preparing to silence his mind to force out the ticking sound and engage Jack, but there was something he had to accomplish first. There was a goal. An objective. Pointless fighting wouldn’t get him any closer to that.

Jack was there to deliver a message, and Douma was ready to hear him out. “Before we start this fight, let me here what you had to say about this Big Attack or whatever else you came here to tell me. I can’t promise you’ll be able to deliver your message after I’m done with you.” Douma didn't appear to be much of a challenge to the Fullbringer. He even sheathed his only weapon, the katana he held in his hand. But the threat he made was very really, and there was something about his attitude that seemed to imply that he could back his words up.

Check. You're move.

[Amagai Kuchiki]

Jack quirked an eyebrow at Douma's posturing, at his proposal. It was a threat, clear and simple, and yet there was a certain professional politeness to it. "It's a shame, you know? You would've made such a good Xcutioner." He shook his head slightly. "So sad that it had to end up like this, that it had to end this way. There's so many people in the organization who you would've gotten along great with. But alas."

Jack motioned as he spoke, gesticulating with very little pattern. And as he moved his hands, the clock moved as well. But there was no pattern to it. His hand motions didn't correspond to the motions of the clock in any way that Douma could notice, even with his impressive analyzing capabilities. Ergo, there simply must be no connection. But even as the clock moved, the ticking sound never ended. And suddenly, Douma would feel as if he was stabbed in the chest!

Suddenly, Jack was in front of him, having moved faster than Douma could perceive, using Bringer Light, and impaled him through the chest. Douma felt his heart slowly beat, beat, beat, then no more. And then, suddenly, he was alive again, and Jack was on the other side of the room. He could touch his chest, and notice that it was totally unharmed. What had that been? A vision? No, there was an element of certainty to it. Jack had killed him, and yet he hadn't. Douma's energy sensory would reveal to him that no illusion had occurred, not in the traditional sense at least. 

Something bizarre was at play, and the smile on Jack's face never faltered. "What's wrong, Douma? It's like you've seen a ghost." He chuckled. "It should be obvious where the big attack is coming, since this is the one that's going to tear your whole empire down. If we're destroying everything you've ever built, doesn't it make sense to start at ground zero? To start at the first city you corrupted, covered in your illegal money making schemes? This fight isn't about your arms dealing or your thefts, it's about your legacy." And there was only one city in the world that could've come to mind when Jack said that.

Rest Post
Combat Posts: 0/8
Level 2: 2/10

SPOILER: Click to show

{Effect Of The Vision}
The effects of the vision will continue growing as the fight goes on and Douma spends more time in the ticking. At the present moment, however, the first symptom occurs:

Douma, Blood, and Gold's weapon and fighting style skills are reduced to the level of their Lack of Fear, or to the level of their Strength of Will -1.

[Douma]

The ticking continued, getting on Douma’s nerves a bit. The movements of the clock’s hands and Jack’s actions as well didn’t see connected. They had to be somehow, but Douma couldn’t tell by just looking at them. It seemed most likely that Jack was capable of controlling the clock’s hands mentally. Everything was connected somehow, especially in a fight. Douma’s incredible analytic ability was usually more than enough to discern patterns. An order should be obvious with a power that deals with time. However, Jack seemed to elude a system. He was spontaneous.

But not spontaneous enough to catch Douma by surprise. First came the intent. Douma’s sharp energy sensory allows him to read into people’s minds slightly. He sees flashes of their past as well as brief changes in their emotional intent. The second that Jack decided he was going to attack, Douma was aware of his danger. His knees bent very slightly, allowing him to stand on the front portion of his feet. That way, he could make a quick escape if the need be.

And then Jack leaned forward miniscually while his reiatsu spiked. More so, his reiatsu gathered toward his feet. That was a clear sign of a step technique, and when fighting Shizuka, Douma had already been familiar with the way a human manipulates his or her reiatsu to use Bringer Light. He was more than prepared for Jack’s attack, and the best part was that he didn’t even need to react. Jack was able to close the distance between the two with no difficulty what-so-ever.

But there were other factors Jack forgot to consider. After all, there were two others in the room on Douma’s side, and they were both significantly faster than Jack. Just as he arrived in front of Douma, before he could impale the man in his sword, Blood took action. She used Shunpo to ram her little body right into Jack, sending him flying across the room. The sheer impact of both Blood’s attack and his collision with the wall across the room should shatter most of the bones in his body.

However, as he flew across the room, he suddenly disappeared. Gone, just like that. Instead, he appeared again behind Douma with no warning and stabbed him right through the heart. Douma didn’t even see it coming. Jack’s reaitsu signature suddenly appeared behind the masked man and he was gone. Beat, beat, beat, beat…. Then nothing. He never got his revenge on Adalo. It was all over.

And then Douma was back, facing Jack although nothing had happened. It was like Jack didn’t even move. He couldn’t speak a word, and even Jack took a few seconds to just smile at him arrogantly. The only other sound was the ticking of the clock. "What's wrong, Douma? It's like you've seen a ghost." He chuckled. "It should be obvious where the big attack is coming, since this is the one that's going to tear your whole empire down. If we're destroying everything you've ever built, doesn't it make sense to start at ground zero? To start at the first city you corrupted, covered in your illegal money making schemes? This fight isn't about your arms dealing or your thefts, it's about your legacy."

And then it all clicked. Xcution was going after his ties in Las Vegas, where Douma’s Empire began after Kagami’s underground gambling and prostitution ties were built up and nurtured into something far more sinister. Xcution was targeting Douma’s origin and taking him out one step at a time.

And that was all the information Douma needed. Suddenly, the ticking in his mind stopped. He canceled out the sound. All sound, actually. Words That Were Never Said, his custom ability, allowed him to do such a thing. Then Blood and Gold acted. Their hands seemed to flicker slightly, but shockwaves were moving at an incredible speed of 1000 toward Jack. They had rapidly punched the air and returned to their prior positions, making it hard for him to discern their high-speed movements. In addition, they shockwaves were staggered. There was just a split second difference, but they would hit at different times. Douma held his blade at the ready, waiting for Jack to react. The sooner this fight was over, the faster he could haul his ass to Vegas.

Reiatsu Remaining: 9350/10,000 (-100 for WINS)

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

If this thread ends now, there are no rewards. That is the grading.