Liu vs Yuki [The Colosseum of Madness Event]

It seems that I have underestimated her. Wait, no, not that. More like I forgot that we were still in a fight. Sort of. Well, this isn’t good regardless.

Thanks to the wolf’s enhanced senses she was able to detect the changes within the air in front of herself, although it was very faint. More than that, the woman was focusing upon her and building up energy, which couldn’t mean anything good. Her stance shifted into one that was more balanced, one braced for an impact. She lifted her right fist and then, despite not even being close yet to the Shinigami, she punched in her direction. Pressure filled the air, followed immediately by what sounded almost like an explosion, or perhaps some sort of sonic boom. Given the woman’s strength and Yuki’s current position within the air it was safe to say that this one attack would end the fight.

Unless I can avoid it. I didn’t want to use it this early, but it is either that or give up on this fight. Here goes nothing.

In a flash her left arm was forced forwards, popping it back into its socket. Her hand moved over to her face, fingers slipping beneath the black fabrics that covered her left eye. With a firm grip she tore it away, revealing the golden eye hidden beneath. A brilliant golden flame erupted outwards from it, flickering wildly within the air as it was activated. Spiritual energy poured outwards from the device, flooding her body with much needed reserves, especially considering what she was about to do.

Don’t lose yourself. Just enough to hit her.

Her right hand had shifted across her body, gripping upon the handle of her sheathed Zanpakutō. Drawn upwards, Yuki made certain not to fully remove it, leaving the very tip resting within the entrance so as not to completely break the rules. More than that, drawing it fully was not necessary, as it now crossed over the front of her body and face. If the Demon was so focused on her then this would be all that was needed.

“Howl, Kuchiku!”

A blinding red flash of light instantly erupted from the obsidian blade as the power of her shikai was unleashed. Within a split second her weapon had changed. Most differences were slight, such as the pure black tsuba and the ito, but perhaps the biggest change was the blade itself which now took on glowing red veins and whose back was no longer a smooth curve, instead now slightly blocky in its form. A clearly visible aura now covered the wolf’s body, darkening the region surrounding her with black flickering flames occasionally tinged briefly with hints of red. The only change to Yuki herself was her pupils, now contracting to something more closely resembling thin slits.

Energy coursed through her body, revitalizing her muscles while filling them with adrenaline. Any tired feelings that she might have had before were gone, at least for the moment. Bruises started to gradually disappear, as did smaller cuts. Wounds that were only held together before were now starting to heal. But this energy did more than repair her body; it made her much, much heavier, covering her in a dense protective flame. A portion of this flame extended beneath her right foot, condensing further until it became a platform.

Yuki’s foot touched down upon the platform of condensed energy, pushing her body into another leap, again aided by a flash step, in an attempt to move above the attack sent her way. However as she leaped upwards she also twisted her body around, flipping and spinning to reposition herself. As she passed over the Demon she remained upside down as another platform of condensed energy was created above her. The Shinigami’s feet slammed into the platform at such a high speed that more fractures were created within both feet, but these were immediately held together by the healing energy which flooded her body, and in a few moments they too would be on the path to recovery. Her body was forced into a crouch, condensing like a coiled spring before she kicked off yet again, rocketing straight down towards the Demon from above. If all went well then the sudden blinding flash from her Shikai might buy her a second or two, but then this woman was also incredibly strong, so it was possible that it had no effect whatsoever.

The young pup’s right hand gripped tightly upon the handle of her Zanpakutō, shaking as she forced it back into it’s sheathe and resisted drawing it. Now she fought a battle on two fronts: one with the Demon within and one with the Demon she faced. But all she had to do was keep her weapon sheathed. Neither of her hands would be used for attack. Instead her entire body acted like a torpedo as she intended on slamming her head right into the upper-back portion of her opponent’s head. If that didn’t do the trick, and the woman managed to shift out of the way, then her flailing tail, now dense and spiked like a mace, might have some chance, however it was uncontrolled and moving about wildly behind her, thrashing angrily at the air, so missing was entirely possible.

Regardless of the outcome this would be her last move. If she hit, then the impact would be great enough to possibly send her into unconsciousness, and while she might win their little game she would surely lose the match. That is, of course, unless she also knocked the woman out, but that was implausible due to their sheer difference in power. If she missed then she would leave herself open to a counter attack. Worse still, this form would take too much energy, and she would not be able to hold it for very long. All that mattered now was how well she came out of it.