A Battle Between Upstarts

[Rafael]

Thread Title: A Battle Between Upstarts
Participants: Angel vs Rafael
World: Soul Society
Death Setting: Damage Permanent
Rating: R
Location: One of the many areas throughout the wilderness of Soul Society. A valley of high grass with a nearby rock formation that looks like a small mountain. Throughout the grass valley there are a few small trees that reach a few feet in height. Although hard to find there are also boulders hidden by the high grass normally ranging from the size of a dog to a small car.

SPOILER: Click to show

Special Conditions: N/A
Circumstances: Rafael is moving throughout the wilderness of Soul Society continuing his journey when he comes across yet another Shinigami that brings his feral instincts and rage to the surface. Conflict begins and what happens as a result has yet to pass.

[Rafael]

Moving throughout the wilderness was something that Rafael had come to actually enjoy over the last few weeks since awakening in this new world with his second chance at a life worth living. He was in control of his own life this time around and although he had already come close to death facing off against what he could tell was a fellow Beast he wasn't going to let that keep him from living a life of adventure. At the moment the tall panther was running throughout the high grass that managed to reach up to past his waist.

This valley of grass was actually very beautiful and Rafael enjoyed it perhaps even more so than he had the various forests that he had come across over the last few weeks. Once he had come across this valley though it had brought such joy to his heart in a way that he had never experienced while he had been a human. This was soemthing different than a forest the grass was higher and the sky was so blue and open. It was something different and Rafael enjoyed it all. As he rushed throughout the grass that made up the valley though Rafael spotted what looked like a large rock.

Moving towards the rock with interest just to see it for no other reason than he hadn't before he got right up on it standing upon the dense body of the stone. The grass wasn't able to reach him now and with the height boost from the rock Rafael could now look out over almost the entire valley and see it's beauty in full. His pupiless grey colored eyes marvelled in amazment at how something so simple could be so beautiful. However, that was when he saw movement in the grass cause by something some distance away. Although he couldn't tell what had caused the grass to move he knew he wasn't alone anymore.

He had faced off against another Beast along with the help of another and barely managed to survive. He wasn't sure who to trust and what could be friend or what could be foe. At the moment he was so far away from where he had ran into the red headed human that had managed to cause him perhaps even more pain than the insect that he didn't believe it could be one of them. It was more than likely another Beast and for that reason alone although he didn't know if it would be like the insect had been he continue to stand on the rock looking out over the valley towards the large rock formation that looked as if it was a small mountain. All while listening and constantly looking back in the direction of where the grass had moved.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}
Strength: 150 (225)
Speed: 150
Spiritual Pressure: 70
Reiatsu Strength: 50 (25)
Light Aura: 75
Dark Aura: 25
Instincts: 100 (150)
Senses: 100 (50)
Energy Sensory: 0
Healing Expertise: 0


Muay Boran: 1
Acrobatics: 1
Battle Focus: 1
Pain Tolerance: 1
Strength of Will: 1
Battle Analysis: 1

[Angel]

Approaching the panther from the direction of the high grass was a young girl at the age of fourteen. Indeed she was human and indeed she was a Shinigami. She wore black and white robes along with a Zanpakutou to match. Angel was here because she had been informed there was a feral animal terrorizing the landscape and that it had to be dealt with. She took no bother to hide her movements as soon she appeared from the brush. There, she saw the panther staring intently right back at her. 'Did...I find it? Or is that even what I'm looking for?' She said nothing but stood there a bit cautiously. She could tell immediately that the beast clan in front of her was stronger than she was and that made her worry. She wondered for a moment if she was out of her league.

Soul Society seeing it needed to spare man power at the moment due to the current attacks and invasions had sent Angel alone on this task. Rookies like her were forced to do more of the dangerous missions at the time being, and while that wasn't necessarily a problem for her, she wondered if she would be alright. She took in the surroundings, the few trees, the rocks, and the tall grass that surrounded her and the panther. This was most interesting of a situation if she really did have to fight, however she didn't want to make the first move. She would let it aim to attack, and then deliver her own counter. She wasn't all that knowledgeable about animals, but she believed this one was called a Panther.

She was young, petite, and not that intimidating. She had long black hair that she kept in a ponytail with a satin blue ribbon. "Umm...can you talk?" It was a stupid question but she really needed to know seeing she wondered if the being was intelligent or not. Perhaps it had some sentient and intelligent knowledge so that it could communicate. Angel didn't like to rush into violence, but seeing her job was to kill a beast that was terrorizing the villagers of a nearby settlement, she most likely would have to anyways. How troublesome it all was. She prepared herself for battle if she needed it by allowing her reiatsu to flow through the environment and having her left hand on her blade in case she was to be attacked.

She would most likely use her little skill in Kido in this case seeing fighting a wild animal even with a sword did not seem comforting. The sword sure might be able to land a sharp wound, but she imagined that it would be the death of her if she messed up. She needed to guarantee she could land a fatal blow if she was going to be using her blade much. Her swordsmanship was pretty average and her martial arts wouldn't help her in the slightest she imagined. Byakurai as her most lethal spell in her position might do herself some good. However, she needed to make sure the large feline didn't avoid it. She was constantly analyzing and thinking up a strategy. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}
Stats:
Strength:75
Speed:80
Spiritual Pressure:40(1.25)=50
Reiatsu Strength:40(1.25)=50
Light Aura:75
Dark Aura:25
Instinct:70(.75)=52
Senses:70(.75)=52
Energy Sensory:0
Wound Expertise:0
Total:380



Skills:

Analyzing:1
Learning:1
Weapons*:1[Swords]
Martial Arts*:1[Hakuda]
Battle Analysis:1
Mental Enchantation:1
Pain Tolerance:1
6/15 SKP

[Rafael]

Rafael although he was doing everything that he could to keep to himself and stay away from the humans that he continuing seemed to cross in this new life once again was found by yet another. The movement of the grass that he had caught a few moments ago was caused by what appeared to be another human girl. This one was wearing something different than the red head, but still the fact that a human was out here of all places and coming towards him led Rafael to believe only one thing; she was here to put him down.

That’s why when Rafael turned completely to look at the human girl his face as much as she’d be able to tell was contorted in a rage. His lips peeled back revealing the massive fangs within his mouth. Rafael compared to this human was almost a giant with a towering height difference only made bigger while he possessed the high ground making it so that he basically was looking down on the human from his position.

Looking over the human Rafael could tell that she wasn’t that old yet she carried a sword at her side meaning that either she was taking precautions to protect herself or she was planning on using it to eliminate him. Why though were these humans or simply humans in general so hell bent on trying to kill him. He had already been killed by a human once and like he had been doing for the last few weeks he wasn’t going to allow himself to be killed by one again.

Throughout the last few weeks Rafael had suffered more pain and bodily harm than he had ever suffered at the hands of his abusive father yet something was different in this new life, with this new body. Rafael had realized from the first encounter he had with a human that in this new life he possessed some sort of instinctual hate towards these humans and almost couldn’t keep himself from attacking them out of that sheer hatred.

That wasn’t the only thing that he had realized though. After being beaten nearly to death by the insect that had left his body broken and in a state close to death Rafael had awoken in pain like one would expect yet something different and seemingly impossible had also happened. After he had healed completely he had realized that he was stronger somehow. He hadn’t really trained enough to achieve the results yet he was physically faster and stronger after the near death experience than he had been prior to it.

At the moment it was just an idea or a theory with nothing else to back it up, but Rafael had a feeling that he was different in this second life. Even more different than awakening as a giant feline. The lizard had changed his body and caused some sort of green substance to grow over the insect which ultimately was what led to its defeat. Rafael was starting to believe that perhaps he possessed something as well yet it was what allowed him to heal so fast naturally and gain strength from lose.

All of that didn’t matter though at least not at the moment though as Rafael starred angrily down at the female human who starred back upwards at him. He was trying his hardest not to begin growling at her warning her that if she continued to move towards him she’d end up getting hurt. He didn’t want to hurt her or anyone else, but these humans kept coming after him and whatever was inside him now wished to her hurt.

It seemed though that this girl didn’t get what he was doing as she simply asked if he was capable of speaking not getting the visual hints that he was trying to warn her with to walk away. “I speak . . you leave.” Rafael wanted nothing to do with her and yet as she placed her hand on her sword Rafael didn’t even realize it until he had already begun, but he roared with all his might at the girl warning her that what she was doing was going to end up getting her hurt.

[Angel]

As Angel had witnessed the panther creature stand upon the rock, it turned to look right at her. Then from its neutral expression it had turned into a feral growl as it bared it's fangs at her. It was savage and ferocious looking as if it wanted to attack her. In all honesty, it probably did want to attack her. The size of this panther was ridiculous and it was quite literally glaring down on her. Maybe it would start boring a hole into her head with its intense glaring. Angel was going to defend herself now that she's sure she recognized this Panther as the one that was heard of in reports. Her job was not to kill it but to at least drive it out of the area so that it doesn't bother or hurt people anymore. However, that sounded tougher than she first thought even with her Kido and other skills, she had to do something about this creature of course as that was her assigned mission, and so immediately Angel’s eyes went cold.

“Unfortunately I can’t leave just because you asked me to. I am to make sure that you are gone from this mountain top and that you shall no longer bother the humans of Rukongai. Please understand that I hold no grudge against you, but it is my duty as a Soul Reaper to do this.” The child slowly drew her blade, flicking it across the air before keeping it at her side. "Arise god of thunder. Awake mother of storms. Unleash the lighting on the sinners. Hado#4:Byakurai." Then quickly, she aimed her middle and index finger outward, shooting a quick blast of electricity at the Panther. Using her mastery of the technique, she had used it to move with greater speed and precision than that of a novice. The electricity would pierce through the stone that he rested on and through his right shoulder if he were to not react in time.

With her blade drawn, she kept her senses as sharp as she could to prepare to fight her foe. She had never fought a Beast Clan before, but now that she knew that it could speak, she identified Raphael as one. In the Shino Academy, they did not teach much about the wild natives of the world, but she did know that they were just as capable of learning Kido and Shunpo as any other Shinigami. However, she knew that they possessed even greater physical abilities that Angel would most likely would have some trouble comprehending. She concluded that getting into a close quarters combat fight would not be a good idea and so would try to fight him from a distance. She had to be diligent and mitigate damage if possible in case he did get close enough to her. Her Katana was another advantage that she had. Although against this foe, she seriously questioned if it would help her.

The Katana was her weapon and blank Asauchi, and gave her superior range, but was ineffective in quick close range combat. Her skill in Hakuda would not help her so much against a superior physical opponent. Also, she lacked experience in battle as this was one of her first against an opponent that was actually competent and had some human level of intelligence. Most opponents she faced were mindless Hollow or ones lacking human intelligence. This was going to be a test and trial for her as a Shinigami. How well would she perform against the feral and savage Panther that bared it’s fangs at her? The Byakurai was her only lethal Kido at the moment and so she hoped to disable an arm if at all possible. It would mean she could predict movements better and cripple the beast clan if she could act well enough. Physically impairing the purple panther would be her best bet before going in for the killing blow. She was smart, but she lacked experience and the skill she liked to believe. Now was to prove that theory.

Brandishing her blade, she had then rushed at the panther for an assault. She had began to chant and mutter an incantation as she prepared Bakudo#9:Geki. She had to get in close, avoid the first strike and cast her spell. If that succeeded, she could land a lethal blow to end the battle decisively and quickly. If she had to take a hit or two, so be it. With her incantation as well as mastery of the technique, the technique would be twice as large and harder to dodge if she did it right. She was riding on the hope that the Beast Clan did not know much of the spells that Shinigami practiced in. It would be her ace in the hole if she could pull it off and a succeeding factor for her. If she failed her mission, her captain would perhaps be upset or displeased at the failure. It was Squad 7’s job to maintain peace and stability within the Soul Society and Angel took that job seriously. She could not afford to fail when such a heavy job was placed on her shoulders. She had therefore kept her eyes open and her mind leveled.

‘My enemy sits before me baring his fangs. What is the best way to kill a cat?’ Angel better find out quick because if she didn’t make the right decisions, she might get mauled to death. She was doing this to improve and grow stronger, so she would make sure she definitely wouldn’t die. If she died, all of her time working and training would have been for nothing. She was young in appearance, but she was still an adult in age. She had to show that she was just as capable as any other Shinigami in not only ability but skill. She had to make sure that the beast clan was open to attack at just the right moment. Either she would cripple him part by part of his body, or else she would have to just paralyze him and deliver one decisive strike. How this battle was going to turn out had to be seen.

SPOILER: Click to show

Reiatsu Remaining:
475/500

-25 for Byakurai

[Rafael]

Standing upon the large boulder that was beneath his feet that granted him the even greater height advantage over the small framed human girl that seemed to be here for no other reason than finding him. As he growled though both from his animistic instincts that seemed to become far more prominent after awakening in this new body for his second life and the mere fact that Rafael didn't wish to associate himself with humans anymore. He had lived his life as a human and suffered as a result. He wanted nothing to do with them.

It seemed though that no matter what he did the humans always would want something to do with him for what though he never knew and could never understand. He never tried to harm anyone that didn't seem like a threat to himself unless his instincts clouded his judgement as they had when he encountered the red headed female human. That female was a monster someone that possessed even greater strength than the insect that had nearly killed both Rafael and the lizard beast that had managed to defeat it after sustaining heavy injuries himself.

Rafael wasn't in the mood to fight against another individual not at the moment even if he felt more alive fighting than he did doing anything else with the exception of finding beautiful new places such as the grass valley that he had stumbled upon roughly half an hour ago that the both of them were still currently in. This valley was so beautiful a sight that Rafael had been enjoying as he gazed out over it and walked throughout the grass. It like many of the other sights that he had found since waking up in this new world had brought life and happiness to his once bleak and sorrowful soul.

Now though it seemed that this young girl was saying she had been told to make sure that he had to leave this beautiful area for no other reason than bothering humans in some place called the Rukongai. She claimed that she didn't have any sort of grudge against him and despite him asking her to leave she couldn't for it was her duty as something called a Soul Reaper to make sure that he left the area that he had just found and was trying to enjoy for himself while not bothering any of the humans that seemed to only wish bother, insult or segregate him for what he now was and not his actions.

While it was try that Rafael's blood and attitude towards humans wasn't the best and normally could get him into bad situations such as his death while he was a human his attitude only seemed to be getting worse and if things like this continued than it wouldn't be long until he began to hate them. He didn't want to start judging them all for the simple fact that they were all human even if he already did to some extent, but the mere fact that this same thing was being done to him for being what seemed like some sort of animal brought rage to his heart.

How could they judge him based on nothing, but his appearance. The mere fact that he was different than them shouldn't be enough to justify such a thing yet that seemed to be the way it worked at least from what he could tell. The only case that disputed what he was starting to believe was the fact that some of the humans that lived near the lake that the insect had attacked him and the lizard at had somehow aided him in healing. At least to his knowledge or assumption rather they had tried the best they could to help him through his injuries. So not all of them were bad just as he had tried to do good as a human. Yet the one in front of him right now was different.

She was drawing the sword that had been attached to her hip and swung the sharp blade through the air as if warning Rafael that if he didn't agree to leave this beautiful place she was going to make him with her weapon. Rafael still had no clue why he was being asked to leave this area, but since he didn't want to leave it and was getting tired of dealing with humans in general always pushing him around and hurting him for their own pride, peace or pleasure he decided it was time that he took a stand just as he had while he had been human. The only difference this time he wouldn't end up dead.

Rafael made up his mind and his footwork began to reveal itself as his left leg moved backwards while his right forwards and his body angled itself slightly with the sides corresponding to his feet on which side was closer to the girl. His arms up in front of him Rafael was ready for this girl to charge him with her sword. However, that didn't seem to be the case as she held out her empty hand while simply speaking words that didn't seem to make any sense together. Rafael having never faced off against a caster in the past possessed no clue to what was going on at the moment which meant one thing. He was fucked.

In the next instant after the final words had been spoken from the lips of the human female a thin bolt of lightning had suddenly burst forth from her finger tips moving so fast that Rafael could only witness the streak of light that it gave off as he felt the pain of it burning a hole through his right shoulder. He had felt pain that was overwhelming and while this bolt of lightning moved through his flesh just barely missing the bone he knew that this human was different than the others he had faced up to this point.

How she had just sent out a bolt of lightning to attack him was something that Rafael didn't understand and couldn't comprehend just as he was still unable to understand the depth of strength that the red haired female possessed. Even as his own strength continued to grow at a rate that Rafael himself would have claimed impossible these humans possessed abilities or levels of power that seemed completely illogical to him. All of this meant simply one thing though to him. This second life if he didn't do something about it . . . was going to be an even bigger Hell than the last one. Which meant it was time to use everything he could to emerge victorious over all of his foes from this point onwards and even allow himself to live a life of sorrow or dread again.

Although he was in pain Rafael's will to continue and experience with his old foe known as pain enabled him to quickly respond to the girl's attack. Flexing his left leg and pushing off of the boulder that he had been standing on Rafael would move through the air right towards the girl. His speed enough that he'd be able to close the small distance between them in just over a mere moment. The height difference between them was immense yet thanks to his weight Rafael quickly began to fall back down towards the ground. By the time he managed to get right at the girl his right leg was in front of him in a kneeing position that was aimed to strike the girl dead center in her chest.

The difference in the height between the both of them meant simply one thing. Rafael could attack this girl with his knees and strike her upper body without any problem at all. This knee didn't just have his strength behind it though as it also managed to carry the momentum of his lung forwards. A flying knee one would call it yet instead of the face it was aimed for this girl's chest and if successful Rafael wasn't sure how easily she'd survive. He had faced off against monsters so far and going off of that he was assuming she'd be strong enough to continue despite his attack. That's why his guard was up and despite being hurt now he wasn't going to give this girl another chance to harm him.

[Angel]

The panther did not speak again but was silent as it simply moved into what she believed was a combat position. It seemed that reasoning with the beast was not possible and so she spoke her incantation and fired a Byakurai. It in fact had burned a hole through the beast’s right arm and it seemed he was in pain. However, that was irrelevant as it merely prepared itself for combat. With the high ground, it would have the advantage, that was if they were fighting in hand to hand combat. However, with the wonder of Kido, that terrain advantage was irrelevant. She was going to succeed in this task she was sure of it. She may be weaker than the beast, but she most certainly was smarter than the intelligence of this creature she was sure. Angel was going to do her very best to win this battle and take advantage of the surroundings any way she could. She used her skills of analysis to predict his next action, he was going to leap at her by the looks of it. Now was the perfect time to launch her counter attack.

As the beast entered a pose suggesting he was going to knee her, there was no going back as there was no way he was going to adjust his form out of that stance, at least not safely. As the panther leaped into the air, planning on using weight and momentum to slam the knee down into Angel’s chest did she act. Before he would begin to fall down to earth, Angel adjusted her katana and used the Shunpo mastery to seemingly flash and teleport but in an arc. She simply stepped and then swerved the momentum of her body as the beast was in mid air before leaving the Shunpo and delivering a diagonal slice from one end of his shoulder to the opposite thigh as he would land. However, that wasn’t all. “Bakudo#9:Geki.” Seeing she had spoken the incantation before in the last post, the size of this red beam was twice as large and would hit the panther in the back with her right middle and index finger aiming for the beast. Seeing he could not use Shunpo in mid air to avoid this attack without a solid platform, the blow was all but guaranteed.

The panther would be paralyzed for a whole entire post as he would be unable to move as Angel had the superior Reiatsu Strength although not by much. Seeing the Panther would be unable to move a single muscle, he would be forced to stand and Angel would take this opportunity. “Hiyah!” Slashing her blade horizontally at a lower angle, she would aim it for the back of both of the Beast Clan’s legs, slicing and ripping the tendons in both of the creature’s ankles which would of course cause him to be able to use his legs whatsoever. She decided that since this beast was so dangerous, the best method of combating him was to cripple him so that he could not use any of his limbs whatsoever. When the paralysis would end, of course the beast clan would be forced to fall to the floor, most likely in incredible agony. With one arm and then both legs disabled, the Panther would be most likely unable to retaliate.

She didn’t want to have to do this, but it was going to attack her and she had to do her mission. As soon as the panther refused her request of leaving peacefully, it meant that it was an enemy. True, it was an enemy but yet she knew that it didn’t really want to fight her. Therefore, she wanted to make her intentions known. “Gomenosai. I didn’t want to do this, but you were going to attack me. I had no other option than to retaliate and with full force. I’m not one that rushes to violence but I give everyone at least one chance. Please don’t think poorly of me. I am willing to go and get you help so long as you agree to leave the humans alone. I will even let you stay here in these peaceful fields so long as you do not try to harm anyone. Please consider or else I’ll have to do the alternative.”

Chances of victory were now incredibly slim as were the chances of retaliation against Angel. She really didn't want to kill the Panther or really anyone if she could help it. Her job was to maintain peace, not become an executioner. The strategy she had to fight the beast may seem cruel, but it was effective. She used her power of battle strategy in order to execute an attack to end the battle as swiftly as possible. Flicking the blood off from her Katana, Angel had held it defensively awaiting some sort of hidden trick just in case the Panther decided to try and attack her some other way. She was trying to do her job but...she felt that she shouldn't kill the Panther. She would give it one more warning.

SPOILER: Click to show

If she did have to kill him, it would be her first time killing another living being. That didn't sound like something she would feel comfortable with even if it was an animal. She wanted to hear his response. Perhaps she could find a medic friend of hers to heal him and send him off on his way. She didn't think the panther was looking for violence as it more than likely just wanted to be left alone in it's own environment. However, she was a Soul Reaper first and a kind person second. Her duty was more important than most things in the world. 

Hopefully it would realize that victory for Angel was about guarantees. There was nothing it could do to win the battle and frankly she still had enough reiatsu to keep on fighting in case things got bad. She had used about 20% of her reserves she could estimate. She was sure that she could take out the Panther before that would be all used up. Without legs the panther wouldn't be able to use any step techniques and Angel would be able to take it out easily. All it would take was one more Byakurai and the battle would be over permanently. She was prepared to do so also although it would be unsavory and would leave a bad taste in her mouth.

Reiatsu Remaining:
400/500

-50 Shunpo
-25 Geki

[Rafael]

The battle between these two souls hadn’t even began more than a few moments ago and yet Rafael had already suffered what any would deem a critical wound that could possibly cost him his life if this female managed to defeat him and then didn’t give him mercy. As the massive black feline moved through the air towards the female with every intention of landing a powerful blow against her suddenly she vanished from his sight.

Rafael had faced off against an opponent or rather a monster that was able to do the exact same thing as this female. The insect that had nearly killed him a few weeks ago along with the lizard that had fought beside him. Both of them were able to execute the same technique that this girl just utilized to make herself vanish. In fact Rafael knew exactly what this girl had just done because he could execute the technique just not to the degree that he could without preparing a few moments prior to executing it.

That’s why when the female vanished from his sight Rafael knew that she had moved from the position she had been standing in at an accelerated speed. The question was though where she had just moved to and was she going to send out another bolt of lightning. Rafael thought that was the most logical method of attack to use against him due to the vast size difference between the both of them. However, that’s when he felt a familiar sting across his chest as the edge of the female’s zanpakuto bit into the flesh of his chest.

The blade bit into his right shoulder almost as if the female was aiming for the small hole that had been inflicted upon him by the lightning bolt that she had sent out from her fingertips. Digging through his fur and into his flesh blood was drawn from his body yet the blade didn’t manage to drag down more than a few inches as the female had miscalculated her own ability to execute the technique that enabled her to accelerate her speed for a single step.

This female had attempted to execute Shunpo in a method that it couldn’t be used without specialization meaning that her plans were fruitless from the moment she had begun. There was no way for her to move in a curve as Shunpo was a step technique that moved in a straight line. She possessed no special training nor skill in executing the technique thus the only thing she could manage was utilizing it on the fly without preparation something that Rafael was incapable of doing at the moment.

Thus while this female had managed to enclose the distance between them and dig the edge of her zanpakuto into his shoulder and then down a few inches that would be all she achieved as Rafael’s knee said hello. Connecting with the female’s chest at only a slightly smaller distance than the female’s zanpakuto Rafael managed to strike at her body with his knee. In the following moment the results of this brief exchange of attacks were accumulate.

The female would be sent flying backwards roughly four meters from Rafael upon the tall grass that she would now be landing over or rather into as she’d feel the damage to her chest take effect on the rest of her body and be registered by her consciousness. Rafael possessed vast strength for any entity at least to his knowledge. The single knee strike that had managed to find itself placed in the center of this female’s chest would have caused a few fractures across her chest plate of bones while causing some minor internal damage to her organs and swelling to her chest in general.

Rafael would land upon the grass ground watching as the female would land herself yet he brought his left hand up to the right side of his chest feeling the new wound that had just been inflicted upon his body. He had only obtained this body roughly a month ago and yet it had suffered along with him so much already. How it was still functioning or even together at all was still a mystery to Rafael. So a cut and hole in it seemed treatable if he managed to survive this encounter.

Rafael would stand getting into the position of Muay Boran with his left side forward this time with his right side in the back now as if his stance was now being looked at through a mirror compared to how it had been a few moments ago. He had to strike this girl more or two more times in order to achieve victory and perhaps survive another day. It was for that reason that Rafael was in his stance and ready to execute the acceleration technique. He would counter whatever this girl had planned. “Leave . or be . . beaten.”

[Angel]

Angel made some mistakes. Mistakes were good but yet also bad seeing now she was going to have to pay for it. Her attempt to get behind her foe failed seeing she lacked the ability to curve her Shunpo to get behind him. She miscalculated her skill and ability and so she was going to be open to attack. Therefore...she launched her swing anyways at the panther. The strike was painful, and it was also powerful. However, before she was sent flying back, she had launched the red blast projectile into the panther as the hit was certainly powerful. Even with the impressive Shinigami body, she felt a crack inside of her chest before she was sent flying backwards. She had to mitigate damage and prevent herself from getting more wounds from crashing abruptly to the ground. Therefore, she twisted her body and allowed herself to roll instead of fall. The Panther would certainly be caught in the way of the beam seeing with the incantation, the size of the beam was twice as large than the norm. It was a paralysis Kido meant to lock enemies in place, but right now that hit certainly hurt. She would bare through it however as she forced herself to stand with a labored expression.

She had to cripple him rather than aim for a lethal blow, and so she held her fingers out yet again. “Arise god of thunder. Awake mother of storms. Unleash the lightning on the sinners. Hado#4:Byakurai!” Releasing again another bolt of electricity, she aimed for the chest, more particularly the kneecap on the right leg. If she could hit that and pierce it, she could prevent the body’s ability to bend the leg as well as support weight on it. Even though she wasn’t someone that was particularly knowledgeable about the human body, she knew this much. If she hit that leg, the panther would be having a much harder time in battle. She didn’t have to kill him to win. She just needed to make sure he couldn’t fight any longer or he retreated. Her chest was aching from the pain but she could deal with that. Her lightning spell once again would speed and with the mastery, would accurately slam into her foe in his state of paralysis. The lightning pierce through bone, skin, and all leaving a neat hole in the back of his leg.

Angel upon succeeding would take the moment to rest and lean against her Katana. She had just cast several spells and used already a good bit of reiatsu in a short bit of time. They were low level spells, but she didn’t have the highest reserves as of yet. Her power had yet to improve to something that would be considered acceptable. She observed the panther however and the wound he had on his shoulder. She found that while it would most likely pain the panther to use the arm, it wouldn’t stop him from using it completely. She tried to disable the arm and leg of the same side seeing if that was the case, she could easier predict the attacks her enemy might make with only the other side of the body available. With one leg disabled, it would hold him down also and make him dead weight.

Of course, the panther was still strong and fast...she could testify the monstrous power that the monster had. Angel took the liberty to rub her wound herself and then spit out a bit of blood that had gathered. The pressure was pretty bad, but thanks to her slight skill in pain tolerance, she could keep the battle going for a while longer. She knew that after the battle she would go back to the squad 4 barracks anyways for a check up. “Gomen Neko-San. But I can’t go until I make you leave. So either leave...or get beaten yourself.” Angel had then stood on her two feet, once again entering her sword stance. She was ready for the battle to continue. One thing that Rafael could see was that Angel was stubborn and willing to get her mission done even after being beaten up.

She was going to seriously get some training done after this. She needed to get some work done and get some more combat experience so she doesn't have to take hits like this again. She wanted to be a more competent warrior and combatant for the sake of Soul Society. She had a lot of weight on her shoulders as she felt the need to excel beyond what she already was. She wanted to be the very best that she could be. Working hard is one of the things that she was used to seeing she was once a servant to the Shihoin and she was wanting to become a Shinigami for the longest time. She wasn't a genius or a prodigy nor did she have amazing skill, but she was willing to work twice as hard or more to reach that level.

SPOILER: Click to show

Reiatsu Remaining:
375/500
-25 Byakurai

[Rafael]

As he moved through the space between where he had been standing and the location of his foe Rafael it seemed had been successful and put in a situation of harm. He already knew what had happened during that brief exchange of blows yet it seemed that this female was much more durbale than he had believed possible for one her size. He had been able to knee her directly in her chest something that should have caused deep fractures all along her central chest peice of bone resulting in pain and massive internal damage.

However, from what he was witnessing right now as she began to get up and as she managed to not fall to the ground, but land on her feet she might not have taken such extreme damage or she was good at dealing with the damage that had been inflicted upon her. Rafael though as he spoke to the girl realized that something was wrong. He couldn't shift the position of his feet in order to get into his stance and prepare himself for the acceleration technique. He could see that his body was glowing bright red yet how he didn't know.

It only took him a moment though to begin flexing his body and fighting through the reiatsu that ensired him at the moment that was keeping him bound from movement. So as the female seemed to get the grasp of her body even with the damage that had been inflicted upon it and aimed her spell towards Rafael the massive feline struggled against the spell that was bidning him. He could hear the incantation that she had spoken the last time and knew that what she was doing right now had to be the same thing as before that had managed to go right through him.

He had to get out of the way there was no telling if this girl was going to be able to send a bolt of lightning out from her fingers again and this time manage to kill him by hitting his head or chest. Rafael began to panic fighting against the spell with all his might and just as the incantation was near completion the red aura around him brightened and then just like that seemed to shatter. Rafael pure brute strength was far more vast in terms of raw power and that enabled him to break free from the binding spell that had been cast upon him.

Relying on his knowledge and practice of Muay Boran was something that enabled Rafael to quickly get himself into his stance and then vanish just as the lightning was cast out from the fingers of the female that seemed to have no problem potentially killing him for no other reason than his presence in a simple valley. Rafael wasn't great at executing or controlling the acceleration technique that he had learned from the boar yet and as such his placement was off by a small margin. Reappearing roughly seven feet to the right of the female Rafael was in the grass and ready to get in close on his foe.

Rafael's stature was immense so far he hadn't come across another creature larger than himself with the exception of that insect that had given him the first real taste of near death during this second life. Closing the distance between himself and this female was so easy for him that it only took a moment with the size of his legs enabling him to cross the distance faster than even someone else who could achieve the same speed. Just as Rafael got within four feet of the girl which basically meant he took a single step forward with his right leg now in the lead and his left in the back. That left leg moved forwards his entire body turning along with it bringing about more power through motion as it was raised and aimed to kick the female on his right shoulder.

If Rafael was successful in his kick this girl was going to be thrown off of the ground from his strength and sent into the air a few feet until she'd fall back down into the grass. Rafael's animal instincts for whatever reason at the moment seemed to be in check. He wasn't happy that he was in this fight against this girl, but knew that he wanted to live and if that meant beating her down until she couldn't get back up that's what he was going to do. She was using a weapon and the best way to make sure he could maintain a chance of victory was to eliminate her ability to use that weapon effectively.

So far she had shown that all of her offensive methods of combat were through the usage of her upper body. So while it was an attack thought up on the moment as adrenaline was pumped throughout his body Rafael was going to cripple that upper body and make sure she wouldn't be able to use anymore of her lightning or her sword against him again. He was wounded already and fighting through the pain that the wounds were causing him. So he just hoped that a broken arm would give this girl enough reason to leave him alone.

"I do . . nothing to no one. You . . come here . attack me . . no REASON. Leave . . now or . . me leave you . here where you . . . suffer for judging me."

Remaining Reiatsu: 650/700
Shunpo: {-50}

[Angel]

The cat was indeed paralyzed and the young Hikari had believed that she had him on the ropes. That she could deliver the decisive blow, but she was wrong. She had found that the cat was strong enough to break through her spell with sheer strength alone, and so Hikari’s bolt of electricity had missed to blast into the floor. It would kick up some dust and blow a slight crater, but that was all. The panther had taken far less damage than the young girl but she wasn’t discouraged. She could still turn this battle around if she was clever and played her cards right though. The Beast Clan had superior strength, she knew that much for sure, but she had one last trick up her sleeve that Angel could use to win. The cat beast had vanished and appeared several feet away from her.

‘Shunpo. That is most certainly the Shunpo. I have to be careful or else I could lose my life right now. I have to also conserve my strength. Avoid taking hits from him.” The child had turned in his direction with her sword ready to attack, but it seemed that her foe was going to be engaging her now. It ran towards her and was rapidly looking to close the short distance between the two. What Angel realized was that it was using some sort of martial arts that she couldn’t recognize, but that didn’t matter too much at the moment. She did however take note of how his foot stance and posture worked. When the panther had aimed a fast kick for the girl with his body pushing into the momentum, with his left foot. Before it would make contact, the child aimed her two fingers yet again for the panther.

“Sho.” Using her mastery of this technique, Angel fired a blast of invisible reiatsu for the ankle of the Panther’s right leg to make him lose balance as his left leg was speeding for the girl. The sudden loss of the balance would cause the kick to miss and thus Angel aimed a strike hoping to land her first decisive blow. She aimed a slash aimed to slice the skin of his left leg from the kneecap down to effectively render the limb unusable. Martial arts was unusable if the body was beyond use. Upon aiming that slash, Hikari would pivot herself on her right foot to spin and aim a slash aimed for the already injured right arm of the cat to injure it even further. The damage would be serious but to finish it off, if the previous actions had succeeded, Angel would finish off the combination with a downward overhead swing aimed to slice across the panther. She wouldn't kill him of course though if she didn't have to.

She had used her knowledge of basic martial arts to use her Kido to attack Raphael, and she would continue to attack him if he grew rampant. The young girl felt she was doing pretty good against a monstrous cat panther that was larger and stronger than she was. Angel felt that she could win if she just continued to hold on. Whoever made the next decisive blow would be the victor of this battle. The Kido Sho was her last trump card and she just used it. Now the cat was fighting her with full knowledge of everything Hikari was currently capable of doing. She was fighting with a decent mixture of sword combat and Kido to supplement. All she needed now was to finish her task and drive the monster cat out from the valley. It was a task entrusted to her by her captain and so she had to do her best to reach the completion of that task.

The girl would pant with light sweat dripping from her face and body as she held her blade tight. 'Fight me cat and let's see who ends up leaving this valley. I won't leave until you do so let's see who's the top cat of here.' She was sure that the battle would be decisive as long as Angel played smarter. The beast in front of her could talk but was more animal in nature then it was human. As a result of this, Hikari was turning into someone who was gaining experience in fighting and was able to analyze how battle really works. Surprisingly it seems that fighting the cat taught her more than she thought and that she would grow from this experience. She enjoyed this battle as she was becoming more powerful through this venture.

SPOILER: Click to show

Reiatsu Remaining:
350/500
-25 Sho

[Rafael]

It seemed that Rafael was able to break through the red aura that had been binding him in the same position that he had been in upon being hit by it. His physical strength was superior to the spiritual strength of this female meaning that while she was able to bind from it was only possible for a brief moment and just as that moment came to an end he was able to successfully evade the lightning bolt that soared from her finger tips right towards him and struck the ground.

Emerging the short distance that he was away from the female Rafael needing a single step forward in order to place him in the correct position to kick this female with his left leg was now in place after only a moment had passed. It seemed though that this female was getting better and better at reacting and keeping up with him as she turned and immediately as he began to raise his leg he could see her hand move slightly. He knew that something was up she was going to do something and he expected it to be another bolt of lightning that at the moment he couldn't evade.

However, no bolt of lightning was expelled from her finger tips in fact as Rafael continued through with his kick hoping that his physical body would move fast enough to collide with her before her lightning could collide with him something happened. He didn't see a thing just suddenly it was as if something pushed against his right ankle. His body began to move forwards without a solid support to keep it upwards while his left leg was still up halfway. To him it was around the height of his waist yet to this female it was positioned to strike her shoulder and if it had been successful she would have been sent flying.

It seemed though that she had planned accordingly and although Rafael had no clue how his balance had just been taken down he wasn't ready to admit defeat. His left leg began to fall downwards as he extended his right hand forwards and touched the ground preventing himself from falling to the ground although it was causing him pain in his shoulder to support his weight with the condition of his shoulder. The female it seemed was going to try and utilize her weapon against him in order to claim victory yet she had made a critical mistake.

As Rafael's left leg fell downwards along with the rest of his body it cleared the zone of attack that this girl's weapon had occupied meaning that her blade missed his leg if only by a moment. As Rafael's entire lower body made contact with the ground again he was in a position that resembled kneeling almost perfectly the only difference being that his head was held high looking at the female who now was spinning around and Rafael could see that her blade was in a position to cut him perhaps even his head clean off his body.

His heart pounding beat after beat rapidly it looked as if this girl might actually be able to kill him. He felt alive perhaps even more so than when he found something interesting or beautiful upon his journey. This was a battle one of challenge where at any moment he could either emerge victorious or die defending himself. Although Rafael didn't think of himself as an individual that would enjoy this kind of situation it seemed that he was becoming that. He enjoyed martial arts and by extension it seemed combat, real combat as well.

Instincts raised to an almost unprecedented level of influence throughout him Rafael's fangs revealed for all of existence to glance upon the massive black feline suddenly pushed off the grass covered ground raising up to his feet while holding his right arm vertically at his side. His clear grey eyes starring into the soul of this girl as she turned and found that her blade was nowhere near as lethal as she had intended. Rafael's forearm was struck yet that was all he had flexed his arm and pushed backwards anticipating the slash as he had seen it coming.

The blade had only cut his arm and even that was only just passed the surface of his skin breaking throughout the outer most defense of his body and causing blood to gush from the new wound was a successful blow, but at what cost. Rafael had struck back against the blade in a fit of rage driven by his animistic instincts and the result . . . was a broken blade. Shattered into dozens of small fragments in the air only a moment after the blade had cut through his skin Rafael starred at the girl and in the next instant would smash his massive head into her tiny face.

Her blade shattered into pieces and if he had been successful her nose was most certainly broken along with significant damage to her face along with the pain it would cause. She'd more than likely be on the ground from the sudden head-butt against her as blood poured from her head. Rafael could feel his rage and instincts boiling only for his reason to suddenly reclaim control and the emotions inside of him to cool. While he was hurt and bleeding and this girl had tried to kill him Rafael was no killer. He had been killed before and although he felt he was blessed with the result he had no clue what would happen if someone died in this world. He was no killer. "LEAVE! GO NOW!"

[Angel]

Success. The beast clan’s kick was interrupted as he fell to earth in the kneeling position. Her plan had succeeded and she had avoided losing her arm in the battle. Her first slice to the cat’s leg had failed but she wasn’t done just yet. As she pivoted with her sword in hand, she found herself in the perfect position to slice the cat’s head off. However, the feline combatant did something rather surprising. He raised one of his arms with the intent of stopping the blade. With the size and weight of the cat, she was sure her blade wouldn’t cut through the arm. However, when her blade sunk in, she raised her free hand’s fingers, held closer to the chest to not allow the cat to grab her hand and break her fingers like twigs. It was a subtle motion that the cat might notice with the wound he had just received. Especially seeing he was now in some sort of bestial rage.

When the cat were to swing his paw into Angel’s blade shattering it, that was certainly surprising, but ultimately worse for him. Seeing he broke the blade when the blade was still in the flesh, it had shattered sending several shards into the wound from the massive strength the beast possessed. However, other than that...Angel acted. Wordlessly, using her skill in mental incantation, Angel fired a Byakurai straight for the center of the cat’s right eye right when it looked at her. The blade may be gone but she would deliver her own vicious attack in return in exchange for the loss of her weapon. After the lightning was launched, she saw the headbutt coming for her face. Just because the blade itself was broken didn’t mean it didn’t have any use. She still had the handle and the hilt.

Holding her left hand up, she would feel a head smash into the swordguard which still had a slight bit of blade remaining at the tip. This would logically slice the panther one more time and at the same time, lessen the blunt force to some extent. Then the hit would connect which would make the handle and all break into nothingness as Angel would be sent backwards. She would be indeed sent backwards but instead of falling on her back, the girl then used a different strategy to keep herself on her feet. Using the Sho with her uninjured hand, she would push herself off the ground to send herself upwards slightly but then slow down. Then she would flip once in the air before landing onto her feet with a slight delay. Her left hand was heavily pained and she could already feel that there would be heavy bruising around that region. She was tired after casting so many Kido and this battle was draining her. She needed to fall back soon if this cat was going to be insistent on fighting her.

“I already told you that I can’t leave until my mission is complete. You’re the one missing an eye and more damaged. You leave. Don’t bother anyone else and I won’t have to keep on fighting you. There are other beautiful places around, so leave. I am going to give you one last chance or else I will have to kill you.” She felt crimson blood running down from the remnants of the blade having pierced her palm slightly, and so she threw the now useless handle onto the floor. She breathed deeply trying to get some of her energy back before she would engage the battle. She was tired and frankly she didn’t want to kill another living being unless she absolutely had to. Now she would have to fight like the cat...martial arts and Kido. She lacked in that department. Either that or she’d have to find a weapon she could use.

Hopefully the cat would listen to her and get out of here. She was working hard and hopefully this would be a growing experience for her. She was assigned this mission from her captain mostly because there wasn't enough officers around, but she was hoping that she could please her by showing that the mission was completed. As the first big task ever assigned to her, she wanted to show that she could succeed and that she had potential to do great things in Squad 7. As essentially the police, she needed to make sure to protect the well being of all souls within the Soul Society's jurisdiction, but she didn't want to kill the feline man just for being here. He needed to go. She needed to stay.

SPOILER: Click to show

300/500
-25 Sho
-25 Byakurai

[Rafael]

It seemed that Rafael's analysis of the female human's fighting style and the actions that were being led up to were correct as she continued to complete her rotation while holding her sword horizontally in a manner that would in a brief lapse of time result in his decapitation. Just like how he had planned his right forearm was flexed as he raised it to protect his head and the rest of his body and then just as the female was finishing her turn her blade was shattered against his forearm.

Rafael hadn't thought everything about his plan through though although to be fair that wasn't something many individuals would be able to do in his situation. Using his forearm as both a defense and offense against this girl was something that he hadn't tried against anyone in the past, but he knew that since his previous few battles he had been growing physically stronger. Just enough that perhaps if he countered the blade itself it might not be strong enough to survive. That much seemed to be true and paid off however Rafael had also been expecting his arm to suffer extensive damage and perhaps even be cut completely off.

Thankfully that degree of damage hadn't been inflicted upon his arm, but now there were a few shards of the blade imbedded slightly just past the skin into his arm. He had broken the blade, but it seemed this girl wasn't finished as she had prepared her right hand it seemed to send out another bolt of lightning. She didn't seem to approximate the speed that Rafael could move though and the position of her hand as it continued to move as her rotation finished. She had attacked with her left meaning that her right wasn't in a position to aim at him yet leaving her open for that brief moment.

Rafael managed to get half way up on his feet as if he was kneeling for he had realized something even through the pain that he was currently in. If he stood up completely than he wouldn't be able to head-butt this girl he was far taller than her and would hit nothing, but air and waste this opportunity. As he head was slammed forwards he saw the slight movement of the girl's left hand yet wasn't fast enough to do anything about it. He had to think of something to bring this girl down or else it seemed like both of them were going to simply continue until both were dead in this grass.

Thinking of something instinctually that he hadn't ever been able to do in his previous life Rafael's head slammed into the remaining bit of this girl's sword causing it to crack apart along with breaking all of her fingers. She had still been holding her blade tight enough that it could cut his forehead enough to break the skin and cause some blood loss that was currently soaking his black fur darker than one would think possible. This meant that her fingers were open as well and thus now were broken from the head-butt inflicted upon them.

This was the bad part. This girl's rotation was just about finished and his fingers were aimed to strike Rafael somewhere in his chest something that he couldn't actually stop right now. He wasn't in a position to use the speed acceleration technique that both himself and this girl had used previously in the battle. That didn't matter though as Rafael due to his size and the brief moment in lapse in pain that was caused by the newly inflicted head wound couldn't actually see the girl's attack.

However, that didn't mean his follow up couldn't be used against her and that was what he was going to do. As this girl was pushed backwards and cast her bolt of lightning Rafael turned around fast enough that the motions matched up. Her bolt of lightning being misdirected due to the push backwards and without a doubt the pain that she was suffering from the various wounds she had been inflicted would strike Rafael and pierce through his flesh as it went through him just below his collar bone on his right side.

The wound was one of the worst that Rafael had ever suffered and it would cause him more pain than any of the other wounds he had acuminated throughout this battle not to mention serve as a reminder that he couldn't ever let his guard down around one of these humans. That bolt of lightning could have ended him if it struck only a few inches to the left or above. That wasn't the only thing to occur though as Rafael's long black tail was raised up from the ground as he had turned away from the girl.

While her bolt of lightning had wounded him his tail would wound her. She no longer had anything to defend herself with and now as she moved backwards and would attempt to keep herself up from falling Rafael's tail was whipped towards her. It wasn't aimed to strike her head or even upper body though as Rafael had been attempting to do so throughout the majority of this battle. No his tail was different. He hadn't ever thought of using it in combat for it wasn't something he had ever learned to use while human for it hadn't been apart of him.

He realized in this battle though that it was very much a part of him and perhaps more deadly than any of his other weapons. It gave him more than Muay Boran for he couldn't be a wielder of nine weapons when he possessed ten in total. The black tail whipped around only to slam into the left shin of this human's leg and if successful there was only one outcome. Her shin would snap breaking from the impact of Rafael's tail an appendage of his body just as strong as his massive arms. She'd fall to the ground and Rafael would turn back to face her.

Moving his feet into the position of his martial art Rafael starred down towards the girl that had managed to hurt him so much. His anger was trying to force him into simply stomping on her head and making to pop like a balloon. His reason although clouded by his beastly instincts managed to emerge victorious over that blinding anger. "Leave! You die . . if continue. ME . . DID NOTHING! YOU CAUSE . . . ALL THIS!" Rafael screamed trying his best to contain the whirlwind of rage that was surrounding his soul. All he had been doing was traveling and not bothering anyone and this girl had come to him as if he was a problem. All of this was her fault.

[Angel]

Angel had been in a bitter battle with this beast, but now was the second major hit she had taken. When the beast had slammed his head down onto her blade, the rest of the blade shattered as well as her fingers. The pain was incredible as she gasped out in pain, but she pulled herself to fire the lightning in return for the pain she sustained. It was a great trade off despite the loss of a hand. With blood dripping from the man's forehead and with no good way to stop it, the cat would have to brush blood from his face to gain his sight. Now was a good time to finish him off also seeing that in the moment of pain, he seemed unable to defend himself from Angel's Byakurai. Despite the pain, she steadied herself and was ready to fire at the panther and end him where he was. The blast of electricity was unleashed with precision speed, but luckily the cat was able to dodge somewhat. The panther moved with her own motions to avoid losing his life. Instead he was pierced through the collar bone.

The broken fingers were so painful that Angel felt as if it were truly the worst agony. She had never broken a hand before, or rather all the fingers on it. When the cat turned away from Angel, that was when it seemed to have made it’s fatal mistake. It whipped its tail outward at her. She didn’t know just how long this tail was, but at this point, Angel had launched her Sho to launch herself higher into the air to avoid that strike. The tail would narrowly miss and avoid giving her any harm. However...she found that his notion of attack was indeed rather bestial and unorthodox. What did he exactly hope to do by swinging his tail? She didn’t want to find out however as she flipped and landed on her feet, the beast talked to her.

She said it was her fault for causing all of this pain between the two of them and that if she continued to stay here, she would die. “Neko-San. You seem to not understand that I refuse to leave unless you leave. I’ll say it one more time. I as a Soul Reaper can not allow you to stay here. Leave this mountain top or else you will end up too weak to even defend yourself.” Her ribs and left hand hurt...badly. She now only had one hand left to cast Kido and she was now unarmed. She had to be careful or else she would very well lose her life to the Panther’s boasts. ‘I’ve analyzed every motion that he’s done...I need to act cautiously and play on the defensive. I have to let him make the next move. He’s fast, but I’m slowly adjusting to his speed.'

Angel muttered the incantation for Hado#1:Sho as she planned on disrupting the man’s next attack and then finish off with a Byakurai at a point blank range. If she was going to win the battle however, she would have to make it lethal. Without a weapon, she could not afford to mess around with a foe as powerful as this. Her left hand was most certainly injured badly, but she then grunted as she forced her middle and index fingers together. She had to hurry and end the battle immediately for she couldn’t take much more punishment. A broken hand and a fractured rib or so was not a nice thing to have. She wasn’t exhausted yet but she was reaching her limit.

Angel was prepared with her senses sharp, watching every motion of the Panther’s body. She took deep breaths as to remove the fatigue from her body faster. The Panther himself must have been rather tired especially from the wounds he had gained. Angel was ready to deliver more if he so wanted, but from the fact he hadn’t been resting and panting himself either showed he had an ungodly amount of stamina, or his lungs were going to explode from the overexertion soon enough. Either way, Angel was sure she could pull a victory out of her hat...she had one last trick up her sleeve. She could sense his rage and animosity reaching out to her. On the other hand, she was a calm and collected fighter. She waited and then acted.