Beauties and the Beasts[Africatastrophe Act II]

First things first, hell no. Kaminari swiftly adjusted what “orders” Tento had given to the remaining few shinigami around here. They were not to come help her. They were to get themselves to safety and stay out of her way. She had absolutely no interest in dealing with the wannabe heroics of less experiences shinigami. They would only get in her way and she could not afford any of that right now, especially with a certain person’s loyalties being questioned in the back of her mind. Each of the remaining shinigami, both frustrated and disappointed, did as ordered and left the battlefield. This was a decision further validated by the instant release of two higher levels of power. Both Amaranta and Tento decided to take their battle to the next level, which combined would have greatly hindered the others.

Thoughtless…

Keeping most of her focus on her own opponent, Kaminari made sure a fraction her reikaku reached out to the other battle every now and then. She now had little trust in her fighting partner, and obviously had no trust in the giant lion wannabe that spread flame over the battlefield. So, if there was any shift in their behaviors, she would be aware of it. However, the rest of her reikaku, sight, and hearing focused on her own fighting partner. There was a moment of hesitation in his actions she thought to take advantage of, but his next move sent a blanket of red mist over the battlefield, attempting to obscure his presence. That action made Kaminari wonder how much he knew of his opponent. One of her key abilities, in fact, was her keen senses and overly accurate use of reikaku that satellites would be jealous of.

The first shot of red energy whizzed by her. The second and third, she ducked and side stepped. As more came, she began shunpo’ing at ten to twenty foot distances, moving out of the way of the incoming arrows. As she got to her third shunpo, she stopped at a central location, a spot she guessed based off of the seemingly random directions these cero were being shot from. “Enkōsen.” Kaminari said the word and out of each of the palms of her hands, building cyclones of wind came together, causing the wind to pick up in the area. Kaminari was using this as a way to see if this mist could be blown away, or if it was somehow stuck in the air. As the whirlwinds both went off, Kaminari made sure neither of them would be heading in the other battle’s direction. She did not want to catch the other Arrancar’s attention.

Challenge accepted.

"Tch", Tento softly sounded like a growl as he heard her words. Come on! They had limited hollows movements and forced them back last time. The act of putting a close to the whole was a whole other thing to him that he didn't know though. Those words were more than enough though. If she wanted him to try putting her down, then he would knock her on her aas and keep her there till she behaved. Respect set aside, she had thrown the gauntlet down on something he couldn't ignore. Safety.

And his fierce gaze showed he was more than ready to throw down.

His stone expression stayed as she boomed with a laughter that he would have found charming in another timing. Blade hitting her blade with ease; far more than he had hoped in his released state in comparison to her normal form. Her physical strength seemed to get stronger than last time. It was clear that he would have to try his best to push her. As stronger and faster he had gotten, in her release state Amaranta was still a beast on another level. Blade and chain singing in the air as he twirled with her manic feral grin.

As the release of energy came along with those wells of flames disappearing. The heatwave rained over his form, producing a lighy sweat that threatened to only grow from the initial feeling of her release. The air grew humid and dry at the same time. The forty meter radius only getting a break as the distance between people and the source came. Eyeing the Golden array of power, Tento's energy remained strong but shook in contrast. The welling of wind from his Zanpakuto and his spirit refusing to not challenge what was before them!

"Awwww…you think I'm a snack? Still gonna drag you by the tail though", Tento said in a bit of angry banter as she took a step forward. Tento's brown hue grew to a burst in opposition. "Well then, you better be careful before you get more than you bargained for. An appetizer can fill you up whether you are ready or not. Either way you are not gonna have an easy time, so Damn right give me your all!". He heard Kaminari's words and just took them at that. She was the higher ranked officer after all, if she deemed them not up to fight and wished for them to go he would have to accept that for now. The heat of battle was not a place to argue against commands. And as able bodied they were, they could be of more use somewhere else...to the 4ths disappointment.

As Amaranta moves Tento took a deep breath. His body centering as his weapon twirled. His eyes darted to and through with Amaranta's movements. Not an expert in sensing energy like his partner, Tento thought of himself as no slouch though. He could sense energy well enough, especially a signature so strong and close. The task of keeping up and responding though. It was a surprise she didn't charge straight at him. That previously seemed just like the warrior she-

A crimson well of energy was being summoned before being fired. A cero!

With a roar Tento turned towards the oncoming cerom. Swirling his blade in a defensive stride. A feather plucking off of his fan to create a powerful storm. A rushing tornado of wand based around his eye cutting up the ground and debri swelling around his body several meters high and wide. Around and around it danced before clashing with Amaranta's cero. Reistsing the energy attack before, perhaps, changing the course of its trajectory to spin the attack back at the fire lioness. During this clash, Tento would wordlessly cast a kido as well.

If this proves successful Amaranta chose to still dance around like a pouncing hunter around him. She would have found a sudden net of energy contacting her body. Hadō #12. Fushibi. The muti layered energy net would trickle with power before buds of lightening would shine on it. With a quick place change Tentos voice would be heard empowering an attack that would be set loose as soon as it made contact with Amaranta's movements. "Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!". The net quickly exploded in a shockwave of lightning and static in that moment of Hadō #63. Raikōhō unleashing strikes of lightning. Embedded by control to ensure it didn't reach out to harm fleeing Shinigami or Kaminari.

During this unleash combo strike Tento could only hope the net paused her just enough to contact her and give her a bit of a shock to jolt some sense into her. Through this he would notice that drop of energy from Klein though. But would be hard press to turn his head away from the tower before him. Just what the heck was going on overe there???

"Not an easy time, eh? Bold words for a man who barely managed to land a proper dent in my armor the last time we met. You think just because you learned Baby's first Shikai that you'll be able to beat me? Think again, Jabroni! Have fun getting embarrassed in front of your plus one!"

Amaranta ardently welcomed the possibility of Tento presenting her with one hell of an offering for a battle, but she would offer him every quarter of difficulty imaginable to make that outcome a reality. Right now, at this moment, she was filled with an indescribable adrenaline. No one mattered but her enemy right now. Challenging that bold provocation was priority of the highest order.

Already, he was presently maintaining a proper defensive against her initial salvo of attacks. The incandescent cero was promptly sent back in her direction. Of course, as amusing as that crafty little counter was, Amaranta was hardly a wasteful woman. There was no way in hell she'd let her attack be deflected so easily.

Extending her palms forward, Amaranta externalized a titanic conflagration around her frame, absorbing her own attack in preparation for a overwhelming counter. Flaming orb and fiery cero melded to form an attack of an even greater degree, and although Tento's intent may have been to utilize his kido to entrap her, the sheer force of energy exertion repelling his Fushibi like a fly being swatted away, throwing the collective array of orange ropes off their natural course.

Not a second sooner, she thrust her arms forward as though launching a two-handed palm strike at the air, propelling that tornado of hellfire towards Tento's Raikoho. With a mighty roar, Amaranta hurled herself at him from above, vanishing and reappearing at his back, her powerful frame barreling through the air like an unfettered meteor.

Repeating that same process as before, this time her evasion featured a far more bold and offensive approach as she shot back and forth like a pinball, striking at him with her fists every time she crossed paths with him in the air, her movement now akin to a battering ram rolling and thundering across the night skies.

"Burn Baby Burn! Come on! You asked for my all as if your the superior one here, so let's see it! Be the hero! Drag me by tail like you say you will, punk!"

The kido not blowing any of this mist away led Kaminari to understanding that it was strictly part of the Arrancar she was facing. She also noticed movement she could see through this strange fog. This was a type of surrounding that Kaminari was definitely no fan of. She knew she was going to have to see how far it went, but before she had the chance to move, she could sense surges of energy and heard the wailing of what she could only assume were Shinigami.

Kaminari took the moment to shunpo upward. If she couldn't see, then she couldn't help. She created the platforms beneath her feet about twenty feel above where the mist would stop. Once she reached that height, she realized how far above it all she had gotten. He covered a decent chunk of the battlefield with his fog.

"Neutralize," Kaminari grabbed her zanpakuto and unsheathed it. "Kiyohana!"

The blue reiryoku that made up the blade had a low hum with it. As she unsheathed her sword, Kaminari swung downward toward the bulb of foggy reiryoku, sending a crescent petal into it. The sheet of reiryoku was about eight feet long, and as thin and sharp as any zanpakuto. The unique properties of her reiryoku would destroy the Arrancar's reiryoku that the petal flew through. From this angle, it would stop when it hit the ground, and vanish like normal reiryoku attacks did.

However, the confidence Kaminari had in her zanpakuto led her to immediately move again. She did not wait to see what happened like she had with her previous kido. Instead, she was on the floor again, a shunpo bringing her back down and right outside the Arrancar's fog. A regular swing this time, her blade moved through the reiryoku. Almost arrogantly, Kaminari casually moved her blades through the fog, like stirring a bowl of soup, knowing the blade would do its work, even if not at the larger scale of an actual attack. On alert, she waited for retaliation.

Bold words indeed in the reality of the outpouring spiritual energy and physical strength Amaranta had over him. The release of her Resurrección simply putting her on a level that was an overwhelming edge. "No. Not an easy time! I'll be a smear on the ground before I make it easy for you and your buddy there to put more souls in danger. I WILL crack through that armor, hard, this time". Tento countered in a deterred declaration.

If he would, it would be a tall task even though he wasn't sure of confidence and ability wise though. A frightening one that also gave a shred of excitement. Regardless of any thrill of challenge he was happy to get. The ebony God of death wanted to insure the safety of this world and the souls within. His comrades. And the living mortals that were a part of his life so short ago. Coworkers, friends. Loved ones. They were alive and behind him in his mind. Hidden behind a vail that was a wall with only himself and the Gotei United blocking any whispers of fear and light rays of destruction that threatened to come. He couldn't let them face what the people here did if these hollows expanded to other countries.

He couldn't let, her, be put in danger.

Above anything else. And he would give every inch and breath to claw that determination into reality. But so was Amaranta's wrathful counter and power. The cero spun back with the whirlwind of his Zanpakuto shooting back at her. The gusting wind went away as quick as it came. With a stern gaze he took hold of the following events. Her outstretched he'd hand conjuring the flames to swell around her and take hold of the cero once again seemingly with no self harm. The planned kido snare snapping, strings of energy flying array away from the intended target. Landing against the ground, some around and others away from Amaranta, would they still be useful in his aim?

The blasting Raikoho that sparked as the empowered flame cero crashed against the ground towards it. Pumping up fire in a hiccup before exploding in a fiery explosion of flames and electricity quaking the ground in shock. Following her sight Tento witnessed her body vanish from above in a burst of speed as her hearty voice caught his ears before smashing down like a comet as he spun around in a fierce rotation spinning his Zanpakuto to meet her. His feet skidded back as his arms shook, taking the brunt of force.

In a roar that seemed to be empowered by Amaranta's strikes and roar as she bared her fangs down in a fiery barrel. Tento quickly let his Zanpakuto flail out as he began a fierce speedy spin as Shiōmaru danced around him from all sides as it sliced the air in a continuous stream of slashes around as Tento continued to move about on his feet. Shifting, turning, and watching, trying to keep up with her movements.

The flames burned and he was sure he felt her strikes land a few times, plenty. Those fists SHOOK his body. Her repeated bouncing unrelenting, his blade coming trying to block or hit her in return. To deal out as much pain in return. And her flames lighting up her approach as she threw punch after punch after punch. All through this he could feel it.

The familiar energies that he had met over the last few years. Their presence and their elimination in this trying time are clear to him. But he had to focus although it was felt each time but the connection of life force gifted to him by Shiōmaru. But strangely he felt…himself fighting harder with each second. Each passing soul burning within his skin as the names came to his mind.

Unrko, Okiki, Lerna, Hiderino, Ichishima, Furusada, Hiromatsu, Hitsuhoshi, Nagasui… A plenitude of the fourth division members were flaring in and out, unleashing their power and will against the hordes of hollows doom in their struggle.

But two powers were not left unnoticed by him in any means as he sensed their powers surge. 3rd seat Shura and…Captain Kanae. Off the gates it seemed that they were using their bankais. Kanae's evident immediately as he had sensed hers a few times now. Shura as well, for the sole time he thought he sensed her in the distance as she had a rather intense spar with their new Vice Captain. He could sense his comrades fighting hard with all that they had, and it only fueled his determination and ferocity as he swung his Shiōmaru like a cornered lion in an instinctive stand. His spiritual energy quaking as he pushed it all to the surface as his body glowed in its vibrant brown hue. Aiming to clash with Amaranta as she went for him again. Her torso, her leg, her arm. Any spot, just once so he could let out his resistance against her!

If such an impact happened Amaranta would in for quite a shock. Literally. Using that moment, the briefest to use Hadō #11. Tsuzuri Raiden. Supercharging the demon arts to the limits with an after incantation to improve its shock power and add a hiccup stun' aiming specifically to harm the muscle fibers of the lioness enchantress.

If this landed he had planned to push his assault on her. But. He had a moment of falter. His observation of the field through the sense of everyone's energy told him that the unknown hollow that Kaminari was fighting was unleashing more ceros. And as those beams flew out of those dark mist he had a choice. And he chose.

Instead of attacking Amaranta like he should have done. Wanted to. He would use that pause of battle to point at the fleeing number of Shinigami aimed by Klein. Using Bakudō number 25: Keisha enerugīshīrudo to create a wedge-shaped sloped shield of condensed Reitsu to block his attempted blasts in his comrades. Pushing and expanding the length and size to cover as much of an area outside of the fog as he could in an attempt to save some of them. Aiming to block the ceros initially and curve them away in a deflection upward into the air, arced away from their group battle towards the hole where hollows were attempting to crawl out. "Winds of the west wing protect me from the winds of change!".

After unleashing his kido and hopefully successful in his attempt he would move. Regardless if Amaranta made him pay for his decision. He would shift in a flash step back into the confrontation with the fierce fiery lioness before him. Twirling and gripping Shiōmaru as he leapt into the air to swing his blade to distract her while suddenly swinging his fan. Generating torrents of wind using 風の傷 | Kaze no Kizu (Wind Scar) to create a powerful wave of yellow flashing wind that threatened to expand and grow in size 10 meters large. "GRAAAAAAAH!!".

Zanpakuto tech used:

The time for words were over. There was no longer any need for dialogue. He voiced his declaration, she voiced her own. Far as she was concerned, there was little else to be said. Like a soaring comet, her body remained in perpetual motion, controlled and detailed in every passing arc.

Enslaved to her adrenaline, she ascended and descended in such fierce patterns of high-velocity that even in his attempt to grab onto her, his efforts would be rendered futile as Amaranta toyed with him by avoiding his strike entirely, a booming laughter erupting from her lips.

Unpredictable offense as it was, she still remained aware of her own acceleration enough to avoid being taken unawares. His flailing Zanpakuto proved a more appropriate counter as it clashed against her hierro-infused skin, but Amaranta did not relent. Wherever her body danced skyward, it would interminably roar in a downward arc - punching, clawing, kicking, swiping at any part of his body that he left vulnerable during their clash.

Camaraderie was frankly the last thing on her mind, but that appeared to be far from the case for Tento who chose to foolishly guard his companions from some indiscriminate attack. Was it a result of Klein and that brown-haired brat below? Whatever it was, a lopsided frown tore across her lips. What the fuck was he doing? Playing hero? They were in the middle of a battle. As one who demanded nothing but his utmost attention, she was appalled by his sudden shift in attention. Perhaps part of her respected that he was looking out for his fellow warriors, but he was dooming them even further by not handling the objective at hand! Stupid! Stupid Stupid!

"What a fucking idiot! Fine, you want to get distracted? Fuck around and find out, kid."

Charging toward a vantage point in the sky, Amaranta gathered the blazing reiryoku that surrounded her mighty form. An orb of fire expanded rapidly, exponentially growing until it was titanic in proportion, blossoming into a destructive light that blazed across the war-torn skies above. There would be no one meeting him in a clash this time. No, what awaited him the moment he attempted to roar back to fight against her was a empowered fireball loosed forth with unbridled fury, the price for his inability to remain focused.

In the event the fool tried to evade, Amaranta held her hand forward like a gun, vanishing from the skies, poised to release a cero as a follow up depending on where he moved. Knowing him and the worth he put in distracting himself from battle to protect his companions, there was no way he would let this attack elude him entirely. As such, she'd be more than prepared to make him pay for his moment of inaction.

If Kaminari wasn't the keen observer she was, she wouldn't have noticed the manipulation in his cloud. Oh well, she kept going as she continued utilizing her excellent reikaku to scout the battlefield from her current position. She sensed the movement within the cloud. More of these strange silhouettes were firing at her from inside this mist. She kept herself outside of this mist, having no desire to cloud her vision. However, something else was catching her attention: Tento.

As Kaminari carefully watched the incoming energy, she kept dodging the cero. Ducking left, stepping right, shunpo'ing up and down, she kept out of the way. A few times, when one was quicker or at an angle she couldn't easily react to, Kaminari used her zanpakuto to destroy it. A quick swing, the the cero were nullified. During this, she felt the strength of Tento's kido and a glance or two let Kaminari know what was going on. That move created more faith in her fighting partner. Good. Unfortunately, the lioness didn't like his move and immediately went to retaliate against his selfless act. With Tento wide open, Kaminari took a longer step.

The fiery cero was let loose and Kaminari appeared a bit below and behind Amaranta by about forty feet. Attempting to take advantage of Amaranta's distraction, as the lioness Arrancar kept her "gun" pointing at Tento, Kaminari called forth six strips of reiryoku that would attempt to wrap around the distracted woman and render her temporarily frozen. "Rikujōkōrō." One palm now pointed upwards at Amaranta's back, Kaminari quickly performed her second kido. A massive blast of lightening fired out from her palm at Amaranta, "Hadō sixty-three, Raikōhō."

Call it cocky, arrogance, stupidity, hatred... Whatever. Kaminari shifted her gaze down to her other opponent for the briefest moment, seeing exactly how he reacted to her movements, if the child even exited his cloud or whether that cloud was now moving toward her again. Still, the nearest danger was Amaranta; hopefully some damage had been done in the attempt to take advantage of distraction.

Tento knew it was the wrong thing to do when it came to battle. To war. Never take your focus off of your foe, it was a lesson that even the most unskilled inexperienced student within Shin'o would have known. And as a member of the 4th division it was practically one of the commandments for them to be true warriors within the line of duty.

Even still…

He chose. And he would be that fool and idiot if it meant his comrades would live. Let alone their lives and future potential being protected. There were many battles and many many many hollows trying to arrive to the surface. Each Shinigami struck down here by Amaranta or Klein was one less defense against that swarm. It was strategically better to keep people alive. At least, that was the mental gymnastics he would do to argue his actions.

Yelling in his approach. Time was not behoven to him after the cost of time. Any blows he landed against her armor did none to slow her down and due to her hearty nature and spirit, it was hard to even tell if she was really getting damaged. But one thing was clear. AMARANTA WAS PISSED. The flaming ball of reiryoku high in the sky was formed by her dwelling power. A testament to the temper that was being boiled. Leaving her body to condensed into an orb of fire before supercharging and expanding at a frighteningly pace charging at him as he ROARED. Letting loose a swelling flashing storm of wind from his fan that rode and created the very wind pressure against her attack. Meeting it head on as Tento faced the clash of elements from below. Wind shikai blast against fiery cero! A

Dang it she planned to do that while I was charging back at her… I'm in hot air now.

He gritted his teeth even before the clash came. With the energy difference used to make those elemental attacks and the size density. He was no fool to think his attack would break it. He would be blessed to be dead even, and normal to weaken the heat and power of her attack most likely. BUT THAT MEANT HE HAD A CERO COMING DOWN ON HIM. And he couldn't move. With the angle even though his comrades had gotten out of the combat area the amount of destruction and potential damage if that hit the earthquake would be insane… And he would not doubt that the point of impact would harm someone somehow!

He could sense Kaminari in this moment of panic. Getting…closer? Was she coming to lend aid? Command them both to retreat? Ahhh…he had to handle this first before he could think of that factor!

Whipping his sickle around in a charge of wind while extending his other hand outward. As Kaminari's six strips formed around the lioness as Amaranta pointed her finger gun at Tento as the titanic orb of fire approached him from above. The length of his weapon rose to meet the incoming wave of heat, a titanic pressure of water formed at the edge of its blade. Swelling and stirring as it grew in size. Skin hissing, blood beginning to drip from the moments her claws scratched him. The shades of purple started their slow assertion onto his body. However through all of it his focus and determination would not waver as he unleashed his Hadō #86, Hyōga Seiran.

Letting loose an incantation to further power the kido spell as the massive blistering cold stream of water met the fiery cero. Kaminari's lightning threatened to crack into her back as it occured if they were lucky enough. The cold freezing the very air surrounding them, extreme heat and cold pushing against one another back and forth threatening to cause a misty rain to fall down as the clouds darkened.

From his position Tento would have to wait to see the fruits of their clash. His energy pumping into the kido to create the water ice kido in hopes of stopping the cero. If he somehow was successful and wasn't overcome by the flames of Amaranta's cero causing his body to be swarmed by the flames and crash into the ground. Tento would flash step through the fog of mist of their elemental clash. Swinging his Zanpakuto hopefully at the forward leaning body of the lioness. Slash bashing his sickle into her torso with all of his might if she was distracted by Kaminari's presence. At the moment of impact of her body a storm of wind would once again occur. A feather used once again as Tento's sickle suddenly had an intense change to it. A vacuum occurring around it to suck out all the air briefly around Amaranta. Staggering her movements and possibly killing any flames she would be trying to start up again.