Ashes to Ashes, We All Fall Down! [Africatastrophe Part II]

Alarms rang throughout the Seireitei, alerting the Gotei to the sudden influx of terrible enemies coming out of the gaping chasm in Africa. Not only that, but first reports indicated the enemy forces had help from other Hollows as well, forming a mighty union that was overwhelming the first line of defense stationed at the hole.

The second alarms starting ringing Captain Nagoshi Kanae of the Fourth Division was already sprinting to the now-opened Senkaimon for first responders. Her and Tosatsusha had missed out on all the fun the first go around, and didn't plan on sitting on the sidelines again. Especially not after another Captain came back a mess of himself. Gotei members were pouring through the Senkaimon already when Kanae made it there, and with no concern for the rest she swiftly Flash Stepped through the dimensional doorway.

Stepping out into the Living Realm, Kanae was greeted with sights of war and was struck by a powerful sense of nostalgia. She let out a contented sigh as her violet gaze took in the battlefield playing out in front of her. The booming battle cries and screams of terror filled her ears like a deafening symphony of death, and she was one of the lucky few with front row seats.

"Beautiful."

In a flash Kanae was on the ground, gracefully cutting through hordes of enemy soldiers. Both Hollow and Arrancar fell to her blade in a dance of elegant brutality as she cut a swath through their forces. Her Captain's haori was miraculously unsoiled even as she butchered enough foes to nearly reach the chasm from which they poured.

We're surrounded, Kanae.
By an army of corpses.

The din of battle was enough to call any warrior to the frontlines. Asher, the Warlord of Alhireth, was certainly no different in that regard. Mounting one of the several Hollows under his command who could fly with exceptional quickness, he left the hole and looked downward, his mount spitting cero to cut swathes through the armies with only the most cursory care for friend or foe. There were other Hollows who were not his own on this field, and he might well have gone straight to them, were it not for a singular piece of attire that caught his eye–

The white coat that he recognized from his prior bout. The bearer cut through his lesser forces with ease, it seemed, and it certainly separated her from those around her. With that same style of weapon, and that same attire, Asher knew without any doubt that this was another Captain, as Yuuto Hisakawa had been before. Such a thing made the blood coursing through his veins pump all the more intensely, and with a warcry, he leapt from his mount, his axe cleaving through everything in sight at his place of landing. Standing upright, he made one more dash for the one he recognized to surely be Captain, a blood-red wake of energy following behind him and cutting any shinigami he passed to bits.

The moment he was in reach, his axe swung downward with all his strength, enough to easily rend most in two without the slightest effort. Asher’s gaze, despite being nothing but a pair of red glows behind his mask, seemed to carry a certain exuberance behind it, a revelry in battle without any intention of letting an opportunity go to waste.

“Give me your name. And tell me, woman. Are you indeed a Captain of the Gotei United?”.

These words meant little to Asher, still no greater context for them in his mind. All that mattered was that his previous exceptional opponent had borne such a title, and worn such a coat. If she was at his level, this would be another spectacular match.

Amidst the torrent of death around her, Kanae stood untouched and unblemished. Those without a name worth remembering were slain swiftly and remorselessly by the murderous Captain who reveled in the scene of death and despair. She and Tosatsusha hadn't felt this joyous since they had swept through Quincy villages like a bloodthirsty storm over a thousand years ago. Not typically prone to such nostalgia, they both found themselves enraptured by the sensations of war nonetheless.

As the fight continued on Kanae could sense more and more heavy hitters across the battlefield. There were plenty of powerful warriors on the side of the Hollows, and she could sense members of her squad like that rambunctious Shura and easily-scapegoated Tento entering the fray. Many of the Fourth's lower seated officers and foot soldiers had also gone through the Senkaimon to fight the monstrous horde. If nothing else, Kanae thought, when they all die she could claim credit for her Division's so-called "sacrifices".

Turning on her heel toward the hole, Kanae sensed an adversary far more dangerous than those around her leaving the hole. Clearly a general or mighty champion of the enemy, this figure wasted no time in slaughtering friend and foe alike as it flew atop another Hollow. Kanae could appreciate it's brutal willingness to mow down all it came across with no remorse for allies unlucky enough to find themselves within its crosshairs.

It's coming straight for us, Kanae...and it's extremely strong! warned Kanae's Zanpakuto as it did exactly as Tosatsusha said. The champion leapt to the ground and immediately set its sights on Kanae, who replaced her weapon in its holder and prepared for the Arrancar to come to her. As it neared, cutting swaths through all those around it, Kanae had a realization almost too late That's no Arrancar!. In the moment before Asher swung it's mammoth axe down upon Kanae she wordlessly released her Zanpakuto and swung it up to meet him, but even with her Shikai the overwhelming force behind the Hollow's blow caused her to drop to one knee, shattering the ground below while pain rocketed throughout her arms and legs.

Through gritted teeth Kanae answered Asher, vitriol in her voice "I am a Captain, but you can call me Death!"


Darkness draped over the surrounding area and the visage of a full moon appeared high above, an illusion to all those within range signifying the beginning of Kanae's midnight hunt. Powerful Spiritual Pressure emanated from her glowing body and sword, both of which now a bright green hue, spreading terror through those still daring to stand near her and Asher. With her newly unleashed strength Kanae shoved away the Hollow's axe with all her might before taking a step back and addressing her foe.

"Tell me, how does a Hollow freak like yourself from a big hole in the ground know about Gotei Captains?"

Asher was pleased enough at the fact that his opponent hadn’t simply been cut in two from his blow, though watching her fall to one knee from the first blow was faintly disappointing. Still, as she spoke back to him with such transparent vitriol, and confirmed that she was indeed another that bore the title of Captain, Asher felt all the more vigor rush through him. Though this new wave of spiritual power was certainly impressive, Asher merely rebuffed it with his own, letting the full extent of his pressure loose without any concern for how it would impact others on the battlefield.

“I was told of that title by Yuuto Hisakawa. A worthy foe. I expect you to meet that same level of strength!”

He may have been pushed backward, but Asher just as quickly returned to the offensive, seemingly unconcerned with Kanae’s intense release. After all, so far as he was concerned, it was nothing but a war cry and a showing of power. He had no concept of these releases or their meaning, the higher power and the forms of a zanpakuto. Asher was from the depths, where there was only sheer strength to determine one’s prowess. He took one step forward as his axe swung toward Kanae from the side, fully intent on cleaving her in two. She had blocked his first strike, but he could sense from her defense that he had the advantage with regard to might. It was simply a matter of crushing her, refusing to give her any chance to flee.

“You wish to give only a false name, but you have chosen poorly. If Death is your moniker, then indeed that will be all you are to me. One more death on my path of conquest!”

So this is the thing that felled Yuuto Hisakawa. thought Kanae as she glared at the Hollow monstrosity standing before her. She was no fan of pain or peril, unless it was others feeling them at her hand. Despite her ever-present thirst for blood, she wasn't some battle-starved beast like her predecessors in the Fourth and Eleventh Divisions. Even among her subordinates were those who fanatically sought out a good, challenging fight. But not Kanae. Her only wish was to inflict such things upon any and all she can. In the face of Asher however, both Kanae and Tosatsusha knew they have to fight.

"Oh, that's all you expect? How impudent." Even if Asher could out-muscule her, Kanae knew she could rely on her speed to win the day. When the Hollow's monstrous axe came sweeping towards her Kanae ducked and rolled forward beneath both it and Asher's outstretched arm, using his gargantuan size against him. "Hanya Jincho-ryu: Sazaeta." Accompanying these words came a rapid flurry of slashes of Kanae's sword against Asher, all of which came with a healthy helping of highly-corrosive acid that was coating her Zanpakuto.

With another roll forward Kanae put a handful of feet between herself and Asher. At the end of the roll she gracefully spun on her right foot and used her momentum to carry herself further away from the Hollow, during which she slashed with her Zanpakuto and fired a Tengoku Taishokukan at him. This wide arc of caustic acid flew through the air at Asher like an emerald guillotine as Kanae shouted a retort to his claim of conquest "Your conquest ended at my blade, Hollow!"

The woman's strength was impressive, to a degree that Asher was at first surprised by. But as he more closely felt at the wounds he'd received, the corrosion made clear to him, there was some faint sense of disappointment about him as he continued to fight. Not nearly so impressive as his previous foe so far. As the viridian crescent shot toward Asher, he once again swung his axe toward it, crashing through the acid as it did so. The axe, however, quickly began to melt away from the impact, a sacrifice for that defense.

Not that it mattered. It was, after all, nothing but an axe.

"To deny the will of lesser warriors is the nature of strength. Prove then that your words are not empty."

Asher once more shot toward Kanae at speeds far faster than seemed reasonable for a creature of his size, countless blood-red slashes left in his wake as he approached. All at once, the flesh on both of his forearms peeled itself away, forming into tendrils that glowed with searing heat even as the bone below became visible. Swinging both in a cross-shaped attack toward the woman, Asher refused to give her any pause. The heat of those attacks alone would be enough to kill anyone, but he was a Hollow. If she wished to utilize acidic power, then it was only right that Asher demonstrate his own corrosive touch, as well.

Seeing the creature's axe melt away was a sure sign her acid would be effective in this fight. Unfortunately for Kanae, what seemed to disprove that was Asher's shrugging off of her Sazaeta technique, an attack which, when combined with her acid, typically left little more than a pile of meat chunks behind much less an otherwise-fine, ready-to-counterattack Hollow. "Tch." uttered Kanae, annoyed by her enemy's durability.

"I need prove nothing to a lowly Hollow."

What came next was far worse for the Captain than just her acid proving less effective than she wanted. Though Asher was quicker than expected, Kanae remained confident she was faster; the real problem was his powers being a mystery to her. Part of this mystery was unveiled when his arms seemed to tear apart and subsequently form tendrils that super heated to the point of causing the air around them to shimmer. Even with her superhuman durability Kanae knew getting hit by those would be bad news. As Asher whipped them at her in the form of a cross, Kanae met him head on with a cross slash of her own as she performed a double Tengoku Taishokukan to hopefully slice into the Hollow with more corrosive arcs of acid. When she did, Kanae felt the tip of one of the burning hot tendrils lick at her arm, searing a hole through her Captain haori and Shihakushō as it did. Beneath her burnt clothing was reddened and blackened skin, further igniting Kanae's hatred for Asher.

"You won't even be a stain on my blade."

The slashes thrown toward Asher were transparently more dangerous than her previous flurry. These were more intense, more directed, and there was strength behind them that gave this battle more intensity in his mind. Good, that was exactly what he'd come for. The mask covering his face might have hidden it, but there was an overwhelming sense that Asher was smiling as Kanae's strikes met his chest directly. A burning corrosion that would surely scar, even through his impressive power.

"A blade that underestimates me will only shatter, rusted and dull."

Maintaining his offensive, Asher let out a mighty roar, loud enough that it certainly could have deafened weaker men just from the intensity, and black mist suddenly began to spill out from his helmet, even as his glowing red eyes remained visible. It was a thick, choking presence, one that cloaked even spiritual sight in the deepest dusk. To be king of all beasts was not simply to be a warrior; it was to be a predator, to hunt and take down an opponent when they could scarcely see it coming. It was dangerous enough of an offensive, with that encroaching darkness, and Asher would certainly have been willing to maintain it.

However, victory was not a simple matter of fighting alone. A conqueror used those below them to their fullest, and even as he continued to lash out toward Kanae, burning hot tendrils still swinging toward her, the hollow he had ridden into the fray swooped in from overhead, cero shooting from its eyes once more down toward the both of them. Asher was unconcerned, for he was perfectly used to injuries such as that. But was this woman? This Captain? He would have to see.

For the first time in a millennium, Nagoshi Kanae was truly surprised by her opponent. Not only was he proving a dangerous adversary for other reasons, but she couldn't remember anyone who could take her Tengoku Taishokukan head-on like this. Not even that bastard Arkin had so easily shrugged off a direct hit from this attack, and here this monster was doing it repeatedly. Beyond her lack of headway against Asher, Kanae grimaced at the pain of burnt flesh on the back of her left forearm.

We always have that up our sleeve, Kanae. We would end this creature in a second.
We cannot! That must be saved for the finale, we can't justify using it against a mere Hollow.

"Enough talk, creature!" shouted Kanae as she prepared for Asher's next assault. His deafening roar caused Kanae's left hand to shoot up and cover an ear, but she remained standing otherwise. Her violet gaze did not leave him for a second even black smoke began billowing from his helmet. Throughout this all, her sword remained lodged ever-so-slightly in the ground. The most perceptive individual may notice a continuous stream of acid slowly leaking down the sword's edge, though from Asher's position he may not have any clue what is occurring.

As the blazing tendrils continued to lash at her like fiery whips, Kanae narrowly dodged to-and-fro, avoiding them by just a hair on more than one occasion. The radiating heat still managed to singe both her clothes and skin beneath, leaving her body covered in painful brands. Had that black mist not been tainting the field of battle she may have been able to avoid Asher's assault, but her strategy necessitated staying near him. All the while as she danced about, Kanae would stab the tip of Tosatsusha into the ground, leaving a trail of golf ball-sized holes of an unknown depth.

And then came the sound of buffeting wings.

Through the thick, claustrophobic mist Kanae struggled to spiritually sense the location of Asher's mount, but she surmised the general direction was coming from by listening intently to the sounds of the world around her. Kanae focused on where she believed the creature would be swooping down from and swiftly rolled beneath Asher's tendrils and to the other side of his gargantuan body, seeking to use his towering self as a bastion against whatever attack from above was in store for her. Kanae felt the mammoth energy washing over them, her already-burnt up body struggling against the mighty Cero. Despite resounding pain on her every limb, Kanae fought through it so that her plan may prove a success.

With a quick Flash Step, Kanae created separated between herself and the Hollow conqueror. She placed her Zanpakuto back in its holder and looked on with an unimpressed gaze as she addressed her foe once again "If this is all you have to offer, Hollow, then you shouldn't have left your little hole. But don't worry, I've prepared another for you!" As she said this Kanae lifted her right leg and stomped it down with crushing power, sending out large cracks across the barren ground and shattering the earth beneath Asher's feet. As it crumbled away, a sinkhole would reveal an underground pool of vibrant green acid ready to act as both a crematorium and grave site for the mighty Asher.

Very good. Asher could have maintained the offensive, certainly, but he wanted to see what this Captain could bring to the table. Was she as strong as his previous foe? As the ground crumbled beneath him, however, Asher's instincts took over. He would not lose his footing, but attempting to attack the woman wasn't something he was certain would succeed. Instead, he lept backward, his speed impressive, even if not at the same degree as a flash step, and studied the acid in the hole for a moment as he stood at the precipice of the newly formed crater.

"Enough talk? Then keep your own mouth shut, woman."

The choking mist only continued to fill the air around them, but for Asher, that was no concern. His mount above continued to hover overhead, cero bursting from its eyes and continuing to scorch Kanae's general area. Asher himself retracted the tendrils he'd formed, raising a now-reformed arm upward and slashing down his forearm with one of the horns on his mask. Blood spilled outward from the wound, but rather than dripping to the ground, it quickly coalesced above him, until countless globules of blood formed and rocketed toward Kanae like bala.

If she wished to test his mettle through trickery rather than direct violence, he would gladly match her in that, as well. Victory, conquest, these things were not simply won through strength, but through guile. Still, the collapse that the woman had created seemed to have been more dangerous than Asher had initially expected. Even the corrupted rubble, and the splashes of acid from the earth collapsing into it, had left him pockmarked with burning wounds. A very different sort of enemy it seemed, but for now, still worthy of Asher's attention.