Sands Stained In Judgement [Veralia/Kanako]

The amber and pink skies embraced the glowing light of the sun as its warmth touched the earth below. A pair of bare, petite feet—belonging to a figure with long raven hair cascading down her back—touched the sands of the unnamed South African beach.

She turned, her crimson gaze taking in the sight before her: a beach marred by blood, bodies, and burning skulls. In the waters ahead, more bodies floated, the dawn's ginger touch rendering the scene both horrific and sincere.

Humans were such vengeful creatures, weren't they? They see an arrancar and assume they are out for blood. They are masters of their fate. To confront her as if she were another mindless beast like that horde in the hole of The Vastime Captial was insulting.

After taking in the scent of iron, the horned Arrancar turned her back and noticed a rather tall figure looming in the distance. With a raise of her eyebrow, she could sense it was one of her kind, so she waved at the hulk of a woman coming closer.

"Friend or foe? Better let me know quick as I've had enough of people getting on my ass for one day."

Her voice carried over the gentle lapping of waves, Veralia's nonchalance remaining unshaken as she called out to the stranger.

"Veralia."

Affirming who she was with a steady tone behind her voice, she continued to admire the grim sight ahead of her as she spoke to this stranger.

" Or Envy's Ember as they call me in Hueco Mundo."

With a satisfied expression on Veralia's face, her gaze shifted to that of Kanako's hulking physique. It seemed like this one drank their milk and vegetables growing up as the size of this woman seemed endless compared to Veralia's five foot two petite stature. And given the energy she sensed from her, the spiritual energy radiating from the monster seemed akin to her own. It was... peculiar.

There was a fleeting tightness in her chest, a familiar twinge that whispered of wanting, of coveting that which was not hers. But she masked it well, her expression one of cool amusement.

"What in the hell is a beast like you doing out here? Your a whole fucking unit."

While Veralia's words were crass, her tone remained unconcerned and filled with nonchalance. Her right eyebrow arched higher, not just with curiosity but with the unspoken question of whether she might match this figure in stature and strength.

"A few humans came at me thinking I was the same type of mindless shitstain that opened in the Vastime Captial."

Veralia spoke with a cold snort, eyeing Kanako's imposing figure with a hint of envy veiled behind her casual demeanor.

"So I killed 'em. I might have killed a few more than I care to as collateral damage, but hey, such is the cycle. They can enjoy their afterlife as shinigami or hollows."

There was a roll of her shoulders to be had that comment and the nature of its validity. Her concern was still on the power coming from this other woman and the nature of her strength. If they were to get to brawling here, it certainly would get ugly. Despite that, Veralia still believed she'd win.

" Regardless, I came here since I love the heat and sun as Hueco Mundo is too dark and depressing for my taste."

After declaring her reasons for being here, Veralia crossed her arms and levitated upon a glowing orb of emerald energy that materialized beneath her. Her posture mimicked Kanako's, a silent challenge in her poise.

"The hell did you even eat to grow that fucking big?"

"Some people just get all the luck, huh?"

Her remark held a tinge of envy beneath her tone. At that moment, Veralia felt less than Kanako for a moment as she let out a hard exhale of breath before standing up and dissipating the sphere she was sitting on.

"I'd imagine you'd have some insight into how you acquired your strength. Why else would I ask? Strength is the foundation of our reality back home."

She casually kicked at the sand, watching it incinerate mid-air with a flicker of her emerald flame. Her eyes, still fixed on Kanako, held a piercing quality.

"Life is fragile. It takes luck, tenacity, and a willingness to risk yourself in pursuit of growing stronger."

Veralia let out a sigh as a mix of frustration and contemplation clouded her features.

"The sacrifices and battles I've endured to become what I am were no easy feat. It seems only natural for us Arrancar to envy those stronger, smarter, or more resourceful. Without such envy, we're as good as dead."

She let out a snort, almost challenging in its tone.

"Don't you think? You seem to possess strength as if it were a luxury.""

Veralia kept her hands in her pocket as her gazer looked upward toward Kanako's with a tinge of irritation behind it. The mind of Veralia was churning with static and fire as it gnawed on the words spoken out to her. With a scoff filled with agitation, she retorted out to the Amazonian:

"Death is inevitable, sure, but strength dictates the quality of life. Relying on the mercy of the universe or others? That's just inviting doom."

After spitting on the ground, the woman chortled and chewed on the thought of throwing yourself against instrumentable odds. Kanako did have a point in the sense of it being killed or being killed and the strongest being the one to survive and thrive. With a gentle sigh, she then came to a decision.

"Why don't we go to Hueco Mundo and fight then? Don't worry, I have no desire to leave you a corpse-like these worthless human bastards here. But there is no point in bitching about strength if you aren't willing to put your nose to the grindstone."

With a snarl, a surge of her emerald aura flared across the beach, a symbolic gesture asserting her formidable spiritual presence. This was more than mere bravado; it was an open challenge, a declaration that on the spiritual battlefield, they stood as equals. The rest – intelligence, durability, and sheer might – was yet to be determined.