Wolf Amongst Sheep [Africatastrophe Act IV]

Sun Dec 10, 2023 7:39 pm

Kasmos

Of all the myriad beasts and weapons in the arsenal of Alhireth, it was true only that each was a monster in its own right. Whether it was a towering monstrosity that soared overhead or one of the countless horrors that swarmed across the battlefield as an innumerable tide of destruction, they all served their warlord but beyond that, there could be no simple comparison.

This one was no exception, an almost humanoid shape that stood some seven feet tall with elongated limbs and an awkward imbalance to them that made every step seem like a lurch forward. They wore a face that resembled a human but with ashen black skin and a shock of white hair that stuck out from behind a simple white mask that covered the rest of their features. It almost seemed like they were wearing clothes too, though it seemed like the fabric was just another part of them and less of a fashion statement upon closer inspection.

Most buildings had been destroyed in the previous two engagements, but this new creature made clear their threat by levelling those few that crossed its path into nothing more than the rubble that surrounded them. Why exactly it chose to fire off such haphazard attacks remained to be seen, but perhaps it simply wanted to draw in some juicier prey.

Hive God | END POST

Sun Dec 10, 2023 8:16 pm

Wolf Amongst Sheep [Africatastrophe Act IV] HEADER_cf1d025139ec924c8a9ddfae3605b3729e8397d4

Another push.
The alert had gone out quickly enough when the sudden surge of activity was sensed from the Hole itself. But it was something else to see once again just how many obscene, massive monsters would surge from the pit itself. Igen narrowed his eyes slightly as he surveyed the damage from afar. What an absolute wasteland. Having watched it all over the course of the incident had been jarring. The initial destruction alone had been enormous, but seeing that destruction spread with every attack, no less with the incessant gush of smaller hollows that had either been drawn in or spewed from that pit, it had been an enormous undertaking just to minimize the damage. And so, the sight of one of these beasts so haphazardly firing off such potent blasts caught his attention.

"Third Seat Igendai Engaging in Area NE-2." He reported into his Soul Communication device. A report which would let the Support units in the Third and Fourth NorthEeasts Area to find safe distance and be ready to support. Or well... for the more zealous members to know where to converge. Though, glancing around, he could tell that attention would still be split.

"Alrighty! HUP!~" Igen stood up straight and raised both arms into the air. Streeetching his frame as he sighted the Hollow from a distance. A ways away, but not TOO far. He let out a slow, steady breath and promptly held his hand out. A Soft crackle of spiritual energy as Koozoku slithered along his frame. Those black stripes creeping out from the sigil between his shoulders, spreading along his frame in anticipation, decorating him with those tiger stripes he'd become well known for.

All of this was done within the confines of a Noren Makuri veil. Well, him and his partner for the fight. Kaminari Hatakeyama. Second Division Officer. He'd erected the veil with her assistance, using their combined skills with Kido to ensure that they would be properly hidden. "I'll try and restrain it's movements, See if you can get a good hit in. I'd prefer if we could kill this thing quickly." He noted with a bright smile toward the woman, vanishing with the whisper of a Shunpo, launching himself from that barrier, only to appear high up in the air above the rampaging hollow. After all, it'd be a bit silly to launch his restraining Kido from the spot with Kaminari.

He reached out with his hand and a bright beam of energy formed in his grasp as he cocked it back like a javelin. Hyapporankan Narrowing his eyes at the Hollow down below as that blunted length hummed quietly, pumping energy into the spell before he shot downward like an arrow, flying straight toward the Hollow from above with that length of Kido formed within his grasp, aiming to spear the creature from above to try and drive it into the ground. Hardly something that would kill it, but he was hoping to stun it for Kaminari to get a proper shot onto.

Mon Dec 11, 2023 5:06 pm

Wolf Amongst Sheep [Africatastrophe Act IV] KaminariPostingHeaderCombat

Enter: KAMINARI HATAKEYAMA | 4th Seat | Kido Corps

Once more, Kaminari found herself in the middle of a war zone. Last time she was here, she fought to Arrancar and lost due to the incompetence of her partner. This time, she was lucky. She had faith Igen did not go around making friends with the enemy, causing her to question whether or not he would shoot her in the back. Hidden behind a barrier they both worked to make, Kaminari took some time to buff up her friend in ways that would enhance his fighting methods. She picked three:

Setsukasoku: A 75% increase in his speed.
Seibomyōga: A light ‘armor’ effect that decreases damage by 15%
Tenjou: A ribbon of reiryoku that connects them and sends 25% of any damage Igen takes to Kaminari, though she refused to tell him this.

"I'll do my best to get a clear shot, but I won't fire if you're in the way," Kaminari said, though it was a bit obvious. It was difficult to want to fire off powerful kido if they could hit someone you actually liked. Igen moved in with a smile, one she made sure to return, and the barrier went down. Kaminari took a deep breath and moved elsewhere, finding herself a good angle to focus on firing kido.

Kaminari focused her reiryoku into her hand, funneling it into her index and middle finger as Igen attempted to slow the enemy down. From a completely different angle than Igen's attack, Kaminari fired off a byakurai. Blue lightning-like energy snapped forward, aiming to strike precisely at the chest of the humanoid hollow.

Do not screw this up... | End Post

Tue Dec 12, 2023 5:22 pm

Kasmos

The sudden burst of activity around them was a surprise to the Hollow, so much so that they did not have the chance to greet their attackers before bolts of yellow and blue rained down from above and in front. The Hyapporankan did its job admirably, pinning the strange figure in place by running straight through the shoulder and into the ground below, and the Byakurai was equally well received as it punched straight through the chest and blew a hole clean through and some distance behind it. For but a moment, Kasmos went limp upon the spear that had impaled him so, giving his opponents an instant to feel the joy of victory before the harshness of failure tainted it.

Then, just as quickly, the creature tore free with seemingly no regard for itself. Rended nigh in twain, it lurched forward and was simply whole again. Regeneration so fast that someone of lesser focus might have missed it, yet Kasmos certainly had not. The one in the air above had certainly been an irritant, but it was the one that had lanced them through that earned their ire first. Though they would both make a fitting addition to the collection, in time, from behind the blank mask came an agonising scream.

Crossing the distance between them in a bestial rush, his diminished form affording him a degree of manoeuvrability that most of the larger Hollows lacked, there was no grace to this attack as he simply sought to beat the woman down with his bare hands. Evasion was certainly possible, but if they intended to run from them forever then they would simply find easier prey.

Hive God | END POST

Tue Dec 12, 2023 5:49 pm

Damage?

Igen's eyes widened slightly in alarm when he saw how easily he had pierced through the hollow. After seeing that destructive potential before, how was it this frail? And instantly alarms went off in his head. Was this a decoy? In an instant, he shot a glance around, half expecting this to be some sort of dummy or lure. But no, rather, the damage on its body simply regenerated almost instantly! His eyes widening for a moment. The energy he picked up definitely was of a strong hollow, but what the heck were its abilities? "Whoa there big guy! Finish your meal FIRST before desserts!" He grunted, the word Desserts delivered just as he shot after the hollow, vanishing with a shunpo to speed past them, twisting with a flourish of that Hyappourankan still brandished as suddenly those stripes FLARED around him. Sharp stripes stabbing outward, suddenly creating a massive wide fan, blocking the creature's fath with sharp lines, several slicing into the ground to anchor him, presenting himself as a shield.

Of course that left him a bit more vulnerable to the charging hollow themselves. But he felt.... strong actually. Stronger than usual! Whatever strange Kido Kaminari had used to bolster him, he felt almost fearless as that beast would no doubt slam right into him. Raising that Spear vertically. A few stripes winding around it's length. adding to it's durability and stopping power as that Hollow CRASHED into him! But with those other stripes buried in the ground, he'd be hard pressed to move! It would be then that he finally released the rest of the spell. SLAMMING that length of Kido into the ground, dozens and dozens of additional spears suddenly popped into existence all around him. Saturating the ari with those light purple blunted spears, all of which pointed inward at the hollow before collapsing in on them! A barrage of those binding spears intent on punching into the creatures frame and binding it's movements.

Of course, with that desperate move before, he couldn't be sure that the creature wouldn't just rip itself apart to try and free itself, and so, once those rods swarmed in, he'd shout out to Kaminari. "Hit it from above!" normally he wouldn't encourage her to leave that little veil, but well, the hollow seemed to have already zeroed in on their position. She may as well get mobile and try to hit the thing from a different angle right? Igen in the meantime kept his eyes on the hollow. Healing couldn't be the only thing going on with this creature. Acid? Fire? Hypnosis? No way to tell just yet. Best he could do was try to lock the thing down and keep an eye out for tricks..

Thu Dec 14, 2023 7:02 am

Enter: KAMINARI HATAKEYAMA | 4th Seat | Kido Corps

“It’s not dead!” Kaminari shouted to Igen. While others may have been tricked by the “death” of this disgusting creature, Kaminari was not. One of her most refined abilities was sensory; her reikaku allowed her to feel the continued flow of reiryoku within it as its body rapidly reformed itself. The regeneration was quick, almost hard to follow, but it was whole again. For whatever reason the abomination came up with in its corrupted little mind, Kaminari was going to be its target. As the support who buffed allies, she did not enjoy being the focus of combat.

Igen appeared as a shield between the hollow and herself, their opponent slamming into him but a moment later. Still, he did not budge. With the combination of his own strength and what ever extra her kido allowed him, he did not budge under the attack. Kaminari took this moment to observe as Igen made his move with the binding spears he created. She wasn’t familiar with his techniques and fighting styles, buy overwhelming the opponent seemed to be a part of it.

As Igen called out to her, Kaminari hesitated for only a second. What exactly was she supposed to hit him with now? Right! She moved, a single step sending her in the air, and within that fraction of a moment she drew he zanpakuto and released her shikai. “Neutralize, Kiyohana,” she said and pointed the tip downward toward the hollow. This would be tricky since using her shikai could also neutralize the effects of her ally as it does her opponent. However, the technique she utilized shot forward a thin, arrow-like, spear of Kaminari’s neutralizing reiryoku.

Kaminari was careful not to aim where it would hit Igen’s abilities, but any significant movement could change that. However, the beam would try to strike the hollow in the torso. If struck, for a single round, the hollow would find its abilities difficult to control and its regeneration failing to act at normal speeds or efficiency.

Do not screw this up... | End Post

Fri Dec 15, 2023 6:23 pm

Kasmos

The other one jumped in the way, how noble and yet also irrelevant. They had both already consented to their deaths by choosing to fight this day, so if the man came before his female companion then it made no difference. Kasmos slammed into the self-professed shield, breaking through that fan and pushing onwards. In return, those spears slammed into that broken humanoid frame, trying so desperately to hold him in place, yet they continued advancing through them. It was not that they found no purchase upon the Hollow, their body was certainly there, but rather they held a complete disregard for the integrity of their form. The sheer momentum of being hit by so many objects did at least succeed in slowing them down enough that they did not just barrel through the obstacle though.

To that end, those elongated limbs began to rain down a torrent of blows upon Igen. Some spears broke, others were simply torn through and the limb lost only to be regenerated by the time the next attack came. In that instant of physical contact, just for the briefest of moments, Igen might feel the sense of glee that this creature had from this battle. Such enjoyment ceased quickly, though, when Kaminari's attack slammed into it from above. Those wounds its body wore suddenly did not heal as fast as it had expected, the reckless swinging stopped as the creature hung limp again as a dozen spears had punctured through it.

The blank mask gave away no expression, remaining utterly serene in the face of this devastation, until suddenly those eyes began to glow purple. A glow that was mirrored by each of those wounds until their entire body seemed to be bathed in this light. The energy in the area spiked abruptly as Ceros began to blast from Kasmos' broken body in every direction, each one originating from a different wound that had not yet been sealed. It was akin to a shotgun blast, focused upon spread rather than precise destruction, and they had positioned themselves right next to one target. If only the other had drawn closer then it could have been a devastating finale.

Hive God | END POST

Sat Dec 16, 2023 10:34 pm

GUH!

The thing didn't even slow in the slightest on impact! And Igen gritted his teeth as he skidded ever so slightly from the strike! Those stripes planted in the ground anchoring him and keeping him from moving much in the slightest despite the impact! Though the sudden onslaught from the hollow immediately jarred him from the impact itself! A sudden surge of adrenaline kicking along his frame as his body shifted into a sudden blur! Blocking those raining blows as best he could! His flexed hands slamming into thsoe stabbing points! the stripes that covered his palms taking the bite from those strikes though the impact still was felt! And where his arms failed, those endless stripes lashed out and tore into the hollow! And yet.... it seemed not even to care!

The sudden, brutal pace set by the creature had him on the backfoot! Struggling to split his attention to keeping his anchor and intercepting those strikes. A few cutting through and landing on his sturdy frame. Cuts and bruises slicing into existence in little scattered cracks in his defense. Making him grit his teeth! No poison. No dizzyness. No sudden shifts in perception. Thankfully this thing wasn't poisonous. At least not yet.

Thankfully, Kaminari hadn't just left him to his fate, and that sudden bursting strike from up above saved him from further abuse! Panting as that raining flurry of blows finally let up! And it was an opportunity he would not let go! Seeing that sudden brilliant glow he narrowed his eyes and raised his arm! All of those strips flowing along his body and congealing along that one arm, gliding from his palm to flow into the compressed black frame of a smooth blade. Well...almost all of them.

FWISH!

Black lines erupted from the ground beneath the creature with enough force to impale it and lift it bodily up and into the air! Those stripes which had been buried into the ground having curled back upward to erupt like pikes to lift the creature up and impale them, intent on trying to lock them in place as he then PLUNGED that weapon into the creature. But rather than stabbing inside, that black blade peeled open like a flower and promptly swallowed the creature into a dark shadow. Individual stripes winding around it's body to form a smooth seal around the creature. There wasn't even really time to shout out to Kaminari. Hopefully she caught onto what he was doing and would add some sort of barrier ontop of it. Intent on trapping the hollow inside of his Shikai's stripes so that those ceros would simply detonate on itself at point blank.

Sure, he was ALSO there. But he was tough. He could....feasibly take it. Even with the stripes busy pinning and enveloping the hollow rather than protecting much of his body, but hey. He had those spells from Kaminari to help with that.

Mon Dec 18, 2023 11:33 am

Enter: KAMINARI HATAKEYAMA | 4th Seat | Kido Corps

It was like this creature felt no pain as he charged through Igen’s defenses to get to him. Seeing that barrage of attacks on Igen, Kaminari was glad she acted quickly and was able to pierce him and disrupt his reiryoku. However, she could sense his reiryoku well up before the lights appeared. She had not expected the self-destruction-type blasts after her attack. Was this a defense mechanism? A specific attack? Or just a result of his reiryoku being disrupted?

“IGEN!” Kaminari reflexively released a fearful yell as the hollow was brought upwards toward her and blasts of purple cero exploded outwards. Kaminari was lucky enough to be at a distance, but she wasn’t far enough to handle that, so a raise of her hand in the direction of the cero and a large wall of semi-transparent, blue reiryoku formed between her and this explosion. “Danku!” The cero slammed against the danku, able to take the damage, at least for a while.

However, any injury or damage that Igen experienced, Kaminari would feel and receive a portion of it. Whatever damaged Igen, the expected force and power would be lessened and his body not as harmed. Kaminari always forgot when she put that ability on someone. So even though her danku held up to the cero, she was hit and her pain followed Igen’s injury pattern. At least this way, she knew whenever he was badly hurt without examination, but it slowed her. She did not attack again and took a moment to observe while trying to catch her own breath.

Do not screw this up... | End Post

Thu Dec 21, 2023 8:02 am

Kasmos

Encased on all sides by barriers, the wild volley of ceros raged against Kasmos and Igen both. Though far from strong enough to punch through those defences on raw strength alone, there was still something to be said for the number of attacks that burst out from the creature at every such angle that it was impossible to truly entirely contain.

The monster did not seem to care too much, its attacks having just as much effect upon its body as those of the Shinigami, and fortunately, its regenerative capabilities seemed to return with a startling voracity. But hidden within this cage of darkness, its form shifted and swirled as it savoured the taste of another being added to its collection. What little details Igen could make out between those stripes were that the mask, no, its entire face, seemed to be shifting into something else. A new monster buried within this one, perhaps, or just another visage from which to haunt them.

"Eee. Genn."

Wolf Amongst Sheep [Africatastrophe Act IV] QwgERzJ

Bursting forth from its entrapment with a sudden surge of energy, all was soon laid bare for both combatants as the creature wore a form quite familiar and yet equally twisted. With features near drained of all colour, pink hair turned to shades of grey, it was a dark facsimile of Igen though quite intentionally not a perfect copy. Those elongated limbs twisted and splayed outwards as it launched itself upwards, using the elevation that Igen had provided it with to reach upwards and around that Danku barrier. With that same reckless abandon, it flew towards Kaminari once more and continued its strategy of using flurries of rapid blows to keep one opponent on the back foot.

Once More | END POST

Wolf Amongst Sheep [Africatastrophe Act IV]

Wolf Amongst Sheep [Africatastrophe Act IV]

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Re: Wolf Amongst Sheep [Africatastrophe Act IV]

Re: Wolf Amongst Sheep [Africatastrophe Act IV]

Re: Wolf Amongst Sheep [Africatastrophe Act IV]

Re: Wolf Amongst Sheep [Africatastrophe Act IV]

Re: Wolf Amongst Sheep [Africatastrophe Act IV]

Re: Wolf Amongst Sheep [Africatastrophe Act IV]