Chapter 14: The Worst Conditions

"Ha! I'm Leo" said the Arrancar. Unlike the Mythical trio, the other Arrancars who appeared before the start of the battle wore human clothes. Leo wore jeans and a black jacket, the hood of which was fluffy and orange, resembling a Lion's mane. His mask fragment was located on his chin and lines his lower jaw "Let's have a glorious match!" he roared as he drew his sword and rushed at Reed Target, the Lieutenant of the 6th Squad.

Instantly, the Arrancar had gotten too close for Reed to be able to land a good shot on him. Instead, he was forced to block his attacks with his sealed sword, trying to find a good time to get some distance and begin a ranged assault. However, this opportunity did not show itself. As well as being strong, Leo was smart. He wouldn't even give Reed a second's opening as he continued a close ranged assault.

Reed continued to struggle, unable to break free of Leo's continued attacks. As the blades clashed and Reed continued to receive minor cuts, Leo seemed to grow wilder. The Lion-like Arrancar continued to get caught up in the fight, enjoying every moment instinctively. However, this wild assault provided the opening which Reed had been looking for. As Leo pulled back to attack, Reed quickly escaped to a nearby building by using Shunpo. He then hastily proceeded to release his sword.

"Pierce! Oushi-" he started, but before he could finish, Leo had caught up using Sonido and interrupted the transformation before continuing his repeated attacks on Reed. Not only was the Arrancar strong and smart, but he was also ridiculously fast. At this rate, Reed would be unable to get some distance, unable to release his Zanpakutou and be unable to attack with his preferred weapon.

Suddenly, Leo stopped. He leapt back and stared at Reed. Suddenly, he stuck his sword into the ground and began standing like a quadruped, on his hands and feet. Reed didn't wait for an attack as he began to release his sword.

"Pierce! Oushiya!" he called as his sword transformed into a Crossbow which he immediately fired at Leo several times. However, the bolts broke off against the Arrancar's thick skin. He even caught one in his mouth and crushed it with his teeth. Suddenly, the Arrancar spoke

"Tear! Shishi!" he roared as he was suddenly enveloped in a golden light. When he emerged, he was completely primal. He continued to stand on four legs. His arms now resembled the legs of a lion more, as did his normal legs. His hair had grown exponentially and looked like a long mane. He had a massive tail which slowly swung left and right. His entire body, bar his face, was coated in the same material as a Hollow's mask. Suddenly, he lashed at Reed. He had no apparent weapon, but his claws were enough. Instantly, Reed was forced into a corner and was facing the worst situation for an archer, forced to battle an enemy at close range.

Meanwhile, in the 9th Squad's performance room, Rin found herself defending the statue of her captain against a black and greasy haired Arrancar by the name of Tarant. He wore a full black trench coat and was already in the process of attacking Rin

"The way I see it, a first date should always be a fight to the death!" he roared as he leapt up at her, slicing wildly. However, Rin saw many weaknesses in his stance and countered easily. Elegantly, she lifted her leg and kicked him in the stomach, then span and sent him flying in to a wall.

"Ugh…What was that?" groaned the Arrancar as he pulled himself up from the rubble

"This is my Ballerina Kempo" said Rin as she calmly returned her leg to the ground "And that was just a small portion of it" she said as she drew her sword "If you wish to see more, I'll gladly oblige she said as she ran her hand along it's blade

"Dance! Ongaku!" she called as her Zanpakutou transformed into a long thorned whip.

"Eh! That's it!" asked Tarant" that's a lame Shikai you've got there. Normally it's like a Battleaxe or even a Cannon-" he stated, before Rin lashed at him with the whip. It swung around and latched onto his arm. She then pulled hard on it, sending Tarant flying towards her. She jumped up and kicked him once more, this time in the face, as he passed.

"Don't insult my weapon" she said "With a weapon like this, my Ballet Kempo's power increases tenfold"

"Ugh…You're annoying" groaned Tarant as he pulled himself out of the rubble "I hate annoying chicks. I guess I should just kill you, huh?" he said as he licked his sword's blade

"Ensnare! Kumo!" called Tarant as he began to transform. When his transformation was finished, he took on the form of a grotesque creature. He looks like the fusion between a human and spider. His entire body was coated in the same substance as the mask, apart from his chin. There were eight holes where his eyes once were, similar to a spider's. In two of these holes were his real eyes. He now had four arms and four legs and also a Spider's abdomen on his rear end.

"So, do you find me attractive now?" he asked Rin, who was struggling to avoid throwing up

"That's gross…" she chocked "What kind of disgraceful person chooses a form like that…" she groaned

"Hey! It's not like we get to choose what we become! This is it! Deal With it!" he said as blades swung out from his four arms. However, instead of charging at Rin, he leapt into the air and shot a stream of web from his abdomen and began to hang from the ceiling. This only served to make Rin more nauseous. He suddenly began to swing around the stage, creating a web to trap Rin in while she was recovering.

"Hahaha! Try this on for size!" laughed Tarant "Now that silly little Ballet technique of yours is useless in this situation!" he laughed "You can't move, now just die!" he roared as he flew down at the trapped Rin, who struggled to find a way to counter the coming assault.

To Be Continued…

Zanpakutou Translations:
Shishi – Lion

Ongaku – Music

Kumo – Spider