Sizing Up the Appointed

[Ailene Haschiro]

It was at this point that Kazuna had released his own Cero in combination with two balas that thankfully eradicated the Hollow. It was not a sense of accomplishment he received for this, but more like a feeling of pure survival. This was not a moment to rejoice nor to stand proudly as there was still one more hollow to take care of. There was only on the issue. Kazuna was breathing heavily in the instances of elongated combat. He knew long combat would inexorably lead to his own exhaustion and lack of resources. He could feel his own spiritual energy weaken. He still had the energy to fight, but it would be much more methodical now that it was a one on one scenario. The fact still remained, however, Kazuna was fatigued from the simultaneous assault of the three hollows.

As he killed the hollow just now, the last hollow would make the effort to slam into his right shoulder. Kazuna needed to act on impulse. This hollow was a threat to his existence and it cracked the fine mirror that was his ego. Not a prodigy, but Kazuna had to possess some degree of skill to be called into the ranks of the Espada. He owed it to himself to surpass the previous Noveno. Even if the requirement was blood, sweat and tears, Kazuna desperately wanted to become stronger. Not only to prove this to himself, but also to protect the very low amount of people he genuinely cared about.

As the hollow made its way to ram into his shoulder, Kazuna was weakened by fatigue and could barely move. Instead, he lifted the blade of Kurakusabyou quickly in an attempt to delay the force of the strike. In terms of physicality, Kazuna was not the best, but he knew that he had to push himself past the boundaries of pain and misfortune if he wanted to gain true power. It was the will to go on, something he had not felt in decades, even centuries. Consumed by his own nihilism, Kazuna has a hard time understanding the drive he felt now. If the attempted itself succeeded, Kazuna would use that short delay to sidestep out of the way before letting the Hollow continue its path of attack. All the while, Kazuna quivered in place at the fatigue that was beginning to consume his body.

[Sargon Denumic]

The battle between the Noveno and the group of Hollows that had first emerged from the sands around them both was finally coming to a close. Sargon had been expecting the Noveno to possess the raw power that would allow him to simply wipe the three hollows from existence in a single moment. It had been made clear multiple times through this battle though that the Noveno was lacking in his raw spiritual power. The only manner of combat that the Noveno appeared to be adept at was close quarters combat with his zanpakuto. He possessed the skill utilizing his zanpakuto that Sargon had beaten into his Fraccion. If they hadn't learned to develop their capabilities themselves then through constant harsh training they had learned.

The only problem with the Noveno relying on his zanpakuto in order to eliminate the Hollows was the simple fact that he didn't seem to have the stamina. Sargon could see right now that the Noveno was panting heavily as his movements became sloppy and slow. It was puzzling to think that this entity had managed to survive alone in the desert. Compared to the typical Hollow and Arrancar he was without doubt above the average entity, but he was only around the level of a fourth seat shinigami in Soul Society. There was no doubt or question that either of his Fraccion could eliminate the Noveno in a brief amount of time. The only thing that Sargon still had any interest in was finding out why this Arrancar had been appointed as the Noveno. Perhaps he was one of the rare entities that placed virtually all of their power in their release.

The worm Hollow wasn't going to give up the opportunity that fate had seemed to give him as he could see that the Arrancar was visibly tired. It meant that even though his friends were dead now he still had a chance to devour this Arrancar. Even better he was alone now which meant if he could win and eat the Arrancar completely maybe it would be enough to force his evolution right away and he could become more powerful than he ever thought possible. Leaping back up into the air the worm dug itself back under ground in order to hide itself from the range of this Arrancar. After a few moments passed it might seem like the Hollow had run away, but it would be obvious that such a thing wasn't going to happen as the blood lust of the Hollow was palpable in the area.

Tground would shake for a moment and then the sand would burst forth as multiple bala began to erupt out from the ground near the Noveno. Some of them would miss while others if he didn't move were going to hit him. It would be up to him to react and hope that he was fast enough to dodge them all over the next few moments. After a few seconds passed no longer would bala erupt from the ground and the Hollow would seemingly be gone with the exception of it's blood lust that still soaked the air. This one was going to try and wait the Noveno out and see if it would win by being smart instead of being stronger.

[Ailene Haschiro]

As Kazuna was taking the time to calm down from the strain his body was experiencing, he noted the bala's being dispered from around him under the ground. Regrettably, the strain was beginning to take its tole and Kazuna was only able accelerate to a maximum speed of 100 as he tried to clear the area of the balas. He had to find some way of drawing out this worm hollow soon. Then Kazuna thought about it. Its own bloodlust could be its undoing as it may become greedy enough about the kill to be out in the open. Kazuna hoped that his speed was enough to clear the bala's or else this would be painful.

He began to think about some plans as his reaitsu was drawing lower and lower. He wasn't sure as to the remaining reaitsu of the hollow, but he did not have the proficient enough energy sensory to completely detect where it was. At most he could tell the general location of the Hollow. With that, Kazuna held Kurakusabyou tightly as being disarmed at a time like this could very well be a death sentence. He glanced over at Sargon for a brief second, presuming that the Espada was either disappointing in his abilities or just not interested anymore. Truth be told, Kazuna himself was disgusted with his own lack of ability. These next few moves could very well decide his fate as he was not too big on releasing at this point since the fight was drawing to its end slowly.

[Sargon Denumic]

Running over the sand at such a diminished speed was something that brought only disappointment to the Tercera's face. He had come here hoping to find that the new Espada was one of the few truly gifted souls that could provide him with a potential thrill it seemed though that he had been overestimating him. As he ran over the sand more than a few bala broke through the surface either missing him completely or coming close to hitting him until finally one of them managed to smash into his left thigh causing second degree burns right away and heavy bruising that would begin to show after a minute or two. Either way it would hurt the Noveno enough that he'd most likely fall to the sand.

It didn't matter if he did it not though as the Hollow heard the sound of the bala he had just fired striking the Espada and now burrowed his way up through the sand. Appearing up from the sand five feet in front of the Noveno the Hollow revealed its massive tongue as it opened its mouth with anticipation at the though of devouring an Espada. It's long tongue extended outwards rushing towards the Noveno if he didn't react in time to dodge or counter the tongue would wrap around his throat and begin to tighten.

[Ailene Haschiro]

 Kazuna tried to move as quickly as he could, but it simply was not enough. As he made his maneuvers, a bala made contact with his leg instantly causing intense pain to shoot up the limb. In a scream of pain and anger, he fell to the ground, hitting the sand hard. This naturally aroused the curiosity of the Hollow who immediately reacted to this by surfacing in an attempt to devour Kazuna. One thing was for sure, the injury on his leg may have just crippled his physical abilities with the scythe. As the Hollow opened its mouth, Kazuna made a quick desperate attempt to kill the Hollow and end this.

As the Hollow opened its mouth and went in to eat the injured Espada, Kazuna wound back both of his hands and released two balas simultaneously at the jaw hinges of the mouth. This was to create a concussive force to at minimum daze the hollow. In the downtime of the daze, Kazuna quickly moved his both so his chest was facing the hollow and he was kneeling on his good knee right in front of the hollow. If it lasted long enough, Kazuna had been charging up a Cero to blow the Hollow's head apart before it could react due to the prior daze. With this, Kazuna expended most of his remaining reaitsu into this final Cero.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Capacity}
-100 Bala (2x) 
-200 Cero
Reaitsu Remaining: 150/1000

[Sargon Denumic]

This battle between novices had grown tedious to say the least in the eyes of the Tercera who had this point wasn't in truth even giving the two of them more than a fraction of his attention. The battle was coming to a close though as the Hollow rushed the arrancar only to receive two balas directly to its face and then the Noveno finished it off with a cero. The combination of reiatsu attacks wasn't bad yet it wasn't anything to be impressed by especially not by someone carrying the title of Espada.

Sargon gazed over the Noveno easily noticing how tired he was. To be pushed so much by three mere hollows. Sargon was convinced that the Noveno at least outside of his ressurection was no more powerful than a fifth seat shinigami. In fact he had no doubt that both of his own Fraccion could defeat him without their full power. He didn't believe that either of them had grown enough to take on the title of Espada yet so how had the Noveno impressed Kouhai? The most logical answer was simply that his ressurection had to be impressive enough to off set his rather lacking standards.

"You've succeeded in defeating three measly Hollows. Now for the next test. Draw your zanpakuto it's time to see how well of a duelist you are." Sargon reached behind himself with his right hand grabbing a hold of his own zanpakuto by the shaft and pulling it forward. The unique looking trident was definitely a zanpakuto that many weren't versed in facing however the Noveno also utilized a pole arm zanpakuto and Sargon was hoping to see more skill in his usage of it than the rest of what he'd seen so far.

[Ailene Haschiro]

Kazuna was breathing heavily, his knee pressed against the cold sand of Hueco Mundo. Looking up, he looked at the disembodied corpse of the Hollow. As shameful as it was to admit, the battle was long and hard. Rising to his feet, trying to maintain his balance, he looked at the clearly uninterested Tercera Espada. Retaining an apathetic look, he listened to the Espada's interest in dueling. The words flowed through him, attempting to process why he would still want to duel Kazuna. Alas, Kazuna knew it would be foolish and perhaps even lethal to back down. 

Watching the Espada draw his weapon, Kazuna was met with a great surprise at noting it to be a trident. Polearms like his scythe were not commonly used anymore and a trident of all weapons seemed odd to Kazuna. Then again, he himself was using a weaponized farmers tool. Tightening his grip on Kurakusabyou, Kazuna keyed in on Sargon. With an empty stare, he moved his scythe around himself, pointing the hilt at Sargon while keeping the blade next to him burrowed in the sand. Noting a clear power different even physically between the two, Kazuna knew he had to be careful and not rush in recklessly.

[Sargon Denumic]

The battle between the Noveno and the Hollows that had arrived simply seeking a source of reiatsu to devour in order to quench their never ending hunger was finally over and now as the Noveno continued to breath heavily while sweat ran down his face Sargon moved on to the next stage of this Espada's testing. So far he had showcased that he was strong enough to handle three moderately developed Hollows which in truth the majority of shinigami wouldn't be capable of doing yet he couldn't pass simply based on that alone. He was an Espada and even if Sargon possessed no love or loyalty to the group itself he had joined knowing that only the strongest of Arrancar were suppose to be Espada. If any Arrancar could gain admission than he wouldn't have sought them out. In the end it simply meant that other powerful Arrancar seeking out a challenge just as he did may not come in the future which could keep him from ever finding an enjoyable challenge. In short he had to make sure the Noveno was powerful or at the base minimum had the potential to become powerful just as he had surmised with all of his Fraccion.

The Noveno shifted his zanpakuto the hilt of the scythe now pointed at him while the blade of the scythe was drug into the sand. If he was facing off against a less experienced entity who didn't know how to employ pole-arm weapons this move would perhaps be a very well placed one. At a moment's notice he could pull his scythe up to either increase the potential force of his swing or if he was one to use tricks in battle he could even attempt to send sand flying up into the face of his enemy. Against Sargon though the Tercera knew of these tricks and more taking notice of the blades position as he held his trident in his right hand. No words were exchanged between them. Instead Sargon would step forward towards the Noveno at a speed of 200 while rotating his trident in his hand clockwise at a speed of 250 making it much harder to anticipate the movement of the weapon. Sargon knew that most would expect a thrusting attack from a weapon so similar to a spear yet as he reached five feet from the Noveno he would shift his feet to the left bringing his right arm across in order to slash from the left of the Noveno to his right directed right at his face. All at the speed of 200. If he didn't evade or defend in some way than the trident's sharp edged blades would slice into his face.

[Ailene Haschiro]

His scythe digging into the sand, Kazuna watched the Espada with a careful gaze. If he was to survive this fight, he had to try and outplay the clearly more experienced and stronger Espada. The task seemed absolutely daunting to Kazuna and in hindsight it probably was. What business did Kazuna have fighting such an opponent when three hollows gave him trouble. Albeit they worked in tricky ways, but he was an Espada. He should still have the willpower to power through these challenges, but ultimately Kazuna decided that he needed to be careful. It didn't help that Sargon was deciding to make the first move. 

Tracking Sagon's motion carefully he was prepared for him to move. That was not the issue. The issue was the speed he was traveling at. For him, most likely a leisurely 200, was a new domain for Kazuna. Indeed given the trident, Kazuna was expecting a thrust. While thinking about certain countermeasures, Kazuna was surprised by the quick change of intention as Sargon moved to instead slash with a trident. In a quick hurry, Kazuna maneuvered himself around his hilt, bringing the sturdy hilt up to defend against the strike. The advantage to this was that the Trident was traditionally a stabbing weapon while the scythe itself is designed to be swung. Tactically while surprising, it hypothetically gave Kazuna advantage in usage. Moving his hilt up at a max speed of 150, he hoped that he could at least stop the trident in its strike. While moving the hilt, he simultaneously rotated the hilt to move the blade of the scythe up. Under the assumption that he could parry the strike in time, Kazuna pushed against the upper portion of the scythe, sending the blade to cleave Sargon around the cross section of his stomach and chest if connected or in the case that the parry even succeeded.

[Sargon Denumic]

Moving forward towards the Noveno across the hot sand of Lad Noches that bathed in the fake sun like so many others Sargon watched as this new Arrancar clearly examined his movement. He was expecting more from him and had been from the beginning. So far he had been disappointing yet as he repositioned himself in order to defend against the sudden shift of attack. The long shaft of the scythe managed to clash against the sharp blades of Sargon's trident. In all honesty this was still a flaw yet showed potential.

Sargon had to willfully unfocus his reiatsu managing to actually dull his zanpakuto in order to prevent his trident from simply cutting through the scythe of the Noveno like butter. He was here to test the Noveno and based on what he had seen already he didn't possess the reiatsu necessary to withstand his own at full power or precision. A few sharps shattered from the impact of the two zanpakuto. In the span of the next few moments the Noveno rotated his scythe managing to parry Sargon's trident to the side while then bringing his scythe downwards in a position to slash Sargon from his shoulder down through his chest.

The Tercera could easily stand still and allow the blow to land as it would be fruitless due to his Heirro. That wasn't the point of this test though. The Noveno wouldn't be expected to fight off against other Arrancar. At least not right away. He was meant to counter the might that Soul Society managed to gather however mediocre they may be by comparison to the old legends. So Sargon instead felt that reacting in a manner similar to a Shinigami would be best. So watching the repositioning of the scythe Sargon could tell what sort of attack he was going to commence.

His trident had been knocked to his right side a moment ago yet in the span of time it took for the Noveno to reposition his scythe Sargon pulled towards him. Just as the scythe would be brought down upon him Sargon's hand grasp just below the blades of his trident and lifted it up. Many more sparks flew from the impact that seemed to rain down over Sargon as he held back the scythe by mere centimeters. As he held his trident just below the blades up above him he extended his left hand forwards his index finger pointed at the Noveno's chest. It was a sign. If he didn't move now he'd feel the impact of a bala slamming right into his center of being.

[Ailene Haschiro]

Kazuna smirked as the strike itself was parried. That was the good part. The better part was whether his next strike would make any form of contact or not. Sadly it did not as he almost immediately felt resistance as the blade came from his scythe. Stuck between the prongs of the trident, Kazuna could see a potential here. He gripped the handle tight and stared at Sargon with a look that only reflected his inner struggle. He knew he was weaker and it was a really tough pill to swallow. He was an Espada, and while this was the Tercera, he should be have been completely outmatched, but Kazuna was realistic and knew that he couldn't defeat him necessarily. He could perhaps stall him out or at maximum, reach some form of a standstill. However, at this point, only one thing mattered. Sargon stretched...his finger out? 

Kazuna watched this motion carefully and noted its particular form. This was not the first time he had seen this. In fact, Kazuna has done this before much like most Arrancar. Noting the threat of a bala or even a cero, Kazuna lept into the air at his max speed of 150. Leaping over Sargon, he pulled Kurakusabyou in the latter part of the jump as he was holding it the entire time. This rendered the scythe free once more. Upon landing, Kazuna tucked his legs in and twisted immediately swinging the scythe around at Sargon's legs from behind at a lower altitude.

[Sargon Denumic]

This testing was turning out to be slightly more convincing that the Noveno was one of acceptable skill. His lack of both physical and spiritual power was still troubling and a problem if he was like the rest of the Espada expected to fight any of the other spiritual entities. While his stamina and combat variety was lacking to say the least his movements and skill at utilizing his scythe was definitely enough that he could face off at least against a Shinigami of the seated rank.

Leaping off from the sand up and over him was a movement that was definitely risky yet it could be successful. As the Noveno got above him Sargon began to turn feeling the scythe get away from his trident. As the Noveno landed on the ground and swung his scythe Sargon loosened his grip on his trident allowing the shaft to descend down extending the reach of his zanpakuto. Tightening his grip after the shaft extended down the scythe would clash against the blades of the trident once again.

This wasn't a bad display of skill yet it would have to be more than this in order to prove that he was right to stand beside the others that possessed both superior strength and might. Sargon pushed forward with his trident keeping the scythe between the prongs of his zanpakuto as a small dark grey orb formed in the center of his chest. In the span of a single instant a cero formed and immediately blasted off at point blank range. When one learned the method of utilizing a cero one merely scratched the surface of it's potential. Sargon was one of the few that studied and practiced until utilizing cero became as easy as breathing and with it this cero would blast the Noveno. Holding back enough of course that he wouldn't die, but his body would be badly burned unless of course he managed to evade or save himself in some other way.

[Ailene Haschiro]

Kazuna began to grow a little more confident in his elusive movements. However, Sargon proved experienced enough to be able to react to the fighting style of the scythe. It was a weapon that was not very orthodox and Kazuna used this to his advantage. The issue was that Sargon's trident also remained to possess extreme utility and control with his prongs. As the attack failed, Sargon seemed to take extra measure by trapping the scythe itself using the prongs. Kazuna swore to himself. This basically took Kurakusabyou out of the fight until later, but this was the least of his worries. The scythe can be retrieved, but can a broken burnt body?

With the oncoming danger of a cero, Kazuna knew the danger. He was not sure whether Sargon was aiming to kill him with this, but it did not matter. Kazuna was looking to simply get most of his body out of the way. Quickly kicking forward, his speed only reaching a max of 100 due to his current fatigue, quickly grabbed at Sargon's legs in a quick motion, using him as a pivot point. Sargon would most likely irritated by this afterwards, but truly right now, all was fair. This little maneuver quickly got his body out of the way. All except for one of his legs, which took the brunt of the cero. As skin and muscle peeled off under the almost burning heat of the cero. He winced in agony as his right leg became downright crippled by the cero. 

As Kazuna let go off Sargon's leg, his momentum carried him behind him. With one of his free hands, he quickly grabbed for the blade of the scythe and held on. As the blade dug into his hand, he swore to himself. However, the momentum at which he carried himself with the throw, allowed him to take his Zanpakutou with him as he slid backward in the sand of Hueco Mundo. He had an idea and could perhaps use this to his advantage. If he could perhaps land at least one hit on Sargon, it could mean something to him and maybe allow him rid himself of this physically taxing fight.

As he slid backward in the sand, Kazuna wound his hand back. In a quick motion, mid-slide, he punched at Sargon creating a bala that rocketed towards the Espada's back. Even if he dodged it, at least Kazuna had used basically 9/10 of his spiritual capacity in this fight. There was no option to use his resurreccion due to his incredibly low capacity. Even if, it may not help in him in the slightest. Regardless, Kazuna's bala made him slide even further, holding the blade of Kurakusabyou tightly he finally stopped. At this point, he was roughly 20, maybe 30 ft away from the other Espada.

The slide sure felt uncomfortable, but lying in the sand was not any better. Scrambling to his knees, he was forced to kneel due to the pain in his right leg. He was still holding his Zanpakutou and ultimately tried standing up again. One could see that he was in incredible agony. As he almost made it to his feet, the damaged leg broke down as he fell to one knee once more. Moving was not an option. He simply hoped that Sargon would not utilize this for some vicious strike. At this point, such a strike would prove absolutely devastating.

His black hair covered his face as he moved it to the side to look at his scythe and then at Sargon. He calmly spoke, but he was projecting his voice at the other Espada. "Naturally I'd expect the Tercera Espada to be the most skilled opponent that I have faced so far..." This was not quite a compliment, but more acknowledgment and it was not truly meant to feed Sargon's ego. He continued, "Granted, I will admit that this fight is a massive strike to my arrogance yet I feel melancholy. I know my resurreccion would provide more of a challenge although not by a much wider margin. Regardless, my leg will prove to be a liability..." He was not sure what to do now. He couldn't stand. He couldn't fight. He couldn't overpower his opponent. He was feeling angry. Truly angry ever since he migrated to his nihilistic attitude. All he could do was wait and see what Sargon would do.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Capacity}
-50 Bala
Remaining Capacity: 100/1000

[Sargon Denumic]

Channeling a cero was simply second nature to the Tercera Espada yet despite everything that he had seen of the newly appointed Noveno this young entity managed to push himself away from a direct massive beam of reiatsu by using Sargon's own body and charging forward towards danger. It showed that despite everything else that was a problem in terms of what the Noveno could do he wasn't one to face potential danger and cry about it. He managed to away from the cero that Sargon fired for the most part yet his leg was still caught in the beam which if he hadn't been holding back would have disintegrated the entire leg within that fraction of time.

As he freed his zanpakuto from the prongs of his own yet again the Noveno continued to showcase that his strongest aspect was his skill to utilize his zanpakuto. Just like last time though the Noveno would attack from behind him so Sargon shifted his feet turning himself around quickly enough to see the Noveno punch forward with the condensed form of his reiatsu. The distance between them and the speed of the bala was to much for Sargon to evade. Normally he'd counter with a much more powerful attack with just as much speed yet he could tell the Noveno was just about finihsed.

The bala would smash against Sargon's chest clashing against his Heirro. The bala would hit him for a few moments until it shattered. The distance between the both of them had increased now to be out of range of anything that Sargon could do physically. He could still attack any moment from a distance yet this was a test to see what the Noveno could do and that didn't seem to be anything now. He watched the Noveno attempt to get on his now injured leg yet failed and as such he began to walk towards him.

"You take the position that someone of your caliber should accept warmly." Sargon continued to walk as the Noveno spoke and then once he finished Sargon was standing mere feet from him. "You assume to much Noveno. You're skill with a weapon is acceptable yet beyond that you're still an infant in the realm of adults. Belief that you're resurreccion may somehow help you is misplaced. True strength may be sealed away yet that is the case for the majority of spiritual entities. As such you can never rely on it to push you ahead of an opponent unless you have already forced them to reveal their own true strength while still containing your own. You have much to learn if you wish to survive as an Espada. I'll leave you with this bit of guidance for your efforts. Continue to kneel to the King in Heuco Mundo and perhaps one day you may claim what true potential is housed in your soul."

[Ailene Haschiro]

Kazuna tried to struggle to his feet more and more as Sargon approached. Using his Zanpakutou as leverage, he placed the blade into the sand, using the hilt as a walking stick of sorts. His leg quivered as the pain was definitely manageable, but a seared leg was never a good thing. As he now atleast semi-successfully stood, he looked at Sargon and began to process his words. It was true that a strength in the form of techniques lied behind his ressureccion, yet stronger opponents could simply resist most of his techniques. He knew this despite what little he truly knew of his ressureccion, it was all a blur to him as he briefly looked up at Sargon.

His voice relaxed, but his body shaking, he smirked. "Am I naive...? Yeah sure. I can admit to that. My strength may not be up to par with what it could be, but I believe this experience has granted me the benefit of a 'fight'. You could kill me if you so wish so while I can definitely mark that there was restraint, the movements and split-second reactions shall burn into my mind. Shall fill my every waking moment? Why? Well it was a great lesson to my arrogance." Now looking up at Sargon, he sighs. "I will take this experience to heart....,but. As Espada we stand above all else and I will be damned if I have to watch the decay the Espada will incur on any realm....at the enemies feet defeated..." A new fire awakened inside him. Behind all the vigor and spirit was a deeply burried aspect of his personality...humility.