Championship Round: Division One!

[Tidus Revok]

Nishaio, having seen yet another of his attacks foiled, was at this point...sitting.

When Jimmy and Zolomon broke out into an all out fight, Nishaio Shimata did the smartest thing possible for such a situation. He simply waited for one of the two to win and conserved his own energy. At first, it made perfect sense. However, several factors came to light that changed his thinking. One was the fact that neither warrior seemed to be winding down any time soon. In fact, after some more conversation, they both increased their power yet again. Annoying, but Nishaio was confident he could handle it. The more pertinent factor came out in the midst of conversation between the two. The Demon, aka Jimmy, referred to a warrior's absolute limit. Though unfamiliar with the term 'Genkei', the seasoned Falcome fighter knew the idea. It was the belief that everyone came with a certain set limit that simply could not be exceeded. Though he had long given up believing the idea himself - he had seen the impossible too many times - it was an idea which held incredible signifigance for Nishaio. He loved to fight people who held to it, as the Demon clearly did. Even more delightful to Nishaio was the Demon's perception of the Falcome's limit:

"...Nishaio's Genkei is linked to physics and his bow, his limit is how fast an arrow can fly through the air after he launches it."

On the surface, it was true. Although the Falcome Bow was characteristically powerful, sporting a several hundred pound draw weight, it was still limited by said physics. In spite of being perhaps the fastest bow in existence, there was still the fact that a bow could only be so fast. The same was true for weapons of any kind, to a point. No matter how good a weapon was, it still would be limited by the strength, speed, and will of the user. The variable - the one thing that Nishaio had seen defy the 'Genkei' time after time - was in the warrior, not his weapons. And there was more to Nishaio Shimata than his weapons. The question was whether he was willing to reveal it for the sake of a simple tournament. Certainly, these creatures annoyed him, even angered him. But the stakes didn't seem high enough to merit pulling out all of the stops. A little escalation, however...

The Demon launched another attack...even faster now. Inwardly, Nishaio was glad he had let his weights fall when he did. As he watched this latest attack, he took note of the fact that the creature's claws mere being used differently...more purposefully, it seemed...which would mean they were no longer the blunt instrument of intimidation. Zolomon's new wings were also going to be problematic, being both extremely tough and not beyond use as weapons themselves.

For a slower man, Nishaio's next move would seem foolish beyond all reason. He was clearly no match for either of his opponents in terms of sheer power. For Nishaio, it was all part of the plan, which revolved around his opponent's belief in the laws of physics as Nishiao's Genkei. He suddenly launched forward in between the Vampire and Demon, opening his pouch and allowing the Abysmal Whip to assemble itself along the way. Expecting a counter-attack, he doubled his speed just as he got within striking range, aiming to shoot straight on past the others. While he passed through, however, his attack came. This was where bending those laws of physics came in.

A normal leather whip, wielded by a normal human being, could never begin to function at the speed Nishaio was moving. Still, in use by an average human, the end of the cracking tip of a whip travels faster than the speed of sound. This whip, being swung by a man already moving far beyond the speed of sound, was more than capable of keeping up. A normal whip, usually made of leather, could only move so fast before it would forcibly deteriorate. This whip, made of thousands of shards of crystal, was held together by an other-worldly force that even Nishaio didn't understand. He hadn't yet found a speed to great for its use. Now, as he tore between his enemies, he whirled the whip three times - once aimed for the heads of his opponents, once at the Demon's legs, and once at Zolomon's mid-section. If the whip caught, it would extend indefinitely until Nishaio stopped moving, pulling energy from it's victim until the Falcome called it back. Either way, stage two was in progress.

Fifty yards away, Nishaio had stopped and thrown a dozen poisoned knives straight upwards. The he knocked a crystal arrow. His whip now tied to his belt, he had both hands free to hold the bow drawn while the arrow's crystal tip charged. At a regular rate of fire, the arrow's explosion was near-nuclear. Fully charged, even Nishaio was going to have trouble clearing the blast radius in time. But he needed to keep his enemies clear while it charged. This he hoped to accomplish with his knives. They came down in front of him, and he set to work kicking each individual knife at the two before they hit the ground.

Now Nishaio was safely fifty yards away from his enemies, with a half-dozen knives flying at each of his opponents. Now he just needed a few seconds to charge the arrow.

((The Crystal Arrow is a class 3 attack - that's why I'm taking a turn to charge it. Just so you know. ))

[Jimmy Claymore]

((OOC: Sorry Zolo, I won't attack and leave what hitted to your discretion))

Niashaio had just began to charge when a sharp set of claws came out of nowhere trying to rake their way down his back dangerously narrow to his spine. Before any realisation could be made a sharp kick shot out to try and send him stumbling forward and (in case it isn't dealt with by Nishaio in some way) a hand flew out to snatch the arrow from falling. The Demon sighed loudly and held a claw to its face mimicking a disappointed teacher, a small rip visible on his left trouser-leg
"I wish you'd do something about this Nishaio, that whip idea was ingenious, I mean you're so talented. You've done very well, you want to risk yourself and throw that away by taking me on? I mean Zolomon, sure he's bigger now but you think you can't beat that?" This obvious baiting would hopefully not be so obvious that Nishaio wouldn't take the bait. The Other Half had certainly had some trouble dodging a lot of that, the whip was travelling faster than he'd expected it to and he'd had to swing his weight around so his head and legs were perpendicular the crystal cutting his leg slightly and stealing some poisoned Ki but either from sentience or his own movements the whip didn't take any more than that. The knives were a bit easier, he'd caught a few and knocked away others as he shot around and in front of Nishaio so he ended up behind him as he turned. He looked more casual than the felt, he was certain he could beat either of these guys easily. But both would be cocky, and he wasn't going to get cocky when his enemies had enough power to do some serious damage. He was reminded again and again that if he fully took over he could slaughter them and everyone else on this planet but he owed it to his host, Jimmy was part of him. Missing a conscience... could anyone live without a heart? He stopped and sighed, almost healf-heartedly he dashed to behind Zolomon and stabbed with his claws where his opponent couldn't see but so slowly it would be childs play to avoid in his new state before throwing a blast of Ki at Nishaio, still barely caring where it went. He soared upwards and floated above the field, he rolled onto his front, crossed his arms into a pillow and sighed
"It's almost sad... I don't want to fight any more. I'd like a rest. Maybe If I destroy the cameras or something, or the crowd, then I can stop killing things" Despite the obvious contradiction the Demon considered this as he watched the two below him. He felt in control of the match so far, but it couldn't hurt to take a breather for a bit.

[zolomon]

(OOC: Frikkin' finally... Sorry I took so long.)


Zolomon was getting quite pissed at how seemingly effortlessly Jimmy kept parrying or evading the vampire's offensive moves. Was there really such a power difference? Was his opponent really almighty? ...Nah...

"Of course I have a name, but I'm not telling you it, I'd rather have you try and work out if I'm merely another side to Jimmy or a demon within him or maybe something else..." At the moment Zolomon noticed a change in air pressure behind him, which could be anything but he didn't believe it could be mere coincidence. "Armageddon flare," his foe uttered and the dark sphere of energy exploded into a large dark purple beam that went straight through the vampire. Or so it seemed. Then the demon went on to explain his theory on something called Genkei in a loud voice, using all three of them there as an example for his lecture. Zolomon, who was standing just behind him, was getting bored.

"You know, you really don't have to shout... or are you trying to reach my afterimage in hell?" he quipped, watching Jimmy go through another power-up. 'Greeeat...' he sighed in his mind. How much power did this bastard have? He was never one to care about rules or anything, but this really felt unfair, how his opponent was doing the Almighty, something the vampire remembered his father doing. But this time he was different... It wouldn't end the same way. Zolomon thought of something, which was surprising he didn't think of before. It was so simple...

But at the moment he had other concerns. Jimmy was looking more dreadful with longer horns and generally more menacing appearance, yet Zolomon still looked at him with that blank, hollow stare, while there was the ever-present grin on his face. 'Genkei... huh?' Then came a barrage of attacks. Thanks to his vampire reflexes, he could quite easily follow Jimmy's movements, and thanks to his transformation, he could act accordingly. The clawing was relatively easily deflected using his own claws and wings to knock the attacks away, though some came through and left several scratches on his clothes and chest, the wounds, however, closing up soon after. Jimmy tried to stab the vampire's wing, but he turned along with the stab, swinging his right wing so that he would knock Jimmy on his fat head.

His opponent quickly floated backwards and looked at Zolomon with a definite feel of superiority, making Zolomon grind his teeth, but a moment later he just chuckled and closed his eyes for a second, pondering something. "What do you know about me? Nothing. You don't know who or what I am, you don't know my past or my nature. So why don't you just SHUT THE FUCK UP? Genkei? Please... stop measuring me by your standards. You keep playing cool, you keep acting like nothing I do could ever harm you, like the entire fight is already decided, now that you've transformed. Well, fuck you. I'm not pathetic enough to lose to you. Well, maybe your power is greater than mine... it's quite possible... but I cannot... no... I WILL not lose to you." Then, just as he was about to reveal his key to victory, he was violently reminded of the presence of the third fighter, who he had a tendency to forget due to his focus on the demon.

If there was something to be said about this Nishaio person, it was that he was damned speedy. It was tough to see his movements, not to mention react in time. Then again, Zolomon didn't have much choice, but to do his best if he was to retain any chance of victory in this thing. What happened was so fast that no average person could follow the movements unaided, and it was over in the blink of an eye. Zolomon had dodged the swing to his head and his wings had saved him from the second attack, but there was a long cut on his cheek, which didn't bleed. 'Close call... I need to do it fast...' he thought, clenching his fists and increasing the Black Matter to maximum force and concentration. The increased power wouldn't last long, but, if his idea worked, it'd be enough.

Now Zolomon stood and a foreboding pillar of energy rose from him, like the black smoke of death and destruction, wading in the wake of the plague of hatred and evil. Zolomon loved that smoke... Nishaio then threw a number of knives at the vampire, but with a violent breeze created by his wing, the knives quickly slowed to a stop and fell at his feet. He saw the crystal-tipped arrow and was about to rush and stop Nishaio from firing, but it seemed that Jimmy was already ahead of him.

"I wish you'd do something about this Nishaio, that whip idea was ingenious, I mean you're so talented. You've done very well, you want to risk yourself and throw that away by taking me on? I mean Zolomon, sure he's bigger now but you think you can't beat that?"

At that moment something broke in the vampire. Of course it could be only expected from such a dick of an opponent, but this was simply too much. Zolomon was being underestimated... badly. And it wasn't simply about pride, it was about attitude, and Zolomon always got pissed if his opponent couldn't behave at least somewhat honorably during a fight. What was a fighter without a sense of honor? Just another prick... That's why, when Jimmy's attack from behind came, he acted with more viciousness that he had in the tourney yet.

As the demon's fist neared his back, Zolomon's two wings came together on it in a manner similar to a sliding door, though with the force of two speeding trains colliding, quickly followed by a kick backwards. He flipped around, attempting two more blows with his wings to the demon's body, then unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks, stronger and faster than anything that had come from him up until now. However, this battle was beginning to wear him out, which he could feel inside though others couldn't tell. He really was nearing his limit.

So... this was it. The success of his next move would determine the outcome of the entire match for Zolomon, and, if he was lucky, for his two opponents also. Zolomon got lower, bending in his knees, his wings coming around him slowly, like a sentient cloak, then suddenly consuming him entirely. Momentarily the entire field was pitch black, Zolomon activating the ability of his Longsword of Night and easily escaping the senses of anyone around, the darkness being his home. For a moment there was complete silence, not a sound could be heard, then suddenly there was a shout. "Heal this, demon boy!" If his opponents were any kind of worthy, which they really were, they could pinpoint his position by hearing alone, and it was only natural for one to turn in the direction, it being a natural reflex. But then, instead of an attack, came something either of his opponents wouldn't expect. The darkness was instantly dissolved by a brilliant flash of light, so bright that even one with his eyes closed would be blinded for a while, especially after the eyes had somewhat accustomed to the darkness, increasing the effect of the sudden light. Besides, Jimmy would probably feel something of a rash due to the holy light and him being a demon, even Nishaio probably feeling uneasy if there was evil in his heart, since the light targeted all who were evil except its wielder.

Even people watching the fight through either Nishaio's or Jimmy's vision due to the chips inside them or even the ordinary cameras would feel a discomfort, not to mention be clutching their eyes from the light. This was Zolomon's time to act. He could attack either of them in a vulnerable state, but it wasn't his plan. At least not like that... Abusing his speed and ability to move without making a sound, and also his unique and mostly untraceable energy signature, he bolted into the sky, passing the clouds in a matter of seconds.

With a look of unrivaled determination Zolomon kept flying upwards as several thoughts came to his mind. Maybe he really was outmatched as far as simple ability in terms of speed or power came, but without a doubt his will to fight and win was the greatest. This was who he was, a fighter. A killer... The Scimitar of Banishing Light glimmered in his hand, giving off its celestial glow, while the jeweled blade and handle seemed to match the slowly approaching stars with their mysterious and seemingly far-away shine. "You told me that if I needed your power, you would give it to me... So, gods of the heavens... GIVE IT TO ME!" Zolomon shouted and suddenly his Scimitar's glow grew into a golden flame, a polar opposite to Zolomon's endlessly black eyes, burning with a bright light. The air around him was quickly turning colder and colder, Zolomon increasing his speed still, until there was no air anymore.

His opponents shouldn't have noticed his position at all, but he knew that they'd most probably figure out anyway if they hadn't already. He could only hope this would hit. He spun around and swung his blade, the clouds below him parting and a blinding white beam blasting through the atmosphere and reaching the ground in a couple of seconds. The more evil the target was, the more damage the beam would do. The planet wouldn't be harmed in the least, while the demon could be potentially killed if he was hit. Even Nishaio would sustain loads of damage if there was but a speck of evil in his heart. With a sigh, the vampire headed back to the surface of the planet.

Zolomon finally touched down to the ground, obviously fatigued, as the attack was one that took loads of energy to perform. He could have won... he should have... but when he thought about it, his opponents would probably have come through almost unscathed because of their amazing power. Zolomon spat at the thought, but he knew that it should probably be expected anyway. The vampire's wings closed around him and for a moment seemed to merge together, becoming the same navy blue coat he wore before his transformation, but he grunted, forced himself back straight on his feet and spreading his wings, remaining in his transformed state. He was almost depleted, but he wouldn't give in. Zolomon raised his Scimitar in the air, clutching the handle with both arms, the blade pointing away from his face, his wings encircling his back and sides, so that he was protected. All he could do now was defend and wait for the end of the match.

Though he hadn't joined this thing to win... he really began caring about winning, and now it was the only thing on his mind. So yeah, he was obviously out-matched in every possible way by all the finalists except Chameleon, but at least he had really given it all he had, which, in his mind, was the sign of a real fighter. Then again... what the hell did he know anyway?



(OOC: ACH! Finally finished. Took me 5 hrs to do It's a shame it's so crappy though... the fever is killing my creative brain cells >.< Anyway, it seems like this'll be my last post, as I don't think I'll manage any more, so thanks for a nice, tough fight, you guys! It was great! And good luck to the judges!)

[Jimmy Claymore]

((That was an epic post, but "Jimm'ys Fat-head"? You're going to pay for that ;D))

After Zolomon's opinion on his rant The Demon groaned as he charged up
"Standing behind me, just rip off my trademark why don't you" His attacks were majoritively deflected and he had to headbutt the wing, inadvertently stunning himself as he defended, but he saw Zolomon begin to tell him again what he thought of the Demon's theory. He sighed and pulled a mocking sad face
" 'No, Mom, I can be rock-star! You don't know me! I can make it! ' Please, you sound like a whiny 14 year old, I act like nothing you could do could harm because it's true. Stop making such a big deal out of it." the rest of the Demon's insult was cut off by the attacks from Nishaio but he was still focusing on Zolomon. He felt his wrist get caught as he punched at Zolomon and pulled his wrist back in pain. The kick came suddenly but he stabbed with his claws so he'd pierce his opponents foot and leg as it came in. He jumped away and chuckled as the darkness wrapped around them but stopped at Zolomon's words
"Heal what?" He almost turned around but felt brilliant light on him. He growled and stamped down hard bringing some rocks up to mask him and stop the burning sensation of the light from hitting him. He felt Zolomon's Dark Energy shoot away and looked up, squinting to try and realise what was happening and suddenly worked it out. He had been right about Zolomon's Genkei to a point, but he'd expected Darkness not Light. Light would be far more damaging, he rocketted off as Zolomon swung down with his sword, his speed rocketting forward trying desperately to get out of the area before it landed
"come on, come on, come on, come on" He lunged and felt a sharp blasting of pain as he moved and rolled out of the main path of the beam.

Zolomon's defensive stance was noticed and the Demon teleported in front of him, his left side was scorched and burnt, crackling his skin was damaged and every time it tried to heal he felt a sting of pain and so he was barely healing. His right side looked normal but in extreme pain from his left. His teeth were ground and he looked hatefully at the Vampire, his burnt arm with its claws locked around either side of the sword
"You... You can't dodge now, you can't defend and take no damage any more! I could KILL you" He quivered and held his claws poised over Zolomon's head, he could bring his claws down and finish it but something at the back of his mind spoke up

"no..."

"He tried to kill us, Claymore! We should just destroy him! He's almost certainly done worse!"

"he still deserves mercy... spare his life..."

"Mercy? You think he even wants Mercy? For creatures like us it's an insult! You... You friggin pussy!" The Other Half lowered his claws painfully and almost forcibly and instead swung madly at Zolomon with his right hand a few times to try and do damage, probably not even a knock out blow if one connected but in his depleted state it might take Zolomon a while to recover. He shuffled his body away and looked at Nishaio, his disc like eyes shaking madly as he looked at the Falcome
"Come on then! Fight with me! FIGHT WITH ME!" The Other Half shot forward, dragging his left side and swinging at Nishaio with his right.

((OOC: Phew, that REALLY hurt my chances of winning, but y'know. I don't think its fair to just disregard a Class III normally. And speaking of which, I need to post what to do after Nishaio launches his arrow))

[Tidus Revok]

(((Wow...awesome guys. Genius work, Zolomon. I never expected to have to use Nishaio's near-death power in a tourney fight! Thanks for a great battle!)))

His whip attack had been only minimally effective in spite of its speed, which came as no surprise to Nishaio. His speed came at the cost of power. Just as he began pushing energy into his Crystal arrow, the Demon came at him so fast that he didn't even realize the creature's presence until the first sensation of claws touching his back hit his mind. Fortunately, the Falcome's insane reaction time allowed him to move forward only milliseconds after the initial contact, and although he ended up with torn clothes and three nasty gashes, the damage could have been far worse. Now that he was aware of the attacker's presence, Nishaio was able to roll forward, avoiding the kick aimed at his back, and teleport away without losing focus on his arrow, but it wasn't easy.
To fully charge a Crystal arrow, while preparing to get out of the blast radius, required a huge amount of concentration. Very few of even the fastest of Falcomes had the ability to outrun the blast of a fully charged crystal. Nishaio himself had never tried. But if ever there was a time, it was now. As the match had progressed, he'd been sensing an ever-increasing presence of evil. With every transformation, the nature of each of his opponents became clearer, and it was now evident to the Falcome that both needed to be neutralized. As the arrow neared its maximum power, Shimata turned some of his attention to the delivery. He had been using the bow almost exclusively for the entire round for a reason - he needed to gauge his enemies' reaction time for starters, plus he wanted them used to a certain speed of attack from him. Now his plan was coming to culmination. He just needed the right opportunity...

Suddenly Zolomon made a move that had the potential to change everything. In an instant, the battlefield was covered in pitch blackness. Even the blinding light from his arrow disappeared completely. Knowing no good could possibly come from such an occurence, Nishao began teleporting at random in a near-desperate attempt to avoid any incoming attacks in the darkness. His arrow would be charged in just a few more seconds, and it had to be launched at its peak...failure to do so was more than a little dangerous. Just as panic was setting in, Zolomon's voice shattered the black silence.

"Heal this, demon boy!"

The imminent attack would be headed for Jimmy...or so Nishaio assumed. It was that assumption that made the difference. The arrow demanded his attention, so much so that in his strain to concentrate on its energy flow, Nishaio didn't turn to look at Zolomon. Even so, the sudden flash completely blinded him. Surely he would be worse off than Jimmy, since his enhanced vision was also more sensitive. In fact, several seconds after the flash, it wasn't returning. His master plan was now in grave danger of failing. Fortunately, his other senses were still intact. Unwilling to quit, blind or not, he turned toward the unmistakeable presence of the Demon and fired the arrow, pulsing a burst of ki through his bow as he did. The technique, invented by Nishaio on the spot, would boost the arrows speed - not by a massive margin, but hopefully enough. He was counting on the demon having done what most warriors would - subconsciously adjusted to the speed with which the other dozens of arrows had come. The extra half-second might be enough to score a solid hit. Whatever the arrow hit, the ensuing explosion would be massive - equivalent to the power of not one, but several thermonuclear explosions.

The moment the arrow was loose, Nishaio began running the opposite direction at full speed. It was a risk, as his vision was still non-existent, but a blindh dash was a whole lot better than being caught in the holocaust taking place at his back. As he ran, the heat of the explosion rushed after him. Thankful to be in a wide open desert, Nishaio kicked his speed all the way to full and exploded forward with all his might. The energy from the explosion began to recede, but something else took its place - an energy Shimata hadn't yet sensed. It came rushing up behind him faster than anything he thought possible, and he dove forward just in time to feel a scorching sensation tear up his back. A moment later it was over.

Fortunately, although he possessed an 'evil' job - that of an assassin - at his core, Nishaio Shimata retained an overriding goodness. In spite of his usual alliance with badguys - who were generally the ones seeking his services anyway - Nishaio hated evil. Though he'd never know it, his just heart saved the last Falcome's life. He certainly didn't feel lucky at the moment. The beam would not have been as damaging to him as it would do a purely evel creature like Jimmy's demon, but his constitution wasn't nearly as tough as the demon's, either. In fact, for a long moment, the crowd thought Nishaio Shimata was done. He lay facedown in the sand, bow in hand and his back charred and blistered from Zolomon's attack. Somewhere deep inside his now-darkened world, Nishaio struggled to remain conscious. If he lost it, two things would happen. The tournament officials would transport him off the battlefield, and his ace in the hole, a second crystal arrow which he had been charging all along, would lose its power.

Something awoke inside him at that moment. The Falcome race had one last trait that had made them so feared in battle - a certain strength that arose when one was at the end of his usual power. That strength burst to life inside of Nishaio Shimata: The doubled power of a mortally wounded Falcome. He rose to his feet, almost as if some unseen force was pulling him up, and turned to face his enemies. He coughed, and blood exploded from his mouth...then he smiled. The ultimate power's unleashing in his system had restored the Assasin's sight, and, arrow still knocked and charged, he launched forward at full speed - which was now twice what it had been. The field was rocked by the sound of multiple sonic booms as the Falcome's form tore through the desert. By the time the cloud of dust his feet raised even became visible, his attack would be over. The gap between him and his opponents was closed in the twinkling of an eye, and it was time to attack...but who?

The one warrior still unscathed by the battle. As he blew by, his motion completely undiscernable to even the cameras of Esperanza, Shimata yanked the crystal arrow from the bow and shoved it point-blank at Zolomon. The arrow would ignite instantly, but at his doubled power, Nishaio would be long gone. A second later he was clear of the blast radius of the Falcome's most powerful weapon. Although the attack hadn't been meant for Jimmy, he would most certainly be caught in the explosion. Now all he had to do was wait for the results...and maybe even for death.

[Jimmy Claymore]

"I suppose you want this one spared too?" The Demon said as he shot down from the sky. To clear the arrow he'd rocketted upwards and scraped the sky itself, he felt his left side sizzle again painfully from Zolomon's light, trace elements still up there. He rolled around and plummetted downwards, his fists arced he swung them at Nishaio from an unexpected angle at an unexpected time, his claws were basically gone now and his horns retracting. The Other Half was tiring, the light was reverting him into Jimmy, already his hair was changing from blond to brown. He swung with his hands using them like clubs. No intent on fighting, on being clever or honourable. Now it was just violence, straight out violence to see who would be the victor. He teleported again and kicked viciously at the Falcome.

((Sorry that was so short, I am VERY tired, I'm not sure I'll be able to post tomorrow or friday but I'll try. Good Work if I don't Lads))

[zolomon]

(OOC: AHAHA! I actually managed! So ya, you'll be seeing a bit more of me yet. ^^ Besides, I couldn't just leave all that damage coming at me, could I? )


Although Zolomon's defense against the demon's half-assed punch started out successful, it continued less so when he felt Jimmy's claws rip through his flesh, calling for an appropriate reaction in the form of a furious hiss from the vampire. Nevertheless, it wouldn't stop him from fulfilling his plan. As far as he was concerned, everything was going just fine, but then there was something completely unexpected. It seems he hadn't been the only one who had been keeping something major back for the very final stretch.

As he soared into the sky, prepared to request the power of the gods, he felt a sudden surge of heat and force from below, and glanced to see just what exactly was going on. His seemingly empty, immeasurable eyes widened in surprise and shock as he saw a truly incredible explosion beneath him, growing with every single moment. If he hadn't unintentionally gotten off the ground with a head start, he might have considerable trouble getting out of its path, but, as it seemed, he was in the green. And, by all means, it would certainly not hurt his own intention if Jimmy and Nishaio were already just rattled by something of such power, so, almost instantly after Nishaio's attack reached its peak size, Zolomon's beam hit the ground.

As he touched down, it seemed that his attack had actually been successful. He took a much-needed breather, when Jimmy suddenly appeared before him with his classical teleportation trick. "Hello there," Zolomon said with a pleased, sinister grin, though his fatigue was pretty obvious. It seemed Jimmy was quite pissed, too.

"You... You can't dodge now, you can't defend and take no damage any more! I could KILL you!" Zolomon watched as the demon ranted, his hands held menacingly over the vampire's head with readiness to supposedly take him out any moment. Though Zolomon knew he had only a part of his previous strength, he felt more amused by this threat than he did intimidated. Even if he died, he had proven his point, though that didn't mean he was planning on dying.

"Yeah, and nothing I could ever do could possibly harm you, right?" Though it wasn't a good thing and he realized it, it was difficult to word how good that felt. Even the demon's incredible healing factor, reminding Zolomon of an encounter of his long, long ago in his old world, wasn't helping him much at this point, his skin charred and looking quite unpleasant on one side of his body. "You know, I wouldn't hold on to that holy weapon like that if I were you. But maybe that's just me..." he quipped, thinking of a good idea to further increase his advantage over his opponent, though he realized that Nishaio was still relatively unscathed, questioning the intelligence of his previous actions of centering on Jimmy, but it was likely too late now. Either way, it was Jimmy and not Nishaio in front of him at the moment, and so the immediate threat was Jimmy and not Zolomon's speedier adversary.

However, just as the vampire expected a violent and probably painful attack, the possessor of Jimmy's body seemed to get lost, dealing with his inner demons, no matter how ridiculous that might sound, as he was openly arguing to someone about sparing Zolomon's life, to which the vampire simply rolled his eyes. His enemies should be less concerned about his well-being... But, whatever it was screwing with his head, the demon couldn't leave Zolomon as he was and, in a fit of rage, attacked with a couple strong, yet overly wild swings. He took two to his left shoulder, staggering to remain on his feet, but as the third came, Zolomon's own right arm burst with Black Matter and he simultaneously threw a powerful punch at Jimmy's loud mouth, cutting off the draining Black Matter enhancement as soon as he hit or missed.

Still, it seemed Jimmy didn't take Zolomon seriously, as moments later he was headed for Nishaio, yelling at the guy to fight him. Then, suddenly, Zolomon's senses picked up on something nearing him at an outright inappropriate speed. If it wasn't for his slow-motion-like reflexes, he would only noticed Nishaio's movement after he was already here, but, once more, his abilities saved his neck, though even they barely helped against this... blasphemous movement. He didn't know fancy teleportation like Jimmy, and he was starting to feel how such an ability was easy and quite pleasant to abuse. But at the moment he needed to get by with what he had. Thanks to his excellent sight, he noticed the familiar crystal-tipped arrow and knew he should be getting the hell away right bloody now.

Before anyone could even react the ground was once more rattled by an earth-shattering explosion. It seemed those were in abundance in this fight, but that didn't mean the viewers were getting tired of them. Though they were going through an umpteenth time of not seeing anything for a while, it only added to the suspense, to see what happened and who was still standing after this. The arrow never touched Zolomon's afterimage, even though the idea is impossible, it exploded before it came close enough to detonate off touch. However, despite the fact that the vampire hadn't been at the point of origin, his speed was barely enough to get away, in the end forcing him to spin around and use his wings as a shield when the arc of the blast finally caught up with him.

When the wave of light disappeared and the dust settled or was carried away by the rapidly increasing wind, Zolomon could be seen, still standing on his feet, though his body was battered and one of his wings had been blown to bits, and you could see scales thrown about everywhere. "Shit..." he swore, panting heavily. It seemed like he was really out of the fight for good. But then he noticed something, that he cursed himself for not noticing earlier. Like a bright ray of hope, or, perhaps, like a foreboding wall of darkness, Zolomon's final salvation was at hand.

He looked at to the horizon of the wasteland, watching as the tiny strip of bright red light, which was all that remained visible of the sun, disappeared beyond the edge of the sky, and suddenly, almost mystically, a dark shadow rolled over the land as the heavens turned black, only the same stars Zolomon had seen a while ago showing that there really was something to look upwards for, that there was something there. As the shadow neared Zolomon, a sinister grin appeared on his face. When it fell on him, the vampire disappeared, merging with the blackness of night as if he had never been there, his dark aura dispersing into the night air, like night itself was but a tool of the vampire's, which was, to an extent, the truth.

It seemed like Nishaio and the demon kid were busy too busy fighting to notice, which was only advantageous to the vampire as his body repaired itself and his energy was getting slowly refilled. Though it was still best not to use his Black Matter, as only feeding would return his full power, but it would give him more than enough strength to last and since his weapons functioned on their own energy, his simply supplementing theirs, he could still prepare some kind of attack plan. Even when it seemed things were over, he pulled through, though in this case it was pure luck. Then again, luck is always a vital necessity for a successful warrior, anyone knew that.

Zolomon watched his opponents battle, the demon charging Nishaio with no self-restraint, yet seemingly different than it had been before and Zolomon had to ponder whether there was something going on with Jimmy... again. Then again, it didn't matter. If Zolomon's plan worked, it worked. If not, he'd just go from there. Using his silent movement and generally untraceable presence, he began running into the direction of Jimmy and Nishaio, soon lifting both his feet and spreading his, now healed, wings and beginning a low flight, rising into the air above them as soon as he neared the two impressive forces, and starting his attack. In the blink of an eye he switched his Scimitar of Banishing Light back to his Scythe of Hellfire, as it was still almost at full power, being his blade with the greatest amount of it, and raised it above his head.

With sixteen rapid swings he formed an extremely thin grid of eight parallel lines, crossed by identical eight lines perpendicular to the first. He opened his palm and pointed his arm in the direction of the two struggling fighters beneath him through the grid. His unseen lips muttered 'Hellfire Burst' and the grid suddenly was set ablaze and increased in size at least ten times, in the same time rapidly nearing the ground. Though both of his opponents could dodge the attack from burning them to a cinder, especially Nishaio, they should feel the heat even one hundred feet away and considering that Zolomon launched it only about thirty feet above their heads, they would definitely feel the burn... (crappy pun intended)

With a grin Zolomon's Scythe went ablaze and the flames spread onto his own body for protection, the vampire quickly landing on the ground, his flaming body resembling a torch in the darkness of night, the red light could be seen for miles and miles away as the flames rose into the sky, the tongues seemingly licking the grim, black clouds that hid the stars. Zolomon took his defensive stance, some of his power and most of his confidence restored. "I'm still standing." And if he could help it, he always would be.

(OOC: I sure as hell hope that, this being the ending date, today still counts as an eligible posting date. If not... puck... this is a lot of work for nothing )

[Tidus Revok]

Nishaio watched in satisfaction while Zolomon was overrun by his blast, neither seeing nor caring what happened to Jimmy. The demon, in Nishaio's opinion, had never been that much of a threat, and he was even less so now.

As the sun's last rays reflected off of the glass floor that had been desert sand before Nishiao's last move, he watched the vampire with a casual disinterest. The sun set...and everything changed. Nishaio felt Zolomon's presence - increasing. In the twilight, he caught one last glimpse of the vampire before darkness overwhelmed him. Still unfamiliar with the nature of such a creature, Nishiao could tell this was not going to bode well for him or Jimmy.

Sure enough, moments later yet another massive blast tore across the battlefield. True to his from, Nishaio put more distance than necessary between him and the shot. Even so, he felt the heat from the attack, and the discomfort from such a distance told him he was glad to have taken caution.

The problem now was finding Zolomon. Jimmy would be dealt with eventually, but clearly the vampire was the more pressing opponent. For a moment, the desert was silent again. Then the sound of two swords ringing from their sheaths echoed through the evening air. In a blink, Nishaio was on Zolomon's left, bringing his two blades in a scissors movement at the vampire's neck. He was going in for the kill this time.

The attack was a series of lightning-fast swings from every side, front, back, right, front, left, back again. The fans had long given up trying to follow the Falcome. Now it was just about waiting to see what happened to his opponent afterward. Suddenly Nishaio disappeared. Dozens of sword strikes after his initial attack, the sand he had kicked for Zolomon's face was just nearing its mark. Once the dirt had time to find its way into the vampire's eyes, Nishaio was back seeking to plunge a dozen knives into Zolomon at every critical point within reach. Finally he attempted to grab and throw Zolomon across the battlefield, then shot four infernal arrows to top it off. With his power level doubled, who knew the result?

His attack finished, Nishaio sheathed his swords and resumed his sitting position on the desert floor. Should either opponent attack again, he had no doubt he's be out of the way in plenty of time.

[Jimmy Claymore]

Jimmy rolled with the punch from Zolomon and staggered, the cheek swelled turned pale then peachy pink. He was reverting already, his power draining away like a sieve, leaking out of him gradually and he wa salmost back to normal. He saw the blazing grid coming down towards him and began shooting across the field, his strength was falling rapidly, pretty soon he'd be past the threshold, only one last thing to do. He hooked his claws together and watched, he rolled out of the way and felt heat scorch his right side, his whole boyd turned from pale to burnt and tanned. He looked as Nishaio attacked Zolomon and knew he had one last chance, the only way he could still beat these two. He shot upwards his energy building in his claws, as he flew his skin and claws stripped away, blond turned brown and blank discs swirled and revealed red-irises, floating half naked in semi-space, Ki moving around him like a dark star. He looked out at the infinity of space and paused to look at it. A mostly human form and with only scraps of the black trousers left, smaller finger like claws hooked and ready, dark purple energy was charging. He was too weak, his last ditch effort. The final strike, the last thing the demon had in him, he shot down to the ground and locked his claws at such an angle that Zolomon and Nishaio were both lined up. No matter how fast they were, no matter how strong, he was going to win. Winning was all that mattered, he knew he'd taken a lot of damage, probably the most or at least the only one feeling it or admitting to it. He finally stopped and swung his arms forward , Ki pooled and he shouted with his energy at Zolomon and Nishaio
[glow=red,2,300]"ARMAGEDDON FLARE!"[/glow]The blast shot forward in a pillar almost instantaneous, his claws cracked and fell away then with a final bellow he forced all his energy left into the blast, intended to engulf and damage Zolomon and Nishaio stimultaneously. In the stadium, the main screen cracked. With a hoarse cry the Demon dropped to its knees and began to glow white
"And with that... I bid you... adieu" With a sudden shattering noise, The demon was gone. And Jimmy Claymore re-appeared, he looked around in confusion at the scene of devestation and drew his sword slowly. What had happened? His mind had gone blank... Where were Zolomon and Nishaio?

((Last minute post!))

[Garoten Reklor]

Jimmy would take a few moments to comprehend what he was seeing. His last attack as the demon hung suspended in the air, brought to a screeching halt only feet from his opponents by the technology of Esperanza. While the warriors were still getting their minds around the situation, they were engulfed in blue light and reappeared in the center of the Esperanza Stadium, lined up in the center of a huge platform. The announcer was already saying something:

"...THE JUDGES ARE STILL DELIBERATING! PLEASE BE PATIENT AND STAY IN YOUR SEATS FOR A FEW MORE MOMENTS."

The crowd, suddenly aware they had been standing for over an hour, quickly and noisily resumed their seats. The three remaining championship contenders could feel the tension in the air - it was almost as thick here as it had been on the battlefield. Finally, after a greuling five-minute wait, the announcer - flanked by two Esperanzan policemen with riot shields - stepped up to the mic.

"THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE! WE ARE NOW PROUD TO PRESENT TO YOU THE CHAMPIONS OF THIS YEAR'S TOURNAMENT!"

He waited for the applause to die down and continued.

"IN FOURTH PLACE, ROOKIE TO THE TOURNAMENTS, CHAMELEON!"

More applause, but Chameleon's absence was quickly noticed, and the applause faded.

"IN THIRD, FROM RIGHT HERE ON DRAGONIA - JIMMY CLAYMORE!"

Now the announcer was as excited as the crowd, and with the last two names his voice rose with the crescendo of cheers, applause, and screams:

"SECOND PLACE GOES TO ZOLOMON! AND, FINALLY, YOUR NEW WORLDWIDE TOURNAMENT CHAMPION - NISHAIO SHIMATA!"

The crowd erupted into absolute riotous noise, and the tournament was over.

((Okay, here's the revised and better-explained decision process, gents. Once again, this was the absolute hardest match to judge...ever. Writing was excellent on every side. Writing ability and style went out the window as a judging factor right off the bat. I once again consulted outside help, and they still indicated the same thing. To others who read it, Nishaio still seemed like the one who was most in control throughout. While Jimmy and Zolomon spent most of the match battling one another, he "was able to plan and launch attacks at his own pace." In the end, I actually made myself a scale and tallied up some things: hits taken, hits landed, severity of hits, writing style, fairness, strategy, transformations, and the condition of each fighter at match's end. Finally I came to the last few posts and speculated on what if the battle had continued? Zolomon was in good shape, with a decent power level. Jimmy was somewhat injured, and back to his base power. Nishaio was badly injured, but with his maximum power doubled. Anyway, it was a long, hard process, especially twice, but in the end, I come to the same conclusion. It was close, so very close, guys. It comes as a great compliment to each of you that there was no clear, undisputable winner. Well done, everyone.))