[BSD-RP] Soul Society: Rukongai

[Awkward Heals]

Arm-in-arm with her companion, the pair of citizens wandered about the Rukongai grounds where the Games had been set up. The man would look to the screens and exclaim loudly, cheering for his favorite contestants in the Games while his wife simply enjoyed the festivities. It was a difficult thing to produce such an event themselves. Despite having no enjoyment in what it was about in itself, many still had their fun simply gathering in a way they had lost the luxury of doing themselves. As the fights appeared to be heating up, the man's grasp on the woman loosened as his eyes focused on the large screen. With a light smile he was released, the woman moving forward to look around a bit more. Under normal circumstances she would not feel safe wandering alone, yet surrounded by all of these shinigami she was not worried at all. They were, after all, there to keep them safe, right?

Moving forward the woman stopped at a small stall, ordering herself food. As she awaited her food to be cooked her eyes began to wander, feet propelling her along. Near-by, yet still within sight of the grounds, sat a lone woman. No...this was a shinigami. A lieutenant! Excitement filled her at seeing one so close. Their world fascinated her yet she was aware she was too weak to join their ranks. Overtaken by her fascination she moved closer, questions threatening to boil over before she even reached her.

It took only a few steps closer to realize the shinigami was not simply sitting around to enjoy the Games. With a gasp the woman brought her hands to her face, shaking visibly. What was she to do?

"I...I'll help you..let me..."

With that she was gone, stuttering and stumbling away to seek out her husband.

---

"Booooring~~~,"

The word was released like a long breath, exhaled slowly. Yui stared at the empty waiting room before her. Everyone had been sent away somewhere. Everyone but her. There had even been some kind of emergency at the Academy and they had still left her behind! Lieutenant Izumi had to be punishing her. What other reason would she have for leaving her behind while so many others had been called to serve here or there? Yui fumed over the imaginary confrontation she would have with Junko when she returned. How dare she treat her like---

Yui's train of thought was derailed as the panicked woman rushed into the hospital. Standing alert suddenly she pushed aside those that were before her attempting to give the new arrivals a hand. Shoving past them, Yui stood as tall as she could with her below five foot frame.

"There's someone...a shinigami....she needs help...please,"

The woman was rambling, clearly upset, while the man at her side seemed perplexed and slightly annoyed by the whole scenario. Listening to the woman's tale it sounded simple enough. Simple enough for Yui to take care of and prove to everyone she was stronger than they thought. A determined look on her face, Yui interrupted only to ask the location. Although it was somewhat vague, Yui saw no issue in seeking out someone of such a rank that was described. She allowed the bored nurses to surround them, backing out of the group slowly as they calmed the poor woman and tried to get more information out of either of the couple. Yui had no need for anything else. She had her assignment. She would show them not to leave such a valuable asset behind.

As focused as they were on the pair that had entered, nobody seemed to notice as Yui slipped outside.

---

"She couldn't give directions if her life depended on it,"

Frustrated, Yui sighed as she looked at the vast grounds set aside for the Games once more. The holes in her plan became all the more evident as she realized she had not gotten more information on the location other than "near a food vendor". She also had not asked permission and had no idea what they were planning within Fourth at the moment to take care of the situation. Her rash move had landed her in a hole.

"Hmph!"

Yui would not let such details stop her. Once she had taken care of the hurt Lieutenant she could return to the hospital with her head held high. With this in mind she continued on, seeking out the injured shinigami. If she had had the practice she would have been able to catch on to the trail nearly immediately. Yui, however, had not found such necessary. The proud young woman could not admit to herself she needed more training beyond medicine.

After a time she stumbled upon Atsuko, sitting near the Games in a state that appeared conscious but perhaps not entirely there. For a few moments Yui froze. She had no idea what was actually wrong with the woman. Well versed in treatment, she had never had to diagnose before. Pace slower, she approached the other with outstretched hands as if she were some wild animal prepared to attack.

"I'm...Yui. Fourth Division uh...we were told somebody needed help. Please...ma'am...this won't take long,"

As if her senses suddenly returned to her, Yui approached carefully. This person was one she did not know, one of a higher rank. What if her and Junko were friends? What if the Captain found out she left her post with no warning? Hands shaking slightly she kneeled down next to Atsuko. The glow of her hands flickered and wavered with her inattention until finally her resolve broke its way through. Regardless of the trouble she may be in, there was someone hurt before her. Though her petty nature had led her into a potentially dangerous situation, she was still trained as a medic. All other thoughts began to drown in the wake of her training. Eyes closed her reiatsu sought out the wounds. It appeared to be from a kido spell, though not cast upon her. She was unsure of what to make of the situation, however it did not change the treatment. First focusing upon relieving the woman of pain, Yui then moved to examine the arm. It seemed so very close to having come clean off, yet it stubbornly persisted.

Yui was grateful for this. It made for a much simpler task, a much easier fix that could be done alone. Fears lessened, her healing hastened. Tendons and muscles healed and rejoined. Every scratch on her body would fade. In the end she would perhaps feel slightly faint yet restored. When she had finished the glow on her slowly extinguished, leaving merely her and an exhausted look covering her face. She gave a bow and smiled, proud of herself for having handled the situation on her own.

"May I help you to Fourth, ma'am?"

Confidence restored, she looked into the eyes of Atsuko with a large grin across her face.

​

---

---

 

[TakashiKiyoshi]

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Southwest - Rukongai

After hours of wandering the streets of Rukongai on his way to the now famous Kenpachi Games, Takashi has encountered several different events. In turn, that made him act as a police officer in the Soul Society and that is exactly what his task is now. Everything from stopping drunken souls from fighting each other and stopping different types of petty thefts. With the increasing number of souls in one and the same place, the crimes also increase and means that Takashi takes longer to get to the games. And during the time he spent in Rukongai he also encountered other unseated members of his Division that had been helping him with the crowd.

Takashi and a few other shinigami stand together and talk and that is when he notices that it has calmed down in the area. He realizes that not all of them are needed in this area and then chooses that he and a few shinigami can go to the games instead if they are needed there.

”It seems to calm down in this area so we keep going towards the games and the rest of you! Keep things under control and if you need help, just text me."

Takashi uses one of the four basic Shinigami techniques, Hohō , with the group of unseated members to speed up to get to the games faster. It does not take long before they finally end up at the games and cheers and screams can be heard from spectators to the games as they arrive. And not far from where they stopped are also the 4th division tents to take care of the seriously injured from the games. Takashi's gaze is obviously looking at the tent because his friend Junko is probably there and just as he thought she is. On the way out of the tent, Takashi sees her and she looks worried. He raises one arm towards Junko even though she is some distance away from him to try to stop her but not a word comes past his lips. He only sees her running away but where he does not know yet and even though he wanted to follow, he still had his orders to keep order around the games.

​

 

[Tatsu]

The Ninth Division Captain knew exactly what kind of woman Omoni Hageshi was. Since her ascension to Captaincy, Yasu Yugure was busy, especially with all the information that poured in daily on shinigami and the events that followed them. Omoni was a shinigami with a heart of gold; she cared plenty, having tried to save the individual from Thirteenth during the Togabito events in the World of the Living a century ago. Oyama Hoshi was an example of that compassion as Omoni had admittedly saved her from her demise. If the newly-made Captain was a savior as she was to those outside of her Division, then she would do that and more to protect those within it.

“ If ya’ don’t wanna die. Ya’ better do somethin’ ‘bout that crap above us!”

Out from the depths of her marsh, Yasu had little time in regards to preparation for another drastic attack in the same likeness of her cero. She needed time. After the release of her cero, she'd dove back into the dark depths of her Bankai and spirited herself beneath them, staring up above as the heat of her cero flushed across her skin. Yet even in the ferocious roar of the cero, she could still sense both of Omoni's and Hiroka's spiritual signatures, and god was it a pain to find them rising rather than lowering. Though it was not unexpected; it just got annoying at this point.

What had missed the two targets was absorbed by the might of the Commander's crystals that littered the battlefield in bunches, scattered across the district to catch remnants of these powerful attacks to not destroy the very realm they reside in. Each soul fighting in these games was fighting with their unbound strength to determine the strongest in all of Soul Society, so there would have to be some precautions taken. Her familiarity with these crystals for the past century would prove to be her fiercest ally against powerhouses such as the giantess and subordinate. The fury of her cero is slowly growing weaker and replaced by an ominous blue glow. Yasu takes that time to position herself with her body dwarfed and shielded by the might of the luminous crystals. Her back against these ambient devices, Yasu exhales and steam escapes out of the cracks of her mask.

---

The barbaric woman bellows at the top of her lungs as the cero disappears and the sky is replaced with a vibrant blue versus the perilous orange that its horizons had once occupied.

“SUUUUUUUU! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANKS! THIS WAS THE BEST!!!! HOPE YA' DON'T DIE!!!!!!”

Omoni had finally released her Bankai in its full glory at the cost of her armor's destruction after having absorbed two extreme and powerful fiery explosive powers. The destruction entailed to it was massive with its three-hundred-and-sixty-degree range and reach of three-hundred-and-sixty yards. Its incentives were to destroy and nothing more, completely burning away at the marsh of the Rukongai district's landfill, Yasu's viscous realm, and the rest of the surrounding area on a surface level. Everything of her Bankai was incinerated on a surface level. Eleventh Division's Captain truly wished to take her out of the game, and even behind the unbreakable crystals of their Commander, Yasu still faced the indefinite and searing force of heat that flushed against her skin and clothes, rattling in between the gaps of the crystals to brush against her in any possible way that they could.

Omoni was correct in terms of giving Yasu nowhere to hide... when it came to the contents of her creation.

If she'd stayed within the confines of her Bankai, surely she too would've been forced to escape, and even then, by a hairsbreadth would she have managed to get away with severe damage that would have entailed in her flesh completely welted or even gone. The might of her body's dexterity had been massively increased after the release of her mask, allowing the mitigation of the assault too much lower outcomes than intended. Yasu had been blessed with dual protection, of her mask and these indestructible crystals presented by the Commander. As strong as Omoni Hageshi was, even this would prove to be unable to damage them to the point of completely eviscerating the playing field. If not for them, Yasu would have suffered immeasurable damage that would have taken her out of the game.

Not to mention the fact that the giantess was not alone in her endeavors. After saving her subordinate from the heated offense of her cero. Much like his superior, Hiroka was intent on giving her no luxury of safety in her Bankai as his heat seared through the earth and flew upwards in bubbling fury to eliminate any further outpour and reformation of her creation and completely rid her of a safety net to completely hide from them in. Uncomfortable wasn't a word that she would use in this situation but surely she felt it with all of the heat that surrounded the area.

"Haaaaaa.... Sugoi." (すごい, "Wow")

Yasu's head begins to drop as she steadies her breathing. Lower and lower does her spiritual signature drop to where it nearly becomes almost nonexistent, just enough to symbolize some type of life that lingered after two back-to-back attacks to completely rid of the nuisance that she was. Faint as it was, Yasu was still capable of moving as normally as she had been, flexing her fingers and muscles. Even after the massive assaults toppled onto one another, the abomination known as Yasu Yugure was still kicking, much to her opponents' unknown chagrin after their attempts of destruction. Her body is covered in deep welts and burns, the open, unclothed areas resembling that of second and third-degree burns, some parts even going so far as to reach the fourth degree. Fortunately, this type of damage was on the smaller side in terms of Shinigami injury scales. Had she been a normal human this would've been enough to have killed her. Even so, Yasu was not a newborn Shinigami; damage like this was minuscule in comparison to what she'd suffered in the past.

---

The Eleventh Division members had it out for her, though it seemed as though their slim partnership had ended after their assault as Hiroka was the first to have acted on ending that short truce. Hearing the overhead explosion caused a guttural chuckle to escape the vizard. Steam billowed off of her skin and marred flesh. As if to cool the pain down, the marsh that had formed her appendages extended their way up her arms to completely cloak her body in darkness from head to toe. For now, that would be the safest part of her Bankai she'd have been able to contact directly. Yet, much like Hiroka was the God of his power, she was in her rite.

With no sight of Yasu even after their multitudes of assaults, their broken attention would create the slimmest opening for the Vizard as she appears in quick succession to Hiroka's assault on Omoni which is a concussive force that would the affected areas down to the bone and even pass that point to near decimation. With her leg reared back, Yasu had whipped it forth with the intent to send the Titaness rocketing towards the boiling marsh with a stinging sensation upon contact. Beneath her, awaited flurries of tendrils that raced to get a hold of yet another body.

The additional strength of speed augmented by the release of her mask multiplied what the Shunpo Master was already capable of. To have lowered her spiritual signature to such a degree, neither of the two combatants would have been able to predict her even coming as close as she was, especially with her passive hit-and-runs. Masked beneath the extensive and lingering remnants of all attacks would have muddled the already basic sensory that plagues Eleventh's Captain. Even with Hiroka's mastery in regards to sensory, would he have tried to stop her amid her assistance?

In Omoni's defense, she was correct. It was a two against one until it wasn't.

If anything he should have seen it as a blessing to have had a second helping hand. For what he could have imagined, perhaps Yasu held the same ideals that he had in bettering both of their circumstances by getting rid of the largest nuisance. Though rather than suffering the result that fell upon Omoni, Yasu was fluid to use the momentum of her kick and use that force to rocket a tendril that extends out from one of her appendages and aims straight towards his chest as if to pierce him directly through and through. Yet, if he was so focused on dealing with what was in front of him, he'd forego the impending tendrils looking for a taste coming from beneath him in tandem with her assault, much like his superior. Sullied with his boiling heat, even he would have been subjected to the scalding prowess he'd wanted to bestow upon her.

If they didn't want her hiding any longer, then she'd be as upfront as they wanted her to be. Hiroka was unable to give said mercy in return for Omoni's kindness, so Yasu capitalized on that. To think that Yasu would end up in the same situation was something else. If Eleventh Division had any other problems, one of them would be that they talked far too much amid battle.

 

[OmoniHageshī]

"Your kindness does not purchase mercy from me."


Her consideration, repaid with treachery. Her mercy, greeted by disdain. To state that this was something Omoni would not have expected would be untrue. Hageshi’s unorthodox ways had backfired on her plenty of times and it appeared that this situation had played out accordingly.

​

---

“ What do they think they're doing?!”

The look of Omoni’s body disappearing into the sudden expansion of another star-like detonation forming from her arm and quickly growing to consume the entirety of that side of her body as It melted through skin, muscle, and bone as if they were nothing had to have been what caused a stunned voice to break out amongst the crowd of spectators. There was a shake in their voice as if they were suddenly afraid.

“ Can she take that?!”

They couldn’t have possibly been fearful for themself so the only people that deserved their concern were undoubtedly on the battlefield. Obviously what had happened to Captain Omoni was what they were afraid of. Who were they afraid for? Omoni of course! Why were they afraid at all? Was there any way that she could survive a blast like that without the defiance of her armor?!

“ Why did he do it?! ”

Soon this one voice became ten and then twenty until hundreds began to call out in unison. All of them were utterly horrified by something that Omoni Hageshi’s adversaries were not yet aware of.

​

---

“ They shouldn’t have done that. ”

​

---

In an instant, it was over.

A well controlled verocious flex of Hageshi's thunderous reiatsu and the compromised hollow bone of Yasu’s mask shattered against the force of Namakizu’s respondent swing, aided by the vizord's tremendous momentum, and the pursuant kick split in half. Hageshi’s great club had been swung with enough velocity to send the already catastrophically injured captain fiercely flying into Hiroka’s unexpectant body who was likely dealing with the shock of watching his own Zanpakuto break into shards of ruptured steel before his eyes as it and he were impaled by two of the Empresses elongated spines sent soaring inches past Yugure’s skull all of which retracted instantly back to their wielder. One through his beloved princess and the second through his stomach. Their instantaneous advance had been simultaneously timed with the forementioned hit driven into Yugure in order to deliver that final blow to Hiroka’s misguided pride. This would send both of them careening into the earth like comets below where they would leave a sizable crater and possibly accrue a cacophony of further extensive injuries. Comparatively, Omoni was second only to Higen Kagayaki in terms of physical prowess, durability and strength. One or two might have whispered somewhere amonst the watching rabble that she was a single step below. This direct hit born from both of their misinterpretations had doomed them.

Like them, the rest of the onlookers questioned the reality of the events transpiring. How did this happen? Yasu’s body was protected by her sticky black Bankai and its tendrils as well as a perfectly timed kick and the explosion provided by Hiroka should have made it impossible for Omoni to retaliate and yet, Namakizu did not come into contact with anything except vulnerability born from her adversary’s mutual miscomprehensions. Lapse of perception brought on by the horrific injury she'd sustained, the binding, fast approaching, limit of her hollowfication and loss of the use of her Bankai could be the only explanation for why Yasu charged Omoni without hesitation to deliver her kick. It had to be the reason that she could have failed to recognize that Hageshi was locked and loaded having been given ample time to knock Yugure's lights out.

There was no protective layer of marsh to insulate Yasu because contrary to her understanding, the destruction was not limited to surface level. Yasu might have been the Goddess of her Bankai but she would find that she was without her follower to be afforded it’s devotion. No amount of her Bankai or swampland had been spared by Hageshi’s cataclysmic assault to allow for her shelter or oppression and in addition to this, the damage that Yasu sustained had, at the very least, reduced her Zanpakuto to its sealed state. Her Bankai had been destroyed. Even though she had thought to utilize the Captain Commander's suppressive crystals and endurance bestowed upon her by her mask as a means of conserving herself and her marsh against the monumental power of Namakizu’s Bankai, their support was only enough to barely preserve the ninth’s captain's body and she still ended up with gruesome wounds. After all, Captain Yugure may have experienced injuries far worse than what Omoni had set upon her, but it was doubtful that her Bankai had. They would do her no good to ward off Namakizu’s wrath. Even so, it would make sense if the detriment she’d suffered had led her to being unable to fathom this and she would persist in charging forth at Omoni without being able to cognize the amount of exposure that she had afforded her opposition. In the end, Depending on sight or sensory ability had never been something that proved to be of importance to Hageshi. The fearsome woman acted on exceptionally seasoned instinct.

As for Hiroka and by extension Yasu, expecting the non-existent had supplied his jovial captain with openings for her to ruthlessly exploit that neither would likely to be able to react to in time as they'd left themselves totally exposed. Despite the fact that he had felt a single ball in his mirad of barbels strike Omoni’s arm, they were denied the opportunity to touch her. Instead, they had been subjected to the fate of his Yoake no Hanmā and captain Yugure’s demonic cero. The damage that they would have caused as well as any residual damage they would have inflicted were absorbed by her armor instead and so there was nothing for him to capitalize on.

In the wake of that desolation, a single question had to have forced itself to the forefront of their minds.

“ Is surrendering really so bad? ”

The fight had dragged on and on. At this point, didn’t her competitors have a future to think about? Was it not probable that in the face of their devastation that they may begin to reconsider their dedication to the contest with the confidence of succession out of the question?

Yasu’s enthusiastic fans surely must have agreed that they would rather their icon survive than die for a title. Her life had once been welded to the side of her beloved teacher and fellow captain Kyomu Mukuro. Eating droves of candy and serving all of his whims had once been all that Yasu desired. Then one day, she became determined to make more of herself and attain one of the highest positions a Shinigami could hope to live up to and that was captaincy. Yugure had worked herself to blood, sweat and bone to achieve this dream and explore the excitement of a new and glorious path in her life. Could she honestly choose to continue putting such a bright afterward on the line like this? The reality was that she had sustained mortal wounds and lost her hollowfication and her Bankai. Didn't she have room to grow? Wasn't she still trying to figure out what she was going to do with her tenure as the captain of the nineth division and the rest of her life?

In her fourth seat’s case, was he without aspirations? From what Omoni had witnessed Hiroka had extraordinary potential to rise the ranks and after time as well as serious training he could even manage to become a captain himself some day. Was he content with remaining where he was and dying with this complacency? He had already brought to bear his strongest techniques against his captain. He should have been incontrovertibly exhausted by now and his Zanpakuto had been destroyed but it was not beyond repair. He’d already nearly lost his life once during this battle, was he going to keep taking that chance or did he have enough sensibility to recognize when he’d been beaten and to live to fight another day or was he so stubborn that he would he permit his blistering rage to be the harbinger of his end?

The fact of the matter was that Omoni had yet to be inhibited by anything Yasu or Hiroka had thrown at her. On top of that, her spiritual power continued to increase by the second alongside the mad woman’s frenzy that was deluded and with no indication that it would cease any time soon. Both of her opponents had to be ready to drop, no matter how hard they tried to deny it. Essentially, The title of Kenpachi was merely a by-product of the meritorious fun Omoni was having being able to unleash herself upon her opponents. This woman wanted nothing more than to fight and fight and fight until she died which wasn’t supposable at this juncture. All she wanted to do was face every single one of the game's competitors and the first round was a stepping stone on that bloody quest. Hovering above them, was a ravenous monster that had tasted blood and wanted more with an insatiable appetite. There was no pride that would be disturbed by her loss, and she was not the kind of person that would look down on someone who abdicated. Besides their own egos, things could end and there would not be any casualties. If they continued trying to engage her there was no way of guaranteeing either of them would recover from this encounter.

 

[Vesper]

Limitations. A constant weight upon Hiroka that came initially from a point of inexperience and weakness, but then took more unconventional roots as those eroded. In the beginning he failed to acquire the strength that was required to protect his late twin and from there meant a lot of hard battles. The constant dirt being thrusted into his open wounds amounted to the rage that tainted his very core. His anger was a byproduct of those aforementioned limits. It wasn't specifically because of anything anyone else did. He was only spiteful truly to himself. He had to get stronger, in order to protect, in order to grow, in order to breach beyond any preconceived walls. He did achieve that to a decent amount and continues to strive for that but it still isn't enough. Where he had reached points of mastery in places, other roadblocks came into form. It was one thing if a trained kick wasn't as perfect as it could be. Or if one got exhausted a bit faster than one wanted. But for him... He reached a point in which his own weapon came with it's own shackles. Her presence and his power. The ultimate blade and a twisted crutch.

No matter how much he mastered his power, it was still a tool of sheer destruction, and with its release came a cost. Not something that ate at himself but instead those around him. Friend, foe, ally, or environment would be victims to the upper bounds of his abilities. In a normal scenario, he'd likely not even be allowed to remove his personal limiter, let alone use Ikarihime to the level that this tournament had made available to him. Never had he razed as much collective hell within a battle, for he never should out of these contained conflicts.

The Yoake no Hanmā technique was one such ability that he found forbidden in most situations given that he would typically be required to minimize collateral damages. And with every detonation he put out over the course of this brawl, he struck his will out into the world with mercy thrown out entirely. There was no need to cage his power and the upper limits of what his Shikai could bring. It was here that he could be a monster. It was here that he should be a monster. And those that assumed themselves impervious to what he could dish out would find a short lived bliss brought on by ignorance and in time... they would die for it.

Hiroka's abilities were often watered down to something on face value. Those that have fought him, even those that were just spectating it now, likely saw nothing but a lot of the same. He throws about some hot air, things go boom, and that's the end of it. Captain Hageshi stands without harm time and again. While Yugure collected the most harm, but still remained active. Certainly it was clear to see that he had exhausted all his tricks and would be put out pasture from this battle. Right?

If someone thought that... they'd be absolutely fucking wrong. Where the Fourth Seat's Shikai's strength truly shined was not in the brilliance of his explosions but in the fact that it grew its power, time and time again. Every burst, every moment he added to a battle, every spark that remained from his assault was more fuel for the fire. The longer one clashed with Hiroka, the more at risk they were at losing the confrontation. Their best odds were to do him in quick and that was something both Captains had failed to do. Mercy shown time and time again, coupled with a split focus on who was presently the biggest threat, and not to mention a lack of consideration for the constantly rising heat was going to be the nail in the coffin. Any container of his heat a passage for his blasts.

The man who could eat the very star above genuinely approached the other two with everything he had available. Yet time. Time was a commodity for him that just kept giving. Just as the woman he newly found as his superior had stacked her power with her Bankai, his did just that with Shikai alone. It's only real drawback for its was the vessel the torridity was contained in. Traditionally it was only himself or Ikarihime but given such liberty it was also the earth, the air, the very fabrics that garnished his figure. More and more the inferno was fanned. There was no level of durability or conventional defense that could go without succumbing to Ikari's wrath, especially when given time to mature.

Ikarihime's touch on anything she embraced was like an extension of Hiroka himself. The slightest shift or even the erasure of its presence was ever known to the Burst Prince. It was something not only of absolute control but also of awareness. It was with this portion of his ability that made each blast as accurate as possible. And made those marked for death cornered by the presence of the princess's breath. It did not even take much thought for him to notice these changes, for it was hammered so deep within him. Decades of bonding with the spirit weapon he wielded and countless hours scorching himself and his marks time and time again. The feeling was unmissable. An phantom limb of sorts.

The collision his Tsuki no Kyū had made against Hageshi's armor was primed to set a trap for the near future but instead it became yet another thing consumed by her ever hungry Bankai. The force and heat doused in an instant and instead added to the azure projectile that was sent to snuff out Yasu below. Unfortunate, but it managed to confirm any doubt that laid within the Fourth Seat's mind. He had wasted no time between that exchange to distance himself from the woman swelling with collected power. It was yet to be known if she had made that protective effort just to further add to her counter or if it was just a genuine act of kindness. Under normal circumstances such an effort would likely be rewarded a nicer reaction, but this wasn't a place to make friends. Any wasted time, any misplaced attack, any wasted trust could mean ones downfall. Hiroka did not know Omoni Hageshi in the slightest and caution had to be had. His retreat from her proximity came with him stripping a tattered strand of his bindings from his leg and leaving it with a ghost of his former self, one that was left behind the trail he pathed. The escape he had made was completely unbeknownst to Captain Hageshi given her grave inexperience in both flash step and her narrow sensory abilities. Let alone the confidence she boasted in her complete subjugation of the other Captain below. To her it might as well have been the original remaining nearest to her, spectating the cerulean eruption. With every step of his ethereal stride Ikarihime rapidly wrapped his body deeper and deeper in infernal heat. Something that gained brilliance quicker and quicker with each moment basking in the light from the heavens above.

The conclusion of the ogress's assault came with a ravenous strike upon the afterimage that he had left to keep her company. She had made an effort to dispatch of both Hiroka and Yasu in one fell swoop with the Ninth's Captain jumping into the fray to pose a more direct approach. The Oni's avarice for a double takedown further blinded her from what was sewn just for this occasion. Did she strike in such a way with the assumption that his inaction was something of normality? Why would someone just gawk at nothingness while danger remains on the table? Let alone why would he do so when no alliance had been commonly agreed upon?

The false pyromancer reacted as if it had been experiencing pain and shock from Omoni's attack. Though the façade ended when the specter dispersed soon after its figure served its course, leaving with it nothing more than a solitude piece of Hiroka's Tendoriru o Tanoshimu. A piece that had been subjected to a thorough puncturing by Namakizu. The Burst Prince's ethereal stride came to an end not long before that contact had been made, donning a new golden glow that vanished just as it may have been noticed. Instead the steeled cloth acted as the anchor to transfer but a sliver of Ikarihime's heat, something that allowed for Hiroka to direct an empowered strike upon his superior. The attack that which had been thwarted before it started just not long ago was gaining a chance for a proper and potent reprisal.

There was no time for the brutish woman to process the trade that transpired between Hiroka, the stray bandage, and then Namakizu given her confidence on her dual pronged assault. That oversight, that overconfidence, was met with the rebirth of a star. That which she had preemptively evaded came through in the end anyway, but now born yet again within the vessel of her power, Namakizu. Previously she had spared her Zanpakuto the fate of its destruction through the use of her Bankai's absorption but this time, she did not have that card now. The all consuming light expanded from her trusty companion, fracturing it into pieces and melting them just as quickly as it broke apart. The hyper condensed detonation pouring every piece of its multi-amplified effect through her weapon, making quick and definitive work of it. Almost completely erasing the club from its form, leaving only a fragment upon the hilt of it, bursting as it reached its apex. The rupturing of the heavenly sphere ravaged the woman's entire side, following the same course he had planned but under a new guise. Together previously they had each made a move to disarm the other and both times they were evaded. This time, she would not be as lucky. She had assumed that Hiroka would be unaware to her armor's effect on his weaponized orb, as well as that he'd be so weak minded as to remain as a deer in headlights afterward. This was a battle and his mind would not stall so carelessly. And that very blinding haze that shrouded judgement, led not only to the same ends... but also at the cost of Namakizu's integrity. It very well may be capable of repair but it certainly would not be saving the Oni from the injuries that'd follow.

There was not much that'd go unseen through the connection his heat made with himself and others. Whether its the nullified projectile or the heat-coated Yasu that breached upward from the deep below... he knew. That being said... He left no stone unturned when it came to eradicating his mark. For his own peer was a conduit for a dedicated follow up. Should the bubblegum-haired Shinigami successfully connect an attack to the now weaponless and sun scorched Demon, she would deliver not only a blitz powered by her own prowess but one coupled with Ikarihime's explosive will. The point of contact erupting outward with its full might upon her mark, acting as a second and even more potent concussive strike than what would be delivered by her alone. If this was going to continue to be a game of ganging up on one another, it might as well end now. His offense did still remain outside of the reach of the pair, leaving the close-quarters exchange between those who achieved the white-clad accolade. Yet between his redirected application of his Yoake no Hanmā and the payload that Yugure could still manage to deliver... It wasn't looking good for the woman who had formerly eluded decimation, time and again.

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