The Torchlight Hunt, Death at Dusk [Ignacio, Mizu]

Stepping through the rubble of what had once likely been a bustling commercial district in the Seireitei, Ignacio wondered whether a new opponent would find him or if Tsubine and their companion would return. His body was marred with half a dozen garish scars, his clothes left as little more than tattered rags that clung to his frame with the same determination that carried him forward one step at a time. In the distance, he could hear the roar and whistle of the other Powder Hunters fighting, alongside their newfound and equally dangerous allies, and wondered if it would all be enough.

It was at that point a trio of Shinigami fell upon him. It was unclear if they had intended to attempt to ambush him or if they too had sought solace where the violence seemed to have ceased, but it mattered little once steel had cleared sheaths.

They had not been strong, even combined it was a lacklustre showing, as he darted from one to the other in three successive bursts of Sonido. Three bodies hit the ground, bludgeoned by the butt of a sword but not quite dead. If they chose to stand again then he would put them down permanently, but not obliged him. These were not worthy of the hunt. So he continued onwards, a burning trail marking his path as each footfall left a blackened print against the stonework.

Loathe as she had been to let some strange woman pursue that Hollow, she had proven herself a capable fighter and was evidently faster as well. Instead of following along, Mizu headed in the direction of another conflict, one with vanishing wisps of Reiatsu she recognized as other Shinigami. By the time she reached where they had been snuffed out, Mizu came upon a trio of unconscious bodies. They're still alive...? Certainly, based upon how the rest of this war was going, she couldn't be blamed for expecting them to have perished.

After assessing their injuries, which took only a moment for the seasoned healer, Mizu hid the Shinigami in a nearby alley and set about pursuing whoever or whatever was responsible for the burning tracks leading away from the area. Apparently moving with more urgency than the one she was tracking, it did not take long for Mizu to come upon a man, clearly an Arrancar, who had suffered through what appeared to have been hectic battle.

Mizu knew right away this flame-haired man was dangerous, her Reikaku revealing a tremendous burning hot Reiatsu. Yet, she was not afraid; she had already resolved to win or die once today, and would gladly do so again regardless of who stood before her. With her sword drawn, the diminutive Vice Captain shouted commands to the Arrancar "Stop! Don't take another step!"

There was a laziness to the Arrancar as he slowed to a stop and turned toward his challenger, golden eyes drifting slowly from the path in front of him and toward this latest obstacle. She had a look to her that he found quite enticing, a fierce determination that burned as hot as these embers that he left in his wake. Her sword was already drawn, so no further statement of intent was required. A hand reached down to rest upon the hilt of his own, giving her but a moment to turn her back and flee though knowing all too well that she would not.

"Or what?"

There was no particular vitriol in his response, a hint of arrogance perhaps but nothing close to the anger that one might expect one of his kind to muster in response to such a threat. A question that was left hanging in the air between them for only a moment more before Ignacio took one purposeful step forward.

There was a buzz as he crossed the remaining distance with a sudden burst of Sonido, his sword carving upwards as he drew it across her in an attempt to both preemptively deflect a desperate slash and deliver her a wound in turn. The sudden burst of heat, combined with his newfound proximity, was suddenly far more oppressive than it had been before. Smothering in its intensity as the Arrancar set about testing his opponent.

Upon seeing Ignacio's hand fall to his sword's handle, her grip on her own Zanpakuto tightened. She wasn't nervous, no she was long past having nerves. Mizu was prepared to die and kill alike. More than ever she felt consumed by hatred for the man before her, along with every single ally he brought with him on this sickening invasion.

Mizu's right foot slid forward a few inches as she prepared for a fight. Her stance was wide and defensive, wanting to feel out the stranger before going on the attack. Her wish would be granted as the flame-haired Arrancar shot forward, forcing Mizu to wordlessly release her Zanpakuto, its blade changing shape into a wall of glittering crystal that shook violently as it guarded against the Arrancar's attack.

While maintaining the crystal wall between her and her enemy, Mizu hopped back a few feet and raised her left hand into the air. Then, once again wordlessly, she flicked her hand forward and silently cast Hadō #57. Daichi Ten'yō. A dozen and more chunks of rubble that had fallen into the street all around Ignacio flew through the air to crush him from every side.

Her sudden release sent sparks flying as Ignacio's blade slashed across the shimmering wall, further illuminating the pair as the Arrancar continued to drive into the Shinigami. Her defences were formidable enough to protect her for now, the crystals proving enough of a match for his steel, but he was not given a moment to change strategy before the sundered environment was suddenly turned against him. Unlike his opponent, though, he was not silent. Barking out a stern command as he bid his Zanpakuto to work.

"Karinzanjutsu, First Ring. Black Flame Aegis."

A bubbling black ring formed at the base of his blade in response to his cry, swirling and undulating as it shot up the length of Tigre Garra before bursting into life as a wall of living black fire that Ignacio dragged around himself like a shield. The intensity of the fire was enough to ward off the worst of the damage, consuming some of the debris entirely whilst turning others into chunks of molten slag that splattered against him to leave garish boils upon the skin visible beneath his tattered robes. Still, he found himself surprised that any of her attacks had reached him, breaking off his offensive as he backpedalled to reassess.

Her blade work was adequate, perhaps lacking a little in finesse but well enough to protect herself with, but it seemed she had a much greater talent for magic. There was little use in simply rushing her again and expecting to break through, so he would simply have to turn up the heat. There was no margin for error any more, his body displayed evidence of such yet seethed in expectation, as he called out his release.

"Answer the Call, Ardiente Tigre el Espíritu."

Once more, fire poured forth from the Arrancar. Shooting out of his body and climbing upon his back as a great tiger spirit formed from those flames and loomed over Ignacio like a beast on the prowl. With a roar that came from both spirits, he surged upwards into the air above them, launching a barrage of cero at the Shinigami in an attempt of his own to bury her.

Seeing her stratagem succeed filled Mizu with confidence, though it didn't appear nearly as effective as she hoped. At the very least she was beginning to see some of what her foe was capable of, or rather she felt it as the temperature skyrocketed. With a flick of a wrist she shattered the crystal wall, sending amethyst shards across the ground all around her. They were a reminder that her Zanpakuto partner was always at her side.

With the command spoken, Mizu knew what was to come; or, at least, she had an idea. An Arrancar's Ressureccion is a terrible thing, at times comparable or even superior to Bankai. Fear didn't overtake her though, she knew the dangers of fighting and had accepted them many times over already. Seeing the flaming tiger cloak the Arrancar, as well as feeling the sudden dramatic increase in Reiatsu emanating from the duo, Mizu responded quickly.

"Bankai! Seihari Shōsen!"

A plume of violet Reishi surrounded Mizu before dissipating, revealing her outfit and Zanpakuto to be a combination of black, pink, and purple. While her Reiatsu was still dwarfed by Ignacio's, it managed to save her from the most severe symptoms of his Reiatsu. She watched his movements intently, waiting to once more respond to what he threw at her, and upon seeing the generation and firing of a series of Cero, her left hand shot up and from it two blasts of azure energy filled the air between them. The collision of the Sōren Sōkatsui and Ignacio's Cero's created an explosion that shook the air and singed Mizu's extremities and Shihakushō.

With smoke still filling the sky, Mizu flicked her Zanpakuto in her enemy's direction. A dozen ornate crystal spears followed her command to fly at the Arrancar and turn him into swiss cheese, at least she hoped they would. They would follow him to the ends of Soul Society so long as she had the will and power to make them.

The shattering of his opponent's defences of her own volition was such an interesting turn of events that Ignacio wondered momentarily if it was intentional. He was soon vindicated for his wisdom as those scattered chunks rose up into spears that flew at him with certain intent. But if they were on the offence then perhaps it had cost her a defence in turn, so, rather than cower away and flee, the Arrancar barreled down into the oncoming barrage. It was not the first bombardment that he had attempted to endure today.

He swung into the first one to reach him, the tiger upon his back swatting away another pair, though the swarm was not all so easily deflected. Another punched into his Hierro with enough force to twist him sideward, whilst others darted around him looking for openings that they would eventually find, but the Arrancar did not yet allow them as he darted forwards once more with another Sonido. This time though, rather than aiming to get up in his opponent's face, he darted behind them hoping it might drag her homing spears back into her.

Whether they were being controlled so deftly or simply set to task, Ignacio did not know, but he would have to press her now before this got too far out of hand. Tigre Garra burned with white-hot flame as he switched his grip to slice back across her as he turned, the tiger upon his back adding its claws to the attack to make one blow into a flurry of them, and yet the most dangerous thing was the rising heat. Those same black rings that had previously bubbled along his sword were now shooting up the length of his arms, sucking in rather than pushing out, though the purpose of such remained to be seen unless he only intended to give her a bout of heat stroke.

With sharp eyes, Mizu watched the flaming Arrancar fend off some of her spears before using Sonido to get past her. His question would be answered as the remaining spears would shatter into hundreds of pieces as they flew at Mizu, before feeding into a wall behind her that just barely managed to be formed before he went back on the attack. Her crystals were not entirely unlike her childhood hero's Byakuya Kuchiki's steel petals, but where he surpassed her in pure killing power, she made up for in enhanced precision when controlling and manipulating them.

She could feel the immense heat bearing down upon her from behind and knew she had to get away from the source. Before she could Flash Step away, a tremendous thud sounded out as Ignacio and his flaming tiger slammed into the crystal wall. Despite having released her Bankai, a thick crack formed where they struck the wall. Even with the wall protecting her, Mizu's head felt like it was swimming from the ever-rising heat; her energy was being sapped just by being near her enemy.

Knowing it was about to break anyway, Mizu commanded the crystal wall to shove into Ignacio to try pushing him as far back as possible, every inch of relief from the heat needed. She followed up by Flash Stepping up and forward to make as much space between her and Ignacio as she could, then she immediately turned around and held her Zanpakuto's handle aloft in his direction. Without a word, she conjured ten pink arrows of energy around her which promptly fired at Ignacio before coalescing into a massive explosion that wiped away the entire city street they had been fighting in, consuming a dozen buildings as it expanded outward. In it's wake would likely be an empty crater, devoid of anything resembling the Seireitei.

Mizu, panting from both heat exhaustion and the toll from using multiple 90's Hadō in one day, watched like a hawk for any sign of her enemy's survival. She raised her left arm to wipe sweat out of her eyes and from her forward, when she noticed black mark burns that must've formed from the burning air that rushed through the crack in the crystal wall. The sleeve of Mizu's Shihakushō was in tatters so she tore the remnants off, leaving her burned skin to be momentarily relieved by the cooler air around it.

Again the barrier came up, though it had come at the expense of her sustained attack. Ignacio's blade slammed into it, as did the tiger's claws, and yet the wall continued to hold. Heat poured into his weapon, the blade and glows positively glowing from the temperature that he was willing them to reach, and he continued to carve away at that which sought to contain him. But he was not quick enough, not strong enough, and the Shinigami darted away once more.

The black rings continued to bubble up inside of him as he watched the arrows soar down from on high, the power contained within them likely enough to flatten his surroundings so evasion felt pointless. Instead, as always, he would meet fire with fire. His body roared in protestation, but his urge to defy this attack was greater, as he plunged the blade of Tigre Garra into the ground before him to act as a rooting point for him to cling to. Then, just as that pink explosion engulfed him, he let all of that charge erupt in its own fiery blaze of destruction.

Desintigrase combined with the powerful spell to blast the street into the crater that Mizu had desired and even more, a rippling cloud of superheated steam following in its aftermath like a shockwave, basking all around in a golden glow, as the swirling dust and debris from the combined attacks settled to reveal the Arrancar still standing at the heart of the storm. Even his body was blackened and charred, garish bloody wounds weeping from the damage they had sustained in enduring the onslaught, but he gripped the handle of Tigre Garra with a ferocious tenacity. His other arm hung limply at his side, his golden eyes now forced shut though something had begun to drip down his cheeks like bloody tears that eventually turned into steam themselves.

Ignacio had not the time to make a counterattack, nor the energy, instead he simply stood there and waited for his opponent's next move. If they came at him then he would fight, if they used more magic then he would endure. All that mattered was that he kept burning.

It was concerning to see the burning man standing amidst the ashen battlefield and billowing smoke. As she stared down at her enemy, Mizu noticed the area didn't even look like the Seireitei anymore; their surroundings had long since been evacuated, leaving the two opponents alone with each other, and the environment had been reduced to little more than ash in a crater. She knew she couldn't allow this fight to spread further, as well that this Arrancar simply could not be allowed to go wreak havoc elsewhere in Soul Society or escape.

Holding her left hand aloft, Mizu gathered Reishi before firing it in the form of a yellow lightning bolt aimed directly for Ignacio; only, it wasn't the simple Raikōhō it appeared to be. The moment it would reach Ignacio, the yellow energy would suddenly transform from electricity into a snaking chain that would move to wrap around him to bind his arms and torso, revealing itself to be a Sajō Sabaku spell. Right after, Mizu opened her palm and conjured eight spheres of black and purple Reishi around the Arrancar which emitted concentrated Reishi, with a final ninth sphere placed at his chest to hold him in place if successful.

Hoping her spells had been successful in holding Ignacio in place, or at least served as a distraction, Mizu whipped her right arm up before pulling downwards. This caused every single one of the hundreds of razor-sharp crystal shards scattered around to lift into the air and swirl around him, before all at once crashing into where he had been standing, her plan to shred him to ribbons and worse.

With every spell and manipulation of her crystals, Mizu could feel her endurance sapped further and further. She knew this fight needed to end soon or else.