Match of the Millennium

Description: Akuma invades Demitri's castle for info on Gears--but it appears the cost of that information will be blood.

[DEMITRI]
Rising into the night off the side of a craggy mountain ridge is Castle Zeltzereich, Demitri's castle tossed back into his ancestral home after his banishment from Makai by Belial himself. Normally, the castle was invisible while Demitri had slept for nearly a hundred years, recuperating. To tell the truth, it's been a little rough for him to adjust to this modern age. Especially with the lack of any many of the servants and other services he was used to back in the demon world. Rather, this was 'readjusting' to a world he'd long ago left behind, but was now forced back into. Even after... how long had it been? Half a year? Almost a full one?--it had felt like a month to him--he was still trying to get back into things. Morrigan obviously had a headstart on him, since she was always going on escapades into the human world as it was--and had proceeded to constantly taunt him over phone text messages since they'd exchanged contact information. Probably not the best idea, that.

Tonight Demitri sat in the cold, empty throne room of his castle, just sort of brooding. There were other areas of the castle he could be, of course--places he'd started renovating and cleaning out, but the high, narrow and ornate windows of the throne area provided a wonderful tableau of the moon and mountains outside. He debated with himself about going out, but alike a lazy homebody, this sort of decision making did not come easy.

[AKUMA]
The first indication that Demitri might receive that all is not well in his domain may be the slightest senseof unease. Not necessarily the vampire lord's unease, but just a faint 'off'ness in the world, like the taste of the air before a storm. The unease gradually grows to something more clear, a foreboding, as the precursor to something worse rolls through the mountains. The pressure wave before the ripples of an explosion.

But this is more like the traces that come after the explosion. It is quiet, contained, the awfulness already occurred, but that it ever did serving as a promise of more to come. The echoes of something terrible seem to linger in its imprint upon the world, like a haunting. Like shadows burned into the walls by the detonation, but the shadows are in motion. Appearing. Disappearing. Covering great distances each time.

The ripples of a great power, racing closer, likely undetected by those without power and special awareness of their own.

Appear. Vanish. Appear. Vanish.

Something touches the Earth, and then is gone, emerging hundreds of meters away. Does the lord of the castle feel this? Does he notice the challenger? Does he go to face them? Or, lost in ambivalence, brooding, and the weight of centuries, will he miss the warning signs until the figure comes somersaulting through one of the castle windows, a shadow trailing shadows of itself, to land nearby, if not in the throne room itself?

The result is the same. One way or another: Akuma has come.

[DEMITRI]
The sense of anxiety or unease was not unusual, somehow to him--having lived long enough to essentially experience multiple lifetimes--he'd encountered this feeling before. First was early in life, when he was still a man--second was during Jedah's uprising, third was during the human's second world war... and then he experienced something similar before whenever Morrigan showed up. But this felt... worse? Or a different kind of awful.

"You can come out, now, I think--you must forgive me that my servants are not in attendance," Demitri rises from the throne and casts a gesture toward one of the far walls, where a few crumpled skeletons lay. They didn't just look dead, or bleached, but dessicated.

"Otherwise I would offer you a cup of tea, what brings you to Castle Zeltzereich, my home?" Demitri sweeps his cape aside, he seemed to vaguely recall this energy pattern. It definitely wasn't Morrigan... but who?

[AKUMA]
Pinpoints of molten red, emerge from where the shadowed figure crouches on the floor. As though stepping out of himself, the tan-skinned, red-haired man leaves his own shadow behind, choosing to walk rather than continue blurring around now that he has arrived at his destination. "I seek answers. The world is filling with twisted powers. Beings known as 'Gears'. They have a presence like yours, but only an imitation. The fumbling of fools seeking to create the power they do not possess."

Akuma comes close enough that he is fully in view, and then stops, folding his arms across his chest. "I have been meaning to find you for quite a while. With the beasts themselves not providing answers, this seemed the time to find one who they were patterned after. Will you tell me willingly what you know, or will you tell me after our long-awaited battle?" There is no doubt that this not-quite-human being hopes for the latter outcome. Violence practically oozes from him. He breathes in hostility and breathes out murder.

[DEMITRI]
"Of course it is, the demon realm has invaded the human world many times before," Demitri gestures to a stained glass window filling one of the throne room's windows. It depicted a gout of fire, with red blue winged figures descending on a silver armored knight wielding a lance and an equally angular bushy brown beard, all done in triangular segments of colored glass. Above the knight loomed some demonic figure with two faces, somehow--his head, then an outline of one over his stomach. Weird.

"I long tired of the low-born humans long ago, with their barbaric behavior and petty feuds with eachother, which was why I transported this place there, finding creatures trapped on either side is not necessarily abnormal," Demitri tilted his head, peering at Akuma. The large prayer beads seemed to give who he was away.

"Ah, it's you again, I suppose your here to challenge me again, as well. Since you arrived at my castle unannounced then I suppose it's my right to offer my own," Demitri's body begins to glow with the reddish yellow chi energy he was known for, throwing his cape over one shoulder.

"The night is still young, maybe you can still find your answers if you can beat me," he grinned, mouth seeming like a grimace of needle-like teeth.

COMBATSYS: Demitri has started a fight here on the right meter side.

                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                  |=------\-------\0          Demitri

COMBATSYS: Akuma has joined the fight here on the left meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Akuma            0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0          Demitri

[AKUMA]
Akuma settles himself into his fighting stance, grinning and exposing his own sharp teeth. "Even if you know nothing, at least fighting the genuine article may give insight into those imperfect copies." He waits for several seconds, tension rising as these two powers clash with each other intangibly long before they actually meet fists. Auras of power swelling and battering each other, one trying to overcome the other. Then, in a flash, Akuma surges fowards thrusting a quick kick at Demitri's face, trying to slam shin to nose to blind his opponent.

A simple tactic. Too simple for an enemy like this. But Akuma wishes to enjoy himself. He has spent days battling nothing but half-beasts, things only wishing they were true monsters. After leaving behind Dizzy, the one with power but unwilling to use it, he has not found anything to satisfy his fists. Now, perhaps, meeting this vampire again, an appetite may be sated at last.

COMBATSYS: Demitri blocks Akuma's Light Kick.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Akuma            0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0          Demitri

[DEMITRI]
"If you want 'Gears' I think I know who you want, but that information... can be expensive," Demitri's maw, a nest of fangs flashed again--grinning nearly ear to ear as he taunted the Shun Goku Satsu master, baiting him into the fight even more.

Demitri is already taking heavy strides toward Akuma, since he's forced to come to him. He doesn't want to open with something ranged, it appears. He wants to see if he can make the martial artist make the first move. And it seems that he does!

Demitri is wordless as he brings a forearm up to brace against the kick that Akuma produces--skin and bone holds fast against the strike, though it likely would have shattered the radius and ulna of a more normal person. It definitely hurt.

"Lovely, now lets begin," Demitri seemed to flicker as he charged into Akuma--whirling his cape around him and turning in mid-air--like a drill--forcing more of punishment into the tackle, like a boxer twisting their wrist as they punched.

COMBATSYS: Akuma blocks Demitri's Demon Cradle.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Akuma            0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0          Demitri

[AKUMA]
Demitri's drill attack meets a barrier not unlike the one he produced against Akuma's own blow. No more than a raised arm, the supernatural energy-laden tackle pushing and pushing into that limb, producing sparks, and even smoke from the friction. But when it is ends, Akuma stands with only smoke wisping from his skin at the impact point. It no doubt hurt. And that no doubt pleases him.

In answer to the vampire's proposition, the demon says simply, "Yes. Let's." Then he attempts to seize Demitri by his shoulder. If successful, Akuma swings his opponent around behind himself, and then lashes out with a forceful back kick at about head height. Still no sign of his Chi being put into play, but he has stepped up from basic kicks at least, escalating as his battle partner does.

COMBATSYS: Demitri blocks Akuma's Shuretsuzan.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Akuma            0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0          Demitri

[DEMITRI]
Demitri snarls as he collides with Akuma, their chi forces crashing against eachother as the two powerful opponents meet head-on. The force of his attack no doubt impacted and seared Akuma as that last one did Demitri. The next kick meets with Demitri's clasped fists as he attempts to stop the kick in mid-strike--which he seems to accomplish--partly, anyway. The massive blue-suited vampire is still thrown off balance by just nearly succeeding in softening the blow.

"Can you fly, I wonder?" Demitri grins as he lurches forward and tries to clasp his hands around Akuma's sides, kicking off the ground with his knees bowed and attempting to pull the martial artist up into the air with him--and bring him down in a vicious aerial suplex. The force of Demitri's chi could already be felt--but was Akuma still holding back?!

COMBATSYS: Akuma endures Demitri's Hell Ride.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Akuma            0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0          Demitri

[AKUMA]
This time, Demitri's attack seems to unequivocably succeed. He slams Akuma into the floor, the martial artist barely reacting to being seized and then suplexed until it's over. As the dust settles, the ringing in his ears from the impact telling Akuma the damage he has endured for the sake of gaining a greater measure of his foe, Akuma plants his palms on the ground, brings his legs up into the air, parallel with his head, through abdominal muscles alone, and then pushes off in that hand stand position, to land in a wide-legged stance, a half-crouch. Arms out, muscles like steel cable tensing beneath his flesh, the wielder of the Satsui no Hado takes a moment before raising his head, and answers Demitri with a question of his own.

"Can you transcend space itself?" he retorts. The fact that he can, apparently, fly when using his full power aside, that it not a tool presently open to him. This is. He stands, raising one leg up, knee half-way to his chest, arms held in a guarding position just above, and then teleports, potentially phasing right through the vampire lord. His hands come from nowhere, attempting to grab hold of Demitri once more, and then subject him to a knee driven upwards into the life-drinker's belly forcefully enough to fold a normal human in half.

COMBATSYS: Demitri dodges Akuma's Ashura Rengoku.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Akuma            0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0          Demitri

[DEMITRI]
"There are many things a vampire can do," Demitri bounces back after landing from the air suplex--leaving Akuma to crash against the floor. He didn't put all of his own weight into the manuever, because he instead used it to put space between him and Akuma and be less flat-footed when the martial artist inevitably tried to counter attack--which he proceeded to.

"Defying gravity and physics is just one of them!" Demitri was already back on his feet and ready when Akuma teleports--his arms actually becoming a swarm of bats with a grin as Akuma tries to grab him. The sensation Akuma experienced was not quite like trying to grab vapor--but there was a sensation of sliding or a movement between his fingers--maybe the bats for an instant were real!

"Here's another--" Demitri hauls his right side back as he prepares to throw a haymaker directly towards Akuma's head. The caped man's fists are huge and heavy--seeking to crush.

COMBATSYS: Demitri successfully hits Akuma with Medium Punch.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Akuma            0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0          Demitri

[AKUMA]
Akuma is smashed backwards by the blow, his bare feet skidding along the floor and leaving tracks of burned stone and flesh. The jarring impact resonates through the warrior's skeleton, and that reverberation drives him to grin. "Good. It wouldn't be worth fighting you now if you didn't have the power to test to me!" It has been so long since he has had an actual challenge. Too long. His cold, black heart thrills at the opportunity to truly exert his power. He goes into an iron horse stance, red Chi rising up from him, as he gathers his power.
It seems he has decided his foe is worth taking seriously, even though Demitri has been exercising his power for quite some time. In the straits Akuma is in now, is it too late for him to have a chance of victory? With the volume of Chi he is gathering, and the energy that Demitri wields, such speculation about the outcome of a battle between titans would be pointless.

*DELETE ABOVE THIS*

Akuma is smashed backwards by the blow, his bare feet skidding along the floor and leaving tracks of burned stone and flesh. The jarring impact resonates through the warrior's skeleton, and that reverberation drives him to grin. "Good. It wouldn't be worth fighting you now if you didn't have the power to test to me!" It has been so long since he has had an actual challenge. Too long. His cold, black heart thrills at the opportunity to truly exert his power. He goes into an iron horse stance, red Chi rising up from him, as he gathers his power.

It seems he has decided his foe is worth taking seriously, even though Demitri has been exercising his power for quite some time. In the straits Akuma is in now, is it too late for him to have a chance of victory? With the volume of Chi he is gathering, and the energy that Demitri wields, such speculation about the outcome of a battle between titans would be pointless.

COMBATSYS: Akuma charges his next attack!

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Akuma            0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0          Demitri

[DEMITRI]
"Are you still okay? Sure you don't need a rest?" Demitri doesn't seem like he wants to kill Akuma, not at all--rather he's kind of taking advantage of his good luck so far and using it to screw with him a bit. He likely is aware there is no way in hell Akuma is going to stay down after that.

"Oh, I see, that's how you want to play it," Demitri keeps himself readied, but then realizes Akuma is readying a massive amount of chi, likely for some kind of explosive rupture of energy.

"Lets see if you can survive long enough to use it!" Demitri then lunges at the man, arms outstretched and mouth a gaping nest of needle-like teeth as he tries to grab Akuma's shoulder /with his teeth/ like a dog and throw him over his shoulder!

COMBATSYS: Akuma blocks Demitri's Light Pleasure.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Akuma            1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0          Demitri

[AKUMA]
Akuma holds one arm up to take the bite, his skin like iron taking the damage, even as the appendage is used to swing him around, the weight of his muscles nothing next to the strength in the vampire's jaws. Blood is drawn, red to the point of being black, aura pouring off of it as it flicks and splashes and runs in rivulets down the warrior's forearm. Then, Akuma draws his other hand back, focusing his Chi in his palm and igniting it. "That won't be necessary." he replies simply as he thrusts his free hand forward, attempting to unleash a huge blast of fiery Chi directly into Demitri while he's at close range. The heat scours the floor around them, sending ashes and cinders skittering away like dark snow flakes on the scalding wind.

If it hits, it is likely going to hurt.

[DEMITRI]
Demitri winces as his jaws snap shut on weathered cloth and tears skin--deflecting off of bone. He rears back, bits of Akuma's gi and skin between his teeth, brushing the back of his hand back across his face. Then he becomes aware that Akuma was waiting for him to close distance before releasing all that energy--his pre-emptive manuever apparently will cost him.

"Ahhh!" Demitri howls as his cape is thrown back and the vampire's chi energy flares outward--mustering all he can for a quick and rapid volley of fireballs thrown almost point blank into Akuma's front.

It's a desperate and destructive attack--one likely to have severe consequences for them both!

COMBATSYS: Demitri overcomes Empowered Shakunetsu Hadouken from Akuma with Darkside Master EX.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Akuma            1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0          Demitri

[AKUMA]
An act of desperation. Self-destructive, but potentially the blow that will end this fight. Demitri is quick to think and react, and his power is the real thing... Not that Akuma doubts that at this point. This battle has been worth the trip already. But he thinks he can squeeze more out of it. As the fireball comes blasting inwards, consuming the one that Akuma created, and carrying that combined force back to him, the demon, now with both arms free, in one smooth motion places his hands to his side, gathers his power in a flash, and then thrusts his palms forward, expelling the blast of dark Chi. "Messatsu Gou Hadou!" Akuma roars out as the swollen mass of malicious energy rushes outwards at Demitri, trying to consume both Akuma's own power and that of the vampire.

COMBATSYS: Akuma overcomes Darkside Master EX from Demitri with Messatsu Gou Hadou EX.
Glancing Hit

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Akuma            0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0          Demitri

COMBATSYS: Demitri blocks Akuma's Messatsu Gou Hadou EX.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Akuma            0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0          Demitri

[DEMITRI]
For a moment, the entire middle of the throne room is engulfed in fire--fireballs and chi blasts going every which way--leaving softball-sized pock marks in pillars and parts of the floor. Thankfully, the stained glass windows were safe--though Demitri makes a mental note to try and draw opponents elsewhere in the castle before doing this in the future. Several tapestries and the carpet leading up to the throne are shredded and engulfed in flame--leaving a huge blackened charred spot on the stones beneath where they once were.

As Akuma retaliates with yet another blast of chi-based fire energy towards him, Demitri is able to bring up his cape and shield himself at the last moment--throwing it back revealing clouds of smoke where the energy singed him. The force of it had even forced him to skid back against the stone floor.

"Seems like you really want this information, maybe even one of us will wind up dead--" Demitri charges Akuma again, lightening fast and attempts to barrel into him with his cape and chi wreathed around him!

COMBATSYS: Akuma blocks Demitri's Chaos Cradle.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Akuma            0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0          Demitri

[AKUMA]
Akuma responds with, "Even if there are no answers to be had here, the battle is what calls me to continue! If you have the power to kill me, then come! But I expect it to be one who wields the same darkness I do who will achieve that. For now, I am content to match fists with one who is almost my equal." He raises both arms in an X-Block, Demitri's attack burning and agitating the wound on Akuma's arm, pushing him back once again. Seemingly heedless of the heated stones beneath his bare feet, the wielder of the Satsui no Hado simply moves on to the next part of the fight. He amasses more of his power, drawing upon that well of malice and killing intent.

"You have done much better than expected. Perhaps you still have something to show me before the end. Reveal it to me, and I shall show you some of the techniques I have held back as well!"

COMBATSYS: Akuma enters the iron horse stance, marshalling power...!!

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Akuma            1/-======/=======|=------\-------\0          Demitri

[DEMITRI]
"You should be more careful with your life--it is more precious than you think--" Demitri hopped back after colliding with Akuma, seeming to come into contact with concrete as his attack was partially turned away by the Shun Goku Satsu user. (Try saying that 5 times fast!)

The martial artist was now in a charging stance, and despite the vampire's inhuman reserves he was beginning to run out of manuevers he could try--without risking the same things twice and getting caught for it. However, he had seen Akuma ready into that stance once before, and he instinctively took advantage of it and moved--jumping into the air and coming down in a whirling dive-kick right for Akuma's upper body!

COMBATSYS: Akuma blocks Demitri's Entropic Chaos Cradle.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Akuma            1/=======/=======|==-----\-------\0          Demitri

[AKUMA]
Akuma leaps up to meet Demitri in mid-air, using a combination of elbow and knee to block the powerful dive kick, only for it to hurl him back to the ground. Akuma lands on his feet, bowed by the force of it and the reversed momentum, and for the third time this battle is sent skidding back... But not quite so much as the last time. When he raises his head, eyes burning like coals, he just... Vanishes.

And then, he is above Demitri, his fist swinging down to collide with the vampire, engulfed in Chi and flames, trying to drive his foe to the ground forefully, and create a crater of cinders and burning Chi that ripples outwards, like the pressure wave before an explosion, much like the more metaphorical one that had presaged Akuma's arrival.

Either way, it may be quite difficult for Akuma to recover from this degree of power expenditure if there are no results. Does the battle end here? Or right after?

[DEMITRI]
"Rrraarrgh!" Demitri knows there is a lot of chi energy coming his way, jumping into the air as Akuma follows him--the vampire's cape wrapping around him as he spun in mid-air--the every end of it narrowing into a dagger-like point around his boots. He spun as he came down--apparently attempting a sort of magic-aided dive kick as he brought himself down on Akuma's fiery grasp, attempting to spear him through the chest with it before he could bring the full brunt of his throwing grasp down on him!

COMBATSYS: Demitri interrupts Misogi from Akuma with Bat Dive EX.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Akuma            0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0          Demitri

[AKUMA]
Akuma has taken quite a lot of damage, but it does not appear that his energy level has depleted much. Based on the vigor with which he moves as he transitions from being kicked extremely hard in the chest and doing yet more damage to the castle with his body, to standing upright, scowling at something, it appears he intends to continue fighting. But he's taking a moment from the near-constant back and forth to center himself, to gather his composure and think about what to do next.

There is no doubt that Demitri has wounded his opponent, but right now it doesn't look like the martial artist is even considering giving up. Does he still think he can win this? Or is his drive for battle just so strong that ending it prematurely isn't even something that passes through his mind? By all indications, this is exactly the kind of fight he wants. The violence he craves. The test of skill between opponents.

If that's the case, he very well might not end this until one or both of them is physically ruined. But he is still intelligent, cognizant, taking his foe's measure instead of blindly charging in like a berserker. Neither Demitri nor Akuma are fools. It's just possible that, ironically, it's not the vampire that is the most bloodthirsty one here.

[DEMITRI]
The impact of Demitri's stiletto-like dive kick combined with the eruption of chi energy is immense--it leaves the entire throne room in smoke as the dust settled--candelabras and various other antique pieces of furniture overturned or askew. The tapesties--what few were left un moth-eaten--were smouldering. The rug was pretty much gone. Damnit, he liked that rug.

"I can see that you're a man that does not give up--I like that. If you want to know about Gears, you should go ask the Novus Orbis Librarium--or Jedah Dohma, he's allied himself with the creatures," Demitri pulled himself back up, cape still wrapped around himself, looking a fair bit worse for wear than when he tried to stop Akuma's Charged Misogi with his clutch dive-kick. It had been a risky manuever, but it /had/ stopped Akuma, temporarily, at least.

"As for us, I don't think there is much more we can do to eachother that we have not already done--you will excuse me, it is late and I have not yet dined," Demitri threw his cape up over himself--temporarily obscuring his face and most of his form--and paradoxically when it fell away the cape itself seemed to meld into nothing--replaced with a large gunmetal dark blue bat, which screeched and flapped out of the throne room via the entrance to it.

Akuma would apparently need to show himself to the door.

COMBATSYS: Demitri has left the fight here.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  <
Akuma            0/-------/--=====|

Log created on 15:15:52 10/01/2018 by Demitri, and last modified on 15:23:28 10/03/2018.