Re: Prelude Of Showdown [Open/Noharu/Ranma]

Sun Aug 20, 2023 5:10 pm

TAGS; - here NOTES; - here WORDS; - here MUSE; - Prelude Of Showdown

He had failed to anticipate his opponent again, caught off guard not once but twice in quick succession. Though the second time she couldn't fault him for, Shura using Kido was enough on its own to catch most Shinigami who knew even the smallest about her off guard. However the Shikai-enhanced Ranma wasn't content with just taking the punishment, pulling his sword free of her hand did cause quite the laceration on her hand before doing a forward thrust towards her.

Most anyone who had a sense of preservation might've retreated, giving up their attack but avoiding a dangerous blow. Shura, however, was not like that, she did not abandon her incantation nor hold on his face. As a result his Zanpakuto stabbed straight through her stomach, the swirling jagged edge leaving a visible mark where she had been impaled. The point blank explosion that soon came forth from her Hadō however, caused quite a bit of smoke to also erupt and obscure them from outside eyes. However within the smoke her other hand reached down to grasp ahold of Ranma's hands, squeezing tight onto them.

As the smoke vanished and their eyes could once more begin to see each other, Shura had quite a large grin on her face "Ain't that interestin'...." She whispered to Ranma, using all her might to push back against him and pull the blade from her stomach in what some might see as a deliberately slow action. However for the two combatants it was anything but deliberately slow, Shura soon lifted one foot up however, and in a combination of a shove and kick to his chest aimed to knock the kid backwards and away from her as she used her own Shunpo to move backwards to her Zanpakuto which lay embedded into the ground.

"Show me just how much you really desire to protect everything." As she said that, she pulled the Zanpakuto from the ground with her blooded and sliced hand, letting her blood slowly slide down the hilt and onto the blade itself "Show me what you're willing to sacrifice." As she spoke, she raised the blade of her Zanpakuto into the air and the air around her would visibly shake as she spoke the next words loud enough for all in attendance to hear clearly.

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Ranma had released his Shikai wordlessly, however Shura rarely if ever did such a thing. Her Shikai and Bankai were no closely guarded secret, most everyone who knew her knew she had both and though not flashy in release their appearance made up for that. As she cleaved in a downward arc the Katana transformed into a large axe, The blade of the axe is a metallic black color, as if it's been forged from the darkness itself. The edge of the blade is serrated, giving it a vicious appearance, and it glows with a faint purple aura that seems to pulse with power. The handle of the axe is made from a sturdy, dark wood, and it has a jagged, almost volcanic texture to it. The hilt of the axe is wrapped in a deep red cloth that looks as though it's been stained with blood, further emphasizing the weapon's deadly nature.

"Your true match begins now."

Techniques Used:

made by RR of DD, steal and i will sentence you to the true death!

Mon Aug 21, 2023 11:28 am

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RANMA GEKIRETSU

He had zero intentions of letting her go, even when she lashed her hand on his wrist to push herself out of the wound he inflicted on her. And as mere seconds passed by in the real world, it felt like a tug-of-war that lasted for an age between the two combatants, pure strength vs pure strength. Beating their spirits together like the metal of a hammer trying to bend the metal of an ingot. Would the ingot change shape, or would the hammer wear out?

“Huuh?!”

His rough hiss of a reply came off as quite barbaric, bewildered at how Shura could find this interesting at all. After all, he held not the same kind of passion for battle as she did – he merely burned in rage, but didn’t embrace it. Suffered from it, but didn’t wield it. Shura was… different. She could wield her rage, relished in their few exchanges of attacks, and stood her ground in full focus nonetheless.

Her strength surpassed his for a moment as she kicked him back, releasing herself from his blade and sending Ranma sliding backwards. Once more, he grabbed tightly onto his foothold, grinding his feet and a hand against the floor to brake his retreat. His Zanpakutō held to the side, he glared towards Shura once more, realizing that she’d been fighting this entire time… without using Shikai or Bankai. Here he was, with his Zanpakutō in its Shikai, only just evening the odds…

And he could immediately feel a sharp, sour taste run through his throat – like the sour, burning taste after being knocked in the back of your head – upon her sword’s release. Fuck that… and fuck her! Why do I have to deal with her today of all days?! he imagined, watching her blade transform into a large, jet-black axe with an edge akin to a shark’s jaw – serrated like a chainsaw, and bathing in a deep, purple mist of Reiryoku. So her Zanpakutō was named Hakaishin… destruction incarnate, and terrifying to boot.

Ranma held up his Zanpakutō, but contrary to the other Squad members’ expectations, he didn’t rush her. Instead, he held up his other hand and pointed two fingers at Shura, repeating another one-directional Byakurai that crackled through the air and aimed towards her position. It’d look like he was repeating the same mistake as before…

END POST | PLEASE DON'T KILL ME

Mon Aug 21, 2023 1:17 pm

TAGS; - here NOTES; - here WORDS; - here MUSE; - Prelude Of Showdown

That wicked grin that had coated her face just a mere moment ago returned, and along with it came a low but audible laughter. She brought her axe upwards, yet facing the head of it towards the ground. As it was brought down her Reiatsu was almost siphoned towards it, and as it slammed into the ground a shockwave both in the ground and through the air reverberated outwards. The shockwave sent through the ground caused by Shura's titanic strength, the shockwave through the air caused by the channeling of Reiatsu into her Zanpakuto.

As she did this, Ranma made his move. Another Byakurai aimed directly at her, to which Shura just grinned towards it, raising one hand into its path to 'catch' the Byakurai and halt it in its track. A circle with black scorch marks around it left where the Byakurai had impacted her hand, the center of the circle a black-red hue. From there Shura took this moment to raise her axe above her head, spinning it clockwise to gather yet more of her Reiatsu into the blade of it before she used her Shunpo once more, enhanced and faster from the release of her Shikai. When she reappeared she was a mere four feet from Ranma. "My turn." She said calmly despite having a wild look to her eyes. As she brought her axe forward she spoke but a single word.

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Techniques Used:

made by RR of DD, steal and i will sentence you to the true death!

Fri Aug 25, 2023 12:22 pm

RANMA GEKIRETSU

When she dropped her axe down, Ranma felt a shiver travel through his veins – not back, but veins. As if that axe had the power to obliterate him at a moment’s notice, and it probably had. He forfeited any desires to clash it with his own Zanpakutō, thinking Shura to have gone batshit crazy. She even giggled at the entire ordeal, the maniac…

It was strange… why was he getting so worked up, himself? Oh yeah, the plan… the prediction.

His Byakurai was simply caught by her hand- oh dear lord, she didn’t have to make it look so goddamn cool! She was mocking him at this rate! The nerve of hers! All of a sudden, the idea of beating her in combat sounded sweet as candy, refreshing as a cold bottle of sake on an orange evening after a long day’s work. He expected her to use Shunpo at any point from now on – truth be told, he thought she’d have dodged the Byakurai with Shun-

Almost a moment too late for him. She closed the distance as he wished, albeit not exactly in the order he had tried to predict… but that was enough. He didn’t have to be faster than her… not when his Zanpakutō possessed such a handy Shikai. As she claimed her turn-

“Move…”

Once more, a sphere emerged from his Zanpakutō that aimed to engulf a large area around him, all 50 meters’ radius from Ranma’s position. For those who were caught in it, nothing visibly happened to the surroundings, but Ranma’s movements suddenly spiked in speed, and he leapt over the swung axe before it could sever him in two. “Hōkamaru!” In a sphere where time had slowed down, he alone could move at normal speed, but to those who were victims of his Shikai, it appeared as if Ranma was emulating Shunpo without the technique itself.

“Well predicted, eh?!” he roared from above her, swinging his lowered Zanpakutō in an upward strike to cut through her shoulder as retribution for his own. It would be the last action he could do as his visible sphere of slowed time dissipated.

END POST | RETSU HAS REAWAKENED

Fri Aug 25, 2023 12:42 pm

TAGS; - here NOTES; - Jouki Remaining Duration - 2 Posts WORDS; - here MUSE; - Dancing Mad - FFXIV

Shura wouldn't simply be fooled a second time, it was still somewhat unclear exactly what his Zanpakuto was doing however as he yet again vanished from in front of her she was beginning to understand. He wasn't faster than her, she knew this for a fact... yet something about his Zanpakuto was allowing him to move at speeds that were. It wasn't frustrating, but it was very interesting.

What else she noticed was that his seemingly sudden increase in speed came in bursts, and he aimed to play around that... very well if that was how he wished to play it.... so be it. As his blade came to slice into her yet again she made an effort to simply focus on what he was doing, and how he was moving. As the blade neared her she did make an attempt to yet again grab his wrist, however she noted a distinct lack of a wrist in her hand. As a result his blade did in fact carve into her, though not as deep as some might've expected due to the difference in strength the two now had. Had he landed the blow before her Shikai release, perhaps she'd of been injured more than she was by it. However now she understood, he wasn't moving faster... she was moving slower.

As she did a single backflip away and landed, that maniacal grin hadn't left her face. "Very... very clever boy." She raised the axe once more above her, her body now carrying a faint dark purple glow that was swiftly concentrated down into her axe before erupting from her in an upwards torrent of raw might. ""But how does your Zanpakuto fair against overwhelming strength?

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She made no move forward immediately following whatever technique it was she now unleashed, but the torrent of dark purple Reiatsu that had erupted from her was no longer torching the sky and instead was now concentrated into what seemed like a glow that encapsulated her entire form and Zanpakuto.

Techniques Used:

made by RR of DD, steal and i will sentence you to the true death!

Sun Aug 27, 2023 6:00 am

RANMA GEKIRETSU

He cut into her again… so that was his, what, second or third hit on her that wasn’t Shura’s attempt at blocking? He had lost count already, but… could you say that he had lost count? He never started counting to begin with, so… yeah, forget that. Her shoulder felt like a damn stone fence, however – far tougher than expected, retaliating with some of the force led through his Zanpakutō despite his clear cut. As a result, the injury wasn’t deep enough to call the match… shit.

Then again, did he expect it to go that easy? He’d gotten the cue by now – Shura did not make things easy, and she could choke on rice for that! Even when she made space from him again did she maintain that damn grin on her face, as if in drunken joy while his veins were about to crack open. Still, there was very little that his anger could do against her next move – an explosion of power that changed the damn weather inside of the barracks, turning gentle breeze into dry, heavy pressure. Her Reiatsu had exploded, somehow… not just releasing her strength, but creating a sphere of – in her own words – overwhelming strength.

A level of strength that he was unsure his power to slow down time could do much against. Still, it was worth a try… anything to wipe that smirk off her damn face. Ranma didn’t enjoy letting loose like this, and he’d make damn sure she respected that.

… Would she block or dodge? Block or dodge? She had blocked prior, like, twice… she would block! Definitely, she would block his next attack – especially if her Reiatsu spoke volumes of her increased strength! Therefore, Ranma held up his Zanpakutō, pointing it to the side, and readied a horizontal slash from a distance. “Yone…”

And from his wide, horizontal slash, a bluish crescent wave shot out, traveling through the air towards Shura’s position. Another long-range technique to challenge her constantly growing might, but… certainly, Ranma would’ve just forfeited by now? To hell with her opinion of him, why hadn’t he quit yet?

Technique Used:

END POST | RETSU HAS REAWAKENED

Sun Aug 27, 2023 6:14 am

TAGS; - here NOTES; - Jouki Remaining Duration - 2 Posts WORDS; - here MUSE; - Dancing Mad - FFXIV

This was it, Ranma's time to shine or fall. He understood her Zanpakuto and its capabilities, Shura understood as well as she cared too his Zanpakuto and its capabilities. All else to Shura mattered little in the context of this fight. So when he raised his Zanpakuto and released his attack, Shura's form flickered from view, moving at first to the right before charging forward, reappearing mid-attack. Shura kicked from the ground and did a quick spin in the air before the axe would come crashing down towards Ranma.

If he dodged the ground that he was standing on would crack and shatter, like a miniature meteorite smashing into the ground to create a crater. Rare was it that Shura didn't cause damage to the training arena she was in, such was the ferocity of her style of fighting. However such a dodge did not mean Ranma was safe, because a moment later Shura's form would once more flicker away as she chased after Ranma.

It was up to Ranma to figure out how to stop such an threat, all the while that same grin never faded from her face. Following the second attack came a third, then a fourth, and a fifth, same as she had done before releasing her Zanpakuto... except this time the damage she would cause to the arena or Ranma was significantly higher than previously.

Techniques Used:

made by RR of DD, steal and i will sentence you to the true death!

Mon Aug 28, 2023 9:58 am

RANMA GEKIRETSU

”DAMN IT!”

She did exactly what he didn’t predict her to do – dodge. Simply flickered to her right, then charged forth towards him, all appearing as a blitz in Ranma’s eyes. Only when she was in the air did his eyes catch her again, immediately leaping to the side before her axe smashed into the poor ground of Squad 8’s training field, forming a nasty crater in the midst of it with debris, stones and dust flying everywhere.

But Ranma got hit right after – she was too fast and didn’t even allow him to land on his feet before the second attack lodged into his ribs. It was overwhelming – he had attempted to parry with his Zanpakutō, but it was immediately shoved into his chest, sending him away like a baseball – and similarly so, his body flung back by the force of Shura’s second attack, far stronger than any of her previous strikes. A line of blood escaped his mouth and floated over his trajectory for a moment before gravity took hold of it, and if one’s eyes were to follow the stream, they’d soon see Ranma landing on his feet once more, digging his Zanpakutō into the ground to brake himself.

But it was no use – her third attack landed directly on his side, and so did the fourth. Bloodshot, flung around like a damn toy, and yet the idiot still found something snapping him back to reality in the ocean of pain that shot through his soul. At the fifth strike, he held up Hōkamaru with a hand on the upper blade to attempt at fully blocking her strike… a similar combo to earlier, which he first realized about now.

Many more walls had cracked under the weight of Shura’s Reiatsu thrown about by her attacks, and quite a few Squad 8 members were in a mix of frenzy and confusion. Shura didn’t need to notice any of that or pay attention to any of them, but… she should’ve been able to spot it by now.

Some of the wounds from earlier that Ranma landed on her… they were glowing a deep-blue hue. Prolonged pain from successful hits – that was one of his Zanjutsus, Inu. Still, he was trying to ignore the fact that his sides, chest and legs endured deep cuts from her axe, beyond flabbergasted that he hadn’t been amputated of something by now. Therefore, he couldn’t go further – not right now…

“F-Fuckin’ hell, that hurt… b-beer break?”

Technique Used:

END POST | RETSU HAS REAWAKENED

Mon Aug 28, 2023 11:44 am

TAGS; - here NOTES; - here WORDS; - here MUSE; - Dancing Mad - FFXIV

This thrill... It was all too familiar to her, it was the same thrill she'd gotten in her Rukongai days... The thrill of the hunt. Like a predator chasing down its prey yet never striking a fatal blow, whether it was purposeful or not in this context could be left to almost anyone's guess in truth. However Shura wasn't so blood-crazed that she couldn't tell how to pull her punches or when to do so, but when that fifth strike landed and Ranma was sent into the ground for the final time she did not have an immediate follow-up. However there was a two-fold reason for this, one because she could tell the damage she'd done to not just the arena, but to Ranma, and two because of the pain that suddenly spiked both within her body and without. This... she hadn't expected.

However, even had he not spoken her intent to keep fighting was gone, and as he asked for a beer break, just as quickly as it had arrived her faint aura was dispersed from her body, and her Zanpakuto sealed to its Katana-form. He was in no state to continue fighting. As she fell back to the ground she moved over to Ranma and helped the boy to his feet.

"Impressive to say the least, that you not only held out until the fifth blow but aren't unconscious says more about you than you might realize. Congratulations. First get you healed up shall we? You did a heftier number on me than I originally thought." She motioned for a few of the on-lookers to come and help carry Ranma away. "Take pride in what you've accomplished this day, it'll serve you well moving forward."

made by RR of DD, steal and i will sentence you to the true death!

Mon Aug 28, 2023 4:02 pm

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Of course Noharu had certainly taken notice of the ruckus going on in the Eight Division training area. And so she was among the crowd that had gathered to watch, even cheering and making noise alongside the crowd as the rather impressive conflict between the members of the Eight and Fourth duked it out in the courtyard! And she had to admit she was pretty impressed that the unseated member had managed so well! Making a little bit of a mental note as she watched the fight reach it's conclusion, those sharp eyes of hers making note of the techniques that had been employed, and when at long last they had their final crash, she moved in with the couple other members that went to assist Ranma. A pleased little smile forming on her lips as she noted the sportsmanlike conduct from Shura. She'd certainly heard a lot about the woman, and it was pleasing to see she wasn't going too far.

"Whew! Great job there Ranma! that was some fancy moves there" She encouraged the young man as several division members helped the young man get off to the side. Thankfully this was Eighth Division, and so rather than having to take them to 2nd division, one of their resident Kido experts moved in to start mending Ranma, while another shifted in and offered to heal Shura as well. It was at this point that Noharu stood up and offered a calm smile to the Fourth Division Seated Officer.

"Quite the fight you had there. Not used to other divisions swinging by for training. Anything in particular got you deciding to pay us a visit?" She ventured calmly enough. Not quite introducing herself, and truth be told, it wasn't like many people knew her quite yet. A few people knew her as a Teacher, at the Academy, but that was potentially after Shura's own tenure at the place, and her introduction as Third Seat of the Eight was a recent one. So for now? She had no real indication of her rank. Just another division member. One curious about what brought Shura here. Though she also kept her attention slightly split, her sphere of awareness also extended to make sure that Ranma was recovering well enough. HE of course, might recognize her.