What a Way to Start
[ Hueco Mundo, Forest of Menos ]
BOOOOOOM!
"What the fuck?! It hasn't even been 5 minutes since I woke up and ya'll are already on my ass!" Dodging another [Cero] fired their way was a girl who seemed to be in her late teens or early twenties. Her neck-length brown hair billowed in the wind caused by the shockwaves, while her red eyes, devoid of any fear scanned for paths she could take.
(Image)
"Actually," The girl, who was none other than Maya paused, "Why the hell am I, the one hailed as the Demon King, running away from you long nose pussies?" With confidence and haughtiness that she didn't know she had, she turned around gazed at the Gillians with contempt.
Her eyes sharpened, as an instinct she never knew she had took over, a crimson aura bursted out her, taking on the form of a giant with razor sharp teeth and slanted eyes, freezing all the Menos on the spot. Matchlocks appeared in both of Maya's hands, which she immediately aimed at two Menos'.
(Image)
"[Cero]." She uttered, though, instead of the red ball of destructive energy she was expecting, a blue blast of spiritual energy released from the muzzle of her gun, destroying the Menos'.
BOOOOM!
"Ah~" A moan accidentally slipped from her mouth, feeling the sudden rush of euphoria when she killed the Hollows. It made her want more…So she killed.
BOOM!
Again.
BOOM!
And again.
BOOM!
And again!
BOOM!
By the time she had killed all the Menos chasing her, she was already on the floor, panting heavily, as a blush spread along her face. The crimson aura around her, her killing intent-mixed-Reaitsu had long receded.
"That. Was. Amazing." She had no idea she could ever do such a thing, and she didn't even feel winded at all, rather, each time she killed a Menos, she would feel more energetic.
"I feel stronger, and my mind feels clearer, even my Reiryoku—Spiritual Power—seems to have increased."
[ Ding! ]
[ System activation requirement has been met ]
[ Welcome to the Bounty Hunter System Host: Maya ]
[ Displaying Host's 'Status' ]
~~~~~
«Status»
Name: Maya (Oda Nobunaga???)
Race: Soul
Gender: Female
Titles: Demon King |
Assimilation: Oda Nobunaga Archer (Type-Moon) 50%
Reiryoku Level: High (Mid —Equivalent to 15th - 10th Seat)
Powers / Abilities: Essence of Shura | Essence of Dominator | Rifle Summoning | Sword Summoning (Heshikiri Hasebe) | ?̵̫̓̒̐̔?̶̢̹̂?̴͔̼̻̕
Skills: Strategy(B) | Charisma(B-) | Demon King(A) |
Flaws: Compulsive Gambler | Sin of Lust | Antagonist Magnet
Soul Connection: Ạ̸̛͍̹̦̤̽̓́̚r̸̟̲̙̄̔̌͒͜i̴̛̘̱̝̤̗̒̐͑̒̑a̸̬̚͠ ̵̫͉͉̞̓̎̇Ẹ̶͍̺͆̋̿̉͝ͅc̵̡̰͎̀̂h̷̤̦̥͐̄̿̀̏i̸̹̍̄͌̆̌̊ḑ̸̗̣̼̥̒̀ṇ̶̀̔̋̊̉a̵͉͉̿̈́́̓͌ ̴͙͍̬͊̆̈́̐̏ͅŢ̶̟͙̺̪̬̈̀͐̂ē̴̛̙̇̌͌͝m̵̠̮̉͘p̶͓̬͕̑̽̐̍͘͜͝é̶̪̲̏s̵̨̛̹̯̟̱̭̒̕ẗ̸̜͉̱̦́̈
~~~~~
"Hey, hey, hey! I feel like I'm missing something here." Maya said, staring at the 50% on her assimilation, and the numerous abilities, the former took her by surprise, as it meant that her affinity with Nobunaga was quite high—if Template System fanfics were anything to go by.
The second thing that disturbed her was the 'soul connection', she couldn't read what it said after, so she now had to worry about being connected to an eldritch being.
[That isn't possible Host. The system boasts intelligence and calculation capabilities surpassing quantum computers]
Her eyes widened in surprise at receiving a response, "You can talk?"
[….]
"Hey? Why are you not answering?" Maya frowned when she didn't receive a reply.
[Because it was a rhetorical question?]
"You." Her eyes lost all emotion, and her voice grew cold as she uttered, "It would be for your own good to not annoy me and make me work like some slave or give me unreasonable punishments. And if you do, sealing you would be the least of your troubles. After all, if I can one day make the immortal seem mortal, whose to say I won't be able to kill an Eldritch construct."
[…No need to worry about such things Host. The system can't even fathom why other beings even create such stupid functions ]
"Then we're good." Maya smiled, even though she couldn't sense a change in its monotonous tone, her instincts told her that her words had an effect. It was likely that she could seal the system with Essence of Dominator if necessary.
"Now, tell me what your functions are." She asked, even though the name of the system more or less gave it away.
[Other than displaying your 'Status', you have an inventory , and the system can search for bounties for you all over the Multiverse. There is also situational bounties that appear depending on circumstances.]
"The Multiverse, huh?" Maya didn't question how the system would do that stuff, she was a 'action speaks louder than words' type of person after all, so she would just wait until she gets her first bounty.
"System, do you think I would be able to meet Aria if I do bounties?" She wondered, staring at the 'ceiling' of the Menos forest.
[It is not impossible. You could possibly get a bounty targeted on her, or possibly set by her, though the chances of such an occurrence is below 1%]
Maya narrowed her eyes at the thought of someone possibly targeting Aria, before replying, "As long as it's not zero then it's fine."
[I guess that's what humans call 'Hope']
Maya ignored the system, opting to stare at the two matchlocks in her hands. They felt familiar, as if she'd been using them for decades, as if they were made for her, it felt so natural that it was weird. "System—!!!"
BOOM!
BOOOOM!
"Hm? It seems like she blocked it at the last moment." A masculine voice sounded in the spot that Maya had previously been standing.
….
BOOOOM!
"Agh! Damn that fucking hurt!" Maya shouted, coughing up blood as she went through another tree, before finally coming to a stop.
The attack was something that Maya didn't expect, it was too sudden, too fast. It if wasn't for her new killing and combat instincts, she would be dead. The moment she saw a body looming over her, all she could do was block the fist with her matchlocks. Even then, she was still sent rocketing into the distance.
"It has to be an Adjucha, if it was a Vasto Lorde, it would have killed me in one hit." Maya quickly deduced, getting up from the wreckage without any outwards indication of an injury.
[ Ding! Elimination-Type Bounty Initiated! ]
[ Target: Tsukimaru— Hollow (Adjucha) ]
[ Reward: Distinctive Hollow Essence (Tsukimaru), Mind's Eye (Fake), Charisma(B-) → Charimsa(B+: Includes all B-Rank Charisma affects) ]
The system suddenly alerted, but Maya ignored it for now. With both her matchlocks destroyed, she summoned another one in her hand, a sword appearing in the other, though her attention was on the inhuman silhouette walking in her direction.
"You realised that from one attack? Impressive." Maya raised an eyebrow, noticing the respect in the tone of her opponent. It didn't mean it surprised though, Dominator did say that strong beings would respect her, and it seemed like a Hollow would too.
'A kitsune?' Maya furrowed her brows, as she finally got a good look at her attacker. It was a kitsune-like Adjucha, with white shell covering its bipedal body, and its nine tails, rather than actual tails were snakes.
(Image)
"Strong. You are really strong." Maya honestly admitted, feeling its Reiatsu, but even then, she wasn't afraid, rather, she was excited! She could feel her heart drumming against her chest, and the wide smile on her face.
[Host, there's a fifty per cent chance of you dying, you know?]
"That's what makes it all the more exciting!" Maya shouted loudly, making the Hollow wonder if this shinigami(?) was crazy, but it didn't have time to think as it soon felt like it was thrown into a quagmire.
Maya had released her killing intent in hopes of freezing the Hollow, and to her surprise, it worked. She, a girl from the modern world, who had never killed a person in her life, somehow had a dense killing intent that could frighten a creature who has been devouring others for years.
The effect of her intent only lasted for a moment, but it was enough for Maya to close the distance. She swung Heshikiri Hasebe down at the kitsune Hollows face, aiming to destroy his mask.
*Clang!*
"Heh. Got you." The Adjucha smirked beneath its mask, as its claws and Maya's sword created sparks, its nine snake tails were already aimed at the latter, as magneta coloured spiritual energy started gathering at each of their mouths.
*Click*
"No, I got you." Grinning, Maya pulled the trigger of the matchlock placed on the Adjucha's chest.
BOOM!
The bullet tore through the Adjucha's shell, creating a beam of spiritual energy that stretched through the Forest of Menos. The kitsune-like creature staggered backwards, and Maya, seizing the opportunity, swiftly moved in with Heshikiri Hasebe again.
BOOM!
"Sonido." Maya muttered, hearing the booming sound. The Hollow distanced itself away from her before she could strike. It was also what it had used to ambush her in the first place.
"Not bad. I guess I should take this more seriously." Tsukimaru touched the hole in his chest that had already begun regenerating. Leaning forward, he placed his hands on the sandy ground, his form shifting to that of a quadrupedal.
*Hissss!*
His snake tails started hissing wildly, and Maya noted that they seemed to be absorbing Reishi from the atmosphere.
She wasn't sure what they were doing, but she knew she couldn't let it continue.
'Oh, how I wish the inexhaustible stamina of Dominator was not limited to the bed.' The previous shot had taken a chunk of her Reiryoku, if it wasn't for the rejuvenation effect that accumulated from killing the Gillians, she would have been in trouble now.
Ridding herself of useless thoughts, Maya locked eyes with Tsukimaru, and as if they had a tacit understanding, both vanished from their positions, appearing before each other, clashing.
BOOM!
*Clang!*
"Sonido?" Tsukimaru muttered in confusion, seeing the sudden burst of speed from this woman. 'If she had such a technique why didn't she dodge at the beginning?'
"[Shukuchi]." Maya replied, as she once again felt her hand trembling from the clash, unsurprisingly, the Adjucha was physically stronger than her.
As for her movement technique, it was one she had come up with after observing [Sonido] twice, and also after recalling it from Okita in Type-Moon. Since she couldn't replicate [Sonindo] as she didn't have the appropriate traits—being a Hollow, she created her own.
It was simple really, all thanks to her combat instinct that is. However, because she had just created the technique with no prior practice, the strain on her legs was also severe.
[Host, do you trust me?]
'No.' Maya unhesitatingly answered, as she continued to exchange blows with Tsukimaru, her [Shukuchi] allowing her to match the Adjucha's speed.
[I understand…Even then, I recommend that the Host takes on the technique the snakes will release head on.]
'Are you trying to get me killed?' She asked casually, skidding back from another clash. However, her eyes widened, her danger instinct flaring as she saw a purple ball of spiritual energy rapidly forming in the Hollow's mouth.
Maya was about to use [Shukuchi], but then a sudden surge of pain erupted from her legs, making her wince.
[Cero]
BOOOOOOM!
A purple beam of destruction of destruction passed through Maya's position, turning the sand into glass,and causing shockwaves to ripple through the Forest of Menos. Maya narrowly escaped the attack by shifting her body to an unnatural degree.
"It's over." The kitsune Adjucha confidently said, as the nine snake tails started releasing purple smoke all over the area.
"Hmm? It's not poison?" Maya muttered, distancing herself from the smoke, even when she saw that it didn't affect her.
"Are you sure that it isn't poison?" Tsukimaru asked, walking to her nonchalantly, as if he had already won the fight.
Maya furrowed her brows seeing his behaviour, something felt off. 'Is he just that confident in that smoke of his? Or—!'
She suddenly felt danger looming behind her, and rather than turning around, she summoned dozens of rifles that immediately fired.
BOOOM!
"Oh~? It looks like you still have some cards up your sleeve, but I can see that move used up a lot of your energy." The Tsukimaru in front of her then suddenly split into eight more.
'Illusions.' Maya's eyes twitched at that, why did the first true foe she encountered have to have an ability similar to Aizen's? But even then, she just grinned, she knew how to kill him, and it involved gambling her own life. Just the thought started making her wet!
Why wouldn't it?! If she failed, she died, if she succeeded she won. It was the ultimate gamble involving life and death!
"Have you perhaps gone crazy from fear?" Tsukimaru mocked her.
Maya chuckled, her laughter echoing through the eerie Menos Forest. "Crazy? No, darling. I'm just getting warmed up." She winked, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "And what's with the multiplication? Are you compensating for something that you're lacking with numbers?"
"You…" At her words, the grin under Tsukimaru's mask faded, as annoyance and anger crept through. All the illusions, including the real Hollow quickly charged at Maya.
'He fell for it.' Maya thought, as she engaged the clones in hit and run attacks. She once again felt danger behind her, turning around, or at least she tried, but the next moment a claw was already running through her chest from the front.
"And here I was beginning to think that you had a back door fetish with a preference for doggy-style, but I guess you are missionary all the way." Instead of the fear he was expecting to see, all the kitsune Adjucha received was a bloody grin and another round of mockery.
Before he could pull his arm out of her chest, Maya gripped it, saying, "Now, now, I know you're a one shot wonder, but I recommend you feel the [Chains of Heaven]." With those words, gold chains materialised, wrapping around the Hollow's limbs.
"What did you do?!" Tsukimaru shouted, feeling that he couldn't call upon his spiritual energy or easily break free from the chains.
Maya ignored him for now, opting to remove his claw that was piercing her, 'I would rather be the one to do the piercing.' Thinking so,she looked at the claw holes in her chest that was slowly regenerating. 'It isn't fast enough. I'll die of blood loss before it even regenerates. I need to speed it up.'
So without wasting time, she swung Heshikiri Hasebe, decapitating the kitsune.
[Ding! Elimination successful. Bounty rewards acquired.]
[ Mind's Eye (Fake) ]
[ Charisma(B-) → Charisma(B+) ]
[ Distinctive Hollow Essence (Tsukimaru) has been stored in your inventory ]
The notification went over Maya's head as she was too busy basking in the high she was experiencing from killing a strong enemy. The injury on her chest was also rapidly sealing, and her Reiryoku had already replenished—increased even.
'Ah~ What a way start to this new life of mine~!' Her current feelings were a complete contrast to the annoyance she felt when she first got attacked by the Gillians.
****
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. This was my first proper fight scene, so apologies if it's bad—I feel like it is.
Also, I'm not sure if I portrayed Nobunaga's abilities correctly, and if I didn't, go easy on me on the roasting.