Re: The Fatal Impact [OPEN COMBAT]

Sat Jun 20, 2015 10:13 pm

"Les Rejilla? That palace many have said was built over the ruins of Las Noches? Can't say I am." The male slowly extends his right arm, coiling his digits as though they were grasping at something. The armor he bore began to develop several sutures previously unnoticed. As the cracks expand into a most intricate web, the Hierro shell about his figure flakes, sending dust into the air which twisted around his frame like ethereal serpents. These streams of tiny, white particles converge near his out-reaching hand, forming what appeared at first to be a simplistic, two-dimensional scroll. As more of his Resurrección assembles near his arm, the shape becomes more defined. In less then a minute, his claymore had returned to his grip, and his former uniform clad his skin one more as though he had never released.

"This encounter, is likely the first vocal interaction I've had in four centuries." A simple twist of his wrist caused the blade to be spun, allowing him to flip it from directing its edge downward, to the ceiling of this petrified forest. The Arrancar's arm bends at the elbow, and he slides the two-handed sword back into its scabbard. Throughout this entire span of almost two minutes, his eyes never left the raptor-like Hollow or her quarry. Once his tool of carnage was properly sheathed, his arms lower -or in the case of his left, rise -and cross over one another before his sternum and Hollow Hole.

"Why do you ask?"

Sun Jun 21, 2015 1:21 pm

THE STARS YOU SEE IN THE NIGHT SKY HAVE BEEN DEAD FOR CENTURIES

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Artist: Dead Can Dance - Song: Crescent

Her black-clad wing lowered slightly to reveal her cormorant mask which was sprayed with the blood of the dying hollow laying before her. The reflection of a faint purple glow could be seen, highlighting a frowning, thin mouth. The female Adjuchas' reiatsu started to flare up slowly, but there was no telling what she was doing. Maybe the absorption of Ráya's powers rejuvenated her.

- I see. Thank you. You taught me a valuable lesson today. Acrux, Mimosa... - she whispered regretfully. The skeletal birds that were feasting on the Gillian's innards just a second ago let out an eardrum-ripping screech, quite uncharacteristical of hollows. They took off and darted towards the Arrancar - one from above, one from the left.

A needle-thin flash pierced her wing. It was dark purple, just like her reiatsu, and impossibly fast - similar to, maybe even faster than a Bala. Considering its speed, the opening she created was likely not even neccessary. Rafael could feel nothing but a slight burning sensation in his weapon-arm, which soon faded to be replaced by a numb feeling of weakness, making his grip on the sword slippery. This wasn't a Cero or Bala -this was something else. Hierro couldn't stop it.

She stood up and scraped her skeletal hand over her blood-stained face, swiping the gore to the forest floor soon thereafter. A wave of the hand and the birds took a turn, rising up towards the trees. The steps of her reverse-jointed bird legs were still insecure, just as her regeneration was incomplete - but that wouldn't stop her from expanding the battle towards the newcomer, even though her intentions were unclear at this point.

- My suspicions...seem to be warranted. It seems that the shattering of the mask...not only dulls your senses...but also your basic instincts of survival.

It seemed that every step she took, every word she spoke cost her an impossible amount of energy. She could hardly breathe. Her chest was only partially covered by hollow armor and ended just under her bosom, revealing a frighteningly visible ribcage and a sunken-in abdomen. Black veins covered the pale indigo of her skin, sprouting from the direction she was hit with the stingray's poisoned tail. She was in agony, and still, she refused to succumb to the pain and flee the scene.

- It comes as no surprise...that your only conversation in the past centuries...was this one. The world...is a savage, horrible place...there is nothing but pain, mistrust, terror...and the undying hunger for power...

Her voice bore no hostility anymore, only the sadness of a being consumed by desolation. She extended her hand towards the Arrancar, and a dark vortex began to form at her fingertip. Cero.

- Leave me to my misery...run while you still can.

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Template By:[THEFROST]

Modified By:[Rokuro]

Sun Jun 21, 2015 11:38 pm

For a brief moment, the man;s eyes widened in shock and agony. His right arm descends by his side, hanging like a limp tangle of moss. The man released a bestial growl as he focused his golden hues upon the woman before him. Seems fortune did not favor him: his first encounter with a Hollow that bore even a remote inkling of intellect, and it thought of him as little more than more prey? The utter disgust caused his brow to crease. His claymore was not an option here, for his dominant arm was disabled by a power similar to his Veneno -at least on the surface.

"My fight-or-flight instincts are not gone," upon uttering this retort, the man holds up his left hand, watching as she charged her own reiatsu. A mass of crimson begins to assemble before his open hand, slowly expanding until it was as large as his own skull. In a brief instant, the energies flew forward, expanding incredibly into the very same Cero he had unleashed upon the Menos. The critical difference being there was only one beam this time compared to the dual attack prior.

"My plans are just beyond you."

Wed Jun 24, 2015 1:39 am

THE STARS YOU SEE IN THE NIGHT SKY HAVE BEEN DEAD FOR CENTURIES

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Artist: Dead Can Dance - Song: Crescent

She was not foolish enough to take the Cero head on. The Hollow had seen what her advesary was capable to do to a group of Menos with this attack alone, and she knew that her natural armor was just that much harder. Flight was still not an option however, therefore the Adjuchas turned to the sands, turning her fragile body to a falling dodge. Her success was only moderate. The Cero exploded upon her intact wing, and blew away at least half of it, resulting in a wide shower of boiling flesh and incinerated feathers. A terrible cry of pain could be heard before she submerged - but her scrawny body still pushed on, and the very ground rippled with her negative reiatsu as she passed below the Arrancar.

She didn't try to attack him from there however. It seemed way too obvious. Instead she chose to take the higher ground, launching herself out of the soil and flying a short distance through sheer momentum until her claws could sink into the bark of a tree. She figured he'd try to stay at range.

- Cero.

The attack was too slow to hit the uninjured Arrancar, and she was fully aware of that. It also took a lot of energy, and she knew perfectly that keeping it up like this was not an option. She aimed for his legs however, lower than usual, to force him to dodge backwards - an unassuming, white ball of Hollow bone pierced the resulting cloud of smoke and ash, aimed considerably higher than the Cero before. Just before impact it cracked open with a hissing sound, expelling thick strands of the same skeletal matter, which shaped a large, whirling net in the blink of an eye. This was the real attack, and she made sure that even someone with Sonído would have difficulties dodging it.

It was her only chance to get close to him without suffering more harm.

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Template By:[THEFROST]

Modified By:[Rokuro]

Sun Jun 28, 2015 1:35 pm

The male's fingers clenched into a fist upon hearing her sharp cry. His Cero began to evaporate and his bright eyes wandered in search of her, finding only the charred flesh and feathers in her stead. A quiet huff passes through his guarded lips as he resumed his search, this time feeling out the area with his reiatsu instead of with his optics. Once she reemerged, charging her own blast of energy, his eyes followed. Was she honestly thinking he wouldn't be able to evade this? Given the trajectory, it was fairly obvious she aimed to eliminate his mobility. His knees bend, and he shifts his weight backwards while extending his legs. He propelled himself backwards, safely out of the Cero's reach.

Yet, just as he had obtained a suitable altitude, a peculiar sound rang against his ear drums. Out of the smoke, he could spy a glob of white hurtling his way. The man's eyes narrowed while a low growl resonates behind his mask. Was she honestly taking him for a fool? There was no time to charge up a Cero, so he had only two good options. The Arrancar swung out his left hand -as his right was still disabled -and threw out out three Balas from his palm in quick succession. Whatever this attack was, it certainly couldn't survive a continuous onslaught from his reiatsu? Still, one couldn't be too careful. While the red orbs flew forward at the oncoming mass, small, white growths formed upon his knuckles. To the untrained eye, they'd seem to be little more than callouses. Now Rafael waited to witness the fruits of his preliminary counter-attack, and his preparation.

Mon Jun 29, 2015 2:03 am

THE STARS YOU SEE IN THE NIGHT SKY HAVE BEEN DEAD FOR CENTURIES

☾

Artist: Dead Can Dance - Song: Crescent

The Bala shot out swiftly from Rafael's outstretched hand with a loud bang and reached their intended target, incinerating it in a red-hot cloud of destruction. A gaping hole opened on the net, leaving behind strands of burning embers only - it seemed to be frighteningly resilient, as only the third orb forced the desired effect on the projectile. And since all three explosions were in such close proximity, it is quite likely that the Arrancar himself suffered similar effects. That however, was not enough for Jaquinda.

She lunged from the tree as soon as she saw the first orb erupting from the hand of the Arrancar. Only by pressing on with the attack could she garner victory. In the middle of her jump she called out for her skeletal companions, just like a mishappen bird of prey. The winged Hollows descended from the treetops with swiftness unimagined, seeking to impale Rafael from two different angles, herself closing off the third path of escape. He wouldn't try to run, though. Maybe he mistook her clouded reiatsu for a lapse of strength, or was simply too arrogant to realize that he wouldn't be able to come up with a suitable counterattack in a crippled, unreleased state, even though the enemy was clearly wounded to begin with. Or maybe he was planning something more devious.

There was no turning back. Jaquinda was quite ready to take a beating, maybe even lose a limb or two in the grapple that would ensue. Pain, an old friend grudgingly held close was the least of her concerns. She aimed at the center of his chest, where his Hollow Hole lie - if he managed to parry this one, the other jab to his uninjured shoulder would surely connect. If Acrux and Mimosa wouldn't manage to cripple him before, that is.

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Template By:[THEFROST]

Modified By:[Rokuro]

Mon Aug 03, 2015 2:47 pm

While pain and his disabled arm were certainly a hindrance, the Arrancar had one trick that his opponent appeared to have forgotten. A faint chuckle escapes his shielded maw as his form flickers out of view. Rafael made use of his Sonido, moving a few meters back and above his last position. But that was certainly not the full extent of his ploy.

Now safely out of harm's way, if for a moment, the callouses which had formed on his knuckles rapidly grow. These were in fact growths of Hierro that had been rapidly generated where he had desired. The male swings his arm across, and the dagger-like growths were thrown off of his hand. The releases were evenly timed: one dagger aimed ahead of each of the Hollow birds which had been accompanying the Adjuchas, and three directed for various points on her body.

Still, nothing could be left to chance, a word and force which he loathed. As the blades sailed through the air, The Hollow mask on his visage cracks open, like a true set of jaws. Amidst the darkness of his maw, reiatsu begins to collect and amass in a single sphere. Once the crimson orb reached a suitable size, the Arrancar lets loose a voluminous howl and a slowly-expanding Cero. He'd certainly like to see her escape from this predicament. And even if she did, he might eliminate her pets and level the playing field further.