Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger[Saber/Kenichi]

She flew slowly, gliding around so as not to pick up too much noise, waiting patiently. Heh, so that little welp had some teeth after all~

Kenichi managed to avoid that blade by the skin of his teeth, that weapon arcing harmlessly through the air as he landed on the other side. The horse promptly turning it's attention to him and flaring it's reiryoku. A sudden VREEEE sounding as black ink coursed in towards its mouth like a cero, the air brimming with energy for a brief moment before firing, promptly plowing into the incoming shockwave and barreling through, the energy scattered into a spray of black energy flaying out like a shotgun from the impact. It wouldn't be terribly lethal, but it would surely cause some significant burns to a man like Kenichi if he wasn't careful.

It was in that very moment that Sabertooth struck, speeding in low to the ground and swiping with one of her wings, raking her claws along the steed's flank, that bright shimmer flickering through the air before she sped past Kenichi and promptly rounded behind him, her own maw opening up as a bala fired off and peppered the twin hollows, the Horse staggering ever so slightly from that clawing slash, as the rider promptly parried the bala with that darting blade, a loud ROAR screeching out as Saber launched herself back up and into the air, getting ready to circle again and wait for another opening. "Kill the mount first human!" She barked down to Kenichi as she took off, banking to avoid another black inky cero fired in her direction from the rider. All whilst that Horse hollow glared at Kenichi, as if daring him to attack.

The gambit certainly would be a funky one. That sudden burst of speed following the shockwave would have the hollow acting predictably. Another bright cero charged but this time from the mount's maws, aiming for the incoming shockwave before firing and overpowering it. And as Kenichi suddenly sped in and launched that attack, the Mount slashed, cutting that shockwave in half just in time to see the man unleash that powerful palm down onto the horse's head! It's mask splintered, cracking as blood burst from it's head, causing it to collapse to the ground, shrieking in pain! Down, but still not out!

And just as Kenichi started piling on the punches, he'd feel a blade lunging to pierce his shoulder, aiming to spear him, But that blade wouldn't get the chance to go very deeply, the massive talons from Sabertooth suddenly clamped down on the creature's head and torso, clamping down, puncturing the creature's head and shoulder before with a jarring PRY, her veil faltered and she ripped the hollow's torso apart, FAR less durable than it's mount counterpart, as the two halves were theown apart. and she then PLUNGED her maw into the horse's spine, clamping down and ripping a few ribs from it's chest, causing another gush of blood as both she AND Kenichi would ravage it's body. The thing surging, trying to lift itself up. As ink would erupt from it's body. Sharp little blades flying from it's body, no doubt dovering the both of them in cuts, before at long last, it slumped and collapsed, the light leaving it's eyes.

Bleeding in a few spots, Saber snorted and gave a little chuckle, peering down at Kenichi. "Well well, look at you, still alive. Looks like you remain uneaten to......today..." She trailed off and suddenly began looking around. Immediately her voice dropped low. "That fucker is coming." She hissed.

The air above the city was an absolute mess. rippling and slowly peeling open, as a monstrous garganta peeled apart. And the beast's head slowly peeled its way ut into the open. At first, it simply seemed dark...ominous. A massive black hood. And that is when it began to spill out. Little white points seemingly showing up from the darkness of it's hood. Before finally reaching out.


"GRAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH"

That dull noise filled the air, it's spiritual pressure bubbling out as it emerged. Slow. But powerful. Those dozens of hands peeling out from it's hood, eyes opening at the center of those palms. Eyes that all looked directly at the pair down below.It was no Gillian, THAT at least was clear. But it was still the size of a two story building. And even not, bright shining stars of energy formed at the tips of it's fingers. Ceros prickling to life.

Without hesitation, Saber promptly CLAMPED her teeth into the back of Kenichi's shirt and she promptly bolted to the side, carrying him in her sudden burst of speed as the air howled around them, the brilliant glow of the ceros firing off and burning through the section of the road they had just been on roaring out as a few nearby structures began to creak and crumble.

"Dishish the one!" She hissed at the human before finding a bit of cover in the trees, promptly spitting him out. "I tried to kill this idiot a few days ago. But unfortunately, my poison doesn't seem to effect him. We'll have to work together on this one. I get you close. You punch through that thick skin of his." She murmured. Truth be told? She normally would have just ditched the area. But this particular hollow had been none too happy about her attacking them. It had been hunting her for quite a while now. Any time she got more than a few miles away from it it somehow found her. And so, this little human would help her get rid of this little problem for good. But well, he didn't need to know that.

Ah, excellent. He was paying attention. She smirked a little, pleased to hear that he was ready. Most mortals would be terrified of such a sight. At the very least, he seemed to be quite a cut above the rest when it came to stupidity fueled bravery. He even seemed pumped to get to work. She did however.... pause.... furrowing her brows behind her mask when he went so far as to say that he didn't want her to get hurt. There was.... alright, well that was ... a lot to unpack? What was he, developing an attachment to her? Ugh, they didn't have time for her to tell him what a stupid thing that was to say. She'd just have to settle.

"That's cringe." She murmured, before she promptly snagged him by the shirt and tossed him into the air, her whole body crackling with reiryoku, pumping fuel into her limbs before she Shot into the air! He would land squarely on her back as the pair rocketed up into the air, her wings pounding several times before she simply began to jet around, using her spiritual energy to fly around and streak through the air. Those hands rapidly followed. More shining gleams littering the skies before blaring out in a number of ceros, forcing Saber to spin and twist through the air, the trees rushing around them as she wove her way toward the hollow itself, dodging those bright green rays of searing light. And all at once, suddenly they were upon it.

Those hands sprang in, reaching in to try and catch Saber before they could close in on it's body. Heh, this idiot thought she'd be caught~

Kenichi might be too out of his speed league to appreciate what was happening, but as those hands closed in, Sabertooth's body slowly compressed. Her body partially turning into a liquid, slowly narrowing her profile until her speeding form, and Kenichi, simply slipped straight through the gap. And once she was past those fingers, she promptly SWELLED back to her normal size. Thank goodness the hands weren't that close to being shut yet, or Kenichi, without the ability to compress himself, might have died.

Both of them CRASHED into the hollow's body with such speed that it was lifted clean off it's feet, crashing into the nearest building with such force that the windows shattered! Saber wasn't able to fully mitigate the damage. The impact alone caused a CRUNCH in her limbs, bones cracking, and that hard bony armor of hers punctured as several nails from those hands pucntured through her body, stabbing into her frame as she sank her claws in... only for them to crunch under the hollow's rough skin.

She was too rocked by the impact to even shout to Kenichi, she just had to TRUST that Kenichi wouldn't be too overwhelmed by the hands. SHE intended to handle those. She threw her head back and raised her head, a cero roaring to life within her maw, energy crackling viciously before her fangs as she pumped reiryoku into it and then fired into the mess of hands that surrounded the both of them. Trying to knock them away from them, in hopes of giving Kenichi at least enough time to break that tough exterior so that she could get in there and start using her corrosive claws and fangs. If they could cripple this thing, then they could kill it!

This fucker had better be as strong as she'd hoped. She fought tooth and nail. Those hands all closing in on the pair. Her whole body was a blur. Twisting, swiping, bashing at those hands that threatened to reach in and plow through Kenichi's body as well as her own. It was only by the sheer speed with which she struck that those hands were battered away, but it couldn't make her invincible. Every hard collission was a nail, or a knuckle that bashed into her frame. Some breaking off inside of her, others simply cracking her rough hide.

To Kenichi, he would likely see a valiant feline, fiercely keeping those hands from piercing him. It would seem like she was protecting him. But, frankly. she was protecting herself. In this very moment, she hated him. Why couldn't he be fast, why did SHE have to get him in this close? And some small part of her simply was preparing herself to liquify and LEAVE him here to die. And yet, those air current puches landed, and Kenichi would find his won bones and knuckles creaking. His already-broken skin would crack and rip as it bashed against that incredibly hard frame.Even as every single impact made the air around them shake. That hollow continued to take the hits. Until at long last, blood spurted from it's chest, and finally a hot, loud CRUNCH would be heard as that hard outter shell finally cracked, and those hands all SCREECHED, filling the air in pain. But without that fading death rattle. The beast wasn't dead. It wasn't anywhere NEAR dead. And suddenly, those hands all opened up. Palms spreading wide as Ceros suddenly revved all around them!

There was a hot, wet squish as Sabertooth reached around him and plunged her claw into the broken flesh, sinking her claws in before she grabbed onto Kenichi's back. No time to be gentle. She burst out through those hands, her body liquifying as she sped out. But as those Ceros went off, they wouldn't fully escape the blast.

Fwoosh.

A soft, gentle sound. The sound of a concussive shell expanding at such speed that it ruptured the ear drums. Deafening before the sound could even register. Well...at least thats what nearby humans woudl hear. But for more durable creatures like Saber and Ken, they'd hear the deafening BOOM. Leaving nothing but a loud ringing as the both of them were fired from that tangle of limbs, ejected with the combined speed of Saber and the energy of the exploding Ceros as they promptly were sent crashing through a window, a loud CRASH as they plowed through a dining room, Sabertooth's body, halfway between liquid and flesh, slammed clean through a wall, managing to cushion Kenichi's body by pure chance befoe plowing clean through the other opposite wall of the building and out onto the street. Both of them scorched by the explosion, but at the very least, having avoided destruction.

Saber rolled over onto all fours from her back, her body still trying to reform, large chunks of her hide missing. Some of her liquified body had been evaporated in the blast, and was now simply missing as she refomed, thick dregs of blood drooling onto the ground beneath her as she panted, and checked on the human. "Get.... off your ass. Or I'm eating you to heal myself." She growled at him, peering around the building.

The beast was still alive and kicking. Smoldering as it shuddered out of a massive cloud of dust, it's whole body singed by it's own ceros. Still gushing blood from the wound in it's chest, and it's body covered in scorchmarks. Even some areas of it's countless limbs were scorched. But even eating the detonation of so many ceros, after taking Kenichi's special technique. And even being stabbed with Saber's claws. It still lumbered toward them. Pissed.

Ah fuck.

"Alright. Back to our old roles. You distract. I kill it. If you get in my fucking way I'm eating you." She snarled, in a TERRIBLE mood thanks to her injuries. Annoyed that Kenichi hadn't been more effective! But well, still. He'd actually DONE what she'd hoped he'd do. Frankly it was her fault for not realizing just how durable this thing was. But she chose to simply believe he was incapable.

saber SHOOK herself, her limbs screaming before she promptly took a running start and then launched herself into the air! Circling but without the full speed she usually was capable of. Clearly not in her best shape. Actually, she wanted to fucking collapse. But she needed this thing dead. As quickly as possible.

She was tapped out.

That was the plain and simple of it. Firing off Ceros, Balas, and all of that jazz had absolutely exhausted her. She didn't have the spirit energy to continue plowing through that damn thing. Not without potentially killing herself in the process. which, naturally would defeat the purpose. Unable to even use her spirit energy to fly, she instead pumped her wings powerfully, launching herself out into the air and ...away from the fight. A soft Tsk escaping her as she heard Kenichi going off behind her. Little brat, talking back to her. And some small part of her considered just ditching.

But she was GREEDY. And Paranoid. There was FAR too much on the table now. If she left, then that monster hollow was going to eat Kenichi. Which, to the layman, fine right? But she was smarter than that. That thing would only get far more powerful off a meal like that. And then it would continue hunting her, and any hope she had of killing it, or maybe even escaping it, would be out the window. And... If they COULD kill this thing. And she ATE it? She couldn't pass that up. She could NOT pass that up!


--

The hulking mass roared as Kenichi began to speed toward it's body, those Hands turning to fists, bright glowing eyes lering from the dark shroud of it's hood as it protected itself. Wrapping it's arms around itself and blocking those incoming shockwaves. But it was quite clear that the cero explosions had scathed it. As those shockwaves plowed into it's arms and left bleeding cracks all over it's body. But continued to keep it's main body safe as it began charging toward, rushing toward Kenichi, slamming it's fists into the ground, trying to smash his body into the dirt. It simply wasn't capable of matching his step techniques, but it still was quite fast, enough that even just running around, it put up pressure as those shockwaves riddled it's arms!

And just as suddenly, those arms opened up and its fists SLAMMED into the ground! A burst of energy coursing through the earth before erupting causing a sudden deep rumble as the blow cratered its immediate location, and caused the streets to crack before Ceros were fired into the sewers below, causing a burst up hot reiryoku to erupt around the creature in a grid pattern, following the sewer lines!

Dust. debris, and all manner of destruction billowed up from the explosion, clouding the air with dust and mess as the creature started tearing through the rubble to try and find Kenichi.

It would be then that Sabertooth flew back in.

She had been completely out of energy. But that didn't mean she was out of the fight. She'd found the best energy source around: The Two hollows that she and Kenichi had slaughtered just moments before this beast had shown up. Having devoured as much of them as she possibly could as fast as she could. Her body had already begun to mend itself, and her energy reserves billows back to life. She hadn't even really bothered to eat all of them, Just the heads and the main bodies. Knowing that she had to act before Kenochi was eaten. She'd launched herself high up into the air, until the town below as just a speck. Briefly flashing just how small this epic battle was. The nearby city hadn't even really responded yet to all the commotion.

And then she dove. Her spiritual energy ramping up as she focused it along her skin. Hardening it, coating herself in a hard shell of her own Reiryoku as she sped down, propelling herself as fast as she could as she rapidly began to speed towards the ground. Even her body liquifiedm narrowing her profile, reducing the air resistance so that she could go even faster, concentrating her riryoku into as small a space infront of her as she could manage. Until at long last she struck like a meteor, her body flying through the air like a bullet. Her form silently plowing into the Hollow, striking it dead center in the wound in it's chest, before plunging clean through and plowing it into the ground. Half an instant later, came the loud sonic BOOM as the compressed air finally expanded and blew the dust and debris out in a clean, forceful bubble, shattering the glass of the nearby buildings as the creature was promptly plowed into it's own crater.

The shell she'd made around herself had only managed to mitigate so much damage. Even though it's open wound was soft and squishy, once she hit the back end of the hollow, she once again hit that durable skin from the inside. Her only saving grace was that she'd lost much of her energy on the creature's guts, a bright red plume of blood and viscera erupting from it's chest as well as some of it's other wounds. But all the same, she was still fucked up.

She'd managed to mitigate any damage to her mask by putting her front claws first, but those limbs and her wings were practically riddled with breaks, and the rest of her body was a mess, having cut and stuck herself on the bones inside of this monster. IN any normal circumstance, she likely would have been disabled until her body could heal. But she was surrounded by a meal.

She was in agony. Her frame was screaming, but still, she forced herself to turn to the hot mess surrounding her and EAT. Tearing into the flesh and sucking it down. The hollow, still alive, hissed weakly. And she promptly changed her priotities, and began burrowing up towards it's head. Ripping through flesh as it's ams twitched, her body already beginning to rapidlhy mend. She climbed ontop of it's chest and pushed back that hood, shwoing the gnarled, twisted mask of the horrific creature.

She was too tired to say anything sly or clever. And she simply lunged. Sinking her fangs into it's mask, and ripping it off, making it scream as she pried it away, it's limbs twitching helplessly until finally.. she got to it's face. It's real...human face, behind all that flesh and armor. What was left of what had once been a human. And then she clamped her mouth down and tore it out, swallowing it in one go as the body promptly went limp entirely. Allowing her to resume gorging herself in peace. Absolutely caked in guts and blood. GRINNING from ear to ear.