[BitP:R] Hueco Mundo 3

[InyutheBeatIs]

[Distrito Diez]

"Uh..." The man isn't too keen to admit his cowardice, obvious as it is. "Well, it's not that bad now! That crazy bitch is gone now, as is that moadman who blasted through the palace. You know that really tall guy, wh had hots for the old Primera? A real basket-case, I tell you..."

"... come to think of it, there might have been another guy he was chasing after. Didn't really get a good look of him, though. Wonder where they went?"

((Eep! Sorry guys.))

Pico just raises his hand and starts counting on his fingers. "Okay, first of all, that bitch is a dude. Yeah, I know, shocked me too. Two, don't worry about the madman, he's with me." He then seems to narrow his eyes and glare over his shoulder at the air. "And I swear to god he will pay for that."

He then turned back, actually looking a bit concerned. "Three, there was another guy? What did he look like?"

Pico then seems to remember that he was here for a reason. "Wait, we were talking about something here." He then points outside the door. "Will you take a look at that? Just a few weeks ago, there were old run-down buildings, shacks made of bone and rusty metal plates strung together with old clothes, really terrible looking banners that made you wonder if you really needed your eyes anymore. There were nutjobs ranting about weird stars and crap, there were scumbags dealing in weird illicit trades, there was no law, only chaos. It was dangerous, uncaring, dirty, and butt-ugly, and it was beautiful. NOW LOOK!" Pico more forcefully points towards the area. "There is nothing. There is dust. There is no one left alive. What makes you think that you'll be left alive? Seriously, this person has an ego twice as big as mine is, and he seems to have some weird Napoleon complex that forces him to prove he's stronger than everyone else. That probably means he's going to kill every single last one of you just to prove he's somehow manly enough or something."

Pico places a hand on the arrancar's shoulder. He points towards the arrancar with his other hand. "I am offering you a chance to survive. Okay, more like offering you a better chance to survive, but hear me out. There's a war going on out there, and the morons I have are having a hard time just figuring out which end of their zanpakuto is the stabbing end. I need people that, you know, know how to fight to lead these guys. You join me, you have a better chance of not being killed for the sake of someone's ego. Plus, you get to stick it to the current Decima, which is always a bonus."

[Kuroimaken]

[Throne Room]

Rouga wasn't exactly small compared to the man in the first place, though. His slash connects and knocks the man to the side - but Rouga might notice he feels suspiciously light. He rolls over his other shoulder, ending up standing. It seems he anticipated the strike and dived to the side, turning what could've been a turnpoint in the fight into a mere grazing wound. Rouga can see another patch of the strange, metallic layer through his torn skin.

The man swings his sword in a wide arc - but midswing, it changes from a sword into a long lenght of chain, shooting past Rouga's shoulder and threatening to wrap around his neck if he lets it hit.

---

Rouga isn't all that big on the whole "let them hit me" strategy when his opponent has clearly shown just how competent he is. The werewolf ducks beneath the swing, then shoots his leg up into an arc, batting at the chain from the side in an attempt to pull it to the ground beneath his foot in a sweeping motion of his own. Following through that, his other foot rises in a circle kick aimed at, apparently, Hannibal's ribs, extending his shield into a long razor.

[Draken]

Spoiler

Show

"Fear me? You don't need to fear me, Five. Every Hollow in existence fears me. Right Chero?"
KILL RIP TEAR FLESH SOUL BREAK

Cecilia is insane. It's well-known among the Espada - her madness extends to everything she does, from her Fraccion to her actions.

And yet she is never challenged.

Her madness compels her to throw cakes at the other Espada, dance in the streets, and cackle maniacally as she draws mustaches on her subordinates while they sleep.

And yet she is never challenged.

She is renowned for her deranged acts, for her wishy-washy nature, for her inability to sit still. She's one of the most questioned on why she has a position - she never does anything.

And yet
STAB SLICE CUT
She is
FIGHT YOU
never
DEATH
challenged.
GOD
"C'mon Five! You're supposed to be the smart one! What am I? Chero knows. You should know, Five! You've seen my form! You know Chero's full name! Translate it, and ask yourself..."

A pair of massive, blood-red eyes appear before the Fifth Espada, as the world slowly vanishes around him, delving into the darkened pits of Cecilia's mind.

"What am I?"
HOLLOW KILL HOLLOW KILL HOLLOW KILL
She laughs, a full, dancing melody, with an overlay of insanity mixed in it."I ask myself that every day! I have to remind myself every time I walk around! What. Am. I?"
SHINIGAMI
"Chero always says he knows."
SHINIGAMI
"And if she can protect me from her... Then I guess I know what I am right now too!"
SHINIGAMI
Cecilia's mind tips the brink of madness, and the blood-red eyes view Sabas' soul. Fears dance through her mind, and she faces them with a grin.

And then the world breaks into insanity.

"Can you face yourself, Five? Can you face your feeeaaaar~"

And Sabas Fortuna's worst nightmare appears in a black abyss of death.

Thou hath been spoilered for size.

What could be Sabas' greatest nightmare? We will be left hanging on that answer, most certainly. Because the ground trembles and edifications creak on their hinges in dangerous deference to their architect. The doors and windows of the building Cecilia and Sabas are within are covered by some crawling leviathan with a dreadfully known reiatsu.

It is not long after this peculiar fanfare that a wall melts away like an opening membrane, and the Ghost King, still in his release, appears. His ten green eyes burning like flame.

"Espada of Las Noches. Kneel before Your King."

[Frozen_Feet]

[Distrito Seis]

Not that the stab had much force left behind it anyway, since Vicente broke the arm doing it. As the blade is slowly reduced to nothing, the armor plates around that arm fall apart as if flesh suddenly disappeared from within them, and shatter like porcelain as they hit the ground.

It's unclear if Cuerva can see through the darkness Vicente created, but if she can, her last glance of Lalita would tell the armor of his Resurreccion and skin on his arms has been almost completely eaten away by her Hambre Cero. Lalita can't see what's going on anymore, but he feels the pressure on himself ease as Cuerva turns around. As last gesture of defiance, he points his two remaining blades into the blackness and releases the energy contained in them, hoping to hit Cuerva's back.

"Cero."

As two lances of white flame shoot forward, the spatial folding completes and separates body of the Decima from Hueco Mundo. His extended hands are cut at the wrist by the twist of dimensions, and they clatter to the ground, slowly crumbling to ash.

As for the serpent... Cuerva might pride herself in being able to create an illusion of life, but animation of the creature before her is not a simple mirage, and neither is it dependent on its creator guiding it. Its snout is crushed as if a car hit its face, but it's too massive to be thrown from the pit by such a simple counter. As Cuerva turns, it coils around her, trying to regain hold of one of her wings, while at the same trying to wrap around her like a constrictor snake. Cuerva's aura gnaws at its glistening scales, but it's still nine-tenths of its original size.

---

[Distrito Diez]


"Uh, if she's a dude, I don't think I wanna stick it anywhere...", the Arrancar mumbles. Pico might be better off for not examining his train of thought too closely.

Then he snaps into attetion. "Yes, sir! Was just about to do that, sir! And... uh, about that other guy..." The Arrancar scratches his head. "It might be he wasn't one of us, sir. He had these dark clothes on him, bit like a Shinigami. Don't know what one would do around here, though..."

---

[Throne Room]

Stepping on the chain might be a tad unpleasant. It's boiling hot, after all. It also fades into steam so that the man can move freely without having to pull it from under his opponent. He jumps up and over Rouga's kick, and the steam reforms into a kanabo, which he swings down to clobber his enemy right on the head.

[Kuroimaken]

Wait... why am I doing this the hard way...?

It's around then that Rouga remembers he knows Kung Fu.

His hands reach skywards, palms facing each other. However, he positions himself underneath Hannibal rather than his weapon. When he swings down, both hands push at his opponent's wrists, causing the strike to miss as its trajectory is diverted to the side. Rouga then proceeds to "roll" sideways along his opponent's body, keeping contact at all times; his feet move around Hannibal's own, finally planting one between his legs as he catches his opponent's back, Then, he swings on his knees and projects his mass forward, hands adding to the area of contact of his shoulder. The motion seems soft and smooth to the outside observer; the impact on the other hand is a little bit like a runaway semi slamming headfirst into Hannibal to send him flying.

[Nicklance]

[Distrito Seis]

Not that the stab had much force left behind it anyway, since Vicente broke the arm doing it. As the blade is slowly reduced to nothing, the armor plates around that arm fall apart as if flesh suddenly disappeared from within them, and shatter like porcelain as they hit the ground.

It's unclear if Cuerva can see through the darkness Vicente created, but if she can, her last glance of Lalita would tell the armor of his Resurreccion and skin on his arms has been almost completely eaten away by her Hambre Cero. Lalita can't see what's going on anymore, but he feels the pressure on himself ease as Cuerva turns around. As last gesture of defiance, he points his two remaining blades into the blackness and releases the energy contained in them, hoping to hit Cuerva's back.

"Cero."

As two lances of white flame shoot forward, the spatial folding completes and separates body of the Decima from Hueco Mundo. His extended hands are cut at the wrist by the twist of dimensions, and they clatter to the ground, slowly crumbling to ash.

As for the serpent... Cuerva might pride herself in being able to create an illusion of life, but animation of the creature before her is not a simple mirage, and neither is it dependent on its creator guiding it. Its snout is crushed as if a car hit its face, but it's too massive to be thrown from the pit by such a simple counter. As Cuerva turns, it coils around her, trying to regain hold of one of her wings, while at the same trying to wrap around her like a constrictor snake. Cuerva's aura gnaws at its glistening scales, but it's still nine-tenths of its original size.

Cuerva got lucky, only one of the Ceros hits her in her face as she spins around trying to toss the serpent off. And as she can see the beam, her reiatsu rises up to meet beam with wall and the impact dulled by a third before it explodes.

Hurt but a mere blast to a being like her, the random spinning allows the other Cero to luckily and unintentionally hit the serpent instead, blasting a section of the coils away.

Drawing on her strength coursing through her emaciated frame, Cuerva's talons grew longer and sheathed in the inky-black reiatsu, her open palms bite into the serpent as she begins rending it into shreds in a spinning blitz.

After dealing with that mild annoyance, Cuerva regards Vicente in his released form. "An Avian, who would have known..."

[KnightDisciple]

After dealing with that mild annoyance, Cuerva regards Vicente in his released form. "An Avian, who would have known..."

"The smallest number possible before now, Lady Primera."

Vicente's tone is short and clipped, but polite.

When he detects that Lalita's energy is no longer in this dimension, the darkness immediately disappears.

Of course, he has other worries...

[Elsewhere in Distrito Seis]

The crowd of lesser Hollows is slowly being grinded to dust by the counter-attack of the Ciudad Baja garrison. But like their Mistress, the truly powerful insurgents have stayed away from the thick of the battle to wage hidden battles against targets that matter. One of them is sneaking around the crater, behind the lines of Ciudad Baja forces. He'd not bypassed them, though - he'd always been there, hiding in the shadows since the start of the invasion.

He'd been drawn to the site by a curious trail of vanished Hollows. He'd observed a few of his "allies" suddenly captured or incapacitated by a shade-like being. So far, the creature eluded his grasp, but now, it's conveniently made itself visible.

On the brink of the crater and middle of the open space created by the Primera and Decima figthing each other, there's little way for even Vicente to remain unnoticed.

The insurgent in the shadows materializes a bright blue dagger in his hand, then flings it straight towards the brand-new Septima...

Vicente seems oblivious to the dagger. That is, until it's about 10 feet away. Then it likely starts to wobble due to the force put out by the Primera.

The fact that at that same moment a half-dozen powerful Bala slam into said dagger probably helps.

Vicente's head is turned further than should be possible for a human-like creature, and his left arm is pointing up over his shoulder. There's a smirk on his face, his over-sized eye gleaming.

"Nice try. Next time stop breathing so loud, so only the dagger's movement gives you away.

Well. If I was training you, that's what I'd say. In actuality, you're dead as of now, your body just hasn't caught up yet."

His right arm fires a snap-shot Cero at the neck of the thing attacking Cuerva.

"My last bit of aid for the moment, Lady Cuerva. I seem to have other matters to attend. Some Hollows here don't know their betters."

Then he's gone. There's no sound to it, he's just gone in a blur of movement.

Wait, no, there he is. He's raking 5-inch talons at the intruding Arrancar's face, talons as sharp as any Zanpakutou. His face is impassive, as if made from stone. Each hand comes at a different angle, one looking to actually hit the enemy's head, the other his right shoulder.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Throne Room]

A shockwave sends waves of dust billowing through the wreckaged room as the man braces against the blow - and puts all his inhuman power into staying in place. His feet smoke as he digs his nails into air itself, leaving behind scorched trails. He grits his teeth, face distorting from concentration and pressure as he presses against Rouga's body.

Then, the Kanabo in his hands vanishes. With his back hand, he aims a titanically powerful open palm strike directly at Rouga's ugly snout.

"Tesshõ!"

---

[Distrito Seis]

Remnants of the Ouroboros sway and wobble, white-hot pieces of it floating around Vicente and Cuerva like fallout from a nuclear disaster as they have their brief interlude.

But despite its form, the creature was still a Cero, and of the most powerful kind. Now that Cuerva has destroyed its integrity, extra energy from Vicente's own beam causes it to go critical, and it does what Ceros are wont to do - explode.

Just as Vicente flies to maim his new opponent, he can feel a blast of hot air from behind - remnants of the snake join back together and spiral upward in as a blindingly bright conflagration. What it means for Cuerva remains to be seen.

As for his opponent - he is throughly crushed and shred to pieces, black blood spilling everywhere. And then... he vanishes.

Seventy-seven other daggers fly at Vicente from as many different directions.

"And you shoud learn to attack instead of telling your life story", seven voices echo from around him. "Gemelos Sonido. How do you like that?"

[AnimeKid]

[Distrito Seis

Fight-ception

Ivaz glares at Apolinar for a moment, and is about to respond when Kyoki and Ragunaroku cut in. Which brings more glaring.

...you guys all suck. She flips everybody off, then turns around and proceeds to tear an Arrancar apart with her bare hands.

Alright FINE, I'm leaving

Apolinar turns a glare like an exploding Cero onto the two random interlopers. "I take my 'fancy *ss army' where I please, you insignificant little-"

He stops to kill a random Arrancar that happened to be nearby, rather drowning out his reply. Good, I couldn't really type it out anyway.

"There's only a very select few I answer to and it isn't any of you. But if you insist you had this sector completely covered with just the three of you..." He sprints towards his steed, leaping on top as it incinerates a whole bunch of Arrancar. "I shall go cover somewhere else, since you are doing such a fantastic job here."

Ragunaroku punches out another arrancar as he says, Yes as a matter of fact we do have it all under control here." He then turns to Ivaz and forcefully drags Kyoki over by thrusting his body as he says, "You see hot stuff you just gotta show guys like that you don't like to be f*cked with and they eventually get the picture."

Kyoki sighs as she says, "YOu could have just politely asked him to leave. He could be an Espada for all we know and I don't want to get into trouble." She slices through another arrancar and uses her sonido for short bursts that allow her to rapidly cut down enemies and she finishes by bisecting an enemy that had been sneaking up on her.

Raunarok gets a tick mark on his head as he says, "Oi! You want me to hang you upside down again!" "No then all the blood will start rushing to my head and make me act all loopy and then I won't know how to deal with anything!"

[Kuroimaken]

[Throne Room]

A shockwave sends waves of dust billowing through the wreckaged room as the man braces against the blow - and puts all his inhuman power into staying in place. His feet smoke as he digs his nails into air itself, leaving behind scorched trails. He grits his teeth, face distorting from concentration and pressure as he presses against Rouga's body.

Then, the Kanabo in his hands vanishes. With his back hand, he aims a titanically powerful open palm strike directly at Rouga's ugly snout.

"Tesshõ!"

---

[Distrito Seis]

Remnants of the Ouroboros sway and wobble, white-hot pieces of it floating around Vicente and Cuerva like fallout from a nuclear disaster as they have their brief interlude.

But despite its form, the creature was still a Cero, and of the most powerful kind. Now that Cuerva has destroyed its integrity, extra energy from Vicente's own beam causes it to go critical, and it does what Ceros are wont to do - explode.

Just as Vicente flies to maim his new opponent, he can feel a blast of hot air from behind - remnants of the snake join back together and spiral upward in as a blindingly bright conflagration. What it means for Cuerva remains to be seen.

As for his opponent - he is throughly crushed and shred to pieces, black blood spilling everywhere. And then... he vanishes.

Seventy-seven other daggers fly at Vicente from as many different directions.

"And you shoud learn to attack instead of telling your life story", seven voices echo from around him. "Gemelos Sonido. How do you like that?"

Rouga offers no resistance to the impact. He merely pulls his body out of the way by like a fraction of an inch - or so much as to give Hannibal the impression that he SHOULD have been hit when he isn't. As if to add insult to injury, Rouga's right hand comes up and "brushes" against Hannibal's arm, which uses his own strength in an effort to unbalance him. Following the motion through, Rouga swats towards Hannibal's face with the back of his hand. The movement is deceptively slow, or at least it feels that way, but the Vizard's battle-honed instincts scream at him to get the hell out of the way.

What kind of trickery is this?

------------------------

"Honestly, it's in poor taste. Afterimages are SO last century."

There's a faint hum in the air, and the stranger can both hear and anticipate rather fast-flying razor wires shooting at him from behind.

So the question becomes, which way to dodge? If he chooses to turn in order to face his assailant, he'll find there's nothing but a blotch of darkness flying at him.

Those seem to be in fashion lately.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Distrito Seis

Ragunaroku punches out another arrancar as he says, Yes as a matter of fact we do have it all under control here." He then turns to Ivaz and forcefully drags Kyoki over by thrusting his body as he says, "You see hot stuff you just gotta show guys like that you don't like to be f*cked with and they eventually get the picture."

Yeah, I know that. Sheesh. But, there comes a point when you gotta realize that sometimes, you just can't punch everybody in the face. Cause eventually, you're gonna find the person who not only takes the punch, they respond by ripping your arm off and beating you over the head with it.

Kyoki sighs as she says, "YOu could have just politely asked him to leave. He could be an Espada for all we know and I don't want to get into trouble." She slices through another arrancar and uses her sonido for short bursts that allow her to rapidly cut down enemies and she finishes by bisecting an enemy that had been sneaking up on her.

Ivaz gives a short laugh. Honey, I don't do polite. ever.

Raunarok gets a tick mark on his head as he says, "Oi! You want me to hang you upside down again!" "No then all the blood will start rushing to my head and make me act all loopy and then I won't know how to deal with anything!" "Then I suggest you-"

Kyoki looks up as she says, "Another arrancar release? but the enemies of this wave don't warranted it. Hey Ivaz, me and Ragunaroku will go check it out. Don't worry we'll be back." Ragunaroku surprised at being ignored is quiet as they sonido towards the location.

Ivaz watches them go for a moment, then shrugs. Whatever. More for me. She continues her bare-handed destruction of Arrancars.

[KnightDisciple]

[Distrito Seis]

Remnants of the Ouroboros sway and wobble, white-hot pieces of it floating around Vicente and Cuerva like fallout from a nuclear disaster as they have their brief interlude.

But despite its form, the creature was still a Cero, and of the most powerful kind. Now that Cuerva has destroyed its integrity, extra energy from Vicente's own beam causes it to go critical, and it does what Ceros are wont to do - explode.

Just as Vicente flies to maim his new opponent, he can feel a blast of hot air from behind - remnants of the snake join back together and spiral upward in as a blindingly bright conflagration. What it means for Cuerva remains to be seen.

As for his opponent - he is throughly crushed and shred to pieces, black blood spilling everywhere. And then... he vanishes.

Seventy-seven other daggers fly at Vicente from as many different directions.

"And you shoud learn to attack instead of telling your life story", seven voices echo from around him. "Gemelos Sonido. How do you like that?"

Vicente was talking before. Mostly because he wasn't really giving much thought to someone who threw a single dagger at his back without following up on the attack.

Now he doesn't speak, doesn't show emotion; instead, he simply moves and acts.

His eyes flicker across all the incoming projectiles at once. His own arms blur, and Bala flicker out like bullets from a machine gun to counter most of them. The rest strike only ground, as the Septima is simply gone. Well, he's around, but it's hard to pin him down.

"Honestly, it's in poor taste. Afterimages are SO last century."

There's a faint hum in the air, and the stranger can both hear and anticipate rather fast-flying razor wires shooting at him from behind.

So the question becomes, which way to dodge? If he chooses to turn in order to face his assailant, he'll find there's nothing but a blotch of darkness flying at him.

Those seem to be in fashion lately.

And right as that blotch comes at him from one direction, from another direction, two feathers approach each of his seven locations as he fast-moves from one place to the other. They flit about in the breeze before at least one of them is likely sucked in by the airstream of his movement, thus adhering to his body.

Which means that the zone of darkness that pops up around him, and around the other feathers at that same instant, is mobile.

If he stops for even a moment, Vicente will strike with terrifying speed and power.
If he keeps moving desperately, Vicente will just listen for the tell-tale sounds of a blind man trying Sonido before striking.

[Terry576]

What could be Sabas' greatest nightmare? We will be left hanging on that answer, most certainly. Because the ground trembles and edifications creak on their hinges in dangerous deference to their architect. The doors and windows of the building Cecilia and Sabas are within are covered by some crawling leviathan with a dreadfully known reiatsu.

It is not long after this peculiar fanfare that a wall melts away like an opening membrane, and the Ghost King, still in his release, appears. His ten green eyes burning like flame.

"Espada of Las Noches. Kneel before Your King."

Cecilia's death's head, covered in a cowl, pops out of a shadow nearby. "Ghooooooooostiiiiiie! Do you always have to ruin my fun?"

She slowly emerges from the shadow, pulling herself upwards out of it until the girl stands before him, as bubbly as ever.

"I was just getting to the good part! His nightmares, his darkest fears, they were going to roam the streets of his mind, shattering his very existence! It would have been absolutely... absolutely..."

She moans and hugs herself, shivering quietly, a flush covering her face as she giggles.

"Exquisite! Since when do I have to tell you whenever I try to break your Swords minds! Chero doesn't have that kind of patience, right Chero?"
KILL RAPE HOLLOW DIE
She nods seriously at the Ghost King, and does an elegant bow, looking up and winking at him.
"All hail the King of Hollows, may he live forever! May the blood of your enemies run like the rivers of the Nile, and bless your allies with your glory."

She's watching him carefully, checking for any sort of reaction. It's a game of hers, really. Throwing out insults and compliments from different eras, trying to guess those who are 'unfathomably old' as a number. She did it with her all the time, before the... incident.

[Nicklance]

[Distrito Seis]

Remnants of the Ouroboros sway and wobble, white-hot pieces of it floating around Vicente and Cuerva like fallout from a nuclear disaster as they have their brief interlude.

But despite its form, the creature was still a Cero, and of the most powerful kind. Now that Cuerva has destroyed its integrity, extra energy from Vicente's own beam causes it to go critical, and it does what Ceros are wont to do - explode.

Just as Vicente flies to maim his new opponent, he can feel a blast of hot air from behind - remnants of the snake join back together and spiral upward in as a blindingly bright conflagration. What it means for Cuerva remains to be seen.

As for his opponent - he is throughly crushed and shred to pieces, black blood spilling everywhere. And then... he vanishes.

Seventy-seven other daggers fly at Vicente from as many different directions.

"And you shoud learn to attack instead of telling your life story", seven voices echo from around him. "Gemelos Sonido. How do you like that?"

The blast wasn't unexpected but Cuerva could not react even if she wanted to. All her reiatsu could do in her stead was rear itself up and around her and harden into a thick egg-like shell just as the serpent explodes.

As the inky-black egg crumbles away after the blast, Cuerva momentarily stands bereft of her Fundamental and missing both her arms. Her wings made from stronger and tougher material is only in tatters, and the feathers made of reiryoku springs back quickly.

Regeneration of her arms would require a light snack, and for the unfortunate Hollows leaping at her thinking they caught the Primera at her weakest, her Hambre Cero fires from the center of her Hollow hole and feasts on those foolish enough to think they can challenge an Ancient.

As her Hambre Cero feeds, Cuerva's arms begin to regenerate quickly, and in some moments, her dark dress emerges again. Checking her power reserves, Cuerva frowns at expending far more reiryoku than she expected against an Espada. There would not be enough of the invaders left to feed on if she does not hurry. Genoveva might lurk around the area as well, and Famine will surely track her down eventually.

Right now, Cuerva takes to the air, directing her Hambre Cero like a vacuum cleaner, slowly but surely eating her energy back to optimum levels.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Throne Room]

The man moves his head out of the way - trickery or not, it's a punch and he sees it coming. But at the same time, he swings his other towards Rouga's opposing shoulder, as if throwing something...

... and throw something he does. The steam reforms to a chain again, and as lenght of it slides through his grip, the man reaches to grab the other end with his other hand. It's looping rather nicely around Rouga's head... now if he could just tug it fast enough and tighten it around his neck! Trying to choke the Arrancar with his bare hands proved out to be too painful, but with a chain...

---

[Distrito Seis - Near Vicente]

The daggers prove to be fakes - all of them. Balas fly harmlessly through them and blast at the surroundings.

Meanwhile, the razor wires pierce their hapless target and his blood spills on the streets... but if Serazel goes to check the body, he'll notice his victim was already dead, placed there as a decoy. The two feathers next to it float uselessly to the ground, unless they stick to Serazel instead.

As for the six other pairs of feathers, Vicente can note they aren't moving either. Further inspection suggests there never was anyone in any of those locations, or his opponent is moving too slowly to create such a current. It seems the trick has more to do with some kind of ventriloquism than high-speed movement.

Cuerva's Hambre Cero flies past the brand-new Octava and Septima as they ponder this observation. Around them, fighting is starting to slow down, and Cuerva is running out of enemy soldiers to devour. The obvious part of invasion seems to be crushed.

But even through the chaos, Vicente can hear a ticking sound. It's coming from under the body Serazel is facing. Hmmm...

[Kuroimaken]

The fun part is that although the body SHOULD have been chopped to ribbons... it wasn't. At least, not really.

Fact is, Serazel was merely throwing an illusion at the opponent's perceived location to force a reaction. At least in this, he has managed to spot the decoy.

The newly-crowned Octava actually isn't amid the blotch of darkness.

"Oooooo, you're GOOD, kiddo. Guess I ain't the only magician in this show." A voice like Serazel's echoed across the battlefield.

"Which begs the question. You going anywhere with this?"

_________________________________

Continuing the spinning motion, Rouga ducks under the swinging fist, lightly 'tapping' his foe underneath the side of the elbow joint. Or at least it feels like a light tap, in that it doesn't seem to hold enough strength to actually harm the Vizard, but it tweaks the angle of the chain as it slides out of his hand. It bounces seemingly without harm off the Arrancar's shoulderblade as he bends his legs at the knee, moving surprisingly low considering his greater height. His free hand reaches for Hannibal's abdomen, placing his palm against it; and produces a small, but rather violent shockwave at the briefest touch.

Regardless of his success, Rouga backsteps, leaning back on his legs, crouching at an odd angle, one hand positioned in front, palm facing his foe, the other turned inwards.

He finally speaks for the first time since he transformed.

"Tensengyakushou. It doesn't matter how powerful you are, my hands will end you."

Spoiler

Show

Tensengyakushou: Heavenly River Reverse Palm.

Hannibal might recognize the name as a supposedly-lost soft form Kung Fu variation. The name is made up, mind.

[Steilos]

Ok, Seriously, I'm Off

Apolinar charges off into the distance, killing a whole quantity more random schleps while secretly hoping someone half-important would actually fight him.

[KnightDisciple]

[Distrito Seis - Near Vicente]

The daggers prove to be fakes - all of them. Balas fly harmlessly through them and blast at the surroundings.

Meanwhile, the razor wires pierce their hapless target and his blood spills on the streets... but if Serazel goes to check the body, he'll notice his victim was already dead, placed there as a decoy. The two feathers next to it float uselessly to the ground, unless they stick to Serazel instead.

As for the six other pairs of feathers, Vicente can note they aren't moving either. Further inspection suggests there never was anyone in any of those locations, or his opponent is moving too slowly to create such a current. It seems the trick has more to do with some kind of ventriloquism than high-speed movement.

Cuerva's Hambre Cero flies past the brand-new Octava and Septima as they ponder this observation. Around them, fighting is starting to slow down, and Cuerva is running out of enemy soldiers to devour. The obvious part of invasion seems to be crushed.

But even through the chaos, Vicente can hear a ticking sound. It's coming from under the body Serazel is facing. Hmmm...

The fun part is that although the body SHOULD have been chopped to ribbons... it wasn't. At least, not really.

Fact is, Serazel was merely throwing an illusion at the opponent's perceived location to force a reaction. At least in this, he has managed to spot the decoy.

The newly-crowned Octava actually isn't amid the blotch of darkness.

"Oooooo, you're GOOD, kiddo. Guess I ain't the only magician in this show." A voice like Serazel's echoed across the battlefield.

"Which begs the question. You going anywhere with this?"

[Distrito Seis]

Vicente's expression doesn't change as he views the false nature of the daggers. He simply notes the fact in an ever-growing "file" on what this enemy can do. He still does not speak, and none of his feathers activate.

His head twitches from side to side for a moment, before he blurs out of sight. It's clear that all 3 members of this fight are hiding.

But while all are likely excellent hunters, only one of them has supernaturally sharp hearing, enhanced by his body's owl-like properties.

Vicente knows there's only 2 ways to achieve ventriloquism. Either his foe is using blatantly illusory sound, and thus must be expelling some measure of his energy in a form that's detectable if you're thorough, or he's actually just speaking and throwing his voice.

If it's the former, the Septima's senses ought to be able to start narrowing him down, especially if Serazel helps flush him out.
If it's the latter...well, that's what these giant ears are for, dear Red Riding Hood.

So Vicente lurks, and waits, and listens. His foe will slip up soon enough. Because while this Arrancar might be good, Vicente was better.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Throne Room]

Spit like molten metal spills from the man's mouth and he bends forward in pain as Rouga strikes him. The chain turns back into steam, and the steam is dispersed by the shockwave quaking through the air.

But then, the man straightens. For first time in a long while, Rouga can see his human eyes. They're bloodshot to the point there's almost no whites to be seen, just a mix of red and purple around tiny pinprick pupils. And they are filled with enough primal anger as to stop lesser men's hearts from fear.

The ground below the man's feet is torn apart as he rushes after his opponent with all the speed his combination of Shunpo and Sonido grants him. "Ikkotsu!", he roars as he aims a monstrous punch at Rouga's left knee with his front hand. It's a shorter way of telling not if mine end you first!

---

[Distrito Seis]

The battlefield seems almost eeriely empty now that Apolinar and his troops stormed away, with none of the three remaining fighters being apparent in their presene. As Vicente lurks and listens, the ticking continues. It might occur to him there's something familiar to it - it's similar to beating of some tiny animal.

Then, suddenly a loud voice echoes through the air. "BOO!" While it seems to come from multiple directions at once, Vicente can pinpoint the original source - it's unmistakingly coming from the decoy Serazel discovered.

[Kuroimaken]

[Throne Room]

Spit like molten metal spills from the man's mouth and he bends forward in pain as Rouga strikes him. The chain turns back into steam, and the steam is dispersed by the shockwave quaking through the air.

But then, the man straightens. For first time in a long while, Rouga can see his human eyes. They're bloodshot to the point there's almost no whites to be seen, just a mix of red and purple around tiny pinprick pupils. And they are filled with enough primal anger as to stop lesser men's hearts from fear.

The ground below the man's feet is torn apart as he rushes after his opponent with all the speed his combination of Shunpo and Sonido grants him. "Ikkotsu!", he roars as he aims a monstrous punch at Rouga's left knee with his front hand. It's a shorter way of telling not if mine end you first!

---

[Distrito Seis]

The battlefield seems almost eeriely empty now that Apolinar and his troops stormed away, with none of the three remaining fighters being apparent in their presene. As Vicente lurks and listens, the ticking continues. It might occur to him there's something familiar to it - it's similar to beating of some tiny animal.

Then, suddenly a loud voice echoes through the air. "BOO!" While it seems to come from multiple directions at once, Vicente can pinpoint the original source - it's unmistakingly coming from the decoy Serazel discovered.

[The Throne Room]

If Rouga's current form could grin, he would most definitely do so. Getting Hannibal angry and unthinking was his objective all along. Still, he demonstrates significant smarts in trying to disable his dodging first.

But fast as he is, the move is anticipated one more excrutiating time. To dodge this, Rouga pulls his left knee behind his right leg in a cross, and sits in what APPEARS to be an impossible position at first glance as he bends his knees and sits on his ankles. With this motion, he brings his left elbow down on Hannibal's wrist, guiding it to strike the ground. Strangely enough, the impact isn't as strong as the previous have proven to be, perhaps because it is applied with a joint rather than the end of an appendage. His muscular legs flex upwards, unraveling from their previous position as the wolf-man spins to Hannibal's side and expands his shield like a wall to try and send his opponent away. If successful, he turns to the Vizard and calls it:

"Let's finish this."

[Draken]

Cecilia's death's head, covered in a cowl, pops out of a shadow nearby. "Ghooooooooostiiiiiie! Do you always have to ruin my fun?"

She slowly emerges from the shadow, pulling herself upwards out of it until the girl stands before him, as bubbly as ever.

"I was just getting to the good part! His nightmares, his darkest fears, they were going to roam the streets of his mind, shattering his very existence! It would have been absolutely... absolutely..."

She moans and hugs herself, shivering quietly, a flush covering her face as she giggles.

"Exquisite! Since when do I have to tell you whenever I try to break your Swords minds! Chero doesn't have that kind of patience, right Chero?"
KILL RAPE HOLLOW DIE
She nods seriously at the Ghost King, and does an elegant bow, looking up and winking at him.
"All hail the King of Hollows, may he live forever! May the blood of your enemies run like the rivers of the Nile, and bless your allies with your glory."

She's watching him carefully, checking for any sort of reaction. It's a game of hers, really. Throwing out insults and compliments from different eras, trying to guess those who are 'unfathomably old' as a number. She did it with her all the time, before the... incident.

Von Geister frowns, the only indication o such in him inhuman face is a darkening on the tint of his burning green eyes.

"Timing, Cecilia, is everything."

Von Geister's tentacles ram on the sides of the building, their hollow tips visible through the walls, and he uses these as leverage to drag his enormous bulk into the structure.

"Yours is off. The city is under attack and already I must contend with two unruly espada turning on their peers in outright defiance of My edicts."

The first drip of blight falls from the ceiling onto Cecilia's head, the second falls nearby, soon enough blight is growing everywhere like an old infestation.

"It makes me question the utility of the freedom awarded you all, at times. Now, lets put these grim thoughts aside and turn this pent-up frustration on Genevieve's little force, shall you? I do believe I have pressing matters to tend to in my throne room."

[KnightDisciple]

[Distrito Seis]

The battlefield seems almost eeriely empty now that Apolinar and his troops stormed away, with none of the three remaining fighters being apparent in their presene. As Vicente lurks and listens, the ticking continues. It might occur to him there's something familiar to it - it's similar to beating of some tiny animal.

Then, suddenly a loud voice echoes through the air. "BOO!" While it seems to come from multiple directions at once, Vicente can pinpoint the original source - it's unmistakingly coming from the decoy Serazel discovered.

[Distrito Seis]

Vicente doesn't even flinch at the sudden shout. Instead, he turns toward the decoy, considering things for a moment.

A single feather flies through the air and lands on the ground next to the decoy. It's followed shortly by a Cero aimed as squarely as possibly at the sound, followed by a short barrage of Bala.

Vicente almost immediately moves from that position, his great wings flapping in total silence as he finds another nearby perch, waiting to see the results of his "test".

[Frozen_Feet]

[Throne Room]

Redirecting the man's punch feels about as easy as changing the course of a falling star, and its effects are about as cataclysmic as it hits the ground. The man's hand sinks elbow-deep into the floor and cracks spread from the point of impact. Remaing walls shake violently and then the roof starts coming down, courtesy of the whole floor having been knocked down by an inch or two.

The man pulls his arm from the ground with unexpected ease and slides away from Rouga as he spins, punching against the "wall" with his other hand. Rouga can feel his Shield deforming from the force. He might continue to expand it forward, but before he does, the man conjures his sword back to his now freed hand.

Then, for lack of a better word, he cuts a hole the wall. Rouga can feel his Reiatsu seeping through like poison into a wound. And then, the man rushes through, each of his heavy steps sounding like thunderclaps as he storms against the forces pushing him back. He grips his sword with both hands again and swings it in a wide arc, expect mid swing, it abruptly turns into steam. He quickly adjusts his stance and then returns the swing with all force he can - expect now he's holding an axe instead of a sword.

---

[Distrito Seis]

Whatever caused the ticking, Vicente's outburts destroys it completely as his attacks tear through remains of the decoy. He feels the results as soon as his feet touch ground again - tiny, tiny vibrations can be felt surging through the structure.

A split-second later, his foothold is obliterated as myriad glowing-blue blades strike through it in rapid succession. For a moment ruble obscures then one throwing them, but then, through the darkness, Vicente can see a four-armed skeletal being flinging them at him.

[Kuroimaken]

[Throne Room]

Redirecting the man's punch feels about as easy as changing the course of a falling star, and its effects are about as cataclysmic as it hits the ground. The man's hand sinks elbow-deep into the floor and cracks spread from the point of impact. Remaing walls shake violently and then the roof starts coming down, courtesy of the whole floor having been knocked down by an inch or two.

The man pulls his arm from the ground with unexpected ease and slides away from Rouga as he spins, punching against the "wall" with his other hand. Rouga can feel his Shield deforming from the force. He might continue to expand it forward, but before he does, the man conjures his sword back to his now freed hand.

Then, for lack of a better word, he cuts a hole the wall. Rouga can feel his Reiatsu seeping through like poison into a wound. And then, the man rushes through, each of his heavy steps sounding like thunderclaps as he storms against the forces pushing him back. He grips his sword with both hands again and swings it in a wide arc, expect mid swing, it abruptly turns into steam. He quickly adjusts his stance and then returns the swing with all force he can - expect now he's holding an axe instead of a sword.

---

[Distrito Seis]

Whatever caused the ticking, Vicente's outburts destroys it completely as his attacks tear through remains of the decoy. He feels the results as soon as his feet touch ground again - tiny, tiny vibrations can be felt surging through the structure.

A split-second later, his foothold is obliterated as myriad glowing-blue blades strike through it in rapid succession. For a moment ruble obscures then one throwing them, but then, through the darkness, Vicente can see a four-armed skeletal being flinging them at him.

He's persistent, I'll give him that. And that persistence may well cost me my head...

...but even if it does, I'm taking him down with me!

Taking a mighty step forward, Rouga's palm flies towards Hannibal's chest, striking it with a deafening thump, which the Vizard may well feel rocking his heart to its core.

But this strike comes at a price.

Namely, that his head is separated from his shoulders. It flies forward, landing neck first into the ground, facing Hannibal's back. Rouga's head returns to its unsealed form, but his body doesn't - seemingly frozen in time when it delivered the last blow.

[Frozen_Feet]

The man is too committed to his feint to block the wolf paw coming for him. Just as the axe severs Rouga's neck, the rest of his body crashes against the man and throws him back.

The man lies still for a moment, then crawls up. He gives a wary look at Rouga's still standing body, but then has to double up again as a fit of hacking cough strikes him. Spittle like molten metal forms a pool on the ground.

The unstable building around him is creaking and quaking. A large part of the roof slams down not too far from Rouga. Deciding he doesn't want to dig himself from rubble again, the man leaps to his foe's head - but his landing ends up failing as sudden pain in his chest drops him to one knee. He stays put for a moment, grasping his chest with his right hand, before reaching and grabbing the head with it. His sword in his left, the man starts walking. A support falls straight on his head, but breaks apart at the point of impact without really slowing him down. It's only real effect seems to be cracking his mask. Jaw of the bone Hannya mask drops on the doorstep of the throne room, just before its doors topple and fall to the ground. Rouga's still standing body soon gets buried in the debris.

As the man gets back to the Ciudad Baja and the Menos forest it is part of, he stabs his sword to the ground and takes off his mask. A trickle of blood is running down his bruised lip as he regards the Hollow dwellings. Then, he sneaks into the shadows and aims for one of the closest tunnels...

((OOC: Still hoping/waiting for Pico to show up...))

[InyutheBeatIs]

[Distrito Diez]


"Uh, if she's a dude, I don't think I wanna stick it anywhere...", the Arrancar mumbles. Pico might be better off for not examining his train of thought too closely.

Then he snaps into attetion. "Yes, sir! Was just about to do that, sir! And... uh, about that other guy..." The Arrancar scratches his head. "It might be he wasn't one of us, sir. He had these dark clothes on him, bit like a Shinigami. Don't know what one would do around here, though..."

((I'm heeeeeeeeeere!! *slams into a wall*))

Pico doesn't even seem to skip a beat at the Arrancar's mumbling, instead skipping straight to OH GOD WHAT SHINIGAMI?!

"Wait, WHAT?! A shinigami?! Here?! How did he get past the- NEVERMIND! LISTEN UP!" Pico then points outside of the barracks. "I sent a bunch of the morons I've got for minions over here to help you clean up around here. Take everything that you think will be useful, and I mean everything, take the damn walls if you think that will be useful! Then head for where the battle is and help however you can. Also, if you feel like you need to, let's just say that if anyone asks, I didn't know you were going to hijack any unnecessary supply lines, you follow?"

Pico then starts walking outside. "In the meantime, I'm gonna figure out who the hell this guy is. Don't screw anything up for me!" Leaving just enough time for the Arrancar to respond, Pico then disappears in an electric whine.

Moments later, he appears floating above the city, letting out Pesquisas everywhere, trying to peer through the spiritual fog of war that seems to have clouded the entirety of Las Noches. After a few moments of futile searching, Pico lets out a growl of frustration and lowers himself back down to the ground, running around frantically in search of any strange signatures.

[Frozen_Feet]

Pico doesn't find any strange signatures. He does notice many familiar ones, though; that of Lalita Tandon, flaring brightly and moving rapidly across the city, before vanishing abruptly; that of Cuerva de Sangre, appearing out of nowhere and then rising to unparalled heights; Apolinar and his troops, fighting against the invading horde; that of the Ghost King, spread through the very foundations of the city...

... and that of Rouga Sougami, once he ventures close to Ciudad Baja gates. It's reminescent of the time when his mentor ran past him on the great mountain. It feels like he's fighting another powerful Hollow...

... when suddenly, his Reiatsu output is cut, as if someone took a knife to it.

[Nicklance]

Pico doesn't find any strange signatures. He does notice many familiar ones, though; that of Lalita Tandon, flaring brightly and moving rapidly across the city, before vanishing abruptly; that of Cuerva de Sangre, appearing out of nowhere and then rising to unparalled heights; Apolinar and his troops, fighting against the invading horde; that of the Ghost King, spread through the very foundations of the city...

... and that of Rouga Sougami, once he ventures close to Ciudad Baja gates. It's reminescent of the time when his mentor ran past him on the great mountain. It feels like he's fighting another powerful Hollow...

... when suddenly, his Reiatsu output is cut, as if someone took a knife to it.

As the fighting begins to die down, Cuerva's air superiority is hardly needed any longer.

She surveys her Storm Legions, only 1 platoon is left and quite worse for wear. The rest had been wiped out or too injured to regenerate properly. If Vicente has something for that, all the better, if not, they can serve in administration. This is what happens when you do not have enough time to train and gather a formidable force, but thankfully what she has is sufficient enough.

But still, the fact that she had to involve herself means Las Noches is still not ready to have a buffer of powerful troops between the invaders and the Espada. This means that the defense lines are really thin.

Still perched in the air, Cuerva extends her hungry Pesquisa outwards, trying to take stock of any surviving Espada and allies. She senses Rouga's reiatsu and the abrupt loss of it. The shock sent her nearly tumbling through the air, but with great speed she rushes to his last felt position, arriving just in time with Pico.

[Steilos]

Apolinar takes his legions and moves them up to reinforce what was left of the Storm Legions and to wrap up the ground battle. With these weaklings taken care of, there should only be the leaders left. Unless of course they were already dead. But smashing these sorry excuses for Arrancar into dust was pretty fun in of itself, so there was that.

[KnightDisciple]

[Distrito Seis]

Whatever caused the ticking, Vicente's outburts destroys it completely as his attacks tear through remains of the decoy. He feels the results as soon as his feet touch ground again - tiny, tiny vibrations can be felt surging through the structure.

A split-second later, his foothold is obliterated as myriad glowing-blue blades strike through it in rapid succession. For a moment ruble obscures then one throwing them, but then, through the darkness, Vicente can see a four-armed skeletal being flinging them at him.

[Distrito Seis]

Vicente's probing attack with his Cero, made from a perch that was at least 50 yards distant and on a totally different structure, was less an "outburst" and more a "tactical manuever". It had been carefully calculated to either trigger the "booby trap" (which seemed to be the case) or potentially drive out his opponent (which had also happened, but through a different medium than he exactly expected).

The enemy who somehow was located on the distinct structure chosen at random. Dumb luck, precognition, or malevolent reality warping. No matter what, he had to die.

Especially since he'd totally evaded Vicente's senses despite being in a building that was clearly not made of sekkiseki stone. Such was life, it seemed.

The air filled with a full 20 feathers scattered in front of Vicente. Then it was filled with spheres of floating and dancing darkness. Vicente didn't really mind it, though, and sent twinned Cero at his opponent that bracketed him on either side. Then he flapped his mighty wings and dashed to one side, and then below a bit, waiting to see if the barrage would subside, or what his opponent's next move would be.

Spoiler

Show

OOC: Kind of annoyed how this guy magically happened to be under Vicente despite the latter explicitly moving around as he probed at the decoy.
And that you're calling it an "outburst" despite the fact he's just calmly assessing the situation.