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Post by The Laughing Prophet on May 10, 2010 16:43:53 GMT -5
He had spent days distracted in Karakura and the Dangai, locked in a place eternally withering away, but he had finally arrived. In silence, he stepped onto the rooftop of a building in Rukongai 80, feet tapping quietly with each step as he moved with an inhuman directness, finally stopping in the center of the furthest district and doing little more than staring into the distance. This was it, he reminded himself. This place, at one point, had been an ashen wasteland wrought from dust, built upon an apparent demise that no entity would ever be aware of.
Except him, but the demise was not as thorough as the instigators believed it to be. And so he was standing amidst the thieves and beggars of Rukongai 80, seemingly unnoticed save for the colossus that was his spiritual pressure, molding and seeping into the alleys. Likely some weaker beings were being slowly, painfully crushed under the weight of a power that he took no notice he had. So, while there were hundreds aware of his presence standing on a rooftop in a society he had tried to keep destroyed forever, nobody could do anything about him.
"Ah, Seireitei," he said flatly. In the distance, it was there, monolithic. He could feel it from here, likely just him noting the unnecessarily identical placement. For another few moments he just stood there, finally taking a seat and merely staring. He remained, immobile, upon the building he had been set upon for several minutes.
Absentmindedly, he had started toying with the shining golden eye he had drawn from the frame of one of the Dangai Janitors, staring flatly at it with the one red eye that was visible, turning his gaze to the impeded beings moving about Rukongai. A curious species, fumbling about like insects. Merely drones to their own means. And, finally, someone spotted him. They stared for the merest of moments, and promptly fled from the area in panic.
Behind the bandages, the Prophet mustered an expression as close to a scowl as possible. Perhaps predictably, that red-haired Shinigami must have spread the word. Clearly worries of the beings with actual power spread throughout this iteration of Soul Society as a plague through a void, consuming all and crafting space for it to overtake with its mere presence. However, he knew well of the processes of Shinigami.
Aptly, no Captain would arrive until he was a guaranteed threat to their well-being. The typical cannon fodder would approach him threateningly, sent to cast out a noticeably powerful Ryoka from the good districts of Soul Society for the sake of a facade of peace. Laughably pitiful entities would spill the remains of their bodies upon the already battered streets of this district.
He plucked the abnormally large eye from its socket, blood of a corroding color running down his face before he replaced the lethally crimson eye with that of the Golden Janitor's, blinking once as his vision adjusted. The vision cast from this eye was certainly bizarre. Tucking away the true, organic eye into his coat in the place the gold one had been some time before, he rose once more. Somewhere there were Shinigami hurrying towards the district.
He could commend their quick response to his presence if he wanted to, but it would be trivial. A waste. Or, perhaps, he could make a use of it. He had plans, after all. Not to implement just yet. However, if they saw him now, then they would already know who was the one to strike them down when the time came. But for now, he was about to be faced with those who would have the intent of direct combat once they were openly aware that he had no reason to comply with their orders.
And so he would mock their abilities, displaying that he was a threat, so he may forcibly ingrain his presence into their minds with immediacy. He lifted one hand, black flakes of some untold abyssal force spiraling slowly into its palm.
"Bankai," he said loudly, a word he selected carefully in order to taunt the very core display of power that the Shinigami could achieve in their lifetime, and then there was silence as black flame suddenly overtook the frame of the building he stood on, some horrid mockery of some forgotten Zanpakuto slowly crafting itself out of blackness in his hand.
He glared down viciously at those caught staring in shock and alarm in the streets beneath him. "I. See. You."
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Post by Rukia Kuchiki on May 11, 2010 18:39:03 GMT -5
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Watching as the hoards of people ran from every direction past the small shinigami was incredible, Rukia could only watch, rather helpless to stop any one of them. Fear, was their only guide even though she felt the obligation to keep them at bay until she realized where the reign of torment they found would likely want to appear in front of her. The reitsu was clear to be in the vicinity and she had no intent to confront them one on one if the threat appeared to be out of her own hands, she was methodical in that way. One hand on her hilt she stood rather firmly as the herd of people seem to trample past her, "Everyone... CALM DOWN!" her rather stern and cold exterior along with cold tone made the perfect mix to stop the insanity as people began to stare blankly at the shinigami. A few puzzled still ran away but for the most part many stopped and just waited to see what she would do. "Get your families, and calmly make your way out of the district, I shall see to this problem and inform you when everything is clear....understood", making her voice firm. Many listened and in a much more tempered fashion even with terrorising eyes on their faces, they made their way out.
In the meantime she remembered why she was there in the first place. It had been some time now since she was out of the Rukongai district but the memories flooded back into her mind just as fresh as though it were yesterday. She had already informed Byakuya she was too leave the following day and it cringed her to think she would be gone again from soul society, for who knows how long. She wanted to pass by the districts, no one in particular to reminisce in what little time she had, but it seemed the intervened disturbance had other plans for the small shinigami.
"You got what you wanted, you have my attention... so show yourself", Rukia could act like a roukie shinigami and go after the infiltrator, but she didn't feel like going after them like some game of hide and go seek. She made her point and waited in the empty corridors of the district, making sure everyone had made their way before making her claim. The raven-haired shinigami was quite confident at the moment, she felt the level of reitsu and it was obvious even at this state that this being was not one to be tested lightly, but she couldn't know until she saw him face to face.
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Post by The Laughing Prophet on May 15, 2010 21:23:55 GMT -5
Finding a specific detail that was most unnerving in the pandemonium was less difficult than it should have been in any other moment. It was the laughter echoing through now-empty streets. The laughter of children, of madmen, and everyone in between. And then Rukia decided to prove that she was no rookie that would rush into this situation blindly. The Prophet was honestly somewhat impressed by this. On the other hand, his power was not as immense as it had been in ages past. It did not inspire absolute panic by its mere presence as it had entire worlds ago. However, the Eldritch Entity that had just replaced his own eye with that of one of the Dangai Janitors was not in a lurking mood at the moment.
With an almost calculated slowness, he twisted from the rooftop to street level with the blackened mockery of a Bankai in hand; it was an unnatural, coiling motion, almost as if he had folded over himself in his movements. For a brief moment, the laughter in the background grew louder, then suddenly ceased as he transfixed the new, glowing gold eye upon the Shinigami that had, if anything, had managed to draw his attention with the at least noticeable level of force and power that now covered a huge portion of the district. He stepped forwards, now standing in the center of the street. Dust rose from the rooftops with a sudden shock of force that struck down all that stood around him. Rukia, outside of the range, probably wouldn't have known it was even there if not for the rising smoke and dust.
"I am quite clear in my presence," he replied with a chilling calm for someone in the center of what had sparked panic. There was a sickening cracking sound as he flexed his fingers, which bent backwards at an unnatural angle before seemingly resetting back into the normal placement for a human hand. Almost casually he pulled the gold eye out of his head, polishing it on his already bloodstained coat, then set it back in place, blinking once before staring unceasingly. "The eye is new. I collected it from the shattered remains of one of those blocks of triviality in... The Dangai Precipice, yes? The names of such inconsequential locations tend to escape me."
He calmly stepped forwards, towering above Rukia with an almost bored light in his eyes. "Further, I expected multiple of your kind to confront me. A pity, in some ways." He stopped speaking for a moment, merely looking down at Rukia; the light in his eye had shifted from boredom to disdain. "You do not know who I am, I presume. All the better to shock the society built on the ashes of its predecessor. Your little world burned once before, but this time I will get the honor of watching it."
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Post by Rukia Kuchiki on May 16, 2010 1:38:46 GMT -5
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The sounds, the cackles, it was all around her.
She turned, watching herself, not putting her guard down, it was strange how deserted a place like that could be. She fought the urge to lunge in either direction hoping this sadistic beast would appear at any moment.
But in due time the laughter stopped, she turned as she heard and felt the surgence of a truly beastly being. Upon impact it seemed to have liften a cloud of dust and debris that blocked his figure from sight. Rukia was firm in her posture, not budging any longer and fixed on the cloudy substance.
She covered her face with one hand as the cloud ran past her, covering the area completely in a blanket of dust. That's when she heard him speak, the voice was cold as ice, piercing and undenting. Making himself become clear in view she noticed the bright yellow eye. She didn't know what to think other than disgust at the sight of him popping it out, 'cleaning' the eye and putting it back in its socket. Probably the more gruesome part that it belonged to one of the janitors in the Dangai. "unbelivable... he tore apart one of those janitors and kept their eye.... what in the world is he?!" it was a petrifying thought to say the least.
Not knowing exactly his intentions she didn't expect he was there for some tea party so she kept her eyes fixed, hand on the hilt of her Zanpakatou, listening to the frightful demeanor of the being in front of her. "You shouldn't worry how many of us are present, it only need take one to show you the kind of power we possess, and I'm not about to run away because I'm the only one here" she replied in the same cold manner. She was unrelenting in mannerism and action when she needed to be, as a shinigami she had a lot riding on the line, aside from her dignity. She watched as the being came closer to her and without budging she stared as the being towered over her, with his bright eye glowing at her. As he walked ever so closer that's when Rukia didn't let him take the first advantage over her, she unsheathed her Zanpakatou, calling on its Shikai form. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki. As it turned into its heavenly white form she swung it forward in a upper cut shot, using the time to lunge back a few feet to keep a distance between them. "As charming as you might be.... Your not my type. " she mentioned trying to be at ease and in control as much as she could.
Then she heard him mention about the soul society's predecessor, how it was reborn from it's ashes. She was out of her mind confused, but she wasn't ready to call her guard down. "I think you've got the wrong world pal. If you think your here for a show, the only one you'll see is how Sode No Shirayuki will make with you body after I'm through with you. I won't allow any being to destroy the peace of soul society." at once changing into a ready strike pose. She gatherred her energy, calling on her first dance, "Sode no Mai, Tsukishiro". Using the power of the white moon she swung her Zanpakatou in a striking maneruver toward her target as the ground beneath him and her began to glow a bright silvery tone, as it's tempertures descended and froze the ground. In a matter of seconds this maneuver would sore to the skies as a cylinder of white ice enveloped anything within its grasp. If caught her opponent would be frozen inside the cylinder where Rukia had the ability to break apart the icy structure at will. Before the ice formation took its shape she used her shunpo to get our of its targeted area before she let its jaws get ahold of the monstrous being.
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Post by The Laughing Prophet on May 16, 2010 3:00:22 GMT -5
"One? To show me the power you possess?" the Prophet mocked roughly, gold eye narrowing to a mere slit as the dull light emanating from it seemed to take a brighter, flamelike glow. Apparently the concept of this was extremely offensive to the entity, as the black blade in his hand flared viciously, starting to spread across the ground at his feet with reckless abandon. For several moments, the man merely glared madly, before finally his eye softened as much as possible for the restraint of his immense hatred permitted. "Yes, clearly not a soul survived to tell the tales of an old world. I have faced your kind before. Here and there. One in Dangai. Thousands in the past, where I slaughtered them like only the merest of mites, draining the life from everything they touched and yet amplifying it."
He paused at Rukia revealed her Shikai, the quick uppercut-slash nicking the dark hood cast over his head. He remained immobile for several long moments, slowly tilting his head in an apparent curiosity. With a dull sound of acknowledgment, hardly worth even noticing or describing, he hefted the fairly large visage of a released Zanpakuto over his shoulder, burning blade seeming to solidify as not to damage his attire. He remained silent as Rukia went into her inadvertent boast of her own abilities, and he nodded slowly, seriously and yet sarcastically. Scornfully. It was clear that whatever Rukia said had hardly phased him.
Suddenly the ground began to freeze on account of Rukia's abilities, and the Prophet paused, glancing down. Seconds, perhaps. In any case, he analyzed the processes. Ground freezing, doing nothing. He had seen this before; a different trait than Ice, but he had faced something quite similar in the past, and his eye narrowed. He promptly altered the Bankai he was distorting and mocking from eons past, the blade scattering into fragmented particles before spiraling back into form as spiderlike legs protruding from his back. Vaulting backwards, his long sleeves were caught in the sudden freeze. They were not caught in the pillar itself, but it was clear that a large portion of him would have been encased completely if he had moved only a moment later. His clothes, covered in frost, hardly seemed of consequence to him. The cloth at the very fringes of his sleeves visibly cracked like glass, solidified in the sudden cold.
He was forced to admit that, while he had faced something at least relatively similar in reference to its activation, Rukia's Zanpakuto was vastly more efficient. Hurriedly, he shook the frost from his clothes, transfixing his eyes on the pillar of ice that had formed mere feet away from him. Perhaps this lone Shinigami was more powerful than he had first assumed, if only for the apparent capabilities of the blade she wielded. He was worried to think of what it would be capable of in its state of Bankai; the blade he was mentally comparing it to had quite a vicious one, and this one was noticeably more powerful on its own.
Of course he had killed the wielder as quickly as possible once he got the chance, doing away with the mild threat, but that wasn't the point. The spiderlike limbs protruding from the Prophet's back sparked again, fracturing into mere particles before spiraling into a spherelike form, crackling audibly as the electric-esqe lights formed just in front of his face, close to where his mouth would be if he was unbandaged. It was similar to something; Cero. In its own accords, this was problematic. There was a moment of absolute, blissful silence as it seemed to reach its maximum charge, and then there was a loud, explosive burst as it suddenly hurtled through the pillar of ice that had arisen before him. The resulting shock, two unnatural forces colliding, left a bizarre, ringing silence.
"Straightforwards," he mocked flatly. Perhaps moreso, however, was the fact that he was making another trick. He was imitating the powers of an Arrancar now, and with what he had done so far it would be far too easy to make the simple mistake.
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Post by Rukia Kuchiki on May 17, 2010 3:48:27 GMT -5
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What was more horrid? The fact that he was able to dodge her icy burial in split seconds or the fact that he boasted of a world he tore apart mercilessly. Either way she was fixed at this figure with curiousity, and for his sheer bruteness, it was strange to see the power of his reiatsu just spike up like nothing at the notice of his dark blade. She wondered if he was wielding the blade as though he were some sort of shinigami, breaking about it in 'bankai' fashion in hopes to scare her evermore so.
Her unflintching zanpakatou at the ready as she watched the power of this being just take it's toll, his body forming into even a more indispicable shape, that of a spider. Legs portruding from all directions and a undesiring mouth that seemed like the plague to even witness take its physical shape. She was slightly mortified to think she was fighting a animal in shape of a monster. Grimmly looking at the icy cylinder as it stood, she still managed to witness his changes and only hoped they would stop before they had any more of a chance to explode.
"And what the hell do you expect me to do .... applaud you?! Your nothing more than a monster, another being that must be dessimated by the order of a shinigami to keep the harbored peace in soul society. Don't take it upon yourself to think that you'll witness another world crumble at your feet, that will be over my dead body..." she echoed in the distance, listening to the tone of her self-determined confidence and heroism bounce off the now quiet roads of the Rukongai district. What was she thinking?! she might have had high confidence and a hell of a determined ideology, but her strength was only starting to get extinguished by the overshadowing strength of this creature, whatever he was. In all due time the alarms would go off about Seireitei, that other's would arrive to have Rukia's back but the fact was she needed to stay alive long enough to keep him in the locked location until the rest arrived.
She had no idea what he was referring to as far as the old world was concerned, she had a fair knowledge of the history in soul society but to hear him talk about a world where she had grown to live in for most of her life. It was just bewildering.
It seemed he had taken the approach to leave the small talk for another day as he magnified his power to a level that Rukia only feared, being soo close to the being. In a matter of a few moments this being burst an explosion of energy that erupted from his own reiatsu and lunged against everything in his vicinity, destroying the pillar of ice in a effortless maneuver. Watching the tower collapse before her eyes she had no time to reason the level he had now achieved and just focused on her own survival.
After breaking the icy sculpture the burst of energy was right after her, her eyes widened for a split second before she held her zanpakatou steadily in a vertical upward position with her right hand and taking her other hand in an even level to call upon a kido tecnique very familiar of the lone shinigami. "Hadou 33: Blue Crash Fire!" the words seemed to have resonated rapid enough to call on a large power of the shinigami's own reiatsu that caused the energy forthcoming to split in two and begin to scratch by her body ripping her uniform and causing some bruising in the process. The blue kido blast was her only defense to prevent the blast to tear her apart. She winced as the power continued to run by, her hair blowing with the wind as the power kept magnifying. Focusing on her kido ability she magnified her own attack to the best of her ability before the gust of energy finally dissipated and made the shinigami fall on one knee as she gasped in breathe and in pain. Her face didn't appear to look as deadly as her body seemed, torn pieces of her shinigami attire were flown behind her, a somewhat blodied body as the energy blast managed to cause some damage. She leaned on her zanpakatou as she got up, taking deep breathes leering at the being, making herself clear she wasn't done yet. "I don't know ...what you ...think I am,... but you should ...know better ...than to underestimate ...your opponents" she heaved as she collected herself, buying herself just enough time.
Tacticfully looking at her surroundings she pondered what her next move would be, it was obvious at this point she couldn't attack head on, his guard was still to high. She wondered where his weakness would be, perhaps she could wear him down, but she didn't know how many more of those kind of blows she could take. She had to test it, there was no way around it. So, now ready, she used her shunpo and began to circle the being, going at speeds of over 200mph she was able to make doubles of herself appear about him. With every image she attempted a strike with her zanpakatou in hopes to catch him off guard by the 'number' of shinigami in his small space. But what she planned on was to get him to think she was getting him off guard, psyche him out, make him look for her, by the time he could figure out where she it would be too late, Rukia had already gathered enough energy as ice particles from the icy ground began to run up to her zanpakatou and before he could produce an offensive attack Rukia rang, "Sode no Mai, Hakuren". In that instance her collected power formed into a urdled wave of ice that rained down like a tsunami over her victim, trying to aim from behind him. The icy wave was powerful, roaring up at least 50 ft. high and a few yards in the horizon she thrusted her hand forward letting the wave 'splash' down on her enemy. She wanted to avoid as much environmental damage but by the power of this beast it was just unavoidable.
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Post by The Laughing Prophet on May 17, 2010 17:40:25 GMT -5
"I deserve not applause but fear."
Mingling with the horror of his abilities was an unusual simplicity. He was quick in his answers, strong in his convictions, and overwhelming in the sheer power he resonated, almost as if he was completely unaware of its presence in general. In some ways, it was like he was not using reiatsu whatsoever. The sheer force it possessed within close proximity was a testament to his lack of control. And yet, despite that, his attacks were destructive and focused. And while surely he must have been using that power, with almost no others possible to manipulate, it seemed more likely he was using something different.
It explained the moments of perpetual silence drawn into form by each attack of significant power; a moment with each use where every sound for miles simply seemed to just stop. However, with the silence was the distinct fact that it made it easier to focus on attacks that you could actually see. And when the Prophet fired the burst of whatever abyssal mockery of Cero into the pillar of ice, it was blindly, unaware that Rukia was within the path of the blast. Merely a convenient point to aim to rid the field of an absurd spire that limited an already somewhat minimal space.
As he realized he had actually connected an attack quite blindly, he paused, perhaps surprised that she hadn't moved aside once she realized the pillar of ice was being torn down. In silence, he listened and waited. Hatred had not undermined countless eons of patience, and he was more than willing to wait for her to recover from the impact. Perhaps it was out of spite, so he would kill someone only when they were truly unable to rise again. Or it could be a sense of honor, knowing that when he had killed a foe of similar qualities they had already attained their ultimate level of power. And so he waited for her to stand up again.
"I cannot underestimate something that I cannot estimate at all," he replied dully, tilting his head. "You are peculiar. Tenacious, willful, and stronger than you likely find yourself to be in comparison to those you associate with." He hop-stepped back up onto a roof as she finally seemed to make enough of a recovery to stand without leaning upon her zanpakuto. "I have encountered one single entity that possessed a blade of similar capabilities to yours. The Bankai was one of the most devastating I had encountered, and yet it was weaker than yours in generality. And so I peeled their flesh from their bones with the blade of their lesser, merely to show the rest of the mites that they wouldn't be able to stop me."
Rukia's shunpo took him off guard. He stared at the space she had been a moment before, apparently not expecting her to maintain her capability to use it efficiently after being struck in a fashion that rendered it difficult for her to stand on her own for several moments. He tilted his head slowly, gold eye glinting madly. The slight movement was all that prevented a blade from cleaving into the side of his head, instead whistling mere millimeters from the top of his skull. Now alarmed, his eye went wide. It seemed to be less out of fear and surprise than irritation.
His eye adjusted quickly to the rate of movement, or at least it seemed so as, with an inhuman flexibility, he began evading the slashes as they came, the black blade lancing into form in his hand with a loud 'crack'. It was apparent that he was more capable of merely moving out of the way of attacks to his front, back, and left. However, his right was different. He did not seem to realize attacks were there until they were about to hit him, and those he opted to block with loud, electrical snaps as black blade met white. And even then, attacks were slightly cutting through his guard, nicking away at the gray shroud and the cracked sleeves, fractured from the cold of her first attack. Neatly, cleanly, he ducked and weaved away from seemingly all attacks but those from his right.
The side where there was no eye to see. Within a few moments, the right sleeve and the coat underneath was in wild tatters, revealing the bandaging underneath, which now seemed as if it covered the being's entire body from head to toe. Yes, his perception was astounding, but even then it seemed sluggish, as he only just seemed to be evading the strikes he attempted to at the last possible second, almost as if he didn't see them until the very last possible moment. The bandages themselves seemed quite untouched, though the fact that close-quarter attacks were barely being avoided, sometimes less blocked than slightly diverted, was clear.
And then he was on offensive. Or, perhaps more accurately, attempting to shift to offense. It was apparent that defense was not his specialty. It was clear, then, that the sudden wall of ice rising over him actually startled him, a usage he had not seen prior. The attack being behind him, he seemed to realize it was there immediately. But, regardless, while he had been able to avoid the typical attacks of a blade, a fifty-foot wall of ice was a different story.
He turned, slashing upwards, momentarily diverting the attack with an impact that seemed to send a shock through the path the rain traveled. Hardly; it was far less than needed to result in a significant alteration, and in a moment a torrent of ice crashed down upon him. The chaos settled for several moments before, slowly, the shattered ice shifted, and a hand pulled itself from the wreckage, followed by the entity. The bloodstained jacket that he had been wearing under the dark gray shroud had been shredded, both sleeves now gone. The bandaging in itself was quite unnatural, as while several strips had been sheared away, just as many had remained untouched, and apparently multiple layers lived under the first, visible one. Perhaps the bandaging was only staying in place because of the smaller shards of ice stabbing through them and into the flesh underneath.
Something under the bandages over his arms moved, almost like a second wiry creature was hiding just under the surface, but at the distance they were it was unnoticeable. And even then, it was so quick it was likely just an illusion from the sheer force encompassing the area around the being itself. With an annoyed snarl, he plucked the golden eye out of his head once more, a large piece of ice having impaled it.
He kept standing, though, and pulled out a bulbous, red eye from his shroud once more, shoving it back into his skull with an unnecessarily organic popping sound. He rolled the eye, which seemed to rotate completely backwards several times before he readjusted to it, slowly pulling the shard of ice from the golden eye before hiding it away. He seemed to be good at that. He seethed, clearly furious at the loss of the golden eye he had been planning on keeping, "Clearly I have, actually, underestimated you. But, just as visibly, it is not enough. I am the Laughing Prophet, that which watched the core of reality itself peel away from a tattered void. And I am that which forced its destruction."
Black sparks boiled in his hands; the blade he had formed had apparently been dispelled by the impact, though as it slowly reformed, the Prophet rose to his full stature once more, having shrugged off what damage he had taken. This time it formed into a mere katana, a standard zanpakuto of blackness, as opposed to the destructive blade of a rioting berserker. Clearly he had forgone the mockery of the Bankai he had prepared earlier, although he had never truly used its capabilities past its initial summoning. Perhaps he was unable to, or had decided against it for lack of need. But all that mattered was he was still standing.
And, more importantly, Rukia's ability to cause at least apparent damage was making him angry.
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Post by Byakuya Kuchiki on May 18, 2010 2:54:05 GMT -5
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The alarms went off in the Seireitei as shinigami hurdled from different corners of the area, rustling to get back to their squad barracks and attend to their Captain's orders. Byakuya put away his usual work as members of his own division poured into his office, awaiting his command. Surprisingly no hell butterfly came down from the first division barracks for an emergency Captain meeting. For what ever the reason Byakuya couldn't wait to hear Yamamoto's orders when he found he could get rid of the pest himself. Looking at his members he raised his hand as though to calm them from their overexcited euphoria, "Stand down until I give the call, split up into groups and make sure to have all gates into Seireitei sealed" upon his orders all men nodded and verbalized their agreement as they took off without hesitation. Byakuya had no idea where Renji was, but time was of the essence. He knew his lieutenant far well enough that he didn't need to worry about where he was, but more importantly where he'd find him soon.
Turning to retrieve his zanpakatou which leaned against his desk, he tied it about his waist and just as quickly shunpoed out of the barracks into the regions of the Rukongai district. Following the immensity of the reiatsu he tried to make sense of the being, most intruders in the recent past were not simple spirits, but humans and quincy, although now it was completely different. His confusion was masked by the stern yet calm expression of indifference on his face that no one could ever figure out. Making his way at over 300mph his shunpo ability was definitely that of a master level, only behind by a few people that included the so named "goddess of the flash step", Yoruichi.
His steps where gentle and calculating as he went from roof on roof across the horizon making his final turns to the district where the being had settled. What he hadn't expected was to sense the spiritual pressure of another familiar individual in the same site, that of her adoptive sister Rukia. His nerves only tightened as his shunpo hurried ever more so, her spiritial pressure was still in tact by the feel of things, so he didn't feel he was late thus far. But even from far away he noticed the towering ice wall that only grew in immensity as he closed in, she was definitely putting up the fight and as usual he was proud even if he would never show it.
But before he landed on where he figured the two were currently fighting he felt another reiatsu from the opposing direction. It wasn't surprising to feel and soon see who it was, locking eyes and understanding their positions in the heat of the matter. Byakuya need not even make one nod to make himself clear as he finally landed on the same rooftop where the being once stood. Seeing Rukia huff for air after her last attack he changed his focus to that of the creature before him. He was bewildered by who or what it was, but without wasting time he put his hands together as he called on a reliable kido tecnique he tended to use frequently, in many intenses without an incantation either, "Hadou #33: Soukatsui", the lightning current shot out of Byakuya's hand and spread about the battlefield on the intent to strike the opponent with a powerful lighting shock.
Rukia in the battlefield sensed the sudden presence of Byakuya and just looked up in awe as he saw him expell the beastly power of his lightning kido. She was tired but she had enough strength to jerk herself away about a yard or so back. "Nii-sama..." she muffled out in desperate attempt to stand up but only falling short from falling to her knees again. It seemed the blow she first took by the now named Laughing Prophet had taken a bigger blow than she anticipated. She also glimpsed onto her upper right corner to witness another familiar face in the scene.
Byakuya hurriedly shunpoed down in front of Rukia, with his back against hers as he looked straight at the creature before him, hoping he had taken the damage of his kido to either stun him or somehow keep him down for the time being. "You need to be looked after by the 4th squad.." he pronounded at Rukia noticing her weakened state. "...No... I know, he's far more stronger than me, but I can't quit, I cannot back down, not now... I can help", Byakuya's glance steadily turned as he heard her reject his order. "Do not be foolish... ", Rukia in return couldn't say a word. She felt tired, and weak, she noticed how the laughing prophet now held a dark katana at hand and she knew things were indeed only getting worse, he had taken damage but he wasn't as afflicted as her. She looked down rather pitifully at herself even though she only wanted to argue otherwise. "I will not repeat myself" pronounced Byakuya lastly before returning his full view at the being. He had no time to deal with Rukia when the perpetrator needed to be handled immediately.
"You are under arrest by soul society for breaking the peace, stop now or I will be forced to kill you instead" came the cold voice from Byakuya's lips. It was the cold sided part of him that even Rukia, right behind him still, hadn't heard in such a long while. She couldn't even budge much less act on her own will, both fear and weakness were draining her out.
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Post by Renji Abarai on May 18, 2010 18:29:10 GMT -5
It was the same Ryoka that was in the Dangai, the same creature that saved Renji Abarai from the Janitor. Renji had thought by taking it to Karakura town, the Soul Society wouldn't have to deal with the stranger again. But he was proven wrong, even after he reported it to the Gotei 13. This Laughing Prophet had reached the Rukongai 80... and it was up to something, well… evil.
Renji had sensed Rukia’s Spiritual Power, and saw the massive spire of ice, from her Tsukishiro dance. There wasn’t any question of who would respond, it was a matter of when both of them got there. Captain Byakuya Kuchiki was bound to appear, as his sister was in battle. And himself, Lieutenant Renji Abarai would be on the battlefield. No one would be surprised with both of their appearance. The only other person that would be on the battlefield would have been Ichigo Kurosaki, Substitute Soul Reaper, and a damn pain.
Ichigo’s presence wasn’t a concern, if he was there or not. Captain Kuchiki nodded to acknowledge Renji’s approach to the battle, was more important, this thing was dangerous, as he could tell everyone, from his first hand experience. Defeating it, and protecting his lifelong friend, Rukia, was his goal…. As well as protecting the innocent within the Rukongai. This being was going to give them a challenge, so Renji had already summoned his Bankai, gaining a pink fur cowl around his upper torso. As well as strengthening his Spiritual Powers.
“Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!" Renji recited the incantation, “Hadō #31, Shakkahō!” An explosive red sphere was fired at the Ryoka, and for once, Renji’s Hadō didn’t explode… it flew at it's target, the Laughing Prophet. He landed at his Captain’s side, in front of Rukia, prepared for battle. “Captain, this was the Ryoka in my report. The one from the Dangai Precipice.”
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Post by The Laughing Prophet on May 21, 2010 23:01:28 GMT -5
It was quick, a stunning jolt that flooded the region in a blue glow. Lightning fluttered around the Prophet aimlessly in bright sparks, almost as if the lightning that had struck him did not wish to ground itself after contact, or fade away as some kido seemed to in range of such immense spiritual pressure. Twitching erratically, madly, the black blade crackled out in a blueish flash, Byakuya's Soukatsui seeming to intervene with whatever eldritch force had crafted it and pulling it apart. Rattling madly, almost as if the single strike had outright paralyzed him, he shuddered and twitched constantly, small blue sparks twisting about with dull cracking sounds. Around the bulbous, red eye, a piece of uncovered skin flaked away like cheap plaster.
But the Prophet was, as the same time, calculating. Taking note of another entity traveling towards him, he remained silent, feigning a continued paralysis after its mere moment of effect had passed over him. Sparks, rapid in their arcing, very suddenly twisted over his eye, a small spark having formed roughly two inches away from his face. He stood there, seeming to relax slightly after purging the electricity from his body and into a point outside of physical contact. He waited, listening silently. Renji's incantation was nearly finished.
"Soukatsui, was it?" he asked drolly, immediately turning his gaze in the direction of Renji. The red sphere, now oncoming, was met with the bolt of lightning that had struck him on account of Captain Kuchiki's own Hado, a fiery explosion shredding what small tatters of this part of the district remained somewhere off to the side of the battleground itself. He shook what little numb buzzing was running through his body, a few minor sparks crackling about as he stepped forwards and made contact with a different point, trudging through the ice that still littered the field before, finally, standing on the pile as opposed to beneath it.
He fixed his eye on Renji, staring flatly. So, the fool had passed on the word after all. Of course nobody truly paid mind to it, he had quite calmly left the Dangai at the request of the Shinigami; for all they knew, he had probably just been lost between worlds. He found their lack of immediate response to his presence quite amusing, foolhardy, and efficient. It made his ploy all the more amusing. So, with an air of frigid calm, he turned his attention back to Byakuya, seeming to entirely dismiss the mere concept that Renji's Bankai could possibly be of any threat towards his well-being.
"Ah. A Captain, so soon," he responded, merely making a statement off Renji's. It appeared that he was ignoring the threat Byakuya had made, busy sewing closed the holes in his hooded shroud as he processed the immediate events. Now there were three Shinigami. One was, if only for the moment, entirely disabled from combat, and hardly worth pursuing. However, he stared at Byakuya for several moments, glanced back at Renji for a brief moment, before seeming to sigh in annoyance before finally addressing the Captain's arrest claim. "Then there will be three corpses instead of one."
He pulled back the hood, finally, revealing that he was very much entirely covered in the bandaging, staring flatly with the unnaturally red eye that he had merely shoved into his skull mere moments before the arrival of the Captain and his Lieutenant. In the background, the childish laughter of a madman echoed once more, as with an almost impossibly flexible coiling movement the bandaged entity shifted from ice-level to one of the standing tatters of a building that had been decimated by the ice wall flung at him earlier.
"I received the honor of studying the corpses of a dead world after leaving the Dangai," he mused flatly. "I learned of much. I learned of new man, new histories. Those blades you carry are new as well, I see, though some are reminiscent. But more importantly I learned of those creatures you call Hollows. Pitiful beasts doomed to be cut down by an oppressive society that does nothing but kill those who oppose it in the slightest. Who imprison and execute those lost because they do not belong." His movements seemed almost as if he was simply folding over himself, as he went from standing atop the spire to crawling spiderlike along its side.
"The hollows are far stronger than you seem to give them credit for, you know. You have your hado, your pitiful magics and your blades. Hollows are different. They are much more... spontaneous. Unpredictable. Bestial. It seems that some part of the old world survived. Your world is built on the ashes of a history, but Hueco Mundo, as you refer to it, was built on the ashes of a reality. An interesting conundrum, don't you agree?"
For several moments, silence, as the Prophet finally seemed to grow tired of a lecture that most of the modern world would likely understand as mindless babble. "Hollows have interesting capabilities, as well," he mused. Once more, black sparks twisted, a spherical abyss forming before his eye, a drawn out moment of absolute silence before the first sound ended up being distorted; the voice of the Prophet. "And they use them merely to watch everything burn."
For the second time, the Prophet struck with an imitation of a Hollow's abilities. Once more, a mockery of Cero suddenly roared forth, though this time the aim was for actually attacking instead of clearing the field.
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Post by Zetsumei Sendojin on May 22, 2010 23:06:54 GMT -5
A second, a truly powerful thing in the hands of one that can meld their actions to be known as the near-epitome of speed. The blast was fired, his cruel type of 'cero' as the hollows of this new world had used. Time seemed to stand still. A lone Hooded figure, dressed similarly to a shinigami appeared, and uttered a single phrase in a quiet and truly mysterious voice as the flames around him raged and the people creamed in terror, the same terror he had heard his own home scream of before they were destroyed. He could not let this being keep going.
"End them, Aneikuro"
With a flash of shadow, his black-gripped zanpakuto was released into it's shikai form, a long twisted scythe. Said weapon glew with dark energy, a form of antimatter created from the being's advanced reitsu control. The blade was swung, and sliced directly trough the energ, scattering it into nothingness as it was eaten by the blade. Turning and taking a true fighting stance, the lesser blade of the scythe pointing back and up with the greater head pointed low at the ground, the being stood, hood raised as his face could not be seen, then drew a hand back and pulled the cowl down and back, revealing his features.
The warrior with the impressive spiritual pressure, quite possibly a shinigami due to his usage of a zanpakuto and similar robes, stood firm, a determined look on his slightly pale face. Jet black and spiky hair topped the youth's head, with a smokey gray visage peering out at the monstrosity he'd fought near 6 millenia ago. The wind blew slightly due to the displacement of the air when said 'cero' was fired, causing his loose robes to flutter slightly.
Lifting his head a bit higher, the ex-royal guardsmen looked into the deep red protruding eye of The Laughing Prophet and spoke. "I can see that you've finally managed to work your way out of the void, Prophet... but it seems as though you've weakened yourself a considerable degree by doing so." Shifting his gaze to the captain and lieutenant, along with what appeared to be a seated female shinigami, due to her usage of shikai. "Name's Zetsumei Sendojin. Please, don't get involved. You'll only get yourselves killed. This thing is my responsibility." With that, he turned back towards the monstrosity whose attack he'd just destroyed with one slice and sighed, his face returning to a determined scowl.
"Be warned, Prophet... I may not still be your equal, but while it seems you pushed all your energies into escaping, I've been training. if you wish to kill me, come at me full force." He replied coolly and quietly, knowing full well that if the prophet was any bit stronger then what he believed he was feeling and believing that this match would be a lot quicker then he thought it would be, and that he might not be the one coming out of it alive...
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Post by Rukia Kuchiki on May 23, 2010 17:10:47 GMT -5
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Rukia listened as Byakuya directed his remarks at the Laughing Prophet, just as she also payed attention to Renji. Even though she didn't want to leave, she also felt helpless, her strength was thining out and no amout of determinism would be enough to even stand a chance.
" Well let me welcome you to your new reality, living in the past will not get you out of here safe if that's your concern" Byakuya bellowed as he then heard the Prophet cackle loudly in return. Rukia wanted to nothing more than to pierce her ears of the laughter, it was horrid and just incredibly evil. She didn't even look at him since Byakuya stood in front of him, she just glanced to the ground in a menacing way as though she were directing her eyes on the beastly creature who called himself the Laughing Prophet.
Renji's mention of the creature in the Dangai wasn't a surprise the golden eyeball she had witnessed earlier was enough evidence on her behalf, also quivering she let Byakuya know as well, " Renji is right... nii-sama, I saw it. The golden eye, I managed to pierce it but he still has it.". Byakuya noted the events and the comments, only to bring this up when it was time for the next course of action. But he had no time when he suddenly noticed him gather energy to attack in a familiar style he knew well, that of an arrancar's, a cero. He needed to get Rukia out of the way, but before he turned to grab Rukia he felt the spiritual pressure of another being enter the scene. It's focus was about his upper left direction and as the cero came hurdling fiercely at him and the others the being pulled an interesting attack from a Zanpakatou he wasn't familar with. The attack was strong enough to dissipate the cero, for the moment. He would talk to Rukia later over matters of dignity and obedience on another moment, but for now it seemed Byakuya carried another responsibility. Only slightly irritated when he heard him say to back away, the younger Byakuya would have tormented out of control and just make a point to respect others specialy himself. But now, he had no need to act as unmmanerly, "He no longer became your responsibility the second he stepped into Soul Society. Either you step away or beware of the consequence for going against soul society's order." he replied. There wouldn't be one single being in soul society, next to Rukia but that was another matter, that would intervene with Byakuya's mission to keep peace in soul society.
Rukia in the back glimpsed at the being, who appeared to look like a shinigami as well, at first shrouded by the hood, a slight reminder of Captain Ichinose the new Captain of the 5th Division. But after witnessing his features, there was nothing in familiarity, although she couldn't help but feel an air of elegance at his maneuver. "who in the world is he?" she wondered, a bit concerned after hearing Byakuya come rather offensively at the new being.
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(Next up is Renji... I've combined my Rukia and Byakuya posts here)
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Post by Renji Abarai on May 25, 2010 20:46:54 GMT -5
“There’s strength in numbers, even if you say you can handle him… I’m standing by my captain’s decision!” Renji announced, as he began to look at Rukia. “You’re too weak right now to fight. Please go to the Fourth Division!”
Renji gritted his teeth, this new man could be strong enough, but the Prophet had stopped a Janitor with one hand. Literally ONE hand, not many people could manage that. But if this creature was as strong as this Shinigami-like character said it was, they would be in trouble.
The best bet was to fight alongside of this stranger, they all had the same goal, to defend the Rukongai population, and the rest of the Soul Society. "If he's as strong as you say he is, then you're going to need our help..."
Renji decided to attack again, to at least give this stranger some opportunity to slay the Prophet. "Higa Zekkō!" He shouted, as Zabimaru detached it's segments and flew at the Prophet, glowing red and sharpening themselves, to impale his enemy.
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Post by The Laughing Prophet on May 25, 2010 22:48:43 GMT -5
The Prophet seemed entirely unphased by the appearance of this new opposition to his cause, merely staring flatly at the entity that had shattered his attack with a mere swing of his blade. He seemed to entirely forgo any response to Byakuya's commentary to, instead, simply stare, unblinking and unnerving. He continued to merely remain perched at an unnatural angle upon the ragged spire of what building had once been there remained before prowling to ground level, skittering about on all fours for a moment before rising back to stature. He stared at Zetsumei for an uncomfortable moment.
"I remember you," he said slowly. "You're the one that showed me how to get out." A bizarre shudder ran through his limbs, which seemed to twitch to unnatural angles at some points before there was an absolute stillness, displaying the air of oddity even a lack of movement could show. "How is Aneikuro? I haven't seen him since I made him into a display of your ineptitude with his own blade. I expected his spirit to inhabit his own, though having it trapped in the void perhaps makes his presence excusable."
He tilted his head. Behind the bandages he was probably smiling madly, shown by the slight shifting of the bandaging covered his face. "Would he like to see it again? His old sword? The one that actually had his particular abilities? I kept it, you know. For the occasion. I thought it would be... interesting."
He seemed to decide against it after a few moments, instead shifting slightly on his feet to glance to Byakuya and Renji. He seemed like he was sneering behind the bandaging. The ice, finally melting away from the points the shards had stabbed through the bandaging to keep it covering his body, was disappearing in places. The bandages had gone loose in a few places, and while they continued to generally cover his body itself, there was very clearly movement, wild in its patterns, beneath them, only visible for a few moments at a time.
"Will you run again, Zetsumei? Flee, only to fight once a better has worn me down with his own death?" he mused drolly, almost nonchalantly. "You were only capable of the most feeble of challenges after I had been crippled by Yojimbo's Bankai." Once more, he lapsed into silence, merely maintaining a stare that, in its nature, was slowly growing more and more horrific. "I see you were able to repair your legs over the years. And your fingers, especially your fingers. I understand that smaller pieces are more difficult to repair sometimes, though you could have lived without them."
Renji's attack could have possibly had some significant effect, had he not signaled the strike with the shout of the particular offensive. The Prophet glanced over at Renji, glaring flatly as Zabimaru hurtled towards him. There was a look of frustrated remembrance at its apparent tactic, almost as if he was looking through the blade itself to the spirit hiding within it. Seemingly at the last second, the Prophet spiraled away from the Bankai's jaws, lurching almost randomly about in wild dodges of the attacks, seeming to twist over himself in physically disturbing feats of flexibility.
He started impatiently advancing towards Renji, the attacker, about halfway through the first round of the attack. He seemed to grow tired of constant evasion, and after calmly leaping over one final piece of the attack, he ceased his dodging. A black surge crackled around him as he outright smashed one of Zabimaru's segments aside with his forearm, the shell of energy seeming to provide a momentary barrier from the damage that could have been inflicted by the merest of touches.
Immediately afterwards he was hit, and there was a concussive shock as the last few damaging strikes connected. Everything stilled before there was movement. The Prophet remained standing. The bandaging around his right arm had been torn away completely, his hooded shroud appropriately fluttering in tatters somewhere behind him. And yet despite all the cuts, slashes, that had clearly been hacked into his body, there was no blood.
His single eye blinked fairly flatly before he looked down at his bare arm. Experimentally, he lifted it, flexing his fingers slowly and methodically before glancing around at the Shinigami again, a light in his eye that hadn't been there before. The sudden liveliness of the man was perhaps the most bothersome factor, though that was far from worth noting soon after.
Very quickly, all the horrors of the entity's very being came to fruition as, from his arm, protruded vile tendrils of flesh, jagged blades protruding from the ends of the tentacles that very rapidly began sprouting from his uncovered arm until no fewer than twenty had begun to writhe about the limb. It only took a single moment before they had all planted themselves into the ground, moving with the Prophet's footsteps as if they were additional limbs under perfect, harmonious control.
"I see you."
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Post by Zetsumei Sendojin on May 28, 2010 17:19:57 GMT -5
It had begun.
Things seemed to indicate that Zetsumei had gauged The Prophet's strength accurately, if not slightly less then the actual power of the monster. There would be no holding back.
"Bankai."
With an explosion of shadow, Zetsumei replaced his hood, allowing a large pointed collar and cape to materialize over his shoulders. Glowing sliver runes appeared on his robes, and large, equally metallic wings extended from his back. The blade of his scythe sharpened and extended, while the staff portion shrunk. He twisted the large, elegant greatsword that was in his hands in a circle, then drew it back and slashed vertically downward and to his side, causing an explosion of solid black shadows to ripple forth from the blade, striking the 'tentacles' of the prophet in an attempt to knock them off course.
The again-faceless figure turned back towards the other shinigami, specifically the redhead, and spoke, his voice slightly deeper, yet louder, despite the fact he wasn't yelling. Yes, he was merely speaking in a normal tone. His voice seemed to reverberate around the area, and seemed audible to everyone.
"I have told you, move on. You will end up being killed! You are of no match to him, he's simply toying with you!"
Quickly shifting his gaze to the captain, he frowned beneath his mask, his voice seemed to mark him as obviously perturbed.
"And what do you know of the soul society's order, boy?! You are speaking to it's creator! Stand down!"
Taking a look back at the Monstrosity he'd battled for thousands of years, the thing that had caused the destruction of his home and people, He heard it again. The laughs. The high-pitched giggle of the little girl, the lower, grittier 'heheh' of what may have been a serial killer stalking his prey, perhaps the laugh of a group of friends, and the cackle of what sounded like the elderly not far from death. Those damned laughs had stalked his consciousness, had almost ripped him apart. Besides the horror of what the being could do with it's power and body, perhaps the psychological effect of that continuous sound of people laughing were one of the worst things it could cause a person to endure.
Yet he could still hear it, the words of the being as it spoke to him, raking his mind at the memories of the torture he'd had to endure, including taking the soul of his best friend as part of his Zanpakuto...
"I do not fear you, Prophet..." He said, slightly weaker then he wished. "I will not run, You must be stopped, here and now. I will not allow what you did to happen again."
Turning his blade so that the point faced the prophet, Zetsumei took a bold stance, holding the edges horizontally and lifting the blade slightly into the air. Courage after all was not the lack of fear, but the ability to continue doing what was right despite that. he would stand his ground, and he would not back down.
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