Fantasy The Divide

[Akio]

Hmph good, she had gone for his weapon instead of him directly. If she had gone of him directly it would have been easy to bring the weapon back or side step and step forward and knee her while she was on the ground. As his weapon got knocked up he kept a tight grip on it and turned in the same direction she had knocked his weapon in, creating distance and keeping his momentum. He turned, stepping forward and stabbed in 3 extremely quick thrust instead of a single powerful one, using both hands to keep control of his weapon and allow for the lightning speed thrusts. Then he immediately switched again to high powered, numbing slashes, keeping one foot still as a pivot point while rotating on the other foot slicing at the left side of her body then using the bounce off either her body or her weapon to quickly turn on the pivot point and slice at her right side leaving only a second between the timing of the blows, if she dodged then the second slash with no bounce would still happen but be a second slower..

 

[SaphireTsuki]

Saphire, seriously considering how he was using the weapon, noticed... he kept himself moving, never losing any momentum, and always using speed over power.... or using the speed to increase the power. Of course, she felt this as several of the attacks she hadn't managed to block, the staff-like portion constantly being swung to block his attack as she stepped backwards, hoping to lessen the blow. He moved too fast for her to attack him without being hit... so instead she flipped the naginata, hoping to catch his blade on the ground, since if it hadn't been dull she'd be dead by now, and pushed the weapon forward towards his torso, a jab with the weight of her step forward to see how he'd react to her doing it, eyes staying wide open so she could react to anything. Was there some way he'd use the wings in up-close combat like this? He wasn't yet, and that wasn't the point of this session, so she threw that thought into the back of her mind.

 

[Akio]

He watched her as well, she was trying and so learning but he was a master. He had become skilled in almost every weapon and every martial art used in human society after he fell if for nothing else that he had nothing better to do after a century of morning. He had learned from master legendary in thier own right, the man he learned from had been a soldier from nearly 800 years ago, about 100 years after the weapons creation. While the weapon was proficient for against and use by cavalry he was also taught how to use it against other users and sword wielders. When she thrusted at him he could have knocked away her weapon as she had done to him but instead he side stepped and grabbed her weapon shaft and pulled. While pulling he held his weapon in his other hand and turned it in his hand and thrusted at her head with the butt of the weapon while stepping up and lifting his knee at her stomach. Unless she let go of her weapon she would be pulled at him due to her balance being set off by the thrust into the other two blows making it hard to block both at once.

 

[SaphireTsuki]

An attack from both above and below... but to let go of her weapon would be defeat. So, she switched which hand held the weapon, the one near his knee would be holding hers, and she grabbed the other one with her now-free hand, jumping upward to throw off the aim of his kick, and though it hurt, her face contorting slightly in pain, she still refused to give up, if he threw her she'd just hold on to the naginata, and once she was hit... she answered with a foot to his manhood once more, she wasn't going to give up unless she had to, after all. If she did... she'd never get anywhere.

 

[Akio]

Unlike akio who had caught your weapon after dodging and letting its energy being expended catching his weapon full on would hurt her hand, maybe even fracture something but it would do its purpose and indispose his weapon. When she kicked at him he caught her foot with his legs and fell forward purposely to upset her balance and force them both to fall over. Then he suddenly let go of his own weapon and put satanic energy in his hand turning it like a blade and went to hold it to her throat. Even though she had complete control of his weapon when he let go since she only held the butt of it it would be near impossible for her to grab it and wrap it around till his hand was at her throat as he also had a shorter travel distance.

 

[SaphireTsuki]

Saphire, shocked by both the pain of the weapon and lack of pressure, let go of her own naginata and let herself fall to the ground alongside him, a large wince, he'd yanked her foot pretty hard, and she attempted to roll away from him, only to stop when his hand was over her throat. There was... was there a way out of this? She brought his naginata down, hoping that she'd at least manage to succeed in hitting him... not to mention the fact that she couldn't hold it up much longer with the pain in her hand, and tried to say without hurting herself "If this doesn't work... I lost." Well, she'd lost the moment his hand had touched her throat, since if he'd planned on killing her it'd be the end of her anyway, but.... well, she'd have failed to even hit him before a deadly strike.

 

[Akio]

Of course the second he had his hand to her throat the battle was over, in a real battle he would have slit her throat in a instant before she could have ever raised the weapon. However unsuspecting of a counter attack after his hand was at her throat he took the blow in the leg since the weapon was too long to wrap around and hit his back. "Well thats unfair, hitting me after you wold have died." He said with a grin. "Then again if i was trying to capture you it would have worked fine."

 

[SaphireTsuki]

An almost playful look came into her eyes... so, he knew she had lost? Of course he did. "It wouldn't have ended there if you were trying to capture me anyway." The playfulness disappeared as another twinge of pain from her hand rang out...."Don't think I'll ever try grabbing someone's weapon again, though... my puny human arms can't take it." It had been spur of the moment.... an attempt to get a hit in and prevent him from hitting her... and it may have cost her the match. She could have gone on longer, she knew, if she'd only been better... and not grabbed there. Would she even be able to grab her own weapon, though? It's not like she could heal herself...

 

[Elegy]

Zakura was in his usual corner of the mansion grounds, completely away from everyone. He was sitting atop one of the branches of the large trees that dotted the mansion and stared at his blade.

All it was was just a hilt. Zakura had attempted to cut a branch as if the blade were still there, but nothing happened. The blade just was not there anymore.

Quite odd.

This would mean that Zakura would be completely devoid of combative capabilities, but Zakura instinctively knew that this was not actually the case. He had been granted an incredible power. but he had yet to fully understand what it was.

Zakura knew that he would come to understand the power had had been given later, and for now he simply ceased worrying. It was not practical to dwell over a temporary setback, and Zakura began to think of what to do while he was disarmed.

He realized that there was not much he could do while disarmed aside from just staying in the mansion and maybe bothering to better know the residents, an activity that Zakura had deemed frivolous and useless.

In any case, training was rather pointless know without a sword, but Zakura still needed to keep his top physical shape and mental state through either meditation or basic conditioning. Keeping his mental state in its imperturbable, rock solid state was something that also helped Zakura manage the flow of his satanic energy, which was absolutely crucial in the success of Zakura's battles. Zakura did not have the ability to project his satanic energy into flashy blasts and the like, but he was able to make his energy flow through his body like blood. This way, he maintained a body that was physically strengthened by satanic energy at all times. What further distinguished Zakura from other demons was his fine control of his energy. He could direct the flow of his energy and concentrate it across certain areas of his body to give himself insane amounts of dexterity and agility. All of this nicely complemented his fighting style which revolved entirely around the usage of a blade, and even his style of swordsmanship, one that was wild, unpredictable, and entirely focused on offense, benefited greatly from an increase in agility. Although Zakura's lack of ability to manifest his satanic energy gave him an incredibly low rank as a demon, one would be a fool to underestimate him. All of his abilities were "weak" in a conventional sense, but their unique natures that synergized so well with each other allowed Zakura to be an exceptionally deadly fighter to even higher ranking demons through the fact that Zakura's powers all inhabited unpredictable niches. One would never expect that they would have to dodge three blades instead of one, one would never expect that their enemy could synthesize his energy into physical capabilities, one would never expect a demonic opponent to be entirely based upon swordsmanship. These unpredictability also gave Zakura a good edge in combat, as well as the fact that many tended to underestimate Zakura when they sensed he could not manifest his satanic energy at all.

All of these traits came entirely from rigorous training, the fruit of pure, undulterated effort.

Zakura leapt off of the tree he was perched atop of and began to silently move through the mansion, thinking about what to expect in the future. That was when he sensed the training going on between the guardian and the fallen angel. Intrigued, Zakura stood outside their view behind a tree, listening and sensing the movements of the three beings with reserved interest. The group was practicing with weaponry, which gave Zakura even more interest in this training session. He would be able to fully analyze and understand what occured in this bout because it was so familiar to him. The realm of clashing steel had made up a massive portion of Zakura's life, and he was entertained by Sapphire's inefficient movements that contrasted sharply with Akio's style of wielding his weapon.

When the match had ended, Zakura gave a small round of applause while moving himself from behind the tree and said to the two,

"Fine match. Fallen Angel, I applaud your skill even though I am sure what you have presented pales in comparison to your maximum output. As for your Saphire, I can see budding potential within you although I assume your prowess in manipulating energies is greater than your skill with weaponry."
​

 

[Akio]

"You may be right, it probably wouldnt have ended there." He said with a grin as he rolled off her and got to his feet, disabling his satanic energy. "You would have been fine if you had dodged then grabbed it after but you took the full force of the blow to your hand, which probably didnt feel well." He said looking at her hand. "It has nothing to do with having a human body, this body i have currently is not far above a trained human ethier." He was about to call the next match till Zakura, the swordsman who stayed at the mansion appeared applauding the match. "Well while i know how to use it the all in blows of this kind of weapon have never been my style, i fight with a blade or with my hands depending on what type of energy im using. Still i didnt use my blade stills for that match so i guess thats fair to say." Most of his spiritual powers focused on enchanting and improving his blade while most of his satanic abilities were self sufficient on their own. "Still right now we are working on the mechanics for her blade work."

 

[SaphireTsuki]

"I... fear I'm more of a novice than I thought." A tiny shake of her hand, she started messing with it, making sure she could use it. Sure, she could close the hand, but... it hurt, and she couldn't put any strength into the grip. Well, she had to get better at using her left hand anyway, so she'd make it a supporting weapon. Complaints get one no-where, and so... moving to stand up, forcing herself to ignore her pain in her arm, she nodded a hellp. "Zakuro-san, yes? I remember... you were in the room when I woke up. Did you have a nice day today?" She wanted to ask if something had fallen in his room, but refrained from doing so.

 

[Elegy]

"Bladework will come to be a fine tool, and I am quite eager to see what kind of unique style she creates through mixing her energy capabilities with swordsmanship. But before all that, mechanics come first and you are a fine teacher, fallen angel. Perhaps one day we could have a friendly bout between swordsmen." commented Zakura.

Turning towards Saphire, Zakura replied,

"You simply lack experience. I can sense talent when it is present, and I liken yours to be like a budding lily in a garden of roses. Your talent will blossom and be beautiful in its own right, but it will be surrounded by other talents that have bloomed beforehand. And it's best not to ignore pain. Currently you are ignoring it to drive forward, but you should never cease to consider the nature and severity of pains you receive, as they are as crucial as say the stance of your enemy. Both are things that one cannot ignore. But that you shall inevitably learn under the tutelage of your fine teacher. As for my day, well... It has been interesting. My sword has ceased to be a sword and it seems that there is not much for me to do know that my training time is invalidated through the loss of my blade. You shall see me around the mansion more at the least from now on."
​

 

[SaphireTsuki]

She looked down, turning slightly pink. He'd noticed? It was shocking enough to her that there were people noticing anything about her lately, so often was she... well, invisible, but for them to notice something as subtle as her normally minute reactions to pain? It was nearly a miracle. "There's nothing I can do about my hand, for the moment, so... I figured I'd just let it heal on it's own and use my other arm mostly." Sure, she'd probably get yelled at by Akio later, but it was better than returning home having learned, to her, nothing. She couldn't imagine that she might have, at all, improved in that one fight, so... she thought she'd just keep training until she collapsed or morning came.

 

[Akio]

"Heh perhaps we shall swordsman, my name is akio." He said introducing himself, he already liked the swordsman, definitely better then that priest already. Also he agreed what he was saying, he was obvious a experienced swordsman. "He is right, about everything he has said so far. He is quite the experienced swordsman, i can tell that already. But what do you mean your sword has ceased to be a sword?" He asked curiously.

 

[Elegy]

"I am not pointing out any flaws within you directly right now, that was just a piece of advice for future experiences. You have a practical way of dealing with things, a logical sequencing and natural tendency for characterization and classification. That part of you will come to be useful, and is a trait that Johanna does not quite possess according to my observations. In any case, I am sure your teacher of such great skill will be able to direct you towards a brighter path." replied Zakura to Saphire. He spoke in a continuous stream that was rather fast paced, but yer clear. All of his words were enunciated properly and though there were no pauses between his sentences, his tone of voice guided any hearer clearly.

Turning towards Akio, Zakura bowed respectfully and said,


"Ah how rude of me. I did not introduce myself to you my friend. My name is Zakura. It is a pleasure to meet you Akio. I look forward to the day we clash under the banner of cordiality Akio. Ah, and about my blade, I am not one to worry so I am not placing a great amount of concern into this matter, but it seems that my blade Muramasa has lost its blade, leaving only a handguard and handle. Muramasa is a unique sword in that it is spiritually connected with its wielder, so thus Muramasa determines my overall power. This is, of course, reversed from many situations where the swordsman determines the worth of his blade. The ancient age of Muramasa and its collected power over its long life has granted it a legendary status in terms of potential power, but the sentient blade reveals its secrets only when its owner has achieved its expectations. Today it seemed that I had achieved some sort of power, but I found that Muramasa had simply lost its blade and sheath for reasons that I cannot fathom. I instinctively sense that events will sort themselves out and all will be made clear in due time, but of course that does not alleviate my concern as I am basically powerless for the time being."
​

 

[Akio]

"Muramasa!" He says surprised, he didnt know this man wielded that blade. "That blade is even older then i, in fact no one knows when it first came into being but in the past i knew and have had the pleasure to see and meet a few of its wielder in the past. All of them were extremely powerful and honorable warriors, you have my respect." He said honestly impressed. "Still ive never heard of such a instance but the blade should return when you figure out the meaning of its puzzle, even when you think you have reached the level you need it will often play its hand threw tricks and puzzles to test your mind as well as body."

 

[SaphireTsuki]

Saphire, knowing only the legends of the blade they were talking about, politely stepped a few paces away, deciding to take this chance to eat a bit more of the Onigiri she'd grabbed. At the very least... she'd be able to listen in and learn something, she figured. It was nice seeing some people actually getting along for once, and she resolved to enjoy it while she could. You never knew when the two would decide to start arguing, or something.... she gently shook her head, not a good idea to start thinking about that right now.

 

[Elegy]

"As expected of an experienced being, Akio, you know the name of this blade. It's origins are unclear yes, but I have been told that one of my great ancestors from times long past forged this blade as a symbol of the family line's worth. The authenticity to that story is dubious of course, but I would like believe it so. All the past warriors wielding Muramasa you faced were my ancestors you see. All were chosen by Muramasa as successors to be the head of the family, and this aptly showed in their skill and strength. I am proud to hear that you were impressed by these previous wielders, and I am sure they would be proud to hear that also. The nature of Muramasa, you see, seems to be an inherently destructive force that devours. For every successor to the blade, its predecessor must be consumed in soul by Muramasa's limitless hunger. All those wielders you witnessed are probably within this blade as we speak, all of them with most of their individuality stripped away and coalesced into a collective conscience. Yet I sense that there is a being even greater than the collective conscience of countless great warriors that subjugates them with a even greater will. It would not be a stretch to call Muramasa a curse and it would not be a lie to call it a blessing. Depends on the point of view really. As for the puzzle of this blade, I sense that it will be something I solve in due time. Muramasa has always been a blade to hide its secrets in interesting manners. All that I have taken from it right now is that the blade does not desire for me to fear, indicating that I will uncover something naturally without forced effort on my part. Until then, I hope to make good acquaintance with you Akio." said Zakura with a polite tone.

​

 

[Akio]

"I see, they were worthy of all praise. I fought with a few them in spars before and every time i was tested to my limits and even lost to them a few times." He has becomes more skilled since then but they would still challenge him to his limits, they were powerful men. "Sometimes i wonder what level of strength a man could achieve if a immortal wielded that blade but i wouldnt want to try. To try and avoid your due's to the blade by living forever will only bring the wrath of the blade apon you and end your life shorter then one would expect. I believe we may be friends Zakura as i was with many of your ancestors." He said with a nod.

 

[Elegy]

"All power has a price, and the novelty of wielding Muramasa is no exception. To forsake one's soul for the continuation of tradition and honor: That is the choice that my ancestors made. As for me, my reason to wield this burden and blessing is different, but my convictions are as strong as those who came before me. It is an interesting prospect indeed, to think what would happen if an immortal wielded Muramasa: I suspect that the being that governs Muramasa will grow tired of its master and this will inevitably lead to its bearer's demise. Such is the nature of Muramasa. I suspect that the being that governs the hundreds of souls within has become much like a deity figure, absent of regular concepts of emotion and thought, always seeking out entertainment to alleviate its immortal, yet confined existence. I gladly receive your offer of friendship Akio, may we meet in amiable terms as you had done with my ancestors." said Zakura with his hands clasped in respect. His tone was polite and clear, one that marked Zakura as both a courteous yet confident being.

Zakura then turned slightly towards Saphire and began to speak to Akio again,

"It seems that our conversation has halted this training session. I apologize Akio and Saphire. You may continue your training whenever you desire, although I shall be watching. Akio, if you need any assistance, I am free to be requested, although I do not doubt your excellent skill will be enough, it is easier to have acquaintances help no?" stated Zakura with a light and inviting tone.​

 

[Akio]

"I believe we shall." He said with a small bow, he respected the swordsman and no doubt he would be of help to him and his disciples. 'To bad he is not going with them to fight the supreme 4, if he had his blade back before that time and went with them i could almost not worry.' He thought to himself, he knew the power of the blade and its masters. Still what Zakura had hold him had got him thinking, saphire was definitely more skilled ay energy manipulation then physical combat but there were always ways to combine the two. He had seen the ability she had used on him back them, a ray of light from her weapon. Perhaps he would work on that for a small time. "It would and i thank you. Now saphire i want to look at something else for now, Zakura was right about what he said about you being more skilled at energy manipulation then swordsmanship for now. When i fought you and johanna you used a spirital blow from your naginata to try and strike me. I want to see it again."

 

[SaphireTsuki]

Saphire, who had been eating from her bag of Onigiri, nodded, swallowing the bite she was working on and putting it down. "Yes, Akio-sensei." She quickly moved to her feet, moving over to her naginata and grabbing it, a twinge of pain from her hand again, but she ignored it for the time being, gripping loosely with the right hand and tightly with her left. "Hmmm...." She looked around, saw a spot where she wouldn't hit any trees, and took a deep breath. Focusing she lifted the blade up, shouting "Spirit Ray!" and dropping it down in a powerful swing, bright light spreading from it and, at the end of the swing, shooting forward powerfully... slowly dimming and loosing speed as it went, until finally it disappeared. "I... I can do it with a sword, too, but it's easier with my naginata."

 

[Akio]

Akio had watched the ability carefully, it was very similar to his arc of the gods, he could work with this. "I see, this is very similar to one of my own abilities arc of the gods." He thought looking at her weapon, he would need to know her limits for this move to know what he had to work with. 'Im guessing 3 seconds of charge for me to match one of her instant ones.' He thought to himself, this was to be expected, rather then outright over powering the enemy his arc was more versatile, meant to use in combination with his sword techniques for long range barrage and short range closers. "How many times can you fire that in a short amount of time."

 

[SaphireTsuki]

"Umm.... I don't now. Never done it to my limit." She looked at the naginata, and swung it again, once more calling out the name of the move, "Let's test it shall we?" Now altering the swings for up and down she cried out the name again and again, not even pausing to see if she could actually make the move work. It would be a good test of her abilities, since she'd never actually tested how much spirit energy she could use. It wasn't long before she stopped, throbbing in her hand and odd tiredness a sign of her being unable to continue... and asked him, "H-how many times did I manage to do it?"

 

[Akio]

"7, pretty impressive for someone who has never trained thier limits before. My arc can be charged for up to 9 seconds before it changes into another move entirely. The ones you fired were instant so they were the weakest you could use but they equal me charging for about 3 seconds. My instant ones are pretty weak in raw power but i can fire over 300 of them without breaking a sweat, but in order to start the ability i must always sheath my sword so i guess calling it instant is a bit off." ((its not really over powered because him firing the ability at instantly in this fashion is basically extending his blade in terms of power. Also since he had to sheath he cant fire 300 in one massive barrage in under a second, thats what the final move is after charging for 10 seconds ))