Only Other Thing We Need is a Wardrobe [Mizu, Amaranta]

The bloodied and battered appearance of her opponent after she had taken the Ōkasen spell directly made Mizu confident she really could defeat her. This confidence boost would quickly dissipate as she watched Amaranta draw her Zanpakuto and release a huge amount of spiritual pressure. In the blast of energy's wake stood a fiery Arrancar warrior in her Resurrección form, the likes of which Mizu had only encountered once before; though that transformation paled in comparison to this lioness's blaze.

Mizu was forced to hold her arms in front of her head just to withstand the initial blast of heat and power that came from Amaranta. She immediately knew if she did not respond with her absolute best, then this fight would be over far quicker than she could have imagined. Mizu felt her lip crack as the aforementioned heat wave sapped the moisture on and around her body. Ugh...so hot! she thought to herself as she felt her stamina drain from the intense temperature increase. Even her sweat seemed to evaporate this close to Amaranta.

"Gekiryū Kanketsusen!" Seeing a blast of burning fire coming right for her, Mizu strategized on her feet and cast the one water spell she could think of. Saying it's name created a foot-wide hole out of which a strong torrent of water came rushing. Mizu used it like a fire hose and aimed it directly at the crescent of fire. The heat from the fire suddenly hitting the water caused a huge amount of steam to spread out in every direction, blanketing the vicinity in an opaque curtain. Mizu took advantage of the camouflage to hide her spiritual presence as much as she could and Flash Stepped into the crumbling ruins of a nearby building.

Mizu's head was racing. From inside the building the heat wasn't quite as bad, but she still wasn't sure how to deal with the Arrancar. In her released state she was practically twice as dangerous as normal, and Mizu was not sure her own Zanpakuto release could help her deal with it. It certainly would not help her withstand the heat. So far my individual spells have not accomplished much. She is strong enough to break through most of them without too much of a problem...best course of action is to either use many spells in conjunction again, which seemed to force her to release, or use a single extra powerful spell.

Knowing she did not have much more time to hide, if any at all, Mizu decided on a strategy, and a particularly audacious one at that. She found herself extremely grateful there were no civilians anywhere close to them in this abandoned, defunct town. Using her spiritual detection skill to it's utmost, Mizu tracked Amaranta's location even through the heavy layer of steam and jumped into action. Flash Stepping out of the crumbling building and then into the open street, Mizu made sure to position herself perfectly, about twenty feet behind her target, to give her plan it's greatest possibility of success.

"Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!" Before she spoke the spell's name a huge surge of spiritual energy had already begun gathering at her right hand, her left holding it to provide extra support, and by the time she finished speaking it exploded out with a great roar. The noise alone caused nearby windows to shatter as the buildings surrounding the two shook at their foundations. The blast took the form of a shockingly large ray of electrical and spiritual energy, instantly dwarfing it's caster, and would continue on for multiple town blocks. The ground and structures it overwhelms would be reduced to little more than smouldering ash. Though it had not been her goal to cause such damage to the town, Mizu also understood she did not stand much of a chance against such a strong released Arrancar otherwise.

As the explosion rocked the area Mizu barely hung on thanks to a timely Kidō barrier that protected her from the brunt of it's force. Though it shook rather violently from the turbulent winds given off from their clash, Mizu was able to remain in place as time ticked by and eventually the dust and smoke cleared revealing a badly harmed Amaranta, though an Amaranta still standing. Dang! I hoped that would be enough! Mizu understood her own limitations quite well, and as a result foresaw herself losing through exhaustion if she could not figure out a way to defeat this Arrancar for good.

Knowing Arrancar are often capable of High-speed Regeneration, Mizu figured if she had any opportunity to win every second mattered. With a start she rushed forward, arm raised, and shouted "Bakudō #62: Hyapporankan!" This spell formed a glowing white rod about two meters in length in her left hand, which she immediately threw directly at Amaranta. As it traveled through the air the rod split into half a dozen, then again into a dozen, then again into a hundred flying energy rods all aiming to pin her against the rubble behind her.

As her last spell still flew at Amaranta Mizu leapt into the air and cast another, this one aimed for the ground directly below her "Bakudō #37: Tsuriboshi!" From her hand a ball of blue energy shot toward the ground and expanded into an elastic cushion which Mizu dropped onto and, using it like a trampoline, took advantage of it's springiness to slingshot herself into the sky directly above Amaranta. As she flew through the air she repeated words she'd spoken earlier "Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Hadō #63. Raikōhō!!" With all her might Mizu fired a full powered Raikōhō at Amaranta, sending forth a mighty lightning bolt at wherever the Arrancar found herself, either pinned from a previous spell or elsewhere.

Upon hearing the signature boom of an Arrancar's Sonido technique Mizu preemptively drew her Zanpakuto and prepared for her opponent's arrival at her location. Just in time, she managed to swing her weapon as Amaranta attempted to grab her, deflecting her hand in the process. "You thinking I'm just someone who will roll over and be beaten is your undoing, Arrancar! Learn humility! Crystallize, Shousenmaru!" In a burst of spiritual pressure Mizu's Zanpakuto released it's Shikai, causing it's blade to shatter into many tiny crystal fragments that immediately began surrounding the Arrancar like a tornado.

With a flourish, Mizu commanded all the crystal shards to converge on Amaranta in order to tear her to shreds by continuously striking her body like a torrent of glass. Though she felt herself get more and more exhausted as the battle continued, her Shikai's power boost was welcomed greatly by Mizu. She didn't like having to use it before absolutely necessary due to how exhausting it can be, but the Shinigami knew she needed to give it her all. Luckily her Kidō spells would have a little bit of extra oomph now so Mizu, with renewed confidence, Flash Stepped mid-air a short distance away and commanded her Zanpakuto's shards to continue tearing at her opponent's body.

Mizu had had enough of this Arrancar and this fight. She knew she was already pushing her limits and beyond, with both heat and exhaustion causing her head to swim. Though the fierceness she'd had all fight were yet to leave her golden orbs, Mizu could sense the rest of her body failing her. No! I can't lose! she exclaimed to herself, believing a loss means her death. If she were to die here she would never reach her goals, breaking her promise to Kyo, nor would she ever see her family again or see her lifetime of effort pay off. She couldn't give in.

Facing her opponent head on, Mizu held both hands out, one still gripping her blade-less Zanpakuto, and willed herself to aim one more haymaker at the Arrancar. Right before the golden beam would strike her Mizu shouted to Amaranta "Just...fall already! Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui!!" Blue energy accumulated around her hands as her Shikai-boosted spell was cast. Instead of fighting through the golden beam, Mizu opted to spin and move to her left slightly, avoiding the brunt of the beam but still suffering damage and burns to her left upper arm. This caused blue trails to radiate from her hands, and when she finished her 360 degree spin, Mizu fired a powerful concentrated blast of energy right at Amaranta barreling towards her. She hoped between the blast's significant width and the Arrancar woman's trajectory, it would be difficult to dodge. With how little in the tank she had remaining, Mizu knew if she couldn't inflict a decisive blow her own number would be up.

Despite everything, Mizu thought she could keep going forever if need be. Her will to win and survival instinct were both working overtime to ensure she didn't collapse in a heap after the beating she'd already taken and the energy she had to expel to get to this point. In fact, she even felt kind of good. As if pushing past her limits had opened her up to a whole new world where nothing could stop or slow her down.

As Amaranta neared her Mizu raised her left arm and summoned a small Kidō barrier in front of her and confidently prepared to take her attack directly. If she could just get the Arrancar to come within arm's reach, Mizu thought, she could finish this fight with a final spell too close to dodge. That's all I need...I'll finish this in an instant!

Mizu braced herself for impact when Amaranta closed in on her. Right before she would be struck however, her Zanpakuto's blade suddenly reappeared and she felt her Shikai automatically seal itself. Then, during a moment of distraction, Mizu felt the Arrancar slam in her Kidō barrier, shattering it as she did, and then into her chest. All at once she felt the air knock out of her lungs and her remaining energy leave her. Barely conscious at this point, Mizu could do nothing to prevent her body from being tossed into rubble below from Amaranta's attack. Now laying in a pile of broken wood boards and bricks, and with her focus failing, Mizu resented her defeat and cursed her lack of ability before finally falling unconscious.