Murderous Intent (Kanae, Armina)

There wasn’t an awful lot of time for the 4th Seat to do much of anything and so she simply resorted to her most common approach, taking it head on. It was an awful error and the moment that the arc of neon green struck her, Armina realised exactly what it was. It burned like hell and even her armour struggled to handle it. The attack did a great amount of damage indeed and the front of the blue haired woman not only lacked the armour that it had once been housed in but her uniform had taken a beating too, much to her annoyance. Burn marks were clear to see and for the first time since she’d activated her Bankai, a sound escaped the six foot woman. A primal roar of anger and anguish, as the pain flooded through her veins.

What was left of her Bankai wouldn’t last much longer and Armina knew that one more attack of such ferocity would end it. Was she satisfied? Not yet. For the blue haired woman had yet to use her last technique, one that in her current state she was all too eager to use. To have been scarred in such a way pushed her beyond the point of anger and every fibre of her being wanted to freeze the woman before her and smash her into pieces. A carnal desire and one that while impossible to fulfil, she was determined to attempt nonetheless.

“Use it, Armina, before the Bankai breaks. You’ve wanted to turn this field into an ice rink since you arrived here, so do it.”

Channelling her power into her hammer, Armina would slam it into the ground, releasing a circle of ice that travelled not only towards Kanae but in every other direction as well. The range was considerable but for the 4th Seat that was not important. She wished to hit the Captain with her best shot, regardless of the result.

The expected result.

If her eyes did not deceive her, Kanae observed terrible damage dealt not just to Armina's icy armor, but her body as well. This bout was clearly reaching its finale as the blue haired woman appeared on her last legs. Still, she knew not to assume there was nothing left available to Armiina; after all, a beast is most dangerous when cornered.

As her subordinate seemed to gather her remaining strength for something big, Kanae watched on in silence. She wanted to see what was left up her sleeve. No reason not to, at least. Maybe it would prove entertaining, if only for a moment. Her violet gaze honed in on Armina as she first raised then slammed her hammer to the ground, crushing the earth below, though this was only the preamble to what was to follow: A new ice age spread forth, swallowing up not only the training grounds but the outer walls of the nearby barracks as well. The entire group if Fourth Squad members who had been observing their superiors battle were suddenly frozen to the ground. The Captain looked down at her own feet now stuck in place as well. How reckless...


For everyone in the vicinity not named Kanae, it would feel as if a bomb had gone off, leaving an ocean of weight pressing down upon them all. Shards of ice flew this way and that as a hammer of Reiatsu crashed into the training area, smashing all the ice Armina had only just created. Even as the nearby Shinigami tried recovering from the initial blast of Spiritual Pressure they felt themselves forced to their knees, breath coming with great difficulty as their bodies struggled against the weight crushing them.

Now freed from the frozen prison Armina had prepared for her, Kanae turned her gaze back to the woman of the hour and looked on with annoyance. For just a moment she looked up at the full moon that had suddenly appeared in the sky far above, the only source of light as the battlefield had inexplicably been draped in darkness. Though Kanae remained mostly calm, the malicious murderous intent of her Reiatsu held a blade to the throats of everyone who had fallen under the light of Yonaka Tosatsusha's full moon.

Turning back to Armina, Kanae glowered at the woman who had recklessly frozen such a huge swath of her Division. Things had to end here to prevent any further costs Kanae wasn't particularly interested in paying. She moved to reach for her sheathed Zanpakuto's handle but was gone before she could grab it, or so it seemed; in reality she had Flash Stepped so quickly so as to vanish from the sight and senses of all in the vicinity. The moon and night sky disappeared too, as did the pressure weighing down upon everything.

"Desperation is no excuse for recklessness."

The recognizable voice of Kanae came from behind Armina. As her words rang out the force of a tremendous slash would strike at the front of the blue haired woman's torso, though this time no acid accompanied it. Even if she actually wanted to do the deed, Kanae knew better than to actually kill one of her subordinates in broad daylight like this so she resisted the urge to bathe her in her Bankai's acid. With a sigh she released her sword's handle and allowed it to gently hang from her hip again.

"Next time I'll expect more from you, , Armina Willsaam. Do not disappoint me."

Kanae reflected upon their duel and came to the realization this woman was her first subordinate she didn't completely hate....and it disgusted her.

What remained of Armina’s Bankai broke apart the moment that the Captain’s sword struck her, ending all of its effects then and there. Dropping to her knees, the 4th Seat would breathe heavily, blood already trickling down from her torso. It had been a powerful blow indeed and one that had well and truly knocked the wind out of Armina’s gasping lungs. To feel such maliciousness behind a strike was both intimidating and yet somehow refreshing at the same time. To know that she was not alone in that regard was enough to satisfy her for the time being. She’d continue to follow the restrictions of the Gotei for now, continue to grow in strength and for the first time, actually attempt to involve herself in paths to power that she’d been too ignorant of for too long.

The duel with the Captain had made her weaknesses all too apparent and Armina knew all too well now that to truly become a force of nature, she’d have to open her mind, regardless of how distasteful that would have seemed to her just half an hour ago. She’d master every art, learn to wield her Bankai more effectively and become so swift that no one would be able to evade her. The foundations were there, now it was time to build on them. Yet, she didn’t think of her new journey with cynicism or arrogance. No, it fired up the blood and gave her that punch in the stomach that she’d needed.

With her Bankai gone, her ability to speak had returned and after a few further moments of thought, she’d stand up. Defeated, inspired and with an awful lot to think about.

“Thank you for indulging me, Captain, next time I’ll be prepared.”