Arc 1 ~ Canon 1: Tartarus Stirs [DE, R]

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

"Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro." As expected, Seb’s agents were caught off-guard as Col Arana’s reiatsu suddenly spiked. The six beams of light closed around Alexander the Black, locking him in space. He had been successfully subdued by the bakudo. However, his face was still void of expression. It was as if Alexander was untroubled by the sudden act of violence, which made sense. This was his job. Bad criminal dealings happened all the time, and this was just another one.

Sarah had more time to react. As Col spun around, charging energy for another attack, she had prepared her own defense. "Hado #1! Sho!" The powerful force omitted from his hand would meet an obstacle before it reached Sarah. She used her own unique ability as Col cast his spell, summoning an eight-foot tall marshmallow man. Col would see his spell ram through the marshmallow body, slowing as it fought to puncture the sugary complexion. The marshmallow appeared to anchor itself to the ground somehow, avoiding being thrown by the force of the blsat. Alice bought herself an additional split second by slowing down the Sho with the first marshmallow – just enough time to summon another one that successfully stopped the hado.

"I've decided on a new arrangement, Seb. If these two of yours are actually worth the time it takes for me to kill them, I will do precisely that, and go down to the river to find my prey. I'll consider their lives my payment." Sarah looked at Col as if he was crazy. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” Alexander remained unperplexed, watching Col with focused eyes as he remained in the Bakudo trap. As Col addressed Alice, she responded with an indifferent shrug. “I’m good back here. You do your thing,” she said while taking several steps back to give Col room. They were in a pretty tight space for a three-man fight, so she’d be better off watching from 30 feet away.

Col lunged, hoping to impale Alexander with his blade. He wouldn’t be able to slay the assassin that easily. Once his blade neared Alexander, the man took action. His spiritual presence suddenly grew and became incredible oppressive, striking fear into all those around. Even Sarah and Alice might have their heart-rates spike as a result. However, the intimidation was only a side-effect of the ability he employed. Martial Discipline: Ken allowed him to repel Col’s strike with a wave of reiatsu that extended several inches from his body. It would not only stop Col’s sword but impart a powerful force into it, sending it flying back into Col’s own body.

As Col made his move on Alexander, Sarah’s marshmallow men advanced toward him. The one that had a hole in its abdomen (courtesy of Col’s kido) approached him directly while the other made an effort to approach from behind. Both moved with a speed of 300, and when they neared Col, they would greet him with a warm embrace. Col might not know much about Sarah’s power, but he could probably guess that the marshmallow men didn’t intend to hug him out of love.

---

"Not to poke holes in your offer, but what is stopping us from continuing to fight you, win, and then just go through Sebs weakened defenses to take the jewel for ourselves?" Seb tilted his head at Jak, a little confused by the nakabakki’s inquiry. “You really think you can beat Seb alone? Heck, I definitely can’t pull that off so you have no chance buddy.”

Amalia also backed Jason. "But he has a hollow army." Yes he did. ”This chick, as you put it, offered them to you. Maybe you're the real puppet, not the hollows. I'm sure that isn't the case, though. I mean, you have skill. That much is evident. You probably know everything there is to know about this chick, right?" Jason grinned. Amalia was quite curious about this chick he mentioned. Her naivety was amusing. “Baby, no one knows everything there is to know about this chick, but you seem to be about as clueless as that hothead over there,” he said, nudging his thumb toward Jak.

"Come closer. Making a lady do all the work is not gentlemanly.” Jason’s feet stayed planted. Only his gaze followed Amalia as he maintained his self-assured smile. His hawkish eyes stayed on her as she ran her hands all over him and leaned in close. He listened carefully to her shushed words and responded with his voice at an equally low volume. “First of all, he’s smarter than you give him credit for. The guy might have some potential, and if things get ugly, I’m not too concerned.

“Second, this chick isn’t in the picture, baby. She’s drawing it. I’ve only seen a glimpse, and you aren’t even in the same room. But don’t worry, maybe you’ll get there at some point. Shit’s gonna hit the fan, and when that happens, there’s no hiding this whole fiasco.” Jason had made it clear that something was brewing. Something sinister. Something that Amalia was on the outside of, and she was trying to get a look inside. He wouldn’t make that easy for her. Amalia would have to stick around if she wanted to learn the truth of these hollows.


“And third…” Jason pulled away from Amalia, taking a small step back as he spoke. “You’re hotter when you’re playing hard to get. Let’s try going back to that, okay baby?” After shooting a wink her way, he quickly Jason quickly started to address the both of them without giving her the chance to pick a verbal fight. “I’ve got some operatives getting shit done. I expect they’ll be ready any moment now, so when they give the signal – and you’ll recognize the signal – we’re gonna get this party started. Until then, let’s get moving.”

Jason moved on forward, assuming he had won Amalia and Jak’s temporary allegiance. He knew they weren’t the most trustworthy allies, but he didn’t care. In reality, Jason had completed his objective and Amalia and Jak might have only now figured it out. He was stalling. He had his people acting independently, and Jason was simply stalling. But now, there was no need. He had bought enough time and gained two allies at the same time. Things were looking good for his crew.

The hollows began to reemerge from the forests behind Jason, mindlessly marching forward with their chains clanking against one another. Jason led them past the river, marching toward Seb’s headquarters. Amalia and Jak could use this as an opportunity to ask questions and press for information. Jason did seem to know quite a bit about a shadowy plot occurring under the world’s nose. Even if they didn’t care to talk, he couldn’t help but strike up a conversation. “So, as nice as it is to call my team ‘Jason’s Crew,’ it’s not all that catchy, ya know? I have to come up with a cooler name than that.”

[Jak Halcom]

Jak's interest in this man has dwindled away along with his patience. All this man did was insult him, and try to pain himself, and his cause as so much better than their own without giving any real reason for it. Jak's fists tightened. He hated punks like this. The more the man talked, the more Jak wanted to punch him in the face. His right arm started to glow brighter. It seemed that his partner was leaning more to join Jason's side than remain on his own. Very well. He had not known her, and it was her decision as to who she fought for. He respected that. He would not show her mercy if she decided to fight him though. He had a job to do.

Then Jason flat out told them what he was doing there. He was just stalling them. A new wave of hollows emerged from the forest advancing to Seb's position. Jak was starting to shake in rage. He was played. Apparently not only by Jason, but his ally. He closed his crimson eyes trying to calm himself, but it was clear that it not going to happen. First thing was first, he would need to take out Jason. Without him, Jak figured that the hollows wouldn't do much without the person giving them orders, and if there was someone else giving the orders, he would just have to find them as well and kick their ass. Jason walked past Jak confidently. Jak waited a second before saying out loud.

"You sure talk a lot for knowing nothing." Without turning around, he would release into his demon form. Intense heat would radiate from his body, as his body bursts into flames. His body grew another foot. His skin red as embers. His hair turned white, and another pair of arms grew from underneith his original pair of arms. His chest was bare, showing a bunch of chain tattoos criss crossing his body, and wrapping around his arms. "I will show you what i can do." He said in a deeper more demonic voice. A pair of large phoenix wings sprouted from his back made of fire. He would use the mod soul step technique to dash through the man intending to clothes line him. He moved much faster than normal thanks to his wings. He would move at 44x his normal speed intending to slam him with full force and cause soul burn on contact.

450 Segunda Saisei Oni -120 Caelumintro
570
470 remaining

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

"Hmm..."

Shizuka smiled at her new stranger friend guy and let him take a few steps behind her. Tired is tired, and this guy was probably exhausted after watching all of his comrades die in front of him. That was probably terrible. Shizuka had a bit of an idea, but she'd need to be fast to make it work. And she needed this Hollows to get a little closer. Since they were coming towards the jungle, they obviously had a certain path they were following. That was good. The Fullbringer allowed them to reach just the edge of the river bank before she made her move, careful to warn Tom of a few dangers.

"You're going to want to take cover. This explosive is super strong despite being non-nuclear. I think 100 yards, maybe ducking behind a rock or something, might be enough. You'll be fine! Besides, this stuff requires a blasting cap!"

The Fullbringer started running towards the Hollows, careful to watch for any oncoming attacks. She would be sure to dodge them, but speed was necessary. Using Bringer Light, she ran across the river bank at the full width of the army approaching them. She simultaneously activated her Fullbring and shot out all 100 gallons of astrolite that she had summoned using her Blast Canon setting. This liquid substance was also extremely resilient and persistent. Even after being detonated, it would remain in the ground for up to four days. Not even rain washes it away. That was the point she wanted to make, and this explosive was a risky way to do it.

Shizuka made her way back to Tom and shoved him behind a relatively large boulder about 125 yards away from the Hollows. Since she had waited until they were already close enough to the bank, this just might work. The blonde looked at her little trap that she had set as her bucket appeared next to her. She put her gun down for a moment and held up her hand in a way that many Italians would find familiar. She smiled widely at Tom and laughed a bit. She was just thinking about a joke she could have made, but decided the timing probably wasn't the best. She kept it to herself for now.

"Oh, remember the blasting cap thing? That's me!"

And with that, she snapped her fingers a couple of times and used her Soul Command to form sparks on the astrolite. The sparks would act as a detonator sufficiently strong enough to set off the explosive chemical reaction. Any Hollows that were nearby should easily be destroyed, which was her hope, but those that remained behind the others would be startled enough to stop in their tracks. She would be shocked if any of them continued to move or attack through the forest of flames in front of them, but all she could do was hope they'd stay put for now. She and Tom were close enough to feel the heat of the explosion, but she made sure they were both safe.

"Okay, hopefully that buys us some time. Tell me what's going on."



Shizuka's Remaining Reiatsu: 4750 (-200 for Beach Queen, -50 for Bringer Light)
Fullbring Stage 1: 1/10
Liquid Type: Astrolite
Gallons Remaining: 0/100

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

OOC: This felt like a good place to drop another DM post. Amalia will now post before Jak, but otherwise, posting order is irrelevant.

"You sure talk a lot for knowing nothing." Jason laughed, his face lit up by a smug grin. “Sure thing, hot-shot. I’m sure you’re a god-damn genius.” His smile only widened when Jak released his demonic form. The nakabakki was consumed by hellish flames as his physiology transformed with him. Jason’s smile only widened. “Haha, looks like I was right to call you hot-shot.” Jason stopped moving forward, directing his attention toward Jak while keeping Amalia in his peripheral vision.

"I will show you what I can do." Jak pushed off his foot, preparing to execute a step technique. Jason recognized the action immediately and, thanks to his high instinct, had activated his counter before Jak had even pushed off the ground. Martial Discipline: Ken would save him, creating a repulsing barrier from his skin. Jak would have rammed straight into a wall of reiatsu only to be thrown back with a force of 925. Lucky for him, all Ken did was push. He’d be quite bruised from the impact, but his injuries were not too inhibiting.

Despite being prepared, he was still caught off-guard by Jak’s ridiculous speed. “Holy shit,” he yelled, staring at the nakabakki with wide eyes. “That was pretty damn fast. But c’mon hot-shot, I’ll give you one last warning. Let's work together, or I'll have to kick your ass.” He then turned to Amalia. “If you’re still down to grab that Crystal together, baby, start heading to Seb’s HQ. You should run into my team there pretty soon, and when you do, tell them I s-“

Jason was interrupted by a war cry coming from the souther part of the river, where Shizuka and Tom were battling the hollow. "…we are TITAN!” Jason chuckled.
“Guess things are starting to get exciting. You’d better head to HQ quickly.”

SPOILER: Click to show

{Jason Stats}
Class 1 Fullbringer Rank 4 Leader
Strength: 100 (50)
Speed: 300 (600)
SpPr: 400
RS: 350 (875)
Inst: 200
Senses: 250 (125)
ES: 0
HE: 0
Total: 1600 (TT)

---

“Wait, lady, what’s going on?” Tom Bullets was quite confused, demanding an explanation from Shizuka between heavy breaths. However, he was too tired to question the woman too much. He was out of options, so there was little he could do other than trust her. Thus, Tom didn’t resist when she grabbed him and pulled him behind some cover. Hopefully, she had some sort of pla-

”BOOM!”

“Oh shit, that was awesome!” Tom exclaimed, peaking his head out from behind the boulder to scan the arena. No hollow remained standing. There were about fifty total, but forty of them had been killed by the explosion. The remaining ten had been knocked off their feet and faced some sort of injury. Those Gillian slowly recovered, pulling themselves back up to their feet. However, they did not continue their assault. With such low numbers, there was no way they expected to succeed. Thus, they retreated back into the forest.

“Time out.”

A new voice rang out from the trees on the other side of the river. It possessed a sweet, innocent tone, as if it belonged to a pre-teen girl scout. In fact, she looked like a girl scout too. When she stepped out of the tree’s shadows into plan sight, a small girl – less than five feet in height – smiled mischievously toward Tom and Shizuka. She didn’t seem threatening at all.

But she wasn’t alone. Beside her, two more figures stepped out of the forest. On her left stood a muscular, bearded man nearly twice her height. He carried himself in an intimidatingly macho manner, but this spell was broken when he let out a powerful yawn. “Yaaaawwwww… Mariam, why’d we have to come out. The hollow were doing just fine?” His questions seemed directed more toward himself than the girl beside him.

“Hush, Leonardo. If we want to bring Seb down, we need to act now.” The young man standing on the right side of the girl nodded in agreement.

“Leonardo, Henry, let’s make this quick. These pesky mercenaries will run in fear or die. After all, we are TITAN!”

And with that, battle cry, the girl threw a straight punch with her girlish right fist. However, something strange happened as she did. Her reiatsu signature spiked and the air in front of her visibly cracked when her fist ran through it, creating a large, hardly visible shockwave the size of a cero heading right for Shizuka and Tom. Mariam held back, so her attack only carried 350 strength and speed. Still, it would hurt quite a bit if it landed.

Leonardo FC

Henry FC

Mariam FC

SPOILER: Click to show

{Mariam Stats}
Class 1 Rogue Rank 3 Kenpachi
Strength: 400 (500) (1375)
Speed: 300 (400) (1100)
SpPr: 300 (400) (1100)
RS: 200
Inst: 300
Senses: 150
ES: 150
HE: 0
Total: 1800 (TT)

---

"…we are TITAN!”

The scream faded as it made its way toward the northern portion of the river, reaching Douma’s ears as a faint whisper. He and Crow had successfully destroyed the hollow army, but they now faced a new obstacle. A quartet of rogue shingami emerged from the forest, each with their own potent spiritual capabilities. Douma and Crow would not be able to dispatch with them as easily as they had the hollow.

Crow, who had previously kept his reiatsu signature hidden, suddenly flexed his immense spiritual presence as a golden blob manifested by his side. He had called upon his secondary fullbringer. Douma had also gotten serious, summoning 4 additional creatures by his side. Three were bony, metallic wyverns the size of large trucks, and the fourth was a humanoid figure in wizard-like armor. The monsterous manifestation of his bakkoto also appeared by his side. Thanks to Douma’s summons, the 4 vs 2 had turned into a 4 vs 7.

As one of the rogues charged forward, closely followed by his allies, Douma released his bakkoto. The world around them was consumed in black, concealing the battle that would occur within the dark sphere. There were now separate battles playing out across the river and one at Seb’s headquarters between Col and Seb’s agents.

But the war had only just begun.

[Col Arana]

Alexander seemed unperturbed by Col's sudden paralysis spell. Col merely licked his lips in anticipation. Ah, the strong silent type... He mused in delight, as Alexander gave no outward signs of concern or surprise at an arrancar suddenly binding him with a Shinigami kido spell. Sarah herself had summoned some strange sort of golem to defend herself, though had only barely succeeded. Col's eyes glinted. Good. Sarah seemed shocked at Col's recklessness, and the arrancar nearly laughed as she made her exclamation at him. "Did you not hear me the first time? I told you already. I am Col Arana!" He declared, as if his name alone was all the justification needed for his actions. And then he went to skewer Alexander.

But it seemed it was not to be. Alexander summoned up some strange forcefield about him, and Col's eyes narrowed. He felt something deep in his soul. Was it fear? Concern? Alexander was emitting a strange aura, that made Col feel pressured... Like Alexander was further away than it seemed and yet still dangerous. Was this a release ability? ...No. and this wasn't a kido either. Alexander clearly wasn't arrancar... which meant this was some strange human world technique. How irritating. But it's just a Human trick... And it's a shield of reiatsu. I should be able to penetrate it-- But even that failed, as Col's thrust was repelled by the barrier, in an attempt to drive his own blade back into him. What!? Fortunately for Col, despite his astonishment that his thrust had been repelled with such force, it had no bearing on the arrancar's muscle memory, which drove him to fling his arm out to the side to help diffuse the force, the attack whipping him around instead. As Col spun away from Alexander however, he wasn't about to let Alexander off that easily. "Hado #4 Byakurai!"

As Col spun, driven by the force of his own blade, his opposite arm arched up, and a crackling bolt of white lightning flashed from it. Because of the heavy and fierce rotation Col wasn't perfectly on-point. A bolt that should have pierced Alexander's heart, was instead targeting the man's right shoulder. Not that it necessarily mattered. Alexander wasn't likely going anywhere anytime soon, and perhaps a kido spell would pierce his shield, where Col's sword had failed. Oftentimes Col found, attacks that were highly resistant to one form of attack were forced to be more vulnerable to another. Byakurai would be a good test of that, as it was a low level spell. It took little effort for Col to perform, and if even Byakurai could pierce this shield, it was a sign it was not invulnerable to reiatsu-based attacks and could be reliably pierced by them.

In the meantime, he had another problem. Sarah's two golems were now on the attack as well, and were trying to flank Col. One coming straight at him, and one coming from the side. Col had to admit that their speed was surprising. While not nearly as fast as he was, they were not slow lumbering brutes, but moved with shocking swiftness, despite their bulky forms. But, like with his Byakurai at Alexander now, Col's earlier Sho had given him vital intelligence. These familiars of Sarah's were not particularly durable. At least not to attacks of Col's caliber. A simple Sho spell had punched a hole right through one, and Sarah had needed a second one to stop it completely. He generally assumed this meant that his reiatsu strength was probably at least twice as potent as hers, if she needed to double up to stop even a low level spell like Sho. I wonder how many of these she can summon then? Ah well. First things first. Col had to deal with the fact that these two were trying to flank and... hug him?

Col briefly pondered why, but ultimately decided it didn't matter. Perhaps they were extremely strong and would crush his bones in a tight bear hug. Perhaps they would self destruct upon grabbing him-- the reason for their lesser durability. Maybe they would try and absorb him? Col didn't know, and was not interested in finding out. No, he'd deal with them and avoid being hugged. So as they tried to flank him, Col charged for the one coming at his front, disrupting the timing between the two. Right before reaching the range of the one attacking from the front, however, Col sprang into the air, over its head. As he did so, a bolt of red energy suddenly lanced from his left hand, and sheared through the construct's head.

Col did not land behind it, but instead landed on air ground above its head, now gripping a silver cylinder in his free hand. A silver cylinder with a swift, and a red blade of plasma emitting from it. A... well... a plasma blade. Col always kept a pair hidden in the sleeves of his jacket, ready to slip forwards at a moment's notice and he was putting that to good use here, sliding it into his palm as he'd jumped, and then slashing through the golem's head. He didn't know if that would disable it or not, but it was a good way of testing. And since the other one had been flanking him, his path to Sarah had grown quite clear.

The former Escudo extended a finger at Sarah, and a colossal ball of blue reiatsu exploded out of Col's finger. A bala. But no ordinary Bala. Well. Actually yes. A completely ordinary Bala. A completely ordinary Bala that was larger than most arrancar's Cero. It was immense, and yet that clearly did not affect its speed as it hurtled towards Sarah. Although not a huge upgrade from his Sho spell, if the gap in their abilities was as vast as Col surmised, Sarah would take considerable, if not debilitating damage from a direct hit. And the Bala was too massive to stop simply by putting something in the way, unless that something was capable of stopping it. It would also test another theory of Col's. Were these golems automated, or did Sarah control them? If it was the latter, then he expected he'd see them pause, at least for an instant as his Bala obstructed Sarah's view. Even if she gave blind orders to them, it would definitely show-- a certain awkwardness in their movements. An imprecision. On the other hand, if they were automated, then that would be another matter entirely, and Col had to remain wary of them. He was ready to move, should they try to grapple him even as he stood in the air above and behind the creations, as he watched for his opening.

Reiatsu Remaining: 3040 (-50 for Bala, -25 for Byakurai)

[✱Paiva "Amalia" Vollbrecht✱]

Amalia watched as Jak stood his ground. She observed the events unfolding with a slight twinkle in her eye. Admittedly, she suspected he would resist, but was unsure of his resolve an whether he would immediately go on the offensive. What a pleasant display of conviction. She thought to herself. As Jak went on the offensive, Amalia backed away as her spheres turned into liquid and melted over her body, with the exception of two. The four that melted covered her legs, arms,and torso. 

She continued to back-away just Jak was thrown back without much effort. "Things became violent quickly, didn't they?" She said softly. "A lady has to keep herself safe and take precautions." She said as she placed a hand upon her hip, now covered by teilchenaufprall. If you’re still down to grab that Crystal together, baby, start heading to Seb’s HQ. You should run into my team there pretty soon, and when you do, tell them I..." Amalia's eyes slid toward her periphery as a battle cry could be heard. Titan, huh? She thought to herself.

She turned her gaze toward Jason, a faint smile beneath her mask. "I'd prefer to be escorted by a handsome..." She paused. With a light chuckle she continued. "I can't say gentleman, I suppose. Not even you are bold enough to claim such a thing. Nevertheless, if I go anywhere, it will be with you." She glanced over at Jak. "I believe this half-breed has more fight in him. Isn't that right?" She said condescendingly. "After we deal with him, then will you explain to me the nonsense in the background and why they're shouting 'We are Titan'?" She said with a dullness in her voice, as if she were irritated by these countless interruptions. 

She began to walk toward Jason as her eyes remained fixated on Jak. One of her discs began rotating. "What is it you creatures use again? Saisei Oni, right?" She looked over at Jason. "Such abominations. You should learn to enslave them, too. They have the same worth as hollows, but they tend to be more disciplined and stronger." She paused for a moment as she inched closer to Jason. "What is it some kind of ritual some piece of technology you dug up from a traitorous Shinigami's junk pile?" She turned and looked at Jak.

"He'd make a perfectly suitable slave." With that, she raised her hand and fired two class 6 arrows from a wrist-piece that had formed. The arrows shot out one at a time. Each possessed 1600 speed and were aiming for Jak. One of the arrows, however, was imbued with energy so to explode upon impact. She leaned toward Jason and whispered. "Just testing out his reflexes a little. I'll leave the rest to a strong man such as yourself." Amalia watched to see what he would do as she stood beside Jason. She lifted her hand and placed it on his shoulder. "I think we make a good duo, don't you?"


21,225
+800
-500
-10 for one class six arrow
-20 for second class six explosive arrow
=21,495

[Jak Halcom]

Jak went in to clothesline the man moving too fast for him to even really know what was around him, but he knew that his opponent should still be directly in front of him. Everything was a blur. Not just from the sheer speed that he was moving, but also the adrenaline and anger that had consumed him. He was tired of hearing this man's crap. He would shut him up and end this battle. Instead on his body colliding with Jason's, it felt like Jak hit a wall that not even his strength could punch through. Not only that, but it came so suddenly. How was he able to put up any kind of defense so quickly? Jak was throw back and skidded and rolled a distance from the two. He grunted with each impact with the ground, but would roll back to his feet, and drag three of his arms against the ground to stop his momentum.

He was thrown a several yards from his target, and between them was a quickly spreading sea of fire. During his tumble, his wings continued to spread the their trail of fire. He stood panting from all the exertion from the battle as a whole. He was already running close to empty, but he forced his body to continue. Between his anger, exhaustion, and focus on his target, he didn't even bat an eye at the sudden war cry. Jason seemed impressed at his speed, but still held the attitude that was pissing him off. In answer to Jason's offer, Jak just flipped him off with all four of of his middle fingers at the same time. He was done talking. Now it was time to fight. 

Jak started to make his way forward then it seemed that Amalia decided to commit to siding with Jason lifted her arm at him. Jak was not taking chances, he was going to give them everything he had. The hell fire that covered Jak's body would suddenly turn blue, and his body heat would rise drastically. Then two arrows were fired at him, one at a time. They came too fast for his tired body to try and avoid. He took both impacts, and was forced back a bit more, but he kept coming. The blue flames protected his body from the arrows, and now Jak was aware that Amalia was a quincy. He seemed even angrier than before. "QUINCY!!!" he shouted running at full speed at the two of them. Amalia backed off covered in some form of reiatsu. Jason was closer, so of course he would get the brunt on Jak's attention. 

The blades surrounding Jak's upper set of arms would appear to change into molten metal, while still retaining their shape. He would slash at first Jason, then at Amalia, sending a blade of flames cutting across the ground. He would then jump into the air using his powerful leg muscles to laugh himself high into the air. If they were still within ten feet of each other, then that would have been great, but if not, he would still focus on Jason. He put his bottom set of hands together forming a circle. The ground around Jason, and possibly Amalia, would suddenly grow hot. When Jak flicked his index finger up, a geyser of fire would erupt filling the circle with flames stretching straight up fifteen feet. Jak would land on the ground a short distance from the scorched earth where his geyser was. His tired muscles tensed, ready to react to a counter attack. 

Suit of Blue Fire, Inferno Blades+, and Pyro Geyser used, in order, no reiatsu spent. 470 remaining

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

Sarah and Alexander had no prior knowledge of the Escudo. However, they were quickly realizing that a so-called Escudo was much stronger than the average soul. They were quite cautious of the mysterious Arrancar with some Shinigami abilities. His arrogance and display of kido forced the two Seb executives to treat him as a serious threat and bring the Arrancar down.

As Col leapt over the first marshmallow man, he was successful in slicing his plasma blade through its head. The maneuver looked like something out of a Star Wars movie. It was certainly flashy, and Col had done to the marshmallow as Anakin had done to Count Dooku. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough. He made the mistake of ruling his opponent out. Without a delay, the marshmallow suddenly jumped forward, propelling itself right up at Col with a force of 800 behind its legs, striking him before he could even make an air ground platform.

Unless Col could anticipate and avoid the marshmallow mid-leap, his plans to launch a bala would be interrupted, and he would find himself in a peculiar position. The marshmallow would smack him into the ceiling above. Upon making contact, the Arrancar would also realize how uncomfortably sticky the marshmallow was. It would also stick on the ceiling, forming a marshmallow layer to trap Col against the metal wall. Furthermore, Col would begin to feel its body gradually heating up. The marshmallow would reach uncomfortably hot temperatures of about 100 degrees Celsius. Col’s hierro would protect him from burns, but if he couldn’t get out of this trap, he’d be cooked alive in a matter of a minute.

---

Elsewhere, Amalia and Jason stood side-by-side, battling against an enraged Jak. "After we deal with him, then will you explain to me the nonsense in the background and why they're shouting 'We are Titan'?" Jason chuckled in response, shaking his head. “Those meatheads Titan? They’re just mercenaries with some missing screws. Don’t worry, babe. They’re not smart enough to give us a hard time.

“Speaking of not smart enough…” Jason walked toward Jak as the nakabakki slowly rose to his feet. “I invited you into my crew and you not only turn be down but attack me? Come on, hot-shot, do your worst.” Jason watched Jak rush him once more, wearing a wide, thrilled grill on his face. He only beamed more brightly when Jak tanked Amalia’s arrows, barely slowed by their impact. “Hahaha, yes!”

Jason didn’t even bother to dodge. He wasn’t even concerned with his own safety. As Jak’s flames rushed forward and threatened to burn him alive, he simply channeled his reiatsu. A sphere of violet energy formed around him, protecting him like a cocoon. He had activated Energy Generate: Barrier. Jak’s tremendous flames might as well have been embers as they clashed against the reishi defense. Even the geyser proved in effective. As the cracking sound of fire died down, Jason’s hearty, satisfied laughter rang from within his barrier.

“You’ve got spunk, hot-shot. But if you’re not gonna join me, then I might as well have a good time sending you into the next life.”

As Jason’s barrier faded, the fullbringer began to approach Jak one step at a time. He was in no rush. In fact, he was cherishing this moment. If Jason’s previous conversation hadn’t made it clear, the man loved power. He loved to feel strong, and in doing so, remind others of their weakness. Jak was just another of his victims. With a cocky half-smile pulling at his lips, Jason continued to move upon the nakabakki. Jak might feel the fullbringer’s powerful reiatsu spike, and just before Jason unleashed whatever attack he had channeled, a thunderous sound would interrupt him.

BANG

---

Jason, Jak, and Amalia weren’t the only ones who had heard it. So had Douma, Crow, and the rogues that they were engaged in battle with. It even reached Shizuka, Tom, and Titan. However, the sound was loudest in one place: Seb’s head quarters. BANG! “Fuck that was loud!” exclaimed Sarah, who had inadvertently jumped a solid foot in surprise. The deafening sound would come a mere second or two after the marshmallow man jumped at Col, and based solely on how loud it was, it was clear that the source of the noise was just outside the entrance to Seb’s headquarters.

“They’re here.” Those were the first words Alexander had spoken. “Yeah, that was faster than I thought. We hired all those extra hands for a reason, god damn it.” Before much longer, a chainsaw-like sound emanated from the end of the tunnel. It sounded like someone was trying to break in. “Will that wall hold?” Alice asked. She was curious to see who their uninvited guests were, but Sarah ignored her bitterly.

Instead, Sarah turned to Col. “If we just pay you, can you fight those guys outside? I’m sure they’re pretty strong, and even if they aren’t, I promise we’ll kick your ass when we finish.” If Col agreed, Sarah would release him from the marshmallow (assuming he was still trapped.) She’d lead the small party down the tunnel back to the entrance. The metal wall between the outside world and Seb’s stronghold was dented and vibrating from whatever device the invaders were using to penetrate the defense.

“Time to blow these assholes away.” Sarah hit a button on the wall beside her. Suddenly, the sliding door built into the side of the plateau flew off like a bullet, knocking away all those outside the immediate. Col would sense the presence of about 30 nearby individuals, all of which were near class 5 in strength, and two class 1 individuals not far behind them. They waited apprehensively to see who would step out from the tunnel. Alice whispered to the Arrancar from just behind him. “I’ve got your back if you need it. I guess it’s time to stretch my legs.”

---

“Damn, that’s the signal.” Jason stopped moving toward Jak, the smile fading from his face. “Look, I gotta catch up with my crew. I’m their leader after all. This is your last chance, hot-shot. If you don’t join, both my beautiful partner in crime,” Jason nudged his head toward Amalia, “and myself are gonna have to kill you quickly and painfully.”

OOC: Shizuka’s still got Titan to deal with, but she’ll also hear the bang. Amalia can choose to head to Seb’s HQ ahead of Jason or help deal with Jak.

[✱Paiva "Amalia" Vollbrecht✱]

Amalia grinned beneath her mask as Jak effortlessly dispelled her arrows. He's stronger than I thought. How delightful. She thought. As he violently and quickly approached them both, the spheres that had enveloped her legs slithered off her legs like a shadow. Dripping off her skin they burrowed into the ground without any difficulty and being sure to do so inconspicuously. That passed into the soil like water from a fresh rain. His level of arrogance would ultimately be his achilles heel. But Jak wasn’t done. He slashed at them, firing raging from each motion. Before she could react, Jason has already initiated his own defensive measure.

”Oh!” She said excitedly. “You’re using energy generate to create a protective barrier. How chivalrous to insulate me within your technique as well. I was preparing something special for him, too.” She said softly in his ear. Having concealed her identity, Jason would not know she was a Sternritter or that she had one of the rarest skills among them. As a technique master, she was not only adept at creating and welding them, but understanding techniques for other races. It was a useful skill to have.

She couldn’t help but notice Jason’s excitement, which was remarkably palpable. She felt the exhilaration he experienced during battle. She found that to be an attractive quality, something she wish more people had. There was simply nothing like demoralizing another in battle. The thrill was quite unique and rarely matched. It seemed Jason was a relatively formidable opponent and Amalia was thankful to have made the choices she had. Jak, unfortunately, was suffering the consequences, but she didn’t much care. He seemed stubborn and unwilling to arrive at a compromise, that being he switch sides altogether. It certainly wasn’t much of a compromise, but Amalia was rarely one to lament.

As the barrier encased them both, the geyser violently assaulting it, Amalia decided this was the perfect time to share an intimate moment with Jason. Simultaneously, the liquid spheres beneath the surface erupted directly beneath each of Jason’s feet at 800 speed. They had slithered directly beneath the surface like snake and emerged as long, slender spears but with all the flexibility afforded by their malleable nature. They pierced the soles of his feet and burrowed vertically through his foot and into his leg, strike his knees in both legs. They tore through his legs likes metal stakes. Upon entering each of his legs, the long stakes immediately grew barbarous extensions. They were like thorns on a much more deadly rose stem, piercing his skin from the inside out. They emerged from his skin, encircling his entire leg from his foot to his knee.

The tip of the particle impact pierced his knee cap, burrowing deep into the bone and likely causing devastating fractures in the bone, if not shattering it completely. Simultaneously with the strike of those two particle impact spheres was that of her black gauntlets. The particle impact that had covered her arms immediately leapt from her body at 800 speed. Her right hand was on his shoulder, which meant the sphere had no distance to cover. It immediately swirled around his neck and burrowed into his skin, making its way into his chest before summoning the same thorns from its surface. They would explode from his skin and cause blood to pour from his neck and chest and back.

The two sphere that floated just above them, which were behind them both, launched forward at the same time as each of the other spheres’ attacks. Like sheets of fabric they wound around his arms, tightening their grip just before the barbs pierced his body, which dug into him and burrowed into his bones down the length of his arm, beginning just below his shoulder. The thorny barbs that had pierced his body would have wreaked havoc and inflicted lethal, immobilizing damage. In fact, the barbs that emerged from his chest and back likely pierced multiple organs, including his lungs. He’d drown in his own blood. However, the spheres that had wrapped around his arms and hands used the thorns to inflict wounds and latch on. They had another, more sinister purpose. The end, near his wrist, constricted tighter and using its malleable texture pierced the skin, using an extension to slice off his hands. The black mass retreated as blood would pour profusely on the ground, along with his hands.

The final sphere, which had wrapped around her right arm, unraveled and became a sphere and rocketed through the barrier at 800 speed and backed by 2000 reiatsu strength. As the barrier shattered, she stepped to the side and walked forward, never taking her eyes off of Jason. Amalia didn't take her guard down for a minute, prepared to use blut at a moments notice. It appeared she hadn't needed it. The sphere returned to her side as she began to speak. “You can only imagine how I waited with bated breath to show you some genuine affection.” She grinned widely beneath her mask as she released eerily silky laugh. “That technique is a useful one, but its drawback can be quite severe. It takes a lot of focus to utilize that technique and so moving is impossible. Even so, I took precautions.” She said satisfyingly. She winked at Jason before gesturing to Jak. “You did well for being as clueless as you were. I can’t say I apologize for not cluing you in earlier, but I needed your actions to appear as genuine as possible. Convincing you I had portrayed you was simply a matter of literally betraying you, at least for the time being.”

Amalia let out a hearty laugh as she stood stood before Jason. His body would be practically mangled and the injuring to his legs would prevent him from standing let alone moving. “Look at all this blood.” She said as she wiped some blood from her arm and rubbed it between her fingers. “I think this a testament to just how fragile you Fullbringers can be.” She suggested in a deriding tone. She gestured to all the blood and then pointed to Jason casually. “I had you figured out from the moment I met you. You crawled your way to power and as soon as you reached the top, you immediately realized just how insignificant you were among everything else. What other excuse would a human have for sinking so low as to try and cultivate power through use of beasts like hollows. Admittedly, it has you looking far more pathetic than resourceful. I’d be ashamed and humiliated if I were you.”

She shook her head as her spheres tightened their grip, squeezing the blood from his body as it drained along the ground. “You thought you were pulling the strings, but really you were tangled in them.” She took a couple steps closer as Jason would likely now be lying on the ground in a puddle of blood. “What better way to make a puppet than to make them think they have all the power. Give anyone enough time and they will string themselves. Congratulations! You were the first ever to reveal your strings so quickly.” She remarked as her sphere circled her. Within her gaze was a maleficence that she had previously concealed from Jason. “Before the life drains from you, tell me more about this woman and how you control these hollows?”




21,495
-500 maintenance 
-250 for manipulation of particle impact
+800 quincy cross
=21,545

[Jak Halcom]

Zeferoth panted watching Jason lower his defenses and slowly approach him. Why, why was nothing working? He had trained all his life. He had been fighting all his life. So why, why was he so weak!? He knew that he couldn't beat Amalia and Jason, hell he couldn't even beat Jason alone. He reiatsu was almost fully depleted, his energy spent. Still, he was not going to back down. He was not going to roll over and let a criminal walk all over him and control him like a dog. He clenched his teeth and growled feraly. If this was how he was going to die, then so be it. He planted his feet defiantly ready to embrace death swinging and burning everything he could.



Then Amalia struck. Not at Jak this time, but at Jason. Whatever she did, it seemed to be far more effective than whatever Jak was capable of. Jak watched as Jason was skewered from below through both feet leaving him writhing no doubt. The realization of everything going on around Jak was starting to hit him all at once. His legs gave out from under him forcing him to put his hands out to stop from face planting into the ground. The flames died off completely, as he reverted back to his original form. He panted desperately for air. His arms and legs shook from exhaustion barely able to keep him up. He could hardly look up to see what was going on.



He could hear Amalia talking to him and Jason, but the words never seemed to register in his mind. He was still reeling from the realization that he was completely out matched by just about everyone here. What was he doing? Was he just a boy pretending to be a fighter? Just some punk that was in over his head? He was not paying any attention to anything going on around him. Jak had too many internal questions to deal with. He is still a little aware of everything around him. But he would be slow to slow to respond due to his exhaustion and internal crisis. 

[Col Arana]

Under normal circumstances, the Marshmallow Man's attack would have been a serious problem for Col. 800 speed was twice as fast as he was, afterall, and at this distance, Col would have very limited ability to dodge. But Col had prepared for this possibility even as the battle started. No-- not that he had expected to be attacked by a startlingly fast pillsbury dough boy at close range. But he had anticipated the potential of his opponents trying some kind of attack that he'd have difficulty defending against conventionally. That's why he'd set up a Sleeper Bala at the beginning of the battle, sacrificing tempo to do so.

As Sarah's construct attacked Col, a Bala suddenly exploded out of thin air right next to it, blasting it aside. It was a huge Bala, barely missing Col himself. It was extremely likely the marshmallow man would be blasted flying away from the fight by it, if not severely damaged. Afterall, Col had dealt substantial damage to one with a simple Sho spell. A bala was a little bit stronger than that. Even if it didn't though, it would doubtlessly be enough to alter the big thing's trajectory so that it would completely miss Col. At least now the Escudo had an idea of how fast and strong the things were, even if this counterattack had deprived him of the firsthand knowledge of its strength and adhesive qualities, and this would let him follow through on his Bala attack at Sarah. But unless Sarah possessed truly lamentable offensive stats, while she would likely suffer heavy damage from the Bala, it probably wouldn't kill her. Which would let her express her thoughts on the break-in.

Col paused their combat for a moment, still standing in the air, and gave a disappointed sigh. "I suppose I must acquiesce. It's not as though our uninvited guests will stop just because we are engaged." He noted. Still keeping his plasma blade in hand, he followed Sarah down the hall to the wall, where she activated the button to blast away the intruders. As mentioned, thirty individuals outside. Most of them weak, but two of them were particularly strong. Col sighed. "So many worthless peons." He noted, loud enough for those outside to hear him as he charged a Cero Durmiente in place, and then left it in the air. Invisible, now. The arrancar then strode forward, with Alice's assurances she had his back. "None of you are worth my time. Bakudo #62, Hyapporankan." Col gestured at one half of the group as soon as he stepped out, launching a barrage of kido pillars, hurtling into their midst. There were fifteen rods in total-- easily enough to pin down half of the group, and at Class 5, it was doubtful they'd be able to do much about it. Only the strongest two he sensed would have any chance, whatsoever. Col was using his energy sensory to pick out which of the group that was. It was clear he was quite fearless in his assault. No sooner had he launched Hyapporankan, the arrancar flew into the remaining group, his plasma blade hewing and flashing, dismembering anyone who got within reach of it. Col had become a grim reaper, and those pinned by his Hyapporankan could only watch as he began his utter dismantling of their comrades, as he sought out someone worthy of facing him.

Reiatsu Remaining: 2650 (-240 for Cero Durmiente -150 for Hyapporankan)

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

"Oh, balls."

Of course people would show up just in time to inconvenience everything. Shizuka rolled her eyes dramatically and got herself closer to her new male friend. If this group was wanting to attack them, it was obvious this guy was probably good. She needed to figure out a way to protect him as much as possible, but she couldn't take on three people at once. Trapping Hollows was one thing, and she was so thankful that her plan worked, but this was going to be entirely different. These people are more complicated, smarter, harder to get passed. They were going to be more of a challenge. Especially this little girl.

Shizuka's experience as an assassin kicked in and she grabbed Tom while the girl was talking. They had to get out. The Fullbringer used Bringer Light to take both her and her new comrade up into the forest of trees around them. She perched the two of them at the top of a tree about half a mile away from the group. They might follow. They might find her. But since that was the only surge of Reiatsu, she doubted they'd be able to find her so quickly. Especially with her Stealth. The only issue was Tom. If he didn't have any experience in hiding himself, they'd be in trouble. Shizuka did her best to conceal the two of them anyway.

"Listen, man. You gotta stay close to me and stay as quiet as possible. If you know anything about being stealthy, you have to try it. These guys want to kill us and almost tried to just now. That girl was holding back, but she's no joke. That's a dangerous person. I've felt that kind of aura before with someone else of similar status. I've heard of those things before. Crazy strong, but they don't have a Release. They don't have powers like I do."

At least now Shizuka could watch and listen. She always chose to do this. She'd stand back and wait for a reaction because it was always easier to retaliate and defend. A Kenpachi like her will be crazy difficult to deal with, and the Fullbringer needed to prepare. There was no actual way for her to beat them by herself, so she needed all the help she could get. Two against four wasn't hardly fair, and especially not with a Kenpachi like this girl. Shizuka sighed. What a huge mess she got herself into. How come she always felt the need to help random strangers? She could be at home, not fighting for her life.

"Hey, do you have any abilities to speak of?"

SPOILER: Click to show

{Bringer Light (Mastered: - 80 TTP)}

Technique Name: Bringer Light

Class: 4

Technique Type: Other

Technique Element: None

Technique Description and Effects:
This is the stepping technique for humans. It increases their speed for a single step by 10 times for 50 Reiatsu. It leaves a column of flickering light in the place where the user previously occupied. Unlike other steps, this one can be used to build speed. If used in succession, the speed and cost go up with each additional step. The second step is a 13x increase, and costs 100 Reiatsu. The third step is a 15x increase, and costs 200 Reiatsu. From there, the cost doubles with each additional step, and the speed increase goes up by 1 time. Meaning the fourth step is 16x and 400 Reiatsu, the fifth is 17x and 800 Reiatsu, etc. Though at first the column of light is visible where the user was, once the third step is reached, the column of light is no longer there. This technique does not take up a technique slot.

How to use technique: To work, this technique manipulates the soul in whatever the user is standing on, allowing for feats such as high jumping, or the step which increases speed.

Drawback: None

Shizuka's Remaining Reiatsu: 4700 (-50 for Bringer Light)
Fullbring Stage 1: 2/10
Liquid Type: ANNM
Gallons Remaining: 100/100

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

Amalia had sprung her trap, and it was a nearly flawless one at that. Nearly. See now, Jason had no idea that the three particle impact spheres were about to plunge into his skin. He had no way of predicting it with his lack of energy sensory capabilities. The different attacks all came from below and behind as well, hidden from his sight. Therefore, it was impossible for him to get out of this unscathed. For a split second, Amalia’s plan was successful. Her technique had penetrated his knee, dug past his ankle through the bottom of his foot, and wound around his arm.

But that was all the progress particle impact had made. Even though Amalia’s spheres moved at quite a remarkable speed, Jason possessed his own instinct of 200. The moment the spheres made contact with his skin, he was aware of the assault on his body. For that reason, he was able to stop the worst of the damage and simultaneously launch a counter-attack. Jason had activated Martial Discipline: Ken, creating an aura of reiatsu that extended from his skin. Ken was activated more instinctively than consciously. He didn’t have the luxury of time to plan an attack against someone with the ridiculous spiritual strength of Amalia. Therefore, his counter with Ken was less than perfect, but it did the trick.

In a clash between Ken and Particle Impact, the latter would emerge triumphant with ease. For that reason, Particle Impact cut through the parts of Ken that they made contact with. However, Amalia still had her arm on Jason’s shoulder. From that contact, Ken would launch Amalia back with a force equal to Jason’s strength and reiatsu strength, 1050. Doing so would interrupt her telekinetic control of Particle Impact. Furthermore, it would throw her back into the inside of his Energy Generate: Barrier technique, resulting in severe damage on her part. She’d likely suffer a serious concussion, heavy internal damage, and maybe even a broken spine. Jason himself suffered quite heavy damage as well. Her Particle Impact traveled up his leg from the bottom of each foot, splitting his bones along their length. Another sphere dove into his right knee, shattering it and bringing him down to the ground. He also had blood pouring from his shoulder, as Amalia's sphere pierced his skin and began winding through his body, tearing apart the muscles on his right shoulder as they did. Unfortunately, Amalia's other spheres took too long to wind along his arms before damaging Jason, but he had sustained enough serious injuriese as is.

Jason had played into her hands. He had gotten caught up on the exchange with Jak, leaving himself vulnerable to a sneak attack from one he had considered a new ally. It was his own fault really, and the young criminal recognized that truth. He was to blame, but he was also angry. Even if his counter on Amalia was successful, he still had her god damned orbs in his body. The fullbringer had to activate Gate briefly to boost his reiatsu strength before reactivating Ken. This time, they’d wipe out her Particle Impact. Once this was done, he let his Barrier fade.

“Baby,” he began, this time with more malice and struggle than charm in his voice. He could barely keep from groaning in pain as he used his uninjured left arm to begin pulling himself back up. "Aaaagghhh," he yelled as his legs once more took on the weight of his body. He had to possess an inhuman level of will to actually stand on his maimed legs, but he somehow managed to pull it off. “That wasn’t very nice. And the timing couldn’t be worse. I’m not telling you shit.” As Jason talked, he looked past the forest ahead of him, where Seb’s headquarters lies. He had an obligation to his team, but this situation was keeping him away. At least he could draw away two of Seb’s forces, giving his own crew a better chance at success. Even if it came with a heavy cost. “I guess it’s time to kick your both your asses, then.”

It took all the willpower Jason had to keep standing on them, and even then, his legs were shaking beneath him.  “I've got no choice at this point.” From his pocket, he drew a tiny black pill, flicked it into his mouth, and swallowed it. With an almost sad look in his eye, he gazed over to Seb’s headquarters. “This one’s for you guys…”

And those were the last words Jason spoke as himself. A mere seconds after he activated the pill, his eyes went black and a sinister smile crept onto his face. Before, he was visibly struggling to stand, but now, he stood with ease, as though he hadn’t sustained any injuries whatsoever. Only with careful examination would Amalia and Jak notice the slight quaking in his legs as they supported him. Otherwise, it looked impossible for him to stand straight without suffering excruciating pain, yet he didn’t seem bothered at all. He felt one thing and one thing alone – bloodlust. There was no more Jason Trench. Amalia and Jak were face to face with a D.E.M.O.N.

Jason’s energy spiked as his fullbring activated, causing golden tattoos in a lightning pattern to creep from his chest across his arms, legs, and face. Previously, Jason, Amalia, and Jak had been surrounded by the remaining Gillian army. As soon as Jason activated his release, they’d vanish. However, Jak and Amalia both had varying degrees of energy sensory. To Jak, Jason’s reiatsu would feel immensely powerful, like he had the capacity of several souls within him. Amalia would be able to perceive a little more about his reiatsu. She’d realize that much of it wasn’t Jason’s own. Somehow, his own spiritual signature overlapped with those of the hollows all around him. It was as if the hollow were inside him.

Suddenly, dozens of crimson beams emerged from Jason’s body. It was like light passing through a crystal prism. The beams flew anywhere and everywhere, targeting the battlefield indiscriminately. They were unmistakably cero of the same magnitude that the hollow army had created earlier. Jason didn’t seem to care who he hit as long as he hit everyone. Jak, Amalia, or anyone else around. Some would even fly over the heads of Titan agents down the river, narrowly missing them. “Huh, that was close,” Leonard commented as a Cero literally brushed the top of his head, taking a couple millimeters of his hair with it. “Keep moving, gentlemen,” Mariam instructed, leading her followers across the river and into the forest.

Jason Bloodlust: 1/6

Jason Fullbring Level 1: 1/10

OOC: It may also help to know that, due to the heavy damage Jason sustained in his legs, he can only run at 50 speed and is incapable of using step techniques. Have fun

---

Tom followed Shizuka without any questions, activating his own bringer light to keep up. The fullbringer seemed to trust her immediately, which was in itself a strange thing to do. In the criminal world, backstabbing was the norm. It was more effective to wear a bulletproof backpack than chest plate. However, Tom just went with whatever Shikuza asked of him. He was a peculiar guy.

"Listen, man. You gotta stay close to me and stay as quiet as possible. If you know anything about being stealthy, you have to try it.” Tom interrupted her almost immediately. “Stealthy? Like keeping quiet and hidden and stuff? Lady, I’m so good at that, like you wouldn’t believe. When I was a kid, I never lost a game of hide and seek. I was king of the playground. Look, watch this!” Suddenly, Tom went quiet. He simply silenced himself, grinning at Shizuka like a doofus as though this were supposed to impress her. But he wasn’t done. Tom then began skipping around her, and Shizuka would notice that his feet didn’t make a sound. They landed so softly and gracefully each time, not even cracking a branch or rustling leaves. “Told ya I’m good.”

Tom nodded along with the rest of Shizuka’s words. When she reached her final question, he simply responded with a shrug. “I mean, I can’t fight pretty good. But if these guys are as crazy strong as you say, I don’t know how a fight would go. I’m not sneaky with those explosive stuff like you. But do you have a plan to bring those guys down?” Shizuka would have to think quickly, because in a couple of minutes, they’d hear the snapping of twigs as Titan walked through the forest, only about 50 feet from their hiding place. They had a limited window to defeat or at least slow down Titan. Tom was depending on Shizuka to figure out exactly how they were going to do that.

---

Col’s bala certainly came as a surprise to Sarah. She yelped as it incinerated her marshmallow, leaving a small pile of golden smores where it previously stood. However, just before the bala slammed against her, she had activated Martial Discipline: Ken, creating a defense that extended from her skin. The bala was certainly fast, but because Ken stemmed from her body, it would form just in time to protect her.

But fortunately, Col realized the trouble that the intruders brought. Sarah sighed with relief when the Arrancar accepted her proposal. If Col continued his attack, Seb would be in a very tough position. But things worked out, kind of. Sarah watched with interest as Col exited the tunnel, taking on the small army of invaders all at once. Right off the bat, the iron pillars he created crushed about ten of them. Five were able to get out of harm’s way with a quick step technique. However, that didn’t mean they were safe. Alice did say she had Col’s back, and so she drew her own pistol, putting a bullet through the head of anyone too distracted to notice. Three of the pillar survivors dropped dead with a hole in their skull.

Alice continued her ranged support as Col engaged the rest of the group with his plasma blades. As he cut through two men, she sent a bullet flying over Col’s shoulder, straight through the throat of another. Col would be able to slice through about eight of them before the rest of the criminals realized that they were hopelessly outmatched. They ran into the forest behind them, not turning back at all.

And from the sidelines, those two powerful individuals simply watched. One was an Arrancar, his mouth obscured by his toothy, broken hollow mask. The other appeared to be a rogue Shinigami, watching the battle with bright blue eyes as he took notes on Col’s slaughter of their troops. “Yeah, just what I expected,” he muttered to his partner while finishing up his final sentence in his notebook. “This batch of recruits were pretty shitty. Jason thought so too, but this whole expansion thing is hard. We need to figure out how to market ourselves better.” The conversation seemed to only go one way, as the Arrancar didn’t really care to respond. Still, the rogue continued. “Oh well, I guess it’s time to take matters into our own hands.” He folded his notebook and placed it, along with his pencil, in his back pocket.

“Hey, I’m Dean. This is Kozu. We’re part of Jason’s Crew. You’re one of Seb’s guys, right? I guess we have to fight, then.” Things seemed pretty bad for these two intruders. Col might be under the impression that this was a 4 vs 2 fight. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. A metal barrier descended behind Col and Alice, sealing the entrance to Seb’s headquarters once more. “Motherfucker, that ho played us.” Alice grumbled as she examined the two men in front of them. She sighed, reluctantly accepting the situation at hand. “Alright, let’s do this thing.”

Dean released his bakkoto, causing metal arms to emerge from his back. They were charged with lightning that jumped off of their surface with golden energy. The metal extended from his back, working their way under Dean’s own arms before they formed into two sickles. Dean wielded one in each hand, each blade connected at the hilt to his spine. An bolt of electricity traveled from one of the sickles, down Dean’s spine, and along the surface of the ground, zigzagging as it moved. The electricity was quite fast, about as fast as Hado #4: Byakurai. And it made its way toward Col rather quickly, threatening to enter his body through his feet. Even if Col dodged, he’d soon realize that the electricity didn’t fade. It etched a line of lightning into the ground as it moved. Dean simply watched, a mischievous smile gently pulling on his lips as he opened the battle.

Dean Bakkoto Class 1: 1/3

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

Update for the Jak and Amalia portion of the thread: I edited the exchange between Jason and Amalia to reflect the more serious injuries Jason faced. Jason can now barely stand, much less walk on his legs.

[Col Arana]

Col accepted Alice's help wordlessly. He barely noticed the shots flinging past his ears. He didn't detect killing intent directed at him from her, and besides. Col remained quite confident regarding his defensive abilities. As Col burned through the group with careless abandon, a yellow plasma blade ignited in his free hand. Now dual wielding both weapons, Col flew through them, cutting them down with even greater speed than before, until the group broke and fled. "What a pity. They were barely even beginning to quell my appetite." Col stated disdainfully, finally addressing the only two there worth addressing. An arrancar was it? And a Shinigami. Col looked at the two of them, and then smiled. "Greetings gentlemen. Shall you two be joining me for dinner?" He asked, his smile transforming into a smirk. His plasma blades hummed softly as he turned to face them.

The two introduced themselves as Dean and Kozu, of someone called Jason. Col nodded in acknowledgement. "Jason's crew? Then perhaps you should make way for Herakles or Medea, they might prove better fodder than yourselves." He said, in a twisted idea of a joke. "Though if you are of his crew, then I take it you do not follow Las Noches or Seireitei? That is a pity. It's been too long since I've slain one from Las Noches. As you surmised, for the time being, I am pursuing Seb's agenda. It seemed the more interesting thing to do at the time." He stated. "And you two seem like you will provide adequate entertainment." Col was not surprised to hear the door slam shut behind him. Sarah had struck him as the type. As Alice expressed frustration Col answered calmly. "I hardly expected better. It's fine. If she refuses to admit us entry again, I'll simply destroy the door." He noted, not even caring if Sarah was still listening.

The Shinigami had unleashed a strange weapon and Col's eyes narrowed. "Ahhhh. Now I see. A Bakkoto. How interesting. I have not had the privilege of facing one wielding such a weapon before. Please be sure to provide a good impression so that I might remember this battle in the centuries to come." Col stated as Dean prepared to battle. Lightning, was it? Col prepared himself. While there was potential for lightning in close quarters, typically it was fired off in bolts. And it seemed Dean was no different. However the nature of his attack was curious, as the lightning blazed a trail along the ground. Col responded by leaping into the air. Next, it will likely launch upwards at me, won't it? He mused. Not to mention the other one. What indeed, was Kozu doing whilst Dean attacked? This time, Col didn't immediately counterattack. He needed his wits about him when confronted with new abilities, and wanted his reflexes free and ready to immediately defend himself against an unfamiliar attack.

That said, he was still going to threaten. Col landed beside the lightning trail, and charged Dean, being cautious not to step on or over the lightning trail. Both plasma blades flashed, and if Dean was willing to let Col get in range, the Arrancar would initiate with a flurry of slashes from both sides, delivering a frantic series of scything blows aimed at the head and torso, transitioning from horizontal to diagonal.