Laskt's Shikai

» Name Of Character: Laskt Matiche
» Link To Character: Here

» Upgrading:

» Shikai Release Phrase: Protect them, Junkyomaru!

» Shikai Appearance: Laskt’s Zanpaktou begins to glow a deep blue, the light growing brighter and brighter until it is difficult to look at the sword, or, indeed, Laskt himself. The incandescent blade shifts, elongating and lengthening into a full two-handed broadsword. The shaft of the weapon is crafted simply, formed out of blued steel without any excessive ornamentation. The blade, however, is expertly crafted and razor sharp, even if nicked and rusted with dried blood. Laskt’s clothes change as well, morphing from his usual black cloak to a thick gambeson, sturdy leather boots and breeches. These clothes, like the armor pieces to follow, are far from pristine, torn, worn and splattered with dried blood in places

Shikai Appearance :

» Shikai Abilities:
Journey of the Knight: Laskt’s Shikai is very unusual, in that, upon its activation, it gives no real benefits to him other than the shift of his weapon’s form. The Shikai requires time to “warm-up”, symbolizing one’s journey from trainee to full knighthood. Upon each post that passes, Laskt gains a single Honor Stack, which in turns allows him to access more and more of his Shikai’s powers as more armor manifests upon him. Additional stacks can be gained through the Laws of Honor, however if he stops fighting for longer than two turns, the Honor Stacks begin to decay at the rate of one per turn.

Armor of the Paladin: Laskt’s armor is not merely decorative or a power indicator but provides him powerful defensive enhancements. For every two armor pieces that he manifests, all incoming physical damage is reduced by 10 percent before striking Laskt himself (4 pieces 20%, 6 piece 30% etc). If the opponent is more then two tiers above him however, this bonus is cut in half.

Laws of Honor: In addition to his gain of one Honor stack per turn, Laskt also can also gain honor stacks if certain rules are broken within his general vicinity (same thread), usually across a local combat zone. Each of his armor pieces costs a single Honor Stack to manifest, and only then does he gain the powers associated with it. If Laskt himself breaks any of these rules, he loses one honor stack, possibly losing armor pieces as well. Said rules include:

• To protect the weak and defenseless. If Laskt voluntarily violates his safety to protect an individual that is incapable of protecting themselves (i.e. taking a cero for a normal human), he gains an Honor stack
  
• Never to refuse a challenge from an equal. For every person who refuses to fight Laskt that is within his tier, that is reasonably able to engage him, Laskt gains an honor stack.
  
• Never to turn the back upon a foe. If anyone of equal tier or higher attempts to flee from a battle Laskt is participating in, Laskt gains an honor stack.
  
• To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit. If anyone attempts to lie or unfairly deceive an opponent within a battle Laskt is participating in, he gains an Honor stack. Lying extends to illusions an opponent is using to deceive another, but Laskt only gains one per illusion. In either case, Laskt MUST be fully aware of the deception before the Honor stack is applied. If someone lies to him and the lie is not uncovered, the Honor stack will not be applied.
  
• To obey one's liege lord. If Laskt is given a direct order by a superior, and he follows it, then an Honor stack is gained. Likewise, if he disobeys a direct order, an Honor Stack is lost.
  

Stage 1: Lower Body

Enhanced Speed: This armor section grants Laskt a significant increase in raw speed, allowing him to move at and react to speeds much higher than what he is normally capable of. Even at the Shikai's weakest ebb, this boost is fairly sizeable, making it so that beings able to keep up with Laskt's Sealed state will find it difficult to keep up. Not only does this boost impact his raw movement speed, but also enhances his striking speed and reflexes, allowing him much quicker and more precise swordsmanship than ever before. Even more dangerous is the fact that this enhancement only continues to rise as more and more armor manifests on the Vizard's body.

Purity Flame: As the right arm manifests, Laskt's Sealed powers truly come into their own, losing a lot of restrictions that made them at best a hindrance for powerful foes. To begin with, the size restriction of the flames is greatly loosened, allowing him much more freedom to pressure foes from long distances without running out of firepower. In addition, as one might expect of Laskt's Shikai, the raw power of the ability is greatly heightened, making it extremely dangerous for most Hollows or Demons to come into contact with. The flames will tear away at the very essence of their being much like a Zanpaktou would, making it a good matchup against any attack or ability that utilizes the energy of said races.

The true power of the Purity Flame, however, is in the growth of it's purging ability. When the flame comes into contact with impure substances, such as poison, it begins to purify whatever it comes in contact with. This is by no means an absolute purification, as Laskt has not practiced this aspect of powers that much. Nevertheless, the raw Spiritual Power of the Shikai allows the Purity Flame to burn out most impurities if given enough energy. Most mortal impurities can be burned out with a post or two of exposure, while more powerful impurities (such as poison from a Shinigami's Shikai) can require much more expenditure of power. If potent enough, the flames might not be powerful enough to stop it.

However, the growth of this ability does not come without risk. Laskt's control over who the flames burn is weakened by Junkyomaru's influence, and it is no longer safe for allies who may be classified as 'evil' to encounter them (i.e. a friendly Arrancar)

Empowered When boosted by Honor stacks, the Purity Flame grows significantly in both power and size, with focused blasts now being easily comparable to a Vizard's Cero when donning a mask. Weak Hollows and Demons will now be in severe danger of being torn asunder if they are so much as grazed by a committed attack, directly attacking their energy and seeking to return their souls to the natural order of things.

As with other empowerments, this boosts last for 5 posts, with the count resetting if another stack is sacrificed. The more stacks sacrificed, the more powerful the flames will become.

Stage 2: Chestplate

Lionheart: Upon acquisition of this stage, a soft golden glow begins to emanate from Laskt's body, encompassing himself and any other allies he has on the battlefield. This aura strengthens the will of anyone it comes into contact with, raising the morale of allies and purging outside mental influences and disrupting external control over emotions. The number of targets increases by one every tier Laskt is above 6-0. Unnatural fears and induced nightmares will vanish from the affected's mind, leaving behind courage and resolve. As Laskt's Shikai continues to evolve, this aura will only grow denser and denser, making it harder and harder to reliably puncture through the bulwark.

The effects of Lionheart work generally based upon Laskt's Focus versus his opponent's. If the being attempting to breach the protection is vastly more powerful than him, then Lionheart will serve little more than a stopgap. Additionally, Lionheart solely prevents internal mental interference. Illusions in particular are extremely effective, as they can completely bypass the effects of the ability.

Empowered: When fueled by the power of an Honor stack, Lionheart grows significantly more potent: it's golden sheen increasingly to levels that are close to blinding. While under this influence, the number of available targets will increase by two. This boost only persists for a period of 5 posts before it must be renewed, with the count resetting upon each sacrifice.

Superhuman Durability: Laskt has always been a tough person to put down permanently, as repeated beatdowns from Hollows, Demons, Arrancar and many others have proved. The release of his Zanpaktou only increases his endurance allowing him to withstand powerful blows without much damage. The Vizard's already substantial resistance to pain is boosted to new heights, allowing him to keep on fighting even with severe injuries. This is not to say that he is immune to pain or injury by any means, he simply has a higher threshold for his body breaking down. Similar to his speed, this attribute continues to rise alongside the power of his Shikai.

Stage 3: Left Arm

Superhuman Strength: When the left arm manifests upon Laskt's body, his already fairly potent physical strength is taken to new heights. The knight's strikes go from shattering the walls of buildings to cutting them in half altogether, causing massive collateral damage with his most powerful strikes. Weak Hierro or other types of spiritual armor could be cut clean through if their users are not careful enough to dodge the knight's blows. As the Shikai continues to awaken, Laskt's physical might grows greater and greater allowing him to manhandle most enemies on his general level of power.

Stage 4: Right Arm

Paragon Seal The most basic and simplistic of Laskt's abilities, and the one that is perhaps the purest expression of his Shikai as a whole. When activated, all opponents within a 20 meter radius of him are subject to the exact same Laws of Honor that he is. As soon as a prospective target comes into the effective range of the ability, knowledge of the Laws of Honor are inserted into their mind, as well as the consequences of violating them. The opponent must be within said radius for violations to "count", although if a malus is applied before they move out of range, it sticks.

As the violations mount, the affected will begin to find more and more of their physical power sealed away, growing weaker and slower as they act more and more dishonorably. This malus cuts roughly 10% (to a maximum of 50%) off the opponent's physical prowess with each violation, although it can be countered by the appropriate abilities or even raw power.

In addition, all one has to do to avoid this power is to act according to common morals. If the target does not violate any of Laskt's moral principles, then no effect will be appear. For every tier the target is above Laskt, the malus is cut in half an additional time.

Stage 5: Helmet

Enhanced Visual Acuity/Sensing: This stage is somewhat of a departure from the others, as, instead of granting a physical enhancement or new ability, it simply sharpens his senses, both physical and spiritual. When compounded with his vast experience working with the Stealth Division, many will find it hard to sneak up on him unless they are specifically trained to do so or simply have vastly superior control over their spiritual energy. For the physical side of things, his vision becomes so acute that he can easily see fine detail a half a mile away.

Stage 6: Chainmail

Blessing of the Crusader: When the Shikai is fully awakened, Laskt receives a final increase to all of his physical abilities on top of the normal growth they experience with the awakening of the Shikai. At full power, his Shikai gives him a roughly 3 times boost to all of his major physical statistics

In addition, Laskt can now burn Honor Stacks in order to further empower his granted abilities. This comes at a price however, as only 7 Honor Stacks can be acquired, and if any of them are lost, the corresponding number of armor pieces and their abilities will vanish.

» Why: Same reasons as previous, Laskt is getting close to re-unlocking his Shikai and I want to have it available. This is just me getting bored and actually finishing it, as well as getting it to flow better/be more on theme.