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View Full Version : [BitP:R] Episode 12 - Burning Hatred



Frozen_Feet
2011-11-11, 01:24 PM
[Somewhere in the Mortal World...]

In the distance, a cloud of dust and fire is thrown up and a moment later a loud boom echoes across the sandy streets. Howls of pain and sounds of guns firing fill the air as a form dressed in white walks casually past wartorn buildings and burning wreckages of armored vehicles.

Images flash by the traveller's eyes as he moves forward. Weapons of war have changed, but the feel of the battleground is all too familiar. It is in scenes like these that he had diead a thousands deaths, or more. Some of them, many in fact, had happened on this very soil. How long had morals held their futile struggle over this piece of land? How much more blood would need to soil this so-called holy ground before they would cease?

Wars of the living are different from those of spirits. In the mindless slaughter the relative frailty of mortal coil is made all too apparent - destruction sowed by their armaments is well on par with abilities of ghostly or divine origin, but their bearers are not blessed with iron skin and intangibility of the white wanderer. As he walks past a tank that has driven to a mine, he duly notes that even steel shelters they've made to shield themselves aren't enough to keep them safe from the terrors they've birthed.

In the distance, he can hear a cry - but from the sound of it, he knows whoever made it is no longer among the living. Such a miserable fate - to be brought here, to serve as the sword of others, only to fall down in a struggle perpetuated by petty grudges and malice born from thoughtlessness. And in death, the spirit would soon forget all other reasons - a natural birthplace for lost souls driven by hatred and vengeance. The wanderer had seen many on his way here - they had burned to ashes before him like dry leaves, their spectral bodies unable to own up to their bloodlust towards him. They had barely been enough to mend surface wounds from his time in the White Sands.

But now, he has his sights set on something different. There, above the battlefield it basks, shade cast by its massive bulk unseen to mortal eyes, yet for the wanderer it nearly blocks out the hot midday sun. It is clearly something out of the world they're in, yet it could not be more at home. Silently it revels in the chaos around, or maybe it is its cause - who knows?

Lalita Tandon smirks. So, you exist after all? He'd left Miss Canguro behind to take a look at this sacred place, but he hadn't even imagined he'd run afoul of such a beast. It makes him happier of his decision - he's uncertain of whether she could've been able to survive what is coming.

With wind and fire wheels in his hands, the man observes silently, wating if the beast will notice him.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-11, 03:54 PM
The creature "nests" high above one of the few buildings that haven't been riveted with bullets, shrapnel or soot. It is almost as though its very presence repelled the gruesome consequences of its namesake, and it looked with a mild appearance of disinterest.

For lack of a better word, it looked... bored.

It had been so since the invention of 19th century firearms, or more specifically, the Gatling Gun. War felt as though being able to take multiple lives at the pull of a single trigger or the push of a button cheapened the glory it had been emblazoned with in ages past. Men had fought for many silly reasons in the past - it could specifically recall this one time they fought over telegraph posts and escalated into WWI - but they all seemed to fill themselves with a sense of purpose and identity that somehow amused the beast. By the time Project Manhattan reached its peak, War decreed itself at the height of boredom. It was like killing garden variety ants with a flamethrower, and as fun as it can be to watch the insects squirm in agony, it gets old pretty fast since none arise to avenge the fallen.

So it's not that Lalita doesn't get noticed - the Decima can clearly spy War's gaze shortly lingering upon him, then drifting back to the battle itself - , but the leonine-looking Horse doesn't even blink or address him.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-11, 04:14 PM
Lalita snorts as the beast briefly glances down on him, then looks away. Apparently it's too lost in thought to even consider the possibility that the conflict around could touch it. The Arrancar doesn't hesitate - he'd been searching for something to truly test himself against. It's time to see if his time in the desert has paid off.

Crimson flames alight along the protrusions from the two wheels, the air around them shimmering as if subjected to great heat. The Arrancar non-chalantaly lifts them before his face, pointing them towards the beast - there's a screeching sound as three bright red embers fly through the air with immense speed in search of their target. Soon they are followed by another three, and then another, cutting the air like a volley of tracer bullets.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-11, 04:23 PM
The beast merely lifts a large, heavy paw and bats the wheels away like naughty children. It displays significant speed for a creature of its size - Lalita might note the form was fairly blurry as War deflected his attacks. Finally, it turns its snout half-heartedly towards the arrancar and rested its chin on top of a paw in an incredibly human gesture for a creature with no human features.

Well, child? Is that any way to greet? If you want anything out of me, it is only polite to speak up first.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-11, 04:37 PM
The Arrancar doesn't bother replying. Instead, he keeps firing more and more of the bullet-like flames towards the beast, now aiming at its eyes since it turned its head towards him. The beast's hide might be tough, but he isn't conviced it won't yield under a relentless barrage.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-11, 04:55 PM
Lalita is actually forgetting something much more basic. War is ON FIRE. His attacks end up tantamount to trying to put it out with gasoline.

Are you going somewhere with this? War offered with a tone that suggested puzzlement. Lalita can tell the only reason it deflected the first few strikes was the blade of his wheels.

As it stands, it will quickly dawn on the Decima that he is in severe disadvantage against this particular foe, at least as far as his current choice of tactics goes.

You don't honestly believe I move for just about any upstart who attacks me out of the blue, or that I would take a Rider that didn't so much as introduce himself, do you? Even War has protocol.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-11, 05:15 PM
The beast might be on fire, but the crimson luminence is not just ordinary flames - it's Reiatsu, condensed into a solid form. But as the blast richochet away from the beast's hide time after time, the Arrancar decides it's time to up the ante. There's the distinct hum of Sonido as he slides backwards, facing the best all the while. Lalita lifts his left wheel into a guard while keeping the other pointed at the beast. Red lines crawl through the air, converging into a spiraling orb, before exploding forward in a conical shape, striking towards the head of the beast with the force of a battering ram.

"Cero."

Kuroimaken
2011-11-12, 09:01 AM
Now that's more like it.

The voice echoes into Lalita's mind from within a thick column of smoke where his Cero hit. The soldiers around it pay no mind, believing it to be just a stray mortar they did not hear over the gunfire.

The beast is finally on its feet, slowly walking towards the Decima. It is unclear exactly what happened; the Cero detonated and brought up the smoke before he could see what War's reaction was.

But at least now he's being taken seriously.

You should know I will not yield without knowing your name, Arrancar.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-12, 09:46 AM
The Arrancar examines the beast's face as it steps out of the wreckage, searching for any cracks or gaps in its armor. "People keep asking that as if it's something that matters", he replies bluntly, shifting his stance as he start walking backwards and to his left, circling the beast and keeping it a healthy distance away.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-12, 11:07 AM
The Beast looks... scoffed, at best. A little dirty, perhaps. Everything suggests it prematurely detonated Lalita's Cero in order to minimize the damage.

It IS important. Though not for the reasons you'd think. War replies. The name of an Arrancar is often self-given. As such, it is one of its greatest forms of individuality. Knowing your name will let me know if I'd let you Ride me whether you defeat me or not.

Apparently, the combat alone does not suffice to tame it. Though it is strange for War of all Horses to suggest an alternate method, it is not unfeasible. For some reason it seems to feel as though Lalita is taking a much more wasteful path than necessary.

From a Horse that is all about rage and negative emotions, it may be unexpected to seek wisdom. Yet it seems to be offering the Decima all the same.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-12, 11:54 AM
The Arrancar scoffs. "Lalita Tandon. There." Then, he sprints to the side of the beast - only to change direction abruptly, using thin air as a foothold to jump above the beast, then changing direction again to slam his heel against the back of the beast.

"You have a name."

Kuroimaken
2011-11-14, 08:37 PM
The Arrancar scoffs. "Lalita Tandon. There." Then, he sprints to the side of the beast - only to change direction abruptly, using thin air as a foothold to jump above the beast, then changing direction again to slam his heel against the back of the beast.

"You have a name."

Indeed, things are as they should be.

I must commend you on your sense of strategy. You noticed my blind spot. Sadly...

You were not the first one.

Just as the heel is coming down, War's flames flare up fiercely in what nearly amounts to a pocket explosion. Even if Lalita pierces through the flames, he'll find only the flames were left behind as the beast dodged.

Sonido. Naturally.

On the plus side, at least he actually made the beast move this time; it's an improvement to say the least.

Fantocchio di Fiamma.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-15, 10:44 AM
There's a resounding crash and dust billows up as Lalita's feet smash to the ground. Hems and sleeves of his clothes are somewhat singed and he's missing his eyebrows, but otherwise the blast doesn't seem to have injured him in the slightest.

He sprints forwards, circling towards the beast. Demonic screeching fills the air again as each step is accompanied by a crimson flash shooting towards the head and eyes of the beast. The Arrancar's aim seems to be to get to the side of the beast again.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-15, 02:33 PM
It seems the 'upstart' is in good shape. War seems to retain its composure as Lalita aims for head and eyes. It merely sways to the side; though the weapons still graze the beast, they don't seem to hit anywhere vital. Still, it gives Lalita the opening he needs to get on the side.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-15, 04:15 PM
A trail of sparkles is left on the air as the Arrancar runs around the left front leg of the beast, then turns sharply and leaps towards the joint of the beast's leg. He'd spied how the armorplates of the beast join together, how they moved when it had sped to the side, in search of a weak point. Now he punches hard with his right wheel, seeking to embed sharp prongs of his weapon where the limb is attached to the body.

But that's just part of his attack - even if succesful, a mere punch wouldn't be much more than a surface wound. Painful, maybe, but decisive only in the long run if at all - and the Arrancar isn't keen on letting things drag.

So, he has a more devious plan. Even as he flies towards the beast's side like a dart, blood red energy flows along the shape of his weapon. At the moment he wounds his enemy, he seeks to ignite a Cero right under its tough hide.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-15, 06:41 PM
A sound tactic...

Lalita barely manages to graze his opponent's hide before an explosion of flame shoots from the beast's form. It sends the beast itself flying to the side with a dull roar, but the wound the Arrancar provoked seems superficial.

...but your persistance in trying to hit the same blind spot gave you away.

Fuga Esplosiva.

Surely if you desire this power you must have realized by now how a flame must be used. And if you know that, you know how I fight.

The mere fact I'm older than anything you know and control flame should have already told you this much.

The beast curls up for a moment as the air distorts with heat. Out of its mouth shoots an orb of vermillion setting a path of flame as it flies towards the Arrancar.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-16, 01:22 AM
The first explosion of flame is countered wholly by a simultaneous blast of crimson. His plan might not have worked, but the Arrancar hardly lets his charged Cero go to waste. He hops back for some distance, watching the beast as it continues its mental bragging, giving it a disinterested glare. As the beast prepares its attack, he's already on the move - a burst of speed carries him far out of the orb's way, leaving it to continue its path through ruined buildings behind him.

He doesn't stop to catch his breath. He runs towards the beast, again in a broad circle, ascending as if climbing invisible stairs all the while. It seems he's trying to get above and behind the beast, though it has ample time to turn around and face him should it want to.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-16, 07:10 AM
The mental 'bragging' has good reason. Lalita is becoming very predictable; with each repeated strike he has accomplished little by this point.

The beast doesn't turn around, but then again it doesn't look like it needs to; judging from how it countered Lalita's first attempt to get to its back, at least.

War's tail whips around in Lalita's direction with great speed, though it doesn't seem intent on lashing at him - or at least, if it is, the beast has miscalculated the range. The intent becomes clearer as it shoots a volley of small fireballs in the Arrancar's direction repeatedly, while a bigger orb of vermillion charges up from the back of its head and shoots at Lalita while he's busy with the smaller attacks.

Regardless of hitting, the explosion propels the beast forward in an elegant arc again.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-17, 05:35 AM
Each of the small fireballs is countered by bolts of deeper red striking them from the sky before they can touch the Arrancar. He gets directly behind the beast just as the greater blast is launched. The beast doesn't see what happens next as the vermillion blast obscures him from sight. When it comes to a stop, it might notice the flame is still continuing its way up to the sky - but there's no trace of the Arrancar, not even faintest hint of his presence - it's as if he's vanished from the face of earth.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-17, 06:01 AM
Yet there's no such thing as full invisibility. Lalita has to be somewhere, even if the beast can't feel him; and if the Arrancar has any sense, he'll mount the most appropriate strategy to strike.

But War is not intend on waiting.

The Horse raises its head and growls ferociously, a sound that would put any lion's roar to shame. Even the soldiers fighting around him seem to hear it somehow.

Then, a visible pulse of energy begins to beat from the core of the beast. It's faint at first, merely an outline of blood-red over its features, but the glow begins to increase in intensity. With each beat, it grows more uniform and distinct, until it picks up speed.

Suddenly, a dome of flame roughly three times War's length in radius erupts and begins to expand, one pulse at a time. The flames are intense enough to melt rock and scorch the earth - almost as if War intended to surround itself with lava. And still it grows...

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-17, 06:31 AM
The process is interruted by a sound like a pane of glass shattering - expect that "glass" is the very fabric of space separating one world from another as it's torn apart below the beast's belly, the Arrancar crashing back to the world of the living like a humanoid thunderbolt, seeking to ram both of his weapons deep into the beast's gut as well as lift it high into the air with his momentum.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-17, 10:08 AM
Well, it's time for good news and bad news.

The good news is that Lalita's gambit works beautifully. The weapons embed themselves into the beast's thick hide and lift it up high. He can tell he got a really good hit in, even though the beast isn't spasming in pain or anything of the sort.

The bad news is that it apparently bleeds lava.

It's been a while since someone landed this kind of hit on me. You can be proud of yourself by now!

War curls up into a ball, wrapping its large limbs around the Arrancar so as to try and trap it against the incandescent wound. It howls again, and even up in the air, Lalita can feel the heat increase - very soon it will be pulsing with flame once again, and he'll be at the epicenter.

On the plus side, apparently the lava-blood won't harden this close to the beast, so he can still move... provided his Hierro can withstand it enough.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-17, 10:43 AM
The air around the Arrancar blazes with bright light, his Reiatsu grown to such intensity it is turning from crimson to light-red and even white. The weight of his spirit creates a thermal shield of cooler air around him, but nonetheless his clothes are burning away and exposed skin on his face and arms is becoming darker akin to heated copper. His zanpakuto wheels turn blue from the heat as the lava drips on them, and he has to let go of them, blistering burn marks oozing with ichor on his palms.

Which suits him just fine.

As the beast wraps around him, he squeezes his hands into fists, hard enough for his fingernails to draw blood. When its massive limbs try to crush him against its bulks, he opens his palms and throws his hand against its side, on both sides of the lava-dripping wound to keep himself arm-lenght away from it. Smoke rises from his hands... but so do lines of crackling, dark energy as the air ripples not just from heat, but from the weight of an attack capable of distorting dimensions.

"Gran Rey Cero."

KA-BOOM.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-17, 06:05 PM
Gran Rey Lancia di Fiamma.

The lava suddenly writhes as though it had a life of its own, and jagged spears shoot out from the wound with ludicrous speed, piercing at the Arrancar's hands and torso in turn even as Lalita unleashes the dimension-distorting blast.

The resulting explosion separates the two fighters. War looks quite winded at this point; though the wound seems to slowly seal itself closed from the magma, it is obvious the creature has taken severe damage.

Yet its pride seems to sustain it. The Horse seems intent on not yielding, and its opponent has been severely wounded as well. It doesn't look like it will back down.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-18, 05:30 AM
Lalita isn't thrown as far as his enemy - it seems bulk of the great Cero's force went into the beast. Still, it takes hi out of the dome of super-heated air, and he doesn't waste time getting even further from the beast, descending near a ruined building roughly three hundred yards away.

His torso is bare, all of his clothes having burned away. There are several nasty-looking, cauterized gouges on his sides - the explosion veered the needles of lava to the sides of his body, preventing them from piercing any vital organs, but his Hierro was unable to protect him from grazes. His arms are blackened almost up to his shoulders, and the sin on his hands is dry and cracked, with outermost layer flaking away like ash from surface of burned wood.

The Arrancar examines the ruins, and then yanks out a steel construction beam twice as long as he is tall, lifting it on his shoulder.

"You speak as though age matters", he says impassively. His voice might not be loud enough to carry across the distance, but he has a feeling the beast doesn't really need a physical medium to get the message. "But it means nothing. You are not stronger than me. You are not even the strongest creature I've fought in this form." A memory of hateful, yellow and bloodshot eyes burns in his mind as he watches the beast carefully, trying to predict its motions.

At the same time, the malignant luminescence around the Arrancar spreads, the air quaking under pressure. Pebbles on the ground rattle, and then start disintegrating piece by piece as the hatred radiating from the man starts eating them away.

War might notice that he's not the only one observing this display. Hollows, lost souls of those slain in recent battles are snarling at the edges of the battlefield, torn between two instincts and unsure of whether to fight or flee. On one hand, they know full well the two combatants are beyond them to defeat - but on the other, the prospect of such overwhelming power calls to them, compelling them to try and devour them to satisfy their hunger, even if it'd mean being devoured in turn.

"You're nothing I haven't seen a hundred times on the white sands. You're but a beast - and fate of beasts is to either submit to their superiors, or be slain and eaten." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy2VdBp3J8o)

Kuroimaken
2011-11-18, 07:57 AM
That's so adorable. It is the prerogative of youth to assume it knows everything, I suppose. War replies with a snarl that, on any other creature, would be a chuckle.

Fine. Let's get serious for a moment.

The beast becomes wreathed in flame. By itself, this is no surprise - it is when the flame turns into multiples of itself - giving the impression that there are now several of him - that things begin to get interesting. Likewise, Lalita can feel the pulse of hatred emanating from War itself: an infectious, ugly thing that creeps into the mind. While the Arrancar himself might not be affected, the Hollows surrounding them clearly are. They become aggressive, more mindless than before - as though the Horse made their choice of fight or flight for them.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-18, 02:23 PM
The Arrancar doesn't budge. He simply eyes the flaming copies impassively. "Know? Knowing has little to do with this", he remarks dryly. "Of all the things, only a handful matter here - skill, persistence and power. I have you beaten in at least two. Whatever wisdom you could claim to have that I don't, is irrelevant."

"I already know the only real way to win a war is to put down one's weapons. Now, I've already put down most of mine." Indeed, the Arrancar's zanpakuto are still stuck in the gut of the beast, most likely. "When I put down this", he continues, hefting the construction beam up like a javelin, "then this conflict is over."

Kuroimaken
2011-11-18, 04:47 PM
I wonder if you'll put it down of your own accord?

There's something wrong. The beast doesn't... sound weakened. His voice doesn't seem to come from anywhere recognizable either.

What gives War its confidence?

Suddenly, one of the maddened Hollows lunges at a 'copy'. It disintegrates without the 'copy' ever moving, and apparently without even touching the flame itself.

The flames enveloping each one seem to flare up. Lalita can tell that they've gained... strength, somehow.

The battle of the mortals grows more intense as well.

Slowly but surely, it becomes obvious what War is doing.

It's feeding off the hatred of everyone and everything in the vicinity.

I have been defeated in the past, I'll admit. But it was never easy.

And if you honestly think you have me beat in two out of skill, perseverance and power... you're much more immature than I thought you were.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-19, 05:49 AM
War's actions don't come as a surprise to the Arrancar. He'd been expecting this. He'd not been kidding when he'd said he'd seen it all before - from its speed and endurance to its offensive skills, all of the beast's abilities directly parallel those of Hollows.

And not just any Hollow, but Lalita himself.

"Immature only because I've yet to reach my full potential", he shouts. "If I had, I'd beat you in all three." Then he jumps directly upwards, crimson footsteps being struck in the air as he speeds towards the clouds high above, intending to leave the beast and its clones far behind.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-19, 08:21 AM
He isn't followed, plain and simple.

It is true that War is little more than an unique Hollow in its own right, but it is also true that even that which has been seen before can occasionally surprise you.

When Lalita soars above the clouds, all he does is pretty much offer War a cover to launch attacks from. So while it may not be surprising that he gets shot at repeatedly with very fast flame "bullets", it doesn't make it any easier to dodge or defend against them.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-19, 08:57 AM
Actually, it does - with his fairly straight-forward trajectory, it's not hard for Lalita to tell how much his opponent has to lead him to hit. This allows him to move in a slightly erratic pattern, skirting the bullets by just enough to not be actually hit by them, though the heat-induced shockwaves from their passing cut at his damaged skin.

It takes him a while to break the cloud cover, and then, he slows down, his preternatural senses telling him he isn't being followed. The blaze around him dies as he supresses his Reiatsu. He shifts to the side to avoid what bullets are still following him through the clouds, focusing on feeling the air for the location of his opponent. Then... he dives. He leaps back and forth in the air in an erratic zig-zag pattern, as if bouncing around in a narrow chimney - reaching higher and higher speeds as he plummets down towards the beast, the steel pillar still at hand.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-19, 09:30 AM
Remember what was said about how something you've seen already can still surprise you?

It turns out the bullets aren't done with Lalita. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeGPOvHqjmc&feature=related)

They veer inches away from him, true; but just as he seems ready to plunge, they come at him again.

And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.

They reach for him at a variety of different angles. Those that graze him explode; those that hit stick to him and blow up shortly thereafter. Those he dodges shoot out again at seemingly impossible angles in an erratic pattern.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-19, 11:54 AM
Still nothing unexpected or unprepared for - the beast had said it could control flame. Lalita gets battered by a couple of explosions, but they don't have enough punch to make him stray far from his intended course. Soon, those bullets that remain are clustered behind him in an attempt to catch up - but the Arrancar has attained such speed himself by this point that they just can't manage it.

His course stabilizes very briefly a good distance above the beast - his body tenses as he sends the construction beam flying straight down, towards the opening in the back of the beast's head he'd seen earlier when it charged a Cero there. Unfortunately, despite the lightning-fast speed it's going with, he has no time to see if it hits - he has to muster all of his strenght to leap to the side to avoid fireballs coming from below and from his sides, a thunderclap-like sound echoing through the air as a result.

There''s one thing too big for him to dodge, however: the ground. At the speeds he's moving with, it's impossible for him to curve his path, and slowing down any would mean getting hit by a barrage of fireballs, and being pounced at by the two clones of living flame War made of itself. He has nowhere to go...

... not in the world of the living, at least.

Split-second from striking the ground, he motions forward with his hand. Once again, there's a shattering sound as the body of the Arrancar punches a hole in space, continuing his wild fall into the darkness beyond, the cluster of fireballs pursuing him through the gaping maw in the air.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-20, 05:35 PM
You know things are about to get worse when they seem to be getting better.

When Lalita is about to open his Garganta, the ground suddenly "bubbles" and violently sprays hot lava directly towards him. It's a wide, thick shower accompanied by smaller, lance-like spurts.

Apparently the clones were a different kind of distraction. The beam itself seemingly sublimates before it reaches War's back; that's how hot the flames are at this point.

And they seem to be getting hotter.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-21, 01:48 AM
Lalita isn't there to feel it, though. Indeed, he barely caught a glimpse of the bubbling ground before darkness of the Void blocked his sight. War's attempt to stop him does lead to a rather interesting display, however, as the shower of lava curves around the edges of the gaping maw in the air despite travelling perfectly straight, seemingly being divided from the middle yet staying in one piece... things like that happen around spatial anomalies.

Lalita glances over his shoulder at the rapidly shrinking window to Earth, wondering what just happened. He can see the glow from War's attack, but nothing else. He doesn't try to slow down yet, though - he wants to destroy any firebolts still following him first. Red light blooms from his hands as he whirls around, shooting two Ceros behind himself, though the act leaves him spinning wildly.

Unless War suddenly displays skill to enter the Void itself, the Arrancar is relatively safe for the moment. Even then, his momentum from his fall from the skies has given him enough of a headstart that it'd hardly be a problem.

He can't go falling forever, though. Even if he'd otherwise consider the fight over and done with, he still needs to go back to the battlefield for one thing:

He needs to know what's happened to his Zanpakuto.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-25, 08:28 PM
Let's settle this.

The voice calls out to Lalita even within the darkness of the Void. It seems the beast intends to finish everything with the next exchange.

Once outside, the landscape takes on the orange tint of the breaking dawn (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLJZJ7wWO-I), even though the sun will not set for at least two hours, and then rise again for 14 more. War's flames distort the light visibly, creating the rather peculiar effect. Within the circle created by its numerous visages of flame, the ambient temperature is easily within the 80-90 degrees Celsius range; no human being would be able to move within it, or even breathe normally. This only serves to remind the Arrancar just what kind of creature he's up against.

His Zanpakutou lies in the middle of the circle.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-26, 05:01 AM
Sparks strike out from the blackness as the Arrancar creates a bridge for himself to stand on, slowly skidding to halt. In the dark, he can pinpoint the source of the sound despite its mental nature - it's the opening to the living world, still left unclosed, that he created to escape his doom.

He ponders for a moment, then glances "up", or the closest equivalent thereof in this forlorn space - the "edge" of the void, where it inevitable leads to the dead world of Hueco Mundo.

He flares his reiatsu briefly, like a beacon light in the night, before opening a gateway to the mortal realm and stepping through it.

War might notice the presence of the arrancar returning roughly one kilometer to its left. Lalita leaps high into the air, to see his adversary over the building. He raises an eyebrow when his Pesquisa tells him his own Zanpakuto is intact, and outside the beast. Somehow, it'd torn it off from its flesh. Not that surprising on its own, but it makes him wonder how lasting its injuries might be, as it surely hadn't been an easy task.

By itself, the hot air would hardly be a problem. War had already done worse, and the Arrancar could run and snatch his wheels so fast that such meager temperatures wouldn't even burn his skin, without taking a single breath. But he's proved already that such headlong charge won't work - he'd have to run through a hail of fireballs, and hope neither the beast or its clones would get in the way.

Moving through the void would be better, but he doubts the beast will fall for the same trick again.

Thinking, he dives behind nearest house for cover, then starts advancing towards the beast in the shade of the wartorn buildings.

Kuroimaken
2011-11-26, 08:56 AM
What are you skulking around for? I told you I want to settle this. Pick up your weapon.

We'll see which of us has the guts to remain standing at the end.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-26, 09:39 AM
"I wouldn't have put them down if I actually needed them", Lalita says bluntly as he leaps from cover to cover. Once again, his physical voice is unlikely to be heard, but he's sure the beast will not miss the message.

"Let me ask you a few questions, before I eradicate you. What do you perceive yourself as?"

Kuroimaken
2011-11-26, 10:08 AM
I have more interesting things to do than ponder the details of my existence. I live as long as war exists, it's that simple.

If you really take me down, it'll only make me stronger.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-26, 04:09 PM
Lalita snorts in hiding. "Is that so? Yet you lord your age and wisdom over me." If the beast is being honest, it really isn't more than another Hollow with over-inflated ego. Just like a bloated domestic cat, it thinks itself superior unaware of co-dependent and pathetic it really is.

Better things to do? When the Arrancar came to it, it'd been basking in boredom. Really raises the question if it's done anything else for aeons.

But maybe that's why it's called a horse. In the end, all its powers amount to nothing without a determined rider guiding it. Suited to acting on its own, it's not.

"You make an interesting claim", the Arrancar yells as he dashes between covers once more. He can't be more than hundred meters away now. "I really hope it is true. You see..."

"... as you are now, you wouldn't even faze the enemies I need to face." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTMJ9nYzKO0)

The air around war roars. Despite the body of the Arrancar being wholly concealed behind piles of rubble, it can see him clearly, towering before him and glowing like his body is afire from the inside.

The beast is legendary. But the reason Lalita has no respect for that is because, the fact is, so is he. No song might tell of him, no tale might have been recorded - but he is a flame burning with the undying rage of hundreds upon hundreds of fallen soldiers, the likes of which inspired untolds myths of horror and fear in the past.

Lalita doesn't know if War stopped to ponder why he, among the Hollows, was unfazed by its hate-amplifying aura. The reason lies in his years spent in Las Noches, trying to be happy, denying and trying to drive away the feelings he embodies.

He'd not succeeded. But he'd become very good at controlling and hiding them. As a result of keeping his candle covered for so long, he'd grown weak... unable to let it shine through even at the face of danger. That had changed when Genoveva had forcibly pulled all his lingering resentment out. War's assault on his mind was not succesful, because someone else had beaten it to the punch!

Now, however, Lalita is letting it all out... on purpose. For he is as much war and hate incarnate as the beast, and it's been feeding him like fuel thrown to a fire for a good while.

Lalita stands up, pointing his palms towards his enemy. There's a building on the way, but that's insignificant. His Reiryoku glows through the cracks on his burned skin, making it look like veins of magma on blackened earth - and then, the scorched layer of his Hierro peels away, being drawn to a bright orb forming before his hands. It's the same attack as before, but it's intensity is so much greater it's almost incomparable. It shines like a small sun, the bits of burned skin joining it and floating on its surface like sun spots, the Arrancar's body now glowing pure white save for pupils of his eyes.

A split-second later, the orb collapses into itself, giving birth to a nova-like burst which disintigrates the building before it, a tearing sound following in its wake as it threatens to engulf War and all of its copies.

"Gran Rey Cero!"

Kuroimaken
2011-11-26, 04:55 PM
Lalita can't even begin to understand.

The two of them are not on the same scale of magnitude. The reason War lords over its age and wisdom? That's because it can. War has been around as long as there has been life and strife. Sure, it began weak enough. A few tribal disputes here and there. The occasional fight over arable land.

But it got so much bigger than that. Comparing their two existances is not unlike comparing stars. Lalita may be a sun in his own right, but War? War is a supernova.

Whereas Lalita may be forged from the souls of the most horrifying soldiers of all time, War was distilled from all that and MORE. It made no distinction between the histories it fed from. Weak and cowardly, proud and noble, sickly and sadistic. Every single soldier in the history of humanity. Every single family slaughtered, every woman violated, every life cut before its prime, every possession ruined, every life-long dream dashed.

War was all that and more. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLAWHUVHd2I)

Of the Four Horses, War was always the one with the most gravity, second only to Death itself. All three other horses fed Death in some manner or another, whereas Death simply was, like an inevitability. Pestilence and Famine could have long been eradicated if only mankind weren't so selfish. War, however, could not be extinguished, because conflict and rage is an inherent part of every living creature.

Lalita's assault may have been so damning as to destroy himself in the process of firing, but it was precisely because of such power that the response is so awe-inducing.

Like the beam before it, the Cero simply... disappears from existence, the accumulated Reiryoku dispersing harmlessly as it nears the beast.

My turn.

Each of the 'clones' howled in turn. The flames burst from their bodies and licked at the sky. Then, each formed a tiny, blazing sun, which quickly grew up to be the size of a small car.

And then they fired at Lalita.

Chiodo di bara di fiamma!

The Arrancar could see that they tore small rips through space as they soared towards him.

No Garganta would let him escape now.

Frozen_Feet
2011-11-26, 05:54 PM
Lalita's eyes narrow as his attack... evaporates? How is that even possible? It does not compute in the Arrancar's head.

He tested the defenses of the beast - measured carefully how powerful its attacks were before, and how much power it could gain from the spirits it ate. His prior Gran Rey Cero almost ripped the beast in half, and this one had been so much stronger. Everything had pointed to it being weaker than him! Yet it's not enough?

The sheer lunacy of the event makes him freeze in place. Maybe, if he'd seen the fate of his steel javelin, he'd anticipated it. After all, he sunk his hands into the gut of the beast, stood next to its molten body, yet the experience was certifiably survivable. No amount of heat created by it should've been able to sublimate such a massive object, not without destroying everything within miles' radius.

Luckily for him, he counted on not being able to overpower the beast, even if the exact event was unforeseeable to him.

After all, in forests under the white sands, there are countless eyes to watch over you if you just can grab their attention...

Black cracks spread along transparent shapes between earth and sky as the near-unstoppable force of War's assault meets the combined efforts of a host of Menos Grande. Lalita is blinded by the light blooming before him and deafened by the sound, but the appearance of his "rescuers" shakes him out of it enough that he has good sense to move before the Negacion gives away completely. He opens a Garganta and once through, moves to the side - though even then, it's barely enough to save his unhallowed life. Shockwave from the warheads explodes through, tearing off his left arm before he makes it to the safety "behind" the portal.

Winded and deprived of half of his senses, the Arrancar closes the opening. Outside, another Negacion surrounds his Zanpakuto and slowly draws them towards dozens of giant, withered grey hands reaching anxiously for them, though even if he knew that, it'd be of little comfort.

His radiance dims, leaving him feeling cold and empty as he floats in the emptiness. His mind still races in search of an explanation, but soon... he just gives up. He's beaten, fair and square. Regardless of the ways he might be above War, it's now clear he's not above in power - and that gap is too great for other things to matter in the slightest.

Once again, he's lost to another dog, just with a bite worse than his.

But maybe there's something to be garnered from the fight still - humility. Caution. Maybe the titular Decima had let his easy victory over his predecessor to get into his head.

But he can't worry about that yet. First, he needs to fight his way through the Gillian. In the cannibalistic society of the wild Hollows, the line between rescue and capture is slim at best.

Defeated, he begins his journey back to the empty world of lost souls...

Kuroimaken
2011-11-26, 06:52 PM
There was one thing Lalita managed to do, however.

It managed to make a beast made almost entirely of flame, lava, hot air and grit break into a cold sweat.

If he'd gotten past THAT, somehow, I'd have to bare my neck. The beast comments to itself as it relaxes and moves away from the scene. It had to kill the remaining witnesses after all.