WMAT B3 Satsuki Kiryuin vs. Homura Akemi

WMAT B3 Satsuki Kiryuin vs. Homura Akemi
Date of Scene:	24 July 2014
Location:	WMAT Arena - Northern Mountains
Synopsis:	Homura and Satsuki face off in round 3 of the B bracket in the WMAT 2014. It's severe swordswoman against magical gungirl!
Thanks to:	Mizuki and Faruja for the double, spectacular commentating. Satsuki for being a kickass opponent obviously.
Cast of Characters:	2, 32, 140, 152, 183, 430, 439, 481
Tinyplot:	WMAT 2014

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Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki says, "My most beloved and beautiful patchwork quilt of worlds! This evening, there is to be yet another fight in the WMAT's third bracket! One of the fighters I've had the pleasure of voicing over before, and the other I only learned the name of approximately ten moments ago! But that is irrelevant -- we shall get to know them both as they pour their souls into their moves, and endure the horrid sting of pain to claim VICTORY! Yes, yes, but without further adieu... THIS match will be a bout between strength and steel, might and magic! In the one corner, we have the sometimes broody and always cool magical girl, Hoommuurrra Akemi, and in the other, we have the iron lady who doesn't have anything to do with Britain, Satsuki Kiryuin! But my voice will not be the only one you hear this evening, dear viewers, for my friend Father Faruja Senra has seen fit to join his voice with mine in praise of this fantastic display of violence! Soon, the proverbial fireworks will BLAST into all of our hearts, but first... a message from the rat himself~!"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
    The Northern Mountains are a series a large, jagged peaks spreading for miles and miles, apparently countless in numbers. Forests surround the mountains and climb up some of them, while others sport chillier winds and snowy peaks. It's a bit cold up here, and some of the mountains bear the traces of prior battles, craters, holes, missing peaks and burnt trees. The set of the arena today is a peak which has apparently been sliced off by a blade, giving a perfect, completely flat surface to stand on, with the odd patterns of rocks inside the mountain visible as a floor.

    Homura Akemi stands at one end of this designed starting location, already transformed in her violet, white and black magical girl outside. Her hair is loose, with a red ribbon in it, and she does not have her glasses on today. They'd probably get damaged, and she'd rather not deal with that.

    She has a black blade in one hand, wicked and slightly chess-motifed, a Regisword. Her other hand is on her hip. She might be planning to try to swordfight this round too, but it won't surprise her when she has to drop it a few attempts in.

Faruja (152) has posed:
Up in the commenting booth, Faruja sips a cup of tea. Behind him, there's a suspiciously lamia-like nun serving him and Mizuki said tea. She may just be grinning as Faruja starts off.

"HAIIIIIILLL TO YE oh denizens of the Multiverse, Saints, Sinners, Heretics, and Heathens alike! This is indeed Father Faruja senra joining ye lot once again beside the talented, verbose, mysterious and lovely Lady Mizuki! Looking like a right smashing match this day, doth it not my dear? Let us take a look at how our two valiant, powerful warriors match up, hmm?"

On the one hand, it seems Lady Kiryuin hath quite the great skill in swordsmanship, agility, grace, strength, and beauty! Never something to be discounted, hmm? But can she face up to Lady Homura Akemi, a mage of great renown, skill, and power? For indeed, I must say, this young Lady hath always impressed me with her depth of knowledge in the more mystic arts. But can she put that knowledge to use? FIND OUT THIS FAIR DAY, OH VIEWERS! CONTESTANTS! MAY YE FIGHT WITH HONOR, SKILL, AND INTEGRITY BEFORE THE SIGHT OF THE LORD AND OUR VIEWSHIP, LEST HE IN HEAVEN STRIKE YE DOWN AND OUR DEAR STAND-GOERS PELT YE WITH VICTUALS! Lord keep ye during this battle! AMEN!"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    That lamia is certainly not the only one smiling at the end of Faruja's introduction. But of course, Mizuki hesitates only a moment before adding, "And there you have it, my dear friends. Never one to miss an opportunity to preach, even in the most unexpected of places! But I am sure you will all agree long before this battle concludes, that is but one of the many endearing traits that make him so bizzarely well-suited to the commentating task. But ah, what's this? Do I spy with my all-seeing eyes the first of the two fighters? I do indeed! There is Miss Akemi now, one hand on her hip and the other gripping the same sword from before! Truly, though, one has to respect her personal style. Mustn't they, Faruja? Chess is one of the most marvelously dramatic motifs, I could swear. Her outline BOLD against the barren wilderness of the arena, Homura awaits ~ her ~ opponent! I, Faruja, and the audience alike all await her entrance with bated breath..."

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
    There are many aircraft circling to catch a glimpse of yet another match in the World Martial Arts Tournament; helicopters, hoverships, even a magical airship or two from some of the more mystically-inclined worlds. WMAT coverage is big money.

    So it might be quite easy to miss the smallish white cargo chopper sweeping its way in over the mountain landscape - at least, until someone spots the REVOCS emblem on the side of the vehicle. By the time it swings in to orbit the mountaintop arena once, however, all eyes are on it. So of course, when the rear cargo ramp opens and a young lady in white steps to the edge of it, gleaming with a vibrant radiance, there is no one to miss Satsuki Kiryuin calling out to her opponent.

    "Homura Akemi. I look forward to testing my blade against you. Your name appears quite a bit in Confederate records."

    And then she is off the edge of the ramp, flipping the catches on her blue left-bicep bangle as she falls. Her uniform turns red, transforms. Life Fibers whirl outward, form a beast, are restrained into new shape. By the time her boots touch stone, she has transformed, the uniform become something else entirely.

"LIFE FIBER OVERRIDE!"
"KAMUI JUNKETSU!"

    And there she stands, calm and tense, the faintest hint of a smile on her face, with her hand on the grip of her blade Bakuzan in readiness to draw.

Madoka Kaname (439) has posed:
    Seated front row center on one of the floating viewing platforms is... Well she wasn't there a second ago. But one of the empty seats suddenly has a new occupant. A girl in a school uniform, with long, bubblegum pink hair and a soft smile tugging on her lips. Her cheer isn't very loud, but it seems to carry, anyway.
    "Homura do your best~."
    Madoka wouldn't miss this for the world.

Faruja (152) has posed:
Two ears fold back. He tries to hide his blush in that teacup, devouring the liquid with far too much haste for how good it is. Strangely, this seems to only have the lamia woman looking all the more happy. There's mischief afoot!

And /dang/ that's good tea.

Warmly, slightly embarrassed, "My, my, my, ye do this humble servant far too much honor my dear! 'Tis the good Lady Homura indeed! She never fails to accentuate most uniquely, fitting I shouldst think for such a cunning young woman! She shall need a chessmaster's mind to deal with her opponent, at that!"

As the aircraft approaches, Faruja grins, and mutters to a seperate comms. There's a dramatic cut-in to the announcer's booth, and the Burmecian flashes a toothy grin. "And 'lo! Could that be!? 'Tis indeed! With shining radiance as an angel on high, 'tis her opponent, Lady Satsuki Kiryuin! My, my, my, what aura! What power from her mere presence! And like that very heavenly guardian, she all but floats towards the ground as she draws her blade. What is this most strange transformation she undergoes!? AND CAN OUR FAIR MISTRESS OF THE MOST PRIMAL OF FORCES WITHSTAND THE STRENGTH AND SKILL IT GRANTS!? ONLY TIME SHALL TELL! 'Tis a battle of maidens fair, and who knows whom shall leave victorious!"

Faruja (152) has posed:
Pause. When the transformation is complete, Faruja goes red to the fur, giving a sudden outraged and indignant squeak.

"What in the name of Ajora's holy, shining knickers IS THAT YOUNG LADY WEARING!?!?!?" Comes the squeaky, utterly outraged, and almost furious voice of one Father Senra.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Seated near the front, trying to keep from having her vision blinded by a very pink haired girl that appears right in front of her. The kitsune bites her lip a little as she observes Satsuki's entrance, as well as Homura's.

    As the Student Council President raises her gauntlet, Kirika observes with a raised eyebrow until she sees for herself just what a Kamui is capable of. It's certainly a show for sure, and as Junketsu's activated form is revealed, she can't help but blush and stare in bafflement for a brief moment before she covers her slightly slack jaw by wolfing down a piece of a cheeseburger ordered at the vendors beforehand.

    Meanwhile, a hand absently reaches down to scritch Hikage's ears, the familiar curled in her lap and observing as well quietly.

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
    "Does it? Hrm. I must be doing it wrong."

    Homura decides not to dwell on that fact too long, at any rate. "Well, Matoi speaks highly of you, so you either have a fangirl, or it's not luck you made it this far. My money is on both," she says, not budging when Satsuki transforms. No, she really can't speak; minimal clothing or not, she is a magical girl, and while their outfits are not quite that bad, they're still hardly part of a healthy battle wardrobe. Madoka's voice causes her to blush a bit, and she replies very softly, almost inaudibly, something along the lines of 'Y-Yes, of course. T-Thanks.'

    Reaching under one sleeve, Homura secures a bracelet with a gemstone in place. It chimes softly, and emits a monotone female: 'LIMITER ONLINE.' not too unlike a Device. It is not really one at all, though. Just the limiter part. It helps control how much magic she's burning-- forces her to be more efficient, and fight on her opponents' level. More importantly, it prevents a happy fun tournament from being a lethal risk to her, unless she goes in with a dark Soul gem to start with. (Spoiler: she does not.)

    "At any rate, I do not intend to let you have a victory without effort. This will not be productive for me if I don't give it my all." The tournament is, after all, her way to train; to fight opponents on equal ground, something she is not used to. It's not that she's stronger than everyone she's ever fought, it's that her powers are bullshit and nonconductive to a fair fight.

    A Lakitu drops from the cloud cover, holding a fishing pole with signal lights at the end. They blink; RED, RED, and then GREEN. The Lakitu signals to start and then flies straight up like his life is on the line (which, standing between these two, it could be).

    Homura lifts the Regisword up; she swipes the air in front of herself. There is no shockwave or fancy trick, but the slash nonetheless seems to come straight at Satsuki without warning, horizontally across the stomach. She has to test her defenses before going all-in.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki isn't exactly bound by the same moral code and religious doctrine as her co-host, but you know? Even she is a little appalled by Satsuki's outfit. There is a pregnant pause and a widening of her eyes before she lifts the mic to her mouth again, and speaks. "A-Ahaha, and there she is! Yes, radiant indeed, and I ~MUST~ say, the sword-wielder's armor is most... unique! Yes, fascinatingly so!" She murmurs to Faruja, 'For her sake, I hope that it offers better protection than it appears to... and for your sake, I hope a member of the audience throws her a towel.' After a deep breath and an exhale, however, Mizuki continues on at a more audible volume. "But the iron-willed leader of one of the Multiverse's most powerful student councils is certainly POPULAR! Would you just look into the sky, my friends? Aircraft of several different varieties buzzing about, all come here to see her! With a blade of her own drawn, the audience is again thrown into a tempest of anticipation...! WHO shall be the first to strike, dear viewers~?"

    "AH...! And after an exchange of choice words between the two women, Homura strikes! Lifting her sword for a slash, she... eh? There's... a sudden slash aimed at Miss Kiryuin's torso! But from what obscure purgatory did the strike emerge, my fellow combat enthusiasts~? As before, it seems Homura is using some sort of PHANTOM techniques to test the defenses of her opponent...! But surely, as one of Satsuki's many fans and and followers would say, she has something up her... rather minimalist sleeves as well~!"

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
     "Matoi?" Hmph. "Narrowly-focused and unambitious. But she does have a Kamui of her own." The furious fuming of a certain announcer over her clothing doesn't seem to even register on her; all her attention is on Homura. "I would likewise be disappointed to have a victory won with ease, of course." If nothing else, they understand each other. And that understanding makes further words unnecessary. There is only the tense moments before that green light-

    And then there is an attack from across the arena.

    The Queen of Honnouji brings her blade up in surprise, averting the absolute worst of the slash with Bakuzan, but whatever it is still manages to catch her right across the abdomen, opening a line of red and leaving her with a faintly astonished expression that quickly morphs to a pleased smirk. "Not bad."

    And then she brings Bakuzan up and whips it down, unleashing a lighting-fast slash at the same range; whatever the attack Homura unleashed might have been, hers is simple air pressure... but it is air pressure in a horizontal band, that cuts almost as keenly as Bakuzan itself.

Ryuko Matoi (140) has posed:
    Up in the stands, Ryuko's watching, and wearing Senketsu, so he can do the same. She cups her hands, and shouts down at the other girl, not really caring if she can hear. "Oi, Kiryuin, better make it through this one, too! We still gotta fight, again!"

Faruja (152) has posed:
Faruja leans towards Mizuki. "Bloody right." Suddenly, the lamia woman gives him a towel. Faruja raises a brow.

The lamia just slithers away happily.

"My, my, my! It seems this strange attack of the Lady Akemi's is not enough to simply rend Satsuki in twain! I must admit, no matter the..." Long, long awkward pause.

"...Unique, and, erm, /airy and agile/ construction of the Lady's armor, 'tis somehow strong enough to provide protection!" Sudden camera cut-in to the rat. Threatening claw-point and Zealot Stare (TM)!

"The Lord blesses those whom art humble and appropriately dressed! The Holy Church of Saint Ajora Glabados in no way endorses such armors! This hath been a message from the Church. Back to our action, Dames and Sers!" Dramatic cut-out to the fight.

"Such swordsmanship! Not only doth her blade prove useful in defense, but it seems the Lady Kiryuin's blow cuts with the force of the air itself! My, is she some sort of Geomancer as well? Mayhaps mine fellow Ivalicians aught pay attention! Hah haaaaah! Can the mistress of time herself make way for such a cutting lance of pure air pressure? Or will we be picking pieces of her from the stands!?"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
    Good reflexes. This is only going to get harder.
    Homura uses the Regisword to block; it is not as effective as she would have liked it to be. Though the sword collides with the incoming pressure slice, complete with the subtle sheen of purple magic to actually allow it to do so, it only manages to crash against the near center of it, and the edges move right along as if unobstructed. Both of her shoulders end up with slight gashes in the clothes, and a bit of red underneath.

    "Blow for blow, then? There would be no better way to see who can last longer. But having not seen you fight as much as I should have, I wonder what you can do other than use that sword?"

    It's hard to tell what Satsuki can do; but then the same is true of her, she reckons, so the battlefield is pretty even.

    Part of her wishes she could appreciate the commentary from her current position. She'll just have to watch the match after and see how those two were doing.

    In a fit of extremely poor decision making (also #yolo, we presume), Homura suddenly blurs, and reappears before Satsuki-- the obvious nature of her magic shouldn't be too hard to discern for Faruja and Mizuki, though Homura has always enjoyed some discretion on revealing it. From her new position, she brings the Regisword down, trying to hack at one of Satsuki's shoulders.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki gives an audible tilt of her head and a considerable quirk of her eyebrow. "Hrrrmmm... but no matter what magical and mystical techniques Homura may have stored away, Miss Kiryuin certainly does not disappoint. As my rather emphatic cohort has already said, it seems Satsuki has some magic at her disposal as well. Magic... that can make her blade behave as a serrated whip of sorts. And yet, somehow, Homura has the courage and the poise to take a -direct hit- from it with nothing but her sword as a shield! Certainly, though, this is just getting started..."

And soon, her face lights up with a renewed smirk. "... yes, indeed! If you'll look to Satsuki's right, you'll see Homura again~! But whatever is she doing there? And more importantly, how did she arrive~? As before, I shall respect her privacy, but this one just might have that little trick figured out~." Mizuki gingerly wags a finger and gives the audience a wink. Well! That's a new one. It fits her usual 'regal' sass, though. "Regardless, it's what comes after that matters~! Miss Akemi brings her sword down for a pair of swift, hard strikes to Miss Kiryuin's shoulders! Funny, as that appears to be one of the few places where she is fully armored~!"

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
    The sudden disappearance catches Satsuki off-guard for the second time in a matter of seconds. She only just gets Bakuzan up into a position to keep the Regisword from cutting right through her shoulder; it still bites deep into the space between that towering left pauldron and her neck. But though blood flows again, Satsuki remains calm, holding back that slash with the flat of her blade...

    ...and only a single hand gripping that blade.

    "Perhaps the question you should be asking yourself, Akemi, is whether I need anything else."

    With the sheer, ridiculous brute strength of Junketsu, Satsuki pushes Bakuzan upward, lifting the Regisword away single-handed. Her gaze never leaves Homura's face, but she doesn't need to look to curl her free left hand into a fist and drive it towards Homura's abdomen.

Faruja (152) has posed:
Faruja smirks, and devours more tea. He wobbles a bit. Frown. He looks down at his tea. Off mice, he squints. "..Odd." Shrug.

"My, my, my, 'tis as though such space never existed! What arcane powers allows her such techniques? How utterly mysterious, and only our dear Lady Mizuki and Homura herself hath the answers!" Faruja tries not to grin too much. Not bad for someone so young.

"But arcane might seems to hardly be enough! What IS this strange combination of armor and pure blade!? Methinks this woman aught give the good Marquis Elmdore a challenge! But such a blow! Too much closer, and the dear Lady Kiryin might be founting blood!"

"And with a biting comeback, it's a brutal strike! Let that be a lesson to ye, oh Lady Homura; never forget a swordswoman's fists, boots, and at times, teeth and head! A true warrior fights with all that the good Lord hath given them! Can Homura stay standing after such a fierce punch!?"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
    That is a stunning rebutal.
    In two different ways!

    She's confident, but it's obviously not empty when Satsuki's easily pushes the Puella Magi back, and slams her fist into her stomach. This reveals a critical fact to the swordswoman: Homura is not a swordswoman. She is not physically very strong, or very skilled. She's got speed, but if you stop her in her tracks, she's send a couple of feet back and trying not to choke from the punch. With a few coughs, and a bit of blurry effect, Homura straightens up and sighs. Seems she recovered... quickly?

    "It seems not. It would be foolish of me to pursue you in your best element then." Not that a sword doesn't have its place in her armory.

    The magical girl does not move, but there's another blur about her again. A few rubber bullets suddenly appear in the air around her, streaking towards Satsuki. They might be crowd control rounds, but they'll still sting, even if they can't quite pierce flesh. They are mostly aimed for the arms, playing the long game of wearing her down before striking more decisively later.

    A few patches of rock on the ground also seem to have been displaced here and there, though that might be a little bit harder to spot without looking for it.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki pipes up, now sounding quite a bit more enthusiastic than she did before. "Ah~HA!" She points to the field in a swift, flowing gesture that makes the sleeves of her dress flutter alongside her. "Do you see, Faruja? My audience~? With another illegible blur, something phenomenal has happened -- phantom bullets have appeared in the sky~! Surely, Miss Kiryuin has swiftness and endurance, but not even she can dodge an attack of this nature~! But how o' how did those bullets come to be there~? The mystery! The suspense! You shall see the latter in nearly any match that you attend, my friends, but certainly the former is something that makes fights that involve Miss Homura all the more entertaining! For one never knows how she's accomplishing all of these mad feats... except for yours truly, of course, and my dashing friend." She places a hand at her chest and holds a haughty grin for a while before looking back to Faruja. 'Ah, the joy of knowing what others do not~.' It is so like her to get a kick out of that, really.

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
    The seeming teleport had Satsuki's attention, but she'd filed it away. When there's a blur of the same sort and suddenly her opponent is recovered, however, Satsuki frowns faintly. Homura can probably see the gears start working - the Student Council President has realized there's something more going on there. That impression is borne out when a number of rubber crowd-control bullets suddenly appear around her and slam into her - and though they leave welts, that's all they do. That Kamui really does seem to harden her entire body against harm.

    Satsuki's eyes narrow. Just what is that ability of hers? Superspeed? Something like it?

    "A ranged fighter, then?" she observes calmly. "Very well. Give me your best. But don't make the mistake of believing that you're beyond my reach." She sweeps Bakuzan around herself in a flourish. The weapon suddenly whips into a blurringly fast series of cuts - not for Homura, but for the ground at Satsuki's feet. A chunk of stone, carved free of its surroundings, only to be sent into the air before her with a stomp that shatters the rock around it.

    No sooner has the huge hunk of stone been popped up into the air than Satsuki whirls around and drives a second kick into it, absolutely /shattering/ it... and creating a horizontal burst of shards and shrapnel like a huge shotgun round going off, filling the air with the powder of crushed rock in its wake.

Courier Six (32) has posed:
    Up in the stands, at least one person is watching this fight with a quiet and discerning eye.

    Johnny Tallbranch is up in one of the club boxes, watching both girls fight, and... taking notes on a large pad of paper. Hmmm.

Faruja (152) has posed:
"Never in my life hath I seen such power! What /is/ this good Lady capable of?" Faruja might be taking a few notes here. Speed up time to recover from being knocked around? It seems Homura's more thoughtful than he estimated.

To Mizuki? Faruja winks. He whispers low enough only she can hear. "We really augh invite the Lady over for tea some time, swap spells."

"And the Lady HOmura's bullets from naywhere strike with the force of mystic power! How /painful/! How unusual! From whence doth our dear Lady Homura draw such weaponry? Her opponent aught be thankful 'tis naught but /rubber/!"

Faruja gives an almost feral grin. Wobble wobble. Seems whatever's in that tea, it makes him a bit more open with his true feelings. "HOW SAVAGE! What divine..or mayhaps unholy! Strength fills the Lady Kiryuin!? Daemon or angel within, either way, with a great flourish equal to any dancer, that blade of peerless sharpness slices the earth itself! With a grand kick, 'tis enough shards fo earth to rival the power of the best Earthbenders! Throwing the first stone, eh, Lady Kiryuin!? My, my, my, someone aught be fit for a day in the soup kitchen to declare herself to be without sin so!" Here, he nudges Mizuki, leaning a bit toooo much. The lamia in the back stifles a laugh.

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
    "Something like that," Homura replies to Satsuki, avoiding obvious answers for the time being. There's no use giving up what she considers her largest trump card-- even if the tournament is about making it less prominent to her style. Sadly that takes... a lot more work than a few fights and some training on the side.

    The swordswoman has tricks of her own though. Homura expects her to hurl the entire boulder, but then she kicks and shotguns it, quite literally. That... is going to be a lot harder to evade. A few explosive rounds suddenly whistle through the air, intercepting some of the projectiles. A lot of them still make it through, and slam into the magical girl. It's pretty painful! She seems fragile. Not so much as to instantly collapse, but she's not very tanky, that's for sure. The bruises and impacts force her down on one knee briefly, and she wipes some blood away from her mouth with a sleeve.

    "And you're immensely powerful, I see. The clothes, isn't it?"

    She recalls something like that being mentioned, probably by Ryuko, but she wasn't paying it complete mind. Kamui, Satsuki called them? Well, fancy power clothes.

    A few more bullets streak through the air, aimed for Satsuki's legs. They come from odd angles, inconsistent, and not alone either. Homura closes the gap again using the distraction, attempting to deliver a quick drive-by slash with the Regisword while Satsuki handles the bullets.

    'course, if she can just steel herself again, it might be moot.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki asides to Faruja briefly before picking up the microphone again, but some of her words might still be audible despite. She smiles to him. "Yes, she does seem like someone who would make a nice guest... and a good person to ask for fight ideas." More quietly, though, she leans in and adds, 'Though she doesn't strike me as the social type. Authorial sense and all that, yes?' Though, when she leans in... she... blinks. She takes a few wiffs of the air and raises and eyebrow. "... are you... quite well, Faruja?" She is as discreet as she can possibly be with that, of course, and she likely doesn't have the time to receive his reply before duty calls once more.

"YOU heard it from Faruja first, my friends! Satsuki wields improbable strength for a girl of her age and... well. Any human, in earnest! But when the rock explodes and shards come whizzing Homura's way, she's ready! More explosions go off to send some of the shards back from whence they came, but alas, some are able to make it through! What remains, she attempts to deftly dodge... but she's not quite that fast! If super speed is indeed her specialty, then it must have some shortcomings! But is that truly where her strength lies, dear audience~? You ~ tell ~ me~!" Mizuki grins, as coy as ever.

"Though Homura won't let Miss Kiryuin get away with a strike of that nature without returning one of her own~! She steels herself and endures the pain, summoning yet more of those bullets from nowhere - the prospect of some diety beyond our abilities to perceive aiding her from beyond remains on the table, of course! - and streak toward Miss Kiryuin's legs. They COLLIDE with her flesh, durable though it may be, and leave yet more horrid bruises... as Homura rushes past for another strike from her sword! Oh~? Not done with that yet, are you~? Ah, well. Another powerful clash of Homura's own metal hits Satsuki -directly-, cutting deep...!"

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
    If anything, the way Homura deigns to handle the stone projectiles seems to gratify Satsuki, to judge by the smile on her face despite their beig blown to powder. "Indeed," she replies, bringing her sword back up into a two-handed guard. "If you're any sort of acquaintance of Matoi's, ask her about Kamui after this match. Her information will be incomplete, but informative."

    And then there are more bullets. Yet again, they prove less effective than the sword at causing her serious injury, but they still do her harm, and they serve to distract her long enough for Homura to close in and manage a slash that takes the Queen of Honnouji completely by surprise. A second gash opens up, this one along her right side and back, and she takes a hasty, lunging step to one side before turning so that she won't stay within blade's reach.

    But that only lasts a moment, as Satsuki digs a heel in and then LUNGES. The ground under her shatters in a spiderweb crack that kicks up another wide plume of dust, and the Kamui-clad young lady hurtles towards Homura like a missile. There's no blade involved in this attack, however... just the flat of Junketsu's shoulder pauldron, driven at the Puella for a rather oversized shoulder tackle.

Faruja (152) has posed:
Smirk. "All the more reason. Bring the young Lady out of her shell. What better way than to do so upon common ground." Faruja starts to answer her other query, but then he pauses. Frowning, he stands. Tail up. Wobble wobble wobble. He grasps the chair. Looking utterly /confused/ as realization dawns, he finally looks to the tea. With a bit of a scrabble, and only some gravity magic keeping him from going face-first into the mic, he sniffs the tea. Scowl! Slowly, oh soooooo slowly, he turns to glare at the snake in the room.

Trembling, he stalks towards the snake-woman.

"...My dear, dear, Sister...I shall tie THINE TAIL INTO KNOTS!" Rat-rage! Dragging a shivering lamia out of the commentators box, a few seconds later, Faruja walks (drunkenly) back in. Wobble. Outside? The poor lamia's eyes go @.@ as she is tail-tied into knots around a decorative pole upside down. The poor thing mutters apologies and prayers the entire time.

Whisper whisper. "...Never drink tea from a snake, it seems. Pour me some /not/ spiked tea, my dear?" Ugh. He rubs his head.

"More bullets! Is Lady Akemi attempting old tricks!? NAY! 'Tis but a feignt! A harsh gash upon her back and sides! My, my, my! It seems our dear Lady Akemi shan't make a squire! Mayhaps a..." Spit-sounds.

"/NINJA/!" Hmph!

"But Lady Kiryuin stands tall and firm! With a charge worthy of an entire horde of stampedeing chocobos, she flies towards her opponent! It seems these pauldrons art not merely for show! Mayhaps the bigger the pauldron, the greater the leadership in her world? IT BLOODY WELL LOOKS LIKE 'TIS ALL THE BETTER TO IMPALE YE WITH MINE DEAR LISTENERS!!!"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
    Homura puts distance between herself and Satsuki almost immediatly after the swordswoman recovers from the blow; not by warping, but by backing up. The smash into the ground that shakes the mountain is a cue not to stay in melee, for one, but for two, the Puella is actually worried it's going to mess with her explosives.

    They're sturdy, but she can't guarantee no misfires if the entire mountain is being rough-housed by Satsuki like this. And then, Satsuki launches herself. Sword or not, that's dangerous.

    "I'll endeavor to do so. But I think, if I were to prove victorious, she would rather not share the details until she is out too," she says-- sometime before Satsuki charges, actually, or roughly as it happens.

    There's a lot of different ways she can think of to try and void the tackle. There's one that's more time-limited though. Homura whips a detonator out-- and hits the button.

    Several explosives, as Satsuki passes over them, and around Homura in general, go off. Burried under the rocks and rubbes, they must have been mines or C4 charges. Whether or not they can harm Satsuki, they prove enough to give the Puella Magi just enough dodge room to avoid being rammed into by the shoulderpad... DIRECTLY. Satsuki'll still pass by Homura and graze her shoulder with enough strength to rip skin and clothes off as she side-steps, but that's much better than a head-on impact.

    Now the question is, how explosive-proof is Satsuki?

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
    The press of the button has two effects on Satsuki. One is for her to develop a sudden look of alarm and lunge to one side - but not nearly fast enough. Explosives detonate beneath her, and though she darts and evades, putting herself off her original course, it's not nearly fast enough to avoid burns, cuts, and concussive trauma alike. Even still, Junketsu keeps it from tearing her to pieces as it would an ordinary person.

    The other effect that button has is to strengthen a suspicion in her mind. She'd bet dollars to rice balls- I MEAN DONUTS that the whole mountaintop has been wired. And to do that without anyone noticing... well. She'll see if she's right soon enough.

    "I wonder if Matoi is that clever or not," she muses aloud, deliberately loud enough to let the video coverage pick it up. And then Satsuki goes on the offensive. Bakuzan whips around, left-right-left, unleashing a trio of air-pressure slashes again, only for Satsuki to rush right in after them, attempting to close the distance so she can start attacking in earnest - so she can start putting pressure on Homura. Forcing her to deal with a close-range opponent.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki looks back to Faruja and sighs a small sigh, turning up the palms of her hands in a shrug gesture. She's barely able to stifle another giggle, but... you know? Let's think about this like a time sage (or at least a reflective grandparent): this will make a great memory one day! ... or at least one of those that's so bad that it makes you laugh whenever you think back on it. Meh, whatever. Once Faruja's commentary has finished, she gives the nezumi an ever so gentle pat on the shoulder.

And then she clears her throat. "Though if I may interject, I've always quite preferred ninjas. Stealth and subterfuge are so artful, you know~?" She smiles, throwing up her free hand and raising her voice again in attempt to excite the crowd. "BUT! It is the beauty of variety that makes this competition what it is, yes? And moreover, the zeal with which people FILL their diverse styles! I'd not want to overstep my bounds, but this seems as good a place as any for a friendly rivalry to come into being. Is that what is happening now, between these two...~?"

A series of chaotic blasts echo on the radio. "THIS play may well cast doubt on the friendly bit, however! Satsuki charges not into Homura, but into a ~MINEFIELD~! Flame and shrapnel erupt from the ground, skating across Satsuki's iron flesh and scorching her in ways that are simply too much for more innocent eyes! And yet, she proves her mettle just as Homura is proving hers -- through it all, the IRON LADY once again shows us how well-earned her title is as she charges through the pain, the physics, and all the abrasive energies in nature's arsenal to still strike her opponent with her shoulder-mounted lances! It's not direct, but the mere fact that she made it through that insanity speaks volumes, I would say...!"

Ryuko Matoi (140) has posed:
    A distant, but audible shout of, "Fuck you!" I wonder who that was?

Faruja (152) has posed:
Mizuki gets a droop-eared half-there look of 'Oh why me?'. Still, with a sip of not-spiked tea, he straightens up. At least his words aren't slurred.

"Oh, my, /explosives/!? How utterly rude! Lady Homura Akemi, ye aught buy the poor Lady a forgiveness card after /that/! Poor Lady Kiryuin aught count her limbs and digits! If this is friendship, mine dear Lady Mizuki, methinks I shall take hatred instead!"

"But the better question here! /When/ did our dear Homura manage to plant these explosives!? How mysterious! Such treachery, oh my, but look! The Iron Lady shows the strength and grace worthy of any true knight! Even /that/ is not enough to lay her low! And such /pride/, as befitting the so-called 'Queen of Honnouji Academy!'"

"But the dear Knight of Honnouji lays down 'covering fire' as the humans say! Heedless of the dangers of it all, in rushes the honroed Lady, with not a hint of fear! What a terror upon the battlefield Sers and Dames! I wouldst /tremble/ to hath that blade upon mine throat, what about ye listeners!? Seems Lady Homura shall once more come to intimately know the kiss of Satsuki's blade! Will this be it for Homura, or shall she merely hath a stylish new haircut! Hopefully 'tis not going to cost her an eye and a tail!"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
    Dust everywhere. Well, it won't be PERFECT, but it'll give Satsuki hints on where Homura moves, so long as the dust cloud persists. The Puella Magi will probably be usually dusty as a result, though she tends to dust herself off when that happens at least a bit.

    But first, Satsuki is throwing slashes at Homura, and closing in using them as diversion. She frowns a bit, extending her empty hand up into the air. "TYRFING!"

    Purple lightning crashes down from the sky into her hand. The lightning bolt has such intensity it manages to deflect the first air cutter with its own impact and pressure. It forms into a blade, finally, a wicked thunderbolt shaped holy sword with a purple and black hilt and guard. She uses Tyrfing alongside the Regisword to try and defend herself from the cutters, but faces the same issues as earlier-- even if she can prevent her face being cut, the edges of the cuts still slam into her, cutting streaks into both of her arms, and on both sides of her chest as well. She winces in pain, but can't quite let that slow her down.

    Because Satsuki's charging in.

    "I would not know. I prefer not to underestimate people, allies and enemies both. Especially when they are able to make it this far into a tournament for the strongest Elites."

    Rather than flee, Homura stands her ground. She aims the Regisword to clash into Satsuki's own blade-- an impact she can withstand, although probably not for long. The idea is to not HAVE to endure it for long, and immediatly thrust her other holy blade towards Satsuki, lightning arcing on the sword. She's obviously not going for a full pierce, of a side-hit with electrocution.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki paces forward and folds her free arm behind her back, smiling. "My, my," A smirk slowly comes to her face, "Miss Homura, your tactics and abilities may not vary terribly from fight to fight... but they never do stop being impressive." Again, she throws a hand into the air. "MY AUDIENCE~! Any of you who might have been in attendance for her match against Tomoe may recall this 'Tyrfing' -- a /THUNDERBOLT/ that the puella magi wields with her -bare hands-! You can determine its strength merely by looking -- earnestly, the storm it summons! The wind blades hurled at her are tossed by its radiant force, and though many still manage to get through to her, the question remains: what shall she do with that demonic blade of hers~?"

"... hm." Mizuki turns up her nose slightly. "What she lacks in flair, she certainly makes up for in strength. Her blade comes around for a swift jab, hitting one of Satsuki's sides with devastating precision. Lightning jolts off of its surface and on to the flesh of Miss Akemi's opponent, and... my, that looks quite painful, doesn't it~? Will this electric energy leave Miss Kiryuin paralyzed, though...? My Authorial Sense is telling me no, but I've been wrong before~..."

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
    Blade meets blade, and for a fleeting instant, the two of them are locked in a clashing of blades. Satsuki holds it there for a moment and then begins to push lightly, applying that strength of hers to start to control the lock... right up until a legendary blade slashes at her and lands a second cut along her right side, with a nasty shock to boot. "Gh-!" The pain is visible in her face, but even that doesn't break her grip or her stance. "Tyrfing... that's certainly a storied name for a blade." Whether it's the real thing or not, Satsuki doesn't know; in Homura's hands, it doesn't really matter which it is. "Very well. Allow me to introduce you to my own weapon in return. Secret Blade, Bakuzan!"

    And then she SHOVES out of the blade lock, with force sufficient to overturn a semi. The movement also leaves her arms extended, allowing her to lever the blade into an attack position as she lunges forward. This time, there are no air-pressure cuts, no indirect attacks which she simply uses the black longblade to set off. No, she is going to make an attempt to cut Homura directly, a diagonal slash launched as the Queen of Honnouji continues to press the advantage.

Faruja (152) has posed:
"And in goes Lady Akemi! 'Tis to be blade upon blade now, mine friends! Oh, my, never hath I seen a blade the likes of this 'Tyrfing'! 'Tis a blade the equal to the legendary Knight Sword Excalibur? The Fell Chaos Blades!? I cannot help but agree with mine colleague; Such lightning and fury is hardly the White Blade's divine radiance! Either way, it seems it cuts and shocks alike!"

"It seems Satsuki's own blade is easily its match! TWO knight swords in one match!? How auspicious! Truly this is a battle of champions! Which shall prevail!? The Knight Blade wielded by Homura, or Lady Kiryuin's foreign blade!?"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
    "I named it after the story," Homura says briefly.

    Satsuki pushes in; her advantage in melee combat is obvious. She'd have overpowered Homura fairly quickly if not for the second thrust. Even with that, it'll take the Puella Magi a few moments to really recover her footing from the push. Especially when Satsuki turns out NOT to be out of it at all.

    The powerful shove sends Homura a foot and a half back, shaking her head to stop the ringing from the blades. Secret Blade, huh... but that didn't do anything? If it's not going to transform, then she'll have to assume it's about to hurt like hell.

    The girl barely has time to do her thing before Satsuki is upon her. The blade goes right through-- although partway into the shoulder, it seems Homura blurs out of existence. A few traces here and there in the dust cloud (what's left of it) and the light layer of it on the ground indicates she moved about quite a bit, reappearing a few feet ahead of Satsuki. There's some blood on the ground where she roamed, too.

    Her shoulder has a pretty deep gash in it, blood dripping all the way down to her hand-- so the injury's been open about a minute, not a few seconds.

    "It seems that keeping you out of range is pretty much impossible. Vexing. But then, it wouldn't help me improve if it was that easy."

    Homura discards the Regisword.

    She produces a rocket launcher (real, military-styled one, not a fancy magical model or anything) out of thin air; SHE IS A LEGIT MAGICAL GIRL, GUYS, PLZ. She fires it straight at Satsuki before discarding it to the side like useless junk. The rocket, rather than Homura, seems to blur and practically teleports into Satsuki. Casting haste on an attack is a trick she has only a little practice with, but no time like the present to perfect it.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki turns back to Faruja again and takes his hand, trying to help the poor nezumi stand up straight. They probably aren't filming any of the stuff going on in the commentary corner, but just in case they are, she doesn't want Ainsley... or... well. The entire Multiverse for that matter to know that he's drunk. Still, though, she really has to say - he's doing an amazing job of playing it off, even if he is being a little more rowdy than normal.

"It would appear that we are witnessing yet another fight of mythical proportions this evening, dear friends. Tyrfing and Bakuzan... two legendary blades for two legendary combatants. But I suppose that's what happens when you take several worlds worth of elite fighters and shove them all into the same tournament, hmm~? But as I said before, it is what the combatants -do- with their tools of death that matters, in the end. And they certainly live up to the lofty titles if I do say so myself -- in a flourish of ice and still dispersing ash, Miss Kiryuin lunges forth to strike Homura with her saber. And the hit is clean, cutting deep into the young wizard's shoulder... dying the length of her arm crimson. What a grisly sight it is, though...! The sheer brutality... and yet, somehow, it still manages a sort of elegance that I can't quite put my finger on. But then, if I did touch upon it, it might spontaneously combust~."

But tossing the other blade aside, Homura..." She blinks, and there's another pause, and a sigh that's almost comical. "... should I be surprised, friends? Because I'm not. I know, I know - I'm a centuries old diety that is desensitized to practically everything, but still. Is the sight of a teenage girl pulling a rocket propelled grenade launcher out of Creation's proverbial gut something I should have been taken aback by? Or isn't it?" She waves a hand over her mouth, miming a yawn. "I'm quite tired, and I've forgotten how to appropriately respond to these things. Something tells me Satsuki's body may have trouble responding to this as well, though; iron flesh or not, an explosion within milicentimeters or some other arbitrary and infinitely small distance from Miss Kiryuin's chest is typically quite a shock to one's biology."

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
    In that brief instant where Homura flickers away and reappears, Satsuki's eyes dart this way and that. The exact path isn't important. She's straining her Kamui-enhanced perception to its limit. Trying to catch the /timing/ of those disturbances, with eyes that can see far faster than an ordinary humans'. What she thinks she sees? It's borne out to a solid conclusion when Homura applies it to a rocket.

    This time, it's a square hit. And this time, Satsuki is blown right off her feet, tumbling backward a good couple of meters before she's able to regain her footing and stand up again. But in that instant, despite her mounting injuries, the Queen of Honnouji is smiling. "Certainly. But it's also impossible..."

    And then she's running forward, pushing her body and her Kamui to its limit. She needs the element of surprise, needs to trump human reaction times. Because if the magical girl realizes what she's doing, she'll never do what she's planning to do.

    The instant she's in range, she grabs for Homura's wrist. "...TO KEEP A SECRET FROM ME! Tell me, Homura Akemi, have I grasped at the nature of your ability correctly? If so, I wonder how well it works if I won't let go of you!"

    Without waiting for a reply, she'll pull Homura forward as hard as she can, attempting to drive a knee into the Puella's stomach with every bit of strength she has.

Faruja (152) has posed:
Faruja shakes his head. A /rocket launcher/!? Really, Lady Akemi!? The Temple Wizard can't help but scowl a touch, knightly sensibilities obviously offended. "/Humans/ and their magitech. Good blade, crystal, and magic any day." Mutters the rat grumpily. He consoles himself with tea.

"And 'lo, the Lady Kiryuin seems nearly invincible! Even with a nearly direct strike from this most swift rocket, the Lady yet lives! Students and families of Honnouji, ye aught be proud this day, to witness such bravery, skill, and valor!" Encourages the rat, happily taking Mizuki's assistance. Griiiin. Thumbs up. The rat's too much of an old hat at drink to embarrass himself /too/ badly.

Faruja's eye goes wide. Something clicks. Slowly, the rat smiles. He'll file /that/ little tidbit of information away thanks to Satsuki. Strange how he'd learn so much of his allies from his supposed 'enemies'.

"As swift as a bolt of lightning, Lady Kiryuin chases down Lady Homura, and hath the girl in her grasp! Remember that little tip about boots, mine dear Homura!? Oh, but 'tis a knee! SAME DIFFERENCE AT THIS RANGE MINE FRIENDS! I /do/ hope the poor Lady Akemi hath not eaten too much before this, nor is fond of breath within her lungs! Can her organs and bones hold true against such a brutal strike!? Or shall our slippery little Lady somehow wiggle out of /this/ one? Trust me upon this one, my dear friends, when ye art being pummeled relentlessly by fist, sword, and staff, doing /anything/ is a touch rough! Why, this reminds me of mine first mission! Came home with more than a few broken bones, broken pride! But shall Akemi stand tall as a Templar, or wither away as a Godless Heretic!?"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
    "What-- GRK!"

    Satsuki has it pretty on the money.
    Once grabbed by the wrist, it doesn't seem like Homura can free herself-- the swordswoman has way too much strength for that. She'd need to cut her arm off. The knee slams into her stomach, solidly lifting her off the ground-- and then she slumps down with almost no strength or breath left, if Satsuki doesn't keep her knee in there.

    Tyrfing clatters to the ground and it takes the Puella several long excrutiating seconds to actually be able to breath again, coughing and panting painfully. She glares up. Satsuki's not letting go.

    Homura's hand desperately reaches for her holy blade, clenching attempting to grab it. If she is successful, there's a loud crack of thunder point blank, and she tries to put a smirk on for her opponent.

    "You seem to have... but how long can you endure?"

    Purple lightning creeps up her arm, channeled from her blade. Her entire body is a lightning rod, and the sword emits bolt after bolt of lightning. Homura can channel it safely, but if Satsuki insists on holding her by the wrist...

    Then again, she has quite the resolve. She could probably hold on and just take the burns. Or, with reflexes, she could straight up disarm Homura.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki perks up... and she quickly shifts back to her loud and excitable commentator persona. So that the fight may end with a 'bang', as it were. Clearing her throat, she brings the microphone to her mouth, and her voice comes back with plenty of vigor. "DID you solve the riddle as well, my friends~? It would seem that Miss Satsuki has finally discovered the nature of Homura's powers and, in so doing, her WEAKNESS~! Through keeping in contact with her, she has found a way to keep her from bolting around the field as she has been! Taking advantage of the opportunity she has made for herself, Miss Kiryuin uses all of the brute strength at her disposal to unleash her fury upon the magical girl. But now that she no longer has the advantage of range, what shall she do...?"

She claps her hands together audibly when she gets her answer! "Ah~! Now -this- -is- rather creative~! Still wielding the strength granted to her by her blade of bolts, Homura borrows some of its magic to convert herself into no less than a HUMAN LIGHTNINGROD~! Her form shudders and coarses with the sheer, paralytic power of lightning, and with every moment more and more excruciating volts punish Satsuki! Somehow, it seems fitting that the iron maiden would meet her match in someone who wields the power of lightning~."

"But the real question now is, how long can Satsuki keep this up? Just imagine, listeners... the pain she must be feeling at every second. All that she is enduring as we speak...! And yet, still, she perseveres... though she is mortal - or at least, I believe she is anyway - and can only take so much~!"

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
    "Gnnh-!" Teeth grit. Muscles tense and twitch. Satsuki's whole body shudders. Again and again. It's only making her existing injuries worse, and between them and the toll Junketsu exacts on her body, she's in pretty bad shape by this point. However, even through that, she manages to pull her lips into a defiant, confident smile. "Interesting... very interesting INDEED!" This last comes as Satsuki swings her head right down and, in a mirror of the move that brought her victory against the Cowboy Courier, uses her forehead as a blunt instrument against Homura.

    But then, of all things, she lets go, shaking her hand out and then retaking her two-handed grip on Bakuzan. "Both of us are in no state for a contest of endurance, Homura Akemi. And I am content in knowing that my intuition was correct. I would suggest instead that we simply finish this battle. Come at me with everything you have left."

Faruja (152) has posed:
"How utterly painful! Despite such electric torture, Lady Kiryuin struggles from the depths of her very soul! This, oh Sers and Dames, is the ESSENCE of this contest! Strength, endurance, skill! However, she seems quite battered! Nay human body can keep up /this/ pace for long! With a brutal blow, Homura is forced back!"

"Ahh, but look at this! A challenge! It seems that this song of violence, mayhem, chaos and pain is at its crescendo! Can Homura stand against the hammer blow of Satsuki's blade!? Or doth the good Lady possess yet another trick up her mystical sleeves to withstand the honor and integrity of this woman!? Cunning or valor, which shall prevail!?"

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
    She endures way too long; Homura needs a new plan.

    Her arms aren't feeling very cooperative though-- one's being held, one's kind of almost limb at this point, and she still has the breath knocked out of her. Thank god for that gun kata training from Mami (and her own research). Her footwork's pretty good as a result.

    Seeing Satsuki trying to slam their heads together, and knowing that might easily cave her skull in if it happens, the Puella Magi suddenly plants her feet straight into Satsuki's face, heels and all. Is it going to hurt? Fuck no, it's Satsuki. That's a mild annoyance at best. But with the lightning and the fact Satsuki's looking to let go, Homura launches herself off, and suffers, rather than a skull cave-in, some leg strain (plus the painful tug on that arm Satsuki was holding, too).

    She tumbles onto the ground a few times rather than land gracefully. She's got none of that left in her, no. She's back on her feet moments later, but dusty and obviously looking like she's seen much better days.

    "Kiryuin Satsuki. I suppose it would be rude not to give you that. I cannot promise you didn't knock most of the wind straight out of me however. Either way, good eye. Most people simply assume I am a teleporter."

    Granted, visually it's very similar-ish.

    Homura unsummons Tyrfing, which flickers and disappears; instead she brings out her bow, and uses her weak arm to pull the string back. It's magical, she doesn't need a lot of strength for that. It's aimed towards Satsuki, and a brilliant purple-pink arrow of light forms between her fingers.

    She does not have an attack name to shout for this one, sorry.

    Instead there is only the silent release of the string, and a beam of purple-pink light attempting to enfulf the swordswoman, rather than an actual arrow. Apparently she is in fact a magical girl, when she wants to be.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki gradually eases away from Faruja to let him balance on his own power again, quietly stepping nearer to the edge of the commentator's stand to get a good look at the action. Gently resting a flattened palm above her eyes with one hand, she slowly brings the microphone to her mouth with the other... but she falters. Satsuki lets go of Homura, and she... lets them have their time. Rather than creating any extra noise, she allows the final events of the night to transpire in a very uncharacteristic silence, folding her hands over the voice amplifier to watch them both.

Only when Homura's bow shows itself does her voice finally return. "And there, again," A smile slowly spreads across her face, "is the weapon of finality. Homura's weapon of choice for dramatics, of course, but true to her style, it doesn't come with an impressive title. No, things like this need no introduction. Within moments of its summoning, Homura has pulled it back and loosed an 'arrow' of purple light that pulls Satsuki into a deadly embrace... and continues to bear into her for quite some time. But the question hangs ever in the air:" Mizuki pauses a moment, glancing around the field, her eyes eventually coming to rest on Satsuki.

"... will it be enough to finish the girl who endured countless hails of bullets? Direct slashes from a sword? Tell me, will this be enough to take down the girl who, for minutes on end, held on to her opponent and endured untold amounts of pain from direct contact to lightning?" She leans ever further forward in attempt to receive an answer.

... and eventually, that answer comes in the form of complete silence.

And this silence lasts until Mizuki again finds her way of destroying the hanging suspsense with her flair for the dramatic. "Yes, my friends," An effectual pause, "it would appear that this is the end. Each of them fought valiantly - truly, it has been more than enough to stir my heart! - but, in the end, one emerges victorious. It is my pleasure to say that, once more, Homura Akemi will be advancing to the next round of the WMAT. But iron lady, if you are indeed conscious -- your title is well-earned, and your bravery and dignity were both clear as the purest crystal. Relish in your accomplishments and strength, both of you~!"

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
    Of all the things Satsuki might have expected from Homura after a match like that - some full-tilt abuse of timestopping, the unleashing of a tremendous ordnance, perhaps even some strange rain of swords.

    For the third and final time, Satsuki is completely caught off-guard. By a magical girl using a magical girl's attack.

    Bakuzan whips up in an attempt to stop the arrow. It's futile. Her sword is many things, but none of them is 'magical'. Her blade passes right through the projectile, which hits her squarely, engulfing the woman in the Kamui with a purple-pink blast that kicks up a plume of dust and debris around her. It takes several seconds to disperse; when it finally does, she is on one knee, shuddering again, far more battered than she was before the attack... which is really, really saying something.

    "...so this is my limit..." she murmurs, her voice nearly a whisper. Even Homura would have to strain to hear it.

    But then, in a smooth motion that must take tremendous effort, Satsuki stands, straight and tall. It is visibly a strain, and yet she stands, and faces her opponent. "I cannot continue to fight," she says simply. "I concede. Well-fought, Homura Akemi." When she picked up Bakuzan's sheath again is anyone's guess, but the weapon is returned to it in a well-practiced movement as her transport helicopter swoops down towards the arena to collect her.

Faruja (152) has posed:
"AAAAAND THERE WEEEE HATH IT! Lady...nay, /DAME/ Satsuki Kiryuin concedes the fight! The winner is Lady Homura Akemi! Truly, the angels above hath quaked with the fury and power, dignity and cunning of both of our opponents this day! I applaud ye both! Come, come, oh watchful audience and austute listeners, give both of our fighters this day thine utmost applause and respect! This hath been another awe-inspiring match brought to ye by the World Martial Arts Tournament! Tune in next time, and remember: through faith, fire, and honor, one may overcome all challenges! This is Father Faruja Senra, alongside Lady Mizuki, signing off! Good night, and Faram guard thee all!"

Click. Faruja sets down the mic and flumps into a chair. Rolling over, he reaches up, and tossles poor Mizu's hair.

"Bloody good job mine dear. Mmm. I wonder how mine mischievious little Sister is doing?"

Back in the hallway, the Sister Lamia is snoring away, covered in hats and coats. The indignity of it all.

Homura Akemi (2) has posed:
    Part of her expected Satsuki to stand back up.
    The other part expected her to stand back up and then tear her to shreds in answer. She's glad to be half-wrong, because it's not long after her attack that her bow dissipates and her limiter starts emitting warning beeps.

    A couple more motes of her magic and she'd have crossed into dangerous territory, for a fight that has no practical stakes. The Puella Magi falls to one knee herself, finally given enough of a pause to catch her breath and, unfortunately, have all that pain catch up to her. Unlike Sayaka she does not think shutting it all off is a good idea at all.

    She glances towards the commentators, and then lazily manages half of a hair flick for them, just to remain cool on camera. And get dust and blood out of her hair. But mostly, the former.

    "It's... good for me. In all honesty, you were inches off putting me in my place. I do not think I would enjoy fighting you in a life or death situation."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki is fanning herself off with one of her antique pieces now. Her way of getting her bearings when she's been doing this for hours on end. She's... caught a bit off guard when Faruja comes up and ruffles her hair, but she's... surprisingly receptive to it. Did she even sneak a smile in there...? The world may never know.

"Thank you, Faruja." She bows faintly. "You did an awfully nice job as well, I must say!" She peeks around the corner at the lamia before glancing back to Faruja and adding simply,

"She looks rather comfortable, all things considered."

Madoka Kaname (439) has posed:
    "AaaaaaaaHomurayoudiditIknewyoucould<3"

    That is the sound of Madoka Kaname leaping clean off the viewing platform. And then re-appearing, latched onto Homura, hugging her arm to her chest and jumping up and down excitedly.