Occurs before Diplomat of the Year

Though the normal humans of the world were unaware of this fact, they were under constant protection from a race that they would have feared and despised had they known of their existence.  In truth, their legends spoke about the creatures, those known as Bounts, and they were known as vampires.  Most considered these to be mere fables however, tales to frighten children into behaving appropriately.  How were they to know that not only were 'vampires' real, but that they performed the act of eliminating creatures that sought their very souls?  Indeed, among the empowered human races, the Bounts were those who safeguarded Asia.  This was done not out of some moral duty to humanity, but the knowledge that a land filled with Hollows made life more difficult than it needed to be.  Especially when there was war with the Quincy to attend to, the Bounts could not be worried about rampant beasts.  

To the end of protecting his entire massive domain, or at least as much of it as could be protected simultaneously, Zanmato divided the power of the Bounts across the Asian continent.  In order to assure that all operations were proceeding smoothly, the Blood Lord would make occasional trips across the continent in order to 'inspect' the various places in which Bounts were stationed.  During these 'inspections,' he and a Wraith or two would typically take some time to speak about the affairs of the area.  For this particular meeting, Zanmato was walking along the Great Wall of China, speaking with a Wraith who had been assigned to a piece of the length of the great structure.  With the tourist population of the area, Hollows on occasion found themselves drawn to the Wall to feed.  That being said, the Blood Lord typically assigned a Wraith to guard segments of the wall at a time.  It was late in the day, with not as many people along the wall's length.  The sun was beginning to set in the distance, bathing the sky in darker shades of red and violet.  The Blood Lord was speaking to his subordinate, and apparently everything was nominal along this piece of the wall and had been for some time.  Unfortunately, the streak of days without Hollow activity was to be broken rather soon, not that either Bount had access to this knowledge just yet.

"It's like I keep telling you, my Lord. There have been no sightings of Hollows on this Wall in weeks." The Wraith walking along with Zanmato was saying with something resembling a feeling of pride in his voice, as though he were solely responsible for the lack of Hollows in the area. The Blood Lord was tempted to remind him that seeing no Hollows and being responsible for the lack of activity were two different things, but he just could not bring himself to break the other's apparent view of himself. "Excellent work, Wraith. It pleases me to know that the Wall is in such excellent hands." Zanmato said while keeping the amusement out of his voice with practiced ease. He was about to say something else, when he noticed something that most people would have found rather peculiar. Someone had just leaped to the top of the Great Wall. Though he would have broken away from the Wraith to follow this person had they walked the other direction, the unknown individual instead began to walk towards the Bounts.

When they came closer, Zanmato could see rather clearly that an Arrancar stood before him. The mask fragment and the Zanpakuto hanging from the hip was indicative of this fact, though the Blood Lord now found himself curious as to what the presence of this Arrancar meant. "In fact, we are here for both purposes. I originally came to this area to inspect it, and chose to walk along the Wall while I did so. What business do you have here, Arrancar?" Zanmato's voice was oddly polite for conversation with an evolved Hollow, but then no one ever said that potential mortal enemies could not be civil towards one another.

It was something of a spectacle to hear them talking about his kind, he wasn't quite sure what these people were yet, but he would find out in due time. He would find the polite behavior a tad surprising, but he would give the same courtesy.
"Well, I was looking over the wall, seeing as I've never visited the thing before. I've heard many a things about this wall before, such a wonder what humans can do when they need to." He would continue closer to the man, most likely pushing his luck, but not giving it much thought. He would come close enough to reach his arm out, and as he did he offered the other a shake of hands.
"Gabriel Zeil."

He was watchful of the other as he presented his hand, and if he were to accept the hand, he would give a firm gripped single shake. If the hand wasn't accepted, he would merely allow it to rest at his side again.
"Although, I was looking for a bit of entertainment as well, would you know of anything entertaining around here?" A slow smirk would begin to form over his lips as he said this, his eyes dancing with amusement. He was more than eager for a battle, but he wasn't going to be the first to offer anything of the sort. Gabriel needed to remain the picture of neutrality for the time being, but if the other were to offer the chance at battle, he would accept without hesitation.

The Blood Lord could feel his Doll's restless stirring, but he did not allow it to emerge just yet from where it lay.  He was not terribly worried about what this Arrancar could potentially do, considering the fact that regardless of how powerful he was, Zanmato was likely by far stronger.  This gave him the ability to accept the out stretched hand and offer his own out in return, giving a firm squeeze and one shake before withdrawing it.  "Zanmato."  He would say in response to the Arrancar giving him his name.  Anyone seeing this encounter would simply assume that there were three men along the Wall having met and assumed conversation together.  

Zanmato had thus far maintained a neutral expression, though at the mention of where entertainment could be found his expression tightened slightly.  This lasted for only a moment however, before his expression would relax back into its normal state.  The other was not saying it, but what he wanted was confrontation.  Why else would he have come up to this point of the wall and offered converse to the only two beings here with any form of spiritual energy?  Not that Zanmato's could be sensed in its entirety, but there was just enough so that beings would be able to sense him nearby.  'Very well then, if I must initiate this.'  The Blood Lord thought to himself as he turned and made a gesture towards his Wraith minion.  The Wraith looked at the Blood Lord once, then looked at the Arrancar before speeding in the opposite direction.  With that done, Zanmato was able to act out his role in this growing presentation.  "I am afraid that this is not a place of amusement, but of sightseeing.  The only entertainment that I have to offer is my expelling you from this continent.  Now, will you return to Hueco Mundo by yourself or after I incapacitate you?"  The Bount said without the slightest hint of caring in his voice.  Without the knowledge that this opponent would be a worthy challenge, he was considering this entire ordeal to be somewhat of a distraction rather than a situation actually worthy of his attention.  He had merely sent the Wraith away because he wanted to ensure that this Arrancar would not take one of his along with it into oblivion or the world from which it came.

The thought of another being able to incapacitate him was almost enough for him to pull his zanpakuto out right then and there, but he restrained himself for the time being. His hand would come to rest on the hilt of his weapon, but he spoke without unsheathing it.
"I'll make a deal with you, if I come to the point that I might become incapacitate, I will personally leave back to Heuco Mundo. If you'll indulge me in this I assure you that my departure after such a time will be swift and without argument." The smirk on his face would grow into a wide grin, his eyes dancing with excitement at the chance to cut loose for a change.

Gabriel was practically jumping at the chance to fight this man. He could tell just by the way he carried himself that the man held power, and from the way he spoke gave the prospect that he might be of extreme power. He was hungry for a battle that threatened to leave him unconscious, and if he was right this man was going to provide him such a challenge. The only thing now was for the man to respond to his offer, and he would then act accordingly. There was a sense of diplomacy in this conversation, yet he felt like the opposing side, and he knew the other would protect his country.

When the hand of the other went to his weapon, Zanmato knew that his suspicions were more than likely correct. Despite the tone of this conversation, it was swiftly becoming obvious where it would conclude. In which case, even though he figured that his opponent was more than likely not worth unleashing his power, he would not be fool enough to be caught without his Doll prepared. "Very well, I accept your offer, though I must warn you that under these conditions you will more than likely return to your home minus a few pieces. That is, if you are able to return at all."

With that, the Blood Lord took a few steps back and allowed his reiatsu to begin to flow outwards, releasing a limiter that he placed upon it so that he could avoid harming his own people when they were in close proximity. Something that the Arrancar would soon learn was the fact that when certain Bounts released their spiritual pressures, their ability to feed on reishi went into overdrive, draining the ability of the enemy to hold onto their own spiritual energies. In this way, these Bounts acted as leeches, draining the power of their enemies merely by the virtue of the enemy being in their presence. This particular Arrancar would feel his energies being drained even as Zanmato was stepping backwards.

"Ziege Dich, Giftspinne." Something else that occurred when Zanmato released his reiatsu was that his Doll knew that it was time to emerge, and it did so from behind its master. The Doll had actually been underneath Zanmato the entire time, undetectable by reiatsu senses, but the Arrancar did not need to have that knowledge. Instead the Blood Lord would make it appear as though he called out to the Doll as a Shinigami would call to their Zanpakuto. A two meter long spider-like creature exuding a black miasma crawled directly from out of the ground, coming to rest behind Zanmato and staring at the Arrancar with what could best be described as a predatory expression to match with Zanmato's calm. "One opportunity, Arrancar. Return from whence you came by your own will, or by mine." Ever polite even in the face of imminent battle, the Blood Lord's offer was sincere, not that he actually believed that the Arrancar would accept the chance to retreat. After all, he had come for a battle, and a battle would be what would occur.

Gabriel found himself taking a step back himself, his right hand pulling free his zanpakuto as he took a more firm stance. He could tell by the creature behind the man that he was a bount, and that meant difficulties on a higher scale. He really had his work cut out for him, and if the man was as strong as he thought, there was no way he was leaving unscathed. For but a moment he considered leaving, but he knew that it would haunt him until he returned for the fight he wanted.

He would concentrate himself, feeling the others reiatsu flowing out. He himself would keep as much of his own reiatsu in as possible, there was no point in simply feeding the man further. Holding the blade in front of him, he would keep his other hand free, bent at the elbow and palm out at chest level. It was interesting to watch the spider, and the look it gave him was enough to get his blood pumping. He would meet the gaze of the spider with one of his own, but he would keep the man within his line of sight as well. No point in taking his eyes off both of them unless he needed to, and he would make it a point not to need to.

For the moment, Zanmato would clasp his hands behind his back, assuming a posture that assumed his standing in place for an extended period of time.  The drawing of the Zanpakuto did not worry him in the slightest, considering that with Giftspinne's combat skill, the chances of the Arrancar reaching him in the first place were rather limited.  Speaking of, the Doll was becoming rather impatient, raising its legs and stamping them down as though it could not wait to get started.  

"Zanmato, when does battle begin?"  

The spider asked in a voice that was seemingly neither masculine or feminine, being rather difficult to place along a gender scale.  It spoke with a rushed voice that further betrayed its eagerness to begin combat, and Zanmato could not quite blame it.  Aside from Fullbringers and Vizards, Arrancar was the species that Giftspinne had fought the least amount of times, and so curiosity motivated the Doll as much as battle fervor.

"Very soon, Giftspinne.  I understand your impatience, but attempt to restrain yourself for just a moment.  I would prefer our guest to act first.  Aside from that, I would prefer if you used your craft for me at the moment."  

With what could only be described as the spider-equivalent to a sigh, the spider attempted to still itself to only little success.  After Zanmato had asked for it to 'use its craft,' a protrusion began to form along the creature's bulb.  It was around a few inches long and cylindrical in shape, though it was growing, giving the appearance of the spider ejecting something from itself. Zanmato began to wonder how long the Arrancar would stay where he was, considering that it had to have heard him say that the Blood Lord would offer him the first move in this combat.

Without hesitation, Gabriel would dash forwards towards them, his open palm charging a cero as he did so. Once he would be within striking distance he would fire the cero at the man, swinging his blade down at the spider. His blade would be aimed at its head, the cero aimed for the mans chest. Gabriel's eyes seemed to stare straight ahead, but he was well aware of their positions. An expressionless face with dead eye, he was beginning his ritual of battle. With nothing but the response from his attacks, he would begin winding his counters in his head, the cogs turning.

The wondering would need not last for long, as the Arrancar would almost immediately afterwards dash forward to begin the attack.  Without a particular expression or show of actual effort, Zanmato raised a hand to the point of his chest that the cero was heading for.  The cero reached the Bount's hand and immediately disappeared, being consumed in a more direct version of the passive reishi devouring that was continuously occurring around the Blood Lord.  For its part, Giftspinne would jump to the left as soon as the Arrancar moved, using the fact that it was lower to the ground in order to give itself the ability to make such a direct jump without fear taking a glancing blow.  It then leaped back towards the Arrancar as soon as it landed, its body being launched in a line at a height of chest level to the Arrancar.  The blade-like legs on its right side were outwards, ready to cut deep into evolved Hollow flesh.  From his position still in front of the Arrancar, Zanmato had yet to move, though he was staring down at his opponent with a curious expression.

He figured the cero would do nothing to the other, he just needed to see if the man could absorb such an attack and how easily. With that question answered, Gabriel would continue his course forwards towards the bount, his left hand moving to aim at the spider jumping at him. A cero would fire at the spider as he got closer to the bount, his blade at the read to strike when he got within range. He didn't bother with following visually, to him it was a hindrance unless absolutely needed. He would follow them by their rieatsu alone for the time being, his focus on their locations holding fast.

The spider in question would launch its legs into the ground, using the grip into the earth to pull itself towards the ground.  Something fundamental would change about the creature however, as it would apparently phase into the ground.  Its reiatsu signature would also become completely unable to be sensed, not merely damped but erased completely as though it had never existed.  The cero would pass through the location in space where the spider had been moments ago, though the Arrancer would not likely notice what had happened considering the fact that his eyes were still on Zanmato instead of Giftspinne.  The Bount himself merely pointed a finger on the still upraised hand at the Arrancar that was rushing towards him.  A Cero would emerge from his finger, one that was aimed at the charging opponent in much the same way that the Arrancar had aimed a Cero at the charging Doll.

Moves Used:

The sight of a bount firing a cero was one that left him with many questions, but he wouldn't let it get the better of him. Gabriel would keep forwards until his blade would meet the cero, pressing his blade to it to try and split it down the middle. In order to make this a less aggravating task, he would fire a cero from his blade down the middle of the oncoming cero to split it and send a crescent cero at the opponent. From this he would continue his charge towards the man from behind the cero, his blade in front of him in it's original spot.

Cero's Fired: 3

The Blood Lord had to admit that he was impressed by the other's quick thinking to cut through the energy attack. The counter-attack was also rather inspired, and for a moment even Zanmato was almost surprised. He had not known that it was possible to fire a Cero in such a controlled manner as to form it along a blade and send it in a crescent. There would be time to reflect on this discovery later however, for this was the time for combat. His hand still raised, Zanmato negated and absorbed this cero variant as readily as he had the other cero. Knowing that the Arrancar was behind it, he then leaped to his right side to avoid the Arrancar, flaring his reiatsu briefly as he did so. His spidery Doll would understand the message, appearing just to the left side of where the Bount would land.

"Having fun?" The Doll asked with what could almost have been called a voice of amusement. Zanmato simply let out a sigh and reached downwards to grip the handle that was protruding still from the spider's bulb. "I will admit that I held a mistaken view about this opponent." When he had first absorbed the Arrancar's energy attack, he had felt the power of it and wondered if his opponent was not more powerful than he had first assumed. The second attack that he absorbed had used as confirmation, which is why he absorbed it rather than dodging it.

"More power than you first thought then?" The Doll asked, staring at the Arrancar with the same predatory expression. "By quite a bit actually. That said, I'm glad that I took the precaution of telling you to prepare my weapon." Pulling on the handle, Zanmato drew from the spider a sword of length comparable to a katana. The blade did not bear the appearance of a metallic weapon however, being composed of the same chitinous material that formed the blade-like appendages of his Doll. "Now then, back to business." The Blood Lord would say, holding the organic weapon point towards the ground, facing diagonally on his right side. His left hand would be raised to about chest level to perform free hand duties. Giftspinne was simply moving away from the Bount at this point, placing some space so that if the Arrancar attacked it would not be able to hit them both with one strike.

Moves Used:

Sword Image (Not Exact):

Turning on a dime, Gabriel would come to stare at the man with a bit more interest now. He was glad his opponent took him a slice more seriously, but that would also mean bad things for him. With his blade in front of him, he would stand at the ready, this time giving his opponent the turn to act first. From what he heard, the other was already getting to know his power, which for him meant he would have to fight harder. He had hoped to surprise the other with a sudden change of pace power wise, but he would have to plan accordingly to this change. Hi left hand would rest at his side once again, and as he stared them down, his lips would twitch into a smile. This was the anticipation he wanted, there was something about the man before him that made Gabriel's skin crawl, and it wasn't his spider. No, there was a certain aura about the man that Gabriel wanted to know more about, but he was sure there would be little more conversation between them.

The man in question was simply standing where he was, staring at the Arrancar with a thoughtful expression.  For the moment, Giftspinne was still moving further and further to the left, not particularly getting close to the Arrancar as much as it was circling around him.  His sword still in its restful position, Zanmato would begin to speak to his opponent, allowing Giftspinne to have a moment to recover from its use of the Aditu Templi Mittentes.  After all, talking opponents were not typically attacking opponents, and in any case the Arrancar had been paying him more attention than the Doll anyway.  "You are not an ordinary creature from Hueco Mundo."  It was not a question, but a statement.  "Most creatures that come into my presence who attempt to use an energy attack find their efforts to be almost entirely in vain.  Their powers are drained to such a level that their attacks are mere pinpricks even if I allow them to strike.  Yours however, is still powerful even within the aura of decay that I exude."  At this point, Zanmato lifted the point of his sword from the ground and pointed it at the Arrancar.  "Tell me, Gabriel Zeil, precisely who or what you are, that you possess the power that you do even in my presence."

Though Zanmato allowed the blade in his right hand to return to the restful position in which he had first placed it, he paid the utmost attention to the Arrancar as he removed his jacket.  "What is he doing?  Showing you a tattoo?"  Giftspinne's comment was largely meant to be a joke, as neither of them had ever seen an Espada before, though they had once heard about them from a Shinigami that Zanmato had captured soon after becoming Blood Lord.  

The antithesis of the Shinigami Captains, the Espada were the leaders of the Hollow race, or at least were the most powerful among their kind.  When the Blood Lord replied, the spider would actually stop moving and become quiet, intrigued to the point of stillness and silence.  "Actually, he is showing me the number one.  This man before us is the Primera Espada, a...or perhaps the leader of Hollow-kind."  

"And so that means that your original estimate about his power were..."  

"...completely incorrect."  At this point, it was the Blood Lord's turn to give a soft sigh.  He disliked having to admit that he had underestimated his opponent, considering the fact that he was generally much better about not making that mistake.  Underestimating an opponent was a factor in the death of the Blood Lord before him, though in that case, Zanmato had been the underestimated one.  At this point, Zanmato would make a gesture towards the Arrancar.  "My apologies, my Doll and I have a bad habit of over-speaking during combat.  Price to pay of their being two, of us I suppose.  At any rate, you asked for a full introduction, and you will have it."  

The Blood Lord placed a hand across his torso and bent his neck and the slightest part of his chest, the closest that he came during combat to a formal bow.  "I am the Blood Lord of the Bounts, my name you are already aware of.  I am essentially your counterpart among my race.  Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Primera Espada."  That being said, Zanmato would launch himself forward, running towards the Espada with great speed.  It was not his fastest, but then again he was not particularly attempting to charge face-first into a blade.  When he reached within two meters of his opponent, he would charge a Cero and released it from the palm of his left hand.

Moves Used:

Gabriel would kick off the ground, jumping to the right of the cero. He would bring the blade in his right hand up, making the smallest of cuts on his left palm. Keeping the blade in front of him, he would then point his palm at the man. The once bloody palm would form a pitch black gran rey cero. He wouldn't wait a moment after it's peek before firing it at near point blank range at the other. Gabriel knew that underestimating this man was certain death, so he wasn't going to wait much longer to get this fight started. They had both been testing the waters for a time, but he would be the first to dive right in, and this was just the time to do so.

Cero's Fired:

When the other kicked off the ground, Zanmato called out to his Doll.  "Hold!"  There was a certain tone in the voice of the Blood Lord that let the spider know that this was not a request, but a command from Bount to Doll.  Meanwhile, the Arrancar produced blood on his own hand and released a variant of Cero that was different than the previous blasts.  

Being as close as he was, Zanmato could feel that this was not something that was within his power to negate or absorb.  That did not mean that he was entirely defenseless however, as the other would likely consider this to be his 'trump card.'  That meant that he would hardly be expecting such an attack to be rendered utterly useless, and that would free the Blood Lord up for quite an impressive bit of maneuvering and bluffing.  There was a technique little known or practiced among the Bounts, one in which the Bount in question could reflect something sent towards them, regardless of strength.  

The Blood Lord would apply this technique now, turning slightly and 'catching' the Primera's Gran Rey with his bare left hand.  Looking at the Arrancar, ensuring that the other could see that he was not straining to perform this technique, Zanmato launched the Gran Rey directly back at its source before seeming to disappear.  He would 'reappear' a few meters away from the Arrancar in the direction that he was moving.  Forming a Cero along the edge of his blade, he would launch the blast along in a wide arc, hoping to catch the Espada either in the massive explosion of Ceros or directly with one or the other before performing the Dosen to escape from the massive blast radius himself.

Moves Used:

The Great Wall of China would be receiving a new addition on this day in the form of a nice-sized crater that stretched deep into the wall.  Had the Cero explosion been much more powerful, the Wall would have been given a hole comparable to the one blown in the Wall of Helm's Deep.  That did not mean that this was by any means minor damage however, as the explosion stretched for quite some distance.  The Blood Lord was hardly finished however, as fairly leaped away from the explosion after the Primera.  Being even faster than the latter, he had used another Dosen to catch up with his opponent, avoiding the cavernous hole that he had just helped to place in one of the wonders of the world.  Having used Dosen to appear basically in front of his opponent, Zanmato gained his balance on the air and spun around, aiming to cut his opponent directly in half.  He was hoping that the Arrancar would be caught rather off-guard by this strike, but he doubted that it was actually connect.  No, in his mind, this battle had hardly actually begun and at the moment, he was just putting on pressure. "Even if you are the Primera, you must realize that you cannot win as you are now."  Zanmato would say as his sword either connected with something or met only air. He did not appear to be worried about Giftspinne, though that was because the Doll had already been out of range, having moved there long before the explosion occurred as a part of 'stay,' which meant to stay out of the battle for a moment.

Moves Used:

The Bount had to resist the urge to smile, the other was apparently under the opinion that there was something akin to a choice in this matter.  The blades were locked, with both combatants pressing the other's blades with quite an intriguing amount of force.  "Well, the thing about that, Espada...is that it is not my patience that will be getting strained at this point.  Giftspinne?"  The spider-doll would turn pitch black for a moment before a swarm of black dots would be released from within its body.  These dots bore the appearance of locusts, but had no coloration other than that of the deepest black.  These creatures rushed towards the Arrancar and the Bount, the latter of whom was currently pressing his blade hard towards his opponent.  A Cero began to charge along the edge of his blade, giving the Espada a choice: he could attempt to dodge, and more than likely either be glanced by the Cero, or he could charge a blast upon his own weapon and continue the deadlock and taking his chances with the incoming swarm.  After all, this was a point-blank Cero, and the only thing that would be keeping it from being released was another Cero of equal power holding it back.

Moves Used: