Match of the Millennium

Description: King of Fighters is in full swing as two teams clash. While Heavy Metal Burning is ready for a battle they are not ready for the surprise of one opponent this qualifying round.

[MAXIMA]
The location is not a glamorous one for a fight, but at the same time a once bustling comedy club that has gone into disrepair isn't exactly going to get that much worse off if things get destroyed. The fight itself will be taking place outside of the old building and there is a gathering of fans to see some familiar names among the fighting circuit as well as some new faces that are known as the Miracle Rookies. King of Fighters is in full swing and this is one of many matches going on as teams vie to make it to the top eight.

"Mmm? That time is it?" Maxima just looks to the official asking for his presence and the cyborg just gives a nod. The tournament itself isn't exactly his main concern, but who is he not enjoy a few scraps along the way as he and K' look into other matters. He knows little of the opponent he is to face off with today which should at least make things interesting. New blood showing up for the big tournament is a welcome sight. And well fighting against someone he knows little about just helps him in the long run since it will make his cybernetic body adapt and be prepared for similar instances in the future.

He steps forward once announced and he cricks his neck as he glances around. Not a bad crowd, but given the local perhaps not as much of one as there might be at the other fights. Calmly the cyborg waits for his opponent as he starts to bring his battle systems online in preparation.

COMBATSYS: Maxima brings his battle systems online.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Maxima           0/-------/-------|

[AURORA]
"Okay, just one more! It's time for the fight to start!"

A cheerful young female voice pierces the soft din of background conversation that always builds up any time a large gathering of people occurs. Off to the side of the main crowd, a smaller group of people have formed a loose circle. The flash of cameras and phones periodically ripples through the mass of people like a twinkling star as people take picture after picture.

At the center of the ring a young woman stands alongside one of the audience members, one arm wrapped around his waist while the other is extended in the famous 'V for Victory' sign. The lucky fellow grins and mimicks her cheerful pose, both of them freezing place long enough for the onlookers to snap a few pictures.

"Great! I hope you like it! And thanks for coming to watch. This is going to be fun!"

Dislodging herself from the crowd, Aurora smiles and gives a few waves as people wish her luck. The wall of people between herself and the 'arena' that's been created on the street parts to allow the competitor to take her place on the far side of the ring, giving the battle-harded cyborg his first look at the newcomer.

Aurora is slightly taller than most women though not by much, managing to almost stand on equal height with the majority of the crowd. A wild mop of neon pink hair juts out in all directions, apparently embracing the concept of bed-head as a fashion statement. For someone who supposedly engages in knock-out brawls, she's pretty cute too, her overall appearance looking more like that of a teenage fashion model that was convinced to cosplay some sort of anime character.

Pink and hearts seems to be a general theme in her ensemble. Soft pink eyeshadow highlights the tops of her lids and her cheek is adorned with the tattoo of a cute pink heart. Several more hearts are visible scattered across her body, including one on the white choker around her neck and a band on her left arm. The rest are present in the negative, several parts of her uniform sporting strategically placed heart-shaped gaps that show off her incredible physique.

Aurora comes to a stop a few feet into the ring, blinking at the heavily augmented man. After a moment, her eyes widen as she realizes that this must be her opponent. It isn't fear or worry that marks her face, however, but excitement. Grinning broadly, the girl dashes over towards the center of the ring and gives Maxima a wave.

"Oh wow! Are you my first opponent! You're pretty big!"

COMBATSYS: Aurora has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Maxima           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Aurora

[MAXIMA]
Well she is a energetic one to say the least. The childish and exuberant nature do give him a slight smile in response as he just gives a bit of a nod. "I am." he simply replies. The response pretty much works in confirming he is both her opponent and on the large side. Of course if Abigail gets involved later then he is going to come off rather average in size.

He is already working out a plan of attack in his mind. A basic outline of what he wants to do, but also trying to make calculations on how to adjust things once he starts to be able to collect more data on the young woman once they begin fighting. "Here is to a good fight, miss." He is cordial, but also not one that seems to be very talkative. He tends to save the talk for after the fight.

He waits for a few moments and once the offical says it is time to begin the big man is quick to act. He isn't the fastest man around, but the distance between himself and Aurora before jumping upwards and swinging both legs forwads to aim both his big boots at her in a form of a dropkick to start things off.

COMBATSYS: Aurora blocks Maxima's Dynamite Drop.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Maxima           0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0           Aurora

[AURORA]
"Great! I've never fought someone like you before, this should be fun!"

Despite the disparity in their size, Aurora doesn't seem concerned. As the referee steps forward to deliver the official sign to get things started the crowd lets out a burst of cheers spurring the fighters into motion. The young woman's eyes widen as the cyborg comes lumbering at her without preamble, hurling his entire massive bulk at her like a battering ram.

Rather than attempt to get out of the way of the flying kick, she brings her arms up in front of her in a warding gesture that looks vaguely like a boxer's defensive block. Maxima's feet slam into her guard like a wrecking ball. Considering the difference in mass, it wouldn't have been surprising for the slender teen to go flying backwards like she'd just been shot out of a cannon. Instead, she merely scoots backwards a couple of feet, staggering wildly on her heels while flailing wildly to regain her balance.

"Waaaaaah! Oh wow, you hit like a truck!"

Aurora flaps her hands in the air a couple of times, wincing at the bruises that are surely now forming. But she recovers almost instantly, her grin returning as she launches her own strike. Taking a couple of steps forward, the girl's body suddenly becomes a blur of motion as she darts forward, bringing a balled up fist into the cyborg's midsection with a simple straight punch. A shimmering glow of soft pink light engulfs her hand as she does so and a burst of twinkling sparkles fills the air at the end of the swing.

COMBATSYS: Aurora successfully hits Maxima with Lovely Flash.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Maxima           0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0           Aurora

[MAXIMA]
His landing isn't the most graceful of ones. If anything he was prone for a few a brief moment before getting his feet under him and quickly rising up from a crouch. "Perhaps a bit." He did put a good amount of momentum into the strike mostly to test how tough the girl is. She managed not to get bowled over and keep her balance.

She is also very quick to go on the attack afterwards. Maxima starts to pack up when that first fist slams into his midsection making him stagger back a few steps. Well now he knows somewhat how hard she can hit and while she doesn't exactly look tough or strong she knows how to throw a punch.

He takes a step back and then another, just a slight bit of distance put between the two again as he processes the data from the exchange so he can start to make adjustments. She is a new face, but he doesn't seem to be taking her lightly at all.

COMBATSYS: Maxima calculates his next move.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Maxima           0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0           Aurora

[AURORA]
Aurora blinks as her opponent decides to back off rather than attempt to squash her now that she's in easy reach of those metal-clad tree trunks he calls arms. Rather than immediately press her attack, she steps away as well, her expression quizzical as she tries to figure out what the best move from here would be.

"Huh. Not very talkative, are you?"

The teenager smiles at him, flashing her teeth as she drops out of her defensive posture. She jabs a thumb at her chest, resting the other hand nonchalantly on her hip.

"My name is Aurora, by the way! I was so excited I forgot to mention it. This is my first big tournament. I've done lots of smaller ones but there weren't nearly as many people or cameras around."

Aurora shifts back into what could generously be called a fighting stance though it's difficult to tell precisely what sort of martial art she seems to be utilizing. It looks more like she's just copying something she saw on a vaguely accurate television show. There's all manner of weaknesses in her posture, openings in her guard that even a moderately skilled fighter could easily exploit. A cynical person might think she is mocking him or intentionally trying to throw him off.

"Anyways, I'm a little tougher than I look, so don't feel like you need to hold back! Give me everything you've got! The fire in my soul burns the brightest when my opponent is going all out!"

Taking off a dash, the girl's fist begins to glow again as she draws it back, practically sending up flashing warning signs as to what she's about to try. There isn't any real subtlety in her approach - she just runs straight at the towering cyborg, once more putting on a powerful burst of speed that leaves a glowing neon trail behind her as she attempts to ram that sparkling knukcle-sandwich into his midsection yet again.

COMBATSYS: Aurora issues a challenge!!

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Maxima           0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0           Aurora

COMBATSYS: Maxima interrupts Heart Breaker EX from Aurora with M19 Model Blitz Cannon EX.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Maxima           1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2           Aurora

[MAXIMA]
"Not during a fight usually." he replies. "And my name is Maxima." The crowd aren't exactly thrilled by the bit of slow pacing as the two look to feel one another out and make a little cordial exchange. "Just consider this whole thing as a learning experience. Don't let things get you down." He has a feeling that she should have no problem with the last bit. She seems energetic enough right now at least.

And if there was any worries he was holding back Aurora soon finds out that isn't the case. She comes dashing in and he makes little attempt to get out of the way and she might only catch the noise of one of his arm mounted vapour canons releasing a hiss of steam. She finds her hand slamming into his midsection again, but perhaps without as much force as she was hoping. Mostly it was slowed by the fact his own big fist came swinging forward to slam into her own midsection with enough force to carry her upwards before the vapour canon releases a blast to send her flying back.

"Trust me. I do not intend to hold back. It would be insulting to do so." He eases back into a more defensive stance and waits. He gave her a good hit, but he knows that this is far from over right now.

[AURORA]
The momentary thrill of landing her attack is cut short as Aurora's nervous system sends out a broadband red alert upon being impacted by what she assumes was a rogue meteorite that somehow rebounded off the pavement infront of her and slammed into her gut. The upwards force of the blow is more than enough to set her up for the follow up and the young fighter rockets backwards on a parabolic arc that carries her clear across the arena to land in a sprawled tangle of limbs.

"That's... good to know...!"

It takes a few moments for the strangely energetic teen to regain her composure but she eventually manages to push back to her feet, staggering only slightly as she does so. Her hands gently prod at the front of her exposed abdomen, exploring for cracked ribs or maybe a ruptured spleen but other than some tenderness she seems to have weathered the attack fairly well. Huh.

Shaking off the lingering dizziness, Aurora closes her eyes and slaps her palms against the sides of her cheeks a couple of times then takes a deep breath. That's all it takes to get her head back in the game, apparently, as whens he turns to face Maxima once more her cheerful smile is back and she seems even more revved up than before, literally glowing with a faint pink aura of excitement.

"Alright, mister! You gave me one pretty good but now I'm going to return the favor! Ready or not... here... I... coooome!"

Aurora once again turns into a streak of color as she blasts forward on whatever source of energy seems to be fueling her hyperactive personality. Halfway through the charge, her gait shifts and she slows down for a moment as she starts to spin. Her arms are extend outwards like a child might do if they were pretending to be a helicopter only instead of getting dizzy and falling over Aurora's body starts to accelerate quickly becoming a neon pink impression of the Tazmanian Devil.

Whirling bands of shimmering light slash around her as she approaches and the very air seems to hum with raw energy. The blinding cyclone inhales everything that happens to get to close, sucking up bits of trash and loose chunks of asphalt which quickly dissolve into glittering motes of light. Whatever the heck she's doing, touching it is probably a bad idea!

COMBATSYS: Maxima auto-guards Aurora's Pink Passion Cyclone.

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Maxima           1/-------/=======|>>>>---\-------\0           Aurora

[MAXIMA]
There is a slight nod and a smile that comes from the cyborg. She still stands and she shows no fear. She might be new to the fighting world, but it looks like she has what it takes to make some sort of impact. Not only that showing what she can do during the King of Fighter's tournament will only draw more eyes on the energetic fighter who.....oh that doesn't look good.

The energy the woman is gathering around her as she comes in closer just seems to grow more powerful as she becomes a whirling dervish of energy that seems to be drawing things in including the rather heavy frame of Maxima.

If he were human he might not have been able to resist the pull, but his weight combined with him raising his arms forward and using his vapour canons to unleash a big enough blast to push him back away helps him from ever being caught up in the woman's attack. The style needs some polish, but the power alone will keep this woman hanging around in a fight from what he gathers.

He also looks to capitalize on the possible surprise she may have when coming out of that whirlwind. Perhaps disoriented enough as well when he raises his hands up high to clap together then come crashing down on her left shoulder with a big chop.

COMBATSYS: Aurora endures Maxima's Mongolian.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Maxima           1/------=/=======|>>>>>>>\-------\1           Aurora

[AURORA]
The heavy blasts of air serve not only to defend Maxima from the deadly tornado but also stagger the young woman out of her madcap assault. Aurora quickly winds down, spreading her legs into a wide stance to steady herself as she attempts to recover from being so effectively denied on the attack.

There is little chance for her to attempt to properly defend herself against the crushing blow as the cyborg skillfully capitalizes on her momentarily disorientation. His thick hands come crashing down on her like a sledgehammer, once again assaulting the willowy teen with a blow that should have floored her but instead seems to only leave her momentarily off-balance. Aurora falls to one knee as a sharp hiss of pain escapes between clenched teeth.

"I'm... not done yet!"

Her head tilts up to give her opponent a fierce grin, bright light flashing behind her wide eyes. At such close range, the opportunity to exploit Maxima's position is too good to ignore. With a sudden bellow of aggression, Aurora lunges forward, shooting straight up from the ground to drive the top of her head into the cyborg's chin with a burst of speed that exceeds anything she's yet displayed. Should she manage to create an opening with this surprise attack, the scrappy little thing will leap onto his chest and start wailing away, her fists raining down in a blinding assault of neon light.

COMBATSYS: Aurora successfully hits Maxima with Overdrive Heart EX.
- Power hit! -

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Maxima           1/--=====/=======|-------\-------\0           Aurora

[MAXIMA]
The strike has power behind it, but it also doesn't drive her to the ground like Maxima had anticipated. There is a moment where he is left wide open and she is more than capable of exploiting that moment where he isn't able to defend himself.
Those energy infused punches slam hard over and over into the cybernetic body. Lound sounds of fists meeting metal over and over as she ends up on top of Maxima to rain down those blows. The metal even starts to give and cave in before she finally dismounds and leaves him laying there for a moment. "A lot of power in you...." he muses and starts to get up.

That was a bit unexpected, but nothing he can't handle. He is moving a bit slower, but he is still mobile and able to move forward. He presses his attack as he looks to deliver a combo of a hard punch to the midsection before twisting around into a back elbow and then twisting back around with a big lariat to try and take Aurora off her feet and take her down.

COMBATSYS: Aurora endures Maxima's Bulldog Press.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Maxima           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\=------\1           Aurora

[AURORA]
When Aurora finally seems to run out of steam on her hyper beat down, she drops back a couple of steps, clearly eagerly waiting the next opportunity to strike. The innocent cheerfulness she had exuded earlier has been replaced by an almost manic intensity and her fiercely competitive grin takes on a slightly less wholesome undertone against the backdrop of her wildly flickering eyes. The cheers of the crowd as the fight turns into a proper spectacle merely egg her on as if the very energy that their onlookers give off is being absorbed by the teenager.

"Comon! We're not done yet! I'm just starting to get into it!"

Maxima's response comes in the form of several heavy blows. This time his opponent doesn't even attempt to defend herself, for some reason simply allowing him to hammer her over and over. Aurora takes each punch like a boxing champion, staggering from the raw force behind them but riding them out with a subtle twist of her torso or a shift of her legs so that much of the energy is dispersed rather than allowing it to crush her bones.

A loud gasp rises up from the spectators as Maxima spins to deliver his punishing lariat but, at the last moment, Aurora leans to the side like a reed allowing the heavy forearm to deflect upwards off her shoulder. It hurts like hell but it also leaves the cyborg dangerously overextended for just a few moments. She'd sacrificed what remains of her strength for this instant and she isn't going to waste it.

A brillaint flare of pink light explodes around Aurora's fist as she lets out a shrill wordless battlecry. With the last of her power, she twists in place, using the fulcrum of her motion to put as much power as possible behind a devastating uppercut. The energy gathered around her hand explodes upon impact, going off like a tiny warhead that completely engulfs both warriors in a blinding flash for a few instants.

COMBATSYS: Aurora can no longer fight.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Maxima           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|

COMBATSYS: Maxima fails to interrupt Burning Determination EX from Aurora with Bunker Buster EX.

[                       \\\\\\\  <
Maxima           0/-------/-<<<<<<|

[MAXIMA]
She doesn't go down. It is something that throws Maxima off because it isn't like she is doing well in blocking the punishment he is delivering. Each blow just as powerful as the last. He may have slowed some, but his strikes aren't any less stiff. Yet she still can keep herself up and she finds the energy to press forward and go on the attack again while Maxima is left a bit open and honestly surprised she can keep going

He starts to look at a way to stop it. His own body starting to glow almost as if fire was surrounding him, but then the uppercut comes in and the flames dissipate quickly. His head snacks back from the uppercut and the bright flash of blinding power bewilders the crowd for a few moments before they start to realize Maxima is in the air and coming down towards a few people who are quick to scurry away.

There is a lound thump and he lands hard leaving a crater in his wake as he lays there for a moment. "Interesting...." he murmurs. He is more badly damaged than anticipated, but he can keep going. He slowly rises and diverts power to allow his body to start fixing itself as he straightens up. That one was tough, but now he is taking on another unknown which isn't going to be much easier now that he has taken some hits.

COMBATSYS: Maxima awaits the next challenger.

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

[AURORA]
In the aftermath of her dazzling final strike, Aurora slumps to the ground, her youthful energy finally exhausted. Her shoulders heave as she breathes rapidly, clearly exhausted by that display of power. The referee comes over to check her out, tilting his head at her questioningly as if asking if she can continue. Wincing, the girl attempts to rise to her feet, determined to keep going but her body puts a quick check on that nonsense and she stumbles into a sprawl on her side.

"Hah... haha... guess I'm done! Good fight, big guy!"

A pair of medics come over to assist Aurora out of the ring, hooking her arms over their shoulders as they carry her off to be tended by the official tournament staff. The girl twists her head and gives Maxima a final grin and a wink, a tiny pink heart literally blinking into existence from the corner of her eye. The bizzare energy bubble pops a few seconds later into a burst of sparkling motes that earns a few laughs from the crowd.

"Good luck!"

COMBATSYS: Demitri has joined the fight here.

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

[DEMITRI]
@emit
'Danny Maxwell', a young upstart in his yellow-gold karate gi, stands up from a table in the ground. He jumps up rather effortlessly to stand in front of Maxima.

Looking over at Aurora, he smiles in the characteristic way she's probably become accustomed to. "You did great! I can't believe how well you did against such a huge guy!"

But as he turns to Maxima, a dark look suddenly washes over his face, his voice becoming significantly deeper, more foreboding. "But I unfortunately can't keep up this facade, when mankind continues to insult me with its machines, with its flailing at power."

His body begins to grow, karate gi first tearing entirely off as his muscle mass and height increases, and then a skin tight suit begins to form around his body, as two large bat wings flare out behind him, before merging into a single flowing cape.

He only stands a single inch short of Maxima's massive height.

Red eyes glow as he looks back at Aurora once more, his expression that of an unfeeling predator rather than a young shounen protagonist. "In truth, the fact that you didn't die was a shock to me. Perhaps there will be a use for you."

But for now..." His aura suddenly flares as bright blue-orange spectral flames briefly surround him. He immediately flies at Maxima, attempting to lift him into the air as his cape shifts back into wings. He intends to dive back down to slam the massive man onto his head if he succeeds, trying to start the match as aggressively as possible.

COMBATSYS: Demitri successfully hits Maxima with Bat Dive.

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Maxima           1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0          Demitri

[MAXIMA]
Maxima just gives a small nod in greeting to the other new face who comes before him. Before he can even say a word it seems that the new fighter has much to say and in doing so seems to be ready to reveal that he is more than meets the eye. The cyborg watches on as he keeps his ground even if he soon finds the man he is facing off against is almost equal to him in height.

"Not in the mood to die any time soon. I got some business to take care of first." His response calm and he is already starting to analyze and figure out what this man might really be capable of. Even calling him a man is a far stretch. Maxima has dealt with enough strange things to know this man is more than human. The fact when he goes on the attack his cape seems to shift into a set of wings just confirms it.

Flesh meets metal as Demitri plows into the big cyborg and manage to heft the quarter ton Maxima up and drive him onto perhaps the least protected part of his body, his head.

"Heh....not bad....." Aurora already did some damage to him, but he had at least some time to repair himself. He manages to get up albeit a bit of a shaky manner as he takes a step back. If Demitri wants aggression it looks like he is going to get it because Maxima doesn't seem to hesitate while dashing forward. One of his arm mounted vapour canons hissing while be drives that fist forward to slam hard into Demitri's chest and fire off a blast of energy of his own.

COMBATSYS: Demitri blocks Maxima's Maxima Press.

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

[DEMITRI]
"I was referring to my young partner here. I'm unsure if you're even a thing that //can// die. Though you, like all things, can be destroyed, which I believe is unfortunately against the rules." Demitri suddenly holds his massive arms up, his wings shifting back into a cape as Maxima slams into him.

THe energy sends Demitri flying hard into a wall, causing the old building to shake slightly and the concrete to crack from the force. "Your mechanical body is surprisingly powerful. But human power always falls to the overwhelming force that is inevitability. Time, entropy, the decay of the flesh that you so eagarly reject in the face of your mortality."

He stands upright again, then thrusts a hand out, firing a large flaming bat that will explode once it collides with something.

Then he looks to the ref, as if off-handedly remembering something. "By the way, tell your officials that I am and have always been the one known as Danny Maxwell. And if there are any problems with my sudden reveal, I suppose I'll communicate with them in lawyers, a communication that bloated humans understand."

COMBATSYS: Maxima interrupts Chaos Flare from Demitri with Bunker Buster.

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

[MAXIMA]
"Heh, quite the team mate." Is the response Maxima gives. "Can't say I am interested killing a kid just wanting a fight. Can't say that haven't gotten my hands dirty though." A sad truth that Maxima's little war with NESTS has lead to some unfortunant deaths, but it was all done to survive and keep up the good fight. But this guy? Maxima is already not liking Demetri at all.

But he doesn't let himself get intimidated and even in his weakened state he is at least going to knock some of the smarm out of his opponent. It seems he quickly notices a chance to do just that too when the vampire is nonchalant in unleashing that blast and turning his attention to the referee.

The cyborg surges forward again. His own Body erupting with flames around it as he crashes right through the burst with enough force it just seems to dissipate the energy and he hurls himself into a big tackle that takes both men through the wall Demitri impacted against earlier. Through the rubble Maxima gets to his feet and he takes a step back as he reaches up to dust off the debris that had gotten on him. "I would worry about talking to officials once you are done with me and my buddy. That is if you can even handle us."

[DEMITRI]
If there is one thing Demitri can be accused of, among many, many things, arrogance is certainly one of them. He barely has a chance to react when his body crashes into the wall. He even manages to produce blood from his mouth, Maxima's attack managing to find some shred of mortality within him.

He starts to pull himself out, fangs showing, face twisted with a deep, monstrous anger.

Rather than standing, he entirely vanishes, then reappears covered in a thick aura of energy, spinning with large bat wings wrapped around him, the tips of them serving as a drill.

"I'll make you suffer for believing that you could even //close// to think of yourself as an equal to me!" he declares as he goes flying at the man like a glowing rocket.

COMBATSYS: Maxima blocks Demitri's Chaos Spin.

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

[MAXIMA]
Arrogant and prideful. Two traits Maxima is used to dealing with and often something that can used against his opponent. Demitri is powerful and Maxima has felt what the man could do, but also he thinks he is seeing some cracks in the fighter's form. Demitri is getting angry and that can be very bad or very good for Maxima depending on how worked up he can get his opponent.

He keeps his ground once more and brings up his arms. The impact drives him back, but drill like attack never really breaks through his defenses, but instead tears bits away from the cyborg's clothing and exposes his robotic arms underneath. The friction even has some of the metal glowing for a moment before things start to cool off. Maxima just gives a bit of a coy grin as he remains standing.

"Don't got to be your equal, buddy. This is a team effort. Maybe you can get through me, but I am rather confident in my friend's abilities." K' or Abigail. Whoever it may be both are mighty in their own ways. Maybe one on one with Demitri they would have a tough fight going, but Maxima is there to at least give them a fair shot one he does go on. "Now stop gloating and prove to me you are as strong as you say you are."

COMBATSYS: Maxima calculates his next move.

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

[DEMITRI]
Demitri only looks more frustrated, annoyed, and overall //scandalized// at how effectively Maxima rejected his attack.

He lands again, wings seamlessly flowing into a cape as he prepares his next move. "Stop gloating? Prove myself? Does the wind prove itself to a //bird//?"

He suddenly just explodes then, yelling as his aura starts to become almost sickeningly thick, enough for even any mortal to sense the intent of a creature that thinks of itself as an apex predator.

Then he explodes into a massive horde of abnormally large bats, all of them flying at Maxima while trying to rip and tear at flesh and metal with no regard for anything other than violence and brutality.

They'll reform shortly after, a few feet behind Maxima, Demitri's blood red eyes still filled with rage and disgust.

COMBATSYS: Maxima barely endures Demitri's Demon Horde.

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

[MAXIMA]
There is a smirk. Maxima is possibly sealing his fate in the end, but that is fine. All he can do is keep pushing his battle systems until the breaking point. Sadly it is getting dangerously close to that point and Demitri might even sense it.

The vampire unleashes his assault as he splits into the group of bats and swarm and tear at Maxima. Skin and metal are scratched up and torn. His left arm is barely hanging on by the time things are done and there is a mixture of blood and fluids from his cybernetic parts mixed together. Somehow he stands, but his stance shakey and he looks ready to collapse any second.

He manages to quirk his lips into a bit of a smile. Well he got Demetri to show off what he can do. Not only once more was battle data was saved for future use. Also importantly K' and Abigail know what they are up against a bit more.

He staggers forward a step and he manages to move forward. The reformed Demitri finds the cyborg swinging his one good arm forward as the last energy gathered in his vapour canon is gathered. He looks to deliver a powerful upwards punch looking to drive his fist into the stomach of the vampire and unleash that blast full bore.

COMBATSYS: Maxima has suffered catastrophic damage and fallen offline.

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

COMBATSYS: Demitri dodges Maxima's M19 Model Blitz Cannon.

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

And with that final blast it is about all that was left in Maxima. Slumping forward the cyborg goes down. Almost all his systems shutting down as his body primarily focuses on repairing what it can for now. After a moment the official declares Maxima down and makes motion for the next member of his team to step forward.

[DEMITRI]
Demitri's eyes widen, because he knows what's coming is enough to do some absolutely devastating damage. Functioning on almost pure instinct, he bursts into a horde of bats again, some of them burning away from the attack, while the majority of them reform on the other side of Maxima again.

He takes a moment to collect himself, cracking his neck as some of his wounds begin to heal. He stares over at Aurora again, then to Maxima's fallen body. "I have no intention of praising you. Instead I'll make the promise of your future consumption, once we're no longer within the regulations of a tournament. Surely that'll do for a compliment, much like humans thank a roast duck before tearing at its flesh."

Then he just stands there, cape flowing in his own energy, waiting for his next opponent.

COMBATSYS: Demitri awaits the next challenger.

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

[K']
The youth called 'Dash' watches... and waits. He's near the side of the defunct comedy club's parking lot cordoned off around the arena and occupied by his own team, still, finishing a cigarette beside a heavily customized motorcycle as his cybernetic comrade falls. At the onset of battle, K' was more interested in the metaphor offered by the unassuming strip mall: a structure that saw no small number of fame and fortune honed beneath its roof. Now look at it. Such is glory, and such is edifice: it's something the Beast of Flame understands better than most. It's something K' almost //appreciates//.

Then, the psychic adversary Maxima faces puts up more of a fight than initial assumptions might have expected, but it ends the way the platinum-haired firebrand anticipates, nonetheless. It's the transformation and subsequent, relative ease with which Demitri trumps the cyberman that initially draws the prototype's focus: and the creature's arrogance and threats that boils altered blood to a feverish, seething disdain by the time K', clad in motorcycle leathers and a hoodie, which is up over his head, steps into the ring as Maxima is removed.

Even put through the paces Aurora demanded, such a show against Maxima is worthy of respect, worthy of waryness-- K' doesn't care. He flicks the butt of his cig off to the perimeter of the crowd (and someone takes it, because fandom is a crazy thing), and strides easily towards the confrontation. It's easy to mistake the bioweapon's unhurried grace for lethargy, but it's the deceptive patience of a stalking predator, a wild beast surging beneath the surface; even if K' lacks bat wings and demonic bats to prove it.

What he does have is an odd, intricately technical crimson glove that covers his right fist and forearm in sleekly futuristic armor. It's etched with conduits that now burn to brilliant life, whites and oranges adding to the lightshow as the Beast of Flame not so much conjures remarkable power from a stolen, Celestial font... as allows it through, the youth not unlike a stopper on the massive pressure of a vast, potentially limitless reservoir. "I didn't realize 'Marked for death by knockoff Batman' was a consequence of this stupid-ass tournament-- but you'll still have to get in line, we're not prioritizing ugly fucks." The rather rude renegade roars into motion, stepping the distance between himself and Demitri in a flash of heat and blurred motion, more a glide than a sprint.

It's all but impossible to place a refined technique to it-- K' fights on instinct, on reflex, by sheer //violence//... but he's a cagey beast. The bioweapon twists up just short, reaving that gauntletted hand in a rising arc and releasing a plume of superheated fury the rest of the distance between himself and the Darkstalker, ideally bisecting him with a ragged plume of ochre conflagration. It courses down Dash's arm, surges from his fingers, scorches the skin beneath it-- again, K' doesn't care. K' grits his teeth, tenses his muscles, and loses himself to the red. "Let's see if you've even got what it'd take to make good, Sparkles!!"

COMBATSYS: K' has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
K'               0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0          Demitri

COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Demitri with Eins Trigger.
- Power hit! -

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
K'               0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0          Demitri

[DEMITRI]
It's not expected, at all. Demitri simply stared at the boy, and his mysterious aura of power, like any other young protagonist who's stepped toward him. But the sudden burst of fire, consuming his body, causes him to roar out in inhuman pain as skin begins to melt from muscle.

He steps back, flames dying down as his skin starts to at least cover his muscle again. BUt there are clear burns, clear damage that he can't as quickly recover from. "Either a witch child, or another abomination of human science... whatever you are, I'll show you the limitation of human power!"

Leaping forward in an unnatural manner that almost suggest moderate flight, he brings down the back of his heel with blurring speed, covered in glowing blue chi as he tries to just outright smash it into K's head and backflip away. "I'll show you the flames of Hell, child."

COMBATSYS: K' interrupts Hell Ride from Demitri with Crow Bite EX.

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

[K']
"Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." K' posits almost non-chalantly as the ravenous flames continue their conflagratory release from his armored fingertips, blackening the edges of his leather jacket farther where the sleeve rests above the chi modulator. In truth, Demitri is far too close to the mark for the Beast of Flame's personal comfort, but he doesn't ponder it long. There's just a beat, for dramatic effect. "Especially for primitive, backwards dumbfucks."

Rather than evade, K' stands his ground defiantly. Rather than raise his guard, it's the prototype's shaded eyes that snap upwards to track Demitri's motion-- aggressive in even a glance. Flickering pinpricks of Kusanagi flame burn brightly, visible behind those dark lenses, and K' //hurtles// upwards as the vampire lord descends, throwing himself bodily into the elder creature's crash-landing. Of course, it's not that simple. He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man. The burning intensity, the obstinant fury, the Beast of Flame directs it into Demitri in the form of a singular, deceptively graceful uppercut. He //roars//, vocally, and in action. The youth erupts with meteoric plumes of celestial flame surging about him, whipping tendrils of holy fire accompanying the crash of his wild, armored fist into Demitri.

The vampire is sent skyward once more by sheer force of the collision, driven upwards even as K' ascends like an erupting volcano, licks of heavenly inferno surging outwards in all directions, shimmering about the airborne fighters like a brilliant firework. Pushing his own pain away, shoving the bruising impact with those blue-tinged feet to the back of his mind before really registering it, K' is likely to land far more gently than Demitri. "I've fucking been there. Yours isn't shit." It might ring as arrogance, ignorance, to most. ... but when one has suffered Igniz, the bizarre cruelty of NESTS, it likely rings as simple honesty to K' himself. "Let's find the limits of //your// power, Sparkles."

[DEMITRI]
"Is exactly the mantra that allows mortals to sleep at night." But before Demitri can go off on some sort of speech, he's caught in midair by roaring flames and a powerful uppercut. It once again sears off flesh and causes him an extreme amount of pain.

The flame of the mortals, the flame that perhaps some deity decided was punishment for being a creature of the night.

He hits the ground this time, arms spread out, but as his flesh begins to reform this time, he begins to laugh, loudly and rather sinisterly.

The massive man's body suddenly stands itself up like the inhuman vampire that he is, without moving a single muscle. His burns are much worse now, probably enough to double most humans over in horrible agony. "I'll show you magic." he declares as blood starts to float from his own mouth, then entirely burns away.

He raises his hands, summoning two large bats into existence. Then they both just start rapidly large blasts of energy in K's direction, an absolutely ridiculous sight that is nothing but a sheer display of power and the will to bend reality.

COMBATSYS: K' blocks Demitri's Darkside Master.

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

[K']
"I'd put my money on bleating ignorance and pills over a philosophical comfort vis-a-vis magic versus technology, personally." As a general rule. Hey, common ground: disdain for the masses. Once again, K' makes no apparent move to get -out- of the way, despite the intensity of the bat-barrage unleashed upon him. Ground zero (which is where the prototype is, for the curious) is all but utterly obscured in the mass of relentless energy. Within that coruscating tumult, K' is actually a blur of subtle, decisive motion.

Forearms, elbows, fists, knees-- in a flickering stutter-shot of afterimages and nigh-simultaneous impacts, the Beast of Flame weathers the flurry, smashing blasts apart in answewring, unceasing flame. The Kusanagi fire, godly weapon against the dark indeed, is magic of its own: conjured blasphemously into being, channeled overwhelmingly through the white-haired, deceptively strong youth facing down the formidable vampire. The bioweapon burns brightly, a torch at the center of the shattering collisions, his gaze //locked// on Demitri once again (or STILL?) as the energy onslaught runs its deadly course. Again, the sting of the exchange is shoved aside. He's not the sort of mortal who doubles over from agony, himself.

"You speak like someone who has never been knocked the fuck on out." K' observes, in that paradoxical mix of intensity and disaffection that has colored each of his intently enunciated Japanese syllables thus far. Save the roaring. Swirling fire blooms in the hues of an autumn sunset from Dash's fingertips, surrounding him, rushing about his body. "We have your remedy." Without rushing forward, K' leaps vertically a short span, and abruptly kicks that gathered fire in an oxygen-devouring gout across the distance seperating him from Demitri.

COMBATSYS: Demitri blocks K''s Second Shoot.

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

[DEMITRI]
As Demitri's bats vanish, he scowls slightly. "Whatever you are is more than simple technology. You're something like man stepped into a realm they weren't meant to walk." He reaches up to grip K's ankle as he's pushed back by the force, using his other arm to guard his face as a hand gradually burns away.

K' gets released when Demitri suddenly vanishes, then reappears in another spinning attack, using those large bat wings to wrap around his body. "Whatever you are, I'll find a way to capture and study you for myself." he declares while trying to impale his far younger opponent.

COMBATSYS: K' dodges Demitri's Chaos Spin.

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

[K']
"Aww, that's so... sweet. If a little stalker-y." Finally, suddenly, perhaps rather unexpectedly-- K' finally tries to get the hell out of Demitri's way. It's one more flutter of motion, of blurring black and nearly translocative alacrity. One moment, K' is between those enclosing wings, and the next the prototype is gliding in a reflexive reverse lunge, a flicker of movement reinstituting distance between himself and the vampire lord.

For a moment, the nigh-effortless release of destructive celestial power stems, equalizes-- K' himself may not realize it, but the conduit finds a moment of equilibrium, of relative control. Then the modulator burns brighter, its circuitry illuminated in brilliant, molten hues. Fire roars from the length of that gauntlet, blooms all the brighter in the points of the bioweapon's eyes. "You should really stick to Keanu."

The surge of flame fills the beat, bursting to a remarkable coalescence as the prototype becomes a miniature sun, one that, for the moment at least, flares in a wild, self-contained corona that does little to continue its slow consumption of the Beast of Flame. "... Baffled by British accents Keanu, not John Wick Keanu." K' helpfully clarifies, raising his voice a bit over the hissing rush of heavenly fire. The weapon is designed to destroy Orochi, to protect Earthrealm, to purge darkness-- its aura tugs subtly at Demitri. It's a sensation the vampire might know well, quietly whispered amidst the eruption of might that's beckoned, relinquished, rather than conjured... the profaned, sacred flame //hungers//.

COMBATSYS: K' builds up fiery energy in his gauntleted hand!

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

[DEMITRI]
Demitri covers his eyes, hissing at the light as certain things begin to dawn on him. He can feel himself weakened, sense the implications of what's happening right now. "In all your youthful banter and arrogant goading..." he says in a demonic, multi-tonal voice. "You never considered what would truly make someone like me prioritize murder over winning a tournament."

He immediately begins blurring around their stage, occasionally bursting into bats as he tries to disorient his opponent. That light has entirely changed the nature of his aggression, and he finally stops right next to him, roaring and moving to grab his non-glowing arm to lean in and very viciously sink his teeth into K's neck.

COMBATSYS: K' interrupts Light Pleasure EX from Demitri with Empowered Heaven Drive EX.

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

[K']
"You're failing to consider the obvious, Sparkles..." K' snaps back with nary a pause, a mirthless smirk quirking one corner of his mouth as his shaded gaze tracks that unnatural motion-- so similar to his own-- and the flutter of bats... which isn't so much like the prototype's. The demonslaying inferno surges around him, and suffuses the bioweapon's deceptively powerful frame, tempering muscle and instinct like the finest steel.

It's heat that is not doused, but directed, relinquished violently into Demitri the moment the darting vampire lunges in close. "//I don't give a fuck//!!" The explosion is not unlike the first spiralling uppercut that drove Demitri back the way he came, but this time K' hammers his adversary repeatedly, brutally skyward in a flurry of circling fists and meteoric flame, arcs of fire and force designed to punish the overly-familiar attempt to drain his lifeblood in... well, it is sort of a traditional style, isn't it?

The bioweapon's bellow of ferocity half-consumed by the ravenous inferno conflagrating about himself, K' hammers home his point with a whipping rotation into a flying kick, driving motorcycle boot into Demitri's midsection and launching the vampire lord right back across the lot's arena, angled for a painful reunion with the pavement.

K' descends a -tad- more gracefully. "You want to kill me, you go through him." The prototype jerks his head to indicate the repair-mode cyborg. "You want to dismantle him, you come through me." K' spits, the expectorate bloodied from the exertion, ample and agonizing despite his relative control over the bout thus far-- so it goes between combatants of such power. "And your flaccid, deadass prick can't handle that on your best day, cocksucker."

[DEMITRI]
Demitri lays on the ground, monstrously hissing and bleeding. He didn't expect something like sacred flames, someone to have access to such a thing through //science//. "I don't be defied by a CHILD!!!"

He slowly floats up to his feet again, then just starts to roar, no longer any ounce off humanity in it. His clothing shifts to fur, face mounstrous and animalistic as his massive wings stretch wide.

He starts to drag up power from the very pits of his soul, enough to vaguely tug against the souls of mortal witnesses as his animalistic form is covered entirely in burning hot, spectral flames. "I will put you in your place, boy!"

He flies forward, then just starts savagely trying to bite at and consume the blood from K's neck again, this time with far less grace, trying to ravage him with flaming punches and kicks at the same time.

COMBATSYS: K' endures Demitri's Midnight Pleasure.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
K'               0/-------/--=====|>>>----\-------\0          Demitri

[K']
Cries of shock and fear go up through the crowd at the sight of Demetri unleashed. The very hearts of many mortals present is struck with terror, worldviews shattered by the visceral demonstration even among those already well versed with the media coverage of the Darkstalker Menace. K' is not part of that crowd, however. The prototype spits blood once more, and squares his stance. Not for the first time this bout, but -definitely- the most painful instance, the infused conduit of celestial flame hurls himself //into// the vampire lord rather than making any effort to evade... or in this instance, even mitigate the onslaught.

No, K' eats every punch, every kick. Demetri drinks deeply of his lifeblood, which despite metaphorical BURNING, does not actually incinerate the vampyr where he stands; pity, that. For K', at least. He's pummeled back across the arena, drained of ample vitality and his own seemingly ceaseless reservoir of chi, and still, this boy //does// defy Demetri. //Does// maintain his wits. //Rips// his throat violently away from the predator in those last moments of onslaught, teeth gritted tautly, mouth lined with blood-- much of his own now spilt, as well.

The bioweapon's shades fly from his eyes with the sudden jerk, but a darting, motorcycle-gloved left intercepts them in the same second. //Snaps// them back over his eyes as his right rips through the scant space seperating him from Demitri, a gout of Kusanagi fire tearing through that span of reality in an instant. It's an instant that extends once more, as it's Dash's turn to flicker into uncanny, preternatural speed, a blurring lunge meant to carry him through that conjured torch, into and through the vampire in turn... ironclad elbow first.

COMBATSYS: Demitri blocks K''s Blackout.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
K'               0/-------/-----==|>>>>---\-------\0          Demitri

[DEMITRI]
Demitri's form shifts back, his clothes returning as he tries to muster up enough of his own flames to try and defend against K's. He holds up two flaming arms, trying to muster up enough power to keep himself from being consumed by the ridiculous dangers of K's own power.

He slams into the wall again, next to the hole already made from the previous fight, his arms scorched. "How can a human persist this long..." he says as his ego finally seems to relent, acknowledging the strangeness of the situation.

"No... it doesn't matter. This has to end." He doesn't try to move, he just wraps his arms around himself, and starts to spin, his body emiting ridiculously hot flames, and then an even larger ring of chi, attempting to overwhelm K' with another display of power, unleashing it in every direction as he tries to catch K' directly in ground zero.

COMBATSYS: K' dodges Demitri's Chaos Cradle.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
K'               0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0          Demitri

[K']
"I'm an infamously stubborn prick." K' observes all too sardonically from the borders of that first eruption of flame. As swiftly as he launches in, the prototype shifts away, another blur of black and red, the outlines left by the light of the conduits on his superheated modulator gauntlet, it's all that Demitri blasts away as the youth touches down on heavy booted feet, his footing stable and sure despite the reflexive instinct of the evasion.

In the next moment, K' all but instantly inverts, launching himself high above the second radial blast and coming down only once it passes, a notable distance from the vampire lord; an unwelcome distance for Demetri's intentions, no doubt. K', however, takes the sudden seperation in stride. "But you're finally talking some sense, Sparkles."

Dash's crimson eyes burn red-orange from behind his shades as he stares nails at the elder creature, slides one booted foot stabilizingly behind the other, and clenches his armored fist in front of him. Once more that heavenly fire -pours- forth, eager at the bioweapon's invitation-- infinite in its purging, consuming celestial might. "It's time for this to fucking end."

It's not inaccurate to say that K' is an abomination of science, wielding a stolen, sacred weapon... but the paradoxical accompaniment is just how //naturally// the white-haired pyrokinetic takes to the infusion. He's unique among his peers, fearsome weapons in their own rights... and it's hard to argue that some measure of that comes down to the Beast of Flame's sheer, utterly defiant will. How does a human persist so, indeed. Demitri is -not- the first to ask that of K'. Battered bloody, drained near to dropping, the prototype nonetheless looks ready to //step up// his game where others would lay down arms and beg for mercy.

COMBATSYS: K' builds up fiery energy in his gauntleted hand!

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
K'               0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0          Demitri

[DEMITRI]
Demitri is beyond the point of simply being angry, his expression now vaguely dark and neutral as he holds up a single hand. "Perhaps you aren't human at all. Perhaps what you are is more akin to a reflection of what I am, an alignment with the light. It is not beyond my understanding, nor beyond my experience, but science has gone far in playing with things beyond its understanding..."

Suddenly flames begin to ignite in his hand, condensing and powering up into a single, fine point of heat. Then he thrusts his hand forward, unleashing a large ball of flaming chi that, as it grows closer to K', suddenly turns into a flaming bat that tries to viciously attack the young man. "Fall." he commands.

COMBATSYS: K' breaks through Demon Flare from Demitri with Empowered Knee Assault EX!

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

[K']
"Maybe you're not as all-powerful and worth a fuck as you like to think." K' bites back, his forward footfall sounding with a subtle reverberation as his unassuming weight resettles forcefully, realigning himself in the path of that fireball. Surely, the boy has lost his damn mind. "There's humans way stronger than //me//." Just not many. But K' isn't really interested in attracting MORE of the vampire lord's attention, even for the magnificent cause of stroking his own ego, and tooting his own horn. The Beast of Flame has /some/ sense! Even when it looks like he's insane.

Case in point: K' /erupts/ through that descending bludgeon of flame, its searing power trailing around him, burning his flesh, singing his stark white hair. He blows through it like a missile, however-- K' shatters it /apart/ with the force of his own unrelenting chi.

The fire in Dash's grasp flares like a miniaturized simulacrum of a dying star's raging gasps. The power flows within him, steels muscle, centers the prototype's aura as he hammers through the inferno bordered by lingering wisps of flame, his own and those conjured by the vampyr. He roars through the air displacing no shortage of air in a breakneck, instantaneous rush, erupting into Demitri's skull led by his braced, forward knee as he careens into that locomotive-force collision full bore. Fearless; heedless; //defiant//.

[DEMITRI]
Demitri is taken off his feet, it's increasingly more difficult to stay upright, to keep taking these large attacks. He hits the ground, head dented, the kind of wound that would signal the death of most people.

But his skull inflates, cracking as the fatal wound brings him back, and he tries to summon up more energy from his seemingly bottomless well, his body igniting into flames once again while levitating from the ground.

When he turns up right, he wraps his arms around himself again, then begins to spin, flying in K's direction like a rocket. "I do not fall, I do not die, and the ability that science has given you to do me harm will not be ENOUGH!!!" he yells as he pushes himself to the very edges of his body's limits to sustain itself, perhaps very well considering whose life he could take to keep going, if a life would even be //enough//.

There has to be a way!

COMBATSYS: Demitri can no longer fight.

[                        \\\\\\  <
K'               1/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Demitri successfully hits K' with Entropic Demon Cradle.

[                            \\  <
K'               1/----===/=======|

[K']
Once again, the unpredictable pyrokinetic shifts his focus to getting the hell out of dodge-- but it's not quite so graceful a step, this time. Caught up in the spiralling rocket of Demitri's last-ditch onslaught, K' goes down in a series of blows and eruptions of energy, skidding -hard- across the pavement and into a tight, chaotic roll that does little to mitigate that impact.

Still, the prototype presses his right hand to the pavement, tries to rise. The concrete smoulders, liquifies beneath his touch, leaving an armored handprint in the lot. K' grits his teeth, emits a ragged cough, and eyes the spatter of blood that results, gasping for breath.

"It will always... be... //enough//!" The Beast of Flame intones intently, fiercely, the most emotive and defiantly certain K' has been all bout. ... then again, with the odds against him, against Maxima, not solely from Demitri, but threats that far outweigh the vampyr in the Beast of Flame's mind, is there really any other option but sheer stubborn determination? To surrender in any circumstance /is/ to court the death that Demitri threatens. K' will not go gentle. Nor will he serve another's will. //Never again//.

COMBATSYS: K' takes no action.


COMBATSYS: K' can no longer fight.


[DEMITRI]
Demitri stares down at his hand. He needs to feed, but if he feeds on these people, this audience, that will most likely result in a disqualification.

He takes a moment to stare at K', spiritual flames dying down as he no longer seems to defend the youth's constant onslaught. "Whatever you are, make sure that you're more than a tool for humanity, or you truly will die by my hand one day."

Whatever that means, whatever his loss of anger, in all the blood, pain and burns that cover his body means, that's the only thing he says.

He walks over to Aurora, picking her up into his massive arms, and then leaps across the crowd as his cape shifts into massive wings again, flying out into the sky.

There's much to think about after a fight like this, far more than arrogance and egos.

Log created on 18:07:53 06/08/2019 by Maxima, and last modified on 12:22:19 06/17/2019.