God Yet Lives

Mortal slashes at Keter with an Aliento rugir del fuego del Gran lagarto cero.

*A pillar of white light erupts around Keter, pushing away all of the attacks aimed at her. When she steps out of it, she has blue armor, with her cloak sticking out of it at places like a battle-torn dress. Her sclera are blue, & her pupils gold.*

Keter<And now I've been forced to use my Hollowfication again. You insects are really beginning to anger me.>

E"That's her Hollowfication? It's...pretty."

L"Hey. You say that as if mine isn't."

Noct tried another balista lanza.

Sensing that direct attacks were getting her nowhere, Mortal backed up a ways, then puts her sword away, growing her wings, and firing off a gran lagarto at Keter.

"Wait, Mortal has wings?" Noct asked.

E"Yeah, I always thought she was some kind of...I don't know, sand worm Hollow."

*Senthose snickers.*

Keter<You made the mistake of using those to kill that third-rate mercenary. Now your ability is not a secret to me. The same is true for the Visored's Garganta & those silver tubes. There is nothing you have that I will not see through.>

"She is a dragon!" Sab yelled, indignant in Mortal's stead, "Dragons are majestic!"

"I don't care if you've seen it or not," Mortal said, taking her zen like stance, and shooting a gran lagarto at Keter.

Astarte placed a hand on Sab's shoulder and jerked her back, stepping in front of her simultaneously. Her hand was trembling slightly.
"Do not attract attention to yourself," She whispered, not taking her eyes off of Keter for a moment. "Although you can teleport, you may not see her attacks coming."

Keter<Simple-minded fool. You cannot "see" my attacks coming. Tell me, have you ever been in the human world, & looked up at the moon? Because, in one second, I could put a new crater on its face.>

*Keter avoids the Ceros & counters with one of her own golden-white Ceros, from her forehead.*

Mortal dodges the cero and fires off another gran lagarto at Keter.

"Wait, you shoot your cero from your forehead?" Noct asked, "I thought you were all about beauty. That is just... odd."

Astarte gritted her teeth and raised her hands before herself, lightning crackling and flashing around her.

Enkidu lurched forward and spun around to face Kyoraku, spewing a plume of fire into him.

*A Cero forms at her shoulder & fires at Noctis, while another forms at her back & fires at Astarte. She fires yet another from her forehead to counter Senthose's.*

Keter<As you are no doubt discovering, I can fire a Cero from any part of my body, without preparing a stance. I can also fire several Ceros at once, without weakening their power.>

S"Ah, but can you fire a Cero Oscuras?"

*Senthose is charging one, but is forced to stop when Keter turns around & blows that arm off with a white Cero outlined in black.*

Keter<My variant is called an Alabaster Cero.>
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*Kyoraku cuts through the fire & slashes a gash into Enkidu's forehead.*

Kyoraku<You're pretty tough, you know that? That would've killed most Menos.>

"Why would you tempt her?" Noct asked, dodging the cero aimed at her.

Astarte hardened her stance and launched lightning from each hand and a Cero from her mouth, each attack meeting Keter's Cero head on.

Another chunk of Enkidu's helmet shattered and fell as he staggered. He let out a roar to force Kyoraku away from him which he followed with a ball of fire from his axe.
"How dare you compare me to a Menos!" He spat. "You're so smug! You'll eat your words!"

*He slices the ball of fire in half by swinging both of his swords down at it.*

Kyoraku<Maybe, but you'll need more than that. I still have a Bankai, you know.>
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S"You tempted her first."

*Lilith dons her Hollow Mask & points her hands at Keter.*

L"Hado 88!"

*A Severing Void is raised & blocks...a Sokatsui.*

Keter<A trick?>

*Keter is locked in a Six Rod Light Prison & looks to her other side in time to see a torrent of lightning blasting her. Not taking chances, Euryale releases a torrent of magma under Keter, which then solidifies into rock spikes.*

Astarte remained in her position, not believing Keter would be killed so simply.

Enkidu launched himself forward and materialized a flame sword which he slashed towards Kyoraku. As the slash fell, the candle flames dropped from in between his fingers ahead of the strike.

And lanzas, and an Aliento rugir del fuego del Gran lagarto cero.

*Keter breaks free. Part of her stomach armor is chipped away, her sleeves & some of her skirt are ripped away, revealing cuts & scrapes on her arms & legs. She snarls before slashing the ground, releasing an explosion that radiates outwards at everyone.*
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*Kyoraku isn't even sure he can block the slash, so he Flash Steps away.*

Noct puts up a wall around herself to block the explosion, Mortal does the same with scales. Sab teleported to Aroma.

Astarte sped away from the explosion as fast as she could manage.

Enkidu stopped and took a deep breath before turning his eyes to Chesed, "What are you doing? It looks like you're just standing there!"

???<I believe you have just answered your own question.>

*Kyoraku whirled, slashing & sending a tornado at Enkidu.*
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A"Is everything going okay?"
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*Keter speeds to Mortal, slashing through her scales. Senthose had simply weathered the blast with a lightning shield, & was now burying his tentacles in the sand. Euryale stomps, raising a boulder, & punches it repeatedly, sending multiple steel arrowhead-shaped fragments at Keter.*

Astarte turned after avoiding the explosion in time to see Keter destroy the scale shield.
She began to rush back, her mouth suddenly glowing a dull red.

"You bit--" Enkidu stopped, turning to Kyoraku again and weathering the tornado. "Why don't you do something?!"

Mortal ducked the slash, then stood up and put a hand around Keter's throat before firing off a Gran Lagarto from that hand. Noct also threw a lanza at Keter.

--

"No, Keter more or less withstood the combined efforts of everyone and it only pissed her off. Pissed off Keter is frightening, so when she attacked I came here... I don't want to go back."

A"You...you don't think she might...WIN, do you?"
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*With Hierro, the damage is not as bad as it could be, but it is still extensive enough that Keter feels the need to slice off Mortal's hand, step back, & heal it. During this time, the lanza chips off one of her shoulder guards. Euryale forces Noctis behind her & tries to stand taller than usual, right before Keter slashes in a circle, slicing at everyone's neck or, in Euryale's case, her chest.*
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???<I was given no orders regarding what to do after I disabled the Squad 12 Captain.>

Astarte arrived in time to be slashed at and dropped her jaw, releasing a Cero into the oncoming attack.

Enkidu lifted his axe, raising his Spiritual Pressure, and slashed vertically downwards, firing off a large, fast arc of fire easily as tall as Enkidu and half as wide in Kyoraku's direction. His halo flickered again.
"I'm giving you an order now! Take control of this captain!"

"No, but I do think I'll die if I stay there..." Sab admitted.

--

Mortal shoots a gran rey cero at Keter from the hand that she cut before it heals itself.

Noct steps from behind Euryale and launches a lanza at Keter's smug face.

A"Well, then, you'd better stay here."
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*The lanza cuts a shallow groove across Keter's face while she's slashing away the Gran Rey Cero. She touches the wound, & examines the blood, looking shocked. Then she snarls & begins shaking. Finally, she lets out a scream. After about 30 seconds of screaming, her tone gets deeper, sounding almost like a chorus of Gillians. She points her Zanpakuto at Noctis. Instead of attacking, she becomes engulfed in another pillar of light. When it clears, she is holding two straight swords made of what appears to be white fire. There are also glowing Reitsu wings on her back. Topping off the ensemble, there are rings of light behind her, extending off into the very sky, the smoke having been blown away by the release of power. She starts towards Noctis &, when Lilith gets in her way, bats her attack aside & bites her in the throat before kicking her into Euryale.*

E"Lilith! Damn it...does anyone know how to hea--"

*Euryale stares up in horror at Keter, now right on to top of her, & aiming one of those swords at her eye.*

Keter<In four hundred thousand years, your souls STILL will not have escaped my wrath!>
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*Kyoraku puts up a Severing Void & also crosses his swords in front of him, hoping to dampen as much of the impact as possible.*

???<I do not take orders from you.>