Match of the Millennium

Description: Two demigods of wrathful energy face off before the lapping waves of an otherworldly beach, uncomfortable questions are raised, and only one walks away....

[VEGA]
Being stuck out of contact with the rest of Shadaloo is a rare occurance for Lord Vega. The dictator has always been willing to allow a small measure of free reign within his operative's domains, but all of the information travels back to him... whether it be through the correct reports or the efforts of his spies watching those who claim to offer him fealty.

But now, having been on this island for a few weeks under the guise of the mysterious Kamon, Vega is beginning to feel a sense of unease. To all but his top lieutenants and the Dolls, Vega has simply refused to take any visitors as he works on the latest stage of his grand schemes, with simple matters being handled by the coordinated efforts of the Dolls with the other Kings working to ensure that order is maintained.

And yet there is still something freeing about being on his own again after so many years, back before he had managed to orchestrate one of the most powerful underworld organizations in history.

Free to bask in the purity of mortal combat.

This latest round has summoned Kamon from the grand castles out to the edge of the island, his bare feet carrying his muscular form with remarkable quiet as he moves down the stairs and across the sand to a small area marked by a collective of shadowy robed monks, chanting in some absurd tongue.

"Where is he? I don't intend to be kept waiting," the dictator in disguise bellows as he hooks a finger in behind his belt, causing the crimson skull that now clasps over its knot to twist in the bright sunlight, glinting over its sharp lines.

[KAIN]
Self-reliance, even isolation, are old and familiar company for the other crimelord in this equation. An essentiality to growing up on the streets of Southtown, perhaps paradoxically all the moreso once steeped in the brotherhood of thieves and killers that rules that city... and touches several beyond it. It's perhaps not that Kain is comfortable, here-- but he does a good job of presenting as such, sauntering languidly down the steps leading to the palace as he tightens dark gloves over his hands, his form garbed in an ornate suit tailored in midnight and crimson, with a touch of matte silver here and there accentuating the lines.

"Yet so you were." the statuesque German observes smoothly, somewhere between bemusement and polite apology, yet lingering instead in simple, stoic observation. The young man is enigmatic in the best of circumstances, but to a psychic of Vega's capacity, there's layers beyond that to create a proverbially delicious, mysterious sandwich. His mind is guarded, his emotions themselves difficult to pin down-- if indeed he's feeling any at all, just this moment.

There's a paradox of ice and fire burning in his heart, a connection to some deep and ancient power. The sort of crescendo that's rare indeed even amongst world class fighters, yet somehow difficult to hear properly, as if the tone rung out, the flame carried its illumination across a vast expanse of emptiness. An ever-shifting dichotomy of light and darkness, void and sunlight.

Kain inclines his head towards the disguised dictator, crimson eyes narrowing thoughtfully, as if looking /through/ the malicious being before him. It's this sensation, the realization (or perhaps lack thereof?) of that which he faces, that draws the first break to Heinlein's stoic exterior-- a small, sly smirk that curves one corner of his lips.

"Forgive me. There is a touch of deja vu to this moment I would not have anticipated." The other side of a coin flipped once before in this tournament; the psychic resonance behind the power somehow familiar, if distorted violently in an entirely different direction. "... are you familiar with a psychic called Rose?"

[VEGA]
As a voice calls out in a manner far different from the aimless chanting of the monks, Kamon immediately turns to set his blank, white eyes on the other man. While they practically stand at the same height, the overbearing musculature on the self-proclaimed Thai martial arist stands at a stark contrast to the far more lean, aristrocratic grace of Kain.

The foul expression on his face is utter contempt for a world beneath him, a world that either deserves to bow before his greatness or burn from his spite. Merely approaching the man, the air takes on a heaviness at complete odds with the pleasant tranquility that a beach such as this would exude under normal circumstances.

In Vega's presence, it is Normandy.

And as Rose's name is mentioned, it is as if the machine guns have all focused their attention. "Don't waste my time with such worthless questions," Kamon practically shouts as his face twists into a violent scowl, and expression that seems perfectly at home on his crude facade. "I'm not here to have tea, I'm here to demolish you as yet another body to build the steps to my ultimate victory in this tournament."

Drawing up into a fighting stance, he extends his right hand out in front of him, fingers splayed as Psycho Power erupts from his palm in a clear display of dominance.

COMBATSYS: Vega has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vega             0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Vega equips a gleaming Crimson Soul Shard.

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Vega [E]         0/-------/-------|

[KAIN]
The oppressive echoes of war and death seem to reverberate everywhere on this accursed, otherworldly isle-- but even with that omnipresent air, there's something uniquely malevolent about this 'Kamon' and his presence. It's not a sensation Kain will soon forget, but perhaps just as noteworthy is the lack of apprehension in the flamewielder's steady approach. While it might be expected for one invested in Mortal Kombat to be un-cowed by such an omen, it would give most warriors pause. For Heinlein, as he approaches, he seems to sense exactly what he expected to sense from that first, delving look.

"Ah. I'll take that as affirmation." The lithe blonde observes impassively, though indeed Vega is not entirely wrong-- the query was largely rhetorical. Kain long ago learned to trust his senses... particularly that multitude beyond those most of mankind utilize. All the ease with which Vega taps his psychic might is mirrored in his adversary, that wellspring of primal, cosmic energy surging to him as if released, more than summoned.

The darkly lit torch effortlessly fills his hand, courses up his arm, a white-cored flame of darkest borders enacting a flickering dance of violet and indigo, lending the fire a nearly black, flaring corona. "Though I'm afraid I can grant only part of your wish as to how we proceed." Kain is not one to be climbed over easily; and there is no hint of apology to that fact. The commencement of violence, however? That, the flame-wielder is abundantly capable of accomodating.

Heinlein strides several of the scant few steps seperating him from Vega, and then the ground at his feet blasts to the sides in a shockwave of displaced sand and newly fused glass, a kicking foot carrying Kain skyward as it conjures a tremendous wave of furious chi, starfire that consumes the space remaining between himself and the disguised dictator-- and the malevolent man himself, if Vega is not already on his toes.

That first wave is followed up from on high, clasped hands above Kain's head seemingly dragging a secondary yet equally voluminous blast downwards from on high, the napalm coursing about itself in its meteoric fall, an airstrike composed of raw stellar might, glimmering with darkness akin to the expanse of outer space.

COMBATSYS: Kain has joined the fight here.

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Kain             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0         [E] Vega

COMBATSYS: Kain equips a luminous Blood Red Soul Shard.

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Kain [E]         0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0         [E] Vega

COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Vega with Schwarze Lanze.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Kain [E]         0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0         [E] Vega

[VEGA]
As the elegant man's power begins to build, Vega is already seething with a sense of rage at his very core. He'd known full well that Rose was somewhere on this island, it would be all but impossible for him not to recognize that flawed fragment of his former self in this sort of proximity, but to have some worthless insect connect him with her like this was inexcusable.

It didn't matter now who Kain Heinlein was, or whatever connections he may have to the dictator's Shadow Council off the island, Vega would teach this pathetic worm his place one way or the other.

The only problem with giving in to the rage, despite its ability to add fuel to the churning cauldron of Psycho Power, was that it could allow him to make mistakes. Mistakes that would be of real concern when given the rare occasion to stand face to face with an opponent that might actually offer him some measure of a challenge. In moments like this the warlord could overlook just how much energy was building in front of him.

And once it's suddenly unleashed, his only real option is to attempt to reposition, focusing in his Psycho Power as he attempts to twist reality around him, to pull free of the on-coming wave of energy. But the tide rises far too quickly, and the man known as Kamon is shrouded in the blasts, his voice coming out as a furious scream as it cuts straight through him.

But on the other hand, when rage is engine, even failure can fuel it to greater heights.

Absolutely seething, violet flames suddenly cut through the trailing end of the assault, the dictator's whole body surging with new power before it's absorbed down into his hands, coalescing into a churning orb of hatred that's sent flying toward Kain as a seed of destruction, splitting off into four separate parts that each suddenly erupt all around the man, aiming to claim the glassed beach for their own.

COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Vega's Psycho Explosion.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Kain [E]         0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0         [E] Vega

[KAIN]
It's a study in contrasts, despite the similar intensity of the vast energies wielded by both men. Where Vega seethes, taps into his rage, feeds his furor with vehemence and derision, Kain is a vision of calm fury, the eye of the maelstrom conjured around him. The statuesque blonde's icy cool bleeds into the stinging fires, the sensation of being consumed by them at once biting and burning, their magnitude doing little to conceal the subsequent surge of Kamon's power behind those waves-- though Kain does nothing to abort his landing, directly in the path of that volatile, brutal discharge.

Both arms flex, opposing limbs slammed forward into that blast of psionic might as it courses into him and buckles, the flare of dark fires erupting to either side, surging around the blast as a chunk is forcefully torn from its center as the sphere collapses around the guard and blasts past in painful torrents around Heinlein's knelt form.

There's an almost academic interest paid to the raw power directed against him, an analytical intent to the crimson eyes that lock anew on the disguised dictator as the attack dissipates... and Kain rises gracefully back to his feet, his stance deceptively relaxed as he faces Vega sidelong. "Impressive." Kain cordially observes, in matter-of-fact politesse that nonetheless likely rings as unusual and insulting to one such as Lord Vega. As if this were simply another trial to be judged and surmounted for the young firebrand.

Apparently, Kamon's hostility does little to dull Heinlein's urbane affability, deceptive though that layer may also be. After all, there's likely little Kain could do to get -more- under Kamon's skin-- then again: "I wonder if she will be as reluctant to discuss -you-..." The musing comes as if unbidden, spoken more to himself than anything, a lack of intent that's perhaps belied by the narrowing of eyes on his adversary, the dangerous study once more reflected in those blood-red orbs that reflect the shimmering light from the gem-encrusted draconic medallion affixed to his suit.

COMBATSYS: Kain calculates his next move.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Kain [E]         0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0         [E] Vega

[VEGA]
"If you care more for questions than the battle before you, then why don't you simply give in and throw your life away?" Kamon bellows as his burst of power begins to withdraw back to it's steady boil. It's clear enough that whatever there is to this man, in the moment when he is given the mere spark of battle, the instincts of a warrior are ready to explode.

Even when he stands at the helm of a criminal empire, Lord Vega is a warlord through and through. Only through the threat of this Outworld menace, and the promise of untold new land to lay claim to by violent force, has he manages to calm enough to call together allies around him on the pretense that they could be considered his peers. And even now he stands here prepared to fight against the coming threat of an Emperor only because it's a dire insult that his rightful claim to the world would be ignored.

Without hesitation he throws himself still into the fight, drawing untold years of experience forth as he lunges for Kain, taking to the air as he leaps in with a quick chop aimed for his face, merely an opening as his other hand sweeps in, cloaked in Psycho Power to lunge straight for a blow to the throat

COMBATSYS: Vega knocks away Kain with Hell Attack.
- Power hit! -

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Kain [E]         0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0         [E] Vega

[KAIN]
If it was another taste of Vega's fury that Kain seeks, his wish is certainly granted. This time around, however, the guard that the enigmatic European seeks to raise against the onslaught before him proves insufficient, however-- the chop slips past a deflection that's a half-second off its mark, and then the lithe blonde is -launched- backwards by the explosive impact with his neck, psychic energy consuming his features as he's sent tumbling end over end, roughly skipping across the sand until a gloved hand anchors his egress and his feet are forced beneath him once more.

There's a simple, accomodating nod to Vega's statement-- and an eruption of indigo flame, the dark fire suffusing Kain as he pushes back to his feet once more. Or perhaps more accurately, /launches/ back into the fray. Splayed fingers rake to either side, sweeping a ragged wave of that potent chi into existence before him as he blasts bodily forward, erupting like a rocket propelling that warhead of pure energy before him as he seeks to quite literally blast through and past the disguised dictator, his own ambitions yielding little accomodation to Vega's will to rule-- or triumph here.

There is no surprise inherent in his first true taste of the violence Vega is capable of, however-- this pain, this threat, it's exactly what he anticipated from this formidable psychic. A danger that requires his all to have a hope of opposing. Energy surges within him, fueling him even as it's drained in torrents, his body pushed to its limits to maintain just that level of effort and intensity.

COMBATSYS: Vega blocks Kain's Schwarze Panzer.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Kain [E]         1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0         [E] Vega

[VEGA]
Having obtained the pinnacle of purity to cleanse his Psycho Power of all weakness, Vega has long learned to enjoy the suffering of others. With all remains of what could be considered "Good" cleanly expunged and sent to inhabit another body, the only things that the warlord is cabable of finding any manner of joy in are all part of some greater plan that will bring misery to so many more.

More than that, the suffering of others actually brings him new strength. It would take an event on a near global level of catastrophe to bring the dictator to some complete new level of strength, but there is still something so beautiful that harmonizes with the darkness of his soul every time he is able to inflict suffering by his own hand.

A sensation that twists that previously scowling face up into a wide, uncomfortable smile that shares no joy with the outside world. Even as Kain comes at Kamon with a renewed surge of energy, the fighter merely raises his arms in front of him and summons for a burst of his Psycho Power to shield him from the assault.

"If that's the best you can do, I shall enjoy the fear in your eyes when you find yourself broken before me, begging for mercy!" Kamon bellows as he lunges forward, his hands still shrouded in violet energy as he clasps them together in front of him and rockets toward the blond, the flames surging all around him as he's sheathed in a shroud of vile potency, rushing past him close just close enough for the Psycho flames to catch him like a wick, setting him alight as they claw at his very soul.

COMBATSYS: Kain channels the glare of the vicious eye.

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Kain [E]         1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0         [E] Vega

COMBATSYS: Kain channels the fortress of the steel will.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Kain [E]         1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0         [E] Vega

COMBATSYS: Kain channels the strength of the killing fist.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Kain [E]         1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0         [E] Vega

COMBATSYS: Kain interrupts Psycho Crusher from Vega with Himmlische Macht.

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Kain [E]         0/-------/-----==|=======\====---\1         [E] Vega

[KAIN]
It's a useful rapport-- after all, suffering is nigh on unavoidable when facing down a threat such as Vega, that punishing malevolent energy possessing ample amplitude with which to rend most challengers in short order. It's not a pain that even Kain could withstand for long... and so he seeks to match it, to dominate it, to drown it out in a tremendous surge of raw, primal starfire. That aged silver medallion glimmers then sparks wildly red, a crackle of crimson-white lightning coursing from it and through the fiery maelstrom that surrounds Kain as Kamon rockets inward.

"If you think you have faced my best..." The stoic blonde observes, too calmly, too evenly for the moment. A tremendous flare of white light centers in his palm, spirals around itself and expands like a wormhole that instantly admits a coruscating sphere of brilliant blue chi through its passageway, the constantly erupting, miniature star conjured in that last instant as the violent wave of psychic force crashes into Kain, sends him reeling.... but that orb of power in its turn, larger than either man, sends the disguised dictator flying back from whence he came.

"... if you think I fear a violent, painful death..." Pursued by that conjured star, Vega would find an inexorable gravity seeking to grip him against its punishing mass even as pure energy drives him clear. "... You are a much poorer psychic than I may have given you credit for."

While such a taunt, to say nothing of such an onslaught, might normally be touched with arrogance, gloating certitude... in this case Heinlein is entirely aware he's not out of harm's way. He hasn't won, his foe is at his most deadly. None of that impacts the stalwart stance, however-- one certainty Heinlein has long held is that he will meet such an end, likely at the hands of a madman of just such a flavor as this.

[VEGA]
All of that power brushed aside.

The sensation of chi tearing away at the body that contains his soul.

Everything standing before him slowly beginning to tinge red with rage as he feels it beginning to slip away. If he can't even win here, if this insect finds a way to stop him... even kill him...

There's no way that he would be able to reach the Psycho Drive. All of his preparations with spare bodies, new containers in case of something like this, would have been for nothing. Shao Kahn had refused to even send an envoy to meet with him, and if Vega fell here, then the Emperor would laugh at his pathetic failure.

Everything would have been pointless.

Pointless!

As Kain's brilliant flames fall away, revealing Kamon barely able to hold himself up as he slumps on the sands, the intensity of desperation and rage begin to pulse out from him. Every last bit of strength is pulled forth through a body that may not even be able to withstand the strain. The warlord's teeth clench, his lips twisted back as fury overwhelms him.

"Then if you have no fear for your end, I will do you the honor of granting you a glorious one!"

The crimson soul shard at Vega's belt pulses and the purple flames erupt in all directions around Kamon as he rises into the air, floating up with sheer force of will.

"Know this before your end, worm, you stand before Lord Vega! There are none that rival my strength, for all are but insects before a god in the face of my Psycho Power! This same strength shall claim this tournament, and all the world will owe fealty to my victory!"

In a flash he surges forward, the flames now wide enough that they claim what feels like the entirety of the beach, sending his flying down the entire length as it's bathed in the destruction of Psycho Power. The collection of monks are utterly vaporized as they attempt to flee the force digging a deep trench through the sand.

COMBATSYS: Vega channels the glare of the vicious eye.

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Kain [E]         0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2         [E] Vega

COMBATSYS: Vega channels the strength of the killing fist.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Kain [E]         0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2         [E] Vega

COMBATSYS: Vega knocks away Kain with #Final Psycho Crusher EX+#.

[                                < >  /////                         ]
Kain [E]         1/----===/=======|-------\-------\0         [E] Vega

[KAIN]
To say that Kain expected a brutal, imminent reprisal, everything that Vega has suddenly channeled into decimating him, into ending this fight, is certainly a fair assessment. Even with that anticipation, however, the absolute chaos and rage which is unleashed upon him -does- manage to surprise Kain. To catch him not off guard, but utterly overwhelmed in this moment.

Kain seeks to mount a defense against that irresistable power, even as the attendants to the battle fail to do so in any semblance of the word-- but for his trouble he's simply at ground zero for the eruption, blasted backwards with sudden, alarming intensity as his flailing form tumbled heels over head, digging a deep trench violently in the beach as bones crack and blood seeps from several dozen scrapes and gashes of various seriousness from head to foot.

Unable to recover his footing, Kain instead settles for finding a battered knee, clenching a hand at his side. Once more there's a brilliant, expanding pinprick of light, this time admitting a fiercely volatile miniature sun hued in gold, its furious core all the hungrier than the last, its forceful pull towards its violent, all-consuming core possessed of a formidable radius indeed.

Bits and remains are devoured alongside disintegrated bits of sand and monk, sand all but utterly erased in a jagged, serpentine path between Kain and Vega, as the former falls forward on one hand, panting for breath that does not wish to come. If he's shocked by the revelation, if it changes anything at all for the 'worm' in question-- Heinlein does not show it now. Only that small, sly half of a smirk, defiant even at this moment. Some owe no man true fealty; some never shall. A formidable will instead steels himself in quiet rebellion, even as he seeks to utterly batter the Dictator; to break Vega in turn.

COMBATSYS: Kain can no longer fight.

[                         \\\\\  <
Vega [E]         0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Vega dodges Kain's Himmlische Seele+.

[                         \\\\\  <
Vega [E]         0/-------/-------|

[VEGA]
As Kain summons up his remaining power to offer one last defiant retaliation, Vega floats back down toward the Earth, his arms crossed over his chest as his lips twist into an awful sneer. It's a position that should leave him relatively open, even with all of his Psycho Power. Utterly unmoving as the flames are vengeance barrel down upon him, consuming him.

And then they pass, leaving not even a speck remaining. Where once Vega floated haughtily, now there stands empty air, devoid of life.

It would be a moment to celebrate if not for the awful sensation of pressure reappearing just behind the fallen man as reality itself twists apart into a void from which the warlord returns to this mortal plane, arms still crossed over his chest as though it had been effortless. There would be no chance of Vega admitted he had expended himself now that he had arrived in this moment of victory.

Slowly he lowers himself back to the ground, the entire beach soundless except for the lapping of waves, finding their way into this new trench through the beach and seeking to claim it as part of the sea, slowly rising up toward where the two men now face each other.

"I give you one opportunity to offer your final words. Don't waste them pleading like a mewling kitten abandoned by its mother."

[KAIN]
It was a fair gamble, a last ditch chance to retrieve victory from the jaws of defeat, to topple this tyrant in his tracks; but in that instant, Vega is faster, a moment ahead of the dreadfully potent energies orchestrated against him. There's little solace in that near-miss, however, little salvation in coming so very close to toppling the maniac set against him-- but Kain's serenity is broken little, nonetheless. There's a soft, mirthless chuckle, torn hoarsely from, abridged early by the pain in his throat-- his everywhere, really.

"Do as you wish, 'Lord' Vega." Heinlein has little patience for the attitude before him, and at this juncture... even less concern showing just that. "Conjure a touch more power to yourself, tell yourself it is in opposition to what Outworld expects of you... and not directly into their hands." The smirk spreads, darkly. It might be difficult to see, however, given the difficulty Kain is having raising his eyes from the sand; but his dark amusement seems quite genuine.

"Cull one of the only Earthly kombatants as deadly as you are, ease the invaders' minds. Demonstrate to all the mindless malice that guides your hand-- Champion of Earthrealm." Another terse, choked chuckle finds its birth, momentary though it may be. "Whatever ghosts of essence pass from me to you, we both know they equal only a whisper, the vaguest murmur of my power-- and even that may soon leave your grasp." Whatever Vega may believe about his own capacity... Heinlein has no illusions about being the only being on this island with the ability to destroy even this most devilish dictator.

Whether he has the strength to rise or not, Kain has not the fight to resist, not in this instant-- and so he remains where he's fallen, with few illusions that he's making an appeal to Vega's foresight... as opposed to simply acting as the seer of its absence.

[VEGA]
As Kain offers his final insight into the threat of this tournament, Vega stands unmoving, his blank white eyes offering no insight into his thought process as the elegant blond is offered no immediate response. Once more the sound of waves creeping slowly up through the ditch with each new surge of tide is the only sound to be offered.

"You have an excellent point, the more of us standing here in the name of protecting the Earth, the far more stable our position is. An alliance would be the most reasonable decision," Vega offers with a tone of surprising calm considering everything the man has unleashed thus far during the battle.

"However, there are fights to be had beyond just this tournament, and you ask far too many questions that are better left alone," Vega's tone burns with an icy menace as he reaches down to grab Kain by the collar and haul him up off the ground with a single arm. "I am not some fool that has failed to understand the stakes of this tournament, nor the virtue of maintaining numbers, don't insult me by suggesting you offer some new insight I have failed to glean."

Soon Kain is held overhead, his legs left to dangle in the air as the warlord's free hand draws back, fingers splayed out and extended up toward the heavens as flames of pure Psycho Power begin to form across his palm.

"Rose is a matter best left alone, allowed to fade away into insignificance if she were not so foolishly devoted to interfering. She is not a problem that can be dealt with by eliminating it."

"You are."

Those cold words are punctuated with Vega's hand suddenly shoving itself against Kain's chest, his fingers striking with enough force to break bone, burying themselves up to the first knuckle. And yet that intensity of that pain is given only a moment to linger before it is utterly overwhelmed by something far more potent as Vega's Psycho Power begins to tear directly at the blond man's soul. A pain that goes to the very essence of his being as it finds itself consumed with a perfection corruption.

There is no flicker of light and no hint of mercy as the rest of the world is ripped away bit by bit over what must feel like an eternity. Darkness overcomes each sense one at a time as any salvation in distraction is draped in the overwhelming sensation of annihilation.

This is the world where Vega rules.

This is the darkness that calls itself the Earthrealm's Champion.

And for the rest of the world, there is only the sound of the slow rising tide, lapping at feet now clad in heavy black boots plated with metal. Held in the hands of a man now clad in a brilliant crimson military uniform with massive metal pauldrons. Every wound on the warlord's body has vanished as the lingering, red glow of the soul shard clasped on his belt begins to fade away.

His powerful hands pull away from the now empty husk of what had once been a man, letting to fall to the ground with a faint splash as Vega gently floats up from the trench, his Psycho Power effortlessly lifting him to what remains of the beach at the base of the stairs.

If the Earth is to have a champion, let them know his real name.

Let them pray to their new God, Vega.

COMBATSYS: Vega has ended the fight here.

Log created on 20:32:59 10/11/2016 by Kain, and last modified on 02:06:27 10/12/2016.