[Spirit Class 1 | Hazard S] Henrex Astillon

○ Name: Henrex Astillon ○ Former Name: Yuuto Hisakawa (優人, 久川) ○ Alias: Stormsword ○ Age: 864 ○ Birthday: 09/09/1556 ○ Gender: Male ○ Race: Shinigami/Demon ○ Affiliation: Gotei United. Shin'o Academy, Guild of Heroes ○ Marital Status: Single ○ Nationality: Japanese ○ Sexual Orientation: Bisexual ○ Height: 5'8 ○ Hair Color: Black ○ Eye Color: Red

— Undying Willpower: This is one of the traits that Henrex has shown throughout his entire life -- his desire to keep going, despite all odds. While this is something that is proven with his nature as a whole, as well as in general combat, Henrex is someone who does not give up easily. While this does make others view him as very stubborn, Henrex firmly believes that if he pushes himself hard enough, results will be brought out. If he is to achieve his goals and live up to what he has devoted himself to, it is something that he has to have. This has only been fueled by the people that he's met, and befriended. They are the people who have shaped him into who he is today.

Firstly, this is something that has heavily altered how he views many things. For him, there is a large sense of determination when it comes to doing the things that he believes are right, and will aid in his goals and make the people he looks up to proud of him. This is something that has been shown again and again to be one of the core forces that drive him to do what he wants and needs to do. As a person who simply wants to do the right thing, it is a powerful asset that proves to be one of Henrex's strongest traits, outside of his kindness and gentle nature.

Ergo, it's something that makes him keep going, no matter the odds, simply because of the possibility of the struggle being worth it. The chance and hope of validation as of the results of his actions, as he wishes to prove himself at nearly every chance he can get. Considering himself a failure in his human life, the path that he roams in the world of spirits is, to him, the way to make up for that.

Furthermore, to lightly touch on the stubborn portion of this determination, Henrex is someone who will never give up -- as said before. When it comes to a goal that he has, he will always be trying to complete it. It doesn't matter if the goal seems impossible, he will always find a way, somehow. Even if it has to do with finding the tiniest bits of hope and light within what he wants to do. If there is a way, there is the willpower and desire to get to it. It is a bit of a stubborn mindset, but it has brought him this far, and will continue to do so. That is just who he is.

And finally, as stated before, this is something that has been enforced by the many friends and comrades that he fights alongside and interacts with. They are the people he seeks to impress and make them happy. He is determined to help and protect them, and with how they have acted towards him and shown how they feel, it has been more than enough to cause him to undergo a large boost in determination over time. This can be seen with people such as Hayden, where he seeks to always live up to his expectations and be something of a son to him.

This can also be seen with the interaction between Cirno and Erna, someone he believes he has the duty of upholding his heroism to -- as they helped him find his way on this spiritual life. But, the biggest and largest influence has been none other than Erchanhardt Burgstaller. With the heavy standards that the German has on him, Henrex is even more determined -- so that he can make his best friend happy, and exceed his expectations, as he should.

— Sadomasochist: If there is one thing that Henrex tries to keep suppressed when it comes to his personality and actions, this would be it. Henrex's body, surprisingly, doesn't react to pain like normal people. He doesn't scream whenever a knife digs into his flesh. He doesn't whimper or cry whenever a limb or chunk of his body is lost. Rather, his body derives a form of pleasure from that. This is something that has heavily come from being born with that innate feeling, but this hasn't always been the case. this was something that developed more during his spiritual life.

After a few months of constant abuse towards his body, the nerves within him were quickly becoming numb to the pain that a normal person would feel. This is what brought along his masochism -- the reason behind why he enjoys the feeling of pain. But, this has also brought along another trait -- sadism -- the enjoyment of inflicting pain. This is something that goes along with his alternate persona, someone that embodies the most violent and negative traits about him to keep Henrex sane. Therefore, the influence that Tanin has on Henrex is quite large.

There is a large want for Henrex to hurt someone as a result of this, as it gives him the immense satisfaction that a sadist would get -- which is something that mainly is spawned from whenever he harms someone that he perceives as an enemy. And thus, Tanin is someone who heavily encourages that. As a violent person, he encourages violent acts. Yet, there is also a sense of art that he sees within hurting someone. The many unique, artistic aspects can be applied towards something as strange a habit as hurting someone and both sides of Henrex are very willing to capitalize on that.

— A Loving Heart: Perhaps one of Henrex's greatest traits to his entire character is that he is gentle, kind, and loving. He is not an aggressive person by nature, and never will be. Instead, he is a person who tries his best to befriend those he meets, oftentimes rarely caring about who they are, or where they are from. Take, for example, Arianda Vael, an Arch-Duchess of the infamous organization Shadow Fall, one of his closest friends. While the circumstances of how they met were what generated this friendship (eventually), it goes to show how he views people.

For him, it's not always about the organization that the person belongs to, or what alignment they reside by, but who they are as a person, and how they act towards Henrex himself. While this is not the case all the time, such as when he fought in Panama against Azuma, the King of the Monsuta. He was there for only one purpose -- to further the Gotei's agenda. But, this can go even deeper than that. This is something that can be clearly shown within his circle of friends and allies.

When it comes to his friends, he is extremely kind to them, treating and considering them to be like family. This has proven cases in people such as Arianda or Hayden, as he considers them to be sister and father figures to him, respectively. There's a strange sense of safety and comfort whenever he is in the presence of friends, something that allows him to relax and loosen up whenever he's around them -- mostly. While he is an extremely kind person, loving, and caring for those he considers close to him, there are times where he is particularly harder on his friends than anyone else.

This may be a trait that he has replicated because of his time with Erchanhardt, it is extremely similar to him. For him, he has shown to be hard on his friends due to him wanting them to be happy, knowing, and hoping for the best for them. Because he is so close to them, he -- like Erchanhardt does to him -- holds his friends on a set of standards much higher than his own. Yet, he holds them in a sense of respect and has expectations that he has no doubt they will be able to meet and exceed.

Although, this does have a major hit on Henrex's mental state when it comes to his kindness -- being that his mind is constantly burdened with worry, fear, and sadness. This is due to him being too kind. In conjunction with that, this has led up to become one of his biggest weaknesses. As he is someone that always attempts to make those he cares for happy, he will not hesitate to sacrifice his well-being -- physically, mentally, or emotionally -- to keep others intact.

Ergo, he has no problems having himself sink into a pool of despair, depression, or pain to keep those he cares for happy and thriving. It happens astonishingly often and is not something that he moderates for himself, but it is something that works, in his eyes. He can make sure that his friends have good lives, ones that he will support -- even if it does hurt him immensely to do so. Ultimately, his kindness will be the end of him.

— Protective: In tandem with his kindness, there is an obvious protective aspect to Henrex. His friends' happiness and lives mean more to him than his own well-being, and his willingness to sink into the deepest pits of despair to do that shows. As a result of that, Henrex will often do everything he can to protect them, or help them in some way, as they mean too much to him for Henrex to ever simply let something bad happen to them. Out of a mix of selfishness to want to keep those close to him near, the desire to do what is right and good, and out of care for those people, there is little that Henrex won't do. He will try his hardest to help out his friends during some form of battle, or even in the smaller cases, he will try and help however he can.

However, in recent years, this trait has only been further stressed and doubled down on. With Ceal and Mirja's deaths, both of which he feels directly responsible for, there is a fear that comes with this feeling, as there is little more that he fears than to lose yet another person he cares for, no matter how deep or shallow the connection might be, or even if he holds negative feelings toward them in some capacity. For him, someone he considers a friend is worth more than his life -- something he is willing to give to ensure their lives are nothing but good.

This trait does not stop with just his friends -- this kindness and protectiveness of his extend to everyone that he meets. Part of his desire to rise in the world as a hero is to give everyone a chance, to protect everyone when there is danger. After seeing and dealing with death and the heartache associated with it for so long, he wants to make a stand, put his foot down, and ensure that he makes a difference in the world. If he sees someone in danger or seeing someone hurt, it's an instinct for him to try his hardest to save them and protect them.





The first words that he remembers hearing: "Welcome to the world", in his mother tongue. Born from a human, his father, Rei, and a demon, his mother, Asahi, a magic seal was promptly placed on the infant in an attempt to conceal the demonic power that would eventually grow within him.

There is very little memory of his birth, outside of where and when. A child born of the passion and lust of consummation, born nowhere else than on the top of a mountain. Amid Toba, Japan, at the very peak of a mountain named in the likeness of the one in China, Wudang Mountain. The cries of the newborn filled the mountain, and many of the family who were available gathered in the mass to see them, this Child of the Mountain.

He was healthy. A healthy baby boy.

However, something was...off. Something that they never expected to develop so quickly, if at all. That was the two small wings that had sprouted from the back of the child, as well as Yuuto's mother being able to notice the surprisingly large lack of weight from the newborn, which originally had brought concern. But, after the two wings revealed themselves, everyone was...mostly calm. Yuuto, at mere childbirth, had already developed something unique to him -- the physiology of an avian.

And that would not be the only thing that comes from the Child of the Mountain.

Childhood

Disappointment, the word that was buried into his mind since the moment he could comprehend speech. Even as a child, there weren't too many things he was good at, in terms of combat. He'd end up pulling the string of a bow too far and snap it, or he'd lose his balance while trying to hold a stance with hand-to-hand combat. His father never let him hear the end of it.

Not once did he ever remember seeing his father smile at him.

Every single time he messed up, he was berated by the man, called worthless, a failure, and a disappointment. The degrading comments hurt, but there was one thing that he had, that he certainly inherited from his father: his stubborn, undying willpower. No matter how many times his father beat him down with words, he continued to get back up. Something in him wanted to prove the man wrong, to show that he was worth something, even if he didn't have natural talent. It didn't take long for his father to start hovering over the line between strict and abusive.

However, that wouldn't be the end of it. A few years later, his little sister, Atsuko, was born, and as she grew alongside him, it didn't take her long to discover her own natural talent. Almost immediately, his sister was put in favor of Yuuto, further giving him the drive to gain some form of approval. Even with all the degrading and bitter words, he was still his father, and deep down, there was part of him that believed he could show the man that he was capable of being something, even without natural talent.

Despite her being better at him than everything, Atsuko did not develop a sense of arrogance. Rather, she sympathized with her brother. She soothed and comforted him, giving him words of encouragement. Both of their innate kindness caused them to seek each other's comfort, rather than push each other away in the rather harsh life they were forced into. The siblings grew closer and closer, often taking time away from their day to talk with one another and spend time with each other.

Even furthermore, Satoru Ishikawa, a family friend who was staying with them, cared for him and his sister, acting like an uncle to the siblings, and more of a father than Rei was to them. He spent time with the two, encouraging them to continue onward, healing from the abuse of their father, and kindness only shared by their mother. It brought Yuuto closer to both his pseudo-uncle and his sister.

As time went on, Yuuto and Atsuko began to develop something more than just kinship and love towards one another as siblings. The myth of siblings being mentally connected and tell if something was wrong had become real for them. They were able to use this connection to pass secrets on to one another, to talk without the fear of being overheard or someone eavesdropping, especially not their father. To them, it was a way of confiding their deepest thoughts, emotions, and comfort one another during some of their darkest days.

It became their coping mechanism for the stress in their lives. With comfort from Satoru and Atsuko, the abuse from his father became far more bearable. Yet, despite this, he still worked to try and make his father proud -- to try and do his best and become the person that his father wanted him to be, no matter how futile it seemed. As time passed and the ever-repeating cycle of self-improvement, a new face appeared in Yuuto's life. One day, as he was about to head inside, he noticed a boy around his age nearby, almost hidden from sight.

Approaching him and greeting him earned him just about nothing, save the young boy recoiling in surprise, and quickly become tight-lipped. After a short time of talking, Yuuto had managed to earn his name: Hattori. Being called in by his mother, the two promised to meet together with one another the next day, if able. And so, the almost daily routine of meeting in secret and talking with one another began. Slowly, but surely, Yuuto learned more about the mysterious Hattori. He too grew up in the mountains, albeit not nearly as high up, and lived on a small farm.

He, too, was practicing to become a warrior soldier for the army -- though, when he mentioned what kind of style he used, he once again became tight-lipped. After a bit of prodding, Hattori finally started talking about it, and it amazed the young Yuuto. It was something so different and interesting from what he was learning, and it felt so much more precise, yet also feeling a little underhanded and dirty. But, what was the harm in it? Perhaps, if he learned something new, something different, his father would think better of him!

After many days of asking and begging Hattori to teach him what he knew, the boy finally broke down, and with a reluctant sigh, Hattori began teaching Yuuto a new style of hand-to-hand combat. It was tricky, and it took many times even to get one movement right and even longer to truly be considered a master at that single movement, but over time, Yuuto practiced tirelessly to try and learn as much of it as he could. He didn't learn much, only two or three techniques out of the entire style, but, Yuuto was confident that he could learn more, and that he could use them to bring him even further.

But, as time went on, more events in his life began to pop up. Wars came and went, with Yuuto accompanying his father as often as he could in some vain attempt to prove himself and show his usefulness to one of the people that he was trying his hardest to make proud. The two's meetings grew more and more limited, reducing to be as little as once a month. But, even then, over time, Yuuto continued to cultivate this strange, new style in secret, even if their time talking with one another was dwindling.


With time becoming more and more borrowed as his life became more and more hectic, Yuuto and Hattori's secret meetings became more and more sparse, while also becoming more and more difficult to keep a secret. His mother was growing concerned with how often he was disappearing for so long, only for him to come back so late in the afternoon or evening. Upon being questioned about it, he brushed it off as merely spending time with a friend -- not a total lie, but there were certain details that he left out.

Conflict seemed to arrive and leave with the seasons as the days, weeks, months, and years blurred together. Over time, he would overhear his father mention a comrade he met on the battlefield, someone by the name of Takeshi Masamoto, a swordsman who had saved his life, as had Satoru, many years before. Curiosity quickly came over the young man as he overheard more and more through the passing days.

Eventually, he came to meet the man -- and, for him, the word "incredible" did not even begin to capture how he viewed the man. Almost immediately, he began to watch him, seeing him practice with a sword, as well as various other weapons he both did and did not recognize. To the teenage Yuuto, it was like watching a living, flowing river. Every action he took felt as if it were planned long ahead, not a shred of energy was wasted, every movement felt smooth, clean, and pinpoint.

He found himself staring in awe, losing his focus on the fact that he was watching, and the man saw him. He called out to Yuuto, beckoning him forward with a smile on his face. Yuuto introduced himself, and it didn't take long for the two to strike up a conversation, with the young teenager peppering the man with questions about where he learned about all of these different weapons, to which he gladly gave the simple explanation: practice.

Takeshi offered to teach Yuuto, to which he accepted with unfathomable fervor. In just a short time, this man had become another source of inspiration for Yuuto, even more so than others. To him, Takeshi Masamoto was an invincible man, a god among warriors and soldiers alike. As the days went by, Yuuto would often split his time up to go between spending time with Hattori and watching Takeshi practice, as well as being taught some of what he knew as well.

Things were finally starting to look up in his life, and he would often speak with his mother, his sister, and Satoru about his time with Takeshi, while also being rather theatrical when it came to the finer details, but there was no denying the amount of passion that he held toward Takeshi. As time went by, Yuuto eventually had learned what he felt was enough to finally show his father, to try and impress him with something new, something unorthodox -- to him, he thought that perhaps that would have been enough.

So, one day, he managed to get both his father and Takeshi to watch as he replicated what Hattori had taught him -- though, the reaction was not quite what he was expecting. Rather than being impressed, both of them shared a look of concern, another expression that he wasn't used to seeing on either of the men. Takeshi seemed genuinely concerned, and he started questioning Yuuto on where he learned this strange style of fighting. Anxious and unsure of what was going on, all Yuuto was able to get out was:

"I...was taught it by a friend."

The moment he said that they started questioning him about who this friend was, where he came from, and how much they knew. In a state of panic from the situation intended to be him showing something he thought would be approved by the man he idolized and the man he was trying so desperately to make proud, now going so horribly wrong, he blurted out everything he knew: He had been meeting with a friend, he saw how he fought and wanted to learn to impress his father, and had been meeting in secret ever since.

The silence that came after he finished felt as if it was going to suffocate him.

His father walked away without a word, and Takeshi sighed softly, stepping forward and placing a hand on his shoulder, calmly, yet quietly asking the young man to walk with him. and the two walked in eerie silence, the only thing breaking it being their footsteps. His voice still level and calm, Takeshi quietly explained that he had been learning from an assassin and that the reason that they were strange and unconventional was that those techniques and methods were underhanded, unbefitting of a regular warrior and soldier.

Though, the man did admit one thing: that he was certainly impressed at his ability to learn something such as that, and, as a result, Takeshi gave the boy an offer -- forget about what he had learned from this budding assassin, and he would willingly teach him everything that he knew. Takeshi offered Yuuto the chance to become his official student.

The claim of someone being able to say that they could see stars in someone's eyes could not have been more true for the young Yuuto at that moment. The chance to learn all of the skills that the man he idolized knew? It was a chance that he wouldn't dare pass up. It was an immediate reaction, wordlessly nodding in reply. A smile passed over the man's face as he patted Yuuto on the shoulder, nodding gently and giving him a brief thanks before he headed off, and Yuuto began the trek back across the mountain towards home.

Leaving Takeshi's side and returning home, each step along the way filled him with nothing but inconceivable amounts of dread. He approached his father's room, knocking quietly, and he heard the stern voice of his father, permitting him to enter. Swallowing hard, the young man quietly slid the door open and knelt before his father, the man having his back turned to his son.

Just like before, the silence was aching. He wanted to scream, to beg his father to say something, anything, anything at all, just to break this horrid silence and to punish him as he assumed he would. In a quiet voice, his father merely told him that he was never to see this boy again and that if he did, he would punish him far more severely. Acknowledging this order, he slowly rose to his feet and left. It was hard to process the thought -- forcing himself to cut ties with the only person he could call a friend.

But, what choice did he have at this point?

So, as the days went by, he eventually made his way to the two boy's secret meeting place, his eyes glummer than they had ever been before. As Hattori arrived, he didn't waste much time. He told him that they wouldn't be able to see one another again and that they couldn't be friends anymore. It was almost a childish way of speaking, but it was the truth.

Despite his best attempts to try and cushion the blow, saying that he didn't want to have any bitter blood between them, Hattori was furious. Every word he spoke only dug the knife further and further. Only able to give a final apology, Yuuto quietly returned home, his head hung low, and his eyes devoid of the spark that they had just recently had, while Hattori descended the mountain, a trail of hate radiating from every step, and vitriol with every breath.


The days, weeks, months, and years went by, and even with Takeshi's tutelage, the aching guilt of having cut his ties with one of the few, if only people he could call his friend gnawed at his heart. It felt wrong, but he had to choose between his family and his new mentor, or his friend. For a teen, it wasn't too hard of a choice. As the years passed, conflict once again seemed to come and go with the seasons, even the Great War -- later known as World War One collectively -- was something that passed by without involving Yuuto or his family.

While there was certainly a small time of peace in this time, with no direct conflict that dragged him or his family into it. During this time, as he found himself wandering and exploring his home, spending time in one of the various martial art dojos that were sprinkled around Toba, he came across a man unlike any other, a man that towered over him, a man with a conviction and strength that he could only ever dream of.

Erchanhardt Burgstaller von Königsberg, or, as the Germans would label him, "Der Übermensch". The two came across one another in a judo dojo, and over time, the two became friends, though their time together would not last long.

What many thought to be the war that would end all others would sadly be mistaken, as time continued to pass, with Yuuto and his family choosing to stay out of the fray for a time. After thirty-odd years, what Yuuto could only describe as one of the most horrible things to ever occur on Asian soil at that time, the events of World War Two.

The tensions throughout the entire world had finally reached a boiling point, and while not coordinating their activity, the Axis Powers had formed together, and it was practically inevitable for Yuuto and his family to be pulled into such carnage -- and carnage it was. While not present at every battle in the war on Japan's side, there was one battle that stuck with him more than any other: The Assault of Nanking.

There were no words that he knew which could capture his utter horror for the events that took place during, as well as after the capture of Shanghai and Nanking. Tens to hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians and combatants, all laid dead among the capital, with ever more crimes committed from those who were tasked with mopping up the morbid canvas. While he spoke no word of the event, anger could not begin to describe what he felt when he soon discovered how deeply censored the truth was to the people.

For the first time in either a long time or perhaps in his entire life -- Yuuto felt genuine contempt for his own countrymen.

Nevertheless, he had a duty to perform as a soldier and warrior, and so, his lips remained tightly sealed. Apathy lingered in his heart as the war continued, but he held nothing back and fought his hardest for the sake of his home. He fought without pride -- it was merely a duty to his homeland.

It was a time where Yuuto was hardly even himself, and a time that he couldn't be less proud of.

Then, on August 6th, 1945, at 8:15 AM, the first of two attacks would signify the end of the war for Japan. The first of two nuclear bombs dropped by American forces, Little Boy, hit Hiroshima, causing the early morning sky to erupt with fire. It was as if the Sun itself had fallen on Japan. Three days later, the second bomb fell on Nagasaki -- beginning the end of the war, as the Soviet Union took the opportunity between the bombs to invade Manchuria and persuade leaders to surrender.

While not present at either Hiroshima or Nagasaki at the time of the bombings, it did not take long for news of the bombings to reach Yuuto's ears, only serving to lower his spirits even further. Every metaphorical step back home was nothing but somber -- fighting for his home with everything he had, experiencing the worst of his own countrymen, to experience such devastating casualties and losses from the atrocities of the atomic bombs, only for him to return home with the shame of defeat.

Meeting up with Erchanhardt not long afterward, they both shared quiet moments in this dark time of their lives, though neither knew of what the other had done. Yet, the two friends still enjoyed their time with one another, with Yuuto welcoming the company of his close friend and his daughter, Adalwolfa. He humored the childish idea she had, declaring that she would marry him one day -- saying that once she grew up, he'd consider it.

Perhaps it was these moments of peace that he could call upon in memory that kept him going during the constant back-and-forth that his life went in as the war had come to a close. Remembering even a small, almost insignificant time, a better day when he spent time with his confidants, his closest and only friends, and remembering the expectations that they had for him. Perhaps it was their memory after they lost touch with one another that kept him from spiraling too far down into darkness.

As talk of the war began to slow over time, reparations being made toward Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atomic bombs, Yuuto slowly began to adjust back to regular life. Practicing what he had learned, helping around the home, and just living life. For a while, the mountain was quiet. Time once again seemed to pass in massive amounts, the days and years blurring together.

A couple of years after the end of World War 2, a man named Hermes had come to visit his father, learning more about them and eventually befriending them. As Yuuto conversed with the man, he learned that he was a traveler, wanting to experience as much of the world as he could. In time, there was someone that he met not long after meeting Hermes that he met her: Iori.

A woman taller than most other women he had seen, her hair crimson that glimmered in the afternoon sun, but there was a distinct charm to her. Attempting to introduce himself to her led to her shutting him out almost immediately. It was...demotivating, to say the least. But, he didn't give up -- he kept trying to talk to her, complimenting her, and spending time with her, as much as he was able to, at least. He continued trying to talk to her, even in small amounts -- and, though it took a long, long time -- Iori slowly began to open up.

She felt like a monster, with her height and her hair, as well as strange powers that she had been struggling with. But, the teenage Yuuto didn't understand why. Perhaps it was just a sense of childish naivety, mixed with his fondness for her, but he couldn't find it in him to see her in the same way that she saw herself. Day by day, Iori would come to visit more often, and she and Yuuto would spend entire afternoons and evenings talking to one another, just enjoying one another's company.

Yuuto had accepted Iori for who she was, and was willing to look past that just to spend time with her, to talk with her, and befriend her. He showed Iori and Hermes around the mountain, introducing Iori to his sister and his mother, but being very keen on avoiding introducing her to his father. Instead, he chose to spend time with the other two members of his direct family. Atsuko and Asahi quickly grew just as fond of the red-head as Yuuto had, with Iori becoming close with the two women just as quickly as they had with her.

For them, Iori had become part of the family, often spending time with Asahi or Atsuko whenever Yuuto was busy, but, overall, they were happy. It was a pure relationship between two people who saw the best in the other, two teenagers who found something positive in the dark times that they had grown into and witnessed as time went on. They could rely on one another, confide in the other in the sorrows and the demons that they had without fear of judgment or ridicule.

But, eventually, Iori pressed the question of why he wouldn't introduce her to his father. At first, he remained tight-lipped. How could he begin to tell her that his father would find any possible excuse to not like her, just because it was Yuuto, the person that his father considered "The Family Failure" when compared to his practically prodigal sister. How could he tell her that he would just "not like her"?

He put a pin in the matter, quickly dismissing it, promising that they'd continue the conversation another time. Again and again, he put it off, trying to keep the eventuality from happening as long as possible -- but, eventually, he caved. He couldn't keep putting it off and practically refusing the request. With anxiety pulling at him with each step, the two made their way toward his father's room. Given permission to enter, the two quietly stepped in.

Iori introduced herself with a smile and warm greeting, only to be met with scorn and coldness. It was exactly as Yuuto expected -- the man saw hardly anything in her the moment he saw her with his son. She tried to talk and start a conversation with him, but his father would not have it. No matter what she said, he always had some form of rebuttal.

Leaving in defeat, Yuuto tried his hardest to comfort and reassure her while also staying a way away from his father whenever she was around. However, Iori began to grow more distant as time went on. Every time his father was around or even brought up in conversation, Yuuto could see the shift in her mood and expression whenever it occurred. He tried to reassure her that everything would be okay -- but he knew that there wasn't much he could do.

Then, one day, Iori and Hermes left -- without even saying goodbye. It didn't take him very long to figure out why she left, but even then, the sudden disappearance hurt, even more, that she didn't even give him a proper farewell. Once again sinking into a depression, Yuuto could only appreciate what the time between them had been, returning to his regular day-to-day life.

But, it seemed that fate wasn't done with him just yet, as summer and fall came to a close.

That winter, his mother fell ill, and nobody could figure out the root. A woman who had given Yuuto so much motivation and kept his desire to continue living and trying to impress his father, as well as being the only blood parent that he felt cared about him. Despite the love and care that Satoru and Atsuko gave him, his mother was still the strongest pillar of support that he had in his childhood, and to see her ill and growing weaker by the day, hurt. Even then, his mother tried her hardest to smile and stay strong for her family.

Perhaps he felt desperate to make the most of the time that she had left, but Yuuto began putting even more work into his education -- as education and learning had become far more widespread than it originally had, and was overall just doing his best to try and show his mother that he was indeed trying his hardest and more.

But -- there was still nothing that he could do for her sickness, and as the days went by, Asahi soon became bedridden, unable to leave the house or even move around much. It was a sight that neither husband, son, or daughter wanted to see. Every night, the house was encompassed in dreadfully still silence, only ever being broken with the whispers of Yuuto and Atsuko, speaking either to one another or to Asahi. While she may have been weak, she still managed to find the energy to smile whenever she saw her children.

Perhaps it was their love and their drive that led her to survive as long as she did -- but, nothing can last forever.

In less than a year, as fall crept around the corner, the searing heat of the Japanese summers slowly dwindling into a cool divide of warm and cold, and as the trees slowly began to wilt and wither away -- the last of their mother's strength finally left her, and with Rei, Yuuto, and Atsuko by her side, she passed on with no regrets and a smile on her face, dying in peace, and surrounded by her loved ones.

Nevertheless, time waited for none of them, and Yuuto tried his hardest to make himself seem useful to his father, to try and make him proud -- with him now being the only parental figure left in his life. Despite the hardships that came, he had his sister and Satoru to fall back on and confide in, and they gave him encouragement and comfort. But, even with this, it would not be the end of the tragic spiral that his life was falling into.

One person would seek to put the final nail into this coffin of tragedy -- Tatsuo Hattori.


Assassins were common in the day and age that he lived in, yet he never expected one to ever come after him and his family. The death of the male was something that he never expected. In the middle of a summer night, he had found himself doing something that was quickly becoming a habit -- training in the middle of the night, until the early hours of the morning. It was a night that was like any other, with him taking a wooden sword outside, practicing what he had learned for what felt like the millionth time.

Despite the decline of the samurai from what they once were, there was still a naive belief deep in his heart.

It was something that had become so ingrained in his collective subconscious, that it had just become second nature to do this. Yet, this is also what prolonged his life for just a bit longer than it would have been. As the male stepped outside, there was one thing that he could smell as he had taken a moment to rest and take into consideration the surroundings.

Smoke...something was burning.

Turning the corner, he saw it. A fire had broken out in not just one, but multiple places at once. Everything around him was a wild inferno. His blood ran cold, and shivers began to writhe up and down his back. It practically overwhelmed him. He never thought this day would have come. He couldn't force himself to look away from the raging red and orange. For what seemed like forever, he remained there, trembling in fear, absorbing the screams and cries of his friends and family.

But, there was one thing that he caught from the blackness of the night. A single, green eye, moving with the shadows darting towards the head building. There was only one man that he knew that had an eye like that, but part of him desperately hoped that it wasn't who he thought it was. This caused his panic and fear to quickly melt away into bitterness, and the male immediately took off towards the head building, where he knew his father and master was. He burst into the room, weapon ready. He cried out for his father and his master. While his father was nowhere to be seen, his master, however, was.

Takeshi Masamoto was fighting for his life against a lone man, clad entirely in black. One thing stood out about this particular assassin -- that same single, green eye. Several other shadows lay on the ground, crimson leaking from various parts of their bodies, and some even missing limbs. Sparks flared from the steel that clashed, the two men engaged in a deadly dance. Heat swirled around them like a shield, seeming to halt anyone from coming close to the battle. He had barely stepped into the room when all combat froze.

He watched Masamoto's gaze switch to him immediately, his eyes bulging in surprise. This was his mistake. He had to watch as the ninja took advantage of the registered shock on his enemy's face, adjusting himself to begin a killing strike. Overcome with emotion, Yuuto foolishly charged at the ninja, bringing his weapon above his head and cut down at his head. As the wooden weapon was mere inches away from his enemy's head, he stopped. A cold, heartless laugh came from the assassin as he uttered two words to him:


Within seconds, he was immediately disarmed and brought to the ground, pinned by the threat of a knife piercing his back. Everything had gone by so fast, Yuuto was barely able to keep up with it. His vision was spotted and blurry, and everything in his midsection stung like the very flames that surrounded them. The man ordered Masamoto to kneel. With his student in danger, the man had little choice but to obey.

Dragging his arms forward and pinning them to the floor with a spare tanto, the assassin relished in such an easy victory over "the mighty Takeshi Masamoto". The assassin drew a new weapon, holding it over the man's neck as he asked him if he had any last words. The male simply turned to Yuuto and smiled warmly, before closing his eyes and making one last prayer. Then, he imparted his last words to him.


Those final words burned themselves into his mind as the knife smoothly slid across Masamoto's throat. Gore splattered across the once beautiful and clean tatami mats, drying near instantly from the surrounding heat. The body of the mighty swordsman collapsed to the ground as the last bits of light faded from his eyes. Tears welled in the young man's eyes as he watched his master, teacher, and idol breathe his last right in front of him. With his head bowed, Yuuto silently grieved. But, it would be cut short by the sudden sound of soft footsteps across the room, directly towards him. Barely a mumble, the assassin would bear one compliment towards the now dead swordsman:


The assassin crouched down behind him, pressing the cold steel of the tanto against his back.


The icy blade left, before the flare of pain rocketed through his body as the assassin thrust the blade into him, pinning another part of his body to the floor. This process repeated until every part of him would be pinned to the floor outside of his vital spots. The process was rather quick, as the assassin was not exactly one with spare time. It was complete and utter agony for Yuuto. He desperately wished to writhe around and scream from the flaring pain, but he couldn't.

As Yuuto's eyes opened for the last time as a human, he saw the face of his killer. There was only one trait that he needed to see; the single, green eye. A sadistic grin was plastered on his pale features. Yuuto could feel his heart sinking into his chest. The form of his killer vanished, Yuuto felt a searing pain in his heart as heat flared throughout his entire being, and his vision whitened.

And then...nothing. With that -- the Child of the Mountain, Yuuto Hisakawa, breathed his last.

For the longest time, everything felt so cold.

White broke into his eyes, and the world began to take form in his vision once more. He scrambled to sit up, his breathing quickly turning into hyperventilating. His head turned from side to side, his eyes widening as he realized that he wasn't home anymore -- not that there would have been anything left. Everything came back; his death, his teacher's death, the fire...

Tears welled up in his eyes as he clambered to his feet, turning around as he cried out. He called for somebody, anybody...but no one came. Sinking to his knees, Yuuto's emotions overpowered his composure. He sobbed and cried to the heavens, begging for it all to just be a dream within a dream. For the very first time in all of his life...

He was completely and utterly alone, in a land he didn't know.

With hazy, fragmented memories and unsure of where and who he was, the young man was given a ticket and sent to one of the Western Rukongai districts relatively close to the Seireitei. In the district that he ended up taking residence in, many were kind and welcomed him with open arms, though some only rolled their eyes at the prospect of having yet another mouth to feed. Despite this, he still tried his best to make friends in the Rukongai.

It wasn't an easy life, but he was able to get by. In that time, he would ponder for hours on end about his memories and why so many of them were hazy and with there being such large gaps between them. He could vaguely remember his father and he felt almost nothing but disdain for him, yet he couldn't figure out as to why. He remembered his sister and his safety and comfort when with her, but not why.

But, the most devastating thing he couldn't remember -- his own name. Lost in a strange land with only fragments of his memories, a name, for him, was important. No matter how much he tried, there was nothing he could remember about his name -- so, he gave himself a new name, making the name "Henrex."

It wasn't a popular name or anything -- for him, it was something that meant to be a guardian of humanity. But, for him, it gave him meaning and purpose. It eased the anxiety that ate at him and ultimately helped him settle down in the Rukongai. He was treated well enough -- accepted as a member of their community, and the newly named Henrex spent a great deal of time living life in the district, simply trying to live life and build trust and friendships among the locals.

Months and years passed by, and eventually, Henrex learned of the Shin'o Academy -- a school that took in Pluses like him could learn to become a Shinigami, soldiers of the Gotei 13 that helped keep the balance by purifying the wandering souls and giving them safe passage to the Soul Society. The prospect intrigued him, and the young man applied for the academy soon after.

While it took a bit of time, he was eventually accepted, and his training to become a Shinigami began. While it was strange, occasionally complicated, and stressful, he remained diligent in his studies. He wasn't anywhere near perfect, but he was putting effort into it -- and that was all that mattered to him. Despite this, he kept mostly to himself during his time in the academy and deciding instead to throw himself at his studies more often than not, he wasn't someone to spent a lot of time making friends -- at least, not seeking them out intentionally.

As time passed, he received the general education from the Academy, learned how to control and make use of his spiritual energy and power, and was taught in the various practices and arts of the Shinigami and the Zanpakuto.

But, one of the first things that he noticed during his new life in the academy was his natural draw toward swordsmanship -- a mix of having a bias toward that class and skill, as well as being naturally talented in it. It wasn't like he was capable of mastering everything he was being taught in a day, but there was no question that he shined in Zanjutsu (the martial art) more than anything else.

But, despite this, there were still times when he struggled. Hakuda always seemed to be difficult, taking a far longer time to fully understand and get down pat, but he was able to manage. Kido was strange and took some time, but took far less time to grasp compared to Hakuda. But, yet another area he took natural intuition with was Hoho, with him grasping the basics of Shunpo rather quickly. While he still required a lot of work to refine the skill and become more skilled, it did not take long for him to deviate to particular Shinigami skills.

By the time he had reached his fourth year in the Academy, he had become prolific with three of the four main Shinigami arts -- still struggling with Hakuda, managing well enough with Kido, and his primary talents being Zanjutsu, with Hoho not being too far behind. Having made a few friends despite his nature as a recluse, he began to come out of his shell a bit, interacting -- albeit rather hesitantly -- with his classmates, helping whenever it was requested of him as much as he could, and overall just enjoying the time that he had at the academy.

As his sixth and final year came to a close, and Henrex finally graduated from Shin'o and applied to the Gotei 13 not long after, applying for the 13th Division due to someone else recommending it to him due to an apparent similarity in their powers and skills, becoming a general member underneath the Captain, Kuro Okami, meeting his Captain, and occasionally sparring against him. As he adjusted to the Gotei 13, he met and interacted with several different members of the organization.

Not long after, the Gotei's ranks were consolidated and compiled, changing from thirteen divisions into merely seven, named "The Gotei Reformed". As a result, he was moved to the Covert Operations division alongside the formerly 13th Division Captain. With members both new and old in the revamped Gotei, Henrex simply went about his duties and work as he always did. But, something that set Henrex apart from many of his coworkers was the amount of drive and dedication he had towards his work in the Gotei.

Many times, he would volunteer and throw himself at the opportunity to go to the Living World, whether for patrols and scouting or to perform Soul Burials. During his downtime, he often would enter long hours of meditation -- more akin to slumber than meditation at times -- and communicating with his Zanpakuto, learning more about it and bonding with it. There was little that could be used to deny that he was an avid worker, doing everything he could to improve himself, to get stronger, and in the hopes of rising through the ranks and get closer to his Captain, seeking to be as strong as him, and maybe, one day, surpass him.

This eagerness led to him willingly throwing himself headfirst into various forms of danger, a prolific example being when Stefan Soan invaded Soul Society as a means of testing the strength of the Gotei, only to be pushed back with the help of several Captain-level and beyond allies -- as well as a member of the Zero Divison, Kakine Yuudeshi -- that came to push him back. While he wasn't able to do much in the grand scheme, these powerful beings gave him even more motivation to continue his proactive approach to life in the Gotei. He kept throwing himself at patrols and training in attempts to grow stronger, ignorant of the possible consequences.

It didn't take long for this eagerness to bite him yet again. On one particular patrol in the Living World, the young man had come across an interaction between demons in a back alley of Karakura Central, and while he didn't hear or understand the specifics of the interaction, one name piqued his curiosity and concern -- Sosuke Aizen. Approaching them, they immediately began lying to cover their tracks -- and when Henrex showed disbelief, they attacked.

He did his best to hold his own, but it did not take too long before he was overwhelmed -- only to be saved by Shadin Yuudeshi just before he would have been killed, and the demons were restrained, ultimately retreating, with Henrex returning to the Soul Society -- slightly embarrassed at his own weakness and needing to be saved by such a powerful figure.

But, even with the mild embarrassment of being saved by Shadin, an even larger desire to grow stronger was born from it, leading him to discover the invitation from Cirno Iramasha to the Summit of Heroes, a mountain in the Iramasha's Africa Settlement. The invitation was simple: a broadcast for any who wished to fight for the weak to come to the Summit of Heroes to be trained by the Angel of Ice to become the best version of themselves.

So, accepting the invitation, Henrex headed towards the Summit of Heroes. After a rather grueling climb to the peak -- not helped by the cold, befitting of Cirno's moniker -- he made it to the top of the mountain and taken under the tutelage of the Angel of Ice, with the intent of learning more about his Zanpakuto and becoming more skilled in various skills to try and become an even better Shinigami and hero.

With the influence of Cirno's magic, the two were thrust into his Inner World, a land conscribed with gloom and darkness as far as the eye could see, and it didn't take long for Cirno to see what kind of person he was -- a person heavily held down by the grievances of his fragmented memories, and it was clouding his mind with a tight grip.

Despite him putting his trust in Cirno, it didn't take long for his own thoughts, memories, and suffering to overwhelm him, and in the wake of these emotions -- a new side of the Angel of Ice was revealed: Erna Iramasha, the Fallen Angel, the Lost Hero. The violent embodiment of sin and corruption from the Angel of Ice. Even with this new side of her coming out and revealing herself to Henrex, she was still able to let him see the reality of the situation, and as a result, allowing him to reach new heights and new power, allowing him to unlock his Shikai and begin the process to clear his mind, to become the best version of himself that he could.

But, not long after this came Shadow Fall's assault on the Vanguard's base of operations on the Moon -- Operation Moon Massacre. While he had managed to unlock his Shikai, he knew that he was nowhere near the levels of power that he could sense from the initial sectors of the base. So, deciding to go into what the broadcast had classified as "Sector D," he awaited possible reinforcements and/or enemies and ending up attaining both.

An ally, the Vanguard's Kimiyo Miyake, and an adversary in the form of a mysterious Arrancar named Sonny Ray. But, Henrex found it hard to join in the fight, as Kimiyo and Sonny quickly went to blows, fighting against one another and ending up taking the fight away from the Sector, leaving Henrex alone to claim the region safe and protected for the sake of the heroes and protagonists. Disappointing, but in its own way, the mission was somewhat rewarding.

Without even a chance to get back home, something drastic happened on the Moon. While not knowing of what prompted the incident, the Moon had split in two, with much of the broken-off debris falling toward Earth. Without much of a chance to get to Earth without risking even further destruction from the falling debris, Henrex stuck around on the Moon. To try and repair the Moon seemed like an impossible task at first, but he soon felt and saw the effects of Cirno's Holy Magic -- something that felt...different than before, but it was certainly a relief.

Working alongside yet another Vanguard member, Blackheart Gremory, and a Quincy, Ghislain Eberhardt, they came together and were able to combine their powers to finish reparations in the remaining areas of the Moon, in essence, stitching together the cracks that remained before finally returning home. For a small period of time, the intensity of his life had finally calmed.



For a few months, life had returned to normal daily life -- with Henrex meeting new people in the Gotei and outside. But, as summer came around, another broadcast had come to the world, this time from the Demon Queen herself, Mana Asthavon -- inviting all who wished for a fight to Greece, where she was hosting a tournament, with the grand prize of it all being Greece itself.

From what he knew, many other combatants were coming from various organizations, affiliations, and walks of life to fight for Greece, for glory, or for the sake of testing their limits and breaking them. While he wasn't imagining himself winning the prize of Greece itself, it certainly didn't hurt as an incentive -- he could claim it for the Covert Operations and use it as a base of operations for the Gotei, if he won, of course. Nevertheless, as his first match was announced, he reported to the arena that was designated for him and his opponent, a demon named Nemesis Atavata.

Then, the fight began. Right out the gate, he understood the massive gap of power between them -- both in energy and in raw strength. A Shinigami that focused on speed and assassination-based combat, against a demon who was focused almost entirely on raw power. It wasn't exactly the evenest matchup, but, he knew better than to complain. Despite this, he was able to use his speed to his advantage, repositioning himself to attack from different angles, using his wings to move around and take to the air.

They went back and forth again and again, but, Henrex could feel the powerful demonic force resonating with him, for some reason. After fighting multiple demons of varying powers over the last few months, there was no mistake that he could feel a resonance with his emotions and their energy as he did back when he fought the three demons in Karakura Central, before being saved by Shadin.

As he fought, that strange feeling continued to intensify, growing stronger and stronger with seemingly every passing strike between the two. The seal that his mother had placed on him as an infant had finally begun to crack and break, and the demonic power that had been hidden away from him, both in knowledge and in power, was finally awakening.

With an eruption of power and overwhelming new intense highs for his emotions, he couldn't stop himself from lashing out violently. He attacked without restraint and care, hardly bothering with defense or any grandiose Kido or other attacks -- this new strange, violent energy was overtaking him, and all he wanted to do was win the fight and destroy his opponent. But, despite this awakening, it still was not enough for him to win against Nemesis, as his energy and emotions eventually leveled out.

Exhausted, beaten, and weak, Henrex admitted defeat, surrendered, and was thankfully spared by his opponent. As he was healed by the Demon Queen and rested, he hoped that the next person he would face would be more evenly matched with him -- a hope that quickly turned into a pipe dream when he learned of who he was fighting: Stefan Soan, the head of the Monsuta and the man who had attacked Soul Society all those months ago. Even with it only just recently awakening, he could feel the half-demon in him growing restless and angry at the thought of him.

Even if it was a battle that wouldn't be very much pitted in his favor, he still gathered his resolve to fight until he couldn't anymore -- to try his hardest against such overwhelming power. The fight began, and Stefan held nothing back. Almost every attack he released felt as if it were ten times the possible power of his own, and no matter how many times he got back up, it felt impossible to win. But, whether it be a turn of luck, fate, or whatever else, he managed to turn the tables and defeated the Monsuta's Head.

Rewarded with the item "Deep Blood" from Mana Asthavon for his victory, the tournament slowly dwindled out, and as a result, Henrex quietly returned home, contemplating the revelation of his new nature as a half-demon. What would happen to him? What would become of him, now that he had awakened something like this? He continued to ask himself these questions as he returned home.

He knew and remembered what he did when it first awakened -- the emotions that still ate at him now, the even more intense emotions that he could feel that were beginning to drive him crazy from how powerful they were, all of it was overwhelming. But, one thought came to mind that quickly dominated the others: Kuro would kill him.

He knew that his Captain hated demons more than anything else that he knew of. What would he do now that his subordinate was half-demon? He was afraid of Kuro, but more than anything else, he was afraid of himself and what others would think of him as a result of this new change. After an interaction with Mirja, ending with even more overwhelming emotions, Henrex took the advice she had given him -- talk to someone named Arianda.

So, seeking her out and eventually finding her, he asked for her help, saying that Mirja had sent him. Whatever the reason, she invited him in with a strange insistence, agreeing to help him handle his demonic half, train his new abilities, and help him tame the violent energy threatening to tear him apart at any and every moment. It took a little bit, but in a small deal of time, Henrex was able to learn the basics of Possessive Shifting and was able to manage the almost rabid nature of Demon Energy and Za Koa that raged internally.

Now, feeling more secure with himself and no longer being scared of lashing out at others, or the violent energy taking over and killing him. Thanking Arianda and becoming somewhat friends with her as a result of this, Henrex left a note after taking off in the middle of the night, giving her his thanks and showing his gratitude, but also saying that there was something he had to do and somewhere he needed to go, promising that he would visit her again -- even if he didn't know when or if he ever would have the chance to.

Initially wanting to go to the Iga Mountains, a place he remembered being important to him -- but being unable to place the reason why -- he was quickly stopped in a forest by Kuro. While he was annoyed that he had left without permission and been gone for a small period of time, Kuro dragged him back to the Soul Society, punishing him for the minor infraction, but keeping it out of his report.



After returning to Soul Society and to work in the Gotei after his punishment from Kuro, Henrex began to slow down with his almost obsessive level of work and action, instead requesting brief trips to the Living World from his Captain. While they were granted, he was warned not to pull another stunt as he had before -- to which, Henrex agreed -- and, he didn't.

He abided by his Captain, making sure that the excursions were brief as he went to the Iga Mountains, undergoing small lessons of training to become a better assassin through learning ninjutsu -- the arts of the infamous ninja. But, due to the back-and-forth nature of these excursions, the process ended up taking several months. Over the course of this time, he slowly learned the Sixteen Fists -- a set of hand-to-hand techniques meant to stun, disarm, or disable an enemy without directly killing them.

He also learned the mudras and mantras of kuji-in, a set of unique abilities with varying levels of creativity and usefulness depending on the situations and context, having been known as magic in the older days, and various other arts that allowed him to become a more effective and efficient member of the Covert Operations squad. During this, as well as during the time he was back in the Soul Society, a large amount of his time was spent in deep meditation.

The training of the ninja to better refine and aid his purpose and desires allowed his mind to clear, and allowed for the nature and full capabilities of his Zanpakuto to be awakened and unlocked: granting him the Zanpakuto, "Raiu". During this time, he slowly began to resume his usual workflow, staying mostly in Soul Society and going to the Living World whenever he was on the job, also during this time, the Gotei reformed once more as Ibiki took control as the Head Captain, rearranging the Gotei once more.

While the number of squads did not change, the titles and positions of many of them did. Changed from the Fourth Division to the Fifth Division and rebranded as the Stealth Force instead of Covert Operations, Henrex continued to work under the Gotei and Kuro Okami. After a time, he was eventually promoted to Lieutenant, working even closer with his superior and making sure that he was putting himself out there for the Gotei even further.

Before he knew it, months had gone by, with him growing powerful enough to be on the level of his Captain -- and, as such, he requested a dual Captaincy with Kuro and was accepted, now proudly wearing the haori of a Gotei Captain -- after all this time, he felt as if he had finally accomplished something big. Working his way up from being a regular member, to now being a Captain alongside the person who gave him the motivation to grow, something that eventually granted him the ability to perform Bankai.


Not long after his approval for Captaincy in the Gotei, the Head Captain, Ibiki, had enough of the idle nature of the Gotei's sitting on the sidelines. So, in an attempt to prevent the Monsuta from gaining any more land on Earth, she launched an attack on the organization, stationing Gotei members in various pieces of land that they had, with Henrex opting to send his own men from the Stealth Force to Panama, and appearing there himself. Despite him being an extremely brief member of the Monsuta, he had no regrets or any real feelings toward this mission.

But, the mission was far from simple -- as he had received the presence of the commander-in-chief of the Monsuta: Azuma Lazarus. With a single opening attack, he wiped out hundreds if not thousands of Shinigami, and Henrex immediately responded, with the two clashing back and forth for a brief time. As Henrex was gaining the edge, Azuma suddenly moved back, before activating an internal explosive, preparing to take not only Henrex and his squadmates, but the entirety of Brazil.

Unprepared to face something like this, Henrex ordered an immediate retreat, getting as many members of the Gotei out of the area before the explosion went off, before getting out of the area himself, and Azuma detonated, killing even more Stealth Force members and Monsuta members alike as well as sinking Brazil -- leaving anything or anyone that might have survived to drown in a watery grave. It was a bizarre outcome -- one that Henrex still cannot quite figure out if he technically won or lost.


However, it would seem that things would only continue to go downhill for a short time. Despite having a rocky relationship over the year that he had known her, the friendship between him and Mirja Eeola was...complicated, to say the least. There were certain things that he didn't agree with in her actions and philosophy, but it wasn't his place to judge her on some of them.

Nevertheless, nothing could have prepared him for her death.

After meeting Ceal and trying to help her out of her disassociative funk that she apparently had been stuck in for quite a while, he sent her back to Mirja -- someone he believed she was close to -- to see if she could do anything to help. Maybe there was something that she could do that would help that he couldn't -- or, wouldn't. Before he had gotten home, he heard the explosion and rushed back to them, but no amount of speed would have gotten him there in time -- the moment the explosion went off, he was too late, both of them were dead.

For a time, he just stood there, shocked and unsure of how to feel. He thought, if he could have gotten there faster, or been able to do something about Ceal, then maybe he could have saved them. Above everything else -- he felt as if it were his fault. Even if the relationship he had between was shaky and rocky at times, he was still able to call her a friend and an ally. Now, he had been the result of a friend's death, barely a mile away, if even that.

Without being able to do much else aside from staring at the rubble, Henrex returned home, unsure of what would happen to either of them in the Soul Cycle. But, during one of his excursions to the Living World, Erna sought him out, seeking someone she had faith in the potential of, and invited him to become a pillar for the Guild of Heroes, to provide an extra sense of stability and balance. With little hesitation, he accepted her proposal -- after all, was it not his obligation and duty for not only Erna but for the Guild of Heroes as well?

It was then that she posed a question for him: "What is your definition of heroism for you and you alone?"

It took him a moment to think of the answer for that. His own definition of heroism, that was to him, and him alone. It was something that he never really thought about too often. His own definition of heroism. Sure, he had thought about something that would be considered his own definition. Initially, when he had first started in the life of a Shinigami, he had believed that heroism was too broad of a term, and had come to the conclusion that it would be developed over time -- as, at the time, he hadn't been able to really figure out what his definition of heroism was.

But now, after everything that he had been through, everyone that he had met, and how much those people had influenced his life...

There was a definite answer to Erna's question.

So, Henrex inhaled softly, before his head turned down to his hand, looking at the crest that hovered mere centimeters above his ghostly pale palm.

"My definition of heroism...is an oath. It's an oath that you take when you finalize your choice to take the path of heroism. You swear to protect and help those who cannot do it themselves. Not only that but to swear to live up to the expectations given to you, no matter how difficult they may be. They are monsters -- so, I will take up my own role, the man who stops the monsters."

And thus, feeding off the symbolism and resolve that Henrex had towards this goal and ideal of heroism, the Seal of Heroism took form on the palm of his hand, finalizing the formation and oath that he swore to not only the Guild of Heroes and Erna but to himself -- to hold himself to who he wished to be, to what heroism meant to him.

Giving him an opportunity to learn how to use and learn to mature the power of this Seal of Heroism, Erna opened a portal for them to walk through, arriving in the Vicara Plane of Demon World, and the moment he walked through, he heard Erna speak:

"I lied. The mission is that you must fight me."

A blast of scarlet energy screamed through the air, firing behind him and shattering the vortex, destroying any hopes for escape.

"You see, you are clearly having problems with the demonic blood within you. I plan to confront that here and thereby making you face your fears while fighting me. In the result of this training, you'll be forced to accelerate the prowess of my heroic seal."

Yet again gathering scarlet energy to her side and firing off another blast, Henrex managed to get out of the way before it hit him, drawing his sword and readying himself to fight as Erna continued to speak:

"Guard yourself. We are going to pull your demons out of you, today. If you fail to do so, this is going to be a very ugly day for you."

Firing off another blast of energy, if it hadn't become clear for Henrex that she was serious and did not intend to hold back at all, this was a massive wake-up call. One final set of words came from Erna before she readied herself for another attack.

"Let's see how far you've come..."

Henrex didn't say anything in response, merely prepared himself for the fight to come. He knew that there was so much fear in his heart -- afraid that if he let loose, he'd lash out and hurt people he cared about, get himself into trouble, or even endanger the world that he had worked so hard to protect. But, right now, he had to let loose. He was there to confront his fears, to let loose in order to work on a sense of control so that he didn't have to be afraid anymore.

So, doing his best to swallow his fears, he let loose, wasting little time in going into his Shiaki and eventually his Bankai, clashing against the Angel with everything he had, back and forth. For the first time in a long, long time, he was pushed to his limits and forced to go beyond that, earning greater strength, and learning to apply himself better in combat -- with Erna giving him teachings on how to do so. It marked the beginning of Henrex's growing desire to not only grow stronger in power but to face his still lingering fears of his demonic half and more.

This journey continued after returning to the Soul Society, where Ibiki called him, wishing to not only learn more about him and get to know him better but also to give him advice and training in order to become an even greater Captain, due to him being one of her strongest Captains at the time, granting him the ability Resolve Embrace, as a form of letting the people he loved to give him the strength to continue fighting and lend them his power, should the situation ever call for it.

But, simply talking about it wouldn't be enough -- Ibiki wasted no time in getting physical, using this as a chance to strengthen his knowledge and prowess over his new power, to give him a chance to refine his technique and prowess in the arts of the Shinigami and to give him the chance to reach even greater heights as a warrior and Captain.


As the year was coming to a close, Henrex had one last thing he needed to do before the year ended -- to finally take Liu up on her offer and seek her aid in helping him gaining further control over his demonic half. So, taking up the scroll that she had given him at the end of their meeting at the Vastime Social Gala event, he arrived in the Liberating Devil's layer of Hell -- fully aware of the risks of the events that would occur.

Letting his demonic half take over, the half-devil charged at Liu with every intention of hurting and breaking her as the violent demonic energy went wild upon realization of it finally being free instead of being held back for so long -- but, Liu was quick to fight back, beating him down again and again, with Henrex regenerating and healing from the assault again and again. His body was torn to hell and back over and over again, but every time that he got back up, there was slightly more control over himself than before.

As the training progressed and eventually finished, Liu granted him the ability Yin-Yang Salvation, giving two sub-abilities, Cerebral Yin-Yang, and Extrinsic Essence, using them as the basis for Henrex to have something to help him retain control over himself and prevent himself from falling into the throughs of instability as easily by giving him an easy-to-access meditative state to tap into and balance out the positive and negative aspects of his mind, as well as bringing that influence over the said balance into the world around him with Extrinsic Essence.


However, one more event would stay in his mind as the year's end came. Stefan Soan, the Monsuta's former leader, had resurfaced and after having come to blows with him twice, it was only natural that Henrex sought him out. He questioned what he was going to do, now that the Monsuta was gone from Azuma's explosion, with him stating that he was staying with his own faction, The Free Union, and stating that he didn't care about what was happening with the rest of the world and that it all could burn.

It was...a unique perspective, but, for the most part, Henrex disregarded that. There was one reason that he sought out the Monsuta's former leader -- a mix of selfishness and arrogance -- to have one final fight between them, with both of them at their peaks and unleashing tremendous amounts of power. He wanted to test his limits, to finish what they had started, and ultimately -- use it as a way to refine his power, to gain more control over himself, and learn new ways to better utilize his strength for the people he cared for. With Stefan's response, the stakes were set.

"Show me everything you've got, Henrex Astillon, Captain of the Gotei's 5th Division and Commander of the Onmitsukido. Come at me with every bit of power you can possibly muster. Hit your limit and then keep on pushin' and pushin' until you surpass it and everyone who's ever looked down on you. And then keep going. Or, die."

With the Monsuta's former leader unleashing a single thrust as his opening attack, Henrex narrowly avoided the attack, drawing his sword. With a shaky breath, the man merely said three words:

"Strike, Shiro Rakurai."

The skies rumbled as these words were spoken, and dark clouds began to gather above the two warriors. A flash of white lightning raced across the skies, before crashing down onto Henrex's sword. A blinding white light began to shine as the rain started to pour down and thunder grumbled. Gradually, the light would fade -- revealing Henrex's form.

All of the blacks of his base state drowned in a brilliant white. Sparks of electricity jolted across his body, and powerful gusts of wind blew in from every possible direction. A blade-less sword rested in his hand, only to suddenly flare as lightning flooded into the weapon and formed into its blade. While his power had been held back before -- this release state knew only one thing: destruction. All of Henrex's power now was released -- taking influence on the world around them in the form of powerful winds that had enough power to destroy a continent, if he were so inclined.

Without hesitation, Henrex released a blast of lightning, and Stefan deflected -- something that only spurred him to continue attacking, to draw out more strength and power in order to match Stefan and turn the tables. Firing off more blasts of lightning, mixing in his other abilities, and using his speed to advantage, Henrex slowly began to rise up against Stefan's attacks, even as they become powerful enough to break space and reality itself, he remained vigilant.

The two warriors continued to attack each other, with both of them reaching the peak of their potency, but, in the end, Henrex's speed and skill won him the fight -- leading to the death of Stefan Soan by his own hand. As he stared at the now corpse of someone who once was a powerful, indicative figure in the world that he lived in, the silence of the battle's close slowly encompassed him. There was hardly any joy or revelry in what he had done, but there was nothing he could do about it now. The Monsuta's former leader, the self-proclaimed Thousand Blade Beast and God of the Sword, lay dead in the Wastelands, his body eventually rotting away and dissolving as the man's soul inevitably returned to the Soul Cycle.


As the new year came around and the tensions of World War 4 had reached their peak, the Gotei began making their moves. While he was staying away from direct conflict, he did not idle from the war, choosing instead to focus on espionage and sabotage, to weaken the defenses of Shadow Fall and give his other Gotei members an easy path and easier time against the organization.

His acts of espionage against Shadow Fall allowed him to reach across the world at various Shadow Fall structures, learning information about the bases and passing it along to the members of the Gotei, while impersonating various Shadow Fall members and once even impersonating Ravana Vespera before his death, allowing him to access a small number of confidential files before destroying the base, sowing seeds of chaos within the organization itself.

But, ultimately, the war gave him one of the greatest feelings of disappointment when he and Kuro were dispatched to deal with the disturbance of Tsubasa Unabara in New Orleans -- a notice that only filled Henrex with dread and disappointment. For whatever reason, Tsubasa had chosen to side with Shadow Fall during World War 4 after he had been exiled from the Gotei by the Head Captain.

Even though he was a Head Captain and he stood by the Gotei for however long until his banishment, as Henrex and Kuro arrived in New Orleans, he now stood before them as an enemy of the Gotei. As they prepared to battle, Henrex warned Kuro against killing him, that they should subdue him and bring him into the Gotei in order to have the Head Captain discuss his punishment. Reluctantly agreeing, Kuro agreed to take him in, with the two attacking, subduing, and taking in the Pale Rider as a prisoner of war.

As the war came to a conclusion, with most of Shadow Fall's troops being forced off the Earth and back into the Demon World, Henrex thought he could rest a bit easier, now that it was all over -- but, Shunsui, the new Head Captain after Ibiki's retirement, called him into the First Division office, ordering his dismissal from the Gotei on account of being associated with Arianda. Despite having no evidence and without being given a chance to defend himself, Henrex was relieved of duty as Captain of the Stealth Force, with the half-breed moving to Minatumi Harbor for a place to stay.

Part of him was upset -- feeling wronged, but, there was a part of him that was also a tad bit relieved. Now that he was a regular citizen again, he felt...less stressed about the pressures that he had as a Captain. But, at the same time, it felt wrong -- as everything he had worked for over five years of service to the Gotei was ripped away from him over something ridiculous and simple. But, what was done was done -- and Henrex merely tried to adapt to his new life on Minatumi.

Despite him having to leave the Gotei behind, there would still be things to come from him, still acting in service of others to try and keep the world that he'd fought so hard to protect still safe, even after all of this -- as the outburst of chaos that occurred in Beijing, with him finding himself fighting alongside Kuro once again against Sofia Montero, bringing her to a standstill before the two parties went their separate ways.

After the Madness Capital's events, things finally seemed to calm down in life -- and one more piece of happiness was reintroduced to his life, as Arianda had found his long-lost sister, bringing her back to Minatumi to reunite with him and learning of what had taken place with her since they were separated. Learning of her Shifter Form as a way of separating herself from her true form and hide, Henrex kept the thought in mind, eventually developing his own Shifter Form for a similar reason. It was to get a refresher, to separate himself from the reputation of his true form -- a spiritual makeover of sorts.

It currently has been the last act performed by him, as not long after the beginning of 2420, Henrex has gone completely MIA for over a year, disappearing off the face of the Earth, with only three people having an idea of where he is.

However, it must be noted that during that time, he went through a great deal of meditation, realizing his attempt to be overly versatile and all-encompassing with his Zanpakuto took away from the nature of it. Thus, with this realization, discarded the versatility in multiple elements, taking only one to fully specialize in.

Avian Physiology: As a man who has wings, it should not come as a surprise that the rest of his body would be that of an avian. However, this has noted to provide a bit more of a downside, rather than having positives. To begin things, this is something that heavily affects Henrex's skeletal system. For one, it makes his bones fairly hollow. This basically means that Henrex's skeleton is a lot weaker than normal, which causes his bones to be injured a lot easier at the advantage of giving him more mobility, something that gave him more reason to focus on his regenerative capabilities. This also allows Henrex to move a lot faster, as his weight is slightly decreased from this.

Furthermore, Henrex's body receives a number of natural boosts as a result of this. The first thing that is boosted would be Henrex's senses. While this mainly excludes touch and taste, Henrex's hearing, sight, and sense of smell are increased to exponential levels, with him being able to hear and smell things from miles away, while his sight is only enhanced by being completely 20/20. So, while his senses are not extremely boosted, they most certainly are not normal. Another thing would be his increased lung capacity. This is something that grants Henrex a much larger range of how long he can hold his breath, or even going as far as to keep his lungs constantly filled with air.

Speed: When it comes to all of Henrex's general traits, this is the one that shines the most. Speed is something that has been shown throughout his character, and is by far has the most time poured into it -- as well as having a large amount of natural aptitude for it. To begin things, this is something that plays very largely due to Henrex's physiology being that of an avian. With this, the hollow bones that he has allowed for his body to be much lighter than normal, which allowed for higher levels of speed. As such, it was something that would quickly be mentored and matured throughout his human life, and he would continue to do so throughout his spiritual life.

Ergo, it was something that was a heavy and prime focus when it came to the training of this in his spiritual life. Ever since the very beginning, Henrex's fighting style has never truly revolved around physical power. Rather, he has been one to be constantly moving and attacking in order to overwhelm an opponent. For example, during his fight with Azuma Lazarus, he was able to keep himself moving quickly throughout the battlefield, easily slipping through the various Monsuta and Gotei members battling against one another and keep up with the speed of which Azuma's attacks were coming from.

Furthermore, this is something that also has been shown to be used in more subtle ways, tying into his purpose and core as a ninja. What this means is that Henrex is capable of using a burst of speed through extremely small movements, whether it be moving from his current place, or even something as simple as attack speed. This could allow Henrex to utilize a burst of speed within this channeled state, allowing for quick, usually unnoticeable motions.

Strength: Pure, physical, power. This is something that Henrex is very wary of, as well as being afraid of. With the way that his mind is affected by everything around him, as well as the people he's met, Henrex is not one to have slacked on the strength department, especially in recent times. While Henrex always will consider speed to be the greatest thing that he could ever wish to attain within his life, he is by no means weak. Being someone who trained heavily in the physical body early in his life, as well as having himself being forced to those limits time, and time again, it should be known that he has a decent amount of power behind his fragile body, even if he himself cannot handle it sometimes.

Variety of Weapons: This was something that came shortly after Henrex finished his training with the shinobi in the Iga mountains. One of the main concepts of the ninja is to use everything that they can as a potential weapon, mainly through substitution for other weapons. While skill in various weapons is not the strongest suit for Henrex, he is most certainly good. The reason for this is due to -- as said before -- his ninjutsu training, which called for him to master multiple weapons and to be able to use them all -- while not always being at once, though that is an option. Even the common, everyday items that would not be considered weapons can be used -- or, to go a step further, to use random objects that are not considered "weapons" but any standard definition. This is again, a result of his training as a shinobi. The shinobi meant to not only be extremely versatile in their weaponry but also meant to be able to be adaptable as well. When it comes down to the mission, a weapon may save a ninja...and a lack of one might destroy a ninja.

Master Swordsman: There is no other skill that triumphs all of Henrex's natural skills, and shows who Henrex really is than his natural talent with the art of the sword. There is little denying that Henrex was born to wield a blade. Being raised as a samurai, as well as obtaining the skills of the ninja later in his life, Henrex has had many teachers in kenjutsu, all of which eventually led to him becoming a master of the blade himself. From learning different ways to wield a sword to learning the different sword styles of Japan and some of China, Henrex has done everything he can in order to further his skill as a swordsman. When it comes down to the sword styles that Henrex can use, there really is little that he can't. While there are many sword styles that Henrex has not either learned or mastered, he is most certainly willing to learn even more to be able to call himself a true master of the sword.

Ninjutsu: What would a ninja be without their training? A dead man or woman, that is what they would be. The shinobi have been around for hundreds of years, and these core concepts and skills have been the essentials for one to become a true shinobi. But, that is not the entirety of what the shinobi follow. While samurai have their seven virtues of bushido, ninja follows the code of niniku, a set of morals that they follow, as well as being the technical classification of their arts. While there are a number of things that one can learn, the areas that Henrex specialized in were espionage, disguising/impersonation, escape/concealment, sword combat (kenjutsu), and stealth/infiltration.

With his equipment and overall prowess in these arts, Henrex is able to enter and exit areas without tripping alarms, being seen or making any overt sounds that could get him caught easily. His kenjutsu training under the ninja allowed him to learn different ways to utilize his weapons, using bladed weapons in a new and more creative light that were ultimately meant for assassination, while also giving him the practice in and ability to use various forms of unconventional equipment, such as caltrops and throwing weapons, along with a variety of other weapons, as noted by his aforementioned Variety of Weapons.

Kido: Kido is one of the more odd skills that Henrex possesses as a Shinigami. He has refined it over the years but doesn't use it often, as he has other means of combat, as well as his own class of technical magic with Kuji-in that uses Kido as a base, which has led to him being able to refine his overall skill by using Kuji-in as a buffer/medium. However, there are a few spells that he has created himself with the use of Kido for the specific use and purpose in the stealth aspect of his skills, with him able to mimic other people down to their energy signature, or clone himself as a means of distraction, overwhelm an enemy in numbers, or to for the sake of confusion.

Hoho: As a man who is built around speed, his skill in Hoho should, would, and does just that. Henrex's skill in Hoho is something to behold. Being one of his most commonly used skills with his Shinigami half, this should also be something that shows Henrex's skill within it. Able to perform multiple Flash Steps in quick succession, along with being able to use the skill and "step" to extremely large distances with little effort and energy, and having created multiple variants of the original Shunpo based on the various powers and abilities of his Zanpakuto, one should never underestimate Henrex when it comes to raw speed in any form.

Hakuda: The skill within this trait of the Shinigami is rather...average, to say the least. This was one of the only grades in Shin'o Academy that was the closest to failing. This was a pretty simple reason -- it was lackluster, in his mind. For Henrex, this was one of the most boring skills that he learned. Preferring Zanjutsu and Hoho over hand-to-hand combat, this was something that Henrex was able to practice and cultivate a relatively average skill level. Therefore, there is very little drive when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, and only a real want to use it whenever he's disarmed, or when he's using the style of the ninja.



Pros

• Can use Za Koa, like a normal Demon, along with the applications tied to it.
  
• Can use Possessive Shifting
  
• Developed Possessive Powers
  
• Retains Zanpakuto and Shinigami skills

Cons

• Sacrifices and Worship do not affect him, and are therefore pointless
  
• Possessive Drives unattainable
  
• Shikokai unattainable
  
• Cannot use Possessive Movement
  
• Demonic Magic unavailable
  
• Inability to use Possessive Influence
  
• Demonic powers are weakened by half potency in Shikai, and unavailable entirely in Bankai

Possessive Powers

Emotion Manipulation: This is one of the main aspects that Henrex draws from whenever it comes to his demon half. While at first, his Possessive Powers were only able to draw from the negative part of emotions. But, now that Henrex has grown much stronger, his demonic half has matured. Therefore, it isn't much of a surprise that the scope of his power has broadened immensely. To this extent, Henrex is now able to sense any emotion of another person, if he were to focus directly on them. This only works on a single person at a time, so if he would wish to analyze another, he would have to swap his focus.

Furthermore, it should be noted that this ability is the most rooted in negative emotions. While it has evolved into something much broader, due to the number of negative emotions that Henrex had suffered from throughout his life, as well as how long it had been the only thing his powers revolve around, he is much more versed and experienced in the realm of negative emotions, and -- as a result -- negative emotions are easier to work with overall. It's easier for him to induce them, consume them, and be powered by them, as positive emotions only do part of the job.

Additionally, as stated before, this also allows Henrex to become empowered by negative emotions. While this isn't a trait that can be drawn from himself and his own negative emotions, it is still rather potent. Any action performed within a half-mile radius that involves negative emotions (an example being self-harm) is something that can empower Henrex, known as External Augmentation. As a result of this, his possessive powers are strengthened by a small to moderate amount.

This scales at half the amount listed in the Demon Racial Specs and should be noted that a good deal of the limitations and other downsides are also listed there. However, while the statistics and numbers are based on External Augmentation and its ability to improve demon magic, it should be noted that this is entirely for his possessive powers, as he does not have access to Demonic Magic, and therefore cannot gain a boost to that.

Beginner: 0.5x
Adept: 1x
Advanced: 1.5x
Elite: 2x
Master: 2.5x
Grand Master: 3x

Next, there is also the rather standard ability for a demon to consume their element. For him, this is very well the most important part of his physiology, as this can lead to his demise if it is not kept in check. While many demons focus on a single emotion or concept to feast on to sustain their hunger, Henrex is a lot more general and broad when it comes to eating. For him, his source of food as a demon is any sort of negative emotion that a human can find themselves encountering. Sadness, grief, distress, even despair as a few examples.

The most common way of retrieving such emotions is simply through physical contact. Any sort of physical contact will do, which leads Henrex with a number of options on how to approach this. Furthermore, this has also been noted to go one step further when it comes to what all Henrex can eat whenever it comes to his demon half's sustenance. While this is usually something that is very seldom done, Henrex is able to consume flesh, bones, and blood from other people.

If he can get his mouth on it, there is a very strong chance that he can consume it, and potentially draw power from it (figuratively). So, it should be noted that this is not the only thing that Henrex can eat and consume for his demonic half -- at least not primarily. While Henrex is someone who can feed off a large number of various foods and such, this is heavily limited by the fact that anything other than negative emotions will simply be considered by his body to be a secondary food source, and he will not gain as large of nourishment as he would normally be able to via negative emotions.

• Pessimist Bolt: When it comes to power, one tends to have a primary technique that they use as the application of that power. With this, Henrex is able to use the essence of his demonic half in order to create a black lightning bolt that channels negative emotions and aspects of those emotions into it, allowing him to create a variety of effects. This is something that, depending on the intent that Henrex has to actively exert into his bolt, can affect someone on the physical, mental, or emotional plane. For example, it is possible for him to focus his intent on simply causing a tremendous amount of physical pain, or, at the very least, using the bolt as a means to weaken the target's ability to resist pain and make them more susceptible.
  
  For an application like this, it would cause the Willpower stat to lower, making them more susceptible to their willpower faltering, lasting for around two posts. Another example would be focusing on the speed aspect of someone, allowing him to decrease the speed of a target by a level, using the bolt as a means to influence the feelings of sluggishness and slowness of body and thought onto someone else. But, with his own intellect and creativity, he is very well capable of utilizing a variety of different effects besides just those.
  
  But, this is not without its weaknesses. The first thing that should be noted of this is that it can only be applied to one person at a time, and the effects will reset if he should shift the influence and intent of this ability on another person. Furthermore, it typically is wise for him to use this in a single application at a time, as he must keep his focus on the influence he is trying to project. It should be noted that if his focus is broken during this, it can drastically weaken or even break the attack itself and force it into a three post cooldown. Thus, if there is no focus and will, he cannot apply it.

Possessive Augment: Quote from "The Traditional Demon Race 3.0": Possessive Augment is one of the key elements that make the physical might of demons rather difficult to deal with. This is because the bodies of most demons are possessing the energy from the world around them passively in varying volumes. They then store this energy within themselves, digest it and convert it into the fuel needed to help them create a physical boost in power. As a result, they can create Possessive Augment which deals with the elements of possessive body manipulation and speed in which their energy moves in their body.

Unlike other races that depend on things like shunpo, Hierro, or hakuda; a demon's Possessive Augment houses all of their body manipulation and speed in one skill. And, what makes it different is that they can have some control over all these elements, but they must pick which element of their physical attributes will be their major focus. Thus, depending on their level of skill, they can have varying degrees of control and mastery of these attributes.

• Possessive Shifting [Major]: The very first skill that Henrex learned about his demon half and one of the most important This is, like the name says, allows Henrex to perform various feats through the manipulation of his body, and the contents of it. This is something that Henrex was trained in by Arianda -- as he had unstable powers during that time -- which is something that he still is able to do, to this day. This is something that has many associations with the rest of his unique traits, such as his Possessive Shifting being the main basis for his regeneration, or tying in with his Avian/Corvid Physiology. Now, while this is something extremely potent and powerful, there is one major drawback, which is energy. Most of Henrex's uses of Possessive Shifting require at least a small semblance of energy in order to perform, as well as have a two post cooldown in between active uses, outside of regeneration.
  
  
  • Regeneration: While Henrex lacks extremely when it came to bodily durability, he was able to more than make up for this with one of his signature unique abilities -- regeneration. Henrex's regeneration first sprouted when he first became a hybrid of Shinigami and Demon, with something that had now come to scale with his Possessive Augment skill. However, over time, Henrex's regeneration has built up more and more, with his capabilities rising, as well as the speed of his regeneration. This is something that can vary based on the wounds, as well as how much energy he has left. However, something that Henrex has been able to do, is adapt his regeneration to things such as the aspects of his Zanpakuto.
    
    For example, Henrex could passively use his power over lightning, and instead of simply nullifying the lightning itself, it would instead power his regeneration, giving him a loophole of energy usage. In addition, this is something that also allows him to greatly increase the speed of his regeneration, as the lightning would charge his body, and increase both his regeneration factor's speed, as well as the body's natural healing process. However, the biggest and obvious drawing is energy usage. While this is primarily coming from Henrex's own, core spirit energy, this can also have adverse effects on outside sources, such as extreme fatigue, or being unable to access their power for a while.

Actualized Heroism - Oath of Heroism: The definition of heroism, for Henrex, is -- as said before -- an oath. This is reminiscent of that which he had done long ago, swear an oath to himself to protect those he loved and those who could not protect themselves. And in his spiritual life, he swore to live up to the expectations that others had for him, no matter how difficult they seemed. He is the man who stops the monsters. Therefore, it would be fitting that the ability granted by the Seal of Heroism would be named none other than "Oath of Heroism".

This was born under the stipulation that Henrex would live up to his values and goals as a hero. Ergo, one of the first things that should be noted about this power is that it cannot be activated directly out of willpower. Rather, it is something that can only be used properly if someone needs his help. If he makes an oath to protect others, then the seal will grant him quite an extensive scope of power, all stemming originally from Cirno's holy magic.

This can span from creation-related abilities -- primarily in the form of shields, domes, and general protective objects or structures -- healing powers, purification abilities, or even to the extent of warping reality itself in order to live up to what he swore to do, though doing the last two is extremely draining. Virtually, there is a very small restriction as to what all Henrex can do with the Seal, as long as it is within the scope of his power. Therefore, there is a lot of symbolism within his concept as a ninja, as this allows for an immense amount of versatility and creativity when it comes to the usage of this.

Yet, there is still a major restriction to it, and that would be when it comes to mastering it. There is a large amount of practice that needs to be had when it comes to him using this ability, learning when to use it, and learning how to take it further and further as the seal continues to bond with him. Ergo, it is very much up to Henrex when it comes to the maturing of this seal and power, as it primarily relies on the limitations and guidelines that Erna and the Seal itself has set within it.

Resolve Embrace: Resolve Embrace is one of the first abilities that Ibiki wants to bestow upon Henrex as a part of his training. It is apparent that he has a strong drive and desire to want to protect those who are precious to him in his life. A noble goal, but one that The Suika Devil intends to hold his feet to the fire to in order to keep him true to his life's path. Therefore, Resolve Embrace is designed to tap into that meaning and produce an ability that allows Henrex to become more resolute of mind when fighting for others.

Now, how does Resolve Embrace translate this into practical usage during battle? If Henrex is fighting among his fellow allies, friends, family, or lovers; this ability can activate in order to help shield his mind from being easily influenced by notions of failure, doubt, and uncertainty which takes away from the light of his soul as far as Ibiki is concerned. This then means that he can keep his mind on the objective at hand and to otherwise protect the people that he cares for without second-guessing himself so many times. So, most of all, it's meant to be a confidence booster to give him more assistance in battle as Ibiki senses a lot of hesitation in him that needs to go.

Secondly, since this is a two-part ability, the second half of this power will allow him to utilize Resolve Embrace in order to mark those he cares about in a private network of telepathic communication. These deal more with the individual people that are within his life and are set to allow their feelings of love, comfort, and information to be shared with him at any moment they should decide to consciously activate their connection to Henrex. This was designed so that he may have an external resource of motivation to tap into whenever he is feeling like he cannot do this battle on his own.

Thirdly, since this is also functioning as a small network, Resolve Embrace can be utilized to transfer energy across it if they are within the same realm. The users will be able to hone in on the location of the other and can make the choice to transport different types of energy into the essence of Henrex. It is even possible for other abilities to be summoned out of the gut of Henrex from his allies, but only one at a time can be used to prevent it from being abused.

And, this function of Resolve Embrace can be taken away if Henrex himself has no energy to keep up the link and he has to receive permission from the other player to do so. It should be noted that this ability will not work if there is some type of seal/barrier preventing Henrex from receiving external assistance or sending his own energy/thoughts to others. With all of this said, Resolve Embrace is meant to be utilized to help further connect Henrex to the people he is trying to protect and bring that vision closer to reality by giving that feeling some type of objective usage through crafting this ability.

The Sibling's Bond: Quote from Kitarune's App: This is a passive ability that Kitarune possesses, and directly connects to her brother, Henrex. This, in essence, is what binds the two together as siblings, and what truly defines their connection together. Upon its reactivation, Henrex and Kitarune are able to connect, mentally. As a result of this, they are able to transmit thoughts to each other, and they can detect and read each other's emotions, no matter the distance. Even if they were entire dimensions apart, they would still be able to create this connection. Furthermore, this allows them to have the innate knowledge of where the other one is, and -- if the other permits -- they can use this to "picture" the environment around them, allowing them to gain a semblance of where they are, and what it looks like. This can also occur when it comes to sharing memories, as the events will be projected into the other's mindscape. As children, they often used this skill to pass secrets to one another, or just to tell the other what they were thinking. However, now that they have both matured immensely, this is capable of so, so much more.

Resolute Strike: Resolute Strike is an ability meant to be passed down to Henrex after Erna's training. As her intent is to make him focus on higher quality attacks with less need for spreading himself thin with a million lesser potent attacks. Therefore, Resolute Strike is going to be fueled by both his willpower and energy as a high 0 tier. Since it allows him to utilize his electricity to cut through the bonds of attacks when he can gather, pinpoint and make a concise effort to attack an opponent or assault heading his way.

To give a proper illustration of how it works in combat: say that an opponent produced an attack that manipulated reality by blocking the ability to teleport within a radius of a city block. By focusing on the element he wishes to attack, Henrex can channel that vision into his mind, infuse it into his lightning and attempt to enforce his will in a concise attack aimed at the general vicinity to try and cut through the particles of energy which produced this effect. In turn, with Resolute Strike, he could then attempt to cancel out the ability to break through it.

Limitations

• Application Usage: It is often recommended that Henrex focuses Resolute Strike into one application per post. The reason for this is while it may not take away the amount of volume from within at a rapid rate, it can take away the potency as the whole aim of the technique is to allow him to have higher quality attacks. Repeating this in rapid succession will take away that potency and potentially make future attacks weaker if spammed. Thus, reinforcing him making more critical thoughts when it comes to his plan of attack in battle. In addition, once used, this has a three-post cooldown.
  
  
• Not Absolute: While this ability greatly increases his chances of canceling out attacks with his lightning, it is by no means absolute. It is possible to have draws where only half of the effect was nulled, while the other goes through. An example of this is if he fired it off a cero released by a Primera Espada. If the lightning hit, but it only vaporized half of the blast, he'd still get hit by the other chunk left at half potency. Additionally, with a high enough magic user, they could create potent barriers to shield themselves, or the opponent could just straight-up move out the way or have other objects in the area around them take the damage. Which is the risk of this ability, as there is no telling if it will pay off.
  
  
• Focus: If his focus is broken, as to will the lightning break and harm. Henrex needs to know what his objective is for using Resolute Strike to channel that into his energy and control it with the utmost of will because of the tremendous volume of the will being infused in his blast to distort the reality around him. So if there is no focus, there is no attack.

Earth-Defying Array: Quote from "Earth-Defying Array" upgrade thread: The base of the entire style, this Array focuses on the mind more than the body. Lightening the strain of existence, and bringing a state of extended peace to the user. Once this level-headed nature has been achieved, the user can focus on the manifestation of their mentality, bringing the mind into play in the physical world. The first manifestation, and the denial of Earth, allows the body to feel light and unrestrained, as the manifested mentality takes a part of the physical side of life. This can either allow the user to enjoy far more strenuous activity, with less taxation on their endurance.

[All energy-draining techniques have an increased post limit of 1 for Adept Willpower, 2 for Advanced Willpower, 3 for Elite Willpower, 5 for Master, and 7 for Grandmaster Willpower. Beginner Willpower is too weak to have any noticeable change. Tulpa has a limit of the same number of posts. Beginner Willpower can not manifest enough tenacity and discipline in order to construct a Tulpa]

As constructs, both the Personal and Full Tulpa's general skills are equal to one rank below Willpower skill. The Creator can focus on one aspect to the detriment of the others, allowing it to be the same rank as Willpower at the expense of the rest being one rank lower. Their tier is also based on Willpower, being 3 tiers below for Adept willpower, 2 for Advanced, 1 for Master, and equal for Grand Master.

• Personal Tulpa - Oathbound Bastion: To protect his friends with a shield, and to protect them by fighting the evil in the world with a sword -- the two-fold drive and manifestation of Henrex's Tulpa. Either individually or at the same time, Henrex can summon a broadsword and a shield, each having its own benefits. By summoning both the sword and the shield, Henrex's Personal Tulpa follows the regular rules of Earth-Defying Array's Tulpa, balancing out the skill distribution.
  
  However, should he summon the sword alone, it would focus mainly on Strength, with a minor amount of Durability (in order to stand against other high-strength abilities/techniques without shattering immediately). On the contrary, should he summon the shield on its own, the inverse occurs. Durability becomes the primary skill that his Willpower is poured into, causing it to be on par with his Willpower, at the cost of the rest of the "skills" being one level lower than the usual. This allows the shield to take a much larger amount of damage before shattering.
  
  

  Personal Tulpa:

  
  
• Full Tulpa - Hero of Many Battles: In true to his origins, desires, and experiences, Henrex's Tulpa takes the form of a single colossal figure at around twenty to thirty meters tall, dressed like a samurai with a massive katana, with a much smaller, but still big at around five to ten meters tall, animal companion in the form of the guardian lion-dogs of Shinto temples, the Komainu. Acting separate from Henrex and moving freely, the Komainu is capable of acting as a sort of pet and a companion in combat. At will, the lion-dog can summon a sword with the exact properties of the Personal Tulpa, with the handle in its jaws, allowing it to wield the weapon personally. Alternatively, the Komainu can summon the shield of his Personal Tulpa through expanding his mane outward, with Henrex using his Willpower in order to harden its mane to act as a shield, again, following the same rules and criteria under Earth-Defying Array.
  
  

  Full Tulpa:

» Zanpakutô Name: Raiu [雷雨, Lightning and Rain]

» Zanpakutô Spirit Summary: Raiu has long dark hair and dark eyes. Two locks wrapped in bandages frame either side of his face. He wears a collared kimono held closed by a dark sash.

Raiu's a decisive individual who does not waste his time, once a decision is made he will act like lightning. Though his incredible decisiveness can lead him to appear dogmatic, steadfast, arrogant, and careless. This is not the case though, he is as meticulous in the process of his actions as he is fast.

• Zan Spirit Image 1
  
• Zan Spirit Image 2
  
• Zan Spirit Image 3
  
• Zan Spirit Image 4
  
• Zan Spirit Image 5
  
• Zan Spirit Image 6
  
• Zan Spirit Image 7
  
• Zan Spirit Image 8
  
• Zan Spirit Image 9
  
• Zan Spirit Image 10

» Inner World: A temple in the mountains, always overcast it is. Wouldn't it be nice if the sun shined here and a nice day could be enjoyed? If that were to occur then everyone would come to the temple. The lone figure of this world awaits the day when those storm clouds disappear and the season passes. What a day that will be when such a thing happens.


» Zanpakutô Appearance: The katana of Raiu is distinctly straight in the blade, its handle is wrapped in white and black fabric which leads it to have circles of black through the mostly white hilt. Its sheathe is a distinct opposite, being mostly black with thin white circles running through it.

Henrex possesses a second smaller katana, making it a daisho set. This smaller sword looks almost identical except for the fact it is shorter and the fabrics are inverted; the hilt is mostly black and the sheathe is mostly white. This second sword is rarely seen. It represents his demon half.

Sealed Zanpakuto Powers

Zanpakutō Manipulation: This is one of Henrex's main powers in terms of usage. With such a strong connection to his Zanpakuto, as well as the main part of his kit once again being versatility, Henrex has gained the ability to manipulate his Zanpakuto at will. From the shape, size, or even the properties, there is little limit to what he can do with his Zanpakuto. This process is usually instantaneous, or damn close to it -- as it also takes very little energy to pull off in general, including the various applications of it. When it comes to changing the shape, size, and other various parts of his Zanpakuto, the length of which they last in that state is indefinite, as Henrex does not have a limit to how long his Zanpakuto lasts in those conditions. However, the properties of his Zanpakuto are another story entirely. When it comes to matters such as those, they usually last around five to seven posts and have a three-post cooldown.

Zanpakuto Manifestation: With the traits that Raiu expresses towards his owner, as well as the immense willpower that said man possesses, it isn't hard to see that the two have a powerful bond with one another. While this is rather common between a Zanpakuto Spirit and owner, their bond allows for Henrex to manifest his Zanpakuto Spirit on a level much farther than what the acquisition of Bankai entails. Rather than only him being able to see his spirit, there is virtually no restriction to Raiu in this state, as he is free to move around and interact with someone else as he pleases, acting as a separate entity from Henrex himself and allowing him to aid in combat, should the time ever arise. Raiu's tier is a whole bracket lower than Henrex's when used in this way.

Lightning Rod: Due to his zanpakuto being of the lightning element, Henrex can draw and negate lightning-based attacks by pulling them into his blade. The energy is immediately neutralized and so he cannot actually make use of it beyond canceling the lightning attack.

Tsuyugaminari [梅雨雷, Rainy Season Thunder]: The actual manipulation of lightning that Henrex has access to. It is the dominant aspect of his Zanpakuto's storm theme. While its potency is reduced in base by about fifty percent compared to the full release of his zanpakuto, his ability to manipulate lightning is by all means quite versatile and liberal at the cost of its potency.

The potency of his lightning manipulation increases in the event of rain and storms. Instead of the normal fifty percent, it will instead be closer to about eighty percent potency when compared to his shikai.

Raitairyū [雷体流, Lightning Body Style]: By gathering energy and charging his body with it, Henrex can heighten his speed by overcharging his muscles. This allows him to move and attack at much faster speeds than before, as well as allowing him to react much faster than before. All of this combined makes him a much more devastating force in battle, as this allows him to reach even greater levels of Mach speed than before and close most distances in a matter of seconds.

However, this does not just extend to just his speed. As a result of the lightning that courses through him when this ability is active, this also allows all of his lightning-based attacks to come out much faster. This is due to the immensely increased energy summoning that he has whenever this is active, as he can use this as a means to quickly use an electrical attack, though this is something that will shorten the time of this ability by a post, of which is roughly around four to five posts and has a three post cooldown.

Tengiri [天刻, Heaven Cutter]: One of the most basic applications that Henrex can perform with his control over electricity. By manipulating existing electricity, or by creating it through his own spiritual energy, Tenkoku takes the form of a blade of lightning on either the blade of his hand or originating from his hand. Regardless of the medium, this grants him drastically increased cutting power, allowing him to cut through a good majority of physical objects without much issue. However, when it comes to spiritual objects, it often takes either a great deal of strength or infusing a further amount of energy to cut through these, should he even have enough energy to counteract it in the first place. This lasts around two posts and has a two-post cooldown.

Shigure [時雨, Winter Drizzle]: The is the rain aspect of his zanpakuto. Unlike his lightning aspect which is mostly present through the larger katana, the second sword requires for it to be raining to actually meet the condition to use its power rather than generating the situation for itself. This ability only works while Raiu is in its sealed state.

When it is raining, Henrex's zanpakuto can induce an effect that increases the weight of waterlogged fabrics the faster something gets saturated from the weather. The faster he can make their clothes or armor become a weapon against them as they struggle to move and keep up with him.



» Shikai Release Phrase: Scatter the birds, Raiu.

» Shikai Release Action: He will point the blade of his katana to the sky.

» Shikai Appearance: Upon entering shikai, Henrex loses his shorter sword. Pulling on more of his shinigami powers and overriding the demon side. The sword becomes pure white, the black trimmings and ornamentation turn to gold. Four bright rings appear behind him made of energy and all having a magatama spiral in them, these rings will follow him as he moves.



Shikai Abilities & Techniques

» Shikai Abilities: The shikai ability of Henrex is primarily through the control of lightning. The rings themselves are important for the release as they serve as conduits for his abilities, the actual rings idle behind him however they are not restricted to just that spot. The rings measure a diameter of two meters each.

Henrex is freely able to move all four rings and have them attack or defend him, despite the fact they are made of lightning they very distinctly do have the ability to take a tangible form and become physical obstacles or just remain as energy.

While there are no actual abilities directly related, Henrex's shikai will steadily cause the weather to shift to a storm. The sky will darken over the next few rounds, rainfall will begin, winds will pick up, and finally, it will just be a complete storm going on around him for a couple of miles when it reaches its apex.

Raiko 雷鼓 Lightning Drum: At any point in time, Henrex can utilize the rings behind him to execute a powerful explosion of force outwards from them with a sound reminiscent of a thundercrack. These blasts can be omnidirectional which carries less overall force or directional which occurs from the direction they are facing with greater force.

Denkousekka [電光石火, As Fast As Lightning]: Lightning strikes in an instant, a momentary flash that leaves one stunned after it has occurred. That is where Henrex can utilize his four rings as means to gain a momentary burst of speed by launching through them. For example, by moving a ring in front of him and dashing through it the ring will propel him in that direction. Using multiple ones he can increase that by a factor of how many he launches himself through capping at four obviously, the entire process similar to a railgun. The big downside is that it launches him at that specific trajectory, which makes it hard to back out once committed.

Add more at leisure.

Shikai Weaknesses:

• Loss of Shigure: As stated in the ability, Henrex's ability to utilize Shigure from his sealed state does not carry over.
  
  
• Size: The rings are fairly large. Being two meters in diameter and there being four of them. To utilize them in a large group of allies might be difficult and to manage all four at once and they do not actually passively do anything other than idle behind his back, meaning actual focus needs to be dedicated to moving them.
  
  
• Weather: The influence of the weather may impact others, while it can be countered. The weather shift would need to be countered by someone who can expend enough energy to prevent the shift of weather. While it could be beneficial against an enemy to have them waste their energy to do so if they needed it; Henrex's allies are possibly just as inconvenienced.

» Bankai Name: Toriun Ikazuchiu [鳥雲雷雨, Distant Birds in Stormy Weather]

» Bankai Release Phrase: "Bankai, Toriun Ikazuchiu [鳥雲雷雨, Distant Birds in Stormy Weather].

» Bankai Release Action: Raises sword into the sky, bringing down a lightning bolt to strike him before transitioning into his bankai appearance and activating the state in full.

Bankai Release Actions: Same as his Shikai, hold his sword to the skies.

Bankai Appearance:

• Bankai Image 1
  
• Bankai Image 2
  
• Bankai Image 3
  
• Bankai Image 4
  
• Bankai Image 5
  
• Bankai Image 6
  
• Bankai Image 7
  
• Bankai Image 8
  
• Bankai Image 9
  
• Bankai Image 10

Bankai Abilities & Techniques

» Bankai Abilities: Henrex's bankai has the quirk of only being able to be activated after the stormy conditions have been created from his shikai or they are already present by other means. Regardless, once he has initiated bankai his ability to manipulate lightning is increased drastically compared to his previous release states. The rings have shifted to create an elaborate array reminiscent of drums of the Japanese God of Thunder behind his back, this totals at eight rings. All previous abilities from shikai carry over, due to still possessing the rings and can be considered enhanced due to having more rings to work with.

Ōikazuchi [大雷, Great Thunder]
This technique is rather basic in concept. By tapping into his influence over lightning, Henrex is able to convert all of his rings into a massive ring around him, stretching to around a kilometer in diametre before a colossal lightning bolt would fall from the sky and create a massive blast in the center of the circle with enough power to singe the ground black, as well as cause a city-wide blackout. After the initial strike, lightning immediately spreads out to the ends of the circle, igniting the air and the area in the entirety of the circle before immediately redirecting and surging back to the center and causing even further damage to whatever should find itself in the circle. Due to consuming all the rings, Henrex will regain one ring back every post after using this technique. It can only be used when there are eight rings to consume.

Honoikazuchi [火雷, Blazing Thunder]
As, when he is in need of a sword, all he has to do is transmute one of his rings to create a lightning bolt that turns into and acts as his sword while in this state. This weapon naturally has an immense amount of cutting power, capable of cutting through average-level physical and spiritual material with little to no issue or resistance. It mimics the properties of his rings, as it can take the form of just energy in his hand or turn into a physical property. It has an immense amount of heat and ripping power, being easily able to cauterize any wounds it inflicts on a target.

Kuroikazuchi [黒雷, Darkening Thunder]
Four of Henrex's rings are dispersed and turned into dark clouds reminiscent of a storm, using these clouds Henrex can hide attacks within them or himself. Due to being made of his own reiatsu, it is difficult to discern much going on within them though a skilled sensor or person with keen senses might be able to work around it. They are ultimately only able to obscure one's sense of spiritual sensing and eyesight after all, not conceal specifics happening like the density of attacks, etc. The clouds will reform back into rings after three posts unless dispelled earlier.

Sakuikazuchi [折雷, Splitting Thunder]
All rings disperse and take the form of a flock of birds made of lightning, the crackling sound of the energy sounds like their chirps. By splitting the rings into a cloud of bird-like constructs, it prevents any kind of usage of other ring-related however provides access to the creative use of the flock which is not restricted to the eight rings.

Wakaikazuchi [若雷, Young Thunder]
An ability which Henrex can utilize, by designating a target he is able to swear fealty to that target as his 'lord'. This is a fanciful way of Henrex giving four of his rings the ability to be controlled by an ally. There are a couple of benefits and downsides to this though. The most major downside is that the person will likely not be able to use four rings to the fullest potential without experience and that Henrex cannot use some of his other bankai specific techniques without cooperation. The upside to this ability though is that it allows for a more oppressive and flexible battle strategy when he is not having to manage eight of these rings himself and also allow someone else to continue using some of his Bankai's power if he is incapacitated.

Do note this does not allow a person to gain benefits of Henrex in his bankai. They cannot suddenly manipulate lightning or get the boost in power of a release like this, rather they can only utilize the rings as weapons and unless Henrex was to teach them some techniques prior to battle then they cannot utilize any of the rings actual techniques, limiting them to just making the rings act on his behalf.

Tsuchiikazuchi [土雷, Earthen Thunder]
By using a ring, Henrex is able to provide up to eight allies (seven, if it includes himself) with an incredibly high tolerance to lightning-based attacks. Reducing the potency of all sources of lightning by eighty percent. The ring will shrink down and wrap around their body at some point in order to provide this boon.

Nariikazuchi [鳴雷, Booming Thunder]
Usage of a ring, Henrex can use it to increase the potency of something that is shot through it. Similar to Denkousekka of shikai, however rather than just increasing the speed, it increases all aspects of whatever attack is passed through up to a potency of eight if all rings are used. Nariikazuchi will have a cooldown of one post for every ring used, capping at eight.

Fusuikazuchi [伏雷, Bowing Thunder]
By catching a target inside the center of a ring or multiple, Henrex can bind it around the target by causing it to constrict around the target. The number of rings being used in the binding increases the amount of pressure restricting the target from moving. While effective at binding, the target does become immune from lightning while bound which prevents other rings from doing much damage to them in this.

Bankai Weaknesses

• Conditional Release: His bankai requires it to be stormy, whether that has already been created by other means or if not, he needs his shikai to finish creating the weather conditions for him which take some time to form the conditions of a storm. This makes it difficult to release on a whim.
  
  
• Cumbersome: There are eight rings with a diameter of two meters when they are being used. They are not as big when they are idling behind him in the array but trying to use all eight will make it hard to navigate a battlefield when there are allies.
  
  
• Mentally Taxing: Essentially the strain on Henrex's focus is doubled, in shikai, there is a maximum of four rings he has to dedicate thought to control if he wants. In Bankai, there are eight possible rings to use which can get very difficult to manage to get the most use out of them.
  
  
• Juggling: The bankai has a lot of nuances that require juggling, some abilities require multiple or all rings to activate. Some of these need conditions that can make it important to actually manage and prioritize what he wants to do with it.

Self-Made Equipment

» Access To The GRID (Created himself/is an administrator on the network due to being the creator)

» The Garb of Tsukuyomi (Created himself)

» Chōkoku-ka (彫刻家, Carver) (Created himself)

» Sharkskin Rail (Vastimian sidearm, created himself)


Equipment Received From Other Sources

» Cassiel's Confinement (Given to him by Cirno Iramasha)

» Access To The Hero Network (Granted via association/membership to Guild of Heroes)

» Deep Blood (Received from Mana Asthavon)

» Yume no Jitsugen (Received from Dr. Hebi)

» The Nemesis Rune (Retrieved from Antarctica)

» The Container: The Container is a small circular device that breaks down the atoms of any object you have, stores it inside of the device and keeps all your junk organized by showing you pictures of every object you have in your inventory. Simply press whatever object you have in The Container and it will be rematerialized. And to store items, simply point The Container at the object and it will be broken down.

Resources

Moderate Wealth (Vastime, Guild of Heroes): Due to his presence and membership in the Nation of Vastime's military, as well as being a member of the Guild of Heroes, Henrex has at least a moderate amount of wealth amassed over the years, and also still having some amount of money from his times as various positions in the Gotei's Stealth Force, particularly as a Captain.

Reputation (Former Gotei Captain): One of the few things that he cannot escape. Due to his years of service to the Gotei, it is hard to question the fact that Henrex has amassed a reputation for himself due to this. Whether it be good or bad, wherever he should go, there will likely be someone that knows who he is. Additionally, this was another reason for him to create his Shifter Form, to try and hide his appearance and by extension, his reputation.

Vastime Benefits/Resources/Equipment: A member of Vastime for several years, despite currently being in a state of technical retirement, it can be assumed that he still has access to the standard equipment that many Vastime soldiers have access to, as well as various resources that have allowed him to contribute to the Nation through creations of his own, such as the Sharkskin Rail, Constellation 41, and Fujin.

Guild of Heroes Resources/Equipment: Also having been a member of the Guild of Heroes for roughly three to five years, his membership and his closeness to the founder of the Guild, Cirno Iramasha, allows him access to a large number of resources, funds, and equipment for him to use as he pleases.

Hideouts: As someone who is prolific with the clan of ninja in the Iga Mountains in Japan, as well as being the former Captain of the Stealth Force, Henrex has several hidden hideouts all across the world, filled with technology, resources, and weapons for him to use whenever he should need to rest, analyze information, or simply to gather his thoughts.

Iga Ninja: After receiving his training in the art of stealth, espionage, and more from the ninja in the Iga Mountains, he befriended many of the people that resided in the small, hidden village, and has the ability and access to the group's resources and members at any time.

Connections: For his entire life in the Gotei and up until recent events, Henrex has been extremely prolific in putting himself out there for the sake of work for the Gotei, as well as to simply have the connections. This has led to him having an immense amount of connections and bonds with a large number of people from varying locations. He is aware of and has worked alongside many of the members of the Gotei, members of the Vastimian military, and even those who are unaffiliated but still associated with others in the same regard. Some notable examples are:

• † Ulv Auber [Unaffiliated/Minatumi Harbor]
  
• Arianda Vael [Unaffiliated/Minatumi Harbor]
  
• Yoriko Morri [Gotei United/Adoptive Daughter]
  
• Shuten Suika [Gotei United]
  
• Abalia Kyoraku-Hayden [Gotei United/Vastime Nation]
  
• Liu Xinshen-Hayden [Vastime Nation/Hell]
  
• Kuro Okami [Gotei United]
  
• Ibiki Suika [Gotei United]
  
• † Desmond Hayden [Vastime Nation]
  
• Kimitsuki Yamamoto [Vastime Nation]
  
• Cirno/Erna Iramasha [Guild of Heroes]
  
• Kitarune Astillon [Unaffiliated/Minatumi Harbor]
  
• Ci Lan Tsu [Unaffiliated/Wandering Bazaar]
  
• Magnolia Everfrost [Gotei United]
  

† - Deceased person(s)



Upgrade List

Spoiler:

Hazard Rankings

• Overall: S-Rank
  
• Power: S-Rank
  
• Influence: A-Rank
  
• Resources: A-Rank
  

General Skills

• Durability: Adept
  
• General Speed: Grand Master
  
• Strength: Advanced
  
• Martial Skill: Elite
  

Racial Skills

• Hoho: Elite
  
• Kidō: Advanced
  
• Zanjutsu: Master
  
• Hakuda: Adept
  

Demon Skills

• Za Koa Core: Advanced
  
• Posessive Magic: Untrained
  
• Possessive Augment: Master
  
• Possessive Influence: Untrained
  

Will Skills

• Willpower: Master
  
• Mental Deduction: Advanced
  
• Focus: Elite