Hueco Mundo Deserts

[Souris]

The monstrosity was not unprepared to handle an up close exchange, in fact, it was exactly what it had wanted. Emillia's quick response to its presence was to be expected and was not met with pleasantries or even a further utterance. Her name was the only thing it bothered to send to the wind. A proclamation of its mark, a warning, a promise. All her words fell on seemingly deaf ears.

Emillia acted swiftly, propelling a Bala at the white-clad being. An attack that served as an initiation but also a distraction. Blue light would grace the monster's feet, gifting him with an acceleration that out sped the pathing bullet. Though not only did his body evade the trailing shot, his hand grazed by the path of it - wiping away its existence in a mere blink. A glint of its light remained, however, shimmering behind the plates of the being's right gauntlet. A glow that weaved together with azure strands.

It was then that Emillia advanced herself - following her opening act with the intent to cripple. Her upward strike was met with a resounding...

CLANG!!!!

The weapon was knocked away by an open palm as if the monstrosity was doing nothing more than swatting away a gnat. Yet unlike the treatment of a small insect, the swipe carried with it the force of something that could dismantle one of the forest's trees with its bare hands. The metal on the back of its hand sparking as it collided with her Zanpakuto. Though he did not give her ample time to follow-up. The monster slid his hand down her weapon, inverting his palm to take hold of it firmly.

Her decision to opt for a single-handed assault made it easy work for her attacker to counter. Its innate strength was deceitfully stronger than even its appearance expressed, though not at all with the cost of its agility. It was immediately evident that its stature was not just for show. A potential underestimation from the Arrancar. But was it just that? Maybe but unlikely. There was something else up her sleeve - that was for sure.

It wouldn't allow that attempt without consequence to her. As it raised its right hand in the direction of Emillia, the spiraling energy screeched within its palm. Maintaining its grasp on her weapon - it honed it with not just the intent of connecting but wholly consuming her glinting free hand.

WHOOOOOOOOSH!

The energy was let loose, a merger of the assailant's own power and her stolen Bala. Woven together into something else, a trait not unlike itself. What distance the target thought she had, would be ripped away in a moment. Her weapon compromised and a discharge of immense spiritual energy unleashing upon her in an instant. In one hand the monster held a vestige of her power and in the other, a key source of it.

As the attack was released it would work to shred away at the nimble Arrancar. A familiar technique contorted with profane power of another kind. She could put all her effort into liberation or stubbornly match the horror's Hollow-like riposte.

In either case, the creature was ready, holding still its emotionless expression as the blast rang out. All while the torrent of interwoven spiritual energy howled, a cobalt shine leaked out from beneath its jacket - faintly visible along the collar of the garment.

 

[LucianRedgrave]

Oyuki wanted to laugh at the idea that they wanted to even humor the idea of negotiating with hollows. He didn’t exactly share the same sentiment as captain shizukana. As far as he was concerned that was the reason Ty division was under such scrutiny all the time. While that played into their favor during the invasion it also hindered them. The blind faith she had in Arrancar like Emillia were the very reason she was dead in the first place. Even as they trekked through the shifting sands and pondered the thought of a negotiation in the very spirit of Shizukana herself. Yet even that didn’t sit right with him so when he inevitably turned to Michiya to humor a response his words were almost cold to the touch.



”She tried negotiation, personally lieutenants Michiya I have interest in negotiating anything other than their subjugation at best…” his zanpakuto seemed to resonate at his hip. There was something in the air that changed even his battle hardened senses seemed to stand on edge. “It seems an unknown piece to the puzzle has made itself known.”



One of the things that made Oyuki such a potent opponent was his ability to seek out battle. For the frozen blade of the fifth division a battle brewing on the horizon was like a freshly baked pie or a meal prepared by the hands of one’s mother. Although, while these scents were steeping in the waters of the battle to come it felt foreign. It had effectively become a needle in a haystack and while muddled it stood out far more than simply the essence of hollows that arrancar produced within Hueco Mundo. This only prompted a cold stare from Oyuki as he turned to Michiya and spoke once more.



”I think our hunts over Lieutenant Michiya it seems our prey has opted to make themselves known and whatever it is they’re up against is rather odd…” Had Michiya been capable of detecting the same he likely would be in pursuit just the same as Oyuki. This in exchange only prompted a momentary pause before his image had become nothing but a blur and with it the chill of winter was fast approaching both prey and a matter of intrigue all in one fell swoop.​

 

[Elk]

It wasn’t just one Bala that came flying in the monster’s direction. It was two, and that was the reason it was brighter than usual. Its odd shape had the second Bala deviating from the path ever so slightly, and the distance made it enough that when the first Bala was absorbed, the second veered off just enough for its path to make contact with the monster’s wrist. Its delay was enough that it wouldn’t be absorbed by the monster, and the force was more than enough to break its wrist. Had it been anything else, she would have taken it off.
“FAST! And the ability to absorb!”

As the monster swatted at her zanpakutō, she didn’t bother to correct her movements. Instead, she shifted her body forward, eyes watching the monster as its hand raised and thrust forward. The moment it did, her body shifted down and then forward, letting go of the zanpakutō as that spiraling energy was unleashed upon her. Yet its only hit was that of sand and shockwave. Its spiritual pressure was unleashed, and yet her eyes never shifted.
“Do you think that’s going to work!?”

“YOU’LL MAKE FOR A WONDERFUL MEAL IF YOU’VE GOT THAT MUCH THOUGH!”

The monstrosity fighting her had chosen to overcommit to its attack, and that would be its downfall.

The monster’s left hand gripped her zanpakutō while the right moved forward with the intent to strike her free hand, but she adjusted, shifting her body closer. Her head lowered as she moved toward the left. Her hand holding the zanpakutō moved away from it as she got closer. She was just inches away from the arm where she began to release Bala after Bala across the arm, each one aiming to mangle it, tear muscle, and break bone. The distance alone was enough force to do so, yet she didn’t want to stop there as a Cero blasted out, ripping apart the monster’s arm from the rest of its body.

Her other hand moved up, angling herself in such a way that she pierced her hand through the monster’s flesh. Her reiryoku that had gathered around the hand as it amplified her muscles and speed, allowing her to pierce through even the strongest defenses, both reiryoku and hierro alike, with ease. Her hand pierced into the heart before a pink glow began to illuminate the insides of the monster’s body, eviscerating every organ inside it while her Cero tore through the muscle fibers and upper half, until the pink Cero blasted upward into the sand above.

Yet still that grainy roar mixed with static continued, only growing louder and louder, its source unknown for the moment. There Emillia stood as her eyes shifted around, wary of who or what might be watching, be it Arrancar, Shinigami, or whatever that thing was. A pulse was sent out, picking up on Hollows and one Arrancar, at which her head turned toward its direction.

“I wonder if I am done fighting, or would this be the beginning?”

Her hand reached down to grip her zanpakutō, pulling it free from the other’s grip while she awaited a response, fingers lightly tapping against her side.

​

 

[Souris]

Be it as it may, an echoed bullet in the shadow of the first would amount to no shift in the monster's approach. As it'd collide, it would fracture bone within the creature's wrist but not to the extent she may have expected. It did not wince, it did not even feel what transpired, and its sturdy make-up made such an attack trivial while it held no sense of sensation. By the time the monstrosity had been approached by Emillia, the damage was already almost undone. The weakened bone recovered at a breakneck pace. Though this was not the regeneration Hollow's claimed as their own, it was something else entirely. This minor nuisance would not impede the sequence of events that followed. Fracture, breakage, or otherwise - meaningless. The song kept on being played.

Emillia's gambit amounted to the same events - a deflected weapon immediately complimented with just as swift of a grapple upon it. Though as the odd being went to release the interwoven Cero-like attack, the Arrancar would attempt to exploit an opening she believed existed.
​

“Do you think that’s going to work!?”​

The answer was as simple as it was resounding.

No.

This was not a game nor was any action drawn without consideration. Where the monstrosity itself bore no cognitive ability of its own - that which gave it life did.

Emillia had decided to discard her weapon and go on an all out offensive to disarm her attacker. Leading that stride with an onslaught of projectiles. The first of which connected, amounting to the same result as her original attempt. The extent of its capability found no change. Distance would not alter the effectiveness of a Bala. Such a projectile was not privy to conventional mass nor a loss of effectiveness over distances. It still carried with it the same potential. All she managed to do was narrow the time between potential collisions, creating less of a window for evasion. Because of that advantage, a second would manage to strike the monster, compounding the damage upon its limb - breaking the bone that laid within. The first result that matched her intent but still ultimately without a gained advantage.

That achievement did not come with a relinquishing of its grip upon her Zanpakuto, nor did the creature linger to taste any more of her desperate assault. It's figure slipped away once again, vanishing from view entirely for a moment along with her relinquished armament. Did the Arrancar believe that the monstrosity was immobile? Or that firing off a Cero meant it could not move? A Cero was nothing more than a projectile - once it was unleashed it was unbound to its creator. It did not shackle but its form did remain in the monster's absence.

The remnant roar of its own propelled Cero lingered forth as it howled into the abyss. The shadows of the tree line quivering and shifting as the cerulean and pink beam illuminated the area. The monster moved between the crystalline structures, relocating time and again behind the unique flora. Through one of these transitions he thrusted the stolen weapon downward into the darkness below, its whole form swiftly swallowed up by the inky sprawling influence of the unknown. An opportunity executed not within its already displayed expression of speed but with one that came with a resounding boom. An action that was accompanied with the disappearance of its presence entirely. All the while leading to a blink of a moment, a fraction of time passing before that familiar tool was gone. Trailing its abduction - the amalgam vanished yet again.

🎵 A Loss of Oneself🎵

This moment marked a dreadful shift in the battle for Emillia. Not because she sustained considerable damage. Not because the numbers changed. Nor because the monster had gotten any stronger.

The reasoning was much more grim. The symbol of her power, the anchor to her growth, the home of her ascension was gone. Removed from play to an unseen realm wholly out of reach. She underestimated the adaptiveness of her opponent and overestimated the laws that governed her own abilities. Was this because she did not take this engagement seriously? Did she believe that this was but a game of tag? Surely not. The monstrosity bore no malice, no pain, no ill intent - it was an instrument. A being guided by a hand that sought nothing more than her undoing. Where that was unknown to the Hollow and entirely unreadable - an anomaly such as it should not have been treated with such a rudimentary approach. An unfortunate reality for her was that her opponent knew all that he needed to know about her - while she would only get to revel in ignorance.

A grin would be born. A truly wicked one. Yet it was not visible to Emillia. Nor to the spectators nearby. Why, though? One might ask. Well because it wasn't on the monstrosities face - but on the puppet master who governed it.

Contrary to its absent master, the monstrosity saw no change. No newborn expression, no new words, only instead its reappearance on the center stage. As it slipped from behind a tree, emerging from its blitz of high speed movement, it punched its fist forward while a glint formed upon it. Cobalt projectiles launched out from slots upon its knuckles, honed directly at the now even more vulnerable Arrancar. Their path locked on closely but not in solitude. As this performance had an encore.

It vanished - resurfaced - and appeared to fire again.

It repeated this once more with extreme haste but with no sacrificed precision.

Emillia was surrounded by nearing projectiles each with her name written on them. The timing of their propulsion is nearly identical.

What tricks did the pink-haired woman retain? Would she simply resort to playing a bullet-hell game once more? Was there something still more to be seen of a Hollow's capabilities? Or did this chain of events prime the guillotine above her neck?

​

 

[dem0nzlust]

The two of them continued forward as Michiya listened to the words spoken by Lt. Gekka, nodding in acknowledgement. He didn’t need to reply, nor did he have any complaints about his methods of going about things; if anything, he had already concluded as much from what he gathered on how Oyuki handled himself in Hueco Mundo. Although minutes later, they had both sensed the same thing simultaneously with an overwhelming reiats being emitted out along with that of Emillia’s finally getting detected. What he sensed was not something he had detected before, and from the reiatsu patterns he could discern from the anomaly was more best described as some hollow amalgamation. As Oyuki began speaking once again, a small compartment opened up on Michiya’s wrist link with a set of contact lenses contained inside. He immediately placed them with a holographic display appearing in his vision, showing ‘Live Feed Synchronized’, followed by his vision zooming in on the scene of the confrontation.

“I am going forth to cause interference, to make sure our target is in enough pieces to be of use.”

Michiya spoke with calmness but had urgency in his voice, not one wanting to rely on chances when he could help direct the outcome to a more favorable situation instead. Knowing Lt. Oyuki was a seasoned warrior allowed Michiya not to worry about formulating some plan which wold of wasted valuable time, but he knew what needed to be done with a few words expressed and act instinctively on what he felt was right. In that exact second, Michiya’s reiryoku shrank down before completely getting concealed, channeling his energy precisely into his legs, enhancing his strength, then in one swift movement using Furumassuru Shunpo (Full Muscle Flash Step) to generate an explosive burst of force to leap, with a well placed Seki, he launched himself forward up high into the air with tremendous speed as he chanted. Once Miciya had birds eye view of the area, he hastily analyzed the situation, witnessing Emillia’s barrage of attacks on the abomination, thinking they had managed to grasp victory, but from his vision of clarity, he saw something different take place.

“Brethren-in-arms withdrawing for the distance of 8 sun and standing still;...”

There was no time for Michiya to second-guess or hesitate as he spoke the chant in fast cadence, before acting with calculated measurements, performing quickdraw movement. The Espada had been disarmed of her weapon, which now would create a severe handicap for her going forward, but in a strategic sense made procuring her to join them more likely one way or another. The microscopic camera lenses from his contacts recorded it all, as the abomination avoided the cero with the Zanpakuto in tow.

“...blue bolt, white bolt, black bolt, red bolt; sinking into the ocean together seeking redemption.”

In the abominations' rapid movement, maneuvering through the fossilized trees of the sands, he observed with greater clarity and in that quickdraw movement what was meant to fire a special smart bullet to tag Emillia now descended rapidly into where the Zanpakuto had descended silently with added acceleration as he propelled the bullet with a compressed Sho. The retrieval of the Zanpakuto was not Michiya’s concern, with him gripping his blacksmith hammer holstered to his obi, channeling the energy of the kido into it, with the last part of the enchantment finishing. Clasping his hands together, then, with a flowing hand gesture, multiple pillars materialized, slamming down into the sands rapidly around Emillia, forming a U-shaped barrier intercepting the three projectiles from all sides. By the time the cobalt projectiles collided with the Ryubi no Jomon, the exterior of the white pillars was layered, reinforcing one another, seconds after, with the entirety of the barrier structure forming. Michiya landed on the blue inlaid roof of the barrier with a wide, sinister smile on his face, studying his new willing specimen before him, full of eagerness and curiosity.

“Tell me what you have learned from your new friend here? Also, that baldy you met during your attack is in charge now and wants you to come with us.”

Michiya stared more intently at the new challenger, trying to kill Emillia, recollecting something about the invasion. Something about this abomination gave him an uneasy feeling like something was off, and brought him memories of the Espada who wielded the heart. Although it could just be his scientific intuition with bald people, since the invasion has been becoming quite the annoyance for him. First, the Espada with the heart proved more difficult to deal with than escaping before he could run more tests. Next was the bossy Shihoin, who fired his mentor, then sent him to this place away from his studies, and now this thing before them. Adverting his attention momentarily from Emillia, he spoke next directly to the abomination before him.

“Now I am addressing you, my new experiment. What business do you have with this pink-haired Arrancar? You know, never mind scratch that, I personally don’t care because you are now the property of the 12th division and will be coming along with us all the same, Specimen: 3894.”

The entire time Michiya spoke, he had a relaxed and calm demeanor to him. If Emillia attempted to escape and run, he knew Oyuki would deal with it, as the mission given to the 5th division was to retrieve Emillia and Estrossa. On the other-hand Michiya’s mission simply was to gather as much intelligence as he could about Hueco Mundo and assist them anywhere his expertise may be needed. Before procuring this new specimen for study, Michiya wished to gauge his level of intelligence, especially after learning of the Espada Cazador his father encountered, which was a well of knowledge he could have gained if he had gone to assist there instead. Either way, he waited to see how much information he could gather, or not, before needing to resort to more violent means, as Michiya already began visualizing surgical incision lines on its body with eagerness, and his left free hand tucked behind his back, palming strange-looking bombs with mischievous grinning faces on them.​

 

[Elk]

Hueco Mundo is strange, depending on where the Garanta opens up you either see the inverted moon and its blank sky, or the Forest hidden beneath the sands. What she found strange about it all was the trees, and how they held up loose grains of sand. There was already the moon's light shining down into this section of Hueco Mundo, where it shined upon was possibly the only source of water and the birthplace of another.

Yet she had always wondered what would happen if a tree was broken just enough. She didn't want to find out herself, by breaking a tree herself, but she always pondered it. This was an opportunity in the making as when the tree was broken it would vibrate and bring sand crashing down with it, however, when the tree trunk was tossed at Emillia, and she avoided, its crash would send out a shockwave that altered the terrane and sent vibrations across the section they had been fighting, shaking the trees just enough.


That shaking would send out enough vibrations to affect the rest of the treelines. For the stability of the sand in this area was shaky, and any major disruption to this 'peace' would cause collapse. That was the reason for Emillia's stare, she was the first one to take notice of the falling sand and how it was rapidly approaching, the reason why the grainy roar was growing louder and louder by the second. For the other Arrancar he would have been the first to actually see what was happening with the battle. Or was he only focused on Emillia and the monster?


In the moment the monster moved away to reappear in the shadows obscuring itself, the falling sand came down on it, thousands and thousands of pounds came to crush the monster beneath the sheer weight and velocity, with the pressure building as more and more sand came down upon it adding weight by the second as the layers were building up. Dust was kicking up in the Forest obscuring everyone's vision. While simultaneously threatening to crush everyone under it.


Yet Emillia stood high in the air, above the collapsing sand pit and exposing the trees to the moon's light, as the dust was beginning to settle, her hand holding onto her zanpakutō as she looked down at the destruction that was brought. She was utilizing Gemelos Sonido the entire time, as the static roar had been masking her usage of it. She had been concentrating her reiryoku into the creation of a singular Gemelos clone, that was perfect for her expertise in Sonido technique. But it was in combination of that and the spine that allowed her to act with such precise timing. Time wasn't slowed down for her nor did it ever speed up. It was a reaction that allowed her to move without thought, and since her zanpakutō contained her true form it was the literal extension of herself, allowing her to move with ease. Gemelos had the ability to copy the user's items and weapons, and with that she was able to leave a copy in the hands of the monster for a few seconds before it would disappear in the same moment the monster did. While she continued on her path to unleash that cero, once completed her body disappeared from sight, only to appear in the sky where she stood high.


For the Shinigami rushing in, his chanting of different colour bolts would be overshadowed and may even be halted as the sand collapse was rushing to fall on the two Shinigami. One worthy of note as he has terrorized the sands of Hueco Mundo for years, hunting traitors and hollows alike, he was useful when she didn't want to deal with a group or a set of Shinigami. The other stranded, from the stories she heard from other hollows, begging for their lives, telling her where she would find this Shinigami. As for the Arrancar, she was unsure who it was, the gender and how it scaled in power compared to the others.

"That thing wants me,"


"Those Shinigami also seem to be rushing to me."


"And an Arrancar just observing."


"Do I stay and entertain the thought of talking with them? Do they want a fight? Is that thing still alive?"


"What is that thing? It has the capability to regenerate quickly, but like a hollow it shouldn't be able to regenerate. It's capable of disappearing and reappearing quickly, it's no Sonido nor Shunpo. It's easier to track if it was, but that? Was neither of the high speed movements I'm used to seeing."


She stood within the light, high enough that her shadow had not been casting down anywhere near her location, if anything it would just be a small dot in the sand. Her hand curled and squeezed around the pole of her zanpakutō, as her eyes scanned the destruction in this section, eyes fading colour for a moment before her chest heaved, head shaking as she turned to look over at the moon, where she wanted to scream. Yet only her reiatsu raised. As her eyes and fingers twitched as she turned back around to look back at the destruction that was brought on by that thing. She stared, waiting for whoever to emerge.

"¿Te moriste?"


"¿He estado persiguiendo un fantasma?"



A soft whisper came from her as her hands squeezed down tighter onto her zanpakutō while her eyes narrowed and her pesquisa active for anything coming for her.

​

 

[Souris]

Illusions be damned—there was no trick to be had.

The dance played as such: a tree was displaced and lobbed at Emilia. Its path initiated the exchange, acting as a curious maneuver to pave the way for a response. There was no intention from the monstrosity for its objective to end there, nor did it find any means to gauge environmental consequences. Any echoes of its action would be made void by a simple stride. So, it pushed forward, focusing wholly on its mark.

She evaded the quartz-like mass and retaliated with a twin-forged projectile as a retort. The first unraveled in a flash, and the second amounted to negligible results—a concept that was wholly undone by the time she pressed further ahead. That is where her more direct approach transpired: an assault set to maim with her weapon at the ready. As skillful as she thought herself to be, she allowed for her weapon to be snatched—locked in the grasp of an unknown threat. The logical path was to do everything in one’s power to free that weapon and press the offense, but she chose abandonment. She disconnected herself from a pivotal source of her power to hopefully dislodge the armament from the monstrosity’s ironclad grip.

Emilia pursued that assumed opening as the monster unleashed a profanely warped Cero at the space she had previously occupied. It was there that she assumed the creature’s motion was locked in time; for some reason—in her mind—no retaliation could be made. And what was the result? The creature simply moved away from her riposte and gained distance—her weapon in hand. It was there that he cast it into the depths, removing it from play and erasing the core of her expanded powers.

While she focused on feats of speed and strength, she misplaced the importance of how these chains of events could play out.

The Arrancar managed to lock herself into a string of events that obscured her options. She may have been able to call on her speed to set a layer of deceit in other bouts, but not this time. The moment that weapon was constricted by the white-clad monster, the script was already written. Its tangibility and the ceasing of motion layered the page with ink. The illusion would have faded had it been a proper usage of Gemelos Sonido. The effects of high-speed trickery are only maintained by constant input; impeding that input erodes the image instantly. Not to mention, the technique was by no means capable of creating tangible constructs—as it served to trick the eye, not the other senses. It caused visual delay, nothing capable of being touched.

There was no lingering, there was no reinforcing it with spiritual energy; there was simply a maintained, ocularly perceivable mirage cast forth by immense speed. A requirement of the technique is perpetuated motion and remnant articles to fool physical action. Since the monstrosity was able to grasp onto the weapon without any form of substitute, it was truly the case that it had succeeded. So just as it was, there was no ruse in Emilia’s actions—only an oversight born from an overconfidence in her abilities. Even with the infusion of the power of a God, a simple hand latching onto her Zanpakuto unraveled her expertise.

🎵 The Silence That Followed 🎵

The desperate waltz unceremoniously ended as originally choreographed. A piece of the Arrancar’s soul was stolen, absorbed by shadow and removed from her reach. No longer could she call on its whispers. No longer could she reach the furthest extent of her power. A newfound emptiness cemented into being by the actions of a mere puppet. The monstrosity’s scheme left Emilia in a position that not only left her vulnerable to it, but also to every soul that tried to have her head—an increasing potentiality with one observer on the sidelines and two more making their approach.

As the creature unleashed a volley of azure projectiles at Emilia, sand trailed down from the Forest’s upper structure. Something which should have been more sturdy was, for some reason, destabilized by one small disruption. The collapse of a sand-based canal gave little warning compared to one of stone or wood; collapse was imminent. If the monster expressed emotion, disappointment would be palpable. All that its master had managed to gauge in this exchange was that the Arrancar very well may rely on more gimmicks than actual prowess. Further studies would have to be made with the newly acquired "toy" to compensate for it all. Especially with the encroaching Shinigami... A sad reality that the fun had to come to an end because of their pesky intervention.

It was then that the sandfall came. The white sands that occupied the ceiling rained down, consuming the space that was presently slated as a battlefield. Though as it fell, the creature became enshrouded in black. It stood gazing at Emilia with no changes to its expression. It looked at her with an empty gaze that bore no malice, no upset, no revelry—just a silent and eerie look. The sands eroded away that gaze as it seemingly consumed its figure into the depths below. The monster was indeed gone, not just encompassed by the sands but removed from the space entirely. It vanished in a peculiar fashion, just as it had arrived.

On one hand, Emilia lived to see another day. A failure on its part, as her death and the acquisition of the Soul King’s spine was the goal. But on the other, she had lost her Zanpakuto, leaving her all the more vulnerable for a future encounter. Not to mention the hands that were there to welcome it would find great use of the acquisition. If not for the intervention of others, Emilia would have likely met her end... but for now, the obscured would merely observe.

​

 

[LucianRedgrave]

Ever the observant warrior guided by the thrills of battle and reined in by the wisdom of his own blade. Oyuki almost wanted to stop michiya but he thought this was a lesson better learned through the experience alone. So when those grains of sand came pouring down like a waterfall threatening to fill its basin. This wasn't like when he had come in search of the fifth divisions traitors thisinstance was something special. He didn’t need their heads on pikes of his own design as this prey was both foreign and familiar this was nothing less than exciting. Where Michiya rushed in with blind confidence Oyuki watched and waited his own image stopping mere moments after the machinations of Michiya. His words crafted with only thought of a plan dancing about his source of ingenuity. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on the party facing down the barrel of realities gun this Quincy was functioning on false pretenses. Sand came crashing down images danced with on otherworldly grace as it all came to bear and were Oyuki was to witness it all. He recognized Emilia’s dance of illusion for what it was, arguably a more superior mimicry of the shinigami’s Utsusemi. This was the arrancar own Gemelos Sonído. Where the former required material remnants be left behind to aid in its facade the latter fortunately did not require such a thing, in fact that was exactly what gave it the leg up on the shinigami equivalent it could give life and shape to even a simple after image. So as it stood for this unknown specimen as Michiya had so rightfully dubbed it, its hope of escaping with Emillia’s zanpakuto was nothing more than a pipe dream.



Interesting

However in exchange for the collapsing sands that washed out this section of the forest in question Oyuki could be seen standing on the air itself. His endeavor to chase down Emillia only stunted by Michiya’s impromptu choice in instruction, promoting a vertical change in his use of Shunpo. He knew very well that charging in blindly with the hope of playing savior or rather negotiator in the case of their mission was a fools errand. Observe, evaluate, execute. Those were his rules of engagement as it were and in this instance alone it had proven almost life saving in its own right. He could only hope that Michiya himself hadn’t been crushed beneath the flowing weight of the sand from above. In exchange however of his escape from its weight he had his gaze affixed on Emillia. It was likely she would be able to feel it befalling her just the same as their unseen observer would be able to feel the bite of winter creeping through the sands all the same. Even the air had become frost bitten its contrast to the deserts warmth apparent as those in the vicinity would find their breath leaving a cloud of moisture in the air.



Oyuki sighed at the reality of Michiya potentially being crushed as he now stood several meters above the basin of sand that was beginning to fill its form. Winter was approaching even within the depths of Hueco Mundo. His words were a whisper but the radiating essence of his intent and spiritual pressure alike was palpable.

”What will you mongrels do now? Run and hide or play tag amongst yourselves?”

Nonetheless when it was all said and done Emillia could find Oyuki standing a considerable distance away but clearly looking at her with the presence of a predator hunting its prey. Had she chosen battle over would be negotiation it was going to be a sight to revel in. As for their unseen observer he could find Oyuki’s essence freezing the very sands they called home, frost building on the root bound crags that held up the sands above and nearly freezing the basin the disturbed sand from above had begun to call home. Machinations and hostility alike were blossoming into a mark that Hueco Mundo was going to be hard pressed to forget.​

 

[dem0nzlust]

When the Sand Settles

Michiya remained perched on top of the walls of Ryubi no Jomon as the sands of Hueco Mundo began to rain down. The structure of the barrier remained undisturbed by the shifting sands, not bound by the laws of gravity, and his gaze remained fixated on the strange abomination in front of him, unwavering even when the sand began to heavily obscure it. Watching everything unfold before him from a bird's-eye view granted him the clarity to make the proper decisions with the most favorable probability for him. While those below Michiya grounded remained endangered by the cascading sands, he simply calculated when he would reach the maximum height of the launch, the velocity at which he descended, and where the mass of sand had the greatest density. With the large walls of the structure, by the time he landed, the main mass of the sands had already descended enough to do him no harm, but still condensed his reiatsu inward and focused it at a focal point around him, using the pressure to help displace the sand. Despite the fixation on his target of focus at hand, Michiya remained completely alert and aware of everything around him with his contact camera flickering, switching to heat signature spectrum along with his spiritual sense, keeping a clear sight on his targets even through the sand clouds getting kicked up from the cascading sands.

To his intrigue and dismay, he witnessed something unexpected through his ever-watchful lenses. The large abomination getting buried by the sands didn’t perish from the crushing weight, but instead vanished seamlessly. From what he observed, this happened through no known technique he had studied on record, nor was it the strange power bestowed upon the Arrancar who used the left leg of the soul king. Unfortunately, he lacked information on this strange threat encountered, but the most strange of all, something he picked up on instantly through his gathering of intelligence was the void of life signature, or more so, some kind of artificial life. Someone who had a keen interest in tampering with mod souls and creating organic inventions himself, including his biggest breakthrough, which was Josho. From everything he managed to gather about this being in the short span, he had a strong hypothesis that what they just faced was nothing more than a golem, so to speak. If it had a will of its own, programmed orders to follow, speculated, watching its focus solely on Emillia, or if he was nothing more than a puppet with someone pulling the strings, remained unforeseen. Either way, now that Michiya’s intriguing specimen had escaped, his attention was focused on the main objective before them, and he was now thrown into a much more dire predicament. Unlike the shinigami, losing their Zanpakuto would only hinder their fighting prowess greatly, but for the Arrancar, it was akin to losing a part of themselves because their Zanpakuto harbored the nucleus of their hollow powers. Gazing upon Emillia from a scientific perspective, now he wished to study how this loss would affect her psyche while he kept the bombs in hand in case an altercation came about, knowing the sands wouldn’t bury them, so he wished to observe how they chose to get out of the predicament. He kept a calm aura about him, with a look of indifference expressed on his face, studying her closely, listening to what Lt. Oyuki had to say.

“I am going to be blunt here: you are royally fucked at the moment. You are being hunted down by my newly discovered specimen, Antonio, and his loyalists want you dead. Any surviving Espada or hollow out there who will want to exploit this will be gunning for you, but, luckily for you, we unfortunately need you alive. So we are your best bet. You could try to run, but you have about 20% chance of succeeding without getting heavily damaged. In the off chance you do get away, you can only run for so long before we clash again, and your chances by then will be so minuscule to consider.”

He lightly twirled the blacksmith hammer in his hand, not in a threatening or challenging way but just idly waiting to see how things played out. The Ryubi no Jomon began to crumble apart before dispersing into energy no longer needed to be maintained, as he simply gracefully dropped to the ground, seeing the integrity of the ceiling stabilizing for now. Socializing has never been his strong suit, so he didn’t care to try to negotiate or convince them. As always, Michiya preferred the pragmatic approach, so he just told them the truth of their situation. Although he couldn’t get over the unshakable feeling that the abominable threat wasn’t over, and just like them, others would be drawn here too. The longer they remained at the scene of the fight, the higher the probability of encountering other threats increased, which also lowered the chances of Emillia by the minute if she had any plans of trying to flee. Michiya’s reiatsu once again became concealed while Oyuki chose to let his flow outward, causing the sands beneath him to gradually layer with frost. Hidden through the scientist's calm demeanor, he never let his sense awareness drop, knowing animals and people are the most dangerous when they are cornered, as well as unarmed or not, this Espada still possesses the spinal cord of the Soul King.​

 

[Elk]

Her fists whitened around her knuckles, eyes darting around the entire desert for any signs of movement. High speed movements, from the Shinigami came. That cold chill not from the cold endless desert that was always present. No it was from him, someone that earned her respect, if only for him surviving so long, one that hunted his own kind across the endless desert, one that survived wave after wave of hollows.

"I am going to be blunt here: you are royally fucked at the moment. You are being hunted down by my newly discovered specimen, Antonio, and his loyalists want you dead. Any surviving Espada or hollow out there who will want to exploit this will be gunning for you, but, luckily for you, we unfortunately need you alive. So we are your best bet. You could try to run, but you have about 20% ch-"

Then the other, one that was new to the sands. Trapped in Hueco Mundo, hunting her down for one reason or another. There she stood as he was speaking, his words like nails on a chalkboard and only growing worse before her hand raised up.

"Enough."

"You haven't seen Las Noches have you? Shinigami"


Her finger rose up and shifted side to side, as she maintained eye contact.


"The Espada are no more."

She flickered and appeared in the cold air that Oyuki had been in. Her hands clapped together as she slowly walked upon the reishi plates, never stepping onto the ground as she got closer and closer to the Lieutenant of 5th Division.


"Is he with you Traicionicida? (Treasonkiller)"

"Normally I'd fight the two of you, but you might be too much for me in your constant Bankai."

"Either way, do what you must, freeze or let me walk."

"cause your Shinigami may have the answers I need"


Her voice spoke with an annoyed tone while she looked at the 5th lieutenant, uncaring if he had a question as to what he was just called. She hated the idea of going to the Shinigami, but she also hated the idea of not knowing where the other was. Now there was another mysterious faction, unknown to her, but rumors had spread about these things going after Antonio. Too many questions and not enough clues left behind, aside from Las Noches' destruction.

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