[9th/Captains][Taishuu] Week 295: Exhibition: Calculations

[K3]

"Bribe..?" Inori's words seemed almost confused. For a moment, he seemed to simply stare back at Feng, a slow comprehension dawning on him. "Oh."

Stiffly, jerkily, his head swiveled to gaze up at Matsurine, who watched the proceedings with a dire scowl. The Soushireikan nodded once. Turning his gaze to the ground beneath him, the Gundanchou spread his arms wide, the chain spreading in a loose circle about him. Coral tinted energy seemed to spring fresh from his body, the rain shuddering with tremors as the man's energy swelled into a previously unseen height!

"To think... that the Ninth Division... could sink so far!" His words were reedy, and hoarse, as though to speak so forcefully caused him pain. Finally raising his gaze, an absolute contempt had found its way into the man's eyes. Above, Inori Shahei grinned ferally, and Ashanti Kwasi winced lightly. Nakamikado Kyuushi remained stoic, a light sigh drawn from his lips.

As Takeda Inori's energy peaked, the palpable outline of his energy thrashed and scorched the ground beneath him. Long arcs of electricity seemed to radiate from him, the rain now all but blown away by its sheer force. A dangerous glint entered the wild-haired man's eyes.

"Keirizama Shikei... Bankai!"​

A bell tolled headily - a dark ominous tone that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. The chain of Shikei glowed, the salmon-pink power radiating from Inori to engulf the entire ring in a brief flash of blinding light.

The bell chimed a second time, the sound sending chatters down Feng's teeth as it seemed to explode out from around him. The ring exploded, a murder of crows taking flight from the ether to disguise Inori from sight, before swarming past and around Feng. Striking the ground, their forms seemed to morph before the eyes of the crowd, forming a long, sickly-black rope. In no time at all, the rope spanned a massive diameter around the pair - the ground beneath darkening and roiling before the Gundanchou's will.

A third, powerful toll echoed out, now deafening in Feng's ears as a single headstone shot up behind him - the name reading in simple characters: Yin Feng. The frenzied crows faded from existence, revealing the furious Inori. He was prostrated against the ground. Over his head, a smock had been draped, hiding all features save his stormy cobalt eyes.

The chain that surrounded him remained, reeling in to snap his arms together like a prisoner. Then, with a shuddering crash, the chain snapped entirely - two broken ends trailing from the now destroyed manacles - to leave him unbound. Rising slowly, a grim look had settled into Inori's eyes.

He breathed in once, and exhaled.

His power flared, the pinkish energy now stained a hideous tone that could almost be likened to flesh. The smock over his head ruffled, Inori's voice seeming to carry to all regardless of its soft-spoken nature. "Yin Feng... you are guilty."

An ear-piercing shriek, a sound like nails on a chalkboard, reached Feng's ears. With a short glance back, a single notch had been raked across the headstone with his name on it. Takeda Inori had marked his Grave - and the Noose around them tightened.

[ 535 / 1991 ]

 

[Time Lady Katie]

No way.

She just sat there. Her mouth hang agape. In the same breath, Yin Feng had offered his adversary a bribe and challenged Adelaide’s legitimacy. She probably would’ve agreed with the second of those things had he not done the first. To be fair, she heard none of it herself, she just heard Inori report on it, which was blasphemy enough. She didn't know everything, just everything she needed to.

No fucking way.

She leaned forward, watching intently. She wasn’t a fan of the Onmitsu’s presence in her company either, she thought Matsurine a particularly detestable human being. But to try to bribe his way to victory? Adelaide had to be missing something, right? I mean, he has to be preposterously stupid, right? This was a goddamn Taishuu. I’ll take a millennia of those imposters before I’d be content seeing this scoundrel wearing white, a scowl played on her face, Two. Three. Ten. An eon. What an insufferable amoral piece of garbage we’ve dragged in. Is he really the best the Ninth has to offer? Man, I miss the SRDI’s autonomy suddenly. She clenched her fists.

No. Fucking. Way.

She had to be missing something. No one was that stupid.

She narrowed her eyes and focused energy on the ribbon around her arm. She made the haori’s manifestation look like it was hidden by an illusion and not being created by one, but the effect was the same, the white flowing garment materialized around her form.

What a bastard the Ninth sent up for Captaincy. What a horrible person. What an awful human being.

Suddenly her own legitimacy didn’t seem nearly as important.

265 Words
515 Total​

 

[Shadowwind]

That worked far too well. The bandaged man thought mournfully. He had expected ire, he hadn’t been prepared for a bankai. Why must it be the over dramatic ones.

Says the walking bioweapon. The summon grumbled. You knew full well what you were about to do.

My machinations very rarely work so well. The man thought back.In for a penny, in for a pound. The created titan wondered behind his master taking special heed not to treat on the grave. There was still no telling what the Gundanchou could do and triggering something without meaning to would be an insult the researcher would not allow. The titan’s massive blades rested carefully on the former assassin’s shoulders. Each had a certain tenderness to it, as though it were all prepared. Suddenly the creation dragged the weapons backward leaving an infinitesimal mark across its controller. The beast began to writhe. Roaring against the falling rain.

Amid the din, Feng himself called out, this time his voice booming across the arena. “Nobility is a crutch of the weak Inori, they are the rules imposed by those without the ability to do what is required. Strength is in survival, in doing what must be done. I did not see you rush to the division’s aid after Kaede had proved her idiocy. I was running reports and attempting to make the pennies your masters allotted us keep the division afloat. I have done my part, what of you?” A black tar ran its way out of the beast’s mouth falling onto the grave and massing upwards obscuring even the researcher as it grew.

The mass subsided revealing that Feng was now joined by eight seemingly perfect copies. The group of nine broke off. Two of the number clustered back towards the summoned gravestone and the colossus. A group of three, containing the true researcher spread itself a few meters away to the left. The final four of the bacterial bodies moved gingerly forward halving the distance between themselves and the researcher’s opponent.

The true former assassin’s Apollo lense flickered to life as his eyes turned upon the noose surrounding the combat. Massive reishi differential between the inside and outside. Implies the effect is location based. But which side is the better one...

[379/2379]

Things~

Sanmei targeting the Noose as we discussed. As for the clones and their potential:

Contagion Engine:

Ekibyou feeds off of success, and is capable of gaining strength as it notices weakness within his opponents. After a successful hit, Ekibyou may pay 400 reiatsu to birth from itself four perfect replicants of Feng himself. The clones mirror his current state complete with bleeding wounds. They ultimately are not much of physical threat and cannot inflict more than scratches. However, any attacks from them count as though Ekibyou himself has made them for the sake of all abilities. A maximum of 12 bacterial colonies may be present at any given time. Should Feng elect to summon more, the already existing colonies begin fading starting with the oldest. The colonies all move relative to Feng's own Hohou stat and the speed of their assaults are equal to his zanjutsu. However, the colonies are much weaker and cannot inflict wounds greater than light scratches. Attacks by the creatures effect each other following the multiweapon rules however Feng or Ekibyou themselves are not influenced by what the colonies do.

Pandemic:

Unique to the monster’s swings are the numerous different microbes that compose its very being. Upon successful hit by Ebikyou, Feng may elect to have the creation spend 5% of its reiatsu to catalyze colonization of the microbes to fester within the wound. They quickly migrate into the victim’s bloodstream where they deal their true damage.

This particular disease causes rapid destabilization of reishi within its victim. However, the effects are highly specific and quick acting. A successful hit will cause the effectiveness of the first reiatsu using ability used by the victim during the next round to be reduced by the cost paid. The body becomes resistant to multiple exposures so Ebikyou must wait a round before reinfecting the same target.


Pathogenic Evolution:

Ekibyou thrives on delivering lingering damage upon those foolish enough to stand before him. By paying 2% reiatsu per inflicted strike, the monstrosity is able to leave behind a portion of its own corruption. The colony begins to fester and divide, though the victim’s body is far less suited to being a host than Feng’s own.In two rounds the wound necrosis a further stage growing larger and more vile. As the decaying flesh festers the wound weeps blood and pus in an attempt flush out the area. Accompanying the horrific display is the equally disturbing pain as the bacteria eat away at the victim's flesh.

Mechanically, two rounds after the strike the infected wound upgrades in severity until it reaches major. In game, the wound simply grows larger and deeper. The weeping ichor that runs from tainted wounds similarly increases in severity. While not lethal on its own, the wounds the ability is able to inflict, both mentally and physically, are more than sufficient. Attempts to heal the diseased strike must first overcome the beasts corruption before they are able to treat the wound increasing the cost of treatment by the cost of the attack.

 

[Nargles]

The noblewoman of Amaterasu-Frey smirked. The bribes, the scathing remarks to the people who he was seeking approval from. For some reason, because of their previous encounters, she expected actions like this. Her persona seemed to shift slightly, as she donned the mask of nobility that she had been constructing since youth. Her voice grew colder, her speech more refined as if this was nothing more than a business deal.

She tilted her head towards her sister, speaking in a quiet tone, “Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Houses that lose the bartering wars of nobility do have a habit of snapping back like this. However, looking at his current performance, his logic is really biting him back. If strength is truly survival, I think Feng’s about to go extinct.”

Lucia leaned forward, placing her elbows on the railing in front of her. She leaned down, her head being placed on her forearms. Her mind for a moment wandered back to his predecessor, her own superior officer in the Fourth. She had only met the woman twice or thrice in passing, but she always seemed to carry a weight to her, a hidden strength hidden behind complexities and precautions to hide her true intentions. However, when the power was loosed, it manifested itself in creative ways far beyond her capability to understand.

“Kaede was leagues ahead of you Feng, and so was Saika before you,” she muttered in a low voice only she could really hear, “And even she died. Show me the reason why you’ll live.”​

[615]

 

[IshinOnigami]

"It seems that the Ninth Division is as infuriatingly crafty as ever."

Ishin stood behind all the others, his height allowing him to still see. He made his way past the others, casually brushing past Matsurine without giving the man the time of day. He wouldn't be confrontational, but that didn't mean he had to be polite, either.

Sitting down on the edge of the wall, his back against a pillar and one leg draped over the side, he watched as the events unfolded.

 

[swaswj]

"Yoshinari!"

Abruptly Sayis Inuzuri appeared, descending like a thundercloud amid the turmoil of fleshy reiatsu. There was uncommon fury upon the Soutaichou's brow, his grey eyes stormy as his reiatsu threatened to boil over, simmering dangerously.

Takeda's Bankai was ominous and dreadful, filling the stands with the palpable sense of horror. Whether they could hear the words or not, one thing was clear: Yin Feng had erred, had sinned, and judgment was about to fall hard.

Sayis' awe for the ominous Bankai of the Gundanchou, though, was second to his wroth at Matsurine. The Soushireikan looked up, and Sayis noted a brief flash of fear with some satisfaction. Just as quickly as it appeared, though, it was gone, and Matsurine faced Sayis calmly, coldly. Sayis dropped down to the floor of the arena where the Onmitsu Kidou gathered, storming directly to the dark-eyed man.

"By what right do you dare to take this honored test into your own hands?" Sayis demanded. The grey-haired man's wrist was wrapped in fresh bandages; Matsurine had -- intentionally, Sayis was certain -- begun the event while healers were stabilizing his varied wounds from the match against the human. "Halt this travesty at once!"

The dark-eyed man turned back toward the fight, throwing back over his shoulder callously, "My apologies if this is not to your liking. I am merely following the example as presented to us in the previous taishuu. Did I misunderstand something there, Soutaichou?

"There is no stopping this," Matsurine declared flatly before adding in a sinister hiss. "You said it best, after all: Takeda Inori is simply too eager. I'm afraid I cannot predict what will happen from here on out."

Sayis fumed silently, filled with an unfamiliar burning inside, a feeling not felt since Eve's unnatural machinations of the mind.

"You will thank me, Inuzuri, for sparing you the ignominy of having such filth among your ranks!" Matsurine added smugly once he realized no retaliation was coming.

Gritting his teeth, Sayis turned to the battle itself. "The test is not yet over."

Nor is this discussion.

[346/700]

 

[K3]

A contemptible look crossed Inori's face, before he sunk below the ground. A moment later, two of the clones that tentatively approached the Gundanchou exploded. The broken chains of Keirizama lashed upwards, raking across the feeble constructs and tearing through their useless forms. The other two appeared to move to attack, but the cobalt eyes of Inori flashed as he rose, spinning rapidly to smash through their necks.

Fixing a Feng in front of him with an unreadable look, the smock-wearing shinigami began to take slow paces towards the Lieutenant, his voice raspy with forcefulness. "The skies... break open... and thunder pours down..! Tremble, and see the sparks lunge! Bakudou Number Forty-Eight, Gorogoro!"

A thundering roar crashed down, lightning splitting the darkened skies of Amagoi as it struck the ground around the Grave, and the clones that surrounded it. With a mewling snarl, the orb-like tigers stretched their new limbs, their forms immobile and waiting.

Inori continued his slow paces, the chains dragging noisily across the ground. The Noose tightened, the Grave loomed behind Feng, towering just over his head as his monstrosity gingerly rested a hand upon it.

If a time for talking had been present, the Gundanchou had no need for it any longer. Every blow aimed for a killing stroke, though the hellish noise of the Grave being notched did not appear. A soft growl seemed to come from Inori, irritation at the parlor tricks the Lieutenant continued to throw about in showy attempts. His flesh-tinted energy roared out, pressing down harshly on the once-bandaged man.

[ 259 / 2250 ]

Notes

Gorogoro is augmented with Jumon Zoukyuu for an effective strength of 1200.

 

[Beaks]

"All this animosity and finger pointing." With an almost sad sort of tsking tone the former Templar Queen stepped out of the crowd near the newest owner of a Haori, paying little to no mind to the people present whom she would sooner gut than talk to. "And for once my hands are clean in it."

She didn't know the Frey girl personally, but given the patron she had chosen it was a safe bet that she could, if given a fair chance of things. Amaterasu Nana may have been crazy in both her search for immortality as well as the open admission of it, but she did not choose allies lightly.

Besides, I owe it to Makoto to be nice to his replacement. At least until she gives me reason not to.

"How's it goin' kid." The former Captain gave Lucia a nod in greeting, leaning forward on the railing as she did so. "Saw your fight against Haresuno. Happy to see a new addition to the Captaincy that isn't just all talk."

[174]
I'm mingling!

 

[Wayne]

He couldn’t help but snort—loudly, at that—upon seeing the sudden upheaval from his gathered peers. The Onmitsu Kidou were as antagonistic as ever, and from afar it seemed as though they were drawing pleasure from such provoked emotions... especially from the captain-commander himself. The way they came at odds with the Gotei was too deliciously hilarious to simply ignore, much so that the grand comedy of it all went past simple politics and egos. The suffocating discord between the two factions dug far deeper into the soil, corrupting the roots and weakening the foundations altogether.

A Court of Pure Soul indeed.

“Filth among ‘our’ ranks, huh?” Kyuketsu said from where he sat, uncaring whether or not anyone heard him. “One bandaged man for five hundred incompetent assassins. Seems fair to me.”

He chuckled to himself, proceeding to blatantly show off the most shit-eating grin he could possibly muster.

386​

#rekt
#butthurt
#buttdevastated
#rustledjimmies
#swagyolo

 

[Apeiron]

Haresuno’s heart stopped for the span of a beat... and then it returned.

He wasn’t sure what was more terrifying and sickening; Feng’s fully release, that of Inori’s, or the raw anger that passed across Sayis’s normally collected face.

A shiver raced down his spine, as it must have with Mitsurine. Something he could only confirm with the briefest of glances at the man’s face before he reined himself to control.

Doing the same, for Haresuno, was a bit tougher. So he tried focusing on the battle. “Morality aside,” the founder commented, “the Ninth is about results more than anything. If Yin Feng could have bribed Takeda Inori into losing, he would have won. Not because he’d paid off the man, but because Inori wouldn’t have been worthy of fighting him....

“However,” he added with a sigh. “Bribing the Gundanchou of the Kanritai really wasn’t the best move. It was a move unique to Yin Feng, given, a route none of us would have thought to take because we would have already abandoned such notions. Either from experience or ideology. In the future, it might pay to remember there are other options.”

His piece said, Haresuno’s eyes tried to keep up with the fights pacing. How would he handle Feng if they ever had to really fight? Inori? The idea that there were still more people that he wasn’t sure if he could survive, was a tempting call. Especially considering so much of Takeda’s abilities hadn’t yet been fully revealed.

What else do you have in store? Will we see it all?

[512]

 

[Chef Bryardee]

The rather neutral look on the raven-haired man’s expression came alive, eyes widening at the appearance of the vehement captain-commander. Taking the cigarette from his lips, he exhaled a plume of greyish-blue smoke from his nostrils, watching the grey-haired captain closely as he challenged the dubious authoritarian of the Onmitsu Kidou.

Whatever it was that had sparked Sayis was somewhat lost on Manzou; not in ignorance of Yoshinari and his overstepping of his boundaries, but in light of what memories were unearthed by those stern grey eyes, that long and unadorned broadsword. This was the first time the arbitrator had seen the man since their brief yet eventful encounter in Yonaguni.

The wound that once was---and never was---marked enduring on his chest, through his very heart, pulsated once, weakly, and then faded away.

What the captain’s seventh seat had done to him, however, was real, would remain with him for a long time to come. That, coupled with the utterly palpable feeling of what was to come of this examination, what say the grey-haired captain would have upon Feng’s foreseeable end, stifled whatever emotions Manzou imagined he would’ve felt upon seeing Sayis once more. The tension in the air was tangible, enough to keep the Thirteenth division member’s eyes sharpened in anticipation.

[yep/yep]​

 

[Nutella]

A small woman shifted nervously on her seat, watching the things unfold before her eye. It was an interesting turn of events, for the most part. However, there seemed to be a lot of prominent faces she didn't know, and it brought a frown upon her lips. She was perhaps not supposed to know, anyway. But not knowing made her feel bad.

Did she just witness the bankai of a Gudanchou? Yes, she did. And that was more incredible than the fact that she even knew she was spectating a Gudanchou. These people with the Soutaichou, it seemed to intrigue the young healer more than the actual taishuu.

Still, her eye gleamed in anticipation, seeing what sort of occurrence would happen next. ​

 

[Shadowwind]

Always the dramatic ones, never those who enjoy the show. The researcher mourned watching his constructs evaporate. A hoarse wheeze found its way out of Feng’s mouth, soon replicated ad nauseum from the remaining clones. Around him the noose tightened choking back towards the two combatants. Reishi differential still exists but no detrimental effects yet observed while in the ring. The biologist thought formulating how best to take advantage of the information.

However, divine inspiration was just not to be. Lacking a suitable inspired plot Feng settled for what he could get. A single member of the group the unmasked researcher was in bolted in a dead run up toward the location Inori had left The infuriated bakudou activated swarming in on the false researcher and burying him beneath their mass. As this occurred, the blighted colossus towering over the Gundanchou delivered a pair of over handed strikes each aimed at cleaving the man in two. In a final flurry of motion, after the first clone had been sent out, Feng and the remaining clone rocketed back towards the base of the titan. Feng’s blade arced at the man’s knee with the duplicate's strike aiming instead for Inori’s elbow.

[199/2575]

 

[K3]

The first clone distracted the unfocused mass of elemental big cats. With an explosion of electrical blare and the sharp crack of thunder echoing loudly once more, Gorogoro detonated. As the smoke cleared, naught was left of the construct.

Inori's eyes flicked briefly to the monstrous Bankai of the Lieutenant. The golem was firmly planted to the ground, blades swung like a totemic being that intended to swat away an insect. As the ebony blades of dripping ichor descended, Inori seemed to still. His wrists lashed out, the chains lashing across the oncoming Fengs as he ignored the looming blades overhead.

Then, his assault completed, the hefty cut of Suisei Ekibyou's blade struck hard. The blades cracked the very earth, sending up great chunks of the upturned soil and rock underfoot as Inori was cleaved through with little fanfare.

A bell tolled in the distance, seeming to chime the passing, before the sound of grating stone could be heard by all - spectators and combatants - behind Feng. The great scratch that had been scored along the front of the Grave seemed to seal over, returning to a pristine blankness.

Then, a soft rumbling beneath his feet turned the Lieutenant towards a new section of land within the Noose, not too distant from the original grave itself. A great cross, towering almost as half as tall as Feng's bankai, shot upwards from the wet ground beneath. The rain continued to pour, Amagoi quickly drenching the newly formed Grave as that hellish noise sent a chattering down the teeth of all present.

A great notch had been carved into this new Grave, the crux of the cross bearing Feng's name once more.

The Lieutenant was no fool - if Inori's Bankai remained, so too did he - but his senses eluded him. The man's presence was slippery, like water pouring through the cracks of his fingers. His head swiveled staunchly, ready to react at a moment's notice.

A length of chain from underfoot snagged about his leg, the slick ground quickly sacrificing his sure footing. As the Gundanchou rose above him, the other length of chain could be glimpsed held in the man's wrist - the end of it held to form a short loop of chain as slack - before he reached forward, throwing the chain over Feng's shoulders.

Heaving backwards, Inori sought to fling the researcher clean out of the Noose, even as it further choked around their surroundings!

[ 410 / 2660 ]

Notes

Attacked Feng and the copy that attacked him, before using Utsusemi to get away from Ekibyou's attack.

 

[Shadowwind]

The chain threw only empty links and wind as the Void reshuffled itself. The researcher himself phased for the briefest of seconds to escape the restriction of the judge. His working eye seemed different, a sly plan no longer glimmered there. What was left was sheer metal and roaring hatred. “A man like me made it this far because I can play both parts. You wish to see the noble in mel? Fine,” Feng roared, “I’ve bested men in duels before, if you won’t play my game I’ll play yours.” The assassin broke into a dead run straight at his opponent.

At the same moment the titan wheezed retching forth its gargantuan blades from the ground. The pulling wretched forth still dry earth up into the rain. The arena bathed in the smell of the loam as the biologists visage was obscured by the dust and rain. Still, Feng’s footsteps plodded forward taking a direct course for his mark. Hidden in that repetitive motion was a strike, a razor’s thin lash against the dust, aimed not at the Gundanchou but at the researcher.

He knew it was coming and the vice captain didn’t flinch. The razor danced just barely across the man’s skin drawing a single slash against the ichor. At the same moment the titan’s ichor continued to weep into the scar it had now wrought on the arena. Feng emerged from the cloud with fury painted on his features his stroke seemed faster. Every muscle seemed to scream with the former assassin they seemed acutely aware of his sole intent.

At that instant a single black kanji appeared behind the Gundanchou, Feng seemed to flicker for the briefest of seconds before Inori was met by mirrored blades singing to cleave him both front and back.

[297/2872]

wat?

Time to play it tricky. Feng slipped out of the chains using Ares' Road. A clone was made, and a combo of abilities were used to put a clone and feng on opposite sides of Inori.

 

[K3]

The earth threw up a ghastly smokescreen, transient though it was. Throwing his arms up in front of his face, the Gundanchou gave a soft, "Tch!". The rain quickly poured it away, revealing only an instant of Feng's visage before the man disappeared entirely.

Inori's eyes widened, contempt momentarily replaced with a sharp surprise. The Lieutenant had teleported again..! Then he would attack!

He could hear the splash of feet behind him, and a second copy of the man appeared before him, blade poised. Yet, the blade would move only as quickly as the Lieutenant's - and the Gundanchou had fought many an opponent bare-handed.

His stringy hair was frazzled and wild in the rain, fleshy reiatsu swiftly compacting against his form in a solid whump! With a dull patter, the twin blades sunk against his flesh - but failed to inflict their wrath. Standing straight and strong, Inori spun on the spot, both arms lashing out with the broken chains to send them careening towards the necks of both Feng's.

[ 171 / 2831 ]

 

[Shadowwind]

The researcher's blade managed to prevent his neck from meeting the Gundanchou’s steel. However, the researcher was left at an impasse. The Noose that threatened to close in and suffocate him and the graves which bore his name seemed intimately related. Yet it was the how which was causing frustration amid the biologist’s mind. Different simulations ran themselves within Feng’s mind, each discarded as it took far too long to deal with.

Mulling the options, the former assassin let out a small sigh. The most prudent course of action was one he had hoped to avoid. And yet, the air felt thick in his lungs as a raspy breath escaped it. You always were a reckless one. The titan mourned towards its wielder.

Smiling at the thought, I’ve lasted this long, just a few more moments. There is still a piece I’m missing. I will damn him. This time, when the biologist struck, it was fully reckless. There were no tricks other than the hiss of steam. A scythe blade encased within a hidden recess of Feng’s arm slid into plain view as it aimed toward Inori’s midsection. To many it appeared as though fatigue had gotten the best of the former-assassin. His form was sloppy and full of holes, yet still a look of determination filled his visage. Come then, show me what I must know.

Apollo whirled as it attempted to analyze the reishi flows that bound Feng to the graves.

[243/3115]

 

[Rob]

There was cunning, there was deceiving, and then there was Feng Yin. She wasn’t really sure if she had to laud the man for his attention to detail - or at times lack thereof - or scold him for his blatant disregard of anything she held value to. Sure, in the end it didn’t matter how you’d win... as long you won. It was really as simple as that.

To have your entire arsenal be based around ‘winning at all costs’ didn’t sit right with Nana. What had happened to honour, to chivalry? Was it truly dead? The answer to that was probably something she had already seen answered before, but it somehow still came back to mind as she saw Feng’s stratagem.

It was interesting, though, how he seemed to be perfectly capable of deluding pretty much everyone into thinking he was some master of the hohou school. He wasn’t, really. He was experienced, yes, but even this was just one of his ploys. He wasn’t actually as fast as he appeared, he just made people think he was.

“Tricks will only get you so far, Yin-san.€

[190]

 

[K3]

Though the Gundanchou's features were obscured by the executioner's smock he wore, it took little guess-work to know the snarl that was hidden beneath. The sloppy blow was turned up, Feng's momentum turned into an intentional stumble as Inori gripped the hidden blade in his bare hand - still wreathed in thick layers of reiryoku - and wrenched sideways.

The blade snapped cleanly in half, and he tossed the pitiful toy aside handily. Feng's own blade came across as well, once more stopped by the ultimate technique of Hakuda experts. Relinquishing his grip on the researcher's left hand, his right hand snapped outwards, smacking against the inside of Feng's elbow to send the blow wide.

Reaching across with his own left hand, now empty, he grabbed Feng by the wrist, pivoting underneath the Lieutenant's arm to twist his arm behind his back. Inori could feel the man already reacting, his body ready to once more phase into the Void and slip through his grasp, but the Kanritai Gundanchou would make good on his title first.

Snapping up Feng's wrist, he jerked the man's zanpakuto awkwardly from his grip even as the Lieutenant became intangible to his touch. Twisting on the spot, the Lieutenant ducked low to retrieve his weapon, his movements suddenly faster than before!

The man snatched up his ichor-laden scimitar, ready to bring it up in a vicious slash, but Inori was already moving. An open palm smashed into Feng's chin, the force of the blow so great it lifted both combatants from the ground itself.

The instant the contact was made, that hellish sound screeched out to the crowd and the world. A long, protracted squeal that drew all eyes to the large cross bearing a single scar across it. Before their eyes, a long score was drawn downwards, down its centre. A shiver seemed to go up the contents of the arena: whatever dire purpose the Grave served, it was one step closer to fulfilling it.

[ 330 / 3161 ]

 

[Shadowwind]

You are an idiot. The titan mocked as the researcher’s world spun. Feng landed on all fours spitting out a thick black ichor rich gob containing more than one of his teeth and a portion of his tongue. His mouth began fill as the black ichor running through it began to change consistency. Where it was once like blood, it now hardened to the consistency of tar. While the cat has your tongue, care to take a moment? A steam of the dark liquor ran freely from the former-assassins mouth, a cough shook his body causing more of the black liquid to stream onto the ground.

If you would... be so kind, I wouldn’t object. The colossus wheezed a response. It began a pair of cleaving overhead strikes well away from Inori’s location before the researcher before him seemed to flicker. The space he had occupied now held the titan, its blades continuing downward now directly over the Gundachou.

He must hit me. But this reishi... its something deeper... Struggling to seat himself on the ground Feng couldn’t help but feel he was missing something important. Using the extended scythe to prop himself back to his feet, the former assassin rushed forward in a shunpo. He appeared beside his forsaken blade before reaching to pick it up. Still placing most of his weight on the scythe the man hoped his spirit could stall long enough for the fog to disappear.

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