What Do You Fight For?[Hannah, Solomon]

"Call it madness. Call it foolishness. I can't avoid the battlefield. That echelon of fighters that you speak of... I want to reach it. I acknowledge where I am, and I do not deny your words, but I fight in a division where we are all demanded to fight on the frontlines. I have seen the men and women of our division fight, bearing their teeth in spite of the futility of it all. Even now, can you truly say you aren't bearing your fangs against me now even though you can draw me back from the precipice of death? As it is now, I'm little more than a meat puppet for kido practice."

It was humorous for her to say those words. She was not relenting in her charge. She was not offering him mercy. She was treating him as every other opponent beyond his station, as though he were worth little more than the attention of an ant. There was almost as if there was a joy to the way she was displaying her array of spells. As if he were a moving target. As if letting loose had truly been a release she longed for.

No matter what, death was inevitable. Experiment. Adaptation. Evolution. Volume and Creation. There was a fundamental lesson to learn here. Foolishly swinging his word expecting himself to cleave through everything in one single stroke was foolhardy.

An act worthy of supreme ridicule. No matter what, he was a stubbornly foolish man. He ought to have ran away after his first dance with death---yet here he stood, rising from the ground. A maniacal roar of laughter followed. What was she truly trying to teach him here? How to die? He was indulging an act of madness to begin with. He was tired of being overlooked. He desired to embody a realm of divine strength wherein he was truly acknowledged, an undeniable threat that demanded attention. If he had to master the core of reishi absorption, he would pursue it. If he had to master the core of spellcraft, he would pursue it.

"No matter what happens... whether on the frontlines or fighting away from the battlefield... death is inevitable. No one gets to choose how they go out. Ha, so what the hell? Why not let loose and keep going out with a bang?"

Again, she poised her upraised sword in preparation for another attack. There was no hint of mercy. No desire to hold back at his expense. And so, the only thing that went through his mind was treating her with the same level of aggression. His only means of defense was offering his all to the defensive system of blut, manifesting several lines of azure in an effort to defend himself.

A similar result followed simply due to the divide in strength between them. Not a fighter? How did one fight against such maddeningly overwhelming attacks? It was all so laughably foolish. A farce if there ever was. And that was why he couldn't contain his laughter even as his body fell to the ground again, convulsing yet again as it did before.

The subtle change was that even in this charred state, near-irreparable, almost even skeletal state... he was cackling, or whatever could be considered breathing in this mangled state. What a reckless idiot. A mere fool of a man. Yet, fool though he was, Solomon had made his vow before he entered this barrier. If he walked away from this without a shift in approach, then it would be all for naught. And he dared not humor such a thought.

'Nice to know the strain of that one is as expected' Hannah would think, exhaling. Wasn't something that wiped her out or anything, but it definitely wasn't something to rapid fire either.

"A stubborn fool to the very end. Which Trickster God made Elyss in the form of a cute guy?" Hannah would ask herself, giving a gentle laugh, before shining the light of Kaido on him again to bring him back to the lands of the living, once again. Should it feel bad that she had just killed what could be considered a friend, twice now, and didn't particularly mind? It was consensual, sure, but still.....

'It is part of who we are now' Daisy muttered, hanging around inside Hannah.
'Mmm. Both sides are, I guess. Still a hard thing to admit, let alone accept'

Still, Solomon had equated himself pretty well. To handle Atomic like this, boded well for his ability to fend off most normal threats to his life. Hannah just hoped he would learn a better way to going about things than how he was right now.

Such reckless abandon with his life truly was sheer madness, the inklings of a desperate mind that yearned for a strength worth it's weight gold. One with a more reasonable mind would not dare humor the thought of pursuing this route of training any further, but his mind exceeded reasonable thought now. His bones were a mess, his flesh equally so, and he could no longer tell whether or not this was the result of an extended dream playing a cruel game at his expense, or if his mind truly was unraveling apart at the seams.

Even so, he would not dare accuse her of foul play. He demanded it. He willingly undertook this harrowing state of affairs, no matter what the result lead to. Did he care about who it would hurt if she truly eliminated him entirely? No, precisely because he wanted to increase his chance to survive in an environment where there was no guarantee at being drawn away from the embrace of death, he resolved to stand here and now. Firstly, there was acknowledging where he went wrong. There was acknowledging his disadvantage. Adapting to and adhering to the flow of energy.

Even if her mastery over the demon arts transcended every ability in his possession, like the clear divide between heaven and hearth, there was an undeniable principle that could hardly be overlooked. There was more to battle than swinging a sword like a madman. There was the principle of energy. The art of manipulating that energy.

Coalesce and create, there was an artistry to constructing techniques that could freely and effortlessly bestow death. Shifting between one discipline to another, accumulating knowledge and reacting accordingly with the information granted in the heat of battle. His body convulsed again, tearing another rough gasp from his throat. Firmly rising from his place on the ground, Solomon exhaled as he surveyed his condition. Drawing his fingers through the air, as though writing a symbol, he echoed a chant.

"Call the cloud and all it utters - lord of lightning, lord of storms. Draw the drops of the sky together...Break the back of burning weather... Lord of lightning, lord of storms---Thor!"

Weaving that aria into existence, Solomon slashed his blade through the air, manipulating and molding the electrical columns of electricity within the air until they resembled a thunderous array of lightning bolts. There were several in number, and he loosed that numerous wave with the studied poise of a bowman, thrusting his blade through the air. The countless number of bolts would be set forward at an imperceptible rate of fire, dancing through the barrier as they gained momentum. It wasn't even an attempt on her person when he initially launched each bolt.

No, he was merely studying the way his own energy worked, what he could weave with his own two hands. Of course, eventually the bolts would settle on Hannah as their true target. Wrapping his fingers around the Sanrei Glove, Solomon offered a bold grin as another spirit weapon formed at his side. An elaborately designed axe, large as it was imposing. Using the reishi surrounding his own form in the air to buoy sword and axe, Solomon turned his gaze to Hannah.

"Let's take this from the top shall we?"

Without pause, he broke the bonds that held his Sanrei glove together. Subsequently, his body was engulfed by a tumult of lightning as the voltaic energy consumed him whole. Letz Stil. There was no holding back, but he would no longer be attacking her as if he were a mere fool looking for a death wish. Adapting to her principles, studying her way of combat, toying with the energy, exploring what it all meant. Everything from the front to the back. Exciting! So foolishly exciting! He wanted to reach it... to seize that knowledge for his own. There was a method for every form of madness in the world, after all. He simply wanted to see how far his own went.

Grabbing onto his weapons, he approached her methodically. How much of her attacks could he attempt to consume and eat away at to power his own he wondered? Could he even perform such a feat at all? Doubtful, but then everything up until now had been preposterous. What was the harm in humoring one more act of brash indecision? At least he was learning...

Finally, he was taking this seriously, with his Letz Stil. She wanted to teach him so much about the concept of his powers, but he just wasn't giving her the slightest bit to do that, and it was sad. Until now, of course, which was great. So as he spoke his words, she did her own.

"Grow for me, Daisy" Hannah would have her sword dissolve into flower petals, which formed into a showl around her shoulders. With her picking up a larger portion of the reiatsu, Hannah didn't have to focus on Shadow-casting anymore, and could weave far more elegant nets in the world. The lightning that flew around was noticed, and finally she could show him the beauty of the elements.

"Kōri joō-hō" she incanted, wildly modifying Hyōga Seiran to create four crystal-clear mirrors of ice that took the lightning and cracked some, though held stable.

"From the top. Elemental powers are far more complicated than powers that simply bludgeon the enemy into a paste with raw force. Because elements can interact with elements, air sucking out fire, fire melting ice, pure ice insulating lightning. You need to know a lot about science if you are going to be flinging lightning around. Though at the same time, there is a lot of fun things you can do with lightning once you know what you can do beyond simple bolts"

"Yes. I've been foolishly approaching this battle like a fool asking for a death wish. rightfully paying for each misstep at every turn. Mindlessly swinging my sword and casting lightning without a rhyme or rhythm to the whole process. I ought to be more than the blade in my hand, more than the simple bolts of thunder I create. Expansion. Manipulation. Magnetism. Negative and positive discharge. Exploring different layers and levels of voltage. Hahaha... I truly have been fighting like a fool so far, haven't I?"

Solomon callously derided himself, maintaining his bold grin as noted his lightning bolts crashing against pillars of ice. He wasn't morbidly seeking to reflect on his failures from the two battles prior. No, his intent was to remind himself that there was a way of truly tapping into this energy that didn't require him charging in without a gameplan, something that didn't need to involve flinging his bolts of electricity forward in hopes they would land a decisive blow.

There was an art form to all of it. Redirection. Misdirection. Manipulation. Execution. What would happen if he created a series of pillars that used his blade as a catalyst. What would happen if he created a territory of lightning that forced his enemy to think wisely about their approach. Magnetism! What if he mixed pillars together with rings, increasing the voltage and weigh of his attacks? With other catalysts and spells? It was all so exciting, as comical as it was entertaining.

Sword and axe in hand, Solomon drew several arcs through the air as his body moved about, as though engaged in an isolated dance. From an observer's point of view, one might of took his actions as those of a mind lost to the madness of this confrontation. In time, his dance would make his intention abundantly clear. Large pillars of lightning rotated around him like spinning tops.

Like conductors of electricity, they released voltaic energy within the barrier, as though threatening to consume and swallow the two warriors whole. Manipulating a few of those pillars into rotating rings, Solomon swung his axe forward, launching that thunderous weapon through each rotating circle as if it were a makeshift railgun.

The axe would reach those pillars of ice in a lightning-quick flash, transcending beyond the realm of normalcy. Whether they would break through was another matter entirely, but he paid that no mind. The rings were freely manipulated and transitioned into his spirit weapon, Keraunos. The lightning pillars that surrounded him were voraciously consumed, returning unto him as his blade now resembled a massive column of thunder.

A divine blade of Thor given physical form. There was more to this than simply flinging and flailing the sword about. There was a process to it all. His was an element that required ideal focus and preparation. Unlike before, he did not rush forward to attack. He held his composure, maintaining his fierce gaze as he prepared for an even greater strike.

"Yes, you have. I am glad it took you only two deaths to realize that" Hannah would reply, with a coy smile, putting a Danku into Daisy for use when needed. And then, Solomon would start some kind of build-up dance. It looked cool, and would probably even be pretty strong, but Hannah flicked her finger and used the present ice to turn into a million shards and fire at him in a literal hailstorm. Getting swiss-cheesed by really sharp ice was a little distracting when it came to powers. There was no doubt he could manipulate the pillars into blocking, but that meant he couldn't use them offensively while he was doing that.

"Flashy build ups and long charge times looks great, but make sure you are in the right position to use them. Few people are gonna stand and watch you till you are ready. Fights are very rarely about the one big blow, but rather a lot of little blows to push your opponent into the position where you can unleash your one big blow.

A good strategy is to not make plans beyond the current attack you are making or receiving. Otherwise, you are out of step, have to recover your place in the fight, and have wasted a lot of mental energy that might put you in an even worse position"

The relentless hailstorm of ice did certainly demand a sudden defense that robbed him of following up with another attack. The column of thunder's form was manipulated into a net of electricity to defend against the onslaught of shards raining throughout the barrier. Another misstep, another lesson learned. Execute your stronger techniques from a vantage point where the enemy cannot readily approach you. If such an approach proves faulty, wear him out through several engagements with smaller segments of attacks. Acknowledging her wise words, Solomon supposed that his options were limited.

His Letz Stil would draw to a close soon. Even so, he wondered what limit lied beyond that realm of transcendence. How many reishi particles could the body feasibly contain after it forcibly sealed itself for the sake of self-preservation? He wanted to push this train of thought as far as it could go. To remove all notion of limit. He had already risked death before. What was the harm throwing himself into those fatal jaws again?

Madness. Foolishly bold madness. Yet, only he was capable of housing such idiotic tenacity. No soul in possession of composed thought would dare ponder such a dangerous idea. Sweeping his blade upward, the column that transitioned into a net was once again transmuted, splitting apart into several of thousand blades that dotted the enclosed sky above them. At the snap of his fingers, each of azure blades plummeted from the sky, aiming to break Hannah's barrier. His nose began to bleed, but he paid no heed to it. He pushed himself ever further, forcibly siphoning every iota of reishi that existed in the area.

Greedily feeding off of the barrier, greedily feeding off of the ice that might well follow behind him to strike him down. A free-flowing state of consumption. Another column of voltaic energy shrouded his blade. Extending his opposite hand out as though controlling something in the air, the secondary spirit weapon that had earned no purchase returned to his hand. A burst of Hirenkyaku in his ultimate state carried him forward nigh-instantaneously, and there he was, the ideal position to break through her defenses, come hell or high water. Sword and axe in hand, Solomon took away from his own attack to bolster the axe, forcibly filling it with every degree of reishi it could contain.

"Twilight of the Thunder God!"

Axe and sword fell, releasing a colossal cross-shaped blast of lightning that would ultimately be the pinnacle of his offense here. He offered an inward hum at the name he had chosen for this technique. He hadn't even fancied that part of his heritage, but none of that mattered now. For the first time in this battle, as evidenced by the wide grin that lined his bloodied lips, he was having fun.

An almighty explosion of power, a raging inferno that none could sneer at, the blow was so incredibly powerful, came in such an overwhelming rush, that Hannah was unable to even react to it, and the blow vaporised her without a single mote of dust left to show she had ever existed in the first place. Was it hubris? Was it arrogance? Did she think there was nothing Solomon could do to her that-

"Kurohitsugi"

A pitch-black box was rapidly built around Solomon, who's last fleeting glance of the outside would be Hannah, naked aside from the shawl. His Hirenkyaku was impeccable, but it seemed she had Hoho techniques of her own. And then blades, blazing blue blades erupted from every conceivable angle. Sōren Sōkatsui tied into Kurohitsugi colouring and changing the impaling of the Black Coffin to burn as well as penetrate. No doubt there was another lesson Hannah was going to teach him.

Afterwards.

At the conclusion of his attack, his eyes caught wind of a peculiar sight he didn't expect. His reaction to it was quite comical, almost as humorous as the one that dominated his features as he once again felt the harsh blade of reality strike him down. A coordinated combination of two of the most overwhelming spells in existence promptly and properly swallowed him within a hurricane of destruction. A tumult without end. Expectedly, along with the end to his Letz Stil, there was no proper means of erecting any defense against the attack.

Naturally, that meant that just as before, as it had been twice, he laid on the ground, damaged beyond a point where movement was inert, where his body could not properly function. Convulsion to the left, convulsion to the right. The world turned upside down, spinning in constant circles---and then, there was not much else to offer but a stilled body with several burns and wounds. What a cruel woman. It was customary to let a man feel superior, no? Thus concluded, the third act.

"Ow."

"Do you think they'd object to me using my Bankai for some clothes?" Hannah would ask Daisy, as Solomon died again.
'Why would I know that? I only know what you know' Daisy replied.
"I was making conversation"

Hannah would step over to Solomon, healing his body again. This Thor power he used was quite a dangerous thing, it had drained his soul far more than the other two times, so healing was more intensive this time around. Still got it eventually, though.

"In similar vein to powers that take a long time to charge, super explosion hisatsu powers are great, if your can make them hit. So make sure your opponent is flat-footed or otherwise doesn't have something like Utsusemi up their sleeve"

Of course, Hannah's teaching might be distracted somewhat by the fact that she was basically naked and crouched down next to Solomon...