Bloody Tiger [Hyosuke/Igen]

If Igen had, perhaps, acted more timid or coy about his straightforward demeanor Hyosuke would have been surprised by the speed, the ferocity of the younger Shinigami's assault. As things had gone though Igen delivered on exactly what Hyosuke was expecting from him and Hyosuke enjoyed Igen all the more because of it. Noting the stripes along Igen's body, and given his demeanor, Hyosuke made the educated guess Igen's abilities involved enhancing himself. Truly fitting.

Thus, as Igen rushed in, impressively fast in a pink blur that Hyosuke could somewhat comfortably track, the Ex-Captain had already resolved how to respond and.... he disliked his own decision. Displaying his own speed Hyosuke's own Hoho would be directed a short distance away off the side in the same direction of the arm Igen struck with. Meaning that if Igen struck with his left arm, Hyosuke went to his own right, and vice-versa, knowing that to twist and follow up against someone to your more exposed side was difficult Hyosuke set the plan he disliked into action.

Having what he felt to be a good understanding of Igen's character on a surface level, Hyosuke made the educated guess the brash, friendly Shinigami focused on enhancing his punches wasn't.... the most studious. As such Hyosuke felt he had better flex different muscles than his bladework and, pointing an index finger at Igen, decided to display some other skills he possessed. Summoning forth his energy the moment his Hoho ended Hyosuke's free hand would crackle with lightning and energy.

"Hainawa!"

A rope of Reishi in the form of red, crackling lightning would spring forth from Hyosuke's finger, aiming at Igen's torso the Kido in question was not, in fact, a damage one. Hyosuke was only aiming to make him dodge as it snaked through the air with focused intent. As the Reishi got close, and waiting to try and see how Igen reacted before directing the mixed incantation Kido, Hyosuke would then motion with that finger, clasping it into a fist as he intoned.

"Rikujōkōrō~!"

That same snake of eletrical, crackling Reishi would then form into 6 pillar of light and follow Igen's movement, aiming for his torso once again and attempting to completely immobilize the enhanced Shinigami. In truth, however, Hyosuke did not really want the Kido to hit. To end the match of someone so determined and energetic with such stifling means felt almost cruel, but it was also most efficient, and his desire to secretly see Igen dodge the attack did not make him execute it with any less refinement or speed. If Igen was to avoid becoming locked in place he would do it off his own merit, because he had earned it, not because Hyosuke would go easy on him.

Watching Igen break apart the pillars of light that assailed him it gave Hyosuke a brief moment to prepare himself, plan and as Igen broke the last pillar of light and vanished into the cloud of dust Hyosuke adjusted his grip on Benicho Kogo. Now holding the Wagasa in a reverse grip as he flexed his right hand, letting more blood well up into his palm. When Igen emerged from the cloud of dust Hyosuke's eye flicked to the roundhouse kick, a maneuver normally dangerous due to it's angle of attack, and Hyosuke decided to meet Igen this time. With a sudden smell of copper filling the air blood welled up from the fibers of Benicho Kogo in the brief moment between Igen emerging from the cloud and throwing his kick. Flaring open Benicho Kogo Hyosuke braced the shaft of the Wagasa along his forearm and slammed the bloody, wet surface into Igen's attacking leg. Using the liquid weight of the blood as a way to dampen the inertia of the blow.

Even so they were normally of equal strength, but Igen's enhancements caused Hyosuke to skid into the earth a bit, nearly taking him off balance, but Hyosuke had no sooner finished sliding than his right hand extended toward Igen's head, palm covered in blood, before erupting in a wide, cone-like spray of Hyosuke's blood like a power-wash. Should it actually cover Igen's head Hyosuke would close his right hand, hardening the blood around him to restrict his sight, and should it miss or be dodged Hyosuke would fashion the spray of blood into something resembling a blade before stabbing at Igen's other leg with it.

Meanwhile, the blood coating Benicho Kogo against Igen's leg would attempt to coagulate around the leg and hold it against the Wagasa, keeping Igen balancing on one leg and much easier to control and keep off-balance. Regardless of the result Hyosuke would smile a fierce smile to match Igen's own and compliment him.

"Well done Igen-san, however, I'm afraid I have unfortunate news. I happen to know something you do not."

Igen was, all things considered, performing quite splendidly in Hyosuke's eye. He was keeping his head on a swivel, his actions quick and fluid, a fighting style much in sync with the one utilizing it really. As more of those black blades erupted from Igen Hyosuke adjusted Benicho Kogo accordingly underneath the liquid surface of the blood. The Wagasa was rather large and, while possessing fabric in it's make-up, still a Zanpakuto and as durable now as it was as a blade. Making this form of the weapon all but a very convenient shield on a stick perfectly suited to blocking wide areas of attacks. Altogether once Igen fella way from Hyosuke, dodging his follow-up and expending even more energy to keep Hyosuke's blood off of him, Hyosuke understood the flaw in his challenger's approach to this confrontation.

Igen was, if Hysouke was being generous, quite the little pink firecracker, though in this case one that was burning it's wick at both ends. As Igen came to a stop Hyosuke allowed the young Shinigami to answer, intent on surprising Igen a bit, only for him to... blink. His expression becoming blank for a brief moment as Igen more or less called himself stupid. This caught Hyosuke off-guard more than anything in their encounter so far and... he laughed. A genuine, warm laugh of surprise as Igen had, by complete accident, beat Hyosuke to the punch on surprising the other. As Hyosuke laughed the blood on the ground, save for the smear Igen's efforts made and splattered about him would begin to float into the air around him. Hovering in crimson orbs between the two of them as Hyosuke's laugh died down and he smiled a rather different smile now, one focused wholly on Igen the person more than Igen the combatant as he simply remarked in a low hum.

"Adorable.~"

Glancing down a this left-handed grip Hyosuke sighed, his own surprise not feeling rather pedestrian compared to the hilarity of Igen's statement but, nonetheless, he adjusted his stance and transferred Benicho Kogo over to his right hand, his dominant hand, and smiled.

"Well, the actual answer was that I am not left-handed Igen-san, but I quite enjoyed your retort more. Now.... let's pick up the pace, shall we? I quite enjoy seeing you give me your all......"

Hyosuke would then take Benicho Kogo, angle it towards Igen, and fling the spheres of crimson blood at the young Shinigami, though strangely enough, only a few directly at him. As the orbs got closer Hyosuke would step up to the spray of blood Igen's efforts had left and simply stab the umbrella into it. The orb nearest Igen suddenly having a sharp-tipped Wagasa emerging from it toward his right leg as Benicho Kogo looked as if it was sinking into the ground almost entirely. No sooner had this stab been executed than Hyosuke withdrew Benicho Kogo from the smear and executed a slash aimed at the pool on the ground, once again Benicho Kogo would simply vanish, though Igen would find the sharp tip of the Wagasa once again slashing at him from another orb of blood as they flew by and around him. Hyosuke made sure to keep them outside of Igen's Genki energy, striking from what range he could with Benicho Kogo indirectly.

Watching Igen move was now something appreciated like poetry in motion, a growing smile on his face as Benicho Kogo met resistance, and Hyosuke all but purred with satisfaction as Igen leapt into the air. Landing on a reishi platform in the air like what Hyosuke would rather call a scratching kitten than a cat or, in this case, a tiger cub. At Igen's words Hyosuke inhales deeply, the blood he had launched slowly returning near him but, distinctly, directly below Igen just above the ground. Almost like a safety net except it was a thin, liquid sheet of blood. Once he had finished inhaling, however, instead of launching his attack Hyosuke instead sighed and shook his head, chuckling softly.

"No, but truly I was hoping you wouldn't notice Igen-san."

And that was the honest truth of it, it did nothing more for Hyosuke than what it would do for anyone else with a dominant and recessive hand, allow him more fluidity and dexterity, but no increase to his power or special abilities sadly. Shrugging somewhat casually, though in truth quite invested in their challenge now, Hyosuke would smirk.

"But let's not stop now, it's just getting fun, and you are more than welcome to my sword if you can make me use it.~"

With that said the sheet of blood would SHOOT up toward Igen at a rapid speed, a blanket spread out to it's full width, forming a plane of vitae below him like the net of some great, bloody hunter attempting to catch himself a rather rare, if feisty, tiger. Despite what Igen may have been expecting Hyosuke did not actually attempt to envelope Igen in the sheet of blood, no instead it would, puzzling, stop for only a brief moment below Igen's reishi platform before simply, shrinking down and erupting in spikes much like Igen's own ability. Ones that curved up from the bloody mass to stab, slash and swipe at him at as many angles as the orb of blood would allow. Roughly four or so of such spikes able to be active at once as the orb of blood adjusted itself to keep them all in range to engage with Igen and, below, Hyosuke's free hand would move like a macabre conductor. Directing and guiding the spikes of blood in each strike they delivered with precise skill.

In retrospect perhaps Hyosuke should have humored the younger Shinigami and unveiled his Shikai. If he had he would have been all too keenly aware of how Igen's focus changed based solely on the more pronounced thumping of his heart. As things stood it wasn't until Igen first spoke that Hyosuke could tell he was hinting at his energy hitting it's peak and he nodded, but did not for a moment expect Igen to call it quits here, no, rather he too prepared himself for the final assault of their bout.

Amusing thought it may look Hyosuke took a traditional quick-draw stance with an umbrella at his hip in place of a sword. Benicho Kogo staying closed now into a tight, somewhat blade-like compression of it's fabric, murmuring to all of himself as Hyosuke harnessed his own energy. Matching, for a moment, what he could feel swelling within Igen before he could feel Igen's energy twist and sharpen and he raised his eyes up to the ascending sheet of blood. His lips setting into a thin, tight line as his eyes narrowed. He was far and away familiar with lethal intent, or more precisely, the deadly singular focus required to achieve it with regularity. At this moment, before Igen came crashing down through the blood toward him, Hyosuke was.... determined. His lips already beginning to incant.

"Hadō #78......."

The moment Igen erupted through the thin particles of blood, and Hyosuke saw those empty eyes he himself had bore in what felt like another life he was.... insulted. Not because Igen was so intent on harming him, not because were he a student nearer to Igen's skill the attack currently racing toward him would be especially lethal, none of those things. No. What insulted, what offended Hyosuke to his core, was seeing the eyes of such a cheerful, driven young man fall into a mindset he had lived through for far too long. Had SUFFERED through for far, far too long. In that moment frozen in time, Hyosuke grit his teeth and his own expression flattened into something more serious, this crimson eyes gleaming with focused intent as his energy SURGED well beyond what Igen possessed in his entirety.

Drawing Benicho Kogo as his own lips hissed the words, Hyosuke would have just enough time to finish his incantation, just enough time to channel the energy needed that, in the moment Benicho Kogo would meet Igen's claws, the Kido sprang forth with monstrous power.

"......ZANGERIN!"

A ring of raw cutting power would join Benicho Kogo in rejecting Igen's feral assault, crimson energy flaring about Hyosuke in a thick, coagulated wave of Reiatsu. Hyosuke's piercing eyes never left Igen's as their weapons met, never left Igen's eyes as his energy flared higher and higher, further and further out of reach of the younger Shinigami to combat. Though even now, even in this moment, as Hyosuke made sure to put Igen down HARD..... he did not strain himself to his limit. He did not want to kill Igen, far from it, in his own way Hyosuke was trying to knock some sense into him. But this fact, this last chunk of withheld energy, Hyosuke would hide as best he could. He had realized now, in this moment, that perhaps Igen and he enjoyed fights in very different ways, if for no other reason than Hyosuke had grown past his own phase living in Igen's unreflecting eyes before. A living Hyosuke never wanted to experience again, and if possible, would respect Igen's wishes for a serious climax..... by beating that same mindless violence out of the younger Shinigami without hesitation.