Purgatory

[SINIB]

Luthien

But then, as he ran along it, something terrible happened.

The shadow expanded, bulging out grotesquely like a balloon, and exploded. The explosion shook the arena, even being felt by the spectators in the stands...

Could he have survived?

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

Marc raced along the shade, shining like a red star. If he noticed the shadow expanding, he didn't pay mind to it. He didn't have the time or luxury to... and perhaps that was his mistake. If he did, would things have turned out differently? No, he must have noticed it at the end too, the way the shadow distorted and ballooned. Whatever the result was, it was obscured with a brilliant flash of light.

Whatever the result was, it was only visible when the light and dust cleared, revealing it to the shock of everyone watching. A crater of molten rock, the whole area like the impact of a terrifying explosive - like it got carpet bombed in that very center.

And in said center, Marc's body laid face-first, utterly still and lifeless surrounded in a pool of his own blood. Whatever red light he had must've been washed away by the explosion too, leaving only a chilling body behind.


Yumi

"Hey, hey... what the fuck man..." For fuck's sake, for all their talk about professionalism, even a pro'd have to be ready for shit like this eh? Bah! If I were there, I wouldn't have given the bitch my time, sayonara jackasses! Even the boisterous brute was visibly shaken by the upset, sweating with a nervous violent smile while Terashi shook behind his mask, his skin pale and blue all of a sudden.

Only Vega smiled.


Vega

"My, my." He put his hand to his mouth like a graceful nobleman, and shook his head in quaint amusement. "It seems I did well to come this way. For a sportsman's match, this was quite the sight." His eyes suddenly sharpened like a viper's as he gazed at the woman below.

"She has promise, that one."


Terashi

Does he even... The giant clenched his fist, and was one foot over the stand's fence - ready to jump down that very moment. However, an unassailable pressure suddenly stopped him in his tracks.

Lolong moved.


Lolong Donaire

"Enough." Lolong didn't so much as get up from his chair. He only raised his hand. However, this stopped Terashi in his tracks in that very moment. For none dared to oppose The Demon King of Purgatory.

"That woman is an anomaly, but this match wasn't officially bound by our rules. We can't act recklessly. Remember Terashi, when we act, we do it under Purgatory's name - not our own."

And yet, his glare on the arena downwards was anything but oppressive.

"..."

[SINIB]

Luthien

"Wait. That's illegal." Luthien was dumbfounded—he wasn't supposed to have died, after all, right? He was stronger than that, there was just no way!

The young woman walked over slowly, before creating a stick with a shadow and poking him. Her ears were drooping with sadness and confusion, leaving her lost for words or a reaction beyond mute disbelief.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

*poke* *poke*

The stick poked at the body, budging it slightly. But it felt stiff, the sort of stiffness you'd expect a corpse. But that by itself wasn't the shocking bit. No, it's the fact the corpse moved, as fast as a red bullet - dashing back up with a ketchup packet on his hand and a big grin on his mug.

SLAM!

Pumping back all he had with swift instantaneity, he placed his bet on the following uppercut. It's do or die! Her guard was down and the shadow beast gone. He placed this gambit on one thing and one thing only - his experience and the green way she carried herself.

Please fucking work.

[SINIB]

Marc

*poke* *poke*

The stick poked at the body, budging it slightly. But it felt stiff, the sort of stiffness you'd expect a corpse. But that by itself wasn't the shocking bit. No, it's the fact the corpse moved, as fast as a red bullet - dashing back up with a ketchup packet on his hand and a big grin on his mug.

SLAM!

Pumping back all he had with swift instantaneity, he placed his bet on the following uppercut. It's do or die! Her guard was down and the shadow beast gone. He placed this gambit on one thing and one thing only - his experience and the green way she carried herself.

Please fucking work.

Luthien

She reacted by pure instinct ingrained into her body by powers beyond her own. It was not Luthien who reacted, but the decades old experienced fighter who dwelt within her subconscious. She stepped forward and to the side with a gentle step that left room for no failure. And she looked as surprised and shocked as he was through tear-filled eyes as her fist came hurtling down onto the back of his neck.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Terashi

"!!!!!!"

Despite his expression being hidden by a mask, the tall man's body language told you everything you needed to know about his internal thought process.

In case it needed to be summarized, it'd probably sound something like this.

H-he she asdgshghfhbagghdjjfhah...!!!


Vega

"Oh my my oh my~ The girl is good." Vega looked a little amused, but his eyes told a different story. Its almost as if he were disappointed that no one actually ended up dying yet. Ah, so much for being professionals enforcing safe non-lethal bloodsports.


Yumi

"Kch! What a shitter! Gehahahahah!" The boisterous creepy giant laughed aloud, grinning ear to ear with a maddened rictus, arms crossed as if holding back the wild muscles on his body. "The fuck's he doing, getting cooked by small-fry like that?"


PURGATORY A LISTER, "KING" LOLONG DONAIRE. 72 Wins, 3 Losses.

"Shut up, Yumigahama."

It was the only thing he bothered uttering, sitting crossed in the same position as ever. And it got Yumi riled up even more than before, like a wild faceless monkey. "Huh?" The air got real cold and quiet for a second. "Did you just tell me to shut up? Why don't you..."

But the air turning cold wasn't due to Yumi. The King didn't look like his calm self - he looked angry, even if he didn't budge an inch.

"Why don't I what? Go on Yumigahama."

That was enough to get Yimi to turn back. "Tch." He spat before leaving the stands.

Lolong's eyes never left the arena once, focused like an iron hammer. But they narrowed on that moment. She's strong...



Marc Cedan

Even if he was relaxed, even if he was smiling handsomely, it didn't stop Marc from sweating. And the moment he felt his fist miss, he understood why. It was the first time the girl's movements didn't match her. The surprise caused a delay to his reaction.

The fist that struck true was hers, blowing him back to the ground with an earth-shattering force.

And yet-

"...argh...mon dieu... wait, are you crying for real?" One knee dug on the ground, the dust revealed he was still fine, even if his clothes got ruined and his arm was bruised. He couldn't dodge it in time, but he raised his arm then, to put up an imperfect guard. He managed to shield most of his neck in the nick of time. But the quality of that blow was different from anything else, and he looked like it actually got him reeling a bit.

Maybe because he was the closest to seeing what actually happened, he looked legitimately unsettled.

[SINIB]

Luthien

The young elf's body continued to move with the fluidity of a master, not missing a heartbeat as her blow knocked him to the ground. Her knee careened down towards his neck in an attempt to pin him to the floor.

"Of course I am you big idiot! That wasn't nice at all! I thought that I'd killed you! Hic!" Her arm moved to grab his wrist and pin his arm against his back.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

Even with a knee on the ground, he was sharp enough to dodge the knee by moving back. But just as he was about to jump out of the way- her hand caught his wrist, pinning his arm behind his back in a submission hold. "Ow ow ow ow... hey hey, that kind of stings! That move was super strong, I couldn't help it if I blacked out for a moment there. Ow ow! Hey, um, can I keep my arm attached puh-leease?"

Sweating, he glanced around like a helpless puppy.

"I can buy you some ice cream to make up for it! Um, I can't feel my arm anymore... come ooon, pretty pleeeease?"

[SINIB]

Marc

Even with a knee on the ground, he was sharp enough to dodge the knee by moving back. But just as he was about to jump out of the way- her hand caught his wrist, pinning his arm behind his back in a submission hold. "Ow ow ow ow... hey hey, that kind of stings! That move was super strong, I couldn't help it if I blacked out for a moment there. Ow ow! Hey, um, can I keep my arm attached puh-leease?"

Sweating, he glanced around like a helpless puppy.

"I can buy you some ice cream to make up for it! Um, I can't feel my arm anymore... come ooon, pretty pleeeease?"

Luthien

And then, the knee came down on his back. Shadows wrapped around his legs, and he found himself rather immobilized. "I wasn't trying to kill you! Or permanently harm you! I thought I'd gone way overboard and actually killed you!" She collapsed down on top of him, pressing his head between her soft breasts. "You made me really really worried!"

Luthien let go and pulled him into a hug-one which inhibited his abilities to break out and claim the final victory.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

"Mpfhghfhffhfhfhhh." Whatever he said, no one would never know - not even he would. But all in all, he was pretty swell with the outcome. This was the best case scenario.




Terashi

"..."


Yumi

"..."


Vega

"..."


Lolong Donaire

"..."



The silence got increasingly awkward. In fact, Terashi especially looked like he was about to turn red. And eventually, someone broke it. It was none other than Vega. "How droll, but I guess it can't be helped." A shame too, he was hoping this 'fight' would be different than their 'sport' without killing. She certainly seemed strong enough to try. Meanwhile, Lolong sighed.

"Indeed. Its his nature that decided the outcome."

This did get Terashi to stop blushing. "His nature? What do you mean?" Vega suddenly grinned teasingly. "Ooooh? Didn't you notice? Marc must've made the conscious choice to use that move. He could've just drawn it out longer, or pressed the advantage. He was pretty unscathed from that blast." He closed his eyes in disappointment at the last statement. Terashi, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. "But why would he consciously choose a less optimal move?"

And that is when Lolong spoke once more. "Indeed. That kind of choice is unthinkable for fighters like us. But remember, Marc has a different background. A martial artist puts victory as his prime objective, we take risks in orther to win. But a Marcenary's top priority is survival. The risks they take are calculated to live another day, above anything else."

Terashi... pondered, for a second. "So you're saying he chose to lose instead of risking a career ending injury? That's still pretty cowardly." But Vega grinned and shook his head. "Of course he's a coward. He must've been pretty worried against that shadow, even if he made it by the skin of his teeth. Who knows what else the girl had on her sleeve. The moment she whipped out an explosion, he probably figured it'd be better to cut his losses and end it quickly than escalate further."

They all nodded, agreeing on the final outcome. Only Yumi seemed legitimately bothered.

Did he just say Marcenary?

[SINIB]

Luthien

The soft heavenly pillows enveloped him, giving way to his head to better allow him access to Luthien's forbidden valley. She smelled sweet, like a mixture of roses and her own sweat, and it was a chest which was only comperable to the succubi at the tower.

She held him tightly, until he decided to push his way out.