God's Grace [Metatron, Open]

Calm fell over the battlefield after the Gotei United and Vandenreich retreated. The horde of Hollows had scoured the remnants of Vastime in search of survivors, executing any they came across on the spot. To those few still remaining, hiding from their enemies' prying eyes was of utmost importance. A combination of seeking shelter within the massive piles of rubble dotting the landscape and suppressing any spiritual pressure they may be putting out, placing a target on their backs, allowed them to remain hidden.

A group of a dozen or so humans with a Gotei soldier considered Missing-in-Action had found one such hideaway. They had retreated from the surface of the battlefield when the gaping hole first opened beneath the city, and it was only after the most recent clash did the Shinigami, a young man belonging to the Seventh Division, happen across them in his haste to flee the horde of Hollows. Through whispered words he explained the situation to the ragged and starving crowd, and that in his estimation the Gotei would search for him. They just needed to survive until then.

Dust fell from the ceiling of the collapsed building they'd retreated into as the ground quaked. Horrific shock waves shook what little remained of their shelter, and the Shinigami, Genji Furosawa, could sense explosions of energy smashing into the wastelands around them. Something sinister and dangerous was coming. It was with great effort Genji barely managed to hold his flock together.

That something was Metatron the Zealot, Asher's right-hand man and number one soldier. Unsatisfied with the progress those beneath him were making in hunting the remaining rats in their holes, Metatron decided a more direct approach was necessary: From the sky, he would rain down Cero until there was naught left, not even rubble. Only dirt and ash.

It was by sheer chance that the Dragon even showed up in the first place. After recovering from her fight with Criella, the beast's hunger began to corrode at the back of her mind, screaming at her to hurry and feast once more. So she picked a place she didn't always go to. Far, far away from her usual feasting sites, she decided to show up in Africa. A Dragon-sized garganta opened up in a split second, the rotted beast slipped through faster than a normal eye could even perceive, and then it shut behind her once more. What she found gave her reason to pause and examine if even being here was a good idea.

Beneath her was a gigantic hole, one bigger than anything she had ever seen in all her years. Not only that, but she could sense the presence of Hollows all around, most weaker than her with the exception of a single one. That was when she saw it, the rain of cero and the snuffing out of human lives just a mile or so away from her. The Dragon could leave and not have to deal with any of this but curiosity got the best of the beast, and soon she was soaring through the sky towards this source of destruction. As bad of an idea as it was, she could at any point just leave. Probably.

"What is this?" Metatron would hear after the skidding of talon on solid reishi as the Dragon halted herself. A few dozen feet away from Metatron where she hoped she didn't seem like an immediate threat. Her muscles were still tense, but she folded her rotted, hole filled wings to at least not look immediately menacing. Her hunger was put on the backburner in favor of understanding... this whole scenario.

The moment a large Garganta opened a distance away, Metatron's attention was drawn to it. His unseen eyes scanned the horizon, able to make out the details of the powerful Hollow create that exited the trans-dimensional maw. Hm? Confusion racked his mind as he contemplated why a Hollow like that would be coming here through a Garganta. He silently observed the creature as it took in its surroundings then began traveling towards him, seemingly seeking him out specifically.

The scaly beast appeared like a dragon, and when it came skidding to a halt nearby Metatron scrutinized its body and mannerisms for any hint as to its purpose or identity. Its massive wings folded along its back after it stopped moving, approaching him more calmly than one might expect from such a monstrous Hollow. What surprised Metatron most was what came after as its mighty voice reverberated through the open air, inquisitively seeking an answer to an incredibly broad question.

When Metatron spoke, his voice, like two in one, boomed across the entire area. One voice sounded human, as if he was just another man; the second was something else entirely, deeper and much more foreboding. The voices sounded out in unison, answering the dragon.

"What you see around you is evidence of the Almighty's wrath. Are you not one of Lord Asher's fell beasts? Perhaps you are an ally or pet of those sinful outsiders who joined us in obliterating the False God's deranged followers?"

That was a lot of useless drivel that expounded far more than the Dragon was expecting. She'd have to dissect these things piece by piece, but she had seen human zealots and expected a Hollow one such as this to be infinitely worse. Knowing that was enough for the Dragon to keep her tensed and prepared to leave should things go south, which, she simply assumed it would. Especially as her own pride and fury started to well up in her chest at the idea of being an ally or pet of... well, of anyone.

"I am no one's beast, either for or against your lord. I used to feast upon these grounds centuries ago. I came merely seeking sustenance, nothing more, nothing less." She snarled in her naturally booming, yet scratchy voice. That was about as neutral of a way she could express her feelings. Anyone else and she would have eaten them or ignored them out of spite. This particular Hollow didn't seem like he'd go down like the rest, so such a solution was impossible.

"And who would your God be? You'll have to excuse the fact I'm out of touch. My body enjoys its naps whether I like it or not. Its century long naps, I should specify." The Dragon knew it could only be so vicious to this one. As much as she wanted to deny things like Gods and Lords amongst Hollows, she knew it would only start a fight, and she was too hungry to fight, and didn't care enough to contest the zealot's beliefs. For now.

Annoyance gripped The Zealot as he listened to the dragon's regrettable words. Pity, he thought. If it had been one of Asher's, he could have just commanded it to deal with the remaining insurgents. Still, even as an outsider uttering things that would otherwise paint a target on its back, it didn't seem aggressive at the moment. Metatron considered what effort necessary to tame this beast would pale in comparison to the destruction it could wreak with Asher across this planet.

With bubbling wrath in his voice Metatron answered the dragon's inquiry.

"The one true God above has been worshipped by the humans for millennia. Centuries are nothing to the Almighty. I will forgive but one instance of ignorance, dragon. Do not expect an exception."

Though the prospect of taming this beast didn't seem a difficult one to Metatron, nothing ever did for a being who believed himself God's warrior, not even knowing The Lord immediately sparked his ire. Still, this could be a good opportunity and he had at least enough self-control to contain his rage. For now.

"There is only one God, dragon. It is with his blessing that we, Commander Asher's loyal subjects, did cleanse this land of heresy and blasphemers."

A dry, scratchy chuckle emanated from the Dragon's throat as she got every answer she could have possibly dreamt of. "You really are nothing more than a zealot for a false god, then." She stated firmly despite the very obvious threat that could be posed against her. She could feel it on the air just by being next to this delusional freak. Yet even with the looming threat of a fight she may not win, The Dragon could not idly stand by while fools insisted on being more than they had any capacity to be.

"You are temporary, as am I, and as is your God. The blasphemy you combat shall live longer than you ever will. So why bother? What is it that you obtain by worshipping such falsehood?" She couldn't help but let her childlike curiosity flow freely. There was so much she had yet to understand, so much she wanted to understand, yet also needed this thing to understand as well. "Even if I am not the one to end your utterly meaningless existence, one of fighting for ideals that don't matter in the face of nature itself, surely you must understand that something will, no? And then all of this will have been moot. Pointless. An utter waste of effort you could have spent doing something far more productive than worshipping a false deity."

Metatron's extremely limited patience had worn thin. It was a wonder he had not already exploded in a fit of rage at this beast's words, but his loyalty to Asher had thus far prevented him from doing so. The dragon could prove a valuable asset for his Commander as a powerful steed. But what lenience he was willing to give this Hollow was disappearing more and more as it spoke.

A suffocating weight fell upon the area as the full force of Metatron's Spiritual Pressure flowed out of his armored body. With fury in his voice, he spoke once more to the dragon.

"Your ignorance excuses nothing, fool! You insult that which you have no understanding or comprehension of. For the crimes of sacrilege and blasphemy, in God's name I sentence you to death. Face Heaven's Light, dragon, and be vanquished!"

Large gold and white wings spread to their full size from Metatron's back as he raised an arm and swiftly gathered a tremendous volume of energy at his fingertips. In a flash this energy exploded forth in a flaming-hot beam of energy bright enough to burn the eyes from the skulls of his enemies. This beam rocketed at the dragon, Metatron's zealotry given form to eliminate her and her profanities in one shot.

The Dragon simply laughed in the face of her now adversary's declaration of war. "Come, then! Face me in the name of your foolish delusions!" The Dragon roared her cackling, witch-like laughter. Even in the face of death, she did not fear. Even in the face of that weighty reishi, she simply laughed harder. Her own reishi would weigh down on Metatron in turn, the weight of it more or less the same.

The moment that blinding light shone on her opponent's fingers, the Dragon bolted upwards fast enough to damn near break the sound barrier. She didn't want to be anywhere near it once it went off, and even in her peripheral vision it was rather blinding. She kept flying through the air, speeding up as she did and angling her long body to curve in a circle around Metatron. The entire time of which, she focused just enough to charge a barrage of bala in her bony maw.

The moment she noticed the light was gone, the Dragon turned, caught merely a glimpse of the creature's visage, and fired away. A shotgun of bala aimed directly at Metatron. And not only that, but they were filled with corrosive effluvia that would rot the very molecules his body was made of down to their most base particles. The Dragon did not stop moving, but she wanted to keep her distance and begun charging another barrage of bala. This time holding it in anticipation of something else.