Within the heat of battle there was often very little time given to react to dire situations and only those that could react would thrive. The
King had proven capable of reacting accordingly and efficiently, it seemed that it was Helliodoro’s own turn to prove the exact same point. If he had not previously.
It was true that whilst mid flight, Helliodoro lacked the visual confirmation he desired, his vision becoming a blur and nothing more, his rather accurate sensory however, that would keep up with his pace. Had this
King been one who prefered to hide his location, then perhaps his reply would have had a more prevalent effect on the battle going forward. However, this was not the case, the Arrancar before him was one who possessed a spirit that was unbearable to most, noticeable for miles and miles beyond his own location. This would be what would allow the Vasto Lorde the insight to act with a surprising precision. By this point, it was clear that the Arrancar either possessed phenomenal strength or weight, the results of his physical exertion on the surroundings were impressively destructive and clearly so. Regardless, Helliodoro was no pushover in this category. Along with his
second and
third skins, he would provide a threat for even the greatest of foes before him. If not due to the impact of his blows, then it would be the unnatural heat that would incinerate its victims.
As of this point, there had yet to be a point in which Vincent had protected himself, it was true that he had protected something, Las Noches. But not himself. Along with this fact, he had also not taken any evasive maneuvers, instead he aimed to interrupt Helliodoro just as the Vasto Lorde had intended to do to the Arrancar not even a moment earlier. It was time to change this. Similar to the expulsion of Reiryoku that had propelled Helliodoro to this point, another two forms of this use of his Reiryoku executed. The blade of the Arrancar was a lengthy one, seemingly too large for someone of the wielders stature, but yet he wielded it with ease. Impressive but it was not enough to discourage Helliodoro in the slightest. The moment in which the motion of Vincent’s first three hundred and sixty degree slash had begun, that was when these two vents of Reiryoku would be expelled from the Vasto’s body. The force created by this jet had set the Vasto Lorde to a much lower perspective, dipping well below the arc of the blade. Avoiding blows was Helliodoro’s preferred option in such circumstances, but perhaps it was his only option in this face of this adversary.
Now that he was below the arcing trajectory of the
King’s blade, a second expulsion of spiritual energy from Helliodoro’s body. This particular vent of Reiryoku, in conjunction with the forward momentum provided by the continuous stream from his back, would send the Vasto Lorde off to the right side of the Arrancar. His elevation had not changed in this moment however, he remained below the original trajectory of the two encircling slashes created by the Arrancar, now a mere two feet from this Arrancar’s right side. The moment in which he had been to the direct right of the Arrancar however, another blast of Reiryoku. Or rather, this was several different all in a single moment. Simultaneously, those that existed before hand would completely shut down.
These individual but synchronized jets all served the same purpose, their aim, to cancel out the momentum he had accumulated previously and at the same time begin another attack. Despite having stopped dead in his tracks, there was no sign that Helliodoro had stopped moving at all. His forward momentum was gone, but now, his entire body, despite it’s unnaturally low position, rotated with the same velocity in which he had approached the situation to begin with. As his body was rotated in this clockwise motion, his hand would have been placed upon the roof of Las Noches, acting as a pivot point for the rest of his form. Helliodoro lacked the capability to limit or control the force generated by his ability. It was a binary state, either on, or off. The only control he possessed was it’s positioning and timing, something which he had perfected over the centuries and allowed for such movements as the one presented. Precise, yet untamed. And odd mix that seemed to work in his favour in most cases. However, it could prove to be troublesome for the Vasto Lorde as well. Due to its nature, he needed to take extra precautions so as not to overshoot. As he generated this seemingly uncontrolled torque, his feet too would be planted to the roof of Las Noches, not acting as pivots but safeguards, limiting his forward momentum effectively, ensuring his accuracy would not be diminished.
With this torque he had generated, there was a single limb that was not grounded at that moment. His right arm, it had been cocked back to this side parallel to his hip much like a loaded spring, ready to burst forth. A final burst of Reiryoku that was exerted not from a single point but the entirety of his right arm. A perhaps excessive usage of his ability in the eyes of others, Helliodoro saw this only fitting however. In combination with the force created by the rotation he had created for himself, and the propulsion now introduced to his right arm, his fist, as tightly clenched as it could possibly be, would be thrust forward with speeds unlike that of anything else. A wrathful concoction of might created by the monumental strength he possessed and the additional power created by speed being exerted. This fist’s target was the right knee of the Arrancar. In the face of essentially any other foe, the knee would not be the only portion of the leg to be left in ruins if this would connect. Rather, it would be more likely that the entire leg would be ripped in half. Bones shattering both above and below the knee as the force rippled throughout the surrounding areas. That would be the fate from the impact alone. The Reiryoku that eternally coated his body would incinerate that which remained in its path as the fist met its mark. From the evasive maneuver of his to his counterattack, much like before, it was as if time had frozen, it seemed as though both combatants were in action before reality could catch up. Those that could properly witness the movements of either, were an extreme rarity. Those that could match the pace, they may have existed somewhere, but they themselves would be a legend.
Those that could take a clear look at the Vasto Lorde, the
veins of blinding white had seemed to spread from the center of Helliodoro’s back to a majority of his body, now both legs, the back and his entire right arm. That which was not covered by the Vasto Lorde’s immense mane of hair possessed and odd elegance to it, this pattern of white contrasting even against the white along the Vasto Lorde’s body.
Along the Horizon, the same mass of Menos continued their trek. An eerily maleficent voice accompanying them. For the moment, it was of little bother to Helliodoro, but it remained in the back of his mind. Something was intending to do exactly as he did it seemed. There was no fear in the voice, they were confident in themselves if nothing else. Perhaps both he and the other newcomer would prove to be nothing but fools, but until it was proven, there was nothing to fear.
