Since the Lieutenant’s previous loss to Captain Mukuro, his mind and body had begun and continued to develop a state in which he could actively rely on both his instincts as well as a stable and quickened thought process in combat, without allowing outside emotions to cloud his judgement. His humiliating and brief bout with the Captain was filled with stress and that stress had led to improper decisions and tactics. The reliance on what he previously felt the need to abstain from using had seemed to provide some success, or at least that was the sensation that cloaked the betrayal. Being overwhelmed by the Phantom’s blitzing speed had left the boy in a panicked state and eventually his downfall. Practice and real combat were two very different things, that was something that the Lieutenant had been brutally shown that day. In previous confrontations, he had not been pushed properly, there was nothing that had previously shown him his weakness. To think that a boy who was already so self-conscious of himself had needed to be shown just how powerless he was in the face of a real threat. It was shameful.
To this day he had yet to lose his degrading thoughts about himself, but he had advanced. To remain static would have spelled his end with that single loss, this was unacceptable. Today, he would need to rely on that defeat, that would be his true weapon and teacher. Regardless of his perception of Kyomu Mukuro, the man was capable beyond anyone within the Eleventh and beyond a vast majority of the Seireitei, this much was undeniable.
As the pale-haired Shinigami made his way toward his opponent, within the few steps that Nibui had taken, beyond the range of both combatants, Captain Nakamoto had gone to work and seemingly without effort, set up a barrier that to Nibui, seemed rather intricate. His knowledge of the demon arts was extremely limited, only able to pick up on the basic properties of spells used by others and never able to cast his own. Even he managed to grasp the general idea of what the brilliant azure coating that enveloped the cavern was. It’s exact properties however, were lost on him completely. He wasn’t aware if there were a hidden motive to the barrier but he could at least assume that it’s purpose was to mitigate collateral damage, a kind act.
With each step of his closing the gap between Nibui and Jinnosuke, he could feel the pressure bearing down on him, it was present but he was more than accustomed to the burden of Reiatsu, and by no means would this put a damper on his stride or actions. He would have continued, had he not been halted by Jinnosuke’s next action.
As the brute ripped the hunk of metal that was his Zanpakuto from the floor, the earth surrounding the two combatants would be torn up along with the slab which would be assumed to be a part of Jinnosuke’s plan, or so Nibui had hoped. The floor directly beneath Nibui no longer offering any considerable support within that fleeting moment had indeed put a halt to had indeed managed to put the brakes to his initial attack, as his balance was momentarily robbed from him, but only barely. His position had not changed, but the sudden shift in the terrain had caused his reflexes to kick in, having his arm completely halt it’s motions in an almost fluid manner. Could it have been due to his current physical state?
Alongside the disrupted footing, there was also the minor annoyance of debris that had been thrown upward toward Nibui, from dust to reasonably sized rocks.Yet it was all of little importance to the ivory haired shinigami. The distance between the two was far too small for any real obscuring of vision to take place with such a short gap between the two. His eyes merely squinting a bit to avoid any particulates of dust from finding themselves a new home in his eyes.
Had it not been enough that his footing had been disturbed, the brute seemed to believe it necessary to attempt to interrupt the blade’s path some more with his own Zanpakuto despite the fact that his first action had taken care of that already. Jinnosuke’s weapon now batting the bokken to the side and away from his own general direction, leaving Nibui’s Zanpakuto now resting along the outermost edge of the wedge of a Zanpakuto. That same action of the pompadour sporting shinigami was not a simple block however, that same wedge encroached rapidly in attempt to slam into Nibui’s torso like an oversized battering ram. An attempt to make use of his uneven balance it seemed.
This tactic was far too similar to something he too had attempted at one point, finding very little success in his attempt and so too would Jinnosuke encounter the same fate.
The very moment in which his bokken had been knocked from it’s previous position, there was a very subtle vibration that could be felt through the weapon of his as it grinded along the very edge of the now forward thrusting block. That, in conjunction with what his eyes perceived before him, despite the cover of debris that hung in the air for a moment, he had been given a clear picture of the attack his opponent was executing.
As though he was performing in a magic show, Nibui dropped from view of the towering shinigami, his small frame almost instantaneously being pulled down. From the perspective of Jinnosuke, it seemed no different than that of an astonishingly quick shunpo, vanishing from sight in a blur of motion. now hidden away underneath Jinnosuke’s very own Zanpakuto as the much smaller shinigami dropped to a squat, his weight not resting on the ball of his feet. His Zanpakuto now retracted and prepared for his next offensive. The great mass that was Jinnosuke’s Zanpakuto passing cleanly over his head. And then he was gone again, though this time, it was not simply a drop in stance, his body slipping from beneath the obscene blade and instead blitzing his way to the right side of Jinnosuke, Nibui now facing the man’s side.
Between this movement and what followed, there was no delay or interruptions in preparation, everything was unnaturally fluid, Nibui’s hands had both been planted to the handle of his Zanpakuto, a steady grip that was ready to take action at any moment now, be it defensive or offensive. However, the best defence, is a good offence. And with those words in mind, seemingly absent of motion, the blade of his wooden Zanpakuto had found itself lacerating through both the legs of the brute before him, just above the heels. The slash was not intended to hack off any part of the body, instead the goal was to sever the achilles tendon of Jinnosuke along both legs in one nimble strike. Clean, precise and blindingly quick. With success, Jinnosuke would be left unable to walk or at the very least, struggling to even walk. Even for Jinnosuke, who boasts a physical power nearly unmatched, such an injury would leave them with considerable hindrances if the bleeding and pain themselves would not end the fight for the challenger.
There was another point that Nibui had to have beaten into him that fortunate day against Captain Mukuro, attempting a single assault and hoping all would end well for oneself could very easily be taken advantage of. As such, once the blade itself had completed it’s journey, once again it was drawn back to his side, completing the Lieutenant’s draw cut. There, the blade was angled upwards, toward Jinnosuke. Both hands remaining wrapped to the handle. And then once again, he was on the move.
Slipping on past his opponent’s side, Nibui had made his way to Jinnosuke’s 7 O’clock, now a mere three feet from his opponent. Up until this point, his stance had remained low after having evaded the prior thrust from Jinnosuke, using the height difference between the two of them to slip past Jinnosuke’s field of view. However, as he moved to this new position he would bring himself back up to a standing position. His stare intense, yet carrying a calm nature surrounding that intensity.
Nibui’s underlying problem was not something that could be ignored. The strain that each motion had continued to put on him would only grow as the fight was dragged on further and further. Even only seconds into the fight, the physical stress he had realized his body was under was immense. With each and every inch of his body writhing with piercing pains. His breathing while controlled, had become less of a passive occurence and now was a laboured task. His movements while fluid, each felt as though his muscles were tearing from the inside out. There was no longer any option but to finish this fight in a timely manner.
With the pain that wracked his body becoming something he could not ignore, he struggled to keep his eyes on his opponent, succeeding, but finding quite a bit of conflict within himself to do so. Even if just for a moment, he wanted to make sure that Captain Nakamoto had stuck around, without losing sight of Jinnosuke. Knowing that the young Captain had stayed put after his barrier had been erected seemed almost like a comfort to Nibui, if he could make the confirmation. It was a comfort in knowing that the pain could end as soon as possible, or so he’d hoped.
