Cross Effects 3.0 - The Third Time's the Charm? Colosseum

[Kotomine_Rin]

He who shines bright like a star among the heavens.

And then, the winds increased in speed. It was something beyond the winds of the earth. No, the air was moving at mach speeds at this points, even higher. It had reached a point where those winds were alike the great winds of the cosmos.

And light now overtook the storm, as if the wind itself had become lightning.

But this wasn't something as simple as lightning, no. He was harnessing the winds themselves to gather plasma in it's purest state, enough to create a star. For the heavens are not something as meagre as the sky. No, the heavens are the everlasting horizon. They are what holds the earth in place, they are the very essence that grants the cosmos existence.

There is the air, there is the wind, there is the sky and there is space.

And beyond that, the heavens themselves. A hall beyond man's reach, unknown, the peak that all those who exist fight to reach. Compared to the vast infinite, something like the world was quite small.

But that woman, she was truly something. If he could allow it, he would say she was the real deal. She was something that could go as far as to challenge the heavens, perhaps even reach them. And this attack, this gathering light would be an adequate test.

The lightning was the calm before the storm, and the storm was the fanfare that would call down the heavens.

A taste of what the heavens could truly muster. It wasn't much, only but a star. However, if she could manage to avoid this blow he would definitely go all out. He would use that.

But instead, she charged straight at it. His eyes widened, he tried to tell her to stop. She was only meant to avoid it, to defend against it. But at point blank-

And a flying fist of gold pummelled his chest, a loud snapping sound audible even despite the. And for that instant, he lost control. The technique couldn't be completed and all the built up energy was released at once. Without form, without a shape to control it, it rampaged wild.

The heavens cried.

"You idiot!"

And all the land, or rather what was left of it, was engulfed in a blinding flash of white. It was like a sun, a burst of energy not like anything the world could ever withstand, great enough to swallow a country whole. Mountains melted, rivers dried up, earth was split and the planet's very core trembled as the heavens dug themselves deeper and deeper into it.

And from a cloud of smoke, lightning danced. Then, a charred silhouette came forth from the great pyre.

His body suffered from severe burns. Three ribs were sprouting from his chest in an unsightly manner. His whole left arm had been charred to the bone. His left eye was now completely blank, contrasting his dark bloodied face. Even so, his body still moved as functionally as ever, as if those wounds but superficial.

He clicked his tongue in damnation. If his body couldn't fully withstand something like this, he feared she would be too crippled to warrant going all out. If there was anything left of her to begin with.

[Knick]

The Empress

The Empress’ fist struck the man’s attack. And with it hell on earth was released. The pure flames, the heat of the sun, ripped free from his attack and expanded. It consumed, it encompassed.

It burnt the air, it burnt the water, and it burnt the earth. And in that moment time seemed to slow for Suiren, as it began to envelop her.

It pushed against her, threatened to consume her, beating down on her armor. It was trying to surpass her, to overwhelm her, to dominate and destroy her. But the in moment it touched her armor she realized.

This was something she has not felt, it could be felt further beyond the clouds, and it was beyond what Suiren could have ever reached. And in that moment, in the moment her armor began to weaken ever so slightly, she felt something she had not in years.

Excitement.

And so, in that moment Suiren chose to take the cause of this feeling for herself and become its Ruler. Golden light filled the explosion of energy, light that could not been seen due to the brightness of the release. And she claimed it for her own.

And as her Armor faded she became a ruler, not the Sky Ruler she once said, but with the power of this combined with the sky around them she truly claimed the heavens.

And so, rather than something to get blasted away, she became PART of the storm of power as it continued its expansion and then dissipation.

And then she fell to the ground and touched upon it. Her garb was slightly singed, the process was incomplete for even the shortest moment when the armor gave, not expanded to her clothing completely.

But yet she stood there, the only signs she was within that explosion at all was the droplets of sweet and that slightly singed clothing.

And then she spoke out, “Golden Heavenly Garb.” And the gold light around her intensified, showing itself in full to her opponent in full, and with it her armor reformed, “Now this has gotten a bit more fun.” She said, for the first time allowing her true personality to shine though, given the man a toothy and battle hungry grin.

[Kotomine_Rin]

The Vanguard

Fire, destruction. The ravage of the heavens left it's scars on the earth. But amidst the destruction, she stood. She did it. And he roared in thunderous laughter, applauding his foe from the bottom of his heart, praising her from the depths of his soul.

His smile was as wide as the sky, as radiant as the sun. Yes, there was an opponent of dazzling quality before him. One who could very well best him. He was outmatched, it was a fact clear as day. O what joy, what unspeakable bliss there is to be found when standing before one's equal. So he hoped, he prayed and he commanded that this moment would last forever.

"Well said! Then, let us fight to our heart's content! World against heaven, heaven against heaven, hegemony against hegemony! Let us fall under the curtain of battle's rapture! Against a brilliant foe like yourself, THERE IS NO NEED TO HOLD BACK IS THERE!?"

Yes, his blade would surely not dull against such an opponent. Standing above the Empress, he spoke with words as sweet as honey. A dulcet voice filled with power beyond mortality, a tongue descending from a time where all beings were united under one banner.

Power came forth from his call, an oppressive yet enticing display of might. The skies were torn, ravaged and cast away before that man. A blinding light shattered the pyres into oblivion, the vanguard's mane of a silver radiance. Beastly, incandescent as the sun.

The Sun, since the end times, his brothers in song had rivalled
Bolting long a path predestined, with thunder echoing in his wake
And with swiftness — swiftness beyond measure –, his perpetual cycle fought
His path ravaged, to ashes scorched
Unknown, peerless supremacy, by heavens wrought

Vast is the sky, its waves reaching horizons far and wide; eternal is the radiance of its womb
And so let us ride this moment and dash forth, swift as light, quick as an eternal star
Hear my plea, and grant this one wish: the world longs for an era of peace; days that know not strife
In a world where only peace is lord, and men join hands in liberty… Allow me to sing but this, O Heavens:

For the world is but a shade beneath your beauty!
I wish upon your unending star – guide me to heights unknown.

AWAKEN, O HARBINGER! LET YOUR GLORIA REACH BEYOND THE HEAVENS AND SCREAM AN OPERA OF YOUR NAME ALONE!!

The clouds were moving at ridiculous speeds, as if their cycle completed itself in mere instants. The heavens shattered.

In hand, a silver halberd, it's tip an ornate blade of gold. A shine that shamed even the stars came forth from the man's weapon and like a meteor he descended upon the empress.

[Kotomine_Rin]

The moon watched over the dark city diligently. Busy, the night city was busy with all sorts of life. Even so, it was all so boring to Tohuw. The same monotony, the same routine, the same people...

This city sorely needed some spice, for there is nothing duller than peace. Suddenly, the demon's eyes widened in glee. The moonlight reflected over his monocle ominously, theatrically the demon slowly descended from the castle's roof and he landed gracefully to greet the newcomer.

Looking at the meagre blonde woman before him, Tohuw couldn't help but smirk. Even so, she certainly wouldn't be boring.

"What an ugly meat doll." the demon quipped in amusement.

It was such a shame, she had trespassed his playgrounds. Hopefully her soul would taste better than her looks.

Tapping the ground with his cane, he clicked his tongue. Suddenly, burning hot tea burst from the doors behind the demon, waves of scorching liquid advancing to boil the woman alive.


TOHUW BALAGAN VERSUS NOEL VERMILLON

REBEL 1

ACTION

[Panda]

Looking around the burning ruin of the Nazi Zeppelin, Seras frowned.

Well, this brings back memories that I'd rather forge- Wait a minute. Where is everyone?!

Present, Seras.

I know you're here but what about...

After a moment spent in a panicked query, Seras found, to her annoyance, that of all the souls she had been harboring, only ten remained aside from her own, Pip included.

In that time, however, she'd noticed something at her feet.

...Is that...the Harkonnen?

Sure enough, the faithful old rifle was what Seras had just found. Quickly opening the breach, Seras checked the round loaded in.

Incendiary, huh? Ah well.

With that, she slammed the breach shut once more, realizing that there was someone watching her. The same someone who'd been transported here with her.

The demon, armed and ready for combat.

"Well," she said, "You aren't a man, persay, but I suppose I can't be picky right now."

With that, she slammed her shadow arm on the ground, inky-black shadows speeding across the dented and scarred metal floors across the space between them before shooting up, impaling spikes that would skewer the demon like a shiskebab.


SERAS VICTORIA VS KENZO SAKAGAMI

REBEL 1

ACTION!

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

A sewer, walls surrounding all in a great underground tunnel. Was van capable of such thing, he would have made a remark about how the stench of rot nauseated him.

And in the middle of it all, two stood.

Surrounded by this peculiar stage, Vanguard couldn't help but allow himself a laugh. It had been long since he had received the opportunity to enjoy himself to such an extent. He would savor this bout.

"Let's settle this, Kusanagi."

Silver light immediately danced around him, and so he advanced mightily towards his target, his axe ready to deflect all strikes. Circles of strange scriptures unknown to man were formed out of the silver blue light, multiple incantations inscribed in thin air.

Immediately blasts of lightning came forth, about four powerful bolts each powerful enough to kill a grown man.

VANGUARD VERSUS MU

REBEL ONE

ACTION!!!

[SINIB]

μ-12

Mu flew into the darkness of a nearby tunnel, barely dodging the lightning. She created several drones in the darkness above her as she flew further in.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

Damn you flying girl sword.

Instead of advancing forward, Vanguard smashed the wall beside him and ran around the tunnel, intending on giving Kusanagi a nice buttseks surprize from behind.

But not before throwing a few more lightning bolts at her general direction.

[Knick]

Nanashi, The Blue Flame Vigilante VS Adjutor, The Edge as Fuck Monster Hunter

The air within the construction site was cold; the biting wind blew though the half-finished structures, the machinery and supplies covered with a light layer of snow.

Nanashi stood there, across from a young man in odd armor, with a cocky grin on her face. “Hehe, finally caught up to me?” She teasingly asked as her eyes glowed blue. “To bad you couldn’t even catch a blade of grass in a field.”

And with that she turned and ran into the building to her right, her tail swaying almost tauntingly as she fled, and after entering her hand taping against the walls as she ran, her spiritual power burrowing into the stone.

[Panda]

Adjutor

...And there we have it. The most obvious lure ever spoken.

...At the same time, I don't think it would be a good idea to ignore it altogether. We did come here to hunt her, after all.

Sighing inside the armor, Adjutor decided it would be good to at least have something scouting ahead.

With a moment's consideration, Valmanway manifested, a cool breeze not unlike the cold winds howling through the half-finished structures. The Air Elemental darted into the building, following the trail of spiritual energy left behind by its quarry.

Adjutor, in the meanwhile, slipped into the shadows, looking around for the distinct shadow of cast by the woman, easily recognizable by shadow cast by the tail in particular, before sighting upon it and making his way through the shadow, following it.

[Knick]

Nanashi

Her ears twitched as she ran down the hall, responding to the sound of splitting air, with a glance back she saw the flash of something moving towards her. But there was no man.

She smirked, and in that moment she jumped at an angle landing on the wall to the side.

Fox Fire – Torch Axe

And as he leapt all of it all her speed, the maneuver taking not even a second, a giant axe appeared in her hands, made of blue flame.  And with it she swung. The axe ripped through the simple stone and plaster that made the walls, unabated by the material, and met the thing head on, cleaving it in two by the axe of spiritual flames.

And then Nanashi landed, sliding as she looked back down in the hall, where the being once was, the axe immediately vanishing.

[Panda]

Adjutor

Adjutor frowned as he saw the woman stop and proceed to maneuver back down the hall with incredible speed.

...Did she spot Valmanway?

If so, she just confronted it head on.

So...something that she thinks could damage Valmanway...

With that, Adjutor opted to move to the shadows a floor above before slipping out, calling Valmanway to him. To his mild surprise, what came back to him wasn't quite the Air Elemental itself. Or rather, not all of the Air Elemental.

Huh. Some kind of Spiritual attack?

Fire. Of all the things it could have been, it had to be fire.

How long?

Somewhere between five to ten minutes.

Adjutor frowned, then considered his options for a moment.

As reluctant as I am to try this...

Looking around, the teen drew Lavatain and aimed for the ceiling a fair ways off before letting lose with a fireball powerful enough to collapse the ceiling there, leaving a ragged hole up to the next floor. The distraction in place, Adjutor slipped into the shadows once more, leaving a manifested Tyrfing behind as he resumed keeping an eye on the woman's shadow.

Meanwhile, Tyrfing hid itself within another shadow, ready to move with the shadow it was currently hiding in or to dart over to another one if the need arose.

[Knick]

Nanashi

Nanashi rose to a stand after her she landed, letting out a breath. Silence, there was no sound. There was no smell, and she could not see anything else. He wasn’t following her?

And then she heard something from above, though the ceiling, something like fire, and heard the explosion some distance behind her, “Ahh!” She jumped slightly in shock, turning around quickly, but did not hear anything, only hearing the falling of rubble from above in that direction.

But other than that there was no sound, again. Dead silent, as if he was not here…

She calmed herself down; her eyes scanned the hallway around her, her ears twitched as they tried to pick up any sound, her noise sniffed as she tried to pick up a trail, but nothing.

Her eyes kept scanning, and suddenly she saw something, it was subtle but she saw something, something shift in the shadows.

Her hand shot to the side, and within in a ball of flame appeared.

Fox Fire – Will o’ Wisp!

And she ran back down the way she came, she closed her eyes and threw the ball of spiritual blue fire, consuming the shadows in flames. And as she ran, hidden by the bright light, her hand tapped the ground again, burrowing more Spiritual Energy into the surface. 

[Panda]

Adjutor

To the teen's surprise, the shadow of the woman turned, as if suspicious of an unwanted observer.

The hell? I didn't send any more Elementals after her, an-

Adjutor's train of thought was cut off at that point when something promptly erased the shadow he was standing on along with every shadow within the vicinity, including hers.

How the hell...

With the rather lax nature of the Shadow, Adjutor's fall wasn't quite as fast as it might have been in the Real. That aside, the fact remained that there weren't any shadows beneath to land on and that every moment spent in freefall was another moment she had to get away, even as whatever wiped out his shadows lit her up clear as day.

Thankfully, Tyrfing wasn't long in coming once the light faded, the Shadow Elemental catching him before bringing back up to the level she was fleeing along. Oddly enough, she was heading back the way she had come.

Xarrest?

Shield.

Yup.

Leaving Xarrest to prepare the Concept, Adjutor pulls out Laivatain before urging Tyrfing on towards the girl. As soon as he got close enough, he leapt from the Shadow Elemental's shadow at his opponent, already swinging Laivatain.

[Knick]

Nanashi

Running, the air though her hair, it felt right. Moving, dashing, evading, hunting, the fox in her was pleased. And then a smell struck her, and she dove forward, her blue flames exploding from her feet, propelling her forward, narrowly avoiding her back being cleaved in two, the blade cutting though her jacket.

As she began to roll she immediately spun, turning around to see her enemy and she kneed on one of her knees. Panting she glared at the man as sweet dripped down her brow.

It was now or never. Her fist exploded with flames and with a yell the swung it at her foe, and flames exploded from it in a wave.

Strike Blaze: Hungry Ghost Consuming Flame Furnace!

And at the moment, the spiritual energy she left in the hallway, within the stone, responded to the command, and the hallway became a furnace. The ghostly flames of a fox fulling it would not half for a good 30 seconds.

The let the explosion take her, throwing her down the hallway and out of the exit, and the she laid for a moment, catching her breath.