EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons-Chapter 252: Clashes Abound

"Impressive power, as always, Frieren-sama..." hummed Robin, standing next to Frieren atop a building—several hundred meters from where the stoic Elf had obliterated Liban, Renji, Hinamori, and Kira.

"Thank you, but I am undeserving of your praise..." responded Frieren, her expression and tone neutral as she stared down at the staff in her hands, contending, "It is only due to this staff and the equipment provided by our Lord that my power has reached this level..."

"Our capabilities are certainly enhanced by our equipment..." confirmed Robin, sporting a relaxed smile as she stated, "But someone lacking the requisite knowledge and control would not be able to utilize them to their full potential."

"True enough..." conceded Frieren, glancing at Robin from the corner of her right eye before looking ahead and asking, "Where did Lady Lalatina go...?"

"That's an excellent question," responded Robin, tilting her head down, closing her eyes, and crossing her wrists with her hands inverted. The pose wasn't necessary to use her Devil Fruit abilities, but it was a habit that helped her focus.

Seeing countless pink petals billow outward from Robin's body, gliding gracefully in an orbital pattern as they spread through her surroundings, Frieren couldn't help uttering, "Very lovely, but not the most practical..." before tapping the pointed pommel of her nearly two-meter-long cobalt-blue and gold staff against the roof tiles beneath her. Its catalyst was a glistening blue sphere that radiated light like a sun trapped beneath in the depths of the sea, suspended between three flat, golden, rune-etched rings circled it, reminiscent of the gimbal of a ship's compass. And at the cost of limiting the number of spells she could cast when wielding it, it reduced the cost and increased the output of three select spells.

"Bodenvalr..." muttered Frieren, causing several ring-shaped pulses of Mana to spread through the building she and Robin were standing on, the ground beneath it, and the faux district, creating a black-and-white three-dimensional image within her mind's eye of the surrounding ten kilometers—highlighting living organism in various colors depending on their mental, emotional, and physical conditions.

Leaving Robin exhaling faintly from her nose but smiling, Frieren revealed, "She has gone ahead, assumably to head off the enemy or indulge herself while we regroup..."

"At least she didn't get purposely caught in your attack..." hummed Robin, causing a thoughtful gleam to flash across Frieren's pale blue-green eyes before she suggested, "We should relocate before the enemy Bishops are permitted to mobilize. After witnessing such a large-scale attack, they will likely prioritize our elimination."

"Allow me," said Robin, producing a golden Magic Circle beneath her and Frieren, teleporting them to the interior of a building four kilometers away, mere moments before a petite, raven-haired, haori-wearing figure with a notably surly expression arrived at where they had been, accompanied by a much taller and rotund one...

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"Sheesh...that was one hell of an attack, but where's the fun in ending things so quickly from afar...?" asked Ikkaku, thumbing his right nostril and snorting out a rather sizeable blood clot after he and Yamato were forced to flee the expansion of Frieren's Sunnavastrea(White Dawn) spell.

"I concur with Ikkaku-dono," affirmed Yamato, nodding her head with her kanabo resting on her right shoulder. "However, from what I've been told, this is a battle to demonstrate the range and capabilities of the Pavilion so that the Soul Society has a standard to reference. While it might not seem like it, Lady Frieren exhibiting the potential of our integrated Magic can be considered a courtesy."

"Oh? Is that how it is...?" asked Ikkaku, cupping his chin and raising his gaze thoughtfully. He generally made a concerted effort not to use his brain for things unrelated to fighting, but he could see the reason within Yamato's statement.

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Interrupting Ikkaku's and Yamato's fairly friendly exchange, a powerful vibration permeated their surroundings as a feeling of pressure akin to a heavy, weighted blanket descended upon them.

Recognizing the source of the Reiatsu immediately, Ikkaku raised his gaze even higher, remarking, "It looks like our Captain has entered the fray. I'm afraid the advantages you've secured until now won't last."

"Perhaps..." conceded Yamato, joining Ikkaku in raising her gaze skyward before appending, "But even if the Gotei gains the advantage, there is no such thing as defeat under our Lord. The moment he chose to participate in this event himself, our victory was assured."

"Is the Ryukami that powerful...?" questioned Ikkaku, staring at Yamato's broadly smiling side profile with intrigue.

Catching Ikkaku a little off guard, Yamato tilted her head, touched her chin with her left index finger, and twisted her mouth thoughtfully as she confessed, "Hmm...that's a difficult question to answer...in terms of pure power, our Lord still has room for improvement. However, no matter who or what his opponent is, he will always come out on top because he can't be defeated. It's like trying to combat the sea. You may be able to disturb or swim through it with ease, but the longer you remain within it, the more it will wear you down before finally swallowing you whole."

"So you're saying your Lord is a force of nature...?" asked Ikkaku, his expression thoughtful as a toothy grin developed across his face. He didn't disbelieve Yamato's words, but he believed in the strength and adaptability of his Captain even more.

"Precisely," affirmed Yamato, nodding her head before turning it to face Ikkaku, proposing, "Now, shall we continue? As the Loyal Hound of the Dragon God, I should not be idle for too long."

"Sounds good to me...!" responded Ikkaku, punctuating his statement by attacking Yamato with his spear, having previously been revealed to be a three-section staff. Yamato once again sent him reeling with a swift and exceptionally momentous counter, but even with his body covered in cuts and bruises, Ikkaku's smile persisted as there were few things he enjoyed more than being the underdog in a fight. After all, it suggested he still had room to grow and even more fights to enjoy...

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"Seriously? My first opponent is a little girl who hasn't even learned how to walk properly...?" asked Kenpachi, his chin raised slightly and a grimace adorning his naturally vicious face as he looked down his nose at Lalatina, face flushed and hot gasps emanating from her throat as she struggled to remain upright under the soul-shaking pressure of the infamous Captain's Reiatsu.

"I am...Lalatina...Ford...Dustiness..." responded Lalatina, taking a moment to swallow the drool pooling near her lips before she stated, "And so long as I draw breath...you will not pass this point..."

"Is that so...?" asked Kenpachi, a toothy grin stretching almost inhumanly across his face as he charged at Lalatina with raw speed, reaching her in an instant despite his increased weight from being shackled with the War God's Restraints.

"Then, just so people don't accuse me of bullying, how about you give me your best shot, girlie? Hell, take two..." invited Kenpachi, pulling open the front of his loosely worn Shihakusho to reveal his stone-like pecs and abs, the latter visible even through the haramaki bandages he wore around his abdomen.

"You...don't you look down on me...!" exclaimed Lalatina, taking advantage of Kenpachi purposefully restraining his Reiatsu to step forward and swing at him with her ornate, golden-hilted sword with a blade that appeared to be formed from luminous, pale-golden light. It was an impressive weapon to look at, but as Lalatina swung it, the tip passed without two millimeters of Zaraki's abdomen, leaving a faint burn mark on his bandages.

"What the hell...?" Zaraki muttered aloud, finding himself at a genuine loss for the first time in a while as Lalatina swung her sword in a rapid flurry of flashing lights, all missing by a hair's breadth. He even tried stepping into the trajectory of an attack aimed at his chest, but Lalatina subtly adjusted the way she was holding her sword, turning it from a broad diagonal slash into a pulling cut that allowed her to step back to reestablish the spacing between them.

"What, does your sword have some kind of gimmick where it becomes stronger the more you swing and miss your opponent...?" asked Kenpachi, seeing no other reason for Lalatina to miss each of her attacks.

"Are you...making fun of me...?" asked Lalatina, her expression a glower but her face red to the tips of her ears as she breathed even heavier than when enduring Kenpachi's Reiatsu.

"Not really," responded Kenpachi, grinning as he appended, "But if you're not going to accept my offer, I have other places to be and allies of yours to cut down."

Punctuating his statement, Kenpachi grasped the bandaged hilt of his Zanpakuto and unsheathed it in a wide, drawing motion that cut Lalatina diagonally across the front of her body with its long, severely battle-worn edge. To his confusion, cutting her felt like trying to slice through a bag of wet iron sand. He was successful in doing so, but the wound he inflicted on her body was significantly shallower than he intended, resulting in her being sent flying backward rather than being sliced in two.

"That was weird..." remarked Kenpachi, inspecting the naturally serrated edge of his nameless Zanpakuto before shifting his gaze to Lalatina in the distance. The lower half of her white, gold-trimmed breastplate had fallen off, but pink-hued steam rose from her wound, causing it to vanish before the tear in her black bodysuit repaired itself.

"Is that the best you can do, Kenpachi-taichou...!?" bellowed Lalatina, her eyes wide and a somewhat goofy smile adorning her face as she spread her feet wide, gripped her sword with both hands, and steeled herself for Kenpachi's next attack.

'This one has a few screws loose...' thought Kenpachi, adopting a broad smile as he immediately charged forward to meet Lalatina's expectations, producing a large explosion where he had kicked off from. He would have preferred an opponent who could cut, rend, and tear his flesh in turn, but he didn't mind one that was both difficult to cut and could heal from their injuries.

"Let's see how long you can stall...!" exclaimed Kenpachi, swinging his long and thin blade down against Lalatina's guard, forcing her to take a knee and causing the ground to crater beneath her. He even caused her own sword to cut into her left shoulder, searing her flesh, but instead of reacting like someone experiencing pain, her nostrils flared, and the smile on her face became even broader...

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"He's not taking this seriously at all..." sighed the spiky, white-haired Hitsugaya, closing his eyes and exhaling exasperatedly from where he and his Lieutenant, a very buxom, cleavage-exhibiting woman with long, wavy, strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes, observed Kenpachi's clash with Lalatina.

"Was this intended to be a serious match...?" asked the buxom woman, Matsumoto Rangiku, crossing her left arm under her breasts and touching the tiny mole located underneath her bottom lip on the right side as she noted, "Based on the show they put on earlier, it's pretty obvious that the Dragon's Pavilion has the advantage if we were to fight seriously. You saw those Dragons, Taichou. If you were to battle one, do you think you would come out ahead...?"

Imagining himself battling one of the Great Black Dragons of the Pritani Clan, Hitsugaya's perennially serious expression hardened. The spirit of his Zanpakuto, Hyorinmaru, was also a Dragon, but the pressure exuded by the members of the Pritani Clan, particularly Aileen's Grandfather, was beyond his current ability to comprehend...

'I have no choice...to protect the Soul Society, I'll need to become an Ascendee...' concluded Hitsugaya, his turquoise eyes gleaming and his expression resolute as he raised his right hand and gripped it into a fist. He knew the Dragon's Pavilion wasn't the magnanimous organization it presented itself as, but sometimes, you had to embrace the enemy as a friend to slip a knife into their back...

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