Second Contact[Kenichi, Saber]

The weapon was certainly a surprise. He had struck Saber as the type of human who prided himself in the use of his fists, having only ever seen him fight barehanded. All the same, she had to refocus. That brilliant light caused her to be a bit wary. A sudden burst of speed was utilized as she promptly sped in a circle around the gillian, moving behind where that line woulnd't shine directly on her, She had to wear them down. There was a risk of inciting some sort of reactive ability, but that was why she'd brought the human.

As the young man charged towards the beast, those glowing red eyes would dart upward. He managed to get rather close! That electrified weapon speeding towards the beast's frame before something would quite suddenly cause the air to howl! A thick, lengthy tail peeking out from it's cloak and curled around itself would suddenly swipe upward with such speed that Kenichi would only get an instant to react, pushing his reflexes and skill as a martial artist to respond as that massive appendage aimed to plow into him with terrifying force, enough force to send any normal human slamming up into the ceiling above to certain death, but for a man like Kenichi he had plenty of tools at his disposal to mitigate the damage, though the sheer size of the limb meant that if he couldn't find a way to dodge it, it would certainly rattle his entire body.

But there would be no time for rest, another roar shaking the area as it's frill lit back up. That blight blindingly intense befre that glow flowed inward, collecting in it's mouth before firing with a sudden brilliant intensity! A blinding white cero fired in a sweeping beam. The beast didn't seem to be aiming specifically for Kenichi, but rather simply firing wildly as if to ward any would-be attackers!

And though the beam likely wouldn't strike Kenichi directly, it would burn it's way through the canopy above, digging into the stone and causing a sudden cascade of sandstone! Thick slabs of that heavy compacted sand collapsing down from the ceiling, threatening to drop dozens of stories onto the martial artist in massive chunks, each at least a few meters in width raining from the ceiling!

Saber herself had to suddenly veer off in her flight. Having been charging in to try and swipe at the gillian's ankles, she suddenly had to bank and divert her path, avoiding a particularly massive chunk of sandstone crashing down in front of her. Flying right into another slab, pushing herself off of it's surface, her own speed and dexterifty affording her the ability to pus off of the rock rather than get flattened. Rather than going in for a strike, she parted her fangs and there was a loud series of POPs as she fired small dart-like bullets of water at the massive beast. Those bullets peppering the massive beast's body, punching through flesh and digging holes into it's flesh, causing it to cry out. But even with the penetrating power of those bullets, they were small injuries on the beast's massive frame. And it simply screeched all the louder.

GROAAAARH!

The beast roared out as those attacks peppered it's body! Even amidst the falling slabs of rock, between Kenichi and Saber, they managed to drown the beast in their onslaught of attacks! From those powerful water bullets fired from Sabertooth to draw it's attention. Kenichi followed up with his own navigation of those falling slabs of sandstone, until finally Kenichi unleashed another electrical. attack toward that slab of stone, launching it shrouded in his own coursing electrical energy coursing around the chunk until it slammed solidly into the body of the big beast, that hunk of rock STABBING into it's neck, drawing out another cry of pain as the slab managed to avoid the beast's head as it flailed around, causing a sudden cascade of blood!

Meanwhile as that cascade of sandstone subsided suddenly a downpour of sand ROARED down from above! Sand cascading in and suddnely blanketing the area! eliminating any visibility as the lot of them would be faced with a deluge of sand threatening to bury them! This would continue until a light suddenly broke in from up above. Compared to the dark menos forest, it was blinding. The moonlight from Hueco Mundo's moon cascading in through the hole in the canopy, the edges of that hole still spilling a steady stream of sand. And of course, once that light shone in, the frill around the beast's neck would suddenly light up. Drawing in energy from the light as that gash in it's neck would begin healing around the sandstone buried in it's neck. A low rumble escaping it as it rose up to it's full height, emerging from the enormous dune of sand that had been dropped on them as it's eyes glowed a pale blue matching the moonlight. As if empowered by the light up a above!

The pair had a brief moment of respite before the monster's energy started flowing down the length of it's body, pumping into the sand beneath, causing it to suddenly shimmer and glow, the light slowly building in intensity all along the ground below, some of the sand beginning to sizzle and burn as the ground was oversaturated in the energy being pumped into it. It seemed the beast was preparing another attack!


Sabertooth found herself struggling to stay upright! Shooting from chunk to chunk of sandstone and continuing to fire off those sharp bullets of water. She continued to pump out water, converting energy into a steady supply, using as little as she could, but realizing that this was a waste of her water. She'd need to change up her strategy.

That dull rumble caused her to perk up. Noticing that sand was crashing down she hissed and suddenlky SHOT out, using a sudden burst of water, narrowing her frame as she shot through the forest at high speed, avoiding that sand for fear of it soaking up the water she had wrapped around her body. Kenichi would have to find his own way out of the sand or risk being buried. She stoppeda short distance away, panting and with eyes narrowed as she turned to look at the beast as it bathed in the moonlight. Her eyes narrowed. It was absorbing light? She paused, her eyes darting around for Kenichi. She didn't see where he'd wound up. She had to start prepping her own attack.

Landing on the surface of one of those massive tree trunks, she sank her claws in and anchored herself. A slow hiss escaping her throat as the water around her body suddenly started to glow. Pumping spirit energy into it as she reinforced it with a bit of her energy. she didn't actually have much, but she still focused, using her skills with her water to compact it along her frame like a watery armor, spines of water sticking up from her body as her frame started to glow. That rippling energy slowly starting to course. She didn't have a lot of energy that she could put into the water. She had to get creative instead.

That water wrapped around her frame would slowly start to move. Gradually at firset, before rapidly beginning to pick up speed, coursing along the surface of her body until that shimemring begame a sudden buzzing flicker of glowing water speeding around her body. The speed and pressure slowly honing until that thin veil of water became a razor-like current around her body, utilizing her own mastery over her abilities to keep that water flowing, the water already starting to saw into the bark that she was latched onto as she locked her gaze onto the hollow.

They had managed to damage the big thing with those ranged attacks. There was no guarantee that it would be vulnerable or that there wasn't any sort of abilities, but Kenichi didn't seem to be stricken with a curse or anything when it hit him with its tail. That'd have to be good enough. Now she just needed to wait for an opening. Hopefully one that would be provided by the human.

The Gillian shrieked out as it seemed to Notice Kenichi's sudden closing in. a massive arm ripping upward, attempting to swat him out of the sky as he moved in. But it wouldn't be able to react in time, rather it's massive clawed hand simply shifted up, attempting to thrust up and into Kenichi, only to meet that sudden meteor blow, a sudden CRACK rippling down the length of ti's palm as it took the blow, screeching out as it's reach for the human was diverted. More than long enough for that chained weaponto wind around it's neck, and that sudden coursing electricity ran through it's body. IN an instant, the energy being pumped into the ground stopped collecting. Disrupted, and promptly erupted.

The noise around them suddenly drowned out by a high pitched ringing as that stored moonlight billowed upward, explosively cascading upward and ripping through the canopy of the forest all the more, widening that hole and causing a massive updraft of hot spiritual flames, the attack going off prematurely thanks to Kenichi's onslaught! By sheer luck that he was directly above the beast when it went off, it's own body took a large brunt of that explosive damage. But still Kenochi would likely find himself getting heavily scorched alongside the menos, hissing loudly as it would wip it's head to the side. Even as he attempted to lay into the beast, it aimed to rush past the clearing they had created and SLAM it's face and upper body into one of those massive trees. Attempting to squish Kenichi between itself and the trunk.


That sudden eruption blew Sabertooth back, the force of that upward destructive blast and without a whole ass gillian to shield her, even without getting directly hit, she found herself getting shot back and plowing into one of the massive trunks throughout the forest, hissing as she struggled to pry herself from the bark. That compressed water had saved her injury, but she still had taken quite a hit, her concentration rattled as that water started to speed back up. Shit. She'd lost her chance to land a hit before that attack had gone off. But she wasn't going to let up now.

She SHOT from the trunk of the tree and aimed straight for the beast itself. That water compressing once again along her frame, speeding up as it irculated and glowed with the energy being pumped into it. She was getting low, but she didn't pay that any mind for now. She had to push herself, she NEEDED this hit to count. She could only hope that Kenichi would use this opportunity to land something big.

The hollow's frame slimmed down as she compressed herself, narrowing her profile and shooting herself likea bullet straight for Lime's mid-back. Just as it was slamming Kenichi toward the trunk of the tree, she aimed to plow into the beast from behind. A loud CRACK sounding as it came into contact with that ripping circulation of water, shredding through it's touch durable hide and into the solid bone underneath. She wasn't THAt strong. She wouldn't be able to break the beast's spine, or even cut that deeply into it. But she could at the very least infect it with that acidic touch of hers. Hissing as her whole frame suddenly lunged in.

She'd HOPED to just rip clean through. IN one side and out the other. But the beast was FAR too tough for that, and instead, she suddenly found herself ENTIRELY submerged inside a chunky hole she'd bored into the beast's back, blood, flesh, and bone surrounded her on all sides. That thin veil of water getting diluted, And for just a brief instna,t she was STUCK! Hissing and RIPPING at her immediate surroundings with her fangs and her claws. Biting. Clawing. And thrashing as she was suddenly struck with a DESPERATE need to free herself from this beast before it attempted to retaliate!

even so, the whole forest would shake with the loud screaming screech that emerged from the beast as it crumpled, floored by the force of the strike, and dropping it's guard completely as pain wracked it's entire body. Certainly Kenichi had found that his fists were able to damage the big beast, but now that creature's roaring spiritual pressure would suddenly falter. Making it more vulnerable.

Between Saber plowing into the beast from behind and that sudden onslaught of electrical punches from Kenichi, the beast was well and truly stunned. A loud roar tearing from the beast's throat as it staggered and shook, clawing at it's chest to try and pry Kenichi free from it's frame, staggering about as it's long claws raked along the nearby tree as well as it's own cloak! But that pummeling was doing it's work. Not just the sharp impacts of fists on it's body, but also the electrical energy ripping through it's body, causing it's muscles to lock and spasm, keeping it from properly extracting either of them! And that was just the opening that Saber wanted.


Ripping herself from the beast's body, she sped up through the air. Avoiding the courisng electricity as she promptly rounded. Pushing off of a platform of reishi to slam into the beast's mask. A loud CRASH as she broke through. That raging water ripping around her body struggling for just an instant. Before finally cutting through. It's mask splintering as it was broken away, and it's boady SLAMMED into the tree, pinned by the sudden force applied to it's face, as the mask was ripped away, and Saber found herself staring.

After all. A hollow was not an empty mask.
Behind each and every one of them. Was a face.

And so, breaking past that white veil, Saber's eyes widened as she found herself .... staring at a face. She had no idea if it was lime's. She had never seen the other hollow without her mask, obviously. But identity wasn't what she'd been looking for. No.... she .... had been looking for the beast's eyes.

Lime had been like her. Frankly her superior, when it came to being smart and crafty. Her tenacity was ...terrifying at times. Even if Saber would have never admitted as much.

But...

As she broke past that mask. And stared at the face behind it. She saw.... nothing. Not a glimmer of recognition. Not a shred of intellect or cunning. She had .....hoped. That there she'd be. Right there. With that same menacing stare. Or SOME indication that this beast was operating consciously. And yet..... the face before her was simply pained. And wild.....blind menace. Teeth gnashing hopelessly.

Wire... was gone. Not that she cared about them. But .... it was .. an alarm. After all, Saber knew that there were few fates for a hollow. Evolve... or eventually get slain. That was one of the reasons she'd begun eating other hollows. She'd heard that it would make her stronger. And it would be so much easier than trying to hunt shinigami. But .... she hadn't expected this.

That someone just as smart. Just as determined. Would be reduced to this. If Lime couldn't keep her sanity.....what hope did Saber have?

All of this, flashed through her mind in an instant as she broke through that mask. And stared at that twisted expression of wild pain and shock. She waited only an instant. As if ...hoping that she'd see something pop up. But nothing did. And her survival instincts.... and her hunger kicked in. She drew her head back, bared her fangs. And then lunched. Latching her teeth around that face buried in the massive creature's head, and tore in.

The convulsing frame in Kenichi's grasp would shudder with sudden vicious strength for a brief moment before suddenly, it's body went limp. That enormous frame swaying, before finally the air rushed around them, and the beast CRASHED into the ground. Not even a twitch coursing along it's frame as Saber tore into it's head. And when most of it was gone..... and she peeled her head from it's bloody husk... she stared straight ahead. And felt a sudden alarm.

And then .... her spiritual pressure began to shift. That normally smooth, stable hum, starting to roil.

And she was filled with a sudden sense of dread.

Her spiritual pressure continued to quake, and Sabertooth could FEEL the sensations welling up inside of her. And she could hear it. FEEEL it. Screaming. As if every cell in her body were yelling in her ears all at once. Drowning out almost everything else, barely managing to notice Kenichi speaking to her. She felt like she was going to explode, every inch of her frame was strained, as she twitched and ..... forced herself to look at the man. No. REFUSE. She HAD to keep herself together! HEr breath came in hot, steamy gasps as she slowly dug her claws into the corpse beneath her.

"I'm.....fine...." Her voice rasped out. Sounding..... alien almost. Different. As if several people were trying to talk at once. No...no...KEEP it down! You're going to be fine. You . are. GOING. To be FINE! By sheer willpower, she kept herself together, and growled as a garganta tore open messily beside her. Not the usual slim doorway she usually conjured, but a big messy gash across the air, the edges shifting as she stepped in. "Get in... we're...leaving." She managed to hiss out. She had to get back to the world of the living.

She was fine. IT was fine. Nothing... was.... happening. If she could get to the world of the living. Everything would be okay.

That's what she told herself as she strode through, not waiting for Kenichi to start following her as she hurried toward the realm of the living. If she could just make it. If she could JUST make it she'd be fine!