Valhalla and The Tournament of Greatest Warrior.

After, all the fighting the battle in Valhalla the two last fighter are ready to face off.

Kiyoshi Souzou's voice can be heard. " Now you two I will say, you two are great warriors." " Nevertheless, there can only be one Greatest Warrior." " The rules are the same, the fight is over when, one of you are slain, defeated, or if I see that the battle is completely un-winnable for one of you."

"Now let the lets see which one of you two will win."

Hiroya arrived at the destination for the battle, as always he wore an elaborate gray haori with silver lining over a tight-fitting green shirt, and gray pants; his Ankh dangling from his throat, being played with by the occasional gust of wind. Hiroya slowly tucks his left arm into the front of his haori, making it look as though his arm is in a sling; vibrant blue eyes leering about in search for his opponent, as his mouth shape inaudible words...

Kenji, the black-haired Shinigami who had originally been seen wearing a full Shihakushō at the tournaments beginning, colored blue, with the symbol of the Ying and Yang worn proudly on its back appeared with the common swish sound of a Shinigami's Shunpo. When he arrived upon the final field of battle, the wind blowing through his hair in such a manner that it shadowed his crimson-colored eyes; Kenji appeared in a manner that showed well his recent encounter with Margin Heart. His blue-colored Shihakushō lacked the top half, leaving his entire upper chest bare, which itself showed cuts which had only recently been healed. His lower attire, as battered as his top half, lacked a left leg up till his thigh; all being indications of a fierce battle not long finished.

But the blond-haired man before him would no doubt pick up on the somewhat downcast expression on Kenji's still battle-worn face, as though the weight of a mountain was currently resting square on his shoulders. "Duty..." He thought slowly, as his bare feet brushed the ground beneath lightly. "...is heavier than a mountain," That was what Maki Zhijun had taught him, and now he had the duty to pass on Margin's final message to his family. Although he had stood as the victor in that battle, in truth, he had been handed the lose, and a defeated look was etched upon his fair features as though it were a mask.

"Its nice to meet you," He managed to inject a level of excitement and confidence into his tone that was at odds with his overall appearance at present. "I didn't see you at the welcoming get-together..." It wasn't often Kenji encountered someone taller than him, which only served to bring a genuine smile to his face. Closing the gap between himself and his soon-to-be opponent, Kenji outstretched his hand in friendly greeting. "I'm Kenji Hiroshi."

Hiroya took the hand, shaking it firmly before he spoke "Hiroya Ginkarei, a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well" Hiroya let his eyes slide across Kenji's wounds, before he made a casual gesture with his hands.. the wound knitted themselves back together firmly, as a nimbus of pale light emanated from his palm.. I can at least do this much for him.

Hiroya then lowered his hand, before speaking again "There, we should be able to fight on even terms now, without you risking death due to blood loss... while our host informed us that everyone who dies shall be resurrected, I have a hard time trusting men-who-look-like-women" Hiroya turned around and made some distance between them.

He stood there silently for a moment, before he spoke again "I assume you wouldn't consider forfeiting? Its quite obvious that you're a powerful opponent and I don't believe I can win against you without incapacitating or otherwise severely injuring you" Hiroya awaited Kenji's response, while he simply observed him.

The beginnings of a grin could be seen on Kenji's face, a result of both Hiroya's generosity and at his comments about a certain tournament host. The air swished around him momentarily, Kenji's eyes closed as the healing took effect, telling him his opponent had relocated himself a slight distance from where he was originally. Letting his hand fall to his side, his eyes snapping open, the black-haired Shiba clansmen spread his legs a little and clenched his fists; signaling a ready position.

But instead of attacking like every muscle in his body seemed to be geared towards, Kenji instead began chuckling softly to himself, but by no means was it a mocking or otherwise degrading sound. "That's the first time someone other than Naibu Shizuka has ever asked me to forfeit before the match has even begun, and if your punches pack half the power his do, I might be inclined to agree. Thank you, but no," He shook his head, finally taking a gulp of refreshingly cool air that eased his mind somewhat. "I'm here to enjoy the competition, meet new people and test my current limits. Forfeiting would make that difficult, I'm afraid. Besides, I find it easier to gauge someones character through battle, either friendly or competitive."

The wind picked up then, bringing with it a chill not present before as the two combatants regarded one another from their respective positions, Kenji's crimson eyes meeting Hiroya's blue for a time before the black-haired man disappeared from view to appear in the skies above his foe, the heel of his right foot descending quickly towards its target: Hiroya Ginkarei!

''He's fast! ''Hiroya thought, as his opponent vanished from sight; however, after centuries of practice in the Spirit Ways, and mastering the flow of Spiritual Energy as is there required, his ability to sense an opponents Reiatsu had been highly augmented. Pinpointing Kenji's Reiryoku in but a few moments, Hiroya distributed a good deal of his Spiritual Energy onto his left arm, and as Kenji descended upon him, he blocked the heel-drop with his bare hand, as the air around them convulsed violently as their Reiatsu clashed - Hiroya however, was by no means finished, as he with his right hand would attempt to quickly grab Kenji by the ankle, swirl him several times above his head in order to accumulate great seismic force, before then to attempt to slam the other man violently down into the ground with great force.

Blinking specks from his eyes from the spinning motion used by his opponent, Kenji still wore his grin from previously; only now it was more pronounced. "He's got some quick reflexes... and he's strong!" He thought initially, before a slight electric current from Hadō 53: Inyou Raikoushiden, which caused Hiroya's hand to spring open from the deliberately weakened current as Kenji slowed himself with Shunpo enough not to cause aggravated injuries when he did make contact with the floor below! The force of that impact, however, kicked up a dust cloud that Kenji hid in expertly as he considered his next move, the force of his spiritual energy becoming hid through the use of Bakudō 23: Kyokko so Hiroya couldn't discern his location.

Hiroya took this oppurtunity to weave protective enchantments about his person, as well as enhance previously damaged ones: However, even as he did so, his eyes gleamed crimson for a moment as blood-red flames began to form around him, only to converge into a large wall of fire which was positioned just in front of him. Finishing his protective spells, Hiroya proceeded to the next phase of his attack.

The blonde drew a half-circle with his hand in the air directly infront of him, before he unleashed a mighty torrent of wind at the previously conjured wall of flame; as the previously small wall explodes outwards in a fiery roar - the force of which immediately shatters the dust in the area. Effectively stripping Kenji of his hiding place, though, on the downside - there'd be nothing left to conceal the epic blaze that razed outwards towards him.

Kenji emerged from those flames, surprisingly, without a single scratch! His body, covered with his unique usage of Bakudō 94: Kurotoku Shiroseishin, its elasticity bouncing the flames away from his person as he walked clear of the flames; finally releasing the shattered casing of a small black orb. "Remind me to thank my brother," He commented, wiping dust from his shoulder blades and lower attire. "Cause without that Kagami orb, I'd be toast. Literally," He joked poorly before his hand rested on the hilt of a cruelly shaped hooked sword.

Drawing it silently, Kenji ran his eyes up the length before moving away from the heat from the flames raging behind him, finally allowing his protective barrier to dissipate into the wind as he stopped a few feet from Hiroya's stationary position. The area was now cast in a fiery glow, with ash floating on the wind Kenji noted quickly. In Kenji's current state, with his uniform tattered and his various wounds - not to mention the hellish inferno roaring behind him - he looked like something straight out of a horror film! "That Kidō," He said calmly, "... was incredible. There's no way around that, but I think its clear your a master - no, your better, if that's anything to go on." He motioned towards the flames below and behind, such was their scope, with a casual flick of his head. "Glad I took a few precautions of my own before this battle began."

Hiroya looked at Kenji, before responding "This was nothing, I'm more impressed by your mastery of such a tricky spell. Compared to that what I just did was mere parlor tricks" Hiroya readies himself for Kenji's next attack, he's on the defensive for now.

"Thank you. My son was the inspiration, in fact. Regardless of that though, the strength your spells hold are enough to make even those simple spells lethal. And I won't believe anything less. In fact, I'd say you could make even a Shō spell powerful." He was obviously joking, though. That one spell was pretty weak, whatever way you looked at it.

Noticing Hiroya's stance though, and his defensive posture, Kenji's eyes narrowed as he quietly considered. "What? He isn't attacking...? Really?" He began to think, but pushed the thought away nearly as quickly as it formed before moving into attack with swordsmanship, opting for a simple, but effective Kendō style that highlighted his own defensive-minded tactics as he continued to feel Hiroya's powers out. He glided gracefully from one motion to another, finally preparing to strike horizontally across his foes chest.

Hiroya stood silently and allowed for his foe to enclose upon him, and as Kenji swung the blade for his chest Hiroya remained motionless; the blade connected with Hiroya's chest unobstacled and as it slid across him it was accompanied by a screeching sound, as when metal brushes against metal, though for some reason the blade simply wouldn't penetrate Hiroya's skin! The aspect was vastly similar to that of an Arrancars Hierro, the result being that Kenji's blade accomplished nothing other than damaging the clothing of his foe.

Hiroya, taking full advantage of the situation and the confusion which would likely have occurred proceeds to slam his right palm towards Kenji's abdomen with great force, though for some reason - he deliberately makes the notion rather noticeable, most likely wasting a golden opportunity.

Eyes revealing his surprise briefly, Kenji was rather quick in coming to terms with his opponents armor, his left hand leaving the handle of Sanmiittai to strike Hiroya's incoming palm; the motion forcing both combatants apart as a slight shockwave accompanied the strike, with both landing on their feet on the ground below. Standing still for a time, thought sliding across the surface of his mind as he considered why Hiroya had made his intended attack so noticeable. "He could've whacked me pretty hard there," The Shiba clansmen considered for a time, "And then there's the question: why hasn't he attacked without it being a counter?"

Beginning a slow walk in a circular shape around his opponent, the wind catching the tattered edges of his kimono and blowing his hair every which way, Kenji's motions began to increase in speed until he was flash stepping impressively from one spot to another, a dust cloud beginning to form around them which soon began to rise further. His motions turned into a straight line after that until he stopped suddenly! A smile betrayed his next action, as the black-haired Shinigami planted his foot firmly in the earth to bring himself to a quick stop as he drew his arm back and used the momentum gained from his movement to propel an impressive unnamed energy wave straight towards Hiroya that left a large fissure in its wake as it traveled forward!

Hiroya's eyes widened in surprise as he realized he wouldn't be able to dodge in time, and the speed the blast traveled at made most defensive spells useless - Hiroya contemplated whether or not his protective enchantments would suffice, he decided not to take that risk. He destroyed a large portion of my defenses when he attacked me earlier, and I need the remaining wards for a possible ambush later on.

Realizing the difficulty of the situation - Hiroya dashed out towards the massive wave of energy as he gathered a tremendous amount of Spiritual Energy into his right arm before he actually "punched" the energy wave in question, releasing the accumulated Reiryoku from his fist in a single explosive burst. The air screeched and the earth trembled as Hiroya canceled out Kenji's attack with just as powerful an attack of his own.. the Majinya. Hiroya had however hardly escaped unscathed from this as his body had been buffeted by the tremendous force, also.. due to the close proximity of the attack his right hand had been temporarily paralyzed.

Hiroya sighed deeply; ''That blast took out most of my remaining enchantments, but it was likely worth it.. I think this should work to psyche the guy out just a little bit.. hopefully.''

Kenji, though, was taking a few deep breathes from the exertion the build up and execution of his attack had caused his body, and coupled with the drain his battle with Margin had caused, it was understandable. As the smoke cleared around the black-haired Shiba and his powerful foe, Kenji could clearly be seen with his knees bent and his shoulders hunched slightly, all signs that he was currently catching his breathe. "I'm impressed," He admitted aloud after a few more inhales of fresh air. "Even without a name, you can see how powerful my attack is. I've only ever seen three other people stop that, and one of 'em is centuries old with more power than he knows what to do with."

He stood up straight then and breathed out, returning to his full height which still made him short standing in front of Hiroya. "You concentrated your spiritual energy to a single point to drastically increase your physical strength, didn't you? Can't imagine that'd be good for the arm being used, but it sure did the job." Cracking his muscles and joints, each giving a loud crack, Kenji assumed a defensive stance, for once allowing his opponent to make the next move. "Even though this is gonna get even more intense, I can't help but be excited. I'm just glad those winged folks decided to clear out, or things might have gotten ugly for them."

Hiroya frowned as he realized that Kenji was giving him the next move, that was rather troublesome: Hiroya took this moment to appraise his opponent more closely, something he immediately regretted - Kenji was well-built and masculine, completely different from the pretty boy he fought previously. Hiroya took a deep breath as he contemplated his next move, forcefully dispelling this distraction from his mind.

Moments passed as eight black holes appeared systematically around Kenji, in perfect likeness to the Kuyō Shibari spell which Kenji undoubtedly knew about, however - the spell behaved very oddly in that the ninth hole never attempted to manifest - and instead, from each of the previously summoned black holes, erupted powerful golden chains whom in unison attempted to wrap themselves around Kenji from all angles and completely immobilize him with their combined might.

Kenji drew in on himself out of instinct of the oncoming danger, much like how a hedgehog forms itself into a ball. Though all similarities ended there, as Kenji raised his free left hand and struck the floor, the words uttered afterwards lost by the sound of shifting earth. Although he knew the foundation of the spell for what it was, he'd never seen it used in such a manner, but the chains seeking to bind him in place instead wrapped themselves around a protective dome of earth which had formed around Kenji's body, completely encasing him to give protection from all possible angles.

"Its pretty clear he's fond of his Kidō," He thought as he scratched his chin, his eyes tilted upwards as he calmly considered his next movement. "Reckless attacks will end with me coming out a little worse for wear, If I manage to come out at all." His thoughts, though, were interrupted as the earthen dome began to crack under the strain. "Not good!" Instead of allowing the dome to break in time, Kenji instead utilized the fastest move in his entire arsenal - the Keikaisochi - to bring himself through the dome at speed, the sheer momentum his body carried, allowing him to forcefully break out of the encircling Kidō as well, but the impact caused him to twist and turn, and due to the momentum he carried, when he did strike the floor, it was far from pleasant.

As he rose from the ground in which he had been tossed, Kenji sported more wounds from the stones that had sliced him, with a particularity bad cut above his left eye that just wouldn't stop bleeding no matter how much he wiped it away. "Remind me never to do that again," He whispered more to himself than anyone else before casting a quick glance to the condition of the weather... Things were brewing, he noted casually and the stage would almost be set. Turning, Kenji hefted the scythe form Sanmiittai had taken, the motion causing the wind to intensify as he finally began to spin the weapon between both his hands; a whirlwind being born from the shaft that whirled its way towards Hiroya!

Hiroya calmly pointed a finger out towards Kenji's location, as he muttered softly to himself "Shō, sen" a bullet of condensed air shot out towards Hiroya's finger at excessive speed, piercing clean trough the whirlwind without being slowed down the slightest; causing the wind to dissipate at either side harmlessly - Hiroya flicked his wrist slightly - as the bullet of wind began to spin around in a drill-like motion as it gained even more speed - the bullet headed straight for Kenji's abdomen.

Kenji, being an experienced combatant would likely realize the futility of trying to block such an attack trough normal means quite quickly.

While that was true, Kenji knew that more often than not, a simple solution was more often the most effective. Taking a quick step backwards, wind began to cloak his body and that of Sanmiittai. With that simple act accomplished, the Shiba clansmen made a vertical slash downwards towards the bullet, the wind circling his body immediately surrounding the blade of his scythe at the last second; amplifying the slash with a tremendous degree of cutting force that allowed him to cut the Shō bullet aside; though due to the close proximity, the two halves still cut the outsides of both his arms, bringing a momentary flicker of pain - quickly hidden - to Kenji's face.

"I was right about your Shō, I see." He'd been joking too when he had made that statement earlier, though the fact a Shō could be made that powerful only helped to show Kenji just how much skill his opponent had in the field of Kidō usage and manipulation. "Oh boy, this could get ugly. What to do, what to do? Oh, I know!" Hiroya would no doubt feel Kenji's spiritual energy begin to surge, and with it, a lightning aura that coated his limbs and gave extra light to the area around them. "Now, let's begin round two, shall we?" Pulling his arm back, a large degree of lightning energy formed in his palm, shaped much like a javelin, as Kenji moved towards Hiroya to engage the latter in close quarters.

Hiroya allowed Kenji to walk up to him unobstacled, as he coated his hands in a white nimbus.. namely a a powerful layer of pressurized Kidō for much greater power - similarly like he had done once before, white energy beginning to crackle around Hiroya's person in a manner very reminiscent to the aura of Shunkō. He also used this to reinforce his protective enchantments.. to better be able to withstand Kenji's physical capabilities.

Taking a battle stance, Hiroya readied himself for his opponents attack.

Kenji adopted an offensive stance, falling into the styles of the Yuengiri out of sheer instinct as he and Hiroya clashed blades momentarily; Kenji noticing that his foe was quite adept at parrying and blocking his attacks. After a brief spell where no head-way was made against his foe, Kenji leapt back and moved in from the right this time, his aura coming alive as it cloaked his zanpakutō in a vivid display of dancing electricity; Kenji ducking low and then piercing forward countless times so the arm with the javelin held tightly appeared very much like a blur as he utilized the pin-point piercing maneuvers of Saidanodori in an attempt to completely shred Hiroya's body.

Hiroya moved to block most of Kenji's attacks, he nimbly kept himself at Kenji's left by making use of quick and fluid footwork - constantly keeping himself at Kenji's left - the difference in Shunpo skill quickly becoming evident. Hiroya moved away just as Kenji attempted to use Saidanodori in close-combat - before Hiroya used Shunpo to reposition himself at Kenji's front, his palm shining with light as he attempted to slam the his palm straight into Kenji's chest - muttering the word "Majinya" - as he attempts to inflict grievous damage upon his opponent. Though Hiroya's personality prevented him from using the technique at full power.

Noticing his opponents tactics, and the motion towards his chest, Hiroya's attack struck home! The force caused Kenji's body to buckle, with a snapping sound being heard that would make even the most battle-hardened veteran cringe. However, Hiroya would no doubt feel a numbing sensation through his entire arm; one which was not caused by his own usage of Majinya.

The sound of someone clearing their throat could be heard, and when Hiroya did look over, Kenji was standing with both his scythe and javelin still in hand. "It was Utsusemi mixed with my lightning aura," he explained. "I can increase my physical attributes by charging my body with a lightning current. I didn't actually use that, though, until I used Utsusemi to evade that Hakuda technique of yours." Quickly thanking both and Kusaka Kori, Kenji drew his arm back and hurled the javelin toward its mark, said projectile beginning to spin like a drill! The image of his old zanpakutō, Aoi Inazuma, flooded his mind as he watched the technique spin. "Your still looking out for me," He thought affectionately.

As the Javelin flew towards him, Hiroya abruptly dispersed into a cascade of white feathers which floated about separately for a moment, before they reshaped themselves a mere yard or two away from Kenji - taking the form of Hiroya in a pose, pointing his finger at Kenji's torso before he muttered slowly and clearly; "Shō".

Throughout the entire motion, Kenji had sealed and re-released his Shikai state. Hiroya would no doubt notice that it was now a trident with a beautiful aqua-marine shaft Kenji held in his hand, with three pointed prongs and a counter weight at the base. "I always did prefer this state," Kenji muttered before Hiroya found those very same prongs were pointing in his direction, Kenji seemingly discarding defense for offense. "I removed a good deal of your protective wards earlier, right?"

The young Shiba's spiritual energy took a vibrant blue coloration, with his crimson eyes glowing the same hue around the edges as Kenji said aloud "Kokunagare". The liquid cascaded its way towards Hiroya, while the Shō spell - powerful, as Kenji had predicted earlier - struck him straight in the chest, the liquid barrier only serving to cushion him against some of the impact as he slid backwards, noticeably winded.

Hiroya's eyes widened in shock as he had never predicted that Kenji would make use of such a suicidal tactic; he was hit straight on by the Kokunagare technique in his chest, the massive force propelling him backwards at great speeds, making him crash trough several trees, before finally hurling him roughly a quarter kilometer away from the point of impact. - if he hadn't reinforced his defenses earlier he'd undoubtedly been killed outright. Hiroya wobbled back up to his feet, blood dripping from a large circle-shaped wound on his chest where the attack had originally hit. All of the remaining wards had been destroyed and in his current condition - Hiroya was largely unable to make more of them. But, given the light in his eyes it was very obvious that this battle was far from done nevertheless.

"If you can't find... an opening," Kenji said through labored breathes, "then draw your enemy in and use that... to your advantage." Quoting Maki Zhijun - his mentor and good friend - Kenji soon fell to his knees, the aftereffects of the Shō spell taking its toll. There was no doubt in his mind that he'd suffered some severe internal injuries, the fact he was coughing blood was a clear indication of that, though miraculously he pushed himself to his feet. Even in his own mind, he wasn't sure if it was excitement of a good fight, determination or sheer stubbornness. Probably the latter of the three, he thought with a slight chuckle.

"That took quite a bit out of me," He concluded, finally having to face the facts. "But he didn't come out of it all sunshine and roses either, so maybe I can use that." It was then that the young Shiba severed his emotions, leaving fear, uncertainty and most of all pain floating on the edge of his conscious mind. Now unburdened, his senses became more honed, his vision more clear and his general senses more acute. "Let's continue," To Hiroya's ears, he'd sound rather cold and distance; a direct result of his emotions being cut off.

Hiroya straightened himself up with a groan, as he began to release his Reiatsu like a large flickering blue flame, however as it burned a total of eight sparks separated themselves from the blue flames, before quickly taking the shape of eight six-winged doves composed entirely of Reiryoku - these doves then shot speed and flied towards Kenji their movements so quick that each of them appeared only as a blur of blue. They'd attack Kenji two at a time and when they were close enough - they'd very likely opt for a quick detonation.

Once Hiroya had done this, his Spiritual Pressure resumed a bright white color, Hiroya himself panting in exhaustion due to the exertion and his previous injury - and while his opponent would be held busy with Sōkatsui Hato, Hiroya carefully began to bind the wound on his chest with a customized Bakudo spell.

"Shit, shit and shit again!" Kenji cursed inwardly, and despite his severed emotions, he was still struggling to move as effectively as he'd like. He'd obviously done himself more damage than he had originally thought, though it was as if a flame had roared to life within him. One that burned as fiercely as his determination! The eight doves, to Kenji's increased perception, moved in groups of two.

Swapping out his trident for his hand-and-a-half sword, the de-construction and reconstruction taking a meager five seconds to complete; Kenji made what was perhaps one of the most painful actions of his entire life to date. "Sekai Kosaten," He whispered, tears forming in his eyes even though his emotions had been severed. A dimensional portal, colored purple and in the form of a magic circle, formed in the sky close to Kenji, and from it bounded a three headed dog which immediately covered Kenji with its own body! The eight doves detonated, consuming both Kenji and the dog in an explosion that left their fate unknown...

... Until a column of spiritual energy erupted into the heavens, revealing Kenji with an angry expression - his emotions clearly reinstated - and a grievously injured three-headed dog that soon vanished back into the same portal from whence he came. "Cerberus..." Kenji said with tears in his eyes. "Thank you... Kyo lend me your power!" Kenji's spiritual energy intensified, as did the look in his eyes, as a white aura of spiritual energy; not unlike that of Shunkō surrounded his entire being, a lightning aura accompanying the energy. "Get ready, Hiroya, and be on guard. I'm not fully in control of myself when I enter this state."

Hiroya made several obscure movements with his hands, and his mouth formed several inaudible phrases - his eyes gleaming with white light, before he finally spoke "You'd let your companion take the blow for you? I'm surprised.. I thought you valued them more than that; while I don't know how much this Tournament means to you, I certainly hope it doesn't mean more to you than your friends"

Hiroya folded his arms across his chest as he awaited Kenji's attack. He was ready for what would likely be one of the deciding skirmishes in their battle.

"... I'm very close to Cerberus, I'll have you know. Sanmiittai - my zanpakutō - can communicate with him from any distance, and he was the one who relaid the message to me during the flight of your doves. The tears where from gratitude; that he'd be willing to do something like that just to help me. One thing I can say with absolute certainty is that if I got news right here and now that one of my friends were in danger, then you'd be the winner, tournament be damned; for I wouldn't be standing here right now. I'd be at there side, regardless of the circumstances." He worked through the aches in his body, dusting off his meager clothing in the process. "No competition is worth the life of an ally," He added finally.

Now holding both the sword form of Sanmiittai and the katana that usually housed Kyo's power, Kenji began spinning the weapons nonchalantly; obviously savoring the moment of anticipation. "I've seen that you don't like attacking, or should I say causing harm. You've pulled your punches enough for that to be quite clear." Even so, Kenji focused his aura outwards, the lightning energy coating his dual blades. Turning towards Hiroya and advancing with lightning enhanced strength and speed, Kenji struck out with precise, dance-like motions and two flowing blades of steel; bringing the full mastery of his Yuengiri styles to bear, attacking with pin-point strikes and delicate maneuvers made all the more deadly due to the lightning cloaking not only the blades themselves - but Kenji's very body!

Hiroya smiled at Kenji's response to his accusations, clearly delighted by the answer - but his face became serious the moment Kenji moved in for the kill; Hiroya calmly awaited the other man to get within range before his eyes began to shine with a bright white light; an immense force pulling at Kenji, causing him to move towards Hiroya at an astoundingly fast rate; at this point it would become very obvious to Kenji that this was a trap set by his opponent.

Kenji would only see the sad.. almost brokenhearted face of his opponent for but a split second before a shining white light erupted from Hiroya's feet, rapidly expanding into an explosion of epic proportions which in but a moment completely obliterated a large portion of the battle-field leaving naught but a barren wasteland in its wake; at the outskirts of said devastation stood Hiroya himself, he had set up this trap a few moments in advance and had actually used Shirohane's Hanesagi ability as both a decoy and the catalyst for the spell he had cast, namely Hado #95 Teikoku Ikari. Though... the fate of Kenji was unknown yet, with a slim hope Hiroya wondered if he had managed to survive the blast.

Kenji knew full well what the spell was, for he'd used it several times in the past before and saw it used countless times besides; though he'd rarely seen it utilized at this level of power! In fact, he was completely engulfed in the expanding white blast; his yells all but lost in the fierce explosion that reduced the immediate surroundings, and a great of the landscape besides, to a barren land devoid of life. One moment, it had been a thriving area with a level of lush scenery. Now it was a mere wasteland in every sense of the word; a mere shadow of its former glory.

But to Hiroya's no doubt astonishment, Kenji was indeed alive and in much better condition that one would otherwise expect, considering what he had just been struck with. "Glad I took a few precautions of my own," Kenji said after a time, though no matter how much hiding or mis-direction he employed, no one escaped from Teikoku Ikari uninjured, even if you weren't the intended target of the spell in question. Its range was simply too vast for that. Taking a hesitant step forward, obviously saddened by the destruction, Kenji took a deep breathe. "Cerberus again came to my rescue," He began explaining. "When he was lying on top of me earlier, I took that chance and replaced myself with a lightning clone before extinguishing my spiritual energy with Kyokko. Using the dust cloud caused after the explosion, I moved away with Keikaisochi so I'd be out of the way and observe things while I caught my breathe; though I never expected you to use that." He admitted.

His entire left arm was burned beyond believe, Hiroya would notice when Kenji finally turned to face him; with his leg sharing a similar fate. "A hasty Kurotoku Shiroseishin stopped me loosing these," He said finally, pointing at the limbs; the strain of his escape and the exertion it caused him evident from his tone. Pain laced his tone thickly, and had since the start of his speech. "I've got to admit Hiroya, you're certainly something else. I've had to pull everything outta the bag in this one." He'd regret this, he knew, but still he raised his good arm - trident replacing sword - and began chanting beneath his breathe, sweet beading on his forehead. "Hadō 85: Zaiten Sōkatsui!" An expansive wave of blue energy, seemingly wreathed in flame, burst from Kenji's hand, and much like a tsunami, it threatened to crush Hiroya!

Hiroya raised his hand up in front of the great blast of energy, and with a quick hand-gesture he caused the attack to evaporate into thin air; Kenji would recognize it as Haki immediately, though Hiroya was quite obviously rather adept at it, the surprises didn't end there though.

As Hiroya caused the spell to dissipate, the accumulated energy of the colliding spells shaped in the shapes of upwards a dozen small and almost invisible blades of air which abruptly shoot forth and begin to encircle Kenji, like the doves they systematically engaged him in groups of two at once - however unlike the doves they didn't opt for detonation and they aimed specifically at points on Kenji's body whom aided in the channeling of Spiritual Energy, to the greatest degree the "Soul Chain" and "Soul Sleep" - Hiroya made sure that the damage would be temporary though, nevertheless.. a direct hit could easily cost Kenji the match.

Hiroya stood at the sidelines and watched this display, careful to not make the damage too severe; It had been much to Hiroya's advantage that Kenji had used Kido against him - the Sanshi technique demanded very little Reiryoku and it was very effective as well - and.. and this was the thing that Hiroya liked the most about it; it could defeat an opponent with no lasting injuries of any kind. Hiroya had begun to become more serious though, Kenji had caused him to burn trough Shirohane's own Reiryoku reserves at an astounding rate, and if the battle went on for much longer he'd be in deep trouble.

"That was definitely Hanki," Kenji thought with a gulp, cursing himself for using Kidō against a master like Hiroya! His eyes scanned the small blades, but when they became almost invisible to his naked eyes, he instead severed his emotions so he could benefit from the increased perceptual bonus the action brought him. "I swear, if those things detonate..." He warned internally before he slowed his thinking and took several deep breathes. What he was about to do would require every shred of speed and skill he had in the respective fields - Shunpo and his lightning manipulation. The weather, he noted, had begun to turn sour and now gave forth the rain it had been promising for quite some time now.

With the droplets falling quickly, the water causing him to wince at it touched his exposed and mostly injured skin, Kenji began his motion just as the blades began to approach him. Lightning surrounded his ankles and thighs, allowing him to move at speeds he otherwise would not be fit to utilize. Using his lightning enhancement alongside the joint movements of Senka and Utsusemi to simultaneously slash the near invisible blades, thus dispersing them, and then vanishing with an after-image to take the next blade, where he repeated the motion continuously. Without his lightning enhancement, or the boost received from utilizing Kyo's power, he would have been struck with every one of those little blades which seemed to be attracted to the area Kenji himself usually aimed for when using Senka.

When the blades were either cut aside, or embedded in areas of Kenji's body that would not effect him overly much; such as the one embedded in his right knee and left shoulder blade for example, did Kenji stop his movements. When he did, though, he fell immediately to his knees, sweat beading on his forehead and his breathing labored. "Okay... using Kidō against you... was definitely a bad idea," He said, the comical expression giving a level of humor to his situation. "But I notice what you were trying to do, and I thank you for not turning me into a regular Human. That'd just be boring," Looking to the heavens, though, brought a grin to Kenji's face. His next action wouldn't require much in the way of energy, as he simply had to act as a medium. Raising his burned left arm, the action causing him to wince regardless of his severed emotions, a bolt of lightning seemingly dragged from the heavens circled around his arm before he loosed it towards Hiroya, the first soon being accompanied by a second, and then a third! "I've been hiding this for too long!"

Hiroya had no time to dodge any of them - the lightning moved much to quickly for him to avoid it in his current state, luckily for Hiroya though - he had been foreseeing this time as well, Hiroya had taken heed of the gradually worsening weather for some time, and he had taken his precautions as always. An opponent whom concentrated solely on the offensive, would likely not have had the time to take note of the thick air and static electricity in the area.. Hiroya, however, whom had largely remained stationary and at constant edge for the majority of the battle was another matter entirely.

The bolts of lightning went clean trough Hiroya's body in succession, leaving the Kidō Master with three large holes in his torso at different locations, before his body suddenly dispersed into another cascade of feathers this time however the feathers clotted together to take the form of six doves and a single swan all of them composed of blue Spiritual Energy. The swan attacked first, by extending its neck to unnatural lengths it attempted to en-wrap itself around Kenji's body, keeping him in place as the six remaining doves would attempt to fly close to him and detonate in turn - likely followed by the swan itself afterwards for a truly massive explosion.

"It looks like... I've got no choice," Kenji said calmly, as his lightning penetrated Hiroya's body. As his foe dispersed into the avian flyer's he was beginning to hate with a passion, Kenji was surrounded in a thin aura of energy which seemed to originate from Sanmiittai himself. "I wanted to avoid this, because I only recently obtained it... but I don't see any other way. Kyuukyou Shouten! Saikoukenbu!" A multitude of blades, composed completely of lightning energy, drawn mostly from the heavens themselves to safe energy consumption, formed around Kenji; creating an effective barrier. The doves detonated on the surface of those blades, the explosions blowing away a great deal of the swords which were now floating in a column-like array around Kenji's person.

From one of the holes punched in the column due to the explosions, Kenji could be seen standing tall with an entirely new appearance! His Shihakushō became much more form fitting with a red ōbi sash tied tightly around his waist and a black cloak which resembles a Captain's haori draping his shoulders, his old battered and mostly tattered uniform replaced by the new outfit. His hair also lengthened considerably, ending at at the back of his knees, with none of the silver tinge seen previously. And not only had he survived the no doubt damaging explosion Hiroya expected, but he appeared somewhat rejuvenated as well; as he was now cycling the energy he usually stored within his zanpakutō throughout his body. In addition, a large scimitar-like sword with the emblem of dancing flame inscribed on the swords flat sides was now held tightly in his left hand, Kyo's katana sheathed at his waist; with Sanmiittai's hand-and-a-half sword form taking precedence in his right.

"This is a form the ancient Yuengiri were once fit to utilize." Kenji stepped forth from the improvised defense as he began explaining. "Before my uncle and myself, only six others have ever attained it in the collective history of the Yuengiri. Though this is only a fraction of its power, as none currently live who've taken it farther." He wasn't exerting his spiritual energy, though the lightning flashing overhead now came quicker and more intensely, as though caused by Kenji's mere presence. Kenji began stepping forward, walking slowly and carefully.

Hiroya carefully watched the changes to Kenji's appearance, and he immediately followed up with a thorough reading of Kenji's Spiritual Signature, along with an analysis of the appearance and demeanor of his new form; Given how his Spiritual Power has only increased slightly, I can with some certainty assume that he's not planning a full-throttle ranged assault, this is further amplified by the fact that he walks towards me - his clothing sits snugly on his body and I can by that deduce that it won't deter him in close-combat, lastly is the way his sword is shaped - it looks as it is meant for prolonged offense, as opposed to the balance of our traditional Katana.

Hiroya nodded solemnly before he unsheathed his noticeably still sheathed Zanpakutō, and with a mere thought, Hiroya released Shirohane's Shikai state, causing his own Spiritual Power to rise substantially in power; but the most noteworthy aspect would be that his sword abruptly dispersed into a cascade of white feathers, whom multiplied at an astounding rate, soon filling the entire area.

This left Hiroya unarmed, but Kenji would likely note that it wasn't a problem given how Hiroya's skills in Hakuda seemed to far outclass those in Swordsmanship. Hiroya extended his consciousness to three large clots of white feathers close to him; as opposed to make use of all of them at once as that would no doubt be highly ineffective in this case - Hiroya only predicted that his adversary had been granted a stupendous increase in speed - without focusing on these three clots, he'd be unable to block them most assuredly.

Hiroya sighed before he spoke "I've burrowed its abilities at several intervals in our battle up to this point, but allow me to make this formal - this is the released state of my Zanpakutō Shirohane, in its first release" Hiroya then readied himself, betraying no more information about his Zanpakutō.

Taking note of the clumped feathers, Kenji began to wonder why he hadn't attacked with them all at once. "This is a physical transformation," The Shiba clansmen thought as his eyes scanned the battlefield intently. Rain was still falling in sheets, with thunder roaring and lightning flashing, so he had plenty of ammunition without needing to expend the energy needed to create his various lightning abilities.

"One way or another, this fight will be coming to an end soon." As he thought that, he raised his arms and exuded his lightning-based spiritual energy, using that as a medium once again to form countless slender blades of electricity - the same blades that accompanied his release previously - around himself and Hiroya in a continuously moving, column-like array. "This prevents either of us from fleeing or opening things like Garganta or Senkaimon," Kenji said confidently, fresh sweat beading on his forehead despite the rejuvenation activating his Kyuukyou Shouten granted.

Sheathing Sanmiittai, Kenji shifted forward with his hands gripping the hilt of his large scimitar-like sword tightly. "Its time to roll the dice," He whispered beneath his breathe before grinning wide. In all outward appearances, many would have deemed him mad for such an action is his current setting. "Let's go!" Within the dome-like array of Saikoukenbu, Kenji's voice echoed. Seconds later he was moving in a circle formation, lightning clones forming in his wake that each caught two of the countless lightning blades around as the clones lacked the scimitar sword. "Attack!" Three clones moved in an attempt to strike Hiroya!

Hiroya stood completely still as the clones enclosed upon him, mere moments before their blades would connect with his body Shirohane's feathers moved in to block the attacks - and while the clones struggled with the feathers Hiroya calmly raised a hand out towards Kenji, before his hand was surrounded by the purple nimbus of light, as Hiroya released a discharge of his Spiritual Energy it quickly shaped into three beautiful birds with long tail-feathers composed entirely out of purple Reiryoku, they began to encircle Hiroya for a moment.. trails of purple fire lingering in the air behind them.

Hiroya then, with but a movement of his hand commanded them in much the same manner that Kenji manipulated his lightning clones. The birds flew out with great speed, much greater than their blue counterparts, towards Kenji - the ground beneath them automatically being set alight with violet fire, which spread at an astounding rate. Being hit by them would most likely be lethal.

"I wish Shigeru was here. The guy hates fire," Outstretching his free hand, Kenji's directed his energy outward, causing the birds flying towards him majestically to be surrounded by a slight yellow glow which covered the entirety of their bodies and caused wisps of the same yellow coloration to rise from the surroundings. Rocks, craters. The very earth itself. All within a specific area was covered. "Meian, I know you'll help me with this one!" Concentrating, Kenji utilized the forbidden spells Hiroya would no doubt recognize as Kūkanten'i and Jikanteishi. The active spells conjured by Hiroya were relocated towards Hiroya's own back, where Kenji deactivated the time effects of Jikanteishi; the action bringing him to his knees as the birds now sped towards their own master.

But Kenji's offensive wasn't finished. To prevent his opponent from simply redirecting the spells back at him, the black-haired Shinigami impaled the three birds with a lightning blade apiece using his own control over the lightning energy to control them at distance, before breaking the blades apart into an average lightning current which surrounded the three avians bodies, effectively allowing Kenji to control them as he would his own electricity. Keeping their target their original caster, Kenji leaped back, breathing labored as he directed the remainder of his clones - numbering a meager four in total - to attack as one! Kenji himself took a deep breathe and cloaked his blade with an electric current, preparing to pounce.

Hiroya, not having accounted for the possibility that his opponent might've been good enough to make use of Forbidden spells was caught off-guard by this and he only narrowly managed to dodge the birds, before he was struck by one of the clones swords, the force of the attack going clean trough his wards and finalizing in a deep cut across his chest in a diagonal direction, accompanied by a large gush of blood, however, the moment he was cut he became intangible and then suddenly vanished into thin air. Leaving Kenji's clones dumbfounded, and possibly his opponent himself.

Hiroya had actually made use of Kyakko to mask both his Spiritual Power and himself from sight, Hiroya quickly moved over to the next step; he used a customized bakudo spell to knit his wound back together - and while this by no means healed the injury it served to prevent him from succumbing to blood loss. Hiroya then proceeded to the next step, moving slowly he positioned himself stealthily at his opponents back - pumping a steady stream of Reiryoku into his right hand; as he whispered softly to himself "Majinya" before he became abruptly visible; and his hand shone with a white nimbus - as Hiroya attempted to slam the shining palm straight into Kenji's back from behind.

Kenji was committed to the attack and couldn't possibly turn to block it. That was painfully clear, but countless battles and years of training had honed his senses to impressive levels, and when Hiroya's energy suddenly returned in all of its intensity at his back, the Shiba clansmen felt his mind overcome with pure animalistic instinct! There was only one thing he could possibly do, while at the same time causing a degree of damage and discomfort for his opponent. As soon as his foes spiritual signature flooded his senses, Kenji released his Shikai on reflex, the hook swords melding together to form the same hand-and-a-half-sword seen previously in their battle; which now rested in his free hand as he tensed his body in preparation for the attack he guessed was coming.

"Raikou Keshin," The black-haired Shinigami uttered, surprise lacing his tone as his body formed into a ball of crackling electricity. With this, he'd avoid breaking any bones or receiving aggravated internal injuries upon the impact; but by no means would there be no pain. The glowing palm that signaled Hiroya's usage of Majinya struck the ball of electricity that was Kenji, hurtling him much like a baseball bat striking a ball would. Only Kenji had made some preparation to protect himself, by charging his electrified aura around the point of Hiroya's strike, cushioning the blow somewhat and almost certainly giving the Kidō Master a nasty electric shock besides!

Kenji reformed as he flew through the air, body twisting and rebounding as he struck the floor time and again; body obviously wracked with pain. Raikou Keshin's movement was usually fast enough to avoid an attack, but when he was struck in that form, the damage dealt was spread evenly throughout his body when he returned to his human state once again. And that meant a lot of damage when struck with an attack like Majinya. Although his bones and organs were spared, the Shiba clansmen dropped to his knees when he managed to stop himself and coughed blood, forming a small pool at his feat; with occasional drops of sweat dripping from his forehead and face to join the blood.

But when Kenji raised his head, crimson eyes burning with determination despite his wounds and condition; he locked eyes with his opponent, as though he were saying "I will not bow". Rising on shaking legs, the movements agony to his already objecting limbs; Kenji sheathed his Shikai state but kept it released, opting instead to grip the scimitar in both hands as he spread his feet, as though in preparation for a strike. "Nice move," He managed in a genuinely complementing tone, hopefully loud enough for Hiroya to hear. "Care to continue?"

Hiroya lowered his hand, as he surveyed his opponents stance and condition, Kenji's resolve was tremendous as was his stamina, and he was indeed the first one to ever take a direct hit from his Shō spell and live to tell the tale. One whom loved battle would likely find this notion exhilarating, Hiroya was no such person and to him, it was strangely unsettling, Hiroya involuntarily took a step backwards as this realization dawned on him.

This notion was short-lasting however as Hiroya calmed himself down almost immediately afterwards and thus he began assessing what Kenji had just done: Kendo was the obvious answer to that, his opponent was preparing to get serious. Bankai was out of the question for either of them at this point, they were simply too roughed up.

Hiroya readied himself for a somewhat desperate maneuver, his Spiritual Power sky-rocketing once more as he prepared to cast a spell, Hiroya positioned both of his palms so that they faced the ground in horizontal motion before he slowly began to "heave" them up to chest-level; the earth rumbled and trembled as Hiroya's sorcery grasped a hold of its very magnetic composition.

With a loud groan Hiroya heaved his arms above his head as several large chunks of stone, earth and dirt were procured from the ground itself and began to swirl around in the air above them. Hiroya felt his feet disconnect with the earth as he himself was pulled up into the air by his own spell; a vibrant blue sphere forming about his person. Acting as a shield, the magnetic force of the spell synchronized with Kenji's thunderclouds and several bursts of lightning shot down from the heavens onto the blue sphere; whom didn't give after a single bit, in fact, it'd seem like the shield grew stronger by the impact.

Hiroya closed his eyes for a moment, and when he reopened them they shone with a blue light, he then looked down to Kenji before he spoke softly, his voice determined and secure: "While I'd rather you gave up and spared me the guilt of harming you - I see I have no other choice but to react aggressively!" Hiroya sighed, he really hoped that the drawbacks he had in this situation would be enough for Kenji to win, but then again, the advantages were overwhelming as well...

Lending credit to Hiroya's reckoning that Bankai was out of the question, Kenji discarded the thought from his mind almost as quickly as it had formed. That would be a very bad move on his part. Reaching for the calmness the severing of his emotions brought him - pain and feeling floating on the edge of his conscious mind and barely registered as a result, Kenji exerted his spiritual energy. "Lovely," He began thinking. "He's cut me off from my lightning abilities..." But he'd been in this very situation countless times before, mainly in the form of Van Satonaka's crystal manipulation skills.

He had to admit though, that the excitement that had been coursing through his body was something he experienced very little of nowadays; though he could see it made Hiroya feel somewhat uncomfortable. Beginning to move forward, Kenji stopped almost immediately in his tracks as he stared at Hiroya with an upraised eyebrow. Surprise would have been quite evident had he not severed himself from his emotions. "That was quite the nice move," Kenji said in what he thought a complimenting voice, though in fact he sounded quite cold and detached from the world around him.

Easing into a Kendō form, Kenji took a deep breathe of refreshing air and brought his gaze level with Hiroya's eyes that shone a majestic blue coloration. "Why does this feel so much like my fights with Van? Can people not just leave my lightning alone without turning it against me?" He complained internally before resolving to test his foes newfound defense. "I'm suddenly glad I'm in my Kyuukyou Shouten form,"

With that said, Kenji propelled himself forward, careful not to use his left leg because of the air blade still lodged within it; no doubt stopping him from bleeding out more than he already was. The flame emblazoned scimitar held in his hands seemed to flash as he swung, though as the blade neared, Kenji was grinning. Instead of his usual lightning aura that sprang up around him, there was instead liquid dropping from the aura around his body to pool on the ground below. The curved edge of his sword approached Hiroya's shield, with Kenji switching to a single hand so as not to further agonize his shoulder, which had suffered the same fate as his knee earlier in their battle.

Hiroya stood motionlessly and let Kenji enclose upon him, the swordsman's blade cleaved trough the air and hit the shield dead on, but; not even a scratch, the wounds that Kenji had suffered were, as Hiroya had predicted too great - he hadn't managed to muster enough force with but a single leg and a single arm; but like hell that'd stop him - the assailant continued to slice, slam and cleave at the shield; the earth trembled and the wind screeched with every swing of the massive weapon. But the magnetic field refused to budge even the slightest; Hiroya watched his opponents prolonged assault from behind the barrier, his face completely pale, but still with an emotionless pask - it was however easy to see that he was shocked beyond belief.

But this didn't stop the spellbinder from preparing a retaliation though; extending his arms out at either side; he caused the large chunks of rock suspended in the air to begin to orbit around them at a slow pace; with his arms extended like that; it was obvious that he prepared himself to crush his assailant with the combined force; for some reason though, he didn't.

Hiroya instead spoke; "You're a good man, Kenji; and I don't want to fight you over some silly trinket, I forfeit" and with that, each of the chunks of stone fell to the ground with eight large crashes in perfect succession; and as Kenji continued his relentless assault Hiroya deliberately lowered the shield and in but a single moment Kenji's blade was burrowed to the hilt in the Sorcerers chest; and Hiroya's white kinagashi was dyed red with the wet fluid; and with one last groan Hiroya's body dispersed in a flock of white doves whom flied up towards the sky before vanishing completely.

The sound of a man clapping was what Kenji heard next, and there beneath him at the ground stood Hiroya and congratulated him for his victory; he was rather up-beat but he was still alive, and lacked the gruesome sword wound that had decided the match. "Congratulations with your victory, Kenji - I'm certain we'll hear from the-man-who-looks-like-a-woman any time now."

Kenji's sword and transformation broke and dispersed as one, as though the wind were taking the last vestiges of his strength and carrying them away on the breeze. With the black robes of his Kyuukyou Shouten all but gone, the Shiba clansmen was revealed in his tattered blue Shihakushō as he fell backwards, eyes closed and arms barely working quickly enough to discard his zanpakutō so he wouldn't land on it. Falling through the air, Kenji soon impacted the ground below where all he could muster the strength to do was lie motionless and take deep swallows of fresh air that seemed to burn like fire within his lungs. "Hiroya Ginkarei..." He managed through gasps. "I'll never forget... that name." Kenji's power was so tapped that his crimson-colored eyes reverted to their usual green hue, indicating that not only he, but Kyo as well, were beyond the limits of their strength.

Lifting his head, black hair soaked with blood - both his own and Hiroya's, made seeing difficult but Kenji picked out his opponent. Rolling over and pushing himself up despite his body objecting every slight movement, Kenji felt very much like he'd just underwent a battle just so he could get to his feet. "Thanks, but damn! You did a hellish number on me, Hiroya. Its been a while since I've went through something this painful."

Every step was a problem for his knee, though he endured it until he stood directly in front of Hiroya with a tired expression. "I enjoyed that, and got to meet a few new people besides." His thoughts included Hiroya himself, as well as those he had seen before the matches had begun and shared brief words with. "Well fought, Hiroya." Whipping his right hand of blood, Kenji extended it for a hand shake of respect and friendship, hoping Hiroya would accept the gesture before his legs gave way and he landed in a heap. Hiroya happily accepted the gesture, as he supported Kenji body with his other hand; so as to prevent him to fall - and while he did: Hiroya healed the mans injuries to a great extent along with fixing his clothing as well, Hiroya groaned at the notion that Kenji's muscles had almost made him misfire a spell, god damn childish perversion! As he healed his former adversaries wounds however, Hiroya added another spell in utmost secrecy, namely one of sealing; and when Kenji got his price the spell would automatically activate and attempt to seal the prize away forever. Hiroya smiled warmly at Kenji in response, albeit he didn't appear at all flattered by Kenji's allegations to his combat provess, he appeared almost troubled in fact.

Hiroya turned around just in time to see a pair of Varukirri descend down from the heavens to bring him to the Temple Hall - Hiroya left with them in silence; casting a last glance on Kenji across his shoulder with a faint hope that his little ploy would go as planned, and seal that abominable artifact away where it could do no harm.

The Varukirri bring Hiroya to the great Hall Temple. "Now Kenji go back to the base of the bottomless pit the enterance to the temple will be open only for the winner." The Varukirri had healed enough of his wounds to allow him to walk.