Elizabeth's Domain

[Aiden]

Wendy

It only took a few moments for her to open the box, and inside, she found an immensely heavy battleaxe! It thrummed with magical power, and she could sense it could cut through Wendy's tough skin.

The demon climbed back up and looked at her warily. She would concede that she'd been hasty before-that bitch never claimed anybody who wasn't reasonably strong-but that made her all the more eager to tear her pretty little face off.

Mira

Mira hefted the weapon up into both of her hands, eyes narrowed in focus as she regarded it, then Wendy. "Ya know, with this thing it probably wouldn't be much of a fight. I might not know the most about axes, but basic weapons training came up."

She tightened her grip on the haft, and shook her head. "Go get a box. I'll wait."

Wendy

The wendigo's hair flared out as if she'd gone super sayian 3. She glared at Mira hatefully, clenched her fist and growled.

"I don't need your pity, you little whore! I'll eat you, I'll eat your master, and I'll eat everyone! You're just a stepping stone!"

She stomped on the ground, sending debris shooting up before throwing a rock across the abyss at Mira. "YOU'RE NOTHING! JUST A WORTHLESS LITTLE CHILD WHO HAPPENED TO GET LUCKY ONCE!" She roared.

3. A voice in Mira's head solemnly intoned.

Mira

Arena 3

Mira casually stepped aside, the rock going flying past her with a force that allowed her to rapidly estimate the strength level of her opponent. Then the words reached her, and Mira's grip tightened on the haft of the axe. Her eyes glared death at the raging wendigo, her feet sent cracks through the platform beneath her, and she catapulted herself at Wendy with a strength and speed she hadn't demonstrated even just a moment ago.

A surge of energy had exploded from within, visible to the naked eye, and the next thing she knew an axe head was crashing down on her head. Edge first.

[SINIB]

Vanilla V Uria: Arena 4

In this battlefield, there was no floor. They stood atop clouds above a neverending abyss, too far away from the other to easily find the other.

It was as if they were truly fighting within the skies.

Vanilla clenched her fist and ground her teeth.

She couldn't lose. Not now. Not after what had happened to Mira. Not after what she knew that ravenous monster was going to put her through. No. She had to see all of this through to the end, no matter what. She wasn't going to give up, even against a godling such as this.

[YOLF]

Orcus
Arena 2

He snorted at her response, and swallowed the mirth into his gut and his sneer back into shape. The power of her body commanded his attention, and limb by limb his gaze followed her erratic steps. She needed no discipline for speed, only spontaneous power released by the whims of an eager, brutal spirit.

But speed was an illusion. Chasing speed was like trying to catch a mirage. You would lose your bearings when you passed through nothing, and crash to the cruel dirt. The truth behind speed was only force. Force on its own was wasteful, indulgent, and savage. This was why it was subordinate to skill and fluidity. To knowing to expend no more energy than needed, and to excising wasteful motions, until there was nothing but seamless action, arriving precisely when it was meant to.

Nanako was fast, but speed alone was predictable. The body was a pendulum, and all that swung forward must swing back. Her only advantage was abandon - and Orcus had clouded it with thoughts.

The earthshaking kick struck as he pulled away, twisting his face in the same direction. The force diffused at the surface, and like a spring loosed, he responded instantly. His elbow rose, then fell while his knee shot up, and they caught the descending leg with a crunch like a cannonball breaking a battlement.

"It's going to consume you!" He roared, mirth unmarred.

[Bern]

Valerie - Arena 1

"Ughhhhh..."

Her dancing slowed down as she took in continued performance with a loud groan. "And we were just getting to the good part....." She bent down further and further her legs contorting under extreme pressure as did the floor beneath her, until finally it was all released.

And the coil snapped.

"GET SERIOUS YOU QUICKSHOT DUMBASS!"

The blonde launched from the ground with terrible force and spun round and round through the air.

By the tame he had gotten back on his feat she was already there, with her scythe piercing his chest again and staying there while her lithe form landed on top of the shaft. She leaned forward until her unsatisfied gaze met his.

"Are you really the type to pull out before the lady has her fun?"

[SINIB]

Wendy

It only took a few moments for her to open the box, and inside, she found an immensely heavy battleaxe! It thrummed with magical power, and she could sense it could cut through Wendy's tough skin.

The demon climbed back up and looked at her warily. She would concede that she'd been hasty before-that bitch never claimed anybody who wasn't reasonably strong-but that made her all the more eager to tear her pretty little face off.

Mira

Mira hefted the weapon up into both of her hands, eyes narrowed in focus as she regarded it, then Wendy. "Ya know, with this thing it probably wouldn't be much of a fight. I might not know the most about axes, but basic weapons training came up."

She tightened her grip on the haft, and shook her head. "Go get a box. I'll wait."

Wendy

The wendigo's hair flared out as if she'd gone super sayian 3. She glared at Mira hatefully, clenched her fist and growled.

"I don't need your pity, you little whore! I'll eat you, I'll eat your master, and I'll eat everyone! You're just a stepping stone!"

She stomped on the ground, sending debris shooting up before throwing a rock across the abyss at Mira. "YOU'RE NOTHING! JUST A WORTHLESS LITTLE CHILD WHO HAPPENED TO GET LUCKY ONCE!" She roared.

3. A voice in Mira's head solemnly intoned.

Mira

Arena 3

Mira casually stepped aside, the rock going flying past her with a force that allowed her to rapidly estimate the strength level of her opponent. Then the words reached her, and Mira's grip tightened on the haft of the axe. Her eyes glared death at the raging wendigo, her feet sent cracks through the platform beneath her, and she catapulted herself at Wendy with a strength and speed she hadn't demonstrated even just a moment ago.

A surge of energy had exploded from within, visible to the naked eye, and the next thing she knew an axe head was crashing down on her head. Edge first.

Wendy

As far as Wendy was concerned, Mira had vanished. She was gone. Her nostrils flared, her head spun around, but she was unable to keep up. In a desperate attempt to survive, Wendy flung herself to the side at the request of her screaming instincts.

Then, she felt something hot plunging into her shoulder. It sliced through her arm, cleanly lopping it off.

[YOLF]

Audience - Arena 3

"Long time no see."

Zhang would likely notice the smell before anything else.  The bitter smell of jasmine wafted through the stands.  Somehow, Sethrol managed to sneak a cup of tea into the arena.  "I heard you carried me out of my fight.  Thank you."

They were the only dojo members in this entire crowd, at least in that area of the stadium.  The only creatures surrounding them were the succubi, or rather their half breed descendants.  Each was a devout fan of Vanilla's, eager to see this Mira girl fall.  In a way it wasn't too different from the dojo district.  Although, the malice born from the dojo district was a combination of surface level judgement, jealousy and inferiority.  This hostility was something else, far more rooted in a sort of zealousness for the demons known as Vanilla and Liz.

"So is this your first time seeing her, Mira?"

Audience - Arena 3

Liu hummed dismissively to the man's appearance. No matter how many years passed, Sethrol insisted on thanking him for trivial things when he had no responsibility to give back anything even for more severe ones. This was the essence of the dojo master's genteel character, and one that he had long given up on questioning. Until today, it had been part of the myriad of things that formed the foundation of his respectability. Now, the Source-Melting Hand wasn't so sure.

"No," he scoffed, ignoring the jeers and mixed feelings that surrounded them. His unease was something all of his own. "I have met her before, but we did not speak."

His face didn't change when the jeers and accusations echoed even inside the arena against Mira. He expected nothing of this fight. When the young woman made her response with unrestrained prejudice, and the poisonous whispers around them suddenly quieted, he only humphed for an end to the farce.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Vanilla V Uria: Arena 4

Chaos, chaos! Uria formed warp after warp, casting them up above and down below. They drifted into the sky and dotted the abyss below in their swirling energies. Shadowy, swollen clouds slowly filled the sky as they waited for their opponent to show up. It didn't really matter to them! Eventually they'd find her.

[yinsukin]

Arena 1

The men shrunk down into their seats, nontheless watching in earnest.  To say their eyes were glued on the battle was an understatement.  The men staring down at the arena were studying, some even taking notes on pieces of papers, others on their phones.

"YES MASTER!"

The one guy roared back.

"What?  What the hell is he talking about?" another man in the crowd said.  "Why is he still in the damn arena?  He's getting completely destroyed.  Is she?  Is Valarie attacking to kill?"

The man who shouted at Zeke turned around, bowing to the rest of his group.  "Do you see that?  Down below.  Do you see that?  Greed, desperation, they are all manifestations of one thing: hope.  We must follow Zeke's example and let hope nourish us.  Yes, to fight only for ourselves, that is the philosophy of that man.  Do you see how he clings to life, despite it being hopeless?  That is the strength that overcame Seras's.  Yes, that is the power that makes miracles, a faith in oneself and a desire for life!"

And so, the leader of the group turned back around, awaiting something special.  He wasn't sure what, but he knew it would light the path he desired to take.

[Panda]

Nanako

This story had played out many times before, that of a wolf and a hunter. The beast had speed and power on its side, while the hunter had his wits and tenacity. The wolf could evade, but instincts drove it relentlessly onwards, fangs seeking its foe's neck. However, the hunter's weakness was in turn his strength, knowing that he couldn't keep up with the beast's raw physical ability. Instead, he'd lay traps, bait them with sustenance or himself if needs be, and wait.

Nanako heard the crunch before she felt it, the guillotine he'd made of his elbow and his knee cracking and breaking her shin. Then she felt it, like her bones had been replaced with molten metal, burning agony racing up her leg from the inside, curling up her spine, racing into her core. Despite all that, she didn't cry out in pain, she didn't falter, her eyes didn't water. Instead, the stabbing pain filled her with new heat, burning away his words, the clouds he'd pulled into her mind fading in the face of the heat the pain lit in her core. It was like pouring gasoline on a lit fire.

Indeed, he'd set his trap well, but with one small problem. With traps and tricks, the hunter could best the beast, keeping out of its reach and wearing it down. But Nanako had closed the gap.

Nanako yelled not with pain but with force and fury, not slowing down even with her leg crunched like it was. Her hands shot out for his head, thumbs easily finding his eyes and sinking into the sockets to gouge at them.

"Eat me, asshole!" Nanako shouted back, eyes alight with excitement, lust, and sparks of something approaching madness.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Arena 1

The men shrunk down into their seats, nontheless watching in earnest.  To say their eyes were glued on the battle was an understatement.  The men staring down at the arena were studying, some even taking notes on pieces of papers, others on their phones.

"YES MASTER!"

The one guy roared back.

"What?  What the hell is he talking about?" another man in the crowd said.  "Why is he still in the damn arena?  He's getting completely destroyed.  Is she?  Is Valarie attacking to kill?"

The man who shouted at Zeke turned around, bowing to the rest of his group.  "Do you see that?  Down below.  Do you see that?  Greed, desperation, they are all manifestations of one thing: hope.  We must follow Zeke's example and let hope nourish us.  Yes, to fight only for ourselves, that is the philosophy of that man.  Do you see how he clings to life, despite it being hopeless?  That is the strength that overcame Seras's.  Yes, that is the power that makes miracles, a faith in oneself and a desire for life!"

And so, the leader of the group turned back around, awaiting something special.  He wasn't sure what, but he knew it would light the path he desired to take.

Arena 1 - Audience

“Step follows step, hope follows Courage. Set your face towards danger; Set your heart on victory.”

As the dojoheads were babbling about, a sudden chill filled the air. The ashen man appeared behind the group, his bird zipping about before putting his wing on the fat lipped spectator. "Shaddup kid. You're about to see something good."

Sipping a cool glass of orange juice, the man of ash nodded. "Indeed."

Eyes focused on the arena, the man of ash watched with dispassionate amusement, stroking the cheek that had been struck so long ago by a certain someone down below...

"What exquisite refreshments. If only they were accompanied by that vampire's screams." But alas...

Heheheh... you've noticed too, didn't you?

Of course. After all, it's him we're talking about. We have that one thing in common.

Ah. Yep. I guess that is true. We're all suckers for the path of resistance.

And so, this battle enters its final act.



Zeke - Arena One

The dying man flinched with shocked eyes. It was because he was dying that his limp body couldn't resist the speed and power. Before he noticed it, ooze erupted from his chest and his eyes turned blank. The slashed man fell backwards without a shred of life in his eyes. and smiled his last smile.

That strike was supposed to be unsurvivable.

However, that was assuming she was facing Ezekiel 'the figher'.

Light. Unavoidable. Irresistible. But before the light came darkness. The fallen man had grabbed the ground with one hand and launched a kick flying with propelling force towards her chin. Was the fact the man was dying a lie? No, that wasn't the lie.

The kick was.

The burst of energy didn't send his blow upwards alone. It turned his body with a rush of rotational force at the same time - and sent his fist shooting at her ankle with a serpentine sweep! All while a dead man grabbed the ground upside down.

Congratulations. You have earned the right to fight the true Ezekiel.

Genuine power and conviction slammed straight towards her will with the heat of a bursting sun.

I will not belittle you, Valerie. I am grateful you allowed me to experience our gap in physical prowess. You truly are a wondrous wall.

But did you think I would make it so easy?

It was foolish to head into your fullest embrace... without returning the favor in kind.

Their gap was widening. The star was escaping her grasp. Her victory. But how? He should be dead. The false heart she cut down should have been ravaged, and with that his anchor.

Allow me to offer your last rites... with every fiber of my being.

[YOLF]

Orcus
Arena 2

His eyes swelled under the pressure, churned like squeezed fruits, and burst at the front. His blood spilled brilliantly from the invaded sockets, tremors blossoming through his skull. Orcus felt not as if a gardener pleased by the Spring, but the bountiful earth content to be fed upon, birthing flowers with no petals to their name but more thorns.

His arms flashed in answer to the grapple. In a heartbeat, he grabbed his opponent's neck with one claw, and speared her stomach with the other. Squeezing the windpipe, he dug into her skin while her entrails squelched around his fingers. An ecstatic grunt escaped him, and the next moment he jumped, catapulting them up with his suddenly open wings, spraying red through the air.

The primal cackled when blood reached his mouth, and the scent of his pain mixed with hers. As if blindness would protect anyone from him. As if the pain of death would make any difference to the twisted soul that lived in this immortal body.

"HAH-Hah-Hah! Hearing will render you cold, so you hide in the lust of agony! Lamentable!"

[SINIB]

Vanilla V Uria: Arena 4

Chaos, chaos! Uria formed warp after warp, casting them up above and down below. They drifted into the sky and dotted the abyss below in their swirling energies. Shadowy, swollen clouds slowly filled the sky as they waited for their opponent to show up. It didn't really matter to them! Eventually they'd find her.

Vanilla

Vanilla soared through the air, cutting through it like a blade as she searched for her opponent. From what she'd seen of the previous fight-this godling would be a tough opponent for her. As soon as she saw them, she cautiously began to approach.

[Panda]

Nanako

New heat covered Nanako's hands as her thumbs plunged into the other man's eyes, the orbs bursting like overripe fruit under the force. Her leg for his eyes, not quite the old eye for an eye saying, but the squirrel girl wasn't much for particulars. Especially not while raging heat burned in her core to match the inferno melting her leg.

Of course, Orcus hadn't been deterred either, his hand finding her neck in turn and clamping down to the tune of a choked gasp from Nanako. Before she could entertain the idea of letting him choke her for a bit, though, the claws heading for her stomach caught her eye and baser instincts took over. Her hands tore themselves from his bloody sockets, tearing out the ruined orbs as they left, before grabbing the thumb of the hand holding her and wrenching it away. In that same moment, ethereal wings burst from her back and sent her skywards with nary a flap, the squirrel girl narrowly avoiding impalement and rocketing up to the floating debris just as Orcus shot up with his own wings, spraying red like some macabre sparkler.

"Wha- How about you start making sense then?!" Nanako shot back, catching herself on the floating debris on one foot and her extended tail before bouncing around to other chunks.

[YOLF]

Orcus
Arena 2

She made the right call to disengage, but there was no escaping a cost from daring this close to begin with. Orcus hooked the bladed fingers of his claw when she fled, and red lines opened her belly on the return swing. Her blood joined his sprinkling down the wasteland, and Orcus soared as she bounced away.

"Those feathers are a receiver," he boomed, veiling his eyes with an armored palm, the broken thumb cracking into place. The warning spoken like a fond joke resounded between cliffs and empty space. "And the more you use them, the closer you become to its terminal!"

Then the lightless gaps between his own bladed plumes seemed to stretch and deepen, pulled like inkstrokes into points denser than stars. Pitch-black orbs surged one after the other in their master's orbit, and Orcus raised his hackles. The wings spread, and armored limbs flexed hungrily, revealing the malevolent shine of reborn eyes, shadowed by a fresh coat of scarlet paint.

[Bern]

Valerie - Arena 1

The burning foot sought her out with renewed vigor unlike any he had show before, no perhaps he had been holding back the whole time. Either way that was quite the feat he had pulled and it really pissed her off.

"WHAT?"

As fast as he was, she had felt the shifting currents of the heated air before she had even seen it, her senses were far beyond that of any mere mortal.

The shock brought on by his sudden revival ran deep, but the instincts honed by her master ran deeper.

She grabbed onto his face and flipped herself over him, leaving her prized weapon behind as it was still lodged into him. The vampire spun gracefully a few circles through the air before landing upside down in a handstand.

"Should I stop holding back too now?"