More Than I Bargained For
Takami listened as Cross described how they could find a Vasto Lorde. Cross went on about how Hollows evolve all the time. Takami did not really appreciate being told that he had no idea what was out there, but he did not respond to that because he did not feel like causing an argument. However, he did think twice as he considered that he'd be going farther into the deserts of Hueco Mundo than ever before, likely out of sight of Las Noches.
Hearing Cross laugh as Takami stated that he may not use his release made him rather uncomfortable. He was told how this was no normal contest and that he'd have to kill quickly. Takami knew that he could kill normal Hollows and weak Gillian quickly without the use of his Resurreccion. It was the Adjuchas and possible Vasto Lorde that he would need to worry about. Thinking about all of this made Takami think that he may have, quite literally, bit off more than he could chew when he agreed to the contest.
That was, of course what Takami thought as he ate the Hollows that he had killed earlier. It was rather funny, but the Hollows didn't really taste like anything to Takami. All he felt was the slight increase in power from their Reiatsu. Part of him didn't really feel right about eating souls. He was once a Shinigami, after all. Finally, Takami finished his meal and walked over to the starting line of the contest as he wiped blood off of his lips. As he approached, Takami saw Cross kick the sand, but thought nothing of it. Everything was now in place for the contest.
The Great Contest, the First Enemy Falls
Takami stood on the starting line, waiting to begin. Finally, Cross held up his hand. He explained that he would lower one finger at a time. Once Cross's hand became a fist, the contest would start. Takami watched as Cross slowly lowered each finger. Counting down in his head, Takami thought
”5...4...3...2...1...” On 1, Takami became tense, ready to move immediately. And then, it finally happened. Cross lowered his final finger. In the same instant, he pushed off with a burst of Sonido, kicking up large clouds of sand.
In that instant, Takami had also used his Sonido. He was nowhere near as fast as Cross, however. Takami used Sonido to move out into the desert at super high speeds. Using his Reiatsu perception and his vision, Takami searched for Hollows. Not long after he began searching, Takami heard a yell from Cross. It seemed that Cross had already made a kill. To confirm this, Takami heard the dying scream of a Hollow. Making matters worse, Takami soon heard Cross announce yet another kill.
”Damn it! I gotta find one, fast! thought Takami.
It was just as Takami was thinking this that he found his first target. Moving in close, Takami saw that it was just a regular Hollow, not even a Gillian. Not the most exciting start to the little game, but it would get better. This Hollow looked like a giant insect of some sort, but with a humanoid head. It was about three feet across.
Sensing Takami's Reiatsu, the Hollow ran toward him. It obviously wanted to kill Takami. Annoyed that he hadn't found a good opponent, Takami decided to take this one out quickly. He used Sonido to appear above the Hollow as he charged an orange Cero with streaks of white energy in it. Allowing himself to free-fall about a foot, Takami fired the Cero at the Hollow's back before moving to the side and landing on his feet near it. The Hollow sank to the ground, covered in burns. Quickly, Takami ripped the Hollow apart and ate it, absorbing its energy for himself. Not even stopping to wipe the blood from his face and hands, Takami yelled as loud as he could
”ONE DOWN!!” before moving on.
A Good Fight!
Takami should have been more aware of the amount of Reiatsu that he had released while fighting. He did not know, but several Hollows had felt his Reiatsu and they were now coming very near his position. Soon, Takami felt a strong Reiatsu. He could tell that it had the potential to give him quite a bit of trouble. He decided to head toward it with the intent of having a good fight for his meal.
Soon, Takami saw it. The Hollow was clearly at the Adjuchas level. It would give Takami quite a bit of Reiatsu if he killed it. The Adjuchas was easily six feet from the ground on all fours and about fourteen feet long. It was in the shape of a green winged serpent. Its Hollow hole was in its back, about seven feet from the head. Its eyes were black except for the yellow iris. Seeing Takami, it let out a roar as its Reiatsu flared up around its body.
Nearing the Adjuchas, Takami was not deterred by its Reiatsu. It had quite a bit of power, but Takami could tell that he was stronger than that Hollow.
”Looks like I found an opponent worthy of seeing my blade.” said Takami as he drew his Zanpaku-to, a four foot long red and black broadsword. Takami made the first move, using Sonido and striking at the Hollow. His blade bit deep, spraying blood.
Snapping its body around, the Adjuchas turned and shot a jet of orange dragon fire at Takami. Using a blade coated in Reiatsu, Takami sliced through the jet of fire. Then, he lifted his blade, feeding Reiatsu into it until it glowed white hot. Using Sonido, Takami appeared behind the Adjuchas. Yelling
”Fuego y Oscuridad!!”, Takami fired a blade of flame toward the Adjuchas.
By some luck, the Adjuchas turned just on time, firing a light green Cero with streaks of blue energy inside of it. The Cero and Takami's attack destroyed each other in a great blast of energy. Huge clouds of white sand were kicked up. Takami decided to use the blast as a distraction. He moved behind the Adjuchas and put his hand on its head. Before it could turn, he charged up his Cero once again, before completely destroying the Adjuchas's head. Now, he picked up what remained of the body and ripped it apart with his hands, consuming the Hollow's spirit particles, and gaining all of its energy.
Finishing his meal, Takami yelled
”TWO!!” at the top of his voice. Then, Takami pushed off with Sonido, moving off even farther into the desert. As before, he carefully scanned for any other Hollows. He wondered how Cross was currently doing in his search...
Word Count: 1105
Total Word Count: 2414