Spellheart [Luna & Jakers]

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'Could she come with her to see Ami?' Shibo blinked. How did she know it was Amiko, when she'd only referred to her as 'a friend'? Shibo had a feeling that this Marcy was somewhat connected to her, and she hadn't even noticed the purple eyes until now. Either it was some sort of coincidence, or Shibo's opponent was much more close to Amiko then she would've thought from a first glance. Swallowing, Shibo made sure everything was in check with her blade, before touching the orb and following Marcy into the unknown illusionspace.

As soon as Shibo entered this new world, she coughed instinctively as a faceful of ash brushed against her face, staining her white hair and clean face with smudges of black. Lifting up and arm and squinting, Shibo examined her surroundings, as a gentle breeze of ash continued to brush past her - like a sandstorm, though not as severe. Whatever the ash-like substance was, it wasn't poisonous enough to choke her to death, otherwise she'd be gagging on the floor right now.

Of all the arenas she'd been in, this was one of the most abstract-looking areas she'd seen. The place was like a black desert - with tall dunes of ash that looked like hills of black sand, and a light breeze of ash obscuring what was visible from far away like mist. Every now and again, there'd be some sort of black rock firmly implanted into the sand - and although she couldn't spot it properly thanks to ash obscuring her vision, there seemed to be some sort of large dip in the land, where a warm orange glow suggested something like a pool of magma.

Taking cover behind one of the black rocks and pulling her scarf up around her mouth, Shibo gave a light cough as she drew her blade, thinking about the situation. A place like this felt uncomfortable and was disorientating, but Shibo felt somewhat comfortable in an area like this. The only scary part was where Marcy could come from. She didn't have a large field of vision in this ash desert, and she could be taking cover behind any rock or any dune.

Biting her lip, Shibo decided to start prepping a defensive spell, just in case. She might waste it, but with what little control she had, she could keep it from going off for quite a while until she needed it. Keeping still, Shibo smudged ash from the floor over herself to try and blend in with the atmosphere a bit, staying as still as the rock she was hiding behind as she waiting for some sort of sign of Marcy. This couldn't be a hiding game forever, so she'd need to get out and scout soon.

STATS: SPP 50/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
ACTIVE SPELLS: Redwing Guard (0/15)
 
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Jakers said:
'Could she come with her to see Ami?' Shibo blinked. How did she know it was Amiko, when she'd only referred to her as 'a friend'? Shibo had a feeling that this Marcy was somewhat connected to her, and she hadn't even noticed the purple eyes until now. Either it was some sort of coincidence, or Shibo's opponent was much more close to Amiko then she would've thought from a first glance. Swallowing, Shibo made sure everything was in check with her blade, before touching the orb and following Marcy into the unknown illusionspace.

As soon as Shibo entered this new world, she coughed instinctively as a faceful of ash brushed against her face, staining her white hair and clean face with smudges of black. Lifting up and arm and squinting, Shibo examined her surroundings, as a gentle breeze of ash continued to brush past her - like a sandstorm, though not as severe. Whatever the ash-like substance was, it wasn't poisonous enough to choke her to death, otherwise she'd be gagging on the floor right now.

Of all the arenas she'd been in, this was one of the most abstract-looking areas she'd seen. The place was like a black desert - with tall dunes of ash that looked like hills of black sand, and a light breeze of ash obscuring what was visible from far away like mist. Every now and again, there'd be some sort of black rock firmly implanted into the sand - and although she couldn't spot it properly thanks to ash obscuring her vision, there seemed to be some sort of large dip in the land, where a warm orange glow suggested something like a pool of magma.

Taking cover behind one of the black rocks and pulling her scarf up around her mouth, Shibo gave a light cough as she drew her blade, thinking about the situation. A place like this felt uncomfortable and was disorientating, but Shibo felt somewhat comfortable in an area like this. The only scary part was where Marcy could come from. She didn't have a large field of vision in this ash desert, and she could be taking cover behind any rock or any dune.

Biting her lip, Shibo decided to start prepping a defensive spell, just in case. She might waste it, but with what little control she had, she could keep it from going off for quite a while until she needed it. Keeping still, Shibo smudged ash from the floor over herself to try and blend in with the atmosphere a bit, staying as still as the rock she was hiding behind as she waiting for some sort of sign of Marcy. This couldn't be a hiding game forever, so she'd need to get out and scout soon.

STATS: SPP 50, SPF 10, SPC 5
ACTIVE SPELLS: Redwing Guard (0/15)
Click to expand...
Gathering her bearings quickly due to spawning up high, Marcy begins to cast Angel Wings(5, Utility), Holy Smite(5, Offense), and Wing Guard(5, Defense). From her vantage point, Marcy notices that Shibo made the decision to hide under cover, Marcy does the exact opposite by opting to rush her down. Running off into a long jump, Marcy plummets straight downwards, leaving herself a completely open target. As she falls, she opens her Aetherpocket, revealing her weapon.

STATS: SPP 50/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
Active Spells: Angel Wings 0/5
Holy Smite 0/5
Wing Guard 0/5
 
Drawing her sword as she remained still behind cover, Shibo bit her lip as the familiar red smoke began to start emitting from her shoulderblades. Judging by Marcy's tactics and footsteps, she already knew where she was, so the smoke wasn't a giveaway or anything. Either way, ambushing wasn't an option. Hopefully Marcy didn't have some sort of one-shot tactic up her sleeve, because it looked like Shibo was going to have to take her head on. She hadn't managed to get a proper look at Marcy, so for all she knew, she could be running into one hundred spell circles ready to fire. Hopefully that was the case, because her Redwing Guard would be ready very soon. Timing was key here.

Clicking her neck as she drew her blade, covered in ash, Shibo was a blur of black emitting wisps of red as she hurtled over the rock in front of her, making a dash down the slope of ash for Marcy. Dragging her sword behind her, it left a trail of black clouds rising into the air as Shibo drew closer. Another spell circle seemed to be in the making as she made her advance.

With a yell, Shibo went for an all-out downwards jump slash into Marcy, which was more to try and overwhelm her than to slice her in half. Shibo knew such a move could be easily dodged. Time to see what such a petite-looking girl was really made of.

STATS: SPP 40/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
ACTIVE SPELLS: Redwing Guard (10/15),
Crimson Ultraslash (0/25)
 
Jakers said:
Drawing her sword as she remained still behind cover, Shibo bit her lip as the familiar red smoke began to start emitting from her shoulderblades. Judging by Marcy's tactics and footsteps, she already knew where she was, so the smoke wasn't a giveaway or anything. Either way, ambushing wasn't an option. Hopefully Marcy didn't have some sort of one-shot tactic up her sleeve, because it looked like Shibo was going to have to take her head on. She hadn't managed to get a proper look at Marcy, so for all she knew, she could be running into one hundred spell circles ready to fire. Hopefully that was the case, because her Redwing Guard would be ready very soon. Timing was key here.

Clicking her neck as she drew her blade, covered in ash, Shibo was a blur of black emitting wisps of red as she hurtled over the rock in front of her, making a dash down the slope of ash for Marcy. Dragging her sword behind her, it left a trail of black clouds rising into the air as Shibo drew closer. Another spell circle seemed to be in the making as she made her advance.

With a yell, Shibo went for an all-out downwards jump slash into Marcy, which was more to try and overwhelm her than to slice her in half. Shibo knew such a move could be easily dodged. Time to see what such a petite-looking girl was really made of.

STATS: SPP 50, SPF 10, SPC 5
ACTIVE SPELLS: Redwing Guard (10/15),
Crimson Ultraslash (0/25)
Click to expand...
Unfortunately for Marcy, the Wing Guard circle got a lot more of the magical flow than she had expected. Typically she'd be able to hold it at the ready for a bit longer, but rather than get frustrated that her spell mistimed, she used it to her advantage. Although entirely overkill for the situation, Marcy blocks the jump slash by casting Wing Guard. As a result, Marcy's sword glows a bright white which can easily be seen even in the storm of ash. When the blade makes contact with Shibo's sword, a flurry of white feathers burst into existence, creating a force of wind which not only repulses Shibo, but creates a short-lived break in the storm that allows both combatants to get a clear look at each other.

Leaving both of her remaining spells just on the edge of reaching their limit, Marcy once again dashes forward after Shibo, hoping to wear down Shibo with the sheer aggression. Yet another copy of Holy Smite spawns. It seems Marcy is out for blood.

STATS: SPP 37/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
ACTIVE SPELLS: Wing Guard 5/5 Casting
Holy Smite 4/5
Angel Wings 4/5
Holy Smite 0/5
 
Grunting, the push of wind from Marcy's Wing Guard sent Shibo flying back onto her behind a short distance, putting her onto her back for a moment. There was no injury, it was just a large knockback effect - and scraping against the ashen floor once more meant Shibo was essentially covered from head to toe in the soot at this point. So much that it was almost hard to make her out.

...Did that burst from the sword happen due to a spell, or was it something to do with the sword itself? Shibo wasn't sure, but keeping her on the offensive was a must. She just needed to unleash her one offensive move at the right moment - because she only had one shot at this.

Blinking as the replusion caused the ash to stop falling for a moment, Shibo squinted from her back as she looked into Marcy's deep purple eyes, with the red-pink eyes of her own, shooting her a glare: a patient and focused look, though somewhat distracted. Those purple eyes... could it be...

Shaking her head to regain her focus as the storm amped up again, Shibo rolled backwards to get back to her feet as Marcy kept on the offensive towards her. It seemed that the knockback thing was all that she had, so she could put a hold on casting Redwing Guard for now. Thankfully all of the mana out of her control hadn't gone into it just yet.

As Marcy approached, Shibo took an offensive stance, making a gesture as if she was ready to cast off an offensive burst. This was to try and confuse Marcy and provoke her offensive spells out. Whilst she might not've been the smartest out of combat, Shibo's use of mind games in combat was effective against less intelligent opponents. A look into Marcy's eyes, however, made Shibo think she wasn't going to be fooled so easily. Body tensing, Shibo took a step back, waiting patiently for Marcy's strike(s).

STATS: SPP 30/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
ACTIVE SPELLS: Redwing Guard (12/15),
Crimson Ultraslash (8/25)
 
Jakers said:
Grunting, the push of wind from Marcy's Wing Guard sent Shibo flying back onto her behind a short distance, putting her onto her back for a moment. There was no injury, it was just a large knockback effect - and scraping against the ashen floor once more meant Shibo was essentially covered from head to toe in the soot at this point. So much that it was almost hard to make her out.

...Did that burst from the sword happen due to a spell, or was it something to do with the sword itself? Shibo wasn't sure, but keeping her on the offensive was a must. She just needed to unleash her one offensive move at the right moment - because she only had one shot at this.

Blinking as the replusion caused the ash to stop falling for a moment, Shibo squinted from her back as she looked into Marcy's deep purple eyes, with the red-pink eyes of her own, shooting her a glare: a patient and focused look, though somewhat distracted. Those purple eyes... could it be...

Shaking her head to regain her focus as the storm amped up again, Shibo rolled backwards to get back to her feet as Marcy kept on the offensive towards her. It seemed that the knockback thing was all that she had, so she could put a hold on casting Redwing Guard for now. Thankfully all of the mana out of her control hadn't gone into it just yet.

As Marcy approached, Shibo took an offensive stance, making a gesture as if she was ready to cast off an offensive burst. This was to try and confuse Marcy and provoke her offensive spells out. Whilst she might not've been the smartest out of combat, Shibo's use of mind games in combat was effective against less intelligent opponents. A look into Marcy's eyes, however, made Shibo think she wasn't going to be fooled so easily. Body tensing, Shibo took a step back, waiting patiently for Marcy's strike(s).

STATS: SPP 30/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
ACTIVE SPELLS: Redwing Guard (12/15),
Crimson Ultraslash (8/25)
Click to expand...
Unable to contain her spells any longer, Marcy grows a pair of angel wings which she uses to jump high into the air before releasing two balls of energy in rapid succession. They seemed to radiate like the sun. Even just by looking at it, the heat which they produced seemed obvious. Marcy found herself smile when she locked eyes with Shibo. It seemed like she could interpret the revelations which Shibo invariably experienced.

Following shortly behind her energy based attack, Marcy dives down towards Shibo with wild abandon. "You seem like you have a good handle on this fighting thing, but can you handle this aggression of mine?" Marcy still continues to create more and more cheap spells to assist her combat. Should Shibo remain in place, Marcy will try to slash into Shibo. Though she appears on a crash course with the ground now that her wings have begun to dissipate.

STATS: SSP 30/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
ACTIVE SPELLS: Holy Smite 5/5
Holy Smite 5/5
Angel Wings 5/5
Angel Wings 0/5
Holy Smite 0/5
 
As Marcy jumped into the air by propelling herself with some form of magical wings, a burst of smoke hissed from Shibo's back as she grew a pair of wings of her own - the large wings forged from the thick, red smoke that was the redwing guard. Though they didn't allow her to fly like Marcy did, Shibo braced herself as the two projectiles went coming in for her, pointing her sword in a downwards motion.

The wings of red smoke folded around her, covering her like a barrier that caused the two Holy Smite spells that should've hit Shibo to fizzle away plainly. It was a simple protective spell for one person, but if that was the case, why was such a basic protection spell at such a high cost? Judging by Marcy's moves, it looked like she was about to discover another feature about Redwing Guard.

Her wings unfolding around her once the assault of the Holy Smite spells was over, Shibo looked up as the smoky appendages gently flapped at her back. It looked like Marcy was about to charge right into her, and in response, Shibo did nothing whatsoever. As Marcy spoke, Shibo simply shook her head as she looked into the air, right into the purple eyes of her attacker.

"Your aggression is impressive, but... I'm sure you've heard this one before." Shibo called out. Suddenly, the wings folded around Shibo once more, facing Marcy like a wall. "The best offence is a good defence."

As Marcy went for a slash for Shibo, she managed to get in a good slash to Shibo's right shoulder, drawing blood and causing Shibo to grunt in pain. However, she'd notice something. Physically touching the red smoke burns the skin, and deals light damage to wards/natural magic resist! Any burns could be avoided with a strong defence, but essentially, doing a physical attack against Shibo whilst she has Redwing Guard active damages the attacker.

The wings would fade away into the storm afterwards, leaving Shibo breathing heavily as blood trickled from the new, deep mark in her right shoulder.
"H-Heh... you got me, but... it's far from over." Damn... moving her sword to parry that attack would've meant she couldn't keep Redwing Guard up, so she'd just had to stand there and take it. Thank God Marcy hadn't been able to get a headshot in, otherwise Shibo would've been essentially cleaved in half. Ignoring the searing pain and the blood mixing in with the ash on her body as it flowed, Shibo prepared another spell circle, her black and jagged blade beginning to glow red considerably with power.

She had to put her hopes in a Diffusion Slash for now, but... the chances were she'd be on the receiving end of a spell, soon. Shibo just hoped her ward and high natural magic resist would be able to take it.

STATS: SPP 20/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
ACTIVE SPELLS: Redwing Guard (15/15) ACTIVATED
Diffusion Slash (0/10)
Crimson Ultraslash (15/25)
 
Jakers said:
As Marcy jumped into the air by propelling herself with some form of magical wings, a burst of smoke hissed from Shibo's back as she grew a pair of wings of her own - the large wings forged from the thick, red smoke that was the redwing guard. Though they didn't allow her to fly like Marcy did, Shibo braced herself as the two projectiles went coming in for her, pointing her sword in a downwards motion.

The wings of red smoke folded around her, covering her like a barrier that caused the two Holy Smite spells that should've hit Shibo to fizzle away plainly. It was a simple protective spell for one person, but if that was the case, why was such a basic protection spell at such a high cost? Judging by Marcy's moves, it looked like she was about to discover another feature about Redwing Guard.

Her wings unfolding around her once the assault of the Holy Smite spells was over, Shibo looked up as the smoky appendages gently flapped at her back. It looked like Marcy was about to charge right into her, and in response, Shibo did nothing whatsoever. As Marcy spoke, Shibo simply shook her head as she looked into the air, right into the purple eyes of her attacker.

"Your aggression is impressive, but... I'm sure you've heard this one before." Shibo called out. Suddenly, the wings folded around Shibo once more, facing Marcy like a wall. "The best offence is a good defence."

As Marcy went for a slash for Shibo, she managed to get in a good slash to Shibo's right shoulder, drawing blood and causing Shibo to grunt in pain. However, she'd notice something. Physically touching the red smoke burns the skin, and deals light damage to wards/natural magic resist! Any burns could be avoided with a strong defence, but essentially, doing a physical attack against Shibo whilst she has Redwing Guard active damages the attacker.

The wings would fade away into the storm afterwards, leaving Shibo breathing heavily as blood trickled from the new, deep mark in her right shoulder.
"H-Heh... you got me, but... it's far from over." Damn... moving her sword to parry that attack would've meant she couldn't keep Redwing Guard up, so she'd just had to stand there and take it. Thank God Marcy hadn't been able to get a headshot in, otherwise Shibo would've been essentially cleaved in half. Ignoring the searing pain and the blood mixing in with the ash on her body as it flowed, Shibo prepared another spell circle, her black and jagged blade beginning to glow red considerably with power.

She had to put her hopes in a Diffusion Slash for now, but... the chances were she'd be on the receiving end of a spell, soon. Shibo just hoped her ward and high natural magic resist would be able to take it.

STATS: SPP 20/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
ACTIVE SPELLS: Redwing Guard (15/15) ACTIVATED
Diffusion Slash (0/10)
Crimson Ultraslash (15/25)
Click to expand...
Marcy soon finds the disturbing truth about Shibo's wall of smoke. Although she couldn't immediately understand what was happening to her, Marcy soon understood the cost of her aggression as her flimsy ward shattered under the effects of the smoke. Thanks to her high magic resistance, Marcy managed to shrug off the mist, but from now on she'd be at the mercy of Shibo's attacks.

However, now a critical condition had been met. Finally, Marcy found herself in close quarters with an opponent that didn't have a proper defense ready. Although she could sense that one of the spell circles had a defensive spell, it wasn't charged long enough to fend her off like the Redwing guard. Now was the time to attack.

Swinging her sword in a frenzy of attacks, she intends to take advantage of Shibo's harmed shoulder in order to score even more physical attacks. While preoccupied with the fighting, Marcy launches another Holy Smite, this time towards Shibo's feet. Should Shibo attempt to sidestep the attack, Marcy will take the opportunity to strike at a vital point. Should the attack land, the orb of light will explode, knocking both Marcy and Shibo into the air, but Marcy will have her angel wings to allow her to stabilize quickly and fly towards Shibo for a lethal physical attack while Shibo is airborn.

Even with a victory condition in sight, Marcy continues to form many spell circles. Unlike more overconfident opponents, she didn't want to underestimate Shibo.

STATS: SPP: 20/50, SPF: 10, SPC: 5
Active Spells: Angel Wings 5/5
Holy Smite 5/5
Wing Guard 0/5
Wing Guard 0/5
Holy Smite 0/5
 
As the projectile came zooming towards her feet, Shibo gave a breath of relief as the familiar hum of her sword told her that her Diffusion Slash was already ready to go. Considering that she had a limited control over her manapool, to get all of her mana flowing into her Diffusion Slash, and not her Crimson Ultraslash, was a very lucky and convinient occurence indeed.

The projectile looked like it was about to blast Shibo into the air, until her sword glowed red as she met the projectile head-on with an upswing. As the Diffusion Slash hit the projectile, the power of it seemed to drop considerably, giving a somewhat pathetic 'phut' as it hit next to Shibo's feet, knocking her backwards very slightly and doing near-to-no damage. However, for some reason, Shibo's sword went flying out of her hand after parrying the spell, way out of her reach, burying itself within ash.

A little blood dripped from an ash-covered Shibo's mouth as she looked at Marcy for a moment, before she did her best to take up a defensive stance in an unarmed position. It looked like she was on her last legs, even after miraculously managing to pull of her Diffusion Slash; if Marcy kept up an offensive, it seemed like she'd easily get a free hit on Shibo. Though... for some reason, she was clenching her right fist extremely tightly.

STATS: SPP 10/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
ACTIVE SPELLS: Diffusion Slash (10/10) ACTIVATED
Crimson Ultraslash (15/25)
 
Marcy looks completely stunned as her offensive comes to a screeching halt once Shibo manages to come out with a quick defensive spell. From the flow of the match, a quick defense would have come in handy far too many occasions for her to actually possess a quick defense spell. The only thing Marcy could conclude was that Shibo somehow got all the mana she possessed to flow into a single medium defense spell. In normal situations, the match might have been lost right then and there; however, Marcy managed to disarm her opponent. Marcy associated this weapon drop with the relative physical weakness caused by having to fight her at 100% with an injured shoulder.

Yelling out a primal scream, Marcy charges towards Shibo down, trying to end the fight with a strong upward strike. Her blade glows white, signifying the Wing guard effect is active. Using it this way fails to utilize its defensive properties, but effectively makes a physical block suffer the knockback associated with the defense. With the strike being directed upward, such a knockback would cause Shibo to vault skyward. Expecting the fight to end one way or another, Marcy prepares her signature spell, Angel's Clothes (0, Utility).

STATS: SPP 10/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
Active Spells: Wing Guard 5/5
Wing Guard 2/5
Holy Smite 3/5
Angel's Clothes
 
As Marcy came charging in for a final upward slash, surprisingly, Shibo did absolutely nothing to try and dodge it. Instead, she placed her left hand in the way of the slash, gagging in pain as the blade sliced most of her fingers cleanly off, but the slash was redirected from hitting a vital part of hers. Along with that, Shibo was knocked right into the air from the strike, without her weapon. Disarmed, badly injured, and airborne, it truly looked like Shibo was going to lose this battle very soon, with dire consequences.

However, Shibo suddenly smiled as she went vaulting into the air.

"H-Hnng... h-ha, you overlooked one crucial detail. Why would I have dropped my weapon there? Why was I clenching my fist? I added a trick to this sword I haven't shown you yet...!" Shibo yelled, ignoring the pain as blood poured from her near-severed left hand. Suddenly, Shibo reveals why she was clenching her right fist hard a moment earlier. Yanking her right fist back with a powerful and precise tug, her sword previously buried in the ash comes flying to her - revealing that the blade was attached to a string! Catching the sword in her remaining right hand, Shibo's blade was humming red with extreme power, as gravity started to bring her back down to earth after being knocked up.

"That's right - I threw the sword away so you'd attack me, thinking I was vunerable, and so the glowing sword would be hidden under the ash... making this even more of a surprise!" Shibo yelled, "...I was hoping you'd knock me into the air. That just gives me more momentum! Survive... THIS!!"

Holding her sword tightly with her remaining right hand, Shibo gritted her teeth and yelled as her most powerful spell began to emit from her sword, the red smoke bursting out so intensely that it caused the rain of ash to burn up, making it look like it was raining sparks and embers. Going for a final jumping slash, Shibo's blade screamed like the pits of hell, as red smoke flooded the floor like an explosion of fire as she smashed into the ground, aiming right for Marcy.

This was the Crimson Ultraslash - the final turnaround move that, in combination with Shibo's tricks up her sleeve, turned fights right around when people thought they were winning. It was now, or never. If Shibo didn't win with this attack, she'd be out of mana, and would need to rely on One-Handed swordplay alone.

STATS: SPP 0/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
ACTIVE SPELLS: Crimson Ultraslash (25/25) ACTIVATED!
 
Jakers said:
As Marcy came charging in for a final upward slash, surprisingly, Shibo did absolutely nothing to try and dodge it. Instead, she placed her left hand in the way of the slash, gagging in pain as the blade sliced most of her fingers cleanly off, but the slash was redirected from hitting a vital part of hers. Along with that, Shibo was knocked right into the air from the strike, without her weapon. Disarmed, badly injured, and airborne, it truly looked like Shibo was going to lose this battle very soon, with dire consequences.

However, Shibo suddenly smiled as she went vaulting into the air.

"H-Hnng... h-ha, you overlooked one crucial detail. Why would I have dropped my weapon there? Why was I clenching my fist? I added a trick to this sword I haven't shown you yet...!" Shibo yelled, ignoring the pain as blood poured from her near-severed left hand. Suddenly, Shibo reveals why she was clenching her right fist hard a moment earlier. Yanking her right fist back with a powerful and precise tug, her sword previously buried in the ash comes flying to her - revealing that the blade was attached to a string! Catching the sword in her remaining right hand, Shibo's blade was humming red with extreme power, as gravity started to bring her back down to earth after being knocked up.

"That's right - I threw the sword away so you'd attack me, thinking I was vunerable, and so the glowing sword would be hidden under the ash... making this even more of a surprise!" Shibo yelled, "...I was hoping you'd knock me into the air. That just gives me more momentum! Survive... THIS!!"

Holding her sword tightly with her remaining right hand, Shibo gritted her teeth and yelled as her most powerful spell began to emit from her sword, the red smoke bursting out so intensely that it caused the rain of ash to burn up, making it look like it was raining sparks and embers. Going for a final jumping slash, Shibo's blade screamed like the pits of hell, as red smoke flooded the floor like an explosion of fire as she smashed into the ground, aiming right for Marcy.

This was the Crimson Ultraslash - the final turnaround move that, in combination with Shibo's tricks up her sleeve, turned fights right around when people thought they were winning. It was now, or never. If Shibo didn't win with this attack, she'd be out of mana, and would need to rely on One-Handed swordplay alone.

STATS: SPP 0/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
ACTIVE SPELLS: Crimson Ultraslash (25/25) ACTIVATED!
Click to expand...
Once the blade made contact, Marcy thought for sure that the fight was over. Shibo didn't seem to have any sort of tricks that could change her momentum, so winning the fight came down to utilizing the advantage of mobility to ensure she lands an attack while Shibo deals with the impact of landing on the ground after such a fall. Unfortunately, Marcy had failed to understand just how powerful of a trump card Shibo had held.

Seeing Shibo's blade return to her, at first, didn't seem like such a big deal. Even if she could throw out an offensive move, there didn't seem like there was a way she could overcome her aggression. Surely she has been on the defensive the entire match. Yet on seeing the tremendous power behind the crimson ultraslash, Marcy knew that she was doomed. That technique was many times more powerful than her cheap spells.

However, looking her doom in the face, Marcy did not budge. Mustering all the magical might that she could, Marcy activates wing guard, sends out a holy spite attack. Although these were likely to do little to nothing to protect her, Marcy just wanted to lessen the force as much as she could. Even if it mean she'd just be suffering in agony instead of dying immediately, Marcy just wanted to show Shibo one last trick.

With Angel's Clothing, Marcy is consumed in white light, and from the light appears the guise of Amiko. Although none of Marcy's efforts do anything to prevent taking the awesome power of the crimson ultraslash, Marcy manages to survive on just a thread. Many of her bones were broken. Painful burn marks littered her body. Even her clothes burned away. Marcy seemed to cry in pain, but no sound was produced. Tears just continued to flow. She looked just like Amiko, even in this miserable state. Furthermore, she kept maintaining Angel's Clothing, even as she endured a living hell. She refused to die, even on death's door.

Mustering all her remaining willpower, Marcy turns to look Shibo in the eyes. She mouths the words, "Finish me."

STATS: SPP 5/50, SPF 10, SPC 5
Active Spells: Wing Guard 5/5
Holy Smite 5/5
Angel's Clothing
Angel's Clothing
 
As Marcy sent out what was left as Shibo cleaved into her, the Holy Smite smashed into Shibo, instantly shattering the weak ward in her sword, and almost taking her out right then and there as she was knocked back after attacking with the terrifying slash. Thankfully, her high natural magic resist managed to keep her alive - leaving her panting for breath as she crawled back up to her knees. Shibo was a walking figure of ash and blood, with two white eyes sticking out. Thick ash matted her hair and coated her entire body uncomfortably, and pain seared through her shoulder and half-severed left hand.

Surely that slash had ended it... it was a direct hit on Marcy... she just wanted this to end, now.

As she looked up at her opponent - or what was left - Shibo almost choked, tears forming in her eyes.

"...Why...?" Was all Shibo managed to gasp. "...W-Why would you do that to me...? Hnn... you're... Am... A..."

Was... was this some sort of last-minute illusion spell to try and stop Shibo from finishing the battle? Was this Marcy's last way of attacking Shibo - by making her feel awful? She was looking at Amiko: her partner; the girl she'd been worried about for all these days, but in a horrible state. Like she was being put through the most unimaginable pain, and it hurt Shibo so much. If it were Marcy in this state, she'd still feel awful as the strike was meant to just take out targets, but... this pain in her chest was more than any sword stab could deliver. Why had she done that? Shibo just didn't understand.

Heavy breaths came from Shibo, before her ash-stained her covered her eyes. Getting to her feet, her muscles tensed as Shibo dragged her sword behind her, approaching 'Amiko'. She couldn't watch this any longer. She wanted this to end, and now she was going to deliver a final blow and put Marcy out of her misery. They'd wake up afterwards, anyway. This was just like a bad dream.

As Shibo drew closer, she aimed a final sword stab - one straight through the forehead - that would end things painlessly for the Marcy disguised as Amiko. If it hit, Shibo would throw up on the floor afterwards, before falling to the ground wordlessly.
 
Marcy dies immediately as Shibo's sword goes right through her skull. And at last, the special ability of Marcy's sword reveals itself. Normally, to keep up a magical spell, the caster themselves must create a magic circle to continue on the effect. This prevents null cost spells from dominating the arena scene. However, Marcy's sword is able to steadily echo these null cast spells over and over, allowing her to maintain the appearance of Amiko, even after her death.

As usual, the arena announces Shibo as the winner and prompts her to make her choice on if she will keep the memories of the fight.
 
Once it was done, Shibo just looked away as she pulled her sword out, falling onto her back, and looking up at the sky as she breathed heavily, feeling not only awful on the outside, but awful on the inside, too. She daren't look back at the body - and Shibo didn't even notice how Marcy was still Amiko, even in death, as she didn't look once at the 'corpse' she'd made.

She just wanted the ash to bury her away from existence. This mixture of blood she was laying in right now... Shibo's mind was just buzzing with all sorts of emotions as she remained motionless on the floor. Her thoughts were completely spontaneous for a moment, before she processed the familiar voice of the announcer, telling her she'd won.

...Memories...

...!!

"So that's why." Shibo whispered bitterly. Marcy wanted Shibo to forget the battle by making a terrible image for her. Whilst it was horrible, Shibo knew she could get over it: everything that happened in illusionspace wasn't real. She wouldn't brood on this... she didn't hurt Amiko... Marcy was just trying to get Shibo to forget. ...But why did she want her to forget this battle? To trick her into thinking she'd won afterwards? Or... was it just a last-minute way of Marcy attacking Shibo, like she'd thought.

Coughing out a little blood, Shibo closed her eyes. As tempting as it was to just forget what she'd just seen, she didn't want to fall into this trap Marcy had made for her. She knew that if she looked up now, she'd be looking at Amiko's lifeless, bleeding, burnt and naked body. So she just kept her eyes firmly shut, murmuring stuff to herself repeatedly that almost made her seem insane for a couple of moments, before she answered the question.

"...I'll keep my memories. F-Fucking... get me out of here... please..." Shibo stammered almost inaudibly, the ash starting to bury her in the ground as she laid completely still.
 
When Shibo wakes from the illusionspace, she finds her body in the embrace of Marcy. Marcy had her arms draped around Shibo from behind, holding her across her shoulders, just above her chest. Marcy doesn't seem to look all that distressed but definitely seems concerned, "Shibo, are you alright?"
 
As Shibo's eyes began to flutter open in the real world, her face looked pale and sick, and her eyes were somewhat bloodshot. Feeling arms wrapped around her, Shibo instinctively wiggled a little with a few coughs, looking around to see the face of Marcy.

Shibo narrowed her eyes for a moment as she looked into the purple eyes of her opponent for that fight. There we so many things she wanted to do right now. She wanted to scream. She wanted to force her way out of Marcy's grip and storm off. She just felt so... angry, by what she'd done just there. She'd forced Shibo to look into a dying Amiko, and finish her off afterwards like putting down a dog. Amiko's blood had been on Shibo's sword, and she'd felt it splatter against her fingers.

As awful as it was... Marcy didn't seem like she'd even realised what she'd done. Did she choose to forget her memories? Or did she automatically forget her memories anyway? Did she even know what she'd done by casting that spell? And... Shibo knew she couldn't brood on this forever. She'd forget what Marcy had done there in time, so she could take it in her heart to forgive her, just this once. She clearly wanted to see Amiko. Badly.

Either way, the embrace was slightly appreciated by Shibo. She just about needed some comfort right now, because she felt sick as dog, and was trembling like a leaf.

"Look," Shibo whispered after a long amount of silence, too mentally tired to wiggle out of Marcy's embrace. "...If you want to go and see Amiko, you can come with me. But first, y-you have to tell me... how do you know her...?" Shibo paused, some tears leaking out of her eyes.
 
Marcy starts to run her hand through Shibo's long silver hair. In contrast to how she behaved during the fight, she had a gentle touch. The touch and tone of Marcy's voice seemed to suggest a strong level of empathy, as though she had been through a similar experience before. "I can already tell, you have much more than that on your mind. Nobody could attack someone they care about, even if it were just an illusion, and end up feeling nothing. But if you really want to be friends with Amiko, then you needed to know about how that felt. Someone who has never been hurt could never understand her feelings. So for her sake, I had to do what I did. I had to do it, because, I'm Amiko's ex-girlfriend."
 
Shibo closed her eyes as Marcy revealed her relation to Amiko. It certainly wasn't what she was expecting, but... it definitely made sense. They both had the same sort of personality - calm, gentle, and emphatic. Each stroke Shibo received from Marcy's hand felt wonderful and calming... just like how Amiko had calmed down Shibo in that labyrinth. It wasn't hard to see how these two were a thing. But... why had it ended?

It was at this moment that Shibo felt... strange, inside. Marcy had just openly admitted she was a lesbian - something Shibo had never done to anyone ever, not even in front of her parents. It almost made her feel less ashamed about how she thought about girls. And... that meant Amiko had a preference for girls, too.

For some reason, Shibo was hurting inside not only for what just happened, but for Marcy, too. Loads of thoughts were flooding Shibo's brain - like how the feelings she'd recieved for Amiko other than friendship might have been mutual - but at the same time, she didn't want to hurt Marcy by... u-ugh. She was just thinking like a schoolgirl now, and it felt embarrassing.

"...I understand, now. I always felt like you had some sort of close connection to her, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it." Shibo whispered, being calmed by the pets. "I'm sorry if it hurts to bring it up, but... why did it end with you two in the first place? I... can imagine you two caring a lot for each other. You're both quite alike." Shibo quietly asked. She didn't realise it it, but her body was becoming progressively less and less tense with each stroke she received.

"...You don't have to answer that. If you want to come and see her, then you can just follow me."
 
Marcy gives a complex response to the subject of her break-up with Amiko. At first, she seems surprised, then reflective, and finally collected. After a small moment of silence, Marcy gives a sage response, "I think it takes more than being alike for that sort of relationship to really set root. In my case though, I think our break-up was inevitable. From the very start, I didn't stand a chance." Losing her perfect calm, a single tear falls, "Even to this day, I'm frustrated that I love her so much. But, even if it hurts, I just don't want to be the one who stood on the sidelines when she needed me, even if it can't be in a romantic way." Looking a bit dejected, Marcy claps her cheeks, "But thank you for letting me come with you, even after the horrible thing I did to you."
 
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