A Noble Tournament

The Land of Sevens
So, it had been some time since Maria and Morgan partook in their first mission together. Since then they took what time they had off to train and ready themselves for their second mission, one that had them working with the Noble Árbol Family. Given their limited time they spent originally on previewing the job, they had more of a semblance of liberty to look at it in full. Such they discovered that the Noble Family was but one of eight Noble Families contending for the anual competition known as "The Noble Tournament." Such was that on the 7th Month of the 7th Day, 7 minutes after the strike of Noon that they participate on this venture between nobility as part of a game between the auspiciously living in the seven allied territories.

Because Maria and Morgan took the contract, an A-Class Mission, together they'd be assigned to the  Árbol Family and any others that'd be accepting the contract would be given a background check before being accepted. Mages from anything as small to as large of the Legal to Independant Guilds were accepted with the understandable barring of anyone not adhering to the Council's legal ruling system. This would leave 16 Wizards competing in a game of contending for the grand title of "Grand Noble Champion," which would recognize the Wizard as exceptional and capable of taking a large boon of missions within the future. Not to mention there'd be a healthy selection of prizes among such that the champion could be won along with the contract bonus of winning it for the House they fought for.

During the day of the event, Maria and Morgan were once again taken by Skyhawk to the destination giving them an opportunity to take a gander at the neighbouring nation of Seven. Beautiful rolling hills with flowers, grass and trees enamored the healthy fauna filled wilderness with farms being irrigated or farmed by the far more advanced modern era of agricultural workers. Farther inward they viewed cities of grandiose proportions often rivaling that of the modern living urban centers of Fiore. But none compared to the current capital of Siebte. Dazzling towers of ivory with windows opaqued of gleaming cyan ringed around the center while an irrigated river system flowed from a distant sparkling river ten kilometers away. The water pulled in pushed a complex series of gears that flowed across the outer perimeter, giving way to a number of Lacrima enhanced batteries that kept the city. This urban legendary site was filled with a myriad of dazzling structures and lights all of which seemed to span incredible heights with light refracting capacity. A host of smells and sights were to be had, but that could always come later.

What came now was what they signed up for, arriving at a desk that led the pair of girls to what looked like an enormous colossus of shimmering silver. It seemed to kneel, and was holding what looked like a large sphere, of which had mobile staircase leading up to a single square opening. The ball in question seemed to be as large as a Castle's Keep, and the girls would know why there was no seating found around the enormous giant despite the local guardsmen keeping back onlookers at a perimeter. Standing on a small lawn acting like a garden near the Colossus the contestants would be within a minute's walk to the large construct where site overseers were keeping them company.

"I can't believe how big of an event this is!" Maria gushed, her eyes still sparkling from the overload of sights, smells and sounds they had on their way in. She was glad that this was another mission not necessarily regulated by Diana but even more happy that Morgan was with her. She saw the contestants and didn't seem to recognize any of them...except for one in particular.

"Is that...?" The younger sister of Morgan asked, walking halfway across the waiting lawn to see a taller man in a strapping sleek suit with dark hair. Smiling widely, she beamed as she waved at him, calling out towards the Phoenix Wizard. "Kenneth the Unbroken Promise? I thought I recognized you!"

The man that was addressed was in a sleek three-piece suit with a purple shirt and a simple tie. He seemed to be out of place given the wide variety of eccentric fighters gathered for this contest. Isolated in a small area away from the majority of the other fighters, the Mage's eyes appeared to be highly focused on analyzing the superficial traits of his fellow contestants. From height, to physique and even their general emotional spectrum were all taken into account by the professional, whom had deeply ingrained this information.

However, his concentration was soon disrupted by the voice of a younger woman. He looked to his right and noticed a young woman with dark brown hair, a full physique, attire befitting someone of the upper class and vibrant blue eyes. The aura she gave off appeared to be familiar, immediately reminding the young man of a certain acquaintance as he shivered slightly. "Maria Alexander, no?" As she announced his former title, Kenneth lowly sighed to himself as he quickly became the center of attention by the other contestants. Smugly walking towards his acquaintance, he bowed slightly before correcting her. "Ah, Miss Alexander, I regret to inform you but that title was recently upgraded to Oathkeeper: I've even recorded it with the Magic Council. After all, "Kenneth of the Unbroken Promise" sounds like I'm still a teenager."

And thus it was confirmed: this man was Kenneth, the Oathkeeper. A famous veteran among the scores of S-Class Mages, making his name not as a result of his incredible power, but rather his extraordinary successes in the field of Jobs, to the point where he was hired by the competing Blackburn Family for a chance to win this tournament. Of course, given that he was up against fellow Guildmates, this process turned slightly more complicated. Quickly returning to the flow of the conversation at hand, Kenneth asked, "I assume you are participating in this tournament as well, Miss Alexander?"

For a moment, Maria was a little embarassed and annoyed. Firstly she hadn't kept up with the man's activities, he most likely had taken a number of missions on behalf of their Guild. Her field experience was that of a novice by comparison to him so not even knowing his codename upgrade was a mistake on her part. But his comment about it being something a 'teenager' would make didn't sit well with her. She knew she was far from being the most immature when it came to age, despite her child-like enthusiasm and attitude being pervalent of her demeanor at all times. Being demeaned in an off-handed way made her purse her lips and scowl at him for the comment.

"Excuse me for being a teenager, old man," She thought as she made a mock fish face expression.

Suddenly, her remembrance of her sister made her turn around and beam brightly as she waved her over, "Morgan! There's someone you need to meet," Turning back to smile more presentably gestured to the girl in darker clothes compared to her own crimson & white blouse top and short skirt with long black stockings with dress shoes. "This is my sister, Morgan. She'll be joining me in the Tournament. Morgan," She turned briefly to her sister and gestured to the man in the sleek suit, "This is Kenneth Oathkeeper. He's one of the skilled Mages working for the Phoenix Guild."

Morgan was excited to be on her second official job in only a matter of days, and it was one she had been looking forward to, a tournament of all things. She couldn’t wait to test her skills on mages from all over the world and being able to see just how strong she was, how close she was to her goal.

As the Skyhawk flew over the country of Seven, she enjoyed the sights. Seven was one of the few countries between Sin and Fiore she hadn’t seen before, not that she had much time to enjoy being in those places, spending years on the run. Until she was adopted by Victor, she didn’t have any clue how far she had run from Sin, nor did she really care, it wasn’t far enough as far as she was concerned. Only after becoming part of the family did she really think that she really escaped the hellish place she had once known as home, and she wouldn’t ask for anything better.

After the jet landed, she followed Maria as they made their way to their destination. The giant statue caught her attention as it came into view. Compared to the various buildings she’d seen during her time as a vagabond, it was easily one of the largest constructs she’d ever seen. Judging by its prominence, and the crowd nearby the orb it carried was to be their arena.

When Maria called her over and introduced her to Kenneth, she recognized him as one of the projections from that day months before, when Victor took her in. “I remember you. You were one of the ones Father called with NEST back when he...saved me.”

"Ah, yes, I was. Nice to meet you Miss Morgan." Kenneth bowed once again. "Now then, which family are the both of you representing?" He though, knowing full well he would have to oppose the two daughters of his Guild Master. He wasn't exactly sure about how to deal with this situation. On one hand, he had his work ethic and pride to consider. On the other hand, he had his loyalty to the Guild. "Then again, Master knows full well that he can't afford failure. Perhaps he will make use of this as friendly competition." Kenneth then sighed slightly, "I never know what that man is thinking."

"We're contracted on behalf of House  Árbol," Maria explained, smiling to her sister before returning to look at Kenneth brightly. "My father said this is a competition so we're to do our best even if we're in the ring together. I guess that'd go the same even if we're in the same Guild. So don't take it easy on me just because our Guild Master is related to me. I want to see how far I've come and if I fail, how far I've yet to go!"

"What's all this noise about?" A voice called out from behind Kenneth. Seemingly lazy with the wait the man in general was dressed in a simple collared silk shirt with it tucked into dress pants of dark blue and a black belt buckled with a golden hand. He had long luxurious teal colored hair that went slightly past his shoulders in a kempt ponytail. An angular face of a fair complexion with cool light blue eyes. The dreamy presence he had on him was strangely magnetic to Maria's eyes the moment she looked in his direction, the same could be said even of her sister. Poor Kenneth himself most assuredly most steeled but even he could most likely feel the 'charming' power coming from him.

"Wow! My heart is racing even faster than meeting that Knight Errant, Rhine Vint! Who is this man?!" She thought silently as her cheeks warmed up and her eyes transformed into beating pink hearts.

"Hello you lovely pair of fresh flowers," He complimented with a seemingly musical laugh as he pulls a hand through his hair, seeming to make the air around his face sparkle majestically. "I guess we will be competing against each other so allow me to introduce myself. I am the famous star of Wizard Magazine and an actor in some LMP (Lacrima Moving Pictures) Flicks, Darius Dazzle of the Midus Hand Guild. But you can simply call me Darius. I'm with Mr. Brooding here with what's-their-name's House."

" House  Árbol i-i-is ours!" She declared in a wind-swept voice as her hands raised up to cup underneath her chin, her heart filled eyes unwavering in her focus on him. "C-C-Can I have your autograph?! Of your whole body?!"

"Hahaha! Of course! After you win against me of course," He finished with a wink, turning to look at Morgan, blinking with confusion at her silence. "What's the matter, little girl? Isn't there something you'd like to say about me?"

When a strange man walked over, Morgan eyed him warily. She felt some sort of oddity around him but couldn’t place her finger on exactly what. The feeling weighed on her like a miasma, the only certainty was the source of it all was the man who introduced himself as Darius. When the man spoke, she noticed Maria seemed to become entranced by the mysterious force she sensed, and she could feel herself grow angry. Something was wrong with the way her sister acted, and the reason why was right in front of her.

“You leave my sister alone. I won’t let you mess with her. She’s mine, got it?” she hissed out, doing everything she could to rein her anger in lest she lash out. “I’ll figure out what he’s doing to her...I can’t let him get away with this...” she thought, trying to discern the source of the strangeness she sensed.

"Ah, if it isn't my splendid partner." Kenneth thought to himself with a tone of disdain. He observed the reaction of Maria to his partner and found it rather strange, especially given the sort of attitude someone of her heritage would react in this sort of situation. "It's Mr. Kenneth, and we're with the Blackburn Family, Darius." Kenneth spoke, though his comment was readily ignored.

His eyes shifted towards Darius' current target: Morgan. After observing her almost opposite reaction, Kenneth surmised the nature of Darius' unorthodox charms. "Passively maintained Charm Magic exerted through his aura? What a pain." Kenneth thought, remembering their first encounter and his out-of-character demeanor. "I suppose that explains that."

"Given the nature of this ability, telling Maria and Morgan this information would undoubtedly be an unfair advantage that I doubt their father would want them to experience. I suppose they should start understanding how irritating the world of adults is." Kenneth yawned slightly, anticipating the tournament to go underway.

Darius furrowed his brow at Morgan, not liking her tone at all. Still, as he looked at Maria he noticed that her charmed eyes wavered at the sound of her sister's voice. When she shook her head he released the pressure and the air seemed relatively normal once more. As the more effected sibling felt queasy and uncertain as to what happened, he turned on his heel and walked away with his hands pocketed, only calling out from over his shoulder with a dark smile. "Make no mistake, you three. Regardless of what allegiances you have to each other this is a competition. Try not best forget that I'll be your enemies and I'll show no kindness within its barrier."

As he finished the field surrounding the colossus monument lit up with recording Lacrima, giving the sense real people were nearby. The seven towers, currently housing the seats of the well established or those who paid in advance for the event, all lit up with screens. The people who'd view from the transformed working space could see past the window projections as if they weren't there and have a front row seat to the projections maintained in the middle of the air surrounding the giant.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME TO THE NOBLE TOURNAMENT!"

A loud projected voice came from a Thought Projection standing at the center of the field, next to the foot of the colossus. He was a flamboyant man, wearing gaudy gold and purple with puffy sleeves wrapped around his arms to legs. An obvious blonde wig sat atop his crown and a large chin jutted out from his rounded cheek bones. Holding a microphone up to his lips comprised out of a golden ball and a purple handle, he introduced himself with a sweeping bow to the millions viewing from projection and the thousands seated comfortably from the seven towers.

"I AM YOUR HOST, MISTER SEVEN AND WELCOME TO THE SEVENTH EVENT WITHOUT ANY ACCIDENTS OR SABOTAGE DONE TO A COMPETITION WHATSOEVER!"

"Ow, my head," Maria shook it off, blinking to see the flamboyantly dressed man seemed to be everywhere. He was standing right in front of the assembled Mages, making her jump back to stand next to Morgan. "Where did the handsome man go...and why is that ugly man so close?!"

"That my dear, is a Thought Projection," A man in a obtuse shaped musketeer hat planted over a handsome crop of blonde hair. An additional ball eye-mask was fixated over his nose, only giving a glimpse of his blue eyes. Smiling fetchingly he seemed to be only a few meters away from the others where Darius had chosen to walk past. With puffy white sleeves of a dress shirt that partially exposed his muscular chest with a dark blue pair of pants with yellow stars printed over them. Dark brown boots with buckles were seen and a single rose was twiddled around his fingers that he smelled almost obsessively. The last most notable effect on his person other than a sweeping white ripple collared cloak with a purple interior is a rapier of gold sheathed in a striped scabbard. "Hello, by the way. I go by the Beautiful Swordsman, but you can call me Chevalier, if you please."

"N-Nice to meet you," Maria blushed, taken aback by the man's curled golden hair flowing down from his hat covered crown and the mysterious vibe that seemed appealing. Unlike the outstandingly handsome man from before, she saw his beauty as more of an infatuation of hers much like the Knight Errant she met from before. If it wasn't for a woman in a nurse's attire with armored apparel standing protectively next to him, she'd have said more.

"This is my loyal servant, Joan," He waved in a praise, smiling as the announcer continued to laud the various sevens of the land and how much of an auspicious occasion it was. The woman seemed to only nod slightly, not taking kindly to either of the girls or the man. As she turned to glare at him, he laughed nervously. "She's a bit cold on the surface but she has a heart of gold, I swear, haha!"

"They're from another House, my Lord, please do not fraternize with them," Joan hissed at him, making him turn around and raise a finger to shush her.

"Don't be formal out here! Or have you forgotten?!" He looked slightly panicked as he tried to hide down over the booming voice of Mr. Seven's voice.

"Fine...sir," She murmured back with a roll of her eyes.

"NOW YOU WILL ALL KNOW THAT OF THE SIXTEEN CONTESTANTS, TWO BELONG TO EACH OF THE EIGHT HOUSES. WHY IT ISN'T SEVEN ISN'T IMPORTANT BUT MORE FOR AN ORDERLY PROCEEDING! IF JUST ONE OF THE PAIR OF CONTESTANTS WINS THE CHAMPIONSHIP, THE HOUSE WINS AND THE CHAMPION IS AWARDED SUBSTANTIALLY!"

Maria nodded, finding what was said understandable. She knew that with certainty if by some miracle they beat all of their opposition, they'd have to fight each other. Worse, Kenneth Oathbreaker was in this Tournament with them. Knowing her father, it was likely planned this way so that they could get experience fighting a veteran ally on the ring.

"I'll do my all in order to achieve success. I may not make it, but I'll try my best," She thought as she smiled, raising a hand and balling it into a fist as she waited for the man to continue.

"NOW ABOVE ME YOU'LL SEE A SCREEN! THERE IS THE EIGHT HOUSES AND EACH ONE WILL HAVE THEIR FIGHTERS CHOSEN AT RANDOM TO FACE EACH OTHER IN THE FIRST ROUND! WHICH HOUSE WILL GO FIRST?! LET'S FIND OUT!"

After that elaboration, a simultaneous projection was made all across the field and the seven towers. Names flashed in front of their eyes, they'd recognize exactly who'd they belonged to. The golden text surrounded by the rectangular divide kept oscilating till the momentum it operated began to dwindle. Finally resting at House Blackburn and House Sangue, their fighters being chosen in the blink of an eye.

"OH LOOK AT THAT! HOUSE SANGUE AND BLACKBURN ARE IN THE FIRST ROUND! GIVEN THE REPUTATION OF THESE WIZARDS IT SHOULD BE QUITE EXCITING! GIVE IT A HAND FOR KENNETH OATHBREAKER AND JESSE THE KO KING!"

"Whoa, right off the bat," The man named Jesse the KO King blinked with surprise. Looking across the other fifteen combatants he'd spot the famous Kenneth, an S-Class Wizard who had been solo until a few months ago when he joined the newborn Independant Wizard group, the Phoenix Guild. Smiling, he chewed on the piece of wheat in his mouth as he palmed a balled up, tape covered fist, the blue colored jumpsuit Wizard eagerly stepped away from his other colleague towards the highlighted path directed towards the sphere held in the colossus' hands. "Time to shine in the ring!"

The First Round
"Looks like you're up," Maria turned to Kenneth, raising a hand to give her fellow Phoenix Mage a thumb's up of encouragement. "Go knock'em down!"

Kenneth listened to the announcement and smirked to himself. "Looks like my impatience actually worked this time. How's that for you, stupid merchant?" Kenneth talked to himself, before noticing the encouragement of Maria. "Heh, don't expect me to start being a boxer for the Job." Kenneth slyly remarked, walking up to the ring with an ordinary stride: hands placed in his pockets and a calm expression. He looked at his opponent, the Mage appearing very attuned to this form of setting, that is, if his epithet was anything to consider. "Well then, KO King, I'm hoping this fight lasts longer than a single round. No?" Kenneth tried to start up conversation, all the while analyzing his opponent before the match begun.

Morgan barely paid any mind to the introduction to the tournament. Her mind was on other matters, specifically what Darius was doing that caused Maria to act so out of sorts. It was obvious that whatever it was could be undone, if not by the caster’s will then through something else. She had noticed that her sister seemed to regain some semblance of normalcy even before the strange magic was removed. It raised another question, one that was less pressing but still just as important, what kind of magic could affect not her, but her sister? What was different and specific enough that the unknown spell could seemingly target one but not the other?

The answer eluded her, as the announcement of the first round startled her. If Kenneth was the first combatant, it was a fight to pay attention to, and since Darius was the man’s partner, there was a chance she could see more of the magic she so desperately wanted to unravel. She turned her attention to the projection screen, hoping to catch a glimpse of the action.

As the Phoenix Mage and the Midus Hand Wizard made their way up the steps of the sphere the colossus held, Jesse got a good look at his competition. He looked crisp and held a lot of confidence, a sight he admired in an opponent. As the two were nearly shoulder to shoulder with each other walking up into their battleground, he laughed heartily at his question, "The first round is always the easiest, my friend. It's the third round that you better watch your step, less I find myself stealing the victory from you."

Finishing with a wink, they'd enter what looked like a completely open space. A stadium of projected people along with a ring that seemed to extend a good eighty meters in either direction. While it all was simply an illusion crafted by high-end technology, the ground and air was as real as it could be outside. The people watching in the stands were mere faux counteparts to the real ones standing outside or seated in the towers. That in mind, the moment they settled on the ring, their host Mr. 7 was right there with them.

"NOW YOU KNOW THE RULES! NO KILLING, NO POISONING, AND NO MIND CONTROL! THIS IS A COMPETITION, NOT A GLADIATOR GAME! ITEMS YOU TAKE IN WITH YOU CAN BE USED BUT NOT TO MAIM OR MURDER IF YOU'D KINDLY! ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS?"

"I got none," Jesse replied with a sparkling grin. "It's against my policy to kill unnecessarily annyways. I'm sure the other guy agrees."

"VERY GOOD! NOW LET THE MATCH...BEGIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!"

Unseen and not felt by the two contenders, the door closed and the sphere would be raised up into the air by the hand of the colossus. Images of their environment and the two fighters could be seen by numerous hovering projection screens. With the fight taking place on all angles, no one in the audience or the referee/announcer could miss anything. A system that made cheating virtually impossible unless it wasn't seen by anyone.

"Since I'm a man of good sport," Jesse continued, settling slightly spread stance while pocketing his left hand and raising up the other in a balled gesture. "I'll let you make the first move. I've already participated once so I know how these things go."

"I suppose I should get a handle on how this guy works. Though if his title and posture is anything to go by, it's probably not great to stay in close range." In accordance to his thoughts, Kenneth immediately leaped towards the sky with an elegant backflip, leaving almost no impact to the ground thanks to. While his aerial position was no doubt unfavorable for the seasoned combatant, Kenneth was no pushover.

At the moment he was at his highest altitude, the Oathkeeper immediately projected his arms in a forward motion with such speed that it completely masked the small projectiles that were shot from the tips of his fingers to the eyes of an ordinary beholder. "Phase one." Kenneth thought to himself. Before one could suspect his actions, he blended his first sudden movement with raising his hands upwards, conjuring several projectiles from the ground that attempted to skewer his enemy's mobility from the get-go through targeting his calf muscles.

The moment Kenneth moved to the air, Jesse felt a bit regretful he allowed his enemy to take the high ground. While he could always adapt, he knew he could draw more strength from the earth than up in the sky. Still, it made him smile with intrigue at what the man was up to. Swinging hands moving at a speed comparable to his own, he reflexively raised a hand to guard but didn't feel anything that was naked to his eyes. What he heard however was the sound of tiles being moved and the sensation of something slightly off in his footing. With a downward tilt of his head to the squares around him, he saw light refract off of metal projectiles that perforated the earth with enough force to shatter, aimed straight for his legs.

"Ngh!" He winced as his body moved in time for his legs not to get punctured at their vital spots. What happened was that shins up to his thighs were lacerated, drawing blood that flecked across the ground straight through his slacks. If it wasn't for his own reaction time, he knew he'd be rooted to the ground just now.

"Not bad," KO King replied with a hand grasping one of the needles that had jutted up from the ground, snapping it with a strong twist. "My turn!"

With a blurring motion of his own arm, it aimed to strike down the man responsible for the needles shooting up like quills. But it was all but a feint, to get him in position for his pulled back arm as he leaped a good dozen meters to the right away from the jutting up spikes. An audible grunt and a twisting punch later caused the air to pop, a visible speeding impression the size of a soft ball raced up like a rocket aiming to impact the man at the higher altitude. His own ranged attack, he'd find his own fist steaming after leaving the high friction thrust his body produced.

"Hmm, didn't work entirely as planned, but no matter." Kenneth noted to himself as he noticed Jesse's immediate maneuver. He doubted that a Mage of his skill would be sufficient with just a powerful throw, and thus prepared for the worst. "Time to dive back in, then." Kenneth thought to himself. The weight of his magical energy staggeringly increased, and he positioned his body so that his right leg would kick the ground upon impact. His body suddenly propelled downwards through the influence of gravity, enabling Kenneth to narrowly avoid the needle headed towards his body. However, Kenneth's sudden motion didn't account for Jesse's true strike: one clouded through Kenneth's immediate burst in velocity.

A crater formed in the immediate vicinity of Kenneth as his body made contact with the ground, upturning debris all around him to act as a makeshift shield. He swiftly lightened his susceptibility to gravity before noticing that his torso had been grazed and clothes torn. "My, seems we've gotten off to a rather intense start, haven't we?" Kenneth mused, equipping his signature pair of Tonfa — Yukisumi — and maintaining a defensive stance, knowing that charging in wouldn't achieve anything other than further injury. "I could barely get a hold of the speed of his movement through my own rushed foresight. Take it a bit slower, Kenneth."

"Please, that was my way of saying hello," Jesse called out from the distance, smiling as he experimentally hopped from one leg to another. The pain was fresh but easily bearable, he judged that the wounds weren't that deep and merely slashed the surface tissue. He'd worry about tending to it after he won the first round. Furthermore he was interested to see a man who utilized ranged projectiles settled on going melee with a pair of tonfa. "But I guess since we've exchanged the pleasantries, let's get this party really started!"

Raising his hand up and clenching it tightly, a translucent aura formed around from the wrist up to the knuckles. Smiling he bent at the knees before striking a menacing glint in his eyes. Kicking off at the ground he moved like he was a cheetah, streaking across the pavement. Streaking to Kenneth's vicinity in mere seconds, his balled up fist thrust in a powerful uppercut. Unlike before, where it simply generated a rough pocket of air, this unleashed a wind-blown gust of kinetic force; aiming to catch him not just in direct contact, but in the pressure that was generated by the first strike.

"Let's see how you handle the First Round's punch," He challenged internally as his attack was ferreted out on his attacker, aimed to hit his jaw or send him flying by close proximity.

"...How annoying." Kenneth noted to himself. While he would often take the time to dodge this attack, doing so now would only prove harmful on his end. Instead, he carefully observed the nature of his enemy's movement and raised his tonfa at the same time. With careful timing, the moment the KO King dashed towards his being, Kenneth increased his susceptibility to gravity by an enormous amount, the pressure suddenly causing his feet to cave into the ground he was standing upon. As Jesse's fist rose to meet his jaw, the back end of Kenneth's Tonfa was forced downwards, leading to the collision between the two forces to cause an incredible amount of pressure to be exerted into the environment. Even with the kinetic force that surrounded Jesse's fist, Kenneth's focused attack managed to — with some success — disperse the force made by his opponent, though naturally it caused a moment of paralysis.

However he couldn't afford such weakness. Without a second to lose, Kenneth used the stalemate he made with his single tonfa in order to subsequently release gravity's hold on him, narrowly ducking the fist as it continued on its path while at the same time engulfing his tonfa in with the intent on battering his enemy with both flame-covered weapons at the man's abdomen and send him flying out of the arena's perimeter.

"He managed to block it?!" Jesse thought with surprise, having first thought he'd have attempted to evade it. Instead upon his approach and now up close examination, the way he interacted with the tonfa that blocked his punch felt off. Like some otherworldly exertion was placed upon the point of contact. Looking down at his feet he noticed that a force of Ethernano was flowing off him, creating a transparent hue of crimson over himself. "Gravity Alter? That explains how he got up into the air so easily-"

During his acknowledgement of the eerie change of his opponent did he feel the force let go and his punch fully move upward. Taking an unsteady forward he saw his enemy move within his proximity, no time to properly dodge without taking his left hand out of the pocket. Grimacing, he braced himself just prior to the concussive wave of impact that bludgeoned him.

Coughing out as the wind was sucked out of him he swore he heard his ribs creak from the power put behind the strokes. His body bent within contortion, spiraling like a missile across the wide span of the arena. With every tumble he felt his head ring or lose sight of where his opponent lied. Grimacing he finally pulled his arm back and thrust it into the arena, cracking it and pulling himself to a grinding halt. Smiling as blood ebbed out of the corner of his nostril, he stood up shakily but still standing.

"That was a good hit, Kenneth Oathbreaker!" Jesse the KO King commented as he wiped the ichor leaking from his nostril. Turning to look over his shoulder he saw that he was naught but a handful of feet away from the edge of the ring. Whistling at the sight he returned to look back at his enemy from afar, continuing to shout so he could be heard over the animated dialogue in their mock stadium. "It's been barely a minute in and this is just Round 1. To draw blood from me is an achievement in of itself. Your reputation precedes you, Phoenix Wizard."

Withdrawing his left gloved hand, he grinned as he adopted a more atypical boxer stance, both hands held up to cover his jaws while his face was framed with an eager grin. Despite the injuries he's received he felt more excited with every passing second that came and went. Inhaling slowly he let out a smooth exhale. Closing his eyes he intoned briefly, "Boxing Magic," opening them quickly, arms a blur of machine gun pace, firing out dozens of baseball sized air waves towards Kenneth from the distance, intending on dragging him into a field of complete pulverization. Air picked up and buffetted around his invisible limbs, his voice letting out a harrowing shout as he declared the name of this physically launched spell. "Automatic Punch Volley!"

Kenneth's eyes widened as Jesse began to go into his stance. It was as if he was processing all the visual stimulus before him for an external purpose, paying extreme attention to every detail. The moment the KO King's arms began to move, Kenneth instinctively rose the output of his Magical Aura and chanted, "Purple Flare!" The flames that shrouded his tonfa suddenly poured outwards in a massive vertical pillar, before cloaking Kenneth's body in a tightly knit, dense armor of solid flames. However, this maneuver was not nearly fast or powerful enough to accommodate for the volley of invisible fists directed towards him. Zooming through, the punches were briefly dampened by the armor of flames before they buffeted his torso, leaving numerous bruises across his abdomen and blood spilling out of a notable wound to his right thigh.

"Heh...I can't say you're so bad yourself, KO King. Unfortunately, I prefer not to drag out my fights." Kenneth retorted, before immediately throwing a pair of seeds in front of his enemy. With but a small command, "Plant," those seeds grew into a collection of gigantic vines that attempted to devour Jesse whole, though their color strangely flickered, to which Kenneth sported a sly grin. He utilized no follow-up to this maneuver, retaining a defensive stance and once again regaining his breath and standing after the titanic attacks both parties exchanged.

When Jesse halted his barrage of punches, he smiled at the durability of his opponent and the fact he inflicted some damage. He admired the ingenuity of using Purple Flare, a flame that doesn't burn but rather physically entraps, grasps or strikes things to act as a conductive armor of Etheranno. But given the sight of the flying dots he raised his guard, not ready to lower it just yet, thinking they were bombs or smoke pellets of some sort.

Instead it was drastically different than what he expected.

"Plants?!" He exclaimed, his body immediately entangled by a horde of vines of a rapidly growing plant. It possessed no mouth to speak of but the endless twining seemed to become an enveloping cocoon of moist, sapping fluid that formed a bud around him. Fused and strong he tried punching and moving, only to create indenting bumps through the distortive ripples. Muffled cries of protest were the only thing his enemy would hear but he couldn't help but be indignant at his enemy's choice of restriction.

"Calm down, Jesse, calllllllm," Jesse thought, finally stopping his struggles. He already felt a tingling of numbness along his skin, knowing it'd seep through his pores. The whole plant seemed to caress him with the vined entanglement mummifying him from within, making him groan with discomfort. Like a tight hug on all sides, his stillness created a subdued amount of pleasing calmness enter his muscles, tempting him to relax and give in. Still he focused even as disorientation began to spread. "While killing isn't against the rules, I won't go down because of a stupid plant. I need to focus. Concentrate. Let the power flow through my body and towards my left fist..."

As he did so, a bright white light flourished around his bandaged hand. Even as his leg sleeves and shirt dissolved his hair rippled, the vines loosening just from the pressure coming from his appendage. Raising it slightly he finally, let it thrust upward, forcing a pillar of power to rise up from his whole body in the direction of his fist.

"JET PUNCH!" He announced as the plant finally, torn apart from the friction and magical power that shot straight towards the sky. The projected ceiling cracked from the exertion, spreading around till plating rained down ontop of them, soon eradicating the illusion of a field with an out of bounds. Now they were inside of the sphere with protective tiles formed all around with a domed roof. Grinning he knew that it was just a projected rule they wanted to offset the fighters; what a bunch of assholes he thought.

"Whoo, it doesn't seem like I can hold back anymore," The KO King declared, wiping the sweat and grime off the eradicated plant matter. Tearing off his jumpsuit top and half of the pants to create crude shorts, what would be revealed wasn't simply rippling muscle with pectorals and abdominals of crisp toned shape. The tanned ring fighter also had an elaborate set of metal restraints, all aimed from his wrists to be entwined around his shoulder with cables holding over his chest. Even his shins to his ankles where he got cut was restrained as if to create a gruelling exercise for himself. "Pardon me, but I usually like to make every mission be it a duel or a friendly match more training for me. That way I never slack off. With that said, how about I take these off?"

With a few taps to switches on the metal, they clacked off and became limp sets of deceptively heavy metal. They indented into the tile, kicking up dust as his sweat adjoined muscles were now free and can move easier. Rolling his neck side to side, he smiled, his body already producing a vapor of Magical Aura that slowly ebbed up, seeming to be growing in intensity as every second passed.

Then, it spiked up dramatically.

"HOOOOOOOWAAAAAAAAAH!" Jesse howled aloud, his body becoming the catalyst of a large torrent of azure outlined transparent Ethernano. Crackling with rippling tendrils of bio-magic, the air blew back with intensity and the ground became upheaved for several meters with just how much power he was generating. His ponytail whipped around his scalp, his smile complementing a fierce glow dominating his eye sockets as he raised his fists with readiness.

"Round 2 has started," Jesse spoke lowly, his voice carrying over to the attuned Magician. "Let your guard drop now, and I'll knock you flat on your ass, Kenneth Oathbreaker."

As his thoughts

The Hand of Shadows
"AFTER A BREATHTAKING FIRST MATCH, WE HAVE BEFORE US A FIRST TIMER AGAINST A FORMER CONTENDER! HOUSE ARBOL'S MORGAN DESCHAIN VERSUS HOUSE MAPLE'S RESIDENT OF SEVEN, GEOFFREY TIDDLEHEE! YES FOLKS, THAT IS HIS REAL LAST NAME, BUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! LET US SEE IF HE CAN MAKE IT PAST THE FIRST ROUND UNLIKE LAST YEAR, EH?!"

"No need to slander me, you odious oaf," Geoffrey, a man with a slight shadow colored mustache and slicked back hair, sneered under his breath. He bore a dark brown coat over a dress suit jacket with trimmed pants and dinner shoes. Complete with a purple tie, white collar and a brown fedora with a pair of white gloves he bore an audacious demeanor about himself.

"Please try and not fuck this one up, Jeff," Smirked a young man, name of Kase Klose, as he replied to his comrade. He wore a grey hoodie and simple baggy black jeans with crimson sneakers. The words 'Can't Touch Me,' written on his hoodie's front in blue outlined with black. As Geoffrey turned to give him a glare he just smiled even wider. "Sorry, Geoff. It slipped out, I swear."

"Arrogant punk," The older man snarled turning to walk towards the dome that had now rested on the ground. Giving a skeptical stare at Morgan he smiled to himself as he gauged his chances just on appearance. "I have experience, age and most likely higher magic power than she does. A little girl will be a walk in the park for someone like me...not that I needed the crutch to win a Round 1 match."

As the disgruntled man made his way forward, Maria made sure to give her sister a big hug, "Go give it your all, Morgan," She whispered as she released her and gave her a winking thumb's up. "And kick his butt!"

Morgan jolted as her name was called. She was so busy parsing over the events of the previous fight, she hadn’t put much thought towards her own debut in the ring. “I plan on it." she said with a smile as she gave Maria a quick hug before she made her way into the arena. She had no intention of losing, no matter who she had to make her way through first. Not only was the mission on the line, but she had to continue long enough to show Darius that her threat was very serious.

As she and her opponent entered the ring, she quickly took a defensive stance. She couldn’t risk leaving herself open at all, especially without first understanding her opponent’s style first. To boot, her opponent had experience in the ring to begin with, putting her at a disadvantage in the first place.

"Well, she seems decently trained," Geoffrey acknowledged as he took stock from the distance in the artificial ring within the colossus holding sphere. All damage seemed to have been repaired thanks to the Magic involved with this level of technology. Changed from a wide open ring in a stadium it now became a hollow space with clad grey tiles leading towards the spherical wall that curved up into a dome. Still, he liked the atmosphere and it got his blood pumping. Grinning he shifted his right sleeve and a deck of magic emblazoned cards appeared in his grip. Like a master player he began to shuffle and twirl the Holder Items between his gloved palms, he felt his confidence build as he showed off. "Let's see who really is the better man, girl."

"WITH BOTH OF OUR CONTESTANTS IN THE RING, LET THE MATCH BEGIN!"

Without any delay, the Wizard threw five cards that launched themselves like knives across the battlefield. Twirling around, they glowed a bright flash of colors before they produced what looked like fuse-lit frag bombs. They'd explode seconds after they reached Morgan's vicinity, unleashing a cacophony of fiery smoke pillars rising up into the air. Smiling with glee he took no chances and let twelve cards drop to his feet, creating what looked like a dozen fuse-lit cannons. No ceremony was needed as they unleashed cannon balls straight towards Morgan, seeming to fire in conjunction with no end in sight.

"HAHAHA! Keep up girl if you want to come out of this match intact!" Geoffrey crowed with a gleam in his eyes, full of pride and mad desire to win.

Morgan watched as her opponent pulled out cards, obviously a magical deck, an instrument of his magic. The simple fact they didn't look dangerous at first glace was enough to make her worry more than had her opponent brought out a sword. She had no way of telling for sure what could happen with such an unorthodox weapon.

She was confused when the cards begain to fly right towards her, only to turn into grenades mid-flight. She was able to evade the heaviest part of the fragmentation by running clear to the wall behind her and straight up, defying gravity for a moment as her speed trumped the force needed to carry her body vertically. Once she was safe, she used her Darkness Dragon's Talons, to latch herself to the wall so she could get a better vantage point Thanks to the smoke wall, she couldn't see what was happening, but the sound was enough to give her a rough idea of what to expect.

She kicked off the wall and bounced off the cannonball right in front of her, leaping skyward once more, only to prepare her own counter offensive. "Darkness Dragon's....Thrashing Leg!" she cried out as she descended, her left leg coated in darkness as she aimed to drive the heel of her foot into Geoffrey's shoulder.

"She's an agile one," Geoffrey realized as she took off in a speed he could only compare to a wraith. Tearing off backwards she evaded the grenade blasts and had latched onto the wall of the dome farthest from him. By the time the cannon fire reached her he barely could analyze that she had used one of them to propel herself above his projections. Seeing her come down with a darkened limb aim straight towards his left shoulder he grimaced before choosing to dodge. A quickened dash backwards led him to witness with bulging eyes as the tiles warped down like water and rippled out to explode upwards in a wide fifteen meter explosion of depressed arena floor. "A-A-And strong!"

Skidding across the ground, he narrowly avoided some of the flying debris from shattered flooring sent his way. Sneering he formed a spiral quartet of cards in both hands. Multi-colored auras manifested around each card face, making the unassuming magic devices look that much more threatening.

"Magic Card," He announced, thrusting his arms out like they were finger guns, causing the cards to flip vertically upright to show the elements of Light, Darkness, Earth, Lightning, Fire, Wind, Water and what looked like a Plus sign; its intention to multiply the power of the spells in unison. "Elemental Force Wave!"

The powerful fusion of the elements spouted took what would have been ordinarily potent fireballs or forked lightning and turned it into an amalgmation of energies that powered each other in synchrony. Like the effect of a Unison Raid achieved between two Wizards, the multiplication of effects were only heightened by his Plus Power card, allowing a multi-colored beam of elemental magic to be jettisoned towards Morgan. The energy would crack the ground and warp the air as it spiraled towards the wall she had mounted herself upon, punching a deep dent within the projected enclosure. How it effected Morgan would be seen in the next few seconds.

Morgan growled with annoyance as her opponent dodged her attack. She intended to finish the fight without having to use too many of her more powerful techniques, although she did take pride in the area of utter destruction her single attack had created. The circle of cranage was something that made her smile despite her irritation. It was proof she had grown stronger.

She was about to run in and continue her assault but saw him bring out more cards, more variables that she'd have to contend with. The distance was large enough that she couldn't quite make out the design of the cards, but she had a feeling that they were far more dangerous than the ones she had seen. The beam they produced proved her point. The sheer size of the beam was enough to make her believe evasion was almost impossible, even for her inhuman speed. However, the blast wasn't as fast as she had feard, giving her just enough time to dive out of the way. The heat that poured from the attack was enough to make her sweat bullets just from a few microseconds on contact, and her body felt like she had spent far too long in the sun. Just moving felt like fighting through water. She felt like a mess and the fight had just started.

After a second to catch her breath and wipe the sweat from her face, she turned and saw the power of the spell she had just avoided a second before. While she was quite capable of surviving surprising amounts of punishment from far stronger enemies, the damage done to the wall she had just climbed cast her durability into doubt. The idea of being hit by the attack scared her, and she was thankful she had escaped viritually unharmed in the end.

"I won't be able to get close at this point...I've only got one way to win this from this far out." Morgan thought as she focused her powers for a moment, creating a pitch-black aura around herself. "Darkness Dragon's Roar!" she called out as she exhaled a massive blast of dark magic energy, so dark that it seemed to swallow even the light itself that shone down upon them. It tore a path in the ground, leaving distorted rubble in its wake.

Geoffrey was prepared for many things.

He had learned from last year's mistakes and tried to take precautions. Selecting the best of magic types to absorb for his usage and items to enable combatting. It was only when the dark aura and the malevolent Ethernano could be felt from the distance that he felt chills run up and down his spine. A foreboding sensation that could only increase as she reared her head back and let loose a voluminously wide wave of bleak darkness fly forward. Like flames escaping a volcanoe it rushed towards him with monstrous intent and evasion seemed entirely impossible.

Holding up one of his cards, he closed his eyes and impulsively activated the enchanted tool's function. His heels dug into the ground, his legs shook violently and his whole body felt the maelstrom of shadows bear on him. Letting out a cry of effort the abyss finally vanished, turning the faceless card into that of a pitch black face. It crackled, fresh of Ethernano that it swallowed up, making him look with trepidation at the bullet he dodged. Looking at the six meter long trail that pushed him, the force of the Roar alone had managed to push him back while in the middle of absorbing it.

"So," The Wizard intoned, loud enough for Morgan to hear but still quite soft. "You're a Dragon Slayer. I guess that'd explain why I kept hearing 'Dragon' after the incantation of each spell you utilized. Hehehe, I think I might have encountered one of the wild cards, as it were, of this Tournament. How unfortunate for me."

Despite his sweat he smiled more confidently, palming the card and making it disappear within his sleeves. Removing a particular violet colored card he grinned as he flipped it up into the air, letting it casually flutter to the ground in front of him. A glowing purple light shined outward, projecting a total of twelve copies of himself. Each bore a demented smile and withdrew Holder Items of their own, ranging from fire emblazoned pistols, a pair of elegant sais, a broadsword, a mace, ice gloves, a brass trumpet, a whip, tonfas, a yari, electricified rollerblades, an explosive hammer and finally a set of light bearing chakrams. Letting out a few breaths from activating such a powerful Holder Item, having anticipated using it as a powerful resort, he proudly proclaimed them before his opponent.

"Magic Card, Dirty Dozen!" Geoffrey announced with a prideful gleam in his eyes. "This is my newest card. Not even you can fend off twelve against one!"

Morgan felt a jolt of fear shoot through her. The fact that her opponent had reduced her ace in the hole to nothing with just a single card scared her. As her opponent summoned a dozen duplicates of himself, she noticed his breathing had grown heavy. She assumed that copying himself so many times after firing off a powerful spell and containing another had drained him considerably. The wide array of weapons that the clones brandished made thinking of a counter strategy harder than it otherwise would have been, so many weapons and styles against just herself was a disadvantage many people would have a hard time thinking around.

"Then I'll just take you down a dozen times. All your spell did was give me more targets. Besides, twelve on one is pretty unfair, for you that is." she said, tauntingly, hoping to bait Geoffrey into making a mistake. As she prodded him, she activated her Darkness Dragon's Talons wordlessly, cloaking her hands in shadowy claws of magical energy, perfect for rending apart the duplicates and their original.

"Grrrr," Geoffrey sneered, feeling frustrated at being threatened by a little girl. Despite her power she was still naive. He'd show her who she was messing with.

Gesturing with a hand, he cackled aloud with renewed confidence as all dozen copies of him departed to attack her in unison, "I'll show you better to underestimate me, you brat!"

The first one unleashed a volley of bullets composed of flames around the size of baseballs. Each one could pack an explosive punch that'd eat away through a stone wall. He'd fire rapidly as he approached while the one with chakrams threw them, spiraling with light that was accelerated and transformed into burning rings of wide luminous discs. The last of the three he sent out held his trumpet and let out a loud toot that sent a sonic wave that crashed towards her from an opposing angle. Each of the copies aimed to connect their attacks one after another while the others defended the admittedly tired Geoffrey.

Morgan smirked. Her plan was working perfectly. Three of the clones were sent her way, a far more manageable number than a full dozen. Her first concern was dodging the flaming orbs heading her way, and the chakrams were a close second. The flame bullets were a simple matter, she had dealt with similar before, finding openings in the array and simply weaving her way through them faster than the human eye could possibly trace, as if she was truly a wraith on the battlefield, her pale frame dancing amid the blazing rounds without missing a beat.

The chakrams however, forced her to throw off her meticulous pattern with a leap to the side in order to avoid being sliced, allowing one of the last bullets to graze her arm, singeing the skin. It broke her concentration and she dropped like a stone, clutching the burned area in shock. The sound wave crashed into her prone form, knocking the wind out of her for a second. The only solace was that the rain of attacks has ceased, buying her precious seconds to prepare her counter-offensive.

She let her instincts fully take over, silencing her arm's nerves and their cries of pain, letting her fully focus on the fight at hand. The bestial nature that had been instilled in her gave her a clarity in dangerous situations few others could understand, something she could take advantage of. The first problem was the gunslinger, his flames would wear her down faster than anything else. She quickly pushed herself back into a standing position before breaking off into a dead sprint, slashing at him blindly with her claws. Once the double was down, she turned her attention to the one with the trumpet. She dashed over, her form flickering in and out as she sped forward. Before the clone could even begin to defend himself, it was already too late, razor-sharp nails of darkness dropped him just like the previous.

Finally, the chakram user remained of the original group sent her way. Her speed once again proved to be a key factor in her dispatching of the enemy. She de-activated her claws, mitigating the drain they brought on by constant use, along with the disruption caused by hacking through her opponents. Instead of slicing the clone, she flashed behind him, jammed her foot into the crook of his knee and as he fell, thrust her elbow into his spine, forcing the copy to fall forward.

"Three down. What's next?" she asked darkly, gloating at her victory.

"Heh," The original Geoffrey announced as he swung an arm out, jeering at her. "You'll tire out before you can finish them all off. Let's see how you handle six!"

Just as before, all six ran in synchrony of each other. The one with a whip had his weapon stretch out like a viper and make irregular angles to snap repeatedly with only a single twist of his wrist. As he pulled back the one with lightning rollerblades zoomed in, grating to a crackling halt next to her as he lifted off the ground and performed a spinning Lightning Magic kick to her rear guard. As the pair attacked her from two fronts, the one with ice gloves formed a familiar Caster Sign.

"Ice Make," He declared, gesturing his palms to create a horde of frost covered wasps to hoarde in towards her, buzzing in and around the attacks of the pair. "Wasp Swarm!"

The final three, one with a yari stretched out his spear to jab at her from above, crashing into the floor with incredible pressure while holding himself above the group. Bending the handle he jettisoned himself up into the air while shrinking the spear. Once reaching the dome ceiling he angled himself around to kick off the ceiling and charge with an accelerated extension of his magical weapon.

The other pair, one with sais nimbly moved in and around the variety of attacks, jabbing and slashing at her when he could. The final of the six utilizing a broadsword swung around, cutting a few wasps easily and batting aside the others' weapons as he aimed to connect. Releasing a potent wave of Darkness from his weapon, it radiated off his sword like mist, giving the impression of a cursed tool. All the while, Geoffrey seemed to slowly regain his breath and renew his strength gradually as the fight dragged on.

"Even if they all fall, you'll be far too drained to fight against me effectively," He reasoned as the remaining three copies stood protectively in front of him. "Then, I can use my Trump Card AND a little bonus. I can't wait to see you kneel before me and beg for the pain to stop, little ingrate!"

Morgan was taken aback as the whip-user was able to make his weapon strike from odd angles. She used her talons to shred the weapon, the leather torn with astounding ease by the shadowy claws wielded by the dark dragon’s chosen. Distracted with the onslaught, she didn’t realize one snuck behind her before it was too late. She let out a gasp of pain as she felt a sharp jolt run through her body, and a sudden pain from a blunt impact. She felt her body seize up against the electrifying blast coursing her nervous system.

As the jolt wore off, she turned to face her attacker. She snarled in a rage as she lashed out with impressive speed. Moving like a blur, she struck, jamming her claw covered hand into the body of the duplicate, causing it to dissolve as the force keeping it manifested vanished. She had been sporting up until then, fighting only for the thrill of it, but she realized that she left herself open too much. Now she’d show just what she was really capable of as the last known Dragon Slayer.

She turned back to the major group, only to see a swarm of ice wasps barreling upon her with incredible speed. The horde of chilling insects gathered around her, stabbing at her with freezing-cold stingers, each jab more and more painful as her body began to feel the coldness sapping at her strength. Yet she soldiered on, her stubborn pride refusing to let her submit to something as trivial as mere magical bugs. She funneled magic around her body, triggering her Darkness Dragon Scales as a form of armor. Through her training with Victor, she learned how to harden the dark magic to create a form of armor as well as camouflage.

She was so focused on the horde of wasps that she only barely was able to successfully dodge the oncoming spear user’s first stroke, only by a fraction of an inch between her and the pointed weapon, causing her to jump in surprise. Before she could take another step, she was forced to roll to the side to avoid a second impaling drop, putting her right in the path of the sai user’s blades. Only thanks to the iron-hard scales surrounding her body was she able to survive the short blades threatening her. They snapped against the draconic second skin like twigs, and as the copy stood shocked at her feat, she slashed with her claws once more, severing its flesh and bone with inhuman ease.

With the sai-using replica taken out of commission, she turned back to the yari-carrying one and before he could do anything, vanished from his sight, bounding around the area with her incredible speed pushed to its limits, leaving ghostly duplicates of her own. She destroyed his weapon with two slashes of her talons before rearing back to punch her target. “Darkness Dragon’s Wingbeat!” she exclaimed, releasing a surge of dark magic around her arm. As she thrust her arm forward, the signature wing-like trail followed and cut through the clone with little effort.

With them out of the picture, she was able to focus on the spellcasting one. She flashed to his location, using the Wingbeat’s blade-like wing to decapitate the mage before he could hamper her further.

Finally, Morgan turned to the ninth Geoffery, smirking with delight as she saw his power was darkness. She swallowed the wave of energy heading her way. The fact the chance was given to her proved her opponent had little understanding of the nature of Dragon Slayers. She could feel the power rushing through her, power she decided to put to good use. “Darkness Dragon’s Crashing Tail!” she yelled out, forming the Wingbeat’s remaining darkness into a long whip-like construct of her own, resembling the tail of a black dragon manifesting from her arm, ending in a jagged pointed tip. She swung the new weapon with enough force to send the dark sword-using Geoffry flying towards the wall. Before she deactivated her spell, she lashed once more with it, this time aiming at the whip-user she had only disarmed a moment before.

As the tail-shaped weapon dissolved from her body, she felt the drain from taking so long to finish the fight. Her breathing began to quicken and her body cried out for rest, a plea she did her best to deny. “''I’ve got to get rid of those clones soon. I don’t know how much more I can take''.”

It was mind boggling.

Every single one of this copies he sent out were completely destroyed with finesse and power. Geoffrey was beside himself as even the shadows became armor and sampled the darkness of his copy's sword as if it was a fine cuisine. He had only done partial research since Dragon Slayers hadn't existed in the public eye for some time. Three hundred years ago they had finally begun to fade in history, with only tails of the Guild that stood against the strongest of the Baram Alliance. The death of the Apocalypse Dragon, Acnologia and the Black Wizard Zeref, along with the Salamander Natsu and the Holy Guild Master Sting. The rest of those who survived that day were enveloped into history and quietly forgotten.

And now here stood one now, in the possession of a small neophyte Guild running for this contract.

"I can hear him laughing at me," He thought, referencing his hoodie adorned comrade watching outside on the grassy waiting field. "Well, soon he will have no jokes left to say when I pulverize this girl into the ground. That being said, I'll forgo this farce and proceed as planned. I'm not sure how much more Ethernano I can squander to simply buy time."

With a gesture, the Wizard dispelled his remaining copies, feeling an increment of his strength fulfill him. Withdrawing the card that had captured Morgan's Darkness Dragon's Roar, he held it up and observed its still bristling currents writhing around the placeholder. Taking its face he withdrew a card that was not like any of his other cards. Breathing in he exhaled, placing the face of both cards and combining them together.

"Card Magic," Geoffrey chanted aloud, an enormous surge of the magic Morgan used flowing straight into the more fancifully designed card face. "Power Transference!"

In a siphoning twister of suction, the shadowy dyed energy was sloughed into the elegant card of golden rims and blue back. Using some of his own Magic as a catalyst, he cried out loud, "I call upon you, Goddess of War, to come forth...Cassandra!"

A circle was constructed up into the air, levitating up to hover at the center of the dome's canopy. Exploding with blood red overcasting the environment, dark feathers soon cascaded across that battlement. At the top a curtain of feathers cocooned a hidden figure, bristling with a deep crimson magical aura that made the air feel heavy as it was chaotic. When the wings unfurled, the lighting vanished and instead wrapped around a slender young woman's frame. A crimson spiked halo adorned over a mane of snow-hued hair that draped over her shoulders, red eyes and pale skin complementing the sharp earred visage she sported. Crimson metal guards strapped over her knuckles up to her elbows, similarly to the ankles up her thighs with the upper partition being covered by dark brown lace. Similarly died cuirass draped around her waist, with more metal plating leading up to a slender shaped middle up to a revealing bust held by more plating. Landing down on the ground by bare feet, she brushed her hair around a pair of arching feather headdress on either flank of her white haired head, nestled in place by a laced brown band of sorts. With hair reaching her ankles and flourishing out because of her overwhelming Ethernano output, the raven colored wings that stretched out had an overcast color of crimson that was showered by the halo hovering above her head.

"It's been awhile since you've called on my help, Geoffrey," She mused with boredom, crossing her arms to raise up her guarded breasts up in a show of dispassion. Her red eyes closed and then opened to look at Morgan, allowing her look of boredom to be replaced with alluring intrigue. Letting out a pur of desire she raised a brow and inquired the wary Master of hers. "Who's the cute little thing with that interesting Magic surrounding her?"

"That is Morgan Deschain, a Dragon Slayer," He replied with a beading sweatdrop, always feeling uneasy around Cassandra. Despite him having formed a pact with her, the prior's tendency to act whimsical always made him apprehensive of using her often. Wanting to keep things good between him and the Goddess he made their pact one of necessity rather than convenience. This was such a time, as he put a lot of stakes on winning this Tournament, especially after last year's debacle. "She's a lot tougher than her age and size dictates. She forced me to use quite a few high level Magics-"

"Yes, she'll do."

"-and has...eh? Do what?" He inquired with a nervous expression as he looked at her only to witness her impression left in the wake of feathers left behind. Moving like a shriek of red enveloped blackness topped with white, Cassandra appeared in front of Morgan within a heartbeat of her own Master. Turning to look where she was, he smiled despite his own cautiousness of staying away when she made her move. "Yes, good, Cassandra. Beat her senseless. I want to hear her scream for forgiveness of making a fool out of me!"

When she did appear, however, Cassandra seemed to cock a grin, her voice breathing out like spice scented wind. Her hand reached out to brush sensually across Morgan's face, stroking underneath her left eye as she leaned forward and purred lowly to her, "I like you. Want to be mine and have some fun?"

"...or you'll just completely ignore the fact she's your opponent and try to seduce her," Geoffrey thought with an irritating twitch on his brow. Raising a hand up he shouted with an aggravated tone. "CASSANDRA! I DIDN'T SUMMON YOU SO YOU CAN ACT ON A WHIM! BEAT THAT GIRL UNTIL SHE'S UNCONSCIOUS! THIS I COMMAND-"

"Shut up," Cassandra retorted, turning to look at him over the curvature of her left shoulder and protruding wing. "I don't ally with you for my health. Let me have my way and I'll ensure you'll win this competition of yours."

"Y-Yes maam," Geoffrey cowered, feeling the fear ebb off him outweigh his own embarassment.

"Now then," The deity declared in a wing encircling manner to covetuously pull her closer to her frame. She longed to feel her skin and the Ethernano wash over her. The scent and visual euphoria she had simply being in Morgan's presence was addicting. It had simply been too long since she's entertained a fancy with a child of a Dragon. But this was an exceptional occasion, and she wouldn't squander it. "Shall we entertain with a bit of foreplay, or shall we just do it here on the stage? I can, if you wish, take us somewhere more...mmmm, private?"

With an arm wrapped around the small of the girl's back with her breath washing over her like enticing herbs, her eyes were drawn half-lidded with a mouth parted. Lips soft and supple of a light pink unlike her alabaster complexioned face. She intended to bring her in just close enough for Morgan to taste the air between them. The best part of seduction was making them feel like they're in charge and coming in for the kill. She could already feel her body against her own, smell her, and hear her heartbeat; now she wanted to taste her and make her own.

Morgan became confused as her opponent dispelled his remaining clones. In her current state, she doubted she could have taken down the remaining copies as well as the original. That confusion turned to a moment of fear when she saw a pitch-black card, the same that had just minutes before swallowed up her roar. But nothing could prepare her for what was coming.

The crimson light was blinding as if filled the dome, although it only took a few moments for her eyes to properly adjust, one of the more useful aspects of the Darkness Dragon’s power that she possessed. She could see the black feathers falling and a strange figure that descended from the sigil. “So this is a goddess?” she thought, unsure of what to expect. She wasn’t one to place much stock in the divine, so to see a deity in the flesh was beyond her understanding.

When Cassandra drew nearer, Morgan could see the look in her eyes, a look she knew well. The eyes of a hungry predator, but not one that sought her suffering, but a kind of predation she didn’t quite understand. However, she couldn’t help but laugh as Geoffry was told by his own summon to back off, there was a certain irony to that she could appreciate.

Being pulled close by the goddess in front of her, Morgan had no idea what was going on. One moment she was sure there was going to be a fight, the next she was embraced by her enemy. “What do you mean?” she asked, wary of the entity’s intentions. “Aren’t we supposed to be fighting?”

There was a bout of silence followed by the effect of air blowing by the two. As suddenly as Cassandra drew the young girl in, she fell to her hands and knees. Wings drooped along with her head as a cloud of depression hung over her, complemented by the words of defeat echoing from her lips, "I...failed...so horribly. I should die as penance for my lack of finesse..."

Palming his face, Geoffrey groaned aloud, "Oh for the love of-...JUST fight already, Cassandra!"

Sighing, the winged deity rose back up to her feet, smiling with a bashful flush on her cheeks, "You're so innocent, my woos fell on deaf ears. I'll find a way to lure you into my embrace out of your own carnal desires. One day, I-I'll promise you that," Turning to walk away from her, wings folded behind her back with feathers flourishing around her as she tread barefooted towards her Master. When she was but a dozen meters away, she crossed her arms and closed hers, face still blushing at her own embarassment of failing a seduction while still infatuated with the Slayer. "I-If you want to fight, c-come on! I only have a few minutes left before his summoning expires!"

"Why would you say...whatever, just finish her off!" Her summoner cried out in an aghast tone.

"I will when I want to, dumbass," She muttered with pouted lips and a turn of the head.

Morgan was confused as Cassandra fell to her hands and knees, unaware of the meaning behind the words she had spoken. When Geoffrey tried to get his summon to fight, the Dragon Slayer found herself agreeing to a degree, the battle was far more important than trying to understand what the goddess had meant. She entered a defensive stance as the divine entity once more stood up. Her confusion only grew as the summoned deity walked away instead. "She doesn't seem interested in fighting all that much, but isn't that the point of a tournament?"

When Cassandra gave her the invitation to fight, that was all Morgan needed to hear, and it was one of the few things the angelic-looking woman said that her mind instantly was able to make sense of. She drew on more of her magical energy, not taking any chances with having two opponents, one known as a goddess and the other strong enough to summon said goddess, even for a short time. A bleak aura cloaked her body as her magical power exerted itself as a form of pressure, shrouding the area within the aura, dying it in darkness. She ran forward, her body blurring as she began to accelerate

As she closed the gap, she jumped into the air, her aura focusing around her left arm. "Darkness Dragon Slayer Secret Art..." she intoned as the shadowy energy shifted in accordance with her will. "Izanagi's Curse! As she named her spell, the dark energy formed itself in a lance-like shape, the base covering Morgan's arm. Without another word, she thrust her arm toward Cassandra, the spear elongating as it shot downward with bullet-like force.

Geoffrey was terrified. The power his opponent unleashed was so powerful that it released a seismic tremor that made him fall onto his backside. A buffet of wind made him grasp his fedora and keep it on his head, straining to look on at the peeling tears of Darkness that flowed outward from the battlement. What he witnessed was a lance of shadow, wisping all along its length from a hovering girl where it converged around her arm.

But where it connected made him feel relieved.

Her wings, gaining a onyx adamantine sheen to them, rose and curled to form an arching shield. The spear's edge snapped, raining like dark glass around the deity. But as the magic washed over her, a dreamy smile seemed to encapture her, giving off the impression her eyes looked into the distance and her cheeks were flushed a red hot hue. As the last shards crackled around her feet, her pupils dilated as she realized she was daydreaming as the wave of dakness magic was like a moist breath across her senses. Covering her face she blushed, shaking her head as she squealed aloud.

"NO! SNAP OUT OF IT!" She screamed at herself, the appendages blowing back the weapon and incidentally sending a pocket of air pressure rocketing towards the airborne Morgan. Smashing into the canopy of their caged environment, the tiles above shattered instantly and fell like glass in of themselves.

Screaming like a girl, Geoffrey barely maneuvered his prone form to evade the tiles spearing down at him. Sweating profusely, a perfect outline at a discontorted angle was made of his whole form, comically imprisoning him within the tight space. Rising up with a bout of rage he shook his hand at the Goddess with outrage and alarm.

"CASSANDRA! I almost DIED! Careful about what you do when I'm close by!" He exclaimed.

Slapping herself repeatedly on the cheeks, she blew a raspberry at him before turning to look around for Morgan. When she finally sighted her, her cheeks lit up again. Still even as she stared she entertained the aspect of testing her abilities. She loved feeling the way the ferocity of the Ethernano jetted over her pores. Like desiring another dose of a drug, she raised a beckoning hand towards her.

"Come on," She urged in a purr, wings upraised, sending glittering feathers swirling around her crimson lit body. "Show me that delicious, beautiful power of yours, Morrrrrgan.~"

As her Secret Art shattered against Cassandra's wing, Morgan scowled. The Izanami's Curse wasn't her most powerful spell by far, but it served a purpose, testing the limits of her foe's defenses. She didn't care for how easily it had been blocked and broken apart, but it confirmed one thing, the goddess was strong, far stronger than she had anticipated.

The pressure wave produced by the deity slammed into her body, sending her flying backwards, towards the domed cover of the arena. She felt herself flipping, disorienting her senses, before she came to a sudden halt, smashing into the ceiling with enough force that she seemed to stick for a moment. She pushed herself off the dome and dropped to the arena floor. The tile below her feet shattered from the accelerated impact, producing a cloud of dust and debris, obscuring sight of her for a moment. She wasn't sure how much more damage she could take, all she knew was that she needed to win.

"You want me to show you my power? I'll give you everything I've got!" she yelled back as her magic power spiked again. She flashed around the ring, her mind-boggling speed allowing her to appear and vanish across distances most humans would think impossible. After a few seconds of distraction, she appeared in front of Cassandra. She held her hands at her side, the heels of her palms touching and her fingers curled like claws, magic power gathered at the tips. "Darkness Dragon's Sinking Fang! she cried as she thrust her hands forward, a draconic visage formed of her magic power appeared around her hands, its jaws spread as it seemed to lunge outward along the path of Morgan's hands.

Again, Geoffrey could scarcely believe that this was his opponent. If she fought this seriously at the get-go, he'd be unable to defend himself let alone muster a counterattack. The beading sweat rolling off his face disappeared as soon as a flash of wind that nearly sent him back onto his buttocks. Skidding on his feet he watched in awe as another black dyed wind flashed out as a monstrous dragonic maw clamped down towards the Goddess.

But the artisan of war used both of her hands to grab it in between the wedges of the teeth. While the ground cracked beneath their feet for several meters, all the effect it had on her was her hair whipping behind her and feathers tossing around them. Like raindrops the speckled the two of them, sliding off each other as Cassandra stared with star-filled eyes at the intensity and fierceness while containing such an innocent aura about her. Like a perfect balance of darkness and light, she was head over heels for this girl.

"AGAIN!" She cried out with glee, shattering the dragon maw into pieces while spinning around in a blur of black overcasted with red. A foot jettisoned towards her solar plexus, intent on sending her bouncing across the ring. With a flap of her wings she appeared where she'd likely regain balance. A wide smile and she threw a cocked arm forward, its palm pressing towards her scalp. The result of which created an explosion of excited Ethernano, dancing within the palm of her hands, sparking out a scarlet flare within the fiery blast that'd consume her proximity. "KEEP AT IT! I WANT YOU TO HIT ME! WITH ALL OF YOUR MIGHT!"

"Oh no," The summoner thought as he paled, feeling the petering waves of light create an eerie sense of wrong. Tendrils of red crackled along her body like serpents, writhing around her form as a slasher smile melded with her blush and star-eyed expression. It was a smile only one who revelled in battle and slaughter could project. "don't tell me she's going to lose it?! I don't want to be seen as a monster if she kills the brat!"

"Please, excite me," She thought in the wake of her attack, her body feeling electrified just being around the Dragon Slayer. "Both in body and mind, I want your soul to clash with mine. Bring me to ecstasy with your fiery power, oh innocent flower dyed of blackness!"

Morgan barely had time to cross her arms defensively as her draconic attack was torn apart before her eyes. She felt the force of Cassandra's kick and skidded backwards as the foot slammed into her. Before she could mount a counter offensive, the warrior goddess stood before her and launched a blast of energy point-blank. Even with her unnatural speed, dodging something that close was impossible, Her only hope was to weather the attack and to fight back without mercy.

As the smoke cleared from the attack, Morgan could feel every part of her body in pain. Her skin was burnt various shades of red, her clothes had had little rips and tears and she felt like she had just been through the most brutal training her father ever devised for her. Her arms and legs felt like lead, and it took far more effort than she liked just to remain standing before her enemy.

"You want more?" she asked, her breathing heavy, "Don't say I didn't warn you....I'll show you the power I have!" she yelled. "I'll make you regret asking for me for this." As she spoke, the last dregs of her power welled to the surface. She was going to make every last ounce of her remaining might count. "Darkness Dragon's Roar!" She bellowed forth a wave of dark magic far larger than the one she had previously, this one fueled by everything she possessed.

It was a beat. A swell of power that ballooned within the girl's body and made Cassandra's heart flutter. Even as she growled the energy flourished and swirled upward to the base of her throat, bubbling from the stomach. As she turned to face her she'd find the Goddess didn't turn and run, nor did she evade as she could easily have. The proportion of Ethernano was even higher than the others and it only made her shiver with excitement when it came to its peak.

Unleashed, it became a pitch blackness.

Raising a hand she caught the blast, her heels smashing into the ground and her wings flaring out behind her as a howling wind blasted her. The crimson color was replaced with an onyx hue, a sweeping cold with a subtle warmth that gave her a lukewarm sensation. Petering upon the outer edges of the roar spell it was doing all it could as she seemed to continuously shout out the blast of magic. Her face flushed and her eyes became emblazoned with hearts. The undying will, the darkness filled with emotion and the passion to protect with innocence that betrayed her own young ignorance of the world. She could feel all of her emotions and experiences as if she read a book; it gave her such a rush she squealed with ecstasy.

Swiping the blast aside the fissure seemed to roar in another direction other than her, causing a dimming occurrence of the flames that were birthed from the midnight colored power. It surprised her that someone could bear so much weight and burdens within a power stemming from a negative property such as darkness. Yet she felt optimism, hope, compassion and genuine love for those in her life. The contrast of the two made her heart pound and the stomach flutter with giddiness.

The palm of her hand steamed off the skin but bore no markings of injury. But she could feel it, the slipping of presence she had in this vicinity. Now her fair complexioned body began to glow a bright scarlet outlined white and she knew her time was up. Walking forward she couldn't help but twirl a loose band of her hair grazing over her shoulder, wings dragging behind her like a dress, eyes pointed down. A trembling smile was all she had but she couldn't help but avert her gaze from the young Slayer.

"I-I know this is...unorthodox...and...maybe inappropriate for a match," She whispered, her face growing increasingly red, flowing all the way up to her ears. "But...would you form a pact with me? Even if you don't win against my Master, given your exhausted state, I'd like to show you my...my...m-m-my a-adoration for you by binding myself to your soul. I'd help you get stronger...even help with mundane stuff...even, perhaps, more intimate things. W-W-Well?"

Morgan was completely drained. Her final attack contained everything she had left. Her jaw dropped as she saw the goddess still relatively unharmed. Her eyes widened in shock. She thought it imposible that anyone could survive a full power roar like that, and yet there stood proof in front of her own eyes. Her opponent batted it aside with such ease that had it not been for the numb soreness that radiated through her body, she was sure it'd have to be a dream.

She could barely move to return to her defensive stance as Cassandra neared, only to relax when it became plain that the woman wasn't there to finish the fight. As the deity spoke to her, Morgan had no idea what to think. She was being offered something so few really had, but what caught her attention most was the promise to help her get stronger. Power was something that the Dragon Slayer valued, everything she dreamed of attaining in the future hinged on her strength, she couldn't pass up the chance.

"You want to make a pact? If you mean what you say and that you'll be by my side even if I lose here, then I accept." She noticed the red tinge to the goddess's face, although she passed it off as the glow that returned. She wondered if that meant the scant few minutes she had mentioned were up, but that wasn't top priority, finishing the fight was.

Her face lightened and her expression transformed into one of awe. She had never considered that she'd accept. They had barely met, yet, the look in her eyes and her body language told her she meant it. The aura of her Magic spoke of a hunger, a desire to gain power and it was one she could only approve of as a Goddess of War. And yet, she couldn't stop herself from reaching around and pulling Morgan into a fierce hug, her wings disappearing as most of her body was constituting into a rise of light.

"I'll make you mine," She swore silently, her lips finding her cheek and planting a moist, long kiss onto the pale skin. It'd be the last warmth that she'd feel as her whole body constituted her physical form. Rising up even the scattered feathers disappeared as if they never were there. The opaque scarlet light that filled the chamber was gone and replaced with its artificial luminiscence. Even as she departed she couldn't help but look down longingly with parting thoughts. "See you soon, Morgan Deschain."

Unbeknownst to her, the roar that she sent flying haphazardly away had accidentally slammed into her poor summoner. Well, ex, now that she had designated a new pact. While dissipated the force to a degree, it didn't stop a boxer adorned man of charcoal covered man with a wide open mouth and broken teeth was seen impacted in a deep crater of the arena ring. Hair frizzled and eyes whited-out, he was firmly unconscious.

"W-W-WHAT AN AMAZING TURN OF EVENTS! THE TEASING DEITY SUMMONED BY GEOFFREY TIDDLEHEE WAS WHISKED AWAY AND HER SUMMONER WAS KO'D! MORGAN DESCHAIN WINS BY THE SKIN OF HER TEETH AND MAY PROCEED TO THE SECOND ROUND BRACKET OF THIS TOURNAMENT!"

The loud booming voice of the announcer rang within the arena, having kept most of the commentary muted so the contenders could fight uninterrupted. With an unseen circle, the host transported them back to the contender area, as respect to their exhausted states. With the hoodie adorned Kase laughing at the unconscious and undignified man, Maria leaped with joy as she embraced her tightly. While she didn't get to see and hear everything that happened in the battle she knew by the sound of the explosion and the disappearance of the spirit or whatever she was that she won.

"You did it! Morgan you did it! I'm so proud of you!" She squealed with delight as she nuzzled into her sister's neck, squeezing relentlessly despite her fatigue.

Morgan flinched, partially from the suddeness of the contact and partially from exhaustion, as Cassandra embraced her. The hug was unexpected but not entirely unwelcome.She felt her face flush as the goddess kissed her cheek. Before she could say anything, the woman departed, her magic having run its course. That meant only one thing yet remained between her and her victory.

That's when the announcer broke the silence, the match was actually over. She glanced over at her opponent, seeing him knocked out and in a state of partial undress, his blank stare proof of her success in the first round, moreso than the announcers words. Without a moment to spare, she felt herself being teleported back outside and the moment she was able to recognize the area around her, she felt Maria wrap around her.

"I told you I'd win." she replied, trying not to yelp in pain as she returned the embrace. Everything hurt, but she was happy regardless. Despite the aching and soreness, hearing she made her sister proud was worth it all.

"I know, but I got worried when that...well, goddess showed up," Maria gawked as she released her sister. She didn't falter in immediately applying some restorative barriers around her, knowing she must be exhausted. The sooner she was back to one hundred percent, the easier it'd be for her to continue. "I mean, she was acting really strange, wasn't she? I never seen a woman, spirit or otherwise, act that way to another girl. It almost looked like she had taken a liking to you...somehow..."

Furrowing her brows she blushed slightly, feeling as if there was something intimate going on. Shaking her head she focused on restoring her sibling's health, stamina and Ethernano stores. She rather not dwell on such thoughts that her fantasy created. Like the moment the holograms zoomed in on her embracing Morgan and wrapping her wings around her. Then that time in the flickering light she swore she saw her hug her and...kiss her?

Steaming out of the ears she shook her head furiously as she kept busy healing her.

Morgan lost her balance for a moment as Maria broke off the hug. She quickly caught herself, shaking as her muscles tried to rebel against her intention to remain standing. Her will only barely held out over her body's ever-increasing desire to collapse, proving just how much she had given in order to win.

She had no idea what got her sibling so worked up, although she was grateful for the restorative barriers built around her. She could feel her strength slowly returning. Every little bit helped without a doubt, she was sure by the next time she had to enter the ring, she'd be more than recovered enough to win the next fight with ease. "Are you really sure you can affort to use magic on me? You haven't even had your first fight yet." she stated, concern filling her voice.

"Don't worry about me," Maria smiled reassuringly up at her sister, feeling calmed down from her earlier smelting pot of feelings. "It honestly doesn't take much Ethernano to restore a single person. The difference between us isn't so vast that I end up exhausted after one spell cast, haha!"

Even as she laughed, she couldn't help but remember how in awe she was of the kind of spells Morgan let loose. Even though her enemy was a skilled magician and his summoning an undeniably powerhouse she persevered with a willpower she had only seen during that battle at the river city. Still, she wouldn't give up, and wouldn't let such feats be the undoing of her own self confidence.

"Besides," She added with a raspberry, holding up what looked like a vial of blue liquid. "The rules never said you couldn't restore your body or that of your ally. I'm just making sure our contract is fulfilled...and the chance we can fight in the ring on equal terms."

The Sound of Madness
After the sister proclaimed her determination, the spinning image of their competition whipping around in dinging sounds. When it finally landed on Maria's name she felt her breath hitch. She only saw the name and realized that her opponent was going to be fighting.

Jack Oakden, the lead guitarist for the Guild-turned-band Blurred Thesis, the other competitor chosen, a tall, skeletally thin man, with long blonde hair smiled as he saw his name come up in the randomized listing. "Damn, guess I'm headlining this act. At least I'll have a captive audience." he muttered to himself as brushed strands of hair away from his face, revealing his signature stage makeup, a blood-red lightning bolt pattern over his left eye. He was chosen to enter the tournament for more than his power, but also because he was the face of the group. Not only would it be good income, but the publicity would be a great boon as well.

Jack's only complaint was that he was third up in the first round, against a virtual no-name from a fresh guild. No way would he be remembered for beating a nobody from nowhere. He wanted to take on fighters with some fame. He'd rather face the Dragon Slayer, at least even in losing his reputation would skyrocket as a man who could dance the magic dance with perhaps the most unique mage on the bracket, and had he won it, the fans would flock to him and his group like never before.

As he walked into the orb held by the giant, he had to admit, it had appeal as a suitable venue, a stage more than worthy of a rising star of his caliber. All the eyes in the place were on him, and the hopes of his bandmates were with him, he couldn't let them down. He took his place across from the young girl he was sent against and smirked. "Let's give the people a hell of a show, shall we? I hope you can keep up with my tempo!"

Hugging her sister one last time, she sipped on the vial to restore any little Ethernano she expended. Capping it she walked as calmly and with dignity as she could manage. Catching sight of the man she recognized from the news as a popular rock band, remembering some of his lyrics from passing, knowing that he probably was a face many considered an idol. She didn't see it, but now that he was an opponent she didn't know what to make of what kind of power he'd be. Sound perhaps?

Left to silent speculation, she settled inside of the ring after a bit of walking into the lowered sphere. Once again the environment changed now to that of a large domed stage, giving the emphasis that they were within a concert with the audience being projections of the viewers not physically present. Still, the faux image of her sister was enough to cheer her up and renew herself in confidence. Readying herself into a forward aggressive stance she couldn't help but smile a bit confidently as she spoke back to her opponent.

"I know who you are, Jack Oakden," She remarked with a crisp tone of professionalism with a bit of pride in herself. "A Lead guitarist in a small Guild that became a very successful band. But I'm sure you want to span your influence outside of Fiore and Seven but to the rest of Ishgar. I'm just going to say, the only thing you'll accomplish is being defeated by someone younger and prettier than you.

"My name is Maria Alexander, heiress to the International Magic Advancement Company and daughter to Victor and Vanessa Alexander. The Dragon Slayer that participated before me was my sister, both of us are the aspiring Phoenix Sisters; I'm sure you'll know who I am before we're through," She declared as boastfully as she could, hoping some of the speel impressed him as it did invigorate her with confidence.

Jack stiffled a laugh. his luck seemed to turn around faster than he thought possible. In front of him was no mere pest of a girl, but the daughter of one of the most famous men on the planet, and the Slayer's sister to boot. "I might have scored the best first round ever." he thought to himself. "Your sister put on a grand performance. If you're even half as good, this duet might be worth the price of admission after all." he said, pulling out a guitar pick from his pocket. The object began to glow dark green as he ran his magical power through it. "I hope you enjoy having VIP seating to my victory Miss Alexander."

He repositioned his arms as if he was holding an invisible guitar. "Did you know that music is one of the most powerful things mankind has ever grasped the concept of? Let me show you what I mean. Scale Blast!" As he called the name of his magic, he began to mime strumming the strings, producing the sounds of an electric guitar being played, the cacophony given rise via his magic. As he played, pressure shockwaves of sound began to emanate from his person, tinted forest green to match the glowing pick.

From Maria's perspective, him using a pick without a guitar looked ridiculous. Like a child using an 'air guitar' the sight would ordinarily be met with someone making sounds from their mouth as opposed to where their fingers were. But when the blasting jolts of electric music flowed through the air that made her wince and hold her hands over her ears, the entire arena pulsed with the tunes he unleashed. The sight of the man's Magical Aura flared out showing he was a great deal stronger than any musician had the right to be.

But then again, her enemy isn't just any musician or mage, but a rock star.

"You like music?!" She cried out, clasping a hand over her outstretched right arm with a thumb folded over the palm of pointed digits. A crimson outlined orb of darkness emanated over the fingertips, crackling with burgundy tendrils (the standard appearance of her new Bullet Magic, Darkness Bolt). Unleashing the bolt with a wake of pitch black in its wake as it zig-zagged towards the music magician, able to unleash a potent explosion that'd rip apart seven meters of the arena floor that he'd stand upon; and him, if he wasn't careful. "LISTEN TO THIS SICK BEAT!"