Description: Igniz, leader of NESTS, has sat upon a thrown of conquest once known as 'Gedo High' for some time now. But nothing lasts forever; Daigo Kazama, Hakuya Suigetsu and Kenji Ashima come to rip Igniz straight from the heart of his stronghold -- but with the strange assassin Nameless at his side, is their resolve strong enough to carry them through?
The school, Gedo High, had seen bad days. First gang violence, then classes and rowdy, rough vagrants that occupied each and every room in hopes to get an education. If not an education, enough of one to demonstrate to them to have some dignity and help the community as a whole. You didn't have to be smart, but you had to have common sense. And a lot of it.
This is no longer Gedo High.
The NESTS headquarters now took its place in Southtown, just a former shell of what it used to be. Walls have been knocked down and rooms converted to medbays with enough room for the injured. Those that made it out of battle alive would obviously be given treatment. Especially the more important fighters and agents of NESTS that were the center of its might.
The shop room was turned into a garage to service tanks, helicopters and even store ammunition and armor that NESTS men would use on a daily basis. Magazines litter the floor, left there in a rush. The same rush that NESTS now gives in an attempt to down oncoming forces after loosing footing into Southtown.
The central terminal, the office has been converted into a sanctuary for Igniz. The books in the library burned day after day to keep an eternal fire in his honor directly in the center of a large, marble bowl. The room looks fit for a god on a vacation, no matter how jury rigged it was.
Now, Igniz sits on his makeshift throne imbedded in the floor. Smack dead in the center of Gedo High, Igniz is not expecting any company. Especially with a the number are guards that are still here. Much less than usual, but enough to keep out the rats...
Isn't it?
Gedo has not been Gedo for some times. While the streets proper have been full of their share of warfare between the Gedo gang members and the soldiers of the invading forces, the highschool itself has become a bastion to NESTS and its allies. Things have changed.
But everything built eventually collapses -- especially those things that were taken from to begin with.
The invading forces were once strong -- strong enough to make Gedo High an impregnable fortress. Yet, now, things are different. The troops have waned slightly. It is a vague weakness -- but weakness is weakness no matter what angle it is looked at. And weakness is opportunity.
As Igniz sits on his throne, languid and regal, he might hear sounds from outside; sounds of protests, and then sounds of gunfire, and then sounds of /bones/ being cracked and muffled screams. This continues for some time, growing louder and louder--
--until the doors of Gedo High's main hall are /burst/ open via using one of the outside guards as a makeshift battering ram. The armored man falls to the ground with a clattering WHUD as ragged boots step within the halls of a place they have not entered in months. A single eye shifts from left to right, sweeping the boundaries. Grim lips twist into an unpleasant frown.
"I asked you nicely to leave," Daigo Kazama grates out, bandaged hands clenching into fists.
"Now we'll do this the painful way."
It wasn't as if Gedo High was ever an attractive school to begin with. Should the students not have been pleased? They had turned what reminants of weakness into a bastion of gritty raw reality. All their thuggish fighting, their gang dominance 'wars', well. What was wrong with a bigger, toughing 'gang' moving on in and making it their own? If one could consider NESTs as much. What had occured was only nature taking place, the weak falling to the strong. It was the natural order to things and so...all complaints should be swallowed and the bitterness of inadequacy be their solemn consolation. They were lucky they weren't outright exterminated.
The sanctuary was the center for the fallen school's new order, the passionate flames of orange and red licked hungrily at the useless knowledge that failed to save the denizens of Gedo. Infact if one looked closely, to keep it constantly fed, there had to be someone feeding the 'eternal' fire...and it just so happened that the young man with soot now smeared a bit across his left cheek had pulled the short stick in serving for the hour. Maybe it was irony.
Nameless didn't look particularly excited about shovelling books into a damn bowl but by god he made sure he was good at it!
Pausing as one devestatingly /interesting/ hardback of the One Hundred and One Instances Of Business Revoluion of the Early Nineteen Hundreds exploded in a mini-puff of jolly crimson, the brown and white haired ninja-assasin squinted through the dancing honorific to the barred doors. No mere mortals were allowed to enter unless by the grace of the God Igniz posed and preening upon his own wonder. Come to think of it.
...He had been working this futile job for over fifteen minutes extra. Where /had/ his relief gone?!
The rude and extreamly loud entrance of Daigo more or less solved it. And other riff-raff. Finally. Some /real/ work! He almost felt relieved. J' had heard rumours about being forced to use a comb and...
The clone wasn't particularly tall, but he carried himself with a kind of quiet confidence, a latent threat of promise. He moved to stand between Igniz wordlessly, his eyes locking onto the largest threat of the rabble. "That depends on orders." Igniz's to be specific. One thing was certain, it'd get painful. Very.
But for whom?
Hakuya had been amongst the first defenders of Gedo High. Though in reality, it wasn't so much 'defending' as 'making sure the students got out safely'. As one of the stronger fighters at Gedo, Hakuya had been directed by Daigo himself to do so, with Kenji in tow. After that, he'd been made to help protect Pacific High from invading forces, and had succeeded... somewhat. After that, it had become a bit hairy. No one had seen Hakuya for days, maybe even weeks. Where had he gone? Only the behoodied teen knows. But just as suddenly as he'd disappeared from the defensive action at Pacific, he'd reappeared in the wake of a failed Taiyo defense. A really chance encounter, he'd simply seen Daigo's forces marching on Gedo... and the second of the Guardian Kings had just fallen into line, looking as cheerful as ever, even if he was dirty, unshowered and bloody in a few places.
Now, alongside Daigo, a bunch of Gedo brawlers aching to dispense GEDO JUSTICE, and another of the Guardian Kings, Hakuya is hot on Daigo's heels - with a passing wince of sympathy to the poor guard that had been used as a battering ram - looking to join in the fight against the final boss of this hootenanny. Fanning out to one of Daigo's sides as other brawlers simply /surge/ into Gedo to begin offensive action for the first time in this little war of titans, the Suigetsu heir silently looks towards the two who would be their opponents. One, he recognizes as the God-Being that had tried to take Pacific... and the guy who'd punched him in the taint! The other, he didn't recognize...
But he likely would've agreed with Nameless' assesment. This was going to get painful in a moment. He simply waited for Daigo's lead.
They had been split up after the fight in the basement, defending fellow students from the two invaders-- and one of which was one Hakuya and Kenji were very familiar with. Hakuya went on to have various adventures worthy to tell only to a manga author, while Kenji spent a good length of time recuperating. Bloody, beaten, and injured, he still came back in time to stand next to Tenma Kiryuu; while his friend and team captain wielded his bokken, somehow, the student council secretary came wielding a desk from the halls of Gedo High.
Looking a little rough on the edges still, wearing bandages and t-shirt and his student uniform jacket as clean and immaculate as ever, Kenji Ashima has likewise fallen back into line with the members of Gedo that charged on the building, the people that were there to take back their school.
-Their- school.
Striding into the school alongside his friends, classmates, compatriots, and even a few that still find him odd for being the second most well-mannered kid in the building next to Hakuya, he holds a long, tapered piece of steel in his left hand. Brackets and bolts melt into a piece of slag, and it looks more or less like the leg from a desk taken from one of the classrooms-- perhaps the very same desk that he had with him in the fight against the Kraken at the school gates. When the students stand ready, Kenji unconciously moves up next to Hakuya, swinging a hand up to lightly smack the fellow Guardian King on the back. "Nice to see you made it," he says, grinning his usual.
But something is ... strange. Could it be? Somewhere in this building... Could there be--
Destruction of -school property-? The student council secretary narrows his eyes, his hand wringing tighter against the desk leg. "Someone's gonna get it..."
COMBATSYS: Igniz has started a fight here on the left meter side.
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Igniz 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Daigo has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Igniz 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Kenji has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Igniz 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Kenji
> //////////////////////////////]
|=------\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Hakuya has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Igniz 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Hakuya
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kenji
> //////////////////////////////]
|=------\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Nameless has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Nameless 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hakuya
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Igniz 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Kenji
> //////////////////////////////]
|=------\-------\0 Daigo
At first the rats chew at the ropes, then they bury underneath the fences and finally, simply finally they reach the basement. From there the entire house is at their desposal.
And just like that Daigo rips open through the main doors, vaulting himself towards the central venue that Igniz had designed during the assault. Now, this is no longer Gedo High. The languid figure had been taken by surprise, if momentarily, by the erruption of Daigo. But... it is only Daigo. He stood no chance against both Nameless and himself. The threat is localized to a single man. One that Igniz is entirely sure of being able to take care of.
"Daigo Kazama... I am not surprised to see you here today." The god of NEST exclaims as he floats off of his perfect throne, created from something akin to a sleek, comfortable alloy. Money is not an issue to the god of NESTS. His smile is alight even as he strides down the many steps from his throne, his figure shifting quickly as the cloak overtakes his features, once more giving him the jet black armor and the cape that follows along.
"Ah... you're brought friends. It is no matter. What you have come for is already gone." Igniz extrapolates, raising a hand to show the area, draped in NESTS attire. Columns are errected about, made sure to fill out the otherwise empty main hall. The entire building resembles nothing of its former use as a school. Everything has been gutted.
"This is my base of operations. You... are already too late Daigo..." Igniz grins wildly, his features dangerous as he streps even closer, lifting off into the air as if to demonstrate his power towards Daigo and the others as he begins to close the distance without fear. Even around the torch he ventures before stopping, his hands at his side.
"Nameless," Igniz begins, "take any you wish. This is not a question of who. Your orders are simply to remove them effectively." Igniz leaves it at that, his interest shifting back towards Daigo once more, his arms lifted out towards Daigo. To Daigo's dismay, the real assault does not come from above.
The many tendrils that seek from beneath, moving in turn in an attempt slither past the mans defenses and lifting him into the air by their terrible strength before whipping him down across the ground.
"I have entertained your existence far too long, Daigo. Today... this will change."
COMBATSYS: Daigo Toughs Out Igniz's Red Noah!
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Nameless 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hakuya
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Igniz 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Kenji
> ////////////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Daigo
"Quiet," Daigo speaks to Kenji and Hakuya bluntly as they arrive, his cycloptic gaze still staring forward unswervingly. "This isn't playtime anymore. Stay alert, stay focused." That eye narrows, fire licking at his fists.
"Besides... we're not alone."
Which is when Igniz calls, floating upward like some sort of god. Daigo stares on dispassionately as he does, any amount of awe or fear completely non-existent in that hardened gaze. Igniz can float.
That just means he'll have a slightly easier time getting around when both his legs are broken.
Watching silently as Igniz talks, gloats, makes speeches about being too late, Kazama's gaze shifts; to the throne, to the columns, to the gutted halls. He looks back towards Igniz, his expression as unmoved as ever.
"You think who Gedo belongs to is decided about how you decorate it?" he asks, bluntly. That eye narrows.
"Just means you're gonna feel real stupid when I use you and your friend here to tear everything down."
Glancing back towards Kenji and Hakuya, Daigo says nothing; a simple nod of his head should translate all he needs to say: take them down. His gaze shifts back--
--just to see those tendrils of would-be cloak snaking ouyward at him like a group of snakes. And Daigo?
Daigo barrels right into them.
Wordlessly, Daigo /tackles/ himself into those trails of fabric, letting them grip onto him and /LAUNCH/ him into the ceiling. Plaster explodes outward, debris raining down. Yet, Daigo looks completely unphased. In fact...
... He's burning.
"HRAGH!" Feet suddenly EXPLODE with fire as Daigo takes advantage of both his position and the helpful assistance of gravity to RIP free from those tendrils, divebombing downward...
... to /backhand/ Igniz across the face with phenomenal strength, aiming to launch him directly into one of those nearby columns.
Maybe it was the friendly slap between the pair of teenagers, or perhaps it was because Kenji had dared to speak out against them second, after Daigo. But the two earned his unwavering regard once Igniz had given his vague 'blessing'. It left a lot and little room for interpretation. Often the God of NESTs didn'd care about the 'how', once the task was done. Results...that's what it was all about. And he was a prime example of their criterior. Some would balk at the kind of experimentation they had wrought on many hapless a soul, but for them it was all par for the course.
And Nameless was just another one of their obedient little soldiers who inspite of everything, followed orders to the 'T', yes?
"I would offer you a chance to retreat." The darkly clad youth started up with a distant quality to his voice, "But I can tell you have made up your minds. Regret nothing." The last bit, was that for them aswell? It was all the warning they would get, the ninja was swift on his feet, his cloak a swirl of motion about him as he sprinted across the distance. Then suddenly twisted his body in a flurry of movement, the white of his gloved hand flashing through the air to blurr, lengthening as he lunged. His feet slid easily across the floor inspite of the traction, carefully timing the action as he drove himself literally into the pair...the tip of that wicked spear aiming to slam right on into Kenji without remorse.
The mood is tense. Daigo makes sure of that. Or, tries to, as he tells his two trailing aids in this battle to focus. But he somewhat destroys that sense of tension by being completely irreverent in the face of Igniz's speeches and bravado. In truth, Hakuya has met the God Being before, and all this isn't anything new to him. Well, Daigo's irrevent and unimpressed attitude is, as he's not too familiar personally with the man Gedo calls 'boss'. But Igniz's behavior is anything but. And in a way, Hakuya is somewhat amused at what Kazama says. He thought that Igniz's speeches were pretty overblown, too!
Particularly since Hakuya had been involved in defeating Igniz once already.
But there's no time to be amused. The battle begins almost without preamble, other than the bravado. And Hakuya couldn't be more ready. As Daigo nods to them, then rushes headlong into the God Being's attack, Kenji and he in turn are rushed by the other man that was in the room, the one Hakuya knows nothing about. Being scattered by that initial rush, Hakuya is forced to step a few feet back, even as that spear seeks out the other Guardian King. Setting his jaw, Hakuya takes a few strafing steps to put Nameless in between himself an Kenji, effectively attempting to flank him, and once this is done, the Suigetsu heir steps up to help his friend. Chiefly, by setting both hands up against Nameless' back, and in a surge of wild blue energy about both of Hakuya's gloved hands, and a howl of "HYYYAAAAHH!!", releasing all of that energy in a sudden, violent pressure wave that'll slam into the ninja's internals more than it would damage him outwardly.
COMBATSYS: Nameless successfully hits Kenji with Yukikaze.
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Nameless 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Hakuya
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Igniz 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Kenji
> ///////////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Daigo
He's seen Igniz before, but never traded blows with the man. It was at the YFCC, only once-- he was called by Shurui to come down and defend the kids and get people out if they had come down there to find them. That was where he met the girl that threw ice around, and fought with that guy that had the red scarf on. He sees neither one here, but ... the odd gloves worn by the dark-clad man with the two-tone hair, could they be similar? Some kind of weapon or super trait shared between all of them?
And people make fun of him for reading manga.
Though shushed to silence, the attack on the side of NESTS waits for no one-- as shown by the sudden attack thrown at him by the Nameless one, his hand straightening out and attempting to drive right into him. It hits, much as he tries to defend himself, and Kenji lets out a hard gasp of air as he sprawls backwards, skids on the heels of his Kick-Rollers, and drops to one knee. Turning the desk leg over in his grasp, he holds it in front of him as a prop to stand up, breaking into a hard run in an instant. "My sister hits--" he starts...
Kenji's right arm reels back, telegraphing what should normally be a very predictable punch on a very predictable path. His fist moves in a smooth arc from back to forth toward the man's face, looking to drive a vicious knuckle sandwich right into his facemeats. The only x-factor is in the speed behind it, his arm blurring as though it were bending like rubber in the midst of the arc.
"HARDER!!"
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Igniz with Phoenix Backfist.
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Nameless 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Kenji
> ///////////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Daigo
Daigo explodes across the room, the tendrils loosing their grip upon Daigo as he dives forward. Igniz is quick to react, bringing up his shields in turn. He is not fast enough as it seems, the god of NESTS thrown across from his perch, only to be driven backwards from the monsterous backhand into one of the many columns. The sheer blow is enough to crush the column in and shatter much of its structure.
Igniz is not yet vanquished. It would take much more than a single hit to defeat the god of NESTS.
"Insolence..." Igniz mutters as he pulls himself free from his pillar restraints, ripping out rock and granite as if it was nothing. While hit clean on and a rather swollen mark to prove it, the god of NESTS simply brings a hand up to carress his once beautiful face.
From there, nothing seems to be very happy. Igniz's features are less than daintly, his eyes entirely focused upon Daigo.
"Hah....hahahah... Do you know what you have done?" Igniz asks daintily, as if a parent to a young child who has just broken a family heirloom. "No... of course not. You could never understand." Igniz exclaims as he follows through, once more returning towards Daigo, leading with his own strength to fight against Daigos. A single, powerful blow attempt to stave off the powerful titan even as he may burst into flame.
"Do not make me repeat myself." Igniz exclaim even as he races across.
COMBATSYS: Daigo blocks Igniz's Fierce Punch.
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Nameless 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Hakuya
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Igniz 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Kenji
> //////////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Daigo
"Hh," Daigo grunts out as he strikes ground, his thick boots scraping across solid tile. His single eye darts towards Nameless just in time to see him engage the remaining duo, lips pressing into a dull frown. The underling is occupied -- for now. Nameless will have to be the first to go.
Not that Daigo doesn't have other, pressing concerns to deal with.
Such as, just as an example, Igniz suddenly barreling towards him at phenomenal speed. That single eye widens, before narrowing into a slit. His right fist clenches tight as instinctively the Gedo Boss ducks down, thick, dark coat billowing outward beneath him as his arm draws up close to his side.
"I don't care."
That single blow comes in, and Daigo greets it with his left forearm, the sudden, violent CRACK reverborating across the main hall of Gedo High. There is a sting of pain -- but Daigo does not budge.
"All I need to understand is that you are leaving here."
And then, his right arm /slams/ forward, intent to bury his fist into the mighty god of a man's midsection in a quick blow aimed to gain distance.
"One way or another."
COMBATSYS: Nameless blocks Hakuya's Solaris Sunder.
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Nameless 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Kenji
> ///////////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Nameless fails to interrupt Missile Fist from Kenji with Yoizuki.
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Nameless 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Kenji
> ///////////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Daigo
This is why teamwork could be so appalling. In others. The clone could however irritatingly effective it was, appreciate it. Their desire to protect what was already a gutted mess was more than quaint or some silly value, that they refused to give up was to be respected. It also all in all, made his job a whole lot more difficult, likewise stayed his advancement towards his own hopes...It was a balance that sometimes failed to see eye to eye, and it was likely he would ignore any future considerations of his opponents valor. Afterall, when it came down too, from his perspective his own hopes were by far more important than theirs. Failure was not an option he cared for.
And so even as he struck /hard/ into Kenji, he effortlessly spun upon sensing Hakuya attempting to take advantage of his brief focus on his friend. The other's hands had barely brushed against the back of his cloak till he dashed aside the blue flares of energy with a sudden burst of flame. His arm physically shoving the other's aside, becoming lightly numb along its length.
...But Kenji wasn't done yet. He miscalculated the teenager's recovery, or rather his speed. By the time he sought to bring the crimson-sheathed length of his gloved fist in for a harsh rebuke, the hefty makeshift desk-leg or Wolverine femur, whichever, whatever! Slammed end first into his ash-stained cheek, snapping his head to one side as he was knocked to his knee in a reversal of rolls. Stunned for a moment, a deep gash quickly filled with blood, dripping down to splatter at his feet.
Teamwork is indeed an appalling thing... particularly when you're fighting two of the Guardian Kings, whose teamwork is perhaps unparalleled within Southtown beyond certain specifically trained assault units. Tenma worked his Kings almost as hard as them, anyway, making sure the four of them knew each other's moves like their own. So it's not surprising that when Hakuya notes that his attack is mostly turned aside and rendered less effective, that when he looks up to see Kenji's recovery, he already knows what move the other teen will be making, and where to be to take advantage of it best... or so he hopes. Ducking to the side, the Suigetsu heir allows Nameless to roll past him, but no sooner does the clone come up to a knee than is Hakuya upon him.
Rushing in in an attempt to take advantage of the recovery time, Hakuya ducks low, and simply seeks to drive his shoulder into the ninja. Should it connect, gloved hands grab at the man's shirt, and by main strength, the Guardian King attempts to life the man up, over, and give him a shoulder toss. If all goes well, however, this isn't done just yet. Spinning around as Nameless would be falling to the ground, Hakuya's sneakered foot is whipped around to try and slam into the clone's side, to send him flying away, much harder into the ground than the throw itself would've done.
Silly Nameless One, when you fight the Guardian Kings, you should expect them to work in tandem!
As evident as Hakuya's attack is turned aside, and as Kenji's knuckles drive right into the NESTS' man's face. The Missile Fist's hand feels about as hard as the head of a sledgehammer, and the force put behind it, well-- needless to say, he's put the cloaked man down to one knee with a single strike. Pulling back a step, letting Hakuya drive forward and begin his own assault, Kenji throws his right arm back far. A growl brews in his throat, and he begins drawing on his unique form of chi...
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--"
Immediately, a blast of white-blue chi EXPLODES from the tips of his fingers and consumes the length of his arm, burning up to the young man's shoulder. As his posture shifts, the absurdly bright, room-lighting chi flares and trumpets up toward the ceiling. It leaves the Guardian King backlit as he brings up the desk leg at Nameless, aiming it at him as though he were saluting or otherwise issuing a challenge.
"Destruction of school property carries a hefty penalty. I'll be takin' it out of your hide."
COMBATSYS: Kenji gathers his will.
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Nameless 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Hakuya
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Igniz 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Kenji
> ///////////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Igniz blocks Daigo's Aggressive Strike.
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Nameless 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Kenji
> ///////////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Daigo
The god of NESTS can find that Daigo is prepaired to die fighting.
"I do not believe so... To tell a god what to do! Surely you jest." Igniz exclaims, looking upon Daigo with a false realism that could obviously not be true. Igniz will not leave unless the place crumbles around him. Daigo will probably accept said terms, however.
A terrible realization as Igniz finds the man once more invading his personal space.
Four fields of chi raise in an instant as a testiment to Igniz's strength, attempting to null the damage that he would be recieving. Just enough is that damage reduced that the god of NESTS is able to be dented, the armor driven back by a fist.
It continues.
The god of NESTS finds nothing amusing about this as Daigo oversteps his bounds in an effort to find the god off balance. He does not.
"Listen to me, Daigo..." Igniz preaches as he grasps for air, a large ball of chi summoned in the god of NESTS hand as he levels it towards the Gedo High leader. The amount of chi is amazing... and devastating. It all races towards Daigo point blank in an effort to catch him off guard and send him blasted backwards, directly into a column of his own. Igniz aims to use everything against Daigo he can leverage. There is no mercy today.
"You will not be successful. To wager your life against a god... is to lose it."
COMBATSYS: Daigo Toughs Out Igniz's Divine Arrow - Ground!
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Nameless 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Kenji
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\=======\1 Daigo
"You're no god," comes Daigo's plain response, his anger expertly controlled.
"You're just another monster."
Fist meets shimmering barriers of chi, and for a moment, Daigo struggles against them with whatever force he can muster; it only halfway succeeds, the force of his punch greatly buffered by the powerful shields of pure energy. His fist snaps back a moment later, smoking. Kazama lips pull into a grim line.
A second later, that face is illuminated by a holy -- or perhaps more appropriately, unholy -- flash of pure and unrestrained power. The surge of chi screams at his senses, almost overloads them in a single instant. That cycloptic eye widens -- but Daigo is moving. Moving /forward./
Right into that surge of energy.
He doesn't rebuff Igniz's words; as ever, he lets his actions do the talking for him. Fire explodes all around Kazama's body as he meets that blast of chi point blank, head-first. Energy scorches at his flesh, burns away the tails of his coat, batters the senses until he can only hear a mind-numbingly loud whine in his ears and see nothing more than flashes of light. But he keeps. Moving. Forward.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
With little care or concern for himself, Daigo seeks to SMASH one flaming fist directly into Igniz's jaw with a blow that would shatter concrete into little more than pebbles, following it with a blow to the torso, to the skull, pistoning fists and feet into Igniz's body with all the force of a flaming battering ram; driving a bootheel into the man's ribcage, a straight blow to the sternum... before ending it all with a single, mighty straight-shot right for the center of Igniz's chest, unleashing the build-up of all his anger into one roaring explosion of fire.
COMBATSYS: Hakuya successfully hits Nameless with Blind Crescent.
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Nameless 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Kenji
> //////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Daigo
His entire timing was off. When it came to a fight amongst skilled combatants, the merest of a second for any ol' joe was the distance between wide river banks in repercussions. In reality it didn't take long for the clone to shake off the effects of having a piece of metal smashed right on target from temple to cheek, but it was enough to set him up for the tag team effect...Hakuya's turn this time after having been thwarted moments earlier.
By the time the focus returned to his earthen gaze, he did so under the triumphant outcry from Kenji, and already in the path of an onrushing shoulder. He moved, but too late, the impact was enough to throw him back offbalance, an arm flying wide to counter it, but by then the other teenager had snagged a hold of the straps of his suit, lifting the non-too heavy Nameless off of his feet and into the air. He was suprised, the emotion still upon his features fleetingly before he was unceremoniously drop-kicked into the ground with tremendous force.
That, he felt that. The words of an overly confident Kenji only served to remind him that he was failing to do his job. No matter his boss and 'master' was getting the harsh end of the stick himself, he had his own battles. Fingers dug into the ground to halt his sliding roll, and he pushed himself onto his feet in a crouch, eyeing the pair with a burning chill. "You'll find that easier said than done." Edging out the words with an enforced calm, he rose and drew aside his cape, tugging it free of its trappings to cast it behind him. Come then. He was waiting to see him make good on his threat!
COMBATSYS: Nameless gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Nameless 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Kenji
> //////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Daigo
If the situation weren't different - weren't as serious - Hakuya might feel bad for the clone that had been shunted off to fight the two of the Guardian Kings that had accompanied Daigo, whilst the God and the Titan clashed over yonder. It wasn't that he felt bad Nameless had to fight 'lesser' people, not at all. It was that, between himself and Kenji, their combined efforts were undoubtedly like fighting Daigo, only coming from two different sources. And, adding in that seriousness, that drive for the Gedo students to reclaim their home?
The nameless clone was indeed in for a tough fight.
Hakuya's shoulder, throw, kick combo goes off without a hitch, and the light man is slammed into the floor with punishing results. But far from being finished, the ninja springs up once more and begins to collect himself. Reasserting his own footing, the Suigetsu heir pauses, just briefly, to glance from Nameless over to Kenji - and gives his friend and team mate a simple nod. Usually not one to talk all that much to begin with, the nod speaks volumes anyway: Let's end this.
Leading the charge this time, the second of the Guardian Kings rushes right in towards Nameless, regardless of the defensive stance being taken. Gloved hands snap out once more to try and grip the ninja, and with another heave backwards - or to Nameless, forwards - Hakuya attempts to enter the NESTs soldier into a hip toss. But like the move used before, it doesn't stop there. Rather than allowing Nameless to hit the ground, Hakuya spins, and attempts to drive a knee up into the falling man's stomach, hard enough to push him back into the air. From there, Nameless would be grabbed once more, then brought up, over, and back down again into a suplex, slamming the lighter man into the ground.
'Easier said than done,' is it? It puts a spark of life in Kenji Ashima's eyes that wasn't there before. More often than not, he's the one that backs away from fighting. More often than not, he's the one that'll try to break things up with a joke, a comical laugh. More often than not, he's the one that only goes to the SNFs if only because Tenma pushes the Guardian Kings into fighting. If he's up against the girls, well, more often than not... he'll see if he can squeak a date out of the whole affair. But, Nameless is about as far away from a cute girl as you can get.
That ... and he sees it as a good challenge.
With the Boss here, with Hakuya at his side, Kenji's more into his relaxed, calm groove than the steely, angry persona that his friends have seen only twice before. Now, with the desk leg in his grasp and his friend charging ahead to attack, Kenji decides to join the fray. Again, tandem tactics take the spotlight with the Guardian Kings, and the Missile Fist leaps forward in an attempt to break right into the NESTs agent's space. His right hand thrusts forward, tearing out of the white-blue chi that illuminates the room, reaching out to grab the Nameless One by the face and try to literally -spike- his head into the floor.
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--"
If it goes to plan, his chi can be felt passing through his hand... not to blast him in the face, but to explode out from the ground below, with the intent to blast him into the air and let him go flying! Landing? Well, that's his own problem.
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Igniz with Phoenix Fury.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Nameless 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Igniz 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Kenji
> //////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Daigo
Igniz found himself once more unable to give Daigo everything he was capable of. Even as the man tumbled forward towards the god of NESTS with reckless abandon to deliver powerful blows amongst Igniz, the suit of armor is pained, struggling to find itself a niche for where Igniz may be able to dig himself out of this ever growing hole.
The speed at which Daigo moves is too much, grasping Igniz's features even before the shields are able to materialize, the powerful blows and fire laden chi knocking Igniz stupid as he's sent back, over and over under the relentless assault. Igniz is bested if only momentarily.
They say that a beast is at its strongest when cornered. Igniz, while not a beast, is no different.
Flattening up himself against the wall and wiping the blood of his face with his other hand.
"You dive deeper into this abyss that you dig for yourself." Igniz exclaims, shaking as he lifts off once more. "Let me take you there, Daigo. Stay for a moment, and I will reveal everything you wished to never know."
Igniz announces as he stands, once more taking to the air. His figure, while battered and bruised and his armor devastated, the mans goals have yet to be realized. Igniz has a plot of world domination... but in which form?
Powerful machinery come to life as it pushes itself through, routing fail safe after fail safe to predict, and eventually, stop what ill the future may bring.
COMBATSYS: Igniz calculates his next move.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Nameless 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Igniz 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Kenji
> //////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Daigo
Daigo Kazama is nothing if not a pragmatic young man. You don't survive in an environment like Gedo without being pragmatic. But sometimes -- even he can't help but let the immense amount of anger inside him be unleashed.
And there is a lot of it.
It's only by some miracle that Daigo manages to escape retribution for the untethering of that mass of chi within him. He sacrifices a tremendous amount of effort and concentration in order to deliver that punishment unto Igniz, and apparently -- it's just enough. The God of NESTS is pounded against a nearby wall as Daigo remains crouched, steam and fire still lifting off his body in excess. He pants slowly, his single eye wide -- but with a gulp, and a tightening of his lips, he stands up again. Stay for a moment?
"... I don't stay still."
Kazama glances over, towards the bio-genetically engineered soldier assisting the would-be lord of the NESTS cartel. He squints, looking towards Kenji, and Hakuya, and then once more back to Nameless. His fists clench. He runs some scenarios through his head.
And he smiles.
It's not pleasant.
As Nameless stands still, and as Hakuya and Kenji rush at him, Daigo suddenly /bursts/ forward, not towards Igniz... but towards the clone. As Igniz calculates, Daigo seeks to capitalize on opportunity; flames /burst/ around him, aiming to, after Kenji's chi-based assault, /engulf/ Nameless in an INFERNO of chi-based fire, ripping and spiraling around Daigo like a scarcely-contained storm, the sound only deafened by the man's gutteral battle cry.
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Nameless with Super Phoenix Fire.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Nameless 1/---====/=======|===----\-------\0 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Igniz 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Kenji
> //////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Nameless just-defends Kenji's Claymore!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Nameless 1/---====/=======|===----\-------\0 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Igniz 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Kenji
> //////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Nameless interrupts Silent Crescent from Hakuya with Zetsuei.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Nameless 1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Igniz 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Kenji
> //////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Daigo
Tough did not mean impossible, and the NESTs assasin by no means thought himself drummed out of the fight. He was prepared for them this time, aware of their co-ordinated attempts to use each other to flank him-- and he caught the subtle signal. It almost made him smile, instead he allowed himself to seek out that inner strength, that raging wellspring of energy that was his through stolen genetics. It promised to burn him to cinder the moment he lost control, but he needed its power to serve the pair of Gedo High kids a lesson-- that opposing NESTs came with dire consequences. One they would feel first hand from the dire clone. Let's end this? Let's begin.
By the time Hakuya managed to latch onto the Nameless, he was already intercepting to twist his own about to break, then viciously lash out at the unsuspecting boy. Lash out with a fist embroiled with an explosive charge of scathing flames, once, twice, three times he arched the blistering sally, surging foward to strike. It was as if he were building it up all along, ending by knocking Hakuya away just intime to intercept Kenji's would be hamstringing offensive.
Still wreathed in flames, J''s eyes caught the glow as he interposed his arm between his face and the other's grasping fingers. Fire verses blue chi, it all but devoured it, feeding with ravenous fury. His success seemed to only embolden the clone--
That is till the pain-train known as Daigo decided to forgo the respectable rules of engagement and bodily throw himself into a free for all! Just when he was catching his stride, Nameless was shocked into being broadsided by the massive man...looking like a much larger replica of his arm. And you know, not being a glove and fingers and so forth. Weren't you supposed to be keeping him busy, IGNIZ?!
Inspite of himself, Nameless was blown aside, the selfsame fire he used against his earlier opponents doing little to save him from the extent of damage Daigo would bring. He barely felt the ground when he fell.
Not impossible, and Nameless shows this very well. There's simply a FLURRY of action at the genetic clone's location, as not just the two Guardian Kings, but all three of the Gedo warriors strike the ninja... who still manages a reasonable defense in the face of the onslaught the three brawlers can dish out! Hakuya's own attack is dealt with in an almost awkward manner. While some damage is able to be inflicted to the NESTs soldier, more is dished out to the grappler himself. A throw, reversed, and then suddenly flaming punches rain down upon the Suigetsu heir. The first one is staggering, catching the teen off guard. The second forces the boy to stumble back a few steps, and then the third knocks Hakuya flat as the punishing (and FLAMING) blows land solidly on him.
Were this a one on one fight, such an attack would've left Hakuya a little helpless. It HURT to get hit that hard, as so few people are actually capable of doing to the tough, defensive fighter. Fortunately, Daigo's opportunistic attitude buys him a little time to recover. Kenji's attack is dealt with in such a way that it would've bought Hakuya almost no time, should Nameless had decided he made a nice target, all prone on the ground there. But the Boss's attack saves him. Slowly making it back to his feet, Hakuya shakes his head, then flashes Kenji a little bit of an almost sheepish grin. That is, before he glances between his friend, and their chosen opponent. One more glance to Kenji.
And then the Guardian King extends his hand to tap knuckles with his friend. Subtle signal this was not. It was time to dish out the hurt.
Once more, Hakuya leads the charge, but Nameless might be able to figure that something is... different, this time. The King rushes forward, with every intent to close this battle off and help Daigo reclaim the throne, so to speak. Whether Nameless is lying on the ground prone or just getting up, Hakuya's attack only alters slightly, coming in two stages. The first stage, just before reaching the genetic clone soldier, Hakuya leaps into the air, rotating his body to bring all his momentum down in an arcing, violently powerful kick that would likely at least stagger a standing man, and rather hurt a prone one. Once that's taken care of, Nameless would once more be grabbed, and lifted up over Hakuya's head. A familiar throwing motion, except this time Nameless isn't aimed to be spiked into the ground...
He's thrown right towards Kenji.
His hand stops-- and Kenji is colored rather surprised. Even Hakuya finds his attempts to land a decisive blow cut off, and the NESTS agent going out of the way to hinder their attempts at reclaiming the halls of Gedo High for themselves. Springing backwards, he finds himself standing in line with the Suigetsu heir as he only offers Kenji a knowing grin and thrusts out his fist. "Heh," escapes his mouth as he nods, swinging up his hand to tap knuckles with the fellow Guardian King.
And Hakuya's off like a shot. Taking a long, broad step forward, Kenji's left foot hits the ground hard enough to ring out in the halls of Gedo High, even over the current sounds of battle being thrown about all over them. His right hand draws back, energy gathering in his arm with another sudden flare and stupidly bright blast of chi enveloping his arm.
"SET!!"
Almost as though it were a laser sight, a line of blue chi darts through the air and lines itself up on Nameless, the student council secretary forcing all of that energy down-- down into his arm, building it into his fist and causing enough power to build up in one point it actually makes his fist start shaking.
Should Nameless come barreling in his way, Kenji's fist will strike that blue guideline and rocket forward, looking to slam into the clone ninja with as much force as he can muster. Should his fist connect, it also releases all of that chi in one powerful shockwave that'll push, toss, or otherwise blast away anything caught in it's wake not quite nailed down.
"GET OUT OF OUR SCHOOL!!"
Igniz was... ignored. Ignored simply for Nameless.
Was the god of NESTS unable to leverage his strength correctly? Was he unable to allow for such things to take place under his eternal vigilance? No, never.
Daigo turns from the god of NESTS, even as he stands without molestation. So much that even the rats that the leader had brought in use their own strengths against the thriving of Nameless.
Igniz is alone, unmolested and rather dismayed by the group about him. Daigo would find for his words nothing in return. Even as he unleashes an inferno against Nameless, he would soon find himself on the receiving end of an god, propelled through the air as if a missile would be.
His hand out towards Daigo's throat, grasping at air the entire trip in anticipation.
Mere words would not describe the action.
COMBATSYS: Igniz successfully hits Daigo with Brutal God Project+.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Nameless 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Kenji
> //////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Daigo
Daigo may twist around to find Igniz's hand grasped firmly about his neck. This error is the single most problematic thing today, and the beginning of the third most hurt that could be leveraged upon him in this day and age.
Igniz drives Daigo into a column of his own, crushing him into the fine particles until they turn to dust, swirling about the air.
The god of NESTS leaps back, the particles retreating with him as he stands.
"Daigo... you did not listen to me..." Igniz begins, grasping a sword that appears in thin air, striking out as it extends into a chain whip, cutting out towards Daigo in a wild, untamed motion. The weapon leads up, cutting into the mans chest as it explodes up, returning towards igniz with just a tug.
The assault continues, Igniz's cape cutting out in an attempt to puncture everything the mans chest with strike after strike of a finely sewn alloy that is as sharp as any blade, cutting out into the Gedo High saint's chest.
"But you stayed... you fought..." Igniz says, his arms folded against his chest, the four chi amplifiers growing white globules of chi, all formed into a sphere before being released upon Daigo all at once in a tremendous strike.
"And you will have gained nothing but your demise!" Igniz shatters his calm, raising his right arm towards the heavens to summon a ball of white, perfect chi that struggles to keep its shaped before being forced upon Daigo. The sphere extends, surrounding Daigo entirely in a white hot prison as it fluxes about itself, almost seeming to be alive.
When it has all passed Igniz stands back to observe his own doing. A smile is strewn across his lips, mimicing the many effigies that litter Gedo High.
Igniz is ignored. Because Daigo Kazama does not believe in 'honor duels.'
He believes in survival.
Roaring flames engulf Nameless relentlessly, hopefully hammering in a weak point for Hakuya and Kenji to exploit. Of course, this sacrifices his defenses for the briefest of moments -- a moment that is capitalized upon by a dangerously prepared Igniz. Daigo's cycloptic eye darts, just in time to see a /blur/ of dark material--
--and then a single, cold hand is cutting off his oxygen supply in its tense grip.
"Ghhrk--"
Kra-KOOM!
The sound of Daigo impacting the column is like a thunderclap across the halls of Gedo, making the ground itself shake in an ominous rumble. Blood streaking from Daigo's lips, he can only give a defiant stare towards the 'God of NESTS' as he begins to speak again. Daigo spits saliva intermingled with iron-tinged blood -- just before that chain whip LASHES into Daigo's torso so hard that his coat is cut, a thick scar gouging across his abdomen and chest. The puncturing blows bury Daigo deeper and deeper into the pillar, impaling wounds peppering his body before Igniz speaks again. Daigo frowns with bloody lips. He stayed. He fought.
And now tremendous energy engulfs him in one burning, blinding mass of 'holy' energy, seeking to unmake him in one singularly hellish moment. Encased in white-hot agony, Daigo's coat is scorched into little more than rags, his skin burning off at his chest, his arms, the heat instant cauterizing any wounds. And when it all passes--
--Daigo lands, body smoking, scarred and beaten, but...
"... I stayed... I fought..." that defiant eye flashes, Daigo's lips pulling back into a sneer of resolve and defiance.
"... /and I'm still standing./"
Brutalized as he is, the eldest Kazama suddenly /LAUNCHES/ forward, debris flinging off him in a wide spray as he swings one single chunk of marble down, aiming to SMASH it across Igniz's head in a bloody sweep before following it up with one single, brutal elbow to the throat.
"GRAAAAGH!"
COMBATSYS: Nameless fails to interrupt Rail Gun from Kenji with Sawarabe and is struck by Arc Rail from Hakuya and Kenji.
[ \\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Nameless 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Hakuya
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Kenji
> //////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Nameless can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Hakuya
> //////////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Kenji
> //////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Daigo
Inspite of his clothing being made out of flame-retardent materials, that didn't mean one's flesh couldn't cook within it, what didn't outright melt that is. He was now covered with a patchy collection of thickening blood, burns, and blackened stains from all the smoke and dust the collective demolition was strewning about. He bit off a short groan, swallowing the pain and locking it away as he often did, forcing his body to move even while it protested. Stand up. Finish this. You have to do this... a private mantra in no uncertain terms ordering within his mind.
Daigo had given the teenagers their precious opening, and they abused the hell out of it.
About halfway to his feet, Nameless saw the flying kick headed his way, and with a silent growl, he threw himself foward, the spark of flames yet again licking to life about the ivory white glove that adorned his right hand-- he planned to simply charge right in and return the favour of knocking Hakuya violently into the ground, aflame...but he wasn't quick enough. He barely had time to catch himself from slamming back face first into the upturned ground, his elbow bowing with the force. From there, it was all a matter of one chain reaction leading to another, and Nameless was helpless to break its river's rush.
It all happened so quickly, the clone registered the final act as if through a looking glass. He saw Kenji standing there, he saw the welling of chi, and then it all exploded into pain, a blurr of motion and world-- before a loud turmultous crash and crumpling //bang//...
Onlookers would have seen the young man moving at bullet speed after impact, crashing right on through a perfectly graffitii'd wall, sending bricks, stone and drywall tumbling down. One clone exiting the stage, doubtless if he'd return.
Hakuya's contribution to the attack isn't so much /damage/ as it is setting it up. Almost like a clay pigeon launcher for a shooting tournment, Hakuya first restrains the 'pigeon', though in this case more by stunning it with a strike than just fitting it into a launcher, and then he grabs, and throws. Even if no one shouted 'pull!' the effect is all the same, as Kenji races in and slams his fist directly into the flying genetic clone, and then sends him flying up, over Hakuya, off like a shot with blue chi forming the comet tail of the broken servant to the NEST God.
Hakuya looks back to Kenji after confirming Nameless is down, and shoots him a thumbs up. One down, one to go.
Changing targets to Igniz, the Guardian King tracks after the now solo defender of NESTs' claim over Gedo High. Seeing Daigo in such a state - but hearing that declaration! - Hakuya can't help but feel a surge of energy. Yeah... yeah! We fight on! And now it was three versus one, there was almost no way they could lose! ...Right? Whatever the case, Hakuya looks around for something to help the Boss out. Spotting a highly ornate marble pillar that had been erected in this 'shrine' to the God-Being, the Suigetsu heir races towards it, and then wraps bandaged arms about its middle.
With a heave, the teen lifts the large pillar up, and then begins to charge after Igniz in Daigo's wake, leaving no time for talk or victory celebrations. Seeking to simply step up, then swing that heavy rock pillar at Igniz, this attack has no frills or bells to it, the Guardian King seeks only to slam it into the God-Being's side as hard as he can, with a cry of, "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrghhhh!"
With the sacrifice made by Daigo to give the Guardian Kings the chance they needed to stop the nameless clone cold in his tracks with their collective power, Kenji commits himself to the fight all over again, turning away from the flying, fallen man and toward the blonde-haired leader of NESTS. That man he's seen before-- that man that just utterly put the HURT on the Gedo Boss-- that man that fancies himself as God.
Yes, he's someone he's going to have to take seriously, if not feel the twinge at the back of his neck, the one cold bead of sweat that runs down the back of his neck even with all of the damage he's caused in tandem with his friend. Truth be told, the brawler is a bit scared out of his mind. The calmer, more logical parts of him say to relent. Stay back. Let Daigo handle it; both men are on a different tier than him altogether.
Fortunately, Kenji Ashima listens to his crazier, better half.
Charging after Hakuya, though only wielding that steel desk leg, Kenji tries to come in at the NESTS leader at an arc to better avoid any contributing attacks from Hakuya or Daigo. He throws himself into the air, jaw tense, and thrusts out his leg to impact hard against the man's body. "RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH--"
-- and then release a hard-pressed wave of chi through his leg, out of his foot, and INTO Igniz, a small burst of power that detonates violently from the inside-out-- one that tries so hard to disrupt his senses and inner equilibrum, and stagger him!
COMBATSYS: Igniz auto-guards Kenji's Magnum Spike!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Hakuya
> /////////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Kenji
> //////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Igniz dodges Hakuya's Large Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Hakuya
> /////////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Kenji
> //////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Igniz counters Medium Punch from Daigo with Void Genocide.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Hakuya
> /////////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Kenji
> //// ]
|=======\=======\1 Daigo
Nameless falls by his side, like a wounded pup. The god of NESTS barely recognizes this achievement, giving little indication how it has effected him. He was not his men. He was above them. Everyone of them and all of them at once. He could not be classified as a man, nor a soldier nor a fighter.
He was a god.
The Guardian Kings come after mopping up what is left with Nameless. Even Daigo had helped rid this place of Igniz's men. Now it came down to the head of NESTS in his own territory. The combined assault from three directions would test the very limits of any fighter, but not a god.
Kenji's approach can be seen as he rips through the air, a hard leg fired directly in the direction of the Overlord of NESTS. The kick finds purchase but not against the sleek, jet black body of the armor. Instead, it finds four different chi forcefields, overlapping one another as the strop the detonation from escaping about the multi-layered defense. Igniz barely even must move, rather hold his hand up to summon them.
"Your efforts are futile." Igniz states as he hurls back Kenji's assault, dismissing it upon Hakuya's appearence. The massive pilliar is used as a battering ram upon the god of NESTS. Gone is Igniz, leaving only afterimages for Hakuya to plow through, leaving particles fluttering about before the mass of controlled chi finds itself shifting once more to where it was, willingly positioning itself infront of Daigo.
The debris is disarmed from Daigo before it even makes it withing a foot of Igniz's hair, the god's outstretched hand violently swelling with power. An erruption of white chi tunnels into the wounded Daigo's chest as he charges with enough power behind it to send him skidding across the room.
"Couragous... but foolish. To think you could win against a god..."
One down, one to go. The fact that the 'one' remaining is easily more powerful than any of the people standing against him never enters Daigo Kazama's thoughts. Beaten, battered, scorched, smoking -- he doesn't consider losing a viable outcome even for a moment. Not because of his own power.
But Daigo wouldn't rely on anyone but the best to take back his school.
The road is an uphill battle. And for some, it might be impossible. Kenji is greeted with fields of pure energy that buffer and completely devour his assault, before Hakuya rushes in, aiming to bat away Igniz with the pillar he wields. Yet Igniz is not so slow as to be taken by such an attack, and even as Daigo rushes forward -- he knows what is going to happen.
"Hnn--"
It all happens in a flash. Within one second, that debris is ripped free from Kazama's grasp. Chi flares in a short, blinding burst, and energy sears away Daigo's flesh, blowing him backwards with more than ample amounts of energy to /propel/ him backwards until he /smashes/ into the wall, imbedding into the hard concrete and plaster. A long, burning scar drags across the man's chest.
To think he could win against a god.
"... to..."
Slowly, Daigo pries himself free from the depths of that wall. He stumbles forward, his body smoking -- not just from Igniz's assault, but from his own power, scarcely contained. Blood drips from his lips and fingertips, splattering against the harsh earth. But slowly, slowly... that blood starts to burn away before it can hit ground. "... to... protect this school... /my/ school..." Daigo stumbles forward a single step. His cycloptic eye is shut closed. "... to protect... my gang..." Another step. Fire begins to sprout along the path Daigo walks. "... I'll... kill a god..." His hands clench...
... and Daigo Kazama EXPLODES into an /inferno/ of fire.
"I'LL BECOME THE DEVIL HIMSELF!"
Like a shot, Daigo propels forward. Fire bursting in thick columns behind him, Daigo seeks to drive his fist into Igniz in one, EXPLOSIVE punch, attempting to drive forward enough power to just /break/ the man's jaw. Another blow to the sternum, aiming to crack it. A fiery kick to the 'God of NESTS'' right knee, to try and just shatter it in his fury. All his reserves, given in one last-ditch, desperate, powerful combination of blows to just /break/ Igniz as violently as possible. One flaming fist pulls back.
"I'LL BECOME SOMETHING GOD FEARS!"
And then just drives forward a single punch, aimed with all his strength, which will EXPLODE in one all-encompassing sphere of fire like bringing the sun itself into the halls of Gedo High.
"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!"
COMBATSYS: Daigo has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Igniz 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Hakuya
> /////////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Kenji
> /////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Daigo
Igniz and Hakuya have fought once before. Then, it was not an offensive action to tear the god down from his throne, but rather an attempt to guard him from obtaining another. It had been successful then, if only barely. Barely, because Igniz, for all his pomp and bravado and proclimations of being a God, was at the very least, /strong/. There was no doubt to this, and Hakuya had been only a small part in the denial of that God his desired treasure. But somewhere along the way, Igniz... had seemingly become even stronger. Or, perhaps, he simply had not been fighting to his full potential.
Whatever the case, Nameless had been only a warmup, in the face of this monstrous entity calling itself a God.
Kenji's attack is once more outright denied, as is his own slow-swinging pillar. And indeed, even Daigo's strike had been contemptuously diverted, with a punishing counter-blow that sent the Boss flying into a wall. Even Hakuya has to pause at the sheer ferocity, the sheer power of the attack. Looking mildly startled, it lasts only a minute as Daigo /erupts/ from the wall again, and makes yet another declaration of defiance in the face of the 'god'.
And it's there that Hakuya finally understands just -why- Daigo is their Boss. He'd never questioned it before... but seeing the man upclose like this...
Well. He couldn't disappoint, now, could he?
Circling the NESTs' God-King, Hakuya keeps ahold of that pillar, and as Daigo launches forward with his blazing fist, from behind, Hakuya also attacks. The pillar is once more driven forward, but this time isn't used to truly STRIKE Igniz. Rather, the younger Gedo warrior seeks to simply take advantage of the flaming punch, should it connect, and use the pillar to launch the God into the air. Should that happen, then Hakuya would follow it up by lifting the pillar up into the air, waiting for the God's descent.
"A God... is made... TO PROTECT PEOPLE!" Hakuya screams out the last few words as he seeks to bring the pillar right down on top of Igniz as the man (hopefully) falls from the toss, spiking him all the harder in the ground.
"UrrrrrAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--"
It's the battlecry that pours out of Kenji Ashima's mouth as his foot comes down in a perfectly aimed strike... that impacts that shimmering wave of force, that projected chi that not even the strength, focus, and sheer tenacity of the Missile Fist can strike through. He presses on with that chi irregardless of his ability to attack the man as he intended-- though as he hovers there in the air, the Guardian King turns the shield to the slightest advantage. Allowing his body to crumple inward against the shield with the momentum of his kick, he vaults backward into a half-cocked backflip, landing on one foot and stumbling a few steps to the side.
He's not as acrobatically creative and skilled as the rest of his team, but he tries.
Daigo's beaten, harmed, and then... rises, much like the phoenix and the flames that he conjures. Even Kenji has to step back and lift a hand to shield his eyes a bit from the display, but it only bolsters his resolve. Hakuya, too-- Hakuya circles Igniz and does probably the second most badass thing he's ever seen or been a part of in his time at Gedo-- third if you count Daigo's display.
The Missile Fist is never one to stand back and do nothing at a time like this. Circling from the other side, trying to close down the space that the self-styled god has to manuver, he takes that desk leg in both hands like a club; no style or substance like the way Tenma wields his sword. Rearing it up more like a baseball bat, he starts swinging it back and forth, top to bottom, and at cutting, bashing diagonals, trying to slam that piece of desk and slag into the man.
"AND NO ONE WANTS TO BELIEVE IN A GOD LIKE YOU!!"
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Igniz with Phoenix Fury.
[ \\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Igniz 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Hakuya
> //////////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Kenji
> /////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Hakuya successfully hits Igniz with Blind Crescent.
[ \ < > ////////////////// ]
Igniz 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Hakuya
> //////////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Kenji
> /////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Kenji successfully hits Igniz with Combo Attack.
[ < > ////////////////// ]
Igniz 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Hakuya
> //////////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Kenji
> /////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Daigo
The god of NESTS knew from here he would not be defeated. He had gained the upperhand by taking out Daigo first leaving his undertrained, understudied thugs to deal with him. Igniz rose up, his strength renewed with the prospect of being able to deliver the final blow towards his many men. He certainly had enough strength. There wasn't a doubt in his mind.
Igniz turns his back towards the fallen Daigo, certain that he had been bested. His attention was entirely upon both Kenji and Hakuya. He could see then plainly. Neither had the energy to continue fighting for much longer while he, a god, had the energy to continue his strugle eternally. Besting both foes and dispatchign them all was not a pipe dream.
"Daigo has fallen." Igniz declares for a moment, he eyes not turning back until Daigo interrupts with sharp words and an ever harsher demeanor. Igniz's calm exterior changes once, finding fully well that Daigo was coming. He was unprepaired to stop the man barreling forwards like a jaguar, pouncing him with bone crusher strikes. His sternum is first, the god grunting under the bone crushing assault. His knee breaks as the strike hits once more. Igniz is thrust back with a power he had now faced twice, and had lost due to carelessness now more than ever.
Thrust into the air, Hakuya's strike is enough to send him once more earthward, the charged throw sending him into his own throne as he lands like a rag doll, his armor scrapped as he lays against hit haphazardly. Bleedings in many places and with the ability to stand too much, Kenji gets the final words in.
The piece of desk falls down upon Igniz in multiple blows against him, breaking through the throne using Igniz's own figure as the pressure point. Finally shattering the metallic alloy and sending Igniz through on the last assault, Igniz is lost beyond the pile of rubble that the room has transformed into.
There is an uneasy stillness in the air after the god of NESTS is banished, as if a presence still lingered. Instinct turns out to be right as the god of NESTS leaves an explosive finale for the Gedo student who spoke last.
"I... have lost? No... this cannot be... I... I am a god..." Igniz exclaims as he struggles to stand, focused intently upon the chi that swells as a finallity. His refusal to give Gedo High back as it stands. He had invested enough resources for it to be a permanent base. Now, the venture seems foolish. How could he not forsee this? Did he not already stand victorious?
With his last ounces of strength, Igniz slams the mass of chi into the ground. Pilliar after pilliar of fearsome white chi errupt into the air, blasting through the remnents of his throne, tearing towards Kenji in a last ditch effort to cover his escape.
If Daigo hurries he will have enough time to stop Kenji from being engulfed in a pilliar of holy fire. If he does not, Kenji could potentially be roasted.
COMBATSYS: Igniz can no longer fight. Is this the end of lovable Igniz?
> ////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Hakuya
> //////////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Kenji
> /////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Daigo Toughs Out Igniz's Ideon Blade!
> ////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Hakuya
> //////////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Kenji
> / ]
|=======\===----\1 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Daigo takes no action.
> ////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Hakuya
> //////////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Kenji
> / ]
|=======\====---\1 Daigo
Daigo Kazama pants. His lungs are burning, his eyes are dry, he feels like he should collapse and just bleed out on the ground and be done with it. He doesn't. By all rights, he should. But he doesn't.
Because he does not give up on his school.
With that last effort exerted, Daigo stumbles backwards as Hakuya and Kenji rush past him, gripping onto his chest with one charred hand. Every breath feels like he's taking in fire instead of oxygen, but the pain makes him feel alive -- alert. Nerves alight and more active than ever, he focuses that cycloptic gaze on the leader of NESTS, his lips peeling back into a bitter snarl.
"Get it, now? ... You're no god. And you... don't have any power over... this place." Daigo lifts a hand, thrusting his thumb towards the door.
"Now get the hell out--"
Daigo feels the spark of chi that surges deep within Igniz before he sees it. That well of bright, fearsome light roars upward from the ground -- and Kazama's gaze darts, seeing its direction... tearing straight for Kenji. Daigo's eye widens. His body tenses. That energy streaks a path towards Kenji Ashima, carving dangerously close--
--and it is only when it is mere feet from impact that the massive form of Daigo Kazama appears between it and Kenji, arms spread before he is engulfed once more in a tomb of searing white agony.
CHOOM.
The pillar of fire erupts and devours, and in the wake of its explosion... Daigo stands, smoke lifting off his body, the smell of charred flesh heavy in the air; his jacket no more, and any blood dripping from his body simply /burned/ away only for new trails to leak outward from far too many sources. Kazama snorts, smelling singed hair. The world, reality, barely registers around him. He simply stares ahead.
"G... et... it...? As long as I'm... here... you can't hurt... any... of my pe...opl...e..."
And that is when Daigo Kazama finally topples, falling with a wet, bloodied impact on the ground below.
The three warriors strike as one. They each state their defiance in the face of this God. Both with their words... and with fists, weapons, and flames. Even though Daigo has taken more punishment than any of the other two... hell, taken any more punishment than Hakuya has EVER seen, and simply kept fighting... and even though Kenji and himself aren't in terribly good shape either, the end result is...
The Spirit of Gedo was brought to bear.
Flaming punch after pillar throw-and-slaw after table leg beatdown, Igniz is crushed, near utterly. But not yet down. The God staggers to his feet, and Hakuya is forced to take a few steps back, a little amazed that Igniz, too, seems so... powerful. Was the God simply holding back, last time? Certainly Igniz didn't have this much power last time. And yet, the NESTs leader does indeed stand back up... and then launch a pillar of flames directly at Kenji.
Though Hakuya knows his friend can handle himself, the Suigetsu heir had an ingrained sense of protecting people. With an alarmed cry of, "Kenji!" The second of the Guardian Kings steps forward, intending on placing himself between the pillar of white flame and his friend -- but is significantly less fast than Daigo, who is already THERE by the time Hakuya even starts moving. Only watching in shock as the flames engulf the Boss, Hakuya doesn't even pay attention any more to Igniz, who undoubtedly is taking the offered exit Daigo made.
Now it's the Boss's turn to get Hakuya's worry. "Kazama!" Racing over, the teen begins to check, in his very limited manner, Daigo's wounds. They had won the battle, perhaps even the war, as Igniz has been de-throned, and all throughout the school, Gedo students were forcing the soldiers to flee, using homeground advantage against them to devestating effect. But it simply wouldn't do, now, if Daigo died in the process, would it?
COMBATSYS: Hakuya takes no action.
> ////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Hakuya
> //////////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Kenji
> / ]
|=======\====---\1 Daigo
"God" has fallen.
But he's not going down without a fight. There's a moment where Kenji's eyes bug right out of his eyes, pillars of flame erupting out of the ground and promising him nothing but absolute pain and even burn him right up into a pile of ashes. These were the moments where his life isn't like the manga he loves. This isn't where the guys in the crazy suits and the crazy gloves clearly have crazy powers hidden away somewhere. Again, that cold sting of fear builds up in the back of him.
He also knows trying to avoid it would be like trying to dive through a busy intersection unharmed.
Even with that chill spreading through his arms and legs, his eyes wide with shock, Kenji whips his arm to the side and casts the desk leg away, bringing his foot around and stomping hard on the ground. His forearms cross in front of him, his palms turned out, steeling himself and drawing on the chi that he wields-- maybe, just maybe, he can try to do something stupid. Maybe he can try to copy what Hakuya can do, and maybe he can try to just flat-out stop the attack with enough of his own power. He was never the one to learn a fighting style, but more or less stumble into learning and inventing things for himself.
And goddamn it, he's set to try anyway.
Suddenly, as he faces what could be certain death, there's a wall in front of him. There's flames, yes, but they don't progress further than that space right in front of him. When the light clears, he sees that there's no wall in front of him. No-- it's Daigo Kazama, in all of his proud, powerful glory. To say the least, Kenji is awestruck.
... and... a little relieved.
Then the Boss becomes unsettled, and he topples over to the ground like a fallen redwood tree. Igniz may have been dethroned, the school may be theirs again, but there's no time to celebrate... at least, not just yet. Like Hakuya, Kenji takes a few steps forward and power-slides on his knees to the fallen man's side. "Kazama. Kazama!!"
Looking to Hakuya, Kenji digs around in his pocket for his cellphone. Maybe-- just maybe-- he'll be able to get a call out, with all of this chaos. "Hakuya," he says, trying to keep calm, "I'll go get some help. Keep an eye on him!!"
As he turns and sprints down the hall, it's once again as a student of Gedo High.
It's their school again.
COMBATSYS: Kenji takes no action.
> ////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Hakuya
> //////////////////////// ]
|=======\=------\1 Kenji
> / ]
|=======\====---\1 Daigo
Log created on 18:53:32 05/14/2009 by Daigo, and last modified on 20:46:04 05/21/2009.