Elizabeth's Domain

[yinsukin]

Sethrol the Calm Arena 1

Down, up, right, up, up left

The blur of fists weaved around the blurry figure of Sethrol the Calm, who appeared to dodge every single strike.  Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.  With his new passionate calm, he dodged every single strike with relative ease.  Or at least, thats how it looked.  In reality, he was merely refusing to strike back.  Even a novice could stay in the fight if they merely stayed out of range or in this case, spent all their energy defending.

You've grown Mira.  But...  Just now...  You made the same mistake as I...

The petals falling from the trees were obliterated from the shockwaves generated by Mira's punches, the ground cracking and erupting from her fury.  The pristine white ring had turned brown, destroyed from their battle.  Rocks and pebbles flew off to the sides.  The two figures in the center were dancing, using the arena as their stage.

One attack, one opening, one victory.  A single moment was all he needed to end this battle and save his daughter from herself.  However, he couldn't find it.  No matter what angle she forced him into, he couldn't see an opening.  Instead, he kept weaving around her punches.  The man was floating, but he was failing to sting.  Although the distance between them had shortened, things had stopped connecting.

Your running away from your feelings.

[Aiden]

Sethrol the Calm Arena 1

Down, up, right, up, up left

The blur of fists weaved around the blurry figure of Sethrol the Calm, who appeared to dodge every single strike.  Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.  With his new passionate calm, he dodged every single strike with relative ease.  Or at least, thats how it looked.  In reality, he was merely refusing to strike back.  Even a novice could stay in the fight if they merely stayed out of range or in this case, spent all their energy defending.

You've grown Mira.  But...  Just now...  You made the same mistake as I...

The petals falling from the trees were obliterated from the shockwaves generated by Mira's punches, the ground cracking and erupting from her fury.  The pristine white ring had turned brown, destroyed from their battle.  Rocks and pebbles flew off to the sides.  The two figures in the center were dancing, using the arena as their stage.

One attack, one opening, one victory.  A single moment was all he needed to end this battle and save his daughter from herself.  However, he couldn't find it.  No matter what angle she forced him into, he couldn't see an opening.  Instead, he kept weaving around her punches.  The man was floating, but he was failing to sting.  Although the distance between them had shortened, things had stopped connecting.

Your running away from your feelings.

Mira

Arena 1

She always had been a great student like that. The problem wasn't her ability to learn, but what she was taught.

Mira knew better than to get frustrated with her opponent's strategy. Instead she did her best to push him toward a corner, control the positioning and momentum of the fight. Each strike was meant to force Sethrol to move just a little bit further until he couldn't move anymore.

And yet...

"You know ya can't wear me out like this!" A fist crashed past his head. "If ya don't fight back, I'm gonna win! Don't just give me a win, damn it!"

[yinsukin]

Seras

Arena 2

A bright light enveloped the entire island, consuming everything.  Its power was like a blinding flash.  Those who dared to keep their eyes on the ring would find themselves unable to see.  However, to a few, that sight was worth being their last.

Seras stood above Zeke, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.  "How... how are you...."

She fell on her back.  "Still conscious, still alive?"

The young woman couldn't see, her eyes becoming blurry.  Even the boiling hot heat was numb against her back.  But, she had to know the answer, she had to know before she passed out and lost.  "Tell me, what did you see beyond the sun?  What did you see when you burst through the rays of those before you?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Seras

Arena 2

A bright light enveloped the entire island, consuming everything.  Its power was like a blinding flash.  Those who dared to keep their eyes on the ring would find themselves unable to see.  However, to a few, that sight was worth being their last.

Seras stood above Zeke, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.  "How... how are you...."

She fell on her back.  "Still conscious, still alive?"

The young woman couldn't see, her eyes becoming blurry.  Even the boiling hot heat was numb against her back.  But, she had to know the answer, she had to know before she passed out and lost.  "Tell me, what did you see beyond the sun?  What did you see when you burst through the rays of those before you?"

Zeke

Arena 2

"Not a damn thing." His finger rubbed the one ear that was still in one piece, and he struggled before getting back up. Gasping, breathing heavily and trying to suck in the energy around him to keep his vessel going. He brought a hand to his cracking chest, which was falling apart like an egg shell. "To be honest... it was a fluke. It's just because of my boss's ability that this vessel is undead. If I still had true living flesh and blood... you would have won, I'm sure of it."

And yet the result was already decided. It was like he said, in this world there are no KOS. The one who stops getting back up... that's the one who loses. And right now, fate decreed Zeke had won this.

And yet, he refused fate's favor. As he stood, he picked up Seras by her coat. Staring right at his massive, muscular frame, she could only stare at the void stuck in his face.

"This will not do. Didn't you hear? I need more. So I can grow into my ultimate self... the true me!" And as that void swirled and roared at her, dark flames erupted from the cracks in his body. "Your punches, your kicks, your clinches, your teeth, your lifeless corpse! Offer them all to me in earnest! I want to see the Hero of Talent, your true self! Not that pathetic magecraft, but the fist of your origin. Your martial arts!"

You are the hero of talent, don't you dare escape a hero's defeat. Old world organisms swirled and penetrated the broken flesh and... replaced it. Like casts and prosthetics, they repaired what was once broken and fed her tired shell with enough energy to fight. Right now, Zeke was litterally force feeding her with shreds of whatever power he still had left. To finish this fight on his own terms.

"Strike me with your true self, and I will answer in kind with all I've got."

They were both at their last ropes. WHatever shred of his self he had just gifted her, it wouldn't be enough for another clash like the last ones. If either unleashed their magic now, with the arena and their selves unstable as they were, they might both perish. No, right now, there was only one way to end this.

Their very fists.

"Believe in yourself."

[yinsukin]

Seras

As Seras stared at Zeke, she couldn't help but feel an annoyance burning in her chest.  This wasn't supposed to be this annoying.  The old man was supposed to go down easy, like a fly, but it turned out he was a cockroach.  She stood up, knocking away the man's fist with her forearm.

"I see," she said with a chuckle.  "So it was the 'talent' you acquired from someone else.  What a leech.  But then, I guess we really are the same."


The air crackled and exploded as two blurry figures danced across an empty dojo.  Hands and legs became but shadows as blows were traded.  At last the girl known as Seras kneeled over, falling to her knees.  "Damn it I had you!  How the hell did you beat me?"

The other girl, Seras's dear friend stood over Seras's body, staring down at her with a smug grin.  "I didn't quit.  It was a great technique though.  You almost had me."

Blood splattered on the floor, as Seras caught herself on her hands.  That blood was her own.  That punch did more than she thought.  In the end, that girl's fist had more weight, more oomph.  She was just stronger.  "I wish I had your body," Seras said, smiling at her.  "It would be so much easier that way."

The girl placed a finger on her cheek.  "You think so?  I doubt it.  You and I aren't any different.  At least you have ambition."

"Then why?"


"Your a fool," she said, stepping back with her knees slightly bent, her arms raised in front of her head.  "Your true self?  Do you insult me?  The man who cannot see past the sun wants to fight me with his true self?  FOOL!"

The arc of her fist was obvious, a simple hook coming from the right.  However, there was also a leg sliding between his, positioning her for her next move.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Seras

As Seras stared at Zeke, she couldn't help but feel an annoyance burning in her chest.  This wasn't supposed to be this annoying.  The old man was supposed to go down easy, like a fly, but it turned out he was a cockroach.  She stood up, knocking away the man's fist with her forearm.

"I see," she said with a chuckle.  "So it was the 'talent' you acquired from someone else.  What a leech.  But then, I guess we really are the same."


The air crackled and exploded as two blurry figures danced across an empty dojo.  Hands and legs became but shadows as blows were traded.  At last the girl known as Seras kneeled over, falling to her knees.  "Damn it I had you!  How the hell did you beat me?"

The other girl, Seras's dear friend stood over Seras's body, staring down at her with a smug grin.  "I didn't quit.  It was a great technique though.  You almost had me."

Blood splattered on the floor, as Seras caught herself on her hands.  That blood was her own.  That punch did more than she thought.  In the end, that girl's fist had more weight, more oomph.  She was just stronger.  "I wish I had your body," Seras said, smiling at her.  "It would be so much easier that way."

The girl placed a finger on her cheek.  "You think so?  I doubt it.  You and I aren't any different.  At least you have ambition."

"Then why?"


"Your a fool," she said, stepping back with her knees slightly bent, her arms raised in front of her head.  "Your true self?  Do you insult me?  The man who cannot see past the sun wants to fight me with his true self?  FOOL!"

The arc of her fist was obvious, a simple hook coming from the right.  However, there was also a leg sliding between his, positioning her for her next move.

Zeke - Arena 2

The audience's cheers, roars and  fists pumping in the air could be heard from the depths of the arena. The anticipation was truly worth savoring. And yet, and yet-!

The earth quaked under a fist.

"Kh!" The thing that came first was her strike. It was only intuition that helped him block it with his elbow. And yet, his battered body now felt the true unbridled impact of her fist. His whole being shook. Marvelous.

"That's right! We are the same!" The impact's momentum helped him snap his leg upwards with his full torque, aiming straight for her face like a whip!

[yinsukin]

Seras

The shockwave that occured from the punch was as loud as a gunshot.  That hard body took her fist and then some, enduring her full furry, and even what laid beyond that.  Why was she thinking of that woman right now?  She had long cast aside that weakling for something else, but this passion, this drive to succeed against all odds.

"Thats right we are the same," she shouted, hooking the back of his knee with her own.


"I don't know," the other girl said, blinking at Seras.  "I guess I just got lucky!"

"But thats... THATS BULLSHIT!" she said.  "You can't get lucky 47 times in a row.  I've lost....47 times and each of those times I've 'almost got you."

"You were just born better!"

"Seras...."

Seras got to her feet, taking a battle stance.  Maybe it was her tenacity.  She just needed to not give up right?  As long as she didn't give up, then she could beat her stupid friend and prove her own individual worth.

"Not today.  I'm not interested in fighting you with that look in your eyes."


Her face was inches from his, her chest pressed against his.  For all his craziness, this was the one predictable move he made.  After all, he had already striken her there before.  As the kick flew towards her chin, she whipped it back, reducing the power behind the strike itself.  All the while, she moved her arms down to his chest and grabbed hold of it, sweeping his leg and slamming the man onto the hot ground below.

"Which is why you will fall!"

[Kotomine_Rin]

ZEKE - Arena 2

The force and speed was unlike anything he could have dreamed of! And yet, it was also merely second rate. He knew that a grapple was the best choice against someone standing on one foot. What he didn't account for, however - was her fluidity.

His back slammed against the ground! The audience roared and applauded! And as the embers and lava jumped dozens of meters in the air, even Zeke congratulated this strike with all his heart.

Yet the arm she failed to immobilize was now shooting towards her neck to crack it open like a watermelon. "That's always a possibility....but never a certainty! You know nothing and can understand nothing! Now return to nothing!"

His words were more formed and sensible than before. Yet the same childish glee was present. The punch he was delivering to her held all his awe, all his love, and all his gratitude for his opponent.

[yinsukin]

Seras

The ground erupted with Zeke's hefty body as the epicenter.  Several dozen gysers erupted at once, shooting red hot liquid into the sky.  It was a symphony accompanying Zeke's pain and his drive towards life.  An arm flew upwards towards her face, but she was faster.  By jamming her elbow into the crease separating his forearm and bicep, she was able to forcibly bend his arm, cutting off his strike to her face.  However, blood still exploded from her chin.  The mere shockwave of the strike drew blood.  Or rather, it opened up the old wound.

The stupid thing about this match, he wasn't even her goal.  Seras wanted something beyond him.  Yet, he stood in her way.

Seras's chin stung.  It was like a million hornets spent the last hour hammering away at that one spot.  Her entire body was reeling from casting those high-level spells back to back.  She stumbled, taking a few steps back to balance herself.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Zeke- Arena 2

Impacts! Fires! They were nothing against this clash of wills! Just as Seras was sent reeling back from the shock, Zeke's own strained and cracked vessel groaned like broken machinery, struggling to get back up at the same pace.

But they did. They both rose back up. Zeke stood up. "Naught but an itch." His arm was bent as a reed. This time, he did not pass this opportunity. He charged forward to slash at Seras apart with a mongolian chop! Yet his body seemed unbalanced, warping and breaking down with every step of his race.

He was full of openings.

The one who wouldn't pass up this opportunity... was Seras.

[yinsukin]

Almight Sethrol the Calm

Arena 1

"Your right."

A fist flung past Sethrol's face, disintegrating a falling cherry blossom petal.  Sethrol kept just out of range, allowing him to move past her punches with ease.  That stinging sensation screamed at him every time he moved a limb.  His face, chest, arms: they all demanded he surrender, actively hindered him from fighting.  He was slowing down.  At this rate, he would fall.  Even if he used this strategy to stay in the ring long enough, he couldn't beat Mira this way.  She was young and her will was strong.  There was no way in hell he could outlast her.

Even so, he had to get through to Mira.  If he couldn't stop her, he had to make her stronger, strong enough to survive in this world without him, strong enough to keep her heart from getting cold.

"But even so, it won't be that easy, because I am..."

The aura around him burst into a massive aura that practically engulfed the entire stadium.  Mira herself would have been swallowed in it if it weren't for her own aura.  However, it wasn't coming from the outside world.  It was radiating from inside himself.  His very soul was screaming.

"YOUR PROUD FATHER!"

Backed against a tree, Sethrol flew directly into Mira's wave of fists, each one landing right where they needed to. With each strike, Sethrol's body jumped, as if it was going into shock, yet he continued to move.  If the earlier barrage of fists could be compared to missiles, these would be a nuclear warheads.  Each strike targeted a major pressure point on Mira's body.  Solarplexes, armpit, temple: it wasn't just a mindless barrage but a targeted assault.


Meanwhile, mermers from the crowd could be heard.  "What the hell is going on down there?"

"He... activated his ki with that?  But he's supposed to be tranquil, calm..." one man commented.

"Wait the hell?  Did he just say father?!  Who is the mother then?"

"Mira.... he just said he was the father to Mira?  That cheating scumbag?  That girl should be dead!"

"Sethrol the Calm?  Imagine that old man turning into a cheating losesr loser like her.  No wonder he entered the tournament under cheating wandering bitch."


It was strange.  Sethrol could feel it.  The damage done to his body from Mira's fists, the damage to his budda like reputation with that declaration, even the scorn from his own daughter for daring to smack talk her new girlfriend, yet all he could do was smile.  There was a glint in his eyes, a yearning for something he already had.

"You asked me what love is before right?  Allow me to show you what that word means."

No matter what she struck him with.  No matter how much actual damage she dealt to him.  The fist realed back would come, no matter where or how she blocked.  The one cocked back would strike her heart no matter what.  "Taking all the burdens that come with being human, with connecting with people.  Sorrow, restraint, happiness, joy: most importantly, the powerlessness of having the woman you love not love you back, to not be able to do anything yourself!"

It was at this moment, the old dojo master ceased to be.  When that final fist flew forward, the resulting impact, the shockwave that shook the stadium itself destroyed the man known as Sethrol the Calm.  From then on, the old man would be known as Sethrol the Passionate.

[YOLF]

Audience

The slander echoed up to Zhang Liu's ears, and he felt his whole body tense. The whispering, the questioning, he could take - he was not so single-minded as to persecute such things when even he felt affected to his core by this display. But the flagrant disrespect was out of bounds.

With a grunt, his right hand flared with controlled qi, and the stands around him were bathed in red light.

Liu could not punish any of them in this place, nor did he wish to. Those rumormongers should know the first part was a simple truth of the establishment, and yet. Those who held the slightest relations in the Dojo District knew of the Source-Melting Hand as well, and the fear of what it could do to them drummed louder.

Aira held back an even sharper squeak than previously, but the chatterboxes flung their enthusiasm just in time to watch the final exchange. The red light vanished as Liu's eyes opened wide to catch every instant.

[Bern]

Audience - Arena 1

"Oi Sethrol I was there too, do you really have to steal points from your brother?" A clear voice cut through the chatter and excitement of the crowd like a drawn blade. Mortal tongues could never carry a voice as powerful or regal as hers, as one who had lived through the ages and seen what were now myths first hand.

"But now you have said it so there is no going back! If you dare lose now I will come down there myself and you give you the beating of a lifetime, you hear that YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

Now she just had to wait for the retaliation from his students, knowing him he would have most likely shared some rather unfortunate horror stories about the good old days. Valerie sighed but remained standing as she waited for it, the moment that would decide everything.

[Panda]

Nanako

Arena 6

After a long and hard fought battle, Nanako successfully got up to Coconut, dodging past her powerful beams to land the pivotal blow. With the match decided at last, Nanako looked over the fallen succubus for a moment as she caught her breath, her triumph feeling oddly hollow, before shaking it off and heading out of the ruins of the arena. She certainly hoped the other matches weren't all done yet...


Arena 1

The squirrel girl couldn't believe her luck, managing to find seats with as good a view of the match as these. Her surprise when she'd spotted Sethrol in the arena facing off against a strong-looking girl she'd seen in some work-out vids had quickly been forgotten as she made her way to the stands as quickly as she could. Now that she was here, however, fresh surprise and confusion took over. At this point, she still wasn't sure if Sethrol was being literal about being the woman's father or not, but it seemed like that didn't really matter. All the same, the drama was rising along with the clashing of their fists, the squirrel girl practically on the edge of her seat as she watched, taken aback by the old man's renewed passion.

Then she heard chatter in the background, ears swiveling back to listen as the disparaging cracks about him being a cheater, about his opponent being the same and worse. She remembered when they'd discussed the same rumor mill she now bore witness to, that he'd advised her not to trouble herself with.

Hm. Sorry about this, old man. The squirrel girl bounced up to her feet and turned to face them, irritation lighting hot in her veins as her tail flitted rapidly behind her.

"Hey, you lot come down here and say that to my face, I dare you!" Nanako shouted back at the rumormongers, before squinting as crimson light shone bright for a moment from the gossiping twats, "Oi, night-light, cut that out would ya?"

With that, Nanako glanced back to see what sounded like would be the final clash of the match.

[yinsukin]

Seras

"What?!"

The man came lunging at her at full speed, his next attack completely telegraphed.  After all this punishment, it was as if he was begging to be put down.  "Why won't you...." she said, sidestepping the chop and sliding to the outer range of his arm.  "FALL!"


"Why won't I fall?  Its Because...."


A knee was delivered to his head, while hands reached for the back of it.  They brought him down hard onto the next knee, which was powerful enough to knock him into the air and onto his back.