What Lurks Below [Henrex, Asher]

As the axe and sword collided into a bind, the Captain's blade sparked and flared wildly with lightning. He noticed it -- the brief, slight faltering. But, even with the proof of pushback, he knew that he wouldn't be able to kill this thing in just one cut. As the creature spoke, his scarlet eyes narrowed, following the hand that left his axe. Instinctively, his head tilted to the side, his cheek and shoulder charred and seared by the tendril that fired out.

Kicking out with his foot, he used Asher as leverage to break the bind and get some distance as the wounds quickly healed and regenerated. Could Asher manifest what it consumed? Not good. If it were the case, and this extended to beyond just Hollows, this threat was something that he couldn't just leave or incapacitate.

Whatever kind of Hollow this was, it needed to die here.

As Asher announced its accolades, Henrex began returning his sword to its sheath, though the rings did not fade and the sword did not return to its sealed form. In the blink of an eye, the distance between the two combatants was closed, and the Captain drew his sword to cut vertically along Asher's body, another flash of lightning erupting from the blade and hole as he sliced at the creature.

Moments after, a barrage of hundreds, if not thousands more cuts equal in power to the first would suddenly assault the Hollow from all directions.

He may not have had the raw strength and durability that Asher did, but there was a reason he was one of the strongest people in the world, a Captain in the Stealth Force. Rain was beginning to fall into the hole, and he could hear the distant rumble of thunder from above. As it fell, he wordlessly activated the ability of the rain aspect of his Zanpakuto.

Any armor or clothes that would get wet from the steadily increasing droplets of rain would begin to increase in weight. It wasn't much now, given how early on it was in the storm. But, in time, he hoped that it would have at least some effect.

Asher was a mighty creature, but what he did not have was anything near the speed of his opponent. As thousands of cuts suddenly made their strike upon him, he could do little more than face them head on, steeling his body and allowing many of the strikes to clang against his flesh as if facing another blade. Still, many of the strikes found more meaningful purchase, and dark, viscous blood poured from the man as he tensed.

Then, with a mighty roar, blood sprayed out from every cut, every droplet forming into a deep red shot, firing toward Henrex with far more power than the previous sanguine attack. At the same time, however, a thick black mist began to seep from the opening in his helmet, as well as from every wound on his body. It was quite immediately obvious how intense the Hollow energy of this mist was, and it moved quickly through the pit, seemingly endless.

The rain, he could tell, was weighing upon him. It was just as well that he wore little but the few furs of great hunts, otherwise he might have been in far graver danger. His wounds already healing, Asher followed his attacks with another dash toward the Captain, a wake of blood-red slashes once again following him and striking at his opponent.

This was growing into a real bout. A worthy one, at that. He had no intention of keeping away from his opponent for long, and he knew that his cry would surely bring more of his subjects to him before long.

A discordant symphony roared through the endless cavern as the cuts clanged and sliced across Asher's body. Bringing his sword back to his side, he changed his stance, the rings of his Shikai slowly gathering in front of him, fizzling and sparking as the magatama pattern spun along them. One of them, the closest to him, suddenly vanished, hiding in the area around them.

He held his sword up, ready for Asher's inevitable counterattack. But, rather than attack immediately, it roared, unleashing a volley of scarlet blasts firing toward him. He raised and swung his sword to try and deflect some of the attacks, though he made no effort to avoid them this time.

Many of them still made contact, burning, searing, and bruising his skin. But, the wounds would quickly repair themselves, and the Captain didn't so much as flinch. The creature surged forward, and as the blood-red slashes following, he shot forward to meet him, all of the rings following, including the one hidden.

In a flash, Henrex brought his sword down onto the Hollow's head, lightning sparking to life as the hidden ring suddenly exploded upon Asher coming into contact range of it, erupting into a burst of lightning, seeking to paralyze and incapacitate while he went for a strike to the head.

The slashes that followed Asher had no restraint. Flesh torn asunder and sending blood pouring from him, though it did little to stop him, only making him flinch momentarily as the wounds immediately worked to close up. No matter how many times Asher would cut him, he'd get back up.

People needed him still -- and he would be there to help them. He'd come out on top and face the day, for their sake. No matter the struggle, no matter how much of himself he needed to sacrifice.

As blade and lightning crashed down onto Asher, the Hollow seemed to welcome the blow. He didn't shy away from it, didn't flee. He was a hunter, a master of countless beasts, and he could sense the depths of greater power. Yuuto Hisakawa was strong, certainly, but he wasn't giving it his all just yet, and Asher met the strike by simply slamming his head into it, the clang of metal echoing through the put as his heavy mask augmented his already tremendous durability, further reinforced by sheer spiritual might. The blade sank into the mask, certainly, but Asher relished a good wound.

The choking black smoke that had begun to seep from his helmet before only seemed to grow faster with the wound, and it was so thick that it was nearly impossible to see further beyond one's own hand. More concerningly, however, was that the same was true even of spiritual sight. Reikaku saw no different response, the overwhelming inky blackness of Hollow energy seeming to fill the air with a crushing, dreadful pressure.

Asher's body may have been unresponsive for the moment, courtesy of the lightning that had coursed through him, but he could hear the rumbling from below of another of his beasts. Many warriors might have been insulted, at using the might of another for the sake of battle, but Asher knew better. Every beast he commanded was only an extension of his own will, his own might. That was why he was unconcerned as he simply jerked his chin upward ever so slightly.

In only a moment, a massive cero erupted upward from far deeper in the hole, a beam so wide and intense that its scale was hard to even truly gauge. Its source could hardly be discerned with the black smoke's obscuration, but of course, Asher knew that it was coming beforehand. That was why he, at least, had been prepared to steel himself, as the catastrophic Hollow attack shot upward to engulf both Asher and the Captain of the Stealth Force.

As he attacked the mask, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong -- something was coming. At this point in his life, instinct was usually right. More of the black smoke began to encroach on the area around them, and he noticed how hard it was becoming to breathe, as well as see. Pulling his sword out from the mask, he moved back a short distance, keeping Asher still within view.

Little by little, he could tell that his eyes were failing him, as were his senses. Even though he could still see Asher, he was barely able to keep a lock on where his spiritual power was. He was trying to force him to stay close by shutting off his senses. As he heard the rumble below, his guard became even tighter, the hands on his sword gripping harder as he turned to look back at Asher.

He wasn't attacking -- why? Was the smog dulling his own sight and Reikaku as well? No, that couldn't be it. He had noticed that it was coming out of his wounds and helmet. Was he waiting for him to make a move? Doubtful. From what little he knew about Asher, it saw him as a challenger, a worthy opponent. It wouldn't wait for him to plan, to strategize in silence and peace.

That could only mean...

The buzz, rumble, and roar of something moving caused him to look down into the pit only to see a scarlet red Cero surging toward him. It encompassed so much of what little he could see -- he could try and move to get away from it, but then he'd lose sight and sense of Asher. He couldn't risk letting it out into the world, he had to put it down.

So, he braced himself as the Cero engulfed him, and likely Asher as well. His body burned and seared, and he clenched his teeth tightly, grunting, squeezing his eyes shut. But, in spite of it all, he called more lightning to his sword, stronger than before. Channeling his will into the lightning he wielded, he pushed through the pain he felt, sectioning off his focus and concentration into this one attack.

Lifting his sword, the Captain swung with tremendous force, the wave of lightning unleashed intending to impose his own will onto the offending Cero, as well as the smog that had crept all around him. It sought to cut through and destroy the particles of energy that created it. He focused on nothing else -- only the things that he wanted to cut through and destroy.

Ability Used:

Asher had already been fully prepared for the cero as it engulfed them both, and while his steeled flesh burned, it hardly mattered to him. He sensed the power being used by his foe, could feel the energy coursing through the air into his blade. This was a good strike, one Asher certainly wouldn't shy away from. No, on the contrary, he shot forward, uncaring of the blindness, uncaring of the searing heat of the cero.

As the crashing lightning shot down with the Captiain's blade, it cleaved effortlessly through Asher's flesh, arm cut away from his body like a razor through water. But Asher did not stop, and as the light of his opponent's strike and the engulfing crimson of the cero from below both subsided, the inky blackness pushed away from them both, Asher was already in front of his opponent. The arm that held his axe was plummeting into the abyss--but he hardly needed it. His remaining hand shot toward Henrex like a pullet, his flesh peeling away from the bone again as the searing tendril manifested itself and moved to cut as deeply as possible into the shinigami before him.

Thick blood seeped from his every wound. Corrupting, consuming Hollow energy filled the air, not simply from the smoke, but from Asher's own wounds sublimating with the heat of the cero and the lightning. That same blood seeped from the attack he'd made so close to Henrex, intent on burying it as deeply into the captain's being as possible.

The roar of one of his beasts once again echoed through the air, louder this time. This bout was nearly over, but that was just as well. A warrior such as him rarely found worthy foes. He wouldn't wish to bring this Captain down when there could be another battle, and when he could see what might come of the man when faced with such overwhelming corruption as the Warlord of Alhireth's.

He could hear movement -- Asher was moving. As his sword cut down, slicing through the Cero and the smoke, he felt the steel of his sword sink into flesh, and there was no encumberment. The blade moved cleanly through the Hollow's arm -- and the ends of the Captain's lips ever so slightly turned upward. He figured that Asher wouldn't give up -- that would be an insult to his will and drive, his desire to continue this bout.

But, rather than dodge the attack, Henrex quickly brought his sword back to his side as the tendril shot forward again, readying himself as it buried itself into his stomach. While he didn't so much as flinch, blood slowly seeped into his haori, dripping down from the ending hem and falling to the pit below.

He had felt a lung rupture, and despite him suddenly coughing up blood, he drew his sword back, before thrusting forward mercilessly, seeking to impale and gouge out one of Asher's eyes.

He pulled his sword back, cutting down to try and sever the tendril and move backward to get some distance. While even an injury like this was something that he could recover from in short order, something felt...wrong. The air once again felt suffocating -- as if the hunger of Hollows hung in the air, seeking to infect him with that same endless desire to eat and consume.

"What have you done to me?"

Something didn't feel right -- and, at this point in his life, his instincts usually proved to be right. Perhaps he would regret this, or maybe not even get an answer at all, but, perhaps Asher would elucidate him.

As Henrex's blade cut through the tendril that had flung from Asher's arm, he simply drew back, flesh only slightly returning to place to cover where it had shot away. The stab toward his eye was simply met by a movement of his face, his helm narrowly preventing a graver wound from taking place, even as blood still poured from his other injuries. Before he spoke, the loudest roar yet echoed through the pit, and after a moment, another immense Hollow flew up to meet him, a bat-like creature which simply rose up to allow its master to stand upon it.

"Strong warriors such as you and I feed off of one another, Yuuto Hisakawa. I have simply given you an ample meal, that you may feast and grow strong for when next we meet."

It was all too clear that neither of them had much fight left in them. Yes, it was quite true that one of them might best the other; but it seemed equally likely that the battle would end only in a stalemate, in both of them dead. Such a thing was an unworthy end for a truly proud warrior. Asher would not have it.

"If the rest of your world above is like you, then I look forward to conquering it. It will surely be a war to be sung of for the rest of time."

Pointing upward with his one free hand, Asher's blood-red gaze, glowing from under his helm, seemed to bore directly into the Captain before him.

"Tell your world that Asher the Empty-Hearted comes."

As Asher drew back, he wasted no time in tearing what remained of the tendril from his body, the wound in his stomach slowly beginning to repair itself. The searing tendril didn't seem to have cauterized it, even if it stopped, there was still the Medical Division back in the Soul Society. Another loud roar tore him from his thoughts as a colossal bat Hollow rose, and the creature stepped onto it.

He'd given him an ample...meal? For a moment, he was confused, but, then, realization slowly crept in.

Oh no...

He looked to his wound, the normally lightning fast progress of regeneration having slowed tremendously. He had been infected. He could feel the Hollow energy surging through his body, and his legs suddenly buckled, a hand instinctively covering his mouth, fighting back the urge to vomit.

His head rose to look at Asher, scarlet eyes glaring with a furious hate, only to widen as the Hollow's equally blood-tinged gaze bore into him, giving the Captain a parting message:

"Tell your world that Asher the Empty-Hearted comes."

It wanted to invade and conquer. All other sounds slowly faded into silence as he stared at Asher. The emotional highs that caused such chaos had, for once, come to a brief still. One emotion boiled to the surface, and the Captain's spiritual power suddenly erupted, his eyes burning with determination evident in an aura that would induce fear in all that were weaker.

He had spent too long protecting this world, this place that he once called home when he still lived as a human. Spending years building his power, rising to the top, and using every last resource and scrap of strength he had to ensure that this world, his friends, the people he loved so deeply, were safe.

As long as he drew breath, creatures like Asher would never so much as lay a finger on it.

Ignoring his wound, Henrex rose, gripping his sword like a vice as he prepared to launch himself forward. Lightning flared up as thunder rumbled and roared, and the Captain once again began to infuse his will into it. A new fire had suddenly ignited in him, only thinking one thing:


"Not in a thousand years. You die here and no-"

As he went to take a step forward, the lightning suddenly fizzled out, a hand moving to his mouth as his eyes widened. White Hollow gunk spewed from his mouth, coiling around to hold onto his face. The Captain fell to his knees, gritting his teeth as he tugged and pulled at the mask to no avail.

He had no choice. For now, he had to retreat. His wings unfurled, and the Captain soared up the depths of the pit, quickly reaching the surface, tumbling and crashing to the ground. He coughed and gagged, frantically pulling and tearing at the mask that crept along his face.

Getting to his feet, he lifted his sword and held it out in front of him, opening a Senkaimon and hurriedly stepping through.

Every cell of his body was on fire, and he wanted to stop moving, to scream, to curse the creature that had put this contagion in him that sought to corrupt, overwrite, and consume his demon half -- but, he continued, dashing through the Dangai at Mach speeds to get back to the Soul Society as soon as possible.

But, he would be back, to finish what was started. Asher's name and face would never leave his mind, not until he was able to cut the bastard Hollow's head from its shoulders, and know for certain that the world would be safe again.