[BITPR²] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse

[Rater202]

Svetlana takes her child's body and holds it carefully.

Meanwhile, Sarah's soul is intrigued by how the chirping of the birds and the vibration of spirit ribbons combine to form a heavy metal song that makes referances to a centuries old poem about doubt and the rejection of each organized religion, traditional gender roles, and male sexuality.

She'd be concerned about it, but she actually does really like this song.

Her head sways back and forth to the rhythm as she reclaims a few more of her ribbons, still trying to figure out how exactly she should approch the others and how exactly she's going to get them out of their false bodies...

...And whether or not leaving in spirit means that she'll be dead when they get back...

Will Koutarou look behind himself and see her, the unusually humanoid hollow, feminine but sexless, with a figure that matches Sarah's and Sarah's hair and black markings allaround her limbs and torso that match the chains that he's seen embedded into her flesh? Will he put two and two together?

[Kuroimaken]

Eventually, Koutarou is done scouting, unable to find anything even resembling a clue, until his eyes fall upon the sexless, spiritlike figure floating close by. He seems dumbstruck - if he DOES know it's Sarah, he sure isn't showing it.

[Rater202]

Sarah notes that she's caught Koutarou's attention, but she's still not sure how to broach the subject.

"Hey, I found the way out but I have to forcibly rip you out of those bodies and it turns out that I might be dead and my Soul looks exactly like a hollow complete with with mask and hole" would be an increidbly stupid thing to say.

"Uhhh... Uh... Hi?"

The "sprite's" body language--the angled, cross-legged stance and the rubbing of forearms--punctuates the awkwardness of her salutation.

Svetlana hears, however, and turns. The second she sees the "sprite" she gasps, having taken on an expression not-unlike someone who, ironically, just sayw a ghost.

"Anim-manĝanta Diablo-Reĝino...?"

(That would be "Soul-eating Devil-Queen" for those who don't know Esperanto.)

[Kuroimaken]

"...Sarah?" Koutarou replies incredulously.

[Rater202]

"...Yeah. This is... Look, I know the way out and... I've got to..."

Svetlana is looking from the unconscious child in her arms to the child's soul in the distance.

"If nothing else, this experience has proven what happens when a hollow is slain without being purified. Child, are you alright?"

"I... uh, I don't know."

[Kuroimaken]

"I have no idea how you reached that conclusion, but that's not important right now. Sarah. How do you feel?"

[Rater202]

"I don't feel like eating your face right now if that's what you're worried about..."

"I apologize for my lack of clarity. You may have noticed that my child's reiatsu feels unusually hollow-like? What you might not have noticed is that it feels almost identical to a specific hollow. I was drawn to her by a sense of familiarity when I felt it, though I couldn't place it at the time I was reminded of it when I saw the mask she gains when using her armor...."

"I suspected it more when her Fullbring mutated and became part of her body--other than the skull at her throat, the markings matched..."

"To make a long story short, she was part of a pack of hollows fourteen years ago, the leader of the pack was killed but not eaten by a rogue Arrancar a little over fourteen years ago, and my spiritual pressure feels almost exactly like that hollow's. I would have been born shortly after the Hollow was killed, so there's a non-zero chance that I'm that hollow or part of it reincarnated. Or I guess..."

That your soul resembles a hollow--that, barring the lack of wings or claws,
your hair, you could pass for a 'younger,' more humanoid Anim-manĝanta Diablo-Reĝino... The pure white skin, the black chain markings, the identical mask... Perhaps this is what she would have looked like if she's succeeded in becoming a Vasto Lorde.

"...You're not gonna get weird on me, are you?"

"No. Just because you have her soul or souls, that doesn't mean you're Queeny... Though I reserve the right to jokingly call you 'Princess' on occasion."

"Okay," Sarah says in a tone of voice that indicates that she's probably blushing behind the mask. "Okay, so I ran into a simulacrum of Jehoel in the 'spirit'world and ended up getting some of his memories, so I'm like 99% sure that Mikael's Fullbring has something to do with memories and that this is all some false world built from bits of memories--I saw a younger me while we're here, and..."

She trails off and changes the topic. "There's a way out. I'll have to get you out of those bodies and we might have to beat up a pink-haired shinigami child who I'm 99% sure has something to do with the Sin Rostras, but..." She's just staring at her own body now.

Depending on what Koutarou knows of history, he might recognize 'Anim-manĝanta Diablo-Reĝino' as the name of an Adjucha that killed and ate two Shinigami lieutenants and called it "justice" for unknown reasons while leaving a third seat who witnesses it untouched, telling her to grow stronger if she too would seek justice. This was roughly a century ago, and nothing came of this encounter, so it's really more trivia than anything else.

(This is what I meant when I said I overcomplicated Sarah's backstory.)

[Kuroimaken]

"I can't for the life of me pronounce the name of the Hollow you speak of, but I'm familiar with who it is. Though I suppose it is something of a moot point at this time.

I suppose it wouldn't be terribly difficult to shrug off this body, just a bit... exhausting. It's a little-known fact that regular limiters are less effective the more Reiatsu they're trying to contain. This being the effect of a Fullbring means that with enough effort, I should be able to sublimate out of this gigai if I throw enough energy at it.

Naturally, I'll be a spiritual beacon for a couple hundred kilometers as I do so. It's going to be obscenely obvious what I'm trying to do, and I might be vulnerable during that time."

[Rater202]

Svetlana places Sarah's body down, gently.

Sarah immediately shoots over and starts arranging it, eventually, settling on its limbs being arranged not unlike how a corpse in a casket would be set.

"My child?"

"... I have to be a spirit to go through the way out... If I leave my body here, does that mean I'll be..."

"Are you scared?"

"...No. If there's no helping it, I..."

"If the worst comes to pass, the spell of Shinigamification should work on you in this form. You'd make a good Arrancar."

"Thank you, but..."

Sarah is now singing something to herself under her breath.

Svetlana places a hand on Sarah's shoulder, then nods to Koutarou.

[Kuroimaken]

"I kind of feel bad for being mistaken for a reaper when you sing that, but... best of luck."

Koutarou takes a slow, deep breath, placing his palms together as if in prayer.

And then he starts letting loose with all the power he can muster, trying to build up an enormous concentration of Reiatsu in himself so he can let it all out at once.

[Frozen_Feet]

If Sarah can remember what she saw of Jehoel's memories, she might recall that him losing control of his enermous Reiatsu even for a moment caused spiritually sensitive people to die within miles. If Koutarou is who he says he is, his power should be equally stupendous. At this short of a range, him succeeding would be like a pile of explosives going off on Sarah's and Svetlana's face and generally speaking, just as bad as the wave of spiritual energy that drew them to this place.

But Koutarou doesn't get that far, because his physical body is not meant to handle this kind of stress, and thus it is the first casualty as its heart fails under his own spiritual pressure. One second, Koutarou is straining against his limits. Then there's a flash of pain like lightning running through him. The very next, he feels light and effortless, as his spiritual body forms in the air even as his physical one keels over lifelessly.

And yet, he is still limited.

It's like he broke out of one cage to find it was inside of another.

Just like when he tried it before, the limiter does not really react. If he keeps going, he'll find his power generation stops at the usual treshold.

"Are you going to explode on me as well?", a voice comes from behind Koutarou. "After what happened to the girl, I do not get why you thought this would be a good idea. But I suppose it means you've settled on your answer."

There she is again, an image superimposed on the fabric of reality... just like Koutarou himself at the moment, actually. It's the version of her that Koutarou last saw: black Shihakusho tied with a red sash, dark hair, inhuman black eyes with red slits for pupils.

Sarah and Svetlana neither see nor hear her. For them, Koutarou's growing power has pretty much smothered everything else spiritual.

[Rater202]

"I just remembered I don't think this is ah--Ah, well, okay..."

[Kuroimaken]

No matter. For the moment, this much should be enough; casting off his body was going to need to happen eventually. Koutarou has no doubt in his mind that whatever limit currently applies in this imaginary world is to the benefit of the world itself, but more importantly, it's not a real limitation. The familiar sensation of Kokuden-ou at his waist is enough.

"Don't be ridiculous." He says, quite suddenly moving up to the figure, behind her if possible. Right now, Koutarou's abilities are tempered by a kind of restrained rage. He's... still not sure why exactly he's angry. It's just that much like the limiter itself, his patience with the absurdity of the situation has hit a threshold it wasn't meant to.

The appearance of the so-called Shinigami girl is just one of many indicators that whatever he's doing is working. If the limiter could hold out indefinitely, the lot of them would've been left well enough alone.

"I would have been content with unlocking whatever mystery of this world would have allowed our safe return with minimal interference. I would have been happy to properly discuss our situation and find a peaceful resolution. We were instead toyed with. Denied proper answers. Had our welfare been on the forethought at any time, you would not have allowed this child to have gone so far.

Bring out your boss, and don't waste my time trying to convince me you don't know what I'm talking about."

[Rater202]

"Okay, I'm not seeing this. Is it the pink-haired girl about my age wearing the variant Miko's outfit we found in the charity handout?"

[Kuroimaken]

"...yes. Yes it is."

[Frozen_Feet]

"Oh yes. My boss. Please wait for a moment." She pulls out a Reiphone and pretends to call someone.

"Hello, management? This is Zaraki Nasumi. We have a complaint by Ishinomori Koutarou. Yes, that one. He wants to see the "boss".

Then she puts the phone in her other hand and pretends to answer it. "Ishinomori Koutarou? Well that must mean this is urgent. Tell him I'll be coming right away."

She pretends to end the call, puts the phone away and crosses her arms, looking at him with utter contempt.

[Kuroimaken]

She might not get the chance. As she makes the mock phone call, Koutarou dashes suddenly and Kokuden-ou leaps like greased lightning aimed at her wrist to cut off her hand.

There's a good chance she'll dodge. He practically expects it. Almost as soon as he's past her, his free hand flies in her direction before the air whines with ionized stactic.

"Hadou 4. Byakurai."

As is common with Koutarou's spells, this one comes out like a truck.

[Rater202]

"Should I be concerned that the boss of all Deathgods is apparently more prone to violence than I am?"

"Only if the truce breaks down."

[Frozen_Feet]

The apparition's hand is chopped off and flies to the side with a trail of blood following it. Then the arc of blue lightning pierces through her torso. Her body disintegrates as it falls face forward to the ground.

The excess energy from the spell keeps going on, eventually striking a bunch of trees, splintering their trunks and setting them on fire.

For a moment, the rattle of flames is the only sound present. Then:

"... funny. You have convinced yourself that all of this is fake, yet you still somehow think your powers have real impact."

There's another apparation of the girl, this time, right next to Svetlana. She appears to be leaning on her, but of course, it's just seeming. As Svetlana cannot see her nor feel her weight, even an accidental movement could reveal the apparition is not actually supported by anything.

It's not the same, though. This apparition's hair is magenta and her eyes are mismatched, blue and gold. Her Shihakusho also has a more traditional color scheme.

[Kuroimaken]

"If my powers had no real effect on a fake thing, then either they are themselves fake, or your attempt to sell them off as such speaks of how terrified you truly are of them.

It has become clear we are unwelcome in this world. And we have in fact attempted to leave on our terms.

But knowing it is a fake means it must by definition have a creator. And you're making a piss-poor attempt at defending his creation."

A blink, and he's in the apparition's face again.

"Hadou 1. Sho."

It is testament to Koutarou's self-control that he's able to fire off the Hadou this close to Svetlana and not catch her in the crossfire, mostly attained by centering the initial force of the shot away from the apparition rather than straight at it. The Arrancar should be able to get away with just catching an unseasonable gust of wind.

"And your concern is unfounded, Sarah. I am exceptionally slow to anger."

[Frozen_Feet]

The apparition's head is turned into fragments of bone and bloody mist, her body falling backward and disintegrating once again. However, while the leftover force misses Svetlana, it does continue forward, eventually hitting the water and causing a splash similar to if a cannon ball landed there.

[Rater202]

"you know what... I'm gonna go be... Not here. Call me when she goes away...."

Sarah doens't actually know where to go, however, so she just kind of looks around in a comical fashion.

[Frozen_Feet]

If Sarah is still visualizing spiritual energy as threads, she might see Koutarou's raging power has filled the air with red haze. And if she or Svetlana still manage to pay attention to Sarah's physical body, they might notice its fingers twitching. Then, it inhales sharply.

Looks like its spirit is reacting to the sudden surges of energy thrown around.

But.... that spirit is not Sarah.

It looks like her body is waking up, but it's someone or something else that seems to be waking up inside her skin.

[Rater202]

"Oh... Oh ****... Please tell me I'm not gonna have to kill someone with my face."

[Frozen_Feet]

Sarah's body opens and blinks its eyes, then pushes itself to a half-sitting position with its arms. It appears to look right at Sarah, with sort of a blank, confused expression.

[Kuroimaken]

"Relax. Clearly they're trying to stop us with talk since they don't have any force in them. The creator of this world kept choosing proxies that were much weaker than me, but got to my psyche. Now he expects me to stop because that's your body, but I can knock it out without making a mess.

Even assuming they try to get your body in order to utilize your powers, they don't have your expertise. It's a fruitless effort."

[Frozen_Feet]

Sarah's body furrows its brow and looks at Koutarou. "Wow. Just... wow. Listen yourself go."

It begins crawling up to a standing position. "Maybe, just maybe I'm not using force because... seriously. Look around yourself."

There's water vapor in the air from the splash, and smoke from the splintered tree trunks burning on the background.

[Kuroimaken]

"Maybe I'm past the point where I care about such things." Koutarou replies simply.

[Rater202]

"Maybe try to avoid destroying my body at least? I'm rapidly coming to terms with the fact that I'm probably gonna have to die to get out of here but I'd still like to put it off for as long as possible, especially since I'm not 100% sure what this means..."

Sarah points at the hole in her chest.

"I'd really hate it if I went crazy and tried to eat your faces before I can lead you back to the crack in the fabric of reality."

[Frozen_Feet]

The girl in Sarah's body looks like she's about to say something, but is cut off by another voice.

"... and does that mean others should be beyond caring too?"

The man is walking down a trail towards them, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking at the destroyed trees and Koutarou's lifeless physical body with raised eyebrows, before giving Koutarou's spirit a questioning look.