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Stella     The last of Stella's matches. She'd had to deal with boxes, flowers, extreme edge and samurai racism, and still hadn't reconciled it all into coherent thoughts. Seifer had helped, but only so much. Maybe another knight would have more pieces of the puzzle for her.

    Standing in the middle of the MECC arena, Stella waits for her opponent like a still statue, her human appearance betrayed by the crystal glimmer across the whole of her being, clothes included. The crowd is already seated, fighting for the attention of hotdog vendors and safe behind the arena's shield.

    There was no need for a fancy holographic arena today. A traditional square of tiled floors, unique only in the fact it's surrounded by springs and bumpers that would do a great job at bouncing you back right into the arena if you were sent flying into them.
Kirito     While Stella may be hoping for a knight, the figure that emerges from the opposing entrance gate might be.... disappointing. For starters, he's no taller than she is, nor is he built in the way one might expect a warrior. Kirito is a fair-faced young man with soft features, thin limbs, and a black longcoat that maybe makes him look a little more imposing than he actually is. With two blades sheathed across his back that are each as long as his arms... the Black Swordsman does not much resemble a knight.

    Dark eyes swing this way and that to take in the arena, but his attention's largely focused on the opposing entrance gate as he reaches behind his back and unsheathes his blades of obsidian and crystallite, Elucidator and Dark Repulsor. Old faithfuls, perfect replicas of the originals thanks to weird events in Arthur Lowell's world.

    Yes, he might not look like much of a Knight, but when his gaze gaze falls on Stella to examine her, those eyes narrow in sizing her up. That intense gaze IS definitely one of a warrior...

    But the look softens a moment later as he offers a friendly smile. "Yo!" Friendly, but there's an edge there. He's ready for her.
Stella     Knights come in many forms! Some places, having a sword is all you need. So Stella isn't judging a man by the coat he's wearing or the size of his muscles. Just how knightly his weapons of choice are.

    And she's barely a few years old, so age isn't a factor.

    Kirito's arrival makes the golem stir, her eyes opening to look at him. The heavy cheers from the crowd don't even register, and the blinking lights around the arena coupled with the countdown of an announcer and a ruckus as he presents the fighters, barely even does too.

    "We have not met. I am Stella. Are you a knight?"
    Always ask.

    Lights turn green. Horns echo through the whole arena. Crystal blades burst out of Stella's wrists, prismatic and whole, falling into her hands and gripped tightly.

    "Answer."

    A light kick into the ground, from across the arena. A crystal spike shoots out of the ground, right underneath Kirito. Seems she's trying to press the need for that answer.
Kirito     Kirito, too, doesn't seem to be paying the crowd any mind. He's tuned it out completely. Win or lose, no matter what happens, he's here simply to test his skills. Fame, prizes? Not really that important. In fact, he could do without the fame...

    "Kirito. And---" That stomp. Kirito freezes. And... ACTS ENTIRELY ON INSTINCT.

    He's seen plenty enough in games, anime, and reality (not much difference between them, at this point, is there) to have a good guess at what's coming. And so he ducks down in the split second he has, aiming to spring away. Sadly, he's a bit too slow at it. The crystal spire slices into his leg, drawing a hiss, a spray of pixels and some blood.. and leaving a weird red decal on his flesh. "Magic without a chant...?!" And from the GROUND, at that.

    "Some have said I dress like a Dark Knight. I suppose I've done some things a knight might approve of. And some things they wouldn't. I'm just a swordsman."

    QUITe a swordsman, it seems. As Kirito regains his footing in a hurry, he dashes in. Elucidator shines green as he levels it at Stella... and then... WHOOOSH. He becomes a living blur, drawing a line through the air that intersects with Stella.. and, if all goes well, beyond her, as Kirito's slash has him moving with impossible speed.
Stella     "You know what knights would approve and disapprove of?"

    That might be even better. Kirito seems to have Stella's attention, insofar as anything can be distinguished on her emotionless face. A hint of curiosity in her eyes.

    Even as he picks up speed, she makes no effort to follow him. No effort to look at his footplay, no effort to try to predict where he'll slice, or where he'll end up. Kirito cuts through her side, finding her clothes, and the skin underneath, to be one of the hardest things he's ever tried to cut.

    But it chips and cracks, and that's a start.

    Even if the crystal mends itself moments later.

    Stella turns to look at Kirito, shifting her posture a bit. The green light from Elucidator reflects off her blades, like a brilliant gust of wind caught in a bottle.

    "Please explain. What do knights approve of?"

    She brings one blade up, and then down into a vertical slash. Still far away from Kirito, it might seem harmless, but a bright green streak launches, like a sharp gale, trying to slice Kirito with his own wind.
Kirito     Elucidator is positively VIBRATING in Kirito's hand from being forced through that attack. The maneuver completed... but wonky video game physics put a strange strain on the blade nonetheless. Sonic Leap is an unusual technique with unique physics though... and he decides to not try that maneuver again.

    A glance is cast over his shoulder at his opponent though. One that clearly asks 'what is she MADE OF?' Of course he gets an awful of that. And raises his guard again. His eyes narrow at that strange sword action... her blades glowing the same color as his.

    He's genre savvy. He can guess what's coming. "Oh no you don't..."

    Elucidator's held out in in front of him, and... after a brief blue-white glow, enters an IMPOSSIBLE SPIN, blurring like an airplane propeller. Most of the wind gust's dispersed on contact with the blade.

    "That really depends on who you ask. The original 'knights' were really just soldiers. Suit up, grab a weapon, go fight where your leader tells you to. Some were also landowners. But on my world, nobody these days thinks of Knights like that. They think tales of heroes in shining armor, fighting by a code of honor, protecting to defend justice and protect the innocent. ... to some though, it's just the fighting style."

    The attack being fully dispersed, Kirito readies Dark Repulsor. The crystallite blade howls with a whitish-blue light as FROST builds... and he steps forward into a spiraling array of slashes that ends with a THRUST, each causing huge plumes of ice to bloom on contact to dig into the wounds!

    "Why are you looking for a knight?"
Stella     "I am a knight. Or rather, I wish to be a knight. Though I received the title, I was never taught what it means and stands for. I was never taught to "be a knight". Therefore, I must learn what that means."

    Kirito comes forward with countless slashes, chipping Stella's body. Frost forms over her, but as crystal pushes to close the "wounds", the layer of frost is shattered by her own regeneration. Then Kirito thrusts.

    Stella makes no effort to stop the blade. It penetrates an inch deep into her chest, and then might feel a bit difficult to pull out, as Stella's body attempts to close right back up around the sword, prismatic crystals jutting out of the hole like hooks.

    "Heroes in shining arms. I believe I have that part covered. What code of honor? I only know to bow before those of higher status or greater power."

    Before Kirito can free his blade, Stella suddenly thrusts forward with her left blade, a simple, no-frills-attached slash. But the blade glows a bright blue, superchilled from Kirito's ice.

    It won't make frost, just frostburn. And a hole.
Kirito     Philosophical banter in the middle of a match? Kirito's dealt with weirder. If Stella wants any deep insight, the middle of combat might not be the best time to ask.

    He expected her to try to parry. But she doesn't! And once he lands a solid strike on her strange body he understands why. 'Crap' is written all over his face as he braces his feet against the ground and tries to withdraws Dark Repulsor. Though it takes a good deal of force, the blade slides loose... but not quickly enough for Kirito to make good on the second part of his plan.

    He WAS going to Skill Connect into a fire strike, counting on Stella to try and turn his ice against him... but it's a no go. Elucidator ignites with flame... but it sputters out as the Black Swordsman's blown backwards by the force of the strike blasting a gash through him. STRANGELY, this -doesn't- leave an actual HOLE hole, but a giant red decal that OUGHT to be a hole. It's slowly fading... but a lot of blood sprayed out behind Kirito when that landed. He staggers down to a knee... but then rises, brandishing his blades.

    "Wanting to be something, but not knowing what it is... that's rough. And I can't say it's that great of an idea either. What if it ends up being something you hate? What do you WANT a Knight to be?"

    He's never faced someone like Stella in recent memory. That body of hers.... she doesn't seem to feel pain. And he can't cut her effectively.

    What's up with that? Is Stella secretly a final boss early encounter or something?

    How is he supposed to beat this person?

    "Gonna have to avoid Sword Skills..." They give her ammo to throw at him. And they bury his blades too deeply. So this time Kirito closes in with pure swordplay, striking in a criss-crossing flurry with both swords, going for a barrage of glancing blows. He's not trying to cut particularly DEEP... just inflict a lot of cuts that'll try and strain Stella's regeneration!
Stella     "I want to be a knight," Stella reiterates.

    "Whatever that means. Whatever it is. It is all I know. I do not know what I will do if it does not turn out how I want it to, because I do not know how I want it to turn out." Or in other words, she really has no idea. She's just chasing a word and a title she feels affinity for because it's the closest thing to "a dream" she has. And people keep saying she needs to figure out what she wants to do on her own.

    It's true, though, that unlike Kirito, Stella can take the pace of battle much more slowly. And much more relaxed. Countless cuts batter her body - clothes, hair, skin, it doesn't matter where Kirito hits, it's all the same substance and durability. Pieces of her dress break off in the flurry. Chunks of her hair. A finger. It all turns back into prismatic crystal when it hits the ground, no longer colored to emulate a person.

    "I will figure it out one way or another."

    One of her blades breaks, thrust in the path of Kirito's own. But when it shatters, it's more like it explodes. Shards of crystal fly in every direction like awful, deadly shrapnel, some even undergoing a brief growth spurt to form jagged crystal spikes.
Kirito     By now, Kirito's fully in THE ZONE. He acts on pure reflex, stepping backwards... and activating a swift Vertical Arc to strike at the air with an energized sword quickly enough to CATCH MOST OF THE SHARDS flying at him. They're scattered every which way, only a few embedding into his body - and nowhere near his vitals.

    "Crystal Golem. Or maybe some kind of Earth Elemental..." He announces, having finally deduced what Stella likely is. "Not that they're mutually exclusive." Either way, as he connects the dots, the results are... troubling and disheartening. He hopes the worst possibilities aren't correct.

    Did someone want to make a cold-hearted killing machine that looks like a cute girl? He wouldn't be surprised. "There's a man named Gawain out there. If anyone in the Multiverse can tell you what a Knight is, a member of the Round Table's as good as they get." He declares.

    "But I'm happy being just a swordsman!" The boy grins as the spirit of competition settles in. His strategy seems to be working. And yet... Kirito gestures at the air, slapping at a shortcut button only he can see.

    Elucidator and Repulsor in quick sequence glow and... are swapped out for some far less unique or valuable weapons. A weapon that looks like it's made of flame-red zigzaggy crystal, and an ornate, bejeweled golden weapon.

    Bluish-white-purple energy flares across Kirito's body, swirling around the blades in the very next moment. Both his weapons scream with the swirling colors of the night sky, and he lunges forward with both blades, drawing a strange hexagonal across Stella with a series of symmetrical opposing slashes... and then DOUBLE THRUSTING at the end of it.

    He's not even going to care if these blades are embedded in her.

    Asuna may well fill up a lot of her inventory with nice clothing, but Kirito prefers more practical things. Like backup weapons.
Stella     "I am a golem," Stella confirms without the slightest hesitation or judgment. "It is the word people find easiest to understand."

    She makes a mental note of the name. Gawain. A knight. That's good. It's a new heading.

    "Thank you," she even remembers to say, as Kirito slices and dices into her-- the cracks are multiplying, faster than they're mending. Disrupting her form, and even her voice, courtesy of a crack through her throat and jaw.

    Swords stay lodged in her, and she makes no effort to take them out. She doesn't even try to follow Kirito's movememnts - she can't match that speed.

    Rather than try to attack him head on, Stella grinds her feet into the ground. There's a rumbling as crystals spread underneath the arena tiles, causing them to displace and crack. Spires of crystal erupt, one after another, trying to impale Kirito, or at least give him a dose of his thousand cuts tactic.

    All the while Stella's body mends itself, missing pieces regrowing one after the other.
Kirito     A return to the ground spells tricks! Kirito actually saw this more or less coming. Unfortunately it didn't help him a lot. As a second set of sub-ideal quality blades are equipped, he dances this way and that, backflips, dive-rolls, and even counters some of the pillars with slashes in a startling show of strength. His success rate quickly plummets though, resulting in a bunch of the sharp spires digging into his flesh all over and tearing holes as he's moving. He hits the ground as a wreck... but scrambles to his feet, breathing hard.

    With another gesture, Elucidator and Dark Repulsor are quick-equipped and Kirito takes a step forward. Once again both of his weapons shine with the mixed power of light and darkness, but a pillar of the energy quickly shines from the ground beneath him and engulfs him... He leans into what's to come... and...

    "Starburst Stream...!!" Calling out the attack might not be necessary, exactly, but he feels the sense of dramatics... and STRIKES! Great cross-slashes pull him forward into a face-to-face and he engages Stella with another mighty flurry, where each swing casts enormous plumes of power along the blade's arc!

    It's an abandonment of his previous strategies, as he puts everything he's got in hoping that he'll be able to overwhelm her all at once!
Stella     Kirito unleashes all the power he can in a glowing, blinding flurry of slashes. Stella brings her remaining sword up to block, but each time Kirito's blade connects, it shatters a piece of her away - first her blade, then her hand, a hip, a piece of her neck, half of a shoulder. Her dress is a broken mess, too. But to his chagrin, he'll find her still standing. Awkwardly balanced and hardly whole, but standing, as her crystal body works as quickly as it can to patch the cracks, regrow lost pieces, and restore her form to something roughly humanoid.

    Fast enough that with a hand bursting back into existence, she tries to catch both of his blades after their last swings, counting on her hardness to keep her hands from breaking off outright.

    "I will consult this Gawain. As for you, you have broken yourself upon my body. You merely have not noticed yet."

    Her body rumbles, and a split second later, erupts into a mess of large crystal swords, spikes and thorns, all trying to tear Kirito into tiny bits all at once while he's locked in melee.
Kirito     Were this a normal match, Kirito would never consider using such an attack on... almost anyone. He can't stop the darned thing once it's started! And inflicting grievous wounds isn't his thing save for the direst of times...

    BBut even so, he's quite dismayed at how LITTLE EFFECT it's having on Stella. It's not QUITE his best trick, but it's close to it!

    But the problem is he knows it's not going to be enough by roughly the tenth strike. So when he finally comes to a halt, he can only grimace and accept what's coming. There's no time to react, as this Sword SKill leaves him quite open once it's done...

    And so it is that he's simply... turned into a damage decal mess of impacts and impalements, flung away from Stella. His blades clatter to the ground as Kirito tumbles and ends up face-down on the tiles. His body glows.. then shatters, leaving him round-eared, bleeding more fiercely from numberous cuts and stabs, and weaponless - dressed in completely ordinary street clothes. Comfortable, black-colored stuff, mostly... "Good match... I've got to figure out a counter to that indomitable defense of yours."