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Post by kensei on Jul 18, 2012 2:50:11 GMT -4
*Huuuuh Huuuh Huuuh The sound of her breathing was the only thing she could focus on, long, tired drags of air filled her lungs with cool air as her body burned in protest to the full on sprint she had been in for the last fifteen minutes. She grunted, as she lept into the air, landing on the next rooftop, pausing only for a mere second to see the invading army slice through the German Military. She closed her eyes as the distant men fell to the ground, and the sound of gunfire echoed across the suburbs of Berlin. Keeping the tears away she opened her eyes, spying a fire escape on the next building over. Her body screamed in pain as she forced it into action once again, she lept down this time, barely catching the old metal. It creaked under the sudden pressure, before the railing itself cracked, sending the women tumbling down three stories. She didn’t know how long she was out, blood poured from her head, her vision a blur, and all the noises of war where far from her. The sky had turned from a peaceful blue, to a dark black, with bright flashes of flame echoing out across it. A bright streak followed on of the flashes, like a star falling from the sky, traveling to Earth, traveling right to her. The building around her erupted as they where struck by the massive fire power that was contained in a single shot from the weapons platform known as Babel. A monstrosity of war, one which would soon level the entire city if it wasn’t stopped. In the months that followed the fall of The Horror Vacui a new terror faced the world. In the wake of widespread knowledge of the existence of the spiritual beings known as Shingami and Hollows, panic and confusion spread out amongst many nations. From this chaos an unholy force caught the attention of humanity, promising to be its savior for the price of slavery. The corporation known as Yager and Sun won the hearts and minds of the people of America, and quickly became the dominant human military force, crushing long time rivals, and enemy, The New World Order, by destroying a massive chunk of its military might as well as the head of its leadership, Richard Mallory.
Meanwhile in Soul Society, the Ninth Division made a move many had suspected for years, launching a full scale assault against the other division, shattering the Shingami forces as it brought them into a grave civil war. From the ashes, two groups have emerged, those that chose to stay and fight to retake Soul Soceity, and the Divisions that chose to abandon Soul Society and the ways of the past, allying themselves with Kitosan to battle the threat of Jager, notably amongst them, 12th Division’s Hana Senzaikeiro, 7th Division’s Adala Fleischer and 6th Division’s Sagara Zurui taking with them most of there respected division.
Based out of France, Kitosan’s organization is now the only truly functioning and powerful force fighting on behalf of justice, and holds the hope of freedom for all the races against the unholy alliance of Jager, Laetitia, and Kehieleth.Three Hours Ago: [/b] “It’s confirmed Kitosan. Jager’s forces are moving into Germany. We can expect a full deployment into Berlin within the next three to four hours, if not sooner. Deployment of all high level assets seems probable, however we still have yet to determine the location of the weapons platform known as Babel. However I believe we can assume it will play a role in the assault. Whatever local previsions are in place will fall within minutes of the fight for the city. If we don’t move now, it would seem all of Germany will fall to Jager, and then he will be right at our doorstep. I don’t need to tell you how what that means..” He was the spitting image of X, everything except his eye color and his hair. His eyes where green as a forest, and his hair was black as night. A stark contrast to the killing machine under Jager’s command. The clone had somehow ended up closer to his original form then Jager’s experiment. He simply went by I, accepting who and what he was with the name he chose for himself. He was a weapon of war, with no hopes of ever being anything else. A sentiment his counterpart in the doppelganger business didn’t seem to agree with. Alrick had chosen his body’s original name to take. “We’re going to have to meet him in force here.. And that means we can’t have any mistakes like last time.. Do you understand Adala?” He said, with a cold sharp glare cutting across the table to the blonde shingami. A person he considered a lose cannon, who let her own personal vendetta against Jager override all other priorities, even her own life. And she had gained the scar to prove he was right in the last fight those two had been in. Ada simply smiled at him at the remark, letting the room fall silent for a few moments before she finally spoke up. “You know.. You two look so much like them. What’s it like, knowing you came from the bodies of monsters?” Her hand slammed onto the table, as she stood up, glaring at I, as a distressed Hana yelled out for her to calm down. She clenched her fist, before looking over to Kitosan. “I will be in my room preparing. Let me know when we move out.” I’s eyes followed her as she made her exit out of the room. Waiting for her to make it far enough down the hall before he spoke once more. “She’s dangerous… Shes nothing more then a time bomb waiting to explode, and when she does she could end up taking us all down with her. How can we trust that she will put the mission or her target ahead of Jager? One glimpse of him and she will charge him down like a raging bull, no matter what else is going on.. You know she can’t be trusted..” “You’re wrong. If there is anyone we can trust, its her. I have fought by her side long enough to know that at the end of the day, she will still put her companions above herself. She may be hurting, but people don’t change completely, especially not her. Her heart is the same, I don’t doubt it for a moment.” The usually quiet former fourth seat sounded off. Sagara Zurui, was one of the shingami noticeably worse for the ware, having lost his left eye during the invasion of soul society by Laetitia, and the rest of his body littered with scars from his fights during the war against the Horror Vacui. The last year of war and personal injury having mellowed out his temper a few degrees since the start of the wars. ”While the bulk of Jager’s forces will be in Berlin, the rest of the country cannot be ignored. With your permission Kitosan, I would like to lead a smaller force to reclaim the rest of the country.” With everything placed out there, the group sat, waiting for Kitosan’s decision.. Meanwhile, inside of her room Ada stood, staring at her own figure in the mirror. Her eyes glued to her exposed abdomen, an area nearly covered by one massive scar. The darker, mawed tissue a testament to the last blow she had received from Jager. Her eyes slowly traveled up, locking where her reflections. Before her stood a strong, fearless warrior, a women she knew she wasn’t. Why was it every time she looked into a mirror it only ever showed her sister to her? Why did her own reflection betray her so? A tear came to her eyes as she moved from the mirror, to get dressed for the fight ahead, as a faint knock was at her door. She turned, still only half clothed. “Come in.”
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Post by GoldenKitten on Jul 18, 2012 19:51:08 GMT -4
The forward base being used as a war room of the Union of Soul States was huge, and filled with every species known. Their shared bond would have been inspiring, would have been a step forward, if it hadn’t taken the near annihilation of everything in existence to get them there. Instead Kitotsan couldn’t help but wonder if these war worn alliances might not break down when (or, should he say “if” much as he might never admit it?) peace set in. Though most present were forward thinkers (how could they survive this long without being such?) that didn’t stop some of these mutuality’s from being utterly tenuous both in the command and ground level’s, particularly between the recently acquired Shinigami and some of Kitotsans Arrancar and Bount subordinates.
When the dust had settled at the end of the Great Soul War the Horror Vacui had caused there hadn’t been much left on anyone’s side. That was to say, there wasn’t much left except on Kitotsan’s side. This was not in fact some cunning attempt to seize control and while he had always intended to be a power player, he never intended or wished to be the center of everything. He had wanted the various leaderships to adapt to the age in which they were living and persevere, the world was more stable when it had its niches, but unable to keep up they perished one-by-one leaving few with the knowledge and resources to lead.
From the very start many hundreds of years ago he had intended to protect humanity from the increasingly uncontrolled spirit world, and that was still what he was doing. Though it was not his ideal set-up when control slipped away from everyone else he had stepped in to take who was left before they became a thrashing child without a cause. Though most probably still looked at their “leaders” as those in charge it was truly Kitotsan pulling the strings now which was rather ironic if you knew him.
Still those that fought by his side did so knowingly, at the end of the day Kitotsan was the sort of leader that was needed, his rule not based on pure strength like had been the case for almost every spirit army for the last five-thousand years. This was not to say he was weak, indeed he had been instrumental in the destruction of two Horror Vacui and he had fought their current foe, Jager twice without injury. But his true strength was his intelligence and his modernity, his plans and war tactics based on both the age they lived and on how one should actually conduct war rather than failing to act based on the belief that “something that has always been, always will”.
Would it be enough? Who knew?
------------- Despite being an impromptu take-over of the city town center the war room had quickly been adapted into a bustling area of movement. Dozens of screens attached to hundreds of machines few knew all the uses of, all being watched over by a small army of techheads. Though on the ground floor (to minimize chance of being bombed out when this all started) a number of cameras placed higher around the city displayed on screens around them creating a panoramic effect around the table at which the leaders sat that made for a skyscraper like view.
Kitotsan sat silently watching; unwittingly seeming much like his mentor, as the briefing wore down and the leadership began making their plans. So long as their reasoning was sound Kitotsan never interjected though at times (particularly early in the shinigamis induction) he would speak up if they weren’t thinking long-term. Besides the shinigami there were the two Fleischer clones, it was easy to see why Jager was so formidable because genius ran in the blood and they’d proved themselves countless times, and while some doubted them Kitotsan had learned long ago to judge loyalty. There were also generals from each of the Eastern European countries, and alongside them were Kitotsan’s own commanders.
As Ada left the room and I argued about her loyalties there was a swift agreement from two or three others, and only Sagara came to her defense, but it was to Hana that Kitotsans eyes traveled. The way “she” fidgeted and bit her lower lip without saying anything was telling enough about whether she thought that accurate or not, though Kitotan could have figured it out himself. Kitotsan shifted his gaze from her and set his elbow down on the table, pushing his hand out as if to enforce his speaking, and interjecting before Sagara got any responses and something was started.
“You’re both wrong, so don’t worry about it. Hana when this meeting is over speak with her.”, Kitotsan did not coddle his highest soldiers like others might, and his cut-off tone left no doubt that the issue was not to be brought up again, and that he had no intent of telling them what was right if they both were wrong. It was another way of saying it’s not your concern so shut up.
By this point everyone was used to how Kitotsan lead so there was doubtful to be any argument on anyones part, plus he had sent Hana after her which anyone in the know would realize was probably the best for this situation. I had no qualms dropping it and instead went about asking for reign outside the city. This was predictable enough and Kitotsan knew that whether I realized it or not this was not just a strategic request, but he had no reason to turn it down even if in a reorganized manner.
Raising his hands into the air he made a few motions as a holographic screen appeared before him and he reviewed some statistics, “Just sending you out to quote, reclaim the rest of the country, would be foolish. Make no mistake even when we turn this initial invasion around I suspect this to be an area of fighting for weeks to come. But if we can defeat the major invasion force Jager is likely to attempt a different invasion corridor and leave what little invaded elsewhere in the country behind. Thus we protect our largest assets and break the invasion, using the time we buy afterwards to wipe out the forces that land elsewhere.”
Having completed checking he swiped his hand and the display closed, “But if you want to be on your own and in control I do have something. We began the evacuation into the Berlin Teradome two-hours ago, it’s not finished construction but it will act as temporary shelter. While I doubt we’ll get everyone in we’re showing a projected eighty-percent rough estimate of civilians being within its confines come the start of the attack. Not preferable but acceptable, the evacuation into the Hamburg dome however is far behind schedule. While we do not expect it to be along the primary invasion route it is the closest large population center along the sea making it an obvious attack point.”
Tapping his finger on the table he sat in steady contemplation before concluding, “Very well I, proceed to Hamburg. The authorities there will handle the evacuation, but I want you to protecting their boarders until this is over. Projections suggest that forces could be there in as little as an hour, so you’re dismissed and I suggest you hurry.”
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As I got up to leave and Kitotsan went on to how they would protect Berlin itself Hana listened but at the same time was concerned about Ada. Certainly he was professional enough to put his personal thoughts aside and hear the plan in full, but there was no denying I had a point. He’d been there every step of the way as Ada had, for a polite term, gone a little batshit and he couldn’t deny that the scenario painted in which she went blindly charging at Jager was firmly in the realm of possibility. Though he’d go as Kitotsan asked (even if he hadn’t) he had to wonder if there was a point. Ada had long since stopped listening to any words of logic no matter whom they came from and though he hated to admit it that made Hana angry, and it was very hard to make Hana angry.
Kitotsans plan was long, drawn-out, boring, and completely ingenious. In the months since being driven from Soul Society Hana had, had more than enough time to witness exactly why Kitotsan had prospered as he never stagnated or wavered like many long-time leaders do. He wouldn’t exactly say he had more respect for the man than some of his eldest leaders but on some level this reinforced that it had been the right decision to join with him.
When Laetitia had launched her deviously crafted take-over many had wanted to march right back at her, but sensing it was suicide, along with seeing the far more dangerous state the real world found itself in Hana chose to fight Jager. After all, after the Horror Vacui effectively destroyed the spirit cycle (in a way) it had rendered Soul Society little more than a place like any other, their home true, but no longer of use. Nobody was really sure what happened to souls anymore when they died, but they were not entering Soul Society or Hueco Mundo this much was certain. Thus strategically it was more important to save those who were now living than attempt a retaking of Soul Society for purely traditional reasons. This had seen the Shinigami split in two though most eventually decided to follow him.
As they wrapped things up and everyone went their separate ways there was one thing of great concern; nobody had seen the floating weapons platform Babel in seven days. All other major assets had been confirmed by scouts but Babel had disappeared after pushing southward for two-hundred miles from the main group it had then descended below the waves and not been observed since. Kitotsan was utterly convinced Jager planned to blindside them from the ocean with it at the start of the battle and they were already taking measures to prepare for that. All of Eastern Europe had now been rigged with a massive anti-air battery, but not knowing where one of Jagers greatest forces was worrisome all the same.
As Hana rose and proceeded from the room flocked by three shinigami including Sagara he spoke, “Sagara go convey these orders to the troop regiments and make sure they’re battle-ready, Davenport make sure we have a solid connection to the bases RTDF, Heton go and make sure the White Knights are prepared and if you have time afterward find Bob…though I’m sure he’s ready. I’ll join up with Sagara and the main troop movement after I make sure Adala is up to speed. Let’s get to work.”
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Until two-hours ago the population of Berlin had been happily going about their normal lives. When the call for evacuation came it was difficult enough organizing the complete mobilization of a city’s population, nowhere was this more difficult than the waterways. With countless commercial and personal ships in the water for reasons from business to recreation; explaining the situation, collecting the individuals, and getting them into the evacuation que was a massive task. It fell to the Municipal Waterway Patrol to accomplish this and while they had been amazingly successful they got a call late-in that a single small white fishing boat was still on the water.
Mobilizing one last time a trio of boats had come to its side when the boat took off, leading the group on a chase in circles around Lake Wannsee. As the boats tried to corner it and exclaimed over-and-over about the invasion and evacuation over loudspeakers and radio their only answer was manic laughter over the waves. The captain clad in a black overcoat and a truckers cap was giddy with…something, who knew?
“FUCK DA POLICE! DOWN WIT DA MAN! DOWN WIT DA MAN! HahahahahaHAHAHA! OH FUN!”, taking an apple from his pocket and biting down into it before raising his head to the sky and shaking it back and forth like a dog, the cabin suddenly echoed with a shrill series of beeps which put a sudden end to his activity and fun.
Taking the apple from his mouth and staring at the watch on his wrist that simply flashed back at him he pushed some buttons on the yoke and the beeping stop. Pulling the drive back the boat came to a coasting halt forcing the three municipal vehicles to swerve widely to avoid its back. As they came around they continued to yell for him to put up his hands and wait to be boarded, half following their instructions he jumped to the cabin roof in one motion and reached up pulling the cap from his head and tossing it into the wind. Running his hand through his hair he raised his hands to his sides and a pulse went flying out, tossing the boats around him right across the lake, Kitotsans sensors would already be sending out the alert but it was already too late.
Raising his hands to the air full open and with a look of pure glee on his face as his eyes burned red and he stared at the Berlin skyline, “Looks like I’m home! Babel, make a beat I can dance too!”
Instantly the lakes surface began churning with waves that quickly grew to be as tall as a house and rocked the boat in every direction though Jager didn’t even act like he noticed. A low rumble shook the ground for miles and as the enormous black metal machine broke the surface taking up the majority of the lake, its deep engine sounds broke the surface now echoing over the land. And just as it began to tower out of the water hundreds of silos opened atop it and thousands of white streaks went skyward.
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As he had walked to Ada’s temporary room Hana had gone about cleaning up his appearance subconsciously. Though Hana still held the pretense of being a girl he had a lot less time to put into it now and though he was still incredibly feminine parts of him showed. Namely he had no time for the immaculate clothing regimen he had once gone through and he wore armor that while still built with short parts and a feminine edge made it more easy to envision him as what he was, assuming you knew the truth.
As he approached the door and knocked he wasn’t even sure what he was going to say. Nothing was going to change how she acted in the coming battle and he certainly couldn’t say anything. Directly after Leni’s death Hana had actually gotten the sense that Ada was going to be ok, she even seemed to rely on him in the days after that. But whether it was the conflict with the Horror Vacui and what that took from everyone or simply the passage of time itself, that had all changed and she wasn’t going to be swayed by mere words. Still, he could hardly sit around and not do anything.
As she called and he entered he found himself staring at her for several seconds, wordless. Anyone who knew Hana knew how hard that was coming from him; even at the worst of times he tended to be an optimistic chatterbug. While the past few months had exposed his more mature and reliable traits that hadn’t changed that he was typically a brilliant icebreaker with the ability to turn on and off an airheaded personality on a whim. Just as the silence had hung long enough to be uncomfortable Hana moved to speak, “Ada, we nee-”
But before he could even begin his completely uninspired speech an alarm went off along the wall, and all around the base. While it could have been anything; with the incoming invasion he assumed it was relevant and moved his hand to his headset, but before he could request a sitrep a low shaking moved the entire room like a small earthquake…which was bad, because Berlin didn’t have earthquakes.
Hana’s astute sense kicked in and before Ada could protest he’d moved next to her, picked her up, and jumped into the air. Instantly the room exploded in a torrent of fire but they were spared the brunt of the explosive force that accompanied it as Hana sailed into the air and outside of this facility. Gliding for a moment before coming back down and landing on a solid piece of the building’s roof where he skidded a ways. Setting Ada down he looked out and it was easy for one’s eyes to fall to the horizon where a large black craft was floating there with unrealistic physics. Panning his view in a circle he found several other craft rising from four directions around the city all out of bodies of water, he also saw places where several indirect missiles had impacted the ground, but it was when his eyes fell on the fourth and largest vehicle that he gritted his teeth and growled.
They knew where Babel had gone now. It was a terrible outcome as thousands of evacuees were still being moved along top-level streets. But it took him several moments to realize just how bad it was about to get as his eyes followed the white contrails that lead from Babels backside, while several had impacted into the city directly countless more had flown high into the sky. So high in fact that it did not appear they were ever coming down as hundreds of comets rose to their zenith in the sky shading the afternoon a deep orange with their dust and fiery glare.
Then all at once the sky became a fireball, or rather a thousand little fireballs that grew to such an immense size as to blot out the sky. Despite the show they made tiny solid thuds more like fireworks, and then with the high shrill of an army of angry bees an utterly inconceivable rain of burning, explosive mini-explosives hurled toward the city.
“God…” Hana spoke, it was the same technique that had decimated the NWO and Tokyo in a matter of seconds leaving them utterly vulnerable to the incoming massacre that had taken that place. But just as it seemed the streets were to become a charnel house the ballistics exploded along a dome-like invisible line a two-hundred feet in the air. Some of the skyscrapers tips were engulfed but the majority burned up in mid-air, the dome mostly invisible but gleaming just slightly of green reishi in areas.
Though he could guess what had happened the actual construction and deployment of this had been unknown to Hana. It was confirmed when Kitotsans voice came over speakers place all around the city, “You really didn’t think I wouldn’t learn from past experience did you, Jager?”
Hana could swear he heard Jagers mad laughter somewhere over the screams, explosives, and engine roars but it was impossible to pinpoint. Still, they’d only bought a few moments, the shield couldn’t hold forever, and even now he could see black figures dropping from the ships to the ground below as Predators deployed to the frontlines of Berlin.
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Post by kensei on Jul 20, 2012 22:53:46 GMT -4
Heton stood outside of the room, leaning against the wall in the hallway. While a member of the White Knights, Hana was still there leader, and as such it was his duty to be at the discussion table. A duty Heton was far from jealous of. Having millions of lives hang in the balance based of the decisions you make was not a responsibility he was eager to have. No, he was just a soldier this day, both at the hallway as a first line of defense, and as someone to immediately relay whatever orders need be.
But being where he was, there wasn’t a part of the conversation he didn’t hear. Though muffled, the voices of the leaders of the Union of Soul States echoed across the otherwise dead silent hallway. He let out a low sigh as the disaster that had become Adala Fleischer spoke up. His eyes watching her movements as she stormed out of the war room to her own quarters. He understood her better then most, he was in a similar state before he entered the academy not two decades ago. How many years did he cling to hatred and pain in the wake of his own sisters death before finally letting go? It was a sorrow unimaginable, and he pitied her greatly for having to live through it.
He took a step forward from the wall, briefly looking in to see in what state Hana was in as he closed the door. Hana’s expression was worrisome for him, Hana had taken to Ada it seemed, and it seemed the farther Ada went down this path, the more it weighed on her. It was obvious to anyone who spent time around her that it was wearing her down mentally.
He stood there, pondering Ada’s situation for the rest of the meeting with no new conclusion to come to as to her health or how best to help her. Even with his own experiences being nearly identical, there just wasn’t anything that could be done for her right now. He sighed as he gave up thinking about it when the doors opened, following in step behind Hana as she appeared. A slight smile touching his lips as he received his orders. He wasn’t much for sitting around, and as soon as Hana had sent him off he disappeared in a flash, racing across the complex.
Sagara shook his head as he watched the young shingami take off. ”He sure has come along ways hasn’t he? Makes me a tad jealous.” You would be jealous of shit Sagara. But then again that shit is surpassing you. So if that’s shit, what are you?[/i] Simply smiling at Hana he bowed his head, before taking his leave, ignoring the insults of his Zanpakuto. You really aren’t any fun anymore…[/i]
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I had arrived at the hangar, waiting for there plane to be finished being prepped. He stood there, a tablet in hand going over all the cities specs, running simulation after simulation on different possible attack patterns and calculate what kind of loss of life they could be looking at if they where attacked within the hour. Overall, it wasn’t a pretty figure. Kitosan’s defenses where immaculate as would be expected of the man, but the local government wasn’t preparing itself in near the function it needed to.
Sighing he bagged the tablet as he boarded the plane, after getting the signal it was ready. He and a half dozen others where there, it was his defacto squad he had been “put in charge” of. Of course his command of it was little more then in title, when it came to actual say and power in the organization the clone had little true sway. Despite the nature of the USS, his special circumstance had left all but the most open minded with questions regarding his true loyalty. Though he hadn’t heard it, he was sure some whispered he was actually Jager’s spy. An absurd notion indeed, but most conspiracy theories during wartime where.
All the same Kitosan had gone out of his way to extend him whatever courtesies he could, and give him time and time again to prove his loyalty to everyone. He sat in his chair, going over the data one more time as they began there ascent. But before they where even out of the city’s airspace, alarms started to ring out from the plane. “Jager’s Riatsu signature detected!” The captain spoke over the speaker. I bolted from his seat, straight to the cockpit. Growling lowly as the monitor pinpointed the source of his riatsu. In moments, four different dots appeared on the radar, one of which was a simply massive construction that could only be Babel.
However, the immediate threat for I and his little group wasn’t Jager, or even Babel. It was a single airship that was between them and there way out of the city. There plane had no defenses, nothing to stop it from blasting it out of the sky. Such a pathetic craft had only warranted the use of a single missile, streaking out across the horizon towards them. I ran his fingers through his hair as he watched it approach. “So much for seeing the coast..”
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Adala turned away almost as soon as Hana had entered the room. Why did it have to be him? Why couldn’t he just leave her to her path? She bit the inside of her lip, trying to distract herself from what she knew he saw when he gazed at her. A weak, broken girl failing to keep herself together no matter how hard she tried.. She sighed, as she grabbed a top and put it on, before placing her blue leather long coat over it.
Her body started to shake slightly as her Zanpakuto started to resonate, its cold, angry energy pulsing throughout her body. They despised being used in the manner and reason she had forced them into battle several times. Where once her weapons had tried to comfort her, now they turned on her, like all of her allies where doing one after another. Even Hana was more of a wall in front of her the a friend by her side.. Or so she felt..
The air between them was cold as she turned around, locking eyes with him. “Ada” he spoke, and she turned her head, knowing full well what was about to come. Was it going to turn into a fight again this time? Or was he going to drop it after saying what he felt obligated to tell her for the dozenth time. But before he could get four words into it, an alarm rang out across the complex. Her hand instinctively placed itself upon her Zanpakuto. Not a moment later the entire complex started to shake.
And in a flash there he was, his arms wrapped around her. “Hana?” She said, hardly above a whisper as her cheeks started to warm themselves. He lifted her into the air, through the ceiling and into the sky, her eyes looked down, seeing the flames engulf her room. As they landed, she stood there for a moment, not taking a step away from him. Her eyes locked to the floor. “Why?” She said as she brought her eyes up to his. “Why haven’t you given up?”
Before Hana could say anything Heton landed next to him, as all of the other White Knights save for Bob landed behind him. Kneeling to Hana, and pausing for a second as he looked at the two, causing Adala to take a step back. “What are your orders Ma’am?”
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The entire group that had been with him inside the plane fell slowly towards the city. Under his influence all of his subordinates had gathered into the cockpit as one of them activated a barrier Kido, blocking the explosion, and insuring everyone’s safety. I’s eyes where locked skyward as the hundreds of streaks flew out above the city. He had seen the footage of what happened to Tokyo. Even he wasn’t going to survive this. Hell, he doubted even V could regenerate what was about to happen to there bodies.
“Enjoy the view..” He whispered to his comrades as they landed atop one of the smaller skyscrapers, right as the true explosive power of the attack came underway. The tips of the taller skyscrapers where being eaten apart in a flash. But yet the city stood. A smile touched I’s lips as he realized what was going on, as the sky danced green with reishi. “Kitosan.. You always have an ace up your sleeve don’t you?”
He turned to his comrades, laughing slightly. “Well I suppose we best get to work.” And with that he closed his eyes, as he dropped to his knees and placed his hands upon the roof of the building. Though no one could see it, a wave of his psychic energy stretched out across the city. It only took a moment for his mind to connect with his targets.
He could see the world from there eyes, V laid in a bed, a dozen different instruments attached to his skin. His eyes closed as a women’s voice spoke. “Wake up V. Its time for you to play..” The malice and madness of his mind worked in full force as he opened his eyes, as his broken thoughts filled I’s mind.
Shaking his head slightly, he broke the connection with V, this time connecting with X…
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“IT’S UNBEATABLE!!!!!!” X screamed as he his whole body shook in frustration. His fingers swiping the different blocks on his screen around as he stared at the DS’s screen. “ADAAAAM! ITS UNBEATABLE!! I have been at this for four days straight! It’s not possible! Why did you make something that’s impossible!!” The unbeatable puzzle being the final one in Professor Layton and the Curious Village.
With no doubt X’s voice must have been annoying many of the people aboard the vessel as he had been screaming about how impossible the puzzle was for the last three days. No one had expected him to stick with it for nearly as long as he had, but in the last four days he hadn’t moved from his seat in the control room. His DS plugged into the wall. Some considered it a miracle he hadn’t broken the DS by simply swiping to hard as his riatsu had been flaring for countless hours now.
Adam let out an annoyed sigh. “X… Pause your game, we have surfaced.. Its time for your mission..” He said again, having already told him to get moving five minutes earlier. “If you do I’ll even help you after the battle okay?” He said, a sure sign of the desperation he was in to get X moving before he screwed up Jager’s plan.. He hated that damn console..
X’s eyes started to burn a bright blue as his riatsu visibly coiled around him. He stood slowly as he closed the lid to his DS. “Fine… if anyone touches it while I am gone, I will kill you all....” His eyes slowly traveled over every single member of the crew, before storming out of the room, leaving a few sighs of relief in his wake.
Walking towards the launch pad he crossed his arms, as he waited for the doors to open for him. They dragged him away from his puzzle before he could complete it… Someone was going to pay.
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Once again I visibly twitched as he broke connection with X, this time locking his mind with Jager. But before he could even so much as observe his actions Jager’s voice rang out in his head. ‘I seeeee yoooooou!” I grabbed his head, as it felt like it was about to split in two, screaming out in pain for a moment before he pushed Jager out of his mind.
He laid there for a moment, trying to catch his breath. “Note to self… Don’t try and get into Jager’s head.. That’s a bad idea..” He said before picking himself up and pulling out a radio from his pocket. “Kitosan. Its I. They have us boxed in. X is to the north, V to the west, and Jager to the south. V’s ship isn’t far from us, and him and X are about to be deployed. Me and my team can intercept V and keep him from doing any real damage to the city, or at least try to. What are your orders though?”
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Post by GoldenKitten on Jul 27, 2012 20:51:10 GMT -4
Berlin was the first time the USS faced what would be known in history books as a Terrestrial Bombardment, a feint Jager became infamous for before the end of the war. It was known that Yager & Sun had invested in subterranean technologies before the start of the war, having great cavernous bases below the Earth and sea. But the true extent of their achievements in this field was not revealed until the battle began in stride. Though this tactic had been used on the NWO giving Kitotsan some degree of time to prepare there was little true feasible defense if Jager committed his full resources to this tactic.
Though it never manifested in the same form, the gist was always the same. Powered by massive spirit drives that channeled energy around there structures any of Jagers’ craft was capable of pushing terrestrial matter out of its way and moving within the very ground itself, well down into the Outer Core of the planet. While posing massive risks both to the vehicle itself and to the long term health of the planet this, like many things; was a non-factor to Jager. In the years that followed large segments of the Earth would collapse-in, rendering many scenes of major battles uninhabitable; but at the time there was virtually no sign of when this tactic would occur from above ground.
As the war passed into its later stages the various allied forces would develop techniques for sensing the movement of the Yager & Sun forces and possible Terrestrial Bombardments. Though the spiritual powered means via which the craft “drilled” through the mantle left very little seismic activity it did create some, and the machinery itself often created significant noise which was a tell-tale factor in zones with no usual movement. Later, complete mass-inflectors that detected changes in the composition of the Earths structure would render the surprise of such a tactic near ineffectual, though by then the war was already reaching its zenith. And even at the height of their counter-technology the USS couldn’t pursue Jager to the depths his own vehicles could reach.
Of course during the Battle for Berlin little of this mattered. The USS was taken almost completely by surprise, and they had little in the way of defense against any immediate attacks of this nature. Studying Jager it’s believed he didn’t drill directly into the Terradome on a pure whim, war was a game to him, and simply grabbing the goal would have been far too easy.
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The Kopenick, Templhof, and Wilmersdorf suburban districts were obliterated in an instant. Though of little actual strategic value it was a testament to the power readied against them, but at the same time was a sign of the USS preparation. While the rising fortresses had taken them by surprise and raised enough offensive gunnery to chew concrete and metal into a billion tiny fragments the areas had been utterly deserted by this time and any loss of life was at a bare minimum. To bolster this, the shield that had dropped over the city had not only deflected Babels attack but the attack on all other fronts and Kitotsan had carefully ensured the cities own defense personnel were arrayed directly inside this walls effective zone. The Northern zone saw the least destruction of all as the ship had risen so closely to the shields boarder as to be firing virtually point-blank into it.
There was still no cause for celebration however as it was only a temporary victory and even that was not complete. As soon as the three elongated tubular like ships (almost like bloated floating submarines) oriented around Babel had finished emptying their opening volley into the shield black figures had begun dropping into the rubble below. By this point in the war everyone was familiar with the Predators and their merciless and inhumanly march forward, though only a few members of the leadership actually knew what they were. So it was not a surprise as they scattered across the ground below in droves like an angry anthill, but it still left dealing with them. It soon became obvious that the initial attack on the structures below might not have been intended to destroy anything, but rather to create a massive barrier of rubble behind which the forces reorganized on the ground, or so it seemed as nobody saw the Predators for nearly a minute.
But when they finally did it was in a single organized wave that shot forth from every direction where they had landed as if they were one organism. It was of particular note that Babel never moved over the city as the other ships did, nor did he empty a load of Predators. Of course he didn’t need to, as his own strikes were virtually endless.
Though the barrier around the city stood the brunt of Babels brunt it quickly became visually obvious that the barrier was retreating from the ground and gradually growing smaller as power was diverted to where direct incoming attacks were focused. As such the Predators were able to rush right into the cities defenses without being hampered, but of course by this time the world was not without preparation. Automatic repeating cannons, long-range soul artillery, and a thousand smaller arms were unloaded into the horde as they toppled into mass piles that their comrades hopped over and continued their relentless charge without thought. Even when the Predators began to lap upon the shore of the defenses the scattered shinigami defenders and Kitotsans own elite guards were there to engage them in direct battle, and even more were coming from their various evacuation duties to bolster the defenses at that very moment. Though violent and bloody very few of the battles erupted beyond the frontlines, and even those that did were quickly dispatched and the holes recemented.
But the leadership knew it was a virtual non-factor. The Predators were a byproduct of this war but hardly the focus, defeating them would protect the civilians from a direct threat but at the end of the day wars between soul creatures went beyond mere ground skirmishes. The true threat of a spirit war was that a single person could hold power beyond even that of the worst weapons humanity had managed to create, and Jager had several. It was when they began appearing that their defenses would truly be put to the tests.
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Along the westernmost front they received the weakest assault branch of the Predators, they also happened to have the only group of Elite guard who had made it to their frontline position in time for the attack. This had resulted in the charge being turned within the first five minutes as the remaining Predators retreated to the decimated cityscape that lay outside the protective barrier, no doubt awaiting a second lance from within the ship now hovering above them, the ships likely waiting until the barrier fell before they proceeded further toward the city. Even now artillery was pounding the ships from both the land and far out in the sea, but it would take significant direct fire to break through the reiatsu that coated their outer shells which they were still in the midst of deploying and so for now they loomed like an ominous message.
Standing along the frontline along this western front Alrick propped his leg atop the nearest barrier and leaned forward, peering into the smoke riddled mess before them. He could track traces of movement throughout but none of the Predators would stick their head out long enough to get a good shot, even with his reflexes. Alrick was not psychically gifted like I or his variants, but he had the natural ability that his host form had bestowed him with, and he recognized that a single Predators demise was not worth pursuing beyond their boundaries.
The irony that the first major battle on the European continent since Jager took the UK was to take place so close to his home did not escape Alrick. Alrick had been a perfect clone of Jager, so perfect in fact that Alrick was more Alrick than Jager was. It was hard to say what had caused it but when he had woken up Alrick had remembered everything up until the point that…well, it got fuzzy, but he remembered nothing of how or why Jager was who he was, he was Alrick. Yet though his memories were that of an eight-year-old he had somehow adopted the lessons an adult would have. It was all very confusing and constantly on his mind, but having no direction Alrick had joined Kitotsan in the hope of finding some, though at times he wondered what the man would have done if he had said no, Kitotsan was on the side of right but he was also uncompromising.
In this life he had found himself unnaturally skilled at fighting, no doubt a holdover memory from Jager, or perhaps those with power simply had such knowledge naturally. At any rate he had a far more simple reason for hating Jager than for standing for the right thing, or what he’d done to him, or to those from his past. Certainly they all factored in, but one thing he had to deal with that even I didn’t was the face. Jager had become the universal face of evil to many, and despite Kitotsans protection Alrick was his clone. Alrick was never able to leave the advanced Peacekeepers armor he wore when in public for fear that he might insight a riot, or get shot…not that, that would kill him, something else he inherited.
It simply seemed that no matter when, no matter where Alricks thoughts and presence would always be in the shadow from the one he was birthed. Even if he knew firmly that they were not the same person there was no escaping it.
“Thinking about something?”
Alrick barely twisted his head over his shoulder to meet the gaze (not that anyone could see his eyes behind the multi-slated face mask) of a young Asian man with messy black hair, “Nothing.”
Backing away from the barrier Alrick turned around and stomped (quite literally, that armor was heavy…though it was light as a feather to him, yet another reminder where he came from) underneath the metal bunkers overhead to stand by the young man who had been casually chatting with two others there while seated atop a stack of supplies. The three of them were out of place amidst the humans present, he was as well of course in his large mechanized armor which was not the norm marking him as a spiritually inclined asset but he was at least human. The three of them there were in outfits more befitting a day on the town since they were Arrancar and their own skin was more effective than any armor. Despite that he knew they didn’t get as many looks as he would if he took his helmet off.
Kitotsan was interesting, sometimes he seemed to care and sometimes he didn’t, Alrick honestly couldn’t place him so had stopped trying. The man had placed Alrick in charge of a large portion of the Arrancar that worked with the USS, Alrick had a feeling it was a deliberate choice to surround him with a strange crowd so he stood out less. Whether for his own feelings or a political purpose he might never know, but at any rate his superhuman status meant he often meshed with them more than he did normal society which since his ascension he just felt was so….slow, despite his earnest desire to be part of it.
Many Arrancar had secretly worked with Kitotsan before the fall of the Horror Vacui but an even larger group had defected to it upon its fall. A large part of the Arrancar population had thought they were attempting to do the right thing and create a better place. Of course then the war started and things just went downhill from there, but the fact remained that many were not such warmongers after all. Things were not so white-and-black as most shinigami would have painted it and many had been forced into the average hollows life out of a simple lack of choices; it was survival of the fittest in Hueco Mundo. Kitotsan had offered a departure from that and many had taken it, they didn’t number more than a hundred or two, making them the smallest of the internal groups, but every ally they could muster was a boon.
Only the “young” man knew who Alrick was, he was one of the few Arrancar who had been on Kitotsans side when they had claimed him from Jagers outpost and was his co-commander over their combined forces. Some had wondered how Alrick had accelerated so quickly through the ranks and he knew Issen, the man before him, was one of them and often questioned his judgment. Though annoying he couldn’t blame the other captain, he simply knew how to do things, and sometimes he was as suspicious as others that the source of this knowledge was Jager. And if he had parts of Jagers memory could he not become like him? Alrick was all to familiar with this line of thought, he himself considered it daily.
Besides the barefoot Issen clad in a black shirt and matching cargo pants there was a much larger (though not abnormally so) Caucasian man in a bikers jacket, and a younger Asian girl in an average t-shirt and jeans. When he’d asked once why they decided to dress like normal people even in battle Issen had explained that having lived so long without a normal life most Arrancar viewed it as a chance to express their…normality of all things. At any rate the man was Richard (irony? top score) and the girl was Alice, which he was certain was not her real name but who refused to be called by anything else. These two operated as his second-in-commands, the Arrancar were organized more in a social circle than a military one, but they respected Kitotsan enough to follow Alricks orders, and he’d never really felt animosity from them for it. Though this did mean they were far more casual and rarely if ever addressed him in a military like manner.
“Have we heard anything since? Where are the shinigami deploying?”
Issen was the one to answer, “Not sure, doubt they aim to tell us. But the largest force seems to be coming from the North so I’d guess there. We thought we’d see them coming from the furthest away with the lack of terrain to the North so it was mostly a human force there, not even many spiritually sensitive humans. Still I doubt it’ll be an issue, they’re obviously playing with us or those ships would have kept firing and they would have dumped their entire payload of soldiers at once.”
Richard said something but it was utterly drowned out when a psychic voice spoke in his head, I. It seemed because they shared whatever it was that made the Fleischer blood so strong that whenever I did his telepathic thing so others could hear it was like he was screaming in Alricks head, sometimes he wanted to punch that emotionless robot and tell him to be just an itty bit quieter. Regardless he mulled it over in his head as the other three talked about what Issen had said, and then when he had his thoughts straight he interrupted them.
“Richard find out for certain was the shinigami are doing, Alice find out when the advanced artillery will be ready to take on the ships, and when you’re done ensure the rest of the Arrancar are deployed along the entire line. Things just got more complicated.”
Though they hadn’t heard what he had they must have assumed he had received a message over his headset and simply nodded and both disappeared to their appointed task. Issen was still sitting with his knees up, leaning against the wall, and nonchalantly asked, “I find something?”
Alrick nodded, “Yeah. Well, we knew this was just getting started”, Issen merely nodded in return.
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Standing atop the multi-story building gave Hana a clear view of the entire city; though his sight was slightly distorted by tall buildings to the East he was still able to get a handle on the situation. Standing with one hand on his hip the wind blew tossing his hair and the large bow holding it into a ponytail about in stark contrast to his uncharacteristically serious demeanor (though admitted it was more common of late). As he appropriated the situation without need for commentary from Kitotsan the rest of the White Knights minus Bob collected around him, an easy spiritual signature to find in this relatively confined area. The shinigami at large were going to be sticking to a long prepared battle scenario guide, but it would be up to Hana to direct the White Knights to points of interest, the group acting as the shinigami elites, a virtually nonexistent label after almost all were lost in the Horror Vacui battles.
With his right hand still on his hip he threw his left hand out into the air as he turned around to the group, “The Western flank is adequately covered. As per the battle plans the majority of the shinigami will move out with Sagara towards the largest attack incursion, Heton you will make your way North and link with his forces and aid him in whatever way he needs; I can already sense that Bob has moved in that direction. The rest of you will fan out toward the Eastern quadrant, we have no major forces there, and I don’t believe we’ve seen the major push from that area yet that is likely to come. Adala you will remain here with me, we will be handling Babel.”
Hizoru one of the Knights was the first to speak, “Alone!?”
Before Hana could respond he felt the appearance of reishi behind him and heard a familiar voice spoke, “Not completely alone, but as usual Hana’s observation of how to proceed is accurate,”
Few but Ada and Hana could have sensed Kitotsan before he appeared behind him and walked past his shoulder. Even faster than Hana, with the destruction of most of the spirit world it was highly likely Kitotsan was the fastest “living” being still around, able to appear even before shinigami could sense him, and certainly one of the few fast enough to keep pace with the inhumanly quick Jager. Though the attack hadn’t begun a minute prior Kitotsan had doubtless already given his standing orders and donned his battle outfit (a thoroughly unremarkable western coat that actually had reishi-coated metal plates inserted). Though it was important that he be around to give orders his great strength meant that he could not simply sit in a room dolling out lines, especially with so few truly powerful fighters to their name.
He continued, “You shouldn’t doubt her logic so much. Babel can’t even be attacked with that powerful barrier around it, only an equally powerful pinpoint barrage can overload it and there’s only one person here with an ability of that nature. While the Commander takes down the shield Adala and I will be adequate for destroying the incoming assault from the weapons barge. It would be pointless to commit more personnel towards it while its shield is still up; your time is better spent defending the fronts you can be of use on. Go, now!”
Though the logic made sense it wasn’t until Hana nodded and waved his hand at them that the group dispersed in a flash of movement. With the three of them remaining they turned toward Babel just as the barrier began retreating and some of the missiles it was launching began to make it past. Kitotsan began walking toward it and just before taking a step off the roof he turned and looked to Ada.
“There is one thing I didn’t mention to them, just before the attack we sense Jager and it was definitely coming from Babels direction. Should he appear I’m counting on you to keep him busy Adala, I will continue to take out Babels incoming ballistics while providing what aid I can come that event, but no matter what we must protect Hana while he takes down the barrier. I don’t care what kind of grudge you have; the wellbeing of this town and its nearly two million occupants relies first on its destruction, you know as well as I that they are a nonfactor to Jager and for that reason he will not go after them himself. Thus Babel is of far greater danger immediately.”
He disappeared without even the slightest hint of movement and instantly a dozen of the missiles imbound for the city exploded in mid-air, several dark slashes of black reishi the only sign that he had been there at all. Hana exchanged a brief look with Ada, anyone could have read that he was extremely concerned with what she would do if Jager really was there, but words wouldn’t have done anything at this point. Hana drew his nearly invisible sword from its sheathe and extended it outward as it began to glow with powerful blue-white reiatsu.
As his face hardened into a battle ready state he said only, “Good luck, be safe…. Scindo un Mundus…Terminus Telum!”
While Adala shot off into the air after Kitotsan who was already far ahead of her the rooftop behind them exploded into a small sunburst of light, and as it dropped the massive structure of Hana’s shikai took form. But while its power would definitely be their greatest weapon against Babel it also left him the most obvious and static target for Jagers forces to come for on the battlefield.
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Post by kensei on Aug 3, 2012 2:58:31 GMT -4
I moved across the Berlin skyline as fast as he could, his mind subconsciously linked itself to both of his clones. Even though he wasn’t connected to them like before. He could still feel V’s mind, his madness scratching at the back of his mind, getting stronger as the two moved towards one another. His small group raced against the clock, I praying he made it in time. If V was deployed before he got there… It would be catastrophic.
He stopped, landing on the last tall building between the barrier, and the great airship that floated outside of it. His eyes where locked on it, as the gate started to open. There he stood, waiting for it to open, his uncontrolled reishi flaring across the city as his eyes glowed red with madness. I held his breath for a moment, as his twin launched himself from the vessel, and down to the soldiers below. Not a single predator landed with him, they would only get in his way as he would be just as liable to kill them as anyone else. Gritting his teeth I jumped off the building, making his way towards the front lines.
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The ground crumbled beneath his feet, as the ruins of the suburbs made for his landscape. His eyes slowly traveled across the field of battle, as Arrancar started to make themselves known. Go play V! You earned this! A voice said in his head. Grinning V started to stretch his arms against metal vest that encased his arms like a straight jacket, glowing red and blue in places from his warring riatsu, keeping the destructive nature of his very being in check.
He left a cloud of dust in his wake, and the first of the Arrancar hadn’t the time to even release before V brought his foot down upon him, launching him into the ground. Landing past him, a half dozen cero’s flew towards him. He jumped into the air, rolling sideways as he parted his legs. The beams slid right passed him, not a single one touching his body, only slamming into the earth below. The ground erupted underneath him, launching him into the air. He rolled in the air as he changed his course, falling down in front of one of the Arrancar. He kneed him in the abdomen, before kicking him in the face and knocking him into a near by structure as another one attempted to stab him from behind. He jumped into the air no more then a foot as he kicked the blade off trajectory as he turned his body, bringing his other foot into the side of the man’s face and sending him flying.
As he landed he started to laugh, as each of the Arrancar released there Zanpakutos, recognizing the kind of fight they where in for at this point. V had made a bit of a reputation for himself over the course of the war, as possibly the single greatest threat of the war to those weaker then him. Though he lacked the power of Jager, unlike him he didn’t toy or ignore those underneath him, instead he simply worked through them, killing them with that same grin he always had. And in a flash he was back to playing with them.
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“Damn it! Those fools engaged him!” I said as he neared the battle field. “When we get there, Shita, I need you to pin him for me. Jackson, you’re the only one I want to help me in a direct fight. Your Shikai should be enough to help me break his suit, after that we just need to keep him busy long enough for his riatsu to do the rest. Stiches and Cast, you two tend to the wounded, if any of them are still alive...” The young arrancars saluted him as the two shignami nodded.
They stopped behind the ruins of one of the buildings, as V kicked the last of the Arrancar through one of the buildings. I closed his eyes, as he tried to calm himself. He knew full well he wasn’t a match for him in a one on one, he just hoped this would do the trick. Next to him, Shita, a member of squad Seven, started to cite an incantation. He nodded to her, giving her the single to make her move. She jumped into the air, floating above V as I dashed through the remains of the building. “Walls of ironsand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflys. Stand upright, silent to the end!” The five pillars fell down towards the ground, one of them managing to slam into V’s back, pushing him to the ground as I approached, gathering his riatsu into his palm and creating a spike of energy.
V pushed against the ground, lifting himself up before tossing the pillar into the air, as I desperately tried to pierce the armor with his surprise attack. V lifted his leg just in time to catch I’s arm by his bicep, pushing his foot against it as the two locked eyes. V turned his head slightly that mad grin of his stitched to his face, before pushing I’s arm out of the way and kicking him into the air. I’s mind went fuzzy from the blow, and barley had time to take in V’s lightning fast movements as he appeared above him, kicking him into the ground with such force that he bounced off of the ground a few feet like a bouncy ball. Blood filled his mouth and throat as he started to choke on it, before a final spine cracking kick knocked him into a pile of rubble. His vision went black for a moment as his bodies healing effects started to take there course, mending the damage he had just suffered. He coughed the blood out of his lungs as he stood up, his eyes unfocused as he tried to pin point V. Damn it Alrick, show up already..
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A flash of long red hair danced around the battlefield as Sagara made quick work of the predator warriors that had been deployed. A few dozen shingami had joined him for the frontal campaign, defeating the brunt of the soldiers in moments. As the predators started to retreat behind the barrier he could only sigh, his eyes traveling up to the airship. ”Just where are you… He whispered, knowing they had yet to see Jager’s full hand. This was nothing compared to what was to come, he was simply testing them, wearing down there defenses.
He looked back to the human warriors who had been manning the line. “All of you need to retreat back to the terradome, when Jager’s super weapons are deployed, the only thing you will accomplish is getting yourselves killed. All shingami under lieutenant status fall back to the second line. The rest of you stay here as the front line. When they appear we will stop them. All of them simply saluted and began there evacuations. Only a handful of the Shingami remained with Sagara, and though it meant halting the next predator assault would be more tedious, it would save lives in the long run.
It wasn’t five minutes later before his predictions came true. Just as he thought the Airship once again opened itself, this time deploying was the human weapon known as X. He gulped slightly, knowing full well X was beyond him. He closed his eye as he calmed his nerves, as flames danced around the hilt of his sword. ”Burn, Kasai.
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“Is that it?” X stated with absolute disappointment. “Adam… Do I really need to go down there to fight what? Seven Shingami? Can’t I finish my puzzle THEN fight them?” In an exhausted and slightly irritated voice Adam replied over the loud speaker in the hanger bay. “No X.. But I hear one of them might be strong, so why don’t you go and see! It will be fun! Remember when you liked killing things more then playing god damn video games? Remember those days? I do….” Looking down X started to twirl his thumbs. “Its not my fault you make such good ones… fine… I’ll go kill something. I wonder if the color of blood has changed yet. I want to see green blood, or purple. That would be fun.”
X took a step forward, falling face first to the ground. His mind riddled with thoughts as he made his decent. Like what would purpled blood taste like? Would it be thicker? Could it be made to taste like grape jelly? Or could grape jelly be made to taste like purple blood? Well, he’d have to figure out which one he liked better he supposed before he decided which one to work on. Maybe he should start working on both? Do a lab test… Do a survey and see which one was objectively better. But he could only test himself, because most people wouldn’t like purple blood. Or would they? He’d have to test that to… Maybe there was another color of blood he could try, maybe they’d have ideas? Red! Red always had good ideas! He should ask her about what blood is her favorite. Hmmm, Arthur was kind of a stick in the mud, he’d like brown blood.. Oh wait… Right.. Mission..
X sighed as he landed, looking at the shingami before slowly walking forward. “I propose we do something a tad different people! Whichever one of you is strongest step forward now, I kill him, then all of you accept you can’t beat me and you let me see which one of you has purple blood! Sound good? GREAT!” Looking at the first one in front of him he turned his head as his riatsu gathered in his fist. He moved right in front of him in a move similar to the Shingami Shunpo technique. “You look tough, you’re the strongest one right?” He said to the one eyed red haired shingami before slamming his fist into his face, blasting him with a wave of riatsu that sent Sagara flying. “Guess not… Okay, strongest one attack me, I think that will work out better then me…. Um, actually nevermind I’m going with my first choice, gonna kill the red headed guy, hes creepy. I don’t like one eyed people.. It’s spooky an-” __________________________________________
One eyed fools where spooky huh? He had to wonder what the little freak would have to say after getting his own eye sliced as Sagara dragged his serrated katana through X’s face. The blood poured down his face as Sagara slowly brought his sword through him, tooth by tooth before finally dragging the blade out. His body shaking as he started at X in a mix of shock and fear. He didn’t look hurt, scared, or even angry… Instead he only looked confused. As if he couldn’t process what had just happened to him. He stood there motionless for a second before squinting at Sagara. “You cut me off…. Why would you do that?”
Sagara took a step back, as his eye scanned the other shingami who had all activated there Shikai. “My…. Eye… MY EYE!!!!” X screamed as tendrils of riatsu started wrapping around him as the right side of his face started to stitch itself back together. “I’ll take your other eye for this you Cyclops!” He pulled his sword up, catching the first two tendrils as the pushed him back into streetlamp, causing him to cough in pain as he felt the metal slowly bend from the pressure, pined he could only watch as another one came from his side, stabbing into him like a knife. The tentril picked him up by his ribs, before throwing him across the street and through the third story of a small office building.. Coughing as his lungs started to fill with blood, his world went black as he watched as each tendril engaged a different shingami, as the monster known as X simply stood there.. His vision, slowly going in and out.. The last thing him hearing is the faint voice of a familiar shingami.
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“HEY YOU WITH THE UGLY MUG! You’ve got some nerve knocking my comrades around like they are ants you can just crush! Well you’ve pissed off the hive and theres no way I’m going to tolerate anymore of your shenanigans! Even if the heavens bend to your power, and the earth cracks under your fist I wont allow you to strike another warrior of justice down! Prepare yourself! Heton of class 187 is here to take you on!”
He jumped into the air, as he pulled his Zanpakuto out, it gleaming brightly as the sun caught the edge of the blade, as he fell like a dark silhouette towards the ground. “Burst through the vault of heaven, Laggan!” Riatsu wrapped around his entire being as a massive drill, no less then fifteen feet long and eight feet wide at its widest point formed around him. The drill looked as if it was made of solid gold, and behind it a red cockpit extended, with green flames coming out of its rear. The drill danced across the sky, before locking onto X and flying straight for him at terrifying speeds.
Inside of Laggan, Heton sat, gripping the two pilot sticks that where at his sides, as his target appeared in front of him. He grinned, as he pushed on the button on the side, launching a half dozen smaller drill bits, each a foot long, towards him. X brought his tendrils in front of them attempting to block the attack, but the nature of the drills went right through his riatsu weapons. X made a mad dash towards them, quickly moving in between each of the drills with his heightened reflexes, gathering riatsu in the palm of his hand he started to turn it, opposite to the way of Heton’s drill.
As the two opposing forces slammed into each other, the space between them erupted in a mixture of green and blue riatsu, dancing amongst each other in a scene that under any other circumstance would be truly breathtaking. The twirling energies started to fold in upon themselves, creating a sort of ball between them that then expanded rapidly, exploding in an instant. Both Heton and X went flying in opposite directions. Laggan skating across the ground, its drill slowing to a halt as it’s tip had been blown off, and cracks ran through the entire drill.
The inside of the cockpit was a dark red as warning lights flashed across the screen. Blood dripped from Heton’s head as he slowly raised his hand to his wound. “Yeah I know.. That didn’t work out very well...” He placed his hand on the core inside of it, pulling it out as the entire construct morphed itself back to his regular Zanpakuto, with Heton kneeling on the ground. His eyes locked on X as he slowly walked towards him. “All of you leave this area. I’ll take this guy on myself.” He said as he stood up with a cocky grin, speaking to the other Shingami. “Go look after Sagara, make sure he doesn’t bite the dust. Don’t worry, back up is on its way already if he turns out to be to much for me. But I want to try playing with him a bit.” And with that, both of them disappeared, and only a few small splashes of riatsu marked where they met as the two danced with one another.
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Adala had stood off to the side of Hana after the White Knights had arrived, as what felt like an awkward silence hung in the air as Hana commenced his actual duties. A slight smile took to Ada’s lips as she watched him. In this very moment, somehow, she was seeing a part of her sister in Hana, that strong leadership, duty and honor above all else mindset. Those two where cut from the same cloth, something she hadn’t truly noticed about Hana in the past, or at least hadn’t addressed in her mind before.
Her eyes turned to Babel as the massive weapons construct continued assaulting the shield. She was eternally amazed by the size of behemoth, of the sheer volume and ambition that Jager was capable of in his mad quest to destroy all and prove his dominance. The sheer malevolence and insanity that coursed through that man’s veins astonished her, enraged her, and fueled her every movement. Though it wouldn’t be for many years later that she would ever recognize that he was the catalyst for her own growth, in some sick way, Jager made her who she was, and defined the course of her destiny from that tragic day forward.
She wasn’t so lost in thought to not have heard Hana’s battle plans. As always they where direct, simple, and grasped there situation perfectly. A sentiment Kitosan seemed to agree with as he made his own appearance on the battlefield. She had only spared him a small glance, as her hands strummed the battlefield. She had long since given up trying to figure Kitosan out, or have any kind of kinship with the man. Though she greatly respected his power and knowledge, her loyalty to him simply wasn’t there like many others felt. There alliance was of necessity on both party’s part and little more at this point.
It was only when the White Knights had been deployed that he truly had her attention. She stood in shock for a moment from his words. Jager…. Just his name alone had such emotional and physical links to it, that just the mention of it made her angry, and sick to her stomach. A wave of confusion overtook her on the action she should take. Should she leave Babel to Kitosan and Hana and attempt to find him and remove him? Or do her duty? And what was more important to her? Revenge, or the lives of these citizens?
She closed her eyes, as she gritted her teeth and flew off into the air towards Babel. Both of her hands trembling in front on her Zanpakutos, as she questioned herself. Then, all around her the world turned to darkness, as her own body stopped responding to her commands, becoming stalled in time as two twin golden dragons started to circle her. Long and beautiful, glowing from the energy of each of there scales. Hogosha and Heishi, the twins that governed the realm of her Zanpakuto, her guardian spirits, circled her. Tell us Adala, what are you to be? Have you fallen so far down the path of anger and hatred that your own desire for vengeance draws you into such a state of hysteria? Our homes are broken, our sky is red, and it rains the blood of your tears every day. Where once such a question of this had but the path of honor for you to chose, you now wish to abuse our power for your own selfish desires. You have become but a shell of your former self, where once a soul existed there remains darkness alone. You are turning into a child of madness, and your actions will leave you no less guilty then your descendent in the death of innocents this day if you chose revenge. What is your choice child?
She landed on a building, her entire body trembling as she acknowledged what it was she had just considered doing. Had she truly just thought of discarding millions of lives for the sake of her own personal goal? Was her selfishness that powerful? That sickening? That absolutely appalling? Was she truly any different then him now? Her eyes watered as she fell to her knees, clenching her fist until blood ran down her hands. How far had she fallen?
She remained there, in that pathetic state for nearly a minute before whipping the tears from her eyes, as she stood up. “No… I wont be him..” He hand, firmly grasped her left katana as she pulled it from its sheath, her golden reishi flaring as her own eyes started to glow with her power. “Shield from the darkness Hogosha! Bankai!” A massive golden shield, made of pure riatsu hovered above the city. Over a three feet wide, and double that in height, it was the single greatest defensive bankai of the shingami. “Scatter Hogosha!” Instantly the bankai broke apart into a hundred six feet long tower shields, all of which started to slam themselves into Babel’s weapons, as the entire sky erupted in fire and gold. “I will protect the people of this city!”
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Post by GoldenKitten on Aug 3, 2012 3:27:47 GMT -4
I and his followers provided an entertaining sidetrack for V, but they alone lacked the raw power necessary to defeat the human weapon of mass destruction that had just made its way into the city. No matter how strong the quasi-clones mental prowess he could not make use of it if his blood rivals physical capability didn’t leave time for him to even activate. To back it up though V had gone through a few Arrancar that had been unlucky enough to be at his landing site none of the rest were moving from the defensive line, Kitotsan had a very well laid out set of universal orders and one was that nobody under a certain level was to attack one of a much greater standard. It was a reasonable rule, half the reason the Shinigami were in their current state was because it had taken them to long to stop trying to defeat the Horror Vacui with sheer numeric force, unfortunately it also meant nobody was coming to I’s rescue as V approached.
Or so it seemed at first as a black shift came from their side and tore towards V who was forced to turn from marching toward I to block it. But unlike was expected it turned out not to be Alrick but rather his co-commander Issen who leapt into the air and began spinning there, unleashing both kicks and punches in a torrent despite never grasping for leverage to continue the spin. Both his legs and arms were coated in a black steel-like substance that had to be his release as he continued to pour attacks upon V from his miniature cyclone of hammer blows. The clone was fast and powerful, and managed to block or simply out-power the Arrancar but not powerful enough to find an opening to retaliate. He was stronger than Issen but Issen had a hundred-years (or more) of experience and training behind him and wasn’t giving V a chance to reevaluate his own logic (or lack thereof in V’s case).
And before the row of strikes had gone on too long and become predictable its true purpose was revealed as a mass of reiatsu came charging from V’s other direction. Issen did not let up and only dodged at the last moment leaving V a split second to turn around and face Alrick who was now directly before him, his hands spread out behind him like a birds wings; holding two mass balls of green reishi that crackled through the air. But, the ploy turned into a failure, or at least a non-victory as V responded just in time and brought his hands up to match Alricks, their physical limbs never meeting as instead a mass wall of reishi clashed between them.
Forced to erect his with less time V’s was initially overwhelmed by Alricks own, but V’s vast reserves of energy began kicking in which eventually allowed him to jump backwards receiving minimal if any damage from the ensuing shockwave that was thrown between them. Both men stood several meters apart, and while there was the distinct sense that their trick could have gone better it had also bought them the time necessary; all of them including I having the chance to regroup behind Alrick. Not that this likely mattered at all to V who was currently no worse for wear.
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The descent of the more jovially malicious X had been marked by a quick defeat. Whether he had truly been a match for Sagara or the elder shinigami had simply made a mistake it didn’t matter, one of their prime assets in the ground war had been floored. Their rescuing savior Heton hadn’t fared much better, he’d briefly forced the lunatic into a clash and thankfully taken his eyes off weaker targets but in the end he’d been thrown back as well. Though it was doubtful the young (but brash) shinigami would fall quickly, being one of the few elite warriors left in their order, it was still doubtful he could take the monster on alone. Even the less experienced shinigami present could tell a front when they saw one, but at the same time they seemed to acknowledge the necessity of mustering their forces and began to pull back toward Sagara’s position with their blades still drawn forward, even though it was quite clear X’s eyes were focused on Heton alone for the time being.
Perhaps it had been this focus on the solitary shinigami that allowed it, or perhaps (as they all knew) the shadow that passed across X was just that good; but either way there was virtually no time to assess what happened then. Appearing in a blur between Heton and X the figures arms formed a fluid circle that drew the opponents eye for an interim, distracting them from the fury that was about to ensue. In that moment the shinigami had just enough time to ascertain the sight before them; Bob was here.
Passing in the blink of an eye the movement still seemed to take an eternity as a sound likened to a vacuum seemed to form around the area where his hands broke from their circular pattern and pushed forward. Then all at once X’s torso was pummeled with a barrage of unpredictable strikes; hitting once forward, twice backhanded, one striaght until the flashes of movement simply became unreadable. When X spat a long string of blood out Bob risked pulling his hand back longer than most and then delivered a great uppercut into his gut that created a sickening crack and slosh that would have reduced any normal persons insides to mush, but even given X’s resilience it still forced the weapon to knell over. And in doing so Bob performed one last turn whipping his body around, X looking up just in time to receive a palm to his face.
The sound it made stood out even amongst the din of battle around them and a visible shockwave emanated from the strike. X was uprooted from his standing point and was sent flying off into the rubble off of which he pinged numerous times before settling somewhere further in a large cloud of dust kicked up from the already loosened debris.
Bob stood silently for a moment, his long white scarf trailing in the wind over him as he seemed to be looking off at his opponent (though those that knew were aware he was feeling them rather than seeing), knowing full well that wouldn’t be the end of it. Though not all was known about Jagers forces the several clone soldiers he possessed were known to have great healing factors, the one called X perhaps more than any other. Bob looked much as he had many years prior when Heton and the other surviving academy shinigami had met him; lithe, of vague oriental heritage, spiked black hair, and always sporting his trademark large black aviators sunglasses. He now wore the black of a shinigami though he opted for more battle-conducive jeans, boots, and a muscle-tight armor plate with short sleeves.
Then apparently deciding he had left them in silence long enough Bob turned to the shinigami who had stopped perhaps believing they should change their tactics with the apparent shift in power. None of that mattered to Bob though as he exclaimed in a panicked voice, “Dammit! I should have introduced myself first, now I look like an asshole! Maybe I could do a cool posing introduction, you thin – nah, too late for that. Huh…”
Apparently coming to a conclusion without outside support Bob turned back to where X was and lifted his hand to his face, “Hey! Sorry about that, I’m Bob….I’m a ninja, thatpartsimportant[/size]. You ok in there?!”
A long awkward pause hung over the shinigami though most had grown accustomed to Bob’s rhetoric by now. Far more importantly as things shifted back into a more serious mood they could sense full well that even at this moment X wasn’t just well, he was damn well and if his reiatsu was any indication he was more prepared for a fight than ever as he rose from his landing spot. Even as he did the ship hovering above them opened its bays once more and a rain of black descended upon them as a smaller but still numerable wave of Predators drew near. They landed in front and directly around Bob though he made no immediate defensive moves, still looking moderately laid back.
Despite this posture when he spoke without looking at the shinigami Bob’s tone was in its distinctive serious wave, punctuated by uncharacteristic clarity that was a sure sign he genuinely acknowledged the severity of their situation if for but a moment, “Heton with me. All others retreat with the “Cyclops” to the nearest defensible line and stop any of them that make a move for the city.”
The Predators remained still for the moment as the shinigami behind him collected Sagara and began moving back as they were told. But as X placed his first step back outside the rubble mound into clear sight line it was uncertain how long that would last. Ever so gently Bob’s hand pulled back to the first of three blades on his back and grasped the non-zanpaktous hilt though he did not yet draw.
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The first of many javelins of pure energy shot forth from the newly arranged cannon atop the regional headquarters. Hana’s shikai gleaming bright white with pulsing blue lights at the length of a house not only glued him in place and also made him a target, however for the time being it seemed none of Jagers forces were going to take the opportunity. Instead the surroundings were cleared by a shockwave of pure force that blew out windows and tore the roofs off of any building within grazing distance of the beams trajectory, as the single shot exited the laser cannons muzzle it did so with such volume that even those a hundred meters from it found their ears ringing. A spear of white-blue light it ripped through the sky and impacted just above the metal shell that was Babels spiritually-conductive body.
A shield like skin that hugged the metal closely expanded outward in the direction of the strike to drive it back, and though Hana’s attack began pushing the shield back the lance did not last long enough and the shield was relieved as the energy dissipated. Back on the roof Hana pulled a lever and the exposed core that exited to let off heat retreated back into device, while a large white shell dropped to the ground beside him, a visual indicator of how many times he could fire the weapon. Taking aim at the same area of the shield he pushed the lever back into place so the core would eject once fired again, and then pulled the trigger.
In the meantime Babel had clearly taken hold of what was occurring, as he was a large metal vehicle it was easy to forget that a spiritually enhanced computer mind lay within that was processing tactics in real-time just like they were. He began firing off more direct attacks, many headed directly for Hana though Kitotsan calculated which these were and aimed for them first, though he remained as calm as ever one couldn’t help but notice that flitting about like an insect pushed for time was in contradiction to his form. Though both he and Hana took note of Adala stopping on the roof they did not have the time to question it as both pushed forward, Hana letting loose another blast that impacted the shielding once more performing a slow tug-of-war in his favor though it would clearly take more shots, perhaps more than he could use while Kitotsan single-handedly dispatched the steel hail descending upon the city.
Adala apparently making up her mind took to the air and released dozens of golden shields into the fray. As she took position over the lake area she had no sooner joined in than an already overwhelmed scene was overtaken further by a flurry of pure force, drowning all present in a sheet of pure reishi. Even the high-level Kitotsan and Adala could feel as the great force inserted itself, gray shifting the surroundings, and drilling an all-consuming static scream into their ears; but none more than Ada. The explosive concussions of a dozen of Babels missiles exploding in midair, the intense thud of Hana’s cannon, the cries of a burning city; all faded away to the dominating blaze of pure weight creeping up her back.
“ADALAAAAA-H!!!”, Kitotsans cry barely managed to pierce the cacophony of sound and even as he tried to dart for her Babel unleashed its largest payload yet forcing him once again to make a patchwork defense across the sky.
Ada was all alone as she turned to face him; floating solemnly in midair with his arm extended and the pinprick of red reiatsu on his pointer aimed at her, the only color in a whitewashed world. A plain look of utter uncaring plastered across his face as he peered down at her from a slightly higher vantage point giving him an air of superiority. And as the energy boiled to the top as he prepared to fire Jager stated only in a menacing tone, “Time to die.”
However, just as the energy had reached its zenith it suddenly decreased. In fact his energy diminished to such a level that the world began to take on color again and Jager feigned confusion, though the energy built at the tip of his finger was still ready to go off at a moment’s notice, and he exerted enough force to keep Ada from making any sudden moves. He asked in a seemingly innocent voice, almost that of a child though the implication was anything but, “Didn’t I already kill you?”
The devilish smile that split across his face as he watched Ada piece-together what he had meant was perhaps far more terrifying and downright evil than his hatred or uncaring could ever be. The clear joy he got from watching her anger boil over as he now spoke in a low and venomous voice was all too evident, “Oooooh right……to soon?”
And before she could move the pin of energy exploded into a full column directly at her, pouring past and impacting into the lake below where it boiled the water away and sent a large wave outward from its impact point. Had Jager not spoken he might have killed her but Ada had been given just enough time to assess the situation and move a shield in front of her before it hit, though by the time she could retaliate he was gone. While she was still in the middle of deflecting the blow Jager began to rapidly descend toward the lakes surface though he was still in a standing position, as if were lowering on an incredibly fast and invisible elevator platform. It stopped just short of the water’s surface and he met Ada’s gaze above him, his face still twisted in a smug grin.
Kitotsan was still engaged with Babels bombardment but managed to yell, “He’s luring you, you fool!”
But Kitotsans voice was drowned out as Jager held his arms out to his sides and boomed, “I really don’t see why you’re so upset, I mean you guys are already dead right? I was just completing the cycle. Just…making way for the new is all. So why don’t you come down here, it’s where the dead lie now.”
His feet dipped below the surface as he let out a low husky chuckle, as he temporarily lowered his head and shook it as if laughing at his own inside joke. Then, turning his eyes once more to meet Ada’s he made a motion with his hand as if to coax her toward him, and then his head too disappeared below the water. The serene reflective pool that remained at stark odds with the events around them, and the mood Jager had just aimed to put Ada in. Though already little could be seen as the waters of the lake were dark and filled with churned dirt it was quite evident that Jager had a trap prepared, the only question was if Ada was foolish enough to let her anger consume her reason.
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Post by kensei on Sept 22, 2012 5:13:53 GMT -4
Heton’s breaths where long and dragged out as he looked up at the hysterical warrior he had learned so much from. Even in such troubled times he still hadn’t changed, something he wished others had been able to do. He started to rise from the crouched position X had pushed him down into. His whole body ached from having to withstand the man’s blows. They wanted to cave in at a moment’s notice, but his own perseverance had sustained him through such times over the last dozen and a half years of being a shingami and shingami in training, he could withstand these cries, he wouldn’t faultier for some time still.
“Glad you made it before I finished him off.” He joked to his comrade, as his eyes settled in on the cloud of dust his opponent was currently under. He knew well the kind of regenerative abilities he possessed; now it was only a matter of time of waiting for him to rise. And from the sounds of moving stone, it wouldn’t be long.
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That… That was a solid hit! THAT FREAKING HURT!!! OH GOD! OH JOY! ADAMA WAS RIGHT!!!
X laid on his back, laughing as he let the pain sink in. He was sure something had been broken in the assault, maybe more then one thing. To be dropped like that, he hadn’t been hurt like this in months! His laughing grew louder and louder, quickly touching the ears of Bob and Heton. The long tentacles he had grown a liking to, pulled him up from the ground, and wrapped around the hole he had created in the building. They shone with a translucent beauty, completely transparent, but still very much there. They visually flexed for a moment as X started to pull his body against them, there length now set and finite.
The tension rose, the building creaking slightly, as if more of it was about to cave in from the stress, before X blasted through the hole like a rocket. The two shingami had only a moment to dodge the human missile, but there training wouldn’t fail them for such a straight forward attack. He had landed right where Bob was standing, shattering the asphalt as his entire form was wrapped in his riatsu. It peeled off of him, forming back into the six tentacles as he looked up at Bob. “Sweet sassy molassy! Adam was right! You are going to be fun!” And with no more pause he attacked.
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It was a sight to behold almost, watching V dance with Issen. He had suspended himself in the air, meeting every blow from the Arrancar with a sturdy kick of his own. A slight frown caught his lips as the vest that housed his arms flexed and pulled, signs of his desire to have his arms freed from the retched contraption that kept him alive. The battles he was placed in would take a deadlier turn when Jager finished the next version of the suit, and allowed him to use his arms in combat. But for now, his true strength was greatly hampered.
It seemed as both of them where ready to stay locked in the duel for all eternity, as neither one showed signs of letting up. That was, until Issen jumped backwards to give Alrick the opportunity he needed. V turned to him, as he opened his mouth and let out an inhuman screech. His lungs filled reisihi, as he expelled it outwards, creating a hazy wall for the two green orbs to slam into. Both grew in size and color, as V’s scream turned into a massive wall, far longer then he needed to stop the attack.
He jumped back as the two attacks fueled each other into a small explosion, putting a few meters between V and his new toys. His insane laughter drowning out the sounds of war as he stretched his neck to a pop, taking slow strides forward as riatsu blew from the exhaust ports on his back, mechanical evidence of the job it was doing of absorbing and containing the riatus that naturally corrupted his body.
------ I growled slightly as he watched his “brother’s” failed attack. The strategy behind it was solid, but even so the sheer speed and power gap between his clone and them wasn’t something that could be overcome so easily. His body still ached as marks still showed across his skin, all of his healing efforts being concentrated on the internal damage. He didn’t have nearly the healing prowess of his clones, nor the vast reserves of power that charged them. Of them all, he was the one that couldn’t survive fatal blows, couldn’t walk through fire and not get burnt.
But he had his mind, and that alone was there key to victory. The three of them where like rock, paper, scissors, and in this case, V was rock, and I was paper. “Alrick, Issen, I need you to distract him so I can get close without being pushed back instantly. Think you two can handle that?” He said as Alrick let out a slight chuckle, and said with a hint of sarcasm. “Yeah let me get right on that.” Alrick made a quick motion with his hand to his second in command, before dashing off to the side. Moments latter they both circled in from either side of V, attacking him simultaneously
Alrick went for a clean right hook, which V dodged with a turn of his body, before leaning backwards under the wide strike from Issen to his upper chest. Alrick slammed his elbow down into V’s abdomen. His legs buckled underneath the force off the blow dropping him onto the ground. In an instant V rolled out from under them, and stood once more. Alrick again went for a clean jab to the face with his left arm, while strangely Issen held back a bit.
V kicked him underneath the armpit, certain that would knock him unbalanced. But instead it only resulted in Alrick grabbing V’s leg, and pulling him off of the ground before throwing him straight towards I, who was already on the move to intercept.
V slammed into I with great force, causing him to loose his breath and both be lifted off of the ground with the momentum. But it allowed him to do his job. I clasped both of his hands onto V’s head, locking the two’s mind.
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Who was it that floated inside the tank of green liquid? Was it X? V? I? Or was it neither? Or was it all of them? However one decided to explain it, Siegfried was the one who floated unconsciously in the vat, Jager and Adam standing in front of him, there muffled voices slowly shaking him out of his sleep as he caught the tail end of there conversation. “How far do you want to take him?” There was a pause as Jager seemed to contemplate the question. “Level two. Well see from there.”
Everything thing went black until it refocused in, Siegfried screaming as he was being strapped down to the operating table. “Please god! Let me go! PLEASE STOP! NOOO!” He continued to wail on as the scientists finally gagged him so he wouldn’t bite his own tongue off. There was no point in numbing the pain, he was going to feel it no matter what. What exactly the put into him, couldn’t really be said, but as it found its way into his blood stream, every single living cell was attacked. He screamed as it felt as if he was melting from the inside out, his mind completely blank as it failed to even comprehend the pain it was under. He shook violently, before his heart finally gave out. The shouting of the scientists faded into the distance..
Now he was chained to a wall, starring down a man with some sort of flamethrower. He was too tired to even try talking or struggling, his body naked, and ashes lay at his feet as the smell of his own burnt flesh clung into the air. “Why…” He whispered as he saw the pillar of flames reach him again, causing him to scream as he fell to his knees, as every part of his body was charred, and then slowly healed by his own powers. Again, and again, until finally the man stopped..
His body was distant; the world was a blank haze as fuzzy outlines stood above him. Looking as if a television station had censored there bodies. He couldn’t hear what they where saying, but he felt himself slowly slipping from his grips. Who was he? Where was he? What… was candy? The cloud of drugs faded from his system, and so did everything he once knew. A man that instilled some primal fear smiled at him, saying only three words. “Welcome home X.”
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It had taken only a few short seconds for I to finish showing V what had been done to them before they became as they are. Both of them where breathing hard and slowly as there minds tried to understand all of the pain wasn’t real. V had no memories like those, so I had to force his own upon them, making him relive them alongside V. They had just felt every pain, every ounce of fear and sorrow that Siegfried had felt when he underwent the process of becoming X.
Neither of them where even capable of moving for the next minute or so, but Alrick didn’t risk hurting I as connected as the two of them where currently. Faintly, I spoke. “That is what they did to us, that is who you serve! You’re a mad dog biting the enemies of the people who abused you! Are you so insane you can’t understand even that! They are your enemies!” It was a foolish plea, but he wasn’t really trying to make V change sides. He was far too dangerous to ever trust. But he needed what little stability he had broken if he had any shot of defeating the monster. A shaky hand grabbed him by the shirt, before flinging him right past Alrick as V muttered. “no…. noo… Why? Why does he lie to me?” The human weapon staggering around the ground as tears formed in his eyes.
His riatsu ripped out of him in waves, knocking back anyone who was fool enough to try and get close to him in this state. “WHY DOES HE HURT ME!!!” He screamed as his entire suit started to glow red, the riatsu exhaust vents constantly purging his energy to try and stop catastrophic overload, but it was quickly becoming evident the suit was going to burst under the surge of power at this rate.. He fell to his knees, screaming into the air as his mind swirled.
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It was hard to say where she was, but from a distance Amani was watching over there fight. The suit she wore made it impossible for I to notice her, but she was overseeing everything that was going on, especially with V.. He was her troubled child, he felt such pain, such sorrow, he was a fragile thing, so close to breaking at any moment. Her mind called out to him trying to offer what comfort she could.
Her words where like the arms of a mother, cradling the panicking child as she whispered soft lullabies to his ears. Calming him, and ensuring him that everything he had just seen, and just been shown was a lie. They would never do anything so cruel to him, he wouldn’t do something like that. They where a family after all.
But the distant cousin in I had been there, in the darkest corners of V’s mind as he laid in lurking. Not willing to break the connection he had worked so hard to form. It was here that he over heard all that she said, a sickening feeling churned his gut as he cursed her name. In a few short words she had glued V’s mind back together, and it was going to be harder for him to snap it again.
His eyes locked onto with his mirror’s, the pulsing torrents of raw riatsu had stopped, and a look of utter hatred and malice had replaced the twisted grin he had adorn for most the fight. The entire atmosphere here was different, V’s murderous hunger was almost palpable, and I knew he had only awoken the true murder that laid inside of V. This fight was far from over..
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X’s speed was possibly beyond that of even Bob’s, and it was for sure his physical strength was unrivaled in this fight. But X fought on instinct instead of training, his fighting style was just that, stylish, it was almost an art in its own right. But in it there where extra movements that didn’t need to be and it slowed his attacks down enough to make the speed of his attacks even with the Ninja’s.
Heton was barely able to keep up with the two of them, launching what attacks he could, and being there to block the six reishi tentacles in an attempt to keep the fight fair for Bob. Something had to be said for just how quickly he was adapting to the speed though, it was a sort of proof as to why he had become Bob and Hana’s project child so to speak. He was growing constantly, at a nearly unheard of rate compared to most of his pears from his years at the academy. But not only that, speed was always his game, so while surprising to most, it was unlikely it even phased Bob that his pupil was capable of watching his back in such a fight.
But it was very much a fight between Bob and X at this point. The fight had been a near lock between the two, as Bob blocked all most of X's blows with the sword, but one had to wonder just how long a non Zanpakuto could hold up against the sheer force that it was constantly being assaulted with. In a slower then usual blow, X drew back his arm, as one of the tendril’s folded in on itself, and back into his back before he threw the punch. All of the spiritual energy that had formed the tendril had collected itself into his fist, and Bob surly knew what was about to happen, but had no time to actually dodge the assault. The blade shattered upon contact, finally giving in to X's advances, and as the glowing fist touched Bob’s chest ts sent him flying backwards into a pile of rubble.
X made a mad dash for the wounded Ninja, gathering enough power in his palm for a possible killing blow if he managed to hit it. However, he would be intercepted. Heton had gathered such a strong concentration of riatsu at his feet that it sent him flying forward twice as fast as he had been moving before. He was like a blur coming in as he pulled his sword back. X barely had time to jump backwards to dodge the brunt of the wild swing, as the very tip of the blade scratched his chest. As Heton landed on the ground, he spun a half dozen times, as smoke arose from his sandals. His breathing hard as he stood to his feet, pointed his sword to the sky. “That’s it! I’m done playing around! Shatter the-“
He stopped however, as Bob yelled out from the rubble.“No Heton! Now is not the time for such rash actions! You must know the limits of your powers; your Zanpakuto is not suited to fight such an opponent. You would only ensure his victory if you used that. Know what tools you have, and when to use them. But for now, watch.” He finished, before walking towards X, with an all too serious expression on his face. “Heton.. after this, we are going out for tacos..”
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Even the action of breathing felt nearly impossible for her as an all consuming, all powerful presence seemed to swallow her entire existence inside of him. Fear clenched her soul as she immediately felt completely overpowered by the being crawling up behind her. The feeling was akin to the first time she had ever met a Captain, or felt one in combat. But the entire… purpose of the energy was completely different. The malice, the hatred, and utter evil behind this was unlike anything she had felt in Soul Society say for the Ninth Division’s own Captain.
But the energy was also deathly familiar, and as she turned to see she knew exactly who it was behind her. Her mind panicked, her entire body felt distant, and everything going on around her faded into the screaming void of his uncaring face. Anger boiled in her soul before he had even said a word. But as he paused, to deliver that one final jab before he killed her, it overflowed, allowing her to break through the fear and the overpowering sensation enough to pull one her shields in front of her, blocking the bastard’s attack.
Two more appeared to her back side as she finished blocking the attack, before pushing the shield away as she readied herself to charge him down. Growling as he had moved, down to the lake they had made boil moments prior. “Jager…” She hissed as she tried to control her instincts to charge him down right then and there. Her hands shook as she extended it forward, a massive amount of energy gathering in her palm as the entire area around her started to glow with a golden hue. “Sanctify! The prison of God! Hold fast the heretics! Shackle the damned! And purge the unrighteous!” In an instant, a golden beam shot forth from her palm, covering the entire surface of the lake in its light, acting as a prison to hold whatever is underneath there, down there. It was a level 83 binding kido, one that even Jager would have some trouble breaking. Ada only hoped it bought them enough time to take down Bable.
She practically screamed at Hana in her controlled rage. “Would you hurry up and blow this thing up so I can kill THAT FUCKING MAN?!” It was… Progress.. At least she wasn’t running him down, and instead she directed her shields to block the incoming barrages from Babel still, even if every fiber of her being wanted to skewer Jager instead of being here..
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Post by GoldenKitten on Sept 22, 2012 23:20:46 GMT -4
Beneath the still form of the golden lake Jager lay on his back, staring upward as he calmly floated within the inky liquid. Though his acute senses could detect what his many times great removed ancestor had formed with her spiritual energy, his mind did not want to grasp it. They were always running, always setting traps, always avoiding direct conflict; it was a thought process unattainable by his own. Why his ancestor would seek to avoid conflict was unthinkable to him, or indeed why all of humanity seemed to. After all, only through fighting could one test themselves, weed out the unworthy, and discover their own limits.
Unthinkable….illogical……Jager sighed. Or well, he sighed inside, being underwater it was more along the lines of “Glorgle-blublublub”.
Reaching up to his ear he removed the transceiver he would normally speak through and pushed a button on it. At first nothing happened and he began comically shaking the object and glaring at it until a small light finally began blinking on one end.
‘Note to self: Invest in waterproofing in future.’
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Above water Kitotsan tore across the sky, his passing opening a black rift in the air that devoured an incoming row of missiles which then exploded long after he’d moved past. He stopped before impacting into the ground, spun, and pushed off the surface utilizing reiatsu without ever coming into direct contact spiraling back into the air. Even as he did so the catapults all along Babels length continued to flash, the battle barge possessing a seemingly unlimited number of projectiles, though so far deflecting them had been childsplay for the master Vizard.
The pause in between the last volleys destruction and the new ones launch gave him time to acknowledge Ada’s response, it seemed his faith had not been misplaced as she managed a rational if anger filled reaction. He’d have given her a pat on the back given the chance but they had none, instead she would have to suffice with the smug grin he had and the yelled order of, “We’ve still got incoming, keep covering those low ones!”
But it was a moment of levity that would not last, as everyone’s expression went grim with what followed. There was a loud screeching as if a microphone was being moved into place, and then the pre-recorded voice of the man who was currently locked under the waves began playing from every ship around the city at a blistering volume.
“Did you see that?! Did you see?! Well, I can’t, because I’m recording this beforehand and haven’t the faintest clue what the hell you’re seeing. But hey, if you’re hearing this then you cheated you sneaky cheater! Now, I don’t know about you, but as someone who greatly appreciates being direct I find cheating abhorrent, don’t you?”
There was a pause, “Alright I’ll take that callous look or whatever it is you’re doing right now as a yes! Good, I’m glad we agree! Then you’ll also agree cheating and not fighting me head on is an atrocity against all things awesome. HOW TERRIBLE! A terrible waste of everybody’s time, and a terrible tricky thing to do! So it should probably be punished, yes…yes...I think it should be punished-”
The cheerful voice suddenly went dark for one last utterance, “severely.”
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Down on the street level the panic was complete. Though the vast majority of the civilian population had either been moved below or out of the town there were still several ten-thousand on the streets. Once the attack had begun in-full all entrances to the Terradome had begun complete shut-down. It wasn’t the desired end and had nearly torn Kitotsan and Hana apart when the plans had been made in the days prior. In the end the rationale of Kitotsan had won out, it was more important to protect those they had evacuated below than to put everyone at risk by continuing to move the remaining population in. However this did leave those left behind panicking above ground.
With organizers no longer moving them along, no escape to be had, and foes at their doorstep no amount of calling for calm could rectify the situation as the city went insane. Many broke from the large groups on the street to seek refuge in any nearby building, some tried to return home with no other option, and still others began looting the now mostly emptied city while its defenders were busy with Jagers forces. This made for a massive civilian target, and one that began to panic wildly as the city started to shake, mild tremors gave way to massive ripples that were well beyond the realm of any earthquake.
In the blink of an eye several buildings around the city, well inside the range of the shield shifted and began toppling to the ground as the Earth beneath them gave out. With the exact displacement of the remaining topside population unknown it was impossible to guesstimate an immediate death toll, but as several of the buildings that came down were within the central skyscraper district there was no way deaths could or had been avoided.
Even as the building crumbled to the ground dozens of ovular silver objects launched high into the air, having shot out of the ground like cannonballs, being the cause of the destruction in the first place. As they reached an elevation of a twenty meters or so the outer shell on each ripped off like a sheath. Within dozens of Predators stood from their crouched positions and shot off at random landing inside the city, well behind the outer defensive district. Some broke off toward the civilian groups that were mostly undefended; others began toward the defensive lines to flank their less defensible side.
And in an instant the carefully constructed defense of Berlin began to crumble, even if they were not quite done yet.
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Kitotsan had been so focused on how quickly it was all falling apart, seemingly because of a simple whim on Jagers part, that he almost didn’t catch a nearly battle changing development. One of the delivery pods had exited from the ground not a hundred meters from where Hana was perched and firing, and the moment the Predators had exploded outward they had made a beeline toward the prone Shinigami leader.
Things would go from bad to worse if they couldn’t penetrate Babels shield. Stopping or destroying him was the top priority, there wouldn’t be anyone left to save if they didn’t. That said if Kitotsan turned his back on Babel to help Hana the city could be leveled in the seconds it would take. Ada was closer and Hana’s only hope, Kitotsan waved at Ada and pointed toward Hana to alert her to their predicament, “Go! I will cover t-”
But his head swiveled back when he felt an energy spike emanate from Babel, and he watched as the laser ports that had been dormant until now came online. Till now Babel had put all its effort into launching attacks built for decimating large swaths of territory, but which were rather ineffective against small fast targets like himself. But it seemed that blessing was over, perhaps intended to coincide with this exact event several of its missile tubes had shut down, and no sooner had he turned to see what was happening than the beam ports opened fire.
The entire southern side went up in fire as dumbfire lasers scorched the earth in the thousands. But of far more danger to Kitotsan and Ada were dozens of thin but powerful beams of reiatsu that tracked their movements closely. Spearheaded by miniature spiritual tracking probe the beams were capable of minute instant turns and could follow even the fastest spiritual denizen. This was evidenced as Kitotsan flitted across the sky, the beams surrounding him several times only to miss in the end, but which rendered him totally incapable of stopping the now incoming missiles, or helping Hana. Ada would find herself in much the same predicament.
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That man should be so proud, though Bunny doubted that mattered, he was far too busy being proud of all those other things. She never failed and always completed the ridiculous tasks allotted her, but did she ever get credit? No. For instance she’d ensured her group of Super Predators had come out right on top of that annoying person shooting Babel, but she doubted anybody would even notice her efforts when this was all over. It truly was nothing but a bother, but for…some reason….she couldn’t explain she just felt…………..compelled to keep following orders. It was irritating, who was-
But before her thoughts could wander she felt a searing pain in her brain and instantly all other thoughts were pushed aside, and she was focused on the attack at hand. It had coincided perfectly with Babels own laser attack, nobody would be saving the Shinigami as she and five other Super Predators descended on the undefended figure in mass. Their target had noticed them by now, the girl was looking up over her shoulder at them and seemed to be weighing her options, but Bunny knew there weren’t any. With such a cumbersome weapon there would be nowhere to move no matter how deadly its attacking end might have been.
And so with a roar and a psychic whip riled her flock into a frenzy and went hurtling toward the lone figure. It was only at the last moment that Bunny saw the shinigami move, wisps of light circled her large cannon and in an instant it dissipated in a flash of reiatsu particles. In its place the shinigami produced a sword made of pure blue energy and brought it up just in time, blocking all the Predators attacks at once despite their overwhelming force. Still despite the surprise the Shinigami was just delaying the inevitable.
While two of the Predators pressed the attack forcing the girl to keep her blade raised Bunny and the others dropped to her sides and all attacked at once. Bunny could never have seen what happened next even with her psychic foresight, with her blade still raised and holding the two above the girl twisted her body so she was bent backward. Two of the Predators strikes went above her stomach and chest, the other one went just below the arch in her back, and at the same time she caught Bunnies outthrust hand in her own, stopping any momentum cold.
Bunny growled, not used to being outclassed and unable to read her opponents movements. But it was still over, she had moved well but the shinigami was now completely surrounded and in no position to defend from every angle. Then, just as Bunny was about to usher the final attack command she sensed an incoming attack she could foresee. She and the shinigami both looked skyward, seconds before multiple lasers from the weapons platform Babel slammed into the building.
Bunny, the Predators, Hana, and the entire building instantly went up in a pillar of explosive reiatsu, lasers continued to impact the site over-and-over, reducing the area to nothing, as the updraft formed an ominous mushroom cloud of glass and debris that soon showered down upon the streets around it.
At the same time many of the missiles that had made it past Kitotsan and Ada began impacting the remains of the Berlin skyline.
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Hundreds if not thousands dead not counting possible lost troops in the assault, the city on fire, all of the leadership in dire straits, and Hana almost certainly mortally wounded if not already dead.
Punishment indeed.
Jager wondered, might this spur his ancestor to fight him? He did hope so; it was all he wanted…he felt that wasn’t so much to ask.
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Having stopped Heton from foolishly charging into a situation for which he was not suited Bob stepped back on to the field. He absentmindedly brushed some dust off his shoulder, and one might note that though he had some scuff marks, and a very shallow cut on his right arm none of the attacks so far had dealt true damage. Bob tested the blade in his left hand by holding it up and bending it with his fingers, the tip easily broke off from the tension it had been put under. But Bob brought it back to his side, evidently not ready to trade-off for his Zanpakuto just yet.
When he spoke it was in a loud and showy tone he often used when telling stories, or exaggerating things; “Heton, here is a lesson. When you have observed your foe and found a clear difference between your combat styles, capitalize on that! Our foe only knows power, so exploit this utilizing our own skill and finesse, WATCH!”
Bob built a great deal of reishi in his feet and then accelerated toward X who was standing ready, perhaps finding his opponents amusing enough to wait and see what came next. Building up speed Bob continued in a straight beeline toward X displaying neither skill, or finesse. At six meters away Bob reared his upper body back and bellowed, “FINNN-”
And then in a flash releasing the bundled reiatsu he had built closed the distance between them faster than the eye could follow and proceeded to…headbutt X.
“-NNEEESSSEEE!!!”
Their foreheads met and a pulse of energy exploded between them, X apparently expecting something else or not being prepared for the last burst of speed that had occurred. The visible reiatsu lines showed a piercing air pressure that had traveled from Bob’s forehead, through X’s, and continued on behind him until it hit a wall. The force of the attack had pushed X back several meters as he stumbled to catch his footing, a mixture of confusion and delight spread across his face.
Meanwhile Bob placed a hand on his own forehead and stated, “GOD! That hurt! I now have a ninja-sized headache! Which, now that I think about it is a terribly analogy, for we ninjas are small and discreet!”
Reforming his reiatsu around himself and his blade Bob pulled his hand from his head and took turns slamming each foot to the ground, getting traction while he yelled, “We are humble, and silent warriors, and we are most definitely never seen!”
With a mighty roar of wind the torrent of reiatsu he had built around him tightened close to the skin as to be armor rather than an offensive force, though it still burned brightly. With his sword now held in a more traditional fashion he uncoiled the energy in his legs and burst toward X once again, “HERE I COME!”
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Post by kensei on Nov 17, 2012 5:22:25 GMT -4
There were a few moments of pause as neither party moved an inch. It was enough of a pause for I to finish fully recovering from the bashing he had received earlier on. But he hesitated to move, the carnal power that seemed to be slowly gathering in V instilled… fear. He felt like a fox trying to fend off a mountain lion, he had to think. He blinked for a moment as he calmed his breathing, glancing over to Alrick. “Alright, we nee-“
His eyes went wide as he felt the surge of power coming towards the three of them. It seemed V was simply waiting for him to take his eyes off of him. His half metal body went straight past him for Alrick, kneeing at the core of his abdomen, though Alrick’s reactions where quick enough for him to jump back and avoid the blow. He planted his feet firmly in the ground, spinning to his left sending a kick towards Issen, forcing him to withdraw as well to avoid it.
His blood red eyes starred I down, as riatsu coiled around his legs. Had he just planned on separating them so he could exact his revenge? I lacked the speed or fighting prowess of Alrick and Issen, there was no way he could stop or dodge V with the distance between them. V slammed his knee into I’s abdomen with the force of a charging rhino, lifting both of them in the air before he slammed his head into I’s nose, and grinning as he felt it crack under the force of the blow. V seemed to slow slightly in the air as he spun, and giving a straight kick to I’s gut.
I gritted his teeth as he barely managed to catch the attack, causing his arms to cry out in pain, but the look on V’s face made up for it. The made man pulled against I’s iron grip to no avail, as I started to spin slowly in the air, before gathering enough momentum to launch V into the ground, before sending a ball of riatsu at his body that exploded on impact. Dust flew into the air as V laid below I, coughing slightly before he started to pull himself up, but being so focused upon I he hadn’t taken note of the other combatants.
It was a fault that Alrick quickly exploited as he charged at V with his hand coiling back in a fist, filled with reiatsu. However, as V instinctively turned to face Alrick down, flaring his own energy in return the armored man pulled his punch. Spinning in place he used the recoil in his legs to jump into the air, only a meter or so above V’s head, but as soon as he was clear energy boiled behind V, “Cero.”
Issen launched a bolt of super-heated red negative energy directly into V’s back, as they had learned their lesson and hadn’t given him the time to counter this turn. Clearly Alrick was brighter than he sometimes appeared, rather than charging in like it had seemed the duo had instead used V’s own instincts against him. However, even as the energy exploded along V’s back, eclipsing him momentarily the aggravated look on his face suggested it was a nuisance more than anything.
But, rather than be surprised this time Alrick continued to spin in the air, and then brought down a mighty dropkick on V who was still recovering. Though V didn’t have time to turn his energy or legs to face the threat, and he was still stumbling forward from the cero; his eyes followed Alrick in a way that showed he was keenly aware of his position. As the kick came down V raised one of his legs and slammed it into the ground, fortifying his position, as his body went rigid with reiatsu.
Alricks kick came down directly on top of V’s head with a mighty slamming sound, yet almost instantly everyone knew something was wrong. V’s head barely moved down an inch as his going solid at the last moment allowed him to entirely buffet the attack, transferring the energy into the ground. It was doubtful he understood the mechanics behind it; his instinct was simply that intense.
More immediately important this left Alrick floating motionlessly in the air, as the forces negated each other. And then summoning his near infinite energy V let out a roar and craned his neck upward, reaching his upper-body out and then biting down hard on the end of Alricks boot.
Alrick muttered, “You have got to be fucking kid-”
Twisting his body with his feet planted firmly in the ground the force began to move Alrick, and before the man knew it he was being whipped around a full quarter-turn before V opened his mouth and Alrick was tossed, armor-and-all. He flew several meters before landing on his back, sliding a bit, and then summoning strength in his abdominal muscles he sprung to his feet and came to a stop. Even as he did V coiled around, blasting his energy to even higher levels with his eyes now tracking all of them. Making it obvious that even if by pure raw fighting power such a sneak attack wasn't going to work so well again.
V’s eyes traveled over each of them as it seemed he was contemplating his next move. This whole fight it had seemed to always ended up being his move, they where playing at his pace right now, a facet that aggravated I to no end. But seeming to figure out what it was he was going to do, V leapt into the air, though further away from any of them. He let out a slight yell as he slammed his foot into the ground, as a wave of reishi soaked into it, making twenty feet of earth ahead of him glow faintly, slowly the entire glowing earth started to rise up, its entire being asymmetrical, its width splintering out with no rhythm, evidence of the lack of total control V had over his riatsu. But it simply stayed there, floating, before he slammed his other foot into the ground and a similarly sized chunk of earth rose close to that leg.
From I’s and Alrick’s perspective, V was unseen, both where slightly dumbfounded as to just what in the hell he was doing. But it was soon made clear. He jumped into the air, kicking both chucks of earth in the middle, sending them flying for I and Alrick respectively as he landed on his feet. It was a clumsy attack, one neither would have any trouble dodging, but it served a purpose. Using the moment it gave him as a distraction, V charged straight for Issen. It was curious his thought process, it seemed he was more capable then the group had given him credit for, seeing Issen as the easiest threat to dispose of, and keeping him alone for at least a moment.
He planned to finish him off in one blow it seemed, as he jumped into the air, gathering a mass of riatsu onto his foot. The two’s eyes locked in the moments before impact, but as soon as V made contact, the riatsu exploded, covering the area in a dust cloud, making it impossible for I or Alrick to see what had happened to Issen and V.
Meanwhile in an area not far from this encounter….
X laid on the ground, smiling as he started humming to himself. This… This was better then playing video games!!! He started bobbing his head slowly to the beat inside his mind as he his entire body started to rise with no physical action being taken on his part aside from the bobbing of his head. His foot started tapping on the ground as he crouched slightly, his arm swinging in and out as he snapped with each swing. And then he extended his other arm, palm out as he extended his leg before dragging his foot back and striking his own rendition of the classic Michael Jackson pose.
His head was lowered as he whispered. “Let’s get dangerous..” He continued the snap as he slowly walked towards Bob, a small flicker of riatsu leaving his finger tips with each snap, dimly illuminating the area. It took a solid minute for him to close the distance between the two of them. His hand stopped as he was only a mere two feet from him, X placing his pointer finger on Bob’s chest as he locked eyes with the Ninja, who stood a good head over X. Small riatsu pulses echoed off the tip across Bob’s chest and into the air, twenty different sized rings where created this way, but each one vanished without causing any sort of harm.
He pulled his arm back, a line of riatsu connecting his pointer finger with Bob’s chest, as X’s eyes went wide. “Alrighttttt!” And in an instant he launched himself into the air, pausing for a moment to give Bob some time to prepare himself before he attacked. X recreated the tendrils he had previously made, though this time they where lined with dozens of smaller little needles all pointing towards the ground. “LET ME HEAR MORE OF THAT BEAT! SING FOR ME!” He screamed as hundreds of orbs of riatsu fired out of the small tips. The entire area was being ripped apart by the hundreds of micro explosions as X slowly tilted in the air, following Bob’s movements.
The tendrils on his back where slowly started to shrink and grow slightly fainter, as if they where a physical manifestation of his riatsu reserves. But then, X stopped firing as he fell to the ground. His body glowing slightly as two of the tendrils sank back into him. “That just aint doin it for me!” He said as he started to laugh, before dashing towards Bob, leaving a trail of dust behind him. His movements where slightly faster then before, and his blows hit harder. He threw a punch, then a kick, and another and another as he erupted into a massive volley of attacks upon the Ninja. Laughing all the while.
Remember kids, serious time, serious face.
Ada only shook her head at the remark from Kitosan, as she tried to fight back a slight smile. Even though anger burned inside her, the slight praise and the difference in the way he was acting towards her now, made her feel… good. It had been a while since any kind of positive remark was sent her way from her allies. She had been failing them a lot it seemed, and such a simple thing was a dear treasure to her.. But she didn’t have the time to enjoy the moment. Instead she focused completely on the task at hand, stopping Babel before Jager freed himself.
But then the screeching started, and what followed next was hard for Ada to process.. He knew… He knew that she wouldn’t fall for his trap, or at least planned for it.. He always planned.. He always knew what she was going to do… The hellspawn that had come from her family could read her like an open book and it burned her soul so. She was constantly falling for one trap or another. Or was this all just one big mental game? How much was he going to toy with them?!?
A growl escaped her lips as she hissed his name, before her eyes went wide. Slowly she looked over her shoulders as the entire city started to shake violently, even though she was in the air and couldn’t feel it, the sounds the entire city was making because of it could be heard for miles and miles outside of it, before several building started to collapse. “What in the world…” She whispered, as she saw the chaos unfold, as the dozens of drills that had contained the Predators exploded out of the ground and unleashed the mindless soldiers onto the civilian population.
She didn’t know how to react, what she was suppose to do.. Part of her wanted to go down there and help the people still trapped on the surface, but the rational side told her she had to stay till Babel was destroyed. She turned back to it, as she moved her shields into position to block the incoming volley, and what would be the last of such an attack.
She had been so focused on stopping the attack that she hadn’t noticed what was happening to Hana until Kitosan called out to her. She turned as dozens of shields flew from there positions down towards Hana, her world slowed to a crawl as she felt the mass of Reishi coming from Babel. She turned her head as the lasers headed straight of her. Gathering her shields around her, they formed together into a semi-transparent bubble with a golden hue. She could only sit inside of it as she watched the scene unfold, screaming at the top of her lungs, though not a sound pierced her Zanpakuto. “HANA!”
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It had been hell trying to keep up with Bob and X as the duo fought there battle, it irritated, hell down right pissed Heton off that at this point he was little more then a nuisance for X, and a possible hindrance to Bob. But what could he do? He couldn’t simply abandon Bob in this fight, or perhaps more selfishly he didn’t want to have to admit to himself he wasn’t any use here.
He skidded to a stop on the street as he turned to meet one of X’s tendrils, catching it on the blade of his Zanpakuto. He dug his heel into the ground, and using his entire body weight pushed it back in time for him to dodge the next strike. But that’s where the attacks stopped, though he was breathing hard, and he felt like he was still fighting with his all he had simply been brushed off quickly so X could focus on the larger threat at hand. His grip tightened on his Zanpaktuo as he watched the two of them exchange blow after blow at a nearly even pace. “Damn it…” He said, his hand shaking in anger. He was simply outclassed. He loosened his grip as he let out a sigh, looking down at his Zanpakuto. He couldn’t even manage to stop his body from shaking.. Hell it felt as if the entire city was shaking it was so bad..
X slammed Bob away as he flew into the air, bringing his hands together as he yelled out. “Pause! I want to watch this!” A slight laugh clinging to the air as a bemused smile stretched out across his lips. The entire cityscape echoed out in what could only be described as a cry of pain, as all around Berlin dozens of machines erupted from the earth. Buildings fell to the ground, as the sonic violence permeated the eardrums of everyone in miles.
Heton couldn’t believe his eyes as one of the mechanical pods popped out close to where they where. To think that Jager had something like this up his sleeve.. Was honestly to damn believable at this point in the war. No one truly grasped just how sophisticated his technology was, or at least knew how far he had researched such a wide variety of weapons.
It was only moments later that Babel was partially engulfed with light, before shooting out a beam that from the looks of the explosion took out a city block. “What the hell is this?” He muttered as the chaos unfolded, hardly even picking up the faint noise from the radio in his ear. “Hana.” The word caught his attention, as the soldier went on. “I repeat, Babel has struck Hana, it is unclear if he is still alive!” The young soldier’s voice was broken up, as if he couldn’t believe what it is he was saying.
But to Heton, his words came like lead. “Hana..” He whispered in disbelief. There was no way that she had been managed to be taken out like that. It was simply impossible. To be destroyed in one shot… Right? He questioned his mind, as anger faded for depression. He felt sick to his stomach, if they lost Hana, then could the mean they where capable of loosing this entire fight?
“Heton!” Bob yelled as he “stared” X down. “Heton look at me.” His voice commanding, cheerful and loud. “Tell me Heton, do I look worried to you?” He said, turning his head to the younger shingami as he gave a reassuring grin. “Don’t worry about Hana. Trust me. Instead right now you need to focus on your task. There are people that need you! I will handle this one, you deal with the mess behind me. I’m counting on you! Now go!”
He gulped slightly as he nodded to Bob, knowing Bob would be just fine handling this one by himself. He turned to inner city, dashing his way straight towards the pod he had seen. Dozens of predators where still coming out of it and making there way towards the heart of the city where the Teradome was. But he wouldn’t allow such things. Slashing and stabbing he cut his way through the mindless hoard.
It didn’t take him long to litter the street with there bodies. He brought his eyes over the corpses before bringing his hand to his ear. “All main combat units fall back to the Teradome and create a ten mile wide perimeter around it. All White Knights members form up into teams of four and engage the enemy as a unit. When the perimeter is secured squads 1-3 will fall under the command of Lieutenant Naomi and join the White Knights in the counter attack. Move out!” He ordered as he placed the tip of his Zanpakuto on to the ground.
“Pierce the heavens Laggan!” He yelled as the mighty drill Zanpakuto took shape, as Heton stood atop it. It opened up for him, as he calmly landed into the seat, as it started to towards him to the front of the cockpit. He grabbed onto the controls as the exhaust opened up with green fire as he drilled straight into the crust of the earth. Sinking far into her depths.
What is real?
Her entire vision had instantly been eclipsed in the light of the explosion, as if she was staring down the sun itself. She couldn’t contain herself as the tears streamed down her face, her fist smashing against the shield keeping her safe. The one last good thing in her life, and here she was, once again watching it be ripped away like a helpless, defenseless, and broken little girl.
She closed her eyes, as the emotional hurricane raged on inside her, anger, sorrow, depression, and hate. She felt as lost and confused in this moment as she had when she lost her dear sister. It was overpowering her, and she could feel herself slipping away into that blind rage again. The rage that fueled her and her kin, shuddering as she wrapped her arms around herself a soft hand reached out for her in the darkness.
She could feel the light, even delicate hand slowly caress her cheek as a calm voice called out to her. “It’s okay Adala. Everything is alright now..” Her voice was calming, and soft, almost unnaturally soothing as Ada opened her eyes. She quickly looked up in shock at the figure, before pushing herself off the ground. “Amani?” She questioned, but her shock quickly fueled right back into anger. “You dare show your face to me!” She growled, as she tried to summon her Zanpakuto.
Only.. It wasn’t there. Berlin, Hana, Kitosan, Babel, Jager, all of it was gone, the only thing that remained where her and Amani. She looked around her, the two of them where surrounded in what looked to be a dome made of darkness itself. A void if there ever was one, but there was still light between them. “What the hell did you do? Where the hell are we!” She hissed out to Amani, her anger boiling over at this point.
A twinge of sorrow struck Amani’s face as she waved her hand in front of her and took a step towards Ada. “Please Ada, calm down. Its okay, you’re safe. I brought you here so we could talk. So we could heal together. You don’t have to be alone. Just let me show you.” She said as she smiled, as the void seemed to crack with light, slowly exposing the world beyond.
Amani turned away from Ada, walking on air as she swayed back and forth at a seemingly unnaturally slow and blurred pace, a slight afterimage following everything she did. As she moved the blackness caved away into a flurry of foreign colors and lights. The heavens above were dotted with more stars than seemed possible, and the image of planets and galaxies could be seen with the naked eye, far too close to be real but appearing quite solid regardless.
As Amani walked away it was clear that though Ada had been in the air they were now firmly on the ground. The color of the sky on which the celestial image was painted was a deep navy, and that color was reflected both on the ground and the two inhabitants themselves, despite there being no obvious light source. On one side of them lay a vast ocean, and the other a deep forest fluttering in a strong but silent wind. Floating above the waves and through the forest were candle-lit lanterns, illuminating what would otherwise be a relatively dark scene, though at the same time it was not night.
There was a persistent soft rumble, close yet far away, and somehow calming. Moreover both Amani and the land itself exuded a sense of the serene, almost to an unearthly extent made even more psychologically shocking given their previous locale. Certainly it might not create a reverse in someone’s temperament, but anyone with battle experience could tell quite clearly that there was neither desire nor intent to harm here.
After putting several steps between them Amani tuned and spoke softly, “You need not worry for your friend’s life. I still feel him; I should think you would know he would not die so easily.”
She lifted her hand and before them there was a Japanese kneeling table. It wasn’t as if it simply appeared, instead to those present it was as if it had always been there, even though it was quite clear that wasn’t the case. Though European, Adala would certainly recognize it from her years of living in Seireitei, with two tatami mats on either side atop the sandy shore below. Amani proceeded to kneel down and pour tea from a large flask into a cup on the side Adala stood before pouring her own.
The young girl was wearing a brown shawl over a darker outfit, the exact color lost due to the lighting. Her green hair appeared cyan in the haze, and was tightly pulled into a pony-tail, while her eyes glowed a bright blue the color they appeared when she was utilizing reiatsu. Though infinitely young compared to Adala the image she presented, along with the aura she exuded seemed more in line with that of an aged Shinigami, almost the polar opposite of the other young and brash mortals of Jagers forces.
Lifting the cup to her lips she took a sip while looking out at the sea to her side, “This, is what I imagine peace to be. For now it can only be in my mind, but I pray one day I shall be able to share it as reality with others.”, she gave Ada a bittersweet smile without looking away from the sea, and at a glance there didn’t appear to be any deceit there.
Amani brought her eyes back to Adala who was still standing over her and held her hand out at the other side of the table, “You may sit, if you wish.”
She set the cup down and then formally returned to the proper seiza position, cupping her hands together and bowing politely, “We have not been properly introduced, I am Amani. I’ve invited you here today for one reason, I believe our intentions have been misunderstood. You are family, and I would like to invite you to join our cause. I ask this so that the world may have a better future Adala, a better future from the grim road it follows now. If you have concerns, please voice them, there is no need to fight.”
Adala was, taken back, to say the least by the current situation she found herself in. As troubling that the idea that she had just been completely taken over mentally was beyond worrisome, it had managed to find itself in the back of her mind as Amani spoke. Her words touched her soul as she mentioned Hana, and though part of her told her she was just saying that to disarm her, she couldn’t help but feel such relief at it being spoken.
She watched Amani, keeping herself on guard in case this all was a trick, but the sincerity behind her words kept her from feeling such open hostility towards her like she thought she would have. Perhaps it was just the place she was in, but she wanted to listen. She wanted to hear Amani out. To hear her justification for the crimes and pain her and Jager have caused.
She gave a slight chuckle to Amani’s words as her eyes cut towards her like a knife. “Peace? You strive for peace you say? Peace is being able to sit down with your loved ones, to not worry about life and death every moment of your being. Peace is the very thing you have robbed ALL beings of Amani. You and Jager, have set the world ablaze, have killed millions of innocent beings, tortured and mutilated the minds of other humans, and raped the young of any semblance of innocence. Your own perversions and power fantasies are paid for in the blood of the bystander. It is the death of children, women, men, families, that fuel your claims of Deity. All you have done is worked towards the complete destruction of the word “peace.” Do you think me blind enough not see that? Or are you so naive yourself, you cannot process the wrongs of your own actions?”
She let out a long sigh as she tried to contain her emotions, he hands brushing her wild hair out of the way. She moved from left to right slowly, eyeing Amani as she did, with angered curiosity. It was the first time she didn’t want to run one of them through, but dive into there sick and twisted mind to figure out just how they ticked in such a fucked up way.
As Adala had spoken Amani had remained the very vision of calm, not making any move to interrupt as most might have. As the Shinigami finished what she had to say Amani watched her for several long moments as if processing the problems, rather than simply saying what came to mind first.
She held the tea out before her with one finger though she did not take a sip, instead speaking words that were not likely expected, “Saigotschuu Yun.”
Letting it hang for a brief moment she turned her eyes to the sea again as she continued, “He was the Commander General of the Gotei Thirteen for only a short while, less than a year as I count it. You respected him didn’t you Adala? Many did, and do you know what he accomplished? He did more in that year to change Soul Society than the previous Generals did in a thousand.”
She turned her eyes back to Adalas and met them head on, “How did he do it? The answer; and you know it, is that he made the hard choices. Soul Society was allowed to stagnate, grow rife with the corrupt, the dark, and the obscene because the previous Generals were unwilling to step on toes. They were unwilling to receive criticism and loss to do the right thing. Surely had he been given a year more Soul Society would not be in the position it is now. He would have destroyed Laetitia, because Saigotschuu-sama was not afraid to get his hands dirty, to do the hard things in order for a better future.”
For the first time Amani raised her voice slightly, “That is where the world is today. Just like Soul Society the world has become a dirty place, a place the innocent cannot live freely. Where those that follow the path of morality are merely feed for the carrion vultures that do not”, she sounded genuinely disgusted as she directed a very pointed question at the other woman, “It was already beginning when you yourself died, was it not Adala? And it has only grown worse.”
The slight rise in her voice and temperament dropped back to its calm level though she seemed colder now, though at the topic, not Adala herself. Her eyes once more turning from the Shinigami back to the sea, as if she was seeing something that was not there, she briefly took a sip of tea before she finished.
“Right now those who try to live justly, down the path of civility and righteousness are nothing but prey for those that do not. Hard choices must be made to once again make a future for them. This includes sacrifices, not all of them pretty. But for that future I will bear those sins, I will take that weight, because it is an ideal I am willing to fight for.”
Ada turned away from Amani as she mentioned her death. A potent memory that still stung her very psyche in some ways, one she hadn’t mentioned to anyone in seven hundred years, and yet Amani brought it up so easily. As if everything that happened to her was common knowledge. She gritted her teeth as she regained her composure, before turning back towards Amani.
But this time it wasn’t with the same anger filled gaze as before. She hesitantly walked towards Amani, before sitting down at the table as she placed he hands no the tea cup. She hadn’t noticed the chill that now stuck to her body as she slowly brought the cup up, taking a sip as she though over her next words carefully. Her eyes trailing off of Amani for the first time, lifting them up to the beautiful planets and stars above them. It was the very picture of serenity.
She slowly extended her hand, and pointed towards the sky. “Humans, have always been this way Amani. It did not start with my birth, no it started when God created man. When he created Shingamis. For God himself was flawed. You say you wish to purify humanity but look at the stars above us and imagine them as us. Instead of removing those that bring pain and suffering, you are instead wiping the sky of them all. There won’t be a mankind to save at this rate. We are destroying each other with such ferocity and anger that our entire race will cease to exist if this continues.”
She brought her gaze down, shaking her head softly as she looked over at Amani, with a soft, but almost scolding expression. “This is no way to save something. When we are sick we do not kill ourselves to get rid of the illness, we take care of ourselves, and nurture these problems away. It takes time, work, and dedication. Yes Yun dirtied his hands and in doing so succeeded in changing and fixing many of the problems of Soul Society in his short time, but he worked with a very clear recognition of where the line was. There are always limits that you cannot cross when seeking change, because if you do you will only hinder your goal. Right now the very hate you say you want to get rid of you are spreading with each and everyone of your “acceptable sacrifices.” Tell me Amani, how are the loved ones of those sacrifices supposed to move on and accept your love when you are the cause of so much pain for them?”
She watched Amani’s expression carefully as she took another sip of her tea, enjoying the calming warmth it provided her. She was confused about what to think of Amani. Jager, X, and all of his other creations where just mindless murders, who never spoke of cause or desire. Jager himself seemed to exist for no other reason then to cause her pain and anguish it seemed. And yet, still Amani spoke of peace and love. Two words she’d have never put with Jager.
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