Moving On Up[Ajora, Hiroe]

Phew. She really wasn't messing around, huh? No matter, Hiroe welcomed that. The moment that minefield of fire was erected, she displayed improved poise by suddenly shifting and controlling her flash-step stride to avoid each knife with moderately efficient ease. It wasn't seamless by any measure, but it was certainly enough to evade that first attack to guide herself into Ajora's radius.

Of course, her horizonal strike was expectedly met with her fellow student's own blade. It was an expected resistance given who she was, but that didn't make her counteroffensive any easier to defend against, at least not immediately so. Allowing her no inch, Ajora answered back with several swats and swipes of her blade. A relentless form of swordsmanship, unlike anything akin to what she observed by others in her classes.

The snip at her wrist earned purchase, the proof visible in her slightly agitated grimace, Hiroe shifted her body into gear to dart her blade upwards with every strike that aimed to bat it away. In a contest of pure strength, the confident Shinigami wasn't exactly sure she was the woman's equal, but what of it? Adapt. That was the way of the sword--the way of combat itself.

She would endure. She would not treat. Throwing her hips forward, she transitioned into a fierce upward strike the next moment she gleamed that sword gliding downward, aiming to throw off the balance of Ajora's offensive. In the next moment, Hiroe pointing her index and middle finger in an outward position, hurriedly attempting to employ a basic binding spell before she could recover, if she had even been thrown off course to begin with.

"Sai!"

It is a spell, but given the current pace of their initial clash, it might as well be a gamble as well. If she could properly restrain her arms, even for a second, she could force her on her feet. If not, well then, that would be less than ideal, and her free hand will hurriedly return to join its partner along the hilt of her zanpakuto, executing a quick thrust at the center of her midsection.

"Of course not. Combat 101 is never revealing your trump card too early..."

Hiroe spoke those words confidently, but the small drip of sweat that trickled down her head certainly spoke to the unnerved awe she felt at how the woman spoke so composedly even under the constriction of her spell. Composure was maintained, of course, but sheesh... Ajora really was one of a kind regarding poise. Hiroe held no doubt in her heart that Ajora would push her to her limit in this battle.

Truth be told, she welcomed the challenge. Progressive improvement could only be ascertained in the heat of battle, where one could fashion ideas as a result remarkable inspiration under the duress of their enemy's technique. Hiroe had no intention of backing down. No, if anything, She would answer Ajora's aggression in kind! Positioning her blade at her hip, Hiroe remained diligent as Ajora uttered two spells in the span of a single breath.

The spike in spiritual energy certain elicited an expression of awe. In the blink of an eye, with shunpo that was undeniably faster than anything she was accustomed to, Ajora vanished in the blink of an eye, darting and weaving about with a rapid pace that left Hiroe clueless as to how to track her properly. In an instant, like a battering ram at top speed, Hiroe felt the entirety of that sudden and jarring impact ricocheting against her body.

Instantaneous movements, a seamless fusion of kido spells, and martial prowess---all within the space of a few seconds. She truly was a prodigy in every sense of the word, such expertise far beyond anything she would have imagined even from an above average student. A wide grin lined her lips as she seized her zanpakuto, rising onto her knees as she sheathed her blade.

Exhaling softly after having the wind knocked out of her, she shook her head, focusing her golden gaze onto the approaching student. She wasn't playing around! As she approached, Hiroe could tell that this battle wouldn't be won by playing the long game. Ajora was far too precise, far too surgical to be drawn into a battle of attrition. Therefore, in order for her to win, let alone have any chance at victory, she would have to offer everything in exchange for the opportunity to emerge victorious. Recognizing that confirmation, she bent in a downward stance, eyes poised in preparation.

"Vanish, Denkosekka."

The appearance of her zanpakuto turned transparent, adopting the form of a glasslike blade that was difficult to see with the natural eye. The tsuba extended out into the shape of a snowflake while zanpakuto's blade straightened in length. Darting forward to meet her in her stride, she swung the glasslike blade in a decidedly powerful overheard arc, eager to clash blades with the woman.

"You want my best? Come on, then! Let's dance!"

"Disadvantaged? You? I wish. Knowing that otherworldly brain of yours, I can't let up even for a second around you, Ajora!"

Indeed. Among the many fledgling warriors she had faced in the academy, Ajora automatically surpassed the vast majority of them based on mental acumen alone. She rarely allowed herself to show emotion. Everything was approached with utmost efficiency in mind. Like a prodigy without flaw, she was commonly adept at wresting victory from their hands of her peers. In other words, Hiroe didn't particularly believe she held the momentum here, release state be damned.

Golden eyes were repeatedly dancing about to keep Ajora within her line of sight. Their blades clashed once, but Hiroe wondered if that would be enough to release a bolt of lightning with her blade. Additionally, attacking a moving target when you can't even pinpoint their location is a foolhardy venture, a faulty gamble with a less than ideal success ratio.

Should she settle into the draw-and-slash stance, perhaps? Keh. Her speed really was astounding. Like a blur moving with the wind, she could only pinpoint her enough to keep her from disappearing out of her peripheral point of view. The next thing she knew, Ajora was back on the offensive, displaying her own brand of impressive swordplay.

In a contest of speed, with her opponent amplifying their already impressive velocity, the best Hiroe could do to avoid any crippling blows was to brave the storm of her attacks. Gritting her teeth in an expression that danced between grimace and grin, Hiroe felt the sting of those fierce stabbing motions. With the way each thrust hit against her wrists and hands, the aspiring Shinigami felt the intent behind her blade--it was as if the woman intended to wear away at her ability grasp this weapon. Without her hands, this battle was good as over. Hakuda? Kido? Shunpo?

She was somewhat well-rounded in all of those artforms, but against Ajora? None of that would work here. Not with her intelligence. It was time to get unorthodox. At the moment her next thrust came, Hiroe shifted her center of gravity backward, drifting along the air as she whipped her glasslike blade forward, pointing the tip of the blade at the center of Ajora's chest.

"Bang!"

Utilizing the electricity that had accumulated during their series of blows, Hiroe released a single unyielding bolt of lightning towards her chest during her falling backward motion. Rolling onto the ground, she held her blade upwards in the event her counterattack whiffed, wincing at the impact. She had to remain in motion. That was only one facet of her ability, but if she could keep her in one place - even for a few seconds - she could unleash what Hiroe viewed as the true beauty of her ability.

Of course, for the lightning she exchanged now, that meant she had to generate more. For now, she wanted to wear down at her defenses, charging in for a flurry of strikes of her own, adopting more traditional kendo technique in favor of Iaido. Any and every clash was almost welcomed now. She could win this if she played her cards right!

Hiroe was somewhat disappointed that her sudden attack had not earned the purchase she was seeking, but the frantic pace of this battle would not allow for such idle thoughts. Even amidst her flurry of strikes, the shift in gravity had compromised her balance ever so slightly, opening a window of vulnerability for Ajora to exploit during their clash. Ajora's bold actions were rewarded since Hiroe certainly didn't expect the woman to weather the storm of her of sword strikes in order to host a proper counterattack. As a result, she was successfully and ferociously shoved, her body no longer an ally to gravity as she flew cleanly through the air, crashing against the training dummies in a painful collision that threatened to take the air out of her body.

Fighting through the pain, Hiroe kicked her body upward to assume a proper balance. There, she could see another spell being woven. From the looks of it, a high-level Hadō that would exert immense damage if she took it head on. Not good. Lifting her arms forward in a defensive position, zanpakuto in hand, Hiroe decided to meet her attack head on with a spell of her own.

"Enkosen!"

In an instant, a large spinning disk condensed with yellow reaitsu blossomed forth in front of her. In a clash of demon arts, the superior force would undoubtedly win, and although Hiroe offered her best efforts, emerging victorious in this clash of offense and defense was close to zero. The imploding column of flame broke through her spinning circle of energy, casting her body backward even further.

A familiar crash, a familiar crunch of bone. Damage was building up at a considerable rate. Hiroe observed the small lacerations across her wrist, the burns across her arms, and the not so subtle sounds of creaking bones with each step. If this had been an exhibition match, which it was in some aspects, it would have been a natural reaction to cede the duel and call it here. But that was the furthest thing from Hiroe's mind. She wanted to truly show Ajora what she was capable of. Fall here? When she hasn't even unveiled her special move? Hell no! Huffing proudly, Hiroe sheathed her blade as she gazed at Ajora, responding to her playful words.

"Curious? Well, I'm not going to spill the beans just yet. It sort of takes away from the allure, you know? I'll let you figure it out."

Hiroe was no fool. She was well aware of Ajora's deductive skills. Revealing her hand to any degree would take away the advantage of surprise. At the moment, with all the damage building up in her body, she could not allow that. Sheathing her blade, she exhaled softly. One moment. All she needed was one moment to catch her off guard. Twisting her blade within the sheath, Hiroe shot forward at breakneck speed, throwing a haymaker towards her face, following that strike up with a sweeping kick.

Quite a gamble considering their notable divide in strength, but she slowly running out of options. She couldn't go using kido left and right given her current spiritual energy reserves, but in order for her next plan to have any success, she had to start thinking outside the box a bit.

Hiroe discovered one undeniable fact upon meeting Ajora in a direct offensive. That was, she was nowhere near her equal in a contest of fists, not at this stage of her development at least. Even so, there was something exhilarating about crossing fists with her classmate, an excitement that could only truly be felt in the heat of battle. Where the fear of loss held no sway, where one recognized their limits only to ignore it all in favor of breaking past them. She almost wanted to laugh aloud were it not for her current engagement, proof of her adrenaline clear in the grin that maintained across her expression.

A similar result to their last confrontation followed. A clash where Ajora emerged victorious through martial prowess and her cerebral ability to adapt to the element of surprise. The forearm meant to carry out the explosive force was diverted off course while her sweeping kick, an attack meant to throw her off balance, was suppressed by a roaring knee that crashed right into her thigh, knocking her back by a few meters. Dammit.

Well, that was a bust. It was to be expected, though. She was not a remarkably sound combatant with her fists quite yet. Worry about it later. That's what she told herself! Hurriedly pushing her body forward again, Hiroe's eyes widened the moment Ajora uttered the words to her binding art. Hiroe was familiar with the mechanics behind bakudo enough to know that being sealed in place would be counterproductive to her plan.

Haha! Damn, Ajora was aiming to lock her in place without giving her the opportunity to employ her secret weapon, eh? Hell no! Movement and gaze quickly shifted toward Ajora as she darted in and out of her vision with her impressive stream of movements, a far cry from the shunpo she was typically use to. Golden eyes were bolted wide open to ensure she was prepared to enough of a degree to avoid being locked in place. Afterimages filled her vision until she recognized three beaks of energy converging in on her. Hiroe thrust her finger toward the ground, golden eyes radiant with something that could only be described as panicked exhilaration.

"Sho!"

Crying out with every fiber of her voice, she offered a portion of her reiryoku to amplify the kinetic force as blasted her body off of the ground, evading those spires of energy by a hair's breadth. She hadn't intended to use any kido, but Ajora forced her hand. Airborne, she set her eyes on Ajora---noting her uttering another incantation in preparation. Unfamiliar with the incantation, Hiroe realized that her classmate below wasn't the type to play around.

If her conjecture was correct, Ajora had intended to lock her in place and finish her off with with a full-fledged incantation spell. Guess there really was no choice now, huh? She couldn't even hear where she was in her incantation, could not discern if she would make it in time. Regardless, her fingers swiftly settled on the hilt, while her other hand gripped against the sheath of her zanpakuto. Exhaling a soft cloud of air, Hiroe released all the tension in her body as she descended through the air, propelling her body forward through shunpo.

"Vanish... Denkosekka!"

Hiroe used whatever remaining charge she had left in her blade to employ her trump card. A blinding light flashed around her blade, filling the atmosphere with its luminous spark. In the blink of an eye, a sudden phenomenon occurred. Hiroe was fueled by the requisite power of her zanpakuto, forcing her body, for this one attack, to go at speed that was imperceptible to the naked eye. It was as if her body had vanished in an instant, drawing her blade from her sheath as her body propelled forward, eliminating the distance between them within a matter of seconds. Shooting forward, her blade carved a vertical stroke through the air in a last resort to emerge victorious against Ajora. There would be no other option after this.

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