[IC] TTG Chapter 6: Envy

[Shamitako]

The "boat" used to travel to Envy was little more than a cramped metal cylinder that could barely fit the competitors. Gryffin had come along as the gods envoy, and tried to keep the mood positive, but spent most of the time extremely flustered. After several restless hours, they were all grateful for the nap they were granted while Gryffin and Aries got everything ready for the actual fights.

 

Astra vs. Supernova

 

Tai both recognized and didn't recognize his opponent. Apparently Adam had changed things up since the last time he fought. Not thy it mattered much, Tai couldn't afford to underestimate any opponent. 

 

Aries had told Tai his plan and given Tai a way to talk to Cardinal. According to Aries, there was gope for both Cardinal and the Planes, so long as they could convince Cardinal that she wasn't alone and that they would find another way to help her. 

 

The first step in that plan was to stop Lord from launching an attack. And to do that, Tai had to fight Lord's ward, Adam.

 

"You don't have to win." Aries had said, "You just have to keep your opponent from winning. Pull out all the stops and make him work for it. Even if you don't win, so long as you can say you gave it everything you had, you haven't lost. That's what Cardinal needs to see, that we're not willing to give up on her."

 

Unbeknownst to Tai, Adam had come to the same conclusion as Aries, and had decided that, win or lose, he would not give in.

 

And so the two faced each other down. Each a mwre shell of who they thought they were before, and each seeking to become something more than what they had left behind. 

 

Valkyrie vs. Finale

 

Queen had been unsurprised when Grima returned empty handed, and didn't seem disappointed. He didn't seem especially sympathetic either, and quickly assigned her a new task. This time, she would really have to fight. And not just anyone, but a dangerous enemy fighting alongside the Tenth God. Grima has no way to know exactly how this foe would fight either, all Queen could tell her is that she would be very aggressive and that it would probably hurt to attack her. If Grima wanted to win, she would have to find some way to wear her opponent out.

 

That was all one thing, until the elderly looking woman walked out into the arena on her mech's knuckles with a mortar tube strapped to her back. Finale didn't look aggressive, just tired. 

 

"Before we get started, I have a question." Finale said, "Are you here fighting for the gods because you think they're right, or because they didn't give you a choice?" 

 

Archangel vs. The Councilor

 

Nastasia was under no illusion as to what this fight would be. Seekee had explained the change in plans, and made no attempt to hide from Nastasia that her fight was all but lost. Yet Seeker had also told her something of great import: "Lain thinks that if anyone can find a way to turn the crowd against The Councilor, it's you."

 

And so, as this vile man floated before her stop his ridiculous disks, Nastasia would not feel like she had already lost. No matter what The Councilor might think, no fight could truly be decided before it began.

 

Hellfire Knight vs. Arcturus

 

This was it. Even through the fog, Hiroki could see Arcturus'a intimidating figure. She had volunteered for this, but that didn't make her ready to face an unknown entity whose power rivaled the gods. 

 

She recalled what Gryffin had said to her before the match. "I, um, don't think, um, I don't think it's a sure thing that you'll lose. But, um, even if it is, it doesn't matter. Just going up against Arcturus means you're really strong, and courageous too, more than me at least." It was an absolutely terrible pep talk, but at least it was sincere. 

 

Arcturus raised his sword and swiped it through the air, slicing away the fog with a reddish light and revealing his face to Hiroki. "Hellfire Knight, I make you a promise," he pointed his weapon at Hiroki the same way he had when he challenge her, although this time it carried a yellow aura, "As you are now, you cannot defeat me, but by the end of our battle that will change. It is up to you to decide if that change happens in time for your victory."

 

Having apparently said all he planned to, he raised his glowing white sword into a striking postion and charged towards Hiroki with a yell. 

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Valkyrie

 

Grima hadn't expected any sympathy when she returned. She did what she could, and while she didn't come back empty handed, thanks to the dagger given to her by Princess, she didn't come with everything Queen had wanted. But, it didn't really matter, considering that now was finally the time to prove that she hadn't fully rusted after several years. Presumably, at least. There wasn't much she actually knew about her opponent, but she knew that they would likely be aggressive, and that apparently, it would hurt her to attack them. So, she had to be careful.

 

As of now, the armored mech known as Valkyrie stepped out into the arena, sword and shield already out as her footsteps rang out, one of the few things clearly noticeable with the fog. Regardless, when Valkyrie noticed her opponent, an older woman on a dark green mech, with a very noticeable cannon. At the very least, that seemed to highlight her fighting style.

 

When Finale spoke however, Valkyrie paused her slow approach, hearing her out. Then she flipped her sword around, impaling it into the ground and resting her hand atop it, "Hard to say, might be a bit of both. Wouldn't be here if I had a choice" she replied, before shrugging, "Not that I'm complaining."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Nastasia

The tumultuous businesswoman had not been pleased with the change of course at first especially being thrown into what was supposedly another hopeless battle. lf she was meant to fight some unsurmountable battle at the least let it be against a god. She'd have no regrets if she'd been toppled by such a being, but another such as herself? It was nearly unthinkable. However she let her anger stay below the surface, after all such was unsightly during a briefing and she hardly wished to stain her image with Seeker. So she continued to listen to her words, silently stewing away. It wasn't until the later mention of Lain's vouching that there was a shift in her demeanor. She'd wished the fool had the courage as much to tell her himself if such was the case but of course it wasn't. She sighed a defeated sigh, exasperated enough it physically presented itself. She made no effort to explain such, only leaving Seeker to draw her own conclusions if she so choose. 

She supposed that she was happy Lain thought so highly of her abilities in speechcraft but this seemed like an uphill battle at best and trying to climb the tallest mountain in all of Wrath at worse. But... so was getting to where she was. She and Father, they started with literally nothing or next to it. Somehow they'd wrangled their way into securing a small farm, the owner perhaps trusting that barely passable suit Father had managed to scrounge together. After all, Father had one skill, he could talk. A smoozer of the highest calibre, his words could allow him to reach into a person's wallet and take what he pleased as if it were a gift. While it was despicable talent in the eyes of many... they needed it to get by. She couldn't say she agreed with his methods but she was here and alive. Father would do anything in his power to make his little girl happy. He'd do anything so that she'd have food in her belly and a smile on her face. She'd always admired that about him. They worked the land together... they sweat, bled and worked. Before long the two of them found themselves finding others in the same predicament as themselves... they gave them shelters, jobs and mostly importantly, food. It was before long that Sinclair Farms had a name, and while a major part was her father, she had her own important hand in all that. lt was difficult to believe all this had happened when she was but a young child... that her entire life thus far had been defined by her and Father's climb from the deepest depths of poverty to the heights she now held in the palm of her hand. She'd never forget that, she'd never forget she came from the primordial dirt... the salt of the earth itself. She'd never forget that while she climbed to the top of this mountain's peak. That while she was here alone, that she wasn't put her by her Father, and that while she very much loved him and admired him, that this was her doing.

Nastasia walked out to the area, striding into the arena in a striking cobalt blue dress trimmed with frills of white. She dashed her hand through her ringlets, casting it behind her as she strode forward. Her heels cut whatever silence with each beat of her gait. lf there was any fear within her heart she didn't show any of it as she approached. She did not yet summon her mech to herself looking at the opponent she'd be facing through the horrid fog. She looked up her nose at him as she spoke. "l presume you are The Councilor I've heard so much about?"

[IntSys]

Astra vs Supernova

 

The mech's fists dropped like a sack of lead as soon as Tai called upon it. It had only been a few hours, but he barely felt any bit of familiarity with his mech. His hands were heavy, his legs were strained, and he felt like he was getting strangled by the dense fog of Envy's arena. His determination, just like his sportsmanship, was merely a silly concept before the reality of the arena, where power and skill were the only things that mattered. With those two things in hand, a fighter could reinforce their values upon another, or crush the other's values mercilessly.

 

With that in mind, all the resolve he had would be moot if he were to fail here. He felt stupid, getting tricked so easily back into the arena. Nothing had actually changed about him aside from having something to fight for. He would still fight like how he had before, and he would be doomed to fail. He wished he could avoid the arena for the time being and instead attempt to snap Cardinal out of it directly, but his words held as much weight as a fowl's feather to Aries and Cardinal. Prove that she wasn't alone? Apparently even a man who had walked back from hell on foot just to get to talk with her again couldn't prove that.

 

As much defiance and contempt he had toward the gods, he still found himself walking back into their control. Was this not as much of a game as the previous matches were?

 

 

Through the seams of the thick, flowing fog, Tai could see his opponent. A humanoid mech with a spherical body. The finer details were obstructed to him, but it seemed to be vaguely lightweight. Of all that he knew, there could be an array of missile launchers ready to go off on a moment's notice behind the mech's back, and he would be toast once again, sent right back to where he had started, or even further down.

 

Everything was on the line. A defeat, and it would be all over. Nothing he held would matter anymore, and he would not step into the arena ever again. He'd retire at the young age of 21 and live with the loss for his entire life.

 

He could deny the prospect all he wanted, but it seemed inevitable, and so he didn't.

 

This may very well be the grand finale of his career. At the very least, he wanted to walk out with a shred of dignity left. Perhaps the fog could help with that. Could the spectators even see anything clearly here?

 

 

The jets on his back bellowed, and he took off into the foggy skies, soaring higher and higher until he reached the ceiling. Just by the noise along, his opponent would be able to pinpoint his position easily. It would get even easier once his heat-shield went online. But he had to try to stall anyway. He could say that he was just trying to force his opponent's hands - seeing if he had brought missiles or anything of the sort, but he was really just savoring the last minutes of his career, like the last few chips in a bag of chips.

[Chevaleresse]

Hiroki felt oddly calm as she stepped into the arena; perhaps it was simply the comfort of being in her mech again. She felt an undercurrent of nervousness, of fear that everything she'd done to this point coming to nothing, as the heavy footfalls of the mech echoed dully through the fog, but she held it to just that. The fighter watched her opponent. Arcturus's figure through the fog almost looked like an apparition of death itself - or, maybe that was just her nerves surfacing after all. Regardless, she was as ready as she would ever be for this fight. 

 

The fog split apart at his slash, showing who she fought. A man. A powerful man, exceeding even the gods in strength. . . but Arcturus was no force of nature or higher order of being. He was just another opponent, and she'd crushed all but one set before her until now. "We'll see," her voice rang out, clear and unmodified save for the slight tinniness of it passing through her mech's comms. He raised his sword, and she fell back into that familiar rhythm. Thrusters green. Armor integrity nominal. Targeting systems showing perturbation, but that was manageable. She was ready. 

 

Arcturus charged, and the Knight flared to life once again. He was making a frontal charge - a questionable move, but underestimating him for a moment would spell the end of her. She kicked sideways, the back thrusters firing as the mech ponderously began its evasive maneuver. She set her guns to fire in a tight spread centered on Arcturus, the mech's front turning as she moved to keep focused on her target. A mass of scorching plasma roared out from her weapons, both shoulder cannons firing blasts directly at the man as the auxiliary guns fanned the air around her with fire. Hiroki swept her main cannon across his path, a burning line lancing out from the end and slashing through the fog. 

 

[Shamitako]

Valkyrie vs. Finale

 

"If your resolve is that weak, I'd suggest you turn around and leave right now." Finale told Grima. 

 

Finale's mechanical arms reach back and grabbed the tube off her back. It transformed into a minigun that the arms carried above her head. She trained her weapon on her foe, and it whirred to life, though it didn't yet fire.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Valkyrie

 

At Finale's suggestion, Valkyrie let out a small snicker, "Well, thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass" she replied bluntly, before yanking her sword out of the ground again, lifting her shield slightly as she began to walk towards Finale. At the same time, her shield flickered with an opaque field of white, signaling its activation.

[Shamitako]

Hellfire Knight vs. Arcturus 

 

Arcturus let his armor absorb Hiroki's weaker fire. She would eventually break through his defenses, but it would take quite some time before that happened and he intended for the fight to be over well before then. The blast from her main cannon, on the other hand, was something he couldn't ignore. But rather than try to avoid it, he swung his blade to meet it head on.

 

As it had been when Arcturus slashed the air, the fog was temporarily burnt back by Hiroki's attack and she had a clear view of what happened when Arcturus's sword met her beam. The glowing blue blade seemed to completely absorb her attack as it passed over Arcturus, neatly cutting a gap in its carnage around the armored man. It did serve to halt his charge, but the fact that his sword had totally nullified her power was still not to be ignored.

 

And then Arcturus's counterattack struck. He hadn't even moved yet, but Hiroki's right wing array was suddenly hit by a series of slashes from what seemed to be a blade with a temperature rivaling her own mech. Just after the attack hit, Arcturus swung his sword back and forth through the air a couple of times, matching the pattern of the attacks.

[Chevaleresse]

Out of nowhere, warning lights went off all around Hiroki's HUD - several guns flickering from green to dark, many others showing a warning yellow - as she felt the mech torque in response to the attack. She couldn't help but gasp in startlement; the attack had seemingly come from nowhere. Did Arcturus have some kind of stealth drones? But if he did, how could they have that kind of output? Temperature warnings were actually going off for the hull around where it had struck. 

 

The question of drones, at least, was answered as Hiroki refocused herself in time to see Arcturus seemingly slashing the air. That's it. He'd somehow displaced his attack, sent it forward in time. That was. . . worrying. Fast attacks she could deal with, but attacks that came out before their tells were another matter entirely. She continued to strafe sideways away from him; even if he had a way of bypassing the distance between them entirely, movement wouldn't hurt her, and there was the off chance he could only make that sort of attack every once in a while.

 

A small plan was already forming in her head. A quick command barked to the mech's AI and the spread tightened, her cone of fire becoming narrower in an attempt to burn down his armor faster. Her main cannon whined again - and instead of firing with the rest in staccato bursts, the guns on her shoulders followed suit. She went with another slashing beam, this one moving from the ground up at a shallow angle, aimed for Arcturus's waist. The shoulder guns did the opposite, starting on opposite sides of the man and sweeping beams from both sides towards his chest and neck. Hiroki watched his response to the assault through the flames and fog as closely as she could - he would have to parry, and when he did, she would immediately kick forward, spinning her mech backward and pointing her feet at the man in an effort to dodge his attack before it came out - and get a few potshots in with the leg guns at the same time.

[Shamitako]

Astra vs. Supernova

 

Adam wanted to scold the traitor, but having himself heard Cardinal's story, he wasn't sure he could blame Tai for switching sides. Adam honestly wasn't sure he could do this, Lord hadn't done much to reassure him and she certainly hadn't acknowledged the effort he'd put towards proving himself to her. He'd tried so hard to show her that he could succeed, and even if he had fallen short, the least she could do was recognize that he'd tried.

 

But deep down he knew that wasn't enough, just showing up didn't prove anything, the risks were to great just to try. On this stage, Adam didn't have a choice, it was his responsibility to stop Cardinal, regardless of whether or not Lord was willing to acknowledge his efforts.

 

And so he jumped, using his jetpack to follow Supernova into the sky. As he reached his opponent's height, he activated his ability to lock his torso and maintain it instead of falling to the ground, the jets remaining on to keep him upright and propel him slowly towards Supernova. He raised his arms in front of him, ready to block an attack or launch one of his own should his foe let him get close enough.

 

Hellfire Knight vs. Arcturus 

 

Almost immediately after she started firing, Hiroki was met with another attack, this one to her left shoulder, clearly an attempt to take out on of the incoming beams by destroying or at least disrupting the aim of the weapon firing it. Immediately after, Arcturus swung his sword to match the attack, using it once again to absorb the beam from the other shoulder as he stepped into it, using the same motion to dodge her main beam, although he was a little slow and it still struck a glancing blow to his right foot, managing to deal visible damage to his armored boots.

 

As soon as he had successfully parried the second shoulder beam, he started charging again, apparently still wanting to close the gap despite his ability to attack at range. 

[IntSys]

Astra vs. Supernova

 

Tai's heart thumped as his opponent reached his height. But then... he revealed his poor midair speed, as he inched toward him like a drifting cloud. His opponent didn't seem to be running a firepower build, either. An impulse burst out of the bottom of Tai's heart, urging him to fling himself into his opponent. Clearly, he had the edge in aerial combat. And clearly, he had nothing to fear about a machine that was both slower and weaker in melee, and likely not armed with notable firearms.

 

As if. With all of his willpower, Tai curbed the seemingly irrational impulse and made a swift u-turn, blasting away from his opponent and descending down to the surface again.

 

He had made this mistake enough times. The moments where he had thought he would win were the ones that signaled his defeat.

[Chevaleresse]

Hiroki gritted her teeth in the aftermath of the strike, another temperature warning going off as the light erupting from the cannon hit sputtered and died. It had entered an emergency cooldown cycle, and would ostensibly be ready to fire again, but she could see it out of the corner of her eye. The weapon was scored, the edges of the slash softened as the weapon had heated up far enough to melt slightly. At best it would melt if she fired it - but maybe she could force the worst result and use it. The wings of the Knight pulled inward, minimizing their surface area and pointing almost straight forward. She didn't bother with a spread at all, simply creating a man-sized corridor of blasts directly in Arcturus's path as she continued to backpedal. She couldn't move away fast enough to escape his attack, her mech didn't have the acceleration to create that space - but she could delay him.

 

Her main cannon came in line with his chest once more, firing off yet another beam. She just wanted to force another parry, another counterstrike before he was in range - and then she would strike. As soon as she felt the counterstrike hit, she activated her ability. The Hellfire Knight hurled itself forward, the grasping arm outstretched to grab ahold of Arcturus and keep him clutched to the bulky mech's shoulder while it hurtled toward the edge of the arena. The cannon on the shoulder whined as Hiroki forced power to it, power that the compromised weapon could simply no longer handle - and it burst in an explosion of ionized gas and molten metal.

[Shamitako]

Archangel vs. The Councilor

 

"Indeed I am. My name is Thomas Helbright." The Councilor introduced himself with a deep bow, "It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear. Unfortunate that we should meet as such, but it simply cannot be helped. I do hope you understand." He made no move to interact with the audience yet, a surprise considering what Seeker had told Nastasia about him.

 

Valkyrie vs. Finale

 

"Suit yourself." Finale said with a shrug. Her gun opened fire, its shots somewhat inaccurate due to the fog, but so numerous that it hardly mattered. It seemed her plan was to fill the air with bullets to make it as difficult as possible for Grima to approach her. A common strategy for those equipped with sufficient Firepower, and one Grima would be well prepared for, even if she was a little rusty.

 

Hellfire Knight vs. Arcturus 

 

As Hiroki hoped, Arcturus repeated his previous technique, striking at the wing he had initially attacked once more and using the swing that followed to absorb her beam. This left him open to Hiroki's grab, and he was easily swept up by her attack, the overloading cannon exploding directly next to his face. 

 

When the dust cleared, there was quite the surprise. A couple small pieces of shrapnel were embedded in Arcturus's face and he had a mild burn on his forehead. That shouldn't have happened, his mech was still intact and should have protected him. It wasn't like he was completely exposed either, the fact that his head was still there was testament to that. 

 

Hiroki wouldn't have much time to worry about this, as heat warnings would start sounding that directed her attention the main cannon. Arcturus had outstretched his arm and touched the tip of his sword to the cannon, transferring energy into it and causing it to glow the same blue color as the blade.

[Chevaleresse]

The hit to her wing caused another set of lights to flicker to a dull red; the guns on the wing were all but completely disabled, with what little firepower remained diverted to helping keep her aloft instead. That didn't matter right now, though; she had Arcturus in her grasp. As they hurtled toward the arena wall, Hiroki flung her arm outwards and spun the mech about the axis of her travel, trying to rattle and disorient her opponent enough to rescue her main cannon. Fortunately, the thing was capable of handling more heat than the rest of the mech, but she didn't like the odds of it staying functional if it continued to heat up this way. As abruptly as she'd stuck her arm out, she pulled it back in, essentially beating the man against the mech's chest and once more placing him between her and the rapidly oncoming wall. She didn't worry about the damage the man took; she couldn't afford to. 

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Valkyrie

 

As soon as the first shot went off, Valkyrie stopped her approach, digging her feet into the ground as she crouched down, bringing her shield up to cover her entire body. A split second later, the storm of bullets began to collide with Valkyrie, banging against both energy shield and metal before flying off in an unrelated direction. There was no doubt that Finale would begin firing off strong rounds soon, but this current volley wasn't too bad for Valkyrie.

 

With a short breath, Valkyrie gripped her sword tighter, before lifting her body and shield up a bit to begin advancing again. Far slower than she had been before, but enough so that she could keep her defensive position. She didn't even have to see Finale, all she had to do was move opposite to the bullets.

[Shamitako]

Hellfire Knight vs. Arcturus

 

Though Hiroki was able to get Arcturus away from her cannon, she underestimated his ability to maintain his composure. Being flung about suddenly did little to phase him, and when Hiroki suddenly jolted him back to her chest, the first thing to make contact was the tip of his sword. Luckily for Hiroki, the impact was enough to finally disrupt his senses, and he lost his grip on his sword before it completely impaled her. The sword had stopped just shy of cutting into her actual body, and she could feel the intense power radiating from it for just a moment before it fell free of the two combatants. 

 

Arcturus was still a little dazed and was now disarmed, his threat level severely decreased for a moment at least. More concerning was the fact that, despite Arcturus no longer pushing energy into it, Hiroki's cannon was not descreasing in temperature. Her mech's sensors couldn't make much sense of what had been done, but it almost seemed like the cannon had become its own power source.

[Chevaleresse]

Yet another array of warning lights went off as Hiroki struck. She'd been anticipating some damage, but didn't think he'd be able to score such a direct hit that time. Her power routing itself was starting to show warnings, though whether that was due to the new hole in the front of the mech's armor or the fact that the systems were trying to compensate for a new massive heat source was unclear. The critical components were located on her back, so she didn't pause to worry about it yet. Over half of her firepower was crippled right now, by her estimation - firing her main cannon seemed like a bad idea right now - but that didn't mean she couldn't still do some damage, and right now she had an advantage. 

 

Hiroki continued to press her assault. The first step was keeping him away from that blade now that he'd dropped it. Her mech spun about again, flinging the man - he didn't seem to have an actual mech, or at the very least had one that didn't follow any of the rules - into the air at an angle while he was still off-balance. The ballistic arc was an easy one for her computers to trace, and her remaining shoulder cannon alongside the remaining guns on her wings traced out a narrow, but intense arc of fire, ripping though the fog towards him.

[Shamitako]

Astra vs. Supernova

 

Adam shrugged within his cockpit. He could potentially catch Supernova if he built up enough speed, but it would put him at some risk. There would be time for risk later, right now he had a much simpler answer. 

 

Adam outstretched his arm and fired the machine guns on his wrists, sending a spray of bullets towards Supernova. At this range the attack wouldn't be very accurate, but since his foe's armor seemed specialized towards heat, Adam expected that the few hits he would land would still put some pockmarks in Supernova's armor.

 

Hellfire Knight vs. Arcturus

 

Hiroki's attack landed easily, pelting Arcturus with a barrage of fire as he fell towards the ground. Even with her firepower as depleted as it was, she still managed to do severe damage to his armor. If she could have fired her main cannon, she likely would have won the fight right then.

 

Arcturus hit the ground hard but didn't stay down for long. He rose to a kneeling position, breathing heavily. Yet despite how tired he clearly was and how trashed his armor looked, he didn't seem concerned in the slightest. In fact, he was grinning.

 

"I̶̧̛͠ţ͟͜҉'̨́̕̕s̨̛͡ ̡̨̨b҉̡̀͞͠ȩ̷͜͝ę̸̷͝n͘͘ ̧̨͟a̢̛͘͟ ̨l͢o̡̨̕͟͡n̢̕͢͡ģ̴̛͟͟ ̨҉t̵̡̀í̢̕͝m̕͝e͏̷͘͝ ̀͜͢͏s̷͞í͘͘n̸̡͢͟c̸̵̀̕ȩ̷͞҉ ͘҉͞s̷̛ó̢̕͜m̛ę͠o̸͜͏̴n̵̢e̢͘ ̢͟p̵̵̡̨͝u̷̸͝s̸̡̀͞͞h҉͏ȩ̛̕d͝ ͡͠҉̧͞m̷͝e̶̶̕͟͜ ̢t̡̢h̷̴̛͡í̵̵̛s҉̡͡ ̕͜͏͏f̵̧̨͜͝á͘͝r̸̷͠͡.̀͘͘" 

 

Hiroki blinked, and Arcturus was gone, only half a memory of his presence in front of her remaining. It didn't take long to figure out where he had gone, as Hirokivs entire mech rapidly began heating up starting at the back. 

 

Arcturus was standing behind the Hellfire Knight, his palm resting against the mech's back and rapidly channeling energy into it. Heat warnings were going off all across the mech and Hiroki couldn't get her controls to respond.

 

"The power of stars is within you, I believe it always has been. This is the power of energy, and the fire of a leader. With it, you are powerful enough to destroy darkness, and even hold light in a stalemate." Arcturus said, ever cryptic, "Yoyr shell no longer remains, so cast off your fear and stand proudly as yourself. Only then will your full potential be realized." 

 

A Hellfire Knight shaped crater smashed its way into the wall ahead, giving Hiroki a warning of what was to come. A split second later, Arcturus shoved her and she was sent careening across the arena at a blinding speed. She crashed into the wall, perfectly filling out the crater. 

 

The energy that had filled her mech discharged as she hit the wall, destroying most of her armor and exposing its internal structure. It was a miracle it wasn't completely obliterated. Most of her remaining weapons, including her main cannon, were gone. It seemed that just about the only thing she had left was a half-functional ability to move.

[Chevaleresse]

Hiroki's tenuous shell of confidence blew away as Arcturus vanished. She desperately tried to energize her armor and block whatever Arcturus was doing when he reappeared, but the system refused to do so - that, or his vector of attack was such that her efforts only accelerated whatever he was doing to her. This can't be happening. She had been so close, and it was happening again. Desperation filled her as the crater appeared before her. Not again, I can't lose again. Not like this! The pain of the impact was enough to squeeze the tears that she'd been holding back out of her, blurring her vision as what remained of her controls told her that she was, essentially, defeated. Main cannon, gone. Secondary guns, gone. Claw, auxiliary guns, gone. All that remained was some maneuvering jets. I refuse. It was going to have to be enough. 

 

What remained of the Hellfire Knight stepped back out of the crater and turned, slagged armor sloughing off and exposing a network of glowing pipes and more mundane wiring. The outline of Hiroki's body within the mech, coiled in wiring as it was, was visible, backlit by the minature sun of her generator. It only seemed to highlight how small she was in comparison to her own mech, suspended within it the way she was. Still, even with her armor annihilated and her vulnerability exposed to the world, she stepped forward. And again, and again, until she was running forward, the overheated servomotors in her armor screaming as remnants of her jets tried and failed to assist their movement. She was the Hellfire Knight, she was the strongest fighter in all of Tempest, and she was not going to allow herself to fall today.

 

The glow of her mech's power system grew brighter and brighter, and soon the entire frame joined it, the Knight shining with incandescent light. It wasn't long before it was impossible to make out a shape at all; Hiroki's mech seemed to become nothing more than a ball of plasma.

 

And then it grew. 

 

As the light moved toward Arcturus, it expanded, filling more and more of the arena as it approached. Hiroki felt the mech melt away around her, but it was different this time. No longer was she being battered about by her opponent; this was her power, her strength doing so. Her mech became an artificial sun, no longer creating the illusion of filling the arena with divine fire but doing so in actuality, expanding to cover and envelop the area in her determination and her wrath, a wrath that sent itself hurtling towards her opponent.

[IntSys]

Astra vs. Supernova

 

Months prior, he was the fearless champion of the ring, scraping his foes with his two fists without hesitation. Blades, bullets, or whatever, none of that could intimidate the star back then.

 

Then... Why was it, that now, he was scared shitless by a mech that was no more impressive than the works of art he had destroyed before? Why was he... turning his back on an opponent in the ring?

 

His heart throbbed as the stray bullets grazed past his armor, ripping paint and thinning armor along the way.

 

His mech made touchdown with the surface, but his mind still lingered in the skies above. Before he realized it, he had already fled to the edge of the ring.

He saw a boy, but he couldn't see his face clearly. Even then, he knew what he was seeing: A boy, bored by the sham of a fight taking place before him. It was himself. The boy from more than a decade ago. He would have never approved this. In the goose chase for power and responsibility, when did he lose himself? A man donning dreams from his childhood self, yet not believing in any of them. How could he face himself... let alone anyone else?

 

I am responsible for my indecisiveness with picking a side in the war... But before all that, I am responsible for what got me this far in the first place!

 

His opponent would see a brief flash of light coming from the sea of clouds beneath him. And then, with proper reflex, he would find his opponent again, right behind him. The heat was a forecast of the things to come. A flaming fist went right for Astra's jetpack - and his back by extension - with undeniable precision. The other fist waited patiently in the back, serving as the rear guard against a counterattack. Should it land, his aerial mobility would likely be considerably crippled.

 

(6 Speed Teleportation Used)

[Shamitako]

Valkyrie vs. Finale

 

As soon as she had successfully forced Grima into a defensive position behind her shield, Finale switched tactics. Her weapon was once again appended to her back and without skipping a beat fired off a volley of mortar shells towards the pinned Valkyrie. The last of the spread fire had just barely dissipated when the first shell dropped, leaving Grima very little time to react.

 

Astra vs. Supernova

 

A feint, and one Adam had no way to anticipate. In an instant he went from complete safety to intense danger. A direct hit to his jetpack would be pretty bad, but there was no way to avoid it.

 

He would just have to use it then. 

 

Accepting the hit, Adam trigger the jetpack sf full power just before the impact, causing it to explode violently. The resultant force combined with the impact of Supernova's punch to flip Adam's mech around its center at an extremely high speed, allowing his arms to come up for an attempted grab at Supernova's leg. If he got a hold of it with either hand, he would immediately target the knee joint with the guns on the other, intending to disable it with his ability.

 

Hellfire Knight vs. Arcturus 

 

It was certainly beautiful, that was for certain. Finally exposed in her full glory, Hiroki's final gambit was truly breathtaking. A cloak of energy, burning away the world. Arcturus smiled, he knew she had it in her. 

 

He flicked his fingers, destroying a small chunk of his gauntlets to attack his sword, sending it spiraling through the air and back into his grasp. 

 

The sword glowed bright blue once more, and he swung it for what he was certain would be the final time in this fight. His blade met Hiroki's onslaught, and a burst of of energy pulsed across the arena, incineration the dog in its entirety. His feet scraped against the ground for purchase as Hiroki a pushed him back, but found nothing. His heels met the wall, and still her Assault pushed against him. Everything he had went into his counter. His gauntlets began to glow with energy as he added them to his attack, but they quickly burst from the excess energy.

 

The heat was cutting through his barrier, peeling at the exposed skin on his hands and face, but he still refused to back down. With a shout of pure determination and the last reserves of his strength, he pushed back, deflecting Hiroki away from him and ending her attack.

 

For anyone else it would have been too little too late. Arcturus barely stood, his arms were both scorched and the entire right side of his torso was now exposed. Yet he still stood, and he leveled his sword towards Hiroki.

 

"Yield." he demanded hoarsely, the very act of speaking nearly causing him to collapse then and there. 

 

For the first time in many, many years, Arcturus's body was exposed and it was possible to see the burn scars that covered it in its entirety. This was not the first time he had been on the brink of death, and he had never once backed down from a truly strong foe. The burns he held were a testament to not only his resolve, but also the resolve of those he stood against. He had shot meteors from the sky, conquered countless foes from beggars to kings and even his own brother, and even Lucifer could do no better than a stalemate against him. Hiroki was truly a powerful and valiant individual, and that was exactly why Arcturus refused to give in against her.

[Chevaleresse]

Hiroki shook her head, the motion visible with her armor absent. The creaking of what remained of the mech, still superheated from the state it had just been in, was audible. She took a step forward, and the creaking became a screech as the overtaxed motors driving the motion finally gave in, sending her forcibly to one knee. The remnants of her visor helpfully informed her that the right knee joint of the mech had failed. Hiroki pushed herself back upward, the Knight's frame still protesting the motion. "I refuse," she said quietly. "This all means nothing if I give up now." Her voice, though louder now, wavered with exhaustion; the mech prevented her from taking any real damage, but there was still feedback when it was damaged, and its heat control was compromised besides. "The Hellfire Knight doesn't give up. Yukimura Hiroki, does not give up." She pointed her right arm at Arcturus, as if the cannon were still there. "You yield, because I won't stop."

[IntSys]

Astra vs. Supernova

 

Smoke and flames enveloped the two in an instant. The energy was largely absorbed by the heat shield and armor, but Tai could still very well feel the recoil of the explosion as the air was compressed. His opponent remained perfectly still in his center, revolving in place and striking back with what almost looked like flailing arms but were in fact an calculated attempt at catching him off guard. Smokescreen and the sheer speed of the attack made it impossible to intercept.

 

The hands burrowed through the flames circulating all over Tai's mech, and grabbed hold of his right knee tightly with all the force carried by inertia. The other free hand prepared to aim down and pepper his other knee using small machine guns as soon as his opponent had a hold on him. Without hesitation, the jets bellowed, and Tai pressed through almost immediately, tearing down the arm that got a hold on his leg with a point-blank right hook, and escaping from his opponent's grasps at high speeds, not giving his opponent a split second to aim properly.

Tai shrugged off the notification that indicated a severed connection in his right knee, and prepared for another U-turn. That must have been either his opponent's signature or ability, with the momentum-cancelling body being the other. The sun had risen, and the fog of war was slowly dissipating before the heat.

 

(6 Melee Instant Disengagement Used)

[Shamitako]

Astra vs. Supernova

 

Another sudden attack from Supernova, but a punch was something Adam could react to. He let go and moved his arm in the direction of the punch, reducing the force of the impact as best he could and managing to reduce what could have been a broken arm to just some smashed armor and a melted gun. A good hit from Supernova, but not nearly as crippling as it could have been.

 

Withiut his jetpack, reorienting himself towards Supernova after the attack took some effort, giving Tai plenty of time to assess the situation. When he did manage to sort out his bearings, he returned to his previous strategy of peppering his foe with gunfire. This time was a little different though, as now he was hanging upside down from his center.

 

Hellfire Knight vs. Arcturus

 

Arcturus laughed, though it was barely more than a squeak with how worn down he was. Neither of them had anything left to fight with, yet they both completely refused to back down. He had faced down far stronger opponents than Hiroki, but never one who could match his willpower. Not even the pumpkin witch could reach this level of complete lunacy. Arcturus wasn't sure of the outcome if they kept going, but it didn't matter anymore. Hiroki had earned this, he would not stand in her way merely to assuage his own ego.

 

"Very well." Arcturus conceded, tossing Stillbirth aside, "Yukimura Hiroki, you have beaten me."

 

The great warrior slumped to the ground, causing a couple more chunks of his armor to break off as he went down. Feebly, he gestured for Hiroki to come closer. Their fight was over, but he still needed to warn her of the choice she would have to make.

[Chevaleresse]

Hiroki remained still for a moment. She'd. . . done it. Arcturus had admitted defeat. Her brow was dripping with sweat, her mech was all but destroyed, but she'd somehow done it, beaten the one even the gods were afraid to face in combat. Her reverie broke when she realized that motion had been a gesture and not just supporting himself. That wasn't a mech, he's actually hurt. She dismissed her own mech, falling to the ground lightly and walking over to him. A flash of guilt appeared along the way - this reminded her of the incident with Supernova - before she smashed it down. He had known what he was risking by entering combat, she couldn't get hung up on feeling bad over hurting him. Unsure of what he wanted, she knelt down a short distance away, giving him a questioning look.