Jigoku No Douma

[Kento Waffles]

Thread Title: Jigoku No Douma (Hell's Douma): Manami vs Kagami
Participants: Angel of Revenge - Manami, Angel of Silence - Kagami
World: Human World
Death Setting: Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: In a forgotten city which greatly resembles the great city of New York, were it deserted and run down. Deep underground, in a cavern many miles beneath the surface, with skyscrapers which once must have been beacons of hope to a thriving, and yet now extinct people.
Special Conditions: This will be the moment that Kagami Murai truly descends into the identity of... DOUMA.
Circumstances: Having assisted Saeki Kuchiki, Kagami Murai has been promised the location of his former fiancee, Manami, the woman who scarred him with a hole in his chest and left him for dead. He now ventures into a city with no name. It is forgotten. Lost to time and to despair. It is a city which Saeki claims was destroyed by the spirit of Adalo De-Mona.

And it is here where Manami resides. Kagami will find her in the middle of the street almost immediately upon entering the city. And, from there, fate will drive him toward where he is headed.

[Douma]

Walls. Towers. Concrete palaces built to touch the sky. Monuments exemplifying the arrogance and hubris of their creators. The architects that designed them. The steel manufacturer that provided the buildings’ skeleton. The construction worker that placed down the tile and screwed in the light bulbs. The white-collar worker that spent every day of the past thirty years of his life parking in the same parking spot, taking the elevator to the same floor, locating the same cubicle, and spending the same eight hours behind his desk every day. None of that persevered, only ruins resembling what once resembled greatness.

All was dead. No plants or animals inhabited the city, only a heavy silence occasionally giving way to any small disruptions. Today was a day of disruption. It began with the arrival of the man cloaked in black. His feet moved metronomically through the city, taking their time before each beat. Step… step… step… step... step… A bone-white mask drained of any color covered his head. Black rings decorated the face of the mask, breaking only for a triangle of tears. A sphere of rage shone through one gap in the mask. A colorless orb of elitist indifference peered beside it. Together, they formed a dark gaze of forcefully contained rage.

His eyes were set on a distant figure with long blonde hair. He could barely discern any features, but her identity was no secret. He had been searching for her. As Douma approached, dim rays of light glistened off of the metal sheath strapped to Douma’s waist, swaying hypnotically side-to-side. His hands were free, however. The only things they carried were a blood red cross hanging from his left wrist and a black cross ingrained in his right palm. They religious symbols only acted as reminders that God is silent. Everything was silent, forming a noiseless pond of reality only disturbed by the ripples caused by each step… Step… step… step… step… step… step…

Douma only stopped when he came within fifty meters of the woman, taking a few moments to analyze her silently. His steel gaze swept over her, taking into account any small details that he could discern from that distance while he explored her reaitsu with his energy sensory. He didn’t speak but simply sat in silence, watching her through the holes in his mask. By identifying her emotional state, he could begin to understand the situation objectively and answer the question a voice deep in his mind was crying out. Did she know which face lay behind the mask?

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats, Skills, and Items}

Stats

Strength - [100] Points (50)

Speed - [300] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [400] (1000) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [150] Points

Light Aura - [65] Points

Dark Aura - [35] Points

Instinct - [150] Points

Senses - [100] 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:
Blood Cross
Artificial Zanpakuto - Kagebokkusu
Storage Scroll

[Kento Waffles]

Music!

She did sense his presence. Turning around upon his arrival, she faced him the man that once had been Kagami Murai, and now was Douma. Whether or not she knew his identity was not immediately discernible just by her turning around, but now Douma would learn a secret about her as well. Draped in a black cloak and hood, with a demonic-like bunny mask on her face, she was the life-like of another villain of the human world that was already very well known, and known to be incredibly powerful as well. Basilisk, one of Kayneth Wayne's powerful hitmen, or in this case hitwoman from Wayne Inc. Douma had seen them before, led by former ally Darnell, and at the time, she had stood out as powerful then too.

So then, if she was Basilisk, then it meant something else too. What Sozen Kuchiki had discovered in his visit to Wayne Inc was true. Kayneth Wayne was not a human, as many thought of him, but an Arrancar. And, he wasn't just any Arrancar either. What Saeki Kuchiki had said was also held true. Adalo De-Mona was alive, hence Basilisk, or Manami, being within his service. So, then, it was even possible that what Saeki had said before was doubly true, as Sozen had also confirmed it. Adalo had reincarnated after being killed. He had come back stronger, more sinister, more twisted. And, if this aura of Manami's was any indication... He had made her stronger, too.

And so, facing Douma, there was the woman once named Manami. Two who had traded identities out after being broken. From Kagami to Douma. From Manami to Basilisk. There was no wind down there, but that hollow silence could almost cause one to hallucinate a dreadful echoing rasp filling the now dead city, haunted by the ghosts of revenge and the spirits corrupted by De-Mona. The silence then would be broken by a sudden third appearance, exiting out from one of the buildings. "OI, BASILISK! I found it," came a voice. Stepping out, there was a huge, dark-skinned man with blond hair, standing at least 6'11, if not even bigger than that. He wore a black zip-up hoodie jacket zipped up to a V, white t-shirt underneath, and dark jeans.

And Douma would recognize him, too. Douma would recognize him from Darnell's crew, and also recall that of all the auras, this guy had been the strongest. His aura was as powerful as Sozen Kuchiki's. A monstrosity on par with Soul Society's most powerful Captain. The monster who had been able to quit Xcution and kill every assassin sent after him to this point. Axel Johnson. Douma was no match for this man. Even Douma and Basilisk together likely would never have been able to beat Axel Johnson. This did not bode well at all. In one hand, he held some sort of rusted sword. It appeared to be some artifact that they had been sent here to search for.

Stepping out with his rusted sword, Axel Johnson took note of Douma. "Ehh? Who the fuck is this little pipsqueak?" Johnson asked. Basilisk cocked her head to one side, evaluating. "Someone I used to know," she said, confirming that she knew who Douma was. But of course. They had been lovers. Connected as soulmates. In the spiritual world, there should be no one better at recognizing him, and his aura, than her. No matter how much he had changed, and no matter how dark he had become. The two would invariably always be able to recognize one another, even if they looked and felt completely different from before. That sort of inexplicable spiritual bond existed.

"Should I kill him?" Johnson asked. A sudden flux of spiritual energy radiated out of his body, and Douma would feel his bones start to creak. Johnson removed his sunglasses, staring down Douma, who suddenly would feel terrible anxiety, fear, paranoia. He would sweat a little bit. As if the eye of god was eternally upon him. As if he was stripped naked in a snowstorm. An incredible, intense feeling of unrelenting pressure on his psyche. That feeling one receives from sleep terrors? That terrible feeling from schizophrenia? What Douma felt was several times worse. "No, leave this to me," Basilisk said. "It's personal business, and he's probably long overdue to learn to stay away."

The pressure suddenly lifted as Axel Johnson's reiatsu sputtered out and he placed his sunglasses back on his face. Immediately, there would be a wave of relief. Just what exactly had that technique been? That was a matter for another time. Instead, there was Basilisk here now. The woman who once had been Manami stood before Douma at long last. "Take off," Basilisk told Johnson. "I'll meet you later." Johnson smirked, and walked past Douma, each step slow, and deliberate. He tested to see if Douma had the sense not to attack him as he left. Leaving past Douma, Johnson slowly continued until he was at the entrance through which Douma himself had entered, and then left through that. Every slow second of that walk, Basilisk did not turn from Douma.

"So," she said, then. "Despite my warnings, you still came." Lifting back her hood and shrugging off her cloak, Basilisk stood in a black tank top and dark red pants. She had gained some muscle mass since last Kagami had seen her. She had been more slender, then. Now, she looked more athletic. More dominating. She reached up and grasped the mask on her face, then proceeded to remove it. The wooden mask clattered to the floor to reveal Manami's face, and her new, dazzling, violet colored eyes. Young, beautiful. She reached up and tied her hair into a bun, then reached toward her back, where she drew forth what was sheathed there.

A twisted looking sword whose hilt looked like wooden roots of trees, and whose blade appeared extremely rusty and decayed. "I don't know what you hope to gain from meeting me again, but I told you not to come," Manami said to Douma. "So, if we're going to do this, take off your mask and attack me, Kagami. We'll make this quick and emotional for you, and then I'll leave you to die if that's what you want to pathetically and desperately." The cold hearted Manami and her icy words might sting, but no more than what had already happened. The image of her with Adalo would never leave Kagami's mind. And neither would what she said next.

"Come, Kashmir is waiting for your soul."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Manami's Stats/Skills}

Rank level 4 mercenary, class 1. Soldier type.

Strength: 300 (150)
Speed: 300
Reiatsu Strength: 400 (1000)
Spiritual Pressure: 300
Instinct: 100
Senses: 100
Light/Dark Aura: 0/100
Energy Sensory: 50
Healing Expertise: 50
Total SP: 1600

[Whip] [4]
[Battle Analysis] [4]
[War Strategy] [2]
[Strength of will] [2]
[Sports] [3]
[Pain Tolerance] [1]

[Douma]

The figure before him looked familiar. Douma had run into a mercenary known as Basilisk a short while ago, but he had no clue what hid behind the mask. A bunny mask. The bunny was still dark and evil in appearance, but it’s still a bunny on the outside. Innocent, cute, and fluffy. Attractive, but deadly. A concealed smile tugged at his lips, and he allowed it. Only because it was out of her sight. Only out of reminiscence and nostalgia. The smile would never escape his mask.

But Manami wasn’t the same, and neither was Kagami. Both might as well be dead. The reckless guy that drank a bit too much, sang and danced through life, dodged any responsibilities, and found himself throwing rocks at a pretty girl’s window. The intelligent blonde with cold words but kind, pink eyes and a warm, loving touch. The couple that ran off to the coasts at night with nothing but a bottle of wine and a blanket to lie on. All that’s left is a memory, drowned in a past of tragedy and ill timing.

Douma’s reflection was cut off by another familiar face. Axel Johnson was one of the most notorious humans in history, and easily among the largest threats to Soul Society. A threat to Douma as well. That’s the thing about the criminal world: it’s hard to make friends and even harder to keep them. Everyone was a competitor. Douma might have more ambition than Axel Johnson, but he lacked in the power department. “Who the fuck is this pipsqueak?” Pipsqueak was sadly appropriate in this scenario. He was outclassed and outnumbered, but there was one factor Kagami counted on. It was one of the few characteristics that he and Manami had always shared: pride.

“Somebody that I used to know.” There it was again. Kagami found himself grinning behind the mask. There was nothing amusing about the situation… except for everything. It was all so funny. He and Manami, standing across from each other with swords at their hips. It was comical. “Should I kill him?” “No, leave this to me. It’s personal business, and he’s probably long overdue to stay away.” Kagami was dying with laughter at the ridiculous scenario, but Douma was stoic.

Axel Johnson moved past the rogue, taking each step slowly and deliberately. His attention was focussed on Douma, but the masked man kept his gaze forward. His eyes never moved away from the slots in Manami’s bunny mask. However, he kept track of Axel through his energy sensory. He could feel every miniscule movement in his body and read the man’s intentions. Axel wasn’t going to attack him. He respected Manami too much for that.

“So, despite my warnings, you still came.” Douma didn’t respond. He had nothing to say. He simply watched as she removed her cloak, revealing her fit, young body. He continued to watch as she tied back her hair with the same motion that he’d seen her do countless times before he challenged her to a spontaneous physical contest, anything as simple as a race or kendo duel. Back then, he usually won. Usually. There were a few times when she outsmarted and outplayed him, targeting a weakness he had overlooked out of over-confidence.

But there was one disturbing part of her appearance. The violet eyes. It was like revisiting your favorite childhood destination twenty years later and finding that the interior had been completely redecorated. Douma almost didn’t recognize her because of those eyes. It was unsettling when something was inconsistent with the one person that reappeared nightly in his dreams. Everything else was picture perfect.

Kagami lingered on her eyes before Douma began taking note of her weapon. The sword was earthly, and she held it comfortably. The weapon wasn’t foreign to her, but it wasn’t quite an extension of her body yet. Douma would be able to best her in a duel with their blades, and must certainly know that. There had to be other tools in her arsenal, especially with the potency of her reiatsu. In terms of raw spiritual power, she was the equivalent of Anarchy and Sozen Kuchiki. Manami had grown powerful.

“I don’t know what you hope to gain from meeting me –“ I don’t know either… “—but I told you not to come. So, if we’re going to do this, take off your mask and attack me, Kagami. We’ll make this quick and emotional for you, and then I’ll leave you to die if that’s what you want to pathetically and desperately.” The masked man’s head tilted to the side in confusion. Who is she? That couldn’t be Manami. His bone-white face faded along with the black coat, revealing a young man in a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans. His gray hair danced in the light breeze with two bright, violet eyes curiously studying Manami, trying to identify more flaws and inconsistencies. That couldn’t be the real Manami. However, everything except for her eyes were just as he remembered.

“Come, Kashmir is waiting for your soul.” The man smiled, holding back a chuckle, but the grin didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Stop pretending like I don’t know you. And like you don’t know me.” Kagami’s words were too casual to be cold and hostile, but they weren’t very friendly either. His tone was stuck in an awkward neutral. “I do not want to fight you. Not if I don’t have to. But this… we are not done yet.” And Kagami wasn’t lying. He can’t hate Manami. Not after he felt the need to recreate her in the form of an artificial companion.

He reached to his side and pulled out an storage scroll, a common black market item. After opening it, he pulled out two things: a small, circular folding table and a black chess set. He took his time setting up the table and arranging the chess pieces over it, talking the entire time. “You’ve always been hard to read, but it’s pretty obvious that this new thing is a bullshit phase for you. Working for Adalo. Threatening to kill me. I wonder how long you’re gonna keep all that shit up.

“Or maybe I’m wrong and this is the ‘real’ you. A heartless, murderous bunny rabbit sitting at the foot of her master.” Kagami flashed her his signature cocky grin, one that hadn’t made an appearance in a long time. “And if that’s who you really are, then the Manami I remember would be pretty depressed. Then again, the Manami I remember could never beat me in chess. So if you win, I’ll do what you want. Fight you. Leave you alone. Whatever bullshit you come up with. But if I win, I’m gonna learn who the real Manami is.”

Kagami spin the chessboard around, giving Manami access to the white pieces versus his own black army. It was the same motion he executed weekly during their relationship. Each game was a different battle, but the result never changed. Draw. Repeat. Draw. Repeat. Draw. Neither player could defeat the other in the number of moves allotted. But today would be different.

“Your move, blondie.”

SPOILER: Click to show

Stats

Strength - [100] Points (50)

Speed - [300] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [400] (1000) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [150] Points

Light Aura - [65] Points

Dark Aura - [35] Points

Instinct - [150] Points

Senses - [100] 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:
Blood Cross
Artificial Zanpakuto - Kagebokkusu
Storage Scroll

[Kento Waffles]

Violet, glowing eyes settled upon Kagami--He was Kagami after all. Douma did not care about emotions like this; Kagami did. Kagami had been hurt by this, and it was from his feeling of weakness that Douma had been born. A monster whose purpose was to not care. The angel of silence, who desired only power. Not for the sake of vanity. Not for greed. Not for love or any other morality. Power simply for power's sake. But around Manami, the man that had been Kagami Murai returned. And Manami knew it, eyes settling back upon Kagami, looking not at him, but through him. Into him like a two way mirror. She could see through him... And all he could see when he gazed back was a reflection of Douma.

Manami laughed. "It unnerves you, doesn't it?" she sneered. "I look exactly as you remember. All my beauty. All my imperfections. Everything, except for the eyes... And it kills you to look at me, doesn't it?" If she hadn't just read Kagami's mind, then mind reading didn't exist. Or could this be what it was for any one person to know the other that well? Because just as Kagami had known Manami, Manami had known Kagami. Inside and out. Two souls so familiar with one another that they could sense each other even in Adalo De-Mona's awful world of darkness. So now, Manami took out her own storage scroll, and in a flash of light there were two chairs on either end of the table. She sat over by the white. "Very well," she said. "Let me show you."

And so the game began. Manami, the white, was the first to move. Her first move was simple. The queen's guarding pawn went forward two squares. Something, however, was different. Manami in the past had never exposed her pieces like that so early. No, her moveset had been primarily defensive. It had been Kagami's offensive nature that had flowed so effortlessly with hers into a stalemate. Like two sides of the same coin. Two halves making a whole. Opposites in strategy. Equals. But now, Manami's strategy had changed. She was offensive much the same as Kagami had been. And so, as they moved chess pieces around the board, Manami's style stayed aggressive. And, while calculating out every move, she spoke as well.

"You think that you know me," she said. "You don't. You knew Manami. You knew the young woman whose heart you broke when you slept around after coming to this world. You knew the vulnerable girl whom you promised never to betray, and yet who tracked you down to reunite...only to find that like all other men, you were nothing but a fairy tale. A broken promise." For the first time ever since all of this had started, Manami had just told him what first changed her. Because the truth was that Kagami hadn't been the first to search for her. Manami had done it first. And, thinking back, he had been quite a player in Seireitei... And she must have caught him.

"The only reason for you to hate Adalo isn't that he stole Manami away. Because he didn't. You threw her away, and he was there when you did. A force that will never deceive her. A force that will never betray her expectations. And... a force of power. True, real, absolute POWER." Manami suddenly took the first piece of the game, eliminating one of Kagami's pawns. Manami's aggressive playmaking continued. And now more of her nature was being revealed... Manami had been destroyed by betrayal, just as Kagami had been. But unlike Kagami, whose savior had been a mysterious criminal, hers had been Adalo De-Mona. And that explained the difference. Manami had been twisted by a demon.

"And that's the difference between us. Douma--that ruthless criminal, is you, right? Almost a split personality for you. Douma is ruthless. I can respect Douma. That's what's so sad... so pathetic. Douma isn't you. Douma is someone else that you hide behind because of your weakness. You couldn't bury Kagami. Manami didn't hide. Manami is dead. In her place there is Basilisk... For Manami was consumed by De-Mona." This last part was something a bit more cryptic. What did it mean? What did it mean for Manami to have been consumed by De-Mona? Could it be that this change was a result of Adalo eating Manami's soul? Was it that Manami had changed, or that Adalo had forced her to? All these mysteries now...

And suddenly, Kagami would notice: Manami had taken another pawn and one rook.

[Douma]

“It unnerves you, doesn’t it? I look exactly as you remember. All my beauty. All my imperfections. Everything, except for the eyes… And it kills you to look at me, doesn’t it?”

For the first time in a long time, Kagami wanted a drink. She kept reminding him of how long it’s been since they had last talked together. Before Adalo. Before death and the afterlife. And there was a piece of him that wanted to just pick up where they left off, but to do that, they would need to forget. He needed a drink. He needed the old Manami. “You’re right. I’ve… missed you. More than you know. More than I could let you know. But it doesn’t kill me to look at you. It hurts like I’ve never been hurt before, but it doesn’t kill me. I wouldn’t have ever been alive if it weren’t for you.”

Kagami never really existed alone. As an adolescent, he was a waste. A careless child that did as he wished. When he came across Manami, all of that changed. She meant something to him. It wasn’t a joke or game anymore. It was real. He wanted to live every day of his life – every moment – with her by his side. But that dream vanished after just a night. In an instant, Kagami and Manami were no more. It was just Kagami, and nothing mattered anymore.

He watched her move her first pawn before responding. His eyes followed each piece as he had done millions of times before. Kagami Murai. Military genius. Unrivaled in chess or any other strategy game except by Captain Commander Ningen. They were all just games, and this one was no different. He had an opponent. She would choose an action for one of her pieces. He would discern her intention in an instant and guide her actions just like he leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for an unsuspecting bird. And each step of the path, he would pull a feather or two. And at the very end, he would pull the trigger. It was just another game.

Kagami was reaching for his horse when Manami spoke. “You think you know me.” His hand trembled as it touched piece, picked it up, and placed in a few squares away, listening the entire time. He betrayed her. Abandoned his commitment. Threw away their love. She slid another pawn forward. He mirrored the action without thinking. His hands played the game as his mind struggled against his regret and sorrow.

Kagami’s unfocussed eyes were trained on the board while Manami continued her relentless assault. “The only reason for you to hate Adalo isn’t that he stole Manami away. Because he didn’t. You threw her away.” His fingers could barely grip the black players that he commanded. In fact, his shoulders trembled in Fear. Pain. Misery. And Anger. Hate. At Adalo. At himself. But none of it was directed toward the beautiful blond woman across from him.

“And that’s the difference between us. Douma – that ruthless criminal, is you, right? Almost a split personality for you. Douma is ruthless. I can respect Douma. That’s what’s so sad… so pathetic. Douma isn’t you. Douma is someone else that you hide because of your weakness. You couldn’t bury Kagami. Manami is dead. In her place is Basilisk… For Manami was consumed by De-Mona.” Suddenly, Kagami’s eyes closed in on the board. Check… Her horse had infiltrated his front lines and threatened his king. He was losing already. He was mad.

“You know me. You know everything about Kagami. But you know nothing about Douma. He’s not an extension of my personality. He’s not a mask I hide behind. Douma’s what happens when you’re gone. But I know you too. I know the girl who was too good for everyone else, even me. The girl who gave an annoying guy a chance. No matter what color your eyes are, you’re still that girl. And you’re too strong to let Adalo beat you like that.”

Kagami squeezed his king tightly between his fingers as he moved the piece to safety. For the first time since their match began, he lifted his gaze to meet Manami’s. “I don’t deserve you, but at least don’t let that girl disappear. Manami can hurt me as much as she wants, but Basilisk and Adalo can’t touch Manami. Please don’t let them.” That was all Kagami’s love amounted to. There was no hope for his relationship with Manami to survive, but he at least wanted Manami to live on.

[Kento Waffles]

"Checkmate," Manami said, at last locking Kagami's king in a position where it could do nothing. If he were to move it to the side, the rook would take it. If he were to move it diagonally away or leave it, it would fall to a queen or a knight. That was it. Through distraction, emotions, and the increased aggression behind Manami's strategy, Kagami had been defeated in the board game. It was obvious symbolism, obvious foreshadowing too. Manami stood, returning her mask to her face, and then releasing some burst of reiatsu across the board to incinerate it. The flames erupted forth in front of Kagami's face, with Manami also relocating and donning her cloak and hood, letting the winds blow it a bit for dramatic effect.

She stood coldly before Kagami, eyes focusing forward. Now, there was no Manami. There was only Basilisk. "Do you know why Adalo lived after his encounter with Sozen Kuchiki?" she asked Kagami. "It's because he is an immortal spirit. When he dies, his twisted spirit seizes the body of a new host, and that becomes the new host of the spirit of De-Mona, the twisted god of revenge. That's real power, Kagami... It would have been weakness for Manami to go untouched by Adalo and Basilisk. To be consumed wasn't defeat. It was evolution. Basilisk isn't the defeat of Manami, but the next step for a superior life form..." That was corruption of the soul at its finest, wasn't it?

Powerful reiatsu like fire burst around Basilisk's body. It was an unimaginable, incredible aura. It was something much unlike what she had been before. And Kagami would notice too that his spiritual prowess and hers were equal. Kagami, who was a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads... It meant that Manami herself was at least Captain level. It was a scary thing, too. If she was that strong, but wasn't the strongest of 'Kayneth Wayne''s gang, then how strong must the others have been? Kagami had known Darnell, but now to find out Darnell led this gang meant that the young man was stronger than Kagami had known. And, Axel Johnson was there, too...

"I'll show you," Manami who was Basilisk said. "The power of the darkness." Her sword freed itself immediately, and in her hand, became the weapon with which she attacked. Basilisk was blasted forwards quickly. Kagami would probably notice that she was the same speed as he was, too. They were almost like mirror images of one another. Though, while Basilisk came forward, her reiatsu seemed to heat up, and it did not follow her, but rather stayed behind. It exploded into a burst of fire, illuminating the area with massive flames as Basilisk arrived in front of Kagami. Now that she was next to him, her same, familiar scent would fill his nostrils.

Except her scent wasn't from a pleasant situation of intimacy. It was because she was close enough to kill him, and indeed she went for it. Her first motion was to strike out with her sword, aiming for a slash at Kagami's throat. Her motion with the sword, however, did not look well practiced. Was she not very skilled with a sword? If that was the case, then it meant that she was holding back. This wasn't her main weapon, after all. That meant also that it would be easy to counter the throat slash. Still, was it a good idea to counter? She had proven herself strategically brilliant too, and might be looking to trap Kagami there.

[Douma]

“Checkmate.”

Kagami didn’t see it coming, but he felt it. In a previous life, he could lock eyes with the girl across from him and smile, casually enjoying a mental struggle between intellectual equals. There was nothing equal between them today. Kagami felt dwarfed by the new person sitting across from him. She was a powerful giant in the body of the girl he loved, and all he could do was pray to any and all gods that the girl he knew was still somewhere in there.

“It would have been weakness for Manami to go untouched by Adalo and Basilisk. To be consumed wasn't defeat. It was evolution. Basilisk isn't the defeat of Manami, but the next step for a superior life form..." She kept trying to convince Kagami that his fiancée wasn’t there anymore. That Manami was gone. But he was too stubborn to even humor such a notion. “We’re the same…” he told her, his voice heavy with both certainty and sorrow. “Basilisk and Douma are the same. They’re spawns of our pain, the pain we caused each other. Douma says the same thing. ‘Kagami is dead. Kagami wasn’t strong enough.’ And I’m not, not alone. Not without you. Don’t let Basilisk beat you too.”

Kagami had the ability to gage her spiritual prowess from miles before entering the city. However, the sudden flare in her reiatsu was still an impressive displace. She had the same potency in her power as Sozen Kuchiki. Kagami had come across impressive opponents, but Manami was ranked amongst the strongest of them, at least at the same tier as Hokori Kuchiki. The only difference between the battles was that this is one that Kagami didn’t want to fight.

Between his ability to detect hints of emotion in the woman across from him and the flaring reiatsu surrounding her, Kagami was aware the she was prepared to strike. As she drew her blade, he was already reaching for the black sword strapped to his waist, preparing to bring it up in a defensive maneuver as quickly as possible. He was stepping back slowly to buy himself extra time and room to react. While she lunged at him, he analyzed her form and technique. In a battle with blades, Kagami would certainly emerge as the victor. There had to be something more to her attack.

And so he watched vigilantly, reading the woman’s energy flow with extreme caution in order to pick up on any spiritual attack before it is activated. However, he also noticed another detail. With the vast difference in their spiritual pressure, she was susceptible to cutback, yet she attacked solely with the sword and no reiatsu-based assistance. If the situation was as simple as it seemed, she was in trouble. However, Kagami couldn’t make the same mistake that he did in chess. For no other reason than out of carefulness, he positioned his sword vertically to block the strike if she charged her sword with reiatsu and prepared any other attack. However, if she hadn’t anticipated cutback at all, he would simply let her blade push past his own with no resistance, slicing at his throat and initiating the horrible devastation her arms would be subject to.

Kagami wanted cutback to end the fight, but he knew that wasn’t likely. Not with how much hate Basilisk had for him. And with the flames she left behind her as she jumped forward, she definitely set in motion some sort of plan that Kagami would likely soon witness. Or, if he was lucky, Manami would lay her sword down and leave. Leave him. Leave Adalo. Leave all of the pain and go live a better life. If he was lucky. But luck hasn’t ever been on his side.

[Kento Waffles]

Basilisk's blade approached, and suddenly, spiritual energy did seem to gather around it. This would give Kagami the option of guarding her. Yet, as Basilisk's blade strike his, something very peculiar would happen. It was going to be shocking. Something he had never seen before. Suddenly, he couldn't sense even the most minute of Kagami's spiritual power. She stood in front of him, but it was as if there was nothing there to sense but a physical body. And, suddenly, there was also a crack as her blade literally split against his. As if her power had left her body entirely, and she possessed no more spiritual ability, causing her blade to fail against his and just break like butter.

The broken off half spun in the air, and Basilisk's broken blade continued toward Kagami. Suddenly, that half of the blade which had snapped off transfigured into a snake, which, by virtue of Kagami's proximity to it, would be able to strike him quickly, before he could even comprehend what had just happened. No matter someone's speed or instinct, this was something so unexpected that it seemed to defy reality. That metal piece had suddenly been a snake... And the purple snake with its fangs bit toward Kagami's arm, trying to bite into it and sink its fangs into his arm. This would be extremely painful, but not as painful as what would happen if Basilisk's original slashing motion came to fruition.

The slashing motion, however, was too late to guard against or even dodge. Kagami had chosen to fortify himself in that position and either guard or let cutback take care of it. What happened next was too fast, especially given his guard had been "evaded" by cutting her weapon. From out of the half blade, a jet of purple reiatsu formed a new blade, and this would succeed in carving directly into Kagami's chest. The original aim of course had been for the throat, but the close range of the blade when the purple reiatsu shot out caused the target to be hit prematurely. Regardless, it was a virtually guaranteed hit on the chest, and would leave a huge slash mark which drew a huge amount of blood, and also did not cauterize.

That attack... The most perfect timing. What Kagami likely did not know about Manami was what she did in her free time. Much of it was sports with Axel Johnson. And after one began to get very good at sports, they learned certain things... Such as the true power of agility and timing an opponent out. If one were to pick the perfect, most flawless opportunity to launch an unexpected attack, then no matter how clever, fast, perceptive, or powerful the adversary, they would not have the opportunity to guard. Such was the logic employed in, say, basketball when breaking one's ankles. Such was the logic in fencing for landing a deadly distance closing attack. And Basilisk was practiced, sharpened against Axel Johnson.

The purple reiatsu would feel cold to the touch, and furthermore would cut deeply and across the whole torso, not just the chest. There would be a slash mark from Kagami's hips all the way up to the beginning of his throat, for the blade that had cut him was extremely long, several times the length of a normal weapon. This also meant a very deep cut, something almost totally immobilizing. They didn't call her Basilisk for nothing. She really did fight like a viper. The purple reiatsu, after cutting Kagami, dissipated, and either way Basilisk suddenly vanished, using a flash step to get back and gather distance. What was done was done. Kagami had a slim chance of guarding the snake, and literally no chance of guarding the purple blade.

"Hmm, perhaps you're right," she said. "Perhaps there really is some of Manami left. After all, I had intended to sever you from the waist down. But no matter. You're irrelevant compared to me."

Basilisk's Remaining Reiatsu: 2550 Reiatsu

SPOILER: Click to show

The first is a technique which, for 100 reiatsu, momentarily drops her reiatsu strength to 0.

The second, obviously, spends 100 reiatsu to make a very long blade made of purple reiatsu.

And another spends 100 reiatsu to create a venomous snake out of anything of Manami's that is separate from her body.

And then 50 for flash step.

[Douma]

Manami was clever. Kagami knew it. She certainly knew it. Each action was a accompanied by such certainty. She felt in control of the situation. She was confident in herself. Kagami was once like that. He owned the world around him. He was the best of the best and didn’t let anyone tell him otherwise. That was how he coped with being alone, without Manami by his side. His confidence was feigned. Hers is likely well placed.

The instant her reiatsu began to shift toward he sword, Kagami was already in motion, reacting as quickly as he could to escape. However, it was too late. Her reiatsu strength dropped to zero just before their blades met, causing her weapon to break against the razor-sharp edge of his own blade. The upper part formed into a snake that lunged at him. However, by the time he stepped to the side, using shunpo to create a 30 foot distance between them, he would just barely the bite of the serpent thanks to his sharp energy sensory warning him of the attack.

However, the second portion of her attack was the most dangerous. The reiatsu-based sword Manami crafted to continue her slashing motion would cut through Kagami’s chest as he attempted to step to the side. The sword would make a cut several inches long before Kagami’s got to safety. His Shunpo motion would actually redirect the cut, causing it to form a strange angle on the upper portion of his chest. Had it gone deeper, it would leave a hole in his lung, but fortunately, his ribs and sternum suffered the most damage.

He grunted and cringed in pain as blood flowed down his body, but he refused to slow down. If Kagami tried to fight physically, Manami could simply wait until he lost enough too much blood. He needed assistance. He needed power, regardless of the source. He didn’t care if it drained his own life. He didn’t care of he learned the technique from Saeki Kuchiki. He didn’t have a better option. “I’m not giving up,” he told her, his breath heavy. “I’ll keep fighting you until you start fighting Adalo and the identity he gave you. An identity that isn’t yours.”

Suddenly, dragon the size of a bus spawned out of thin air before Kagami. Its long, skeletal body and face resembled that of a hollow, but its nature was far different. The creature didn’t care about feeding and sustaining itself. It sought only destruction. However, offense wasn’t the reason Kagami summoned it. Shokan: Dark Blade, the technique that called the wyvern, was meant to cause harm, yet Kagami brought it to defend himself. “I won’t fight you unless you make me.” It was her move, and until she made it, Kagami wasn’t going to budge.

Reiatsu Remaining: 9600/10,000 (-50 for Shunpo, -400 for Dark Blade)

Life Force Remaining: 9600/10,000 (-400 for Dark Blade)

Dark Blade Life Force: 400

[Kento Waffles]

Music for your soul and your ears

The woman who was Basilisk cocked her head to one side out of curiosity. Curiosity, of course, at what it was that Kagami had summoned. "Is that a Shokan...?" she asked, not perturbed but at least burning with a little bit of curiosity. Yes, it made sense that someone as high a level as her would know what that was. It wasn't necessarily common knowledge, but there were a hand full of people who knew of the existence of Shokan spells. Shokan, a spell type focused on summoning powerful creatures to do one's bidding. Considered a superior form of Bount power by some, given that one's life wasn't necessarily connected to these creatures. Some were created from the spirit, but others were legitimately summoned from other dimensions.

Regardless of what one knew of Shokan spells, they also knew that few to none actually possessed them. The primary suspects for having them were the Kuchiki Family, which controlled Squad 6 and thus Soul Society's information archives. But, given that no Kuchikis had actually used a Shokan technique, to public knowledge, it was presumed that they couldn't either. Thus, Kagami using one now would, at least to Manami's knowledge, make him the only user of the spell type in the world. It was likely she had never encountered this kind of technique used by anyone else. Her glowing eyes settled on this creature, and then at last on Kagami himself, as if regarding him in a new light.

"It seems that I underestimated you," Basilisk confessed. "Don't get me wrong, though. You still lack it... Hatred, I mean. But it appears that you're far stronger than I had initially suspected." A violet glow suddenly lit up both Kagami's blood and the huge gash wound on his body. "Still," Basilisk continued. "They don't call me 'Basilisk' for no reason." The Basilisk. A legendary creature said to resemble a gigantic snake. One drop of its venom would kill an elephant. Worse, it was said that just by looking into the creature's eyes, one's soul was poisoned and they would instantly die. For Manami to have achieved the name Basilisk, she had to have given it to herself or been given it by those who had seen her fight.

And it was at this moment that Kagami might come to see part of why she had that name. A searing pain would rip through his body, and would feel as if it was inside of his veins. The only way for him to be rid of that pain would be to remove his veins and all of his blood. The blood which kept him alive now also caused him immense pain. The only luck of this matter was that he was bleeding profusely, which served as a bit of a numbing agent, making the pain more bearable than it probably would have been otherwise. The two conflicting pains, in their own way, helped make one another lesser. Still, it was not a pleasant experience of pain.

"In any wound that I inflict, I can poison you," Basilisk said. "That's my ability. As long as I have wounded you, I can transform that wound into a poison whose strength depends on the severity of the wound." And Kagami would suddenly note that her sword was changing. The blade was quickly turning black, and an eye ball opened up on it. Roots festered from the bottom, plunging into Basilisk's arm, the veins of which suddenly turned black. Indeed, how could she have had a Zanpakuto if she was unaffiliated with Seireitei? No, indeed, she possessed a Bakkoto. And this? This made her somehow all the more dangerous. "Face me, or stand there and let my poison kill you," Basilisk challenged.

"It's up to you."

Basilisk's Remaining Reiatsu: 2250 Reiatsu

Bakkoto Class 3 Post Count: 1/3

[Douma]

”Is that Shokan…?” Adalo taught her a lot. Most would not be able to recognize the Shokan techniques. Douma was one of the few who knew how to use them in the first place, and most others chose not to. The price was too high. Douma was cutting short the length of his life in exchange for the power that the Shokan techniques offered, and if they helped him bring Manami back, even if he would only have thirty seconds to spend with her, it would all be worth it.

“I’ve learned a lot, just like you.” "It seems that I underestimated you. Don't get me wrong, though. You still lack it... Hatred, I mean. But it appears that you're far stronger than I had initially suspected." His lips bent in a bitter frown. I lack it…? Kagami had been consumed by a hatred and rage that took the form of Douma, but now, he finds that he had lacked it the entire time. He still wasn’t strong enough for her. What did Adalo teach her?

"Still, they don't call me 'Basilisk' for no reason." Blood continued running down Douma’s chest, and it hadn’t slowed. In fact, the crimson stream was growing and accelerating. He was losing more and more blood the longer he stood there. While he had gotten used to the terrible pain in his torso, the wave of agony from her poison hit him like a wave. “AAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!” he screamed, following to one knee. He used his sword as a crutch to hold him up while his free left hand hugged himself tightly, trying to protect him from the pain. She brought him down with just a single cut. He made a mistake.

"In any wound that I inflict, I can poison you. That's my ability. As long as I have wounded you, I can transform that wound into a poison whose strength depends on the severity of the wound." She was tearing him apart from the inside out. Douma’s ears heard her speak, but his mind struggled to follow the words. His blurry vision could barely make out the features of her weapon’s true form as it merged with her body. He needed to purge himself from Basilisk’s poison.

"Face me, or stand there and let my poison kill you. It’s up to you."

Suddenly, a new beast appeared between Kagami and Manami. This one was just as large as the first Shokan spawn, but it varied in appearance. It was more serpentine, with a large snake-like body. Douma stretched his left hand toward it, causing it to dissipate into pure reiatsu and flow into his body. Suddenly, the bleeding on his chest slowed and the pain from the poison halted. His wound was still open and sensitive, but the effects of Basilisk’s toxin had been undone.

“You’re right, you did underestimate me,” Kagami told her as he rose to his feet. “If you really want to bring me down, you’ll have to do a lot better than that. If that’s the best that Basilisk can dish out, I’m surprised she beat Manami so easily. I thought you were stronger than that.”

Reiatsu Remaining: 9300/10,000 (-300 for Dark Knife)

Life Force Remaining: 9450/10,000 (-300 for Dark Knife, +150 from Dark Edge)

Dark Blade Life Force: 400

Dark Blade Post Count: 2/7

[Kento Waffles]

I've got Naruto music

Basilisk's eyes widened, and she licked her lips. The tongue that came out was its full length, and wrapped around the entirety of her mouth before slithering back in. "You.. Maybe I want you for myself after all.." The way that she appraised him... Kagami.. Not as a human being, but a sack of meat. Something at a slaughter house. Or a grocery store. He was less than human to her. For this was indeed Basilisk that he was facing. It wasn't Manami. No, Manami had been devoured, or simply had evolved depending on how one wanted to look at the matter. Either way, here stood someone else entirely. A creature that had been made into every bit as much of a monster as Adalo De-Mona himself.

"Maybe I really will eat you, myself..." Basilisk told him. And suddenly, Douma would feel energy! A surge of energy, a jittery sensation, flowed through his veins. His vision, however, would then start to grow hazy, too. It was shaking. His body, in fact, was shaking, barely able to control itself. His mouth would feel dry and he would feel as if he had too much energy. His heart was moving too quickly. But, Dark Knife made him immune to poisons and toxins. This moment where once again he was struggling should not be possible. However, Basilisk was both merciful and contemptuous. She knew just what to say. Just how to say it.

"As I thought..." she said, seeing the visible physiological change in Douma. "By absorbing your Shokan, somehow you gained some sort of ability to purge my toxin, or perhaps you became immune to it. When those kinds of defenses exist, I need to marginally outclass you in power to make it work. That's why I'm lucky. Who knew that the lower levels of my ability would prove more useful instead? Right now... You're filled with a huge amount of adrenaline. Only by virtue of your spiritual body can you handle what I've put into you. Right now, you're three times faster. You're also three times stronger. Your instinct is sharpened three times over. Your senses, too. But... You're in trouble."

"You see, my power is to inject itself using wounds I have inflicted. The worse the wound, the worse the effects. And your wound, even with bleeding slowing, is very bad. You've been infected by this adrenaline that's rapidly accelerating your heart and all your other functions. You don't have long before your body can't take it anymore, and gives out. You might be immune to toxins or able to purge them, but this isn't a toxin. It's just a hormone. Your body naturally produces it. I just increased how much is in your body. And you can't become immune to your own body's productions, can you? Or you'll die. Well, you'll die either way, now. You only have one option. Defeat me NOW. Or perish."

The woman named Basilisk. Crafty, and strong. Well, it made sense. Someone who focused their efforts on poisons and toxins must know that there would be enemies who were immune to that sort of thing or could resist it. Instead, she had crafted an ability that used a hormone. And, even then, it probably wasn't the peak of her power. This, clearly, gave her a huge disadvantage. To heighten someone by that much couldn't be good for her. That was how far she was willing to go to make sure that Kagami would attack her. Because otherwise, death was coming. The same scenario awaited him either way, supposedly. Was this what it was like to face a true disciple of De-Mona?

Basilisk's Remaining Reiatsu: 1950 Reiatsu

Bakkoto Class 4 Post Count: 1/3

Kagami Lifespan: 1/12

[Douma]

"Maybe I really will eat you, myself..."

Her attitude shifted, and as it did, Kagami felt a rush of energy flow through his body. His legs and arms began jittering on their own, like he was a toddler who desperately needed to find a bathroom. His breathing accelerated, and his heart pounded like a drum against his rib cage, in turn causing the wound on his chest to bleed even more. He knew he was in trouble, but at the same time, Kagami had never felt stronger in his life. He’d never felt faster. More aware of what’s going on around him. The world seemed to move in slow motion.

”Right now... You're filled with a huge amount of adrenaline. Only by virtue of your spiritual body can you handle what I've put into you. Right now, you're three times faster. You're also three times stronger. Your instinct is sharpened three times over. Your senses, too. But... You're in trouble." There’s the catch. He knew that she wouldn’t enhance him so much without a heavy drawback. "You see, my power is to inject itself using wounds I have inflicted. The worse the wound, the worse the effects. And your wound, even with bleeding slowing, is very bad. You've been infected by this adrenaline that's rapidly accelerating your heart and all your other functions. You don't have long before your body can't take it anymore, and gives out. You might be immune to toxins or able to purge them, but this isn't a toxin. It's just a hormone. Your body naturally produces it. I just increased how much is in your body. And you can't become immune to your own body's productions, can you? Or you'll die. Well, you'll die either way, now. You only have one option. Defeat me NOW. Or perish."

Douma had a technique like that up his sleeve as well, one that caused the target to wear themselves out. His acted far slower and wasn’t quiet as direct as a hormone being inserted to his body, so Manami’s own version was definitely superior and more dangerous. His clock was ticking, and so Kagami had to act as quickly as possible. In front of him, two Shokan creatures appeared. One was identical to the monster that Kagami absorbed earlier, but the other was a new beast. The first Shokan, Dark Blade, reached out to its brothers and drew them into its body. Kagami then held his hand out to the accumulation of all three Shokan summons and pulled it into his own body.

And with that, Kagami released his bakkoto. The blade in his hand gained a reflective surface, and because of his own contact with it, his body received a mirror coating as well. But that was the least of it. With his heightened instinct, he was able to summon four mirrors around Manami in a 3 meter by 3 meter box without her even detecting the reiatsu around her. She’d know that he did something to trap her, but her vision wouldn’t help because of another property of his release. He was able to side of the each end of the individual mirrors to the other, making them transparent and allowing some things to pass through them like they were never there. For the time being, the only thing Kagami prevented from passing through the invisible mirrors was Manami, though her techniques and weapons were free to move through the mirrors like they weren’t there in the first place.

Douma jumped into the transparent box with Shunpo, but before doing so, he cast a technique. Hado #86: Soukahou. By casting the kido through the mirror around his body, he turned himself into a blue fire man, shooting out burning bullets at random in every direction. Wherever Manami went, she was at risk of being burned by the flames, especially when Kagami closed the distance between them. With his enhanced speed, he sliced upward with his sword, targeting her torso just as she did to him. If she tried to run, she’d collide face-first with a mirror. If she tried to break the mirrors with a physical weapon or technique that wasn’t at least class 4, it would pass right through.

If she successfully shattered the mirrors, Kagami’s increased instinct would allow him to land another hit. Blades would emerge from each shard, impaling her. He wouldn’t target vital organs, but he’d certainly aim to make her bleed or even cut off a limb or two. Receiving so many wounds so rapidly would be dangerous, especially to a rogue such as herself. Either way, Kagami was full offensive. No matter what she did or how much pain she caused him during this assault, he would just continue like he never felt it in the first place, and that wasn’t just from the adrenaline. Through his own technique Silent Pain, he sealed off his ability to feel any form of pain, so Manami would either have to find a way to stop him or lose the fight in one go.

I won’t lose…

Reiatsu Remaining: 6750/10,000 (-300 for Dark Knife, -300 for Dark Scythe, -200 for Class 1 Bakkoto, -400 for 4 mirrors, -400 for linking 4 mirrors, -800 for Hado #86, -100 for casting a tech through a mirror, -50 for shunpo)

Life Force Remaining: 4600/10,000 (-100 for the first hit he took that I forgot to account for, -300 for Dark Knife, -300 for Dark Scythe, -4000 for Dark Fusion)

New Strength: 150

New Speed: 900

New Instinct: 450

New Senses: 300

Dark Fusion Post Count: 1/7

Silent Pain Post Count: 1/5

Class 1 Bakkoto Post Count: 1/3

[Kento Waffles]

Basilisk, clearing sensing some sort of reiatsu around her, knew to leave as soon as it formed. In that instant, she vanished. But how? In that moment, she suddenly was pulled into her bunny mask, spiraling into it as if being sucked in. The mask remained floating in the air momentarily, and then it vanished too. A ways from Douma, the mask began to reappear within a distortion in the air resembling a spiral, and from it, Basilisk emerged once more, attached to her mask, wearing it on her face. That had been... A teleportation technique. But that was what made things so problematic. For as Kagami emerged, his fireballs spewing everywhere, Basilisk was still in range!

Fireballs flew at her, and she dodged left and right, weaving between fireballs. But that was the problem with Soukahou. However draining it was, when someone's stamina drain wasn't hitting them yet, it was monstrous. So many blasts that it was unimaginable. Naturally, not even Basilisk could dodge them all. No, one engulfed her momentarily, and then another soon after she was escaping. When she emerged, maybe she had guarded and maybe she hadn't, but either way her mask had been shattered and much of her outfit burned off. Now her skin had burns and she wore a singed tank top as her hair danced through the air and she attempted to escape.

It would be then, that, homing in on her with his blade, he went to cut her torso as she had done to him. But... Suddenly the blade veered toward Basilisk's face into a stabbing motion! It was pulled, drawn into a stabbing motion right toward her eye. And if it hit? Of course it would be over. She would be impaled in the head and she would die. That was only natural, after all. Yes, she could try to dodge, and indeed she did. However, at that moment, a stray Soukahou was in her way, and as she accidentally bumped into it, it exploded across her and created more burns, and Basilisk fell to the ground on her bottom, her heels digging into the ground hard.

At that moment, with the blade being pulled toward her eye, it looked as if all hope was lost. As if Manami... was dead. Indeed, Douma was strong. Kagami was strong. It had been a good attack. Even the mighty Basilisk hadn't been able to defend against it. But it was at that moment that she gazed into Kagami's eyes, and he might notice that her eyes were their normal color again, and her face... It wasn't the one of contempt. It wasn't the face of Basilisk. Not the cold, twisted, evil face he had been fighting, but the warm one that he remembered. It was that warming face of Manami, his fiancee, except that it was scared and shocked at what was happening.

Where had Basilisk gone? Did it matter? She who stared up at him was clearly Manami. There could be no one else. And, with Manami's sweet voice speaking rather than the terrible voice of Basilisk, she pleaded with him. "Kagami, please.... I don't want to die again..." And it was then that he might recall that it had been his actions with other women that pushed Manami into the clutches of Adalo De-Mona. She may as well have said please don't kill me again... It had been his actions which killed Manami and brought about Basilisk. But for this moment, it was Manami facing him, and she could only plead with her words. She could only beg as Manami.

And if he used his impressive energy to find feelings... What he'd see was darkness. Inside of the soul that was Manami's was the same darkness and hate that had created Douma. And inside of it, there was indeed a dichotomy. He wasn't wrong, there was Manami in there. The one facing him wasn't necessarily Manami. Though hard to tell, it was likely Basilisk. But, whether or not she was sincere, she really didn't have a backup plan. She would die if he hit her. In fact, she probably even counted on this. And if she was hit? That little Manami inside was as good as gone too. It was too late, though. He couldn't readjust the trajectory of his blade unless with all his might he forced himself to a sudden stop, stopping himself from attacking. Because if he didn't. She would die.

"Please...."

Basilisk's Remaining Reiatsu: 1700 Reiatsu

Bakkoto Class 4 Post Count: 2/3

Kagami Lifespan: 2/12

[spoiler=Two more of Basilisk's techniques!

One of these, you saw earlier. She is able to displace herself! It's kind of like Tobi's. It's not ridiculously fast, but it isn't slow either. She can displace herself to another dimension and from that dimension reappear. This process costs her 200 reiatsu.

The second technique she uses is a PULL version of Sho, if that's how you'd want to think of it. It uses her reiatsu strength to pull something toward her, BUT it has a catch. It can only pull attacks toward her. Swords, spells, whatever. Not people, not non attack objects. For 50 reiatsu, it pulls attacks, causing them to both speed up and retarget, as she can retarget to different parts of her body (face, heart, or stomach). Why might this be important? Well, for moments such as this.

[/spoiler]