Re: A Deeper Perspective [Open]

Sat Aug 05, 2023 10:06 am

31 - A Deeper Perspective [Open] - Page 2 JGYv9eD

MORIKAWA MIZU | 2nd Division Vice Captain

With a grateful bow to the kind stranger, Mizu made a mental note to make sure to get her name at some point today to properly thank her for the assistance. She really didn't want to try explaining wanton destruction in the barracks to her Captain. At this point she turned her attention and gaze to the aggressive woman from the Fourth. Something about her was familiar...not her wild behavior...nor her fierce, though beautiful, looks. Mizu couldn't quite place what she recognized about her.

Instead of drawing her weapon, as Shura raced forward Mizu just raised her hands in front of her and took a deep breath in and out. Luckily for Mizu, Shura didn't appear to have a noticeable advantage in speed; at least so far. She was able to follow the Third Seat's movements as she rushed her, and with precise timing Mizu conjured a translucent red barrier that enclosed the two like a giant box, a miniature and no doubt weaker version of what Hannah had created. But it would prove enough for Mizu's plan, at least.

Right as Shura would be cleaving through Mizu with her Zanpakuto, the latter raised her left hand and conjured another cubic barrier, this time between herself and her opponent. This served to trap Shura, but Mizu figured someone of her rank in the Combat squad would be able to break out eventually. Her true plan would be revealed as a small hole opened in the barrier in front of her, which Mizu promptly put her palm against and said aloud "Hadō #31: Shakkahō - Apply: Fire!" A burst of crimson flame erupted from Mizu's palm and swiftly filled the entire area between the barriers she had sought to lock Shura in. The fire enhancement ratcheted up the heat and intensity of the spell's flames, turning it into a veritable inferno meant to engulf her opponent.

TAKING IT SERIOUS | END POST

Sat Aug 05, 2023 2:23 pm

TAGS; - here NOTES; - here WORDS; - here MUSE; - Phoenix

To her credit, Mizu had just managed to thwart the intended outcome, utilizing Yuuto's training Shura had intended on building up her momentum to a point where Mizu wouldn't be able to follow. However the box she placed Shura in prevented her from continuing such. "Interesting..." She said softly, her eyes still locked onto Mizu as the small hole appeared. So this was a Kido-user, should've expected that with Hannah around.

However, despite the fact that she was now trapped in what would seem to be an incoming inferno, Shura did not make a move to stop it... Rather as the hole opened her Zanpakuto swiftly moved to pierce through the opened hole, giving Mizu but a single choice... Abandon her Shakkaho, or have a Zanpakuto run through her hand. Either way the Zanpakuto didn't stay motionless, rather it swiftly was ripped to the right, aiming to cleave open the barrier from both inside and out and break Shura free to continue her assault against Mizu.

Techniques:

made by RR of DD, steal and i will sentence you to the true death!

Thu Aug 10, 2023 8:54 pm

MORIKAWA MIZU | 2nd Division Vice Captain

With energy gathered at her palm, Mizu was prepared to unleash her enhanced Shakkahō when a sword suddenly thrust through the opening where she had placed her palm. As a reflex she hurriedly stepped to the side, and though she still managed to unleash a fiery blast through the hole, pain spread across her hand where Shura had lacerated her skin. The force of the infernal Shakkahō coupled with Shura striking the barrier caused said barrier to shatter, though only after most of the damage of Mizu's spell would have been done.

In a flash of Shunpo, Mizu retreated from her position and grasped her bloodied hand. A deep cut spread from her pinky to thumb. Mizu breathed in deeply and made the decision to try out something she had been working on in secret, where no one, not even her Captain, would see. The Vice Captain took a relaxed stance and held her unblemished hand over her injured one and breathed deeply again. Spiritual energy gathered around her before swirling above her head, and then finally forming the word Heal in bright violet text. At the same time the injury on Mizu's hand glowed before revealing her palm now fully recovered.

"It...it worked! Phew...alright, back to the battle!"

TAKING IT SERIOUS | END POST

Thu Aug 10, 2023 9:10 pm

TAGS; - here NOTES; - here WORDS; - here MUSE; - Phoenix

Her ploy had worked... to an extent. The barrier that had trapped her had been shattered, but it wasn't without a cost, to say that she was caught within an inferno would be an understatement. It was a level of pain that seared across her body unlike any she'd felt before, most pain she'd felt was caused from a cut or some kind of blunt force impacting her like being slammed into the ground. This however was different in its entirety, it felt like she was in an oven, the cry she let out was of agony yet strangely was not tinged with pain like one might expect. It was a cry of... excited agony?

The exact nature of it at the very least made it seem like Shura enjoyed the agony it put her in, and with a swipe of her Zanpakuto she blew the smoke away from her, to reveal a Shinigami whose Shihakasho was heavily burnt, revealing skin underneath that was also burned from the impact. It was clear the attempt to trap her within the inferno had dealt damage to her, yet as she swung her blade forward to point towards Mizu it was clear the damage wasn't enough to slow her movement "Now THAT is what I was hoping for! Morikawa Mizu!"

While she had a grin on her face, she still portrayed a calm demeanor. As her form vanished into a Shunpo once more, she did not strike from the front as she had previously, though this was another attempt at a multi-strike attack, this time she came from different angles, wanting to now test the reflexes of Mizu and how she responded to strikes from differing angles. She knew now that Mizu had barriers that could trap her, and she'd do her utmost to avoid such traps again.

Techniques:

made by RR of DD, steal and i will sentence you to the true death!

Fri Aug 11, 2023 11:24 am

MORIKAWA MIZU | 2nd Division Vice Captain

It appeared her plan had paid off. Mizu observed her challenger's burnt clothing and skin. A younger Mizu may have felt remorse for using such a combination of spells in a simple spar, such as when she felt she went overboard against Lerna last year, but now, more battle-hardened and experienced, she knew this was what was necessary to improve. To push herself, and to be pushed by a worthy adversary.

With her hands raised in front of her, Mizu prepared for the battle to begin in earnest. It was past the time for feeling each other out, at least in her eyes. She wanted to use her all against Shura, especially as she had no doubt Shura would do the same. Upon seeing Shura flash step again, Mizu once more created barriers; only this time, to shield herself. Multiple egg-shaped translucent walls surrounded the Vice Captain, which took the beating Shura was doling out in her stead. With multiple strikes landing on the outermost shell, spreading cracks across it, Mizu knew she needed to act fast.

Within the confines of her protective barrier, Mizu hatched a plan. She placed her hands against the walls and concentrated as well as she could, leading to the formation of letters above her again, which this time spelled out Torrent. From the letters a river of water flowed out which would strike Shura with the force of a raging current. After, the water would continue on and swirl around the egg-shaped barrier surrounding Mizu and surround it. The next word to appear was Freeze, unsurprisingly freezing the water into a ball of ice. From within her barrier- and ice-based, Mizu wasn't finished quite yet. She summoned the energy to cast another spell, forming the word Shatter above her. The large sphere of ice surrounding her barriers suddenly cracked innumerable times and began firing shards of ice as sharp as glass in every direction, and kept doing so until all of the ice around her was gone.

TAKING IT SERIOUS | END POST

Fri Aug 11, 2023 12:41 pm

TAGS; - here NOTES; - here WORDS; - here MUSE; - Phoenix

Barriers... Barrier after barrier after barrier. It seemed to be a specialty of Mizu, though unsurprising. Most Kido-users were reluctant to resort to the use of their Zanpakuto until they were forced. But this was good for Shura, it helped learn what she could and couldn't cut through in her base. Each strike formed cracks in the barrier, slowly whittling away at the outermost barrier if she'd struck the same spot she'd off broken through quite a bit faster... but the fact she could crack it meant the layers were required to ensure her safety.

Safety was what she needed it seemed, with her hands against the walls Shura had assumed it was to further enhance the barriers, a common tactic amongst kido-users she'd learned, Kōjutsu Eishō. The one difference however, was she heard no words being spoken by Mizu. Shura knew of Eishōhaki, the art of forgoing an incantation to allow Kido to be used faster... But that was for summoning the kido forth, not for after it was already unleashed.

However in her contemplation she missed what was truly happening, and when she finally noticed the sound of roaring water it was too late already and Shura found herself caught within the torrential downpour and swept away from the barrier. While she wasn't swept to the edges of their confines, she was carried quite a distance away before the water receded back to Mizu, forming a crystalline shell made of ice around her. It was now that she realized why she'd missed the cast, the words weren't spoken... they were formed above Mizu.

Her eyes narrowed as she saw the next word form, and shortly after the ice erupted outwards with razor-sharp spears being flung in all directions. Even if Shura had the time to close the distance, the number of shards being flung made the space she had available at such a close range impossible to avoid the spikes. So rather than charging forward she focused her energy instead on dodging, using her Shunpo to move quickly between the shards, each time she reappeared she was in a different position, with each reappearance requiring several strikes from her Zanpakuto to deflect yet more shards.

Yet despite her adept use of not only Hoho, but the precision of her strikes, the number of icicles that were unleashed left her little ability to not be struck by at least a few of them. None of them struck vital parts of her however, and when the last of them were gone Shura hovered in the air for the briefest of moments before pointing her blade towards Mizu. Naught but a moment later it was raised skywards and her Reiatsu surged.

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"Area Denial, a good tactic in any other situation. Let me show you how it is done." Her words, while still calm in their delivery, held a tone of seriousness that she didn't have prior.

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As the Reiatsu that encompassed her on release dissipated, Shura came into a spinning dive straight towards the ground, a single streak of yellow Reiatsu rotating around her where she held her axe.

31 - A Deeper Perspective [Open] - Page 2 LyDAm61

As the head of her axe slammed into the ground the yellow Reiatsu that had been built up within it was discharged, sending the energy through the ground. A few moments later what was normally contained to nearly 100 meters found itself even more tightly constrained, the energy being sent not just through the ground but up the walls of the barrier that encased them and even to the top itself. All before torrents of Reiatsu erupted out of the ground, walls, and ceiling of this barrier.

Shura's Sekai no Hametsu was normally reserved for encasing her enemies within a highly dangerous area, ensuring they couldn't escape her... However as each of the torrents hit a wall, floor, ceiling, or other torrent it was effectively ricocheted, causing it to swell and encompass the majority of the area. Even Shura herself was not safe from this admittedly rather reckless use of it, having to immediately fall into a defensive stance and begin dodging them herself.

However this wasn't meant to be safe for anyone, she wanted to test the limits of not only the barriers that Mizu could put up, but the strength of the barrier Hannah had placed around them.

Techniques:

made by RR of DD, steal and i will sentence you to the true death!

Fri Aug 11, 2023 12:59 pm

As the torrent of energy hit the wall, floor, and ceiling that the barrier was making up around them, it simply faded away, being ripped to pieces and dispersed wide across the whole front of it to minimalize damage to any one part of the barrier. Not content to simply stand and take it like a normal barrier, the thing was active in the defence of itself. It was questionable, then, if the complete lack of damage to the impact zones was because of this nature, or simply due to the fact that it was that durable.

Certainly made for interesting battlefield adaptation training though.

Tue Aug 15, 2023 12:33 am

MORIKAWA MIZU | 2nd Division Vice Captain

Despite the arrogant words coming from her opponent, it appeared Mizu's stratagem had proven a success. Not only had her Gokudō, or Way of Recital, spells worked as intended, but she had managed to hold Shura at bay while injuring the Third Seat a handful of times as well. What did impress Mizu was how the icicles would shatter and melt away upon striking the barrier Hannah had created for them. It was obvious the woman was a talented Kidō practitioner, making Mizu wonder why she wasn't in the Second Division or Gotei United at large.

Feeling Shura's spiritual pressure rise suddenly, it was apparent she had released her Zanpakuto. Mizu drew her own Zanpakuto, finally, and responded in kind by silently unleashing her Shikai, causing the weapon in her grasp to suddenly shatter its blade into hundreds of violet crystalline shards that scattered across the ground around her. When the Fourth Squad officer faced the ground and began a rapid descent, Mizu kicked off the ground and, with a flourish of her now-bladeless Zanpakuto, commanded all the crystals of her Shikai to follow her into the air. Now twenty or so feet above the training area, Mizu swung her Zanpakuto again, creating an amethyst half-sphere that acted as an umbrella against the torrent of energy Shura's attack gave off.

Though as strong as herself, it appeared there was a distinct gap in strategizing between them to Mizu. Such reckless, direct attacks seemed fruitless to her. Above the sounds of battle, Mizu warned the lower officer about the folly of such tactics "Shura-san! Apologies, but you should be more careful when dealing with unknown quantities!" It wasn't Mizu's intent to talk down to Shura, but being promoted to Vice Captain had brought out the mentorship side of the young Morikawa. With Hono, Hana, and now Shura, she sought to share any advice her experiences had allowed her to.

TAKING IT SERIOUS | END POST

Tue Aug 15, 2023 8:55 am

TAGS; - here NOTES; - Sekai no Hametsu Uses - 1/2 WORDS; - here MUSE; - Feel Invincible

It was interesting to say the least, Hannah's barrier had held up as she expected and without even so much as a crack within it, it would seem... how very interesting. However what was more interesting was the results of her test against the Vice Captain. When all was said and done, she remained now in the air surrounded by a half barrier. However the Zanpakuto handle in her hand didn't go unnoticed, apparently not one for flashy releases it seemed.

It wasn't uncommon to Shura, releasing ones Shikai without speaking was something most experienced Shinigami could do. However she had to admit there were few she'd personally met that could do it, let alone do it under pressure. However her words weren't taken as her talking down to her, rather she took them as a challenge. Mizu had responded with the release of her own Zanpakuto, that meant that she either respected the power that Shura had or wasn't taking chances against it. Both answers were satisfactory for Shura. "That word ain't even in my vocabulary, Morikawa Mizu. Such things are for the likes of non-combat squads."

It was time to test just how powerful this barrier was, was it a fluke that she'd defended against her Sekai no Hametsu? Or was her barrier actually something to respect? Without a word she raised the axe above her head, starting to spin it ever faster above her and causing her Reiatsu to begin pouring into it. "However, if you're so confident in that barrier of yours...." Her words were cut off as she was shot forward like a rocket towards Mizu, her axe moving in a swinging overhead arc aimed to clash directly into the barrier she had in front of her.

31 - A Deeper Perspective [Open] - Page 2 H2fnxrV

Techniques:

made by RR of DD, steal and i will sentence you to the true death!

Wed Aug 16, 2023 10:59 am

MORIKAWA MIZU | 2nd Division Vice Captain

The Fourth Division, alternatively known as the Combat Division, was known across Soul Society for possessing many capable warriors. Perhaps more than any other squad in the Gotei's history, there was an incredible amount of turnover at its highest ranks. This was, as Mizu understood it, due to the rise of Shinigami who would surpass and supplant their predecessors forcefully, leading to an ever-revolving wheel of progress. As an unofficial historian of the Gotei, Mizu knew this well. However, she didn't agree that care and precaution should only be reserved for so-called "non-combat divisions". After all, she had seen more battle in this last year than many Shinigami see in a decade, without ever donning the Fourth's emblem on her uniform.

The half-sphere of crystal in front of Mizu split into a series of slats, allowing her to observe Shura. Her opponent's intentions were made clear as she rapidly spun her Zanpakuto and charged at Mizu, who waved her Zanpakuto's handle around in a circle. This caused the slats and half of the remaining crystal shards on the ground to coalesce into a large spiked wall five feet thick with jagged blades extending out to eviscerate whatever touches them. Then, with another motion, Mizu commanded the remaining shards on the ground to combine into a handful of heavy crystal spheres that she then sent at Shura to sandwich her between them and the bladed wall.

TAKING IT SERIOUS | END POST