Mysterious Hollow in France!

Energy flared into sparks of a sky light. The mysterious hollow’s body wrapped itself in a cloak of fire as its energy and anger only continued to rise. A sweat on his brow and chest came steadily increasing the growing feeling of his clothes becoming soaked. The steps of their blows landing held pride. But the knowledge of the beast being poked was becoming more and more of a concern.

A concern that was coming to fruition as the bull was ready to give someone the thorn so to speak. Breathing and reading himself to respond after witnessing Beetle's flight into the air. Another blow to throw the hollows large body off course. Or a duo defense to protect Beetle with Kaminari. The grilling heat barring down on him as Blackhorn turned and changed his focus. A joy, fleeting moment. For he let Beetle alone and let her out of control body rest and reposition. The wrathful gaze made it sure what was known before the booming speed streaked forward using Sonido. The mentally draining heat growing mote intense as he came. Tento's eyes tracking the beast's speed, thankfully being aware but with the sharp movement suddenly and his prior preparation. Tento knew he couldn't respond like he normally would like.

During Blackhorn's movement to him Tento would make a gamble. Extending a finger towards the oncoming hollow. Tento quickly let loose an incantation at full power. Using his focus to push his kido to the highest he could muster! "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō!". A sparkle of yellow energy would come to life. Six thin, wide beams of light that slam into a Blackhorn's midsection. Unfortunately such an effort would not stop its approach most likely.

"GRAAAAG", with a CRACK Tento felt the hollow’s head smash into his torso. A rib of two cracking and breaking as a mouthful of crimson blood splashed down to the back of Blackhorn's head. His feet gripping the ground as the earth broke from the impact before the force carried him away backwards. It burned. It ached. It made his vision go blurry for a second. But…he was still here. And he wouldn't let himself go down just from one hit. Regardless if it rocked him to his core and he knew he couldn't handle many more of those blows before getting pushed to the edge!

"...n….NOW!", Tento managed in a roar. Calling out in faith to Beetle and Kaminari with a hand extended. Tento would double down in his gamble as he fly. Using Bakudō #37. Tsuriboshi as well to unleash a ball of blue energy which fires out six ropes from its center. A focused change in its nature, the once flat elastic immediately hardened if it was able to make contact with Blackhorn's leg. Hardening and attaching to several parts of the ground and trees with its six points of contact. Adding another layer of resistance if successful.

The heat was becoming unbearable. At first, Kaminari could ignore it, but the more this creature's anger rose, so did the temperature. She lifted her sleeve to wipe sweat from her brow and immediately regretted it. Beetle went flying.

Kaminari's eyes widened as her head snapped around, following the direction of her teammates body. If Beetle had not recovered so well, Kaminari would have ran to her. Luckily, she could see Beetle reach the trees again. As she turned back, Tento was struck. Angered, Kaminari turned to Blackhorn , gathering her reiryoku.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!" Kaminari began speaking one of her many memorized incantations. As Beetle came back in on the attack, Kaminari held that energy for a moment, moving to a different incantation. "Bound by blood and bond, a ribbon to intertwine through the dark fate." Kaminari shunpo'd in a very specific spot, getting close enough to both Tento and Beetle before finishing the second incantation.

"Extend and connect!" Within range of both of them, two tendrils of dark blue energy moved to her allies and connected to them both. If they were to take any damage from this point on, 25% of the damage they take will be instantly transferred to her body. With no hesitation, as Tento yelled out to them in a battle cry of faith that encouraged Kaminari to act, she finished the first incantation.

"On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens." Kaminari held out the palms of both hands as she stepped forward, disappearing in a shunpo and reappearing at Blackhorn's side. She had been on the defensive until now, so he likely would not expect her to do something this reckless, and Beetle's barrage was a perfect distraction.

Pressing both of her palms against Blackhorn's ribs, Kaminari released the immense amount of reiryoku she had gathered into her Sōren Sōkatsui. As her hands burned on his heat, the blue blast of energy shot forward, the amount of energy exploding outwards, focused on Blackhorn's body. Hopefully, this powerful close range shot would do the damage they needed to stop him, possibly even kill him. However, due to the close proximity to her team, Kaminari knew this could do some damage to them too, which is why she used her own kido to protect them first and got close enough to allow a huge portion of the energy to pass them by.

These flies were an indefatigable annoyance to Blackhorn. Every time he made some headway or landed a blow on one, the others would find some way to bother him. He didn't like them, and he didn't like this situation. All his other prey had been so easy. Find the Hollow, kill the Hollow. Those had been his orders. None of his targets could stand up to his power or his master's strategies. Against these Shinigami it was completely different though, they used their heads and looked out for each other...it enraged Blackhorn. Like nothing else could.

Both Blackhorn's swatting of Beetle of bull rush against Tento had worked out well, yet now he found himself weighed down by strange glowing lights surrounding him. Plates of energy pushed into his abdomen and tendrils pulled at his legs to prevent him from moving at all. Though angrier than ever, being forced still was dramatically lowering the temperature of his body. Blackhorn knew he had to do something about these things at his waist and with all the force he could muster he raised and brought down his right arm, shattering two of them and immediately lowering the intensity of Tento's spell. But it was too little, too late.

Forced to only look forward, Blackhorn could see Beetle coming toward him as energy seemed to envelop her limbs. Her fist slowly but surely got closer and closer...until a horrible metallic CLANG rang out as it came in contact with his mask with a crushing power behind it. At the same time Blackhorn could sense an expansion and expulsion of energy at his side, and though he couldn't turn to see who caused it he could guess it was the other woman to blame. A horrific pain overwhelmed the left half of Blackhorn's body as Kaminari's spell tore into his tough hide. Tento's spells were shattered by the Sōren Sōkatsui, and with his head injured and mind rattled from Beetle's attack Blackhorn could do nothing as he was sent flying across the field, a huge trench opened by his body like he was a fallen meteor.

The Shinigamis' foe remained inactive on the ground for quite a while. It appeared as though their collective attacks had been successful in defeating him once and for all as his spiritual pressure was all but gone as well. When the smoke finally cleared, if any of the trio listened intently they may make out what seemed to be quiet mumbling...but that couldn't be right. Could Blackhorn talk? Form sentences? Coherent thoughts? Wasn't he just a mindless, albeit wrathful, beast? These questions would be answered as the mumbling quickly grew into audible speech.

"Mu..guro...sama...it wasn't...supposed to be...like this." As bone-chilling as his roars was the gravely voice coming from Blackhorn. As he continued speaking his spiritual pressure rose again like a reignited flame, and soon enough the behemoth was rising back to its feet "Muguro...sama...I'll kill them...don't interfere...don't interfere...!"


Catching his second wind, Blackhorn turned to face the trio of Shinigami who had thus far evaded his promise to an unseen master. His metal mask was dented and an entire chunk of the left side of his torso was missing, leaving behind a bloodied and burned crater, yet the malice emanating from this monster was more sinister and determined than ever. Behind his damaged mask two crimson lights stared down his prey as any and all outside influences on his mind had been washed away by the beating he'd received at the hands of these insects. Now he was Blackhorn. Just Blackhorn.

With a mighty roar Blackhorn raised his head and unleashed a titanic crimson Cero at his enemies, dwarfing the trench his body had left in the ground by magnitudes. As the huge beam of energy finished, Blackhorn slammed his right leg down before disappearing with other BOOM, reappearing some twenty feet ahead of where he'd been; this happened another half dozen times, and each time his body came back into view the ground beneath his feet became blacker and blacker from the rapidly rising temperature radiating from him. After the last Sonido Blackhorn bore down upon Kaminari with his full weight, the momentum and heat he'd built up turning his body into a very real meteor this time.

Even as her attack connected, she could feel the bones and muscles in her arm creaking and screaming from the strain on her body. Falling to the ground, Beetle was quick to disperse the increased power, letting her body rest for a moment as the colossal Hollow came crashing to the ground. She kept her Shikai active as she struggled to get to her feet.

Despite their foe being grounded, she didn't believe for a second that it was over until she was certain the mask had been split and the souls within it had passed on to the Soul Society. When she heard the mumbling, she knew that it wasn't over. She'd wished that she brought 09 with her, the anesthesia it administered would have been tremendously helpful right now.

As the creature's mumbling finally became audible, Beetle took note of what he was saying. There was something behind this, someone called "Muguro". So, not only was it sentient, it had a master. Presumably another, bigger, stronger Hollow like this one, or an Arrancar.

As the creature got to it's feet, Beetle took a few steps back, keeping her Shikai at the ready, as well as keeping herself ready to either attack or defend. After that hit to the head, she had her doubts that it was going to be able to continue for very long, and even if he did, she figured it wouldn't be difficult to deal with by that point.

She was wrong.

The creature suddenly whirled around, unleashing a monstrously sized Cero. Even with her armor and helmet on, Beetle shielded herself, the blast pushing her backwards. It burned away parts of her armor, helmet, and seared through her clothes to damage her skin. But, she didn't have time to coddle herself and lick her wounds. As Blackhorn surged forward like a freight train, adrenaline swelled up in her as she got to her feet.

Without a second thought, she unleashed half of the Neurological Beetle Matrix's power again, feeling the strain of the sudden surge of power on her. Channeling some of that power into her legs, Beetle kicked off the ground and soared toward Blackhorn, drawing her arm back again, using the vents to increase her momentum and power, going in for another powerful hit to not only deal blunt force trauma, but to tear through and gore Blackhorn's body until there was nothing left.

She didn't have a lot of time, and she wasn't able to defend Kaminari as she had Tento before. All she could do now was call out, trying her best to keep her fear suppressed.

"KAMINARI! RUN!"

Flying back after the initial impact of Blackhorn's charge. The painful sensations running through his skin and ribs dulled ever so slightly at the sight of Kaminari's and Beetle's quick response. A dry happy cough was let out as he witnessed Kaminari's shift for a moment. Even in this desperate situation she halted her kido being unleashed to give a supportive kido to himself and Beetle. Unknown of what it would do, grateful all the same. A fact, that was bitter and hard for him in his adrenaline filled state. As a member of the 4th division he really could not happily accept Kaminari possibly putting herself in harm by being distracted! She was their defensive anchor and the seated officer in command. And she gave a lasp in delivering her chance of a wide open attack because she had to watch their backs!

As gods of death, and a layer of the way of his own division. One must not fail to see the enemy. He wanted her to finish Blackhorn alongside beetle while they had the chance but he would be a liar if he did not appreciate this. With that bandage he wouldn't be able to move, and even with two or Tentos kido light beams broken, the hollow had no way to move to stop the team attack of the two female powerhouses. Their tenacity and determination on full display.

Not close enough to be threatened by energy impact, Tento felt the force of power unleashed! Dirt BOOMED out in an expanding rush of wind. Their blows landed true and sent the beast of a hollow across the field as Blackhorn's head was thrashed and the left side of his torso was vaporized. A small breath of relief came with the sight as Tento sat up. A tired chuckle although he knew fully well that the hollow was not down and out. Its spiritual energy was still present and body, its mask, still present as weak as it felt. With a sigh and grunt Tento stood back onto his feet. Just a bit more. If they pushed together they could-

His body chilled to a halt as he heard Blackhorn's voice. It was darker and sinister, and with each mumble it caused Tento to take a defensive step in preparation, in regards to his allies' positions. A hand held to his ribs as he backed up. It only got worse when he roared! A flame bursting once again to life, growing in size as well as Blackhorn's spiritual pressure. Who was this Muguro sama? Were they in communication? It was hard enough to hear Blackhorn's voice. Who was this master and what were they up to?!

With another mighty roar Blackhorn unleashed a Cero! The sudden and unexpected unleashed attack caused Tento's eyes to go wide. With no shikai activated and no armor unlike Beetle, Tento power was lacking for this. As the Cero beard its head to Tento, he quickly let out an incantation as he extended his left hand outward in a stopping/blocking position. With a kai Tento creates a wide circular shield of yellow energy that takes the form of a large spinning disk of condensed Reiatsu. Pushing his spiritual energy as far as he could muster, Tento expanded the width of the shield. Moving to give a barrier to Kaminari as well as he watched with frustration as Beetle was wounded. His shield held for a second from his position away. Feeling the defense hold for a second and lessen the power before feeling the Cero crash through and overwhelm him. Causing his body to fall back in a black smoke. The top of his shinigami robes were burned to ashes, and the bottom cloth around his legs were singed. Seared through to his skin as patches of his brown skin became blistered. With an ache his left hand came down as smoke and dust filled the air.

Tento could not have the luck to just stand there though. For Blackhorn surged forward with a renewed focused aggression. Leg slamming down into the ground before shifting forward in approach. With each movement Tento eyes pinned him as his core ache and his body made little progress to move with each response. Pushing through the burning sensation filling him up within and outside. A desperation as Blackhorn became closer and closer to Kaminari. It was a race. One that held a fear and uncertainty that gnawed and grew in the bottom of his stomach with each shunpo as he moved from a crawling step, to a stumble, to a walk, then to running as his body picked up pace with each motion in contrast to Blackhorn's Sonido. One that he swallowed down deeper within, speaking parts of an incantation with every move he made!

With a final motion once Blackhorn reached Kaminari. Tento Shunpo-lunged. Gripping his zanpakuto in a purple turning vice grip as he felt the heat wash around him as he made a bet. A gambled attempt to plunge his blade into Blackhorn's exposed side. Success or not running in his blade deeper into Blackhorn's body, he would let loose every bit of spiritual energy he had left within him. Unleashing a kido attack upon hopeful contact. A thundering wave of electricity pumped through his blade. Overcharged as it thundered with a BOOM as static electricity coursed through Blackhorn's body in hopes of stunning for just the second Kaminari may need. "Back off of my comrade!".

“Danku,” Kaminari said. A barrier appeared in front of her. The furious cero that threatened to strike her was not fully stopped, but slowed down enough for Kaminari to shunpo herself to a safer place. As she faced Blackhorn again, he was already on the move. Kaminari realized quickly that she was his target, and that was a serious problem. She heard Beetle call out for her to run, but that wasn’t happening. Her skin was damp from sweat, her heart raced, and she was breathing heavy. That last strike with her kido left Kaminari on the verge of exhaustion.

Kaminari's only plan was to run. Blackhorn made his final sonido and she took her step. The massive hollow bore down on her and Kaminari's sluggish movements proved damning. However, her teammate did not. Tento's strike against Blackhorn did just enough that Kaminari's whole body wasn't run through. Instead, Blackhorn's head struck the left shoulder. Skin ripped, muscle was torn, bone was crushed... so much blood... Kaminari released an agonizing scream. Her left arm was useless.

Panic and adrenaline allowed Kaminari to rip herself away from Blackhorn's horn before he could attack again. She shunpo'd away, about one hundred feet away from the enraged hollow. Reappearing, she dropped to one knee and began using basic kaido to slow the bleeding down. "Dang it," she thought. "This was supposed to be a recon-mission... Staying might have been foolish..." "We should retreat." Kaminari said, though there was some uncertainty in it. The hollow may not allow it.