3125/WMAT C2 Setsuko Kaminagi vs The Magician

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WMAT C2 Setsuko Kaminagi vs The Magician
Date of Scene: 30 September 2015
Location: Papaya Island - Stadium
Synopsis: Setsuko meets The Magician in the WMAT quarter-finals!
Cast of Characters: 255, 353, 799
Tinyplot: WMAT 2015


Hisoka (799) has posed:
    It's been a while now since the WMAT began, and Hisoka has a bit of trouble remembering the preliminary matches. Oh he had fun, and the opponents were strong. The two facts go together perfectly... but the only fighters he wants a rematch against, he'd want to be sure the rematch is outside the arena where anything might happen.

    So when Hisoka enters the field, he's ... a bit lethargic. Trudging in, not bouncy as he normally is. His hair still stands at attention as before, his makeup is immaculate, his clothes meticulously ready for the fight... but Hisoka himself seems to be weary.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Setsuko, meanwhile, might as well be a statue.

    Her opponent is one that left a poor impression on her in the preliminaries. The type who only respects strength, and shows utter disdain for anything else; it's a poor match for the demigod's personality, despite her qualifying as 'strong'. And the commentator besides, is someone who utterly gets under her skin, the Confederate woman who never tells the truth when a lie will suffice and never misses a chance to take shots at anyone. So she's going into a match that already has the potential to drive her up the wall.

    But it wouldn't do to let that show on her face. She will have nothing but the utmost decorum in an event like the WMAT, all the moreso when there is none to be found around her. So when she steps up onto the arena floor proper, her expression is a stony mask of calm neutrality, her posture carefully controlled. Left hand holding Zanjintou's sheath where it connect to her belt, right resting on the grip. All Hisoka receives is a cool, unflinching stare in greeting.

Laer (353) has posed:
    Laer is here, naturally, and the elf seems to sense Setsuko's irritation, giving her a smirk before starting to speak into the microphone, her commentary both going out and echoing through the stadium. "Welcome once more to the battlefield of history! Today, in this quarterfinal match of bracket C of the WMAT, we will determine once and for all who shall have final dominion over all that lives and breathes, and who shall be cast into a firey darkness for the remainder of eternity, suffering both pain and everlasting humiliation at their defeat! Today's epic confrontation will be between Setsuko Kaminagi in one corner, and the mysterious Magician in the other. Join us in person at the stadium proper, or cower in your home and listen to my broadcast on frequency nine oh oh point eight!"

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    There are things Hisoka values besides strength, but they amount to much the same thing. Attitude, intent, capability, potential... all of these have their place. In the end he's not interested in anyone except as toys. No doubt Setsuko would be even more disdainful of him if she knew.

    He studies Setsuko, eyeing her cool stare and her ready pose. He stares back, and there's apparent confusion in his gaze. Finally he shrugs, rolling his neck, and approaches at a careful walk. "Have we met?" he asks, only the slightest hint of a grin on his face. "You look familiar." he claims. And that gaze... oh, that gaze is delicious. This might be fun.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    This time, Setsuko's prepared for that kind of response. Her expression doesn't even flicker; nothing shows but a cold, military resolve. "If you're here to fight, then fight," the swordswoman responds simply. "I won't be provoked." There is no change in her posture, but everything about it suddenly becomes like a coiled spring. Tension in her muscles, intensity in her gaze, even that peculiar presence of hers seems to magnify a bit as she sinks herself into a battlefield mentality. The only visible movement is her fingers uncurling and re-curling in sequence, tightening around the grip of Zanjintou, but to someone experienced in battle as Hisoka is, the change to 'we're fighting now' is as plain as day.

Laer (353) has posed:
    Laer says, "And we're off! The duo exchange fierce words, both clearly having been looking forward for quite some time to this rematch from the preliminary records. They aren't actually attacking each other yet, both squinting at one another, attempting to batter their spirit into submission before the first actual blow!"

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    In truth Hisoka wasn't trying to provoke. Oh he had some idea his words might be inflammatory, but they were no less true. If the announcer hadn't just announced his opponent's name, he might not have known it. He lives in the present, focussed on the future. The past, unless it involves a memory tied to a future he desires, is unimportant and forgettable.

    Hisoka shrugs once again, lifting up his hands to take a weird martial stance, hands curled into claws. And given his fingernails... claws indeed. "Of course I'm here to fight." he grins, a hint of his normal fighting spirit coming to the fore. "Come... try to make me remember. I should probably remember at least the sight of your blood~?" he asks, waiting a half-heartbeat to throw off timing before stepping into a blurring motion, fingernails raking for a relatively soft spot. Cheek, shoulder, forearm... whatever he can reach and whatever Setsuko's guard leaves somewhat vulnerable.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    The instant Hisoka lunges, Setsuko is shifting her own stance in preparation, but that speed of his is too fast. Lines of crimson open up along her left forearm, right cheek, even a faint set of lines along her back. There is a soft hiss of pain from the demigod, whose attempt to avoid comes just a hair too late, but even though blood is running down her body already, she doesn't flinch.

    And Hisoka may be in for a nasty surprise. Her half-step back stops at just that, her stance firming up, and her arms in particular grow tense; she waits until the very moment he's coming around to her front again, and then there's movement far too fast for ordinary eyes to see. Her hands shift, her blade's sheath tilts ever so slightly, and then she draws Zanjintou with impossible speed and precision, aiming to take Hisoka by sheer surprise at being able to match his speed even if it's only with a single attack.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Even if Setsuko can match Hisoka's speed, he's already moving before she commits the strike. He sucks in his gut, twisting, the sword barely carving a line across his flesh as his shirt gapes open from the cut. Darting backwards, he once again rockets forward, this time with a hard-swung closed-fist.

    "I think... I do remember you." he grins. That speed, that lethal commitment, that disregard for pain. Oh, this might not be a battle to the death... but that doesn't mean it can't be fun!

Laer (353) has posed:
    Laer says, "And we're going straight for the most effective magics of all, as the Magician launches himself into action, scratching with fingernails in what seems to be quite an effective set of blows! It's not going to go unmet, though, as a blade is drawn on the other side. Rather than attempting to give those claws a manicure, it seems to be aimed at his body, and both of these titans are aiming to get the blood flowing early!"

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    The fist slams hard into Setsuko's abdomen before she can properly bring her guard up. Not good. Already she's taking some bad hits, much faster than her regeneration can keep up. Hisoka might even feel the distinct sensation of a rib cracking under his fist. But even if she might not be able to match his speed with anything more than a single, limited-use technique, she can at least match him in strength, and for the moment he's given the demigod a perfect opportunity.

    Like a vise, her left hand closes around his wrist, and with a sudden shift to the side, she turns and pulls hard, trying to yank Hisoka /past/ her and off his balance with more force than he can correct for quickly. She releases his wrist and follows through on the turn, bringing herself around to gain momentum and put both hands on Zanjintou's grip - so that she can bring it down against his back for a much more forceful diagonal slash.

Laer (353) has posed:
    Laer says, "And the Magician manages to cast fist straight into Setsuko's stomach, a fierce looking blow, but she takes it quite well with hardly any whining or hesitation, deflecting some of it at the last moment. She's going to manage a counterattack, cutting along his back. These two are going at it with little regard for their own safety, or for how much easier it is for me to call out specific action if people are fighting at range!"

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Grabbed by Setsuko, Hisoka is pulled off-balance past the demigoddess. He ducks under the sword cut, but the weapon carves his arm. Better his arm than his head, surely. His nen aura protects him, blunting the attack enough that he isn't critically hit. At the same time, invisible, a bit of his aura attaches to the backside of the mighty Zanjintou.

    Hisoka bobs upright like one of those toy bop bags, not bothering to stay down. He swings wildly, aiming to lash out with his hand against Setsuko's cheek. Not as a terribly effective blow... he knows it's not going to do any real damage, that she can easily defend. He just doesn't want her thinking too hard about his true intent... to start attaching little threads of bungee gum to various points on Setsuko. To her chin, to her blocking arm, to whatever it takes. Even if he's parried, he can use that in the future to jerk a parry aside to let him land a cleaner and stronger hit.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Setsuko instinctively shifts yet again, but once again it's not enough to pull her out of the way of that rapid attack. More crimson lines open there, both cheeks now dripping blood, but the attack is relatively light. She's quick to get out of his reach, however, and if there were any question as to whether or not she's aware of what Hisoka is planning, it's crushed when she takes a firm step backward and hauls back on her sword one-handed as if landing a fish. However, when there is no effect from that, she glances between her sword and Hisoka, and says simply, "I didn't think so. But it was worth a try."

    The Zanjintou is returned to its sheath, and for a moment Setsuko crouches low. Then she's off like a shot, running forward; not nearly so fast as Hisoka, but still faster than an ordinary human, and a good nine feet or so from Hisoka, several things happen in impossibly quick succession.

    The first is that the demigod begins another quick draw, shifting her arms and the sheath of her weapon in just such a way to give the draw that blinding speed. It's the same technique she opened with, but this time she's much too far away for the katana to actually land a hit. However, the second thing that happens is that the strand of nen connected to the Zanjintou breaks. This is because of the third thing that happens, one that Hisoka might remember is a possibility or might not, depending how fuzzy his memory still is.

    The Zanjintou snaps and grows in Setsuko's hand in mid-slash, the rate at which the new, more massive blade forms fast enough that by the time the swing is aimed at Hisoka, the blade will be long enough to reach him, and the swing will come in with a speed normally impossible for the twelve-foot blade. It is an attack that comes out so quickly that, for once, there is only time for Setsuko to shout after it's delivered.

    "ZANJINTOU: SENJIN SHUNZAN!"

Laer (353) has posed:
    Laer says, "And the Magician continues his ultra-masculine fighting style, following the earlier scratching up with a slap to the face! It seems to wound Setsuko's pride pretty thoroughly, deservingly so, and this prompts her into escalating her own attacks. Her sword grows in mid-swing to reach out and land what looks like a telling blow to the Magician. Can he recover from this?"

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka grins as Setsuko tries to draw him in using his own weapon. He just smiiiiles, raising his hand and twinkling his fingers at her. It was certainly a good thought on her part, trying to use his own powers and his own trap against him. It's The Magician's power though, and his own trap. He's in complete control over it. One of the reasons he's so strong and is so difficult to overpower is that his power's very flexible and has no real weaknesses. Bungee gum may not look like much at first glance, but it's an incredibly useful tool for the weird nen-user.

    He's caught off-guard with Setsuko's attack however, being a little too busy waggling his fingers at her in a taunt. The sword grows, and he has only a moment to react. Clearly no defense will stand. Evasion seems out of the question. There's only one possible response to the potentially lethal strike, and Hisoka wastes not a moment plotting. Instead, he attacks.

    Sharply contracting a strand of bungee gum, Hisoka launches himself straight in at Setsuko, using the strand of bungee gum between his fist and her cheek to accelerate himself impossibly fast. He isn't caught by the tip of Setsuko's blade. He isn't cut in half. Instead he is mostly inside the blow, suffering a brutal cut in his side - partially stopped by his ribs - but keeping the sword from having the leverage to deal him a mortal wound. And once he's inside arm's reach, he aims a sledgehammer punch backed with all his muscle and the speed of his unexpected motion, aiming to slam Setsuko in passing and then, possibly, get clear past her to give him a chance to avoid or at least partially neutralize her follow-up.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    The blow hits Setsuko clean across the jaw, hard enough to knock her off her feet in passing; hard enough to crack her jaw, though with her healing the most debilitating part of that is the pain it brings with it. It's still a fairly brutal hit, such that by the time Hisoka's boots touch the ground, the demigod still hasn't quite. It doesn't help that in using her ability to change Zanjintou's shape, she's effectively given the laws of physics the finger and created a ton of inertia out of nothing by making a fast-moving blade suddenly much more massive. It's enough to keep her spinning even as she's knocked back, and...

    Wait, she really should have touched back down by now. And stopped spinning. But if anything, she's spinning faster.

    "ZANJINTOU!"

    There's a ripple of blue light as a change travels up the Zanjintou's blade. From a massive oversized broadsword to a somewhat smaller eight-foot, curved shape, the Zanjintou shifts in the blink of an eye. "DAI!" It's a much more aerodynamic shape, too... almost reminiscent of a boomerang. "SHAA!"

    Around and around she goes, until the weapon is suddenly released, translating all that spinning into an incredible rotation that gives it impossible aerodynamic lift. "RIIIIIIN!" The blade banks around, carving up a deep gash in the tournament floor before the weapon's curved flight takes it straight up at Hisoka. Setsuko allows herself to drop to the ground in the process, adopting a cautious bare-knuckle stance while the blade is still in flight.

Laer (353) has posed:
    Laer says, "The Magician manages to keep to his feet after that earlier strike, and even more impressively seems to have found a new commitment to offense, but what looks like a bad cut along his torso may slow him eventually. For now, though, he's launching forward, landing a solid blow onto Setsuko, shooting her up into the air.. and she's managed to redirect that into another attack, spinning back around with her blade to try to land a hit in return. The punishment continues here, and it's a real battle of attrition to see which of them is going to be still standing at the end!"

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka recovers from his lunging strike, and immediately dives into a leaping vault as Setsuko's sword is launched at him. His back arches, his head snaps back, and the boomerang blade cuts a long shallow line up the front of his chest before parting the point of his chin. Blood sprays from the wound, and more from his tortured back and side. he's already working with his nen energy though to bind the flows, to keep himself from weakening too much.

    He turns a handspring as he continues to rotate, then finishes the vault and returning to his feet. With a flourish he waves his hand, as if in salute of his acrobatic feat in barely avoiding the worst of that spinning blade. Only, it's no salute. Somehow he'd come up with a handful of cards as he vaulted. The cards snap out in a tight spread, the Magician aiming to stitch a line of pain across Setsuko while she's 'relatively' defenseless and presumably waiting for her blade to return to her.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Even without Zanjintou to deflect the cards, Setsuko isn't entirely helpless. If anything, she at least has the temporary gain in maneuverability to make up for it. And there's also the fact that she lunges /forward/ into the spread of cards, unable to avoid them entirely but at least able to undercut their angle such that the overall injury is less than it could be - more cuts along her left side, bleeding freely, but her regeneration has already staunched the flow from the earliest attacks; just regenerating as much damage as she's taken is tiring in and of itself, though.

    But 'tiring' is nowhere near enough to stop Setsuko's advance. She barrels across the arena at Hisoka again, one arm cocked as if in preparation to throw a running haymaker. But at the last second there's a sudden lurch skyward. No crouch, no push off with her feet, the demigod simply lifts into the air, taking the element of surprise with her power of flight and rising up to catch Zanjintou in her right hand at the perfect height of her jump. Its blade reshapes to the full twelve-foot configuration-

    -and then down she comes, bringing the blade with her in an attack that will carve a deep furrow into the arena itself.

Laer (353) has posed:
Laer says, "And it's suddenly a carnival display, as the Magician does a few acrobatics, then a card trick! The trick appears to have Setsuko awestruck with blood, but she has evidently decided to take out her frustrations on the arena itself, showing no regard for the hardworking men and women who will now have to not only clean up her blood, but also repair that afterwards. This callousness is rewarded, as she seems to have gotten a clean hit in on the card-playing Magician."

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka begins to laugh as he dances out of the way of the sword attack. It carves into the meat of his leg, but he just laughs. "Oh well done!" he crows, vaulting aside and fanning out several cards into a handwedge. "You've almost killed me three times!" he says, entirely cheerfully.

    Hisoka darts in, slashing with the cards. "Why don't we just..." another cut follows. "... forget the rules for now..." A dance, a spin, another attempted bloodletting. "... and both of us take our chances..." a final dance and a flip backwards, followed by a flung card. "... with the life-saving devices they say they have?" he says, finishing off the dancing and spinning assault with a bow and a maliciously murderous look in his narrowed eyes.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Setsuko moves into the close melee with a surprising lack of hesitation despite it being an incredibly poor range for her massive blade. And she pays for it, at that. The first slice glances off the surface of Zanjintou, but the second clips her left forearm, and the third and fourth find purchase on her biceps in a much more serious manner. She just keeps taking injuries, far past the point where her regeneration can keep her in the fight. It's visibly worn on her by this point, the myriad injuries making it a monumental effort just to keep fighting. And yet, she refuses to show weakness, her strength not even faltering. She's the type to go at full tilt right up to the point where her body gives out entirely.

    The leap backwards that she takes isn't a matter of breathing room; it's simply a way to put space between the two of him, to bring a brief pause to the fight so that she can meet his gaze. It's the first time that she lets any emotion onto her face, and the emotion is faint offense. "...That's twice you've shown blatant disrespect for this tournament. If you don't want to fight under its rules, go fight somewhere else. A tournament has meaning and dignity beyond simple fighting, and if all you want is back-alley brawls, you don't have a place here."

    Her eyes narrow, the demigod suddenly erupts forward, not so much running over the ground as /skimming/ it. Applying her full flight power to a straight ahead charge, the demigod flies like a missile with her blade behind her straight at Hisoka once again. There is no deception in this attack, however. No stop short, no sudden spring. "ZANJINTOU!" It is a pure, brute force attack, applying the speed and strength of her body and the weight and reach of the Zanjintou into a mighty attack that makes up for Hisoka's superior agility with sheer coverage and incredible cutting power. Around the blade comes, once, twice, a spinning double slash that ends with the blade's momentum arrested directly behind Setsuko - in perfect place to bring it over herself and straight down with a ferocious application of her full strength. She cannot unleash her strongest single hit without wrecking the arena and defying the rules of the fight. So she's devised something that will fill the role just fine for the tournament - a triple combination attack of all her speed, broad range, and crushing force.

    "INAZUMA JUURYOKU OTOSHI!!"

Laer (353) has posed:
    Laer says, "The cards seem to be the main attack now, and the Magician's showing more speed than we had seen out of him to this point, with a lovely set of strikes at Setsuko. The attacks seem to be wreckless, and there are harsh words between the competitors, showing that these two just do not like each other! Once those words are done.. Oh! The Magician takes another fierce blow, and another, and another! This has to be close to finished, with these fierce exchanges!"

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    The grin on Hisoka's face only widens as Setsuko berates him. A tournament, when it comes down to it, doesn't mean anything to him. He's not here to win, he's here to make a name for himself. Well that's not his only reason, but it's a big one. Of course he didn't really expect Setsuko to agree to his suggestion. Mostly he did it to piss her off, to make her show what she was really made of.

    He's not at all disappointed. The attack is everything he could possibly hope for, holding nothing back in terms of power or speed. One strike cuts through his upper arm, no doubt severing something vital but not quite detaching the limb. The second slash cuts his leg, dropping him to one knee. The third strike might have taken off his jaw but he twists, that weird agility of him saving him from a blow that surely would have shut him up. It instead gashes open his forehead, causing a ghastly but noncritical wound.

    Hisoka's head snaps back around, blood pouring down his face, covering it in red. He WANTS to kill this woman. He wants her dead SO MUCH! But... ahhh, if he tries to kill her, he'll lose the tournament. Not that he cares about losing or winning. Better to lose his way than to win following some foolish set of principles he doesn't accept.

    Hisoka grins, his teeth shockingly white beneath all that blood. "You're so right!" he cries, his good arm coming up from the ground where it props him still upright. It goes to his beltline and tears free the corner of his shirt. With a single direct motion he tears his shirt away, turning it into shreds. No, not shreds... cards. An entire array of cards. Enough cards to kill an army, seemingly. His arm continues its tearing motion, the cards fanning out in a shotgun spread, faltering in the air, pausing. If that many cards were to suddenly change direction, could Setsuko possibly avoid them all? Could she even survive the assault?

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    The cards falter, then flutter to the arena floor. "You are right." he croons, his voice showing some sign of strain. The strain of restraint rather than pain, probably. "There's no point fighting you here. The next time we meet, come prepared to kill or die." he says, turning his back and tipping a virtual hat to the announcer's stand. "Let her have the win. She'll play by the rules." he says before ... well, somehow, his ruined leg straightens, supporting his weight. Not well, but he does it. He gets up, and staggers off towards the fighter's exit, letting Setsuko hold the field uncontested... but he DOES walk off under his own power.

Laer (353) has posed:
    Laer says, "And the Magician yields, determining that he would far rather fight Setsuko again later under rules that will allow for a more final finish, though he appeared to my eyes to be at a severe disadvantage anyways! Congratulations to Setsuko for a well earned victory and her place in the semifinals."

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Setsuko comes down from her all-out attack with the Zanjintou cocked in a careful defensive posture. The sudden fan of cards, impossibly many cards, has her tense, ready to defend, not sure whether to go vertical, to hide behind the width of her blade - it's too unpredictable. Too dangerous. She's about ready to go for another attack at her own peril... and then they all fall to the ground, and he forefeits the match.

    By the look on her face, it's the most surprising thing she could have done.

    The Zanjintou returns to its smaller size, and then finds its way into the sheath at her side. The entire time Hisoka is leaving, the demigod watches him; with a look that says he has, perhaps, managed to reclaim some of the baseline respect his behavior so far had eroded. It's a surprisingly graceful decision on his part, and she decides she can be satisfied with it.