xXBleach Battle One-Shots: Rose and Kensei vs. Mask de MasculineXx
Mask de Masculine looked towards the distance with his hand shielding his eyes; closely following the two figures that descended from the sky.
"Hm..." Mask started, eyes squinting as the figures slowly left his view. "I'm not sure what those are, but it's quite far away. Perhaps we should go and check it out? What say you, James?!" He asked with unnecessary gusto.
The small man in question smiled brightly. "Heh... If you took down people that flashy, everybody would be sure to notice you!"
That was all Mask needed to hear, as he moved to speed off with James in tow. "And so we shall! Make haste, James!" Before he could get very far though, a chain wrapped around his right ankle. Jolting in surprise, he turned around to see the source.
"Wait..." A voice weakly sounded out. It was Shuhei, laying on the ground next to Yumichika and Ikkaku, both of whom were still unconscious. "You think... it's over already?" He asked as sweat poured down his face.
Calmly, the masked Quincy leaned forward and grabbed the length of the chain. "Hm..." He then stood up and harshly pulled on the chain, sending Shuhei flying through the air towards himself. Holding his arm out in preparation, Mask met the Shinigami's flight with a lariat, sending Shuhei back to the ground, bouncing the back of his head off the concrete in the process. "I do!" He stated.
Without pause, Mask lifted his left leg and brought it down in an attempt to finish off the wounded Lieutenant. Before he could deal the finishing blow though, a sandaled foot put itself in the way and halted the stomp in midair. Looking to his left in surprise, Mask saw none other than the Captain of the Ninth Division, Muguruma Kensei.
"Tch..." Kensei scoffed. "Getting taken out before he could even show everything he learned in training? What a pathetic Lieutenant." He chided derisively.
Despite the interruption, Mask was not worried. "And who might you be? Their friend?"
"I'm the Captain of the sleeveless one." Kensei said in response.
This revelation brought a large smile to Mask's face. "A Captain? Splendid! But I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to stand aside." He informed. "Normally, I'd be thrilled to fight someone of your pedigree, but I'm currently off to investigate some conspicuous falling objects."
"Come now... don't say that." A new voice drawled as the Captain of the Third Division, Otoribashi "Rose" Rojuro stepped onto the scene. "There's two Captains here. I'd wager you'll get no better chance to stand out."
Mask gave a sly grin to the new arrival, but was cut off by the other Captain present before he could form a response. "Don't worry, 'cause I won't be wasting your time anyways." Kensei informed as he slowly drew his sword.
"Bankai: Tekken Tachikaze! (Second Release: Iron Fist Earth Wind)"
As the metal casing that made up Kensei's Bankai formed around him, Reiatsu spiked across the area, the pure force of it crushing the ground beneath him. In the face of such power, Mask de Masculine couldn't help but smile. "I suppose I have no choice!" He announced, removing the mantle of his uniform. "We'll take this to ten counts!" He finished before leaping through the air in an attempt to dropkick the white-haired Captain.
Upon collision, the force sent Kensei back many yards, breaking through buildings and tearing up rubble. Once the movement stopped though, Mask noticed that Kensei had blocked the dropkick with his left forearm, simply having slid across the ground before. "Are you kidding me? I don't believe it..." The Captain said under his breath. With a look of pure anger on his face, Kensei exclaimed, "Shuhei got beaten by THIS?! What an idiot!"
Suddenly, the blade around his right hand compressed into a type of brass knuckles, allowing Kensei to dig his fist into his opponent's gut with devastating force. The impact was so massive it lifted Mask off the ground and created a shockwave that blew away the combatants' immediate surroundings. As Kensei withdrew his fist, Mask instantly fell to his knees, grasping his stomach whilst desperately seeking air. James, who was watching on the sidelines, couldn't believe it.
"No way... he sent Mister to his knees with one blow..."
Not one to waste time, Kensei knelt down and lifted up the burly Quincy by his collar. "Hurts, doesn't it?" He asked rhetorically. "Tacihkaze (Earth Wind) is a Zanpakuto that causes a burst-like impact in whatever it cuts. Its Bankai, Tekken Tachikaze, compresses that bursting power into my fist. As long as this fist is touching you, that bursting power is constantly battering the contact point." Bringing back his right fist, Kensei swung forward and dug into Mask's gut once again.
Bracing his punching arm with his other, Kensei maintained contact with the Stern Ritter's body, constantly building damage. "I'll blow you away!" As Mask screamed in pain, Kensei pushed forwards with a final effort and sent the Quincy flying.
Mask de Masculine flew through the air and collided with the upper floors of a building, seemingly knocked out as he laid flat with smoke emanating from his stomach.
On the sidelines, Rose let out a deep sigh. "I suppose... I wasn't needed at all." Near him, James fell to his knees with tears gathering around his eyes.
"This is... don't lose, Mister. You can't lose!" He called out desperately.
Kensei looked at him pityingly. "Sheesh... they're so pathetic it makes ME seem like the bad guy." He griped. Suddenly, from the ground near him, Shuhei spoke up.
"No, Captain..."
"Hm? You're alright?"
"You have to get rid of the little one first!" He exclaimed.
At that moment, James screamed, "Please get up, Superstar!"
And just like that, Mask de Masculine was almost instantly between Kensei and Rose, seemingly back from his "defeat". Before the two Captains could even react, Mask sent them flying in two different directions with strong punches. He paused afterwards and made a show of his muscles in a victory pose of sorts.
"I am Stern Ritter 'S', the 'Superstar'!" He revealed. "The audience's cheers become my strength!"
Up in the building where Kensei was sent, a slab of concrete was tossed into the air. Flipping to his feet from under it, Kensei cracked his neck, unmindful of his profusely bleeding nose and heavily bruised right cheek. "Okay then..." He drawled before flying through the air towards Mask de Masculine, who was still gloating in his pose on the ground. Suddenly, Mask vanished from his sight.
"Star Eagle Kick!" Before he could even react, a large knee was driven into Kensei's gut, causing him to cough up blood. Grasping the Captain's head, Mask continued his assault by slamming his forehead into Kensei's. "Star Headbutt!"
Even as blood poured from the new wound, Kensei finally managed to react. "Shit! Don't you get cocky!" He exclaimed as his Bankai once again changed shape. From the knuckles on the glove, studs began to protrude. He quickly sent a right hook at Mask, but it was blocked. The ability of Tekken Tachikaze kicked in, and the bursting damage continued to affect Mask even as he blocked. Bringing up his other arm, the Quincy braced his blocking hand and tried to hold firm, letting out a war cry of sorts.
From the ground, James yelled out, "Do your best, Superstar!" And like that, Mask found the power to maintain his block without issue.
The Quincy leaned forward and gave his opponent a grin. "That won't work on me anymore! Not one bit!"
Tugging on Kensei's arm, he stretched it out and gave it a chop from his left hand. With a sickening crack, the arm bent with the strike. Mask then released the arm, and used his right hand to preform another chop, this time on Kensei's head, sending him falling to the earth, a large impact soon following.
On the ground, Kensei groaned in agony as blood flowed freely from his broken arm. The bone was easily visible, and the pain was paralyzing. From above, Mask de Masculine relentlessly continued his assault by dropping his knee onto Kensei's chest from high above. With that, Kensei went still, eyes rolled to the back of his head and blood everywhere.
Standing up and looking at his opponent's limp form, Mask spoke. "I don't believe I'll have to count to ten for this one."
Suddenly from behind Mask, James' voice cried out in pain. Turning to see, the Superstar watched in horror as the tip of Rose's Shikai protruded from the small man's belly. "M... Mister..." James intoned weakly before Rose jerked the blade, bisecting James through the middle.
"JAAAAAAMES!" Mask screamed dramatically. "How cowardly! To attack a simple fan!"
Rose didn't care. "Say what you want. Without him, you can't use your powers, correct? I had to use the opening Kensei gave. I couldn't waste it." He explained before raising his sword to the sky.
"Bankai: Kishara Butoudan. (Second Release: Golden Sal Tree Dancing Troupe)"
Kinshara extended its length many times over and twisted itself into two hands that floated in the sky above Rose, one holding a baton. In Rose's hand, a matching baton took the place of the Shikai. From the ground in front of him, sixteen humanoid figures rose. They seemed made of the same coiled wire as the hands in the sky, and instead of faces they had the golden petal that sat upon the tip of Kinshara's Shikai. Mask's eyes widened at the sight.
"Kinshara Butoudan is a dance troupe of death. Admission to their performance... costs your life." He said before raising his baton. "The first act of today's program is... Sea Drift."
The dancers that comprised Rose's Bankai immediately surrounded Mask De Masculine. Slowly, they began to circle around him, steadily picking up speed. Suddenly, a raging whirlpool of water appeared around the Quincy, locking him in place
"Wha-What is this? Water?!" He exclaimed.
Rose simply continued his performance. "The second act is... Prometheus." Immediately afterwards, each member of the dance troupe rose their hands above their heads, suddenly bursting alight with flame. They all simultaneously tossed their respective fireballs at the immobile Stern Ritter, lighting him on fire, the water vanishing just before contact.
Bathed in fire and yelling in pain, Mask called out. "This is impossible! A Zanpakuto with the powers of both fire AND water? This has to be an illusion!"
Rose just chuckled in response. "Indeed, my attacks are naught but simple tricks. But... even the most trivial of tricks can deceive the human heart. I control music. The sound enters your eardrums and then tricks your very heart." The fire slowly subsided, and Mask took a look at the new burns that adjourned his body. "A tricked heart can be swallowed by water. A tricked heart can become burnt. And... a tricked heart can stop beating."
"Well then... I suppose I can dedicate the final act to you." The conductor said with a smirk. Raising his baton, Rose announced his next attack. "Third Act: Ein Heldenleben! (A Hero's Life)"
But... nothing happened. Rose looked at his opponent, only to see Mask with both of his index fingers in his ears. "Plugging your ears? That won't-" Rose stopped speaking, eyes widening. He watched as Mask removed his fingers from his ears, both drenched in blood. More of the fluid flowed freely from each of the ears as well.
"You... crushed your own eardrums?!"
With a toothy grin, Mask de Masculine rose two fingers from each hand and placed them on his temple. The star on his mask suddenly started glowing, but before anything could happen, a comeback was made.
With a devastating impact, the gauntlet-clad fist of Tekken Tachikaze slammed into the right side of Mask's face. The sneak attack sent Mask flying into the distance, breaking through multiple buildings.
Rose looked at Kensei in surprise. The man was a mess, blood everywhere, bruises prevalent. This time though, a Hollow's mask sat upon his face, its Reiatsu slowly melding the Captain's broken arm
"Kensei?!"
The Vizard in question had no chance to respond as a voice sounded out in the distance. "Star Rocket Headbutt!" Mask returned the the battlefield, flying towards Kensei like a missile. Holding out both of his fists towards the incoming Quincy, Tekken Tachikaze changed form again, changing into two flat discs, both of which Kensei used to absorb the impact of the attack. Sliding back a great distance, Kensei fought the momentum with a loud roar, the noise distorted by the effects of his Hollow powers.
The conflicting forces of the Bankai's bursting power and Mask's pure speed impact cancelled each other out, but left Mask wide open.
"Hado #63: Raikoho! (Way of Destruction #63: Fiery Lightning Howl)"
Utilizing Shunpo (Flash Step) to appear above the Quincy, Rose fired a Kido down onto his exposed back, burying him into the ground with a massive explosion.
Using the brief respite, Rose finally took the chance to speak with Kensei. "Thank you... I saw the glow and... I wouldn't have been able to get my mask on in time to stop whatever projectile he was about to use."
Kensei didn't respond. His breathing was haggard, and his Hollow powers were still struggling to repair the damage Mask de Masculine had wrought on his body. Slowly, the Quincy in question rose calmly from his position in the crater Rose had made. He gave a strong look at Kensei. "Perhaps I SHOULD have counted to ten... how did you-" Mask then noticed Kensei's own mask. The mask of a Hollow. "I see. The powers of a Hollow. How appropriate for a villain! It is only right, that as a protector of justice I smite such evil!" The Superstar bellowed before raising his fist.
"It's not often one stands back up after a beating from a star! And I simply can't accept that... it makes me angry!" With that exclamation, a red star formed on Mask's glove. "When I'm angry, THIS appears! The mark of a star, born to fight evil!"
Diving forwards at the two Captains, Mask let loose a shockwave-inducing punch. "Star Killer Punch!"
Quickly dodging in different directions, Rose and Kensei just narrowly avoided the attack. Mask though, was not discouraged in the least. "Hahahahaha! It's useless to run! No villain truly escapes the heroic gaze of a star!" He continued to let loose a relentless barrage of punches, completely demolishing the landscape.
"Bakudo #62: Hyapporankan! (Way of Binding #62: Hundred Step Fence)" Rose's voice called out.
From within the dust of one of the impact craters caused by Mask's rampage, numerous poles of blue energy flew towards the Superstar. Ceasing his assault, Mask brought his forearms up to guard as the poles impacted his body, sending him back a great distance. Slowing to a stop, Mask grinned at the failure of the attack.
"You know... all these dust clouds don't work in your favor."
Mask tried to react to the presence at his flank, but the fist of Tekken Tachikaze, back in its original bladed form, dug into his ribs. As expected, the Bankai's special ability engaged, and to Mask it felt like something was trying to extend that simple puncture wound into a full bifurcation. Kensei then savagely wrenched the blade from Mask's body, sending blood flying everywhere.
In a desperate attempt to stem the blood, Mask hunched over to the left, squeezing the wound shut. He could do nothing about the next attack though. Without warning, Mask de Masculine felt a large pointed blade dig into his back. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that it was Rose's Shikai, and followed the golden rope back to its owner. Rose tapped his fingers onto base of the whip, causing a guitar chord to sound out over the battlefield.
"Kinshara Sonata #11: Izayoi Bara! (Sixteen Day Moon Rose)"
And with those words, all Mask could see was the intense light of the explosion centered in his back. Said explosion burst outwards in a large radius, almost swallowing up even Kensei. Wind bellowed in every direction as the blast slowly subsided. Kensei and Rose watched with trepidation as the smoke cleared.
Mask was on his hands and knees, burns covering almost every portion of his body, and blood spilling from the wound Kensei gave him. "Unacceptable..." He said under his breath. "A star... would NEVER die... at the hands of some villains!" He exclaimed.
The two Captains couldn't believe the man was still conscious, let alone alive.
"ISN'T THAT RIGHT, JAMES?!" Mask bellowed.
"Of course!" James' voice spoke up... which should have been impossible.
Rose and Kensei turned towards the direction of the voice so fast they almost got whiplash. Lo and behold, the top half of James' bisected body hopped along the ground towards Mask de Masculine. James was still very much alive, somehow.
"Cheer up, Superstar! Do your best, and everything'll be great! You're the strongest!" He cheered with great enthusiasm.
With that, Mask finally managed to stand up. "Yes... YES! I feel it... the power!" Suddenly, all of Mask's clothes began to disintegrate, and his wounds all began to mysteriously heal themselves. Soon, Mask was in nothing but wrestling tights, gloves, and boots. His mask had changed design from its star shape to a red colored pattern. Across his waist was a wrestling belt with a star in the center. To exacerbate the theme, his chest hair was shaved into the shape of a star, and each of his nipples were covered with stars as well. It was quite the disturbing sight. Even Rose and Kensei paled at the new appearance, despite the shock of him getting back up after their surprise attack.
Striking another pose, Mask looked towards his opponents and gave them a grin. "Power-up complete! Your moment is officially over! It's time to die!"
The two Shinigami couldn't believe it. Two Bankais, Kido, sneak attacks... the man kept getting back up, no matter what they threw at him. Slowly, Kensei's Hollow mask began to dematerialize, lowering his Reiatsu output severely and allowing his wounds to catch up with him.
Mask wasn't done gloating though. "I'm surprised you've both lasted this long. Quite persistent for villains, if not cowardly for your lack of honor. What say we finish this, Shinigami?!" He asked in an unnecessarily loud voice before rearing his right arm back.
"Now witness the splendor of my true power! Star Lariat!" Swinging his arm forward at Rose and Kensei, a massive shockwave barreled into the two, sending them back a great distance.
"Do you see?!" He asked while throwing a punch that hit his opponents with a similar shockwave. "This is the power of a star! A Superstar! My attacks will hit you even at great distances! These are my One-Mile Arts!"
From within the storm of long-range attacks, Rose and Kensei tried finding a foothold of sorts, or at least something to hold onto. The impact of the strikes was trouble enough, but being stuck in midair as they were continually battered was even worse.
Noticing their trouble, Mask paused his attack briefly. "Hahaha! It's no use!" He mocked before resuming his onslaught. "You've no choice but to fly endlessly through the air, mercy to my attacks!"
Kensei took a particularly brutal hit to the chest, dealing enough damage to aggravate his previous wounds. Blood spurted from previously closed gashes, and slowly his Bankai disengaged itself due to the lack of Reiatsu powering it. Seeing one of his opponents go down, Mask de Masculine decided to go in for the kill.
Leaping into the air, Mask activated his Vollstandig (Complete Holy Form), the trademark disc above his head, and a cape of Reishi to take place of the wings. "And you'll pale in the face of this Superstar's godly power!" He quickly flew through the air with a trail of Reishi behind him, making the shape of a massive star above the battlefield. "Eat this! Star Flash: Supernova!"
Rose stood beside the unconscious Kensei and watched in abject horror as light bathed over them. A massive burst of energy in the shape of a star flew towards the ground, incinerating everything in it's wake, even James, who had yet to flee the battlefield in his... handicapped state.
"Mister... we're..."
Laughing as the explosion raged on, Mask reassured his companion. "Worry not, James, as the star and his fans are one being! As long as I live, you shall eventually be reborn!"
Within a few long minutes, the smoke cleared, leaving nothing but a massive star-shaped crater in the area where their battlefield once was. "Hahaha! Farewell, evil villains! Die knowing you were smited by a true hero!" He called to nobody before resuming his booming laughter. But suddenly, he felt a short blade stab into his gut. Looking down, he saw non other than Bazz-B holding it.
Coughing up some blood, Mask stared in shock at his assailant, not believing it. "Bazz-B, you-" Before he could finish, another blade pierced his left side. Her turned to see who, and this time it was Bambietta Basterbine. Two more blades pierced his right side this time, the perpetrators being Cang Du and BG9. It continued from there, with his own allies looking for unmarked areas of skin to impale.
Feeling his life start to fade, a final blade was thrust into his heart. It was none other than James. "...You too, James?" Mask asked weakly before all the blades inside him were pulled out, causing him to fall to the ground below, dead before he even hit it.
"Lagna di Cesare. (Caesar's Lament)"
In the air where Mask met his end stood none other than Rose, holding an unconscious Kensei over his shoulder. In his free hand was the baton for Kinshara Butoudan. "You failed to notice... when you healed yourself for your final power-up... your hearing recovered as well. I know not what you saw in your final act, but know you were not the first to hear it."
Rose looked down at Mask's body once more before turning to leave.
xXEndXx