Home Sweet Home (Open?)

This was getting really interesting... As time continued to pass, the more and more she learned about this once seemingly normal being. At first glance, he seemed weak and powerless, but he was far from it. Instead, his power stemmed from the being inside of him, and actually, everything inside of him. His determination was something that she hadn't seen in a while, and with the work of Valus aiding him, he could definitely make it far. He made it far enough to survive training that she was certain would lead to more injuries for completely average people, so it also meant his base form had already began to grow to start participating in the arms race. The struggle to obtain power in this cruel twisted world... The challenge that all beings took when they entered their first battle with another living being, to survive.

It was a feeling that always gave Murai a reason to live, a purpose to even exist. The world's rules, the one of where the strong survive, and the weak perish. Even when she was alive, it was something that she took too... But there was no point in mentioning any of it, since Murai was still absent of the memories that led to a life such as this own, no memories of the single mistake she made that started her spiral down into depravity and hunger. What had truly mattered was here and now, a being in front of her who would accept her challenge of training, and would give her entertainment. She was definitely entertained... But at this rate, and with what Steiner had, he could grow. He had the potential to get stronger... To really become a threat to Murai in the future.

Because of this, Murai had to at least instill enough fear that he would avoid her for when he finally reached that pinnacle of power. Killing someone like this would bring more harm than good, someone needs to get rid of her competition, and it wasn't going to be her. That's just too much work. The Arrancar held herself back from striking while Valus had fallen unto the ground, solely for this reason and only this one alone. She needed him, she needed to use him for her own goals in the future, even if he would never know of them. He had the potential to grow, the potential to become a puppet for her schemes... Even the potential to become a hero.

She wouldn't fall prey to believes of heroism and fate, for now, she had to focus on the task on hand. And that task was something that definitely sparked her interest. Steiner was rising now, blade in hand as the weapon was pointed towards her once more. A direct threat? A -challenge-? The two of them were asking for it, and soon enough, a release was accomplished. Light had begun to engulf the area, only leading to Murai's eyes lighting up with intense interest. He had to release just to even handle her weakest, what a wonderful fight this was going to become! As moments passed, Steiner changed, no, the being that was Steiner and Valus changed. The two of them had begun to intertwine their energies, fusing together as one to further hone their skills.

All Murai was left with was a fighter in front of her, a being fully clad in armor with the potential for great things. Despite just the appearance, something seemed off. This being seemed to irradiate a certain type of energy, one that the Arrancar wasn't foreign too. This energy seemed hostile, almost vicious against the very presence of her own energy in the same room. Dark, corrupted reiatsu meeting Steiner's Judgement Energy... Let's see what this delightful mix of powers would lead too! The violence! The drama! The -fun- that would be had! All of it would be great, great enough to truly entertain Murai long enough that perhaps she wouldn't need to go out looking for trouble so soon.

This being slowly began to advance towards her, their energy brimming with absolute power, absolute ferocity, brimming with so much potential! With Steiner standing tall and firm with armor adorning his body, he might actually have a chance of surviving her stronger strikes. The harder Murai could go, the more fun she would had, and the more fun she had, the better out Steiner would become, and the greater his chances of walking out alive would be. With a release already used, maybe Steiner could cause some permanent damage. Maybe he could actually teach this spoiled brat a lesson that she should hopefully remember for a long time to come... Or perhaps he might only further fuel her destructive, selfish desires for amusement and a reason to even exist on this planet.

Her weapon formed within her fingers, seemingly delicate (yet fatal-injury inducing) digits wrapping around the base of an object that didn't even seem like a weapon. It was a femur bone, a hardened piece of calcium that reached outwards for a total of 18 inches to allow her a weapon to contest Steiner's. It was her zanpokuto... A weapon meant for shinigamis, meant to bring peace and order within this world. Instead? It was in her grasp, a weapon for her to abuse and wield for any purpose or reason that suited her. A weapon that would be considered holy to some was being tainted and corrupted through just being within her grasp, through just being in contact with her grubby little fingers...

As Steiner approached, the weapon was held up in front of her, spanning the length of her chest horizontally as her free hand shot up to grasp the other side and hold it tightly. Fingers seen gripping the bone tightly as it was used as some form of shield... It wasn't a very good shield, but it would serve it's purpose. With the weapon held in front of her, she allowed Steiner to continue on his offensive. Each and every step would lead to him advancing forwards, but she made sure to angle her own weapon in front of her to take a singular blow. A single, quick blow to shatter the weapon. It came at a surprise for Murai as in that split second, Steiner could see the horror upon her face. His blade had cleaved through the bone almost effortlessly, sliding along it and coming out the other side as Murai was forced to hold both pieces. Everything seemed to almost slow down, almost go into slow motion as in that split second, Murai's devastation was easily seen upon her face, as her lips finally moved...

"Did you... Activate... My Resereccion...?"




Everything seemingly went silent as the objects held between Murai's fingers had faded away, turning into dust and being swept away through the rest of Steiner's violent attacks. Each swing leading to a collision against her body, tearing through the white dress she wore in order to strike upon her body, only to result in a dense knock that he could easily hear. The blunt of the force behind each strike only lead to the same sound over and over again, the tip of his weapon even unable to leave a permanent mark upon her body, every little scratch soon being mended just as quickly as they were made. He wasn't dealing damage, and nothing was being done to her, but she seemed happy. Lips curled upwards higher and higher, eyes widening as she stared straight towards Steiner.

Steps were taken forwards, body moving ever so slowly -through- his assault. With the combination of not only her hierro, but her natural durability and passive abilities, someone of Steiner's strength would never be able to cause true harm with just a singular blade. Every step only led her closer and closer to him, the strikes of his blade now starting to bounce off of her very own body as she wasn't even slowed by the assault, no, she even thrust her chest out against him to bounce the blade back harmlessly a few times. She was taunting him, she was toying with him, she was further proving that she was on top, and even with his release, he had no hopes of doing any true damage to her being, at least not with strikes meant to only induce minor wounds instead of grievous injuries. If allowed, she would get close enough that he was unable to swing anymore, no more space for his arms to move as chests were pressed against one another... Despite the hardened body that could take blow after blow, all Steiner would feel was something soft slide along his own body, teasing him before all of it began to change.

Something sprouted forth from underneath her clothing, a black suit that began to spread all along her body in an instant, completely encasing her as if she were in a skin-tight diving suit. With her outfit done, bones began to erupt forth... Forming through the black suit, starting to collect upon one another as bones of all shapes and sizes came forth in order to create something. Armor. A suit of armor that resembled Steiner's own, down to every last detail. The only difference was that Murai had a helmet, a helmet that resembled a knight's own. To cover her face, there was even a sliding piece of metal with lines along it to allow her sight, as Steiner could see amber eyes staring forth... A glowing yellow that almost peered into his soul.

"Come on now... It's time to take part in this dance of death~!"

Her chest was thrust forwards, bony armor slamming against his own body to knock him back a few feet, to cause him to stumble as Murai struck a pose. A single arm raising itself high up into the air to point towards the sky... The sun that was once high in the sky had become dark, only the moon left to illuminate their battle. Her free hand had found itself placed upon her hip, the same hip that was thrusted out to the side as her body stood at a slant, eyes focused not on where her finger was pointing, but Steiner. During the pose, music began to play... . Her skeletons, Knuckle and Duster, had done a fine job of getting her phone and starting to play the theme of their battle, a theme that would inspire the both of them. A theme to make this night gorgeous.