C252: End of the Beginning Pt4
Alt title Teaser: Hidden Twist
Date published: 8/24/2025.
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"Bankai" the Reaper calls out as they hold their spear horizontally even; akin to a bubble protractor used in construction, all three bubbles synchronized in the middle.
As the enemy is enveloped in a blinding burst of spiritual energy, heat rises, a flame is molded in the center where the reaper was. From that bubble of fire, lines of fire spread out with seemingly no order to them with the exception that any one line must be intersected at an appropriate angle to create an 'X' design.
Axel commits to a few tests and finds that the new flames do not behave any differently than before but the final surprise is yet to come as the reaper completes his transformation.
"Hābinjāzu no chichi" (Father of the Harbingers) The reaper proclaims as the flame bubble around him bursts to reveal his new appearance.
Firstly is his appearance, the signature shinigami captain attire (which was color inverted) has been changed out for a stylish but more form fitting suit. Not any sort of armor but an actual noble-like suit colored a silverish white with black pants and gloves. A simple 4 pronged flower-star of red and black that rests just below their neck. It is only the arm sleeves and tailcoat of the suit that are slightly loose allowing ease of movement.
Axel can respect the outfit but he is more so concerned with the newfound form of the weapon that his enemy wields.
The previous simple spear had been replaced with a scythe of similar color scheme of silver, black and red. It too bears the previous flames.
Contrary to Axel's expectations, the reaper does not charge at him like he has before but instead gains a melancholy look on their face as they bring their long scythe before their face and plants a kiss on the blade itself.
"I shall make you proud"
SQUISH
Sweeping the scythe to their side, they now charge at Axel who raises his twin Rhongo cestus as he successfully parries the scythe by deflecting the reaper's wrist but what he didn't expect was its special effect.
Stakes akin to black and red spears jut up from the ground and stab into Axel's guts. The spears do not inflict a physical attack but a spiritual one. Due to the surprise nature, Axel's soul was struck by the searing heat emitted by the spears and flame.
He releases a burst of energy to destroy the spears before he chooses to go on the offensive so that more spears don't spawn like this as he waves his scythe around.
Axel's left hand fist cuts across the man's thigh via the spikes lining up the knuckles of his cestus while his right cuts across the shoulder. The reaper pulls back while sweeping their scythe in an upswing manner, spawning more x-shaped spikes that Axel dodged this time around.
The damage lasts and so it seems that outside of using his special eye the Lino Doue, he lacks a healing factor yet Axel is not sure if this is a guise to hide his other abilities. He will remain wary nevertheless.
"Not bad"/"Barely a scratch bucko" The split versions speak through the same mouth as usual, but it was the 'owner' who got to speak first this time around.
"Thats because you haven't seen anything yet" Axel responds as he stomps his foot and a surge of energy bursts out from where the two cuts from the serrated knuckles previously landed.
An explosion of blood splurts out from the reapers body, his body rocks back and forth from the explosion. The burst of energy made up on lightning to fry his body, metal to shred it from the inside and finally ice to slow his body down.
From what Axel remembered, the Lino Doue struggles against absorbing magic spells but it's balanced out by the alpha stigma as he could counter Axel's magic…that is unless he trapped the energy inside his body. It is also because of the alpha stigma that Axel had to use this trap early, otherwise the reaper would have realized the trap quickly enough after another attack or two.
Yet for now, Axel has an opening and he rushes forth with cestus once more, and soon enough he is able to get a few more cuts in as his physical strength overpowers the reapers who focuses far more on technique of his Zanjutsu but Axel can sense the stored energy is now being cleansed within his system.
The exact nature manner in how he did cleanse himself evades Axel's notice but he can tell that it was some form of Biokinesis. He harnessed or manipulated his own body to treat the energy like a virus and thus cured himself of it.
Axel doesnt relent this time around as he rushes forward once more, he uses the first step of his inheritance back from his childhood, mana burst.
Speeding forward whilst infusing his weapons with his mana, not that they needed it, he zips through space itself as he delivers cut after cut but nothing severe. The reaper's body does sway in response to the increasing amount of injuries but like any high ranking shinigami, he is certainly durable.
His clothes are soaked in blood but most notably is the fact that his clothes are actually being torn apart by the shockwaves he releases. In most cases, Shinigami clothing is tied to their transformations and are far more durable than regular clothing but it seems the weapon holds all the actual power while the clothes are simply cosmetic for some reason.
This suspicion is furthered by the fact that his aura had not really grown since activating his shikai nor Bankai, making Axel suspect that either they have a greater control over their reishi to not release it wantonly, or something else is siphoning the power away.
The first case would provide no explanation for how Axel is able to easily keep up with the reaper while the second would explain everything. Now it is just a matter of luring out this hidden danger and taking it down.
BANG BANG BOOM FWUSHH
The two exchanged many attacks, Axel's punches creating shockwaves with both of them creating sonic booms from their fast paced attacks. Axel also unleashes an assortment of magical attacks but covertly of course. The Alpha Stigma ensures that he shouldnt release any full powered spell openly, in the worst case scenario that the reaper gains the ability to utilize that spell.
The spells come in the form of small scale earth spells, namely foot traps to stifle the reaper's movements, at least when he isn't flash stepping. Other times it's elemental bombs hidden underground or hidden through time.
Axel would essentially determine where he was in the future and transport the mines into that timeline but due to his unique nature as a singularity, a situation born from his second magic, that future timeline he altered would simply merge back into his 'present' and it becomes a normal mine that simply 'popped' out of nowhere.
The most useful ability that is present at the moment is the paleblood moon hanging over their heads, enhancing Axel's speed and power while obstructing the reaper's thoughts with beastly madness that he has to stave off.
Though of course the reaper is not helpless, his spreading flames that stick to the floor are deadly to Axel too but having already found their weakness, he is less affected by their danger. The most annoying thing to him at the moment was the sprouting spikes that are always made whenever the reaper swings his scythe.
"ENOUGH" The reaper doesnt seem to accept such a situation any longer as they roar from the pain and swung their scythe down, smashing it into the ground which splinters as a result. Fire flowed out like magma but Axel simply kept his distance and it was no danger to him.
"Stupid piece of junk, why do you only make me grow weaker day by day? I am your master, I rule this body, so many years and I am inferior to a child who hasn't even lived a single century." The reaper curses out loud as he grips the center of his chest but due to the few pieces of clothing in the way.
Axel could not tell what was there as even his eyes enhanced by the Rhongomyniad can only sense a higher concentration of Yang energy. This source actually makes his body heavily imbalanced but confusion still hinders Axel, the suspense only relents moments later.
"Heh heh heh, ha ha ha ha ha" The garbled child like voice soon comes out once again but it's pitch seems to shift about until it settles for a higher pitch but demonic sounding voice. The reapers hands tremble until the arm holding the weapon swings in midair. The action is repeated with the offhand while the voice returns back to the reapers.
"What is going on, I….I'm" /"Shush now, the answer to your questions is quite simple"
"It was never your fucking body you thief." The Hollow speaks out. "I had bid my time, Taking from you every step of the way, copying your techniques, making them better until all that you had left was your life, AND even that was worthless as I had manipulated your memories thanks to your own pathetic gift, the Alpha Stigma and Lino Doue.
The two eyes that Axel can see soon change shape as the symbols seem to merge, their new form takes the shape of a vertical rhombus in front of a background magic circle. This covers both eyes as the Hollow stares down Axel.
"You took my body, but I took your stepmother, I took your lover, I corrupted your morals and you created the very enemy we now face but he has taught me so much. Garganta allows us to travel across worlds and dimensions but our study in space was still rudimentary yet that is no longer. So many magics, spells and powers, bundled up so nicely and so deliciously."
"I wonder, if I expelled our darling puppet of a step mother, would she be proud of how far 'I' have come, her true child, who she willingly gave herself to me when she could no longer teach us anything further? Hee hee hee"
"AGGGHHHHHHH" The hollow mocks the reaper who screams in agony as he is finally returned the stolen memories. The people he learned to care for were killed by his other half. The people he manipulated to grow stronger, all for nothing as the hollow claimed it all.
Throughout his explanation, the hollow has been wresting control of his body from the reaper, his energy levels rising which has destabilized the barrier around them forcing Axel to concentrate on keeping it up and not involving his friends and family in this fight. It's his fight and he will not endanger them.
Axel soon shapeshifts his cestus into two daggers that he teleports away to the edges of the barrier, stabbing them into the ground so that they can act as anchors to keep the barrier stable even without his direct intervention. He then summons a new pair of slightly weaker clones of the Rhongomyniad Cestus.
Axel charges at the Hollow with his fists raised to strike them down. He channels a great majority of his current energy to hopefully smack them down in one hit.
"Not bad kid" The hollow states as they wave their hand over their face. An infernal black energy covers their face before a white mask with bunny ears is created.
The white of the hollows eyes had been replaced with black but the Linou Stigmata still remains. Axel recognizes this as an ability that the main character and a select few others had which allowed them to control their hollow side even though they were shinigami.
Hollowfication.
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Word count: 2031
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