[Round 1] Sasuke & Serraph vs Ahana & Eternity Larvae

[Karl Jak]

Karl Jak chuckled at the next fight.
 
Weren’t three of these people all tied to Goldilocks?  Were they even aware that they were all in the same fan club?  Gilgamesh needed to hire a better PR person.
 
“Good afternoon, Ladies, Insects, and Gentleprimes.  This is your MC Karl Jak, and I’m here to welcome you to this little slice of my youth.”  The man paused as his voice was replaced with a string of very eastern-influenced musical notes.  Once they died out, the gong that stood off near the entrance to the platform sounded of its own accord.  “May the best pair of you still be standing at the end of this, and if you lose, just remember that it’s not the end for you…
 
“Good luck!”
 

Word Limit: 850
 Posts: 2
 Time Limit: 48 hours
Random Elements: On
 Damage Meter: Off
 
Time limit starts at 8 am CDT
 
Fight Area description is available in the Fight Area Reveals thread and the Round 1 Discussion thread.

[Sasuke Uchiha]

Void of a thunderous roar from a crowd, the two pairings of primes made their way through the archways to the stage in silence. Out in front of the pack, the shinobi was overcome with a strange sense of… nostalgia? Déjà vu?

Authentic, tranquil, and mystical, the tournament’s décor for this round, like a kimono, wrapped the environment in an all too familiar aesthetic. It wasn’t quite the Chunin Exams, but Sasuke felt embolden all the same, as though it were an omen to his ordained conquest of the Abyss.

Crimson eyes activated, replaced ebony ones, and meticulously delivered a wealth of knowledge to the shinobi, unbeknownst to his adversaries, and all while Sasuke stood nonchalant, adjacent to his partner. To their opposite, a pair of prime females had been designated to be their opposition and an odd one at that. Fully equipped with rabbit ears and fairy wings, they hailed all the way from one of Kakashi’s smut novels.

Sasuke chuckled, and the one with the ears gave him a squinted glare.
  
While more brief than intended, the shinobi’s venture into the preshow eatery had paid off. Perhaps not with its weight in artefacts, but by the time the dragon engraved gong sounded, a blur of perfect synchronism between shinobi and arrancar followed. “You know what to do!” the shinobi roared as the two intersected at a crisscross and found their predetermined targets, “NOW!”

Their speed was tremendous, enough for Ahana to recoil a step, but not enough for her to retreat. “Oh, no you don’t!” the long-eared prime declared as she shifted her weight, forged beautifully crafted, gilded javelins from thin air, and began to pepper the field with them, trying to fell shinobi and arrancar alike.

Eternity, happy to help her teammate, unleashed an assault all of her own. Beautiful and vibrant butterfly wings fluttered, ascending the sprite to the air, and dispensing a volley of emerald into the fray.

Swift, subtle movements afforded solace to Sasuke’s team as they advanced on team femme fatale. Save for a few minor lacerations, they remained relatively unscathed as they executed their designs for the championship.  

Bounding an airborne javelin and running along another, the shinobi soared overhead before descending upon Ahana like a bolt of lightning. Pelting her with shin, heel, and the balls of his feet, the ninja executed a sophisticated barrage of kung fu, mid-air, before vaulting over her, and landing in a crouched position.

Bunny-Ears, however, shrugged off the blows with ease and stood defiant.

In a leap, Serraph caught the fairy before she could abscond the realm of the Uchiha’s reach, clenched ahold of her sundress, and with a good tug, slammed an elbow into the fairy’s temple. A scuffle of fists, elbows, and fairy wings ensued thereafter. In fact, both endured a concerning plummet to the out of bounds area before the tussle finally ended, and the arrancar was launched spiraling to the tournament stage below with a thud.

Taunting and tempting the grains of grass under her feet, Eternity came dangerously close to elimination, before her guardian angel/butterfly wings caught her. She then gently touched down on the tournament platform instead, and a beat later, they were at each other’s throats again.

Exploding forward, the shinobi assailed Ahana with more aerial feats of his martial prowess, but to no avail.  She was indeed perplexed by the keen aptitude of a superior striker in Sasuke, but the furry b*tch remained unharmed. Each strike was met with a foul magic instead, just above her skin, guised in a veil of gilded flames.

“Tch.” the shinobi scowled and pressed forward. Exerting every fibre of fast twitch muscle he had, the ninja burst into a blazing blur of cobalt. Azure chakra caressed his skin and an electric charged aura enveloped him, as he tore through the air and riveted Ahana with blow after blow. Tiny flames rushed to counter, Ahana displayed a moment of hesitation, and the shinobi capitalized. He zigzagged, bobbed and weaved, and executed a myriad of feint attacks until finally, he vanished.

Ahana’s eyes widened as she flustered, whipped her head from side to find him, and made audible her sense of panic.

“Here I am.” the words came, but a whisper in her ear, and felt hot against her neck.

Alarmed, she staggered away from the voice, but Sasuke ensnared the rabbit woman in a clench anyway, and delivered a succession of knee strikes into an eruption of gilded flames covering her face. Wrapped in his arms, the shinobi caught wind of her sweet yet pungent scent of sandalwood incense and marigold flower, before lifting her from her feet, several yards, with a kick, lying in wait of a backflip.

Whether they did damage or not, every punch, every kick was empowered by the memory of his slain family, of their traitorous firstborn son, and of the darkness he had wrought upon Sasuke’s soul. Sasuke was the light in the Abyss for a real f*cking reason.

Suddenly the sizzling of a lit wick sounded.

Paper-bombs help too.

*BOOM*

Word Count: 848
Ahana used move: The Fires that Forge Endless Spines; Creations of the Golden Conflagration!
Eternity used move: Danmaku Scales
Serraph used Mimic: Sasuke's Basic Super Jumping
Sasuke used move: Explosive Tag

[Ahana Varma]

Sasuke and Serraph. A kid and a topless pretty boy… or possibly a girl with negligible assets and some serious exhibitionist tendencies. Even seeing him without a shirt, I’m still having trouble convincing myself that the cute chick I met briefly during the preshow is actually male. More importantly, though; both he and his partner are shockingly fast. Far faster than should even be possible for a human being. Gods damned speed magic.

Hardly more than a few seconds after the fight has begun, I’m struggling not to panic as the black-haired brat repeatedly plants his knee in my face. Then, before I can even get a chance to lay my hands on him to tear him off, he’s moved again, and I find myself booted high in the air. I make a noise somewhere between a growl and a whimper; overcome by both impotent rage and utter confusion. I’m a Prime too, so why do I feel so powerless to stop him?

And then I explode.

A sizzling noise, a boom, a searing pain on my back, and I’m sent rocketing down from within a rapidly expanding cloud of acrid, grey smoke—my body wreathed in golden flame—to slam face-first into the stone platform on which we fight. Crack.

My fires flare up, brighter than ever, but that noise—along with the lance of white-hot pain which has lodged itself in the centre of my head—tells me that my Protections haven’t been enough to keep my nose from breaking on impact. With the wind knocked out of me as well by the force of my landing, I struggle up onto all fours, groaning and gasping for breath, as blood pours over my lips and down my chin. I blink furiously to try and rid myself of the glowing afterimages of my own (perhaps poorly thought out) defensive enchantment.

After my vision has cleared and I can breathe again, I see that Sasuke isn’t even taking advantage of my predicament. He just stands by my side, smirking condescendingly as he waits for me to recover. His building anger of moments before is seemingly forgotten, swept aside by the joy of success… or perhaps by the hilarity of facing such a feeble opponent.

If I can only keep him still for a moment, though, I'll be able to summon another javelin and plant its point in his gut. That’ll be sure to wipe the grin from his face. I make a grab for him.

But, of course, it is not to be. At this point, the kid might well just be toying with me to give the viewers some entertainment before he ends this. He moves faster than my eyes can follow, his foot striking my nose, twisting the broken cartilage agonisingly to one side and sending me tumbling away with a high-pitched wail.

I bump up against something, coming to a stop. Blinking tears of pain from my eyes, I realise that I'm leaning against Serraph's leg, while Eternity hovers nearby. Both of them gaze down at me, slightly surprised by the intrusion. Each has accumulated a few cuts, the foe more so than the fairy. At least one member of our duo is pulling their weight.

The man’s blood is black, I notice, and… is that a hole in his chest? Oddly enough, these inhuman qualities don’t really do anything to detract from his looks, despite their strangeness. Insanely, given the situation I’m in, I find myself focusing for a moment on how attractive he is. Effeminate as fuck, of course, but all the cuter for it.

Suddenly, my partner darts higher up into the air and waves her wings, sending scales cascading swiftly down at Sasuke, as he dashes our way. Batting a couple of the shimmering shards out of the air with one bare hand—apparently agile enough to avoid touching their blade-like edges even when moving at high speed—the kid dodges the rest. Then comes to a sudden halt, wincing.

One of them has sheared through his right ear, which now bleeds profusely. He reaches up to touch it, scowling.

“Not so fast as you thought, huh?” I taunt, giving him a broad grin, before spitting out some blood which has run into my mouth.

He looks at me like I’m a piece of dog shit on the bottom of his shoe, then turns to his ally, “Serraph, squash the bug. I’ll finish this one.”

“Right.” nodding, the man spreads his arms and, alarmingly, begins to rise up into the air.

He can fly too? Fuck!

I lash out with my left hand and manage to snag his right ankle, thank Gilgamesh.

Air superiority is just about the only thing we’ve got going for us here, so even if it means getting pummelled relentlessly by both of these two at once, I’ve got to do whatever I can to keep Serraph on the ground, so that my fairy friend can keep raining death down upon them unimpeded.

“Burn him,” I cry, baring my blood-soaked teeth in a vicious snarl directed at the blond man, as our eyes meet, “Bahaal!”

Word Count: 850 (according to WordCounter.net)

Abilities Used
Sasuke - Explosive Tag (overlap with previous post)
Eternity - Danmaku Scales
Serraph - Mimic, then Flight
Ahana -  “Bahaal”: The Fires that Devour Nearby Matter; Restorations of the Golden Conflagration! plus Offensive Command Word: “Bahaal” (only Serraph is in range) and Advanced Regeneration (using 1 SP to heal her broken nose).

SP Remaining: 2/4

[Serraph Quarrere]

Serraph Quarrere lost his moment to act the second he interrupted his battle to examine the woman at his leg.  Although he was skilled in battle, fatigue muddled his judgement, and the arrancar’s brief skirmish with the agile fairy had been more tiring than he had originally anticipated. The same could be said about the sprite, who panted as she poised herself to strike, not wasting the opportunity granted. Serraph snapped himself out of his daze when the King’s Hand delivered new orders. With his purpose in this battle reaffirmed, his reiryoku, or spiritual power, flowed through the heels of his boots and lifted him from the confines of gravity, leaving the arena floor behind.

Ahana had clearly realized she would never again get the chance to engage Serraph in combat if she didn’t act now, so she did, and managed to grasp an ankle.

 Serraph frowned in frustration and applied more of his spiritual reserves, but it was no use.  Ahana merely spoke three words, unleashing a torrent of fire that jetted from her form. The fire lashed out at his paper flesh, clinging to his body and clothes, and subjected him to a hellish inferno. Sasuke and Eternity raised their arms to shield themselves from the inferno’s savage heat and both bared witness to the atrocity .

 Glass shattering and jagged,  the arrancar’s screams equaled the hellish pain of a thousand angry suns, injecting its abuse into his veins. No query could have ever prepared him for the suffering he had to endure. Dark metallic ink dribbled onto the cold tiles, coalescing into a copious pool beneath him. Ahana pulled away in an attempt to recover. She growled in disgust at the layer of carbonized flesh that slid free from the untouched layers beneath.

 From behind a volley of emerald projectiles, Eternity careened her attack through the air with the hopes of putting down the burnt and singed arrancar. Such projectiles didn’t get far without being met with a fusillade of gleaming balls of fire. The energy covered scales touched the flames, causing both to disallow the other’s  potentially devastating assault .  Serraph’s partner rushed forward past him, his concern for the arrancar’s well being washed away with new purpose.  Serraph nodded in gratitude and turned to face his new opponent.

 Serraph tensed, his eyes of steel penetrated deep into the woman before him. As the boy walked towards her, she stepped back. Ahana wasn’t foolish enough to drop her guard for someone as frail as Serraph. Internally he began to read her frame, gleaming bits and pieces of her skill set.

 “If there is anything you can do, there is no reason I cannot as well”, he said  plainly, pulling his dim rapier from the confines of its resting place. He then twirled the parchment wrapped hilt over his fingers, flourishing it about to test its weight and balance once again.  His eyes flicked over Ahana’s form, the pages within his body transcribing her skills feverishly. “I know what it’s like to be read like a book. A book would know how to read better than anyone.”

 His slow pace picked up and his thin frame closed the distance. Ahana had thrust her long javelin forward, catching naught of air. Serraph had already skipped to the side out of danger. As a retort, Serraph would thrust the thin point of his sword, Libro, into her chest. He knew it would do little to help him, but information obtained is information worth confirming. His blade was halted in its tracks, the snow white sword’s tip shattering on impact. His teeth clenched, his body twisting over the woman’s javelin as she swung it at his midriff. His hands clasped over the golden structure of the pole-arm, using its momentum to vault himself over its passing arc.

 Ahana was a walking tank. He couldn’t as much give her a paper-cut, let alone draw blood. He’d have to try something else entirely and he keep close, keeping well within her reach to decrease the effectiveness of her javelin. There wasn’t much he could do, but he could continue to dodge her hoping he’d get lucky with his blade or…

 A smile stretched over his flaking cheeks. Instinctively he allowed his body to stir up his reservoir of spiritual pressure in his core, focusing on a minuscule point upon his bare chest. An orb of blood crimson amassed, slowly growing in size the more resources he gave it. A moment of wariness flashed in Ahana’s eyes and she brought her weapon between them, shoving him away. She’d skip back, launching her javelin at the sporadic sphere of energy in hopes to disrupt it.

 Serraph’s focus was entirely upon channeling himself and couldn’t bring himself to  move completely out of the way. The golden pylon carried a chunk of his flesh with it as it passed. The king's servant smiled painfully, his right leg stepping back to brace himself for the incoming recoil. "Allow me to teach you a word of my own,” he displayed a devilish grin as he spoke,  “Cero."

WC: 849
Sasuke uses: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique 
Eternity Larva uses: Flight, Danmaku Scales
Ahana uses: The Fires that Forge Endless Spines; Creations of the Golden Conflagration!
Serraph uses: Insight, Mimic, Master Acrobat, Zanpakuto: Libro, T1 Offensive Super Move: Cero.

Current Mimicked Items: Basic Super Jump(Sasuke), Flight(Eternity), Master Acrobat(Ahana)

Current SP 3/4

[Eternity Larva]

The golden inferno faded away, revealing to all the now-scorched form of Serraph.

As Ahana - Eternity’s partner - backed out, the fairy’s wings took on their widest spread. Now’s her chance! A resounding buzz, and a curtain of leaf-green bullets sliced through the air towards the downed Arrancar. Sasuke reacted quickly however, sending a volley of fireballs. Deep orange clashing with green, the quelled flames left only a warm breeze blowing on every fighter’s skin.

After the brief skirmish, the ninja suddenly dashed past his partner, also sending himself toward the butterfly-winged sprite. Simple yet effective, the message was clear.

The target has changed.

To Eternity, this was surprising. Her reaction was to take flight and spray another wave of green, glowing scales at her new opponent. Not wanting to repeat his last mistake, the shinobi swerved leftwards. He then leapt off the ground, narrowly grabbing the airborne girl by her feet. Gravity, inevitably, pulled them down, but not before the boy swung down his arm, smashing the fairy backwards onto the arena floor. As a great pain seized Eternity’s body, Sasuke chose to retreat with a few hops or so.

Tch. He’s smart, she thought as her shocked body struggled to stand. Sasuke knew he had to keep her grounded; that was the problem of his partner. Plus, she had just realized: every time she makes a move against him, he always seems to have a response ready. It’s as if he can “see through” her actions. Whether it was mind-reading, experience, or sheer speed, it wasn’t terrible. It did, however, make her job harder.

Just nearby, the shattering of iron could be heard.

Oddly enough, there was a pause in their fight. As she recollected herself, Eternity’s mind was forming a vague plan. Sasuke, however, had waited long enough. He took the initiative, closing in the distance between them. She was forced to shoot yet another volley of scales. This time, most of them landed, the pulsing energy making hard blows on the ninja’s body. Huh? That was... easy-

The shinobi puffed into clouds, revealing a log. It was a trick! Before she knew it, a sharp blow from behind sent her flying towards the edge of the arena.

The fairy came dangerously close to falling off, flapping her wings to save herself. Right then, she recalled something. Acting quickly, she took the chance to summon an unsuspecting paper. Everyone else was already showing their way of fighting. Now it’s time to show hers. As the card seemingly vanished into air, the name of the spell remained undeclared. A breach of the spell card rules. But did it really matter? In this place, there were no rules to play by.

Only pure, unadulterated warfare.

Her small, childish frame surged with magical energy, immediately concerning Sasuke. Her plan was coming into fruition. One last barrage escaped the butterfly’s wings, which the ninja dodged as expected. Using the diversion, her stamina was devoted to rushing towards the other two.

A golden spear zipped past Eternity, its sheer weight lodging itself into the ground. She was coming very close to Serraph, who seemed to be preparing an attack of his own. The shinobi appeared in front, intercepting her approach. He couldn’t risk losing his partner, after all. The fairy was observing, it seems that Sasuke was getting ready for a counter-strike. His hands were moving into strange forms, just like when he shot out those fireballs. Meaning, he was expecting her to stop and confront him. Though if she wasn’t pushing herself so hard right now, she would be smiling.

Because that meant he was playing into her hands.

Even though the fairy could not save her partner from the Arrancar’s attack, she still went through with her plan. Deciding to take a page from the shinobi’s book, with a beat of her wings, the butterfly fairy let her momentum clear herself from the obstacle. This left only Serraph in her sight. Firing from her two wings were six scales, but they were not like the ones from before. They were filled with tremendous energy, each one meant to focus on one enemy, then blow up into many bullets one-by-one. The sole intent, of course, was to cause chaos to subdue the enemy. This was an idea perhaps only the butterfly fairy, of all other fairies, understood. One could call it an art.

The art of suppressing fire.

736/850 words used, according to Google Docs.
Sasuke used Basic Super Jumping, Foresight, and Substitution Jutsu.
Ahana used The Fires that Forge Endless Spines; Creations of the Golden Conflagration! (overlapped)
Serraph used Zanpakuto: Libro, and T1 Super Offensive Move: Cero against Ahana. (overlapped)
Eternity used Flight, Super Speed, Danmaku Scales; and is using Danmaku: Suppressing Fire against Serraph.

SP is now 0/1.

[Sasuke Uchiha]

“Cero.”

A defiant roar boomed across the sky, tearing the very air with its deafening cacophony. Agony his scalpel, the arrancar engraved his native tongue into the depths of his victim’s psych. Horror strangled Ahana as her virgin nervous system was ill prepared for the descent into real pain. Bright animated flames of pure energy consumed Serraph’s form, and thrashed out violently to amass at the end of his zanpaktu. Effulgent and crimson, a colossal beam of inescapable dread bore down upon Ahana, searing through gilded flame and flesh alike.

Pleased with his work and to the sound of Ahana’s horror stricken shrieks, the arrancar wore a smile from ear to ear as his opponent hit the tournament stone with a plop. Singed and charred, fumes of a putrid scent wafted from her burnt flesh as Serraph sauntered over to his fallen prey, eager to take advantage. She was but a scoop and a carry away from elimination now, or she would have been, had it not been for the insistency of her teammate. Fucking fairies.

 “Look out!” the shinobi screamed, but by the time Serraph’s eyes found the threat in Eternity, it was too late. "NO! GET DOW-" Sasuke declared as he began to intercept the attack, but due to a quick Sharingan assessment, decided to abort the intervention and left Seraph to it.

Descending upon the arrancar with a fusillade of vibrant colors, Eternity’s suppression technique was a spectacle to behold. Across the spectrum and void of any absence within it, a plethora of color assailed her foe, immersing them in a bombardment of (not painful, but debilitating all the same) foul faerie magic.  

Crimson eyes blinked while they accessed the situation and the onslaught of color dissipated, leaving an unharmed arrancar in its wake. Both shinobi and Serraph smirked and wore a grin, for after all that, Sharigan revealed an arrancar still no more feeble than the fairy herself. There was just no need to intervene, to exhaust such grand feats of athleticism, chakra, or even heroism.
     
Eternity touched down to the challenge of Sasuke accosting her, “Is that all you got?” The shinobi stood as her obstacle once more, and with the scene of Ahana and Serraph behind him. “It’s going to take more than that to fell the might of New Babylon!”

As the words left his lips, the shinobi exploded into a blur of cobalt, advanced on the sprite in a flash, and unsheathed the legendary replica of Kusanagi. The confidence she had expressed just moments ago against seraph had all but vanished as, with a swoosh of her wings, Eternity retreated into the air.  
  
“New Babylon?” came a feminine voice from behind the shinobi, but he thought nothing of it as he adjusted his trajectory in order to continue pursuit of the sprite.

“Nah,” Sasuke said as he too left the realm of human capability, ascending into the air after her, “we’re done with that.” Rotating his body to capitalize on momentum, Eternity caught sight of steel just before the ninja drove it into her left wing, piercing through, and protruding on the other side. Sasuke sheathed Kusanagi and their plummet ensued.

Entangled in a bloody scuffle, the two primes belted one another with blow after blow as they crashed to the stage with a thud. Sasuke bounded away from his adversary, landing in a crotched position and accessed the damage. He wasn’t sure if he’d been able to prevent her from flying further, but at the very least, it would hurt like hell if she did.
 
 “Eternity!”

Sasuke reeled to see Ahana advancing on him and planted his feet firm. “One down,” the shinobi smirked, “guess that just leaves you.”

Paying the shinobi no mind, Ahana looked past him to Eternity, and was granted relief when she saw the fairy stirring, getting to her feet. “Be careful,” Ahana warned, displaying her concern outwardly, “don’t let your guard down just because he’s a kid.”

“Is that all you have to say?” ninja asked.

“Hmm?” Ahana answered confused.

Drawing his steel once more, the shinobi nearly vanished from sight as he advanced on her with an ill intent, “They’re last words, you know!”

Ahana was not impressed. She merely summoned her gilded flames, extended her arm, and caught Kusanagi in one hand, snapping the blade in two.

 “Tch,” the youth said as he bounded away, only to explode forward again with another exchange of kung fu, “I’d rather destroy you with my own hands anyway!”

Ducking under an overhand right and in one fluid motion, the Uchiha pivoted behind his opponent, wrapped his arms around their mid-section, and sent Ahana for a ride. Up they went and down they plummeted, riding a german suplex all the way to the scene of the crash.

Finding his feet before him, the shinobi accessed the empty stadium, and found a camera drone. He smirked. “Is this all?!” Now shouting, the ninja accosted the whole of the syntech corporation, “Is this all the challenge the Abyss has to offer?!”

Word Count: 841
Sasuke used move: Kusanagi
Sasuke and Serraph both used insight
Left it vague so Serraph can chose how to handle the super against him

[Ahana Varma]

“Ow… dammit.” I groan softly, as the kid turns his back on me and addresses a Syntech recording device, demanding a better fight. I’m not sure where he fits into our king’s retinue exactly, but it would seem that my initial assumption when I saw their names back during the Preshow was utterly mistaken; both of my foes here are Nippurians, not neither.

As such, for our faction’s sake, it might be for the best if they won. More chance for New Babylon as a whole to get further, after all.

But fuck that.

I rise on shaking limbs, my teeth bared in a snarl. Where that blinding, ruby light scorched them, my clothes are charred black—barely holding together, in fact—and my skin has turned a raw, angry shade of red. My everything hurts.

My pride included. Even though he’s facing away from me, I’m not fooled; I know I won’t be able to touch Sasuke, no matter how quickly I strike.

“Aah!” as if I needed any other reason not to go after that brat, my ally’s high-pitched cry of pain gives me one. Whirling to face her, I see Eternity on the ground, with Serraph standing over her, his partly-broken rapier a blur as he slashes at her non-stop, a shower of sanguine droplets spattering on the tiles around them. Already badly beaten by Sasuke, the little fairy can do nothing to halt the onslaught but hold up her bare arms before her in hopes of avoiding lethal damage.

I’ve killed kids myself, so I can hardly fault the pale swordsman for his ruthlessness… but she’s my partner. I need this little girl if I’m to go further in the tournament. If I’m to impress my king.

So like hell I’m going to stand back and watch as he cuts her to ribbons.

I charge, my lips twisting into a snarl of rage, a pair of javelins forming in my hands as I run. Then, leaping into the air, I thrust an arm forward, launching a spear his way. Serraph side-steps coolly, but I’m still headed straight for him, my remaining weapon held out before me like a lance. His eyes widen a little, though whether in surprise or fear I can’t be sure. He tries to weave out of the way, but whatever Eternity has done to him, he doesn’t seem quite as coordinated as before, and I manage to graze him with the javelin’s tip, just below his ribs.

He gasps, staggering aside as I land gracefully on my toes, a burst of black blood gushing from his wound, to mar my skirt and the tiles between us.

Sasuke turns back around, scowling, then dashes our way, racing to his ally’s rescue. As he’s not also being hampered by the fairy’s curse, I highly doubt I’ll be able to so much as scratch the boy, but hey, I’ve no reason not to try, “Hyah!”

“Ghk!” my javelin pierces his gut. He stares at me with horror-stricken eyes, coughing a little blood, which trickles down his chin. His feet hover a foot or so off the ground, my spear having caught him mid-jump. For a moment, I’m filled with worry that I’ve gone too far, that this wound is fatal and that I’ve gotten Eternity and I disqualified.

And then, in a puff of smoke, Sasuke turns into a log.

Um. What?

As I’m staring stupidly at the lump of wood I hold aloft, something green darts past on my right.

“Argh!” following the cry, I look past the decoy to find the real kid standing just over a metre away. I grin at the sight of his fresh wounds; two long cuts up his left arm and one emerald scale embedded in his stomach. I have no idea how, but the sprite must have suspected he would try something like this, and held back until he’d played his card. A pair of scales with bloodied edges lie on the platform not far from where he stands, now a little unsteady on his feet. Dropping my spear, I leap straight for him, a broad grin stretching across my face.

“Bahaal!” I shriek, and roiling flames billow outwards from my body. Their light blinds me, but my ears are pricked, listening closely for any pained grunt or cry.

Nothing.

I land, right where he ought to have been standing. Dammit. Even wounded so badly, it seems he’s still more than a match for my speed.

I stumble, almost falling for a moment as a wave of fatigue washes over me. Powerful though it is, this magic takes a lot out of me; I can’t afford to use it so carelessly. As my lingering pains vanish, however, the Restorations returning my seared skin to its former lustre, it’s hard for me to regret doing so. Before dispelling the fires, I place a hand on one hip and try my hardest to pull off a smug expression, hoping they won’t hear my pounding heart, notice my heavy, ragged breathing, or spot the thin sheen of sweat glistening on my skin.

Word Count: 850 (according to WordCounter.net)

Abilities Used
Serraph - Zanpakuto: Libro to slice up poor Eternity's arms. Meanie.
Ahana - The Fires that Forge Endless Spines; Creations of the Golden Conflagration! 2javelins4you.
Sasuke - Substitution Jutsu for teh lulz.
Eternity - Danmaku Scales 'cos she's already seen your wood once, mate.
Ahana -  “Bahaal”: The Fires that Devour Nearby Matter; Restorations of the Golden Conflagration!* plus Advanced Regeneration (using 1 SP to heal the damage from Serraph's Super Attack... and from that wrestling garbage Sasuke did, I guess, in the unlikely even that the kiddo was even strong to hurt her  :zany:  ).

SP Remaining: 1/4

*Sasuke gets out of the way in time, so I'm not required to use the actual Super Attack sub-Move.
Why actually Super Attack someone when you can pretend Super Attack them instead?

[Serraph Quarrere]

For a moment, the arrancar lost himself. The sight of blood and battle enticed a primal urge within him, uncharacteristic of his usual persona. Why was he here? Undoubtedly, there was a reason beyond simply following a comrade to this tournament. A seeker of knowledge, Serraph sought out the truth. Yet, throughout recorded history, he had seen the signs of a guiding hand.  Perhaps the King’s servant had been directed here. Perhaps here, there was truth to be uncovered. If this were the case, he would not allow failure to be of his own accord. He had made too many mistakes already. He blundered in assuming he could rely on the power of a Cero blast against Ahana, which resulted in a barely stunned opponent. He also initially mistook the fae’s onslaught as harmful and rather than be proactive, working through the barrage, he had chosen to be reactive. The decision allowed the rabbit-eared prime to disengage and seek her former target, the King’s Hand. So there he stood cradling his arm with the gash Ahana’s javelin had created bleeding profusely. Serraph retreated, jumping back to put distance between him and the woman of golden radiance.  

 “No more. No more mistakes.” he vowed under his breath, turning to face a recovering Eternity. His paper-constructed blade was positioned low at his side, stained with fae blood.

 He took one step forward, raised Libro to the heavens above, and declared, “Eternity Larva, my name is Serraph Quarrere, formerly 8th Espada of the Queendom of Hueco Mundo, now humble servant to King Gilgamesh. I formally challenge you.” His sword lowered down, its broken tip level with the natural body of his adversary, “ Do you accept?”

 The fairy dusted herself off while wincing at the cuts and gashes lining her arms. The fire in her soft brown eyes had been reduced to a dwindling twinkle. Though the arrancar could see her desire for vengeance, he also sensed her reserved nature, which was not that much different from his own.  She raised a bloodied, open palm to Serraph, inviting him closer. “Bring it!”

The former Espada jolted forward, compelling Eternity to leap back as her wings carried her through the air. Serraph grinned and retreated to the air as well, invisible arms of spiritual energy lifting him. Her wings fluttered, showering him with the same emerald projectiles he had grown to loathe, and the arrancar met them with a barrage of his own. Emerald scales formed and fired from the papery flesh of his chest. The borrowed attack targeted her method of offense, refusing passage to Serraph. This wasn't to last though as her barrage of enchanted scales burst through his defenses anyway. Luckily, he had already ducked to avoid their arrival. He looped and dodged through the air in pursuit, but Eternity rose to move out of range of the approaching arrancar.

 His speed was limited to matching his opponent’s, now relying on small increments of acceleration to weave around incoming clusters of scales. No matter what he did, she refused to engage him in close combat, and her limited ranged capabilities led the arrancar to assume her melee abilities were also limited. Serraph had seen this before, but circumstances at the time were hectic.

 She was smart but still played into his game. He dictated where she flew and only allowed her to land an attack on his terms. As their forms danced and spun through the air, Serraph's structure began to glow a crimson flame. Eternity's eyes widened, recognizing the signature that clung to her pursuant.  It was too late. Fighting through the tight, ebbing pain in his chest he forced himself to his maximum speed while ducking beneath another one of Eternity's attacks. With her back to the sky, Serraph launched the broken tip of his blade forward, but she had already strafed aside, just out of blade’s reach.

 "All according to keikaku*." He smirked.

 His hand caught the girl's ankle, she cried out startled, and Serraph pulled her in close. He jammed a pommel into the girl's forehead, and his feet pushed into her stomach, forcing the fairy to gasp. As the king's servant gained the high ground, he outstretched a hand and aimed defiantly at his opponent. The familiar crimson orb formed and a powerful light grew within his palm. Volley after volley, vengeful scales erupted upon his flesh, knocking him back into the invisible barrier behind him. Weak flesh tore from his body, his viscous life force splattering upon the arena floor below, like black rain.

 It was brazen to withstand attack after attack and continue this dance with the nimble fairy. It could cost him even more than just the match, but this was his battle to win, his truth to uncover, and he knew his most potent attack had done little to fell the tank in Ahana, but against the fairy? If Serraph's blade could cause those lacerations to Eternity's arm, then this blast was certain to produce even better results! Defiant, he smirked, "Cero."

836 words according to Grammerly

1/4 SP remaining
Serraph used: Libro, Flight, Mimicked and used Super Speed and Danmaku Scales, Cero
Eternity used: Danmaku Scales.

*Translator's note: keikaku means "Plan"

[Eternity Larva]

The fairy fell from the sky. Senses coming back from the sudden hit, Larva saw the Arrancar’s hand pointed directly at her. Dark energies were slowly beginning to swirl and coalesce. Her eyes widened. That’s what he used on Ahana. With a quick flutter, she managed a soft landing. Still, the sudden tug made her wince, pain shooting throughout the fairy’s battered form.

Larva assessed the situation. She could try speeding around the arena. However, she wasn’t confident in outrunning the beam. On top of tiring herself out, she might still get hit… no good. That means there’s only one option left. Her wings adjusted.

Relentless assault.

Each barrage was charged with what little energy she had left. First strike. Serraph’s paper-like flesh was ripped and punctured. Second strike. Even the force pushed him against an invisible skydome of sorts. Third strike. Despite a valiant effort, the Arrancar showed no signs of faltering. The fairy could not muster the energy for a fourth volley. The dark orb collapsed.

“Cero.”

Then, in all its fury, the loud roar of dark spiritual energy filled the air. To whoever was watching, Larva’s demise was fast approaching. Yet, in her eyes, it did not appear so.

For a moment, time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Gazing into the growing crimson light, her mind recalled the feeling of facing insurmountable power. It was a feeling she learned to accept as a mere fairy. Perhaps... she lacked “true strength”. Outwitting your opponent only goes so far. Many people she knew came to mind. The shrine maiden. The black-and-white magician. Even her friend, Cirno. They were powerful beings that she could not match in danmaku, much less a real fight.

But here, it felt different.

These were strong people, but they were strong people she could actually beat. If this was Gensokyo, she would have accepted defeat right here. This time though, she actually stood a chance. Would she lose, here and now? Maybe. But not without a bang.

Fairies are stubborn creatures, after all.

Her steel resolve kicked in, stance shifting immediately. No matter what, she was going to take on this beam and beat her enemy. Her wings-

“Idiot, move out of the way!”

A blunt force sent Larva tumbling across the floor. When she looked to the source, it wasn’t an enemy… it was her partner! Now, Ahana instead was now in the crossfire of the former Espada’s Cero.

“Bahaal!”

Invoking the spell, her body was now engulfed in fiery golden energy. Crimson and yellow met, the two clashing furiously. The epic display of force seared even the stone floor. Billowing energies made it too risky to make a move, so Larva had to stay down. Sasuke, likewise, held his ground.

…

After a fleeting eternity, the two combatants stopped spewing energy, ending the light show that dominated the battlefield.

“You’ve interrupted our duel... how rude of you.” Serraph said in an annoyed tone, his ruined body descending to stand - with a slight stumble - beside Sasuke. On the other side, Ahana retreated to guard her downed partner. With some struggle, the injured fairy managed to stand up once more.

“Serraph, stand back.” The ninja walked forward. “I’ll crush the bug with my own hands.” His senses couldn’t be deceived: Serraph was pushing himself too far. The fairy’s guardian responded. “Do that, and I’ll jam one in that head of yours,” she said as golden flames began circling her hand.

“I’d like to see you try!” Sasuke dashed ahead before jumping high, diving straight for his target. Victory was certain… except it wasn’t. Suddenly, the ambitious ninja’s sight of Larva was obscured by that of Ahana. With a leap forward, she’d managed to take the brunt of the shinobi’s force before landing. The fairy, meanwhile, sneaked past the two and went to take on her adversary for one last time.

Damn it, she escaped! And all because of this rabbit girl! The Light in the Abyss, of all people, didn’t take being outdone like this lightly. Seeing a javelin, he dodged right. Sasuke closed the distance, releasing a flurry of hits on the culprit. And to top it all off, an explosive tag to go. With that finished, he retreated to focus on the other two apparently skirting the arena’s edge.

It was too late at that point. Two emerald scales discharged their force on the weakened Arrancar. Those blows were enough to finally stagger Serraph, leaving him vulnerable at the border.

Larva managed to swerve between the shinobi and her partner. Her limbs were trembling. The pain was incredible. She didn’t even know if she could stand for another minute. But, this was their last stand; the last chance to win.

“Ahana!” The fairy shouted to the one behind her. “Do it!”

Pulling a golden javelin from the ground, Ahana took aim at Serraph in a last attempt to knock him out. Sasuke approached the two, hoping to end this physically. Larva, with the last of her energy, fired a last set of scales.

Hopefully, everything went according to plan.

847/850 words used, according to Google Docs.
Super Moves:
Serraph used T1 SA: Cero against Larva. (overlapped)
Ahana used “Bahaal”: The Fires that Devour Nearby Matter; Restorations of the Golden Conflagration! + T1 SD: Defensive Command Word: “Bahaal” to defend against T1 SA: Cero. (used with permission)

Ahana's SP is now 0/4.

Regular Moves:
Sasuke used Burst Movement, Basic Super Jumping, and Explosive Tags.
Ahana used Basic Super Jumping, and The Fires that Forge Endless Spines; Creations of the Golden Conflagration!
Serraph used Flight. (I want to say he did resist Larva at the end using Danmaku Scales, but that was left out of writing due to constraints so...)
Larva used Flight, Super Speed, and Danmaku Scales.

Yes. I changed my nickname preference between posts. Don't ask.

[Karl Jak]

Face to Face
#36 Sasuke & #04 Serraph vs #08 Ahana & #39 Eternity Larva

The scales scattered the shinobi.

He hit the ground and rolled back to his feet just in time to see the golden glimmer of the javelin leave Ahana’s hands.

Serraph knew what was coming, but his body could not will itself any further.  The arrancar met his partner’s gaze.  The javelin struck the former Espada in the shoulder, sank through to the other side, and used its momentum to usher him to the grass beyond the elevated platform.  Hands reached for the shaft of the weapon, but they fell flat as the valiant fighter lost consciousness.

In the ring, Sasuke pressed forward, preying upon the precious moments that Serraph had given him.  The warrior lunged, tackling Eternity to the floor and landing a solid palm strike to her nose before Ahana’s shadow loomed over him.  Senses afire, he rolled to the wayside as a retaliatory kick swung for his side.  Eternity stirred quickly as the pair of warriors moved in an attempt to zone out their elusive foe.

With a grin, Sasuke was gone.  A small log dropped to the stone floor.

“Steady,” Eternity muttered as she glanced to her left.  “He’s he—”

A piece of paper smacked the fairy square in the forehead.  She stumbled back and reached up to swat away the tag, but the flash of the light and the roar of flame overwhelmed her.  The fairy’s world went from orange to black in a short span of time as she crashed head-first into the ground outside the arena.

Ahana stumbled back the smoke cleared to reveal Sasuke standing calmly about two arm’s lengths away.  In the young shinboi’s hands was the broken sword of Kusanagi.  “Your blade was not enough earlier.  What makes you think half of it will be any better?”  The woman asked as she threw down a beam of fire and wrenched a golden javelin from it a beat later.  “Your time is up.”

The warrior shook his head and grinned.  “My time is now!”  He boomed as he rushed forward.  His adversary scowled as she saw the flicker of static electricity along the weapon’s shattered blade.  As she’d anticipated, Ahana parried the initial strike as it came in high.  Some sparks skittered down as Sasuke stumbled, his torso twisting away from the woman.

She saw her moment and thrust the javelin.

Evading the strike, Sasuke craned back around and grinned as he thrust the broken sword at Ahana’s midsection.  The broken blade never reached her skin, but the horrifying burst of electricity that howled and thundered from the weapon certainly did.  

A look for confusion spread across her features as the blast struck her.  A moment later, her unconscious form was lying against the brick barrier, and a victorious Sasuke was searching for the nearest camera.

The Champ.  Is.  Here.

[spoiler]

Sasuke (3.1) & Serraph (2.5) defeat Ahana (2.8) and Eternity Larva (2.7)

Sasuke & Serraph advance to Round 2

Ahana and Eternity Larva move to Match B of the Redemption Bracket and will face Ok Dongja and Marisa

[/spoiler]