Welcome to Gaia! ::

"You think you know me, but you have no idea," Kurai snapped. She blocked his reiatsu-infused punch easily, sweeping it aside and aiming a thrust at his stomach with her wakizashi. "Don't feed me lines about your 'ultimate power' crap. You really have no clue what you're dealing with, so don't cross me,"

Her pride stung at being declared weak by some upstart arrancar who thought he could take her on. That was the problem with arrancar. They were so smug in their own power that they didn't deign to recognize anyone else's. Their arrogance chafed at her own, and the irritation fed her already quick temper.

Even if he had seen through her rather transparent lie, at least he'd abandoned the idea of harming Toshiro. All Kurai had to do was keep him focused on his battle with her, and Toshiro would come to no harm.

"Do you honestly think that know nothing about you I know enough to do what I want to you."Artemis said relishing the fact that she was getting angry at him. Sliding out of the way of the wakizashi Artemis onidoed behind Kurai.

"I don't need to worry about you girl but if your power is wild like you I have more to worry about from your powers then from you."he said with a chuckle"I'll bet that if your powers is just as wild as you it longs to b free, but you kep it contained.. You know you can never keep anything wild caged for long it will escape and it will consme you. It will cast you into the darkness leaving you all alone."

Leaning closer too Kurai Artemis whispered this in her ear."How do expect to save the ones you love when you can't save yourself."

"I fear nothing because I have nothing, I'm not afaid of deat for I have nothing to cling on to in this world, but you....you have everything to fear you probaly escaped from cages all you life but you were never truely free you will always be caged up by yours fears."Artemis said with an insane laugh as he easily dodge Kurai's attack by moving just abit to the side.

looking at Kurai Artemis gave her a grin before speaking again"Me I'm completly free of everything I have nothing to lose and everything to gain on the other hand you stand to lose everything I wonder what would you do if your Toshiro died would you slowly sink down, and die, or would you lose yourself completly to your power it's an intresting idea one I plan to do."

As the shinigami sent barrages of attacks at the clones, many shattered, creating piles of snow, and others began defending.
As the Labyrinth warped around again, it was apperant that many of the shinigami were in fact, close to the stairs. Their image appeared beyond the shifting walls, as the moved again. But this time it was left open, and Verdugo could be seen floating in front of them.
It was the home-stretch for some, for there was quite a bit of room between some shinigami and the clones, and further room beyond the clones to the stairs. This was dangerous, leaving them open to attack on all sides, ad that was only after they made it past Lemo's clones.
As for individual attacks, Slash's white lightning was deflected by the clones, and it seemed it was going to take upper-kidos only for them.

"You kill me intresting we'll have to see about that."Artemis said with a cocky grin on his face. Artemis looked at Kurai thinking about how much this girl loved Toshiro it was her weakness. If she were to lose him she might lose it Artemis laughed to himself at the very idea of it.

"So tell me Kurai why do all the rest of the arrancars wnat to tame you when it is impossible to do so you may keep the beast down for only abit before it escapes again, so what is your wild side like I would love to know."He said licking his lips at the mere thought of it. Artemis was having more fun with this little soul reaper the he had with all the others.

Passing up a few ice clones, Jan was rapidly approaching another ice-coated attack. However, it seemed that it was not meant for him, but for an unfortunate Shinigami who had gotten in their way. Quickly drawing his wakisashi with his left hand and firing an impromptu photon beam from it, Jan intercepted the Cero in time for the Shinigami's escape. "Hey, kid! This isn't the place for you to come training with Captains!" His Reiatsu level doesn't feel too strong... Not at a Vice-Captain's level or anything. I'll just watch his back...

Seeing the second ice clone charging for another attack, Jan began charging heat energy of his own to intercept it as well. "Tell me you can at least use a Shikai blade to defend yourself... Or get out of my way."

((No offense to you or your character, Slash. Jan's just a jerk on a rampage. Still, if you can contribute to the fight, by all means, please do so!))

The attacking clone was rendered useless by Jan's attack, but the second one on the ground fired off both Balas at Jan and Slash.



But after that, something odd happened, and the second clone's reiatsu began to climb higher than any of the other clones. The first one landed after dodging Jan's attack by using sonido, and then seemed to be defending the other clone, who was still powering up...