Appreciation, Fatigue, and the Power of Money
"Incredible. You truly live up to the name Musashi."
Though they had only exchanged a single blow between them, Kojiro could feel the indomitable sword intent contained within Musashi's sword. The moment their blades overlapped, a frigid chill ran through his body. It was almost like he had been walking alone in a peaceful mountain forest only to turn his head to find an avalanche charging towards him.
Instead of responding to Kojiro's words, Musashi's perpetually changing eyes shifted towards the edge of her Zanpakuto. It might be unnoticeable to others, but, thanks to her incredible eyesight, she was able to make out an indescribably small nick on the edge of her blade.
"Gaze into the Void, Gōenjin...!"
Realizing her opponent was more dangerous than his disarming smile let on, Musashi immediately unleashed her Shikai. This caused Kojiro's eyes to widen considerably, as, rather than a simple 10x increase in spirit energy, Musashi's Gōenjin provided a startling 50x increase. A bluish-white energy erupted from her body, forcing Kojiro back until he raised his almost comically long katana to block, or, more specifically, cut through the seemingly insurmountable pressure.
Adopting a far more serious expression than before, the edge of Kojiro's blade began to glow with a similarly bluish-white light as he murmured, "Has she already surpassed the realm of the gods...?"
Not expecting an answer to his question, the hairs on Kojiro's body stood on end as a feminine voice sounded from his side, stating, "The only person I focus on surpassing is myself."
Spinning away from the voice, Kojiro's body spun in such a smooth and graceful arc that, for a very brief moment, he appeared to be the only thing in existence capable of moving. The only exception to this seemed to be Musashi's eyes, which, in spite of her unmoving figure, stared directly at Kojiro, their hue shifting between various blues, greens, and purples.
Undaunted by the peculiar sight, an inexplicable scene occurred in the eyes of the Spectators. The spinning Kojiro promptly changed directions, a secondary arc forming as he cut towards Musashi's head to produce a dividing line that perfectly bisected her body. Some mistakenly believed this was the Tsubame Gaeshi. Instead, it was a raw display of speed. Speed so great that it simply defied the conventional rules of causality.
To the horror and chagrin of quite a number of people, the 'cameras' viewing and recording the fight were able to see a thin red line running down Musashi's body. With everything appearing to move in slow motion, they were even able to make out Musashi's flesh beginning to slowly part. In spite of this, the pale, pink-haired swordswoman maintained a smile as her eyes continued to focus on the increasingly nervous-looking Kojiro.
Just as it seemed as though Musashi was about to be perfectly split in two, the pink-haired Samurai took a step forward. Everything was still moving in slow motion, but, as if she was unaffected by the distortion, Musashi swept her Gōenjin in a casual arc that sent Kojiro's head spinning from his body.
As if someone had picked up a remote and pressed fast forward, Kojiro's spinning head appeared to revolve at several hundred RPM, a cascade of blood spreading outward in a perfect spiral as the crowd looked on with stunned, stupefied gazes. Then, in such a short amount of time that people thought the display had lagged, several other versions of Kojiro had appeared on screen while the spinning head from before had completely vanished.
Just as everyone was beginning to wonder what, exactly, was going on, Musashi satisfied their curiosities, her playful, almost innately seductive tone echoing through the Little Garden as she mused, "You've taken your Infinity in a rather interesting direction, haven't you? Your speed has exceeded the point of Parallel Superposition. Every action you perform results in the creation of countless versions of yourself...if I didn't already know she was taken, there is a redhead I would have liked to introduce you to..."
Wiping away a bit of sweat from his brow, Kojiro regained his earlier smile as he rebutted, "Those eyes of yours are dangerous...the ability to guarantee an outcome is beyond terrifying in the hands of a truly skilled warrior..."
As it was natural for people at their level to be able to see through each other's techniques with a single glance, Musashi simply shrugged in response to Kojiro's revelation. She didn't mind if people learned about her Empyrean Eyes. Rather, the whole reason she was wearing a bikini was to garner attention and increase her fame. If the residents of the Little Garden truly believed her eyes had the power to guarantee an outcome, the grade/rank of her Gift would invariably increase.
Unsurprised by Musashi's silence, Kojiro adopted a low, sideways stance with his sword held parallel with his shoulders. An indescribably sharp aura immediately surged forth from his body, but, due to the intense spiritual pressure emanating from Musashi's, Kojiro actually felt an even greater feeling of suppression than before. He felt as though he was trying to blow a bubble at the bottom of the ocean. The more effort he pushed into expanding his domain, the greater the surface area exposed to Musashi's.
Fortunately, the stance Kojiro had adopted was so famous that the momentum generated from the crowd's interest immediately shifted in his favor. His Tsubame Gaeshi was regarded as the absolute pinnacle of swordsmanship, so, while there were a frustrating number of opponents that had come up with methods to counter it, Sojiro had an absolute advantage when it came to high-profile Gift Games.
Just as Kojiro was sure of his victory, something the crowd had been anticipating for quite some time occurred. Many had noticed the peculiar and unnerving sight of Musashi's flesh beginning to part in slow motion, but, rather than focusing on such gruesome details, the vast majority of people had directed their gaze to the string tying together her bikini. They figured that if the body behind the fabric had been cut, it was only natural that the fabric had also been cut. Now that Musashi was on the verge of being defeated by the Tsubame Gaeshi, hundreds of millions of people immediately shifted their attention to Musashi's breasts, eager to see the string loosen or sliced through...
With so many people focused on the exact same thing, it was only natural that the Central Network took matters into its own hands. Thus, at the exact moment that Kojiro was preparing to unleash his Tsubame Gaeshi, the blue cord fastening together the two half of Musashi's top loosened...
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After thinning the numbers on the surface, Nobu had managed to breach thirteen layers of the offensive satellite's underground structure before her mental and spiritual energies began to wane. The activation of her Bankai had vastly increased her reserves, but, at the same time, it placed a tremendous burden on her mind, body, and spirit. If not for her tremendous willpower, she might not have been able to surpass the 10th Floor without stopping to take a rest.
Without wiping away the blood pouring from her eyes and nose, a vicious smile developed across Nobu's face as she mentally cursed the durability of the Imperial Dragons. She had wanted to clear the offensive satellite in a single go, but, with more advanced models appearing every five floors, it was proving to be impossible. It didn't help that Bosses appeared every ten floors, their power and durability far surpassing the parameters of lesser models.
Accepting the thermos of tea offered by Tomoe, Nobu grumbled, "Remind me to kick Da Vinci's ass when we get out of here..." before emptying the contents in a single go. She immediately felt a cool and refreshing sensation spread through her body as the complex tattoo coiling around her back and shoulders lit up in response to the revitalizing energies contained within the surprisingly minty liquid.
"Paaaaaaa...that hits the spot!"
Though she would have preferred sake or some other form of alcohol, Nobu was afraid she might pounce on Okita or Tomoe if she got tipsy. She didn't mind if the Little Garden viewed her as being bisexual, but, until her relationship with Vahn was known, she didn't want to do anything that might compromise his position. The only reason she openly gawked at Okita's butt was because she felt it would be an insult if she didn't admire such a flawless piece of work...
With that in mind, Nobu shifted her attention to the bronze-skinned woman only to find that she now had a red sarong wrapped around her waist. The three tomoe in her ruby red eyes immediately morphed into a shape resembling the Oda Clan's Family Crest, but, instead of asking what the hell Okita was thinking, Nobu directed an accusatory glower toward Tomoe.
Believing she had done nothing wrong, Tomoe maintained a calm and composed expression as she pulled out a bento box and said, "Take this. It's a bento box specially prepared by Lady Rindo. It will help you recover."
Snorting through her nose, Nobu practically yanked the bento box out of Tomoe's hands before plopping down on the ground with a clearly annoyed expression on her face. In response, Tomoe exhaled a sigh before walking over to where Okita was keeping watch. This caused a scrutinizing gleam to flash across Nobu's eyes, as, much like the countless spectators, her gaze immediately focused on a certain aspect of Tomoe's departing figure...
It didn't really need to be said, but there was a reason Nobu was the Heroic Spirit summoned by Vahn...
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While everyone else was showing off or struggling, a rather strange scene was occurring on one of the defensive satellites littering the Game Board.
Though she would normally be the first to show off, Seraphina had teamed up with Chronoa, the Supreme Kai of Time, to execute a special mission. They had been given the task of securing at least a single defensive satellite, as, while he was perfectly capable of defending their planet against the Model Omega, Vahn felt it wouldn't be fair if their Community was the only one impervious to the Executioner's Judgment.
Unlike the offensive satellites, the only obstacle preventing Players from reaching the core of the defensive satellites was a labyrinth. While Seraphina might not seem like the best option when it came to exploring and capturing labyrinths, her recently acquired Zanpakuto more than made up for her personal ineptitude. Even in its Shikai form, it was among the most obscene abilities Vahn had ever seen as it created a domain that emulated the Netherworld's Dark Assembly.
Representing the tip of a 'very' large iceberg, Seraphina was able to use her Zanpakuto to create or summon beings from virtually any world she was aware of. The only prerequisites were that she had enough money to create and enough spirit energy to sustain them. There was also a restriction that she could only use money and resources she had earned, but, as a Succubus Queen, Seraphina was more than capable of 'earning' everything she required from Vahn.
Using her ability, Seraphina was able to purchase a functionally infinite number of ethereal Prinnies. They would disappear the moment she deactivated her Shikai, but, until then, she had a veritable army of weak yet extremely loyal servants to search and navigate the defensive satellite's corridors. As for what she did while they were hard at work? Well, any excess movements would be a waste of energy, so, while tens of thousands of Prinnies scoured the labyrinth at her behest, Seraphina used the Companion Vahn had created for her as a tanning bed, her bare back exposed for all the Little Garden to see...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I don't know if I should feel bad for Kojiro or envious of the crowd...','Nobu is a truly cultured individual (U w U)...','Of course she would be the one to get such a broken ability...')
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