God Yet Lives

*A translucent barrier emerges in front of the bird. It blocks the lightning. The shadow breaks through it, but by that point, the bird had already circled around. It drops circular 4 circular razor discs at; Astarte, Noctis, Mortal, & Euryale, the latter of whom had just caused the entire area of the block from her to Aroma to leap over the Hell Guard's fist. Bringer Light emerges on Euryale's fingers & she grabs the one aimed at her before tossing it back like a frisbee. The bird just barely ducks out of the way.*
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*Tipheret & Senthose were falling through the open air of Hell, eviscerated bodies all around them.*

S"You aren't very smart, are you?"

Tipheret<Shut up!>

S"This is why people show restraint. Without it, you just end up destroying everything around you & looking like an idiot."

Tipheret<Or because you're a coward who can only win through cheap tricks!>

*Senthose rockets away from her next slash.*

S"Your poison doesn't stop me from actually planning out my--"

*The mace end of Tipheret's weapon unexpectedly moves up to the tip of her sword, which then becomes a segmented cable. She swings it at Senthose, wrapping it around his neck & hurling him through three platforms before he finally lands on a third. He's just straightening out his neck when she lands.*

Tipheret<That's one. According to Keter, you can go through about 4 or 5 deaths before you're done.>

*Her weapon becomes rigid again, also growing "thorns" to fan out, & she slashes again, destroying the platform they're on.*

Noct sunk back into Mortal's body, leaving the latter feeling hella awkward, before emerging out of the underside of the bird, stabbing at its neck with a lanza.

*Iris turns to Enkidu.*

Iris: <So, when are we moving out?>

*Chokmah is stabbed in the face with a lance & falls to the ground with a hole in her face & her Hollow form disintegrating.*

OOC: There, she's dead, we won't be hearing from her anymore. I'll just find another way to push the plot.
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Tipheret<Those swords can't have been part of your Ressurrecion if they were shattered so easily. Are you defenseless without your poisons? That's a shame, because they can't reach through my power.>

*Senthose lets loose a blast of lightning. Even dodging it, it badly burns Tipheret's left arm, in addition to blasting apart dozens of platforms behind it with tongues that fire off of the main bolt. Tipheret grunts, the spikes retreating back into her blade with the exception of the first two, which become much longer. The blade then separates into several thinner blades with thick, barbed tips. Tipheret begins firing these blades off at Senthose. The air actually bursts into flame as they travel through it.*

OOC: I've listed more than one compromise, but this conversation has run its course entirely.

Noct crawls out of Euryale's shadow. "I'm guessing we should probably head over and help Noah and Senthose."

Mortal was already making her way over towards that direction, not wanting to fuck with the Hell Guards and their odd ability to negate attacks.

OOC: I went with the compromise "something in the RP still goes the way I said it should."

E"I don't actually know where that Noah guy went."

L"Yeah, me neither. These platforms aren't made of Seki Seki...though I suppose it is conceivable that you could sneak a few in that are."

*Lilith waves a hand, causing several pillars to be redirected, stacked in front of the Hell Guards like Lincoln Logs.*

L"That should slow them down long enough for us to move."

*Euryale walks out onto the air, eliciting a shocked stare from Lilith.*

E"What? You didn't think I could walk on air because my powers were earth-related? What a stupid stereotype."
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*Mortal finds a bunch of Menoses just rearing up out of nowhere. On a nearby vertical platform, a significantly younger Senthose is speared. Tipheret "lands" on the air nearby.*

Tipheret<That's only two. Did Keter unederestimate you?>

*Kiddie Senthose reaches up with one hand & fires a Cero Oscuras, which Tipheret narrowly blocks by turning her weapon into a flower-shaped shield. She is pushed back several dozen feet & the shield cracks.*

Tipheret<That's new.>

*One of the Menoses aims a swipe at Mortal.*

Noctis frowned, "I don't think it is nice to call Lilith stupid, Euryale. She is still our friend."

--

Mortal blocks the swipe with scales, then lights the menos on fire with an Aliento de Fuego, "Hey, Senthose, stupid question, but why the hell do you look like a child?"

Astarte appeared by Mortal's side and tried to strike as many Menos as possible with her lightning.
"Shouldn't you be a little more concerned?" She called over her shoulder as she ended her lightning assault. "It seems he's suffering a pretty terrible loss."

Enkidu tore open a Garganta that lead straight into the outer Sereitei and cracked a broad grin.
"Now, it is time," He announced as he brought the Fura to the Garganta. "I shall go first. Follow me, my friends!"
With that, he stepped through the Garganta and into the streets of the Sereitei.

"Senthose'll be fine," Mortal said, "He isn't all that easy to kill. I mean, that chick is only a 2nd seat."

"Lilith was a second seat, and has come the closest to actually killing Senthose before," Sab said.

"Yea, and he doesn't look that bad yet... just a lot younger for some reason."

*Aroma presumably came from Sab.*

A"Mortal, he looks younger because he gets younger each time he dies. That's pretty much the first thing new Hollows learn about whenever they hear Senthose's name for the first time."

Tipheret<Don't even think you can get between us! This is one-on-one, like a real battle should be!>

*The Gillians that aren't on fire push past the one that is, mouthes gaping to swallow the new arrivals. Senthose grabs the spear embedded in him, a lightning bolt arching out from it to Tipheret's shield, forcing her to drop it.*
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E"I didn't call her dumb. Anyway, should we look for Noah or follow the others?"

Hod<No mention of Binah? Have you already forgotten her? What a dreadful daughter.>

*Hod is standing in the air nearby, his ice scythe already released.*
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*Once they're sighted, the Soul Reapers begin running down the streets in a chaotic fashion. An alarm bell begins sounding.*

Astarte began firing precision arcs at the gaping maws.

Enkidu continued walking and lifted a lazy hand to point down the street, which he then demolished with a Cero.

"Was that something I knew?" Mortal said, "I feel like it was..."

"Presumably."

"Whatever," Mortal said before lunging at one of the menos and punching it square in the face with her own fist. The dragon's fist was sent launching at Tipheret.

--

Noct formed a lanza and stared at Hod, "Well, I guess we found our next fight..."

*Surprisingly, Senthose deflects the fist with a Cero Oscuras.*

Tipheret<Huh. I didn't peg you as the type to die with honor.>

S"Honor? Don't be ridiculous. I just didn't want to run the risk that you were accidentally destroyed before I could devour you."

Tipheret<Hah. You're not in a position to be devouring anyone, pal. Any self-respecting Gillian could have deflected that punch without even using a Cero. A Cero Oscuras should have destroyed the fist that threw it.>

*She rockets towards Senthose, grabbing the spear & yanking it out of him. As for the Menos, it falls over, falling through the clouds. Mortal does not hear it hit the ground. Another slides up behind her & fires a Cero. One reaches at Sab, but Aroma sprays it in the eyes with silk.*
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*From the other streets, rough-&-tumble looking Soul Reapers emerge, armed with Zanpakuto. They file below the Fura, staring it down. In the air eye level to Enkidu and about half an arm (his arms) out of reach, Nel appears.*

Nel<I hope you weren't expecting Captain Deluge. I took over his Squad for a while, so that he could invade Hell.>
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L"No, he's just baiting you."

Hod<How can you say that? Don't you know your history? Binah was Keter's enemy. She isn't very happy with your mother. And Hell isn't a very pleasant place to be stuck in with someone who holds a grudge against you.>

*Lilith glares at him.*

Hod<You wanna know how we convinced her to come?>

"The hell was that for, dumbass?!" Mortal shouted, before using a rugido to dissipate the cero and another punch to kill the menos that shot it.

Sab goes about eating the menos that got sprayed in the face.

--

Noct furrowed her brow, "Where is she?"

Astarte looked around for a target, hardly resisting the urge to fly into an all-out attack against Tipheret. Her anger and frustration showed as lightning sparking and cracking in the air all around her.

Enkidu drew his Zanpakuto and took a ready stance, the savage grin never leaving his face.
"Any captain will do... it's actually convenient for me that he's gone," Enkidu's voice carried his intent to kill and he made no attempt to hide it. "Fura! Now!"

*The Fura leans over & opens its mouth, letting out a loud "BLECH!" A stream of black fluid with Gillian masks in it falls down over the Soul Reapers below. Before they've even formed, the Gillians begin eating them.*

Nel<Everyone who isn't trapped, back away!>
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*Tipheret swings the spear, cutting Senthose vertically. He begins to split in half, the two halves dissolving. Out of the skull, something pulls itself out & plops on the platform nearby. It consists of a square mask with a snarling face. Out of the back is a thin mane of silver, and dozens of tiny black tendrils. The whole thing is about the size of a kitten. Four of the tendrils reach out & begin crawling away. Unfortunately, its gait is much like that of a turtle, & Tipheret quickly catches up to it & picks it up.*

T"So this is what you really are, when stripped of all of the souls you stole? Something as weak and pathetic as this dared to call itself King of the Hollows? To oppose the might of the Soul Society? How disgusting."

*Tipheret holds out her spear & metal flakes come flying from below to rejoin it, forming into "feathers" below the point. Senthose is still wriggling around in her grasp. Meanwhile, the Menos tries to shake Sab off, as the others just kind of walk around, wary of the Arrancar, but keeping a tight wall around Tipheret's suddenly very one-sided battle.*
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Hod<Down below.>

L"Yeah, right."

Hod<When I delivered Keter's threat to kill you...I think she might have thrown herself at me, had I only asked!>

*Suddenly, Lilith has a Hollow mask & Hod by the throat. The shocked ex-Soul Reaper barely has enough time to raise his weapon to defend himself before Lilith fires off a Cero. She then dives through the clouds after him.*

Mortal tried to scream for Senthose but her voice hitched, instead she settled on going into her Segunda and hacking her way through menos, roaring the entire time, until she got to Senthose.

--

"Dammit..." Noct dove down after Lilith and Hod.

Astarte's restraint gave way and she threw herself at the wall of Menos that defended Tipheret, her hands and wings surrounded by blazing fields of lightning. As she reached the wall she slammed into one Menos, the lightning around her exploding into the Menos and crackling all over it's body.

Enkidu jumped as soon as Nel was distracted and swung his blade for her neck.

*Nel had been eyeing him closely. When he makes his move, she produces her blade, putting her off-hand wrist behind it. In the end, it's up at her neck, guarding against Enkidu's slash.*
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*Tipheret squeezes & soon wishes she hadn't. No sooner does Senthose hack up blood than her fist is engulfed in purple flames. She lets go, frantically trying to put out the fire. Meanwhile, the Reitsu around Senthose hs turned pitch black.*

Tipheret<What is this? He should be dead!>

*A thin tentacle shoots out, stabbing into one of the Menos Astarte didn't attack. It bites another one, dragging the both of them into the black flames. At this point, the Menos are just running around every which way, roaring in acute distress.*
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*Below the clouds, it almost looks like an entirely different world. There is no "floor," just crystal blue water that stretches as far as the eye can see. Every so often, there's a stone cauldron poking over the water carved like a blooming flower, with the occasional bridge connecting them. Lilith & Hod are nowhere in sight.*

E"Wow...I didn't expect anything in Hell to be so...pretty."

Noctis nodded, "I know... we should come here next vacation." As she was making jokes Noct scanned the area for the two, though she had to admit this area was substantially brighter.

--

And so everyone is attacking everything.

Astarte burst through the wall and was about to launch a strike against Tipheret when Senthose began devouring Menos and distracted her.
Recovering from her distraction she turned her aim to Tipheret and blasted her while her wings shot aimless arcs of lightning around behind her.

Enkidu withdrew his blade and launched another one-handed strike towards her face while charging a Cero in his free hand.

*Tipheret turns in time to be blasted. She throws the spear at Astarte, which becomes a thick, bladed chain, which spins just before it hits one of her wings. A thick trunk of black shoots out with a Menos Mask at the front, which bites another Menos & begins to devour it. Another one bubbles out of its side & does the same thing. Before too long, there are arms ending in Menoses swinging every which way, gathering up the remaining Menos & eating them.*
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*Nel takes a step back, parrying the strike. Nearby, the Soul Reapers are trying to throw thick chains up over the Menoses to restrain it. The Fura casually looks over & literally blows the roofs off of buildings.*
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*Euryale closes her eyes.*

E"She's in one of the flowers! 100 meters northwest."

Noct scanned the area for a shadow close to them, found them, then grabbed Euryale and said, "This is going to be a bit odd, but bear with me." With that she snaked a hand up her shirt, then her other hand, then the rest of herself. Noct dragged herself out of the other shadow lanza in hand.

Astarte cried out and went rigid for a moment before rushing Tipheret directly, appearing in front of her in a moment with her hands blazing like miniature suns.
Releasing a frustrated scream, she threw her arms open and unleashed an explosion of lightning from point blank range.

Enkidu struck again at her neck and fired his Cero at her bottom half.

*Euryale is stone faced.*

E"Hello? Anyone?"
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*When Noctis emerged, it was to see a black sword a bit like a harpoon pointed at her face. The Soul Reaper who wielded it had long, ratted black hair & red eyes. Hod & Lilith were in the center, as it was much better lit. Lilith had released her Zanpakuto & Hod was guarding strikes from her.*

???<Noctis, I presume?>
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*Nel keeps the blade in a position to guard her neck. She was not expecting the Cero to go low. So she jumps.*
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*The Gillian heads retreat into a writhing, pulsing black mass, which the masks then disappear into. Senthose rips himself out of it, the black mass unfurling to become his tentacles. Those tentacles then wrap together, becoming 8 thick tentacles, as the spikes on his chest become more like armor. Finally, he rips the mask off of his face & casts it aside. He looks down at Tipheret, who now has most of her cloak burned away, & is bleeding from several wounds to her misshapen chest.*

Tipheret<But...I was stronger. I killed you. Didn't I?>

S"Without going into too much detail, you were mistaken. I had more power left to give, it was just out of reach. I really do appreciate you unleashing it for me. But you can keep your 'honor' and 'fair fights.' I will take the well-planned path to victory any day."

Tipheret<Did your plans...include that?>

*Tipheret closes her eyes & smiles as a Hell Guard rears up behind him & Astarte & attempts to chow down on them.*