The test. (stella/gillian)

The plan had been simple. How did it all go so wrong? Wirecutter, an especially cruel Hollow smart and craven enough to not draw the attention of watchful Shinigami or Quincies, had come to this small town in Middle-of-nowhere, Japan, to occasionally feast on humans who wouldn't be missed. He'd draw no danger to himself, and as far as those idiot humans knew people were just up and leaving or getting themselves kidnapped. The perfect strategy! And yet...

It was Wirecutter who found himself being devoured. A bigger, badder Hollow had suddenly appeared and immediately made short work of its prey who was forced to watch as its killer consumed him. It took nary a minute for Wirecutter to be made into a meal. His story didn't end there, however; it was Wirecutter, weak as he was, who proved himself the tipping point for the larger Hollow, who's white skin began bubbling and who's mask shook and rattled. And then, black.

A few minutes later a horrible screech shook the forest's trees as a terrible, malevolent Spiritual Pressure washed over it like a gale wind. From where Stella was she would hear the crash and tumble of trees being snapped and knocked over long before the towering black body of a Gillian-class Hollow crushed a path through to the forest's edge.

With little to no delicious Spiritual Pressure emanating from the town itself, the Gillian's attention was drawn to the little woman rushing toward its gargantuan self. Still so early in its birth, the Hollow lacked much intelligence or individuality and so, for the moment, it was still acting upon instinct; and it's instinct said this woman was of no concern. Just another morsel waiting to be consumed.

Is that pain? The Hollow couldn't tell, but its eyes were drawn down to the scene playing out below it. The woman it had decided was no threat had lodged its axe in its foot. Though, Stella would find her weapon had dug no deeper than a couple inches, the strength behind her opening swing not enough to cleave any further. Yet there was something that did drive the axe deeper, deep enough to be a nuisance. What is this gross Reiatsu coming from her?

With a sudden jerk, the Gillian kicked forward with its foot to send both Stella and her weapon flying. Then in a blink the hulking Hollow, moving far faster than its size would suggest it capable of, stepped forward and slammed that same foot down onto the top of the Quincy woman.

Stella's thoughts would prove to be a warning of what's to come as the gargantuan Hollow's foot did indeed begin visibly regenerating, the wound she had inflicted slowly but surely closing. Her quick thinking got her back to its foot before it was back to new though, and the ensuing swing of her axe would be even more effective than the first as it sank more than halfway through the Gillian's car-sized extremity.

With a howl that once again shook the nearby trees, the enraged Gillian announced it's wrath. Its malevolent Reiatsu spread across the area like an abominable wind, enriching all nearby living creatures with a sense of dread. The Gillian stared down at Stella with glowing red eyes, its mouth opening to reveal a sphere of energy just as crimson. This sphere grew agitated then was fired in the form of a massive Cero that quickly expanded to a dozen yards in width before reaching the ground where Stella stood at the Hollow's feet.

Merely standing a couple feet to the side would not prove a sufficient defense as the energy from the Cero expanded rapidly, potentially encompassing and overwhelming Stella in addition to any debris sent her way. Continuously hacking at the same foot, which would merely begin regenerating every time her efforts were interrupting, would not prove a suitable offense either.

Angered by the comparatively tiny woman's efforts, another bellow escaped the Gillian class Hollow as it took two steps back and away from her, with each foot shaking the earth when they dropped. It's simple mind decided, like she had, the best course of action would be to simply repeat itself; and so, a crimson glow adorned it's mask before it's maw once again opened wide and loosed another powerful Cero at Stella.

The titanic robed Hollow turned to face the direction its prey had fled in and immediately began following, its massive legs shoving aside and breaking trees as if they were little more than blades of grass. Though its walking could best be described as lumbering, the Gillian's towering size gave each of its strides enough length to follow behind Stella without being left in the dust.

What was once a quiet, peaceful forest now found itself being cut through as if by a building-sized axe. All was crushed beneath the gigantic Hollow's feet as it hungrily stalked its prey. Then, with little warning, it suddenly came to a stop and gathered more energy in front of its maw which was thereafter released in a beam that shook the forest to its core, its aim directed once more at the fleeing Stella.