Africastrophe IV: Gold is Unbreakable

Spicy~

"I do not think I had introduced myself," He spoke as he waggled his burning finger.

Parts of it dissolved away. However, as acid dripped from his finger, a sudden glimmer fell with it. Then she came upon him as she had before. She had spouted her nonsense, but he could not take her words to heart, for she has yet to take him into her heart. They haven't even shared names before their first dance.

Though, as she began attacking him, he reacted in kind, forcing his giant body to move and deflect her attacks. He could not protect himself from all her attacks, but his golden armor danced against her blade as parts of him fell and regenerated just as quickly.

"I am El Dorado, the one who walks the only path, the luminous road. Everything golden belong to me, and everything I touch-"

His fingers danced, his pointer finger as it had before meeting to meet Kanae's blade.

"...turns to gold."

She'd feel it then, a resistance to her swings, a perverted invasion of her soul, seeping deep and rooting into her very heart. The connection between Zanpakuto and Shinigami felt strained by the foreign presence of El Dorado's ability. Of course, her strength would resist, but not even it is immune to cancer that spread from cell to cell, particle to particle.

Is her fingers shinier than they were before? The glint of her blade is different. The acid that bled from it isn't the same as before, harder to throw around, heavier around her sword. She'd start to notice, but she's already been touched multiple times.

"Everything's Golden now!" El Dorado screamed, his fists flying as he let loose more power than he had before against Kanae and her acid swings, almost mimicking her dance with brute strength.

Golden flecks appeared across Kanae's hands and Zanpakuto, causing both to glitter in the sunlight. Usually her first thought would have been how gaudy this disgusting creature was making her look, but Kanae's bond with Tosatsusha, forged over centuries, alerted her to the disturbing effects this gold was having on the duo. Their connection felt strained, almost unsure, as if something were interfering with it.

Kanae Flash Stepped a short distance away from the Hollow, enraged. Nobody, nobody messes with her connection with Tosatsusha. Beyond all other things, she would not abide such insolence, least of all from a filthy corrupted soul like this El Dorado. Well, if one Zanpakuto wasn't enough, then two would get the job done. Kanae held her left hand aloft for a moment then a second sword appeared within her grasp, this one free of any vile intrusion from the Hollow.

With no intention of introducing herself to her prey, Kanae grasped both her weapons and stared the beast down. Clearly lopping off parts of its body would take too long, just like with Asher, so it was time to get serious and aim for the one place guaranteed to be its undoing. Kanae slashed both swords through the air, sending a double Dantōdai Koroshi in the shape of a huge green X at El Dorado. She followed this up by Flash Stepping a distance to her right and repeated the attack, another X sent to reduce its target to a pile of limbs. She did this one more time, Flash Stepping another couple dozen feet then launching a third double Dantōdai Koroshi, each as dangerous as the last.

The next time Kanae vanished from sight, it wasn't to do more of the same; this time she shot forward at a blistering speed. During her Shunpo she kicked off and flew through the air like a rocket, then when she was finally in front of El Dorado again she aimed one more acid-soaked cross slash directly for the front of his skull, knowing a Hollow's mask was their true, fatal weak point. Even with one being a bit heavier than the other, Kanae sought to cleave through El Dorado's face with both of her Zanpakuto like a butcher through meat.

A second sword? How arbitrary. Will it increase her strength? Maybe he should attempt to grow a third arm.

However, these hide and seek tactics are unbefitting of someone who boasts their indominable strength. He had even gone as far as to match her cut throat personality, and this is how she repays him. That's no good.

But he has more things to worry about, blocking her first attack with his arm, watching as it cleaved into him and made his left fall to the ground. Then she launched another at his right, and again he blocked it, letting part of himself be sliced again. That acid of hers made regeneration tricky, but a slight irritation is nothing really. His body quickly ate away her ability. There's just too much going on for him to regenerate fast enough.

A Hollow isn't as toolless as people think though. Even as she struck him again, his red eyes stayed eerily calm. He had waited for her to get closer, and as she did, he shifted his weight. She had come for his mask, but maybe she'd not expect him to dive headfirst into her attack, bringing his golden head down on her twin Zanpakuto as acid burned into his face. That's when she'd realized that his golden visage isn't just for show as the acid struggled to set and melt away his face.

"I must admit, you Shinigami are the tricky sort, but-"

Kanae would find hands suddenly around her, the golden statues of dead Shinigami coming to grab her garment and arms. "We Hollow are the ultimate tricksters," El Dorado finished, as only his right arm regenerated, his focus entirely on reconnected the limb for the purpose of aiming his extended finger for Kanae's stomach as he had before. However, she'd notice that it glowed this time, Hollow energy similar to a bala at its tip to send her flying far away.

The sudden sensation of hands grabbing at her took Kanae by surprise. She had figured the statues were just that: statues. This second, or even half second, of being flat-footed was enough for El Dorado to draw back and slam his glowing finger into her stomach, sending her reeling back a few dozen feet before finally skidding to a halt. She managed to stop herself from flying back even farther by piercing the barren earth with her two swords.

Resounding pain emanated from where the Hollow struck her, causing Kanae to look down at her blackened stomach, now visible as a hole had been torn through her Shihakushō. A thump sounded out from her weapon falling the ground, her hand having shot up to cover her mouth as she coughed up blood. Her other hand released the second sword, which remained sticking up from the dirt, and moved over her abdomen where a green glow suddenly bathed her burnt skin and swiftly repaired it to a healthy state. Such a quick use of Kaidō could do nothing for her insides, which still felt as if they were on fire.

Kanae.
Kill. El Dorado. Asher. All of them. Kill them all.
Absolutely.

Wiping the blood away first, Kanae then gripped her Zanpakuto and tore it from the ground. At the same time, the second sword vanished. She held the weapon aloft as she stared burning holes into her enemy, her lips barely moving to form words.


With that, a tremendous wave of horrifically malevolent Spiritual Pressure struck the battleground like an ocean of hate, comparable to any Hollow's in violent intent. Within reach of Kanae's Bankai everything was shrouded in dark as the sky suddenly became night, the Sun replaced by a full Moon staring silently from the Heavens above, its light alone bathing all below in a dull glow.

Tengoku Taishokukan (天国大食漢, Heaven Eater)

With a swing of her now-clean Zanpakuto, unfettered by any traces of gold, Kanae launched another crescent moon of glowing acid, only this time its size and the speed with which it flew through the empty air were both on another level completely. The acid itself was also far more caustic as even the air itself seemed to be burned up as it made its way toward El Dorado. It wasn't alone either; behind it was not one, not two, but ten more deadly arcs of acid aimed to turn her foe into a puddle of liquid flesh.

Violent, toxic, and malignant energy suddenly flooded the environment, its vile nature enough to even scar the golden mind of El Dorado. However, it is familiar, the same wave of filth that had graced his Liege. He remembered its sensation moments before his Liege returned, ragged from battle. This is another one of these being's power, another release of hidden potential. He would call it magnificent if not for the way it dulled his raw sheen.

However, he is legendary, a powerhouse who'll leave his mark on the world. Raising an arm, he went to block her attack, but instinct told him otherwise before his lumbering mass crouched. The ground beneath him cracked before he jumped, dodging the attack that bore into the Earth beneath him, melting through it like butter.

"Golden Kingdom! Arise!" He yelled, as he began to descend, the ground opening up beneath the two as a giant creature bellowed upwards, its features similar to a blue whale, a giant golden mask the only color alongside its black skin.

El Dorado landed atop its head as its mouth opened, a massive roar erupting from its maw as more golden creatures, Hollow, Shinigami, Quincy, and the like emerged, making their way towards Kanae.

"FORWARD!" El Dorado would add as the giant Hollow he had summoned went upwards into the air to meet Kanae as the other creatures tried to restrain her, aiming to bite down and swallow her whole.

After slaughtering Asher's little winged steed, Kanae was not surprised to see this fool had one of his own. Some huge creature she didn't recognize, which produced a veritable army gold-covered minions of varying races. Was this an act of desperation? Hiding behind subordinates always reeked of desperation to Kanae. A thousand years ago or now, she never send weaklings to deal with her enemies. At best they were fodder to be thrown against opposing fodder, like two pathetic waves sent to crash against one another. On the other hand, she sure loved being able to deal with them herself.

"More corpses beneath my blade."

Sure there were Shinigami here and there in that horde, but as the corners of her mouth turned upwards into a vicious smile, she had no intention of letting any of them live. Kanae shot forward, aiming not for El Dorado but for the army of chaff he had sent her way; and from the moment her acid-coated sword first sunk into one of his golden minions, her dance of death never ceased. From Shinigami to Quincy to human to Hollow, Kanae's Zanpakuto cleaved through them all as a flowing stream of steel. Though they reached and clawed to grab her, Kanae remained untouched as more and more of these golden dolls were split in twine, their bodies being liquefied by her acid.

The beauty in this slaughter filled Kanae with murderous glee, her features twisted into a look of elation as more and more fell to her blade. But there was still that idiot and his giant steed to deal with, this much she knew. As the latter's huge mouth opened to swallow her whole, Kanae did not argue, nor did she evade; she was gone from the light of this world in an instant. Only the black of the walls of the colossal Hollow's insides surrounded her. Unbeknownst to her captor, this was right where Kanae wanted to be.

A tidal wave of acid erupted from Kanae's Zanpakuto, thousands of gallons of the sickly green liquid flowing in all directions from its blade. Empowered by her Bankai, this acid made quick work of all it touched, consuming the massive Hollow from the inside while flowing further into its body to cause as widespread damage as possible. Then, Kanae looked toward where El Dorado had been atop the Hollow and gathered as much strength in her legs as she could muster before launching upward, her acid-laced Zanpakuto cleaving a hole through the creature's hide, allowing her to pass through safely where she then landed on top of it.

Even as her acid continued turning the gigantic Hollow's insides to mush, its stomach and abdomen likely being turned into one massive hole, Kanae eyed El Dorado with the same twisted smile from moments before.

His soldiers were cut down as expected. They existed as mere tools at his disposal; nothing more, nothing less. They posed no real threat outside of their nuanced numbers, and Kanae does not need to worry about their lives being lost. As they became gold, their lives were already forfeit. In the end, they were nothing more than ways to understand more of Kanae's capability. Though, that leaves the fact that she showed no hesitation in killing what she assumed were just mind-controlled men. Yet, they call Hollow monsters, eh?

Either way, he knew his army was nothing compared to the power that pushed Asher to new heights. If he wished to coat Heaven in gold, then he must commit to trudging through acidic filth and find his own golden path. With that thought in mind, he jumped, already understanding that his giant steed's life was lost the second it swallowed the woman. She soon exploded from his burning creation's body.

"A smile befit a Queen," El Dorado noted, tilting his head at her demeanor.

She was already stoic in his opinion, but now there's an eerie calm to her eyes. Has she found bliss in her sea of senseless murder? In a way, she reminds him greatly of his Liege. In fact, he could replace them and see them all the same, beings who live to destroy, conquest, and fight. Maybe her bloodlust exceeds even his, but no matter. With a chortle, he folding his arms over his chest.

"Still no name? I feel I must name your statue after your defeat."

As her violet eyes set upon her golden foe once more and the arrogant creature spoke, Kanae's smile faded and morphed back into an annoyed grimace. It's refusal to just accept its death and die was bothersome. Kanae was no fan of things that don't die, after all, all the fun is in killing. And now it was asking for her name? Foolish Hollow. thought Kanae as she too leapt from the massive creature and stood in the air, level with El Dorado.

"I don't make a habit of introducing myself to corpses, Hollow. There will be no one to remember you after this. In fact, I've already forgotten your name."

Kanae shot like a bullet toward El Dorado, her sword still tucked away as she neared him; then, as she reached his head, the Captain drew her Zanpakuto and aimed a skull-splitting slash to cleave through his mask. With every movement of her weapon viridescent acid splashed in every direction. But she didn't stop there; with every atom in her body pushing forward, demanding El Dorado's death, Kanae drew Tosatsusha, slashed with it, at the Hollow's mask, neck, arms, everything, in a terrible flurry of steel. Just like with Asher she would relentlessly tear through her enemy until it could no longer regenerate or fight back, and then keep tearing and tearing until naught remained.

During her torrent of attacks she showered El Doraddo with, Kanae got in particularly close and, with a raised hand, aimed to burn him to a crisp Hadō:Hadō #33. Sōkatsui." An azure flame ignited at her fingertips before quickly erupting into a tidal wave that spread to encompass a wide swath of the sky.

How rude, but he cannot make an opponent introduce themselves if they refuse. However, she could have lived on inside of his memory if she weren't so stubborn. El Dorado has a golden memory after all. A shame it will not be put to use here.

Though names are the least of his worries. This woman only shares a few words before returning to her endless assault. Unlike before, he has much to be wary of. Each dodge was imperfect, for her acid made it impossible to avoid any injury. Thus, he's forced to reduce as much as he could be using energy around his hands to bat at her Zanpakuto. Still, he felt his body burning as acid piled on his form. Staying close to her would be dangerous.

Thinking of how to move his big form to get distance, she raised her hand. El Dorado could feel the heat. He moved fast, clapping his hands together. "Golden Land," He exclaimed as the gold armor around his arms turned to liquid before racing between the two combatants. It solidified just in time to take the brunt of Kanae's Kido, but it then exploded and sent him sprawling backwards to the ground.

At least as he flew backwards, his regeneration was aloud to catch up with missing chunks of muscle and skin. His landing was far from clean though as he hit the ground and rolled before righting himself. Yet, he had kept his hands together. "Golden Land," He cried out again, the dead remains of the golden creatures she had slew turning to liquid before racing upwards like rising tidal waves to encompass her and trap her in a dwindling bubble of the liquid metal.

Annoyance. Aggravation. Frustration. These were just some of the emotions, many synonyms, Captain Kanae was feeling at this moment as her prey once more escaped her grasp like a fleeing rodent. He had escaped her blade once again, his Hollow regeneration allowing him to die a thousand deaths without giving her the satisfaction of finality. And now he was once more resorting to using these disgusting golden dolls of his.

"Vile creature doesn't know when to accept its fate."

As the first wave of gold approached her, Kanae flexed her Reiatsu, shattering the earth around her and blasting the liquidated statues away. But then it kept coming, and coming, and coming. To create some space between her and the gold Kanae shot higher into the air, but then it continued coming for her even still. So, she figured it was time to finish off his golden hoard once and for all. She breathed deeply, air filling her lungs...and then released back out. Calm. Even in the face of an incoming tidal wave, Kanae was at peace as she imagined the countless cruelties she would deliver unto El Dorado.

Just before the gold wave reached her, its shining tendrils stretched into the sky to grab her, Kanae slashed with her Zanpakuto. Then again. And again. Dozens, no, hundreds of times did her Zanpakuto strike out at the air around her, surrounding her in a sphere of steel. But that wasn't all. With each swing of her sword came a horrific crescent of acid, her Tengoku Taishokukan technique pushed to its limits of speed and successive use. These acid blades cut through the gold like many lasers, cleanly cleaving it all. Droplets may have reached Kanae, but her torrent of acid and steel not only blasted away the main wave, but it was reducing so much gold to nothing so not even ash remained.

Though her sword was aimed at the gold wave, Kanae's eyes were turned toward El Dorado himself. In a flash she was gone, only to reappear before the hulking Hollow a second later. She was huffing, her efforts draining her stamina at an uncomfortable rate, and there were gold splotches on her remaining clothing and skin. Yet her Zanpakuto was clean, lightly glowing green but still clearly steel and not gold. Acid dripped from its edge onto the ground where impossibly deep holes were chewed into the Earth. And then she was gone again.

Hanya Jincho-ryu: Chizome no Tsuki (半夜人屠: 血染めの月 , Midnight Manslaying Style: Blood Moon)

With all the speed and strength Kanae could muster within her Bankai placed in a single killing stroke, she struck at her enemy. Her sword cleaved through the air in an instant, it's edge painting a picture of death, El Dorado its canvas. The full weight of her and Tosatsusha's Reiatsus were put into this singular attack, Kanae intent on raining her prey's blood across the battlefield for the thirsty ground to drink its fill.