Eye of the Storm [ Solomon | Tento ] - Pre Africatastrophe

Solomon had no need to voice any verbal praise (although it would have been nice). When Tento got into a great swing if things with an enjoyable match up, he felt he could get what they were saying through their actions. A fist was very specific most of the time though. But enough martial arts tournaments and bouts have a person a bit of understanding of dialects. Or at least Tento would like to say so!

With each move. Each look. Tento felt the respect of skill exchanged between them as well as the competitive fire to be the one triumphant in the end.

And boy was Tento on the backfoot.

The rain of blade work coming to an end. The yellow energy lunging forward from his blade amid the tight space of the two warriors. Only to be met by the electric fighter! Arcing lightning relishing clashing against the yellow orb
in a fluctuant flash of energy, slicing through the attack canceling out the energy to land another blow on Tento's form!

Tento took the blow. Feeling the wear on his body further in this bout of skill and techniques. Finding his pressure yet again returned to him. Thr back and forth was on! Tento shifted his foot planting himself in a resolute guard as he prepared himself for any continued pressure. In a wait he moved when the time was right, fainting a strike with his sword coming from the right before letting go of his other hand, choosing to point his index and middle fingers at the intended Solomonto cause Hadō #1 Sai on him. With the close proximity Tento hoped it would hit, causing the Solomon's arms to lock behind their back. At which point Tento would attempt to land two slashes with his blade using the back hand of it. Before jumping up to throw a spinning kick. How much time would be given or even if this maneuver would be successful was known. But one thing was for sure was that their spar was most certainly heating up!!

Tento's strategy would prove successful as Solomon, only vaguely familiar with the nuance of Kido, found his tall frame momentarily constricted by some unprecedented force, unable to discern what constricted him with his eyes. His spirit weapon momentarily fell onto the ground, leaving him completely vulnerable against the blunt impact of his blade as two strikes were executed in rapid succession, bookended by a spinning kick. Even if he was unable to move his arms to counter, Solomon tapped into the defensive system of blut to maintain a firm balance.

His balance of gravity was altered ever so slightly, of course, as he stumbled back, but he still remained upright. There was still opportunity to go in for move, but Solomon would not allow himself to be turned into a training dummy this far into their duel. Transitioning his blut into its offensive system, which wasn't a seamless shift by any measure, he brought the entirety of his strength to bear to break free from the intangible restraint that held him in thrall.

Kicking his leg upward to block against any incoming strike with the blade, Solomon would tumble over once his arm was free to grab at Keraunos, hurriedly rising from the ground to charge in again, though this time he decided to shake things up by using Hirenkyaku to soar in from behind, executing an overhead strike at the man's back.

"Impressive. You had me on the ropes just now. Kido practitioners never cease to amaze me at this point. Mizu would be proud."

At this point Tento was becoming more and more excited in their fight with Solomon. But also apprehensive. With each footwork counter, each speedy counter. Tactical maneuver and forceful class. Tento was finding himself an even match being met. Or finding himself lagging behind. It wasn't something Tento was shocked by, he had found himself less than peoplr.many times all of his life. Mortal life and after. To be honest, it gave a relief to know that there would be spots he could give the torch to someone else to if it came to it in this clash to come. It wasn't like he was a Captain or Vice Captain after all. He was simply a 15th seat. Responsibilities on his shoulder yes, but ones that paled in comparison of others above him.

THAT DID NOT MEAN TENTO WOULDN'T TRY TO PUSHHIS LIMITS THOUGH. If power and skill he lagged behind. Then mind and technique he would try to get a surprise factor. Lucky enough that throw in of kido did work allowing g his blows to land and the follow up.

But man o man did it feel harder than when Solomon landed blows on him. Was that even possible? What was that? Tento couldn't help but think there was a shift I the glow around Solomon for the briefest of moments...

As Tento moved in to apply more pressure he was sure of it then Solomon did something g to further his defneisves and now his attack power! BURSTING free from the kido's hold as Tento threw out an arcing slice hoping to dig into a shoulder. All to be met a fierce kick than managed to stunt the strike with a shake. Sliding past after this clash, Solomon rolled with a tumble to grab his blade once again charging in then to attack from Tento's turned back.

Quickly Tento put his blade behind him over his head. Clashing the blade bur suffer a massage amount of blunt force from the clash that made his back and arm ache. "Mizu? I'll have to see who that is when I get back if they can give you a challenge...", Tento said before dropping the end of his sword in slant. Letting Solomon's sword fall to the side before spinning in close to attempt to throw an elbow to the gut before throwing out a sweeping kick as well. Whether either blow landed Tento would then flash stepped into the air hoping to deliver an overhead strike with his sword.

"If I had to describe her, she is a fiercely loyal soldier of the Gotei who wears her title like a badge of honor. For such a small frame, she proved quite tenacious when we fought in the City of Lights."

Concluding his short-lived reflection of their battle in favor of purchasing an advantage against Tento, Solomon attempted to overpower the man with his own sword, but this particular technique proved to work against him as his opponent shifted the trajectory of his blade in a slant, momentarily disrupting the course of his spirit weapon. As a result, that left him completely vulnerable to the disorienting elbow and sweeping kick. His balance disrupted, Solomon felt his body stumbling backward as though he were about to trip onto the ground.

From above, his eye pinpointed the indomitable visage of Tento Zefa slashing down with a resounding overhead strike. No matter what, Solomon held no desire to lose this battle and fall under this man's blade without giving him every degree of resistance he could muster.

Therefore, even as he felt himself falling down, he quickly activated the offensive system of his blut, increasing the overall speed and flow of his arms, swinging Keraunos upward to deflect the weapon as he fell onto his rear. Breathing deeply, a mix between exhaustion and a sigh of relief, Solomon gathered himself as his azure gaze bore down on Tento.

He viewed Mizu as an unwavering spirit, but Tento too proved to be a man of equal vigor and soul. Shrouding his blade in electrified reishi, Solomon settled into what sought to be his final offensive stance for their duel. His blade held forward, Solomon shattered the ground below him as he thundered toward Tento like a bolt of lightning, swinging his partly damaged blade in for a powerful thrust.

Hmmm. Well, that didn't help much. Being set new member of the Gotei United there were a lot of faces and names he did not know yet. Only the top names and figures because.. well. Of course you would know the leaders. But this Mizu was an unknown being. But, with the word of her pride at being a Shinigami and work effort. It was a start of someone he could respect and wanted to see more of. Meet. Small frame? That was something to go on at least.

Back and forth they went. Two warrior pieces in the swinging scale of battle. Thr metal bars of momentum never seeing to stay stagnant in the current of crafty movement and power techniques. Well, on Solomon's half. His skill in his electric sword play was daunting. Tento saw himself as a hearty man, and although Tento felt the man was not as durable as him. He was more powerful. Thinning back layer and layer of the endurance that Tento could take. Blunt clashes, landed slashes, and waves of electricity. It was getting much yo the point that he would have to cut it to a stop. He couldn't risk getting too banged up after all. He needed to rest his body and energy to recover for when the confrontation came. A sentiment he expected from Solomon too. For the man had suffered some bruises and wounds in their exchange as well. But with the adrenaline flowing and zest of combat. It was hard to tell who was worse for wear!!

A wear that was hanging on both of them as Solomon clashed with Tento's overhead strike. Blocking it and pushing off Tentos assault once again. Feet landing and sword out ready to continue Tento eyed Solomon as shrouded his blade once again in
electrified reishi. Stance composured and firm as he made his intentions clear. He was going to deliver a powerful blow showing his serious drive to win.

Having no elemental reishi, the only thing that symbolized Tento's acknowledgement of the warrior before him was the brown wave of energy that rushed out of the ebony warriors form. The brown colored aura quaking around Tentos form as his body roared in the soft glow. A mask forming behind him subtly as Tento's feet STOMPED down in preparation as he smiled. If Solomon was ready to throw all they had left in this team assessment, then Tento was happy to meet him...

Eyes widening in an hungry fire, Tento rushed forward as Solomon moved it, the brown glow from before now a subtle harsh wave of controlled energy beaming forward. Letting out a warrior's cry Tento held his sword to the side pummeling through the ground to face the bolt of lightening. Not as strong as Solomon but quicker and sharper when it came to reflexes. Tento would attempt to strike Solomon just as they reached striking range from each other. Teetering ay the edge of Solomon's thrust, Tento would thrust up his sword in a side motion as he tilted his body to the side. Sliding his ached blade against Solomon's as a guard before thrusting out his free hand to use Tsukiyubi! Facing and eating the electrification the contact of blades would have. Tento would try to endure. His hearty body and lion's will fighting to let out one last strike. Extending the index and middle fingers of his hand in unison to make contact with Solomon's body. A burst of energy and force would shoot out in successful.

Successful or jot that would be all Tento had in the tank. Taking further blow or not he would fall flat on his back. Victor or second place having to buy food unknown as of yet. "Ehehehege. Yea...that all I got left..hehe".

Two blades of unimaginable will clashed against one another once the two warriors stepped into striking range. Solomon had sought to overturn his blade with the momentum of his thrust, parrying the blade in order to throw it off it's intended arc... that was the intention, at least. Of course, Solomon hadn't accounted for the possibility that Tento would use another kido spell, but could he truly be blamed for his error? At such close distance, it was less than ideal to take such a risk, but ah, perhaps that was what had endeared him so much Mizu in their own duel. The desire to risk a loss in favor of earning an emphatic victory.

His spirit still sailed successfully through the air - connecting with the ebony's warrior's frame during it's swing - but he, too, would find himself soaring through the air as a result of the Tsukiyubi landing directly against his chest. Tumbling across the ground a few meters away from Tento, Solomon would chuckle softly as he shook his head, impressed by the commendable maneuver in the heat of battle. Coughing slightly, he would rise from the ground as he walked toward Tento, offering his hand to the man as he smiled. He still had more left in the tank, but there was no need to strain himself any further, and Tento likely shared the same sentiment. There was a far more crucial battle on the horizon, after all. Any further damage would only work against them in the long run.

"Same here. I think we can call it here. Pretty impressive counter there at the end, Tento. You bested me by a small margin, so I guess I'll be the one buying a meal. Hopefully, you worked up a big appetite, because I'm starving."

Tired, bruised, and charged up. The ebony warriors panted as he sat on his butt. Suffering from the effort of that last push and clash. An overwhelming joy of excitement but the recoil was surely something to come.

With tired hanging eyes that somehow managed to stay open and aware. Using his blade as a crutch, Tento leaned his body before lifting himself back to his feet. Taking Solomon's hand in a shake of respect and leverage getting up with a light huff before showing a bigger smile once again. Drained and yet kind still.

"Ai thanks. I think that is a good stopping point, I hope you got a good workout. And one thing for sure. I'm starving!!!", Tento said with a surprising burst of gusto and energy still left in his tank. Letting out a sharp laugh and jumping of moments of excitement as the two walked out of the sparring area.