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

[✱Paiva "Amalia" Vollbrecht✱]

Amalia had launched her trap and was marveling at the pain she was inflicting upon Jason. Amalia had carefully studied her opponent and learned a great deal in a short period of time. Unlike Jason, she still had the benefit of anonymity and this afforded her some tactical advantage. Despite this, he was capable of partially catching her off-guard. It appeared his instinct was capable of saving him, allowing him to activate a technique in order to counter her own. The damage had been done and he was crippled from her attack, but at the cost of withstanding his own. The force from his martial discipline pulsed outward, striking her.


Unfortunately for Jason, he wasn’t the only one capable of tapping into his instinct. Residing deep within her resided a source of survival present in all Quincy. This drive was further fueled by the blood that coursed through her veins, allowing her to protect herself from harm. Upon being forced back by his technique, Amalia’s blut vene activated. She was nearly invulnerable with this power flowing through her. She collided with the barrier, shattering it before tumbling along the ground. She rolled for several feet, now 15 feet from Jason. Despite the distance, she was rendered unharmed thanks to her blut vene. Amalia could feel the pain coursing through her body.


These techniques did not come without a cost. Reiatsu was nothing to Amalia. She was an abundant source of energy, surpassing all other Sternritter. Despite this advantage, the use of techniques inflicted her with varying degrees of pain. It was a constant reminder of the limitations of such power and potency. Just as she experienced this, Jason utilized his martial discipline again. She knew it was with the intention of separating himself from her teilchenaufprall. It wasn’t particularly clever of him. It was simply desperation. Amalia grinned as she deactivated teilchenaufprall. His technique had dispelled her other spheres and so she found no use for the remaining sphere. The sphere vanished into particles as inhaled deeply.


She rested her hand on her knee as she caught her breath. She rose to her feet and gazed in Jason’s direction. In their exchange, a portion of her mask had broken. You could now see the devious smile painting her lips. “Awe.” She responded mockingly while dusting off her clothes. “Did I hurt your male ego? What astonishing fragility for someone who spoke so proudly earlier.” Amalia gently wet her lip as she stared at Jason. “You never expected to be in the position you’re in now, so why do yourself further disservice by saying things you know aren’t true?” There was an arrogant and infantalizing quality to her speech. Amalia didn’t have a modicum of respect for Jason. In fact, she found him to be even more deplorable than the half-breed in awe of her power. Amalia looked at Jason with a pitying gaze as her voice softened, her words capable of piercing even the strongest defenses. ”Of course you’re going to talk. I broke that fragile body of yours. What makes you think I won’t break your spirit?” She asked with false incredulity.


Amalia narrowed her eyes as he downed a mysterious pill. He had simultaneously ingested a mysterious substance and released his fullbring. Amalia shook her head in disgust as her observations of Jason further condemned him in her mind. “What a disgrace.” She said softly as the shakiness of his body lessened. “Modifying yourself with black market garbage and relying on the power of hollows. You are genuinely more pathetic than my initial assessment.” As she spoke his body began to give off a faint light before cero began erupting in every direction. Amalie rolled her eyes. He might have obtained the foul power of a hollow, but it was hardly worth fearing at this level. The cero, despite its power, was unable to breach Amalia’s blut vene. “You should probably get-up and do something.” She said in Jak’s direction as she deactivated blut vene. Dodging cero was easy. There was no need for her to use blut vene for this. Even so, she could summon it at a moment’s notice. She used moved to triple her speed (1200). She passed through the barrage of cero, appearing in the sky, roughly 20 feet above where she once stood.


She had seen what Jason was capable of, but wondered if he was not nearly as diverse of a fighter as one would expect. His use of martial discipline and energy generate were typical for someone like him. She didn’t yet know the extent of his fullbring, the pill he ingested, or the hollow abilities he had access to. There were so many unanswered questions. And yet, she felt prepared to pry the answers from that crippled body. He could barely stand and whatever he consumed only kept him from keeling over. The wounds inflicted by her particle impact had left his legs unusable and much of his other body maimed and badly wounded. She wasn’t above exploiting his crippled status.


With her hand pointing outward, her sidearm, made entirely of reishi, fired five arrows in succession. The arrows were smaller than arrows fired from her regular bow, but their speed was doubled (1600). All five arrows were class one and moving at a speed of 1600. Amalia fired them with a specific purpose, each aimed at a different region of the body. One arrow for each thigh (just below the pelvis), one for the stomach, one for the chest (heart), and one for the forehead. The cero he wielded would be unable to stop Amalia’s class one arrows and he was unable to move from his position. He had to rely on a technique that protected his body and was capable of halting Amalia’s class one arrows, which each possessed her monstrous reiatsu strength. As she watched and waited for Jason’s reaction, her cross glistened as it drew in reishi.


21,545

+800

-300 blut vene

-425 x 5 class one, double speed arrows

=21,620

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

OOC: Bump

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Shizuka was speechless. He couldn't fight well at all? Great, what dumb luck. And against these rumored Kenpachi-types. A strange name for people like them, but they all had something in common. They were ridiculously strong and had no Release. For someone like Shizuka, who was of average strength for her kind and relied heavily on her speed and Release abilities, these guys were like her worst nightmare. Getting by them was going to be extremely irritating, and she was only hidden for so long as she didn't use her powers. Even she could tell how strong these people were, so her Gravitational Pressure would only not work at all, but also likely kill Tom. Awesome. At least he could be quiet.

The Fullbringer's Soul Gauge told her Mariam's numbers pretty well, and Shizuka knew fighting her would be almost impossible without decent techniques. The others, though, didn't end up getting caught in the radar. If she assumed they were all roughly the same, they could all outrun her. Shizuka was fast, but not to these people. She needed to seriously think of a way to stop them in their tracks. But how could she ever fight someone who didn't even need a Release? And even then, would the best option be to run? She didn't know where she could run to. She had no idea what she was doing. And the biggest downside was that these enemies were getting closer.

The problem came from them being so close. They drew even closer every second. That many feet was a good enough distance, especially since her fasted stepping technique could be executed in mere moments. Anyone with high enough speed could catch up to her, but she was just going to have to rely on luck at this point. She needed to set a trap for these guys. If they were going to keep following her, she was going to rely on that. She motioned for Tom to follow her about a half mile down the road using only their natural speed. Any sudden burst of Reiatsu would make them very noticeable, but since they were up within the trees, this may work better. She'd have to lure them, though.

As soon as they got to another spot in the road where she saw enough of an opportunity, Shizuka spoke to Tom. "Okay, I'm going to set a trap. You're extremely quiet, which is amazing. I mean, truly amazing. I couldn't hear you and I was right there. I need you to make sure we can lure these people to us, but we don't have much time. They're probably following us all the same, but with any luck at all, they haven't caught on to us moving yet. That will buy us a small amount of time. What I'm going to do means there will be a ton of Reiatsu released at once, and that will undoubtedly point them directly our way. That's what I want, but I need you to spy on them and make sure they walk where I want them to. I'm going to act quickly. Remember how I took out the Hollows?"

Shizuka grabbed her gun and the freshly summoned ANNM. Using a quick burst of Soul Command, she forced the earth below the two of them right in the center of the road to open up. It was a large movement of material, so she felt herself use a bit more energy than she wanted to, but with it, a hole with a diameter of about ten feet presented itself. She allowed a layer of earth to cover just the very top to hide it. If anyone stepped in that area, they'd fall in because of the lack of support. The hole was ten feet deep. Would it hold anyone? Probably not, but that's why she was going to add something to it.

Using Bringer Light again, Shizuka spread the ANNM in three rings around the hole. One was at twelve feet in diameter, then again at fifteen, and again at twenty. Each ring had about thirty-three gallons worth of explosive fluid, which may not seem like a lot, but if the Hollows were any indication, this stuff was powerful. The last gallon or so was dumped on the center of the circle. The ground holding the fluid absorbed it relatively quickly enough with a little extra help from the Fullbringer, so her hope was that it would be virtually undetectable. It was scentless and colorless, but you never know. Shizuka was worried these three people may be more capable than she hoped.

She motioned for Tom to do what he could to lead Titan over in their direction. She remembered to warn him to be careful, to remain unseen and unheard, and to run to call to her if he met any trouble. They would meet this group soon enough, and she'd be waiting for them. Hiding amongst the trees. Hoping they wouldn't notice her until she sparked the explosive and trapped them. What she wanted to do would stop them in their tracks and, prayfully, render them relatively immobile. But that would only happen if everything went according to plan. All she wanted to do with this was catch them off-guard.

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: 4550 (-100 for primary use of Soul Command, -50 for Bringer Light)
Fullbring Stage 1: 3/10
Liquid Type: ANNM
Gallons Remaining: 0/100

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

“Herakles? Medea? Oh! You mean like the Greek mythology people. Yeah, I haven’t studied them too much. Make-believe stories aren’t very interesting to me, but hey, touch each their own.” Dean was quite talkative. The seriousness of the situation didn’t seem to bother him at all. It was almost like he was just trying to have a friendly conversation with Col, but that nonchalant attitude was quickly overshadowed by the looming feeling of a energetic fight the moment that he activated his bakkoto. Despite his tone, there was not a very good chance that he and Col would walk out of the jungle to grab a beer.

"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." Dean seemed genuinely delighted. With a wide smile, he responded, “Really? Then I must have the advantage, since you’ve never seen a weapon like mine and I’ve killed plenty of Arrancar before.” While acombat was not actually that simple, Dean did have a point. Col should be wary as he figured out what exactly the bakkoto was capable of.

Col took to the air to dodge. It was a logical move, and an effective evasion. Dean simply stood tight, waiting with both his swords at the ready. He parried Col’s furry of slashes without much of an effort. Col was slightly stronger than Dean, and this strength difference made direct blocks slightly more difficult than Dean anticipated. However, he was quick to adapt by stepping backward and to the left with each parry to reduce cushion the force. Dean’s movements were precise and planned. He clearly knew how to his use sword, but more importantly, he was positioning himself with a specific intention. He moved to make sure that Col stayed between himself and the trail of lightning he unleashed previously.

As he intercepted one of Col’s swipes at his right, Dean activated his release’s ability. The rope of lightning on the ground suddenly bolted right back toward him at twice the speed that he fired it. Unless Col evaded, it would pierce right through his chest and re-enter Dean’s left sword and metallic arm. Now, it was unlikely that this sneak-attack would bring the Arrancar down, but it would force him to either dodge or block. Kozu, standing only 15 feet from Col and Dean’s exchange, would look for an opening as Col countered. Either as Col was repositioning himself after dodging or immediately after he blocked the lightning with an ability, Kozu would release a bala from his closed mouth flying toward Col’s head. At such a close range, this bala would be difficult for him to react to in time. Taking these two on at once would prove to be difficult.

Fortunately, Col had some help. “Yo jackass, either you and I can sit back and watch the show or you’re gonna have to deal with me. I’m not gonna let you kill my ticket back into Seb’s HQ.” Alice shot a flurry of five bullets at Kozu, only to have them bounce off his Hierro like they were pebbles. “Damn,” she muttered while reloading her clip. Kozu simply stared at her with hungry eyes and a sinister smile. “Fuck, I can’t tell which Arrancar is creepier anymore.” Alice was not primarily a combatant. She certainly was strong, but mostly due to her creativity and versatility. After a few years on Douma’s team, she had become comfortable relying on key strategic moves to win fights, and 2v2s were no exception. “Yo Col, we might wanna plan this fight better. Don’t take them on at once. I can’t help you like that. But… tell me, how well can you see without your eyes?”

SPOILER: Click to show

{Dean Shaw Stats}
Class 1 Rogue Rank 3 Fighter V2
Strength: 100 (75)
Speed: 400 (700)
SpPr: 300 (225)
RS: 400 (700)
Inst: 150
Senses: 200
ES: 50
HE: 0
Total: 1600

SPOILER: Click to show

{Kozu Soseke}
Class 1 Arrancar Rank 3 Freak
Strength: 400 (800)
Speed: 250
SpPr: 300 (200)
RS: 400 (900)
Inst: 200 (134)
Senses: 100
ES: 250 (437)
HE: 0
Total: 1900

---

Amalia seemed quite certain of herself as she addressed Jason. She talked down on him condescendingly, and the fullbringer didn’t enjoy it what-so-ever. She spoke as if she already won, and while Jason was severely wounded, the fight was far from over. No, he had mitigated the pain. All he had to do was find another means of movement or create a defense capable of protecting him against Amalia’s raw power, and that was more difficult said than done. However, Jason did not rise up so quickly in the underworld without skill and talent.

”Of course you’re going to talk. I broke that fragile body of yours. What makes you think I won’t break your spirit?” Whatever drug Jason had taken appeared to cloud his judgement. He wasn’t the same man as before. Whatever arrogance and elitist attitude he possessed was multiplied by ten and infected with a sinister spirit. While he certainly was ill-meaning before, he didn’t come off as evil. This new Jason, however, was oozing wickedness. He wanted Amalia to know that she had not won. He wanted to crush her, and this desire was clouding his judgement.

“Listen here, bitch. If you don’t know what’s going on in the world, then it’s too late for you. She’s gonna turn all this shit on its head. The shit going on here in our world is just the start. The fact that you’re so far out of the picture that you can’t even see what’s happening means that you’ll end up on the bottom. It’s too late for you, baby.” A villainous laugh escaped evil Jason’s lips. “But you won’t live long enough to see any of it.”

Amalia’s evasion of Jason’s cero was sufficient, and the human watched with devilish eyes as she fired her volley of high-speed arrows at him. He wouldn’t be brought down by them, however. Jason reactivated Gate, and, coupled with it, Martial Discipline: Chakra. Both his hands, even that of his wounded right arm, began to glow as a violet flame covered them. However, Chakra did more than just make his hands look cool. His limp right arm already put his hand in contact with his body, so the flames spread until the completely coated Jason. While the fire wasn’t hot, it was imbued with a very potent form of his reiatsu that enhanced the class of all his items and abilities that it touched.

Several cero shot out from Jason again, but this time, they too burned purple. These cero tore through Amalia’s arrows like they were nothing, continuing toward Amalia herself. She’d be forced to evade once more. Even Blut Vene wouldn’t stand a chance against Chakra. For once, Amalia wouldn’t be able to use raw power to bring her opponent down. Jason wasn’t holding back anymore. “You’re done for, hahaha!!” he laughed in triumph, clearly confident in his ability to bring both Amalia and Jak down.

Jason’s reiatsu surged once more as he unleashed his Fullbring Level 2 and Secondary Fullbring simultaneously. His golden earrings broke off and formed gauntlets. They were clearly designed to strap onto his forearms, but instead, Jason telekinetically commanded the gauntlets to act as knee braces, ensuring that his legs didn’t collapse beneath him as the fight continued. They’d keep him standing, and his ability to control the gauntlets might even permit him limited movement.

However, that wasn’t the only big change. The gun in Jason’s right hand became golden as well. He let it slip from his fingers as he took control of the weapon, keeping it hovering by his torso. But the gun was only just the start. From Jason’s body, several large heavy machine guns emerged with a chain of ammunition leading from their barrel back into Jason’s body. There was no indicator how much ammunition Jason had or if he’d ever run out of it at all. These guns also hovered around Jason. There were 8 heavy machine guns in total, all pointed at Amalia. Only the uzi pointed the opposite direction, instead targeting Jak. The fullbringer was a walking arsenal.

“Sayonara, bitches.”

And with that, Jason fired. The uzi unleashed its magazine on Jak. All the machine guns sent bullets flying at Amalia, scattering them around her to make evasion even more difficult. A dozen cero and a dozen bala fired from Jason’s body at Jak and Amalia as well. To make it all worse, all of these projectiles were coated in that same violet fire of Martial Discipline: Chakra.

“I’m fucking Scarface.”

Jason’s Reiatsu Strength During Gate: 2000

Fullbring Level 2: 1/10

Secondary Fullbing: 1/10

Bloodlust: 2/6

Note to Participants: So, you have both pushed Jason to his limit, but remember that Jason is rank 4 for a reason, and due to the illegal pill he took in, he has the blind intent to kill. Considering that this is a DE thread, proceed with caution. Your character’s lives depend on it.

---

Meanwhile, Shizuka and Tom had their own problem, and it was a difficult one at that. Fortunately, it seemed that Shizuka had a plan. “You're extremely quiet, which is amazing.” Tom interrupted her before she had the chance to continue. “I am? Wow, nobody’s ever told me that before. Everyone says I never shut up and just keep rambling on and on, hence the name bullets. Er, well, there’s others ways I got that name too, but-“ Tom suddenly became aware of himself and bowed his head sheepishly. “Uh, sorry, you had a plan right?” He’d listen in silence as she explained the rest of her plot.

Tom nodded in acknowledgement of her idea. “Aye aye captain lady, I’ll see ya in a giffy. Don’t die on me!” And with that, he pushed off the ground and disappeared into the shadows cast by the jungle canopy. Shizuka was all alone to execute her plan. She had activated Soul Command and release. Mariam was easily capable of locating her flaring reiatsu signature and directing the rest of the Titan party toward her as though she had a compass. Shizuka would just have to trust that Tom was somewhere nearby doing his job.

After no more than two minutes, Shizuka would hear rustling from the bushes. With her release active and the Kenpachi close by, hiding was no longer an option. Like a bulldozer, the quieter man with the metal piercing came running through the forest at a speed of 500, knocking down the trees and brushes in his path. He made his way onto the trail Shizuka identified and placed her trap on, and, surely, fell through the unsupported cover of the hole. This man, Henry, quickly realized what had happened, but it was too late. Even though he created a platform of air ground to keep him from slipping in all the way, the rubble that fell into the hole was enough to trigger the explosion. The sound would rock the entire area, reaching Col, Jak, and Amalia.

“BOOM!”

Henry was sent flying several yards backward. He landed hard on his back, but that was hardly the worst injury he suffered. His legs were disfigured and charred. Pellets of rock dug themselves into his thoughts and torso. He had hit his head with enough force to give him a concussion, leaving him temporarily unconscious on the ground. He was in bad shape. Leonardo, the other male member of Titan, emerged just in time to witness his colleague blow up. “Huh,” he thought to himself as he took note of the severe injuries Henry faced. “Guess he deserved it for running in like an idiot. Should’ve taken his time like me.”

Henry did not possess the sharpest energy sensory, but he had just enough to figure out which direction Shizuka hid in. “I’m coming, girly.” Step by step, Leonardo approached at a snail’s pace. “I’m coming.” But as he was speaking, Shizuka would hear a rustle coming from about 30 feet from her right. Just as she turned her head to address it, she’d see the face of the third and final member, Mariam, as the Kenpachi flanked her. “Hehe, you’re mine.”

Bam.

The moment Mariam uttered those words, the Titan leader was hit with a black blur that moved so fast that it seemingly came out of nowhere. Upon ramming the girl, this black man-sized bullet transformed into none other than Tom Bullets. “Hey,” he said, waving cheerfully at Shizuka. His skin was as black as charcoal, but that was 100% Tom. He had activated his fullbring, and it was already coming in handy. “So, now you know why they call me Tom Bullets.”

Shizuka and Tom had time to share a brief celebratory moment, but they had to keep in mind that Henry was only about 150 feet away. Also, while Mariam was hit hard, a last-second flex defense absorbed most of the damage. She’d get back on her feet in just a few seconds. Shizuka and Tom were still in a pickle, but at least it was an even fight again. Two vs two.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Leonardo Stats}
Class 1 Fullbringer Rank 2 Kenpachi
Strength: 400 (500) (1125)
Speed: 300 (400) (900)
SpPr: 300 (400) (900)
RS: 300
Inst: 150
Senses: 150
ES: 0
HE: 0
Total: 1600

[Col Arana]

Col smirked wickedly in answer to Dean's comment. "Quite so, Mr. Dean. I'm quite happy for you. That advantage of yours might just keep this from becoming boring." He taunted, checking Dean's patterns and movements as he closed to attack. Interesting... he allowed me to close in. Col thought. He saw at a glance that Dean's bladework was quite deft and quick, but judging by the fühlen, or feeling, behind each of his parries, Dean was having to exert more strength than Col was to keep up. The gap wasn't large, but Col seemed to possess a slight advantage in physical strength. Well, that worked just fine for him. Dean was retreating in the wake of his cuts, but Col couldn't help but feel Dean was leading him on. Col's mind flickered briefly to the lightning trail, as he attacked with his blade flurry. He'd have to end this farce quickly then. Or at least give Dean something to think about.

As Dean attempted to herd Col into position for his lightning strike, Col adjusted the angle of a horizontal cut in mid-strike, extending his arm slightly and raising the weapon's tip. This was a fairly subtle difference in the blow, but the result would be that his blow would catch Dean's blade closer to the weak of his sword, and closer to Col's strong, where the arrancar would have an advantage of leverage. Combined with Col's slight strength advantage this would likely be enough to break the line of Dean's guard. That was not to say this was a complete guard break, but it would still cause Dean's guard to collapse slightly while he worked to absorb the blow. And that was all Col needed. A minute window of opportunity to exploit.

Col's plasma blade turned in his hand, while still in contact with Dean's blade, to bring his opponent on point, and then stepped in forcefully, driving the point of his plasma blade into the Rogue's shoulder, while still constraining Dean's weapon. With the constraint against Dean's sword Col had just created with his cut, forcing Col's blade away would require considerable effort, force, and most importantly, commitment, from Dean. Col was paying attention to the feeling of Dean's blade against his. From this position, Col could feel exactly how much force Dean would try to put into his defense. But if Dean overdid it and tried to rapidly, and forcefully drive Col's blade aside to keep it from cutting his shoulder, that was fine. Col would use Dean's own energy against him, using the force of Dean's shove to flick his blade around with an accelerated wrist cut from the opposite angle and slash the Shinigami across his eye on the opposite side. Ideally while Dean still had most of his weight and force committed to the other side of his body. Col could see that Dean was certainly faster than he was, but even he wouldn't necessarily be able to react calmly to a thrust aimed to skewer him and started from less than a foot away from his body.

Of course, while the blow to the shoulder or eye would likely be painful and debilitating they wouldn't necessarily inhibit Dean's ability to draw his lightning to him. However, Col was prepared for that. Sort of. He certainly had suspected Dean was trying to draw him into a trap, and so he'd been wary of that fact. Careful as he'd advanced, even as he'd plotted his next attack. If there was any reiatsu fluctuation involved in the leaping lightning strike, Col would have noticed it coming an instant before it leaped up to strike him. And he was ready for it. As the lightning flashed toward Col, there was suddenly another sound of a plasma blade igniting and a yellow bar of energy blazed out of Col's open-handed sleeve in the path of Dean's lightning strike-- hopefully absorbing or deflecting it. Another hidden plasma blade! How many did Col have on him!? Six, by the way. The answer was six. However, he only kept two literally up his sleeves, so there wouldn't be anymore sleight of hand tricks with regards to drawing out an unexpected plasma blade itself, unless Col drew his arms straight into the jacket itself. Truth be told, Col didn't know if his plasma blade could stop Dean's lightning attack. However, in this circumstance, and with the sheer speed of the lightning strike, he knew that dodging would be questionable, especially as he was in mid-attack, at any rate. 

Regardless of the outcome of the lightning strike, Col did not miss the gathering of reiatsu that signified the incoming Bala. Bala were quick attacks, to be certain, but even so, one still had to gather reiatsu for them. With Col's Energy Sensory, while it was subtle, it was still a telegraph, akin to a boxer shifting his weight the moment before he threw a punch. Col, transitioning from his thrust, or cut at Dean (depending on how Dean reacted, whirled, his red plasma blade flying into the path of the Bala, while his yellow one cut in a broad, wide arc to slash  at Dean's midsection. Kozu possessed substantial reiatsu strength, but even his power completely paled in comparison to Col's colossal reiatsu strength. "Yes! That's it!" Col crowed with a sneer. "I don't think either of you would be much individually, but together you might just be a challenge~" Then he heard Alice's question. 

"Hm. It's not my preference, but I can manage it well enough. My aptitude at detecting reiatsu is quite good, it shouldn't be much of a difficulty." Col answered, as he continued to fight both Dean and Kozu. Keeping his yellow plasma blade in his off hand, raised, but drawn back-- ready to intercept an attack from either combatant, Col resumed his attack on Dean. His crimson blade flashed in an upward arc at Dean's ribs, followed immediately, by him turning the blade to initiate a downwards, false edge cut at his face, and then finishing by unwinding his wrist with a powerful horizontal slash at the Shinigami's neck. As Col too was a master swordsman, he knew by feel the moment his blade came on point, and was prepared to drive a thrust into Dean at the slightest showing of weakness or the breaking of his guard. "Do as you will, my dear. I'll adapt." 

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

Col was quite the expert swordsman, and he had pressed forward his offensive relying on his advantage in physical strength. It was an intelligent maneuver to redirect his plasma blade mid-slash so that it would intercept Dean at the weak point of his guard. Quite impressive. However, if Col paid much attention to Dean’s facial expression and body language, he wouldn’t see any indication of concern. The rogue maintained his nonchalant demeanor, and instead of pushing back against Col’s sword with additional resistance, he chose to go with the flow. Dean didn’t supply any more force to his sword, making it easy for Col to thrust his blade toward Dean’s shoulder.

However, Dean was one of the elite members of Jason’s crew, and he was quite capable with a blade as well. With a remarkable display of balance and skill, he leaned backward to dodge the tip of Col’s sword much like the characters in the Matrix dodge bullets. As Dean dodged, he slid his sword so that intersection between the two blades was about a third of his sword’s length from his hand, giving him the leverage he needed to flick Col’s extended blade upward and away from his face. As Jason stepped back to safety, his body returned to an upright position with ease, almost as if the metallic limbs protruding from his back were supporting him. That would also explain how he was able to bend backward without straining any muscles or sacrificing any force behind the flick of his sword.

Col was successful in negating the strike of lightning by activating his second plasma blade, absorbing the energy of the attack into his weapon. In the split second he had before the bala struck him, he was able to spin and slash through the projectile with the red blade that had engaged Dean just a second earlier while, simultaneously, replacing his offensive against Dean with the yellow plasma sword. As he expected, Col cut cleanly through the bala, and Dean intercepted the arrancar’s yellow slash with his left sword to block it. "I don't think either of you would be much individually, but together you might just be a challenge~" Dean responded with an embarrassed smile as he disengaged his blade and took a step away from his opponent. “Aw, don’t go around saying stuff like that, it makes me look bad. And I’ve barely gotten started.”

Alice was quite pleased with her Arrancar companion’s response. “Perfect! In that case… ziege dich.” With no warning, a dense, white fog began to set in. This fog extended for a mile in every direction, so that even Shizuka, Tom, and the remaining two members of Titan were enveloped by it. Only those with 300 senses could ignore the fog, so Alice had no problem seeing through it. Those with 150 senses could see ten feet in every direction, so Dean was not too hindered by this fog. Col and Kozu, however, were completely blinded by it. They would be forced to rely solely on their energy sensory to detect their opponents. This was the primary ability of Alice’s doll Weiß.

Col’s quick-paced strikes with his blade were met by Dean’s swords. His first upward slash with the red weapon was blocked by Dean’s right blade. In this time, Dean had kept a casual speed nearly equivalent to Col’s in their exchanges, but in order to recover his right sword in time to block the slash to his neck, Dean had to quickly accelerate to a speed of approximately 500. Upon doing so, Dean pivoted on his left foot (his front foot), sliding his right backward while delivering a straight-forward horizontal cut at Col’s right abdomen. This one was also delivered at 500 speed, and due to the energy imbued in Dean’s blades, it would be easy for Col to see the slash coming.

However, Dean was able to use the blinding fog to his advantage in this case. Now, what Col wouldn’t notice is that his muscles in his left arm had actually relaxed, yet somehow, his grip on the blade wasn’t flimsy at all. This is where a crucial part of Dean’s power came into play. Thanks to the electricity within the swords, he could control them telekinetically through electromagnetism. This telekinetic control let him strike with greater force than his body could muster on its own, so if Col attempted to intercept the blade, he’d feel a mammoth power of 400 strength behind it, easily swatting his block to the side. The end result would be a deep gash in his left abdomen as the blade sliced through his hierro and punctured his intestinal track.

In the meantime, Dean’s companion Kozu turned his attention to the frustrating Alice. A bright red cero began charging at Kozu’s mouth, but before he could deliver it, the Arrancar pushed off the ground with Sonido. He appeared approximately five feet to Alice’s left before unleashing the mighty beam. It was the size of a semi-truck and would easily engulf and vaporize Alice where she stood, but the bount did not seem concerned. At the very slash second, she had activated Martial Discipline: Ken to protect herself from the blast. Kozu had potent energy sensory capabilities, so despite the dense fog, he was aware of Alice’s effective counter. In retaliation, he pulled his fist inward in preparation for a straight punch from his right hand, one that would send a shockwave flying toward Alice. If it struck, it would certainly hurt.

However, the shockwave would never strike. In fact, it would never form. Mid-punch, Kozu would feel a clear connecting his fist to the ground suddenly jerk his arm backward, almost yanking it out of its socket. How did the string get there? Through Alice’s power, of course! Alice couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight, but there was little time for her to enjoy herself. The woman’s reiatsu flared as a crimson flame ignited at her hands, immediately spreading to her gun. This flame did not burn, but it enhanced the capabilities of her weapon. Her bullets had been imbued with the power of Spiritual Discipline, Charka, and she sent three bullets flying at Kozu. The arrancar was pinned to the ground and in disarray after his punch had thrown him off balance, so while he was able to turn at the last second to avoid one of them, two of the bullets tore through his Hierro. The first shattered his right elbow and the second buried itself into his right shoulder.

Col would hear the other Arrancar unleash an angry roar in response to the injuries he suffered, reminding him that the battle between Alice and Kozu was raging on right beside him, but his engagement with Dean gave Col little room to pay attention to other affairs. The former Escudo had his hands full, and despite his confidence, the outcome of this battle was as cloudy as Alice’s fog.

Dean Class 1 Bakkoto: 3/3

Alice White Tokens: 3

Kozu White Tokens: 1

Weiß Posts: 1/10

OOC: Don’t mind the white tokens, that’s just for me to keep track of Alice’s powers. If you’re interested in reading up on her dolls, check out her NPC app

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

OOC: I must stress that the events of my last post have a direct impact the environment around Shizuka, so it is important that Shizuka consider how the fog will affect her next post. Jak and Amalia are out of the fog's range, but if either of them chooses to head toward Seb's HQ, they will be walking right into the fog.

[Col Arana]

Unorthodox bladework... but effective Col thought as he stepped in with a thrust, which was avoided by Dean, via a rather showy evasion, leaning well back and then deflecting the blow away. The deflection was smart. Plasma blades didn't work like normal swords. While some half swording techniques became unviable, they didn't require significant rotation or kinetic force to cut, like a sword of metal did. Had Dean not added in the parry, Col would have simply cut his attack across his midsection and opened up Dean's belly. You're quick, and limber. But I wonder... just how nimble your footwork can be from that position? As Dean defended himself from the thrust, Col threw in a quick, but efficient follow-up, throwing a short, stomping kick to Dean's ankle, aiming to break, dislocate, or at least sprain the joint. While Col was primarily a duelist, he was well versed in Wing Chun. By no means a master, but the phrase "expert" could still apply to him. Wing Chun was an unusual martial art that lacked for heavy power attacks, but prided itself on efficient and economic motions that wasted no energy or space. As a result, it lacked any kicking techniques that aimed above the opponents waistline, determining that the travel time was not worth the results. But this had also led to a plethora of powerful and quick low kicks, like the one Col was using on Dean's ankle right now. And, from this position.... it would be very difficult for Dean to move his legs or defend against it. He had effectively moved almost his entire body as far back from his feet as he possibly could. His sense of balance must be very precise, but this was likely straining it to the limit. If Dean were to lift a foot off the ground in this circumstance, he'd probably fall over. And that would be an opening Col would not miss a chance to capitalize on.

Of course, he might fall over anyways, even if he didn't from the sheer pain and inability to put any weight on that foot following Col's kick. It was possible. However, Col would briefly be inhibited from immediately following up on it by Dean's lightning attack and Kozu's bala. Given Dean's speed, he'd probably at least be able to limp back to his feet to allow the remaining events to proceed unaltered, but that ankle could become a serious weak point in the future, for Col to exploit. Col would exploit every weakness he could, and a broken ankle would cost Dean a fair bit of his speed advantage over Col, at least as far as mobility was concerned.

Alice's fog was not too restrictive for Col. Not as much as she might have expected anyways. Col possessed strong, animalistic senses of 150. While he couldn't see as well as Alice could, or Dean, he could still see his surroundings well enough, and employ his Energy sensory to keep tabs on anything he couldn't see. But that was fine. As long as he could see, right? Col delivered his flurry of blows at Dean, his adversary checking each blow in turn, before retaliating. He was fast, that was certain. Faster than Col, at any rate. But fortunately, Col had two blades, and knew how to use them. As Dean's blow slashed in, Col dropped his yellow plasma blade to intercept Dean's cut with a perpendicular parry, so that the weapons would cross. The arrancar did notice his relaxed arm, but thought little of it initially. In swordsmanship, a relaxed blow was perfectly normal, so Col didn't realize the potential until the moment he felt the force behind Dean's blow, and realized that his guard wasn't merely about to be broken, but blown through. "Hado #1! Sho!" Col exclaimed extending a finger from his red plasma blade, with his arm drawn back, out of harms way. The target was the sword-side of Dean's body, to prevent him moving away, if he even could dodge at this range. Dean would be blasted at point blank range by a 1400 strength shove, blowing the Rogue back. Not quite enough though. Even though Col was blasting Dean backwards, he'd realized what was happening a hair too late. The Rogue's blow would have connected, but the arrancar's Sho spell would at least mitigate the damage. As Dean was shoved back, it would result in his cut growing much shallower than it should have, not quite slicing into Col's intestines, but merely leaving a severe gash in the arrancar's flank. Payback for the crushed ankle, perhaps.

Col let out a furious hiss as Dean's blow, even mitigated as it was, staggered him. His weapons hovered around him, hesitantly, quivering in impotent rage. Col had been content to toy with Dean. But now, the arrancar was angry. Col could probably be considered bipolar, in many respects. He liked being in control. And when he was driven out of his comfort zone, he would take much more drastic measures than most to regain it. In short. Col Arana escalated quickly. His plasma blades dimmed and shorted out as he slipped them back into his jacket, and drew out what he considered to be the instrument of Dean's demise.

"Commend yourself Shinigami. You've angered me. And now I will use all my might to crush you. Wallow in despair." Col snarled, as he brandished his Zanpakuto into a formal salute. "And dance. Tarentella!"



Col was engulfed in a black reiatsu that felt like the pit of hell, and everyone around would feel the surge as the Escudo released the power that had granted him the rank of Zarpa. An arrancar considered the equal, if not the better of two Espada at once. And from within that black abyss, a nightmare stepped forth. Col's mask fragment that had covered his brow now extended to cover his entire forehead. Within it were several sockets within which several soulless black eyes danced wildly about. Four segmented insectoid limbs snapped and crackled, as he flexed them, each ending in a three fingered talon. Col had taken his fifth and sixth limbs and bound them around his torso like a strange protruding belt, in case he could deceive his opponent into thinking he had only four arms now. His body was covered in a white exoskeleton-like carapace, and his mouth was open in a hissing breath, revealing dripping fangs. All pretense of gentlemanly culture was gone. Col was a predator on the hunt.

And Dean was his prey.

Col lunged forwards into the mist, ascertaining Dean's position with his Energy Sensory, and closing in on him. "Do you enjoy lightning?" Col hissed, two of his four limbs clutching a pair of plasma blades, now glowing green and blue. "I have some aptitude at it myself." Col's third and fourth arms snapped forwards, and unleashed a blast of lightning that crackled and surged forwards, engulfing a massive space. The fog was briefly illuminated by the blast. Cero Lightning, a technique that Col prided himself on. It didn't kill as cleanly as a normal Cero. It was far, far more painful. And more controllable too. Cero Lightning allowed the user to control the output of the technique much more fluidly than most other techniques. By halving the power of the attack, it doubled the surface area, and Col's Cero were already fairly massive to begin with. Dean would have a difficult time evading without a step technique, especially if Col had succeeded in injuring or breaking his ankle earlier. And if he were to be hit... well.... While it wouldn't kill him, it would unquestionably incapacitate him, with pure agony.

Resurrection: 1/16
Reiatsu Remaining: 2225 (-400 for release, -25 for Sho) (-400 after release for Cero Lightning)

[Jak Halcom]

Jak's instincts kicked in and he rolled to avoid the cero's that were launched his way he could feel the immense power that the fullbringer was giving off, it was far greater than anything that Jak could hope to match. Jak didn't have much reiatsu left, he needed to get some space from the mad man and rest to regain some energy. Another surge of energy could be felt and suddenly an Uzi was pointed at Jak's face. Nope! Jak started running using Movement to gain some distance away from the direction of the barrel when the bullets were whizzing a bit too close for comfort. Jak ran to the east a ways tword the base. He was looking for some place he can lay low for a while. As the forest thickened a bit he slid against a particularly thick patch of plant life and tried to surpress his spiritual energy as much as possible. He panted wiping the sweat from his brow. What was he to do now?

-25 Movement 445 Remaining

[✱Paiva "Amalia" Vollbrecht✱]

“Listen here, bitch. If you don’t know what’s going on in the world, then it’s too late for you. She’s gonna turn all this shit on its head. The shit going on here in our world is just the start. The fact that you’re so far out of the picture that you can’t even see what’s happening means that you’ll end up on the bottom. It’s too late for you, baby.” Amalia’s expression flattened before a guttural laugh lodged itself within her throat. She held her breath momentarily before releasing a robust, cachinnatory laugh. She wanted to conceal her identity as a member of the Vandenreich, but her his words were so profoundly humorous. To think a Fullbringer, relying on the power of hollows and black market items could earnestly think himself and his kin equal or superior to Amalia. If only he knew the absurdity present in his words and actions.

Amalia’s eyes narrowed as Jason used the same gimmicks. Her roaring laughter died down into a chuckle as she observed. Such weakness, having to rely on the same parlor tricks. She thought. It appeared Jason’s rage and desire for victory had increased exponentially. The limp-legged fullbringer was officially bringing out the big guns. Amalia felt the surge in his power as he glowed with a fiery energy. She witnessed the spark of energy as it dangled on his fingers and spread across his hands. She composed herself and gazed down at her opponent. “Oh, I see. Chakra. You are desperate.” She remarked. A technique of this caliber will bleed those wounds dry while placing a dramatic drain on stamina. It seems I’ll no longer be able to fight casually. She added mentally.

While he’s loathingly pathetic for his power brokering, I must take this threat seriously. She thought to herself. The distance between her and Jasona allowed her to avoid the initial ceros with ease while using movement. She danced in the sky, avoiding each blast as she scanned her opponent. The guns positioned themselves and dozens of cero and bala fired in her direction. The bullets were not far behind. She didn’t wait around for any of this, however. She knew why he activated chakra. He was hoping to do more than level the playing field. He had already determined that a sheer clash of power would leave him disadvantaged. Use of chakra negated her power differential, allowing him to neutralize her techniques. She wouldn’t be able to use blut vene, especially with his secondary release. It was quite the predicament, but not one she couldn’t outmaneuver. Using Hirenyaku she multiplied her speed (4000) and jet across across the sky in a blur.

As she darted to the left, she contemplated the situation. Of course that cowardly half-breed fled. He was a waste while present, but he further shames himself by deserting me. As for the fullbringer, the wounds I inflicted have nearly immobilized him. Even with help from makeshift aids, he won’t be able to dodge a swift technique. He can only hope to pulverize it with a technique of superior strength. Unfortunately, he is not the only one who can push the limits of his spiritual powers. She thought to herself.

Traveling 20 feet to the right, weaving through dozens upon dozens of lethal attacks. Using the height and horizontal distance was an advantage. She had narrowly escaped the barrage of cero, bala, and bullets. Though a bullet had managed to graze her outfit. That was simply too close. There was still his limited mobility, which would prove rather useful. Upon appearing, she activated blut arterie. The power of the emperor flowed through her, doubling her spiritual powers (4000). Such potent energy caused her skin to burn and her insides to pinch. She could feel the pain of such a technique. It was a price worth paying, however. She quickly raised her hand and firing five successive class one arrows from her side-arm. Each of the arrows fired at 1600 speed and when paired with blut arterie now possessed unfathomable power (4000rs).

Amalia did not fire her arrows haphazardly. There was far more strategy unlike Jason’s more erratic and rage-fueled barrage. Not unlike Amalia in the past, he was relying on on pure power to win the battle. The difference is his judgment seems clouded by his lust for the kill. One cannot give into primal instincts without losing better parts of themselves. The arrows rocketed toward him at 1600 speed. Only one arrows was aimed directly for his body. The other arrows were aimed for the vicinity immediately surrounding him. One to the right, left, one behind, and one soaring in front of him. The distance placed between each arrow enhanced the radius of the explosion by connecting them. Each explosion has a radius exceeding 50ft. Each arrow would connect and explode, the fiery power spreading and connecting with the arrow explosions. This created a dome intended to ensnare Jason. Even if he could manage to move, his speed would not be enough to evade.

Amalia wasn’t prepared to wait around. She began running across the sky, further distancing herself from Jason. The explosion created a massive plume that spread widely. She simply couldn’t risk getting close to him and had to rely on tactics that allowed her to keep her distance. Still, despite her superiority, there were limitations. She didn’t know how much output he could produce with those guns and how long the hollow power would last. With his injuries, she suspected the drain of chakra and gate would permit him lengthy use of such dramatic power. As the explosion died down, having devastated the landscape, Amalia peered into the distance. Perhaps she needed to utilize particle impact. She rubbed her fingers together as her cross pulled in only half the reishi due to blut arterie. She contemplated using particle impact as she waited to see the aftermath. Even if he had intercepted the arrows, their explosive reach would have surely met his body, but she couldn’t help but wonder. Her body ached from the technique she had active, but it wasn't enough to entirely wind her. She breathed in deeply as her skin continued to burn, her eyes never leaving her target's general location.


21,600
600 for 5 class 1 arrows with speed/explosion boost
-500 blut arterie
-25 movement
-50 hirenyaku
+400 quincy cross
=20,825

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

Col’s well-placed kick struck Dean at his ankle, spraining the joint. The injury wouldn’t be completely debilitating, but it would certainly inconvenience the rogue Shinigami. Dean was able to recover his balance in time to shift his weight back onto his left foot, preventing him from falling over. Fortunately for Dean, Col had to turn his attention to the lightning and Kozue’s bala before he could capitalize on the successful trade.

As they once again reengaged each other, Dean smirked when his blade cut through the iron skin of Col Arana’s hierro. He fully expected to slice through the former Escudo’s interior, wrecking detrimental damage to the Arrancar’s internal organs. While the wound wouldn’t have been severe enough to take Col out of the fight immediately, it’d force him to fight an uphill battle for the remainder of the exchange. But just before his sword sunk deep enough into Col, the Arrancar had a couple words to share. "Hado #1! Sho!" Mid-smirk, Dean’s smile froze with surprise. An Arrancar that could use kido? There was no anticipating something like that.

The rogue Shinigami was sent flying backward by the forceful shove. He hadn’t anticipated such a spell, and so Dean had no counter for the hado. No contingency. His only option was to go with the motion. Dean let the power behind Sho throw him backward. However, to avoid colliding with the trees at his back or the ground below him, he employed the electromagnetic telekinesis property of his bakkoto. Through the electrically charged metallic limbs protruding from his back, he curved his trajectory upward toward the sky, giving him ample time to use that same electromagnetism to slow himself down until he could safely stop about 100 feet away.

“Woah, you can use kido too???” Dean was genuinely surprised and… well, intrigued. This was an exciting development for him. From his position in the sky, he pulled out his miniature notepad and a pencil from his back pocket and started to jot a few notes down. Dean only looked up from the paper to ask a quick question. “What’s your name, again? I’m trying to make an accurate record?”

Dean didn’t have very sharp energy sensory, but even he could feel the surge of reiatsu from Col’s position. There was no question. The Arrancar was activating his Resurrection, the ultimate transformation of his race. Things were heating up. In acknowledgement of the seriousness of the situation, Dean returned his notepad and pencil to his pocket to give the Arrancar his full, undivided attention.

There was a fair amount of distance separating Col and Dean. Furthermore, Col’s use of reiatsu caused the mist around him to become denser. As a result, Col had become completely blind within Alice’s mist. Dean still retained his ability to see immediately around himself, but Col way too far for his eyes to reach him. The rogue Shinigami relied on his refined hearing to pinpoint the Arrancar, focusing on Col’s breathing.

"Do you enjoy lightning?" Dean’s face lit up with an enthusiastic grin. “Of course! You just saw my power, right? Lightning is awesome!” Dean answered back. "I have some aptitude at it myself." The rogue let his metallic limbs hold themselves out in front of his body, positioning his hands in front of himself with his palms extended as he patiently awaited the electric attack Col warned him about. He fully anticipated some sort of lightning-based kido, but Col surprised him with so much more.

The torrent of electricity was unlike anything Dean had ever seen another individual generate. It was enormous and contained a ridiculous amount of electrical energy within its threads of lightning. This was no simple lightning attack. It was an electric executioner. A reaper of death in the form of a blue current. And Dean stood still as he drew it in through his extended arms. With his energy sensory, Col would detect the fine control of his potent reiatsu through Dean’s body, flowing from his hands down his arms and through his core.

“Oh my God…” The strained words escaped Dean’s clenched jaw, revealing the pain he felt upon drawing the lightning in. However, he had enough control of Col’s Cero Lightning to avoid its direct damage. Instead, he let it spread to his back, through the metal limbs protruding from his shoulder blades, and out the tip of his sword. By coupling a class 1 redirection with his bakkoto ability, Dean stole Col’s electricity and used it has his own, stacking his reiatsu on top of it. That’s right, the lightning that came from his sword had a reiatsu strength of 2100.

Dean returned the lightning to Col, but in a far less direct manner. Instead, the attack that stemmed from his sword resembled a rhinoceros in its form, but it was made completely of electricity. Although Col’s Cero Lighting was spread out, Dean had reconcentrated it into this new shape. However, he too planned to maximize its area of effect through a different method. This rhino moved at the speed of a byakurai, but rather than going in a straight line, it zig-zagged. The rhino darted about 100 feet to the right, then left, then right, and so on as it made its way toward Col. It left a trail of electricity behind it in every direction. If Col managed to dodge, the rhino would proceed until it struck the wall of Seb’s HQ. Its form dissipated on impact, and the lightning that made it up spread out along the rocky wall like a spiderweb.

By this point, Col would feel the reiatsu signature of both Alice and Kozu spike. Kozu activated his resurrection, transforming into a gluttonous monster. Alice responded by summoning a second doll, this one taking a humanoid shape. Their fight took them about 150 feet away from Col and Dean, but they were within enough proximity that there was potential for overlap between the battles. Dean kept hovering in the sky, listening for Col’s breathing in the aftermath of his redirected lightning attack. He wore a cocky smile, and couldn’t help but call down to the Arrancar. “Do you like apples?” he asked. It was a peculiar question without any context, but without skipping a beat, Dean followed it up with a confident exclamation. “How do you like them apples?”

Dean Class 1 Bakkoto: 2/3

Col White Tokens: 3

Dean White Tokens: 1

Alice White Tokens: 4

Kozu White Tokens: 3

---

Jak set off on his own, venturing into the forest toward Seb’s headquarters. Less than a minute into his solo journey, he’d have the dense fog of Alice’s doll set around him. Jak was completely and utterly blinded by the mist, only able to see a white cloud everywhere he looked. He wouldn’t even be able to see his hands if he held them out in front of him. The nakabakki might be tempted to turn back, but he’d never get the chance. It was much too late. By chance, he had encountered a dangerous soul.

“Is that you, girly?” A separate soul had located Jak through his reiatsu signature, which was projected by his active Segunda Sasei Oni. He spoke quiet loudly, and from his voice, Jak would realize that he was about 150 feet away. There was a fair amount of space between them, but he was slowly drawing closer. The man, Leonardo of Titan, walked at a casual pace of 50 as he continued to talk. “Or are you girly’s friends?” Jak might notice then that there was a powerful reiatsu signature behind him as well, and this one was approaching far more quickly. Considering the distant voice’s question, it wasn’t aligned with him. Was this second stranger a friend or foe? One thing was for sure: the voice in front of Jak was no ally. “Either way, make this easy for me and die so I don’t have to kill you both.”

OOC: Jak has run into Leonardo, one of the Kenpachis of Titan. He is a class 1 Kenpachi. His stats are posted earlier in this thread. Proceed with caution, but it may be helpful to know that I have provided Jak with some support

---

Jason couldn’t help but smile as Amalia launched her own counter attack. Her use of gate coupled with explosive class 1 arrows as a daunting combination to any ordinary individual, but Amalia was not fighting just another fullbringer. She was in battle with a particularly ruthless Jason Trench, and he was more than capable of dealing with such a straight-forward battle plan.

As Amalia shot her arrows at Jason, his guns were still in the process of adjusting their aim, still firing a wave of bullets as they spun. They drew close to Amalia as they passed her arrows, and with her level of energy sensory, Amalia would sense something strange about one of the rounds fired. It was embedded with a concentrated amount of reiatsu in addition to the violet coating of Chakra flames around its exterior. Based on its trajectory, it’d pass about thirty feet from Amalia by the time her arrows impacted Jason.

That bullet played an integral role in Jason’s strategy, for as the first arrow was about to strike him, he vanished. Only a very sharp eye would be able to see exactly what happened. If Amalia paid close attention, she’d almost visualize the fullbringer’s body warping into itself, as if he disappeared into a black hole in his chest. However, Jason never truly vanished. His reiatsu signature appeared thirty feet from Amalia, right beside that peculiar bullet. From his new position diagonal to Amalia’s back, his guns would reemerge from his body and assume the same position as they had before. In less than a second, they bullets, cero, and bala were firing at her once more.

Amalia would be fighting the burning sensation of stacking Blut Arterie with class 1 explosive arrows, but she would have no choice but frantically escape Jason’s continued onslaught with step technique if she wished to prolong her life for at least a few seconds. It was clear that Amalia was running out of options. She could keep running, but eventually those bullets and beams would catch up to her. Fortunately for Amalia, something piqued Jason’s interests. The crack of gunfire slowed to a stop. The bala and cero were no more. Jason Trench had his eyes trained on a single approaching figure.

In the distance, a serpentine wyvern soared through the sky. Little by little, it drew closer to Amalia and Jason. Soon, they’d notice a dark figure standing at the base of the dragon’s charcoal-black steel head. This figure was dressed in all black except for his mask, which was comprised of a bone-white material. He carried a dark one-handed longsword in his right, its edges tainted with maroon blood from the rogue Shinigami he had slain up the river. The Angel of Silence had moved from one massacre to another, this time hoping to change the tide of the fight.

“Yo Douma, how’s it going man?” Jason greeted Douma as though the rogue Shinigami was a friend. However, when Douma placed himself about fifteen feet to Amalia’s left, it was clear who he aligned himself with in this battle. Jason didn’t seem surprised. Based on that dark gleam in his eye, it was almost as though he was eager to slay the rogue Shinigami alongside Amalia. D.E.M.O.N. clouded his judgement, making battle and bloodshed his primary motivator.

“After years of doing your dirty work for you, it’s gonna feel good to take you out.” Douma had built his empire by employing lesser mercenaries, and Jason was one of those many individuals. In all that time, Douma kept his strengths hidden from the majority of the spiritual underworld. Jason had no idea what to expect from the leader of Team Josai. Despite the brace at his knees, blood continued to trickle down Jason’s legs, dripping from his feet. I got time, he told himself, suppressing his logical mind’s concern with the bloodlust of D.E.M.O.N.

OOC: Amalia's got a few seconds to talk to Douma and come up with a strategy before Jason opens fire again. I recommend making the most of it

[Col Arana]

Col's snicker was an unsettling one. His opponent's shock at Col's ability to use kido mollified the arrancar's rage somewhat. Not enough, to be sure, but somewhat. "I'm quite unique for an arrancar. I once belonged to an organization called the Escudo, and I was well trained for our purpose. My power... is greater than even that of an Espada." Col hissed. "As a Shinigami with an arrancar companion, I'm sure you know all about them. Compared to me, they're nothing but second rate hacks." Pretty bold praise for himself considering the one time Col had fought with an Espada, he had been defeated. Though in Col's defense that had been one of the most powerful among the Espada in any case. But Col was running with it. At the time the Escudo had been abolished, Col had been powerful enough to have a reasonable chance of victory against the then-Tercera and Sexta Espadas, Zeruel and Asuka. "I'd tell you to look into us after this battle.... But that would imply your life expectancy is longer than five minutes." He hissed, as he began his release.

The first thing Col noticed after he released his full power, was that the fog had grown thicker. Is it attracted to reiatsu? How irritating! Col thought, as he pressed into the fog, now using his energy sensory to track down Dean's location. Well, Alice had given him fair warning afterall. And Col wasn't completely incapable of fighting in this. He didn't really need precision anymore. Through the fog, he heard the strain in Dean's voice as he absorbed the arrancar's Cero lightning, trying to withstand the agony of the attack. Cero Lightning was a technique well suited to its creator. Destructive and sadistic. One of the greatest advantages of Cero Lightning was that those struck by it were subjected to unbearable agony, so much so that those without Skills in Pain Resistance could be incapacitated by the pain. However, absorbing the lightning seemed to mitigate that effect substantially. Col's energy sensory detected Dean layering his reiatsu overtop of Col's and launching it back at him. Redirection?

Col smirked. Dean was using a very high level variation of Redirection too. Bolstering the class of the technique and combining their power. This would make for a perfect display. Col saw the flicker of light as the shaped lightning attack blasted toward him. Col paused in mid-stride and braced himself. The limbs holding Col's plasma blades drew back to shield Col's face, whilst the limbs that were not holding the weapons drove forwards, palms open, slamming into the Rhino. The force of the attack was tremendous, and caused Col to slide back ever so slightly, digging a furrow with the Arrancar's heels. But only a short distance. The rhino exploded against the Espada's hands the arcs of lightning spreading as Dean had expected. However.... Col was unharmed. There was some smoke hissing up from his hands, but that was all. It hadn't even scratched his protective exoskeleton, the carapace shielding him from the pain effects of the redirected Cero Lightning as well. "Is that all?" Col asked, countering Dean's own taunt, to show to the opponent he was undaunted, despite Dean likely being aware his attack should have hit. Then drove forwards.

Dean had shown the ability to leave his lightning behind, so Col was aware of the threat that lingering electricity might remain in the air. As such, he did not move his arms from shielding his face until he had passed through the space the attack had erupted. While most of Col's body was protected by his carapace, besides his forehead, his face was not one such location, and his elbow, knee and ankles were also vulnerable. As soon as he had cleared this, however, the arrancar bore down at top speed on Dean, draw his plasma blades forward again, but was forced to halt for a moment, noticing the rhino had left a trail of electricity along the ground. I see.... In this mist... how devious[/color]. It was aggravating. Col could detect Dean's presence with his Energy Sensory, but with the rhino leaving these lightning traps, closing in would be difficult, even with his carapace.

Col smirked. In that case.... And then the arrancar withdrew. He withdrew!? Yes indeed. Col's anger had not abated, but he aimed to cause Dean the same level of frustration that Dean was causing him. Waiting in the fog, unsure of when the arrancar would appear and strike him down. Dean had laid a minefield between Col and himself, and Col lacked the patience to move through it. So Col was going to bring Dean in another way. There was more than one prey about, afterall....

As Kozu and Alice's battle intensified, it was due to be interrupted. Col bore in on Kozu's reiatsu signature, slipping silently through the mist. Alice's fog was an incredible boon to one such as Col. The arrancar made no sound as he slipped in, deactivating his plasma blades so that their light did not give him away through the fog. Dean lacked the energy sensory to detect what Col was doing, and while Kozu likely did possess a high enough energy sensory to notice Col, was it precise enough to note the arrancar's intent while he was busy dueling Alice? No doubt he was counting on Dean to hold Col's attention, so Dean himself would not be able to warn Kozu. Not until it was too late. Despite Col's soundless stealth, he moved rapidly through the fog at three hundred speed. One hundred and fifty feet? That was no more than forty five meters. A top-line athletic human could sprint forty five meters in under five seconds. Even at only three hundred speed, Col could clear it in under two. Back attacks were of no concern to Col. He wasn't obsessed with "honor" or "valor" or anything like that. He had no qualms about attacking an unsuspecting opponent from behind. And so he did, igniting his plasma blades the moment he was close enough to Kozu, and in the same motion attempting to hack through his enemy. At the same instant, his other pair of limbs shot forwards as well, the talons raking the air to puncture his back, aiming for where, on a normal humanoid, the vital organs would be. Col's talons were aiming at Kozu's lungs, one lung per arm. His blue plasma blade attempted to skewer Kozu's heart (or where he thought the heart should be). His green plasma blade spun above Col's head. Col's wrists possessed immense mobility and dexterity, and had a full 1080 degrees of rotational movement-- ie. Col could make three full turns of his wrist before it risked hyperextension. And he abused that fact in his swordplay, to deliver lightning quick, dexterous cuts to his opponent. Like this one. His green plasma blade spun like a helicopter above Col's head, slashing through Kozu's back, aiming to sever the other arrancar's upper spine. Four attacks from behind. If Kozu wasn't prepared he could potentially be defeated right at that moment.

But Col wasn't forgetting about Dean. Multitasking... Annoying, but doable for the arrancar. Col may have been a smug, arrogant, sadistic monster, but he could back up his tough talk. He was making sure not to grow complacent, in abandoning his duel with Dean, and keeping a sharp attentive watch for fluctuations in Dean's reiatsu, in case the other opponent figured out what Col was up to.

Release: 2/16[/font]

[Jak Halcom]

As Jak ran tword the base, a thick fog encased him. He swore softly. He didn't pay attention to any of the other fights that were going on around him, so he had no way of knowing what was going on. The fog was incredibly thick. He could tell that it was not natural, but that was about the extent of his knowledge about it. There wasn't much else he needed to know about it. Jak slowed his pace. He thought that as long as he didn't make too sudden of moves, he might be able to avoid the combat raging around him. It still left a bitter taste in his mouth. He hated not being able to fight these guys, but even he knew when he was outmatched. 

“Is that you, girly?” Jak froze completely. Shit! His mind raced trying to figure out what to do. It was clear that he had been detected, but not clearly. “Or are you girly’s friends?” Jak remained silent. He didn't know how the best to respond. Jak could tell that the figure was approaching. Jak could also feel the the immense power of the man approaching. His presance was enough to nearly drop Jak to his knees. Jak just tightened his fists. His chain rattled slightly. Fear was foreign to him. He hated it. The icy grip had a firm hand on his heart. Was that fear, or death. He wanted to live. His sense of self preservation drove him to try and survive. 

"Hold on there." He said trying to sound confident and calm. "You must be one of the Titans, Jason told me to seek one of you out." He had no idea if this person would be able to tell if Jak was lying through his teeth or not. Jak hoped that he ruse would at least divert the man's attention from him until Jak was able to formulate a proper plan. Jak loathed the thought of abandoning the feild, but that may be the only action available to him. Jak was not one to believe in any kind of god or higher power, but at that very moment, Jak found himself praying as hard as he could that he bought himself a little more time. He looked back the way he came. I hope that i don't have to face that Quincy, Jak thought holding his breath waiting for the man's reply. 

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

OOC: Bumping because it’s almost been a month since I’ve posted and I really want all participants to respond before I drop another one

[✱Paiva "Amalia" Vollbrecht✱]

Amalia scowled as she clutched her arm with her hand. The burning sensation passed across her skin and throughout her body. Despite her efforts, it appeared Jason was someone she couldn't simply overwhelm with raw power. Not only was her body reeling, but she was seething inside. To think a mere fullbringer could push her this far. It was unfathomable. It was unacceptable. As she contemplated this, it became clear he was nothing without becoming something unnatural. An abomination. A hint of a smile stretched into her cheek. "Ha." She said softly. He was not only unnatural, but he was weak. His strength was fleeting and something he desperately needed to appear relevant. "How pitiful." 

Her eyes watched as he continued to unleash more bullets. She could sense a distinction with one bullet from others, but wasn't sure what that meant. What are you doing? Suddenly he vanished as her eyes widened. She gritted her teeth and used hirenyaku to multiply her speed to 4,000. She blasted into the distance, bypassing the barrage of techniques. She skid across the ground and as her eyes scanned Douma's arrival. She scoffed as Jason addressed the rogue.  She rolled her eyes and stared defiantly at Jason.

"More of this." She said irritatingly. "Ohh..." She chuckled as she deactivated blut arterie. "You were his lap dog before this mysterious woman. That's adorable. And now you're relying on the corruption of hollow strength. Is this truly someone you once allied yourself with?" She said to Douma and she gestured toward Jason. "Well, I guess I should leave your former subordinate to you. He's essentially on his last leg. Bleeding profusely and using a technique that not drains stamina at high quantities, but causes his blood to pour forth generously. Have fun!"  She said cheerfully as she began to back away. "There is far more reason for you to kill your former subordinate than me."



21, 600
-50 hirenyaku
+800 quincy cross
=22,350