[BiTPR2] Renewed Revolution: Spirit World V

[KnightDisciple]

[Seireitei, Soul Society]
[Practice Ring, Combat Division HQ]

"Wrong again, boy." Yes, Hasunaga is well aware Masaru's older than he is. It doesn't really matter to him.

"Finding a 'good place to die' in the battlefield is what I take exception to." Masaru's sword is stopped in midair. He can feel something very real deflect his blade, but he can't see what it was. The teacher dashes into Masaru's space, his fist flying towards the Captain's stomach - and yet his reach literally exceeds his grasp as Masaru can feel the pressure of his opponent's fist coming towards him well before it is due to hit. If it hits, Masaru would be able to tell his foe did something, though he might not be entirely sure of what.

More to the point, at this range it is much more difficult for the Captain to use his swords.

Currently, only one of Masaru's blades is drawn. This means that he can have one entire arm free, and while he does shift his katana to a reverse grip, using that arm as a secondary blocking measure, because metal and an edge are great deterrants, most of his active defense comes from the metal arm grafted to his body...

Which suddenly has a bright, round energy shield pop up to block Hasunaga's attack.

"It's not about seeking death or glory. It's about making a decision about what you consider more worthwhile than your own survival."

Masaru's voice is rather calm for a man in the middle of a fight. If Hasunaga's fist is still pressing against his arm-shield, the Captain will give it a mighty shove to create some space.

[Hawkflight]

"You don't remember anything you did or felt until I started talking to you, do you?"

Suguri shook her head no.

[Kuroimaken]

[Seireitei, Soul Society]
[Practice Ring, Combat Division HQ]

Currently, only one of Masaru's blades is drawn. This means that he can have one entire arm free, and while he does shift his katana to a reverse grip, using that arm as a secondary blocking measure, because metal and an edge are great deterrants, most of his active defense comes from the metal arm grafted to his body...

Which suddenly has a bright, round energy shield pop up to block Hasunaga's attack.

"It's not about seeking death or glory. It's about making a decision about what you consider more worthwhile than your own survival."

Masaru's voice is rather calm for a man in the middle of a fight. If Hasunaga's fist is still pressing against his arm-shield, the Captain will give it a mighty shove to create some space.

It isn't. Then again, this makes the trick a bit more obvious. Masaru can feel the pressure of his deflection - but Hasunaga's fist goes the other way, meaning that whatever was attacking him wasn't connected to his arm.

"You still don't get it. Putting a price on living... it's a dangerous thing."

A quick sequence of blows follows from both arms as Hasunaga tries to find a hole in Masaru's airtight defenses - or create one, as the case may be.

"I don't begrudge that way of thinking. You're a soldier. To an army, lives are resources. Morale is a part of logistics.

But the war you're fighting isn't the same one I am."

- - - Updated - - -

Suguri shook her head no.

"I see." Katsurou noted as he stroked the back of Suguri's neck. "It's not unusual for spiritual power to manifest in times of stress and block out the feelings and memories of the user. It's tied to the fight or flight instinct, after all. But you're awful young to have to be concerned about such things... we'll have to put a limiter on you until you can learn to control it.

Do you like jewelry, Suguri-chan?"

[KnightDisciple]

[Seireitei, Soul Society]
[Practice Ring, Combat Division HQ]

It isn't. Then again, this makes the trick a bit more obvious. Masaru can feel the pressure of his deflection - but Hasunaga's fist goes the other way, meaning that whatever was attacking him wasn't connected to his arm.

"You still don't get it. Putting a price on living... it's a dangerous thing."

A quick sequence of blows follows from both arms as Hasunaga tries to find a hole in Masaru's airtight defenses - or create one, as the case may be.

"I don't begrudge that way of thinking. You're a soldier. To an army, lives are resources. Morale is a part of logistics.

But the war you're fighting isn't the same one I am."

Masaru back-stepped with smooth, efficient motions, opening the distance even as Hasunaga pushes his assault sufficiently to make that effort mostly moot. All the while, he is using a combination of his sword and his metallic arm to keep up his defense, his expression calm and his eyes swiftly taking in the subsequent movement and attacks of his opponent.

"I strive to treat my soldiers as more than mere resources. But if you acknowledge that the war I am fighting, that Officer Mizuki was fighting, was different than the one you fight, why do you begrudge her decisions? You seem to simultaneously want to dictate the rightness of our cause and the wisdom of our actions, and distance yourself from the reality of the lives we lead and battles we fight. Do you not find that to be...conflicted?"

Suddenly, the hand holding his sword swung to point at Hasunaga, and Masaru's index finger extended.

"Sho."

The Kido fires off, with the resulting blast hopefully pushing Hasunaga back further still.

[Kuroimaken]

"Wrong again." The old man throws his arms in front of himself, and this time the distinction in his method of defense becomes quite clear as the kidou's energy washes over what clearly seem to be a pair of gauntlets - discernable only for an instant, though an instant is all Masaru needs to see it.

Ultimately a bit of a moot point as the wizened teacher advances.

"You fight a war to end your enemies. I fight a war to keep people safe. Ultimately, my war is one that doesn't actually demand conflict - but once it starts, to survive becomes the ultimate goal.

By any stretch of recognition, if you die while fighting, you've lost your war AND mine. And to do so willingly, to choose that path... that goes against everything I believe in.

If one must draw his sword, one must draw it to WIN!"

Through it all, Masaru can sense a hint of tension in Hasunaga's voice. He's holding back, but... he's starting to choke up.

[King539]

Senshi oohs and ahs along with the crowd, watching the fight. There's even dramatic dialogue! If only he had some popcorn. If only.

[Frozen_Feet]

"Hah. The old man keeps hanging himself on his own rope", a voice comes from behind Senshi. "Hey. Let me tell you a funny thing, Shinigami. There was, or is, I don't remember which, a famous writer who once also argued that morality is synonymous with promoting survival."

"But you know what else he said? He said that acts to promote survival are moral even when you fail. Even when you lose your life in service of others, it's a moral act."

"It's because, on an individual level, survival cannot be the end goal. On the individual level, everyone dies, no-one survives. It's a not a matter of if, just when and how. But mankind, or a culture, or a species, et cetera, can survive past the limits of an individual."

"The example he gave, was of a husband and a wife crossing a railroad. The wife tripped and got her foot stuck in the rails. Her husband tried to help her get away. Even as a train started approaching from the horizon, he would not give up."

"And he was not the only one. There was a tramp, a strange man, who also stopped to help. He had no obligation to do so. He just wanted to help the poor woman. And together, the tramp and the husband kept helping even as the train ran over them and they all died."

"To the writer, they were supreme heroes. Because, to the end, they tried to act for the survival of mankind. Because the future of mankind is in women and kids. That they failed and lost their lives doesn't change that."

"All militaries of the world are built on the backs of such people - people who are willing to forfeit their lives so that someone else can live. Of course they don't draw their blades to lose. But if they were willing to draw their blades only when victory is certain, they would be rightly derided as cowards. There is no such thing as a risk-free existence. No life, without death. Holding people to such standard would be the gravest insult to anyone who has ever put their life on a line."

[KnightDisciple]

[Seireitei, Soul Society]
[Practice Ring, Combat Division HQ]

"Wrong again." The old man throws his arms in front of himself, and this time the distinction in his method of defense becomes quite clear as the kidou's energy washes over what clearly seem to be a pair of gauntlets - discernable only for an instant, though an instant is all Masaru needs to see it.

Ultimately a bit of a moot point as the wizened teacher advances.

"You fight a war to end your enemies. I fight a war to keep people safe. Ultimately, my war is one that doesn't actually demand conflict - but once it starts, to survive becomes the ultimate goal.

By any stretch of recognition, if you die while fighting, you've lost your war AND mine. And to do so willingly, to choose that path... that goes against everything I believe in.

If one must draw his sword, one must draw it to WIN!"

Through it all, Masaru can sense a hint of tension in Hasunaga's voice. He's holding back, but... he's starting to choke up.

Masaru's eyes narrow.

And then he's a blur of motion, his metal fist lashing out at a half-dozen places at once, his sword doubling that striking speed. None of the hits would kill, or even disable. Just harry, harrass, and hurt.

"Your misguided, misinformed ignorance is almost astounding. Presuming you can tell us why we fight? The height of arrogance borne from rage and stupidity."

He keeps pressing the attack, his current flow of attacks looking to just sidestep or sweep aside incoming blows.

"You claim that we, the Pack, the Gotei, fight only to end our enemies? If you wish to deceive yourself with your own cowardly lies, fine, but do not try to preach to me as if it were truth. We fight to protect the helpless, in both worlds. Once we enter a fight, we fight to win. But this war is about those who cannot protect or help themselves, and about the balance of the worlds. Our blades do not destroy, they purify.

Do you think all Shinigami think of nothing but death and battle? You do not think that many of us dream of the day when we draw our swords only to strengthen ourselves and test our comrades?

If those are your thoughts, discard them as unworthy lies.

When I draw my blade in battle, I have but two goals. Keep my comrades safe, and win. Nothing more, nothing less. But if I must choose between ensuring the lives of my comrades, and striking a finishing blow, I will choose the former."

His expression darkens.

"And if I must choose between giving up my own life, or the life of another, especially a helpless innocent, then I will give up my own life. That is the oath I took, the promise I made."

For a moment, he shifts his grip on his katana to a two-handed one, which precipitated him striking a powerful blow toward Hasunaga.

"It is the same oath Mizuki took. I know, I was there when she took it. And she fulfilled that promise. Because you see, she cared about something beyond herself. She cared about more than herself.

Not that you care. You'd have just left her to die, I'm sure, you coward."

[Kuroimaken]

"Aren't you guilty of the same mistake you claim I make?"

For the most part, Masaru's hits meet resistance fiercer than he'd expect of mortal flesh. It's almost like he's striking armor, repeatedly. Occasionally he can even see sparks fly.

But every once in a while he draws blood. Not by much, of course, given his intent, but even shallower than he'd expect.

His two-handed stance is met by Hasunaga crouching into a lower position to bring his fist upwards.

When the two clash, the dust around the arena flies out towards its edges. Once again, Masaru doesn't hit flesh... the resistance he feels is very real, however. Perhaps a forcefield of some sort?

"The difference between you and me is that you would choose. For me, that is NOT a choice!"

His other fist rears back, and for the first time since this fight started, Masaru can see something Hasunaga does directly, as a spiritual fist twice over the size of his own arm appears behind his back before flying out at the Captain. Whether or not it strikes, is deflect or struck against, it disappears shortly thereafter.

"I will beat every enemy, and save every person. I will not burn my life in the process. I will not throw myself away.

And no matter how many times I'm beaten down, I WILL STAND BACK UP!"

Oh. So it's not that Hasunaga is a coward.

He just has unreasonably high standards.

[Hawkflight]

"I see." Katsurou noted as he stroked the back of Suguri's neck. "It's not unusual for spiritual power to manifest in times of stress and block out the feelings and memories of the user. It's tied to the fight or flight instinct, after all. But you're awful young to have to be concerned about such things... we'll have to put a limiter on you until you can learn to control it.

Do you like jewelry, Suguri-chan?"

Suguri scratched her chin, then nodded.

[Kuroimaken]

"Good. We'll make yours into jewelry, then. Which ones do you like? Rings? Necklaces? Anklets?"

[Frozen_Feet]

[Seireitei; Combat Division]

"Listen carefully to the old man", the voice comes from behind Senshi again. "He is doing the same mistake as you. Pretending he has no choice while making one, and pretending its his choice when it's not. He's hanging himself from his own rope, thinking it makes him better than his opponent. In truth, there shouldn't be any real disagreement between these men. It's a pointless conflict caused by one of them being pointlessly insulting, and the other one taking the bait."

Regardless of what Senshi think's of the voice's evaluation, he might realize that the rest of the crowd don't perceive Hasunaga as an old man, and most don't even know nor care that he's old.

[KnightDisciple]

[Seireitei, Soul Society]
[Practice Ring, Combat Division HQ]

"Aren't you guilty of the same mistake you claim I make?"

For the most part, Masaru's hits meet resistance fiercer than he'd expect of mortal flesh. It's almost like he's striking armor, repeatedly. Occasionally he can even see sparks fly.

But every once in a while he draws blood. Not by much, of course, given his intent, but even shallower than he'd expect.

His two-handed stance is met by Hasunaga crouching into a lower position to bring his fist upwards.

When the two clash, the dust around the arena flies out towards its edges. Once again, Masaru doesn't hit flesh... the resistance he feels is very real, however. Perhaps a forcefield of some sort?

"The difference between you and me is that you would choose. For me, that is NOT a choice!"

His other fist rears back, and for the first time since this fight started, Masaru can see something Hasunaga does directly, as a spiritual fist twice over the size of his own arm appears behind his back before flying out at the Captain. Whether or not it strikes, is deflect or struck against, it disappears shortly thereafter.

"I will beat every enemy, and save every person. I will not burn my life in the process. I will not throw myself away.

And no matter how many times I'm beaten down, I WILL STAND BACK UP!"

Oh. So it's not that Hasunaga is a coward.

He just has unreasonably high standards.

Masaru meets the oncoming energy-fist with a projected shield from his cybernetic arm, though it's really more of a deflection than a straight block.

"That's stupid. Of course you choose. Just because your powers make it easy to brag that you'll save everyone, doesn't mean you don't make the choice that you'll save and protect instead of enslave and punish. Also, you haven't saved every person. So you're a hypocrite and a failure, who expects everyone else to have his entirely unique powerset."

Masaru shoves off against Hasunaga's spirit-arm, gaining a fair bit of distance thanks to Shunpo. He draws his other blade, and closes his eyes as his spiritual power gathers.

"Now that I see and understand your powers better, I feel better about this."

His voice dropped an octave.

"Blot out the sun and drink up the stars! Crush the mountains! Burn the sky and boil the sea! Ancalagon!"

Power exploded out and concealed his form for several moments.When it cleared, Captain Masaru stood there holding a pair of curved broadswords...and bearing four additional, shadowy arms growing from his back.

"Now. Shall we begin?"

[Kuroimaken]

"You have missed the point entirely.

But no matter. You'll understand soon enough."

And then Hasunaga disappeared, both from view and from spiritual sense. No one in the audience, or even Masaru, could detect his Reiatsu. Some might think he had fled, but the Captain knew better - his experience as a swordsman allowed him to tell the difference. His opponent was still in the arena.

Not just that. He was moving around Masaru. Rather fast, in fact. He could tell from minute sounds and the occasional speck of dust out of place, though tracking Hasunaga's exact position was difficult to say the least.

"ROCKET PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!!"

The voice seemed to echo across the arena, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. Masaru might catch a glimpse of what appears to be a disembodied hand floating in the air - right before the air distorts around it, flying at him with incredible quickness.

[KnightDisciple]

[Seireitei, Soul Society]
[Practice Ring, Combat Division HQ]

"You have missed the point entirely.

But no matter. You'll understand soon enough."

And then Hasunaga disappeared, both from view and from spiritual sense. No one in the audience, or even Masaru, could detect his Reiatsu. Some might think he had fled, but the Captain knew better - his experience as a swordsman allowed him to tell the difference. His opponent was still in the arena.

Not just that. He was moving around Masaru. Rather fast, in fact. He could tell from minute sounds and the occasional speck of dust out of place, though tracking Hasunaga's exact position was difficult to say the least.

"ROCKET PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!!"

The voice seemed to echo across the arena, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. Masaru might catch a glimpse of what appears to be a disembodied hand floating in the air - right before the air distorts around it, flying at him with incredible quickness.

"You keep saying I'm missing the point. You must be a terrible teacher, then."

The shadow-arms on his back lost their blades, instead gaining large, somewhat-simplified hands. The arms then shifted a bit, giving him good coverage from the back and sides, ideally to catch any smaller attacks...Then Hasunaga fires off a big attack.

'Interesting. And a bit troublesome.' he thought to himself.

Using what he could sense, he began moving to the side, trying to side-step the attack. As soon as he was out of the initial path, he pushed himself into the air, his shadow-arms on-guard to try and repel any incoming attacks.

[Kuroimaken]

The Captain of the Combat Division can distinctly hear the sound of something zooming past him as he dodges.

"I'm actually betting on you being an awful student."

That sounded right next to Masaru. Looking about, he can spot the same floating hand as before. It clenches into a fist, sweeping through the air before he hears Hasunaga's voice booming again - this time from farther away.

"BREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAST FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIREEEEEEE!!"

From above where the hand was last seen, he can spot a vaguely V-shaped blue flame flicker to life before a veritable stream of burning spirit particles shoots out in his direction. At least they... SEEM like spirit particles? Visually, it doesn't seem all that different from most Quincy shots.

[King539]

Spoiler

Show

"Hah. The old man keeps hanging himself on his own rope", a voice comes from behind Senshi. "Hey. Let me tell you a funny thing, Shinigami. There was, or is, I don't remember which, a famous writer who once also argued that morality is synonymous with promoting survival."

"But you know what else he said? He said that acts to promote survival are moral even when you fail. Even when you lose your life in service of others, it's a moral act."

"It's because, on an individual level, survival cannot be the end goal. On the individual level, everyone dies, no-one survives. It's a not a matter of if, just when and how. But mankind, or a culture, or a species, et cetera, can survive past the limits of an individual."

"The example he gave, was of a husband and a wife crossing a railroad. The wife tripped and got her foot stuck in the rails. Her husband tried to help her get away. Even as a train started approaching from the horizon, he would not give up."

"And he was not the only one. There was a tramp, a strange man, who also stopped to help. He had no obligation to do so. He just wanted to help the poor woman. And together, the tramp and the husband kept helping even as the train ran over them and they all died."

"To the writer, they were supreme heroes. Because, to the end, they tried to act for the survival of mankind. Because the future of mankind is in women and kids. That they failed and lost their lives doesn't change that."

"All militaries of the world are built on the backs of such people - people who are willing to forfeit their lives so that someone else can live. Of course they don't draw their blades to lose. But if they were willing to draw their blades only when victory is certain, they would be rightly derided as cowards. There is no such thing as a risk-free existence. No life, without death. Holding people to such standard would be the gravest insult to anyone who has ever put their life on a line."

[Seireitei; Combat Division]

"Listen carefully to the old man", the voice comes from behind Senshi again. "He is doing the same mistake as you. Pretending he has no choice while making one, and pretending its his choice when it's not. He's hanging himself from his own rope, thinking it makes him better than his opponent. In truth, there shouldn't be any real disagreement between these men. It's a pointless conflict caused by one of them being pointlessly insulting, and the other one taking the bait."

Regardless of what Senshi think's of the voice's evaluation, he might realize that the rest of the crowd don't perceive Hasunaga as an old man, and most don't even know nor care that he's old.

Senshi listens to the voice's word's, expressionless. Once it's finished, he replies. "Well, I suppose you're right. I do have a choice. But there's only one thing that I'm going to choose, so their effectively isn't. It's weird."

[Frozen_Feet]

"Would you be surprised if I told you that's why you're in this situation?", the voice remarks. "That the reason you lost your memory is because you didn't choose to leave when you could?"

[King539]

"Honestly? No. And I don't even really care. I probably had a good reason for it anyways."

[Frozen_Feet]

"How much are you willing to bet on that?"

[King539]

Sensei shrugs. "Not all that much, but that's just because I don't have much money on me."

[strawberryman]

"It's not like we're in a hurry to eat. Tonight, at the very least, we have all the time in the world to ourselves." Setsurou offers with a smile.

"And Gwyn, that's why I keep my pockets filled with worthless things when I'm walking around the outer reaches."

All joking aside, though.

"Yes, we do have a lot to discuss. I just hope I don't have to hold it in like when you announced our engagement. That was the most stressful acting I've done in my entire life."

"I do apologize for that. But the time we have to solidify our position is undeniably finite." Gwynned quirks her eyebrow. Momoka shrugs.

"We have a myriad of impending cataclysms. The Ghost King, the likelihood of the Royal Guard continuing their inquisition, and the destabilizing of our government by the effective execution of our entire legislative body. And who knows what else may crop up."

"A lotta big words, Yuki. You coulda just said if we don't pull things together we're royally f-"

Momoka gives a lighthearted sigh. "...yes, quite. But we do have time. More of it now. In a manner of speaking. But nonetheless, we can't delay. So how soon can you be prepared for a ceremony, Setsurou?"

[Kuroimaken]

"I do apologize for that. But the time we have to solidify our position is undeniably finite." Gwynned quirks her eyebrow. Momoka shrugs.

"We have a myriad of impending cataclysms. The Ghost King, the likelihood of the Royal Guard continuing their inquisition, and the destabilizing of our government by the effective execution of our entire legislative body. And who knows what else may crop up."

"A lotta big words, Yuki. You coulda just said if we don't pull things together we're royally f-"

Momoka gives a lighthearted sigh. "...yes, quite. But we do have time. More of it now. In a manner of speaking. But nonetheless, we can't delay. So how soon can you be prepared for a ceremony, Setsurou?"

"That depends. How long do you think I've been waiting for this opportunity?"

That's the most romantic way he could find to say "pretty much immediately".

[Frozen_Feet]

[Seireitei; Combat Division grounds]

Senshi shrugs. "Not all that much, but that's just because I don't have much money on me."

"Are those the words of a man who knows himself? Words of a man who is self-certain?", the voice asks.

((OOC: fixed your typo. ))

[King539]

Senshi shrugs. "Nobody truly knows themselves."

[KnightDisciple]

[Seireitei, Soul Society]
[Practice Ring, Combat Division HQ]

The Captain of the Combat Division can distinctly hear the sound of something zooming past him as he dodges.

"I'm actually betting on you being an awful student."

That sounded right next to Masaru. Looking about, he can spot the same floating hand as before. It clenches into a fist, sweeping through the air before he hears Hasunaga's voice booming again - this time from farther away.

"BREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAST FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIREEEEEEE!!"

From above where the hand was last seen, he can spot a vaguely V-shaped blue flame flicker to life before a veritable stream of burning spirit particles shoots out in his direction. At least they... SEEM like spirit particles? Visually, it doesn't seem all that different from most Quincy shots.

Masaru is calm, by this point simply choosing to keep fighting. He ducks under the sweeping hand, before looking toward the glowing V shape. He narrows his eyes, before muttering under his breath and tossing a 20s-level barrier between him and the blast...a barrier he promptly moved out from behind and away from the blast's targeted area.

He then concentrated, the arms on his back fading, as basically the half the floor of the practice ring erupted in black spikes that would, at worse, tear a foot apart, but if nothing else would slow and hinder.

Then Masaru began concentrating, chanting under his breath, as a crackling ball of darkness started to take shape between his clenched hands in front of him...

[Kuroimaken]

A smart choice. Limiting the angles of approach in this fashion would at the very least allow Masaru to estimate if his opponent was air-walking or otherwise not limited to the ground.

For whatever reason, Hasunaga chose not to press the attack. Though that might present Masaru with a more specific problem: where's he gonna aim that?

[Frozen_Feet]

Senshi shrugs. "Nobody truly knows themselves."

"Uh huh. 'It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.' Sound familiar?", the voice answers. "If you do not know yourself, where does that leave you, Shinigami?"

[KnightDisciple]

[Seireitei, Soul Society]
[Practice Ring, Combat Division HQ]

A smart choice. Limiting the angles of approach in this fashion would at the very least allow Masaru to estimate if his opponent was air-walking or otherwise not limited to the ground.

For whatever reason, Hasunaga chose not to press the attack. Though that might present Masaru with a more specific problem: where's he gonna aim that?

Masaru's eyes took in the spiked floor around him, the one that was apparently undisturbed. He noted the lack of immediate attacks.

Then, he smiled.

"Your mistake was thinking that this was a direct attack."

The black sphere raced out from between his hands, struck the middle of the floor of the ring...And promptely erupted into an inky blackness that covered most all of the fighting area. Which is, you know, to the advantage of the guy who controls darkness and shadows, and who can see in the dark.

"Fun fact. I used to be in the Guerilla Squad of the Combat Division."

And that's the only sound Hasunaga hears, and it's highly likely that Masaru isn't in the same place he spoke from moments ago.

Those on the outside see the dome of darkness rippling like water with stones thrown in. On the inside, blades and spikes and walls and all sorts of constructs are erupting constantly from all directions. If they strike Hasunaga, they're unlikely to hurt him, really...but they will give Masaru a lead on where the elusive Mortal is.

[Kuroimaken]

"Calculated risk. For a Combat Division head honcho, much less a two-weapon swordsman, you've been playing more defensive than I expected. If that were an attack, rushing out against you would have been double the faux pas.

Kudos on switching the battlefield to your advantage though."

Again, the voice seems to be coming from nowhere. Masaru's tactic seems to have succeeded at least in part. He can feel his strikes poking and prodding at what seems like three distinct presences in the arena, though only one of them seems to have been trying to put up a defense against his assault. All three seem to be resisting somewhat well, like suits of armor, but then again Masaru probably isn't trying very hard to harm them.