This battle will take place on a landscape similar to that of the moon. However, there is oxygen in this arena and the gravity is roughly three times that of Earth's. Along with that, the entire battlefield is roughly the size of Earth so the opponents will have as much space as they need in order to fight. Whenever the opponents are ready, they may fight.
Dexterity
Waifu War Veteran
Joined : 2012-11-04 Posts : 1177 Age : 31
Member Info Platinum Points: (248350/500000) Tiers:
There was absolutely no way that the First Quincy was going to entrust her physical form to the capabilities of another, especially with such an imperfect science as teleportation. Nozomi made her own way onto the battlefield, only needing the specific dimensional coordinates to the location in order to reach her destination. Now, of course, she had to explain to the proctor precisely what she meant by dimensional coordinates first before he could answer, and yet he still failed to be able to provide anything. Thus, she extracted the information by force, driving her consciousness like a bullet through his skull and scouring his mind for the mere rough idea of where she was supposed to be. It was a lot more trouble for the poor man than it was for her, though. Eventually she'd appear onto the battlefield through method of her Garganta, ripping open a hole to the lunar arena that had been manufactured by the Platinum Heart. Her military boots rapped against the dusty gray surface and kicked up small clouds of dust, and the tail of her coat flapped lightly from the closing of the Garganta behind her. Standing proper upright in the uniform of her nation was the leader of Eldrazi, the original Quincy, the archetype of control... Nozomi.
She looked around, taking in what little detail there was to this staging area as it was to be the location of her second round match in the Platinum Hearts Tournament. From horizon to horizon were the featureless landscapes of rock and dust, wholly gray in color. This was no moon, for there did not appear to be a planet that the stellar object was attached to, but the similarities besides were clear. She was reminded of the Earth's own Luna when she overlooked the area, down to the valleys and hills. It was no far-fetched notion to believe that this place was modeled after that moon speicllcifically. Despite that, the atmosphere was off. ''Adjusting the effect of gravity on this body...'' she muttered under her breath as she did just that, imbuing her own flesh with the power of Esper. She altered the physics of herself to reduce the effect of gravity on her by precisely two-thirds, making it feel as though she was astride Earth's atmosphere.
Comfortavle with the new setting, she awaited the challenge that was to be, allowing her Esper's contagious flow to thread itself into the landscape at a dreadfully gradual pace. It was like an invisible mist in the air, slowly taking over the area and bringing it into Nozomi's dominion. Few knew truly the nature of Esper, and the danger it posed to the woman's foes. She had a degree of confidence sheerly based on the lack of information the combatants would have on her, for by the time they had it figured out it would be too late for them. The prize was in Nozomi's sights; the Platinum Heart. With it at her command, she could relax knowing that she could protect Eldrazi from any threat. She wielded the Esper with the intent of destroying every foe that stood before her in this tournament, for the goal of that legendary artifact.
(Text in White is Nozomi's Knowledge. This is her benefit from the last combat with the Doctor, where she broke him completely down.)
The air began to shift, began to change. As the presence of the male began to emerge, his hair was the first thing to slowly emerge from the planar rift. As the hair emerged, pulsations of purple energy began to appear, cascading all over the realm of the moon as the face began to emerge. Glasses appeared, along with a face, imprints in the skin looking like scales that covered his head. His neck slowly came into view, or what could be seen of it. The cloak that he wore was down, but still prevented the majority of his skin from seeing light… any light at all.
The red cloak continued to spawn as the pulsations continued, the Madness Wavelength pouring outwards as the male allowed for himself to stretch a bit, his arms reaching far to the sides as the snake that emerged from behind him slowly came up to his shoulder. Reaching his left arm over, he gently rubbed the top of his pet's head, laughing a bit as it licked his cheek.
His face gradually changed, his eyes widening as he looked out into the landscape. Hebi moved itself away from his side, slowly moving back down to behind him as it coiled, placing its back against his. "...Well… Hebi… I think we're in a bit of trouble…" He muttered to his snake as his eyes changed, red rings emerging along his pupils as the smile on his face gently widened. ...Yes… this is going to be quite difficult indeed… He could see the dimensional tears that were emerging, piercing through as a garganta slowly formed. His eyes watched as she appeared, even though she was over a mile away.
His mind, meanwhile, was going at a million miles a second. Should he fight? Should he run? Should he give up? What option would he select? Like a grandmaster at chess, his mind was placing itself into theoretical positions several movements ahead. And eventually, the conclusion came back to him, even though that conclusion would likely be horrendous for the male. "...Let's dance…"
Still unable to use his Earth Pass, he instead manipulated wind, generating it all along his body as great bursts of flame that carried his body like a jet, feeling himself move around in a circle once as his arms opened wide, laughing whimsically as he reveled in having to move about in this fashion as opposed to his regular Earth Pass. At last, his boosters began to slow down, his body accompanying the loss of momentum as the enhanced gravity dragged him down to the ground, his feet landing solidly as the rest of his body was dragged down, smashing an imprint into the moon-like substance.
Reaching up a hand, he gripped the top of his cloak, before ripping it off. As he did so, his body began to rise once more, the scales on the skin of his face drifting a bit in the wind. His skin was literally drifting about, still connected to him but as if it were in tatters. This was his own Space Suit, created from his own flesh and properties from an Arrancar's Hierro. It also contained bits of their regeneration, and it changed his own mass to accommodate for the new gravity, configuring him back to normality once more. This was something he did not have to show, did not have to show at all; but it amused him to show off the invention that he had created with his wife.
As he began to stand up, his Rinnegan began to follow the lines of chaos that were infecting the ground and the air. "...Hello, Dimiprin." He told her directly, his eyes blinking behind his glasses as he looked into her face. The skin that he was wearing had underneath it a black undershirt and black baggy pants, that did not quite reach his ankles. Hebi was plainly in view as it stretched out of his stomach, coiling around his torso as it looked at Nozomi. Around his feet he had a pair of simple geta sandals, though it was not certain for how long they would remain on his feet. "All things considered… I'm afraid that you will not be able to fully defeat me without truly killing me, this time…" He told her, before gently laughing as he reached up his right hand, the ring on his index finger shining as he gripped his glasses, removing them as his thumb pressed against the right leg of the glasses, flowing them into his palm as the thumb then pressed down on the left side, closing them completely as he reached the hand down, placing them onto the surface of the moon. That was also a lie. He knew that she could still probably defeat him without killing him; but he did have conviction that he would at least try to press her the best that he could.
"...All that I want to know is… are you happy with the path you have chosen…? Nozomi Sumashuu…? Will you show me that joy...? Or am I not worthy...?" He asked her, his right hand flowing outwards to the right as Hebi slithered along the length of his arm, his undershirt becoming lined with gray patches as stitches flowed along its length, the stitches appearing all over his body and pants as well. "I also want to ask… Do you think that the Platinum Heart is real?" He did not truly care whether or not it was real, he was playing, gathering amusement and information.
He could not help it; asking questions was in his nature. And that was not the only thing that was in his nature; there was still that imprint, that mark, that single sigil that had been left in his consciousness by the woman who stood before him, clad in her military uniform. Lowering his left hand downwards, a spark emerged from it, before a white flame emerged. "...Did you know…? I defeated my Alternate… his name was Sir Akat… and then, I absorbed him… So do not fret, Dimiprin… you shall not become bored…" The insane Doctor told her, before letting his scythe gently lower, his weight leaning forwards as he felt the air begin to move around them. He did not truly think that this would change the outcome of the combat, considering what she knew, but he was accustomed to using everything at his disposal and he felt that this change was significant to mention.
He would allow for her to have the first move. This may seem odd, especially since he had lost the last game. However, he would much rather be on the draw than the play… perhaps because of his inferiority complex? Perhaps because he wanted to analyze every movement once more, to learn? Perhaps because he believed that ladies needed to go first since he had married his wife? Perhaps because… he was crazy? In reality, it was because of his respect.
But the only answer that the Doctor would give was a simple smile.
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. - Buddha
Dexterity
Waifu War Veteran
Joined : 2012-11-04 Posts : 1177 Age : 31
Member Info Platinum Points: (248350/500000) Tiers:
There was the slightest shift in the endless pools of blood that were here eyes, like an infinitesimal ripple caused by a mere particle of dust. It was a flourish of emotion only for those of keen eyes to witness. My, my. It has been a while since I'd seen your face, hasn't it? His face, the illustrious Doctor Kabuto Hebi's. What a fine joke this was, no doubt intentionally played by the Platinum Heart, for it was not mere chance that he was to be her opponent. She would have laughed if she were in the correct mental frame to do so, for it was that comical. No doubt this was caused by the unique bond between the two, but more than that, Nozomi developed another theory; Their last rendezvous had concluded in such an unsatisfactory manner that perhaps it was the Platinum Heart's imperative to bring closure to it. Without a way to escape, there would be no easy way out of the situation, and one of them needed to fall in defeat before the other could continue.
Nozomi's focuses had been on Eldrazi, her new empire, rather than self-improvement. however, she could see Hebi's efforts to grow and evolve, in such a way that her previous understanding was not entirely reliable. He'd infused himself with many outside forces, things not even her Arius could predict for they were something apart of him, brought in. These unforeseen factors changed who Hebi was as a person, and thus she could not determine his actions accurately. She definitely had a good idea of them, but she noted how every breath he took, every shift of his muscles, and every glance made by his eyes was off by the barest margin of error in her calculations. If he were to have a chance in this fight at all, then it was this that gave him the best opportunity to succeed out of everything. It would take a while before she properly adapted to the alterations.
Still, a friend he was, and Nozomi did not fight as the corners of her mouth turned upwards just as subtly as her eyes shone surprise. She was... happy to see him here for a multitude of reasons. She just wasn't the best at displaying such emotions while she was in her Lunstig frame. The reunion of such brilliant minds was a pleasant moment, but not quite a strong enough trigger to switch the woman's personality frame, not yet. Besides, she doubted that Hebi would miss the small displays of emotion she gave, lest he be ashamed of his capability as a scientist. There were certain expectations Nozomi had of him, she hoped not to have him disappoint. She would not lose, but she still wished to see improvement in Hebi. She wanted to see what 'upgrades' he'd made to himself since last time.
As the serpentine male greeted her by that little nickname of his, she closed her eyes solemnly. She found it humorous of him to give her such a strange name, but knew that she was not dealing with the most ordinary of individuals now. She did not respond to him quite yet, preferring just to stand there with her arms at her sides, feeling the gentle breeze of wind caused by his technique pass, rustling the fabric of her skirt and her azure hair along the way. His following words only did further confirm her pet theory about this match-up, as Hebi sought to right the supposed wrong in which their last bout ended. She didn't bother to correct him on the falsity of his statement, not feeling the need to. Nozomi did enjoy discussion with the Doctor, but some things she simply could not waste breath on. She felt he still had more words for her, and doubtless more questions. His pursuit for knowledge was as indefatigable as ever.
''I no longer possess the surname Sumashuu, and I would prefer that you did not use it. Simply 'Nozomi' will do all right.'' she finally replied in her ethereal chimelike voice. She failed to answer any of his first set of questions, because the answer to them would truly not benefit him nor her. She held no interest for his prying either, for he'd made his choice before; to simply provide him with the answers he desired without his own efforts culminating to them was insulting to his status as a scientist. Nozomi would not do such a thing to him. If he was to gain the knowledge he sought, he was to discover it on his own, or not at all. Nozomi would simply shake her head, letting him know things still haven't changed from before.
At the mention of the Platinum Heart, however, the Quincy's searing red eyes opened and looked at him seriously. This was a topic that most interested her, and her interest was frank. This was a subject worth speaking about. ''Of course I do. It is foolish to mistrust these eyes of mine, which have seen the Platinum Heart themselves. And having seen the artifact, I can verify the power it possesses. Even someone like you could deduce such a thing from these dimensional spaces that are created for the fights. I must say, though, that the Platinum Heart does have quite an intriguing taste in pageantry. We are gladiators fighting for the amusement of a rock.''
In place of the expected chuckle, Nozomi would instead let out an amused sigh. It still was out of the ordinary for her to show too much emotion in this state, before her expression settled back into the stoic blank facet that was its default. Her body, which did not need breath, nor a pulse, nor even a beating heart, did not move. She was still as a statue as she stared into the Doctor's rippled eyes, her marble white skin only making it easier to mistake her for an artful effigy. Hebi was seemingly the opposite, moving in between every one of his sentences, his body fluid like water. He was displaying some of his newfound powers even, despite knowing what 'showing off' against Nozomi entailed. She determined that his goal was more to enjoy this fight than to win it, judging from his actions, and the excitement that coarsed through him.
Par for the prediction, he did not rush to strike at her. The best course of action to fight Nozomi, with the knowledge that she knew he possessed, would be to finish her as fast as possible. Rather, he was content with allowing her unnecessary time to build power, and spread her dark energies throughout the battlefield. The shadows of Esper corrupted the land and air, creeping ever closer to Hebi himself. If he was to give her the right away, then Nozomi felt no inclination to act at all; with her time, she only allowed the Esper to build up... But a small chat couldn't hurt, she supposed. Her chimelike voice sounded once more. ''It certainly looks like you brought a few new toys with you to play with, haven't you? Quite high quality... Unique as well. It's doubtless you would have come up with something to defeat me if the circumstances would have us meet '' Even still, the handicap Nozomi had against him now would have been weighing heavily on his mind. He managed to find a way to escape her perfect understanding of him, but there were plenty more walls he would have to climb, and the whole scenario was a timed one. Would Hebi really have been able to have developed a way to defeat her?
''You were involved in the war with Black World, weren't you now? Your inverse was named Sir Akat, and it must have been an interesting rendezvous. For you to have absorbed him is to be expected of course, for the pursuit of your own evolution. I can only imagine what new power you've gained from that. I congratulate you.'' The way she spoke made it plainly obvious that she was leading him on toward something, hiding information from him but teasing him with it. It could also be easily construed as sarcasm, with the tone she used to praise him. Of course, even with all of the work she was putting in to the rise of Eldrazi, she still had time for her own personal endeavors as well. He would not be the only one with upgrades, and she imagined he'd get to see some of them if he showed her his determination. If he impressed her, then perhaps...
(Text in White is Nozomi's Knowledge. This is her benefit from the last combat with the Doctor, where she broke him completely down.)
The two different sets of eyes met once more. One was red, changed from its original form, black rings flowing across its surface as black and red converged, but the gaze was alive, their owner wielding them with a completely different agenda than their original owner. The ones that met them were endless pools of blood, the two sets of eyes reaching far beyond the power of normal optical vision, observing one another's bodies in ways that simple minds could not comprehend. The upturning of her mouth, the light of her eyes… He noticed them, but the only indication was the gleam that returned from his own, as his mind noted that emotion. It made him happy to see her happy… He considered her a friend, now, someone who he could look to know and feel assured that they were not going to betray or hurt him…
Maybe she would see that gleam; maybe she already knew what he thought from tells and signs that he himself could not find. Whatever the case was, those eyes of his were only the tip of the iceberg that was the things that he had acquired. As he thought about all that had happened since their last encounter, and since the last time that their weapons had clashed, a brief smile emerged on his face. After all, almost everything that had happened to the Doctor had been good. Marrying his deepest love, killing his father and taking his eyes and his organization, having a son that he wished to raise… That actually caused him to blink, a strange action for a snake who normally did not need to use his eyelids. "Hmm, I have a favor I wanted to ask, but only after we are done here, and if you would be so kind." He told her with that same smile on his face. All he wanted was to ask her if she would protect his son Rasuca and get him to the clan of the Angel Iramasha if anything were ever to happen to the Doctor and Suzu.
When she informed her about the loss of her Surname, the Doctor's mind flashed back to the last time he had used it, and mentally he was stricken silent. 'As it is one of the only things that you preserve from your original universe, I shall address you as Nozomi Sumashuu.' These were the kinds of words that the Doctor had told Nozomi at the end of their first bout. He did not know how much Nozomi had cared for her original home, or if she missed it. That very nature was what had attracted the Doctor so intensely in his pursuit of knowledge about her. "Alright then, Nozomi… …" The smile drifted away from his face for that moment, deciding not to say anything more about it. After all, he remembered the last time that he had gone too far. How she had told him that that was the wrong thing for both of them. …Somehow… I doubt that Nozomi is the one who chose for that to happen… is that…? Could that be why she founded her Eldrazi…? I wonder… But… I will not pry… For that information, I do not want to extract… Her voice was just as beautiful as always, and that same beauty that had fluttered about in the wind was only almost lost on the Doctor. However, he fully understood a woman's desire to look their best… Suzu…
"Not in the least do I distrust them, Dimiprin. If I may, would you answer this one question directly? What do you believe that I would do with the Heart?" He asked, before smiling wide once more at her joke, even giggling slightly. "Your eyes saw that it could feel emotions? That is most certainly interesting… and gives me some ideasssssss…" He hissed gently, laughing softly as he did so. Then he looked back up into her eyes, his own halfway closed as he gently rubbed the side of his head with one finger after informing her of his past experiences. "Why yes. There are three, actually. The problem is that you've already seen one of them, so there is almost no fun in me using it!" He told her, laughing softly once more. He was referring to the terrific attack with his scythe that had devastated the existence of Claire's gigantic gun, which was also attacked by Zefonse at the time.
"The Inverted World… Well, I could not very well allow for him to live, could I? I am me. He was a part of me. I must control everything that is mine." He explained, reflecting on how different their current meeting was from the last one. "Do I detect flattery? Did you find something even greater than I did? Did you perhaps actually obtain one of those magnificent cores? I well attempted to secure one, but I am afraid the good Captain Flash proved to great an obstacle." The Doctor explained to her while still picking for information, making a hypothesis at the same time. "After all, you cannot become a forest princess without any of your little friends, now can you?" He asked her, before chuckling as his eyes slowly changed, the symbols in them changing to become the Japanese symbol for One, a single dash. Opening the bottom of his shirt, a variety of snakes emerged, wriggling out of his pores as they fell all over the ground, beginning to slither towards Nozomi. As they did so, they began to change. They grew legs, their heads grew larger, and they gained fur. Altogether, they became a variety of forest animals, dashing towards Nozomi in a large cluster. The Doctor had changed them, although the Doctor had not actually changed them by changing their biogenetic material.
In reality, these animals were Illusions, and as soon as Nozomi decided to overpower their status of simply being examined, she would see them for what they were. She would also see the layer of energy that had emerged around her own body, without having moved towards her through anything, simply having 'appeared' there. "...Being able to simply see the world for what it is… Without changing it, without altering it, without stretching it… that would simply be too boring." The Doctor told her, before turning his head to face her once more as he took a step forwards, letting out a gentle sigh as a pulsation of pure power whipped across his body, his Dust Energy flowing around the front of his body as the Esper met with it, being ripped into pieces as the two cancelled one another.
"...And I shall register that as the first blow, shall I?" He asked her, before his body thrust itself backwards, laying a hand on the ground as he used it to create a massive pillar, stretching high into the sky. Using the Rinnegan, he observed the lines of dark energy that she was producing, and then looked down at her, his eyes wide as he cut off the connection to the pillar, falling straight down as he cackled, his body spinning as he smashed into the layer of Esper… crashing straight through it towards Nozomi. As he did so, he brought his right arm down in a chopping motion, and as it touched her a wave of pure energy flowed through it, the Reiatsu Scalpel ability activating as he attempted to slide the blade down the front of her body, starting from her right shoulder. Standing back up once more, he stood there, smiling at her. The Doctor's energy had gained the property of being unable to be interacted with by other energy… and since his skin had been replaced with a construct of his energy… the Esper could no longer interact directly with his body, or the Reiatsu Scalpel.
The Reiatsu Scalpel's ability did not cut flesh. Rather, it cut muscle tendons, and even more than that, it cut off reiatsu and other supernatural energy supplies within the target's body. It attempted to sever those connections the best that it could, and if it failed that then it would also still attempt to decimate the tendons in her arm, which would eventually cause it to fall asleep if left untreated.
He stood there, unharmed, the Esper not flowing into him through any route. He merely smiled toothlessly at her, each of the holes into his body having been closed due to the nature of this skin as a space suit. "...Now, Nozomi… show me what it is you can do…! When your Esper can be moved through…! Show me, show me! Show it to me! I can't wait to see it!" He told her, thoroughly excited as he laughed aloud, his spine curving back as he did so. He was truly enjoying himself. He would talk with her as much as either of them could handle through his movements and words, and perhaps the most ironic thing of all?
The ability which prevented the Esper from doing anything more than sitting atop his skin was developed directly after the combat that the two had been embroiled in…
(If Esper has a property that makes these actions impossible, please let me know. I will change it and adapt it to reflect this. Thank you.)
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. - Buddha
Dexterity
Waifu War Veteran
Joined : 2012-11-04 Posts : 1177 Age : 31
Member Info Platinum Points: (248350/500000) Tiers:
The relationship between the two was clear from the mere exchange of gestures; they were friends, but not equals. She was pleased to see him, but he was pleased to see that she was pleased. To anyone else such evidence would be considered piss poor and representative of nothing, but Nozomi was much more capable than the average body. She was the superior, he the inferior. She was the master, and he was the student. She was a challenge to overcome, and he was the challenger. She'd taunted him, albeit wordlessly, but the proposition had still excited him. She could tell even without the assistance of the Arius just how keen the Doctor was to show and tell; such puerility. Who would she be to not humor him? She would... go easy on Hebi, and only him, out of understanding of who he was as a person. Personally, she wanted to see his improvement, and regain that utter understanding of him she had had once before. She was quite curious what he'd been up to. Nothing would be benefited from a swift finish to this fight.
As foggy as they may have been, his thoughts still were partially visible to Nozomi. She hadn't completely lost her advantage after all, as many parts of him were still the same even if he was quite different now. When he asked her for a favor, she would give off a small smile, knowing as to what he referred to. The evidence had been witnessed by her when she laid her eyes upon Suzu, and had foreseen the advent in Hebi's mind a while ago. A child was to be born with those two's genetics, and Nozomi could only imagine what it was that the boy would have turned out to have become. Still... ''Yes... It is easy enough a favor to fulfill. Though I doubt it is something I will ever need to do. I would not worry for your longevity in this skirmish, good Doctor.'' spoken softly, and with good humor at the end, she affirmed that she'd take care of the young boy if it ever came to dire circumstances. It was definitely strange to be discussing things like this, but they'd each been respectively busy in their own matters that there were many things to say. This match was the first time they'd met in a while.
''We do have such similar minds,'' she declared in reply to his ruminations about the Platinum Heart. ''There are so many possibilities to be had with that artifact, things new even to myself. It would be shameful of you to tell me you do not wish to study the Platinum Heart until all of its secrets are unlocked. That is the drive of the scientific mind.'' She answered him, but not as directly as he would have liked. Such circumlocution was intentional, left for him to decipher, as anything more would be telling; telling of just how much she knew, or didn't know. She was not a book to be read like he was, even with his newfound ocular power. She was opaque, motionless, a picture admired but not understood. It was so contrasting to the male who continued to move his hands and his gaze, as though a moment's inaction could cause him to spontaneously combust. Perhaps he didn't care; he presumed she could already see all he had to offer, so why stop himself? It seemed like a bad habit to Nozomi, especially on a mind so malleable as his. These subtle things did matter, even if the impact was small. To people of their caliber, even little flaws could be exploited. Nozomi made a point to distance herself from Achilles.
She did not give in to his inquiries about the Black World herself, keeping quiet about her own discoveries. Her little adventure had actually been quite boring compared to his exploits, far too short and sweet, executed too smoothly. She did not bother partaking in the chaos of that event and just took the path of least resistance in order to meet her goals. Additionally, spoiling the surprise would ruin half the fun; she couldn't just grant in words what she could show for herself, and in order for that to happen she'd need to be pushed to use it. Instead of continuing that line of conversation, she chose silence. Her expression returned to its normal state, devoid of emotion or movement. The battle would seem to have finally begun as the first real move was made by Hebi. From the lower folds of his clothing dropped a small armada of snakes, flowing endlessly like a river of scales and skin. Ah, the Doctor's familiar of choice, an odd choice to be honest. She was more of a fox person herself.
It was time that his aforementioned comment actually made sense, though, and before her very eyes the slithering forms became to transmutate into entirely different entities without breaking their stride. From their bodies sprouted limbs and fur, while they developed bone structures within. Nozomi was hit with a wave of nostalgia as she recalled their previous fight, though it was quite short-lived. She'd never intended it to be a running theme. She just wished to display one of many of her caoabilities at the time, while having a little fun with the fight. This recollection lasted all of zero point zero zero zero two seven seconds, hardly an interval with the speed her mind moved. Afterward, the all-seeing Arius was already breaking down the sight before her and revealing it for what it was, a mere illusion. It would have been easy enough to break the illusion of course, but an extended observation divulged new information that stopped her from immediately doing so.
These facades must have been one of Hebi's new capabilities, given that they were linked to his empowered eyes. They were false, yes, but possesed a potential to become real. What was this potential, and where did it come from? Nozomi allowed the stampede of critters and animals to charge ever closer, but for the sake of analyzing them for just a little longer. She was unmoving, her gaze distant, the cogs of her mind turning. The moment she realized that the potential could only be culminated from an outaide force, and not Hebi directly, she was able to fill in the rest of the puzzle in a flash. The illusions could become reality if Nozomi acknowledged them as real, a feat easily accomplished by one of her mental aptitude. It was the most logical conclusion, and though she was ashamed to admit it, an educated guess. The question was what she'd do with that information, though the answer came quickly.
She did, indeed, recognize them as the animals that he polymorphed them into, and thus they became such. However, Nozomi was a clever girl, and took advantage of the ability that gave the power to her. Hebi's snakes were familiars he was able to control, and possessed abilities of their own as an extension of himself. Rather than terminate the illusions and give him his snakes back, she recognized them as the animals they transformed into; powerless, helpless, simple-minded animals that the Doctor had no apecial affinity for. As she imposed this reality upon them, all she had to do is deal with a pack of animals running angrily in one direction. Thus... a shadow rose from behind Nozomi, growing large in height and width as it gained an ethereal depth to its form. Nozomi molded the umbra with Esper to become a terrible illusion of its own, giving shape to grotesque features and a haunting face. Soon, the shadow was hundreds of times greater than her in size, towering over them all and looking down with empty eyes. It took in a great breath, before releasing a ground-shaking bellow that struck fear into the hearts of the poor animals. The uniformity with which they had charged had vanished, and they scattered in all directions away from the terror. They left only trails of gray dust in their wake as they ran off.
The shadow would dissipate, and Nozomi would be standing in the same spot as before. ''Curious...'' was all she would mutter in the aftermath of such an exchange. Though, she didn't believe that utilizing a technique that relied on the perception of others to be too effective on someone like her. If he tried anything funny with that power, he might just pay for it, and even in his best-case scenario she could still just terminate the illusions by refusing to acknowledge them. Never have tricks of the mind been an issue for Nozomi to deal with; they were more like little games to her. As for the energy that suddenly appeared around her, in the midst of where the Esper was thickest, she watched that take care of itself. Her dark energy was a ravenous beast, and it devoured the foreign substance like a pack of dogs tearing up a piece of meat. The disruption would be so violent that the energy would not be able to be used for anything before it was completely devoured. Satanic Uniqueness would not save him this time around either, for the secret of that defense had been unlocked in their last fight.
The next move: An ebon tower rose out of the ground by Hebi's will, bringing him along with it. Her eyes only lazily followed his journey into the sky, only going as far as they could without moving her head in the process. The Esper didn't rush toward him, seemingly unconcerned with his attempts to destroy it or escape. Rather, it spread past the tower and into the landscape beyond. Its goal was to simply grow and cover as much area as it could, expanding Nozomi's dominion of influence. Even if he obliterated some of the energies with his dust element, it would be easily made up for in a matter of moments. It was frustrating for him to possess an ability that destroyed Esper, of course, but the process was so inefficient for Hebi that she didn't entirely mind it. That he could cut through it was no big deal to Nozomi; this would be much more one-sided if he couldn't, to be honest. She kept track of his location with the Arius, her own ocular power, which allowed her to see him without needing to actually look at him. She watched, statuesque as a sentry, as the serpentine man leapt from the peak of his tower down at her, using gravity to amplify his momentum. It looked like he was coming in close for physical combat.
In response, she held out her right hand, drawing Esper into the center of her palm to give form to something; a weapon. She was already swinging her arm in a vertical arc before the weapon had completely materialzed, but it would be ready by the time it reached the apex of its arc. There was a visceral surge of energy just before it came, warning the oncoming Hebi of the danger, just before an immense wave of kinetic force exploded outwards in a cone in front of Nozomi. The source of this violent wave was none other than Nozarashi, a beaten and chipped Zanpakutō brimming with vast power. One lazy swing by Nozomi had created an onslaught of raw force that Hebi's surgical strikes were not meant to handle. As he was headed straight into it at a very high speed, she imagined he'd be battered straight back from where he came, riding on the wave as it smashed him against his own tower and threatened to bring it down on top of him. He'd go quite a distance further until the kinetic force finally dissipated, and he'd find himself in the same area where he'd spawned in.
Finished with her slash, Nozomi brought Nozarashi to rest on her shoulder. Esper was the core of her abilities indeed, but she had many other tricks besides it in her repertoire; she hadn't even given away everything in their last fight, such as the existence of Ahmt Alles, the Copy Sword, a weapon that could reproduce the abilities of any other weapon it came into contact with, and even improve upon them some. In this case, Nozomi took advantage of Zaraki's titanic power by wielding his blade. She was happy to see how Hebi had developed ways to counter her Esper and cut through the trickery she could employ, but that did leave him open to simple kinetic force that neither his layer of protection nor his Reiatsu Scalpel would be able to stop. She didn't even allow him to get close enough for those to be effective.
And she continued to stand im the same spot, staring off to the horizon with her ruby hues with no intent of moving from this spot. Neither did she try to pursue Hebi after countering his moves; she was only being reactive to his aggression. For now, she harmless so long as no attacks were made against her, while the only signs of her activity seemed to be the spread of Esper originating from her. The Esper still needed to be further, and thicker. She was only stalling for time. ''So, what do you call those eyes of yours, Doctor? They do seem to have quite an odd pattern on them, and I can tell there's so much more to them to behold than just that first ability. Do you believe them to be on par with the Arius?'' Of course, she couldn't help but give him the rare treat of undoing the illusion that concealed the Arius in her eyes. The striking red irises shifted to a murky black, and that black spread to coat the entirety of the eyes in pitch darkness. From the tear ducts begun to stream an inky liquid without control, painting streams down her cheeks and dripping slowly to the floor. Nozomi appeared that much more inhuman without the facade, and her expression was that much more impossible to read.
(Text in Red is Nozomi's Knowledge. This is her benefit from the last combat with the Doctor, where she broke him completely down.)
The Doctor's mind was swimming with possibilities. It seemed that she was not going to finish him off in one blow, despite her motivation and ability to do so. The possibilities that were doing backstrokes through his consciousness were varying by their nature. Was she studying him? Was she excited to fight him? Nozomi was not telling, and the Doctor could only continue to expand on the possibilities. As for the studying, the Doctor had no idea at all how he felt about that. On the one hand, he most definitely enjoyed studying other things. He gained his passion of studying from the fact that he had been exposed to experiments at an early age, brutally experimented on for several years after his birth, damaging him psychologically, physically and spiritually.
The Doctor did not believe that her studying, if that is what it was, would be a bad thing. The fact that she wanted to study him, on the other hand… the Doctor could not reach a conclusion on that matter. After all, what could he possibly have that would interest her? The Doctor supposed that if she truly was studying him… he would have to show her everything he had.
The thoughts were still doing freestyle now when the conversation changed, and the Doctor's gaze grew serious once more for a moment. "...Thank you, Nozomi." It was certainly odd of him to give that expression. Within this space was a large part of the chaos from Nozomi's previous analysis. The advent of his wife and child had changed parts of the Doctor's psyche, influencing him with new prejudices and small changes within his beliefs. "Similar minds? Surely you jest, Dimiprin. I still do not know how your own is able to calculate in the immense fashion it does…" He would not mention his own mind, assuming that she already knew about its supernatural fashion of distributing information into different processors, like a CPU. Hundreds… and hundreds… of processors.
"...I do." The Doctor told her directly, and once again that small chaos would emerge within his thought processes, as he kept his face the same expression as always. However, he was hesitating because of something, something even he did not understand. The Doctor no longer knew if he should obtain that artifact, and yet… he could not stop going. His mind drifted back to his encounter with the Beast of Karakura, back at the Yang Core of Earth… I don't care for it… but I can assure you, that if I obtain it permanently… the results could threaten the Earth we both call home.
"The drive I have towards obtaining it, you can certainly understand… I even tore down a Child to move onto this round…" He explained to her, continuing his soft laughing. It was true that the Doctor did not care whether or not he was read. This was because of the fact that the Doctor believed himself to be beneath such observation. As a snake, he could only slither on the ground, and any force on the planet could look down at him and observe. This metaphor was one which moved with him in everything he did, or failed to do.
The lack of answer, however, caused him to widen his eyes for a moment, deciding to show that emotion. "….I shall hypothesize that you obtained one, then. I do not believe you would simply let something like that lie. Just look at your current motivation." He proofed, using her current excitement that she had just plainly demonstrated to him as they talked about the Platinum Heart as evidence. He was enabled to see her interest just a bit more as she observed the creatures that were approaching her. He did not believe his creatures were much to look at, but the fact that she was studying them for so long initiated the Doctor's thought processes once more. ...Does she not know about the Rinnegan…? I should… use that… possibility… Those were the two final ideas that emerged within the Doctor's mind. If the Doctor believed that Nozomi did not fully understand something, he would likely try to use that to his advantage at an unexpected moment.
The shadow that she spawned may have scared his creatures away, but they were not enough to cause the Doctor Kabuto Hebi to quail in fear. Throwing out both arms, scalpels shot from beneath his sleeves, impaling each one of the creatures as they were each struck in a central nerve in the neck, causing entire bodily collapse as they paid the price of death for their attempt at departure from this battlefield. While he did this, his mind was continuing to meditate about the possibilities for him to use his illusionary ability. It was doubtless that she understood it now. Otherwise, why would she have used a shadow? If the Doctor was still in control of the creatures, they would not have run away.
The energy that had surrounded her… was not the Doctor's. This was peculiar indeed, and thus it was no surprise at all to him that it had been eaten. It was most logical that Nozomi did not think twice before consuming it. After all, that energy had been like the Doctor's original state, before Satanic Uniqueness had taken effect. It had not been generated by the Doctor, and whether or not she thought about the strange fact that it had come from him was a mystery that the Doctor could not currently solve.
His eyes widened at the formation of the weapon in her hands, now on his descent in order to attack. The attack would slam directly into his body, the toughness of Stein State taking the attack directly as his head was snapped back, his eyes opened wide. His undershirt was ripped to shreds, even as his back was slammed into the tower he had created. As he was pressed into it, his wide open eyes continued looking outwards, and as at last he hit the outside of the Esper, a wave of pure wind buffeted him, sailing out like a pair of wings as they stopped his backward motion, countering the wave of pure force created by Nozarashi. "...That… is Kenpachi Zaraki's…" The Doctor simply stated, his thought processes flying wildly. It seemed likely that the weapon she was wielding could be the only one of its kind, although the fact that it emerged from Esper made that also feel unlikely. In any case, it would give the Doctor a tactical advantage to remove such a weapon from her.
"Oh, come now." The Doctor stated, turning his head upwards as he merely smiled at her, the marks in his eyes still shining with that 'One' character. In that moment, as black substance dripped down her eye, another black substance dripped down his right eye… as it began to close, and a purplish black fire violently exploded on the shoulder that Nozomi was currently resting her weapon. There was no warning or prior information as to where the attack would emerge from. The Doctor's damaging flames would burst outwards, so intense that even the Esper would feel the Corrupted Chaos Energy flames, a new type of energy that they had never experienced… which the Doctor was attempting to have appear on her body. This was the opening that the Doctor had wanted to create.
His right foot slamming forwards, a peculiar sensation occurred as a large Swoosh noise was created, as if air were being sucked into a hole. Performing the high-speed movement, the Doctor re-emerged before Nozomi's body, Dust Energy flaming out from every part of his body as he brought back his scythe, also lined with the unique energy as it flared outwards a foot around his body, which was currently two feet from hers. His left eye looking up and into hers, he beheld that black image, feeling it growing imbedded within his mind as a huge 'cracking' noise was heard from the air rushing into the space that the Doctor's body had been occupying, the very air particles having been shredded by the Dust Element as he performed his high powered swing, aiming at the shoulder which had just been attacked, cleaving down from it and attempting to take the leg with it, a bead of sweat coursing down his unique skin as it was shredded by the layer of Dust Element around him.
That was not the only thing that had occurred. As the Doctor had reemerged, a blast of pure gravitational force had left him, a peculiar sensation that was no form of energy whatsoever. This was related to the same 'disappearing act' the Doctor had performed earlier as he entered into his high speed movement. This was the Banido. "I call them my Inheritance!" He told her with a maniacal laugh as he continued slashing, the muscles in his arms bulging as he brought the scythe back around, slicing at her other leg, before taking another strike at the other arm.
At last, he paused, standing there in the Esper as he vanished once more, the Esper that had been blown away rushing back in to fill the gap once more as he appeared beyond the ocean of energy that she had amassed, the Doctor laughing maniacally now as he released the coating of Dust Element, looking back down to Nozomi, his right eye still closed. "This is my Rinnegan!" He declared, near shouting. The Rinnegan - the signature technique of the former leader of the Akatsuki, present within the Doctor's memories… the eyes of Nagato. But the capabilities that they had been demonstrating were nothing like the ones that Nagato had held. Just as she was being less than generous in the economy of information, the Doctor decided to give her little more than a hint in return, while answering her other question in return. "They cannot overcome or compare to those eyes of yours, Dimiprin! But they do so much more than simply enhancing my sight. Unlike you, I am far inferior in terms of ability, so I modified my inheritance to aid me in many things. They… evolved."
Finishing the revelation of the nature of his new eyes, the Doctor leaned his head back, looking into the vast space as his arms spread wide. "… I think I wish to return a favor…" He began to mutter, as outside of his body great chains began to emerge, chains made of earth that shot out from his body, rolling and spiraling outwards as he tore off the rest of his clothing, taking in a sharp breath as his body began to twitch, and then before him a great cloud of smoke began to take shape. The Doctor knew the rules of this game. He could not bring in outside assistance… but using something he himself had created was completely in the rules. Especially considering how closely linked this was… his Selve.
The black cloaked being nodded, holding its arms out as its eyes opened, revealing another pair of the Rinnegan as its arms stuck out into the Earth chains that had been created, simply holding them for now as they continued to expand outwards. Its body began to move back, keeping out of the range of the Esper as the Doctor turned towards it once more. "...Ah yes, a new theory. You could see that Selve taking form within me, couldn't you?" He asked her, chuckling as he thought about the power this Arius must contain.
Finally, he began to lower himself, descending back into the Esper. His mind was hyper aware, a layer of Dust Element cloaking around his eyelids. With his old eyes, this would have prevented him from seeing anything at all. With the Rinnegan, however, he could see absolutely everything quite well. This was the smallest amount of surface area that the Dust Element could be projected within as well, making it not so strenuous on his energy reserves. He considered everything; and decided that he wanted to push her to do something, his feet stopping just feet from hers.
He could feel and see the presence of the Esper all around his body. It was like standing in a great swamp, and he was surrounded by a shark whose surface area wrapped around his entire body. "Do you know what this is?" He asked her, smiling as an orb appeared in his hands, a great cube forming around it as the element sat within it. That was the Dust Element at its base form, and its offensive mode. By throwing that cube, everything that was contained within the cube would be utterly annihilated.
The Doctor was standing before Nozomi with the cube now. Reaching his hands up, he gently pushed the cube, which would begin moving regardless of whether he made contact with it or not. As it moved forwards, it would rapidly expand, the cube which contained the explosion growing to a dozen feet in diameter as it pressed towards Nozomi's location, before finally triggering as an eruption of Dust demolished everything within the cube.
"...I can make you move, Dimiprin… you have moved for quite a long time… now I must ask… why did you move to our realm…? Why did you found the Quincy…? Why do you exist alone? These questions are what I seek the answers to…" Those words were what the Doctor left her with as he stood there, his wide eyes losing the Dust Element coating as he stepped within the explosion that had occurred immediately after its passing, showing themselves as he tilted his head at her within the small space that he had just created in the heart of her territory.
Naturally, he had his own hypothesizes about the answers to each of those questions. While he may hope for an answer from the source, he doubted that he would receive a response.
As far as this battle went, the Doctor knew that his chances of winning were extremely slim. He believed that the only way for it to be possible would be for him to impress Nozomi more than even she could have possibly imagined, as well as with the condition that she be the ultimate recipient of the Platinum Heart.
If the Doctor had any chance of winning, he had the feeling that those were the two criteria that would have to be met...
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. - Buddha
Dexterity
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He still had no reservations about admitting his inferiority, though she did not need to be told of the fact as often as he was willing to say it aloud, or internally. It was not the.level of ability she had tried to point out, but just that their two minds worked in the same way, mostly in their desire to gather information obsessively. It was the scientist's will, their way of life. When a mysterious object with the ability to spawn entire planes of existence and act on its own accord was presented, it warranted people like them to fight for the object, and to glean as much new information from it as their tools could afford without breaking it. Nozomi specifically sought for understanding of the artifact than the power it promised to give her. Knowing off the tendencies of other people in this world, she couldn't risk the possibility of the artifact's destruction by greedy or unsure hands. She needed to be the first to behold it; even Kabuto, she could not trust with something like this. That is why she fought to win this tournament.
Still, she firmly believed she could defeat the Doctor here in this round even if she was playing around with him, partly because her powers were extraordinary, partly because he too was going easy. She was firmly set in her reactive playstyle, tapping the saw-like edge of Nozarashi against her bare shoulder as she awaited the next bout of attacks from her foe. Her Arius delved ever deeper into his secrets, and her Esper continued to spread with each second that ticked by. There was no need to rush things when she gained power by stalling. Hebi was more than happy to oblige and go on the offensive anyways, so she focused on countering anything that could come her way. And yet... why did her arm suddenly catch fire?
The befuddlement had lasted a tenth of the time it had to relish her nostalgia from their last fight, before she willed her body to act. Nozarashi was a gray blur as it swung around and severed her arm and most of her shoulder from the rest of her body. There was only a short interval of time that could be registered as surprise; her brow had risen infinitisemally and she'd flinched ever so slightly. There was no warning when the black and white flames accosted her left shoulder, but she had to deal with it nonetheless, and ask questions later. Once the flesh was parted from her, she propelled it away from her and suspended it in a controlled area suspended in mid-air. Blood spurted once from the gaping wound but was mystically pushed back by an unseen force, and held in. This was no illusion; she'd discounted that theory before she acted, as it was her first guess. Besides that, she deduced the flame-like element to be incredibly dangerous, and that was enough to isolate it. She would analyze it as such, to discover what it truly was.
After that point, several more regions of Nozomi's mind flared to life in order to deal with the increased workload. One segment was already dedicated to the breakdown of the strange fire, but she also had to combat Hebi's inevitable follow-up and reconstruct her arm. The latter was easy enough; the woman was fully aware of the structure of her own body by now, and it was a process that could be completed in a short amount of time. Truly, living human tissue was no where near the complexity of the Eldrazi. Before the good Doctor could even make it to her, half of the limb was already back, as Esper was used to create the blood and muscle and skin almost as fast as a Hollow could regenerate itself. It was life from nothingness. It was one more reason why she was confident in her ability to win this fight. This body was but a host for the woman's spirit and her consciousness, so it hardly mattered what damage was caused to it with the few attacks that could slip through her defenses.
Naturally, Hebi leapt right into the fray, warping into arm's length after believing his fire to have caused an opening. While her calculations may have been off by a few nanometers, she'd correctly predicted that the Doctor would attack, in front of her, with such haste. She had the deprecated arm tossed at the location where he was to arrive at, and to watch and collect data on the black fire as it reacted to what she supposed would be the Dust Element. Against her expectations, Hebi seemed to have predetermined a counter to such a tactic, creating a gravitational force to blast away any obstruction on his way in. Due to a miscalculation on her part, Nozomi found herself on the receiving end of the black flames again. Aggravated, she narrowed her eyes and employed one of the more draining capabilities of the Arius. Everything around her immediately froze, as if time was in suspension. Technically, the girl truly had stopped time itself, if it was accepted that time was relative, which it universally was accepted as. But more accurately, it was that Nozomi's mental processing had accelerated to Infinity, giving her all the time in the world to consider the predicament before her. She could stand here, for all eternity, if she wished, with everything in stillness... But that was not her fancy. She used these timeless moments to plan out her actions, consider a plethora of possibilities and all deviations of these possibilities, as well as a response to each of them; it was a Continuum Shift.
So when time resumed, Hebi might be surprised by how well she would deal with the entire assault, as well as the sudden dip in energy from her. First off was the arm: She needed to stop it from moving towards her, and she would employ a similar technique to it as she'd done at the beginning of the fight in order to normalize her body for this planet's gravity. The make-up of the wayward limb shifted to become denser and thus less responsive to the flow of force. Subsequently, Nozomi altered the momentum guiding it to reverse on itself, but still maintain its speed to send it hurtling into Hebi's chest despite his best attempts. As for herself, she performed the opposite upon herself, increasing the effect of gravity on her so that she would be hurled away from the disaster that was about to occur, and out of the range of whatever close quarters combat he had planned for her. She was again using his own abilities against him, and nothing would state this clearer than the catastrophic reaction his black fire would have as she injected it with as much Esper as she could manage. She sought to overload the element and detonate it right in Hebi's face, watching as the Dust and the fire braced against each other. What would happen? She truly did not know.
With a safety buffer now in between them, Nozomi was safe for the time being, and had also managed to rebuild the rest of her limb and clothe it again. So he'd gotten her to move, much to Nozomi's surprise... It was not a major concern to have done so, and she was not a stubborn individual at heart. By that point he'd have evacuated the area anyways.because he knew it was too dangerous to stay in the hearth of the Esper field for too long. Once it was safe again, Nozomi returned with a casual stride, walking back to where the Esper was the thickest. There was another pause in combat for now, it seemed, where Hebi would finally unveil the name of his genetic masterpiece. Rinnegan... Eyes of reincarnation? Endless cycle of rebirth? Am I to believe the name is related to the powers? So far, there's been no indication of that.
The use of the time-stop ability had been costly; and costly techniques like that drained enough energy from her that she wanted to avoid using them. She admitted that the alternative would have been unpleasant to her, but to have been taken off guard like that was more than frustrating in itself. Had Hebi continued on the offensive, Nozomi would have been set back, but thankfully, she was able to make up the majority of the difference in the time it took for him to prepare a technique of his own. Nozomi stood and watched the whole time, metaphorically catching her breath while she had the chance. Curiously, the crazed man would start to descend into the field of Esper unprotected, leaving one of his Selves behind with a lifeline in that of the Earth Chain. For this experiment of his, she allowed him to dive right in unaccosted, leaving the Esper on standby. She adopted a wait-and-see method.
''I am more than familiar with your Dust Element. It was the only thing that allowed you to fight back against me in our previous clash, until its exhausted its usefulness. That's still true to this day; I could break through the Dust Element if I wished...'' It was such a powerful technique; she admitted that. Still, Nozomi eventually could break any techniqie with enough time, due to the adaptive nature of Esper and the all-seeing eyes of the Arius. The Dust Element she was observing now was just the same as before, and she wondered if the man had somehow forgotten that time, or refused to acknowledge otherwise. He was still using it to keep the Esper at bay, but it was only as much as a deterrant rather than an actual defense. As Hebi sent the orb heading towards her with a gentle push, Nozomi sighed. Rather than let it incriminate on her territory more than it already had, she preempted it. One step forward and she began her swing with Nozarashi, transforming it halfway into the swing again.
Hebi would feel a surge of power as the ground trembled, another shockwave released from Zaraki's mighty weapon. However, this one was faster, stronger, sharper, like nothing could stop its advance. It would rampage straight through the cube and cut the core of Dust Element in half like it was nothing. In fact, the wave of cutting power would bisect Hebi as well if he didn't move out the way, as well as the chain, and the Selve behind him. With the core cut in half, it would naturally destabilize and likely explode, but the Esper in the area was already rushing to the job. While the element was unignited, she would be able to clamp down on it before it became an issue, using her analysis from before to diffuse and consume it. The cause of all this was lying on Nozomi's shoulder once more, Nozarashi, same in name but not in form. The weapon was now in its true form, several times the wielder's size in the form of a battle axe. ''Nozarashi... It's a weapon I'd taken from a rather infamous character. Its ability to cut through anything and everything is very valuable.
But your dust element... I've seen all it has to offer already, and it has not evolved. It cannot even protect you, so why waste your energy on it? I wish to see what you have yet to already show me. Nor do I want to answer your dreary questions. If I grow bored...'' she quieted after that, refusing to finish her thoughts for him. She merely insinuated that terrible things might happen, and that would likely be enough to send the message across. Nothing good would come from him trying to play around; if he didn't abuse his advantage of surprise immediately; if he didn't create more situations like the earlier one; it would become too late for him, and he would not get abything from Nozomi in return except a quick defeat.
That was not quite true. The Doctor was trying very, very hard. He was not going easy on her on purpose. The primary problem was that he was being limited by about fifty percent of his regular power. After all, his abilities were based around two things. The first was the ability to get where he needed to go. This was why he lasted for so long; he was a snake. The second ability, and far more relevant to the current case, was that the Doctor was a 'game master'. He used pawns and other servants that were designed and manipulated by him specifically for the purpose of aiding in combat. He appeared, at the moment, to be able to summon them. Therefore, his life had become much more difficult as far as this combat was concerned. Stripped of those abilities, the Doctor was very pleased with how he was interacting with the Dimensional Princess.
His right eye still closed, the Doctor watched with amusement as his attack made contact. … It worked. That single thought reverberated through the doctor's mind as he saw Nozomi's arm flying of, being devastated with pure damage. In that moment, watching her regenerate, the Doctor realized two things. The first was that Nozomi could not be defeated simply by killing her body. To do that would mean having to devastate all of the Esper in this place, and that seemed to be impossible. More importantly… it seemed that she was tethered by something more than flesh. And in that instant, the Doctor began to concoct his plan.
"...Well that's hardly fair…" The Doctor muttered aloud as he saw her regenerate, creating living tissue out of nothing before it joined onto her body. The eyes of his that were observing her could watch as each individual piece of flesh was reattached onto her body, created by the Esper as it reformed her arm. As he moved in once more, his blood began to pump rapidly, watching as Nozomi was put into a stressful situation as the arm was rebounded back at her body. And in that moment, he saw it. I CAN SEE IT!
I CAN SEE IT!!
The mental roar that cascaded within him from deep inside watched back at Nozomi, and in that frozen space, where time itself appeared to be halted, she could see it. Those eyes. Those red ringed eyes, staring at her. They were twitching within his skull. Even in that mental ability that approached infinity… she could be observed. From any ordinary person's perspective, this would be terrifying. And as she began to plan each and every one of her moves…
The Doctor's mental processes developed his own.
As she vanished from in front of him, his left hand thrust out, pointing the top of his scythe outwards as it dramatically changed paths, completely changing from his previous course of motion as he knew that she now was planning around it. From the tip of the scythe, a line of pure Dust Energy fired outwards. This was the property of Hebi known as Being a Laser. It was firing a concentrated beam directly at Nozomi, and contained within that Dust was wind, blasting outwards like blades after the Dust would attempt to impact against her fleeing body, attempting to rend her in several places as the Dust covered around her body, cutting off the connection with the Esper.
This movement also obliterated the arm that was coming back at the Doctor, a property of the flames becoming manifest as they were obliterated by the Doctor's attack, shredded into pure nothingness as they were reduced to dust once more. Meanwhile, the Doctor's right eye was beginning to close, his left opening as she hurtled herself away from him immediately after coming out of that attack. As the eye began to close, as he was looking directly into her own, and another spurt of blood would be seen drifting down from it. That is, if Nozomi could observe it at all, as a second blast of the mysterious fire formed over her own precious eyes, blasting her directly in the face as the Doctor now held nothing back at all, his feet smashing into the ground with full force as the Surgical Reaper finally vanished, reappearing back within the sky.
"I killed my father for these eyes. The same man who named me Kabuto Hebi, the same one who ensured that I would grow up without dying, the one who employed me for years, gave me purpose and direction in my life. I killed him, without a second thought. So much devastation, so much destruction. And in the end… these were why I killed him. They were worth it. Every single bit of it." The Doctor explained, though not with his mouth. He had spoken over the Madness Wavelength, causing for Nozomi to also receive the images of what he had done in order to gain them. His struggle, the death of almost every single one of his thousands of Selves. And after that, images of the result. The thousands of Selves replaced by tens of thousands. The opening of the Rinnegan in the eye sockets of all of his servants, and even more than that the recreation of the corpses of his father, into his own Paths.
"I can… SEE IT…!" That thought roared along with a huge pulsation of the Madness Wavelength, pulsating so fiercely from his body that the Selve that he had created began laughing like crazy as the mental image passed to her, that moment of eternity. The Doctor's own mind, while it had been unable to work at the level of Nozomi's own while it was initiating her ability, had managed to come up with that combination he had used in reaction in that 'distortion' of time.
He was still smiling as he descended down into her Esper, that smile growing even wider as he looked up at her. "Even if you break through it, it would turn that understanding back into Dust. Nozomi, even if you create and control everything, I will remain uncontrollable. Even if you completely understand it, even if you understand me, I will always change and evolve! After all, anything else would be boring! That is my determination as a scientist!"
Those words were still emanating from his mouth as she began to swing that sword of hers, causing the Doctor to look directly at her as he saw her wielding that blade, pointing it out towards him. As she did so, the hilt of his Scythe that was being held at his side glowed once more, firing out another laser, several hundred times more concentrated as a blast of Dust energy attempted to pierce straight through the hilt of the Blade, striking where the material was the absolute thinnest and severing the entirety of the blade, attempting to sever it completely away with the nature of Dust Element.
It was from there that the Doctor's body would vanish again, this time using the second part of Banido Warp to move almost instantaneously, moving at double the speed of Shunpo. His right eye was the only one that was open, looking back at her as he spoke. "From the beginning… it was never meant to protect!" He declared to her, though she knew that that much was true. Hearing her comment about getting bored, he could not help but laugh as his right hand passed over his left, his body spinning about as a single word left his lips.
"BAN-KAI!"
With that declaration, the weapon that had appeared in that same moment in his hand exploded furiously outwards, blowing the Doctor's body away as the point of the blade smashed not two feet away into where Nozomi's body was, the coiled weapon he had used in their last conflict emerging as the Doctor felt his body being moved as if it were on a rollercoaster, a blur of white and gray rotating wildly as he cackled and cackled as he was thrown farther and farther away, the Gs that were being performed on him enough to kill even most second tiers.
At last, he reached the end of his spiral, where he discharged his hand, causing him to fall back onto the ground as his feet made contact with the non-earth, the skin on his cheeks tearing as he smiled from the wind force that was tearing giant gaps into the earth on either side of the massive weapon. The scores it had created stretched deeply into the planet, going down for several miles. In just as much a colossal explosion of smoke, the weapon vanished once more, going back into the Doctor's body as he realized he would need to take a moment from using such a massive explosion of energy. After all, the artificial Zanpakutō had to have reishi pumped into it in order to react like a Zanpakutō, making it even more demanding energy wise than a typical weapon.
As his feet touched onto the ground, his arms reached out into the air. Now, for Nozomi, this would be a blaring point of chaos. This was a 'technique'. Her eyes could see what was happening, as the amount of energy above him began to increase rapidly. The Doctor did not use techniques. He used weapons, tools, and manipulation. He did not create unique named abilities which served a very specific purpose. The energy that had formed above him began to turn a dark black color, before the Doctor stopped, the energy vanishing just as quickly as it had appeared, vanishing into nothingness. As for where it had gone, she may or may not be able to tell. In reality, it was nothing more than a feint; he had shown her partly what it could do, and therefore he would not feel bad about what could happen later.
That was the Chibaku Tensei. It was the ultimate technique of Nagato that the Doctor had stolen from his Father, one which could tear up miles of land and earth, compressing it into a single point, able to decimate the largest of cities. However, that had only been a small taste. The true ability used up almost all of the Doctor's energy in his Stien State, though it did not drain him correctly. If driven to that point, he would certainly use it, but for now he could only smile, tilting his head at her. For most, that would seem crazy; but the Doctor knew that she could see him perfectly fine. "I do not believe you will become bored.
At last, another one of those strange marks would appear on his body, right on his chest. Out of his chest had emerged a hologram, a green rotating picture of a box. Pressing his left hand down on it, his left eye slowly opened once more. There, held in his hand, was a small ring box. Gingerly opening it with his right hand, he looked in at the satin below. His eyes slightly closed in reverence as he removed the ring around his finger, placing it gently onto the bed as he opened his mouth, holding the box above it as he dropped it right in. He fought with it for a moment, before finally swallowing it completely, feeling it drop down into Doctor Stomach, the space distortion that was his stomach. That was his wedding ring. He believed that there was going to be enough devastation that it could break even that treasure, which could emerge from hydrogen bombs unscathed.
He looked back up at her at last, clapping his hands together as he swung Hebi around in his left hand. In his right, he pulled back his arm… as a Trident had appeared. "You say you have Dust Element all figured out?" He asked her, holding that weapon aloft as she would be able to observe his fingers literally breaking apart, disintegrating as he gripped it. This was an Artificial Seishin Buki of the Nature Iramasha; and its element was Dust!
Bringing back the arm, he looked her directly into the eyes, before pushing the arm forwards as a colossal blast of Dust energy ripped outwards, flying beyond him in the shape of a twelve foot long trident, rotating rapidly, sixteen feet in diameter. Throwing the weapon to his side, it vanished in another explosion of gas, his arms throwing themselves behind him as he followed the burst of Dust Energy, his every step leaving flames in his wake from the speed that he was going, that crazed expression on his face as his eyes widened at her, looking directly into Nozomi's eyes once again as his simply widened… and he set his brain to maximum as his body began to spin.
Every single piece of the Esper. He mapped it. Every shape, every individual piece of the energy, it came into his consciousness as the Trident ripped and tore through it, the zombie particles meeting with the individual fragments of devastation, and through that devastation the Doctor moved. Strange blue-colored stitches were covering his body, and with them he was manipulating each and every cell of his own form, contorting perfectly to dodge the Esper as he looked at Nozomi, and when she moved to dodge the incoming attack, he would grab the moving trident with his own hand, feeling the fingers completely vanish as he threw it at her new location, creating the proper momentum and direction needed with the stitches without even moving his hand, though it had the same force as one of his tosses.
His body would also change direction, flying right at her as the scythe Hebi vanished up his cloak, his hands becoming shuddering pieces of yellow lightning as he thrust them forwards, attempting to grip onto Nozomi's shoulders as he released a full blast of power, causing a torrent of power and electricity which lit up the sky. This was Spirit Shock. This was the Doctor's only attack which could directly damage a person's very Soul, wounding their Spirit and their connection to their energy supplies, directly devastating their relationship with their energy. It was in that single huge burst that the Doctor unleashed the spirit shock, reaching into the parts of her body that the Trident attempted to cut through… exactly the arm that was not currently holding a weapon, and in that space where he had tried to have it pierce her body, his hand would meet against what he would try to observe as her unprotected flesh, the Esper pushed back to exactly that point as he released the colossal burst of pure Spirit Shock.
At last he spiraled out… as his body followed the Trident further, his body screaming at him to stop and take a moment to recover as he continued his concentration, feeling bits of the Esper beginning to touch around his body as sweat dripped from every pour, the colossal outburst of energy weakening the power of his stitches as he finally came out to a stop, spiraling about within the Esper as Hebi entered into his hands, a pillar of earth appearing around his feet as he looked straight up at the sky. While he did not know how quickly Nozomi could change what her Esper was doing, he would now be able to observe it, and pray that there was no effect that would decimate him as he pressed against that small pure piece of earth that was in the wake of her Esper with the balls of his feet.
Using the entirety of the strength that he maintained in his Stein State, he exploded outwards as his body lit on fire, breaking several dozen times over the speed of sound as he roared past the boundaries of the Esper, finally appearing high in the sky as his chest crested upwards like a dolphin which had just emerged from the ocean. However, the Doctor's unique skin was in tatters from his escapades ,and he had completely lost his right hand. In addition, most of his body was bleeding from following the Dust Energy so closely, so he had to release a massive burst of pure Wind energy with the remaining focus of his mind. His body came to a stop, his head falling down as he looked at her once more, his mind and body moving rapidly to make his plosture right once more.
"...And… I will continue to try, in new and varied ways, just like that… Over and over again… until even your Esper finds that it cannot put out the flame of my curiosity…!"
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. - Buddha
Dexterity
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There was no possibility that for the next few seconds after Nozomi activated the full processing capability of the Kouindo, that someone of the Doctor's caliber could produce an effect Nozomi wouldn't expect. She went over millions, billions, and trillions of possibilities. She even noticed that Hebi was somehow managing a minor degree of brain functionality within a frame of absolute zero, and thus considered how he might react now with what little information he'd be able to garner during this period. It was truly impressive of him, but the achievement paled in comparison to the continuum shift that Nozomi observed; it was accelerated probably on an unimaginable scale. When time resumed, she merely had to match the scenario occurring to one of the many she had come across in her contemplation. Sure enough, one fit the bill. It was like playing a matching card game, and racing to figure out which card was right based on the first few letters. Similarly here, she would know which incarnation of moves the Doctor would used based solely on the erratic movement of the scythe in his hand. She was in the process of flying away to safety, but she was already preparing for the attack coming her way, before it was even fired.
He so insisted on coupling every move he made with his signature Dust energy, and it was time for Nozomi to show that that ability would just not cut it anymore. As the lance of Dust element shot at her, the Esper converged upon it savagely. The thin film would be torn up in seconds by the overwhelming pressure caused by the corruptive energy; some of it would be burned away, but that was to be expected. The thin layer of defense would be overrun, as well as the sharp winds contained within. Nozomi had commanded her Esper to devour it all, rendering it into nothingness. It would not even make it half-way to the blue-haired woman, who was now safely separated by a football field's worth of Esper from Hebi, already manipulating it into her next defense. Yes, in that moment of infinite cognition, she too had come to terms with the strange attack that had managed to strike her, what with the surge of energy in Hebi's eye, the liquid exuded from his tear duct, and the connection between his line of sight and the place where it had hit her. So when she knew of how an attack worked, she would know of a way to counter it. It was foolish of the Doctor to try it a second time knowing that she'd done a lot of thinking just moments before, but he did, and Nozomi knew it was coming. All the factors lined up: his intense focus, the blood, the energy surge... The moment the attack was launched was the very moment Nozomi defense was up.
A perfect mirror was created precisely halfway between them, completely blocking his view of her and superimposing his own visage as his attack's target. This was not a simple man-made mirror you could buy at the warehouse store down the street, but a plane that could only be created through supernatural means, leaving no imperfections in the reflection it displayed. When Hebi activated his black fire, his own body would be the focus of them, and the instantaneous speed as well as the visual-based nature of them would undoubtedly mean it was himself now spontaneously igniting. It was a parting gift for him as he escaped the field of Esper to safety, allowing Nozomi to walk back to the center of it where she was strongest. The mirror, something between an illusion and reality, would vanish without a trace, returning to its Esperian state. It was now where Nozomi's perfect predictions came to an end, where that particular continuum shift had concluded. She could have searched further into the future if she so wished, but the tax on her mind and energy would grow exponentially the longer it lasted, and it was already particularly exhausting as it was.
To hear Hebi's retelling of how he'd murdered his own father and taken his eyes from his sockets for the sake of power was sickening to say the least. Nozomi knew of the man of which he spoke through both his memories and mere infamy, though only now was she was learning about his death. It must have happened not months after she had met Hebi, and she did not like to consider the ramifications of those two events... That she may have sparked the patricide. But she would not falter, knowing of much worse in this world; she focused on the battle at hand, which is what mattered now. She felt the familiar presence of the Madness Wavelength as it conveyed images of the event for her mind, but if you gave Nozomi an inch, she would take a mile. With his thoughts on the Rinnegan and a connection presented to her, her Arius was able to pierce the veil of his mind for a moment. In the short window of opportunity, she would discover more about those organs lodged into his skull than he'd probably anticipate, before he got around to showing all his tricks off. He would not even be able to tell what had happened, as she was not interfering with thoughts, just looking in on them. That is when she began to comprehend the scale of his new power, and why he held it in higher regard than his own blood.
As she worked to slice his Dust bomb in half, she noted the secondary laser fired at her weapon's hilt, surging at high speeds to try and counter her swing. She could easily avoid the blast with her weapon, but doing so caused the shockwave to miss and thus fail to defuse the bomb. She allowed the attack to come, not caring if it destroyed the weapon so long as she managed to get the shockwave off, and she did it by putting an additional kinetic force behind the dull edge of Nozarashi, speeding it up. Milliseconds after the slicing wind surged out, the head of the ax came flying off into the air, cut clean by the dust shot at it. Before anything could go utterly wrong, she turned both handle and blade back into Esper, deciding to holster the Ahmt Alles for now. It was able to carry out its task, and stop the Dust bomb before it grew too troublesome, with a little help from the Esper.
''BAN-KAI!''
''Shatterstyle.''
The entire length of Hebi's artificial Zanpakutō would ring with a metallic tone and vibrate intensely, as though it were about to break under stress, but only just. It was hard to tell exactly what happened with the swiftness it had taken place, but it would seem both combatants had stepped it up a notch at the same time, Hebi proactively and Nozomi reactively. It was once again a very nostalgic moment as they each utilized something from their previous match; in Nozomi's case, it would be recognized by the hardening and darkening of Nozomi's skin, as well as the jagged crown of horns that grew out of her scalp. Compared to last time, the transformation was much quicker, and it had to be in order to stop Hebi's sword from impaling her. After entering her Demonic Form, however, she enunciated the name of a technique new to Hebi's ears just before it managed to parry the blade to her right. The spiral weapon's course changed rather forcefully as Nozomi's gentle fingers came into contact with it, passing right by her like a train, casting her hair into the wind. Compared to the wild force produced by Hebi, the Quincy's approach was calm and precise, zen-like. A subtle blue aura coated her fingers, and she had almost no force behind her movements now. With closed eyes, she settled into lowered stance and crossed her arms over one another in front of her, palms facing in opposite directions.
Then, the poor sword of his would begin to give off tragic cracking sounds, with chips of metal flying off of it at every which curve, before the entire thing collapsed into a very long pile of scrap on the ground, its every 'shatterpoint' triggered. The old wounds of the past would not go away even if you fixed it and upgraded it; the soul of the blade would remember them, and suffer to them. Nozomi remained still, not even breathing as she maintained her strange stance. Even as the Doctor spoke to her, it was impossible to tell if she even acknowledged his words. All there was to do was continued the fight, and he would by charging at her behind a barrier of dust. His continued reliance on that element was beginning to annoy her, as even when he tried to convince her he had evolved, he still had to rely on that element of his to get through to her. She'd decided that she was tired of his dust element, and would cripple his ability to use it at precisely the moment before he was about to attack her. She opened her eyes to him and stabbed through his mind with her own consciousness; a seal was placed in that instance, easily transmitted thanks to her understanding of him. It was a mental block that would shut off his ability to produce and manipulate the Dust element of his and destroy even the thoughts of trying to use it. With it in place, both the shield and the trident made from Dust would vanish, leaving only an unarmed body charging at her.
The Demonic Form of Nozomi, where the Esper around her condensed within her own body to amplify her physical capability to extreme levels, now had her with an advantage in unarmed combat. More than that, she was applying her new Shatterstyle to her combat, a hand-to-hand style that utilized no energy but had devestating effects. She would display it in full here as she went against Hebi's expectation, and charged straight at him instead of dodging away. She closed the distance before he'd be ready, and laumch a flurry of finger jabs at seemingly random points of his body. She combo'd them into one another at such a speed that it seemed like she was attacking two or three times at once per arm, and yet there would be almost zero kinetic force behind the jabs. The true effect would seem to come with a delay; a mind-wracking pain all through his body followed the gory explosion of both his arms. If Nozomi's strikes connected, then the result would be thus, and Nozomi would dart back just as quickly as she rushed in, to avoid staining her neat uniform. If counted, Hebi would be able to tell that precisely twenty-seven different points had been pressed on his body by her gentle fingers in under a half of a second, though the agony might be too distracting even for him. The focus was on his arms, as the intent seemed to be preventing him from using Spirit Shock on her.
In addition, should a majority of the striles been allowed to hit him, it would destabilize the flow of energy within him in a destructive manner, at least for a few seconds. Combined with the exhaustion he was already facing overexerting himself, the result would be a rather combustible state requiring only the lightest of sparks. Hebi himself would provide that spark as he tried dearly to rush out of the field of Esper. The energy he tried to use would backfire and explode inside of his body, bursting his chest open into more red. Rather than fly upwards, he would crash to the ground with half of his body flayed to pieces, and an unbelievably crushing weight atop despite the air being clear above him. All of this was a result of the desecration of one's shatterpoints, that Nozomi could create using her new style. She hoped that Hebi would surprise her and show her the truth of his claims, lest this be his final fate.
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DexterityWaifu War Veteran
