Aftershock (Closed - Dellapero)

Dellapero was getting tired of this life.The military with their codes, laws,and restrictions, they were a real pain! Sure, there were plenty of fine souls to chat with and the training and education on more modern matters was helpful, but one of the things he hated most was being figuratively bound. Fortunately, those limitations were removed today. While not being cast to the battlefield he desired, a small group had been sent near Kyoto to escort some figure of important status. That didn't take long, especially with his own skills on the board. With the task complete for now and the meeting not demanding his attention, the man finally had a small window of time to branch off and explore the area. It was such a relief to finally be away from the commanding officers and all the other higher-rankings members in the unit that forbid his freelance lifestyle. If not for the fact he needed a means to adapt to this new world and enjoyed the training he got out of it, the man would be gone in a flash. He already made plans to abandon the army once his training is complete and he got an unordered plan to venture across the states in order.

There wasn't enough time to be worth shedding the uniform and adorning in his preferred attire from back home, so he remained in the camouflage cover. His normal fit would have caught the same amount of unusual attention anyway, so it didn't matter. Since they were in Japan, a place not on the best of terms right now; he kept his weapons on hand. Two blades hung at his waist, sheathed in relic-like designed cases with worn tether wrapped around their guards. A large shotgun; specifically a Remington model rested on his back with straps matching the color of the uniform holding it loosely in place. If anything made a problem, the Fullbringer was now more than equipped to manage it. His advisors didn't even know he decided to venture out fully armed, and if they did he'd surely have been stopped. Retribution would come later though. He made his choice, and it may have come to be in good merit in the time soon to come. He didn't bother with a helmet or any of the minor gear others carried with them. Being superhuman had its perks in this line of work, and he only tried to hide it just enough to avoid being bothered by some big organization looking for people to mess with. He never could remember their names, but letting people know he had less-than-possible talents while bound to the military was definitely a bad idea.

Over the course of his walk, Grance heard the clap of thunder above. Dark clouds loomed ominously overhead and the population outside died down. He didn't mind the weather. It was even relaxing in a way. The water poured over him, soaking his attire and hair. It was a warm rain, proving more comforting than a bother. With the bulk of the city returning indoors, Dellapero finally decided to change his path; venturing to a forest crafted in bamboo not far off. His usual free-running habits were off limits while under this guise of a soldier, making exploration take longer than usual. Then again, even a adrenaline junkie like himself could enjoy a more tranquil path every once in awhile. The rain died down a little in the confines of the forest, but not by much. Walking down the path, a flash of lightning revealed the shadowed image of another soul on the opposite end of the bamboo-encased walkway.

Something seemed very off about the character though. It was more than a Human instinct that sensed something a-miss, but a tint of spiritual energy not far off. That shape wasn't one of a Hollows..and yet... The Fullbringer stepped forward, each step from his boots making a quiet splash in the water The image started to clear, the masked scent of blood barely noticeable. Most would be turned to avoid such a situation drawing close, but it only made Dellapero excited. At the same time though, the origin of the crimson markings was a point of worry. Had this individual struck down an innocent soul? The malevolent demons of the night were as common as they could be when he was last here.

Another flash of lightning as the two were now in eye's range. There was no mistaking it now; at least regarding the blood. As for what they were...It looked Human, but didn't feel like it..Perhaps they were under a disguise of some sort!? Dellapero stopped his venture forth, pausing and looking over the form of the Arrancar before him. His expression carried an oblivious smile, though it was clear in his eyes he had a degree of concern for the origin of the red stains. His hand drifted lazily near his blade; not yet grasping it. The rain continued to pelt down upon them as he spoke, his tone oddly friendly and benevolent. It could be this man had been attacked or something of that sort, or even that they were injured. Though given how casually they walked in this place without saying a word; he severely doubted it.

"I didn't expect to see anyone else here in the downpour. You have a bit of blood on your shirt right about, everywhere. Just letting you know."

WC = 905
GP = 18
GP Total = 18

The soft, golden eyes of the Hollow had looked up to the sight of a man with two swords tethered to his waist and a large type of gun on his back. Upon first glance it was obvious this man was a human and a warrior. Could these be the weapons used in current warfare? According to his old mentor, Ryu, it had been exactly three hundred and thirty four years since Soran’s death as a human. If this were true, then it meant that the current year was 1945.

Before their showdown, Ryu explained to Soran that there was a war currently going on that was on a worldwide scale. One of the central points of this war was in Japan. Apparently his homeland was attempting to expand and take over other countries during this time and it was unsure if they would be successful or not.

Upon further inspection, Soran noticed that the man was slightly taller than he was and wearing camouflage attire. This was a common trait that had existed for many, many years. It was a tactic usually performed by soldiers to blend into their environment. Although it seemed odd to be wearing it in a forest of bamboo.

Still adjusting to the World of the Living since his demise as a human, he wasn’t sure how people in this current area were like. But this man seemed to be well protected from the amount of weaponry he possessed. This encounter could turn out quite interesting. However, Soran would remain silent and try to walk past this man without conflict if possible. He certainly wasn’t going to try to consume his soul, he was still full from eating another Arrancar the day before. This meal was especially filling due to the fact that Ryu had consumed countless souls in his life. Meaning Soran had eaten all that Ryu had, plus the Arrancar himself.

The first human he sees since returning to Earth and his first thought was debating turning him into a meal or not. He decided against it, but only if the two were not on hostile terms. Instead he would simply try to pass peacefully and without incident.

As Soran examined the newcomer, the man spoke: “I didn't expect to see anyone else here in the downpour. You have a bit of blood on your shirt right about, everywhere. Just letting you know.”

The Arrancar stopped walking and looked down to examine his own clothes. He had been so consumed with examining the stranger’s attire, he overlooked the blood on his own outfit. The apparent notice of blood from a murder forced a smirk on Soran’s face. Not because of his sadistic personality, but because of whose blood it belonged to. Ever since he was an Adjucha, Soran despised his mentor. The training he endured was based off of cruelty and torture. Once he had the chance to be rid of him for good, he took it. This was his final test and he had passed it with flying colors. Most of which were red.

Another crackle of lightning lit up the area and revealed the Arrancar’s mouthful of razor sharp fangs. The jagged teeth seeming to pop out from underneath the hood as he smiled. After a brief moment of silence, Soran responded sarcastically: “Yeah, I haven’t figured out where to get my laundry done yet. You know anywhere that specializes in cleaning off the blood of my enemies?” With a smile kept on his face he continued to speak, “Luckily the rain is masking the smell, but I don’t want to deal with any more creatures whenever the sun decides to come back out.” He was, of course, referring to other Hollow. They were mostly drawn to the presence of Shinigami, but the scent of Arrancar blood would likely have the same result. The Arrancar simply stood in place and awaited a response from the stranger who had pointed out the stains on his clothing.

WC: 664

GP: 13

Total GP: 25

This stranger actually responded back at Soran’s comment about finding a place to clean the blood off of his clothes. It was obvious back his lack of caring about murder that this person was also a seasoned warrior who had, at least, taken a life or two in his days. He was only visiting here for a job? What kind of job could that be? Perhaps he was a sell-sword or a soldier in an army. It would certainly fir his camouflaged outfit. Although it didn’t seem to match the surrounding scenery.

The stranger then pointed out that the sun would not be coming out for some time as there was apparently a weather forecast saying it would storm throughout the night. He did, however, say this source of information was coming from the United States. He had only heard tales of the new world soon after his transformation into a Hollow, but why would one of their soldiers be here in Japan? This thought was interrupted by another crash of lighting and a sudden pick up in the violence of wind swaying the bamboo back and forth.

A new thought hit the Hollow as quickly as the lightning lit up the sky, how was he being seen? He hadn’t intentionally revealed himself to the stranger, so he must be spiritually aware of entities. This was disclosed to him during his time as an apprentice. Some humans possessed the sixth sense ability to see spirits, this happened to be just that case. What a coincidence that the first person Soran came into contact with after entering the World of the Living would be a spiritually aware human.

Suddenly another question came from the stranger. The soldier asked who his enemies were. “Enemy.” Soran immediately corrected, “Singular. Only one.” He paused and tried to figure out a way to rephrase his statement, “He was the one who created what you see before you. Another Arrancar who tormented me throughout my years as an Adjucha… Apologies, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about.”

“Regardless, it doesn’t matter. He’s dead now.”

WC: 350 (Tree Fiddy)

GP: 7

Total GP: 32

The human stranger obviously did not care much for needless bloodshed. But he also didn’t seem to mind at all considering the blood was not that of a human. Expressing that if the blood did not belong to that of an innocent, it was nothing to fret over. He then followed up this statement that he had no idea what an Adjucha or Arrancar even was, claiming he had never bothered learning much about spirits. It made sense, it wasn’t like their existence was common knowledge in the World of the Living. But then the man went on to say that he had not encountered many spirits aside from the feral masked ones’ going around at night that he had to beat down.

This guy beat down other Hollow? Could a human really be that strong? If Soran had not had his mask removed the day before, would he be in danger from this man? The human stranger went on to say that he had prior experience performing exorcisms. Did those really work against Hollow? He also stated that he had not seen many of them since arriving in Japan. Perhaps they were also affected by the ongoing war and were forced to relocate to somewhere else until the humans stopped fighting amongst each other? So many questions ran through the mind of the Arrancar during the words stated by the other person.

“Those feral masked creatures are called Hollow. Most of them are mindless brutes while others hold on to the fragment of humanity they possessed while they were still alive.” Soran explained. “They go through an evolutionary stage for each soul they consume, either human or another Hollow. Cannibalism is normal for these braindead monsters. Once we masked ones reach our final stage of being a Hollow, we are known as Adjucha. Then we are given a choice for the next step of our evolution: We can either keep the mask on and risk the chance of becoming something even more monstrous or we can remove our mask and reclaim our humanity as Arrancar.”

Isolated incidents were apparently another thing that the man did not mind. But he did go on to ask if Soran would be causing any problems in the World of the Living. It had barely been an entire day as an Arrancar and already he was being questioned of troublemaking. He certainly had not planned on it. Although he had not been able to taste a human soul since he had become an Adjucha, other than the ones he absorbed through his old mentor. The stranger expressed his terrible luck with spiritual entities in the past thinking high and mighty of themselves and causing problems for the less fortunate, whom did not possess power of their own.

“Well, I wasn’t planning on it. Japan was my home whenever I was a human.” Soran admitted nonchalantly. “As you can probably tell from my lack of mask, I am an Arrancar, so my humanity has been restored. At least, as much of it that was left. But you shouldn’t racially profile us, it’s rude.”

WC: 518

GP: 10

Total GP: 42

Dellapero had been ignorant to the terms and explanations of the spiritual chain for more reasons than one. It had been explained to him a few times in the duration of has life as a Fullbringer, but the thought always slipped his mind after a year or two. The details didn't matter to him much, so they were quickly pushed aside for remembering more important things in the confines of his mind. Though the refresher of things once in awhile was appreciated; and often helpful in properly discerning the nature of some situations. The stage and form of Hollows seldom mattered to him, as he was one to charge at any opposition regardless of their form or power if he viewed it as the proper thing to do for the good of those present.

"Evolving brain-dead...Are Hollows some kind of spiritual mutant zombie alien!? That sounds like exactly what a mutant zombie alien would do. Never really notice a difference between the few I fight against; save those really tall ones that pop up a few times a year. They may be huge, but they're really not that tough. Just need to be sure they get kicked in the right direction so they don't crush any buildings or people. " Despite his violent take on things, he seldom killed, even regarding the Hollows he worked to hold off weekly and had the best of intentions. Save for the war in Sekigahara, the man had only ended the lives of a hand full of souls; and not out of his own volition. ..Save For one unique case he didn't like to think back to. The others had all proven a threat to Humanity and despite being beaten down multiple times; continued to make trouble for the living until eventually they took things too far..

"Oh, neat. So you're not some zombie mutant anymore. Still skeptical, but your story seems good so far. And for the record, it isn't a racial thing. I'm counting Humans too. Its more of a powers thing...Hell, One of my worst days has been at the hands of another augmented Human. It isn't too surprising though. Some people go from powerlessness to being able to crush normal folks in a second. Power gets to their heads and all that! Anyway, just being sure is all. Its my home too; and I'll be coming back permanently once the business with the war is settled." He couldn't think enough how much he disliked being part of the military. It was more endurable .during the war in Japan since he only served to his closest friend at the time. Here? He didn't relate very well to anyone particularly. They were all good-willed folks, but no spiritually aware members of the unit to relate to and go off on adventures with a-midst nightfall.

Dellapero's tone remained consistent, free of hostility or any indication of taking up a violent approach without provocation. He spoke as if conversing with an old friend, not restraining himself to the polite rules of common first meeting. That was just how the man functioned though." Oh, and the name is Dellapero by the way, or Dell for short. Pero, Della, Dell. Whatever floats your boat." He extended his palm outward for a friendly gesture of a handshake. His actions were unorthodox, a mix of a kind man in tone and act; but constantly speaking, endorsing, and enjoying the acts of battle like a more callous soul of war. " It isn't that I have a problem with Hollows, but I do at the same time. Like you said, they are monsters that seek out the souls of others; and even their own kind. I can't just let them go about doing that, ya' know? So given that experience, can never be too cautious in ensuring the safety of things around here. If they don't cause any issues? Then I don't have any problem..They just do...Often." The thunder clapped again, though much more lightly. The storm was becoming distant; though not over and likely not so for some time. Darkness remained over the sky farther than even the supernatural eye could see. The flashes of lightning cast their origin to the far north; the winds dying down to a calmer breeze and putting the forest in a state of calm serenity once again. A light frizzle of rain pelted down against the ground and continued to soak his attire and hair.

Whether the handshake was accepted or not, Grance's hand fell back to his side; lazily drifting just beside the guard of his sword. It was more of a habit than anything else to keep it near where it could be easily grasped. The source of that was more from his days as a normal man; where the speed at which one could draw their blade ensured the difference between life and death back in those days. "Also, you should try lightening up a bit. Pretty dark out and I get you just got done with some pretty serious stuff, but I just came out here for a walk to get away from the squad until the meeting is done. Just wanted to be sure I wasn't leaving behind anything that could harm the people around here. You seem decent enough at the moment though...Unless you're lying about some things! But I get the feeling you're not being a dick, so we're good." The Fullbringer had adjusted to discerning minor things about people when talking to them through the minor signs given off from the body and tone. Though their voice stayed fairly nonchalant; he couldn't help but feel the traces of stress or even anxiety running through them. It was a familiar thing among people; something that did put a bit more ease on the nature of this man. Things like that displayed proof of a more Human existence and proof of concept to the theory they explained to him just moments ago.

WC 953

GP = 19

Total GP =  73

Spiritual mutant zombie alien? Now that was one way to describe a Hollow. But could spirits be considered a zombie? Zombies were usually what reanimated corpses were referred to as, while a spirit was simply an apparition detached from their physical body. Mutant was another interesting term to use that was surprisingly accurate considering the metamorphosis that took place as a Hollow evolved into their next stage of evolution. As for being alien, Soran was unsure if the other planes of existence were considered to be other worlds or just different dimensional rifts still located on Earth. In any case, bringing those words together to sum up what the Arrancar had become was hardly flattering. But he took no offense from the man’s synopsis.

While the human stranger finished his thought, he had brought up the really tall Hollow that weren’t all that strong. “Those are called Gillian.” Soran corrected once again, “I was actually one myself a few centuries ago. I joined a group called Menos and that is when I learned that all the other Hollow were cannibals.” He paused. The Arrancar did not wish to reveal himself as such, even though he had eaten another Arrancar only the day before. “Terrible and ugly creatures. But I soon evolved beyond the need to consume others.”

The man went on to state that his opinions were not of racial bias and that even humans can be greatly influenced by power. This was actually a pretty wise statement coming from another human. Another thing that caught Soran’s attention was the fact that the man claimed to be from Japan. It was his homeland as well, he was only there until the current war was settled. He stated receiving his intel about weather from a foreign land, likely one that opposed Japan. But why would he be a part of opposing forces? It was none of his business, so he would not ask flat out. Instead he would simply ask a question which would seem innocent enough.

“You don’t seem to represent the sigil of Japan, yet you carry blades made in the likeness of our craftsmanship. If you really are from here, why would you forsake your homeland by fighting for opposing forces?” Soran asked curiously. He didn’t particularly have anything against it, but he saw no point in fighting a war against the place of one’s origin, only to return after the war was done.

It turned out introductions were in order at this point in the conversation. The human soldier introduced himself as Dellapero and extended his hand out for a friendly gesture. The Hollow smiled and grasped the hand gently with the metal gauntlet he was wearing. “Nice to meet you, Dell. You seem pretty intelligent for a human, perhaps one day they will name a machine after you.” The Arrancar joked as he let out a slight laugh, little did he know…

“My name is Soran.” He introduced himself as he released his grasp of the man’s hand and returned his arm to his side. Dell expressed his genuine feelings toward Hollow. It wasn’t that he despised them, they just went around fucking shit up for everybody and he didn’t approve of it. He made a fair point, other Hollow were quick to lash out at others, including others of their race. According to him, if they didn’t go around being assholes, he wouldn’t have to deal with their bullshit.

As the rain kept pouring down, lightning continued to light up the sky, followed by the crackling and booming of thunder. The storm ensuing around the two was how Soran felt on the inside. His Hollow instinct was conflicting with his newfound humanity. The two were at constant odds ever since his mask was removed and he was having trouble adjusting. This was apparently made obvious as Dell told Soran to lighten up. Dellapero told Soran that as long as he wasn’t going around harming other people, then he was all good. Soran had no plans for this to become his goals, but once again he did not know what the future had in store for him…

“You say you’re a soldier and I have been stuck in Hueco Mundo for hundreds of years doing nothing else but learning how to fight.” Soran confessed, “If you would be interested, perhaps we could have a little spar before you returned back to your squad? I am curious to see if my training had paid off against someone other than the one who taught me.”

WC: 757

GP: 15

Total GP: 57

Listening with intent to the soldier’s reason for treachery actually did Soran some good. He learned not to see things in just black and white and to learn there are more sides to the story than just the facts. Even though this man was opposing the land of his origin, he was doing so in order to maintain the peace over the land. It turned out that there were other opposing forces as well that had to be dealt with, Japan was just the lesser of two evils at the moment. Regardless, this was an acceptable excuse to be fighting for the other army. Soran wouldn’t throw his morals out the window only to appease the side he fought on, at least for the time being. Perhaps later he would fight his own battles in wars to come. Although he would first have to find a cause he believed in fighting for.

As the rain continued to pour and the rumble of thunder was unrelenting, the wind was starting to pick up and violently shake the bamboo harder. This caused the swaying of the sticks to crash into each other to mimic the crackle in the sky as lightning shot around throughout the dark grey clouds.

The smile on the Arrancar’s face widened as the soldier agreed to his request to battle. Dell then inquired if this fight should be taken seriously or not. The man admitted to usually brawling with his fists against weaker opponents. This was perfect! Soran had never even learned to swing a sword during his training. He had only stuck to the knowledge of martial arts during his time in Hueco Mundo under apprenticeship of Ryu.

“A fist fight actually sounds great.” Soran laughed excitedly as he began to slide the gauntlets off of his hands and forearms, forgetting he had attempted this the day before. “But in the interest of fairness, I should probably take these off.” The Arrancar tossed the gauntlets to the side and put up a fighting stance, only to realize that the gauntlets were already back on his arms. “What the hell?” The Hollow had a stunned look of confusion on his face as he attempted to take them off once again and toss them aside. Once more the gauntlets vanished from the ground and reappeared on the arms of the Arrancar instantaneously. Getting visibly frustrated, Soran ripped them off a third time and threw them into the bamboo forest out of rage. But alas, it had the same exact result.

Remembering the day before, after the fight ensued, Soran had attempted to remove the gauntlets in an attempt to clean the blood off of them, but they had reappeared on his arm. At the time it was simply something he had shrugged off as something to do later. It was at this point in time that the grim reality finally hit the Arrancar that there was no way to remove them. No matter what he did, they would be stuck on his arms forever. He was face-to-face with the fact that he would never be able to feel anything else with his bare hands ever again… “Son of a bitch!!!!”

Soran exclaimed his frustration aloud before quickly composing himself in the sight of the soldier. “Well, that’s gonna get annoying. As it turns out, my Zanpakutō is a tad bit clingy and is bound to me like some kind of symbiotic armor. I guess we’ll just have to fight with our weapons instead.”  

Soran got into his defensive stance once more with his hands held up guarding his face. “I’ll let you make the first move.”

WC: 607

GP: 12

Total GP: 69

Dellapero couldn't hide his natural interest in battle. The very concept of it had already caused his blood to begin pumping and the natural flow of battle already coming to manifest in his mind. He never had the chance to face an Arrancar before, or many people that actually had their wits about them to begin with. In his time as a combatant, he had only fought a tribe of hostile native Americans, the hoards of masked Hollows that flooded the Earth, and a few crazy and deranged Fullbringers; mostly during his time in Japan before the coma. He brought his hands together, cracking his knuckles in wait for the requested brawl. It wasn't his best field, but unarmed combat had a unique thrill and a more personal connection between warriors than facing off with weapons. Striking someone dead in the face and getting struck back in tern was an intricate way of conveying ones thoughts and emotions on an entirely different level than words. While weapons offered a similar experience, using your own body as the weapon made it all that more effective in understanding one another through battle.

His eyes crossed the twin gauntlets covering the Arrancar's hands. They were an interesting choice of weapon; one that clearly indicated the man's ability in unarmed combat. They were likely even better than himself in the field! That wasn't any issue though. In fact it made the potential of how entertaining this match up could turn out all the more alluring. Facing off against stronger or more skilled opposition was the best; or one of the best mediums for self-improvement after all. Dellapero reached his limit from how much he could gain from fighting basic Hollows and their evolutions, at least to what he knew at the time. Striving toward facing more unique, varied and stronger spirits and Humans was the next step he needed to take in his ascension. He blinked, watching the unorthodox gear refuse to depart from their wearer.

Were these gauntlets some kind of cursed weapon? Never had he seen something like that, especially when the one behind the extension of one's will desired to be rid of it. It was almost funny watching the Arrancar battle against their own equipment to be rid of it. Was that some kind of unique aspect to Soran's weapons, or did all Arrancar have this unorthodox trait to their gear? The rain continued to pelt down upon them; crashing thunder filling the sky with sound and lightning setting the entire forest a blaze in light for seconds at a time. Weapon combat worked too, bit even with those gauntlets, would he need his blades? They would make it more difficult to handle direct hand-to-hand combat, but he didn't use his hands much anyway. He had always been more centered on a style more a-kin to kickboxing that could mesh together with his swordsmanship to create two means of assault that exercised every appendage effectively.

"Zanpak-what...Is that some fancy name for a cursed weapon? In either case, alright! Also, if you have trouble removing them; try punching them against something really, really durable until the cursed magic is punched straight out of them!" Grance reached for one of his two swords, fingers grasping around the katate-uchi's guard and pulling it free from the sheath that stored it away. The blade shined in each flash of lightning; the edge as sharp ever and carrying with it an extremely dense amount of his own spiritual energy. Over the years these weapons had come to naturally tune up with his ever growing spiritual essence; becoming more than traditional blades with durability and power matching that of the one holding them. The steel measured fifty centimeters in length, shorter than the average sword; but designed for easy control and handling under the grasp of a single hand. The opposite blade had the same characteristics; though were less noticeable due to the sheath encasing it.

It seemed rather unfitting. A U.S soldier dressed in battle attire with a gun on their back using a blade? It was his preferred means of combat though and what he excelled at the most. His skill with a gun was far from average either, but the blade signified his true devotion to the art of the sword and his own unique free-form style of combat utilizing the weapon. " One should suffice for now. If you're good enough I might get the other!" Odds were this fight was going too make him forget all about the meeting and needing to return there later and give him an even harder time at the trips conclusion. But would it be worth it? Probably. If it wasn't than he wouldn't be bothering with the endeavor to begin with! Dellapero rolled his shoulders around, thinking what would be the best way to start this out. Something over the top? Normally, yes. That would always be the right answer, but he didn't want to draw too much attention to their battle from the city near by. Holding the sword at his side, the Fullbringer had come to his decision.

"Alright then!"

Dellapero stepped forward, looking over the Arrancar's stance. They were set up to well protect their upper-body which made his usual plan to deck someone straight in the face out of the question. He began twisting his body around and picking up momentum in quick complete spin. Near the conclusion of the motion, his leg stretched outward; at the same time his upper-body moved back; and launched a powerful , quick and well-executed side-kick straight for the evolved Hollow's solar plexus heel-first. His body had been turned slightly away from the opposition, putting himself at the perfect distance to avoid any strikes from the hand while the attack carried itself out. His blade, rested near his body for the purpose of defending. It would have its chance soon enough to have a swing at the Arrancar he faced. Whether the kick was blocked or dodged, he aimed to quickly pull it back to the ground and beside his other foot in preparation for the rest of the fight to kick off. He did need to work on his unarmed combat skills still,and even if the fight involved his weapons; a well placed kick could make a considerable impact right out of the gate. He returned to a standing position with feet only slightly apart and his focus now centered even more highly on the opposition. The loud thunder and rain that fell down upon them faded from his mind; leaving only the two warriors and the battle between them and a thin line of the terrain.

WC 1112
GP = 22
Total GP = 109

Soran explained that he was unable to perform unarmed combat due to the bond his weapons had to him. They were spiritual weapons after all, it made sense that they would be attached to his soul. It appeared that this man had never even heard of a Zanpakutō before. Not uncommon for a human. Soran had never even heard of them until he met his former mentor. Zanpakutō were the trademark weapons of the Shinigami. Capable of cutting spiritual bodies, they are among the few weapons which were actually used to combat other Hollow. Each Shinigami carries a Zanpakutō, and each Zanpakutō is unique based on the soul and personality of the wielder. Another interesting trait about these weapons is that they are actually alive, in some sense of the word.  According to his former trainer, the blades themselves are actually a part of their Shinigami's soul. They exist in tandem with their master; they are born alongside their Shinigami, and die with them. A Zanpakutō Spirit's power is separate from that of their owner, and when a Shinigami draws on this power in addition to their own, their Zanpakutō will become even stronger.

As it turned out that even Hollow received these weapons once they had their mask removed and were transformed into Arrancar. However, unlike the ones wielded by the Soul Reapers, theirs did not possess souls. That is what made the fact that they were so attached to Soran so confusing. The gauntlets weren’t alive or sentient in any sense of the word. But they seemed bound to his arms and refused to stay off. Perhaps there was a deeper attachment between the two that Soran had yet to discover. In any case, the fact that they could not be removed would quickly become irritating and get on his nerves. But at least they would help him punch harder.

The soulless weapons of Arrancar were simply the means of unlocking new and unique abilities. During his fight that had taken place the day before, he had learned that his newfound power was Aerokinetic manipulation. This meant that he could control the ability of wind. Perhaps this was because air was the element of freedom and it was also the thing Soran desired the most whenever he died as a human. During the time he was drowning and his lungs were filling with water, he had only wished for one more breath of oxygen before he died. Hopefully these new powers would come in handy whenever he needed them the most and he had completely mastered them. However, this was a new skillset he barely had any time to learn about, due to the fact that he had only received these gauntlets one day prior to these current events unfolding. But he did have the gist of what he could do, in time he would learn his limitations. For the time being, he would use the beginning stages of his new power during this spar, only to see what other nifty tricks he could come up with.

Asking if the term was a fancy name for a cursed weapon, the Hollow tried once again to remove the gauntlets only to have them reappear once again. “I guess so...” Soran sighed in frustration as Dell suggested punching the magic out of them. “Oh if only it worked that way. I’m pretty sure even if I shattered them into pieces, locked them in a steel vault, and then threw it into the bottom of the ocean, they would be able to find me again.”

As Soran gave his thoughts on the matter he noticed that the soldier was drawing one of the swords from its sheath. The blade seemed smaller than that of an average samurai sword. A wakizashi perhaps? The blade itself seemed to illuminate from another flash of lightning in the stormy sky. The rain was still pouring. The Arrancar could even see his own glowing golden eyes reflect off of the blade itself from underneath his hood.

Proclaiming he would only need one of the swords unless forced to use both, the Arrancar had put his guard up. The soldier then announced he would indeed be the first to strike and began to spin his body in an attempt to kick to Arrancar in the gut. Mirroring his movements and spinning his body in the opposite direction, Soran countered with a swift jab and blocked the foot with an attack of his own. The two opposing forces collided as Soran punched Dell in the heel. However, there was more to this punch than would meet the eye. The Arrancar’s Zanpakutō had reinforced the punch with a slight gust of wind to make it appear as if he had hit the foot harder than he actually did. Because of this, it would likely knock the soldier off balance. Even if it didn’t, Soran would follow this strike up with a sweeping motion aimed at the leg that was still standing before the man could retract the leg he had tried to kick him with. As the Arrancar attempted to sweep the standing leg of his opponent, his arms would stay on guard in order to defend himself with the gauntlets.

WC: 872

GP: 17

Total GP: 86

The colliding sound of the Hollow’s fist meeting the soldier’s foot was synonymous with a loud burst of thunder with lightning crackling down in the background. This impact was the beginning of the showdown to come. As the foot was pushed back, Soran used the opportunity of knocking his opponent off balance in order to strike. With a sweeping motion of his leg, Soran managed to knock the remaining foot of his opponent off the ground. Success! Or so he thought…

Having a short sword must have its advantages in certain situations. This particular situation turned out to be one of them as the soldier planted the blade firmly in the ground to catch himself. The muddy floor of the walkway in the forest surprisingly held up well to the weight of a fully grown human. It seemed that due to the amount of rain that was falling on the dirt that he should have sunken deeper into the ground. Regardless, the man had used the momentum of the sweep to swing his own body around and kick Soran’s leg off the ground.

The impact of the kick managed to knock Soran off his feet and into the mud.  While the Arrancar fell back and made a splash, the human soldier used the rest of his momentum to land on his feet. While his opponent had fully composed himself, Soran was flat on his ass and covered with mud slashed on his clothing. “Looks like blood isn’t the only thing I need to wash off.” Soran joked as he looked at how dirty his clothes were becoming.

“Not bad. Think I have a good estimation of how strong you are now. But strength isn't everything. I'll try a more serious assault next time. Try to keep up!”

The Arrancar smirked at this display of cockiness being presented to him. This guy was a pretty decent fighter and the challenge excited the Hollow. Soran’s mind began evaluating what had just occurred. In less than five seconds the two had collided their attacks, Soran had knocked Dell off balance, the soldier used his sword to catch and balance himself off the ground; spun around using momentum to send a reversed sweeping kick at Soran’s leg in return; and then followed the path of momentum to go in the opposite path and jump back to his feet while Soran fell to the ground. This was certainly a great way to start off the match. At least on the soldier’s end of things.

Pushing the metal claws of his Zanpakutō into the muddy ground, Soran lifted his legs into the air and began flipping and spinning around the soldier. These acrobatic movements allowed the Arrancar to regain his balance as well as increase the momentum of his movements in the process. Spinning his body like a corkscrew around the man, the Hollow proceeded to send various combinations of attacks at the solder while keeping his arms at the ready to defend himself. These attacks ranged from spinning kicks aimed for his jaw as well as low kicks aimed for his legs and torso. While these kicks were being thrown, the Hollow was also splashing mud around at the soldier to obstruct his vision. To an observer it would almost appear as if he were breakdancing around the man while throwing in a few kick in the process. But in actuality, Soran was using a martial art known as Capoeira.

Capoeira was one of the numerous martial arts Soran had been taught during his time in Hueco Mundo. This form of battle was a Brazilian martial art that managed to combine elements of dancing and acrobatics. This was definitely one of Soran’s favorite skills he had acquired. It was developed in Brazil mainly by African descendants with native Brazilian influences around the 16th century. It is known for quick and complex moves, using mainly power, speed, and leverage for a wide variety of kicks, spins, and highly mobile techniques. It was likely that the actions being performed by the Hollow would be foreign to the soldier. If so, then it would also be likely to work in his favor by throwing the foe off guard. As the kicks were being swung wildly, Soran made a point to do his best in making sure his legs avoided the blade of the sword so he would not end up getting cut.

While it was fun to actually be able to use this martial art in a real battle for the first time, the movements around the wet terrain of the bamboo forest was also covering Soran and Dell in mud (unless he somehow manage to avoid the various splashes directed at him). It wasn’t like it was something he particularly minded. During his time as a Hollow he was covered in blood all the time how bad could dirt be?

WC: 813

GP: 16

Total GP: 102

As Soran flipped through the air with rapid kicks, the soldier’s hand moved swiftly to block the rising kick sent skyward. The force of the attack caused Dell’s hand to bruise slightly and his body to be pushed back a few inches. It seemed as if he had been caught off-guard by this unexpected display of combative dancing. Across the assortment of attacks, Soran had struck up enough mud to form another blind spot that splashed around the two. Another kick struck the soldier right on the left-side, probably sending another jolt of pain through the body and incurring more bruising. The sudden reveal of this style had indeed given the Arrancar an edge in the battle. Even though the fight had only begun, he had obtained the upper-hand, or so he thought…

Balancing on his hands, Soran was using breakdancing skills in an attempt to sweep the man while his body was low to the ground. As the Arrancar sent this low kick aimed toward his legs, the human soldier moved quickly by pushing off the mud-paved path and leaped high into the air. While in mid-air, the swordsman curled his body to jump over the Hollow, likely for a counter attack. This prompted Soran to rapidly bring his legs under him with the dancing movements of the sweep in order to spin on his knees and swing his body around with the momentum he had gained to allow his body to face the man.

Upon turning around to see his opponent, the man brought his blade down in a diagonal slash. Acting solely on impulse, the Arrancar quickly brought both arms up and blocked the sword with the forearms of his gauntlets. However, the impact was so powerful that Soran’s arms lowered slightly and the blade managed to cut into Soran’s right shoulder, really close to his neck. The sheer force of the blade colliding with the gauntlets had caused the Hollow’s hood to come off of his head from a miniature shockwave, something that even the previous flips of his dancing combat style had not caused to happen. The cut itself was not particularly deep due to the Hollow blocking in time, as well as the fact that the blade was not as long as other common swords. Even so, blood was now visible on the cut made to his hooded shirt. It was obvious that the man had a slight advantage in strength and had managed to actually cut the Arrancar, despite Soran blocking the initial attack.

Soran was now on his knees with a sword pressing down on his arms. The edge of the blade was in his shoulder and resisting was all he could do to keep it from going any deeper. The strength of the opponent pressing down, causing the blade to go slightly deeper as the Hollow’s knees went deeper into the mid. This was bad! This was really REALLY bad! The Arrancar didn’t have any other options, he would have to fire a cero from his mouth at the man from point-blank range. It was the one sure way to get the soldier’s blade away from his neck, aside from a quick breath of wind.

However, before the Hollow even began to charge the reiatsu to form a cero, the man jumped back and created distance between the two. This left Soran shocked and a slight bit confused. Dell had Soran right where he wanted him and he just jumped back to give the Arrancar room to breathe? He was considering last-resort methods of freeing himself from the situation and he did not even need to. Dellapero had simply hopped back and allowed Soran to recuperate. This left a dumbfounded look on his face as he tried to process why the human soldier would do this.

“Hell of a technique you have there. Been around eighty percent of the world in my life, yet still haven't seen anything that unusual. Won't take me long to get used to it though. Hope you have other tricks up your sleeve once this one grows stale, because it won't stay effective for long!”

These words changed the astonished expression on Soran’s face to a smile of excitement. This guy believed in a fair fight and it was something that instantly gained the Arrancar’s respect. The Hollow also had plans to travel the world and gain knowledge from outside sources like Dell. Picking himself up from the mud and standing on his feet once again, Soran decided to reply to these comments:

“That was actually one of my favorite styles to learn, courtesy of Brazil. It’s called Capoeira.” Soran explained once he stood to his feet, smiling from the amount of decent sportsmanship being presented to him by his opponent. “It works particularly well when you have music to go along with the rhythm of your movements. It was deemed so dangerous that the Brazilian Republic decreed the prohibition of Capoeira in the whole country. After the prohibition, any citizen caught practicing capoeira would be arrested, tortured and often mutilated by the police. That’s probably the reason you haven’t seen it, if you’ve been to South America that is.”

This knowledge had been passed down to Soran by his former mentor. He was unsure if the prohibition was still in effect, but it didn’t really matter to him because he had already learned the art. Dell had mentioned that he would likely be able to adapt to the style soon enough, so Soran would soon have to switch up his stance. Luckily, he had learned a numerous amount of martial arts styles during his time as an Adjucha. It was time to put those skills to the test.

Without any warning, Soran blasted a gust of wind at the man out of the palm of his metal claw. The force of the wind would likely be enough to knock him off of his feet. It would be extremely difficult to avoid due to the fact that wind was invisible and the soldier still had no idea about Soran’s Aerokinetic abilities. Before he would use any of the other martial arts at his disposal, he would feel out his opponent with his other skillsets. It was also slight payback for knocking Soran in the mud earlier, despite covering the human soldier in mud with his earlier attacks.

Whether or not the gust of wind was able to strike the opponent and knock him back or he miraculously avoided it entirely somehow, Soran would then put up a new fighting stance. Rather than go on the offensive with his previous choice of style, he would now make the man come to him. The Arrancar’s arms were in the position of the Chinese martial art known as Wing Chun, which would likely be familiar to the soldier due to his origin from Asia and claiming to travel the world.

WC: 1151

GP: 23

Total GP: 125