[10th/3rd] Week ---: Round 1: Toride Satoru vs Mabara Tsubaki

[Bish]

So lemme get this straight... thought the Mystic to himself as he lie in wait on Earth. They're putting me up against the most feared swordsman in the whole of the Gotei Thirteen in the first round?

He knew these fights were designed to be sporting competition, but this was just insane. In his mind, there were a scant few possibilities for such an occurrence. The first was that the tournament organizer severely overestimated his capabilities. The second was that they thought that all out combat with someone massively stronger than himself would be a healthy experience for him. The third was they were simply sadistic.

With those options in mind, Toride Satoru began to wonder if Adelaide Pierce had designed the matches.

Nevertheless, the locale of the White Horse's final stand lay stretched across a vast expanse. Machines hummed and whirred through their daily tasks amongst the various areas of towering construction. A few pieces of heavy machinery such as bulldozers and forklifts lay scattered throughout the field alongside the heavy boulders that the rock-shaping area was designed to make. Ever since the battle, the Quarry had only recently begun to become usable by humans on a regular basis. Only a scant few remained under the setting sun, which was an excellent thing for the two combatants.

Satoru had been present on the battlefield for what felt like hours to his anxious mind but really had only amounted to forty minutes. Any observers would not be able to notice his presence on the battlefield, and he preferred to keep it that way. It would be foolhardy of him to think that he could take the former Templar Queen in a fair fight. Instead, he would wait for Tsubaki to arrive before entering the open. Until then, he busied his mind with questions upon questions.

I wondered if she's killed innocent shinigami before?

...Oh yes, because that thought will help. Good job Satoru. I wonder when I started thinking so negatively?

[ 331 / 331 ]

Pertinent Info

+200 Underdog Bonus
+50 Haste - All ability durations or persistent abilities reduced to one round

Toride Satoru - 10th Division, Fourth Seat

Reiatsu: 8780 (8868)
- Diapasão - 9658 (9755)
Zanjutsu: 15
Hakuda: 4465
Hohou: 1800
Kidou: 2500
- Hadou #3, Beniikazuchi, 15 Kidou
- Hadou #23, Raigen, 200 Kidou
- Hadou #30, Big Bang, 300 Kidou
-- Hadou #33, Soukatsui, 375 Kidou
- Bakudou #1, Sai, 15 Kidou
- Bakudou #4, Hainawa, 25 Kidou
- Bakudou #27, Keeji, 100 Kidou

Items:
- 10th Division Item Pack [D]
- Nami Hara
- Kyoumei Tsume
- Konkyuushuu [PM Spoils]

Feats:
- [ Animagus ]
- [ Heishuu Ryuuou ]
- [ Empty ]

 

[Dysney]

Adele looked around, cat ears rotating in search for any hint of Plus souls or Hollows. Finding nothing but the hushed murmur of Satoru's reiatsu, the nekogami relaxed. She would be able to enjoy watching her superior's match in peace despite her reservations about being on Earth. Having had one good experience on the planet and one very, very horrible one, the female Mystic hoped that this particular outing could be listed as good.

Perching atop a random boulder, the feline Mystic hid her ears after determining the general direction of Satoru's location. A curious tattoo like mark shaped like an inkwell with a pen wrapped around it flashed in response to her reiatsu as she sent him a mental message. You'll do well, Satoru-san, even if you do not prevail I don't expect you to go down without displaying your strength. Good luck.

Perhaps her choice of words was a little awkward, but he would understand what she meant despite her verbal clumsiness. "I hope he understood," she mumbled aloud.

"I don't know, he may not be a complete idiot, but he's pretty slow," snorted a large black cat, licking his paw. "But he can be surprising. I'm sure this will be entertaining to say the least," Midnight shifted in his seat upon Adele's shoulder. The neko and the nekogami were both interested to see the fight to come.

[230/230]

 

[Beaks]

"Guess it's time to see who drew the short straw." From behind a massive piece of charred machinery the woman emerged, walking slowly as she took in the ambience of her handiwork.

The hole, the pitted and charred stone and the bits and bobs of broken machinery that littered it suited her, just as much now as the day she had created them. The memory of smashing both the almost infuriatingly resilient Pale Horse as well as Inuzuri's barriers with one attack made her smile, an increasingly rare occurrence for Tsubaki given the events that had transpired since then.

"So, anyone home?" Her voice echoed across silent landscape, patient but ominous in its tone. "Or should I just blow this place to hell again and call it a day?"

Time to see who wants to play.



[136]

Shit And Gigs

2: [Addle] 100 - Base Technique Costs Doubled
10: [Mana Burn] 200 - No Reiatsu bonuses from Release

Mabara Tsubaki, Third Division, Ninth Seat
Reiatsu: 58,622
-Rite Of Rebellion: 70,346
--Axis Of Anarchy: 82,071
Zanjutsu: 50,175
Hakuda: 1,000
Hohou: 5,000
Kidou: 2,447 (7 Slots)
- Mage Eye - Bakudou #5, 35 Kidou
- Break of Dusk - Bakudou #12, 75 Kidou
- Shouaku - Bakudou #15, 100 Kidou
-- Ningyō Tsukaiken - Bakudou #46, 600 Kidou
-- Kongoubaku (Adamantine Blast) - Hadou #47, 625 Kidou
Feats:
[Unique] - Duskdrinker
[Unique] - Empty
[Unique] - Lunar Petal
[Style] - Tempest Blade
[Trained] - Kidou Zero: Single Blade Cremation
[Trained] - Permanent Release
[GM] - Kidou ZERO SWORD

Items:

Majo No Fuin
Shiraha no Kake [A]
Ascalon (D)
Clairvaux (D)
Platinum Grappling Hook (Tournament)

Kan: 881

Misc:
Exotic Sealed Form

 

[Bish]

Fight tunes

[video=youtube;Qetj03jjKZw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qetj03jjKZw[/video]

Thanks for coming, kiddo! And thanks for the well wishes! Oh. She's here now... Satoru said to Adele with a nervous chuckle. Here goes everything!

Under his breath, an incantation was muttered from his lips.

"Ye Lord, mask of flesh and bone, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man..."

He had been working on this spell, along with refreshing a few others, in the hopes of being able to adapt to a variety of fighting styles. The Mystic could only hope that this attack would catch Tsubaki off-guard.

"Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws. Hadou no Sanju-san..."

From the high girders of the unfinished construction site, Satoru took aim at the feared swordsman's back with cloudy gray eyes.

"Sokatsui."

The incantation gave form to the full force of the blue flames, the words working in tandem with his reiatsu to create something that could bridge the gap. The wrath of Satoru's claws was given form, bursting forward in a flat pane of cobalt fire that sought to crash down onto Tsubaki.

The moment the flames surged forward, Satoru was on the move, retreating into the structure with steel and sky as his backdrop.

[ 209 / 540 ]

Sokatsui

Soukatsui (Blue Fire, Crash Down) - Hadou #33, 375 Kidou

Description: The user unleashes a broad, flat plane of blue fire, 2m across. The spell has an effective range of 30m, and will explode on contact with the enemy.

Incantation: Ye Lord! Mask of flesh and bone, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, Upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws! Hadou #33, Soukatsui!

 

[Dysney]

"Kiddo?" The female Mystic snorted. "I wish he wouldn't call me that," she muttered, "that's way too familiar an address for a superior to use for one of his subordinates."

"You are friends, aren't you?" Midnight looked at his shinigami. "He is kinda dumb, but he didn't come off as rude. Puff-boy must really appreciate you coming if he called you that. Or he just likes you, he did call you kit that one time. Then again, he didn't thank me.... I say he's rude."

"He doesn't know you're here, if he does, you certainly didn't wish him luck," Adele chided her feline companion. "Look!" She pointed as Satoru sent blue flames at Tsubaki. "She must be a tough opponent if he's using kidou already."

"Or he's just a wimp," the tomcat's tail flicked back and forth. "I bet he's a wimp if he can't even face her up close."

"Oh hush," the nekogami grumbled at the cynical cat perched on her shoulders.

[163/393]

 

[Time Lady Katie]

She is a challenging opponent, the voice rang in Adele’s head as she slowly started walking up behind the nekogami. She did not wear the Tenth’s haori, though she did have a slightly different air about her than she had just a month before. Mabara Tsubaki is one of the few people in Soul Society powerful enough to directly insult the Central Forty-six without fear. She all but started a civil war once, and it was one she might’ve been able to survive. She’s ruthless and insane, by my assessment, and is one of the most dangerous things the Spiritual Arts Academy has ever produced.

Adelaide took a silent stance beside her Twentieth Seat and looked at the burst of blue light shot by Satoru. Kidou was a useful tactic against Tsubaki, because close combat was more than just dangerous. It was a guarantee of failure. She hoped Satoru knew it.

151 Words
151 Total​

 

[Beaks]

The bolt of blue slammed into her back without warning, sending the former Captain stumbling forward a few steps in the process. A momentary sting blinded her senses and filled her nose with the smell of scorched fabric and singed hair. It was difficult to tell specifically what had hit her, but if the new ache of charred flesh in the small of her back was any indication it certainly wasn't meant to be friendly.

And just like that, the smile was gone.

"Welp, somebody just did the dumbest thing ever." Without so much as turning around Tsubaki summoned a pair of alabaster wings to her shoulders, rising up above the battlefield just shy of a hundred feet while trying to shake off the pain of the guerilla attack.

"You know, I was all set to not kill whoever was picked to fight me out of pity." Her voice echoed across the barren rocks and pitted metal, though noticeably more devoid of amenability than before. "But if you're going to skulk around and take pot shots and not have the sack to step out into the open? I might just change my mind."

"So!" A sudden sharpness overtook her words, resounding with severity. "I'm gonna give you about ten seconds to come out, and if you don't then very bad things are going to happen."

In less time than it took to blink both the Rite of Rebellion and Duskdrinker were held patiently at the ready in her hands. Whoever had made the poorly weighed decision to attack her from behind would not be permitted a second chance.

"Ten seconds, starting now."

[227/408]

No, really

 

[Dysney]

Turning to face Adelaide, the nekogami smiled. It had been a while since she'd heard the soft hum of the other woman's powerful Reiatsu. Adelaide-san, the Twentieth Seat's eyes turned a light golden color, It's nice to see you. While Tsubaki-san might be a dangerous opponent, I believe Satoru-san will do well. He is clever enough to make up for the difference in strength, but please don't tell him I said, or thought, that. It would make his head swell up bigger than his afro.

With a resolute nod, Adele turned to observe the fight once more. For the benefit of her feline companion, she spoke aloud, "Tsubaki-san looks pretty dangerous, especially when she's angry."

Midnight, who had been sniffing Adelaide's feet, looked up and snorted. "Pah. That lady is probably always angry, if Afro-puff doesn't beat her up I'll be ashamed of knowing him."

"Midnight!" The feline Mystic scolded her cat. "Don't say that, underestimating people isn't good. Aren't you going to introduce yourself to Adelaide-san? Don't just sniff her without permission, that's rude."

The tomcat rolled his eyes and flicked his tail, but rubbed his head against the more powerful Mystic's leg almost apologetically anyway. "I'm Midnight. You must be pretty important to my shinigami if she insists I be polite to you. She hardly complains when I insult Puffy, half the time she laughs. It's nice to meet you, there's not enough competent people in this world to make up for Satoru and Tsubaki," he meowed.

"Please forgive my friend, Adelaide-san. He's a bit snarky. His name is Midnight and he's glad to meet you. From his comments, I believe he thinks you to be intelligent," Adele sighed. Whatever was she going to do with that cat? If people could understand him he'd get himself in trouble.

[215/608]

 

[Bish]

The words which served as a conduit for her tranquil fury rolled across the battlefield. He heard them and found himself concerned at the fact that she had apparently grown wings.

Oh, and of course she can fly.

It was appropriate to him that the pressure which bore down on the quarry was reminiscent of a Hollow rather than a shinigami.

She was a monstrous combatant.

He didn't really feel any empathy for her irritation, however, as he doubted that the former Templar Queen would fight him flat out if the roles were reversed. He only hoped that she remembered that this was just a sporting competition. Instead, he stopped his run just long enough to say "Keeji" before the steel bars appeared to cage the bird. He was simply grateful that she was still just barely inside of that spell's range. The moment the kidou was cast, he retreated via shunpo, dashing across the steel girder that had become his roost.

[ 162 / 702 ]

Things to consider

So beaks, I understand this may be frustrating for you that I'm choosing to play like this. But you have to stop and think. What idiot would willingly enter direct combat with literally one of the most skilled swordsman in the history of the Gotei with my level of rei and hak? Fighting you flat out would be insulting to both my own intelligence and my character's.

Now, let's get on to the meat of the matter.

Soukatsui.

It explodes on contact. And, if I may quote you on the matter:

I love explosions, and they’re a hell of a lot harder to ignore.

And ignoring it is effectively what you've done here. You would've ended up with a lot more than just singed hair and a bad start to your duel.

Duskdrinker.

Turns out that feat of yours requires the usage of the reiatsu boosts you get from Shikai and Bankai. Which you no longer get because of Mana Burn.

To quote our friend sev:

Several Zombies: He cant use Duskdrinker, it seems
Several Zombies: Handycaps, mang.

Equalizing.

Look, I heard your reasoning in chat about not equalizing. I understand that you got burned in the past by people who wouldn't fight fair. But my question is this. Knowing the frustration and anxiety such a fate would cause, why on Earth would you subject me, who had nothing to do with that situation, to such conditions?

*shrugs* It just seems odd that you would choose to continue the legacy of unbalanced play when you have a perfect opportunity to break the cycle and have an actual fair fight. Doesn't make sense that you would potentially kill my character because I'm playing like there's... oh, I don't know, a 42k power difference.

Other thing

Keeji - Bakudou #27, 100 Kidou

Description: Immediately after the spell is cast, a square-sided steel bar cage surrounds the opponent. The bars are 3 inches in diameter, and confine a person inside. This lasts two rounds plus one round per 1000 Kidou.

 

[Beaks]

Please read this before continuing on to the turn.

Firstly, I have added a bit in my previous turn about taking a bit more damage from your attack. Yes, I may have downplayed it a bit but keep in mind this is a 350 Reiatsu fireball. While you gave it a bit of an edge by attacking me unawares it's not going to be anything close to a mortal blow.

Secondly, I'm not sure where this supposition came from but Duskdrinker is not reliant on my SK/BK Reiatsu boosts. While it's true it would derive more knockback from having higher Reiatsu totals here it does not prevent me from summoning it in any way shape or form.

Feat Name: Duskdrinker
Feat Type: Unique
Feat Description: (I'll probably do a more wordy version later.)
The Gist: Activating Duskdrinker grants Tsubaki a greatsword of pulsing dark energy, powered by her own spiritual force. Strikes with Duskdrinker hit with the po​wer equivalent of whatever Tsubaki's pressure would be at after paying the cost of activating the feat. The technique itself does not cost Reiatsu to activate, but instead lowers Tsubaki's Reiatsu pools in Sealed/Shi Kai and Ban Kai forms by 15%. This deduction in Reiatsu remains active until the technique is canceled.

For every 10,000 Reiatsu worth of pressure generated by Tsubaki, the force of her physical strikes increases by 1000 lbs. This increase in strength is calculated only after the initial cost of the technique is paid, and lowers in kind as the Captain uses Reiatsu. Spiritual beings can weather the sheer force, preventing them from being immediately shattered by the blow and instead the effect greatly amplifies the knock-back force. Non-spiritual and mundane objects can be easily destroyed by the ability.

There is quite literally nothing in this feat that is reliant on Release based Reiatsu boosts. Sev needs to do his homework a little better before going on hearsay.

Thirdly, the equalizing. I do not demand nor expect to be looked at in any semblance of a positive light for my decline to do this. That being said (Out of character, which is what should be heeded more than anything I might ever have Tsubaki quip), I am not going to kill you. Tsubaki and Satoru have quite literally no history together, thus the motivation to kill him would be practically nil. Any frustration towards your hit and run tactics is 100% bona fide in character, not out. You're being resourceful and and fighting smart. I ain't even mad.

Fourthly, have I mentioned how nice it is that someone actually links the Kidou they're using? Serious. I appreciate not having to thumb through the entire damn Arcanum. So thanks for that.

Lastly and probably pretty damn importantly, I make jokes. I understand how it could have been misconstrued since you and I really don't talk a whole lot outside of passing stuff in chat. (I actually had this problem with Rob during one of the All 3rd collabs) I'm not going to convey any serious thought that I want understood and heeded with an image. Ever. Ever ever. If I write out of character that I'm going to turn the quarry into a caldera of death and dead 10thies then you should probably take that seriously. If I make an image with two sentient sex toys talking about WMD's?

Eeh, not so much.

All this being said, let's continue.

Not going to poke your head out after all then, I suppose.

The cage slammed shut around the former Captain, falling to the stone covered floor almost immediately with the force of its weight. As the metal clanged against rock the cargo was jarred violently from side to side, slamming against the sides with a chorus of thuds. As the unexpected ride came to an end, Tsubaki looked out at the landscape through her newfound nest of iron bars.

Might as well wait them out, can't very well attack me while I'm in here.

As the searing ache in her back continued with the addition of two bruised and sore arms the former Templar Queen waited in her undesired cage, biding her time and waiting for the opponent to make their next mistake.

Five seconds.

[135/543]

 

[Bish]

The Mystic dropped down a level on the unfinished structure, putting himself on the same plane as Tsubaki. The moment he felt the binding lock into place and remain there, Satoru rushed the still familiar incantation from his mouth.

"Ye Lord! Mask of flesh and bone, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man! Truth and temperance, upon this wall of sinless dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws!"

With the word "Soukatsui" another flat pane of fire bridged the gap between Vanguard and Mystic, bursting forward across the vast distance. The wide burst of flame flew directly into Tsubaki's upper body through the cage's frontal bars, crashing down on the Vanguard with the force of the Mystic's hopes.

Direct hit! he noted with a feeling of temporary elation. At least it won't be a flawless match for Tsubaki.

His location was given away for an instant while the spell was cast, but he was quickly obscured again once the spell had run its course. Naturally, though, he allowed his voice to be heard for a scant few seconds.

"My name is Toride Satoru of the Tenth. It's a pleasure."

The burst of elation was soon checked by the reality of the armband which served as the conduit for his handicap. He knew it would soon interfere once more, and so he put some more distance between himself and the woman while he could. Satoru took control of a nearby girder, using it as a flying surfboard with the power of Soshi. And yet, none of this would be seen by Tsubaki.

Then, as he feared, the armband emitted a strange pulse that caused a slight disruption in his own reiatsu flow. The caged bird was now free as the construct faded from existence, prematurely ended by that wretched device.

[ 306 / 1008 ]

Things

Thank you for the clarity, man. I was seriously freaking out because I really like this character! Oh, and with Duskdrinker, I figure sev says that because DD works by lowering your SK/BK pools by 15% but you don't have those pools due to Mana Burn. In the end, though, it'll be left up to will. He has final call and all that. But in all seriousness, let's just have a good fight here!

Prolly should have linked this earlier

Koutaizumai (Illusionary Shapeshifting)

Koutaizumai takes the form of a silk ribbon that is approximately two feet in length. It is wound tightly around any body part of the Mystic's choosing and adheres by a link of reiatsu. The standard ribbon color is white, but once the link with the Mystic is made, the ribbon can change to any color of the shinigami's choosing.

All matter is composed of molecules and energy. Using the particles of reiatsu around them, Mystics can use Koutaizumai to shift the matter that composes their own body to create an illusion of transforming. The user's actual mass and size will stay the same. However, the senses of everyone around the Mystic will experience that which the user will appear to be.

The Mystic is also capable of morphing into another's form. By allowing the other person to wear the ribbon, the user will establish a bond that gives the Mystic access to the other person's appearance and reiatsu signature. By doing this, however, the Mystic forfeits the ability to change into other objects.

 

[swaswj]

(Just a quick GM post: Duskdrinker lowers reiatsu by 15% of Tsubaki's reiatsu when sealed, Shikai, or Bankai. It doesn't exclusively reduce her released reiatsu.)

 

[Beaks]

Not nearly as effective if I see you coming.

The bolt of azure flame flew through the bars of her cage admirably, only to be split into two more minute projectiles as the former Templar Queen brought her blade to the ready. As the two pint-sized detonations pinged against the walls of the cage the binding dispersed around her, once again leaving Tsubaki free but open to attack.

"Tenth Division, huh? Suppose that makes sense. I'd expect no less from one of Lillith's than a cowardly little backstabber. I'd wager that's why the Forty-Six took such a shine to her, don't you think?" Tsubaki chuckled to herself, letting the energies of the Lunar Petal fill her eyes and cover them in an ebony sheen. "Problem is, I'm used to dealing with little backstabbers and liars like you." Almost instantly the power went to work, confirming what the former Captain already suspected.

"You've got some little trick to hide from sight, don't you?" The words grew cold, foreboding with the promise of pain to come. "You want to deceive my eyes, whittle me down to nothing. You make one grave mistake with this tactic though."

The words that would leave her lips could have made a snowman shiver. A nuance made all the more unsettling by the smile that once again returned to them.

Get close, little one. See what happens when you make me get serious.

"You need to hit me again and again. I only need to hit you once."

[251/794]

Stuff

Used:
[ Ittouryoudan ] - "Cutting In Two With One Stroke"
A skilled swordsman holds no fear in the face of his enemy's attacks and may stand his ground against them. In this way, the swordsman can channel his spirit into his sword and slice straight through flames, water, or even raw energy. This splits the attack around the user.

Only possible against attacks up to twice the cost of Ittouryoudan, this technique costs 250 reiatsu to use.

Requirements: 1,000 Zanjutsu

Base tech cost doubled = 500 Reiatsu, capable of splitting attacks up to 1,000 Reiatsu

And:
Feat Name: Tsuki No Hanabira (Lunar Petal)
Feat Type: Unique
For a cost of 1% of her Reiatsu per round Tsubaki's eyes fill with a black hue, save for a tiny dot of white at the center of each of them. While this effect is active, Tsubaki is hypersensitive to any attempts to trick her. This causes her to sense changes in those she interacts with to parse if they are attempting to fool her. While not allowing her to completely see through the lie, it does let her identify that she is attempting to be deceived.

In addition, Tsubaki may pay 10% of her Reiatsu to try and see through illusions made by an opponent in a more focused attempt. She releases her reiatsu into the 15 meter area around her. This dispels illusions in the area currently affecting her, eliminating the strongest ones first, up to the cost. She must wait two turns before activating this ability once again

 

[Bish]

The obsidian bangle once again forced Koutaizumai to cancel prematurely, giving away his new position. He stood atop one of the many rock shelves carved into the face of the quarry, this one high and off to Tsubaki's right. He reigned in his reiatsu, hoping to avoid attracting her attention again, but he knew it was only a matter of time.

She's right about me not being able to take her down in one hit, Satoru thought. This match was already going to be hard in the first place, but now she seems angry. Maybe someone should re-explain to her that this is a sporting competition. not a grudge match.

Directing his thoughts to his soul slayer, he inquired, So what's our best move? She's outside of O Lancador de Baixo range and my kidou doesn't seem to have much of an effect on her. Do you have anything?

Well, since we agreed to start communicating better, I suppose now would be a good time as any to tell you about this, Diapasao stated with a flicker of amusement in his tone. Release me.

Despite his dire predicament, he couldn't help but crack a smile. With a quick "Emitir, Diapasao!" the full power of Satoru's reiatsu was brought to bear. A gentle thrumming sound emanated from the oversized tuning fork he now held, the bright blue lines pulsing with spiritual energy. Immediately, he felt the spirit siphoning his energies in a way that felt similar to Taidan.

You wanted someone to talk to her? Might as well be you. Just think, and I will relay your words to the woman. This is called Em Sintonia. Remember it well.

Deciding to trust the spirit, he closed his eyes and concentrated on Tsubaki's energy. Locating the source wasn't hard, as she was like a gigantic cell tower of emitted power. His thoughts raced out as quickly as he could think them, transcending even the speed of sound in their transmission.

Mabara Tsubaki, I do not understand your irritation. Whittle you down to nothing? You speak so gravely, so heavily. This is a sporting event! All I'm doing is taking the only course of action that gives me some semblance of a chance. And you're right about hitting me once, so why on Earth would I let you?

While he thought, he broke off a huge chunk of the rock above him with his mind. He then broke it into several rough, jagged pieces before launching them into the sky at an angle. Gravity soon took hold and sent several sharp javelins raining down on the former Templar Queen.

[ 436 / 1444 ]

 

[Beaks]

The pointed and pitted pieces of stone scraped and screamed against the barrier of steel as they crashed down upon each other with sound and fury. As Tsubaki lowered the protective barrier of the Clairvaux she merely looked out into the seemingly empty quarry with an irate expression.

"Are we throwing rocks now? Is that what this has been reduced to?" Annoyed. Not enraged, not vindictive. Just...annoyed. Sadly, only silence answered.

Alright. Let's throw rocks then.

Leveling her attention and gaze on the largest of the amalgamated heaps of metal, the words began to pour from her mouth with renewed purpose.

"Flesh, bones, souls, weapons, buildings, plants... all of life and all of mankind's innovations; existence itself, nothing more than ashes." Arcane fire raced through her being, forming a giant crimson circle beneath the scrap heap.

"Hadou Ninety-Six, Ittou Kasou."

As the inevitable pillar of flame slowly began to rise from the ground, the former Captain called out to her elusive prey.

"I don't know where you're hiding, but if it's there you might-might wanna move!"

[176/970]

Stuff

Used this:

Feat Name: Kidou Zero
Feat Type: Trained
Requirements: 10,000 Reiatsu
Feat Description: While many Shinigami excel close-quarters combat, few can diminish the importance of being able to strike quickly and decisively at range. In essence, Kidou Zero is a technique designed to force the Shinigami's physical force and pressure into a more arcane format. By paying 150% of the desired spell's cost the Shinigami forces their Reiatsu to adapt into the necessary energies involved with the casting of Kidou, summoning the aforementioned spell on a target within 10 meters of their location. The spell used by this feat must be decided upon equipping it, and cannot be changed without re-learning the feat. This feat does not allow the user to bind a Kindou spell to it.

Ittou Kasou (Single Blade Cremation) - Hadou #96, 8750 KidouDescription: Reducing everything to ash, an immense sword of churning flames thrusts up from hell itself. The blade is fully fifteen feet thick, stretches forward fifty feet ahead, and reaches over two hundred feet into the air. With a single, all-encompassing fwoosh the blade incinerates everything within its reach, instantly cremating all but the strongest of beings.

The blade returns to its cursed origins, leaving behind a molten trench where it appeared.

Incantation: Flesh, bones, souls, weapons, buildings, plants... all of life and all of mankind's innovations; existence itself, nothing more than ashes. Hadou #96, Ittou Kasou.

Tsu is targeting the junk pile, not you. As her Kidou stat is roughly on par with yours (and about 25% roughly of the prerequisite of this spell) you've got a safe chance to escape the blast so long as you move in your next turn.

 

[Time Lady Katie]

That annoyed the Captain rather visibly. While the combatants wouldn’t see it the odds were good that Adele could. Clenching and unclenching her fists, the redhead reminded herself she couldn’t do anything to interfere. But if she was ever to face Tsubaki in this tournament, she was going to enlighten the psychopath as to just what Ittou Kasou was supposed to look like, and she certainly wasn’t going to play whack-a-mole with it like the Templar seemed contented with doing.

She had to remember the spirit she went into these games with: Prometheus was regrouping. He wasn’t going to give them a chance to call in support. Neither could they here. “Going to aim that spell, Templar? Or is size all that matters for you?” Snark. Snark was a good way to channel the anger she was feeling. She never liked Tsubaki, but she liked her even less watching her bastardize high-level kidou against a kid.

154 Words
305 Total​

 

[Bish]

Something's coming.

Satoru watched the woman from his roost on the rock face of the quarry, keeping an eye on her both physically and spiritually. Her unrestrained spiritual pressure still bore down on him, even from this distance. The Hollow signature seemed to be shaping itself, forming into something monstrously huge. It was almost like Dilaw's Cero except larger, more unfocused, but still utterly massive.

He whistled appreciatively as the spell slowly roared to life underneath the random junk pile, incinerating both it and a large stretch of gravel and metal. Somehow, he found himself split into two halves as he watched Tsubaki unleash the Single Blade Cremation.

On one half, he got to see one of the most powerful demon arts ever created firsthand. Satoru had previously only seen the spell in textbooks and the occasional recorded footage from full-scale wars. It utterly amazed him to see the spell performed in what appeared to be slow motion, filling him with awe.

On the other half, he was fighting someone who could cast one of the most powerful demon arts ever created. That simple fact was enough to inspire a strong amount of terror in him, as the legends did not ever seem to mention Tsubaki casting a gigantic motherfuckin Ittou Kasou. As the spell lashed out at the sky and created a wall of flame, Satoru could feel her spiritual energy dropping by the second.

Though, something was off about the spell to Satoru. His inquirer's intuition was prickling at the base of his skull, alerting him to something going on behind the scenes. The Mystic focused hard on her spiritual energy, analyzing the flow of reiatsu within her body as the scene played out.

I knew it!

Something was different. The woman wasn't actually casting that spell. Instead, she was forcing it into existence from her vast spiritual power rather than carefully crafting it as a true kidou practitioner would.

It is a genius, if brutish, way to get around weeks and weeks of practice, I'll give her that. But it seems that the kidou still relies on the user's skill. Or in this case, Satoru thought to himself with relief, her lack of skill.

Casting a spell in such a manner would allow the user to completely circumvent their normal limits as a spellmaker. He tucked that little nugget away for later use, perhaps with one of his own kidou. For the time being, there was still a wall of flame obscuring the path between himself and his opponent. Satoru simply waited patiently, letting the heat wash over his position before vanishing from sight once again with Koutaizumai.

[ 441 / 1885 ]

How'd Satoru figure out Kidou Zero?

Well he started the process of Hitomane, which allows a Mystic to copy anything non-unique to the user. He's beginning to copy Kidou Zero, as it is a trained feat and therefore within the realm of possibility for him to copy. For reference, see this:

.:: Hitomane ::.
(Mimicry)

Mystics have the ability to read the most intricate fluctuations of spiritual energy. Therefore, whenever another summons an ability that utilizes some expenditure of reiatsu, the Mystic can temporarily imprint a map of the inner energy coursing through the target in their own mind. This imprint lasts for only a brief period of time, but within this frame, the Mystic can replicate the reiatsu paths and ultimately mimic the ability used.

However, a mimicked ability lacks the efficacy and naturalness of the primary user. All mimicked abilities are therefore 25% more expensive than normal, with no increase in potency, and can only be used in the same battle. Kai abilities and unique feats are particularly specific to the primary user and cannot be mimicked. Hitomane is also blocked if the Mystic lacks an item or insignia that is required to act in concordance with the ability. The Mystic can only copy abilities that do not require a mechanic unavailable to their race.

Other shit

Bro, not sure if you're aware of this, but once a div goes defunct the items can no longer be used unless you give up a Unique Item slot to keep it. And since you have Witch's Seal, I don't think you can actually use Clairvaux to block my rock assault. So either talk to a GM or you might have to change your turn to some other method of defense. You still have Duskdrinker and Rite of Rebellion to do that with.

 

[Beaks]

"Oh sweetie, I was aiming, just like when I wrecked the machine before you or your skittish subordinate ever set foot here. Maybe getting run through by Haresuno knocked something loose in your head
?"

The leonine eyes met those of the new Mystic Captain with unyielding resolve, far from impressed and even farther from afraid of the girl. She had seen the girl try her hand in the same pit she had gone toe-to-toe with Inuzuri in, and thought it may have been through Kyuketsu's eyes it still lacked any...impressiveness to it.

As for her opponent, his penchant for doing nothing but running and hiding away was becoming impressively annoying. Still though, something felt off as she watched the explosion of fire and sound and fury wipe away the largest of the pieces of machinery. He had been there, but at the same time not.

May as well chance it.

"Give vision life, make the intangibles tangible. Mage Eye." An azure sheen crept over the darkness that still filled Tsubaki's eyes, attuning them to better pick up on the spectrum of the unseen. Sure enough, a tiny wisp was flickering between a pulsing bright blue and an inky blackness on the wall of the Quarry. He was trying to hide, but the expenditures of Reiatsu both to utilize shunpou and to maintain the stealth gave him away all the same.

"Found~youuu." Sadly, a singsong declaration would be the only thing that marked the start of the assault.

A burst of shunpou and the flutter of wings brought her to the side of the quarry in the blink of the eye, staring down at the now revealed boy with a mingled glance of respect and ire. Before so much as a single word could be exchanged, Duskdrinker was thrust forward at the boy with unparalleled speed and ferocity.

[308/1,278]

Stuff(Post-Amended Turn)

1. Clairvaux is no longer valid, as you've said. However, as I'd only be changing the turn to do with the swords what I did with the shield in the first place I'm merely going to leave it as-is and discontinue the items post-fight. Ascalon however, will not be used or mentioned in respects for my error.

2. Going with Mage Eye to do what I thought I was in range to do with Lunar Petal.

Mage Eye - Bakudou #5, 35 Kidou

Description: Upon casting, the user selects a spectrum, either Red, Blue or Green. The user's eyes start turn the selected color, distorting their vision.

With red eyes, the eyes are tuned to track heat signatures, viewing things in the infrared spectrum.

With green eyes, the eyes are tuned to see in relative darkness, acting like night vision goggles. Ambient light is greatly magnified, allowing the user to see in great darkness.

With blue eyes, the eyes are attuned to a spectrum of reiatsu, similar to heat vision. Objects which have no reiatsu or have cloaked reiatsu will appear as black, while sources of reiatsu glow blue.

The spell lasts until the user cancels it.

Incantation: Give vision life, make the intangibles tangible. Bakudou #5, Mage Eye.

3. ???

4. Duskdrinker won't do direct damage, but if it connects you're going to be slammed into the rock face pretty hard.

 

[Bish]

It seemed she was not a member of the Blitzkriegers simply for posterity's sake. The Mystic's eyes flashed open in terror as she closed the gap faster than his inexperienced eye could even detect. As the pulsing blade of darkness lanced out at him, there was not even enough time for him to form the curse that had surfaced in his brain. His back was pressed into the earth without mercy, slamming him into an uneven wall of rock and dirt. A gasp of pain escaped him as the immense force of Duskdrinker settled in and drove the air from his chest, wracking his body with pain. For a moment, the Inquisitive sat there simply trying to breathe.

And I thought Pierce-training was bad...

"Mystics are not cowards, Captain. We simply think before we act," Satoru remarked in a pained gasp.

With that he recalled the way her spiritual energies shifted and flowed as she cast Ittou Kasou, how it forced the spell into existence from sheer willpower. Twisting his own energy to mimic that moment, he forced his own reiatsu to form into the spell which would so save his ass at that given moment.

"Sai! Nisai!"

The spell took a considerably higher amount of energy to format in this manner, but it was worth the precious time it would buy him. Tsubaki found her arms and legs bound together without warning by ever-tightening spiritual threads, forcing the pulsing darkness in her grip away from him and allowing room to breathe properly again.

Let's get her, aliado.

Only pausing to give a half-hearted smile, he pointed Diapasao at Tsubaki and poured his reiatsu into the zanpaktou. From the tips of the weapon, a gigantic cone of compressed sound, reiatsu, and the Mystic's very thoughts burst forth from it. Fear of Tsubaki, amusement that he had managed to outplay her for as long as he had, and the insane glimmer of hope that arose from him holding out this well. The blast burst forth at the speed of sound, enveloping her completely and sending her flying off the ledge; this time from his power and not her own. Still trying to steady his breathing, the Mystic created a path of stepping stones in the sky by levitating boulders and machinery. Satoru's intended target was the roof of the bulldozer around ten meters away from their current position. He needed more ammunition, and so he would find it.

[ 407 / 2292 ]

Let's break this down, shall we?

Hitomane is being utilized to mimic Kidou Zero. The kidou Satoru has chosen to equip it with is Sai. For reference:

Sai (Restrain) - Bakudou #1, 15 Kidou

Description: Ribbons of spiritual fabric invisibly bind the target's rams together. This is the most basic binding available.

Extension: Nisai (Double Restraint), 20 Kidou

Description: The extension strengthens the original binding slightly and also binds the target's legs.

Due to the added costs of both Kidou Zero (1.5x cost) and Hitomane (additional 1.25x cost), Sai now costs 29 rei and Nisai costs 38 for a binding that cost me 67 rei.

Sending her flying? Glad you asked!

Attack: O Lançador de Baixo (The Bass Cannon)

For 15% of his reiatsu, Satoru releases a concussive cone of reiatsu around 15 meters in length and 2 meters wide that is composed of reishi, Satoru’s thoughts, and highly focused sound waves. Any reiatsu void objects caught in this devastating sonic blast are thrown backwards and face being shattered by the intense waves. Any subsequent techniques utilized by the opponent will have their effectiveness reduced by the amount paid into this attack and any technique that costs less than it becomes completely negated. This is treated as a pool equal to the amount of rei used by O Lançador de Baixo from which abilities are drained and has no bearing on the rank of techniques like Kidou.

What this means for you

There is now a pool of 1449 rei which drains from whatever rei-powered technqiues you try. You have to attempt to expend this much before you can actually use any rei-using techniques. Anything less than this pool uses up the rei and fails. Anything which exceeds that is merely diminished by the pool. Once you have attempted to spend 1449 rei, you're free to do whatever it is you wish. Doesn't cancel any of your currently active abilities or stop any normal physical actions, but you do need to find a way to avoid falling from quite a ways up while your arms and legs are bound.

Remaining rei after all this: 6425

 

[Beaks]

Points for trying kid, but it's not gonna save you.

Tsubaki watched as the boy darted down to the floor of the quarry, bold as brass with the momentary accomplishment of forestalling the inevitable. Momentarily content to let Satoru bathe in his blunder the former Captain dismissed the wings at her back, letting the bound descent continue while turning her pinned arms towards the Mystic.

With a quick flex of her fingertips the tattooed palm of her right hand opened, sending two bolts of black energy racing towards the boy. To her surprise the first shot felt weaker than normal, but after the first sailed away full and clear the apprehension was quickly forgotten.

As the concussions struck down near the boy Tsubaki went to work on the bindings, pressing brute force against the restraints and nullifying them as a wave of searing pain shot through her body.

Because now I'm going to work.

"Blacken the night deeper, o watcher of life. Veil, hide, cast away your foolish pride." Her feet touched town against the stone, pivoting in place as the woman came to face Toride once again.

"Break of Dusk." Instantly the surroundings became engulfed in darkness, veiling both the former Templar Queen and her target for the crucial moment.

Rise, O Lightning..

A clap of thunder echoed across the battlefield, shaking the marred steel and sundered stone alike. As the reverberation shook more rocks free of the cliff faces the inky blackness faded away.

...and fall in awe of the Thunder.

The tattooed hand was clasped firmly on the back of the boy's neck, readied in kind with the hand that held the point of her sword against the back of his skull.

"It was nice hustle, but I'm only gonna say this once kid."

The sword point pressed forward a hair's length, stopping just short of breaking his skin.

"Yield."

[313/1,591]

Let's Go To The Videotape

In Order:

Two shots from this:

Item Name: Majo No Fuin (Witch's Seal)
Rarity: S
Acquisition of Item: See previous, will shorten once approved.
Description: A tattoo that covers the palm of Tsubaki's right hand, pulsing with an eerie red and black energy.
Ability: Hateshinai Sakebi (Unending Scream) - For 4,000 Reiatsu Tsubaki may fire a blast of compressed dark energy from her right palm, the speed and force of impact of which are governed by her Zanjutsu total. This technique has no limits of usage but only carries a maximum range of 10 meters.

In addition, this item continues to alter the woman's Reiatsu signature to feel akin to a Hollow regardless of the method of detection.

Doesn't matter if they hit you or not, just suppressing fire biz. The first shot took care of the Bass Cannon drain.

Next we have:

[ Fuubi ] - "Overpower"
When a shinigami is restrained or bound and has been left with no other alternative, they can try to force their way out through sheer strength and raw reiatsu. This is dangerous for the user's soul, particularly against the demon arts. Such an effort requires at least 1.5x the cost of the restraint and causes severe pain to the user.

Requirements: 1,000 Reiatsu

So with doubled cost this would have been 135 Reiatsu to override the bindings.

Then for her touchdown and our immediate surroundings we have:

Break of Dusk - Bakudou #12, 75 Kidou

Description: Shrouds an area in low-visibility darkness within a 5m radius, starting from the user.

The user locks his/her fingers together and, as the incantation finishes, spreads them widely around his/her area, bursting out several wavelengths of Kidou and Reiatsu that shade the air particles about the area pitch-black. Useful especially for those who favor the darkness and adapt well to low-visibility. Lasts for 3 rounds plus one round per 1,000 Kidou.

When the user becomes skilled (reaches 2000 Kidou) they then have the ability to double Break of Dusk's range.

Incantation: Blacken the night deeper, o watcher of life. Veil, hide, cast away your foolish pride. Bakudou #12, Break of Dusk.

And finally we're going to go with:

[ Tempest Blade: Arashi o Hanashi ] - "Draw the Storm"
Through careful practice and concentration, a practitioner of this technique is able to control the air around his or her body, transforming into the embodiment of the storm. Harsh winds cloak their body. This is expressed as a general increase in their base running speed. Furthermore, the harsh winds project an aura of destruction, ripping into targets that come within 1m of the user. To sustain this aura they must pay 2% of their reiatsu per turn.

Requirements: Tempest Blade Style

&

[ Tempest Blade: Teikiatsu Sousei ] - "Cyclogenesis"

An adept of the Tempest Blade style is renowned and feared for becoming the complete embodiment of the storm. The final technique for practitioners is the ability to move at a speed and attack like lightning itself. While Draw the Storm is active, the user launches forward 15m at a speed determined by their full zanjutsu stat.

As the ferocious winds lend fuel to their attack, the second half of Cyclogenesis turns into a deadly attack. Pivoting briefly before reaching the target, the user brings the blade down in a vicious chop as the winds come down with it - a crack of thunder accompanying the sheer force. Those struck by the blow are not merely sliced but crushed, taking the full brunt of the winds’ and user’s strength for the attack.

These complex movements occur within seconds, and are impossible to see unless the target has a movement stat that is at least 66% of the user’s. Each activation costs 5,000 Reiatsu. Cyclogenesis can be used once per round per 10,000 Zanjutsu.

Requirements: Tempest Blade Style; 10,000 Zanjutsu; 5,000 Hohou

This places me behind you and rather than chopping you in half she's merely paying the cost to launch and holding the blade steady at the back of your head.

Your move.