Into the Fray... [Closed.R| Titus and Spectators ONLY! (PM to Enter)] Legendary Challenge/Death

The Espada tilted his head, a habit he had never quite abandoned, his elderly disposition a blatant lie to the strength that he held within his body. It emanated with certain strength that only a few would ever possess in Las Noches and that was why he was the Primera. The First. The strongest sword of Hueco Mundo and he was a man few people decided to trifle with. submit…follow….succumb. He shook his head; many stories spoke of the Primera Espada, some said he had the form of an elderly man but fought as a demon. Others said he had met death and for that he could never been injured. In each of these stories we find a grain of truth and slowly but surely we begin to garner a picture of the Primera Espada.

On his shoulders two birds rested, Huginn and Muginn, thought and memory. Irony to it’s core for any who knew better. He stood and picked up his cane and went to stand but stopped and sat balancing on the edge; he snapped his fingers and the birds took flight landing in the chandelier on high. His Pesquisa had picked up the intruder within the tower, recognising it almost instantly, Jason Sanders, the Human fuelled with his own personal vendetta against the Hollow Kind. Titus was slightly amused by the man, he had not killed any Arrancar yet from what Titus was sensing and it seemed Jason was heading right towards him. This was good. Titus was not even trying to hide his reiatsu; he had not done so in a long time. The truth was Titus feared nobody anymore. The threat of the Golden King Gilgamesh for him was simply a child’s game as he watched the forces of Las Noches mobilize. For a while now Titus had seen his life as the spectator of a game of chess, however lately [since he had met Hakuren-sama again to be precise] he had felt like he was being drawn back in, by chains he could not hope to break, avenge….defend…supercede.

Jason Sanders, the only man who had ever been close to bringing Titus Arkhan to death. Kenshou Ine, he had big attacks that were true but he never backed them with the killing intent of Jason Sanders, he simply left Titus to regenerate and Maki? Well she was a woman not a man and what a powerful woman she was. He remembered the sonic boom as he shot across the desert to that fated battle. He remembered Titus and Arkhan putting aside their petty differences and becoming what had led to what he was today. The only time he had ever used a Cero in battle was on that fated day and it had worked surprisingly enough, it had done what he wanted and with that he had cut Jason Sander’s arm. In truth, the man should’ve died. The wound would’ve seeped blood and all Hollowkind in the vicinity would have been on him like a pack of hungry hounds.

That had not been the case.

Whatever the reason Jason Sanders had survived and he was back, apparently stronger but Titus has grown stronger as well. Much stronger, he had died and came back and now Jason Sanders was standing at his door. Las Noches would remember today. The day a Human challenged the Primera Espada. Delicate cuts appeared over the door and then it simply crumbled. Jason Sanders then spoke his voice echoing across the hall to Titus. A laugh escaped Titus’s lips, a mocking laugh. “Please Jason, do not rank yourself so highly you are simply a memory not a dream and I am the king of thought and memory, isn’t that right?” from the chandelier above laughter came from his birds who found the joke immensely amusing. For they knew, Jason did not and that would lead to be his downfall.

“You speak of ancient rules Jason Sanders but I do not think you understand what eldritch words you are invoking. “Escenario de la Muerte” is an ancient custom passed down through the Arrancar Jason, it is not something you escape. By invoking it you are almost making certain that one of us will die but so be it. If this is what you want let me teach you a lesson child. A lesson I learnt long ago from a Maiden of War. Battle, is simply what you make of it. Escenario De La Muerte, I, Titus Arkhan accept your challenge” with those words he struck his cane on the ground the shockwave ran up the walls of the tower as the wood covering the cane peeled away revealing a worn katana.

779 words 15 GP

Jason stared at the old, withered body that was Titus Arkhan. Rumored to be the strongest of all Arrancars in Hueco Mundo, a man whom he had met only once before. A man who he had would have killed, had he simply been calm enough to think clearly. A man who, even now, after all he had gone through, all he had learned, infuriated him. The mere sight of him brought rage into Jason’s heart, a burning heat that threatened to overcome his mind, just as it had done so long ago... No. Not this time. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Remain calm. Maintain the void. You are you. You are the world. And the world is you. Deep, calming breaths filled Jason lungs as he waited the precious seconds between when his speech ended and the Primera’s reply. By the time Titus replied, his mocking laugh echoing through the large, ornate throne room, Jason was ready. He was calm. He saw the reason in the mans words, and did let them touch him. Or, at least, did not let the effect they had show on the outside. On the inside, however... His calm wavered. Anger poked through, and like a petulant child he opened his mouth as if to retort. He bit his tongue at the last second.

This was not the time to let his anger get the better of him. He had learned at least that much since their last encounter. I won’t let you control my emotions this time. This time, I am the one in control. A shockwave of power washed over Jason as Titus continued to speak, his Reiatsu growing as he recited the ancient law of Escenario de la Muerte. The Arena of Death. An inescapable challenge that could result in only one outcome. One party would die, while the other lived. This was it then. He had accepted his challenge. The fight was on. Bringing up his right arm as Titus released his sword from it’s hiding place in his cane, Jason smiled, the long, steel Katana in his hand flowing with Spiritual Power as he prepared his move. He held the blade in one hand, above his head, blade pointed to the sky, as if it were a beacon for all behind him to see. Opening his mouth, Jason spoke, his voice calm and devoid of emotion, even with the turmoil of anger and indecision that lay hidden beneath the surface. ”Bold words for a man your age. Although, you never really were as old as you looked. As for your advice...”

In that instant, he moved. A flash of green light preceded his movement, the Basic Bringers Light step taking him directly towards Titus, closing the distance between them to the point that Jason could see his own reflection in the man's purple eyes. Bringing his upheld sword down towards the man's right shoulder, Jason channeled a small amount of his Reiryoku into the Strike, while at the same time activating his Fullbrings ability to increase the attacks speed. This caused his weapon to catch fire as it fell towards his opponent, increasing the speed and power of the strike, thanks to his own ability to utilize the lighter air around the blade to his advantage, only to then have it increase in speed even further, thanks to the reality altering effects of his Fullbring. The attack, now faster and more powerful than one could possibly imagine, screamed downwards, threatening to cut through the Arrancars shoulder with with relative ease, thanks to the sheer weakness of the joint compared to the rest of the mans body. The attack would likely sever the mans arm if it hit. But that was the key. It had to hit. ”I already heard it from someone else.”
_____________
Word Count: 667
GP: 13/31
Stamina: -2 for Conceptual Weapon: First Blade: The Heron Marked Sword upkeep, -1 for Basic Step, -5 for Master Level Absolute Rule: Swallow Strike, -6 for Master Level Heron Marked Blade: Flames of Justice. -14 Stamina Total. 81 / 105 Stamina Left.

Combat Data

SPOILER: Click to show

ATTACKS AT JASON

None.

ATTACKS BY JASON
Jason Hoho’d forwards towards Titus at 90 Speed! (+10 from Basic step).
Jason attacked Titus with a Downwards Slash aimed at his Shoulder! (Attack moving at 80 Strength +50 from Master Level Heron Marked Blade: Flames of Justice, making Strength of Attack 130. Attack Speed increased by +50 from Master Level Absolute Rule: Swallow Strike, making Attack Speed 180. Attack is moving at Dominant Speed to Titus’ Speed (Superior if you use Hoho). Attack would do Advantaged Damage if it connects. Attack is made at Master level, which raises attack by 1 tier for purpose of skills checks against Titus’s Hakuda or Zanjutsu Skills.)[/spoiler][/size][/font]

Techs Used

SPOILER: Click to show

Free Weaponry Skill Tech #1: Beginner

>Name: Heron Marked Blade: Flames of Justice
>Level(s) of release the tech is available at: Secondary Fullbring+
>Relevant Skill(s) & Ranks: Weapon Mastery: Beginner - Grandmaster
>Stat(s) Involved: Strength
>Flavor Description: By infusing a small amount of Reiryoku into the Heron Marked Blade (or similar weapon, should it not be available), the user is able to create an aura of burning flames around the weapon, allowing it to cut through the air faster, creating less drag and therefore greater speed and force with every strike.
>Effect: Adds a boost to the Users Strength stat for a single strike, proportionate to the skill of the user.[/color]

Strength Boosts by Rank

[*]Beginner: +10
[*]Basic: +20
[*]Intermediate: +30
[*]Advanced: +40
[*]Master: +50
[*]Grandmaster: +60

>Casting Time: Single Action (This covers both the activation and Attack).
>Duration: Single Action
>Limitations: Will only work if the blade of the sword hits something. (Removed Limitation on needing to use one Specific weapon to gain bonus).
>Cooldown (if any) : One Round
>Stamina Cost: -2 Stamina at Beginner and Basic, -4 at Intermediate, -5 at Advanced, -6 at Master, -8 at Grandmaster.
Tech #2
>Name: Absolute Rule: Swallow Strike
>Level(s) of release the tech is available at: Fullbring+
>Relevant Skill(s) & Ranks: Personal Fullbring, Beginner - Master
>Flavor Description: Jason applies the Rule “Fly like a butterfly” onto his Fullbring, manipulating the speed and damage of his next attack with his Fullbring.
>Effect: After applying this rule, the next attack with Jason's Fullbring sword will have it's speed and damage modified by an amount determined by Jason's rank in his Personal Fullbring skill (see list below).

[*]Beginner: This technique will will boost the Speed of Rulebooks +10, and reduce the Damage by -40.
[*]Basic: This technique will boost the Speed of Rulebooks next attack by +20, and reduce the Damage by -30.
[*]Intermediate: This technique will boost the Speed of Rulebooks next attack by +30, and reduce the Damage by -20.
[*]Advanced: This technique will boost the Speed of Rulebooks next attack by +40, and reduce the Damage by -10.
[*]Master: This technique will boost the Speed of Rulebooks next attack by +50.
[*]Grandmaster: This technique will boost the Speed of Rulebooks next attack +60, and Boost the Damage by +10.

Note: This Technique can be used twice on the same weapon for one action AT MASTER AND GRANDMASTER RANK ONLY, and will boost the Speed of the users next attack by +75 (+100 Speed and +20 Damage for Grandmaster). Stamina costs remain the same (So double use at Master would cost 10 Stamina and an Action, while Grandmaster would cost 14 Stamina and an Action)
>Casting Time: Single Action (Beginner through Advanced Level), Free Action (Master level or higher only).
>Duration: Single Action
>Limitations: Cannot be applied at the same time as “Absolute Rule: Power Attack”.
>Cooldown (if any) : None (One Round if "Stacked" at Master, Two Round if "Stacked" at Grandmaster).
>Stamina Cost: -1 Stamina at Beginner, -2 at Basic, -3 at Intermediate, -4 at Advanced, -5 at Master, -7 at Grandmaster.[/spoiler][/size][/font][/color]

Jason Sanders, why are you so cocky child? He mused in his head, he fought like a man but his attitude was still that of a boy, he began to wonder as to how Jason actually got into the Las Noches bypassing the guards without the outer guards having fought him, there hadn’t been any reports of deaths so that could only logically mean that someone had let him in.. For some reason Jason thought that increasing his speed with bringer’s light was going to do something, unfortunately it also seemed he greatly underestimated the extent of Titus’s battle prowess as if he had forgotten how the fight had gone last time. Titus had a technique for this occasion and as he blinked his eye perceived Jason as moving slower, it was quite amusing because Titus judged by Jason’s sword where exactly he was going to swing, he moved just enough so that Jason would miss him completely and then grabbed his sword firmly and felt his veins flow with the power of the Herculean Strength.

Time was a fickle thing; it betrayed everyone in the end didn’t it? Always hunting everyone down. Never ceasing in it’s quest to remove those who it deemed unworthy. Then eventually everyone fell off time’s path and fell so far. Then eventually they died. Everyone died, it was a necessity of life. A terrible necessity but – “serve…bow….submit….protect” – it was necessary for the balance of the universe to remain.

He remembered the wave of energy Jason had sent flying towards him in that fated battle, how Titus had set about using it against him but it faded at the last moment, that had been pure instinct, the thrill of the fight, the challenge that very few things could match, that was what he enjoyed about Jason Sanders, the man pushed Titus that bit further to achieve greatness. But now time was pushing both of them towards death and only one of them would come out alive, Titus was certain of this. The rules of the Arena could not be broken once activated only all Ten Espada and the King could undo any of the Eldritch Rules once sworn unless the competitors lost all their honour and were cast out of Las Noches and Titus was an Arrancar of Duty, so it was almost certain that he would not disobey these rules.

Spinning on his heel he swung with the blade striking downward at Jason’s outstretched sword arm which of course was missing it’s point of impact completely and because the blow was infused with the power of the Espada’s Herculean Strength it would cleave through flesh and bone easily assuming Jason could not somehow get out of the way before the blade did it’s work but the outcome was incredibly unlikely. However Jason had proved he could react incredibly fast to different outcomes but the man’s momentum was against him. Ah the instinct of battle, it made all men beasts, but for Maki was not that the case? She was the Queen after all.

509 10 GP

Attacks at Titus.
Sword swing > Movement speed decreased by a tier by Eye of the Eagle, stepped away before attack hit, thus leading to Jason missing.

Attacks at Jason.

145 Attack Speed and Strength sword swing at Jason's outstretched arm regarding momentum pulling back is unlikely.

Stamina: 156 -43 = 113
Strength: 100 +45
Defense: 100
Speed: 80
Spirit: 32 - 20

It happened in an instant. His sword came down, screaming at an impossibly high speed, threatening to cut right through Titus’ arm without any provocation whatsoever from the man. And then, he moved. Like a river, Titus simply slowed out of the way of his attack, his muscles bulging in order to provide as power into his retaliation as was physically possible. There was no time to plan. Not time to think. No time to do anything. Except react. Lifting his left arm up, as if to try and stop the mans swing with his bare hand, Jason exhaled as his blade crashed into the ground, the impact shattering much of the wall and floor behind Titus, as if a god itself had come down and decimated the structure. His hand moved quickly, but not quickly enough, and Jason knew; it would not make it in time. But it didn’t have to. Because his Fullbring, unlike so many others of it’s kind, wasn’t just a sword. It was also a sheath. A flash of light, bright but not blindingly so, preceded the formation of his Fullbrings sheath, which was held sharply in Jason’s left hand. But, it still wouldn’t be enough. Titus’ blade rushed past the still forming sheath, screaming towards Jason’s sword arm, ready to chop it off with supreme ease. But that didn’t matter right now. Because Titus was open. Open in a place that he should have left unguarded.

Bringing his sheath to the left, Jason poured every ounce of skill and power he could into the attack, Jason artificially sped up the attack with power of his Fullbring, to the point that not even the fastest person in the realms would be able to dodge. Not at this range. The attack, aimed at TItus’ skull, would be impossible to dodge. Not only was the man in the middle of cutting through Jason’s right arm, but he was also barely three feet away from Jason’s sheath. Practically close enough to smell it if he wanted to. Once his attack landed, the fight would be over. He would have won. And yet... Something felt wrong. It was as if... his life hadn’t changed. As if this fight, this long awaited duel, had not accomplished anything, other than end the life of a powerful man. As if the entire point of the duel, the entire point of Jason’s trip to Hueco Mundo, had simply vanished with this final strike. and yet, he felt no different from before. He hadn’t decided anything. He hadn’t changed. he hadn’t become something more. He was simply Jason. The same man he had been less than a minute ago. The same man he would be in the next minute. The same man he would be for all eternity, if he could have his way of things.

And is that so bad? Is what I am really so wrong? Yes, I hate. yes, I feel anger. But, so do the Hollows and Arrancar around me. So does Titus. So does Enrique. Everyone does. So what am I so afraid of? Why am I so desperate to change? He didn’t know. And yet he DID know. He knew why. He could feel it, deep inside of him. The one thing that had been holding him back for so long. He couldn’t speak the words. Couldn’t vocalize, mentally or physically, the sheer and utter hatred he had, not for Hollows, not for evil, not even for the man he was about to kill, but for himself. He had let his parents die. He had let his brother die. He had let Kara die. He had let all those he cared about die. even when he had the power to stop it. Even when he had the strength of body and soul. He had let them die. And he hated himself for that. He hated every part of his being. As Titus’ sword sliced through his arm, Jason’s eyes welled up with tears.

But not out of the physical pain he felt. No. These tears were the tears of sorrow, of grief, of loss. These tears were the tears of a man who had finally come to understand his own self loathing. These were the tears of a man who could forgive the world for all of it’s crimes against him, and yet, refused to forgive himself. Jason dropped to his knees the moment his strike ended. He could hold it in no longer. Lifting his head to the sky, Jason unleashed a blood curdling, bone chilling, animalistic scream. All the Hollows in attendance would have been able to discern it’s meaning. “I am lost” it said. “Lost, alone, and afraid. What do I do? What do I do?”

______________________
Word Count: 809
GP: 16/47
Stamina: -2 for Conceptual Weapon: First Blade: The Heron Marked Sword upkeep (2/8 Rounds), -15 for Blademasters Strike (+75 to Strength for one Attack), - 5 for Absolute Rule: Swallow Strike (+50 Attack Speed). - 22 Stamina total. 59 / 105 Stamina Left.

Combat Data

SPOILER: Click to show

ATTACKS AT JASON

Titus attacks Jason’s sword arm with his blade, which cuts through Jason’s arm at DOMINANT ATTACKER.

ATTACKS BY JASON
Jason launches Blademasters Strike at Titus’ Skull! Attack is moving at Dominant Speed (200) and would do Superior Damage (155)! IF THIS ATTACK LANDS< IT WILL BE FATAL.[/spoiler][/size][/font]

Techs Used

SPOILER: Click to show

Free Weapon Skill Technique #3: Master

>Name: Blademaster's Strike
>Level(s) of release the tech is available at: Fullbring+
>Relevant Skill(s) & Ranks: Weapon Mastery, Master Rank; Personal Resonance (Any Resonance Skill), Master Rank
>Stat(s) Involved: Strength
>Flavor Description: A technique performed by Masters of the art of Swordsmanship and those with great mastery over their Personal Power, Blademasters Strike appears to be nothing more than a simple attack. However, in reality, Blademasters Strike is a highly dangerous, utterly devastating attack that hides itself as a simple blow. The attack can be anything from a basic downwards slash to a complex counter-parry, in the end, the effect of it is the same; complete and utter destruction. The user draws upon all of their skill with a blade, as well as all of their skill with their Reiryoku, channelling it into their blade in order to give their next strike a massive boost in power, regardless of the type of attack it is.
>Effect: The users Strength is increased by a colossal 75 points for their next attack. In addition to this, any defenses created by a Skill that is lower than the user's Skill in their Weapon Mastery Skill are reduced by one tier for every rank of difference (so a Bakudo Barrier cast at Advanced Rank and Advantaged Spirit would have it’s stat reduced by one tier to Equivalent).
>Casting Time: Single Action (counts for casting + attack)
>Duration: Single Action (lasts for one attack).
>Limitations: This effect cannot stack with any other Single Action techniques: Only buffs.
>Cooldown (if any) : Five Rounds
>Stamina Cost: -15 Stamina Per use

Tech #2
>Name: Absolute Rule: Swallow Strike
>Level(s) of release the tech is available at: Fullbring+
>Relevant Skill(s) & Ranks: Personal Fullbring, Beginner - Master
>Flavor Description: Jason applies the Rule “Fly like a butterfly” onto his Fullbring, manipulating the speed and damage of his next attack with his Fullbring.
>Effect: After applying this rule, the next attack with Jason's Fullbring sword will have it's speed and damage modified by an amount determined by Jason's rank in his Personal Fullbring skill (see list below).[/b][/b]

[*]Beginner: This technique will will boost the Speed of Rulebooks +10, and reduce the Damage by -40.
[*]Basic: This technique will boost the Speed of Rulebooks next attack by +20, and reduce the Damage by -30.
[*]Intermediate: This technique will boost the Speed of Rulebooks next attack by +30, and reduce the Damage by -20.
[*]Advanced: This technique will boost the Speed of Rulebooks next attack by +40, and reduce the Damage by -10.
[*]Master: This technique will boost the Speed of Rulebooks next attack by +50.
[*]Grandmaster: This technique will boost the Speed of Rulebooks next attack +60, and Boost the Damage by +10.

Note: This Technique can be used twice on the same weapon for one action AT MASTER AND GRANDMASTER RANK ONLY, and will boost the Speed of the users next attack by +75 (+100 Speed and +20 Damage for Grandmaster). Stamina costs remain the same (So double use at Master would cost 10 Stamina and an Action, while Grandmaster would cost 14 Stamina and an Action)
>Casting Time: Single Action (Beginner through Advanced Level), Free Action (Master level or higher only).
>Duration: Single Action
>Limitations: Cannot be applied at the same time as “Absolute Rule: Power Attack”.
>Cooldown (if any) : None (One Round if "Stacked" at Master, Two Round if "Stacked" at Grandmaster).
>Stamina Cost: -1 Stamina at Beginner, -2 at Basic, -3 at Intermediate, -4 at Advanced, -5 at Master, -7 at Grandmaster.[/spoiler]

Battle was a cruel affair, people bled and people died. Some people, those who were ignorant, those who were not on the front lines but watched as their comrades fell speak of it as a noble and innocent affair, as if to them it means nothing. Battle however is not a game, never has been, never will be and for that the ignorant perish at the hands of those who knew better. Warriors such as Jason and Titus however made battle brutal, they made it epic, and they made it legendary. When people spoke of this, which of course many of them would, they would tell a tale of the Human who fought the Primera Espada, the Human who screamed and spoke to the Hollow around him. A man named Jason Sanders, and he would be remembered.

Servitude was chains correct? Chains that made you serve whomever gained your loyalty, then he must have chains wrought of the strongest steel imaginable, imbued with his own blood. Chains, which were his duty, chains, which were what made him serve that Arrancar of Las Noches to further better their cause. Chains that made him fight against death to do his task, whatever it was. He hated these chains, really he did, for a while now they had been whispering in his ear….obey…listen…serve. Clouding his thoughts and bewildering his senses, when he was an Arrancar bound by the truth he had simply sat by and ignored these voices, they had faded into the background, it’s incessant chanting rambling on and on and on. But now, he was an Arruinar and had seen Hakuren-sama again these compulsions had became more defined, as if they wanted to be quelled. Was this what Tova Diablo had meant? To become perfect, one must quell their greatest enemy? His greatest enemy was his Aspect of Duty, the chains that bound his soul. What forced him to fight was this what forced him to be a Hollow?

So as Titus felt his blade cleave through Jason’s arm he saw Jason’s sheathe move forward, he last ditch attempt to smash Titus’s head, as Jason moved with almost blinding speed, Titus’s instincts of Way of the Bull took effect, damage priority. Titus’s body was given one command using all of his power in the process, “punch” Titus’s fist blew forward as his head was caved in by the sheathe, the pain was cut dead as his brain was obliterated yet none of it mattered, the action still had been given, his body was still moving and his fist was heading towards Jason’s chest, if Jason had decided to take the blow and strike him with his sheathe then Titus could take the sheathe in his last moments of cognisant thought and order his body to punch a clear hole in Jason’s chest and push him away.

Where did it all stem from? All this…rage…all these need to kill as if it was for some task? Where had this compulsion been at it’s most deadly? Words flocked into his empty head, thousand upon thousands of words, each a memory, each different but they all pointed to one person. That person needed to die. Justice, mercy, clemency, Titus no longer understood what any of those words meant in the grand scheme of things, faced with the impossibility of death. Who was he? Where did he stand or was he just a puppet even with how far he had came to the sword of duty hanging over his head.

617 Words 12 GP
2/3 Eye of the Eagle
2/5 Herc Strength.

113 – 51 = 62 Stamina remaining.

Attacks at Titus
Attack collided Titus’s head is shattered! Speed of Attack dropped to Superior, enough time to direct an attack command to Titus’s body as a last ditch attempt [FATAL REGEN ENGAGED]

Attacks at Jason
Punch moving at 145 Attack Speed and Strength at Jason’s torso at point blank range.

Jason Sanders

”Just! Freaking! Die already!”[/right][/size][/font]

Jason half watched, half screamed as his attack blasted into the skull of Titus Arkhan, the light falling from the mans eyes as his shetah plowed through his skull and into his brain. In that instant, Titu’s body was lifted up off the ground, the sheer power behind the attack enough to send the man flying through the castle walls and into the desert of Las Noches. But Jason wasn’t worried about that. Jason wasn’t worried about his opponent, or the fist that was rapidly barrelling towards his chest, even as Titus now dead body flew away from Jason. No. Jason was not concerned with anything so trivial and meaningless as the battle he was fighting on the outside. He was more concerned with the battle that he was fighting on the inside. The fruitless, heartless, brutal war of attrition that had weathered away all the falsehoods, half-truths, and misdirections that covered up his one glaring weakness. Jason Sanders wanted to die.

And yet, he didn’t. Through all his struggles, all his triumphs and defeats, Jason could always remember the rush of adrenaline that coursed through him in battle. The heightened awareness of his own mortality. The bone shakingly powerful resolve to win at any cost, save for one. The ultimate price, the one thing Jason refused to lay on the line, even in his darkest of hours. His own life. How contradictory it was. To be willing to die, and yet unwilling to simply give into defeat. How long had he fought like this? How long had he been a victim of his own stubbornness? Of his own cowardice? How long would he continue this pointless dance of death? How long would he live like this, always seeking death, while simultaneously running from it? How long would he continue to run from the punishment he so rightly deserved? How long would he keep pretending this isn’t what he wanted all along? How long? No more. No more more running. No more hiding. No more fighting. I know what I want now. What I’ve always wanted. i choose death.

Titus’ blow swung down at the exposed chest of Jason, his rapidly retreating body still within range of attack. This was it then. There was nothing he could do. Nothing he WOULD do. He would die. And join his family in the sweet, unending bliss of the void. It would be a fitting end for him. The man know to some as Slayer. The man who had walked the earth for twenty six years in search of death. Either you become that which you hate most of all, or it takes you into the blissful arms of death. It was a fitting ending for him, was it not? He’d know many a suicidal man in his day, and even a few Spiritual beings too. And now he would join them in the endless, comforting void of death that he had wished for with every fiber of his shattered being. Finally, he would be free.

But I don’t want to die. I want to live. To survive. Because I have to find them. I have to save the

The steel of Jason’s sheath reflected back an image of his sword into his eyes. In that steel he could see them, he could FEEL them. The souls of everyone he had ever loved, everyone he had ever cared for. The needed him. They needed him to fight. To survive. He saw the punch flying towards his chest. He had been watching it the entire time. He knew what to do.

I was right. I can see it in my eyes. I never have changed before.
It’s time to change that.

in that instant, Jason moved, a flash of green light heralding his attempted escape. His screaming had stopped, his face was calm. He would fight. He would survive. Because he didn’t have time to die. People were counting on him to survive. Jason moved as fast as his body could humanly carry him, his bleeding stump of a right arm throbbing even as he moved forwards and to the right to avoid Titus’ punch. He knew it would likely be impossible for him to dodge it completely, but there were several factors that gave Jason an edge. First was Titus’ momentum. Having taken what was perhaps the most powerful attack Jason could muster, Titus’ lifeless (or semi-lifeless, if the murmurs of regeneration he had heard from the crowd were true) body would be flying in the direction Jason’s attack had been headed, namely AWAY from Jason. The second was that, for whatever reason, Titus had chosen to attack Jason with his left hand, which made his attack, while powerful, awkward and incredibly off balance. And that meant his attack would be off target. Which gave Jason a window of opportunity. A small one, to be sure, but one that he could exploit. And exploit it he did.

Moving away from the attack (even as it grazed his lower left abdomen carving through the flesh of his right hip but still managing to leave his bones intact, if not exactly in the best of shape), Jason rolled pushing through the pain of yet another wound as he grabbed the hilt of his sword with his only free hand, twisting his body around and bringing the weapon up to bear against his still moving opponent. He didn’t need to check on the wound he had just received. He knew from the pain how severe it was. He knew from the pain that it had barely missed his hip, and had instead blow a chunk of his left kidney away. It was too much to bear. Even in his renewed resolve, his body simply couldn’t handle another injury, let alone one like that. Even as Jason stepped forwards, as if he were to continue the duel, he lost sensation in his legs. They crumpled, and he fell. His vision turned black the moment he hit the ground.

Jason Sanders was dead. Dead, in a room full of Hollows and Arrancar who were willing to devour his soul on mere principle. I’m sorry...
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OOC: Edit made. Jason is now dead.
Word Count: 1071
GP: 21/68

Titus drifted through the maleficent void. The pitch-black area around him seemed to be chillingly cold, the tendrils of darkness wrapping around his limbs like fingers and pulling him deeper into their cold, cold void. A voice, alien in dialect whispered in his ear, even bridging the language barrier was possible in this world of death; it wanted him to give up, to give in, and to supersede to his fate. He had died, he was lost and no one was going to change that or rather, that was what Titus could understand. He felt it’s cold fingers stroke his cheek as the words from the indistinguishable-from-it’s-gender being spoke more of those soothing words. He should give up, that sounded nice, he should listen to the voice, listen to what it was saying and what it wanted to be conveyed, in truth it’s words sounded truthful as if they were calling to something deep within his soul to just give up right now and nothing would matter. It would never matter again.

He remembered back to those last few moments, noticing the warmth in the core of his body, what was that? This warmth, he felt like it symbolised something that he should remember. He remembered the battle against Jason Sanders and the inevitable conclusion, his final command being for his body to punch Jason as Jason’s sheathe had collided into his head. That was how he died. He had died previously, he did not remember anything about it so why was this time any different? It was odd; maybe it was the fury behind Jason’s blow that had triggered this or maybe something completely different. The other alternative was that when he came back to life he would remember nothing and that would be fine to. The cold was almost nagging at him now to shut his eyes and give up, which was odd because the darkness was so deep it was impossible to tell the difference between the two.

The warmth in his chest, seemed comforting as if it was beckoning him to the surface “This warmth it seems almost like I am alive” he murmured the sound sounding much louder than it should have been, it seemed to echo all around him and the whispers of the darkness seemed to be driven back. The warmth seemed to grow but the voices came back louder and were trying to distract him. They howled into his ear for him to cease and give up on life, to just drift away, forgetting everything that he had ever known. Strange, did he not have a problem with that before, it was getting so hard to think now, so hard to form direct memories as the warmth seemed to be being deadened by the cold as if the cold was trying to smother the warmth.

“Aspect of Duty” the word hung in the air, the thing he wanted to surpass, the thing that had been stalking him since he became an Arrancar. He cringed and remembered, Hakuren-sama, Enrique his son and the countless others who had made their way into affecting him and making him who he was today. Then maybe Jason was making him stronger as well? This experience in death, he would not stand for it. He knew what that warmth was now, he knew for a fact that it was his regeneration and he would be back. However death is a fickle creature, escaping her once is rare but escaping her a second time? Impossible. One does not simply escape death without death wrapping it’s fingers around your heart and making sure you will be back. He felt his life rushing back to him, but he felt something else, death herself was striking Titus, ploughing her cold hand through his chest and reaching for something.

Her eldritch voice whispered in his ear and he could tell the meaning of the words just by their dark intent “No one escapes unscathed” then suddenly a burning opened in his chest of ten thousand familiar voices, a symphony of clamouring sound, but death seemed to have mistaken who Titus was, for as the burning grew he knew what she was doing.

The ultimate curse on the soul of an Arrancar is to take them back to what they once were but she underestimated two things, things that did not exist in the realm of death for the realm of death was for those who had no hope left and she would remember as she vanished into her domain. The first was awakening the souls that had given Titus his strength; he greeted them like old friends, wrapping them around him like a luxurious cloak, they remembered Masquerade but they knew Titus and he gained dominion once more over them to this cloak, a mantle of his dominance over who he was to be a Hollow breed and as his skin burned away as the regeneration acted as a blessing but was corrupted to a curse it revealed pale white bone. Almost in reflection of Jason’s prior terrible scream, Titus screamed as a broken skull emerged from the healing flesh, a terrible mortal wound now becoming a painful injury. The place directly above his heart where death herself had stabbed him began to twist and turn as a circle hollowed out, his new hollow hole. His symbolization of Madame Death’s personal vendetta against him..

And the last thing? What was the last thing that death herself had forgotten? You see my friends, in the realm of Madame Death, one loses all their hope and dreams, their memories burn away as she siphons you back off into the circle of life. There is no struggling because there is no need to struggle. You have no strength. Madame Death underestimated what Titus had learnt his first time in death, she had misunderstood what it meant by bringing back Titus’s passed evils, you see instead of making him some pathetic run-of-the-mill Arrancar, the Ten Thousand souls that Titus had as allies were already bound to his service and with that he became something more, with that, he stopped being an Arrancar and because of that…

Titus Arkhan walked off the battlefield as his head was caved in.

But Lord Arkhan the Vasto Lorde woke up from the realm of death.

“Enrique…” his voice pierced the hall, conjuring a trail of pale smoke from the deep recesses of the old bones. The purple and black cloak he wore seemingly burning but producing no heat as Huginn and Muginn took their positions on his shoulders seemingly unperturbed by their master’s new appearance. If one looked closely it was obvious that the cloak was ethereal. It’s thoughts nowhere near Jason Sanders but at what Madame Death had attempted to do to him and in the process failed spectacularly. Even with the broken bone of his skull it seemed that it was not worrying him in the slightest. Jason Sanders through his own rage had made Titus something ten thousand times worse than anything that Jason could have thought would have happened, he had consequently set Titus on the path to becoming a Vasto Lorde.

“Enrique…” the being rose to it’s feet seemingly by other means as it stood, pitch black reiatsu drifting off the figure and dissipating in the air. A Hollow hole could be seen even piercing the cloak and as it flexed it’s skeletal hand the number one on it’s palm was revealed. Only to be hidden as golden chains rattled as the being took a step. It’s former Katana no longer containing his powers but still a mighty weapon, to those who had a sharp eye it would seen that the Katana Titus held seemed more ancient than before.

“Enrique, it seems the chains of my duty still hold strong” and the Vasto Lorde laughed.


1309 26 GP
[For those of you interested Titus’s Gigai will be Roshi but his Vasto Lorde form is Barragan]

The smoke coiled from his maw once more as he heard the familiar clicking of bones knitting together to repair his damaged skull. He had to click his neck though to rearrange some plates in his spine that had been knocked out of place somewhere along the time he had fallen. Huginn and Muginn seemed to be enjoying themselves checking out the various sensations that seemed to be emanating from the figure that was Lord Arkhan. Muginn seemed the happiest, dancing back and forth on both of it’s legs at it’s masters transformation into something dark, disturbing and most of all horrifying, this was exactly what Muginn loved, after all, Muginn was a vulture. However Titus found himself using his will to hold Muginn back in place the vulture wanted to peck at the body of Jason Sanders and remove the flesh however Titus would not let him yet.

“When do I ever die Enrique, it seems Madame Death enjoys welcoming me into her halls to dine with her, though I do not think she will like it if I do it again” he could not keep relying on the luck of his regeneration it was starting to get ridiculous, first Maki and now Jason Sanders who next? The Golden King? This did not please him in the slightest, he could not grow lax thinking he would always come back via his regeneration if he died, it simply did not work that way. It was only because he had been able to land that incredibly lucky punch that he had actually been able to save himself from his demise, who knows what Jason might’ve done if he had gone through with it. Titus looked at the body of Jason Sanders, the wounds obviously fatal had been the death of him. Lord Arkhan walked towards the body gazing at it with obvious contempt. He thought of all the things he could do to Jason Sanders as a final salute for ever trying to trifle with him, he could burn the body and remove Jason Sanders from existence, he could hang it up one the walls of Las Noches as a testament to any human who passed him. Though if he did that… wouldn’t he just be a Hollow? True he was a Vasto Lorde now but did he have to do what a Hollow would?

Titus looked down at Jason “My friend we travelled a long journey you and I. Along two different paths just to reach this battle. Despite your hate for Hollow and Shinigami and your complete loathing of our kind I can’t help but think that you somehow made me stronger. Jason in those last moments of the battle I think you realised what it was to be a Hollow, I think you realised the loss and the anger we feel. I think in those last few seconds Jason Sanders you became the first Human to understand how a Hollow feels and for that I forgive you for all your crimes and sins”

Titus stood and walked away from the body towards his throne, he dusted some of the rubble off and turned and looked at Enrique “Enrique, take him to the Descansando Espada, those of our noble race who fell in battle, find an empty coffin for him and place him in it. In the end Jason was one of us and in despite what some might think he was one of our strongest. I believe it is only fit his body lies with the remnant swords and objects of our greatest. The last gift I hope to ever give Jason Sanders”

605 words 12 GP

Something odd happened then, no sooner had he given the order a primal chanting began to cloud his mind “Kill Him” as simply as it had begun it became uproar of the same two words over and over again. They beat in his brain and his Hollow body began to succumb to the temptation. One bite? Surely that wouldn’t mean anything; it was not like he was completely succumbing to the temptation. Enrique did not seem to be doing anything with the body, surely if he took one taste, the soul after all was still inside the body, completely fresh. If he bit a hand off that would not mean anything, Jason after all would still escape alive.

Then Titus moved, crossing over to the body of Jason. He took a bite of the hand, regardless of what Enrique thought. He felt the matter enter his ribcage and then combust as if it had never been. But now the body of Jason was uneven so he needed to even it up obviously. So he took another bite of the other hand and started to feel good. He continued feasting ignoring his conscious thought to stop, why should he stop? He had earned this skill, earned this feast, surely he could leave Jason’s spiritual body and everything would be alright? But that was too easy… too simply, even as Titus removed Jason’s head and engorged himself on the flesh he began to remember the subtle taste of soul. A long primal urge to consume began to boil itself to the surface in Titus’s body as he cracked open the ribcage.

Once he would’ve left Jason to die a happy death, move onto the Soul Society, but then he remembered why he hated Jason to begin with. He had the foolish cocky confidence to come to his domain? So as he found his skeletal claws tear open the Human’s ribcage and his teeth dig into the man’s heart he found what he had been looking for, a tiny dormant spark, completely untouched, undetected only by the Hollow’s primal urge to feed, so as Titus’s teeth bit into the flesh the pieces of spirit flocked together and he found Jason, sleeping, untouched, dormant.

And then he bit into the soul.

It screamed, it writhed, it was delicious! Nothing could compare to the taste as he chewed and swallowed, chewed and swallowed, methodically. Slowly he consumed Jason and his spirit burned away, Jason Sanders would never return because there was no Jason Sanders.

Then he stopped.

What had he done? He had just given into a Hollow’s Primal Urge? He was better than this! And he vanished, Swagger Stepping to the tower and removing what he had done from his memories. He would never be able to recall what he did to Jason Sanders but at least Jason Sanders would never return

478 Words 9 GP