How this world works

For a couple of years, he had been using his powers to walk through the dimensional fabric, using a technique very similar to a Senkaimon gate or a Garganta, though it was relatively faster then both, and like it was for Hollows, was usable by all Quincy. The forest of Menos was one of the places he enjoyed going to, the Quartz forest having a nice ring to it when the wind blew through it. As always, the forest was crowded with the lower classed Hollow and the Adjuchas that looked over the forest for the people of the white castle. During the time he spent in the forest, he had never really seen any Arrancar down there, which was a good thing for him. Hollow all knew that if they attacked him, they would most likely die before they’d even reach him, and he had no intention of attacking someone or something without a reason to do so. As such, one could say that they were living without actually harming one another, and that was the best way to go about it in a world that worked on feeding and killing one another. Why he came to a murderous place like the forest, he didn’t really know, though he liked the primal nature of the place, how everything living there could be dead the next time he got there, or could have gotten twice as strong by then. Hollow have been shown to be killers, but they were at least much more pure then humans, almost sharing a purity at the same level as a common animal.

With that thought in his mind, he would just keep on looking around to see more of the world. Sitting up high on a branch of quartz, he looked out over the forests lower area’s, watching how one Hollow would hunt down and kill the other. It’s very much like how animals fought each other in the material world, something that made it hard for him to see that beneath the ivory colored masks, they still had a human soul. He never really hated the Hollow race for killing his parents, he just hated the one that made the kill, for that was the only thing that seemed fair. Sure, there had been a time when he truly hated them, but after quite some time, he realized that it was thanks to people viewing things so black and white that wars and conflict came to be. Keeping his Reiatsu sensing ability at top notch in case something troublesome would come his way, he would just keep looking at the fighting and killing, enjoying it as if it were some kind of National Geographic Show on the television. Earlier, he had been fighting an Arrancar and a Shinigami in this same forest, and the broken down trees, cracked rocks and blast holes in the wall in the particular part of the forest were very visible. He realized that if he was to stay there, that someone might just come to him and see what had been going on.

Having done research and taking some of the residents to a better place, he used the Reishi of some of the stronger Hollow that claimed to be Vasto Lorde, to create something new for himself. Gaining some of the primary information when fighting several Arrancar and a couple of different Hollow in the forest, the information and the required ingredients had been more then present in the world of Hollow, of that there was no doubt. All that remained now was to see if this was going to be ready for battle, which was to be it’s primary use. Looking over a large open field, it seemed that most Hollow had taken to a different location, only seeing the occasional lonely soul wander the boundaries of the field to see if any food was to be found, after which it would then disappear again.

Noticing a portal opening in front of him on ground level, he looked over with a semi interested expression on his face. Normally, this kind of anomaly did not appear much, at least not near him, for this was the first time ever seeing something as strange as this. When a human shaped being stepped out, his sensory abilities noted that, in spite of his looks, this man was not a human, he merely looked like it. He would not be able to figure out what this guy was on his own, just because he had not seen this type of spiritual pressure before. It was not bigger then his was, so he would have no reason to really be on his guard more then usual, though the fact that it was entirely new was both intriguing and bothersome. Keeping him in the corner of his eye, he kept looking out over the forest, showing that he was only a little bit interested, and had no real plans of interaction with him. It seemed that the man had some sort of beef with him, for his gaze seemed to be locked on Hitoshi. He had never seen the guy before, though he did not have to be a psychic to be able to tell that he wanted something from him. Not being the most social of men when in Hueco Mundo, he just kept his mouth shut and his eyes and ears open, like any smart man or woman would do in a dangerous environment. When a lone Hollow appeared again and noticed the man, it rushed over to him in a flick of what seemed like hunger and rage, biting into him but not having the strength required to actually puncture his skin. Simply ripping off it’s mask as it did so, the lesser Hollow was quickly killed, and most likely only felt pain for a brief moment.

When it started talking to him, the man asked what someone like him was doing out in a place like this, and that he was quite out of place. It was a strange question, considering the guy was himself not a Hollow or an Arrancar, meaning he was just as much out of place as Hitoshi himself was. Hitoshi was only here because he was doing research, and because he enjoyed the environment quite a bit, not belonging to the place much at all. Still, the last months had been good to him, and most of that time had been spent in the forest of Menos. Shrugging his throat, he turned his attention to the strange creature, even though it was like part of it was still not really there, busy watching the landscape. “The Question is not whether I am out of place or not, but what place it is you would limit me too, rather then the one I am sitting on. Would you prefer it if I stuck to the material world, or do you not enjoy having me sit up in this particular spot?” he said, primarily joking about the things this thing had asked him. He did not fear this new guy, and his little display of power shown when he killed a lesser Hollow only meant that he was aggressive, not that he was strong, for most lesser souls could kill a Hollow. Despite this, he had however proven not to be a completely incompetent buffoon, so maybe it would turn out to be an interesting experience for the young Quincy.

“But in all seriousness, it seems the Hollow want you to be here even less then they want me around. You see, in time, these creatures accepted me, yet they still consider you as nothing more then food. Either they just don’t like you, or they just find your race to be tastier then mine. Now, if you would be so kind as to explain, just what are you?” he said, being entirely serious this time around. If the guy would turn out to be as aggressive to him as he was to the Hollow he killed, he would be fighting something he did not know, though he would not be put at a disadvantage. Just as he knew nothing about this new appearance, the guy would have limited information on him as a Quincy too, for he was nothing like the others back in the Material world. Some of the powers he had were hundreds of years old, while others had been updated to be relevant in the present, even others being creations of his own. Whatever would happen, Hitoshi would be as ready as possible.

“So you are capable of sensing spiritual pressure, I guess that is a testament to at least a slight amount of skill. I am indeed a Quincy, though that was to be seen by just looking at my clothing. The thing that takes a bit more skill is reading into this glove of mine, not many knew before hand that this glove has the power of a Shinigami inside of it. However, it is not something you should have to worry too much about, I do not use it very often” he said in response to the man and his statement about what he believed Hitoshi to be. Anyone could have made the primary guess as to him being a Quincy, for his wardrobe did not leave a whole lot of question. The white and blue of Quincy were the chosen colors of his ensemble, at least when headed into the spiritual world. It was relatively easy to spot from a distance, making it easier for most Hollow and creatures that wanted to be left alone to avoid him, which was just the way he liked it. He had his own things to do, his own studies to perform and had no time for foolish struggles. Currently, his studies in the behaviour and patterns of Hollows in the forest of Menos was quite important, though most people would not care to understand his reasons.

If one was to understand how a type of power functioned, how something brain worked, it needed to be studied up close. Hitoshi liked the forest, just like how he loved watching the lesser Hollow, that making his studies that much more fun and rewarding. Turning his attention back to the man, he let his thoughts drift for a while. “As to your rank, that does not mean a whole lot to me. I don’t know who Touketsu is, what Shadow fall is or what it means to be a grand duke, though you could say that this is just because of a lack of interest. Residents of hell don’t interest me as much as they might believe, because in the end, most of you are common murderers, cutthroats and thieves. Whether you’d be the son of Dracula or the son of a common peasant, the only thing that matters is whether you can fight or not. Status means nothing if you can’t raise a weapon or dish out a good beating. That’s why I like Hueco Mundo, in this place it’s everyone for himself, meaning that it is indeed a survival of the fittest kind of thing.” The Hollow of this world had taught him quite a bit about how unfair the world was. For just seeing them struggle to regain their sanity and satisfy their hunger showed that the problems of humans were incredibly trivial.

Letting a deep sigh escape his lips, he placed both hands behind his head as if he was strained by something, being tired of all the talking. To be honest, he felt like he was being quite forward with his questions, though he wished to know why this guy came up to him in the forest, interfering with his studies. “Now, lets get down to business. You came to me with a question, that question has been answered. That just leaves the reason as to why you came here in the first place. What is it you, Michael, want from me?” It was truly the last thing that still remained to be seen. The man had come here, stepping from some kind of gate to meet up with him for reasons currently beyond him, for he had no idea who the man was. Maybe he was here for someone, or maybe he wanted something Hitoshi had. In time, he would figure out the reasons behind the man’s sudden arrival, and likely a lot more then that.

Michael could not help but smile slightly as he heard the Quincies mouth, knowing very well that he didn't seem to care at all at what Michael had to say, though he did seem to comment on the ability of him to sense the Zanpaktou in the glove. Michael would close his eyes for a moment as he began to do something with his body. The blood in his own body would begin to be absorbed into the muscles in every corner of his body, and then instantly replaced with a new set of blood that was being re created by Michael's own Spiritual energy. As Michael did this, his outer appearance would not change and his own spiritual energy would not change as doing this drained him of less then a percent of his total power. Michael would then smile even wider as he heard the guy say that he knows nothing about Shadow Fall or his God. Michael could not allow that, now could he?

Michael looked at his opponent once he asked the question of what he wanted with him. Now that is the correct question my friend! You see, my job is to watch for attacks here in the Hollow World and any other place that is controlled by Shadowfall. I saw your reiastu signature on our screens, and I was wondering why you were not killing any Hollows, so I came down here.... Now that I realize that you don't seem to be aware of what a Grand Duke of Shadow Fall could do, or what Shadow Fall is in general. I have thought of showing you what they are capable of doing. As the last sentence started to leave Michael's mouth, Michael without even moving a finger or a part of his body would turn the sand behind his opponent's feet into blood. This was one of his many abilities that he could do with blood, and it would only get worse from there as two chains would come out of the blood and attempt to wrap around his opponent's legs to hold him in place. The chains what they lacked in holding power they made up for in speed, at this point only being able to hold the Quincy for a mere moment or two but that is all Michael needed.

Michael, in his current Blood State, was moving at twice the speed that he would normally be able to do and he even began to use the seals on his legs to active Shadow Movement This was the equivalent of a Shinigami's Shunpo or an Arrancar's Sonido. Michael would even take that a step farther, activating Shadow Burst which increased his speed even farther then before, increasing his total speed to nearly five times what it was before which at this point allowed him to be nearly a blur, if not vanish, to any person. Michael would appear in front of his opponent, and he would simply whisper

Demon Barrage!

Demon Barrage is much like Raiōken in the sheer number of attacks and speed at which the attacks are thrown. This attack was made all the more dangerous by the fact that Michael's own strength was at Master level and then further augmented by his Blood State, which increased his strength to be able to level 4 city blocks with a single punch. The Shadow Burst not only increased his speed but it effectively doubled his strength in his punches. This is also increased by the fact that Michael no longer has any organs in his upper body, expect for his eyes and brain and all that space was replaced with muscle tissue increasing his strength and speed in his upper body EVEN FARTHER! Then to make matters worse, Michael infused bits of his fist with Za Koa energy, and on contact with his opponent would explode outwards, effectively doubling the force in which his opponent was hit making this extremely dangerous to be hit by him. Then to make matters worse, mixed in with that massive array of hits was attacks that was made to pierce the skin and go into deep muscle tissue such as the heart and lungs.

This of course comes at a massive price for Michael though, as using this attack had literally shredded every muscle in his arm and parts of his upper body leaving his arms completely limp from the attack. Michael had to then active his regeneration for a moment, which quickly repaired the damage back to nearly perfect status which made Michael able to lift his arms again, though he knew well enough that he could not keep doing that to this guy and still remain able to fight as his regenerative ability would soon stop and he would then be screwed.

Look here for reference on what Raiōken is.

Spoiler:

Listening to what the guy had to say, it seemed like a bunch of posh words and ramblings, stuff he did not much care about. He never bothered to listen to the ramblings of others, for most people became bothersome after a while, believing themselves to be stronger then their adversary without even knowing what they were up against. For instance, this guy believed that because Hitoshi had no knowledge of him or his group of weirdo’s, that he would be in a position to beat him. Knowledge could be a deciding factor, though he had learned from experience that those looking for shelter in knowledge, would not find what they were looking for. One of the things this guy should keep in mind was the fact that there was no race that had a greater skill at reading spiritual pressure then a true Quincy. Letting his senses drift, he felt that something was happening behind him, a spiritual pressure similar to that of the guy in front of him. After the things this guy told him, he knew better then to wait for it to hit him, making use of his Hirenkyaku to step out of harms way. Landing about ten meters from his initial location, he saw the strange chains that were obviously meant to restrain him fly through the air, not hitting their desired target.

Setting up a plan to fight back, he watched as the demon performed some unholy rite to empower his own body. When he dashed towards him, it was not that hard for him to figure out that whatever he had done to himself had boosted his physical prowess quite a bit. Not being willing to let this guy just do as he pleased, he refused to go into a defensive stance, instead launching himself at the demon. By altering his Blut ability to go from defense to offense, he would be able to hold out with striking at the same amount of power as this guy, though he was known to be a very fast individual. Capable of trading punches with the guy, he let his energy flow into his shadow, rapidly forming an exact copy of his own body. Hitoshi felt a strain being put on his fists when he countered the raw force of the demon, though he would not simply give up and get hit. As the copy formed, he would perform a roundhouse kick aimed at his side, thus ending the short yet high paced brawl between the two. This was Hitoshi’s unique power, the Shadow Soul, an exact copy of himself that had the same powers as the original, but was capable of moving independent of him. If the roundhouse kick would hit, it would not give this guy the time to break off and heal his internal wounds.

Regardless of hitting the guy with the kick, he would continue to remain close, both the original and the copy. Forming weaponry out of Hueco Mundo’s particles, Hitoshi and his clone both formed a shining blue short sword in what seemed to be only a split second. Even though it was created on a whim, his mastery over reishi and their further manipulation was not something that should be underestimated, for this particular weapon would have no trouble at all with taking an arm off. The aim was to keep this guy from receiving any kind of rest to do what he had just done, or to fix the damage dealt to his body by keeping within range, ready to lop off a limb if he got careless. “You’re getting slower kid, maybe all that knowledge about me and all those big words you spoke earlier hold less value then you had hoped” he said, keeping his straight, emotionless facial expression while saying something that could be considered to be a provocation. Surely, whatever was going to happen now was only going to be flashier then what had happened now, and be more in Hitoshi’s favor.

He already knew about his hidden weapon, so there would be no point in restraining what he held in his glove. If this so called demon wanted to fight all out, he would show him that the power of a Quincy was not something that should be underestimated so easily, for the amount of tricks he had up his sleeve were far from depleted. The guy would have a hard time healing his wounds if he was constantly harassed and attacked in close range, placing this battle in his hands. If it would keep up as it did now, Hitoshi was very certain of his victory.

Interesting enough, this guy had just altered the terrain and turned it into a crimson red substance, obviously being the stuff this guy was taking such pride in, blood. Luckily for him, his Hirenkyaku made it so that he did not need to touch the ground in order to find footing, dashing up into the air and standing on what seemed to be nothing more then the air that surrounded them. Sending his clone to take place up high in one of the Quartz trees, he would save it there for later, feeling that things would be best handled by taking point and just watching the terrain for now. The copy would be taking the time to watch what was going on while Hitoshi himself would take care of the bloody tentacles that had sprouted from the area around him. Applying his own physical speed and the blade in his hand, he would cut the closest tentacle away, repeating this process several times. Slicing through it like a hot knife through butter, he could feel that the bloody substance was dense, most likely so due to whatever kind of power this guy was using to both create and control it.

Stepping out of harms way, he hovered about ten meters above the ground, far enough for the tentacles to take way too much time to get to him before he would be able to dodge it with ease. “I’ve got a good idea that might make this more... fun for the both of us. How about I release something I doubt you’ve ever had the privilege of fighting against. It’s a rare form of power that very few of my people still have, for most of them have chosen to indulge in acts that poison their very core. You see, some call this the power of god, the ability to reshape the land and make it so that every tree, every rock, every little grain of sand becomes a weapon of my choice...” he said, looking at the demon that would now get the chance to heal himself back to normal, obviously at the cost of his total amount of energy. Surely, regenerating his body internally took a lot out of a man, that much was certain. Still, Hitoshi took no pride in fighting an opponent that had already sustained damage due to his own choosing.

Hitoshi was not a man of god, and he did not follow the teachings of the Quincy for that reason. Still, there was no denying that his power was something most spiritual creatures would do well to fear, for underestimating a thing like that would take someones very life away in an instant, one single display of an almost absolute power in the spiritual world. It was funny to him, to believe that a mere human would have a power such as his own, especially when most of the other races bragged so much about the things they could do. This guy claimed to be a Duke in Hell, which was obviously quite a title to hold when so many people of the current day and age stood neck deep in sin. Even so, holding a title such as his own would mean nothing to Hitoshi, a man who had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. “Now, once you’ve taken the time to fully regenerate that body of yours, I will allow you to choose the direction this fight will be taking next. The choices you get are simple, I give you the options A, B and C, while I decide what I will tie to the option” he explained.

“So if you are up for a little gamble, you may pick option A, B or C and then see what happens next. If you really want things to become interesting, I suggest you take this time to make your choice. Oh, and when you do, I suggest you release the full brunt of your power, or I can assure you that your life might be forfeit in less then a minute”. It was not pride that made him say these things, it was the knowledge that this power was too much for some people to handle, and that his own augmented power would be quite capable of ending the fight in very little time. There was nothing else he could do now, nothing other then waiting and watching his environment, making sure none of the tentacles hit him while he waited for the man to make his choice.