The Chosen Remains [Metatron, Open]

Like the Shinigami who came before them, Metatron had soundly defeated the Quincy heathens who challenged him. Yet, victory had eluded him as all the Hollows and Arrancar he allied with had fallen or fled. Even the mighty Asher, the one Metatron had been tricked into believing was chosen by God to lead His forces on Earth to purge all sin, had been defeated and killed by their enemies. By disgusting, vile, heretical infidels who dared to call themselves Death Gods, an affront to the one true Lord above.

What was left for Metatron, Heaven's greatest zealot? Those who've observed his statuesque visage since the battle might be led to believe nothing is left for him. Upon regenerating his physical form, the superficial wounds those so-called destruction monks had inflicted upon him vanishing without a trace, the angelic Hollow stood just outside the great chasm, statuesque and unresponsive. For the most part. The unlucky few who wandered the battlefield and came across him were swiftly dealt with as little more than nuisances, after which he would return to his silent vigil. He left none able to report of his existence and presence, not that these monkeys could threaten him.

Beneath the unblemished mask adorning his face, Metatron's thoughts were in constant flux. His first consideration was going into the hole, but unlike Asher and many of his comrades he had not come from the world deep beneath the Earth's surface; he was a Hollowfied human, having been born in this sinful world when Asher encountered Benjamin Davis. Without a home to speak of, the other course of action was continued war with the Shinigami and humans...but he had no army with which to wage that war. Though his zealous belief in himself being the one true chosen one, not Asher, even the delusional Metatron had to admit that would be a tall task by himself. So, where does that leave him?

Enraged. Because of his enemies, but even more-so because of his so-called allies. He had been led astray by Asher, a false prophet. God wouldn't fail, so obviously Asher wasn't chosen by Him. Only Metatron remained. Only Metatron was chosen.

Alone. With no soldiers to lead or allies to call upon.

What to do? Well, there was really only one path forward for him.

Metatron would turn the world to ash.

Dying was easy, living was harder.

That was what ran through Tento's mind as he sat alone in his thoughts. Finished recovering in his battle’s from the final clash, he was set out to help clean up any lingering hollows that traversed around the hole. He had grown stronger in that down time but even then, he was not sure if he could be up for that task. The hollows that came with Asher had a multitude of unique abilities, it was much different than simply handling a hollow with their basic abilities or speed. The significance of their energy could be more than a singular Shinigami could face unless they were of the upper echelon, and Tento was not quite that. 5th seat be damned. He had to rely on his fellow Shinigami to work as a team to handle things with versatility, and so far that was going well. But things seemed to be far from over.

Although the assault from the hole’s master, Asher, was all but completely erased after his defeat at the hands of the Gotei United’s Captains. It seemed that the aftermath was long from completed. The issue of research and investigation on the matter was still at large. At least, to the privy of information that he was in contact with. Where Asher came from. How he gathered such a number of powerful and independent hollows and Arrancars. Hollows was one thing. Power controlled the weak in the hollow’s world. It was not difficult for a being like Asher to make lesser forms of hollows bend to his influence and will. But for Arrancars. Beings of corrupted human nature. A twisted half heart and a consciousness, that was something of a higher interest to him. Nevertheless, as Tento stepped onto a different section of the battlefield with a growing sense of purpose. The early morning mist clung to the ground shrouding the landscape in an eerie silence. His breath puffed out in white clouds matching the rhythm of his own steady heart calmed by the wind’s gentle touch. Despite the chaos that laid ahead, his mind remained calm, a steady drumbeat in his chest.

The weight of his new rank settled on his shoulders, heavier than any armor that could be worn. He scanned the horizon, his eyes narrowing as he sensed the presence of the enemy—a formidable force that had already claimed the life of many Shinigami. It was tense and so far from his realm that it felt divine. A view sitting on top of a skyscraper, similar to Captain Kanae. It was hard to believe that Shura of all people could be defeated so quickly. Even more so when she had a capable partner at her side. But in a sharp moment his teeth gritted in a tight wince as he felt another energy. A person he was even more cautious of. The memory of that defeat was fresh after all, a stark reminder of his failure to his duty and responsibilities. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, each one a thread in the intricate tapestry of strategy he was weaving. He could feel the tension in his muscles, a coiled spring ready to unleash its energy. The battlefield was a place of uncertainty, where every decision could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

With a soft howling breeze that seemed to trickle out from his Zanpatuko. His stiff arms grow limp and free. He had moved amongst his men before but not this time. With a wave of his head and soft sentence, their directives were made clear. He needed them away and safe, and better yet, handling other areas to make sure things couldn’t get as bad as last time. His words held a sense of calm urgency and encouragement and offered them silent nods of reassurance. They looked to him with a mixture of hope and apprehension, their trust in his leadership a fragile thing. He knew that he had to be the rock they could anchor themselves to, even as his own mind raced with the enormity of the task ahead.

As the first rays of sunlight pierced the mist, he drew his sword, the blade catching the light and reflecting it in a dazzling display. He took a deep breath, feeling the cool air fill his lungs. The enemy was out there, waiting, but he was ready. His heart was calm, but his mind was tense, a perfect balance of serenity and vigilance. Today, he would face the challenge head-on, determined to face the wall that his superior was overshadowed by, and the memory all of his fallen Shinigami and lead his comrades to victory.

“Shiomaru, lend me your strength...”.

More interlopers.

Sinners.

The air for half a mile in every direction came to a stand still, silence falling upon the region like a heavy cloak. A Reiatsu so filled with hatred it was choking, like black smoke, blanketed everything and everyone. The soldiers Tento had sent away collapsed to the ground, too weak even to stand, but not so weak they would just keel over and die. Instead they were granted a merciful few more seconds before spheres of blazing light descended from above, exploding upon hitting them and leaving naught but ash behind.

Now, for miles, only three distinct Spiritual Pressures remained: A Shinigami's, an aggressive Arrancar's, and a malevolent Hollow's that threatened to swallow them both.

Standing just a few dozen feet away from the chasm was a tall, powerfully built humanoid Hollow with an expressionless face, a head topped by a sharp horn, and glowing wings furled up at its back. The Spiritual Pressure emanating from it grew heavier the closer Tento and Amaranta got to it, until eventually it would feel as if they were on the bottom of an ocean with fiery swords at their neck. Without moving or acknowledging either of them, its body frozen like a statue, a spark ignited just a foot away before swiftly expanding into a massive, horrifically bright Cero that could easily burn eyes looking directly at it. The Cero slammed into Amaranta's own with all the weight of a building, overcoming the woman's burning energy before continuing on in a slightly reduced state to hit her as well.

This foe is much stronger than anyone we have faced before. Even this, Amaranta, that you know. Both of them are here, do not let down your guard.

know I know. Of all the timing too. She
Ghost would be enough of a challenge. But this hollow. Gods its like I’m looking at angel of death right now…

With a choking suffocation the air grew thick suddenly. With a start he heard the thump, thump, thump as bodies hit the floor. Coughing and straining as they seemed to be pressed to the floor by gravity itself. With a hitch Tento’s body curled, his tall stature being cut as his knees shook and lowered.

The…the heck? What’s with this sudden pressure? He wasn’t unleashing everything before?!

With a strained sigh of breath, Tento thought and thought. If this was how this guy was going to be, he needed to get his squad out of-. With a beam that seemed to travel at blinding speed. Rays of beautiful light shone upon their bodies. Engulfing Tento’s comrades in a shine before quicking turning them to dust. All before their 5th seat could move to call upon any kido to give them aid. “No, no no..no not again!”. Tento spun as he gritted his teeth and blade. His determination to face this foe growing by the second.

In the not too far off distance he felt it. The Lioness woke up as he felt the shift of her energy. The intensity of her heat felt already as he heard the bitter sweet sound of her battle cry like laughter as she came throw like a wrecking ball. A burst of energy from Tento’s body was felt as his zanpakuto shifted in a wordless transformation in reaction. His left hand reaching out grab ahold of a fan made of feathers, the group of eight reflecting off a brown-white hue in the golden light. His spiritual energy jumped by levels as he squared himself off between this unknown danger only known in relatively, Metatron, and the wall of feminine power he had met a few times on the battlefield already, Amaranta.

However, with how he expected to face death today at the hand of two extremely powerful hollows. He got something else in entirety that was like a hallucination. Was she….trying to fight this guy?? But all records this made no sense, she had allied herself with Asher and his forces. By all means he knew she only cared about a good fight, but she seemed to want to be on their side to get the rush of combat from fighting the forces of earth. Don’t tell me… “You are freakin'”, he said in a sigh of disbelief before seeing the burning cero fire away. “Unbelievable woman!”. Tento yelled out as he flashed out of the way. He was not going to stay by her, for all he knew she was going to fight both of them. A bit of grace of an action as soon her burning cero was overwhelmed, crashing forward towards where they stood in a decreased pace.

With a flick of his fan two feathers shot out in a curved trajectory. Blending in with the wind to break apart and disperse around Metatron. For now. “As if! You can fight hot stuff or stay out of my way. But I am not going to give him all to you. I'M FIGHTING”. With a twirl of his chain Shiomaru began its spin. His fan moving a defensive position in front of himself as he flashed step over to increase his distance.

From his position on the ground just a short distance away from the great chasm, Metatron watched as the two little birds chirped at one another, apparently already familiar. Irrelevant. They would still be alone as they face judgement.

Three spheres of blinding white-gold energy appeared above the Zealot's head, each increasing the heaviness in the air substantially. Each shrunk until they were only a foot in diameter, their density increased multiple times over as they did. He watched and waited as the sinful woman in the air above him appeared to prepare another attack, all while the hypocrite Shinigami readied his own machinations. Did he think him blind? Metatron was without equal here below Heaven, the tactics of a so-called Death God were worthless before his Grace.

Upon the wave of flame sent forth from Amaranta's fingertips, one of the blinding spheres began splitting off and firing tiny chunks, each as strong as a Bala while somehow flying through the air even more quickly; dozens were shot at the fire, each exploding as the Reishi attacks collided. At the same time, the other two spheres repeated this process, only they were aimed for Amaranta and Tento themselves.

Appearing out of his flash step, sickle spinning in hand, the only initial response he had for her was a resounding ‘tch’, as he made sure to keep his eyes on the far more serious pressing matter above him. Energy and a stream of wind building within Shiomaru. Amaranta was by far the strongest hollow Tento had to face so far in his career as a Shinigami. He had grown by a few leaps since their first class, but their last class showed that he had only scratched the surface of being a challenge against her. And this Arrancar seemed to be even overpowering her with its force of energy. It was one thing to have an ocean worth of power, it was another to see it used. That ball of heat only reduced the ray light, which thankfully made his escape a lot easier, but still. Just what other tricks did this creature have in its bag?

“You better not go on a vacation here Amaranta”. He hollered out as Amaranta was flung afar he communed with his Zanptauko, seeing his feathers placed successfully unnoticed. For now. With the amount of power there was in those blasts, I don't know for sure if I can even use you to redirect and control those projectiles at this current level, Shiomaru. I may need to fight differently here…

That is yet to be seen, Young Master. Be cautious and proactive. If needed, delve into a deeper level you have. Be cautious of your energy and how you use it, you have less at your disposal than both of them.

I better be smart with what I have then…

With an impulse of energy a radiant wave of incandescent flame shocked downward in a pulse. Twisting and twirling in its destructive descent. With a twist of his hand, Tento roared as he slashed forward with Shiomaru, unleashing a twister of air that collided with her attack. Exploding the already devasting attack with fuel that caused the size to increase and the flames to be stoked. The elemental threat added on as it bared its fangs towards Metatron. “SOAR, SHIOMARU!!!”.

Tento could only hope that that would deal some sort of effort for the oncoming wave of attacks. But that was only the first of two others to worry about. If anything was clear from that intense built up of energy before it felt constrained. Those other incoming attacks were just as threatening.

“Danku…”, Tento said after a quick utterance of incantation. A double layer defensive wall outstretched far overhead from his and Amaranta’s position. The barrier was translucent but seemed to shimmer in the light of the built of energy in its fold. The modification of the kido spell combined the power of two of these #81 Bakudo. He needed time, just enough for them to get in position to counter.

If he would bet anything, she would have the same idea he did. This hollow was much like a few he had faced before. Quite fond with using ceros and balas, and a vast energy reserve to use it. The only true concern if he had any other tricks with them, but that was something that would be unavoidable. He needed to move fast, he could sense both of those walls already cracking under the onslaught, they would hold for long. So in the middle of the clashes of energy strikes and defensive walls. Tento would let loose an wordless incantation, using bakudo #30 Kyokko to mask his spiritual and physical presence before charging in a number of flash steps. Combining his approach with a smaller sized Danku that was condensed to overlay in front of his body as he aimed to get near Metatron. Shiomaru spun lightly in hand to gather more and more energy before, hopingly managing to appear above the Arrancar if he was lucky enough. Appearing out of the veil with a bubbling stream of wind building out of the sickle of Shiomaru ready to burst. A slash with all of his might came down, embedded and boldened by the wind that layered over his sickle to create a much larger sickle head with his zanpakuto's sickle head within. A free flowing current of wind inside that threatened to slice and saw into Metatron if it made contact.