Ten Sekai Sentou Kyousou (Part 2) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Sacred Shrine, Island of Creation "So, you are the one they refer to as 'The Butcher'..." Sacred Shrine. A large cavernous building built at the edge of the West cliff-face of the Island of Creation. Below them were the thrashing waves pounding jagged rocks. It was made over 800 years ago by a radical cult that to this day remains nameless. Supported by large pillars and decorated with statues of gold, this hidden treasure house was unknown to almost everyone of Spanish nativity. Thusly when the Shougatsu Financial Group bought the island and re-discovered the Sacred Shrine; they took steps to research and study it. Now this enormous hall of gold and stone was the chosen staging ground for the third of the opening fights. Which involved two people who aspired to do similar things. But for very different reasons. They were Ming Lo Mazda and Ra El Khahid. Both had a will to kill. But while Ra did it for the simple sake of the pleasure, Ming Lo wanted to kill to continue the legacy of her Mazda Family. Neither was justified in what they did but they both had the determination. Determination just about made up for the evils that were raging on in their lives. Ming Lo looked over at Ra for the first time. She had never met him, but had heard much of his killings in Cairo, Neo-Egypt. By now his hit list had amassed over a hundred people to its record. Men, women, children, Ra El didn't care who he killed. All that mattered to him was satiating that dark lust for blood and death. It would be a pleasure for Ming Lo to take him down. "I have heard all about your exploits. And about that heavy bounty that has been placed upon your head. I travelled all the way from Fuzhou, China just to collect that bounty." Ra El Khahid smiled to himself, shutting his eyes. "So it's true. Even people as distant as the Far East have heard of me. For such fame... I am flattered. Even more so when I know that I am being pursued by a member of the Mazda Family." Ming Lo's eyes widened. But Ra continued to smile. "Do you deny it? I know that spear is one of the sacred treasures of the Mazda. The spear called Baal. Not quite at the Airget-Lam, but strong enough to stand on its own merits." "How do you know these things?" Ming Lo questioned sharply. Ra El Khahid twirled the Quetzacoatl upwards. "...The Quetzacoatl tells me. It gives me power you couldn't even begin to imagine. You are nothing but an ant compared to the strength of the Quetzacoatl and I. And if you were of any sound intelligence, you would not have involved yourself with me. Only the strong stand a chance against my power. But you are so deluded with your personal illusions of grandeur that you ignore how weak you truly are." Ming Lo sneered at Ra El, turning Baal around so that it was held horizontally behind her back in a traditional Mazda fighting pose. "Don't pretend to know anything about me! I came to this tournament for one reason and one reason only! I am here to kill you! And once I have eliminated someone as powerful as you are, I will be recognized as rightfully belonging to the First Assassin Line! I will give Female Mazdas the same prestige as Male Mazdas!" Now she just had to carry that out. Ming Lo narrowed her eyes on Ra El Khahid and pulled up her free hand. The Mazda Family were born assassins. Even though women were looked on to maintain the family only they were also trained in the art of killing as a means of self defence. Now she would use that power in the best way possible. The Mazda Family specialized in two main areas. Spear skills and Chi Manipulation. The Savage Dark Arts of their family were based upon those two denominations of fighting. Ming Lo had trained herself to be masters of both. The girl projected her hand at Ra, who was not moving or putting up his guard. All the better. A dark lavender energy soon began to generate in front of her hand. It drew inwards into the shape of a ball, swirling and shifting. Ming Lo breathed slowly as she gathered in the spiritual power that allowed her this attack. One of the Special Attacks of the Female Variation of the Mazda Assassination Style. Soon Ming Lo's hand was swallowed up in the vastness of that growing purple orb. It gleamed in the dark halls of Sacred Shrine (which were brightened only by a few fire torches by the walls). That dark lavender gleam spread over her body too and was aimed right for Ra El Khahid. "Take this!" Ming Lo bellowed, "A Female Mazda Technique! Butterfly Flash!" Ming Lo's hand jerked back as she fired the wave. A burst of Chi was shot from her hand, shaped roughly in the image of a butterfly, but travelling at a rapid and swift speed. Ra saw it head for him and bolted to one side with great speed. The Butterfly Flash sailed right past his former point of standing and continued until it a stone statue on the other side of that resonant hall. A small explosion could be heard, as the head of the statue was blown off from the next in a haze of dust and stone fragments. Ming Lo lowered her hand and searched for Ra. He would be leading off the attack next. She was sure of it. She looked around a bit. Aside from the torches that clung to the pillars holding up the Shrine itself, there was not much light in this place. Fighting him would be difficult in these conditions. Ming Lo decided not to rely on her eyes. But rather her Mind's Eye. That would tell her exactly where Ra was. The girl slipped her beautiful brown eyes shut and waited. She put all of her focus on her Mind's Eye. That section of her mind that could perceive the world around her without the common limitations of the naked human eye. After taking that time... in just a short moment of waiting, visions of the shrine appeared to her. She could see the Shrine as clearly in her mind as she could if it were full of light. And her Mind's Eye told her that Ra was coming at her from... She opened her eyes. "...Behind!" Ming Lo pulled up her spear and rotated on her heels. Her Mind's Eye had been right. Ra charged her from behind with his Quetzacoatl staff at the ready. He swung it around and lunged at her. Ming Lo evened out Baal and blocked the attack in one motion. Ming Lo grinned at Ra as they held each other at bay. "...I'm not quite as weak as you would have first imagined, am I...?" "No..." Ra forced more pressure into the weapon lock, "...You're even weaker than I first thought. If you really believe that I expect any less from a competitor at Ten Sekai Sentou Kyousou..." The two held each other to a draw in motion. The Quetzacoatl couldn't quite break the defensive strength of the Baal, and the Baal couldn't quite overpower the Quetzacoatl. Ming Lo drew in breath and shut one eye. She knew better to get into a war of attrition with a male. Most males were generally stronger than females. If she wanted to win she would have to use her lithe body and agility to outmanoeuvre Ra El Khahid. Using her own momentum, Ming Lo shifted backwards and dodged the fall out. The Quetzacoatl smashed the hard floor of the Shrine, leaving behind a more than vivid dent in the flagstone. Ming Lo backed off from him. She knew that taking him head on was not an option. Ra was stronger than she was. It was a one strike, one kill deal. She had to make her next efforts count, even if it meant resorting to her most formidable technique... "...I'll have to go all out..." She said to herself. It looked about time for... that move. One of the most sacred and prized methods that the Mazda Family have ever created. Ming Lo drew in breath and came to a stop. She kept her eyes on Ra El Khahid, who was waiting for her to attack him. The Chinese native twirled her spear around again until it stood up at her side. She shot out her free arm, bare, projecting her hand in a similar way as before. But it didn't stay there as last time. Ming Lo brought that hand back and covered her face with it. Ra blinked, not quite understanding what that pose might mean. But regardless, he would counter it with the power of the Quetzacoatl. Ming Lo drew in breath slowly and deeply as she continued. With her hand over her face and her spear unready in that unguarded stance. The woman shut her eyes and remained focused on Ra El Khahid, making use of her Mind's Eye once more. She monitored his every action. His breathing, his heartbeat, the rate at which his eyes blinked. Twice every thirty seconds. But these were just methods of staying alert. The real action was taking place within Ming Lo. As she gathered more and more of her reserves of Chi into her body and ready for use. Soon the darkness of Sacred Shrine began to weaken as a new source of light appeared. Flames. Spiritual flames of Ming Lo's bright lavender Chi awakened in the physical world. Ming Lo smiled, but Ra could not see it due to the hand over her face. Then, from the violet-colour flames of Chi came three thin streaky beams shot out in different directions. The beams hit the stone of the temple and continued to fix themselves in that position. Ra El Khahid was actually a bit confused by this. "...What ability is this...?" From the points at which those beams had hit the ground, a flame appeared. Each coloured of light purple and each equal in size. Those flames then grew in size. The three flames grew and grew until they were even in height with Ming Lo. And like the well honed clockwork of life would have guessed, the intent was suddenly available to Ra El Khahid. Ming Lo's three flames (aside from the one that was surrounding her) grew with them figures that looked just like the silhouette of Ming Lo. She then released her flames with a huff. The flicking spirit fire dissolved around her body. As did the spirit fire of the three other flames. Leaving behind Ming Lo... and three exact duplicates of her. Each were identical and even armed with their own individual Baal replicas. Ming Lo finally pulled her hand from her face with a smile. "This is the ability I mastered during my training in Japan. Fukusu Harada, or, 'Multiple Body'. I can make copies of myself as many times as I like. This is the ultimate technique of the Mazda Family!" Ra sneered at it. "...Magic..." "No," Ming Lo answered, "This is not magic. This is the raw power of Chi. The spiritual power that exists within all life forms. Even you. Training in the Mazda Family means training in our styles of Chi Manipulation. With this technique I can kill you in a breath! Face the might of the Mazda!" Ra El Khahid just smiled as the four Ming Los came at him. "Silly girl." Ming Lo #1 came at Ra swiftly, spinning Baal as she charged. The best way to overpower someone that was stronger than you was to not fight directly. But now that there was more than one of Ming Lo, she needn't have worried about that. Or so she thought. Ming Lo's First Copy went for the jugular. She turned her Baal duplicate and thrust at Ra. The Egyptian man sneered at the attacking clone and darted to one side. He pulled up his steel staff Quetzacoatl as he dodged and then brought it back down. The staff came down in one destruction swipe that broke through the study 'fake' wood of the fake Baal. The spear snapped in two broken pieces. Leaving the first copy open to attack. Ra thrust the butt of the staff into the copy's gut. She released a feminine cry from the force of the blow and collapsed to the ground. Ra looked over at the three remaining Ming Los and grinned. "You might have copied yourself but these clones are far weaker than their original is, aren't they?" The two remaining Ming Lo copies growled at that comment and lunged for him. On the attack again. Ra smiled as the two turned their spears around to attack. None of them seemed to learn their lessons either. The older man turned his staff around. His hands worked like magic as they span the Quetzacoatl around and around in front of him. The action soon became a blur of movement by the time that Ming Lo's two copies were ready to attack. They still proceeded with their attacks, even though Ra El Khahid had begun his defensive Monsoon Wave technique. Both of the girls shot their spears at the whirling staff in the hopes of stopping the spin. To their shared surprise, their Baal spears were both parried and blocked. The two girls stumbled back from the shock of their attacks begin stopped. And Ra El Khahid acted on it. He turned to the copy on the right of him. He gave a one-armed swing at the midsection. Quetzacoatl sliced right through the copy. If it had been made of flesh there would have been a geyser of blood. This time around, they were just manifestations of Chi. The defeated Ming Lo copy dissolved into its natural Chi form and faded away. Then 'The Butcher' turned his fang on the remaining copy. Ra gave a two-handed swing this time. It was aimed at the neck. The duplicate girl let off a scream of pain just before she broke into fragments of lilac Chi. Leaving behind the real Ming Lo. The Chinese girl was shocked. And tired. Maintaining such a move drained her Chi flow continually. She had to prop herself up on Baal just to stand. "I-Impossible! Nothing could kill my copies that easily! Nothing! Not even my Grandfather's Airget-Lam spear!" Ra El approached the girl slowly. "...Fool. I told you. My Quetzacoatl is the most powerful weapon on the face of the earth. And I will use it to deliver masses and masses of utter carnage throughout the land. Such is the urge of the Quetzacoatl." Now Ming Lo was beginning to understand why this man was so feared. He was nothing. But that weapon of his... that 'Quetzacoatl'... that made him... almost invincible. There was nothing Ming Lo had left that could counter a power of that magnitude. If the Fukusu Harada was worthless against him, then... she couldn't win. Ming Lo's eyes slowly slipped closed. She fainted, collapsing to the ground from nothing more than the strain of the Fukusu Harada. She was far from her Grandfather's level. She couldn't hope to keep up a Chi move that complex for long. Ra grinned at his fallen opponent and smiled. He pointed Quetzacoatl at her unconscious body. "I win." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Imamura Infirmary, Kuji, Neo-Japan The room was bleak in itself. But as soon as Julia saw that white blanket over the outline of her Father, Simon McAmish, a morbid feeling of unhappiness took over her. In more sense than one. After knocking Ras into the sea (hopefully the thing had drowned) Ayame and a few onlookers helped to get Simon's body to an infirmary. There was no hope of saving him now, but they couldn't think of anything else to do. Julia followed them cautiously, all the way to the nearest available infirmary. That was Imamura. It was near the port so you could still hear the chirping of the seagulls soaring around in the sky. But neither Julia nor Ayame could have enjoyed the beauty of that sound. Things had taken a turn for the worst. Julia and Simon should have been on their boat home by now. But it was not to be. And the worst of it was that the Shougatsu were still actively chasing Julia. After the three months they had spent together in relative peace, Ayame had expected that the Shougatsu would have lost all possible trace of them. This was obviously not the case. Somehow Ras had been tracking them. To such a razor's degree that Ayame couldn't even detect it. And now she was paying for those mistakes. Simon was dead. And Julia was heartbroken. You could see it in her face. Those beautiful green eyes were now heavy with the pain of loss. Though Ayame had no idea what happened to Julia's mother, it was fairly obvious that she wasn't alive now. Which meant both of Julia's parents were gone. Just like Ayame's. And though it might not have been her fault, Ayame could not help but feel responsible for all this. If only she had been stronger. Strong enough to keep herself together in battle with Ras es-Shamrah. She could have prevented all this and Julia would be safe on a ship home. Ayame truly felt as though she had screwed up in this mission. Especially since this had become less a mission to her. And more of a personal effort. Simon was her friend at the end of the day. Just as much as Julia was. She had actually lost a friend. Julia sobbed to herself as the doctors came up. They could see that she was too distressed to properly speak about anything so took their attentions to Ayame. The first of the doctors lowered his clipboard and spoke. "I'm sorry to say that McAmish-san has passed on. There would have been no way to save him." Ayame nodded. "I understand. Thanks for making the effort." "We are obligated to try until the very end to save a life," Replied the second doctor, "But there was nothing more we could do for him. Both blood loss and irreparable damage to the lungs laid out the outcome. But this does bring different issues to light. Since McAmish has not died on his home soil... we must ask what we are to do with his body. We will hold it for a maximum of nine weeks. From then we must ask you about burial. What are your plans?" Ayame hadn't even thought about that. "...Well..." "I want my Father's body sent home," All eyes turned to Julia as she said that, with a sad firmness that Ayame had never seen her before. She spoke again with that same firmness, looking at the covered image of her Father's body, "He loved Scotland and I'm sure he hated having to leave it. He would have wanted it this way. And when I get home... I'll sort out the arraignments for his funeral myself." Ayame softened to see that kind of strength from Julia. She was finally acting like an adult. Even though it had to be brought out of her by the death of her father, the Dark Katana was pleased to see that from her friend. It motivated her more than ever to protect this woman from harm. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ South Beach East, Island of Creation The chocolate brown eyes of the Yuuga Student, Setsuya Seisuji, rolled from one end of the beach to the other. He held all of it in his gaze. It was amazing. Though Setsuya spent the last few years exploring the world, he had never been to a beach as clean and as bright as this one. The sand on other beaches had been blackened by the radioactive wave that passed over the Earth every now and again from the crater of the Genesis Comet. The seas were still the same colour as usual, mostly blue, but the water in other parts of the world, particularly Asia, were rather dreary. This place was different. It was on the borderline between Neo-Spanish and Neo-French owned waters. The water supply in this part of the world was rather clear. It was best reflected here on the Island of Creation. It made the place look beautiful. More so than the world normally looked. Setsuya stepped out into the sand of South Beach, facing the sea which was just twenty or so metres ahead of him. There was a nice smell of sea air here too. It matched the songs of the seagulls and the decorations of seaweed on the beach in atmosphere. South Beach did not seem like the kind of place you would want to start a fight. For one thing, it really was a very beautiful place. Plus, the sand had absolutely no traction. Trying to run in the sand is almost impossible, as anyone who attempted it would know. Setsuya put a hand over his eyes to block out the sun. And he squinted to see where his challenger was. He looked over from one side of the beach and to another. Still nothing. That was until he looked out into the sea. Just about a metre or so from the edge of the beach, in the clear blue waters, a head poked out of it. There was a flash of long jet back hair as it rolled from one side of that person's head to the other. And they stood upright, walking from the waters to the beach. Setsuya looked on with surprise. It was a woman. And a pretty cute woman too. She looked about twenty years of age, just a little older than Setsuya himself. But that wasn't the least of it. He could tell almost instantly that this girl was Japanese. Just like Setsuya was. Who exactly was this girl? And why would she get involved in a tournament like Ten Sekai Sentou Kyousou? The woman ran a hand through her long ebony black hair. It now occurred to Setsuya that the woman had been in the water fully clothed. She was fashioned in a long red kimono that had been sliced at the sides to allow better movement. The sash around her waist was of a black colour, and around her wrist was a gold bangle that made a little jingle sound every time she moved. She strained the wetness from her long hair with both hands then looked over at Setsuya. "...You," She spoke, "Are you my first opponent?" Setsuya shrugged his shoulders, "I suppose so. The name's Setsuya Seisuji." "I'm Chizuru," The woman replied, "Chizuru Hukuta. I'm glad you're finally here. I have been waiting for you to arrive for sometime." Well, he never liked making cute women wait for anything... "Heh! Sorry about that." Chizuru whipped that silky black hair of hers again, freshly dried. "You needn't worry about that anymore. What matters is that you're here. By now most of the first round fights will be over. So I must ask you. Please step down." Setsuya's smiled lowered. "What's that supposed to mean?" "You don't know the first thing about the Shougatsu Financial Group," Chizuru's eyes were as stern about this as they were attractive, "They are very technologically advanced with comparison to the likes of the Neo World Federation. The Shougatsu are dangerous. They must be stopped and only I can do that." Such talk reminded Setsuya of his own issues with the Shougatsu. "I understand more about this than you think. My girlfriend was kidnapped by them. I saw what they can do when they get revved up. And I won't back down from the fight. At least not until I rescue Lin-Lin." Chizuru nodded. "I see. Well, as a person committed to ending the Shougatsu, I'll have to stop you myself. I hope you'll forgive me for this. But the evils that the Shougatsu Financial Group have planned are too unimaginable for me to ignore." In the end of it all they had to fight each other anyway. Setsuya reached towards his waist and gripped the hilt of the Fire Cutter. Until he noted something about Chizuru. "Hold on a second. Where's your weapon? This is weapon tournament. You can't fight without one." Chizuru smiled at him. "...Silly boy..." Then things began to happen around her. She stood silently from that point on, the wind swaying her parted kimono a bit. But she was not the focus. That was behind her. Setsuya looked from Chizuru to the sea behind her. While the waves splashed back and forth over the beach as usual, one section of the water remained still. Almost as if it had been frozen without losing any of its natural temperature. It also flashed in Setsuya's mind that that patch of water was the one that Chizuru had first emerged from. It stayed still for a short while. Then Setsuya narrowed his eyes in mistrust as three large balls of that water rose up from that patch. It had something to do with Chizuru. It had to be something to do with her. The balls of water floated over the coastline and hovered beside Chizuru's shoulders. Those spheres sharpened out into sharper forms, the clear blue water turning (midair) into three javelin-shaped forms. "My magic is my weapon," Chizuru claimed, pulling her arms up, "I am of the Ashidah. Which you know as 'Magic Users'. And I am the 12th Master of my Family's honed Water Magic Attack Style. You will taste its power now... Triple Water Javelin!" The three water-borne spikes were sent straight for Setsuya with the call of her command and the flick of her hand. Setsuya narrowed his eyes and loosened his muscles for quick action. The first came at Setsuya directly. The Japanese man withdrew Fire Cutter and slice straight through the water arrow in a quick horizontal strike. The second came right after it. Setsuya gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands and slashed upwards to destroy it. The blade cut through the second water arrow and it broke apart into normal water just like the one before it. The third came at a different angle. But Setsuya couldn't block from that side while the arrow was moving at that speed. The large water dart whizzed past Setsuya's shoulder and sliced through the short arm of his bomber jacket. Cutting all the way down to his flesh. The youth looked back ahead once the threat was over and stared at Chizuru. She was a Magic User. He had not expected to see one during the tournament. So it slipped his mind to prepare for a fight with one. With attacks like that Triple Water Javelin Chizuru apparently had a lot of firepower to dish out. Blood started to seep from the gash he had sustained through the attack by the last of the Water Javelins but just ignored it at his point in time. "...Not bad! I never expected such a cute girl to be so tough!" Chizuru beamed back at him. "That was nothing. You've yet to see the very root of the power of Japanese Magics. For example..." The woman projected a hand downward, towards the sand of the beach. She stayed still and concentrated her powers. Soon the water behind her began to react again in an isolated way. A thin but very definite began to edge its way from the sea. It passed its way along like a snake through the sand; slithering and curling till it reached a destination. That was by Chizuru. That path of water curled up into the air in a stream. That stream of clear blue water circled around Chizuru's body again and again until it reached a peak of ascent at her shoulders. The trail of water then reformed into the shape of another water sphere, this time far larger. It rose up again. This time above Chizuru's head. By about a metre. And it hovered there, obviously poised to attack the startled and amazed Setsuya. Chizuru's pink lips parted again. "Hukuta-style Water Magic No. 2! Aqua Bomb!" The water sphere above Chizuru gave a swift sheen of itself and then streamlined forwards like a cannonball. The careening sound of it passing through the air mimicked the severity too. And Setsuya couldn't stand there and allow himself to be struck by it. The young man turned right and dashed out of the way as the Aqua Bomb made contact with Setsuya's sandy footprints. The strong shockwaves of the following explosion forced Setsuya to crash into the sand. And sand went flying every which way. The Japanese boy rolled to his back and looked upwards. Chizuru was stronger than a normal magic user. Not only could she control the water around her and manipulate its dexterity and solidity, she could control the water's reactions with other compounds and materials; i.e. making the water explosive with touch to the sand. The young man grit his teeth and hurled himself to his feet. By now Chizuru had two other water orbs floating at her shoulders. Setsuya had to reach her before she used them. He charged ahead, but the moment he stomped forwards, he felt the difficultly of moving fast in the sand. The lack of solid shape and traction made dashing almost impossible. And from that; Setsuya also realized that Chizuru had the advantage. She had an endless supply of water to attack with. She didn't even have to move a muscle to attack Setsuya. But he needed to be in close range to even land a blow. In South Beach, Chizuru had every possible advantage. Chizuru soon pointed at Setsuya. "Aqua Bomb!" The left water ball shot ahead for the Yuuga-Fighter. Setsuya blinked, knowing how hard it would be to dodge. But he had no choice. He ducked down as best he could, then jumped straight up into the air. The Aqua Bomb smashed the sand of his former standing point and exploded. Setsuya smiled. It was far easier to move around in the air. He flipped forwards and began descending directly at Chizuru's location. The slightly older woman looked up and pushed her arm up, pointing at him. "Your attacking me aerially will do you no good either!" She barked commandingly, "Hukuta-style Water Magic No. 3! Ice Incision!" The secondary water ball at Chizuru's side did not immediately attack. Its form became more elongated and stretched out in a snake-like curl. One that twirled around the still Chizuru and the flicked back around her. Of course as it reached Setsuya, that water became as hard and as razor-sharp as ice. Setsuya saw it heading his way and drew up the Fire Cutter. He brought it back down again as the Ice Incision met with him midair. The two forces collided, but the Fire Cutter sliced through it seconds later, leaving Chizuru open again. Setsuya continued his descent, losing a little momentum. He slashed down at her, intending only to stun her. As it happens, he sliced right through her. Setsuya's spine froze like an ice cube, but his eyes mirrored disbelief as Chizuru's body dissolved into water itself. Setsuya landed, with a questioning look on his face. "What the hell is this? Was she made of water all along, or...?" "Up here!" The Japanese man looked above him and behind. There was a large upshot of rock just a little more inland from the coastal line. Setsuya had to squint to see her (due to the sun) but knew that the silhouette on top of those rocks was Chizuru. She was incredible. The thing that Setsuya had fighting was just been some kind of water double. Chizuru must have created it when she first saw him, making it look like the real deal. All the while she was watching the fight and probably taking her notes. From that; Setsuya began to understand that this fight was a lot more calculated than Chizuru might have led him to believe. She had pretty much led him into a trap. "Very good," Chizuru said, standing on the rock face, "Your skills are sharp. I would never have imagined that a normal human being could jump as high as that without a suitable terrain to brace themselves against. But unfortunately, Mr. Seisuji, you fell prey to the Forth Water Magic of the Hukuta-style. Water Body Illusion." Setsuya smiled at her again. "Well, this is my first time fighting a magic user." "Well then," Chizuru brought up her hands for another attack, "I shall end this fight very quickly with the power of the Fifth and most ultimate Water Magic of the Hukuta-Family!" Chizuru spread out her arms, one on either side of her. The older woman's whole body shook as she prepared the attack she wished to call on Setsuya. The younger man looked towards her and was confused. There was no water on that side of the beach. What did Chizuru have to draw from? Then he heard a cry. Like the cry of an ancient beast that had just reared up from its own dark depths. But this was more reality that falsehood. He looked back over his shoulder and saw the cause. There was a gigantic wave approaching the beach on the horizon. It looked normal enough (if not a little larger than most) as it headed his way. But then he noticed the shape of the wave changing as it come for the beach. The waves form altered until the head of it took on the shape of a dragon's head, while the outer waves of water formed into rough winged shapes alongside it. Setsuya's auburn eyes widened at the size of it and realized that Chizuru had started that thing off. "And now behold!" The vocal Japanese woman yelled from above, "Hukuta-style Water Magic no. 5! Tsunami Dragon Wave!" Though it was very powerful, most likely to swallow up the beach, Setsuya wasn't wet behind the ears himself. He now knew that there was only one way to fight a magic user. That way was to meet them in close-range with physical force. Setsuya sheathed the Fire Cutter and ran for the rock face that Chizuru was standing on. She actually seemed surprised at this, as if she believed that Setsuya would attempt to meet the attack head on. But the Yuuga-trained youth knew better than that. He jumped off the sand as best he could and aimed himself for Chizuru. She was too thrown by the action to prepare a defence against it. Setsuya neared her then shot a strong elbow into her stomach. He never liked getting that rough with women but it was the only way to win. Chizuru coughed at the winding force of the blow, her head lulling. Setsuya did not stop there. He grabbed her by the 'lapel' of the kimono and rolled backwards. Chizuru gasped as she was dragged with him and then thrown from him over the edge of the high rock face. Right into the path of the Tsunami Dragon Wave. Setsuya took cover from that point as the Tsunami Dragon Wave crashed into the beach with a thunderous chorus of water and storm. Setsuya rolled over and looked out into South Beach's vastness. It took a while but waves that swept in, swept back out again, leaving behind a fresh trail of seaweed and barnacles on the beach. On the disrupted sand of that beach was Chizuru. Face down in the sand itself; covered in seaweed. There was one other way to defeat a magic user. Let them hit themselves with their own magical power. It was enough to totally wipe out Chizuru. Setsuya just hoped that she was not hurt. The young man peered over the rock face to look at her. She was breathing, but looked pretty out of it. This fight was over. Setsuya heaved himself up and climbed down to ground-level. He walked up to the defeated Chizuru and kneeled down to inspect her state of being. She could, to great surprise, still speak a little. "...It looks like you win, Setsuya." "Yeah." Chizuru moaned a little. "If only I... had the foresight to protect myself while I summoned the Tsunami Dragon Wave... I might have been the one to win..." "Maybe," Setsuya placed a hand on her shoulder, "But you need to rest up after taking a blow like that. Don't worry about the tournament from now on. I'll take it from here." "Wait, Setsuya..." She looked up into his eyes for a second, "...I must tell you. I work for the Neo-Japanese Government. I was... ordered to investigate the tournament. And now I know that they have... devious intentions... something called Second Origin... but they must be stopped... before they unleash it..." Setsuya nodded. "Don't worry, Chizuru. Like I said, I have a score to settle with these guys myself. I'll bring them down for you and Lin-Lin. I swear it to you."
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