Bow and Sword in Accord [NDE, PG-13]

[Hadrian J. Ryan Ⅻ]

Thread Title: Bow and Sword in Accord
Participants: Hadrian J. Ryan
World: Human World
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: PG-13
Location: The sun is just setting over the red sands that cover the majority of Central Australia. The area is wide and arid, with only a few straggly tress providing cover from the sun's intense heat. In spite of the time, the sand is still hot from the heat of the day. In this barren wasteland is a lonely wooden shack, a remnant of a small cattle farm, containing nothing but a small water trough that has long since dried out.

Special Conditions: None
Circumstances: Hadrian has been pursuing his isolated training in the barren desert. He is still striving to become stronger, in spite of the Vandenreich's power slowly dwindling. What he doesn't realise, however, is that Xcution have noticed his presence in the Human World, and have sent an operative after him.

[Hadrian J. Ryan Ⅻ]

Hadrian looked down at his boots, and sighed. Not even an hour ago, they had been impeccable - you could have seen your reflection in them - but now they were dusted an unpleasant shade of red by the sand of the desert. It was as if they had rusted, but more importantly, it looked like it would be impossible to clean. Not that it was too much of an inconvenience - there were plenty of spare uniforms to go around in the Vandenreich these days - but still, it was a pity. Hadrian simply watched as the shadow of the small hut crept forward across the ground - the sun was setting on the Australian desert, and with it, the heat of the day was slowly dwindling.

Hadrian yawned, and stretched out, kicking up another small plume of red dust. Today had been quite fruitful, the searing heat had helped intensify his training. Hadrian was still sweating from the physical exertion, he was stripped down to his black t-shirt, his white coat folded neatly and placed in the water trough. While the night would quickly cool, Hadrian still felt as though he could continue for a little while longer - perhaps he could focus on his sensory abilities rather than his physical ones this time. When he wasn’t training his body, he liked to take to training his mind - it was both relaxing and useful.

Hadrian closed his eye, and made an attempt at ‘extending his consciousness’, as a layman might put it. Throughout his years in the Vandenreich, Hadrian has come to realise that he would always be the underdog when it came to matches of raw power, but that his real talents lay in his sensory abilities. He allowed all of his senses to receive information - the taste of the dry air, the coarse feel of the rough wood beneath his hands, the sound of the very faint breeze that had accompanied the sunset, the smells of the desert. In his mind’s eye, he tried to reconstruct the scenery around him perfectly, trying to reimagine each and every detail without a single flaw.

His rumination, however, were interrupted by his other sense - his Energy Sensory. This was, by far, his most potent ability, the ability to detect and identify reiatsu within a considerable radius. Unfortunately for the other Spiritual Being wandering the desert, the wide open space and lack of interference made them very easy to detect, especially when Hadrian was focussing so intently. They stuck out like a lone blip on a radar. They were probably a considerable distance away, but the lack of distractions still made them stick out. One wouldn't need the abilities Hadrian had to be able to detect them, it was quite a straightforward matter to pick them out.

Unfortunately, the reverse was also likely true. Hadrian was not a being with insignificant power, so it was unlikely that he had gone unnoticed by the mysterious other who was wandering the sands. Hadrian raised a hand to his dark eyepatch, which concealed his missing left eye. The last time he had been interrupted while training, a certain Quincy had taken the liberty of removing his left eye for him.

Hopefully, this one will be a little friendlier

Hadrian smiled a little sadly, thinking about all the people he had fought. Some bore him no ill will, but fought him out of pride, honour, duty or curiosity. Others, however, seemed to hate him, no matter how nice Hadrian was. Still though, all those people had brought him to where he was today - he wouldn’t be the same without the victories he had won, and the defeats he had suffered. They helped shape him, helped him become the man the Emperor had believed in - the man who bore the Schrift of “H”. And this person would be another one - hopefully they would be somewhat friendly, Hadrian was in no mood to enter a battle to the death. His last encounter had been violent enough to last him a lifetime.

Let’s hope I can hang on to my eye this time - it would be a shame to lose both of them…

Reiatsu: 2000/2200: -200 for Sanrei Glove

Timer: 1/12

SPOILER: Click to show

{John's Stats and Skills}


Strength - [80] Points (48 with Strategist Deduction)

Speed - [150] Points (90 with Strategist Deduction)

Spiritual Pressure - [220] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [400] Points (600 with Sanrei Glove)

Light Aura - [80] Points

Dark Aura - [20] Points

Instinct - [75] Points (150 with Strategist Boost)

Senses [75] Points (150 with Strategist Boost)

Energy sensory - [110] Points (220 with Strategist Boost)

Healing Expertise - [0] Points


Total SP: [1100] Points


Skills

[Crafting] {2}

[Weapon : Sword : Dual-Wielding] {2}

[Weapon : Bow] {2}

[Battle Analysis] {2}

[Strength of Will] {2}

[Leadership/Charisma] {2}

4 banked

[Izanami Midorikawa]

Here she was again on another assignment given to her by the handler known as Yumi. The woman of short black hair and eyes that could command virtually any individual. A high ranking member of Xcution that for the last two months had been overseeing every single thing that Izanami had been commanded to do. Most of what she had been commanded to do though was the same thing that she had always been commanded to do. All her life she had been being told what to do by those of Xcution and there was a reason for it.

She was a weapon. One that had been fine toned throguhout her years to slay any marked creature for death. The weapon of Xcution. For so long she had just accepted all of that as what she was. Even now that was what she is what she feels. That she is nothing more than the blade by which a name is crossed off a list. However, over the last month there had been a change. A change within her. She had been slaying individuals facing off against others and even being defeated. Throughout all of this things started to change and Izanami was starting to become an actual person.

She of course couldn't let Yumi figure that out or else she didn't know what would happen. So she kept up how she had always been. All of that inevitably led to what was going on right now. Izanami had been being assigned to take down shinigami so many of them. Now it was soemthing very different. Not only that, but it was so very far away. Izanami had almost always been ordered to take care of a shinigami that had arrived in Karakura Town. At the moment she wasn't even in that town.

In fact Izanami didn't know where she was. She hadn't ever learned anything aside from fighting and basic knowledge and practice that anyone past elementary school would understand easily. She had been told that her target was a Quincy this time. One that was missing his left eye and wore white clothing. A Quincy of the Vandenreich. A society of Quincy that held vast power compared to the normal Quincy. This one for whatever reason was the target and that was all she had been told for that was all she was expected to know and need.

That and where to actually find him. That was why she was out here in this red desert of heat. Izanami moving throughout the desert in her black leather could feel the sweet on her skin drenching through her clothing. This wasn't good even as an individual that felt no emotion she could tell just from what she was feeling physically that her body was having a hard time handling. Her bretahing was more rapid than normal. Unlike any normal person though she didn't feel uncomfortable for comfert wasn't something that she understood.

From what she could tell the sun was starting to set and soon night would be upon her once again. She had been traveling for the last two days and was going to run out of water soon. That was when she sensed the reiatsu of a Quincy no more than a quater of a mile away. She was close now yet due to the surroundings felt that even if he could see her she would be able to see him. This meant that a stealth attack from a distance would be almost impossible. So she continued onwards.

After a few minutes the black cloaked figure would arrive at the shake where the Quincy had been training. He would see an individual cloaked completely in black leather that was soaked with sweet. The hood hiding the face beneath completely from sight. She could see the white coat that had been covered in red sand on the water trough. This was the man that she had been sent here for. It would be best to finish him quickly so that she could get out of this hot place. "By the order of X. Izanami Midorikawa has been deployed. Quincy target aquired and disposal has began."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}
Strength: 200 (140)
Speed: 150
Spiritual Pressure: 210
Reiatsu Strength: 200 (300)
Instincts: 100
Senses: 50
Energy Sensory: 100
Healing Expertise: 0
Light Aura: 0
Dark Aura: 100

Learning: 1
Movement: 2
Calm Mind: 2
Pain Tolerance: 2
Battle Analysis: 2
Weapon*Swords: 2
Martial Art*Taekwondo: 2

[Hadrian J. Ryan Ⅻ]

John kept his eye closed up until the person reached the little shack. It wasn’t out of arrogance or condescension that he did so - he could tell that this person was a formidable opponent, a Fullbringer, and that he would pay for underestimating them - it was just that, at the moment, he was more concerned with discerning their intentions than launching a surprise attack. Hadrian was becoming more and more adept at reading a person’s personality from their Reiatsu signature - it was a useful trick that made it easier to distinguish the friendly from the not-so-friendly.

And this person definitely belonged to the latter group. Her ‘aura’ was pitch-black, full of killing intent. Hadrian didn’t doubt that she was here with the specific purpose of killing him - who else would make this trek out to him? He made it his business to stay out of the way of Spiritual Beings on these training expeditions, so when people did find him, they usually had a purpose. And this person wasn’t coming to offer him a glass of water and congratulate him on a hard day’s work.

Well, it’s all in the spirit of good training…

"By the order of X. Izanami Midorikawa has been deployed. Quincy target aquired and disposal has began."

Well, that was certainly abrupt.

Her tone was as clinical as her aura had suggested - she was obviously some sort of assassin. However, certain aspects of her made Hadrian pause for thought. Yes, her aura was pitch-black, but perhaps, if one focussed intently, slight patches of grey could be found. Hadrian smiled softly - sometimes, he felt, he was too much of an optimist. However, he was being unmannerly - there was a lady all the way out here to visit him, drenched in sweat (as intimidating as all the leather was, it was a poor match for the searing heat), and he hadn’t even offered her a drink.

Hadrian stood up from the water trough, and made a futile attempt to dust the red sand off his trousers. Normally, he would not act so calmly in front of someone with so much killing intent - especially someone who could obviously move so much faster than he could - but another part of the data he had gathered about the enigmatic Izanami Midorikawa was that her spiritual abilities were not as developed as his own. He would never go so far as to call them weak, they were certainly formidable, but he was confident that he could hold his own against them.

”Pleased to meet you, Miss Midorikawa.”

Hadrian’s tone was calm, in spite of the fact of the fact that he had been told in no uncertain terms that he was about to be killed. Yes, Hadrian was afraid of her - no good soldier does not fear his opponents - but he also wanted to try and reach out to whatever good she had in her. After his miserable failure with Asmoskon, he wanted to try prove to someone that there were things that were not worth fighting to the death over - that there were other ways to resolve conflicts than just through fighting.

”My name is Hadrian Ryan, of the Vandenreich. Feel free to call me John, though. Would you like some water?”

Hadrian proffered the small hip flask he had brought with him - it seemed nonsensical for him not to offer her some. Although Hadrian’s demeanour may have seemed casual and carefree to Izanami, he was actually monitoring her extremely closely. The distance between them was large enough so that Hadrian would have time to react if she attacked suddenly. He was confident that his instincts and analysis abilities would be able to predict any sort of attack she through at him.

Still though, it wouldn’t do to be too careless…

In spite of his confidence, Hadrian drew in some of the ambient reishi using his Quincy Cross. While he was confident that she wouldn’t be able to catch him off guard, it was still best to be prepared for anything.

Reiatsu: 2100/2200: +300 from Quincy Cross, -200 from Sanrei Glove

Timer: 2/12

[Izanami Midorikawa]

Saying that the black leather clothing that was covering the blonde body of the young assassin was damp would have been an understatement. Izanami herself now as the sun started to set and the shadows of night started to creep their way over the sands started to realize something. Her clothing while it had been not uncomfortable to her sensations while she walked. There was now a problem. This Quincy was an individual that due to his race would more then likely vastly excel at ranged combat. That caused a grave deal of possible problems for Izanami.

While she wasn't the brightest individual when it came to every day problems. In fact Izanami didn't really know how to handle any such situation the same couldn't be said for what to do in terms of combat. She had no real way of attacking from a distance in this desert. No way that was effective enough to injury or kill this Quincy. All around her way nothing, but air and sand. Both of which she could manipulate the souls of yet neither would be as effective as an arrow made of reiatsu. Izanami had yet to fight against a Quincy yet her teachings had covered over nearly every race including them.

This was what led to her current problem. The Quincy hadn't yet started to speak and Izanami had only just finished declaring that her assignment had officially started when she realized that it was off. Her clothing was off like it was malfunctioning. The problem was that her sweat had caused the leather of her clothing to stick to her skin and now it was restricting her movements. She had only just tried to move her left arm slightly and picked up on the difference due to her skill in the art. This would more than likely be a problem against the Quincy. If he managed to get a quick shot off then her clothing might restrict her movements enough that dodging wouldn't be possible.

As Hadrian got up from the water trough that he had been sitting on and now started to speak to Izanami. The young Fullbringer could feel the brightness of his aura. It was something unknown and unpleasant to her for it was foreign. She continued to stand there as she looked over the way that he stood and the position of his hands and legs. She was analyzing everything about him at the moment right before combat between the both of them would begin. She had been given a mission to kill this Quincy and even now as he greeted her and tried to be pleasant asking if she would like some water it made no difference. For once a bullet is fired from a gun no amount of words can cease its travel.

The next few moments did pass in a way that no one would have ever predicted from the scenario that was being undertaken. Izanami the emotionless weapon of Xcution that held no soul to her silver eyes brought her left hand to her throat. Moving past her dog tags and instead unclipped her cloak causing the large amount of black leather to drop to the sand. At that point everything just seemed to be more troublesome as Izanami pulled off the sections of leather that covered her legs and forearms. Throwing them to the ground. She had the idea to remove the rest of her clothing however taking the chance of being shot in this open area was to high.

She had removed a large portion of her clothing and now most of her body would be able to move freely even if it was still covered in sweat. She starred into the eye of the Quincy before her own silver eyes revealing to this man that she had no emotions. She in fact didn't even seem to be human after closer inspection. Humans had a certain aspect of their aura and reiatsu that Izanami lacked completely. It was as if she was just simply something with a name that had the body of a young beautiful girl. This strange emotionless warrior though suddenly would charge the Quincy at her full speed. She'd take two steps forward closing the distance between them and then execute Movement to reach him.

It would be at that point that the Quincy would likely either have executed his own method of evasion to distance the both of them or he would have materialized his bow. If he distanced himself from Izanami the Fullbringer would continue to pursue him moving at her normal speed. If his bow was materialized though she would lift whichever leg was correspondingly closest to whichever one of his hands held the bow. That leg would be brought through the air in the attempt to knock his bow of course and preventing him from getting a clear shot at her. If successful Izanami would then spin while hopping off the ground and lifting her other leg. Her advanced skill in Taekwondo enabled her to preform a roundhouse kick that would hopefully send the Quincy to the sand.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2075/2100
Movement: {-25}

[Hadrian J. Ryan Ⅻ]

Hadrian felt the woman’s eyes scanning him, perhaps trying to determine whether his kindness had any sort of hidden, sinister agenda. What she found, he would never know, but he hoped that she would be at least somewhat receptive to his goodwill. Too many people in all the worlds were willing to shoot first, and then shoot again - let alone ask any questions. It was this cycle of violence that Hadrian was determined to break, if a man didn’t have enemies, what reason had he to fight? If Hadrian could show others that it was possible to make a world free from conflict, perhaps he could end the bloody cycle which the Spiritual Worlds iterated endlessly.

Of course, it was unrealistic to think that such a world could be built without bloodshed - it was a paradox that Hadrian had yet to satisfactorily resolve. There were, unfortunately, people in this world who thrived of violence and slaughter, whose very existence went against everything Hadrian was trying to achieve. Someone’s hands would have to be sullied with the blood of those people, if the new world was to have a stable existence. And that is my purpose… As a Sternritter…

It was an unpleasant duty, which Hadrian wanted to avoid at all costs. Could he reach Izanami’s heart, or was she already a lost cause? Her aura certainly seemed to suggest that she had no space for anything in her heart except violence - she was clearly some sort of trained assassin. She did not respond to Hadrian’s offer of water, but instead proceeded to undo the buckles holding her leather outfit together. Naturally, in the heat, such a restrictive outfit would cause problems when it came to mobility - she was simply being pragmatic. However, the fact that she felt she could do so freely indicated that she at least trusted Hadrian to shoot her in the act of undressing. Trust, that was at least at a start.

Her eyes locked on Hadrian’s for an instant - and Hadrian instantly understood the grey areas in her aura. She was not “evil”, however she was not truly “good” either. While her aura was pitch-black, it was only as if someone else had filled an empty vessel with killing intent - she had yet to develop any sort of personal moral compass, or even any sort of code of honour to live by. Perhaps she had been trained to be like this since a young age… “By order of X.”… Those had been the words she had used… Was she also with Xcution? Hadrian was growing to dislike the organisation immensely. First Asmoskon, the Quincy who refused to end his cycle of vengeance, and now Izanami, a girl who knew nothing except about how to kill.

”Well-“

Hadrian’s well-meaning comment was cut short by Izanami’s abrupt movement. Hadrian was somewhat surprised, in his analysis he had almost forgot that she was here to kill him. He had let himself become distracted, and now he was going to pay dearly. Unfortunately for Izanami, however, she had made a few fatal errors. The first was assuming that Hadrian was helpless in close-quarters. He was at a disadvantage, perhaps, but she knew little to nothing about his abilities, only that he was a Quincy - she clearly had not received information from Asmsokon that Hadrian was also proficient with a sword, she may be operating under the assumption that he was only using a bow.

The second mistake was that she had taken a few steps before using her step technique. This meant that Hadrian could discern her direction before she entered her step. Step techniques were useful for closing distances quickly, but they were quite linear. The sudden burst of speed made it difficult to change direction mid-step, making it difficult to adapt to changes in the opponent’s position. When one telegraphs their intention so clearly, it’s easy to work out where the person will end up at the end of their step. Of course, knowing all this would be useless to Hadrian if he failed to react to her movements. She was much faster than he was, so he wouldn’t be able to cover nearly the same amount of distance so quickly.

As soon as she entered her step, Hadrian used the movement technique Hirenkyaku. Unlike Izanami, he did not telegraph his directions with any unnecessary movements beforehand - he had spent enough time mastering the technique to be able to use it from a stationary position without any extra movements. While Izanami had used her step to close the distance, Hadrian used his to create it. Instead of moving backwards, however, he moved laterally, and just a little bit forwards, so that he would be behind Izanami on her right-hand side - or on her “four”, as they say. Her step would carry her past Hadrian’s position, so if she intended to pursue him, she would have to change direction quickly.

If she turned to face Hadrian, she would find his short bow aimed directly at her, an arrow already notched and drawn. She was fast, yes, but the time it would take her to turn and close the distance between them again would be far more time than it would take to fire his arrow. Hadrian had no intention of firing the arrow, however. He still wanted to reach out to Izanami, to help her realise that was to more to life than just this purposeless fighting. If Izanami chose not to pursue him again, he would slowly lower his bow, with the arrow still notched.

”My apologies, miss - may I ask why Xcution would send you all the way out here to fight someone like me?”

If she was from Xcution, the question would probably catch her off-guard - she might feel as though she had let something important slip. That might cause her to say something, if only in protest. If she wasn’t, well, Hadrian could pass it off as an honest mistake. Anyway, Hadrian’s first task was to initiate a conversation - then, perhaps, he could learn something about how the soul of Izanami Midorikawa had been tainted by this cruel world.

Reiatsu: 1850/2200: -50 for Hirenkyaku, -200 for Sanrei Glove

Timer: 3/12

[Izanami Midorikawa]

Moving forwards against the Quincy known as Hadrian was the first step taken against him. Izanami stepped over the blistering how sand that formed the ground beneath both of them until she was right upon him and ready to strike. However, one of the two scenarios that she had expected came to fruition. She didn't see the Quincy move backwards though. As she had used Movement she had felt a spike in his reiatsu as well and then he moved so fast that it was nothing, but a blur to her silver eyes. A blur of nothing, but white moving so fast that Izanami knew it had to be a step technique.

As she saw the blur she was able to get the impression that it moved past her going off the slight breeze of air that passed by the right side of her face. Izanami's pale blonde haired swayed slightly to the side from the movement of the Quincy giving her at least some indication of where he was now. Izanami knowing that Quincy normally used bows and arrows to battle against foes was at a huge disadvantage right now. She couldn't see him from the way that she was standing and her back was more than likely facing him. So immediately she hopped off the sand and spun her body anticipating some kind of attack to be right in front of her.

However, when her feet touched back down onto the loose sand of the desert Izanami only saw that the Quincy had a short bow now in his hand and an arrow ready. He was without a doubt about to fire the arrow and for whatever reason didn't try to when he had the chance. That would end up being the downfall of this battle. Izanami unless she was killed off immediately would find a way to hurt this Quincy and eventually defeat him. She always seemed to find a way towards victory no matter who her foe was or what race it belonged too. No matter the difference between them she was a weapon that couldn't be quenched.

Izanami didn't move towards the Quincy nor did she react in any actual way to the fact that he had an arrow drawn and aimed to her. She just continued to stare at him her silver eyes seemingly piercing into his mind through the windows of his own soul. This Quincy had been trying to figure her out by sensing her aura and yet by doing so he had avoided what was right in front of him. The Fullbringer that was trying to kill him right now wasn't human. She hadn't ever been given that chance. She didn't have any sort of emotion within her nor any drive of her own. Everything about her was an order from someone else.

That's why when the Quincy asked her why Xcution would have sent her all the way out here just to kill him there was no physical reaction to anything that he said. Her pupils nor any other part of her eyes moved at all. There was no slight twitch of her skin or body. She didn't say anything either it was as if nothing had been said at all leaving her to just stare at him more. Now though he had lowered his bow which was either a faint to get her to attack or to let down her guard. The latter was simply impossible to achieve.

That was why it should have come to no surprise when suddenly Izanami vanished from sight. She knew now that the Quincy could execute a higher speed step technique than Movement so she would have to do the same. So executing Bright Light was the next step. She would have to move in a linear line again for that was the limitation of step techniques. However, she wasn't directed in front of the Quincy. No she would appear to the left of him on his side. When she did she'd attempt to grab ahold of his arm whether it be the one holding his short bow or not. At that point her leg would fly upwards bending to the point that the bottom of her leg shin and foot was facing upwards and would smash into the stomach and groin of the Quincy.

If successful than Izanami would have the first path of victory already secured. She was good when it came to close combat whether it be with her claymore or hand to hand combat. That's why if she was successful in striking the Quincy her elbow would be the next thing. The Quincy was either going to be stunned from the pain or hunched over from it. So her elbow would either strike him in the face or the back of the head depending on which way he reacted if he was hit. After that Izanami would try to end this battle by bringing her knee upwards into his gut.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2025/2100
Bringer Light: {-50}

[Hadrian J. Ryan Ⅻ]

Hadrian was disappointed, but not surprised, when Izanami failed to react to his words. He had expected a slight betrayal of some kind of emotion - surprise, at least. But, no. She gave away nothing. Not even a quiver. It wasn’t though she wasn’t listening, or even that she was choosing to ignore what he was saying. The words he spoke were just meaningless to someone like her. Hadrian felt the raw reiatsu in his hands, the bowstring and arrow were crackling with energy - lethal intent. He didn’t want to hurt her, he really didn’t. He didn’t blame her for her actions - whoever was in charge was at fault here, she was nothing but a victim of circumstance. It really tore Hadrian apart to see something like this happen.

However, in spite of these conflicting feelings, one thing was clear. If she could not be reasoned with, she had to be dealt with. It was a tragedy, but an unavoidable one. If Hadrian let her go here, she would only go on to kill others, her killing intent filling her otherwise empty personality. And if she continued to kill, she would only create situations where others like her would be formed. Killing always lead to revenge, which seemed to always lead back to killing. But who was Hadrian to judge? He always tried to apologise and forgive - but no-one else seemed to share that mentality. What good would a world of peace be if he had to kill everyone else to obtain it?

That was a question to be resolved later. This time, Izanami would have to be dealt with. Hadrian would take full responsibility for his actions now - he would not hesitate to try and settle the grievances caused by this battle by himself. That, at least, was his responsibility as a Sternritter.

”My apologies, Miss Midorikawa. I’ll give you the fight you want.”

Hadrian murmured the words to himself, barely enunciating them at all. It was unlikely they would reach Izanami. Still though, it was important for him to at least apologise - if only to ease his own conscience. However, the time for pleasantries was over. Izanami would not hold back in this battle, that much was clear. Hadrian could not afford to hesitate - she was a powerful opponent, and Hadrian would undoubtedly be killed if he didn’t stay on his toes. So when Izanami disappeared in a flash of green light, he was prepared.

The spike in reiatsu and tensing of the muscles betrayed her intentions about using a step technique, so Hadrian had time to react with a step-technique of his own. It was, of course, Hirenkyaku again. However, this time, Izanami had the foresight not to telegraph her direction so obviously, so Hadrian only had a vague idea about the direction she would take. It would be too dangerous to make a blind prediction, but Hadrian made the implicit assumption that she was going to stay on the ground. So, Hadrian made this a battle in 3 dimensions, rather than two. His step technique accelerated him slightly backwards, but mostly upwards. The fact that she was so much faster than he was meant that she might be able to grab his leg, if she were so inclined, but she would probably be more interested in evading Hadrian’s counterattack.

Calling it an attack was an understatement, ‘onslaught’ might be a more appropriate word. As Hadrian moved backwards, Izanami would feel a second surge of reiatsu as Hadrian activated his Bow Release. She would, unfortunately, fall prey to its versatile firing property. As Hadrian moved backwards, his path would be covered by the appearance of 12 circular clock faces, neatly arranged in rows of three. All 12 arrows would fire simultaneously, skewering whoever dared stay in front of them. Of course, dodging left or right would be an option, but Hadrian ensured that it would be more difficult than expected. The clock faces on the edges were angled very slightly outwards, meaning that the volley of arrows covered quite a large area.

But Hadrian wasn’t finished. In order to ensure maximum coverage, he simply willed each arrow to explode. Each of the 12 arrows would detonate spectacularly, filling an large area with powerful reiatsu explosions. Even if Izanami could react immediately after exiting her step-technique, she would likely be hit by something. The attack simply covered too large an area. It was overkill, perhaps, but it was all Hadrian could do with the limited time he had to react. He had to limit her actions with brute force, he had no other option. However, no opponent would ever fall so easily - especially one so well trained, Hadrian was certain of this.

”Do you consider yourself proud?!”

Hadrian’s frustration bubbled over. The question was not really directed at Izanami, but perhaps at the people who had turned her into this. Who, in their right mind, would be proud of a person who killed so heartlessly? Hadrian looked down from above - he had maintained his stance on Air Ground - as the explosions cleared. He was prepared for anything she might throw at him.

Reiatsu: 1440/2200: +300 from Quincy Cross, -50 for Hirenkyaku, -100 for Bow Release 1, -240 for 3 sets of Class 4 Arrows, -120 for 3 sets of Class 4 Arrow Explosions, -200 for Sanrei Glove

Timer: 4/12

[Izanami Midorikawa]

Izanami had been developing not only in strength and power, but in knowledge as well. Throughout all her life she had been a weapon and even now as this battle that had only just started progressed she was getting sharper. She had the knowledge and foresight along with the talent to learn how her foes fought and acted. This was one of the things that made her so dangerous. The longer that this battle raged on the more she would know about Hadrian and the less unpredictable he'd become.

That's why when he executed the Quincy step technique once again Izanami wasn't surprised not that she would have been. However, instead of not knowing what was going to happen and not being surprised now she actually had a true reason not to be. She could measure the degree of his reiatsu spiking and after already sensing it once the second time she knew exactly what he was going to do. So the sand that she now dragged her feet across was pushed to the sides and dug down by the momentum that she carried as she stopped herself.

It wasn't nearly the same as trying to stop herself from moving over a solid surface. The sand was loose and causing her to keep going for roughly three feet. When she finally stopped she looked around and saw nothing. The Quincy that she had come here to kill was nowhere to be seen. That was when she felt a massive spike in his reiatsu something far more potent than a simple step technique was being used right now. There were only two possible places for him to be right now and Izanami didn't believe that a Quincy had anyway of getting underground so quickly. So she raised her head.

When she did there he was standing on the air no bow in his hands yet there were little ripples of blue in the air around him. Izanami's silver eyes starred at each of the ripples as suddenly arrows were fired from them. The speed that a Quincy arrow flew at wasn't anything to take lightly. Izanami barely had any time to react from the distance between the two of them. Flowing reiatsu into her feet and executing Brighter Light once again moving in a flash of light. What followed was the massive explosion of all the arrows detonating.

After all that sound from the explosion was finished and the area was covered in dust from all of the sand that had been sent up into the air Izanami came to a stop. She had been sent flying off her feet from the explosion. She managed to get away from the majority of it and yet she had blood on her left arm. She was injured and now as she tried to stand up onto her feet once more concealed by the smoke cloud of sand she realized how badly she had been injured. There was a good chuck of her flesh missing at the top of her left shoulder.

A massive amount of blood was pouring out from the wound and Izanami after having inflicted so many wounds on others knew that this wasn't good. However, she was much like this desert something hot and unforgiving that couldn't be changed. Moving her right hand up to her neck she gripped her dog tags. That was when her own reiatsu would suddenly spike by a massive margin. A massive claymore more than five feet in length was suddenly in her right hand and Izanami brought the blade up to her neck.

Angling it carefully so as to not touch her throat or face Izanami touched the surface of her Full bring to the wound on her left shoulder. That was all it took for her to scream out in pain. A horrific monster of a blade her Fullbring as it destroys all the blood that was seeping from her wound. The wound itself didn't go without suffering either. Suddenly all the blood that hadn't already run down her arm was gone no trace of it alt all. The wound that she had suffered from the explosion no longer bleed as the flesh dried up like jerky.

Turning white with cracks as if it were a damaged egg that was what had become of her left shoulder after only a moment of making contact with the surface of her Fullbring. This was not a weapon that even it's wielder could tame. Izanami felt no emotion from virtually everything she had ever experienced with only a few things that could make the living weapon feel. Right now this blade was causing pain to that which felt nothing. She'd give away the fact that she was still alive inside the dust cloud from screaming in pain.

That much she knew which was why after only a moment of screaming Izanami took to the offensive. Executing Bringer Light once again this time to ascend up into the air after where the Quincy had been standing before. That wasn't the only plan though. Izanami had been watching how this Quincy fought. The moment that she used Brighter Light he'd sense her reiatsu and use his own step technique again. That's why now just as she appeared again she'd vanish once more. Her reiatsu wouldn't have the time to decrease from it's spike more than a fraction making the second usage somewhat cloaked by the first.

This second usage of Bringer Light would be faster at a speed of 1950 instead of 1500 and would send her up into the air higher so that she'd be the one with the vantage point. Once she saw the Quincy after that it'd be the time to kill him. If he had only ascended his position then Izanami would be right in front of him and would bring her claymore downwards attempting to slash the Quincy across his chest from his left shoulder to right hip. If he had gone somewhere else Izanami would without a doubt find him and then using Soul Dominance would manipulate the dust cloud around the Quincy to make sure that he could see what was going on. After all that she'd throw her Fullbring at him attempting to pierce into his body while he couldn't see.

Fullbring: 1/10

Remaining Reiatsu: 1525/2100
Fullbring: {-200}
Bringer Light: {-150}
Soul Dominance: {-150}

[Hadrian J. Ryan Ⅻ]

Hadrian focussed on Izanami’s presence as he lost sight of her form in the white light of the explosions. She seemed to have realised that pursuing him would be a futile endeavour, and was instead focussing on evading the explosions. However, from what Hadrian could tell, it didn’t seem as though she would make it away in time. The explosions were relatively large, and certainly covered more area and caused more damage than a single arrow ever could. However, they had also kicked up a large amount of sand. Visibility, as a result was somewhat reduced. Hadrian had no doubt that Izanami would use this to her advantage. She had probably deduced that a lot of Hadrian’s movements stemmed from the ability to observe and react to hers. Without being able to observe her, she would feel more confident in launching attacks.

However, when Hadrian saw Izanami, he immediately regretted his course of action. A sizeable portion of flesh had been blown out of her shoulder, and the resulting wound was bleeding profusely. Hadrian temporarily forgot about his resolve to fight her.

”Are you alr-“

His question was cut off when he sensed her reiatsu “shift gears”. She was obviously activating her Fullbring. Perhaps she possessed some sort of healing powers? It would be an unusual dichotomy for an assassin like her to possess such delicate powers. However, her Fullbring simply took the form of a gigantic claymore, a brutal looking-weapon capable of inflicting severe damage. Hadrian would only watch as she somehow cauterised the wound using the blade. The process seemed excruciating. Her yells shook the now-still desert air.

Still though, in spite of how he felt about his actions, this move had given Hadrian some information about her ability. It was some kind of heating effect? Hadrian had been unable to see clearly, but the touch of the blade did seem to have stopped the bleeding. Perhaps it was more complicated than that, but Hadrian did know one thing. Being touched by that blade would be extremely bad for him. If it was capable of cauterising that sever of a wound, there was no telling what it would do to him. Still though, the appearance of that claymore meant another thing - Izanami had no ways of dealing with him at range. Unfortunately for her, she would fins that Hadrian’s abilities were not bound by such a limitation.

Izanami closed the distance again, using Bringer Light to rise up to Hadrian’s level. This, he had been expecting. She had demonstrated that it was absolutely necessary for her to engage Hadrian in the short range. So, Hadrian formed another 5 circles, just in front of him - primed to fire as soon as she arrived in front of him. She did exactly as he expected. As soon as she exited the step technique, Hadrian loosed the arrows - fully intending to win the battle then and there. She would have no chance of reacting fast enough to the arrows to dodge - it was over for her. Her inability to deal with Hadrian would be her undoing.

What?!

In spite of Hadrian’s perfect timing, however, the arrows found nothing but air. It was impossible, even with her incredible speed, but somehow Izanami had managed to avoid the arrows. She dodged them as if she had been expecting them… Or perhaps she had intended to enter a second step technique this entire time? It would make sense, seeing as she had acted without hesitation, she hadn’t even responded to the second volley of arrows. In which case, what was her plan? The sand in Hadrian’s eye was becoming a serious obstacle - wherever he looked, he couldn’t seem to clear it. Was this Soul Dominance? Was Izanami controlling the ‘spirit’ of the sand to make it more difficult to see? Hadrian couldn’t help but admire her ingenuity.

Unfortunately, Hadrian was not totally dependent on sight. It was, perhaps, the most powerful of his physical senses, but he was not crippled without it. So he had no problem in realising that Izanami had moved above him, to the higher ‘ground’, from a combination of his hearing and energy sensory. His sight was not completely obscured either - and such obstructions were less effective at close range anyway. Izanami may have crippled his ability to fire arrows at her accurately, but she would soon discover that Hadrian could do better than that. He was one of few Quincy who spent as much time with a blade as he did with a bow.

Izanami came at him with a downward slash. If Hadrian didn’t react, the blade would certainly bifurcate him. That was en experience he was not too keen on experiencing. However, the strength behind the swing meant that it would be impossible for him to block the attack head on. He would shatter the bones in his arms if he tried using Blut Vene to stop it. Also, there was no telling what damage contact with the blade would do. It was certainly a frightening concept, not knowing what would happen if he slipped up. However, Hadrian still had some options. The swing was coming from left to right, so from his weak side to his strong side. Perhaps Izanami felt Hadrian would be poorly equipped to block from that side - given that he was right-handed and that he was missing his left-eye. It was practically a blind spot.

Hadrian allowed his Bow Release to dissipate, and as he did so he took a small step to the right. Most of the momentum of Izanami’s momentum was invested in the vertical part of the swing, meaning it would be impossible to stop that completely. However, she had invested far less strength in the lateral motion of the blade. This meant that, if Hadrian were to parry effectively, pushing her blade sideways would be the most effective option. So, as he stepped, he allowed Hohle Schneide to form in his left hand. He was confident that she couldn’t break the blade with one swing, his RS was too high for that. The appearance of the blade might catch her off guard, given that Hadrian had yet to demonstrate any sort of close-combat ability. But it would be too late, she had already committed to this swing.

Using his blade, Hadrian pushed Izanami’s giant Claymore to the side. He did not waste any strength trying to stop its downward momentum, but invested his time into making sure that the blade passed down by his left-hand side instead. With such a large weapon, the unexpected lack of resistance as the blade found air might pull Izanami off balance. Or perhaps she was too skilled for that. Either way, Hadrian counterattacked with a second blade in his right hand, slashing upwards from beneath. If it hit, it would probably not cause too deep a wound, but just create a slash across her torso. The slash would be hard to avoid too, given that it was coming from below at an awkward angle. Still though, Izanami had demonstrated that she was quick and resourceful. It would be foolish to write this off as a victory just yet.

Reiatsu: 1050/2200: -40 for 1 set of Class 6 Arrows, -50 for 2 Hohle Schneide, -100 for Bow Release 1, -200 for Sanrei Glove

Timer: 5/12

[Izanami Midorikawa]

Izanami moved through the heated air of the desert at the accelerate pace that Brighter Light allowed her to achieve upwards towards the Quincy by the name of Hadrian. This Quincy was proving that he was a far more experienced and difficult foe than almost any of the other foes that she had faced up to this point. There had only been enough foes that had pushed her to releasing her Fullbring that anyone could count on a single hand. That one Shinigami that had been able to capture still was vastly more powerful than this Quincy. Izanami had been instructed to aim after defeating that Shinigami so this was perfect training to achieve such height.

It seemed that she had been correct to utilize a second step usage of Brighter Light against this Quincy after she had already been forced to utilize it against him once before. She had been taught that the step technique of the humans was special in that it could be used rapidly unlike any of the other races. So that was one of the advantages she had on this Quincy and she was going to use it now to claim success on her mission. She only managed to see those strange portals for a moment and then as the arrows started to come forth from them she was gone again.

She was now above the Quincy and as she descended downwards with her Fullbring at the ready to finish him off in a single cleaving blow she could see that he saw her. His eye was hard at work just as her own silver eyes did the same to him. Both of them were analyzing everything that they could see, feel and sense from the other. Izanami took notice that his reiatsu dropped by a considerable degree which meant that logically he wasn't relying on whatever type of release he had been using over the last few moments.

The both of them were surrounded by the dust cloud of sand though and now as Izanami brought her Fullbring downwards in the attempt to slash the Quincy across his body she witnessed him creating silver swords in his hands. She had been briefed that Quincy did have some sort of technique that could manage this feat yet normally only weak Quincy or specialist resorted to its use. This meant that their this Quincy she was fighting actually wasn't strong or had been holding back this entire time. Either way all it meant was that she should finish this faster so that it remained a mystery.

However, the Quincy revealed which is was in that following moment when he caused her claymore to guild off the edge of the silver sword he had created basically parrying her attack. There was no question about it this Quincy knew how to use a sword just as well if not better than she did. There was the problem that he had another sword in his other hand that she could already see was about to be sent into motion. Izanami had to make a choice and only through her ability to expel emotion and keep her mind perfectly calm was she able to make her next move.

Suddenly she was inside his guard utilizing movement to increase her speed by three for a single step forwards. In that instant she had dropped her Fullbring and now had grabbed ahold of the Quincy's wrists. The sword that had parried her Fullbring would be the easier of the two to grab for the Quincy more than likely wouldn't be giving it his attention. He was planning to slash her with the one in his right. However, Izanami having seen the way that his arm was moving learned of this and that was why it was no longer possible.

She was to close to him his forearm would now clash with her chest unless he moved his right arm up virtually vertically. This gave her the advantage again however it was one that could be stripped away in a moment so she had to move effectively. It had been why she grabbed ahold of his wrists stopping the newly revealed skill at utilizing swords from being a threat. Her shoulder was fighting against her so actually keeping his left arm at bay was going to only last for a brief moment. Even she the wielder couldn't handle the power of her release.

That was why she used her time wisely. Suddenly utilizing Bringer Flash Izanami's face was sent forwards at five times her normal speed with full strength behind it in an attempt to smash her forehead into the face of the Quincy. She knew that the chances of this Quincy being able to avoid something like this while the both of them were so close and she had a hold of him was next to impossible. However, there was always the chance that he could somehow and even if he didn't he could still remain conscious and battle ready.

That led to her next course of action which would hopefully be the last of this battle between the human world dwellers in this desert. Izanami would suddenly disengage from the Quincy right after hopefully successfully smashing her forehead against his face. Whether or not she was successful or not didn't matter for she would suddenly let go of his wrists and jump backwards. In that moment she moved her hands across her body in the opposite directions. What would follow was all of the sand that formed the dust cloud they had been fighting in rushing to the Quincy. The sand would compress and in only a few moments the Quincy would find himself encased in a coffin of stone which would then fall to the desert floor.

Fullbring: 2/10

Remaining Reiatsu: 1325/2100
Bringer Flash: {-50}
Soul Dominance: {-150}

[Hadrian J. Ryan Ⅻ]

Hadrian was not surprised that Izanami had successfully stopped his blades - just at the method with which she had stopped them. She cast aside her Fullbring so quickly, just letting it fall to the ground beneath them. She closed the distance between them faster than Hadrian could react to, and grabbed his wrists firmly. What followed was purely instinctual - if Hadrian had time to consider his actions, he would never have resorted to something so potentially lethal. If Izanami failed to dodge his counterattack, it could very well kill her.

As soon as he felt the pressure on his wrists, he began forming an arrow. Izanami had demonstrated that she could register something as subtle as a step-technique, so she would probably sense that Hadrian was preparing an arrow - even if it was being fired without his bow release . However, the time between his reiatsu flaring and the firing of his arrow would be insufficient to gain any meaningful distance - considering she was practically on top of him, and had a firm hold on his wrists.

But how was this arrow being fired? Hadrian had no bow, and even if he did, he had no way of even pulling the bowstring - Izanami had him in a firm grip. His options were so limited - and yet he was still able to come up with a solution. The reiatsu trace of an arrow without a bow may cause Izanami to hesitate, it may not, but in either case, the time she had to react was too limited to do anything meaningful. Hadrian’s blades disappeared quickly - he discarded them as easily as Izanami had discarded her Fullbring, and two arrows shot from his palms, their paths converging at Izanami’s head.

The arrows had been fired using a technique known as Versteckte Pfeil, a simple technique that allowed Quincy to fire arrows without the use of their bow. And here the technique was being put to fine use - to surprise the opponent by firing arrows when the use of a bow was limited. Hadrian had mastered the technique a long time ago - it was extremely useful in situations like this - and so he was able to fire both arrows from each of his hands simultaneously. Whatever Izanami had been planning to do had surely been disrupted by these arrows, it would take considerable luck and skill to be even able to avoid them at all. If she failed to dodge them, however, the result would be nothing less than death.

It was only after all these events had occurred - and they had only spanned a fraction of a second - that Hadrian’s cognitive functions resumed, taking over where instinct had left off. He had simply lashed out against her unexpected manoeuvre - he had not expected to reply with such force. He felt conflicted - yes, he had wanted to end this battle, but this was not the way he wanted to do it. Izanami was a victim of circumstance, she shouldn’t have her life cut short like this - this wasn’t what the Emperor would have wanted. She should have been given the chance to start anew, to live a life free of those who wished nothing for her other than to mold her into a living weapon. Nobody deserved to die like this.

[OOC: Apologies for the short post, however I felt it would be pointless to respond to your other actions - seeing as both Hadrian and Izanami are going for the kill - until I saw your response to Hadrian’s actions. Feel free to change anything after the point at which Izanami grabs Hadrian’s wrists - you can regain the reiatsu spent for Bringer Light and Soul Dominance if necessary.]

Reiatsu: 1020/2200: -130 for 2 Class 6 Versteckte Pfeil, -200 for Sanrei Glove, +300 from Quincy Cross

Timer: 6/12

[Izanami Midorikawa]

It seemed that even when close combat was her best bet of taking down this Quincy the man wasn't going to go down easily. He had already displayed some sort of technique that enabled him to focus his reiatsu into not only a solid form. but into swords. From what she had seen so far he was able to use it through his hands and both of them at the same time. She had been trained by some of the best spiritually aware warriors that allied with Xcution though so knowing her enemy was something that was engraved into her like it would be into a weapon itself.

She never assumed that she knew everything about a foe or a technique for she had been taught that the moment you do is the moment you blind yourself to the next possible attack. This Quincy more than likely based on what she had seen could use that same technique to create other weapons. She didn't know if they would all be straight forward though or even bladed ones. All she knew so far was that both of his hands could use the technique at the same time. It made no difference though the moment that she got a grasp on his wrists the swords became useless due to the length of their blades and the close proximity of her body to his own.

That was the moment to strike and deliver a powerful blow that would even out the scales between the two of them. She had already suffered a clearly brutal wound that was going to cause problems. She had bought herself a fair bit of time by using her Fullbring to destroy all of her blood and dry up the wound. She couldn't bleed now from the wound and yet she couldn't truly use her arm either. Right now just holding the wrist of the Quincy steady was causing a grave deal of pain. So as she focused her reiatsu into the base on her neck she was ready to smash her forehead against his face.

However, just as she was doing this Quincy was doing the same thing. His reiatsu was spiking around the same degree it had when he had created the swords from his reiatsu. His hands were a problem. More than likely he was going to be able to readjust the length of the swords probably turning them into daggers or knives that would enable him to cut her wrists with a simple motion. She couldn't allow such a thing and couldn't chance that she would strike before him. So she had to hurry and concentrated her reiatsu into the soles of her feet just as the Quincy's reiatsu was fired out from his palms.

The arrows that he had fired towards her head were sent upwards into the air above him as Izanami vanished from view after releasing his wrists. She had utilized Bringer Light in order to accelerate her pace descending her altitude to evade what she had though would be a wound inflicted by his weapons. However, now as she appeared ten feet below him and caught her Fullbring with her right hand as it had been descending since she had dropped it a moment ago, she saw that there were two arrows that were more than likely clashing against each other. It became clear that the Quincy had fired them from his hands without the use of his bow somehow.

She had to do something about this Quincy. His release enabled him to fire off multiple arrows at the same time from points of origin that weren't his own body. It made evasion almost impossible for her even with the use of Bringer Light. So she had to keep pressure on him so that he couldn't use it up close or have time to focus on all of the points or origin. However, that didn't seem to be enough to stop him either. Up close he wasn't helpless like the majority of Quincy. It was time for her to try out a new method of attack that she had only been thinking of over the last day during her travels.

While it was true that her personality was pretty much nothingness. Izanami wasn't without strategy or intelligence. It was simple refined to only work in terms of combat something that truly caused her to be a weapon of strength. So while she had been traveling she had been going over all of the information on the Quincy she had been sent to kill. The basics of what a Quincy could do and everything about him specifically. However, specifically wasn't much other than the fact that most Vandenreich showed the ability to be able to detonate their arrows at any time. That had already caused a problem for her that although dealt with wasn't without consequences.

Dealing with a Quincy anyone else would have been a better selection. Izanami didn't know why she had been sent to kill him nor had she really given it much thought. However, she knew that if she was going to manage she would have to come up with some sort of distance assault. There was no metal in this desert or in the area that they were fighting. Not only that, but the reiatsu of this Quincy was far stronger than her own. That eliminated her Eyes from the calculations of possibility. Luckily there was one thing she had thought of that now would hopefully change the tide of this battle.

Suddenly the sand that had been around them both yet had been falling downwards to make its way back into the desert floor stopped in the air around Izanami. Izanami flung her right arm Fullbring and all upwards as if pointing at the Quincy. When she did it was obvious that she was using Soul Dominance once again for the sand rushed upwards towards the Quincy. She had done this before and from what the Quincy had seen all she could do with it was create cover. This time was different though the sand that had been covering Izanami's body from being around her had been formed into four thin knives that now moved upwards slightly behind the sand cloud. She had aimed to the best of her ability with Soul Dominance so that the knives would strike the Quincy in both of his shoulders.

Fullbring: 3/10

Remaining Reiatsu: 1175/2100
Bringer Light: {-50}
Soul Dominance: (2) {-300}

[Hadrian J. Ryan Ⅻ]

Hadrian sighed - partly out of relief, partly out of disappointment. Izanami had, once again, evaded his attack brilliantly - his arrows hadn’t even managed to touch her - and was once again preparing to attack. Hadrian was relieved that he had not been able to end the fight in such a brutal fashion, he still did not bear Izanami any ill will, but this fight was beginning to drag on. Hadrian had not been able to inflict any damage other than the wound Izanami bore on her shoulder, and she had not been able to scratch him yet. Everything she could do, he could answer, and she could deal with anything Hadrian could throw at her. He may have been stronger on paper, but Izanami’s relentless combat style was taking its toll on Hadrian.

He could feel the sweat dripping from his brow - although it had cooled considerably since they had started, Hadrian was feeling fatigued from both his training that day and the ordeal Izanami was subjecting him to. He was also running low on reiatsu - the air in the World of the Living was practically devoid of spirit particles, and his Sanrei glove ensured that anything he did manage to absorb was quickly dispersed. He was, currently, at a disadvantage. Izanami could stand to drag this fight out a lot longer than he could, unless…

It had been a while, but Hadrian did have an easy way out - Vollstandig. The boost to his abilities would allow him to overcome Izanami easily enough - in that form he would be stronger and faster than she was, as well as being totally dominant in terms of reiatsu strength. It would be almost unfair. Is there nothing I can do to make her see reason…? He still found himself, in the face of her undisguised killing intent, looking for some way to help her. This was not her fault, she had not chosen to become this kind of person, she had just been moulded by this cruel world into a suitably cruel killer.

It was impossible to blame her for what she was doing, however her actions would only lead to a world where more people would become like her. As she inflicted the cruelty which she had been taught to distribute, others would find an equally cruel method to exact their revenge, which would cause another party to develop a crueller method, and so the cycle would continue, endlessly spiralling towards a world of unimaginable pain and suffering. It was not Izanami’s fault that she spread this ‘disease’ so mindlessly, no, but she was guilty in being the hands that meted out this barbarous violence.

Hadrian had attempted to extend a forgiving hand, he had made an effort to stop her from fighting him. Many would have failed to recognise his honourable intentions, and would have mistook his actions for inability or cowardice, but Hadrian never shirked away from fighting out of concern for himself - not any more, anyway. He had realised that there were causes for which it was appropriate to pick up his blade and fight, that there were plenty of things more valuable than his own life. It was not that he didn’t fear death, that was an essential part of his humanity, but it was that there was a light that broke through that fear, a light that guided him to the answers he had been seeking.

This was the point at which he failed to help Asmoskon. Instead of recognising that his opponent was set in his ways of violence and revenge, he had continued to reason with him. He did not see that such an approach was doomed to fail. And so Hadrian prayed to the Emperor that he may proceed with nothing but light in his heart. He would strike Izanami down with that holy power, because that was the only way to end the strife she would inevitably cause. Her soul, through no fault of her own, had become unsuitable for the Wahrwelt. It was up to Hadrian, with the power that his Majesty had invested in him, to save her. He would not fail again.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Music}

”Vollstandig”

Izanami would probably not hear the word, as Hadrian had whispered it to himself, but she would definitely notice the change to reiatsu. To Izanami, who had yet to reach Hadrian’s level, it would be as if his spiritual presence had disappeared entirely. She would be unable to sense a modicum of his power from him, such was the power of Vollstandig. This was mainly due to the fact that Vollstandig was not a power from within, it was power from without. It did not command the spiritual presence of any other race’s release because that was only arrogance. Why should the power of the user dominate, when the power being used was a blessing from his Majesty himself?

Izanami’s sand daggers, which were aimed precisely at his shoulders, were deflected effortlessly with a simple flick of his golden wings. No technique like that would pierce his defences now. He turned his head to Izanami slowly. She would not be able to see anything behind the featureless mask, the sight itself would be quite unnerving to many but Hadrian was sure that she would be unmoved. She didn’t seem to feel fear or awe, even in the face of such holy power.

”Miss Midorikawa…”

Hadrian’s voice boomed around the empty desert, amplified and deepened by the reiatsu which now flowed so strongly within him.

”Let me absolve you of your sins.”

And with those words, Hadrian dived at her, using his wings to accelerate his descent. He led with his right arm extended, the point of his blade aimed directly at her throat. As soon as the post reached her, whether she blocked the hit or not, Hadrian used his wings to push his body forward, narrowing the distance between them again. This movement was accompanied by a quick downward slash with his left arm. The increase in his speed would undoubtedly disrupt her timing, as would the sudden nature of his attack. In addition to this, her blade was much longer and wider than either of Hadrian’s, meaning that she would find it difficult to manoeuvre in such close quarters.

However, Hadrian knew that she was capable of unarmed combat as well, as she had demonstrated earlier. This was not a blind assault, driven by his sudden rush of power. He was now stronger than her too, so many of her tricks would be more difficult to perform - not to mention the fact that with his wings, Hadrian could use drafts and air currents to further disrupt her attacks. This was not going to be easy for Izanami to overcome, but even still Hadrian remained wary of the opponent who had proved herself so capable thus far.

Reiatsu: 0/2200: -1020 for Vollstandig.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Vollstandig Stats}


Strength - [80] Points (48 with Strategist Deduction) + 96 = 144

Speed - [150] Points (90 with Strategist Deduction) + 180 = 270

Spiritual Pressure - [220] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [400] Points + 400 = 800

Light Aura - [80] Points

Dark Aura - [20] Points

Instinct - [75] Points (150 with Strategist Boost) + 144 = 294

Senses [75] Points (150 with Strategist Boost) + 50 = 200

Energy sensory - [110] Points (220 with Strategist Boost) +150 = 370

Healing Expertise - [0] Points



Timer: 7/12
Vollstandig: 1/15

[Izanami Midorikawa]

The heat of the desert was something that many individuals couldn't stand for long periods of time and now after fighting and dealing with the pain that her wound was causing her brain to accept Izanami was starting to fall to the wrath of the desert as well. While she was anything from ordinary even for a Fullbringer she still had limitations and after commanding the souls of what was around her so often her stamina was starting to break down. Her physical body was in a fairly decent place as far as stamina went even considering the wound to her shoulder which now had caused her to lose feeling in her left arm.

That wasn't the problem. The problem was that now she was virtually one handed against a foe that could evade her attacks and fire from a distance. Not only that, but he had shown that he was capable in close quarters as well. Her body was covered in sweat a frail attempt by her body itself to cool down the pale almost paper white skin. It was causing the remaining clothing to stick to her skin now even more so than it had prior. She still had her skirt which had been untouched throughout this battle. Along with her shoes and what remained of her top she was covered.

Now as the sand condensed into the four sand daggers that were inside of the sand cloud surrounding the Quincy Izanami concentrated. However, just as the daggers were commanded to rush forwards in an attempt to impale the Quincy's shoulders Izanami suddenly felt all of his reiatsu vanish. It was like he simply ceased to exist. Perhaps he was cloaking his reiatsu signature. Izanami wasn't all that good at sensing reiatsu so it was a possibility. However, she then heard the sound of something smacking stone and then saw the daggers fall to the sand floor of the desert.

She looked up into the sand cloud and could see that some of it had been dissipated by something. That was when she heard a new voice from within the cloud of sand. It seemed that the Quincy was different now and wished to do something to her that she didn't understand. That was when she saw movement and as the Quincy left the cloud of sand his new form was registered in her silver eyes. Golden wings that flapped away accelerating his approach. He was much faster now than he had been prior and it seemed he was more confident as well.

Wielding swords of his own now and a mask to protect his face it seemed the Quincy was going to take this battle more seriously and attempt to finish her off in close combat. It seemed that Izanami would have to give it her all now even if she was without metal in the area she wasn't going to be easy to kill. She without a doubt was in a worse situation than the Quincy and yet while the Quincy had held an ace up his sleeve so had Izanami. As he approached at the accelerated speed that Izanami was analyzing her head moved for a brief moment to the sides.

It was then as he got in close and brought his blade inwards in an attempt to drive it into her throat that her entire body suddenly bend backwards. At the ankles Izanami's body suddenly just seemed to bend backwards in an at a rate and angle that should have been impossible for anyone to accomplish. Her Fullbring was still held in her left hand though and now as the Quincy flapped his wings so that he could ascend higher up Izanami started to focus her reiatsu along the edge of her Fullbring.

That was when he came at her this time slashing downwards with his left blade. Izanami was still bent backwards in a position that by all logic shouldn't be obtainable. It was as if her upper body simply refused to touch the ground while her ankles supported her entire body. As he slashed downwards though Izanami would vanish with a brief flicker of light once again executing Bringer Light however this time she had been in that ungodly position. She still didn't know anything about this new form that the Quincy had taken and yet he didn't know anything about how she was fighting.

She was now behind him in that same position however her right side was facing his back. She was virtually right behind him holding her Fullbring tightly in her hand. In that next instant she made her move though. Her right hand suddenly was rushed towards his legs and with it came the soul of the wind. The would without a doubt feel a spike in her reiatsu the problem was though that there were in fact two attacks coming at him now. The first was the technique known as Eriasōdo which took not only her reiatsu, but the soul of the wind and shaped it like her Fullbring as an attack which struck out in all directions around her cutting with a force equal to her reiatsu strength.

This suddenly gust of wind would come from behind him and was aimed to slash at the back of both of the Quincy's thighs. It was powerful enough that if the Quincy didn't do anything both of his legs would without a doubt be severed from the rest of his body. That was only the first attack though and the one that Izanami had planned to take up all of his attention. It wasn't the only one though as she still had her Fullbring which was moving towards his body even if it would get there after the wind. Whether the Quincy was cut by her technique or not Izanami was going to try to cut the Quincy just above his backside at the base of his spine.

Remaining Reiatsu: 925/2100
Bringer Light: {-50}
Eriasōdo: {-200}