"Manda, attack!"
Manda reared back, then struck.
"Jigoku no Senkō Tenshō (Moon Fang Hell Piercer)!" A blast of power emitted from Ichigo in a short burst.
Just before Manda and Ichigo's swords made contact, Orochimaru glimpsed a sphere form amidst the debris.
A large cloud came into existence, the column floating up to the sky majestically.
Ichigo stood.
Unharmed.
Orochimaru snarled, his rage reaching the breaking point.
He was akin to a cup about to overfill with water.
"Manda, again!" He commanded, pointing furiously.
Manda dove at the orange-haired Shinigami, whose sphere faded to black.
Ichigo brought the cleaver and long sword together in a cross, intercepting the blow from the humongous snake.
Feet digging into the ground, Ichigo slid backwards a foot, leaving a furrow, then heaved, and pushed his arms out rapidly.
Manda was thrown back, completely overwhelmed by his dominant adversary, yet, still on the ground and upon the order of Orochimaru, flung out with its tail.
Ichigo vaulted over.
Landing on the still thrashing reptile, he hastened up it, scampering around and around with quick steps.
Orochimaru, atop its crest, spotted the challenge and met it, dropping down to plow into Ichigo.
Ichigo alternated thrusting with both zanpakuto, as if they were boxing gloves.
Ichigo threw both his blades, then, when Orochimaru tried to get out of the way, sprinted across the scaly skin and threw a punch.
Orochimaru evaded.
Ichigo, shrugging inwardly, caught the blades with a flash step.
He repeated the process, throwing the blades, attacking, before finally catching and throwing again. Orochimaru barely dodged the last punch.
Ichigo stepped in for the follow up blow, but Orochimaru stomped his foot.
Manda reacted to the signal, flailing.
Seizing the moment, Orochimaru retaliated by beating at his enemy with Kusanagi, the poisoned blade spraying venom.
A drop of venom singed Ichigo's shirt.
Seeing the danger, he flash stepped away.
Still on the snake, Ichigo lobbed his cleaver in an arc, the blade and handle flipping over each other, and pitching his longsword at Orochimaru's legs. I've got him! Ichigo smirked.
Orochimaru shared his sentiment. Having perceived potential bodily injury, he retreated and threw away his only weapons. If this did not go more to my plan, I do not know what will. Now he will come in for the kill...and I'll be ready.
Sure enough Ichigo flash stepped once, then twice, both at different sides of his adversary in an attempt to disguise which direction he would attack from.
Ichigo settled on right in front, lunging, then skidding to a halt.
He propelled his fist towards Orochimaru's chest while Joyeuse and Goujian were sailing through the air to Orochimaru's face and legs.
Orochimaru seized Ichigo's would-be punch, lifting him off Manda's skin and smacking the Reaper of Souls into his own blade, which had initially been headed towards Orochimaru's skull. At the same time, he lightly bounded over Goujian.
Orochimaru snatched Goujian out of the air upon landing.
He drove the cumbersome, heavy blade at Ichigo.
Joyeuse blocked the brunt of Orochimaru's attack.
Ichigo's face contorted into anger lines, tensing up. "You dare use my own weapon against me?!"
He closed his eyes in concentration, veins in his arm popping out as he strained against the much more powerful sword.
Ichigo could sense Zangetsu's disgust at being handled by its current holder.
He felt Goujian willingly give away.
Orochimaru's grip loosened despite himself, before he relinquished his control of it entirely.
Ichigo flung up his cleaver as a distraction, switched to two-hand style and lunged, weapon slashing and dicing as Orochimaru dodged and dodged, before catching his cleaver again.
Both ninja and Shinigami engaged each other in a flowing dance, moving up and down the length of Manda, dominance of the battle shifting.
Orochimaru dropped Kusanagi halfway through the battle.
Ichigo stooped to catch it by instinct before wincing at his stupidity.
Orochimaru spun into a backhanded elbow, knocking it into Ichigo's nose.
The shinobi thrust his hand down his own throat and retrieved another sword, slapping Ichigo with the flat of the blade then jabbing with the tip.
Ichigo parried with the thin-as-paper cleaver. He slashed with his other hand, cutting open Orochimaru and rupturing bone.
The renowned sennin stumbled.
Ichigo let out a sigh of relief, eye twinkling. "Getsuga Juugjishou!"
A star of eye-damaging light and powerful energy burst out of the zanpakuto, swirling out like water from a faucet. It pulsed, as if a star.
Orochimaru screamed.