X805 Grand Magic Games: Shocking Magics of the Two Fighters

As Ebisu Zakat entered into the arena, adjusting the straps on his vambrances as necessary, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement as he hear the crowd roar up with energy and vigor as they stood up to applaud the newcomer guild who had already shown that they could stand up to the rest of the more veteran guilds around here. Ebisu waves to the audience that stood protected behind one of the most advanced barrier’s in all of Fiore, something that eased Ebisu’s mind, as he knew that with that in place he could go all out and truly show his master the skills he had; hopefully doing her proud as a thank you for taking him into the guild. His body was alive with the electricity that coursed through his veins and was aching to get out and show its black form in the radiant sunlight that shined down upon them. The ground below was still saturated with water from a flood that Ebisu had seen one of the Salamander Shade mages perform, and made him a bit happy that the ground was now more of a cushion than a hard slab of dirt. His muscular arms flexed up to make sure that his sword guard was still latched in, eager to draw it, but wanting to keep it safely tucked away in its tanto form until he could better assess how to get in close and strike. He knew it wasn’t the event match that he was assigned to, so he had free reign to do how he pleased, but Ebisu was up for a challenge and wouldn’t mind trying to keep it close range if possible. The sound for the start of the match had yet to ring, and so he waited patiently about a third of the way into the middle of the ring, keeping some distance between him and his opponent. Ebisu could tell through the use of his Enumeration Eyes that his opponent had a decent amount of power, the value of his magic reserves hanging over his head like the price sticker on a car window. From the value he saw, in comparison to his own, he didn’t think it was anything he couldn’t handle with some skillful tactics in drawing out his opponents magic and avoiding it; as he knew his reserve was greater than that which his opponent showed. Knowing that it will be a game of counters, outlasting magic, and staying one step ahead of his opponent, put him more at ease thanks to the power of his ocular magic. Putting his hands behind his back and giving a slight bow to his opponent across the way, Ebisu used his broad chest to hide the fact that his hands had pressed down on his INDO ring behind his back to bring out six disc-like objects from his equipment storage that he would be able to use as a surprised once the bell tolled. He then waited in the “at ease” position that he had seen many soldiers do before, as he bounced slightly on his toes in his excitement to start.

"And now entering! Drake Doomkaiser!" As he entered, the crowd booed. Drake scoffed at them as he went further out into stadium. Despite the hatred thrown at him, he wouldn't give into their taunts. He wasn't there for them. He looked at his opponent, although he likely wouldn't be able tell, as he was blindfolded. Despite being blinded, he could see better than them. His magic type and level rung out loud and clear, thanks to his Qui. Lightning Magic, although he couldn't tell the exact variation just from this. On top of that, he could see strange magical tools being used by his opponent. He would need to avoid those, or at the very least, not make direct contact. He took his staff from his back as he walked closer to his opponent, stopping a fair distance away. He had already begun the charging process for his Deo Cannon. Not that he thought he would need it, but it's always good to have an ace in the hole.

Ebisu stood still in his posture, though his ears perked up at the sound of the cheers he felt during his introduction turn into roaring boos for that of his blindfolded friend. The blindfold seemed to be more cosmetic, than protective, as it was only made of cloth; but he could sense the electrical impulses that Drake's body was emitting, and saw that the impulses were corresponding with the eye movement and pupil dilatation from his reaction to the sounds and the bright light that probably passed through the cloth. Sensing that Ebisu thought that his opponent was a man like himself who liked a challenge and chose to rob his sight in order to heighten his other senses. ''I'm liking this already. A man who likes a challenge, and one who is already adjusting his magic output for some sort of attack. Well my friend, the numbers don't lie, I'd like to see you try and get one past me.'' Ebisu thought to himself as he smiled across the way to his opponent before shouting, "Hey, Mr. Magoo! Why are they all booing you like that? Don't tell me you got a rep for pulling cheap tricks during fights? Because I can tell you right now, I won't allow you to defile the good name of this competition and risk my chance at showing my master what I can really do! You got that?!"

"Have you ever heard of the Bellona Alliance?" It was a rhetorical question. They had invaded this country only seven years ago. "I fought for them. If it wasn't thanks to my cousin, and Dragon Gunfire, I would be sitting behind bars right now.  I'm not here to please the crowd.  I was chosen by my master to participate in the games this year because I'm strong." He pointed his staff at his opponent. "Now then, Ebisu Zakat, show me your strength. I wouldn't expect you to be weak if you were fighting here.  The stronger you are, the more satisfying my victory will be for my comrades."

It was true that word of the Bellona Alliance's defeat was spread through some of the guilds that happened to have connections with the forces that took them out, so it only makes sense that people would still see an invader as an invader. Something he knew all to well as he was labeled a demon in his own town and has since been banned from entering. Now was not the time to feel sorry for his opponent though. Drake's attempt at an authoritarian move with the pointing of his staff and his boast of confidence left Ebisu unfazed, knowing that actions were what really mattered here; but that doesn't mean he was up for a verbal spar as well. Giving a slight chuckle that carried over the distance that separated them, Ebisu spoke up loud and clear, "Ah yeah, Bellona Alliance, I heard of them. Heard they were decimated pretty bad. Maybe if you lie down and shove your face in the dirt I might recognize you from some of the pictures." He said with a smirk, always enjoying the smack talking that accompanied these kinds of prideful fights. There was something about it that pumped him up even more, even if the words he said held no serious meaning behind them. "Well I'll tell you this here: Life's tough, but this match sure won't be. Like a great man once said, 'History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.' So I hope your master is ready for you to make a mockery of your former glory; 'cause I assure you I won't be losing here." He said calmly, doing his best to keep a clear mind for this fight so that he can subdue his opponent quickly. Hardly a few seconds pass before the buzzer tolls and signals the two combatants to start the fight. Immediately Ebisu drops the six discs he pulled out early, using electromagnetism to push the metal constructs about two feet under the surface and spread out all over the muddy field. He then made sure that the proper mechanics were in place so that he could use it when the time came. With a slight magnetic pulse he could easily tell where they all were, keeping his senses on high for any move from Drake, making sure he had a clear visual of the playing field he set. He stood still for a moment after that, twitching his fingers as he set up one more trick beneath the earth in hopes that his opponent would make the first move. As small tendrils of special wire from his gloves quickly drilled their way through the earth to the space just below Drake, Ebisu noticed that his opponent was giving him the courtesy of the first strike. Not wanting to waste the moment, he kept one hand with it's fingers directing the nearly invisible threads of wire at the ground; while the other lifted up to direct his palm at Drake's form. "Thunder Devil's Piercing Arrows." He spoke, as nearly three dozen arching beams of black lightning shoot out from his hands that move and spray to converge from nearly all angles in the 180 degree space above the earth. A single arrow could break through a concrete wall as if it was a hot knife through butter, and can even break through average level magic barriers, if not at least cracking them; so Ebisu felt that this wide spread attack would give him a good basis as to the defensive level of the Dragon Gunfire mage. When the lightning bolts got close enough to draw the attention of Drake, Ebisu would then shoot up the wires from beneath the earth to hopefully pierce the skin and tie down Drake so Ebisu could deliver a more meaningful blow.

Drake "saw" the discs as Ebisu sent them out, as well as the wires entering the ground. He stomped his foot on the ground, sending a pulse of his Qui into the ground, into the wires, and traveling up them to hopefully enter Ebisu's body. This was a much weaker attack than any of Drake's normal Qui attacks, but the muscle fatigue would be immediate. However, the Qui hadn't moved quite fast enough, as Ebisu had already fired his spell. He thrusted his staff onto the ground, and his magic power erupted from his body. "Spirit Fountain." Multiple large blasts of energy came from his body, erupting outward to intercept the arrows fired by Ebisu. Unfortunately, there was an area open at the top. His body glowed a light blue as he used his Qui to enhance his physical body. He pulled himself upwards towards the arrows, pointing his feet towards them and fired a blast of Qui from his right foot to intercept those. All of his attacks were combined with the weakening aspect of Qui, allowing him to overpower his opponent's testing spell. He pushed off of his staff, grabbing it as to take it with him as he traveled, landing a few feet away, a safe zone from the wires. The blue aura surrounding his body then disappeared. "Do not try to insult me," he said from his perch. "I don't need my eyes to see that your words have no weight."

Ebisu saw this blue energy travelling up his wires, loosing his precise control over their forms with his Wire Magic, and so Ebisu got a bit nervous and decided that it was best to cut the enhanced wire before it could do whatever it's effects were to himself. He pressed down on the button on his gloves that let the wires drop and leave them be. "You don't need your eyes at all...you use your ears and brain to perceive words and assess the validity of such claims...if you're going to try and insult me, at least do it properly." He said as he raised his pinched fingers for emphasis, using a quick flick of his pinkie to adjust the position of one of his RCA Grenade that he placed at the start of the match so that it aligns with where Drake had landed. He used the distraction of him cutting the wires with the button on his glove, showing his hand face towards Drake to press down on the button on his inside wrist that corresponded with the number of the grenade to cause a massive explosion beneath Drake's feet that caused a large concussive blast, that would surely leave the ears ringing, as well as uprooted large chunks of earth to damage the body of his opponent. Using the large billow of black smoke to hide his next move, keeping his Static Detection alert to sense where Drake is, as Ebisu uses his electromagnitism ability to reverse the electromagnetic field in the earth to allow him to levitate to a height of ten feet off the ground and move above Drake's location; adjusting his trajectory based off the physiological electrical impulses Drake's body is giving off. Having to hold his breath to prevent the damage from smoke inhalation, he activates his next attack, creating the right hand seal to activate his Formula 17. The spell pulls out trace metals from the exploding earth and dust that is now alive in the air around him to create a dome of steel around him, before he reversed his electromagnetic wave to pull the orb towards Drake's body like a metallic cannonball at high speeds. The orb is magically reinforced to protect his body but Ebisu knows that Drake could retaliate with that energy wave that seemed to weaken his magic, so Ebisu chooses to coat the cannonball in his black lightning to give it both extra damage to Drake, but better protection for himself.

Drake could sense the minuscule change in Ebisu's magical energy, and was aware that trickery was afoot, si to be safe he surrounded himself in his protective aura of Qui. It wasn't until he heard the click that he knew what he was really in for. He jumped off of it, but it was already too late, and the explosion encompassed his body. His aura protected him from the brunt of the attacks, but he still received some burns on his body. He sensed Ebisu's movements, and activation of Formula 17, but Drake was still under the cover of the smoke from the explosion. That's when Drake thought it would be best to disappears. He was gone. He couldn't be heard, smelled, or otherwise felt. "I can't believe I had to use this already," Drake thought to himself, moving out of the smoke, unseen, in order to move behind his target. He was in midair, which would make it more difficult to get a really good attack in. "I'll settle for the next best thing." Drake came out of his shadow, charging a blast of his Qui into his hand as he did so. "Qui Blast Cannon!" He fired a blast of his Qui towards the dome. The damage wouldn't be very great, as it would be diluted through two layers of magic, but the energy that did make it through would cause the desired fatigue in his foe.

Within the dome Ebisu had kept his Static Detection intact, but when Drake suddenly vanished from the spot he was at, Ebisu was a bit confused. Then all of a sudden he could feel a blast of energy from above him making its way through his lightning coating and transferring through the metal from the earth that surrounded him. ''That's odd, does he have some sort of teleportation magic...perhaps he has a smoke body...definitely something elemental or spatial for sure. But, what is this..?'' He thought as the cannonball hits in the earth, digging down in the mud halfway, but the impact felt a bit more tiring than it usually did. Ebisu's arm that was braced in the back near the attack felt a bit more dead and tired than it should, but using his Synaptic Acceleration he tripped the voltage gated channels in his arm to allow for a greater flow of energy into his muscles to quickly counteract the sudden fatigue. Starting to understand a bit of what his opponent's magic is, Ebisu casts a spell before he disables part of his Formula 17 to allow him a place to step out of the large dome and back onto the muddy surface. The smoke had begun to clear, but thinking that Drake had somehow used the smoke to get above him in his cannonball attack, Ebisu quickly runs towards the other side of the stadium and keeps his eyes on the remaining smoke column to see where Drake would pop out at. Pressing down on his INDO ring he brought out a flashbang grenade and threw it at the smoke to dissipate it; pulling on his assumptions that it was some sort of elemental transportation. This would help him eliminate if it was some sort of shadow, darkness, or smoke travel, as the flashbang would illuminate the area as well as dissipate the remaining smoke with the sonic blast. This would also tell him if it was a teleportation spell, if Drake appeared somewhere aside from the smoke. Preparing for the counter, Ebisu held up his fingers in a gun-like form, he charge his devil slayer magic into his finger tips ready to fire out a dozen lightning bullets with his Thunder Devil's Finger Gun as soon as he sense Drake's energy.

Drake hopped out of his shadow form, the smoke having still obscured him from vision for about another second before the sonic blast sent it away, but the flash bang forced him out of his shadow. Fortunately for him, as he was blindfolded, the light hadn't actually caused him blindness, but he was now out in the open again. Upon sensing Ebisu fire off his bullets, Drake spun his staff in front of him, the weapon being imbued with Qui. This allowed him to diffuse the several of the bullets throughout his weapon, preventing it from shocking him. A few of the bullets managed to get through, but Drake Qui aura surrounded him as well, diffusing a majority of those lightning bullets, and only providing mild shocks. "Magic: Thunder Devil Slayer and Amaterasu; utilizes multiple weapons in conjunction with skills. Specialties include electromagnetism, and muscle stimulation, likely with electricity." Drake mumbled to himself, listing everything he knew about his opponent, but not loud enough for him to hear. He had figured out the muscle stimulation from him appearing completely fine after his last Qui blast. "Likely multiple mines left across the battlefield, not magical in origin." Drake continued to weigh his options. The ringing in his ears from the flash bang was beginning to die down. That's when Drake did something that would get anyone else in trouble. He sprinted towards Ebisu. If he felt the same small shift in magic that Ebisu had used earlier to love his mine, then Drake would pole vault over to his target. His body was covered in his aura, causing him to move at blinding speeds, moving faster than the eye could see, and surpassing a High Speed user. When within a good range, likely above his target if they attempted to use the mines again, he would activate his spell, Soul Excaliber, using its phasing ability to cut through any defenses Ebisu might conjure up, and strike the mage dead on. He would try to maintain contact with blade for as long as possible before letting go, allowing to fatigue his opponent much more than before with consistent contact. After letting go, the blade would still remain inside Ebisu if Drake were to let go for a few more seconds before dissipating. This spell was normally serrated, but for the sake of the games, Drake used a safer version of the spell that only caused the standard fatigue of Qui.

Judging from the timing of when he saw Drake reform, he could tell that it was the light that forced his hand, meaning that it was some sort of darkness or shadow based magic that allowed him to travel through the black smoke before it had fully dissipated. He was rather impressed with the man's ability to wield a staff, having both the perception and speed to block most of the lightning fast bullets, and the fact that his enhanced physiology allowed him to pick up on the whisper of facts that Drake spit out across the area near the remains of his cannonball made him all the more excited that he was battling him. ''Nice to hear that you can pick up on some of my abilities, but it goes both ways my friend. I think I've finally figured out what that energy is that you seem to rely on so much...'' Ebisu thought to himself, a bit surprised that the piece of cloth that was tied around his eyes could block out the blinding light of a flashbang, as even Ebisu was able to see the light from behind him after he ducked away when he threw it. ''So he really must be blind then...or that is some magic enhanced cloth... cause I could swear I see electrical impulses traveling to the sphincter and dilator pupillae. Guess we will have to see about that later.'' He observed as he saw Drake take off in a dead sprint towards him, his speed seeming to be about as equal as Ebisu's own lightning travel, but Ebisu wasn't about to let him get the advantage. Wanting to trip him up, Ebisu flicked one of the mines underground to the area just in front of Drake's path, pressing down on the button to make it explode once more while Ebisu pressed down on his middle finger in his left hand to pull out another flashbang, while using his right hand to unhook his tanto's sheath and draw for the blade in a reverse grip to help him block a potential swing of Drake's staff. Much to his surprise however, Ebisu senses a great deal of electrical activity within the cloud of smoke before he looks up to see Drake using his staff like a pole vault to get up in the space above him while holding what look like a sword of that same blue energy aiming to slam down into him from above.

Ebisu knew that that sword probably had the same ability to cut through his magic, like it did with his first attack, but Ebisu knew that was the only thing he could think of to add some defense quickly to slow down the blades effect. Switching his tanto sized blade to a forward grip, Ebisu cover's himself in a layer of radiant lightning to protect him somewhat, while he sees that Drake begins to swing his staff upward to remove his lift and support from the ground, in what Ebisu knew would be a double strike from the two weapons in Drake's hand. With not much time, Ebisu reacts fast by holding up his hand, with the flash bang still in it, towards Drake's hand with the staff and creating a repulsive electromagnetic wave with the use of his manipulation over the spectrum to keep the metal staff from making contact. He then held up his blade to try and change the trajectory of Drake's Excalibur, but something happened that he didn't quite account for. The qui blade seemed to pass right through the metal of Ebisu's own blade, only slowing down momentarily as it ate through the spot of lightning it was touching and slowly impaled Ebisu's chest. Ebisu didn't know how to feel as the weight of Drake came crashing down on top of him, serving to drive this qui blade deeper into Ebisu, but Ebisu couldn't feel any blood loss, just a sudden fatigue of his muscles washing over him like he had been fighting for twice as long as he had actually been. Despite the odd effect of the blade in his chest, he couldn't let this moment go to waste and was willing to make a sacrifice. The effects of the qui made him feel weak, like he was losing stamina in his muscles fast, but with his lightning coat around him he could keep the impulses to his muscles going long enough to angle his blade towards the face of the man who was falling on top of him; using that ethernano to change the size of the blade and elongate it so that it would grow and ideally slice in an upward motion across Drake's cheek and into upper portion of his lobe. He had hoped that this pain would be enough to deter him, but with the electromagnetic force he was using to hold off the staff he knew that Drake probably wouldn't give up until he slammed his staff down into his flat laying body. So, Ebisu did something a bit crazy. Just before his body were to hit the ground, and Drake could do anything to kick him when he is down, Ebisu pressed down on the button to detonate the flashbang in his hand with only milliseconds of the time his blade would cut the face of his clever opponent. Surely the flashbang would mutilate Ebisu's hand, due to the direct contact, but Ebisu used his lightning coat to protect his opponent from receiving such detrimental effects as he would from the concussive force and it's close proximity. This loss is something he would pay if he knew that this move would prevent his opponent from dodging with his shadow disappearance, and would allow for Ebisu to deal a great deal of damage with his blade and the sonic force of the blinding light grenade. Plus, what would happen after the detonation would surely shock Drake and hopefully save Ebisu from bleeding out through the loss of his hand. From the time Drake impaled Ebisu, to the time Ebisu extended his blade and detonated the flash bang, was only a matter of seconds; and the audience was left wondering what had happened while their eyes adjust back from the sight of the flashbang to see what occurred.

As Drake came down upon his opponent, he noticed the knife coming his way. Using his Shadow Magic, he wrapped his shadows around his opponent's arm in order to prevent his opponent from giving him so much as a graze. However, he was not prepared for the sudden flash bang, which caused his ears to ring and eradicated his shadows as he went to follow through with his attack. With time short, Drake pooled the power of his Qui into his cheek, allowing him to block the knife, but with time short, it still managed to cut through, just barely grazing him. Fortunately with the weakening he had managed to accomplish, Drake only began to feel minor numbness. He continued to bear down on his opponent. With the light subsiding, Drake began to wrap his shadows around Ebisu's body, activating Black Sarcophagus, hoping to end this fast. "My joke from earlier. You just ignored it," he said out of place.