Shinigami
Administrator
"I could not see beauty until I held hands with chaos in silence."
"A true master swordsman can perfectly wield their sword as extensions of their will, able to have enough force to cut through steel if they wished while retaining delicate precision and control enough to refrain from cutting even a piece of paper"
"Bring on the hardship. It’s preferred in a path of carnage."
"There are some things even I don't want to cut, but, I'll just ask you this, have you ever encountered a vicious animal that you can guarantee will never bite a person? I haven't."
“Fate is but a dying wish... Of a world that is beyond control. Like a single lotus flower, the future blossoms; upon its petals, two people shall be free.”
"Sometimes the world doesn't need another hero...sometimes what it needs is a monster."
"What is there to say about a primitive battle such as this? The weak will lose, and that's all there is to it."
Character Name: Shoumetsu (Carnage) Takahiro (of great value)
Actual Age: 249
Physical Age: Adult in early 40's
Race: Soul Born
Birthday: March 29
Gender: Male
Height: 5'10
Weight: 190 lbs
Blood Type: O+
Affiliation: Gotei 13/ Seireitei/ Soul Society/Rukongai 80 - South
Profession: Shinigami
Title: Seated Member
Position: Seated Member; 3rd Seat
Division: 11th
Previous Division: N/A
Partner(s): N/A
Previous Partner(s): N/A
Base of Operations: Seireitei/Soul Society
Notable Features: Shoumetsu's body is covered with scars from his many battles, most notably the massive scar stretching from his left shoulder to his right hip, and another scar over his left eye. Besides that, he is quite often seen with a metal Dango skewer in his mouth, and those who stare into his eyes get more of the sense they are staring into the eyes of a beast than a man.
Personality: Shoumetsu usually maintains a laid-back and observant personality although he is a battle-loving individual. He doesn't care if people like him or hate him for what he does and he has a high level of confidence in himself, despite being flawed in various ways. It has been stated that he has a monstrous killing intent and that Shoumetsu is a born killer capable of showing no mercy during combat by his peers within Soul Society. Experiencing violence and deaths all around him almost daily, Shoumetsu didn't want to become a mindless killer like them and since then vowed to become Shinigami who only killed those who caused pain and suffering to those who didn't wish to fight. As a result of his upbringing, he grows excited in many ways to meet any new people he deems worthy of fighting or anyone with the potential to be a good fighter and entertain him in the future and will avoid killing them for them to grow to their full potential (to improve the pleasure of killing or fighting them later). He also has a habit of smiling during a fight, as this is his way of showing his respect to, particularly strong opponents. He is the type of person that tries to turn any activity he does into some method of learning or training exercise even if it’s something as simply delivering a message from one place to another, but he wholeheartedly believes that the best learning experience happens when your life's on the line. At certain times Shoumetsu can tend to display a high level of arrogance and twisted mindset but foremost he always has some control over his feelings never acting out in pure rashness. His former sensei speculated his madness roots from his secret obsession of trying to find a way to give Enshōjo real life outside the zanpakuto inner world after the tragic loss of his sister.
Relatives: Younger Sister (deceased)
Reiryoku Level: Immense Spiritual Power
Shoumetsu is the literal definition of somebody raised by his environment and condition growing up that helped define a lot of key characteristics about who he is. He is somebody who got to where he is from his power alone because he was not born gifted besides his instincts of survival. He is a soul born who had nothing special that made him stand out like the other souls that lived within the rukongai district he grew up in. Born with average level reiryoku but instead of cursing his own weakness he always strives to overcome it. When Shoumetsu got taken in by his sensei who saw a boy with a chaotic storm growing inside him, helped him learn how to tame that darkness that existed inside of him. From meditation learning how to calm his mind he not only learned to tame his inner darkness but through the years of spiritual training that went aside with it; he learned how to unlock his dormant power within. He holds himself with the teachings of a true swordsman believing that one should never lose control over their emotions.
Sensing Reiryoku: Master
The one thing Shoumetsu prized higher than his zanjutsu training was his ability to track and hunt. Whether it was something he had an affinity to learning or a result of his broken psyche closely related to a beast to cope and survive; hunting his prey is something he prioritized. Whatever the reason may be, Shoumetsu trained and honed it harder than he did with his zanjutsu training, finding this more important than mastering his zanjutsu with both fighting styles he uses doing a lot about responding and reading his opponents moves. His kendo instructor helped him realize what good is all his power and reflexes if he couldn't properly keep track of his adversary's movement, and defeated him in combat by masking his reiatsu. Even before Shoumetsu began his training within the academy to learn how to sense reiryoku he was skilled at tracking down people through normal means and even made a living out of it working for gangs in the rukongai to track down people of interest for them with many giving him nicknames like "hound of war". At least this is what he will tell those who ask why he prioritized his training in this over zanjutsu but the real reason was much simpler.
Shoumetsu is always on the for stronger opponents and enemies to fight to test his current power level against theirs either for his personal growth or to help them realize theirs for his amusement. A large majority of the time when people see him just meditating peacefully they are quite often mistaken wrong on what is going on in his head. During Shoumetsu time spent training he is constantly trying to feed his borderline addiction of seeking out strong people each time trying to expand it out further than last time. The moment he finds somebody of interest he tends to track them down for a while and closely analyze his newfound prey to engage them soon even if it leads to him being defeated, he takes all he learned from that encounter then finds a new target until he believes grew strong enough to defeat them. In some instances, this leads to Shoumetsu staying up countless nights without sleep doing nothing but trying to seek out prey for him to play with, and when he gets the chance to go to the world of the living he will find the highest building within the vicinity than try to detect as many spiritual presences he can in the hopes one of strong magnitude would appear. This relates to the same reason why the only high-level bakudo he bothered to learn was Bakudo #58 Kakushitsuijaku; a kido purpose for locating people. Outside of him trying to seek strong opponents a part of his dark nature he tries to keep hidden is how much he enjoys causing his opponents to despair, and tends to quench this hunger by allowing hollow to flee for their lives just so he can relish in hunting them down. Reflective of his zanpakuto nature, once he gets somebody within his sights he will eventually be drawn to them. Over the 100 years, Shoumetsu pushed the range of his spiritual sensing further, able to detect people reiraku over a much vast area. This is mainly attributed to him in between his other training sessions heading to 2nd division barracks to practice trying to detect the reiatsu presence of shinigami going and leaving through the area.
Reiryoku Control: Mastered Control
Through intense training in the Kung Fu principles of "inner strength" Shoumetsu learned to calm his mind and gain a skilled amount to be able to control his reiryoku. Though he still has a lot to learn he knows how to properly harness and redirect his spiritual energy within himself, but when it comes to the act of releasing it as reiatsu it is a different story; he is still doing vigorous training with a lot of room for growth. As a result through his spiritual training Shoumetsu can easily redirect his spiritual energy through his body to enhance certain physical attributes though he mainly uses burst during his Zanjutsu attacks to create an enhanced variation of Hakkei that increases the destructive power behind his attacks. His skill with manipulating his reiryoku is greatly shown by being able to concentrate his spiritual energy through his blade, and refining it. After spending the time to study previous Captains and Kenpachi of the 11th division records he learned other ways on how to apply his reiryoku. His main use of reiryoku is using it to focus through his body to allow for him to catch blades without taking any damage and channeling his spiritual energy into the blade of his zanpakuto to make powerful energy waves. Dodging attacks from Shoumetsu is dangerous because he can send out a wave of his spiritual energy follow up after it, which can open them up to other strikes. Since developing his special fighting style he has learned a great deal about harnessing his inner spiritual energy and reiatsu that it has now become a core part of his fighting style allowing him to demonstrate an explosive amount of force within seconds going from relaxed to full-powered blows by performing a certain practice of breathing while constantly pushing how long he could fully exert his spiritual energy at maximum before falling victim to exhaustion.
Reiatsu: Master
Shoumetsu continuously undergoes what some may consider ancient or forgotten by conducting his physical conditioning under waterfalls when he gets the chance to get used to the feel of pressure asserted on him while trying to fight. Understanding fully that one's blade is as sharp as his mind, he spends countless hours meditating and practicing control over his mind to always keep a calm mind in battle. While within the walls of the Seireitei he picked up a particular habit of trying to learn the locations of where people are training but chooses those with high reiatsu for best outcome just sitting in their reiatsu trying to see how long he can endure it or manage to resist it using his own. When neither is possible he is known to harass the unseated members in his squad to release their reiatsu around him while he conducts his training. By releasing his reiatsu outward then condensing it around his body he uses it as a way to slow his opponent’s movements down that is within the close quarters of him. Not only able to send it out as an energy wave but how to use his reiatsu to amplify the destructive power of his attacks similar to Kenpachi Zaraki by generating powerful shockwaves using his reiatsu focused on his blade combined with his sheer strength. After his training with his squadmates, Shoumetsu has learned to use his reiatsu to create compressed pulsating bubbles of pressure in locations within his vicinity producing vacuum pockets and miniature strong bursts of air to aid in certain techniques he calls the heartbeat of the universe. He can also project his reiatsu and killer intent out at his opponent to confuse them giving them a very vivid sensation that they just killed or severely wounded while he moves in for the real attack. Because Shoumetsu reiatsu can inflict physical damage and phantom pain onto his victim being hit with a strong projection by this still physically hurt them which can give the effect they were attacked from a different angle.
Reiatsu Colors: Shoumetsu’s spiritual energy is golden with an orange outline color that takes the shape of a woman with antlers silhouette, and lightning crackling around his body.
Reiatsu Effect(s): Phantom Pain/ Physical Damage
Reiatsu Type: Elemental-Electric
Despite Shoumetsu's violent nature and sometimes unorthodox way of thinking, his reiatsu gives off and reflects how he is internally most of the time, which is a wave of calmness often what he refers to as the calm before the storm. Even when he is exerting his spiritual pressure that calmness remains, eventually making them self-destructive by removing their fears from prolonged exposure. Killing Intent is simply the user exuding pure killing intention, and having it affect their opponent, themselves, and others around them, up to the point of paralyzing them with fear. When the killing intent is particularly strong, it can even give the victim visions of their own gruesome death. Through mental training Shoumetsu learned how to use his monstrous killing intent, sending it outwards at will make it feel like they are drowning in quicksand accompanied by experiencing phantom pain. In the same sense, he can control his killing intent by completely suppressing it, to prevent his opponent from discovering it, thus hiding one's motives and preventing one from being tracked by such emotions.
Zanjutsu Level: Master Swordsman
Shoumetsu has become very adept at the use of his dual kodachi fighting with the gracefulness of Chinese Kenpo that once he manages to get close within his opponents' space he moves around the battlefield in a deadly dance. When on the offensive his fluid motions are much more fierce dance employing flurry of rapid strikes with feints that can come off unorthodox to the untrained eye, but at the much closer examination with his training of inner strength every slash he makes is precise and controlled power in it with very little of his movements wasted. On the other hand when he is fighting more defensively and balanced with the fighting style revolving around using his own opponents' strength against them, redirection, and counterattacks while keeping the flowing graceful movement of Chinese Kenpo. He can perform a powerful flying slash that cuts down a person along with the building despite the short range of the blade, a further testament to his improved skills in swordsmanship. Over his 100 years of training with Hiroka, Jin, and Izanagi he made it a personal goal of his to master the art of the sword and that's exactly what he did. He has taken his zanjutsu to an entire new extent practicing with multiple types of weapons but holding his swords peculiarly and uniquely. More often than employing his hands, Shoumetsu would wield his blades in and between various parts of his body. As strange as it seems, he is extremely skilled with these blades and this fighting style which he adopted. The most dangerous aspect of this style is the unpredictability of his movements, easily catching his opponents by surprise. He can spin like a buzz-saw, or else employ a series of unrelenting attacks switching the locations as well as the blades with which he attacks, leaving no openings. This on top of his proficiency with his artificial limbs grant Shoumetsu dangerous swordsmanship like no other, and able to easily weave or combine hakuda and zanjutsu effortlessly into the mix. Shoumetsu wishes for nothing more than to become the fastest blade in all of Soul Society so tirelessly hone his mastery over battojutsu and Iaido Jutsu until this dream is achieved and isn't afraid to cut anybody down in the process who tries to ruin his dreams.
Shoumetsu is a master of Iai (居合 meaning "Mental Presence and Immediate Reaction"), a style of swordsmanship that emphasizes drawing, striking the enemy, and re-sheathing the sword as a single coherent motion. Everything is to be performed extremely swiftly. Rooted in the concept of ichi no tachi, or to strike in a single blow, practitioners of this style use a combination of immense speed and agility, battōjutsu, and acquired, observation-based pseudo-clairvoyance that permits a practitioner to anticipate an opponent's movements. Both offensive and defensive maneuvers are executed with minimal movement to increase a practitioner's ability to counter-attack and conserve energy. As such, made with efficiency and spareness of exertion in the face of warfare scale battles yet with powerful and coordinated movements to easily fell threats in long and undetermined periods of time. The style commonly has the user keep one hand on the sheath at all times and stresses two-step attacks to ensure that the practitioner is never off guard while executing said attacks and allows the user to use the sheath as a shield to block attacks. Practitioners are also trained in honing their senses and to recognize movement, as well as to react in kind with their opponent's emotional disposition to efficiently fend them off accurately, a process in short that utilizes two minds at work in unison with his zanpakuto spirit. During his rigorous training, Shoumetsu learned to control his body at will, letting him perform various feats such as his sense, turning off his color acuity to augment his motion perception, and control the amount of energy used in each of his muscles. He can use his great insight to analyze and steal his opponent's techniques, then he improves by using his swordsmanship. He can grasp most styles or techniques after a minute to surpass them, it isn't limited to sword styles, but it applies to others.
Deerhorn knives are especially associated with the soft style Chinese martial art Baguazhang, which is known for its diverse weaponry. His fighting style within Shikai remains closely the same when fighting with his kodachi, however, his constant awareness of his environment starts to show. He is extremely perceptive, able to quickly recognize the patterns and mistakes that his opponents make, which gives him an edge. In battle, while his preference is to concoct strategies based on the deduction of his opponents' fighting abilities and style, his natural battle instincts are also highly tuned. He is capable of slashing another person's head off in just an instant, relying only on impulse. He utilizes Hakkei more in his Shikai, building up momentum with every attack while using this constant state of movement to magnetize objects quickly with sleight of hand tricks to misdirect his opponent. Shoumetsu does not go out of his way to broadcast his zanpakuto's abilities. Instead, he uses it only to make very subtle changes of movement for his own weapons and his opponent's weapon to affect the course of a battle. This sometimes can give him the psychological edge of appearing to be invincible in the eyes of most people. In his Bankai despite his increased control over magnetism Shoumetsu will try to use it with magnetic style swordsmanship preferring to kill or defeat his opponent with his own hands and not some ability.
Known Techniques:
Hozuri
Onibi
Senmaioroshi
Agitowari
Ryodan
Hitotsume: Nadegiri
Hohō Level: Shunpo Practitioner
With Chinese Kenpo being the base from which a lot of his fighting styles and techniques are derived, he didn't put much training in Shunpo, but physical conditioning. Undergoing extreme training with his former Sensei from the Rukongai District who taught him most of what he knew, and only honed in those skills more within Shinō Academy. Shoumetsu's talent relies on his reflexes and burst of speed to counter. Though what he lacks in Shunpo he makes up for with his own physical attributes relying on his leg strength and if needed spiritual energy to contend with users of Shunpo. Through sheer strength his natural acceleration more than made up for his lack of Shunpo, allowing him to move fast enough to instantly close a huge gap of space between him and his opponent, and even seemingly disappear. Because Shoumetsu doesn’t rely on Shunpo to achieve high-speed movements his use of Shikuchi provides him a unique unorthodox style of fighting that is not present amongst other shinigami. It doesn’t just allow for him to move at high speeds to avoid attacks but to attack at higher speeds and with greater power. The principle of this move was to kick off the ground at least ten times in the blink of an eye. By kicking the air Shoumetsu can propel himself through the air with tremendous force and easily change his path at the last minute by creating a reishi platform to kick off. When using both his arms and legs to accelerate himself at greater speeds creating sonic booms behind him, and is capable of keeping pace with skilled Shunpo users. With both, his zanpakuto geared for close combat he learned to utilize his speed in a strategic way that allows for him to perform a burst of high-speed movement in a single moment to slip into his opponents’ space or attacks then take advantage of the moment within seconds. With his natural speed already impressive Shoumetsu still felt there was room for improvement so trained to learn the basics of Shunpo, however, he still relies on shukuchi and only uses Shunpo for sudden bursts of speed or movement.
Hakuda Level: Expert Hakuda Combatant
Shoumetsu, former Sensei, has taught him various types of Chinese Kenpo, although mostly learned the soft forms of Kenpo: Baguazhang and Taichi. Because of this, he has grasped the Kung Fu principles of "Inner Strength", which he uses with Hakkei to cause internal damage to his opponents. Because of the nature of his zanpakuto both in Shikai and its sealed state revolving around being in his opponent’s space in close quarters combat he honed his ability to handle himself with hakuda and martial arts already knows equally as important. This allows him to easily transition to zanjutsu and hakuda in a very fluid way though his skill within zanjutsu is more refined than hakuda, he is still able to handle his own when not wielding his zanpakuto. To this extent whenever Shoumetsu does engage in a fight or battle he will try to refrain from drawing his zanpakuto as long as possible to improve within Hakuda unless the situation calls for him to go all out from the very start. Although over the hundred years of physical conditioning he did with the new and improved 11th division barracks, Shoumetsu became a stronger unarmed combatant knowing times it is not always optimal to use his zanjutsu, and since the awakening of his Bankai, he had to adapt to changing up how he fought while it's active. Relying heavily on his physical prowess for everything he does he endured through training most wouldn't even dream of putting their bodies through, but doing so helped him achieve an immense degree of strength. With a single strike, he can send his opponents flying through buildings, or attack with such ferocity to perform feats like kicking with such lethal force it can cut his target and punch his fist through the opponent's chest. Still compared to Zanjutsu and Kido, Hakuda is the least trained of the three but never gives up on trying to improve his fighting prowess in it.
Known Techniques:
Taketonbo
Raiōken
Kagamibiraki
Tesshō
Ikkotsu
Kido Skill Level: Kidō Expert
Unlike most of those in the 11th squad, Shoumetsu did take interest in kido, although instead of trying to learn multiple he focused all his kido training solely on a few specific ones. At the current moment, he harbors zero interest in learning other types of kido unless it serves as some purpose to help him track down his prey or compliment his zanjutsu skills. Because he put his focus only on a few kido he can use the low hado with the potency of mastery spells. Seeing the benefits that kido can provide firsthand by two Captains in the togabito fight, he returned to the academy to learn a couple more kido to add to his repertoire. The other benefit of learning and focusing his attention only a select few kido is he managed to skillfully perform the three incantation classes with them too as well: Eishōhaki (詠唱破棄, Incantation Abandonment; Viz "Destruction Chant"), Nijū Eishō (二重詠唱, Twofold Incantation; Viz "Double Destruction Chant"), and Kōjutsu Eishō (後述詠唱, Spoken-After Incantation). However, his main interest in kido is channeling the raw destructive power of kido through his zanpakuto to severely enhance the cutting power of his attacks with the goal clear in mind to be able to slice through anything in his way.
Known Spells:
Bakudo
Sentan Hakuja, Bakudo #37 Tsuriboshi, Bakudo #58 Kakushitsuijaku, Bakudo #63 Sajo Sabaku
Hado & Barriers
Hado #4 Byakurai
Hado #7 Tsuruzi Raiden, Hado #12 Fushibi, Hado #32 Okasen, Hado #54 Haen, Hado #63 Raikoho, Hado #78 Zangerin, Hado Hyoga Seiran, Chocolate Bar Slider
Skills and Abilities
Culinary Expertise: Self-taught since childhood Shoumetsu is an exceptional culinary artist of great skill, possessing immense knowledge and the capability of preparing almost any kind of delicious food with a strong sense of the aesthetics of cooking. He cooks with amazing speed and dexterity, particularly in his use of knives. His sense of taste is also not lacking. Often, he can deduce the qualities of aspects (i.e. ingredients, and method of cooking and preparations) involved in a prepared dish in a very short period.
Sleight of Hand Expert: Due to Shoumetsu upbringing on the streets of Rukongai, he learned to do what he needed to survive and care for his sister, learning pickpocketing skills, and a little bit of sleight of hand tricks. It is because of this dexterity he wields his weapons with a great amount of skill easily able to juggle blades in different hands and pull feints that can end upshifted into actual powerful attacks. This is done by knowing how to shift his weight into attacks using his hakkei to give them explosive power in his strike. Shoumetsu learned to turn everything he learned in his life into something that can be applied to his fighting style for very unpredictable yet dangerous techniques. He also uses deceptive tactics in his daily life and battles to trick his opponents into pulling fast maneuvers on them.
Musou (Thoughtless): Since Shoumetsu was a child it has been survival of the strongest mentality for him, and even upon meeting his Sensei Nanashi within the Rukongai who taught him how to survive his training has been abnormal to give him high pain tolerance. One of his daily training regimens was a much harsher version Shaolin monks use of continuously subjecting themselves to pain. where he had his bones constantly cleanly broken to teach how not to allow pain to become a weakness and so each time they healed became stronger. Now whenever somebody is capable of experiencing pain, he sees that as a testament of their strength and enters a nearly frenzied state seeing who can inflict the most pain on the other. In this state his spiritual power gradually keeps increasing the more pain he suffers, or until one of them falls defeated. In battle, Shoumetsu's combat prowess and capabilities are greatly increased as his inhibitions are loosened from his moral considerations, but this in turn also spurs him to access more pragmatic primal instincts, and even vicious tactics, including unrestrained and maiming blows at his greatest might without discrimination. He is capable of getting stronger through his damage intake channeling that pain into a source of power. This is because of his will to continue to fight regardless of what happens. Instead of succumbing to the damage he receives, Shoumetsu gets an increase in his physical attributes refusing to admit defeat with an indomitable will. By completely suppressing his emotional reactions one can enter into Ultimate Musuo making his mind become hollow with absolutely no sense of drive, hatred, anger, fighting spirit, animosity, or even bloodlust despite being in mid-battle against an opponent. In this state, Shoumetsu has perfect control over his actions with each one performed at its complete potential and doesn’t concern himself with thoughts of ally and foe just killing whatever gets in his way.
Immense Strength, Durability/Endurance & Reflexes: He possesses superhuman physical strength and frequently spends his time at 11th lifting incredibly large and heavyweights to keep growing stronger. With the modifications made to their barracks spending over 100 years training in a building completely weighted, Shoumetsu felt even still that wasn’t enough. This further led him to go to extreme measures getting a special weight sealing device made by the 12th division while magnetizing all his weights with Shikai to be repealed in whatever direction he wanted to go. When given the chance he performed these intense regiments under the spiritual pressure of Jinnosuke and Hiroka. His strength plays a large role in his abilities as a swordsman, as his strikes possess a great amount of power and range in their cutting ability as well as create a powerful shock wave with a single slash. Thanks to his strength, Shoumetsu is capable of clashing equally with superhumanly large and powerful opponents and can send normal opponents flying away with ease. Through amassing all of his bodies' vigor and stamina as well as ignoring his natural survival instincts, he can bring out his full power, lasting months in battle not suffering any debilitation despite having multiple wounds in his body and rarely any signs of pain (much like a berserker). Another testament to his strength is his ability to catch an opponent's attack with his bare hands without suffering any damage and ram them through multiple buildings. This drive to become even stronger doesn’t just stem from his own natural desire, but after experiencing firsthand the immeasurable might of the Captain Commander one-shot the togabito. Shoumetsu spent a large amount of his time trying to emulate that very punch down to its speed, precision, and power; all in hopes to use that very same strength to knock its original user on his ass. He possesses sharp intuition towards incoming danger, using tremendously quick reflexes to make last-second evasions to immediately counter after. With his fighting styles both heavily using counter techniques, Shoumetsu constantly put his life on the line in combat training and actual combat to enhance his sense of awareness. Even when his eyes struggle to keep up with people who move faster than him he honed himself to react instinctively to attack reflex without having to judge or react; as such, he will attack anyone he thinks is the enemy, regardless of whether or not he knows they are the enemy. With continued use of this ability, Shoumetsu's speed increases, as does his ability to counter and dodge.
Hakkei (脂肪強, roughly translated as "explosive/raw power"). The purpose of Hakkei is to allow the fighter to use their energy explosively with the least amount of actual physical movement possible. In essence, it is the "strike without striking" causing the muscles within the body to generate the energy and deliver the force of the attack without actually carrying out the attack. That energy then penetrates deep inside the body resulting in damage to the internal organs but leaving the surface untouched. In doing so, the user can attack with immense force even if he is extremely limited in space, allowing him to attack with great strength no matter the situation. This is the fundamental technique Shoumetsu uses a large majority of his hakuda and zanjutsu fighting style. Since childhood, he spent his time doing physical conditioning, and upon the training of his Sensei Nanashi he was ordered to punch stone, and metallic structures inches away from it until either he was able to destroy or leave a deep dent into it. Once, joining the Seireitei gained greater insight into spiritual power on how it can be used for different uses to weave that knowledge to enhance his use of Hakkei.
Sword Techniques
Shin Battō Ryu: Kōshi Ken (True Unsheathed Blade Style: Photon Sword) - Another technique he developed with the use of his spiritual power control which allows him to focus his energy around his blade, then refines it into one centimeter in width making it paper-thin. This makes it barely noticeable or undetectable while giving the blade an extra 2 inches of reach which could make barely evading fatal, and enhancing his weapon's sharpness, or could extend the spiritual blade to the length of a katana (70 cm) though it becomes more visible. Since gaining a better understanding of kido after his hundred years of training, his technique evolved into the next stage. The power of the sword varies with Shoumetsu's will: the more energy he puts into the sword, the sharper and sturdier it gets imbued with pure kido, and because of this it makes casting kido from the blade much easier and his energy wave attacks far stronger.
Daini: Onigaeshi (The Second: Demon Return): Shoumetsu performs a forward slash with his entire sword down to his opponent with the might of his entire body similar to the Zanjutsu technique Ryodan. Even if it was dodged, he can retrace his steps with another swing flying from the target's blind spot. The first slash increases the destructive power of this slash thanks to the previous movement and by pushing the sword's hilt with his right hand. The immense force of the enhanced slash cuts the air in front of it and creates a powerful vacuum in its wake as the deflected air rushes back into place.
Daisan: Kamikaze (The Third: Divine Wind): He swings his blade to launch an invisible flying slash able to cut everything in its path, making for an extremely strong, far-reaching slice. When used with both kodachi it doubles its destructive power by combining two compressed air-blades into one. His sword strikes are executed with tremendous power, able to easily create immensely powerful compressed air slashes with a massive range. This attack can be enhanced in destructive power by focusing his reiatsu inward into a compact bubble around himself that surrounds him in a pocket of air as the very atmosphere is projected through their sword to create a powerful shockwave hurling at his opponent with cutting force. Gentle and warm, but frightening.
Shirahadori - A defensive move in which the user grasps or catches an enemy's blade with his bare hands, Shirahadori is a difficult and acquired skill, but is also the only move shared between all five hundred schools of kenjutsu.
Onmyō Kōsa: (陰陽交叉, Yin Yang Crossing) Shoumetsu blocks an enemy striking weapon with one kodachi, then strikes it with the second kodachi, thrusting the first one through. It can slice even the toughest of shields, including those with hardened exterior using brute strength, and even in some cases an opponent's Zanpakuto.
Kaiten Kenbu: (回天剣舞, Revolving Heaven Sword Dance) It involves Shoumetsu rapidly spinning around three times, while holding the kodachi backhand, to slash the opponent thrice in an instant.
Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren: ("The Dance Of The Wheeling Sword Six Successions") The attack involves Shoumetsu gripping his kodachi backhand, then slashing the opponent six times in rapid succession, from both sides (it relies on confusing the opponent on the direction from which each subsequent strike is going to come). It's basically Kaiten Kenbu but done with two kodachi, the key difference being that the unpredictability of where it strikes first puts the opponent at a disadvantage.
Iai Sanmai Oroshi: (Iai: Three-Piece Filleting): He cuts the target into three pieces with one swing. The true power of this technique is in a single instant Shoumetsu performs Hitotsume: Nadegiri at high-speed with all three of the attacks retaining full power. When performing this technique in tandem with his prosthetic arms he can use a six-fold variation utilizing both his kodachi or two swords.
Narukumi: Shidensen (Rumbling God: Purple Lightning Flash) is one of Shoumetsu's signature techniques where he focuses his enhanced hakkei and speed into one singular explosive action. He starts this technique in the Iai stance walking toward his opponent and requires for him to be within close range to execute. Entering into Musuo Shoumetsu suppressing his physical and emotional blocks. If one can grasp the ultimate Musuo, then they become able to use pure power without being influenced by things like emotions. Thus increasing one's power in every way, allowing one to use their true strength. The process requires one to get into the right Musuo state and then maintain that state as much as they can, in other words in the Musuo state one's senses are heightened to an unbelievable level. He then delivers an incessant barrage of slashes from different angles to overwhelm his opponent at blinding speeds in a circular pattern. He unleashes them at such fast speeds that countless afterimages are created. Once his technique is performed he will keep cutting down enemies faster than his thoughts and react faster than his conscious mind until his perceived threat is killed.
Movement Techniques
Shukuchi: In modern Japanese martial arts, shukuchi refers to a sudden movement into an enemy's maai (space) or blind spot to attack.
Kouho Haiho: This technique, also known as the stepping method, is derived from Baguazhang. When the toes come together it is called Kouho, and when they pivot out it is called Haiho. The key to this technique is how the user moves their feet, now that the user steps forward with the right foot they can put all their weight on it, and that leaves the left foot free, allowing them to pivot away to the other side of the opponent. The user leaves their upper body in place until the very last moment, and by pivoting away, the user can easily avoid their opponent's attacks. Once mastered, this technique can be used to catch their opponents off guard and knock them onto the ground before they can react.
Mudwading Step: The user surrounds their opponent in all directions by moving very fast, trapping their opponents in a circular area.
Ryūsui no Ugoki (流水の動き, Move of Flowing Water): This is a moving technique where he moves around silently, rapidly alternating between fast and slow movements and confusing the opponent due to the fluid motion & continuously changing speed.
Dance of the Takemikazuchi
A war dance that only he can perform. By dancing to the rhythm of the world, Shoumetsu can attack his opponent with far greater speed and power while confusing them. Its unpredictable rhythm allows Shoumetsu to continuously attack his opponent with multi-hit attacks while his opponent is under the impression of being attacked by many, many enemies all at once. Through his vigorous training throughout the hundred years of training to get a better understanding of his Zanpakuto Shoumetsu learned to become sensitive to detecting the natural ley lines of worlds and synchronizes his body with it by entering into a trance. Once he manages to synchronize with this natural force, he uses his reiatsu in a unique way that enhances his skill in zanjutsu by condensing his reiatsu around his Zanpakuto in rhythm with his breathing creating a fluctuating vacuum bubble of pressure which allows for even faster unsheathing and sheathing at blinding speeds for his Iaido techniques. Shoumetsu describes this utilization of his reiatsu as the “heartbeat” of the universe and has mastered his fighting style to the point he can now use it with his Zanpakuto both in Shikai and Bankai form. Dance of the Takemikazuchi blends all of the shinigami teachings into one unique fighting style that grants Shoumetsu the capabilities to easily weave them into each other making powerful yet swift attacks in rapid succession from any angle he can pull off.
Ikazuchi Kata: Sanzen Sekai (雷電型 Form of Thunder and Lightning: Three Thousand Worlds): is one of Shoumetsu strongest zanjutsu techniques in his arsenal revolving around faster dance tempo rhythm. Most, if not all, known techniques and forms involve utilizing blinding speeds to close in with swift and insanely fast movements to overwhelm the opponent instantly. The movements of this dance focus on channeling strength into his legs and maximizing the output of every single muscle and blood vessel in them. The moment he unsheathes his blade(s) Shoumetsu performs an Iaido advanced variation of Senmaioroshi doing 100 quick sword slashes within a second, leaving his opponents in pieces. He primarily uses this technique while dashing past the opponent, but has also shown a stationary version in which he slashes everything around himself. When combined with his technique Daisan: Kamikaze for a long-range version he creates countless streams of compressed air at his opponents that cut until nothing remains and every trace of the body is erased. When his restraints are removed using his prosthetic arms he can double the number of slashes performed, and in Bankai is only when he can do 1000 or more depending on how many blades he creates on his body.
Kamui Kata: Daibutsu Giri (Form of Divine Majesty: Great Buddha Cutter): is the strongest technique he is capable of performing and is considered the pinnacle of his skills as a swordsman. The first step required for him to perform this technique is entering into the ultimate state of Musuo where his thoughts and actions are turned into a blank slate concentrated on complete eradication of anything he perceives as a threat. Shoumetsu focuses all his energy and strength on this one single powerful attack. The true power of this attack is it combines Hitotsume: Nadegiri, Agitowari, Shin Battō Ryu: Kōshi Ken, Ryodan, and Daini: Onigaeshi strengths for a devastating attack. This attack can be done with a sheathed or drawn sword initiated with Shoumetsu slashing vertically upwards with blinding speed, and immediately following it with Ryodan either overkilling or following up the attack cutting down on his target with tremendous amounts of power. The shockwave created demolishes a large radius of his surroundings and the slash itself leaves behind a huge crater in its wake slicing through anything in its path. After performing this technique it leaves Shoumetsu feeling extremely exhausted, and depending on his condition like his entire body hurts just to move.
Equipment
Denreishinki
Katana & Serrated Katana
Zajiku
Explosive Bands: He wears two bands on his arms that possess explosive properties. By removing them, he can use them to produce blinding explosions that expel a large amount of smoke
He carries a sake gourd with him worn around his neck believing sweets and a fine kill is always most enjoyable with good sake. The gourd is decorated in brown lacquer carved in relief to reveal layers of lighter brown and green lacquer beneath and with an all-over design of insects on flowers and leaves and roundels of geometric, wave, and cloud patterns, interior red lacquer, Guri lacquer stopper with red silk cord. 8½in. (21.6cm.) high. A Reiatsu bell is attached to the sake gourd silk cord.
Inventions:
Artificial Arms: Attached to his back, Shoumetsu has two long, artificial arms that can be elongated and manipulated with great dexterity, seemingly using just thought alone. Despite their appearance, each arm possesses a considerable amount of physical strength, being able to bear the weight of a fully-grown Shinigami and apply crushing force to his victims solely designed for combat. The two arms are capable of splitting apart to create four in total, all made from a lightweight but highly durable steel alloy that can withstand intense heat. The six fingers on the two of them contain clawed tips made from Sekkiseki (殺気石, Spirit Reducing Stone; Viz "Lethal Presence Rock") with the property to weaken targets impaled or disrupt the flow of reiryoku to the grappled body part.
A specially woven Shihakusho made from the fibers of the togabito hell garments provides the same protection from the flames of hell as it does them, but with its same added drawback of hindering his power. Through his personal modifications, the back of his outfit is designed with four flexible cloth tails made from steel wire alloy woven with carbon nanofibers to use as the cloth for his kido Sentan Hakuja.
A special set of high-density weights he always wears even into a battle that cuts his speed and strength in half as long as he continues to wear them. These are designed not only to help strengthen his body but are also to increase his spirit energy reserves; a bearer of these cuffs needs to actively cycle spirit energy throughout their entire body to simply move, let alone fight. These cuffs are worn on his ankles. Places reiryoku at Great Spiritual Power and physical power at enhanced.
Zanpakuto Name: Enshōjo (lit. fate hindering woman)
Zanpakuto Appearance: Enshōjo in its sealed state Shoumetsu zanpakuto is a pair of dual kodachi, a sword that is described to act as a shield because it's lightweight makes it easy to block with. When in their saya, they appear to be part of a single sheathed sword, one blade appearing to be the hilt, while the second blade is stationed opposite the first and blends in with the saya itself, giving it the impression of being a nodachi. The blades of both kodachi are 28.5 cm and Shoumetsu typically wears it like a typical nodachi across his back with a chain strap that is connected to the actual sheath where both weapons are housed. On some occasions, he tends to just carry it around in his hands casually but always puts on the ruse that it's a nodachi until he draws the blade(s). For the hundred years, he no longer uses the nodachi saya for its deception but instead wears both kodachi in separate sheathes on his hip.
Zanpakuto Spirit: Enshojo appears to be a young beautiful woman with deer ears and antlers constantly releasing an electrical discharge. She wears a dual-colored kimono in black and white with a fur collar decorated with designs of lightning along with it. Enshojo and Shoumetsu have a unique relationship with each other where they have more of a yin-yang mentality. However, Enshojo tends to act more like the elder, constantly scolding him for misuse of her, pointing out his weaknesses in a harsh manner, like not harnessing her power properly when he loses in fights or ends up sustaining a lot of damage but always caring for his growth. On the other hand, Shoumetsu treats her like a fragile woman knowing it gets under her skin and often gets them in a small fight with one another. When people are killed by her blade she treats it like a euphoria rush encouraging for the bloodshed of their enemies wanting to savor the battle and never-ending it quickly if it could be helped.
Inner World: Enshojo Zanpakuto's inner world takes the appearance of terrain full of rocky spires, that take a multitude of shapes. The ground is constantly covered in a light fog and the trees in the terrain all lack leaves and are made out of various metals from gold, mercury, and iron. Each of the trees gives off a crackling electric discharge keeping the entire atmosphere feeling magnetized constantly switching from being drawn downwards into the ground or repelled into the air. Shoumetsu believes that Enshojo can stop this but when asked about it she only chuckles or ask why he is nagging so much about it, and mocking if he is too weak to handle it.
Release Phrase: "Dance in the madness"
Shikai: Upon activation both of the kodachi emits a bright electrical discharge turning into a pair of deer horn daggers. The deer horn dagger takes the form of two crescent-shaped blades crossing. The handle is located in the middle of the inner crescent and covered in a white spiritual ribbon on one; and black on the other, while the rest of the weapon is black and thick with thin white edges. One advantage of the Deer Horn Knives in comparison to a longer weapon is that seeming the deer horn knives are direct appendages of the hand they can be moved with great speed and precision, and along with their ease of concealment, can easily be used to catch their opponent off guard. Furthermore, Shoumetsu can use these weapons to deviate enemy attacks, allowing him to close the distance between himself and his enemy in a flash and attack them instantly. Its size is 12 in. x 8.0 in.
Shikai Special Ability: Enshōjo's special ability allows for Shoumetsu to manipulate and control electromagnetism. By making physical contact either with his Zanpakuto, or other objects magnetized he can create a static cling discharge that magnetizes the person. The magnetism increases in strength over time and is passed onto whatever and whoever they come into contact with, causing those objects to be attracted to them (regardless of if they are metallic or not) due to his spiritual energy works exactly like electrons and protons, altering subtly the way the enemy's works - thus making their body into a magnet. This ensures the user’s attacks are almost always assured to hit as their fists become naturally attracted and drawn towards the opponent. Once something has become magnetized, Shoumetsu can choose to change the polarities at will either repelling or attracting opposite magnetic poles, making it difficult to predict and versatile. His knowledge and understanding of science combined with his creative and dynamic mind allowed him to take his enemies by surprise, inventing his way around the limits of his powers on the fly.
Jibashi (Electromagnetic Murder)
Shoumetsu can release powerful blasts or bursts of electromagnetic energy from his Zanpakuto he uses to pull or push targets away. When using it as a blast (can be focused into a stream of energy) to hit a target it deals a powerful shock to his target that leaves a lingering static discharge on them. The purpose of the lingering static discharge is to adhere his target to the first surface they come in contact with which can vary from a short duration to a longer one. The strength and duration of the static cling adhesive effect are determined by how strong the magnetic field they have on them, and the surface. When Shoumetsu is serious he can use his zanpakuto to channel electromagnetic current through his arm(s) turning himself into a rail gun, and fire objects out with accuracy at the speed of sound. In his hands, he can virtually turn anything into a weapon by firing electrically charged projectiles with a deadly amount of velocity and force behind them if strong enough electromagnetic force is charged up.
Aianmeiden Sutanpīdo (Iron Maiden's Stampede)
Shoumetsu generates an electromagnetic field that rapidly expands out in a 50-foot radius sphere within seconds magnetizing everything it sweeps through on the surface and underground. The static energy enveloping the movable items takes the shape of deer of various sizes depending on the object giving it the appearance of charging/stampeding at the designated target location. This causes them to all come rushing in from multiple directions to bombard with a strong force and ultimately crush/impaling them in the process. Each object that hits the target increases the magnetic field for all others causing them to accelerate making each subsequent one more dangerous than the next. The electromagnetic field can also act as a barrier providing defense in the process that repels physical attacks away while magnetizing them, and clashing with energy attacks.
Gaia no Rensa Kyōkai (Gaia's Chained Boundary)
Once Shoumetsu manages to magnetize a person(s) reiryoku he can create electromagnetic energy compressed into a large orb (size of a basketball) with a strong magnetic pull that only attracts one's spiritual power. Those who are trapped by the magnetic boundary, are unable to leave the location they currently are in, and not able to travel no more than 10 yards away from the focal point center. For somebody who enjoys watching his prey attempt to escape and run from him, this is his technique of choice. The true power is hidden in this technique in that it uses the electromagnetic field of the world to keep it sustained and can be increased in strength by using his technique Jibashi by sending electromagnetic energy into it.
Bankai: Enshojo Kaminari-kei (Fate-Hindering Woman, Thunder Prison)
Bankai Special Ability: Upon his Bankai release, Enshojo Kaminari-kei sends out an electromagnetic wave expanding outwards in a hundred-yard radius magnetizing all non-organic material passes through before creating a concentrated electromagnetic field in the perimeter. On the outskirts of the perimeter, a halo of electrically charged spheres surrounds the area with the sole purpose of keeping all who got subjected to electromagnetism within. Any attempts of escaping or making contact with the electromagnetic prison created will result in the person(s) being repelled backward violently with a potent electrical discharge. Being the warden of this prison Shoumetsu can perceive the world around himself as patterns of magnetic and electrical energy including the natural bio-electromagnetic auras given off by living beings. While in Bankai he is constantly emitting electromagnetic fields around himself which he uses to his advantage for magnetic flight by interfacing with magnetic field lines in his immediate surroundings allowing him to easily manipulate his trajectory at high speeds. Shoumetsu will always be the acting center focal point to his prison meaning that whenever he moves the entire perimeter moves along with him forcing the combatants inside to quickly adapt to the sudden changes while threatening any close to the borders to facing the consequences if they touch them.
The main property of Enshojo Kaminari-kei is once the magnetic field is created all inanimate material trapped within is subjected to his control. The powerful concentrated electromagnetic field his Bankai creates allows for Shoumetsu to manipulate the objects inside with far greater control than his Shikai allows levitating or moving things that he wishes. Because of this, he can quickly weaponize an entire portion of a city or environment making everything around him quickly become another extension to his body to use like assembling constructs to attack or in other versatile ways to deal with a situation. The practical use of his Bankai is only limited by Shoumetsu's creativity. His dual zanpakuto in Bankai turns into metal skin that coats his upper body which he can generate weapons from his arms and hands to compliment his unique fighting style. Although his Bankai release does not magnetize anything living, his zanpakuto retains its same effect in Shikai that allows for him to give a static shock to anything they strike if he wishes, producing a magnetic field on them. One of Shoumetsu's special attacks while in Bankai allows him to use his two arms like a railgun to charge and fire out destructive concentrated blasts of electromagnetic energy at his opponent(s). The second use is he can shoot powerful magnetic rays and electromagnetic pulses, and that can destroy both metallic and nonmetallic objects. These can also have the ability to seriously injure his enemies.
Personal Relationships: N/A
Likes: Art of Misdirection, Cooking, Fighting, Training, Upsetting his Zanpakuto Spirit, Sweets with good sake, Strong Opponents, The thrill of the hunt/Hunting, Dango Shops
Dislikes: Tomatoes, Being Bored, Symmetry
Hobbies: One of the main things Shoumetsu loves more than fighting is trying out different kinds of sweets, then attempting to recreate them or even experiment with making them better with different flavors.
Favorite Food(s): Strawberry Shortcake, Hishi Mochi, Mitsumame, Ichigo daifuku, Dango (loves all of them), Mochi, Parfait, Yakisoba, Kabayaki
Seretei Communication Column:
The Battle Scar Bazaar
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