Chapter 30: Hercules(2)
Yuki's blade shoved itself into the mans neck allowing only its tip to penetrate inside him. Before the whole blade could enter Melqart, his muscles began to tense around the area, trapping the blade before it could go all the way in.
Yuki tried to pull it out, but even then it remained stuck and firm in position.
He threw a full powered punch at Yuki and so she had no choice but to abandon her sword in his neck as she jumped away to avoid it. Melqart pulled out the Zanpakutō as he then snapped it in two by kneeing it. He threw the broken weapon to the floor while taunting her,
"Even after I destroyed your sword, you don't even feel a hint of despair? Is this how you felt as you tortured and killed my friend?"
"My skillset doesn't only include my Zanjutsu. When it comes to Kidō i'm the best in my year."
"Is that so?"
He then spread his legs as he took a power up stance. His Spiritual Pressure which he began to release was enough to even affect the area around him, rivaling perhaps even a high ranking Soul Reaper. His muscles began to expand, making him grow much larger in height as he stood at around 7ft.
"My Fullbring is Hercules! It is the power inside my muscles! I can convert my Spiritual Pressure into muscle mass and vice versa, to increase my physical abilities far beyond human limitations!"
He then scrunched up before suddenly jumping into the air a great distance, his large shadow eventually hanging above Yuki.
"Herculean meteorite!"
He rapidly approached the earth as he pointed his fist towards the earth, with the air around him, seemingly igniting on fire. The attack was so fast the Yuki barely had enough time to dodge.
Melqart crashed into the sediment, creating a large dust cloud which blinded both of them.
"Cretan Bull Tackle!"
Sensing his too large to ignore Spiritual Pressure, Yuki jumped over his attack which involved Melqart crossing his arms as he ran towards his opponent at full speed. The remains of his stampede created a hole in the cloud in which he left behind.
He looked over to the dust cloud, and tried to pin point Yuki's Spiritual Pressure which he struggled to do.
"Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"
From the dust cloud, a red orb of Reiatsu emerged which Melqart quickly raised his right arm to block. The impact leaving behind only a minor bruise.
"Herculean Stomp!"
He then raised his right foot, before smashing it into the ground with great power. This not only made a crater beneath him, but also blew away the dust cloud. He tried once more to look for Yuki, but saw that she had disappeared completely.
"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat! Bakudō #9: Hōrin!"
Two whips made out of yellow lightning and a orange energy, spiralled out of thin air. It quickly wrapped around his body, restricting him from moving any further.
"What the hell is this?"
The space in front of him seemingly bent before ripping apart, unveiling Yuki who was hidden underneath.
"Bakudō #26: Kyokkō. It bends light, allowing it to hide not just the physical form, but also the Spiritual Pressure of its user. I casted it to hide myself in the dust cloud. If I wanted to restrain you here, then I would need to chant a full power Bakudō spell, but you wouldn't let me do that easily would you?"
"You bitch! The second I get out of this I'll break every bone in your body!"
He began to increase his muscle mass even more, but the Kido binds our him, only stretched before tightening in response.
As he struggled, Yuki pointed her hands at him for her final attack.
"Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws!! Hadō #33. Sōkatsui!"
She fired a torrent of blue flaming energy, which prowled towards Melqart with great power. It was so strong the the ground beneath it was being erupted as the force of energy traveled along it.
"Wait- NO!"
The blast engulfed him, as it continued to travel further past until it impacted against one of the rock formations, completely annihilating it with a blue explosion.
She fell to the ground on one knee while panting heavily. She was down to roughly 1/5th of her Spiritual Pressure.
"I tried to not exhaust too much, but now that I'm like this I won't have enough energy to save Linny and Kai. I'll leave them behind and try to contact outside for help. Or is that still not possible?"
She looked around for an exit, but that didn't seem to be possible. As she relaxed she suddenly jumped up, and reassumed a fighting stance.
Before her stood the still quite tall, but a much Much more skinner version of Melqart. The left side of his body was seemingly burnt and heavily injured.
"I compressed my body mass as I was being hit, so that I could escape form those binds before it shrank again. I will have to admit it though... you are strong, maybe even as strong as our Captain, but your life will end here."
He spread out stretching his arms and legs, to make himself much larger than he currently appeared. Behind him, the image of a lion opening its mouth seemingly formed.
"Herculean mythos! 12 Labours of perseverance!"
Suddenly he disappeared, leaving behind a trace of green light. Instinctively, Yuki raised her Zanpakutōs' scabbard, which blocked the heavy punch which was thrown at her.
"Nemean Lion Swing!"
Suddenly a burst of power erupted from the punch, which pushed back her scabbard as the punch went deep into her stomach. She was then blown back a great distance as she coughed up a decent bit of blood.
She a rolled for a bit, before landing next to her shattered Zanpakutō.
Melqart approached her while laughing, mocking her current appearance.
"That's strange? Where did all your confidence and smug go? You were so sure that you had won, and now you've been reduced to this pitiful mess. PATHETIC!"
She weakly reached our for her Zanpakutō and grabbed it by the handle. She stood up while shaking and pointed the broken blade towards Melqart. Seeing this pitiful display of resistance, he laughed.
"HA! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THAT BROKEN THING!?"
"I didn't think I would have to use this here, but since the one who will see it is a dead man, then I don't mind I guess."
This bothered him greatly.
"Who the hell are you to talk to me with that attitude? I'll crush your skull."
She gripped onto the sword tightly with both hands as she then called pump her Reiatsu into the sword. Magically, it began to reconstruct itself rapidly and once it finished, she then said,
"Bring the world into submission, Saku Hitokōri."1
A bright blue light engulfed her sword, as it them transformed. Once the blade dimmed, the handle had grown a little longer, with it now being a red colour. The blade itself hadn't changed in size, however it now sported patterns of light red and blue flowers.
"I unlocked Shikai the day my Asauchi turned into a Zanpakutō. Not that you would know what those are."
"That Shinigami which I killed earlier said something and his sword transformed too. Not that he got stronger anyway. Morphing your sword still makes you the same weakling!"
He then disappeared, leaving behind that faint green light the same as before. Once he reappeared he threw a punch at Yuki once more.
But before it even reached her, Yukis' Zanpakutō sliced of his left arm, as well as a decent chunk of his torso.
She then walked away from the man, as he screamed in pain and agony. Lot's of blood poured out of his former left arm, as well as his chest.
"What did you do?! TELL ME!"
"If your complaining about the pain that much then let me help you out."
His once bleeding wounds suddenly sealed up as they stopped bleeding. But then spears of ice exploded out from them, which pierced many more holes around Melqarts' body, ripping and tearing him apart.
She then sheathed her sword as she said,
"Gensonohitsugi1"
A pillar of fire then erupted from where Melqart stood, blowing the ground up from beneath him,as well as drenching him in a boom of flames. It easily melted through the ice, and then even the muscles which he valued oh so much.
Until only ashes were left.