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[Gotei/Open] Week --: Verus Deus Ex Machina

Ishin smiled at the boy's response. So they had two kidou users and him, the zanjutsu user. Interesting team so far.

Fiona came up to him and got in his face, showing her beautiful features to him as she scolded him. There was one thing one his mind, though. Well, two actually. He leaned in to whisper to her again.

"Well well well. Those eyes are amazing. Feel free to keep them turned this way. I would love to keep looking into them. Such a beautiful color. The name is Ishin, by the way, but you can call me whatever you like."

He turned back to the others and was about to speak when he felt it. Whoever it was, they had an insane amount of spiritual power, and Ishin doubted they were even straining. If anything, it felt like they were suppressing it, which worried Ishin. That amount of spirit pressure could mean only one thing.

Another captain had just shown up.

He shook himself out of his little reverie, then turned back to the others.

"Of course she would be a Hakuda user. With six lovely arms, it would only make sense. It seems, though, that our little strike team isn't finished yet. We have at least one more person joining us, and I am betting he will be wearing white."

Ishin heard and felt a summons from in his mind. The only one he knew of that could do that was Fuyutsuki.

Master, we need to talk.

Ishin walked over to one of the benches that lined the lobby and sat down, calling Fuyutsuki in his mind. She walked up to him, standing in the lunar plain that made up her home. He looked at her and smiled. She walked up to him and smoothly slipped her arm into his.

So, Ishin, it seems like you have some new friends that are quite powerful. Perhaps now is a good time to make an excellent first impression.

Ishin chuckled. She always knew what he was thinking, sometimes even before he did.

"I intend to make the best of it, though I won't go out of the way to impress them. I just need to get the job done. That's it."

She nodded her head. True, true. Well, good luck. I just wanted to let you know that I was rooting for you with little miss science out there. I'll be ready for action when you are.

Ishin opened his eyes and waited for the new members to show up.

Word Count [427/1868]
 
It was the growing excitement that had the spring in Seraf’s step as he followed his Captain through the Charon’s Gate and to the 9th Division Headquarters. He had never been here before, not even on an errand. He couldn’t help but look at anything and everything. When realization hit home that he looked like a child of four in a candy store he immediately tried to imitate his Captains cool appearance. He hoped he was doing a good job.

Leon Valiente Simeon was exuding confidence and poise, the perfect image of a Captain. He walked at a brisk pace and Seraf stayed only two steps behind for respect purposes. Seraf was still shocked to find himself at his Captains side. When he was first called he had thought he was going to be a runner boy; delivering messages and what not. But to be trusted enough for such a huge assignment; he would fail in this duty.

Hand on sword hilt Seraf followed his Captain; his eyes constantly flickering, never staying on one spot just in case of a surprise attack, however unlikely, he would not be caught unaware.

His breath caught as they walked into the Command Center of the 9th Division, a multitude of computer screens and a flurry of activity, but his eyes eventually settled on the man that Leon was now talking to, the Captain of the 9th, Saika Rakushun. Another man that exuded confidence, another Captain to be respected. Seraf waited patiently as he listened as they were briefed on the current situation.

[259/557]
 
“Your target is suspected to be a rogue element that I thought I had eliminated personally during my tenure in the 12th. A Central 46 funded project to try to artificially augment normal plus souls with shinigami powers was cut off abruptly when the project began delving into reprehensible areas, such as hollow splicing and mask grafting. The group was known as Icarus, as they attempted to make man do things he was not normally meant to do. Their head researcher was a man known as Daedelus.” The name hadn’t come up in over 500 years. How had he survived the detonation of his labs? Shiroi remembered leaving him dead on the floor for the fires to consume.

“Using hollows captured during the two Seiges, he had the raw material he needed to conduct his experiments. Our last encounter saw him wearing masks of Menos he had harvested and compressed himself. I can only speculate where his research has gone in these past centuries. Eliminate him with extreme prejudice.” The Commander frowned. The resurgence of the SQN had caused many enemies to come crawling back into prominence. Even if they were to be destroyed, what ripples had they created?

Total WC: 900
 
In one of those rare occasions that come up every so often, Louhi was listening attentively as Faust recounted what he knew of the man who they suspected was at the helm of the operation to seal off the Senkaimon. She didn't remember the name at all herself, so either the memory was simply missing, or else it had happened before she'd even joined the 12th all those years ago.. of course Shiroi had already been Vice Captain then, so it wasn't too surprising. Somehow she only felt more eager to destroy this enemy, after hearing about it.

"Yah yah, I can do it. No problem." She nodded, causing a loosed lock of hair to fall across her face annoyingly.

Messing around in hollows and all that, I wonder why he wouldn't just make himself into a Vizard. Or maybe he is, hmm. Various thoughts passing through her mind, ultimately Louhi recalled that there was a forty minute time limit on the operation; not that she had ever taken that long to beat someone before, but it seemed sort of like a race - the clock is ticking, and all.

She was already subconsciously shifting her weight from one foot to the other, plotting out her steps. As for Shiroi, presumably he'd be staying at the first, relaying orders and taking messages at the currently fanatic pace. I should say somethin' before I leave, right.

Swallowing down a sudden inexplicable feeling of awkwardness, she waved to the Soutaichou, her hand peeking out from the large sleeve of her Haori.

"I'm gonna go get a gate to the 9th then... See you later, Sir." Trotting towards the door, she turned back just as she left the camera's line of sight to shoot a wink of indeterminate significance at the white haired noble. A small twitter of laughter followed as she slid the heavy slabs aside enough for her to slip through and make her exit, pushing them shut again behind her.





It didn't take long to arrange for the Charon's road transport, as messengers and pages and other sorts were scurrying back and forth through the halls like a hive of ants, it was only a matter of snatching the right one and making a demand. The throngs parted seamlessly in front of her as she headed out to the garden, suspicious giggles breaking out here and there on the sidelines, although none dared to say anything directly. When she arrived, the gate was already open and ready, allowing to step through the distorted space for yet another time today.

At the end of the passageway she stepped out, into the bustling main lounge of the 9th - and greeted with a few more sniggers of laughter from those who had seen Rakushun's little message earlier, but these were cut silenced by a well placed glare. "Another Captain," some hushed voices proclaimed.

Snatching one of these speakers by the collar, a prickly looking fellow with thick glasses, Louhi shook him slightly and deposited him back on his feet. "Take me to the control room."

"Y-yes ma'am! Right this way," the man puffed, scurrying off at a quick pace down the bizarrely appointed halls of the 9th Taisho to the room where Saika and the rest had gathered. Louhi followed, taking a chance to bump and trip a few stray shinigami as she went.

"Right here--" the man spoke again, cut off by the 12th division captain waving him off. "Yeah yeah."

Disregarding everyone else as she strode into the control room, the tattooed girl made a bee-line for the sprawling console where Rakushun was seated, latching her hands over the back of his chair. "Missed me, ha? Lucky Saika! Now you get to see me face to face again, twice in one day!"

[624/1171]​
 
"Roger that." Saika motioned with his hand straight across his neck, meaning to cut off the feed with the First Division. Just like that the image of the Commander Captain and Louhi faded, showing diagnostics and the status of the mainframe, which was now bustling and holding its own against the hacker.

Nearly the entire control room froze when hearing about the target they were seeking. Most of the Ninth Division members were aghast, their own minds getting the best of them in the worst of situations. Of course the Kyuubantai was up against a kindred genius such as their own- but the man known as Daedalus had rekindled their memories of the records revolving around the once fabled researcher. Very soon whispers began to float about the chamber, easily settling in to notions of doubt and worry.

"I heard stories of Daedalus!"

"He's not even a Shinigami anymore..."​

"How do we stand a chance against him?!"​

So on and so forth fluttered about the main control room in choked gasps of fear. Following that Raku found Leon upon him, and next was Louhi screeching into his ear. The normally disinterested looking Saika twitched his eye momentarily as the seat began to furl itself- keyboard, monitors, towers and all folded in the whirring and buzzing of mechanics- forcing the pigtailed Captain off his seat lest she be caught in the machine.

"... You guys are pitiful. You scrounge up in fear over the mention of someone from the past yet you refuse to stay resolved in a time of crisis, under my command? You make the Ninth look embarrassing, you make me look idiotic. Keep doing your job while I save your sorry asses okay?" Rakushun barked loudly from atop his perch, scolding all his subordinates thoroughly.

"I'm leaving Hoshino and Minami in charge. Their orders are absolute. And I give them permission to kick your asses if you blubber and whine like that again. You ladies know what to do... and don't burn yourself out Hoshino. You're the strongest chance we have against our hacker."

Turning to face the others his cigarette was already extinguished, leaving only a charred butt to remain. It fell out of his mouth and Saika scratched his head to look sleepy and disinterested again.

"... Yeah, shit has hit the fan Leon. And yeah, I'm absolutely thrilled to see you again Louhi," another smoke popped right into the research head's mouth without warning. He ambled past his new guests and for the exit of the control room, one hand motioning them to follow, another with a finger pressed against his ear.

Before Fiona could slap Ishin against the cheek the gates to the room opened, Saika, the two other Captains, and another in tow. For now the multi-limbed woman bit her tongue and sought reason, following her own advice for being professional, folding her arms and nodding at Raku.

Saika shifted his head lazily about the Shinigami gathered before saying, "The Senkaimon have been compromised, along with a good portion of the Ninth Division's database. We have located the target and gained the name of who we're seeking. The offender is a man known as Daedalus, and his location is 30,000 feet above us in the sky. Charon's Road will not be able to take us there due to a barrier, so we'll be using the transport canons for travel instead. We've been given a time limit- 40 minutes- once we reach our destination to stop Daedalus before the Kidou Canon is fired at our future location. Understand?"

The horned Captain pointed to the ground before them, wherein masses of stone piled atop one another to form a Charon's Road.

"Sorry to skip all the formalities, but I don't like having my mainframe compromised..." He lit the stick propped between his lips and shuffled off into the ambient light of the portal, continuing to gesture for the others to follow with one hand before it disappeared.

Fiona said nothing and treaded right behind Raku's shadow as she too faded.


[ 658/ 3,198]
 
A wealth of spiritual pressure flooded into the room and Sho instinctively took a step back after feeling it. Sure enough, three Captains emerged from the corridor with yet another Shinigami in tow. While he had met both his own Captain and the Captain of the Twelfth, this third Captain and his subordinate were strangers to Sho; although judging by spiritual pressure alone, this third Captain was more than deserving of his position.

The offender is a man known as Daedalus Sho knew that name. He had read up on the man in the academy, but he was meant to be dead? This further complicated the mission although it made Sho tremble with excitement; this wasn’t just some Hollow that needed to be killed or any old rogue Shinigami, they were making history here. This would be added in reprinted versions of the books on Daedalus he’d read.

Forty minutes? Transport cannons? This was certainly not what he’d expected. While he hadn’t thought to scan for the source of the spiritual energy himself – doubtful he had the tools to get a proper lock on regardless – Sho hadn’t expected he would be flying 30,000 feet into the sky. The entire notion of being shot up in a cannon and trying to reach something that high frightened him to no end. What if they missed? That would be a hell of a long fall.

I wonder if the Hecate will work 30,000 feet in the sky Sho thought to himself Because if we miss and it doesn’t I’ll be a pancake. The rookie listened further as his Captain apologised for skipping the formalities and getting to the point; as if that would bother Sho, he wasn’t interested in anything but the facts.

“Understood Saika-Taichou,” Sho said, rather late as his superior opened Charon’s Road. “Makes no difference to me, let’s just get rid of this problem.” At this point Saika began to walk into the portal and gestured for them to follow. Keeping a step or so behind Fiona he entered the portal.

341/1905
 
439​

So much had happened in so little time—Keiji couldn’t possibly keep up and pay proper attention to everything at the same time. Booming reiatsu signatures stuffed themselves into the room, and one of them pushed past everybody just to bother Rakushun. Keiji silently thanked himself for having set up the recording once again. However, all other thoughts were shut down and immediately Keiji focused all of his mental power on a singular word.

“Daedalus”

“Haaah…Ha-Ha-Ha!”

Keiji gasped at first, and then started to giggle. Yes, Daedalus was supposed to be dead, and yes, Daedalus was supposed to be extremely powerful. Keiji could not have possibly imagined a more exciting mission; just the thought of being able to witness, firsthand, the powers of a shinigami-turned-madman was so enticing, that he thought he might be ready to die all over again just by being there. Others in the room whispered and quaked at the name, and though Keiji was hardly able to say that he was stronger or more confident than the others, he was far too wrapped up in the research aspect. There were books and rumors floating around—whispers that said that Daedalus had breached the limit between Shinigami and Vizard. Those same rumors also said that Faust-Soutaichou killed Daedalus himself, which made things far more exciting. Keiji knew he wouldn’t exactly have the chance for a one-on-one interview with the man—disappointing as it was—but he could settle for studying the recordings for the next few months.

Again, Keiji was taken aback! “TRANSPORT CANNONS!?” his internal monologue screamed, barely kept under control by Keiji’s dumb grin. The boy was in utter bliss—he was going to be loaded into a cannon, fired thirty thousand feet above the Seireitei to do battle with a convicted and presumably very powerful criminal, and as if this was not enough, there was a time limit involved which demanded that they finish it all within forty minutes! Keiji was nearly overwhelmed by how incredible and amazing everything was turning out, and he might have fainted under the weight of his glee had he not managed to shock his own body into motion by following after Sho and the others. Without stopping, he took in a deep breath and called out his own confirmation.

“UNDERSTOOD SAIKA-TAICHOU-SAMA!!!”

It was, really, all Keiji could say without starting on a rant about how much he enjoyed what was happening and what would continue to happen. Quickly padding his feet along the ground, Keiji stepped into the portal, wearing the excited grin that would be plastered onto his face for, perhaps, the rest of the day.
 
Leon's sunglasses didn't acknowledge anybody other than Louhi (for a moment, a subtle nod only she would detect), and his subordinate, Seraf Moichi, who had put on a business face and was currently doing his best to listen in and understand what was happening around him. The 11th Division Captain ambled in his slow, methodical manner next to the unseated, cheerful fellow, and paused when he was close enough for his deep timbre to be clearly heard by Seraf through all of the background noise occurring in the room.

“…you’ll be with these other guys, so stick close to them. The crap happening right now doesn’t allow for interdivisionary combinations…you’ll have to get used to their company immediately. Use the little strength you have to keep living…it’d be a waste to die after coming so close to hearing his name.”

With that, the 11th Division symbol found itself emblazoned as it was brilliantly lit within the incandescence of the portal, billowing wildly as the Spaniard made his way to the other side.

[172//870]
 
He could tell that he had struck a nerve, and that he was about to get hit. Thankfully for him, though, the doors opened and the captains walked through. Another one had shown up and joined them. Three captains, a few unseated members, that Fiona girl (who was sure to be a seated officer), and himself. It was sure a diverse crew. He watched as Saika-Taichou and Fiona went in the direction that the transport cannons must have lain in, and he followed. Picking up his pace to catch up with the leaders, he whispered to Fiona again.

"Sorry. I didn't mean any offense by it. I'll lay off, since with him here," he gestured towards Rakushun, "I'm sure you'll get enough of it. Anyway, I look forward to working with you."

He couldn't help but smile at the childish enthusiasm of Keiji. Just as he had expected, he was going wild with anticipation. With everything going on around him, Ishin decided he should keep an eye on the kid. Not that he owed the shrimp anything. He just didn't want to see him get hurt. He was fun to hang around with.

Ishin wondered how he would fit into this motley assortment now. With the addition of the two captains, who would no doubt have a huge amount of reiatsu and an incomparable amount of training, he didn't see how he could be of help. All his zanpakutou could do was effect gravity and create meteors. He pushed that thought aside, figuring that if he was going to be here, he would be there onbe hundred percent.

As they walked along the corridors, Ishin couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement come over him at the same time. For the first time, he would get to see the abilities of three of the Captains of the Gotei thirteen. He saw the Captain of the Eleventh division, a seemingly quiet man with glasses and a torn haori, lean in and speak to his subordinate. Well, no time like the present. Ishin walked over after Simeon-Taichou left.

"So, what's your name? Mine's Ishin, by the way."

[358/2226]
 
The briefing was rather short and too the point, the motley assortment of Shinigami gathered surprised Seraf a bit. For what could they possibly do in but get in the way when three Captains were present. He had never heard of this “Daedalus” fellow, but from the way that a few of the members gathered reacted, he had to be pretty bad ass.

He was frowning when his Captain came up to him, and smiling as he left, speaking quick orders and then leaving in such a manner. “I swear, he is so nonchalant about what he does, and somehow it always looks so cool…I should ask him someday how he does…that.” He then began to study the loud kid that seemed to be having a seizure just standing there…he was very skeptical about what he was going to do…with a rueful shake of his head Seraf turned to face the man who was now introducing himself…Ishin.

“My name is Seraf Moichi, pleased to meet you Ishin. I look forward to working with you.” With a nod in his direction and flashing a quick smile, Seraf turned and trotted off after his Captain, white light enveloping everything.

[196/753]
 
Surrounded in so much various machinery, Louhi simply smirked back at Rakushun, visibly seeming strained with the effort not to set back the 9th's efforts by overloading their equipment; but then again knowing Raku, his own computers were probably safegaurded against such things. Joining him to pass through the portal, she was now taking in the rest of their party as they emerged on the other side.

Leon, of course, was hard to miss - and he seemed to have someone else in tow. "A little stray puppy, hoho," the girl chuckled to herself at her impression of Seraf.

There was a familiar masked fellow among them too, which Louhi noted with a shark-like expression. She'd amused herself fairly well at Sho's expense. It was slightly worrisome to see this... well, low level team accompanying them, and a bit irritating. The 12th division captain at least had no intention of babysitting. Whatever, they're Leon and Raku's problem anyway. Have fun with that.

[161/1332]​
 
The mass of troops exited their portal to find themselves in an enormous chamber which was just one of the many branches connected to the labyrinth of the Ninth, an unforeseen extension from the outside, but carrying a priceless relic within. Its ceiling was curved much like a dome and the segments parted outwards, unfurling itself akin to an insect molting its shell, but accompanied with the grinding and whirring of steel.

Surrounding an ebony tube that stretched nearly half the expanse of the room were drifting shades of white; flowing robes and veils covered the faces of the Kidoushuu weaving their way about the transport cannon. These heavily robed members were tying ropes and charmed paper seals onto the black barrel that rose steadily upwards in a foreboding monolithic ascent.

Oh... looks like the Kidoushuu have a use after all... along with these things. chuckled Rakushun with a sly grin to himself. Those things were outdated and the sheer idea and mechanics of them were preposterous. Only the foolhardy with a penchant for death would enjoy a trip in one of those things. Raku himself considered scrapping those archaic machines and molting them into scrap metal or for actual launching ordnance, but he wanted to treasure a relic like this and keep it in storage for historical value. He never would have imagined the time would come to use the cannons.

Saika shuffled his way on over to one of the handful of Kidoushuu agents swarming about the cannon, taking a spherical object and handing it visibly to Fiona who had shadowed behind him.

He whispered into her ear out of the auditory range of the others, "You were sent instructions on how to use this. Check your Athena. Tell the others what to do... I already know how this retro thing works and I need to... work on the second phase of our launch."

Kincade simply nodded while the Captain entered another Charon's Road gate, off on his own escapade. The cloaked woman gestured the rest of the squad to come near her then pulled out the instructions upon her Athena. As the group circled about her she cleared her throat.

"For those of you that do not know how the transport cannons work..." her orange eyes darted back and forth from her phone and to her team, "We will be launched out of the barrel that's setting itself up before us. Through a combination of Kidou and antiquated technology we will be propelled 30,000 feet into the sky."

Fiona procured the orb for the others to get a long hard glance. Nearly opaque, the crystalline sphere contained the silhouette of an avian or bird in onyx or obsidian. It reflected and shone brilliantly underneath the bright blue skies of the now completely opened dome.

"This orb will be our cannonball. By focusing your Reiatsu into it and equalizing our energies with the others around you, it will create a shell that will house us from the Kidou that will fire us from the cannon. An intense amount of concentration will be required, or else our combined spiritual pressure will backlash and rip us to shreds from the inside out in a gruesome explosion..." she eyed the others carefully, setting a cold expression particularly on Ishin.

"...And I for one do not want to be a part of that. We'll be given several minutes to harmonize and balance our Reiatsu now while the final preparations are being made. As you may have noticed, Saika-Taichou is currently preparing himself for the second phase of the incantation. The first, conducted by the Kidoushuu, determines simply the location. The second maintains the speed and stability of our course. Saika-Taichou, like the rest of us, will need utmost concentration and his lack of concentrated Reiatsu involved in the cannonball will need us to keep that balance... lest we explode."

Fiona gently coughed again, letting her professional side retain a cool and calm outward demeanor... but there was a sort of fevered excitement involved with this. The possible danger involved throughout the whole procedure only made her riled up in anticipation; this was just the action she needed as opposed to the seemingly drab work of the Ninth.

"Everyone will need to compensate for Saika-Taichou's input of spiritual pressure. You will detect any fluctuations during his incantation. Adjust accordingly... so... unless anyone else has any questions, how about we start practicing now."

Placing the phone back within her robes, a sextuplet of arms arose from underneath Fiona's cowl. Six hands placed themselves upon the sphere as she began to release her spiritual pressure. A small grin emerged from the officer, perhaps in a tone of encouragement.

"This should be relatively easy... I mean we all should have learned basic Reiatsu output in the Academy."


[ 806/ 4,004 ]
 

Should’ve could’ve would’ve, all pointing to one thing, well actually two…there were two 11th squad members aboard this mission, not to mention one happened to be a Captain. And as their reputation suggested, they didn’t work well with adjusting their reiatsu’s, well at least Seraf couldn’t. Now his Captain on the other hand, I seemed likely that Leon would have no problem with this, after all, Captains should be able to do anything …

Seraf on the other hand, well, he wasn’t a Captain, and he was of the 11th division, and as such, it was quite unfortunate that he could not work his reiatsu very well at all…in fact he really rather sucked at it. Oh sure he had “learned” it in the academy, but he was labeled as a hopeless cause, so unfortunately he had never managed to gain a steady control. So it was with growing dread that Seraf stretched out his arms and placed his hands on the ball in front of him.

As best he could he started to channel into the little ball, getting shot out of a cannon was one thing, exploding and dieing in a horrible way was another. He would rather just find some other way to get those 30,000 feet up into the air, “Maybe we should just tie ourselves to explosives and set them off, we probably would have a better chance of survival that way…”

“Do not say such foolish things, Seraf. The others will think of you as incompetent, you are a fool, just concentrate and hone your reiatsu, you shall master this in a matter of minutes.

“How?”

“It is a matter of nessesity.”

So using nessesity as a motivator, Seraf tried to focus his reiatsu, to hone it to a fine sharp wire, he visualised it forming into that fine thread, and then began to move that thread into the ball, it greedily sucked it up, “thicker…” The thread widened, and it tentitively reached out and latched onto the other thread already there, they pulsed, it seemed that he could actually sucseed at this if he focused hard enough. He let a smile of satisfaction drift onto his face. Yet he never lost his visualization of that thread, for if he did, the slight grip of control he had would backlash into a chaotic mess.



[390/1143]
 
Reiatsu output? Basic, in fact it was something the young Ninth Division member was good at. While he was known for bragging when – in his eyes – he had attained a mastery over something, it seemed unlikely he would want to even attempt as much this time. Too much was riding on this, and he hadn’t practiced for a fairly long time.

Sho knew he wasn’t alone in hoping he didn’t screw up. He knew very well that all of the members involved would not want to be the one that screwed up and cost the lives of three of their Captains (although Sho wasn’t so sure whether or not Fiona had been referring to the Captains as well when she had made reference to death).

If anything this was terribly exciting and Sho was almost trembling with excitement, but alas, he was no fool; he had composed himself within several seconds and placed only one hand on the ball Fiona and Seraf were grasping. Slowly but steadily – not to mention nervously – he placed his other hand onto the cannonball.

Now it was time to focus his Reiatsu and release it. He had read a book that had given him an odd explanation on how this could be achieved. Rather than focusing on a spiritual thread he merely had to zone in on his Reiatsu and visualise himself; he did so in a quick space of time, his academy training not all wasted.

The next step was to now imagine himself swinging his sword around in different attack patterns – more choreography than a tactic in an actual fight. Sho did so, imagining himself elegantly moving to the steps and practicing swordplay.

The faster he performed each action, the more Reiatsu he would exert. Whilst still maintaining concentration, he checked the levels Fiona and Seraf were exerting and increased his speed to compensate, soon arriving at their level.

Keeping focused, Sho let out a slight sigh of relief, “Done,” he muttered with a hint of relief, “This isn’t too hard. Never thought I’d have a practical use for Reiatsu output outside of the academy."

352/2257
 
The Captain of the 11th Division watched his subordinate shakily begin to warp his reiatsu into the orb. It was a heartening sight to some spectators…the moment Fiona had explained what they’d been doing, they had drew the parallel to the old kidou starter regime. His pervasive anti-kidou program had been pretty thoroughly successful, so for a moment, it had been unclear to those who were aware of the 11th’s position on Kidou if Seraf would be capable of performing the task at hand.

Was it fortunate or unfortunate that the boy was managing to synchronize his reiatsu? Certainly, for the situation, it was a must, and so there was good reason for praise. But why had Seraf, coming out of the diligent non-spell caster 11th Division, been able to successfully harmonize his energy within a couple of seconds? Was it a sign that the Captain’s anti-kidou stance wasn’t as well engrained in the Division’s collective consciousness as rumor had it, or was it perhaps simply that Seraf possessed a talent for such things?

Whatever the case, the Spaniard’s face didn’t reveal any thoughts on the matter, as was his custom…instead, he approached the orb and placed his hand upon its sleek surface without a word.

A few months prior, upon his return to Seireitei, Leon had experienced a rather difficult time attempting to get used to the maelstrom of reiatsu signatures that were bombarding his senses during the incursion. Five centuries in Rukongai was more than enough time to grow complacent in reading such things. And now...?

For an instant, the world warped itself into a furious tempest of light and sound, and the three individuals already connected to the orb were able to feel a sliver of the monstrous strength that Leon kept caged within. It lasted only a single breath, but what a breath it was to feel the might of the man next to them.

Then he was perfectly in balance with the others, and all was in equilibrium.

“You’re a little low Moichi…bring that shit up a tad more,” his deep timbre resonated.

[349//1219]
 
The 12th division captain lurked in the rear of the room as the explanations came to a close, watching the others going to such efforts to manipulate their reiatsu. Her own flexibility with Reiatsu had been honed to a fine point due to the types of techniques used by the assassins, despite her poor hand with kidou. Somehow she wasn't surprised to see Leon's introduction to the orb didn't go all that smoothly either, although she wasn't entirely sure he hand't just let himself slip a bit to show off. The girl's nose crinkled slightly with amusement at that thought.

This whole cannon business seemed entertaining at least, she'd had no idea such a thing existed at all. The enormity of 30,000 feet still pressured her poor brain. Certainly nothing good would come of it if they were to fall, but that was just part of the appeal.

Her eyes darted to the place where Raku had disappeared, but there was no sign of his return just yet, eliciting a small sigh from the pigtailed shinigami. She was growing anxious to see some action, which included cannon-fire. Maybe he's just... watchin on one of those cameras of his to see if we've done it yet.

This irritating thought sparked Louhi to stride forward and join the rest around the orb, wedging herself in between Noboru and Leon to place a scuffed and skinny hand on the glassy surface of the orb, neatly adding her own reiatsu into the mix - with just a little deliberate hint of a spike as the 11th division captain had done, albeit rather less impressive in scale.

"Hurry up, yeah? Are we gonna go already, or what?"


[278/1610]​
 
Ishin followed the others into the giant storeroom, looking up in awe at the gigantic tube that made up the barrel of the machine. It seemed to be similar in concept to a rifle, or other firearm, in that the projectile, which would be the group of attackers in this case, would be propelled out of the open end of the tube. They would probably have to have someway to change trajectory in flight, but that wasn't something he was too concerned with. For now, he needed to focus on the matter at hand, which was to get accustomed to the reiatsu shaping of the ball thing Fiona held.

Ishin stepped up, looked down at the thing, then shook his head. He didn't really understand kidou, it had never been something he had really enjoyed in any way,shape or form, but he needed to get used to it. Now seemed to be as good a time as any. Besides, it wasn't exactly kidou he would be practicing, more of a reiatsu manipulation. If anything it would help him when he started to get more into kidou. He reached out and gently put his open hand on one of the exposed parts.

Immediately, he felt a surge of power, as he connected with the stream of the other reiatsu signatures. He felt Fiona's, a calculating presence that seemed to keep an eye on the others. There were two which could only be Seraf and Sho, as they weren't as powerful as the other two. One, he assumed it was Seraf's, seemed hesitant, yet ready. The other, which had to be Sho, almost twitched with anticipation. Then he felt the two captains. They had an amazing presence about them. They were hidden, but it was in a way that almost seemed to dare anyone to test them. The captain of the eleventh seemed to be like that of a bubbling volcano. On the surface everything seemed to be fine, but underneath was a destructive force rarely matched. The other, which had to be the girl captain's, was like rapids. It showed barely restrained power that could engulf one if given the chance.

At least, that was Ishin's first impression.

Ishin immediately set about the task of matching his to the others. It was all dependent on the members with the lower reiatsu, so Ishin lowered it until he came near them. Then, once he was in the vicinity, he gently started to eat away at it until it was at the same level. It had been harder than he thought. He let out a sigh and glanced up at Fiona.

"So, just a question, do you have any idea what our landing will feel like?"

[454/2680]
 
456​

Keiji cocked his head from side to side as conversations and orders flew over and through his head. It was quite uncomfortable for him to be so quiet, and yet he couldn’t figure out anything conducive to say. Being silent and making sure he had a good angle and decent enough lighting that he could get good shots of everybody, and identify who was talking and when. It was so important for him to closely study and get to know everybody gathered there that he knew he wouldn’t be able to appreciate it until this was all over. What Keiji was doing, however, was avoiding the coming battle. Fact of the matter was that their systems were being tampered with, and Keiji was brought along not to study but to aid them in battle. He had no Chiyudo, and all of his Bakudo was offensive in nature. If anything Keiji was there to be in direct conflict, and with a fellow Shinigami no less. The prospect of actually harming another person no different from himself both scared and disgusted him, which gave good motivation for him to distract himself with decent camera angles and the fascinating prospect of being fired out of a cannon.

Speaking of which, a little orb had been brought forth and Keiji was to place his hand on it and harmonize his reiatsu with all others that were clutching it. Exciting a prospect as this was, he found that it was too bad he wouldn’t be able to actually film the experience of synchronizing with reiatsu signatures of everybody around him. With a big toothy grin, he slapped his hand onto the orb and took in a breath through his teeth at the rushing feeling of connecting with his companions. Fiona’s almost maternal reiatsu came up first, immediately following was whom he assumed to be Seraf, as it had an anxious quality to it. Sho was akin to Keiji, although he felt that he was more excited about what was about to happen. Then, there were the Captains, and Keiji had no words for the simply shocking presence their reiatsu signatures held. Perfect equilibrium between earth-shattering power and the wisdom to control it was apparent to his eyes and senses, and Keiji could only dream to have the same presence several years in the future.

Indeed, he could not raise his level, but he could move it around to meet the average of the others. Some of them were clearly not as practiced in kidou as Keiji was, and others far more practiced, all of which would help him in the future. Soon, he found the middle ground, and then Keiji was done.

“Incredible. I must say—this is all very exhilarating.”

TOTAL WC
1712​
 
While the others had been focusing their efforts upon tuning their Reiatsu to one another, Rakushun had already come back, slinking around and inspecting all the equipment and Kidoushuu. Just like Louhi had thought, he was indeed watching them while in another chamber...

Configuring his bodily modifications against her electrical hampering of Reiatsu. It wouldn't make much sense if she could partially debilitate his systems in this upcoming battle so Saika had brought together a small crew of technicians and surgeons to refit him with the proper equipment.

Ignoring the pain that still crept along with adapting his nerves to the newly instated devices in his limb, he took the time to adjust by personally tipping the Kidoushuu to not fail in their incantation. Even though he knew full well that these men were the most talented in their skills, it didn't help to have some extra motivation; that and the Ninth Captain had a penchant for generously paying those that worked for him.

Suffice to say he was glad that everyone had adjusted their spiritual pressure accordingly, and took to it within an appreciable amount of time- just enough for Raku to come back with his new modifications. He certainly held an amount of pride for his subordinates Keiji and Sho; the others he was just grateful for, especially considering Louhi's lack of Academy training, Leon's aggressive policies on non-Kidou, and the effect that had upon his subordinate Seraf. All in all not too bad, even such to the point that they were able to freely talk amongst one another while doing so.

"I personally don't know how these things land, Ishin," Fiona answered appropriately, raising her eyebrow in brief thought. "Since the cannonballs supply a sort of barrier about us, along with the second incantation supporting it, I would like to assume it will be a relatively safe landing... but I can't assure you."

"There's a slight change of plans," Rakushun came to the others while holding another orb. "Turns out we've got additional information from both the Second Division and my own. We're now going after two targets instead of just one. The man who is manipulating our mainframe with a Zanpakutou isn't Daedalus. Fiona and the others who aren't Captains will be dispatched against him. Louhi, Leon, and I are going to find Daedalus himself. So... we'll be going separate ways."

He lightly pat the multiple-limbed subordinate with a gentle grin upon his face. Saika knew she wouldn't like having to incant a Kidou, but at the same time he knew she had the ability to. Whispering into her ear, low enough so that any of the others wouldn't hear, along with a cupped hand he told her to simply look up the incantation on her Athena.

Meanwhile Fiona gave a slight frown before erasing her visage to a blank slate. She didn't take it well just as he predicted, but reasoned that this was a part of their job. Six hands wrapped about her orb as she just nodded her head in quiet acceptance.

"We're ready all right," the horned man passed by the others as he walked to the cannon. Smacking his fist against the steel (in turn checking his own body modification), the steel on the barrel began to contort whereupon he struck it, a large hollow gong resonating strongly amongst the area. A spiral slowly spun open, revealing the innards of the cannon, until displaying a full circle large enough for the group to enter.

Once they did, each in their separate sides, Raku unveiled his Athena. Pressing a button upon it it displayed a holographic image of outside of the cannon, with the white robed members of the Kidoushuu setting up their final preparations. At the same time the opening of the cannon converged upon itself, closing in the same way it had opened, in a swirling spiral.

"Figured we'd have some kind of entertainment along the way," the monotone of the Captain bounced along the insides of the barrel, "Fiona- set your Athena to my wavelength so the others can watch too. I know we're all anxious and ready to go so..."

Tapping another button on his phone to relay a message to the outer chamber, Raku took in a deep breath before stoically saying, "We're ready."

“Beyond! Bronze-colored greed desires thirty six degrees of control!” Both the outsides of the cannon howled and showed the vision of dozens of Kidoushuu screaming the incantation upon Fiona and Rakushun's Athenas. A flurry of white motions appeared on the displays as the Kidoushuu spiked blades into the ground.

“It's started. Feed your Reiatsu into the orbs,” the Ninth Captain issued, and a bright aura began to envelop the two squads respectively.

“Seventy-two pairs of illusions! Thirteen pairs of horn flutes!" Continued the Kidoushuu as the majority began to form their hands into either prayer or seals.

“The right hand of the monkey grasps the stars!” Those that hadn't formed their hands in prayer swept a cloth about their heads, removing it, as it spiraled about one of their arms and folded still. Each of their now covered hands lit up in a spectacular flare of crimson, as if the chamber began to flicker like stars- just as the incantation had dictated. With their right hands now ablaze, the Kidoushuu hammered their burning fists into the ground. This in turn would send a razing shock wave up to the canon, as everyone inside could feel the insides reverberating with an intense energy, while on the outside ripping apart the paper seals tied about the cannon.

"This is it." Rakushun found himself lightly grinning.

“Embraced by twenty five suns the cradle of sand will spill blood. Kagizaki!” As the insides of the barrel quaked with massive inputs of energy, it pooled to beneath their feet, culminating in one great climactic moment of release. Crimson enveloped the pair of cannonballs as a tumultous boom rattled around them. Each of the two squads succumbed to the near overwhelming energy flooding about them, hurtling the cannonballs and their recipients upwards in the chamber, but could now only focus on retaining the shell of Reiatsu defending them from the sea of fire.

They were airborne.


[ 1,041 / 5,045 ]


... Annnnnnnd END. I'll probly discuss w/Moot on how to approach this next segment yeah.
 
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