Purgatory

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

"Hehe, not now, don't have too much fun. We're just getting started." He tossed his suit with a single swing and undid his tie smoothly. As he rolled up his sleeves, he stretched his arms with a sly grin on his mug. "With that said, take your time. If you feel pressured at any point, just let me know okay honey?"

And with a dashing smile, he offered his hand.

"The left is an invitation to a duel. En garde, my love."

[SINIB]

Luthien

"Fuh. You don't seem like all that much, I'm sorry to say." She began stretching her arms, bouncing around likely on her bare feet before flashing a wink at him. "But I know how to be gentle and loving, don't worry."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

"Haha! Is that so..." He looked embarrassed for a second, but his smile was like a fox's - and shame was never something he was good at faking. "Yes yes, I'm hardly the fastest or strongest you'll find in this city. Thanks for the concern though, I do love to be pampered by cute ladies~ "

In response to her bouncing frame, he took a casual raising guard stance. It was as orthodox as it got, without the slightest deviance. After all, he was just a boxer.

"Come!"

[SINIB]

Luthien

The elf slammed a fist into the ground in order to kick up a tremendous cloud of fine dust particulate, slamming her fists repeatedly into the ground at high speeds. The dust began to grow thicker and thicker, obscuring sight, scent, and even confusing sound.

An elf like her would be fine in a situation like this with her finer senses, but would her foe?

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

Nice.

By the time she lowered her knee to deliver the first punch, he already made his first step. The ground was shaking, but with that freakish strength he could tell she was trying to take control of the fight's momentum, and that's why he wouldn't let her move at her pace.  His snappy movements betrayed an abrupt dynamism, his weave was dashing straight towards Luthien with few wasted movements. Trying to kick up a dust cloud? No kidding, her head was in the clouds.

"What in the devil are you doing, gorilla lady~ ?"

Without a hint of delay, he threw a bonk to the top of her numbskull playfully, enough to swell a regular lady's coconut before she kept this nonsense. Not that it was particularly harmful to her health, just quick enough that she'd hopefully get the hint.

"Come on, I'm right here."

[SINIB]

Luthien

Haiai! The first thought that came to her mind was his sublime technique and the fluidity of his movements.

But, just skill wouldn't be enough. As he rapped his knuckles on her head, shadows burst out from the space between their legs where their shadows merges, enveloping his ankles and snaking up his legs, constricting and tightening.

She flipped her hair and grinned, before sending a clenched fist at his chin.

"Maybe you shouldn't underestimate my mother's handiwork!"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

The red blur was already in motion, grinning suavely - even when something suddenly stopped him. Hoh? He noticed something slithering up his ankle, and to his credit few would have kept their cool if their footwork was suddenly stopped short. What a daredevil, tying an innocent man like me up.

But the relaxed moment was short lived, shattered by the elf's fist. The punch rammed straight towards his stubbled mug, causing an impact that reverberated across the arena. Yet even with his feet bound, he nimbly avoided it by shifting his torso, letting the terrifying punch boom past his neck with a deafening crack.

A striker's hardly ever inert, and when she threw that punch he already came up with a counterattack. Adding her own momentum with his body's sudden movement, he stopped her body with a counter blow just as he dodged hers - like a spring bursting with motion straight into her gut.

"Don't think I met her. Is she as cute as you?"

Even with the relaxed cheeky banter, he was sweating already, with eyes as calculative as a machine's. Quickly, the aura on his feet began to flare and rotated like a swirling hurricane - to add even the slightest gap he could use to slip out of the tendril.

[SINIB]

Luthien

As he dodged, he found Luthien's head hurtling towards his own, all while the shadow continued to creep up his legs. The fell being was up to his waist now, and it was steadily restricting his mobility. Even as she grimaced from the fierce blow to her gut, her smirk didn't vanish.

She launched another blow at the side of his head and snapped. A small fire ignited all of the dust and debris in the air, filling the arena in a momentary fierce conflagration.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc Cedan

"Kh!"The skull slammed against his coconut this time, enough to draw a splash of ichor from his forehead. The taste of iron filled his mouth, and for a second his whole field of vision became a blur. He was trying to tear himself off the shadow, but even when he damaged it, it wasn't fast enough. That's... not good. Her gloved fist came rushing for him. It was the sort of punch that could end things here and there.


PURGATORY A LISTER, YUMI HIKARI. 9 Wins, 4 Losses.

"Tch. What's that dumbass doing, getting pushed back by a small-fry like that?" A large brute of a man watched from the stands up high, arms crossed smugly as he snickered at the scene down below. With his massive frame, it was a wonder that you didn't have to look at its face, which looked like it got ripped out and plastered back with shoddy surgery.

The ape-man just chortled at the scene like a deranged drugged maniac, when someone walked by and rested his forearms on the stand, gazing down with a fascinated expression, followed by a couple others.


PURGATORY A LISTER, VEGA. 37 Wins, 29 Losses.

"Woooooah! Marc looks like he's in trouble." He smiled and looked down, avoiding eye contact with the disgusting animal. Urghhh, this freshie's getting on my nerves.


PURGATORY B LISTER, TERASHI. ? ? ? Wins, ? ? ? Losses.

Another tall, but far lankier man walked in quietly, watching with a stiff uncomfortable pose. Outside his jet black onesie, his oni mask completely masked his features. "Is it really going to be okay? I know he's been an A lister once, but this looks out of his pay grade. Should I intervene?"

Vega smiled beautifully and looked back to the man sitting in the back. "Yeah, what's your call, King?"

For a second, all fighters turned their attention to the man behind them, muscular with a perfected body - barely contained by his tank top and military sweatpants. He just sat there menacingly, arms crossed as he manspread without concern for those around him... or the man below. The terrifying presence... sighed peacefully.


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

"She's strong, there's no doubt about that. That kind of raw power is terrifying for anyone, bridging the gap won't be easy." Lolong didn't so much as move, yet everyone got quiet all of a sudden. Only Yumi looked annoyed as hell. The only terrifying thing is how shitty this performance's getting, jackass.

Lolong stared down.

"But Marc isn't all talk either. When his back's against the wall, his explosive power and dynamism shine through. Once he's put his mind in the game, he won't give up easily."


Even with her disorienting headbutt, Marc didn't let up. He immediately guarded his temple with his forearm, swirling with a blazing red chi that spun madly. If her glove was like a destructive lance, his aura was a full plate of armor, focused on his arms to the point even her blow couldn't pierce it. Sparks shot everywhere, and using her impact's strength, he tore himself off the damaged shadow and immediately reversed his landing to regain his footing. As soon as his foot hit the ground, he used snappy footwork to zigzag back and get to her blind spot - even when the flare blocked off all his sight, he kept his guard up. He was constantly in motion, unwilling to get caught by that thing twice.

While the blood dripped from his forehead, Marc smiled.

[SINIB]

Marc Cedan

"Kh!"The skull slammed against his coconut this time, enough to draw a splash of ichor from his forehead. The taste of iron filled his mouth, and for a second his whole field of vision became a blur. He was trying to tear himself off the shadow, but even when he damaged it, it wasn't fast enough. That's... not good. Her gloved fist came rushing for him. It was the sort of punch that could end things here and there.



PURGATORY A LISTER, YUMI HIKARI. 9 Wins, 4 Losses.

"Tch. What's that dumbass doing, getting pushed back by a small-fry like that?" A large brute of a man watched from the stands up high, arms crossed smugly as he snickered at the scene down below. With his massive frame, it was a wonder that you didn't have to look at its face, which looked like it got ripped out and plastered back with shoddy surgery.

The ape-man just chortled at the scene like a deranged drugged maniac, when someone walked by and rested his forearms on the stand, gazing down with a fascinated expression, followed by a couple others.


PURGATORY A LISTER, VEGA. 37 Wins, 29 Losses.

"Woooooah! Marc looks like he's in trouble." He smiled and looked down, avoiding eye contact with the disgusting animal. Urghhh, this freshie's getting on my nerves.


PURGATORY B LISTER, TERASHI. ? ? ? Wins, ? ? ? Losses.

Another tall, but far lankier man walked in quietly, watching with a stiff uncomfortable pose. Outside his jet black onesie, his oni mask completely masked his features. "Is it really going to be okay? I know he's been an A lister once, but this looks out of his pay grade. Should I intervene?"

Vega smiled beautifully and looked back to the man sitting in the back. "Yeah, what's your call, King?"

For a second, all fighters turned their attention to the man behind them, muscular with a perfected body - barely contained by his tank top and military sweatpants. He just sat there menacingly, arms crossed as he manspread without concern for those around him... or the man below. The terrifying presence... sighed peacefully.


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

"She's strong, there's no doubt about that. That kind of raw power is terrifying for anyone, bridging the gap won't be easy." Lolong didn't so much as move, yet everyone got quiet all of a sudden. Only Yumi looked annoyed as hell. The only terrifying thing is how shitty this performance's getting, jackass.

Lolong stared down.

"But Marc isn't all talk either. When his back's against the wall, his explosive power and dynamism shine through. Once he's put his mind in the game, he won't give up easily."



Even with her disorienting headbutt, Marc didn't let up. He immediately guarded his temple with his forearm, swirling with a blazing red chi that spun madly. If her glove was like a destructive lance, his aura was a full plate of armor, focused on his arms to the point even her blow couldn't pierce it. Sparks shot everywhere, and using her impact's strength, he tore himself off the damaged shadow and immediately reversed his landing to regain his footing. As soon as his foot hit the ground, he used snappy footwork to zigzag back and get to her blind spot - even when the flare blocked off all his sight, he kept his guard up. He was constantly in motion, unwilling to get caught by that thing twice.

While the blood dripped from his forehead, Marc smiled.

Luthien

The keen observer could see the elf's ears dynamically pivoting in theor sockets, twisting and turning to gather even the smallest of auditory stimuli and process them into combat data for the elf to use.

Luthien turned around to face him and confidently ran a hand though her brilliant purple hair. As she began to speak, a wearth of fire covered her entire body in a glorious ambiance. "You should have treated me seriously from the start, Marc." With a big smirk, her shadow burst forth from the ground, coagulating into a ten foot tall two dimensional blob behind her with ten arms, each as long as Marc was tall. They being loosely was waving in the air, but it was a creation of an intense amount of mana nonetheless.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

Marc's smile was already kind of worried, but looking at the black mass forming made him sweat in a good way. "I dunno, I'm not all that strong." The man's explosive steps were quick and fickle, but vigorous to the point they'd kick off the rubble and dust with every dart.

That thing's shaping up... ten arms? Freaky.

That's when Marc entered her range once more. A little known fact about Marc was his wingspan, it was about 5 cm longer than he was tall. But she wasn't most foes either. He was aware, if he was caught by the shadow again, it'd spell the end of their little play session. Relaxed even in this moment, he put his chips in this moment and struck.

No one in the stands even saw what happened.

His normal movements were always fast. This was different. It looked like he'd have moved to strike her neck. Everything from his range to his stance, the way he stepped in, the punch should have come for her throat. But something made the air crack, as if all his relaxed movements suddenly snapped like a whip - shattering sound itself in a completely different direction. A jab made to catch lightning itself, snapping straight into Luthien's ear. No one in Purgatory could even come close to this attack's speed. For what it lacked in raw horsepower was supplaqnted with speed and precision.

The ringing wouldn't stop easily, the impact was hard enough to shatter her eardrum.

His arm was slightly lowered, but his guard was anything but open. He was moving out of her way as soon as he stepped in, throwing more jabs to keep the pressure and make distance.

[SINIB]

Marc

Marc's smile was already kind of worried, but looking at the black mass forming made him sweat in a good way. "I dunno, I'm not all that strong." The man's explosive steps were quick and fickle, but vigorous to the point they'd kick off the rubble and dust with every dart.

That thing's shaping up... ten arms? Freaky.

That's when Marc entered her range once more. A little known fact about Marc was his wingspan, it was about 5 cm longer than he was tall. But she wasn't most foes either. He was aware, if he was caught by the shadow again, it'd spell the end of their little play session. Relaxed even in this moment, he put his chips in this moment and struck.

No one in the stands even saw what happened.

His normal movements were always fast. This was different. It looked like he'd have moved to strike her neck. Everything from his range to his stance, the way he stepped in, the punch should have come for her throat. But something made the air crack, as if all his relaxed movements suddenly snapped like a whip - shattering sound itself in a completely different direction. A jab made to catch lightning itself, snapping straight into Luthien's ear. No one in Purgatory could even come close to this attack's speed. For what it lacked in raw horsepower was supplaqnted with speed and precision.

The ringing wouldn't stop easily, the impact was hard enough to shatter her eardrum.

His arm was slightly lowered, but his guard was anything but open. He was moving out of her way as soon as he stepped in, throwing more jabs to keep the pressure and make distance.

Luthien

The speed of his stroke was blindingly fast, almost godlike. She wondered if her mother would have been able to dodge it? What Christina would have done? She hopped backwards to minimize the force of the blow, basking in the pleasant sunlight which dulled the pain, staunched the bleeding and gave her a pleasant buzzing feeling.

But, the shadow had already finished forming. Four arms came hurtling down towards his body to crush him, while two others came crashing down behind him to block his escape.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vega

"Sayyyy, wasn't Marc part of some spec-ops group at one point? After he left that dojo..." The blonde man inquired amusedly, more interested at gazing at his golden watch than the fight below at this point. Or perhaps he was observing it, in his own small way.


Lolong Donaire

The champion sighed, arms crossed menacingly.

"I can't say for sure. Remember, no matter what, we're in the underground. Even professionals like us have ties to different backgrounds. Don't dwell on it too much."

His glare was oppressive enough that Vega just laughed it off.

"..."


Terashi

"U-um, I did invite me to that barbecue last week! We got to hunt some geese, but I didn't really know anything about that stuff. He actually showed me the ropes back then!"


 Yumi

"Huh? Who the hell cares? He's just some kid from the backstreet slums, why the hell would you-" The apeman looked disgusted, this close to retching a ball of phlegm at the stadium's general direction.


Vega

"He's a good shot, right?" Vega cut Yumi off with a smile, answering Terashi warmly as ever. "He hired me a few times, but we ended up working together for a few of his jobs. He's pretty scary when he gets in the mood, so I wondered."

He wondered, if he came all the way here... did it mean he was free to visit that woman after all?




Marc Cedan

Marc's back was against the ropes, even when constantly in motion. But even now, he found the cool-headedness to wink at her.

"You're pretty tough! I was hoping you'd pamper me - a little more gently!" Marc bobbed and weaved flexibly, his body's defined form showing through his sweat-ridden business attire. One of the fists grazed his stubbled cheek, while the other almost nicked his ear off in turn. The problem was the two others. Even with his guard up, his flicker jab parried only the third. The last fist was already rushing for his body with tremendous force.

That's when the boom of a whip cracked through the arena once more.

"I'd rather not fight multiple opponents, but it can't be helped. Mobsters being jumped by multiple people isn't uncommon, you know?"

Don't picture it as one, but multiple guns aimed at you. Disorient it, keep constant vigilance. This isn't different than that sniper team 5 years ago.

His kick flickered with the grace of a dancer, parrying the last blow. Blood covered his whole face now, and the smell of sweat stuck on him like perfume.

He'd prefer perfume though.


Terashi

"D-DID MARC JUST! DID HE- NO WAY! THAT WAS A KICK!" The giant masked man squeed like a fangirl, and raised up his hand-made Marc Cedan plushie to cheer him up. "Go buddy! Kick her butt!"

Yumi

Yeah, people can kick dumbass. What's so hype about that, jackass?"

Vega

A veteran, in more ways than one. How quaint.

"My my, things sure are heating up huh. I didn't think our boxer would use that card so soon. I guess she's really tough."

[SINIB]

Vega

"Sayyyy, wasn't Marc part of some spec-ops group at one point? After he left that dojo..." The blonde man inquired amusedly, more interested at gazing at his golden watch than the fight below at this point. Or perhaps he was observing it, in his own small way.


Lolong Donaire

The champion sighed, arms crossed menacingly.

"I can't say for sure. Remember, no matter what, we're in the underground. Even professionals like us have ties to different backgrounds. Don't dwell on it too much."

His glare was oppressive enough that Vega just laughed it off.

"..."


Terashi

"U-um, I did invite me to that barbecue last week! We got to hunt some geese, but I didn't really know anything about that stuff. He actually showed me the ropes back then!"


 Yumi

"Huh? Who the hell cares? He's just some kid from the backstreet slums, why the hell would you-" The apeman looked disgusted, this close to retching a ball of phlegm at the stadium's general direction.


Vega

"He's a good shot, right?" Vega cut Yumi off with a smile, answering Terashi warmly as ever. "He hired me a few times, but we ended up working together for a few of his jobs. He's pretty scary when he gets in the mood, so I wondered."

He wondered, if he came all the way here... did it mean he was free to visit that woman after all?




Marc Cedan

Marc's back was against the ropes, even when constantly in motion. But even now, he found the cool-headedness to wink at her.

"You're pretty tough! I was hoping you'd pamper me - a little more gently!" Marc bobbed and weaved flexibly, his body's defined form showing through his sweat-ridden business attire. One of the fists grazed his stubbled cheek, while the other almost nicked his ear off in turn. The problem was the two others. Even with his guard up, his flicker jab parried only the third. The last fist was already rushing for his body with tremendous force.

That's when the boom of a whip cracked through the arena once more.

"I'd rather not fight multiple opponents, but it can't be helped. Mobsters being jumped by multiple people isn't uncommon, you know?"

Don't picture it as one, but multiple guns aimed at you. Disorient it, keep constant vigilance. This isn't different than that sniper team 5 years ago.

His kick flickered with the grace of a dancer, parrying the last blow. Blood covered his whole face now, and the smell of sweat stuck on him like perfume.

He'd prefer perfume though.


Terashi

"D-DID MARC JUST! DID HE- NO WAY! THAT WAS A KICK!" The giant masked man squeed like a fangirl, and raised up his hand-made Marc Cedan plushie to cheer him up. "Go buddy! Kick her butt!"

Yumi

Yeah, people can kick dumbass. What's so hype about that, jackass?"

Vega

A veteran, in more ways than one. How quaint.

"My my, things sure are heating up huh. I didn't think our boxer would use that card so soon. I guess she's really tough."

Luthien

Despite his impressive moves, he'd fallen right into her trap! How wonderful and clever I am! She felt as if she were on the top of the world as the final two limbs slammed down to complete the circle. As the four arms attacking him increased their speed and randomness, the limbs which had surrounded him began growing. She pumped more and more mana into them, with a dome forming around him which threatened to crush him!

"Come now!" Luthien danced around gracefully as she taunted him. "The best way to show respect to an opponent is to go all out and crush them with everything you've got!"

He'd need to break out, but how?

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

"Wo-oah! ~ " Everything was like a blur. The shadow's limbs trashed about even more violently, slashing and smashing their way across Marc's body more and more. It was a terrifying living weapon,  for this dance he'd have to keep his steps just as lively. "I just like... to keep it casual!"

His sweat drops flowed out only to be cut down by the rushing exchange - faster than they could reach the ground. He was avoiding direct hits with expert finesse, but the more it went on the more he looked pressured. The blows started to graze him more than he'd like. Scratches on his skin, cuts across his clothes, blood trickling ever so slightly over his moon-white shirt. As good as he was, he couldn't do this forever. A hunted fox will slip eventually. He wasn't stubborn enough to try.

"Hoh!"

When the blow came, he didn't kick it. He stepped on it. Before anyone could gasp, he was running atop the limb like a bullet, ready to move and hop to a different one any moment. He was just taking the leap and biting down with a daredevil's smile. Was he a mad gambler, or did  gauge his ability for this very moment? Whether its trust in the roll of fate's die or in your own ability, you can't get ahead without some kind of faith. And his faith took him up a roofless horizon - and the freedom outstretched beyond it.

"Woooohoooooooo!"