[BiTPR2] Renewed Revolution: Spirit World III

[5a Violista]

[Las Noches]

The Sin Rostro doesn't do anything....and I think it's safe to say it will remain that way. ((By the way, do you know how creepy it would be to walk back into your room and find one of the Sin Rostro staring right past you?))


When Mikael finds Valentina, she's looking for him as well. After all, he just vanished with that thing and she wasn't listening at that moment.

"Oh, Mikael, there you..." she starts.

Then, after hearing what he wanted, she nods. "Okay." She makes a Pesquisa, and then says, "I think they're this way."

Then, at a brisk pace, she goes towards wherever Jehoel and the two other mortals are at. ((I don't know where it's at, so...))

[ImpSyndrome]

[Hollow Heart in the Valley of Ash]

Once again, Satoshi's sorcery proves... mostly ineffective. At least, it doesn't seem to be doing any real damage. It does give him precious seconds to maneuver though.

He can practically hear Urameshi's voice screaming at him to use his damn fists already.

It's too bad Urameshi isn't there right now, because Satoshi hasn't even considered using Hakuda against the brutish Hollow. Its strength and endurance are quite reminiscent of Tsuchigumo, the foe that crushed Satoshi one week ago. The similarity has him reluctant to fight it up close, even with Kido; he fears the consequences of failure enough to exercise great caution in his tactics.

With no idea how to damage the Hollow and no intention of getting anywhere near its powerful limbs, the Shinigami newbie backs away from the creature. He's go no clue how to fight it off with the observations he's made so far, and with no tools or useful features in his vicinity, there's not much else he can do but continue to evade and observe his foe, although even that seems to be a challenge now...

[Kuroimaken]

Urameshi's lessons come to Satoshi's mind again.

"Dammit, Satoshi! These are Hollow-slaying techniques! You shouldn't be afraid to use your fists! What if a Hollow disarms you, sends your Zanpakutou flying? What will you do then?

Here, watch..."

Spoiler

Show

Satoshi is thus reminded of a soft-style impact technique he could use.

The angered Hollow begins to trash as if that would make it free itself more easily. It's getting angrier. Less focused. The novice Shinigami could use that to his advantage.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Las Noches]

The Sin Rostro doesn't do anything....and I think it's safe to say it will remain that way. ((By the way, do you know how creepy it would be to walk back into your room and find one of the Sin Rostro staring right past you?))


When Mikael finds Valentina, she's looking for him as well. After all, he just vanished with that thing and she wasn't listening at that moment.

"Oh, Mikael, there you..." she starts.

Then, after hearing what he wanted, she nods. "Okay." She makes a Pesquisa, and then says, "I think they're this way."

Then, at a brisk pace, she goes towards wherever Jehoel and the two other mortals are at. ((I don't know where it's at, so...))

Apparently, the answer is the Grand Library of Las Noches. Mikael and Valentina interrupt Rin's and Tamaki's studying as they walk in. Mikael leaves Valentina to her devices and, disregardimg Rin and Jehoel, heads straight for Tamaki. "Hey. Tamaki guy. I have a few questions to you. Can you spare a few minutes?"

[ImpSyndrome]

[Hollow Heart in the Valley of Ash]

Urameshi's lessons come to Satoshi's mind again.

Indeed it does, because the newbie caught a rather nasty punishment at his rebuttle, which went something like...

"Well, if that happens, I'm certainly not going to stick around to get beaten to death! What good would it be using my fists if they can't do anything worth writing home about?!"

It was only at this point that Urameshi showed him a type of Hakuda skill that better suited his more fragile build. In the heat of the battle, he had completely forgotten about that technique, but his current anxiety resonates with what he felt back then, and the memory follows with it. Armed with this knowledge, he turned back to his target and prepared to attack once more...

The angered Hollow begins to trash as if that would make it free itself more easily. It's getting angrier. Less focused. The novice Shinigami could use that to his advantage.

Satoshi takes a ready stance for a moment before running toward the Hollow, poised to strike. Unfortunately, the raging beast is still flailing around, and it manages to strike him with a lucky swing as he gets close. He stumbles back a few paces and shakes his head a few times before watching for a better opening, though he's getting frustrated just like the Hollow at this point...

((I figure it'd be less of an accomplishment if he killed it while it's trapped. Let's keep things interesting for another exchange or two...))

[Kuroimaken]

Spoiler

Show

Works for me.

Oh yeah, good times. Satoshi had to do three thousand situps for that one.

"Discretion can sometimes be the better part of valor, but so is courage. A lot of the time, things may seem hopeless, but they'll only really be if you let them."

The Hollow finally yanks free, cracking up dust and dirt as it does. It charges at Satoshi again, practically galloping on its aracnid legs for a hard shot.

[ImpSyndrome]

[Hollow Heart in the Valley of Ash]

The Hollow finally yanks free, cracking up dust and dirt as it does. It charges at Satoshi again, practically galloping on its aracnid legs for a hard shot.

Satoshi watches the Hollow's approach and waits for his moment to strike. As it draws close, he quickly steps in and throws an uppercut into the beast's underside. Unfortunately, his technique is rather poor, and he succeeds only in bruising his hand. As his foe passes overhead, he crouches low to avoid getting trampled and darts out of the way once it has passed.

(Dangit,) he frets. (It's tearing the village apart...I've got to stop it, and fast...! But I don't have the time to practice this stupid technique...How am I going to kill this thing?!)

Sadly, all the memories of Urameshi's tough-love training won't help him anymore. It'd take something entirely different to give Satoshi the push he needs...

[Kuroimaken]

There's a cry. Faint to Satoshi's ears, but it causes the Hollow to look in a different direction.

There's a child nearby, watching it all. Apparently, she was too terrified to get away in time. She trembles, large teardrops dripping down her face.

The Hollow snarls as it switches targets and charges towards the girl.

She's too close! No time for a Hadou!

[ImpSyndrome]

[Hollow Heart in the Valley of Ash]

There's a cry. Faint to Satoshi's ears, but it causes the Hollow to look in a different direction.

There's a child nearby, watching it all. Apparently, she was too terrified to get away in time. She trembles, large teardrops dripping down her face.

The Hollow snarls as it switches targets and charges towards the girl.

She's too close! No time for a Hadou!

The noise does indeed escape Satoshi's hearing, but when the Hollow gets distracted, he follows its line of sight and spots Cynthia, one of the younger neighborhood kids. She's crying silently some distance away, cowering in fear as the ivory-masked monstrosity bears down on her. It's moving much too fast to be halted by any physical force, and even if he had time to fire off a spell, the risk of harming the girl or damaging the houses that shelter the other townsfolk would be far too great to use Kido. There's only one way to stop the beast, and the Shinigami's not even sure if he can do it properly...

Are you doomed to fail, then, Takakura Satoshi?

Everything seems to freeze around Satoshi as that strange voice from the lakeside enters his mind again, taunting him from every angle at once but from nowhere in particular. He looks around, wondering what could be causing the phenomenon, but he doesn't get much of a chance before another message reaches him.

Spoiler: Shonen-manga-esque talky-talk

Show

You know your enemy's weaknesses. You have the skills to defeat it. Despite this, you refuse to acknowledge your own power and utilize it...Why?

"...Because my power isn't worth anything. I've done nothing but fail since Day 1, and now Cynthia's going to die because of it. If I were really so capable, I would've killed the Hollow by now..."

You speak like a seated officer, but you're only a novice. You expect far too much of yourself.

"So what?! Everyone else expects the same from me, so what's the big deal?!"

You assume too quickly that "everyone else" must be justified in their expectations. Do not be swayed so easily by the words of others; only you can determine your true capability.

"...You say it like it's so simple. Like you would even know...Who are you...?"

I am your companion, the blade guided by your hand...My name is $#V^%@!, and I am always by your side.

"'Companion'...? Wait...Could you be...?!"

Focus, Satoshi. You have a job to do. The time will come eventually when you will find me, and when it does, you will know my true name. But, for now, you must concentrate on the present and assume your duty as a Shinigami...

As the world around him comes back into focus, Satoshi's eyes light up with a kind of righteous anger. It might seem almost audacious in someone so green, but given the stark contrast to the brooding, tormented expression he's been wearing for the past few days, it does at least command some small measure of respect. His posture has straightened up, too, and an aura of determination seems to surround him; whatever just happened, it's really set him straight.

(No more wasting time,) Satoshi tells himself. (Whoever that voice belonged to, she was right...I know I can do this, so I just need to do it. Being a Shinigami isn't just about reputation or pride; it's about the lives I'm meant to save. If I'm going to protect anyone, I've got to quit obsessing about opinions and start kicking some ass.)

He rushes to the Hollow's right flank as time begins to flow again, and with a single quick-step, he closes the gap and delivers a lightning-fast punch to the joint of one of its legs. When he makes contact, he only taps the beast lightly, but the transfer of kinetic energy should be great enough to at least stagger it.

[Kuroimaken]

Satoshi's gambit works well beyond his expectations. There's a sickening sound of rupturing flesh and sinew as Satoshi's strike forces it to bend in the direction it is least capable of resisting impact. The Hollow lets out a deafening howl of pain as it attempts to swivel in order to catch Satoshi in a counter - but it lacks the stability to swing properly, with one of its legs inutilized.

[Draken]

The Ghost King's Prison

The arm gives way to Koutarou's attacks, but this time there is no blight nor dust from the wound, but a mass of tendrils alive with grasping intent, from both the stump and the severed limb.

Eyes erupt from the walls in a ring and the noise of great fists striking the kidõ barrier behind jolts of lightning echo from the center of the room.

The drone on Daiki screeches as fire engulfs it but it does not pull back from him. Its abdomen splits into rows of teeth and it falls upon the shinigami wholly.

The drones isolated by the barrier blast at it with their cero blasts, as does Argos.

[KnightDisciple]

[Ghost King's Prison]

Harada curses as Daiki seems to sacrifice himself for absolutely no real gain against the drone.

"Koutarou-san, Vern-san, we need to leave now."

He grunted at the impacts against the barrier. He poured more energy into it, his sword sealing itself as he redirected his spiritual energy to the task. The sealed blade was kept free in one hand, though.

"I can hold this for now, but we don't have any more time."

As soon as the Senkaimon was fully open Harada would begin backing up toward it, holding himself right at the threshold until the other two were in or beyond the doorway. Only then would he stop pouring more energy into the barrier and rapidly enter the inter-dimensional tunnel.

[Kuroimaken]

Daiki's sacrifice is not wasted, though not in a way he would have expected.

Koutarou dares not scream for his comrade. Too much psychological advantage for the adversary. He had long learned to suppress such responses on the battlefield, though he let them slip from time to time.

Zanpakutou, being so closely attached to their masters' spirits, are especially susceptible to wild emotional fluctuations. Grief can make them weaker as their masters become more lethargic. Anger can become an imbalancing factor for something that requires control.

Whatever lies in the mind of the man behind that mask is clearly making him stronger. The armor becomes imbued with streaking black-and-golden lines of energy running through his body. The ionization next to him is actually visible. The grasping, writhing tentacles suddenly find themselves shocked, numbed and burnt by the sheer amount of energy.

"Rider Fading Starlight."

Kamen Rider's seemingly translucent form slowly walks out of a copy of himself made of pure black and golden lightning. Contrary to the apparent apathy of its see-through brother, the 'copy' is a blur of motion, unleashing the fury of a thousand fists and feet upon the creature. Each fist might have paralyzed a smaller creature. Though even combined they don't seem to do much, the amount of strikes alone is nothing short of staggering - and with each hit it sends more and more energy into the Hollow. As the copy continues to silently but violently punish its enemy, Kamen Rider Rei speaks up.

"You have until the seventh sign to count up your sins.

For you are already dead."

A bright flash of light erupts from the monstrosity's chest. A thin cracking line appears before another dot explodes forth. It will continue in this fashion as the copy rains blow upon blow, fashioned after the Big Dipper.

[Draken]

Cut off from Von Geister's power, the creature can't help but burst into silver and blight, as opposed to much more wholesome gore.

There is silence.

And then there is darkness, the creature that attacked Daiki is smoldering, the ground beneath it is a smoldering puddle of blight sizzling and shrieking with minute voices.

[ImpSyndrome]

[Hollow Heart in the Valley of Ash]

Satoshi's gambit works well beyond his expectations. There's a sickening sound of rupturing flesh and sinew as Satoshi's strike forces it to bend in the direction it is least capable of resisting impact. The Hollow lets out a deafening howl of pain as it attempts to swivel in order to catch Satoshi in a counter - but it lacks the stability to swing properly, with one of its legs inutilized.

Satoshi evades the clumsy blow with a short quick-step and seeks out a new opening to exploit. With one of its legs unusable, the Hollow is likely to be off-kilter, which ought to give him a chance to topple it. Short of that, though, he'll quickly maneuver ahead of the beast, hoping to push it away from the innocent bystander...

((Sorry it's so short, but I'll try to get back to my usual rate of posting soon.))

[Kuroimaken]

Satoshi actually finds an opening he could use to cripple another leg!

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


Kamen Rider Rei opposes that darkness with a bright light of his own. From his position shoots out that same electric shadow that violently pummeled his previous opponent - it rushes out to strike at the Hollows trying to pin down Harada and Vern.

"Set up the portal. I'll cover you."

As he says this, that "electric shadow" shoots about everywhere. Any larva that could reasonably be dispatched by a Shinigami of his caliber or lower is quickly dispatched. Attacking the shadow itself proves useless.

"Erscheinung Von Geister. You will live to regret the choice you made today."

[Draken]

Prison of the Ghost King

Koutarou has very little work to do to release Harada and Vern, the two drones are recoiling back close to the central seal. The larva are inching back to the ceiling. Even the tentacles of Argos fidget about the ceiling, throwing an intense stare.

"... You killed one of my children."

A long barbed tentacle sweeps up from the central hole, sweeping up the mummies around the room and throwing them at Koutarou before coiling back amidst the geas' lightning.

"These are all the people who have killed my children before, death god. If anyone here will live to regret his choices it is you."

[KnightDisciple]

Thankfully the barrier that Harada erected is still up. As the fighting seems to have died down inside of it. he actually begins shrinking it. This gives the 3 living Shinigami less room, but lets him concentrate more power into the remaining barrier space.

Which is probably how he manages to keep the barrier from doing more than just flickering as the Ghost King throws several mummies at it.

[Kuroimaken]

"You killed one of my men.

Unlike you, I will work to redeem myself for my mistakes."

[Draken]

Prison of the Ghost King

"Redeem your mistakes? You asura can't redeem your mistakes, you uphold them and call them righteous and safeguard them for millennia on end."

"Once I am free I will take great pleasure in tearing down the pillars that uphold your cadaverous world and send it crashing down upon the earth."

[Kuroimaken]

"You make a piss-poor yasha, Ghost King."

Kamen Rider Rei doesn't seem to make a great deal of effort at masking his rage. At least, not to those he commands...

...but to Von Geister, whose perception is honed by ancient wisdom, each word is like a dagger flung at him.

"And while asura we may be, the world will continue to stand on our fury if all else fails. As it has since your imprisonment, as it will after you're dead."

[ImpSyndrome]

[Hollow Heart in the Valley of Ash]

While its balance is upset, Satoshi lashes out at the Hollow's weak point with another soft-impact strike, hoping to further debilitate it. Part of him still wants to push the beast back from the town to avoid collateral damage, but at the same time, he recognizes that keeping its attention with his assault and aiming for an eventual kill might be the best way to minimize that risk...

[Kuroimaken]

Once again, Satoshi's strategy works better than he expected. The Hollow howls in pain and disgrace as a different limb is shattered. It punches the ground to leap upwards, deciding to gain some distance so it can regenerate - and in the meantime, he gives Satoshi something to worry about as multiple globs of acidic spittle fly towards Cynthia!

[ImpSyndrome]

[Hollow Heart in the Valley of Ash]

Once again, Satoshi's strategy works better than he expected. The Hollow howls in pain and disgrace as a different limb is shattered. It punches the ground to leap upwards, deciding to gain some distance so it can regenerate - and in the meantime, he gives Satoshi something to worry about as multiple globs of acidic spittle fly towards Cynthia!

Satoshi backs off as the Hollow propels itself away by sheer force. Thankfully, he's relatively close to the innocent girl when the enemy targets her, so a quick reaction saves the both of them from some nasty burns. He carries Cynthia to cover behind a nearby building and quickly tells her, "It's alright, you're safe...It'll be OK, kiddo. Just do me a favor and stay here, alright? I need to go beat up that Hollow that attacked us." He turns back toward the battleground, a stern look of determination on his face, as he comments, "No one threatens my hometown like this and gets away with it." Another quick-step, and he's back on the field of battle, racing toward the Hollow and forming a plan to take it down for good...

[AnimeKid]

[Las Noches]



Apparently, the answer is the Grand Library of Las Noches. Mikael and Valentina interrupt Rin's and Tamaki's studying as they walk in. Mikael leaves Valentina to her devices and, disregardimg Rin and Jehoel, heads straight for Tamaki. "Hey. Tamaki guy. I have a few questions to you. Can you spare a few minutes?"

Tamaki looks up from his a book that he had his nose deep in. He sees Mikael and is surprised by the seriousness he sees in his eyes. Noting the page number of the book he was on he closed the volume and set it aside. It looked like he had went through quite a few of the books in the time he had been here. Looking Mikael in the eye with his face set in an utmost serious expression he utters, "What is it Mikael? What's happened?"

[Kuroimaken]

[Hollow Heart in the Valley of Ash]

Satoshi backs off as the Hollow propels itself away by sheer force. Thankfully, he's relatively close to the innocent girl when the enemy targets her, so a quick reaction saves the both of them from some nasty burns. He carries Cynthia to cover behind a nearby building and quickly tells her, "It's alright, you're safe...It'll be OK, kiddo. Just do me a favor and stay here, alright? I need to go beat up that Hollow that attacked us." He turns back toward the battleground, a stern look of determination on his face, as he comments, "No one threatens my hometown like this and gets away with it." Another quick-step, and he's back on the field of battle, racing toward the Hollow and forming a plan to take it down for good...

Knowing it's being pushed and that Satoshi is a significantly more credible threat now, the Hollow knows better than to keep within melee range. But it can't air-walk, so it keeps propelling itself quickly onward and upward, shooting towards the rookie Shinigami, while its legs slowly knit themselves back...

Satoshi will need to take more decisive action if he wants to bring this to a close!

Spoiler: OOC

Show

STILL WAITING ON THAT THEME SONG POWER-UP, DUDE!

[Frozen_Feet]

[Hueco Mundo]
Grand Library of Las Noches

Tamaki looks up from his a book that he had his nose deep in. He sees Mikael and is surprised by the seriousness he sees in his eyes. Noting the page number of the book he was on he closed the volume and set it aside. It looked like he had went through quite a few of the books in the time he had been here. Looking Mikael in the eye with his face set in an utmost serious expression he utters, "What is it Mikael? What's happened?"

"There's something we never discussed on Earth. I meant to, but I forgot about it at the time. I had other things to think of." Mikael lifts a hand on his stomach, where Tamaki hit with his Pile Bunker. "You reincarnation. I don't know how much you and Katsuo talked about it, but... when I dismantled your physical body, your spirit seemed to fade away. I don't think that's what normally happens when the body dies. Or... well..." Mikael scratches his head.

"... Reishi. The bodies made of Reishi reflect how their owner was when alive. But when your body was... uh, going backwards in time, I think the holistic link between your body and soul was severed. When I reduce inorganic items into pieces, they don't leave their spiritual component behind, but their soul must still go somewhere. Otherwise, I couldn't remake them so easily." Mikael rubs his head contemplatively. It's apparent he's struggling to put his ideas into words.

"What I'm trying to say is, when I unmade you, your soul was, for a moment, in the same state is was before birth. Without form either as a spirit or a living being. And when I remade you... well. I'm fairly sure your essence now contains a third portion, in addition to those you inherited from your parents. My essence. So I want to know... from the moment you were reduced to unborn state, to the moment you woke up in your new body... do you remember anything? Where did your soul go?"

[ImpSyndrome]

[Hollow Heart in the Valley of Ash]

Knowing it's being pushed and that Satoshi is a significantly more credible threat now, the Hollow knows better than to keep within melee range. But it can't air-walk, so it keeps propelling itself quickly onward and upward, shooting towards the rookie Shinigami, while its legs slowly knit themselves back...

Satoshi will need to take more decisive action if he wants to bring this to a close!

Spoiler: OOC

Show

STILL WAITING ON THAT THEME SONG POWER-UP, DUDE!

((You can't rush these things, you know! Besides, remember that Satoshi is still a n00b; becoming a genre-savvy pragmatist takes time.))

As he races after the Hollow, Satoshi notices that its legs have begun to mend themselves. Knowing that he won't win a battle of endurance against a regenerating foe, he pushes himself to move faster, sprinting at high speed, but it's still not fast enough to keep up at the rate that the monstrosity can push itself away with those powerful arms. It doesn't help that it keeps spitting acid at him, forcing him to take evasive action and slowing him down.

After a few successful dodges, though, one of the shots gets too close, and the splash catches on one of his legs, causing him to stumble slightly. That's all it takes, though, because the next shot is aimed right at him, and it strikes the dirt hard, throwing up a frothing cloud of grit around him. It's hard to tell what happened to him, but it sure looks like the attack made a direct hit...

((Next post will have a power-up, I think.))

[Draken]

[Prison]

That is a dreadful assumption to make.

"I am outside the grip of a portfolio held in trust by so many paltry gods, boy."

Across the room from Koutarou and company, a garganta begins to split open in the air with the first breezes of a rush of desolate spiritual power.

[Spacewolf]

Vern mumbles something that was probably along the lines of "Screw this" and exits back through to the soul society