Crownless Cup: Arashi vs Soujiro

    Whatever the time the duel is meant to start, a very excitable daughter insists that they arrive early. Very early. Two hours early. Asuna is used to this by now, though, and comes prepared. Yui sits in the stands (front row, of course), clutching her favorite cloth doll close. Which is Soujiro's doll. To pass the time, Asuna assists in cleaning the area up for the match. No rocks, no flaws, only a fair, perfect fighting surface is allowed.

    She has plenty of time to help before getting up into the stands (and out of her rather unnecessary maid cosplay) to sit down and set Yui in her lap.

    "I'm so excited!" Yui says for the... hundredth time today. Asuna laughs softly and nods, "Me too, honestly. This is going to be a great duel!"

    Seems it was time for another round at the only place Arashi ever participated in PVP. The tournament's second round is here, and that's why she is also here. As the crowd gathers, the warhorse is waiting on the arena floor, looking rather calm, paitent, stoic? It can be hard to tell with them, some days.

Are you ready to rummmmbllleeeeee?

Then you missed the Syx vs June match. Watch the replay.

The Crownless Cup rages on in the southern bracket with the sword saint Soujiro Seta appearing out in one corner to a rain of applause. From half of the audience. You know which half. Sparkle~

The samurai walks out onto the pitch with all the elegance that would be expected from a Forger, but in Edo period samurai format. "Is everyone having a good time out there," the young samurai asks as he looks to the crowd. Roar. Cheer. Two more orders of yakisobapan. He settles his gaze on the warhorse. "I am ready when you are," he says with a smile, both of his katanas still in their sayas waiting to be drawn out. "Lets have a good match!"

Interesting enough, Daiyu was here to watch this match. She is friends with the Samurai Trio that Soujiro is part of. But she is also here because of Arashi. Because the warpony was one of the few people to best in her in a fight while she was still a Crowned Palace Land soldier. So she was curious to see how the other Were Fang's fighting prowess has evolved since then.

    Cheers, boos, all the uproar the fight deserves, and Arashi seems ... mostly unphased by it. She's always been a sort of no-nonsense fighter when it comes to the tournaments, but at least one rather vocal fan gets a little wave, which actually gets a thunderous ovation from her half of the crowd. Huh. Guess they're aware of how often she responds to them. (Not much!)

    As for Seta, the samurai is given a small nod and a somewhat lazy salute before Starshadow is drawn from her back with a smaller, more plain blade drawn her side. There's no fanfare to the beginning of this duel. Instead one moment the dire-shire is there, and the next she seems to simply fade out of existence. In the next moment, Soujiro would find that Starshadow is coming down upon him from above, the darker blade first, though there's something different about it in the moment.. its hard to tell what it could be, light wisps of energy floating up from both the blades.

    Out in the crowd comes a shout anyone who's been watching fights is likely use to, one average looking man with a big box backpack shouting "Yakisobapan get your Yakisobapan!" the man holding up a well wrapped oblong. He tosses it to a lander and accepts a coin in return. "You can watch people beat each other up anytime, but it's only at these tourneys that you can get the taste of Koshien!" Hifumi grin's widely, the pole holding his Isekai Ryokan flag moving side to side as he walks through the crowd selling yakisobapan.

Soujiro Seta slides a foot back into a stance that is solid, durable. No effort is wasted, like all energy is precious and its space is to be respected. The battle is off to a heavy hitting start as he waits until the last moment to respond. Sparks and damage lines fly as one of his katanas it drawn out in the same motion that he slides with in an upwards slice to the descending warhorse. The motions so fast... don't blink, or you could miss is.

    This is going to be a -blur- of a fight, it looks like. Folks, if you look away, you mya miss something important! It actually makes Arashi smile. She's so used to fighting folk that try to brace and tank her hits that fighting someone as evasive as she is? Satisfying. She at least feels Starshadow bite into the samurai, and once its felt, she's already on the defense. The lightning fast counter attack slashes through where she was, and even though she's gone in an instant, there's a trail of red pixels right where she was a moment ago! A hit! but how hard?

    That's revealed when she reappears, HP bar over her, giving everyone the update they needed! However, another point drops off as she swings for the absolute fences with her next attack, the lighter edge of Starshadow searching for Soujiro's body. He better move quick!

    "Go Uncle Soujiro!!"

    Yui's voice is not the loudest, but it stands out on account of its pitch and being very close to the action. She keeps her eyes on every moment of the fight, even as she reaches down to scoop up a most noble-looking mallard to set in her lap. While this might make the pair of cluck-clucks who have taken Yui's empty seat a bit jealous, it doesn't seem to draw much notice otherwise. It's a Soujiro duel. This is the norm!

    Asuna has a more critical eye, focusing on each choice Soujiro and his opponent making. She's training through observation. Though she still has the presence of mind to raise a hand to order yakisoba pan. Yui loves that stuff!

Daiyu tilts her head to one side as the fight begins, and both combatants make strong opening moves. Nods in approval of the serious they're taking the duel, even if it is under controlled circumstances. Makes her miss the days in Kallamore's arena... but the wounds of the Palace Land invasion were still tender, one of the former enemy enterting the competition could of been.. complicated. So for now she settles on observing. To better learn of those she could be fighting alongside of at any time.

Though for a few moments her attention is instead drawn to Hifumi, attempting to wave him over so she can get some food.

Kaydon has taken up the same place where he had watched Arashi's previous fight, observing and taking notes. He is trying to ensure he has Arashi's fighting style memorized for when he works on Starshadow. He seems rather intently focused on the fight, at the moment.

The second blade comes out, a katana of holy white light, blinding in a flash against the wild swing coming Souji's way. He moves only two steps towards Arashi in all of this time. The first, to position closer into striking range and the second a follow through with enough motion blur behind the attack that it appears as if he is wielding a lightsaber instead of a katana in the response. A howl of a spirit comes with the strike, along with a divine western wind that causes his loose samurai garb to billow as if they were fighting in in a windstorm.

    Oh she can feel it. There's a loaded hit coming and its probably going to put her on the back foot for at least a moment or two. That's why Arashi goes rather highly defensive in the next few moments. Flowing as best she can around the attacks, vanishing after another moment, only to counter attack with a twin strike from Starshadow, a quick slice from one side before turning the still-broken blade to swing at an open angle to try and tap a weak spot!

    Hifumi continues to work the crowd, the man tossing sandwiches and catching coins. Handing them to the first person on a row and making everyone have to hold and smell that Yakisoba pan as it passes down to the person who bought it. All the classic baseball statium tactics of selling snack food at an event.

Soujiro Seta's clear blue eyes are focused. They seem to read the cracks in the world and the light of fate that pours through it. A turn of the body as he evades the blow by stepping in towards Arashi. "Face me," he whispers on the wind. A taunting ability of the samurai. A challenge. The Laws of Alba that require to face and address the attacker. But they are already so close that Souji could lean forward and give Arashi a bit. Not that he does. He is a good bean. The closeness breeds electricity in the air. Until... the static pops, his fast blade motion like lightning as he steps past Arashi and uses the motion to swing behind when he believes the warhorse will be forced to face him. Such a close combat exchange!

    Ordered to face Soujiro down? "Oh, but we are, sir," she replies, Starshadow brought up to a defensive position as the samurai lunges forward. At the same time, there's a thunder of sound as Arashi accelerates in a similar fashion. Maybe it will throw off the timing just enough. Though, once their blades are practically touching, the plain blade is simply held to the side and low for a mid-section shot that may not be so easily mended. Starshadow's lighter blade, meanwhile, gives a glow that slips up Arashi's body to mend some smaller wounds..

Daiyu accepts when the food item is passed to her. She gets a good whiff of it before then thanks to her vulpine senses, and her tails would be twitching with anticipation if they weren't curled around the base of her seat to keep from getting stepped on. She lobs a small bundle of coin back to Hifumi to pay, then sits back to enjoy the 'noodle bun' as it's also been called while watching the fight progress.

Soujiro Seta's side maintains a nice red damage line where the bleeding effect begins to take. "Great! I wouldn't want you to miss this," he tells his opponent as he holds his katanas out in a cross pattern. A large, ethereal creature appears behind him with a kitsune mask on, flowing kimono robes, blades for arms, and a mimiced stance to Souji. "Here I come!" he announces boldly as the offensive crashes forward like a ballista bolt. Slash one after the other by the pair working in perfect sync to assault Arashi in a flurry of blows. He is having too much fun with this!

    Hifumi nods. His Yakisobapan is amazing after all he's the Renowned Moonlight Cook Hifumi, owner of Isekai Ryokan. He continues along tossing the hotdog like snacks and taking money in return.

    It is a spectacle of a fight. It certainly has Arashi on the defensive for the moment, but she is biding her time until she gets the right moment to counter attack. For now, she's quiet, concentrating, preparing her defense for the Samurai's next flurry. "Bring it," she urges as Starshadow rises to defend her as the ground below her goes slick with water. She starts to glide backward, away from the assault, not really having to expend any of her own energy as she just glides along this sort of watery way that her defense has provided. Its an odd use of Kauchemar's arte, but it gives Arashi the time she needs to charge Starshadow's lighter blade.

    There's an explosion of light from the weapon. Usually she'd send it at an opponent, or over their heads, but with Soujiro so close, she just lets the blast of light erupt between them. At least she knew it was coming. Its that burst of light that covers her slash with that plain blade once again, trying to keep open the wound it made just a few moments earlier.

There is little to no pause as the Koga-and-Souji assault moves from the first phase of explosive offensive to counter offensive maneuvers. The samurai has seen that move, the death by a thousand cuts against his evasive and tanking techniques. Briefly a skill ticks on for those fast enough to see it. 'Vengeance'. A samurai counter attack ability. The Sword Arte is already in motion at the time he is nicked by the gouging blade. A surge of strength and retribution comes over the sword saint, his holy katana blazing a searing white light as the strike cuts the ground beneath Arashi in twain as he rises upwards in a graceful 'launcher'. The graceful ascent is cut short by a sharp, lightning fast forty five degree descent with both blades crackling with raw energy. What a show of force these two are putting out tonight!

    Ah, that was a mis-timing on Arashi's part. The bright light she expected comes -later-. Like, a lot later. Like, RIGHT NOW during THIS assault instead of the last one. That's why a hefty chunk of her HP bar vanishes as she's taking the assault. "Mnf. I think I just gave this one to you on accident! Ha! Ah well~ This is why I don't duel a lot!" She admits, seeming pleased either way to be engaging against a pretty damn good opponent. It would be incredible to see them both on the field at once. For now, though, Arashi's going to try and take advantage of the lateness of her defensive manuver.

    Like before, the warhorse is off like a shot, the sound barrier breaking under her acceleration as she tries to avoid what she can of Soujiro's assault. As she goes, the light blade of Starshadow again donates some energy to try and mend her previous mistake. It works. A little! After all that, the hilt is given a turn from her wrist, bringing the darker edge of the weapon to slice against Soujiro's weapons, and perhaps his frame!

    Though, after that last flurry, its become really obvious how this is going to turn out. At least Arashi is laughing about it rather than being utterly ticked off about it. Its a duel, after all, not life and death. She's really thankful about that. It's why after that last chunk of HP drops off that the direshire shakes her head and holds a hand out, "Alright, enough, enough. I concede. I know how this will end."

    Hifumi continues his walk among the spectators, crying out, passing out yakisobapan, taking in cash. He keeps his pitch going and keeps introducing landers to and reminding adventurers of, Japan.

Soujiro Seta is taken aback by the 'this is why I do not duel a lot' statement. "Arashi! We carry with us the spirit of the warriors that fell before us," he says, the spirit of a warrior burning brightly within him. The two katanas elegantly find their way back to their sayas with a flick of the non-existant blood, a run of the back of the blade against the saya, and a smooth slide in. Kogarasumaru is handled differently, as if the blade itself found the sheath. "I will gladly train with you any day, any time, until you feel like you can give it your all. I would love to see a fight like that between us, down to the very last strike!" he says with a warm smile. "Until that day, I promise to carry your spirit on with me in this tournament and that of Bory before you. So, please cheer me on!"

    She wouldn't have minded the hug for her, privately, broken pride. As a soloist she's been able to do a lot on her own, why is it always PVP that is her achilies? Who knows. "I may take you up on that. Once this is finally reforged.." Starshadow is held out, the clearly half-broken blade shown to Soujiro, "Things will change. I promise. .. And that's when I might just take you up on your offer."

Kaydon motions to Arashi to come over to him once the fight is over, "Come on. Lets go get a drink and we can talk." He holds up the notepad, "And you can see what I've got so far."

    The ending is a surprise in its suddenness, but Yui cheers wildly anyway. The little Lander is happy to not see someone knocked senseless. And Soujiro won! The mallard contributes with much quacking and wing beating, as well. It's unclear if it knows who won or is simply reacting to Yui's excitement.

    Asuna calls out, "Way to go, big brother!! Win this whole thing!" Her allegiance is never in doubt. Though it is worth pointing out that Yui does seem to suddenly also have a cloth doll of Arashi to go with her much-loved Soujiro doll. Asuna spoils her like that.