Tournament Finals: Haru vs Mikage

    The one time when people might expect to show up early to get good seats means one thing to Yui. She has to get there even EARLIER. Also this means she can get her mom to pick up yet more of the cloth dolls she loves. Apparently special edition releases are the newest way to separate Asuna from her gold. Still, it's only happening once a year at most, so Asuna's not putting forth any great fight.

    Dolls aside, this time they got here a full three and a half hours early. Once again there's really nobody around yet. People no longer give the Lander girl weird looks, though. This is just the tournament normal!

    With so much time to kill, Asuna first does a bit of cleaning and preparations, then challenges Yui to a game of tag, and that still leaves them just under three hours to go.

    Thank goodness Asuna is a savvy mom and brings pencils and blank sheets of paper for drawing. And even some paints and brushes. They have a lot of time to kill.

    Around an hour before the match, Yui sagely observes, "Mama. I think we probably could have come only an hour early and still got our normal seats."

    Asuna laughs softly, "Mmm, I suppose that is true. But I have a feeling we'll remember this every bit as much as the duels."

At least Asuna has an actual job and doesn't have to rely on just quest rewards and Hunter's Guild bounties to afford spoiling her adoptive child.

Speaking of which, it's the finale of the tournament, and of course Vertina is here to vend drinks and her cluck-cluck yakitori. Grilled meat and veggies on a skewer is a good snack for hungry viewers, taking only one hand to hold (leaving the other hand free to hold a mug of beer or juice!)

As a bonus she does get to watch the match, even if she has to look away now and again to tend to patrons. She hasn't missed anything good yet!

Nyanta was also here a good three and a half hours early, and he managed to sneak Yui some candy without Asuna knowing: a feat only possible by a select few adventurers. And Nyanta just happened to get lucky this time.

Nyanta lets his voice ring out loud among the stands, "Good Afternoon, one and all to the FINYALS of the Crownless Cup, nya!" A roar erupts from the crowd, and Nyanta has to wait for the crowd to calm down. "I know you all are here to see an epic fight, and our compurrtitors are here to give it to you, nya!"

Nyanta gestures to Haru, "On one side, we have Lord Nyax, whose titles, if we were to list them all, would more likely than nyat, take longer than the fight to say, nya! His enchantments are known far and wide, so let's hope he puts on an enchanting display for us tonyat, folks, nya! Let's hear it for... HARUUUU!" The crowd cheers again before Nyanta can move on.

"And on this side is the Werefang Gargole, the hunter, the Force of Nyature, the Quick Blade... Let's give it up for MIIIIIIKAGEEEEEE!" More cheering! Such energy from the crowd today! "Who will win, nya? Who will suffer defeat at the hands of their opponent, nya? We will find out, as this match... Begins!"

Unlike many others, Mikage does not show up at questionably early hours. The Were Fang has always been more on the shy side, especially with crowds. So, she sticks to the shadows and mostly out of sight until nearly everyone has taken their places. The only one that /does/ seem to enjoy the spotlight is Rama, who has been basking in the pettings and attention of a numbe rof fans up until the booming voice of Nyanta calls his attention to the arena.

With a wiggle of his bobbed tail, the lynx races out to meet Mikage, who steps out from the shadows near the side of one of the bleachers and takes her place onto the sands. She is in human form, despite the introduction including her now-revealed monster self. The young woman raises a hand to give a shy wave to the crowd before looking for Haru.

Her Elemental Machine bow is held in one hand as she bows forward, showing proper Japanese respect before a match. She has never been particularly showy about such things. Instead, she just rises and offers a serious bob of her head. "I'm ready. Let's fight with all our strength."

Haru makes his way out to the pitch with an even step. Thoughtful. With purpose. He has been here before. There is this sense of dejavu about it. He barely hears the announcement being played. Barely hears the response of the crowd that is there. It is all background noise to him. His head is tilted towards the stands. Scanning for something. He knows the answer. That seat is empty. Those seats are empty.

Why is he still even here, then? The young man is not offering an answer. Chapters close. New ones start. Yet the tale is the same. Only the actors change. The seats change. Except those up there? Those seats are empty. He doesn't keep with him the normal showmanship that would accompany some nice speech. Perhaps about why he fights? Why a crafter is at the championship match for the Crownless Cup?

Haru isn't giving off much of anything to go off of but speculation. A muted look on his face. A monocle. A blue eye. Short, feathery white hair. A hand gestures to the side as four stones begin to float around him. Ioun stones. A color for Air, Earth, Water, and Fire. The focus of which he channels his Wave Artes are out, his weapon. Its how one knows that he is ready. He is familiar with this story. He has a part yet to play in it. "Lets do it, then." as the stones light up.

As Haru looks towards the stands, Mikage's own eyes follow. She doesn't know who or what he is looking for in the stands, but her head tilts regardless, offering only a questioning expression. In the end, she isn't one to pry into someone's mental state. Haru, it seems, has his own demons to fight.

As the match begins, Mikage is the first to act, though it is only by fractions of a second. The shift of her movment as she draws out an arrow, aims, and fires. Having the element of range on her side does help a bit with that. However, Rama is also racing along with it, giving a snarl as he stops about halfway across the battlefield, slashing a claw through the air.

The two attacks combine, a trio of ice blades swirling around an arrow in flight that seems to be gathering elemental forces as it flies. When it draws close to Haru, it explodes outward with force, blasting outward with air, ice, and crackling lightning.

Ooh, the match is starting. Vertina quickly finishes a sale and turns her attention to watch while she can. The previous champion against the amazing artificer. This is going to be a faceoff to remember for some time.

Haru stands where he is, getting that whole 'cloak billowing in the wind' effect. He does not seem inclined to dodge the arrow fire at all. The purple lens of his monocle is reading out a stream of white glyphs behind it to him, rolling forward at a speed as fast as the arrows. A hand extends out as it is the stones themselves that fire off in a series of arcane blasts. One to absorb the elemental effect. One to change the course as it slams right past his face. The claws get much further as they connect with the slim stoic frame of the Artificer, his health chunking off early in the match as he keeps his composure.

The stolen arcane energy creates a network of sparks across the battlefield. The ground itself looks electric with a deft howling wind starting up and then rolling. Like a static storm. Back towards the pair.

    Not hours early, but present, Wake arrived with little fanfare. She is settled next to Asuna and Yui. This time there is no surprise gift doll of her mother. Instead Wake is just here to watch and to enjoy company which sees her as nothing but a friendly face that sometimes shows up at school.

    And at her side is her wife. Tae has not been to many matches, being something of a home body, but when Haru is the finals, you better believe she is going to show up. She will order some of that Yakitori from Vertina. As nice as it is to cook, a night out where she doesn't have to fret over a menu is a lovely break, too!

Nyanta watches Mikage's first attack like it were a laser light and he were... uh... a cat. "Mikage meownages a first strike as she shoots out some kind of arrow of ice that I... have nyaver seen before, nya! Will Haru be able to dodge, nya?! He does nyat! With a quick deflection, though not quite enough to purrevent it from hitting him in the face, the enchanter goes right on the offensive, sending out an electric pulse at Mikage... Who takes an equally heavy hit from the attack, nya! This is going to be one for the record books, folks, nya!

There's no one calling for food at the moment, likely all to invested in watching the actual match, so Vertina takes out a yakitori for herself while watching. Those two are just going all out, as they should for the top competition.

The crackling energy seems to cause Rama's fur to puff up slighty, enough that it may look comical to the onlookers. He gives himself a shake, but it is to no avail. However, the energy quickly bursts into something more fearsome, catching both feline and Ranger, causing both to shudder slightly under the weight of it. The attempts to evade are all but useless, as the shock causes her attempts to disappear to falter.

"Ow..." And yet, there is still a fierce sort of grin on Mikage's features. She enjoys clever tactics and people who fight strongly. Sniffing once, she grabs for another arrow.

This time, Rama falls back, looping around to join around his master's legs as she fires. Unlike the first attack, this one seems to summon up elemental energies as it flies, causing the ground to shudder slightly as it passes the stands and heads towards Haru. When it impacts, it has the force of tidal pressures, lashing out with the sheer force of a storm-laiden sea.

Haru's feet begin to impact into the ground, causing cracks and fissures where he stands. The Earth master staring down the arena pitch towards Mikage with the self-same muted expression as before. One hand out to the side, tilted upwards. Mana and mineral form in a long crystaline sword as those paying close attention beneath the white cloak will notice that his outfit is not the standard aristocratic garb. Purples. The outfit he used when he fought Rizadoman earlier in the tournament. One that Gwen made for him during their descent into the fashion of Fragment. A fragmented glass blade is grabbed as the Wave Arte activates.

Swords of glass crash down into the arena at a forty five degree angle each. It creates a graveyward of glass for the elemental surging arrow to cross through. A deafening sound of a cathedral being wrecked as the remaining force of the arrow connects with his chest. The bolstered footing keeps him from flying off with that lightweight armor he wears. He doesn't look to the arrow now sticking into him with a bright, red light flooding from it. He looks to the arena that is now littered with hundreds of colorful glass fragments. The air itself starting to charge with the energy of an elegant disaster.

Nyanta continues his play-by-play, "Mikage fires another arrow at Haru and... What a hit, nya! It's shaking the stands, nya! Haru's not taking this one sitting down, though, as he purrepares his counter attack... And... that's a lot of glass, nya! What is he doing with that, I wonder, nya? We can only watch and find out, nya!

The swords of glass seem to come out of nowhere, causing Mikage to back-peddle on the arena sands. They make it a dangerous environment, both for herself and for Rmaa. The two end up nearly drawn back to the edge of the arena.

The effect of the wave arte is showing in how she moves. It's almost as if she'd been stunned, acting slower, giving little jolts of movement that aren't expected and seem to interrupt her attempts to actually attack or defend herself.

However, she does manage to get one more arrow off before it fully takes hold, a beam of light which follows the path of the arrow. It's an older technique, one she hasn't had to call upon in a long time, but it seems that Haru had found a weak point, one that has her taking a knee and gasping for breath.

The fissure beneath Haru's feet glows a red amber. That technique. He recalls it when Shirin attempted to take him out here in Shibuya back when he retook the town. He has had plenty of time to think about it. His face turns from a muted expression to a defiant grin against the Light. Do not go gentle into that good Light. Rage, Rage against the dying of the Night. The glass sword is released from Haru's hand and the bewitched blade jolts forth. It curses the very light that comes his way, curating it into the brilliant yellow and reds of the sun. When it finally hits him, he is engulfed into a flame that burns away his white cloak in as Sephiroth a fashion as possible around him. A blue eye peering out. To Kirin, now Feng Huang, as a firey bird is summoned as his battling companion.

The creature grows in size as Haru burns, screaching out with all the rage of a mother protecting her child. Just as much tenacity as the glass itself gives way to a storm of fire and glass around Mikage and Rama both.

Nyanta looks surprised, "Mikage fires an arrow of light as it seems she's being affected somehow by Haru's wave arts, nya! What an unexpected turn, nya! The arrow connects dealing a great deal of damage, but meow, Mikage seems helpless to defend herself from whatever onslaught Haru is about to unleash nyaxt, nya! Which is... a REALLY BIG BIRD, nya! On FIRE! Is anyone else hungry right meow?

There seems to be absolutely nothing that Mikage can do against Haru, her vision alight with status effects, meaning that most of her Wave Artes are completely shut down. So, all she can do is call Rama to her side, curling around the cat and bracing herself against the onslaught.

In the end, flames wash over, dropping her health even as there is a faint flicker of defensive energies, enough to ward off some of it. However, the two seem to barely move. Mikage only lifts her head slightly, continuing to huddle in that defensive posture.

    It is difficult to watch this duel for Elly. That she is here to support Haru is no secret. And every time he is danger she tenses up. There is little sign of relaxing. With every success, cheering, with ever threat, silence and concern that even her mastery of body language cannot wholly conceal.

    At her side, Tae is watching closely. Her heart is on her sleeve, and while her wife may do her best to seem reserved, Tae is anything but. Shouting support at every turn, she is on her feet frequently.

    Asuna and Yui, meanwhile, are tame by comparison! Asuna and Yui do cheer on the Shibuya Shuffler, but being more enthusiastic about dueling, there is only excitement, not any sign of tension.

Haru does not seem intent on releasing the offensive now that the firestorm rages onward. His ioun stones raise upwards, getting a downward angle towards Mikage and Rama as they begin to unlease a torrent of arcane bolts downwards while the fire bird assaults. Air support from the Enchanter that hasn't moved a step since the match started. His monocle begins to focus through the firestorm on Mikage specifically, giving a final read out. There it is. A howling bolt that descends from the fire Ioun stone.

Nyanta leans back a little from the sheer heat of the combat making it all the way to the Announcer Booth, "Things have really started to heat up, folks, nya! With no way to defend herself, Mikage nobly protects her companion as a firestorm of flame erupts around her, nya! The scales have evened out a little, and Mikage's advantage is thinning, nya!

Surely, these last few attacks look nothing like the normal fierce combat that Mikage is known for. Instead, she seems to simply huddle protectively around her companion. There is little that she can do against it with her system locked up. It doesn't even really look like a proper fight.

Once more, the Were Fang crouches defensively, so that when the attack strikes, there is a burst of sand around them. Where she had been a moment before, the Gargoyle now stands, still curled around Rama, wings tucked foward in a defensive posture.

Though the health-bars might not be close to even, it is clearly a one-sided fight, that much is clear to any observer. With a shuddering breath, Mikage tries to stand, shaking sand from her wings. Rama gives a yowl of concern.

Haru certainly doesn't look like much of a hero from anyone's viewpoint. By now his white cloak has completely burned away and the Fou-Lu outfit is on display. An antagonist that is delivering gouts of flame and arcane blasts down on the hero of the New World. The Angelic Layer fight that never was. There is a certain 'look' in his one blue eye. The rage that flows through him as the flames die down off of him. Up, collected to the large fire elemental that billows a hot wind down the arena pitch. It is enough that people in the stand would feel as if this was taking place in a desert arena.
His fire ioun stone floats upwards as the phoenix dives for it as if it was prey for the raptor. The swoop ends with Mikage and Rama both getting a drive by, talons raking at speeds that flying raptors are known for. Only made of fire and enriched by an Enchanter's focus.

Nyanta winces, "Mikage had to have felt that, nya! It does seem that the effects of paralysis are beginning to wear off, though, nya! What will the Gargoyle's counter be, nya?! Will it be enough, nya?

Vertina sells a few more yakitori, refills a few drinks, and goes back to watching the match. It's turning into a really drag out throw down of a finale.

The problem is that this is not Angelic Layer. Mikage is an actual person, despite the monstrous appearance that she now carries which looks so much like her Angel. Rei had been eliminated in the first round at Nationals. Though she may have done well in Kanto, there were far stronger players who were not facing the same sort of challenges that she had.

"I don't know what is going on with you, Haru." She states, tail thumping once on the ground behind her. "But I'm going to do the best I can. Lock down my Wave Artes, I'll keep standing up time and time again." Her lip quirks, "I might not win, but I have to fight."

Drawing for her weapon, there is a bit of a rumble along the ground beneath her. Elemental energy pulled forward. "In the real world, I couldn't even walk. I couldn't hope to have real friends. Someone who loves me. Here... I'm free. So I'm going to fight for it with every last breath."

The bow draws back, and she fires once more, another of those powerful storm-arrows that seems to rattle the arena and impact with deadly force.

The Artificer draws his Phoenix back to him, the imperial bird dancing through the currents caused by the constant elemental distress in the arena. Whatever it is, Haru's inferno has reached a rest in the song. The bird flies around the arrows like a Maverick rolling around a swarm of missiles. Some of which detonate, causing fireworks to pop off in the sky above to watch. A violent, yet beautiful, display. Several detonate at Haru's feet. Several more detonate on his chest and the Artificer's stable ground is shattered, launching him back as if a mortar shell hit him. The dust kicks up where he lands.

"Gwen fought to show off her fashion," Haru says as he puts a hand onto the dirt. "Kau, to challenge fate once more." He pushes himself up, dusting his purple outfit off. "Rizadoman, fought for 'fun'." He walks towards the center of the pitch now. "Soujiro, so that everyone here would feel safe."

"You, Mikage, fight for this world so that you can live in a place where your friends live. Where love lives," he says as he catches his breath. Hands outwards like a mad scientist, missing one lab coat and Steins Gate, "Then come get me, Mikage, because what I fight for is -myself- and I will -destroy- you if give any less then -everything- you've got." Just like those before him.

A cheer erupts from the audience, "What an exchange, nya! And so, on this battlefield, Hero faces Demon Lord in a final battle that will determine the fate of the world, nya! Will friendship and love win the day, or will conquest, nya?!"

That... that causes something unlikely from Mikage. The Were Fang just laughs. It's as if Haru has said something truly funny in that moment. "You don't have the power to destroy me, Haru. The only person I have to prove myself to, is me."

So much for former friends and allies, it seems.

Her bow is placed upon her back, the sides of the weapon tucked inward. Then, she charges, Rama moving at her side. Blasts of wind extend from slashes of her claws in the air, while Rama snarls and joins in with quick blows from his sharp claws.

That causes Haru to smile. Mikage does get it. In a world full of friends and love. In a place where there is safety and everything you want. If you don't fight for yourself, then the person that destroys you from enjoying such a place is yourself. The only person that needs to prove anything is to yourself. "Exactly so," is what he says to Mikage in an lower voice. Warmer. Where Haru falls on that line, it isn't clear. Where Haru stands on his promise that the two should go all out? He delivers. The phoenix descends once more into a tense melee of fire and talons.

Nyanta loses his half-lidded expression as his eyes are wide open now, "Mikage has abandoned her ranged tactics as she and her companion clash with the phoenix, nya! It's a powerful back and forth struggle as the burning seems to hurt her as much as the talons, but she seems to have the upper hand anyways, nya! As both sides' health bars are dangerously low, it's unclear who will make the last blow, nya!

The Phoenix decends upon Mikage once more, and in turn, she barrels into it. The flames have taken out huge chunks of her health, leaving both Ranger and companion looking as if they were barely standing. Smoke lingers off of her armor where the effect has burned through to flesh beneath.

Panting, the Gargoyle stands there, her health just a shred above the line where the match will be called. She pants, showing fanged teeth.

Then Rama just steps out from a flicker of shadows and bites at Haru's ankle. CHOMP.  

    That exchange is enough to get Elly on her feet, watching with intense interest. There's not enough HP to last much longer. The end is at hand. Her expression is a complicated mix of concern, intense focus, and pride.

    Tae rises with her, and for the first time in the fight, she's silent, focused on what will happen next. There's no focus on strategy with her, she's just emotional. She just wants him to win. Their side in this duel was always obvious.

    Asuna is not up on her feet. She has an excited child practically bouncing out of her lap with every move. Yui's little voice is shrill in excitement, but largely swallowed up with the noise of the audience. She is excited to see things this tight, this crazy and intense.

To the audience it may seem as though Haru has composure, that his reserves are endless. That the Artificer and his Phoenix can do this all day. They can't. Seasoned fighters can see the fatigue. Goyle and Floof versus Caster and Birb are going at it with their final embers burning. "We've never really talked, Mikage," he says as glass armor forms around his leg where Rama chomps. Holding there. A private moment between the two. "So I don't really know how much worth my words have with you. But you fought today for friendship, for love, and most importantly, for yourself. You won the moment you stepped on this pitch as far as I am concerned. You don't even want to be here, in the crowd, but you fight on anyway." He grabs one of the floating shards of glass he set up from the -very start- of the match and stabs. "I wasn't being completely truthful earlier. I do fight for myself. I fight for this selfish belief that we can all live in a world where people are free to choose their dreams. In that contradictory conflict, I set down tools for beauty and brought them to war to secure that world I want to see. My fight isn't done, Mikage, because where you know you belong in this world? I do not. And not given up hope of belonging in it. So, I will continue to fight for myself, so that I can have what you already have won. I am worth it and the only person that can stop me, is me." Slice!

There is something in Haru's words that draws a determined expression from Mikage's features. Perhaps, not all that long ago, she had not known her own path and where it would lead. "You'll find it, so long as you keep moving forward." She doesn't argue with him on wins or losses, but there is an acceptance of things as they are. Strength must be honored and respected.

As the final bit of Mikage's health drops her into the red, warning range, the match is called. It isn't the special effects that happen with duelist league matches, but there is still quite a reaction from the crowd.

Rama flops over onto his side and lolls his tongue out, though it doesn't take an expert to tell that the feline may just be playing at dramatics at the moment. With a grunt of effort, Mikage hefts up the cat who is still playing at acting limp, though his nub tail still wiggles. "Come on, let's go. We'll go see if Sassaral has some snacks for you, that will perk you up, right?" The lynx's head raises, as if she had said the magic word.

Though she is moving stiffly, showing signs of pain and showing injuries still radiating red, Mikage turns to Haru. "Congratulations, Champion." Her lip quirks, "Glad it's you, not me. Means you get to have a year of peoples' attention on you. That's never been my favorite part of competition." The Were Fang is far too shy and soft-spoken for that in most cases. "And if you ever want to talk, you know where to find me."

Then, she turns, lynx butt still wiggling that nub tail at the prospect of treats, and limps her way off the battlefield.

The crowd roars as the final blow is dealt, and Nyanta announces clearly, for all to hear, "Haru, Lord Nyax, has unseated the champion! The Demon Lord has defeated the hero, and the world will suffer a thousand... Years of darkness, nya? Let's leave that metaphor behind! We have a new champion!" Nyanta ninja vanishes from the Announcer Booth to the battlefield, as Nyanta holds the thing that is very much not a microphone even though it looks like one up to Haru, "So, champion, do you have anything to say to the people?"

Haru gives the faintest of nods to Mikage's advice. He believes it. It is authentic. "There is a position open for managing all that attention," Haru says as he does the most Harry Potter-esque outfit change back to his normal white cloaked outfit, "just in case you wake up one morning and think 'Wow, I miss that, wonder if Haru will let me moonlight it for a couple days'." Now for all the showmanship and glitz. "I do," he tells Nyanta.

"My name is Haru Himekawa. You may know me from my time in Angelic Layer, same as Mikage here. You may know me as the son of Shinji Himekawa, CEO of Himekawa Electronics and Applied Technology, HEAT." He won sixty seconds, he is going to use it as he sees fit. "HEAT produced hardware with no safety precautions that allowed the Flash of Death to execute malicious code. Many were harmed by this, including those present here today." He lets that statement sink in as he looks at Nyanta before turning back to the crowd and the 'mic'. "We paved the road for the trucks of disaster to ride over. For that, on behalf of my family, I am truly sorry," he bows, "I cannot undo the harm we have caused. However, we never stopped looking for a way to set this right and seek out those responsible here, in this world, that caused it. As they do reside in this world, right now." He slowly stands up from his bow. "And now they know the strongest fighter in Yamato is coming for them. I am not the champion you deserve, but I am the one you have, and I will not take that responsibility lightly." He looks to Nyanta and says, "That is all." Like he didnt say enough right there in full Chuuni mode.