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A Challenge | un: vainglorious (video)

Champions of foreign lands and worlds of names I have yet to know–hearken unto me!

[This video starts off with a bang! No, literally. There’s a loud explosion in the background as towering flames suddenly jut out from all corners of the arena forming an orange-red haze around the entire colosseum. For any unfortunate souls here, it’s going to feel hotter than hell but for others just watching from afar; you’re relatively safe for now. Those wild orange flames won’t scorch anyone as long as Rosen has control of them.

Oh, for those of you wondering who’s talking right now–that would be the dapper old bastard with the long flowing hair dressed in bright red and blue tunic standing at the center of the colosseum. Don’t ask how he’s managing to film the entire stunt. He’s just doing what he does best, causing a disturbance. It’s been a little too peaceful here and he’s bloody determined to change all that. If there’s one thing Rosen hates more is peace and quiet.]

Many of you proclaim to be warriors of realms I have yet to explore. Some of you even pretend to be likened to gods all for the sake of vanity and nothing else!

[It’s amazing how this crazed fellow can project his voice. He’s not talking into a microphone or anything. No, he’s literally projecting his voice throughout the entire colosseum over the roar of the fire. That actually takes talent and a lack of shame for being that damn LOUD! Then again, the colosseum has great acoustics.]

Therefore, I challenge you!

[In a flash of brilliant white light, a magical fiery red spear suddenly appears within his right hand. He dramatically points it towards the direction of the camera, making sure that this prized relic is on display for all to see. While it might come into question as of how he’s recording all this, Rosen at least knows how to put on a good show.]

I am called Rosenkrantz, and I formally challenge every capable warrior and legend here to face in armed combat! Only the strong need to apply for those without strength will be turned at the gate!

[He’s not kidding either. If he finds any of you fools lacking, he’ll toss you out of the colosseum on your ass. That is an unspoken rule here.]

With that said, if you seek a worthy challenge–then face me.

[And just like that, the footage goes black.]

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[He dodged again!? Rosen lets out an annoyed growl as he attempts to slash at the nimble little twerp again. To be fair, Yuri isn't that small at all. It's just that Rosen has a few inches over him judging from how much range the old bastard has. He thrusts his spear over and over again in hopes of landing a hit but it doesn't seem like he's going to be too successful here. If there's one thing he can say about this smart-mouthed bastard, it's that he's fast.

Probably a little too fast to be just some normal bloke.]

I ought to blow you up, you little cuss!

Edited 2023-03-20 01:21 (UTC)

Little cuss? C'mon, commit! Pick a genre of insult.

[ He is not usually this much of a brat, but everything about this is bringing it out of him. ] [ And yeah, you've got a couple of inches on him, he's 180cm. Fast is certainly one word: acrobatic, flexible, and a damned show off also spring to mind.

Dropping low to dodge, Yuri finally goes for any sort of offensive move: sweep the leg. But he doesn't really expect it to connect, either, and is ready to back off again. ]

Am I an asshole? A brat? A bastard?

I presume, then, that is all that matters, in your eyes?

[Phoenix grimaced as her fist impacted the haft of the spear, but inhaled and vomited a stream of fire in Rosenkrantz's face like she was a dragon. Even if he was fireproof, it would still hopefully blind him for the moment she needed to make her next move.

And so it went, as they bounced back and forth across the coliseum. Each of them would sometimes briefly get the upper hand, but that fact of the matter was they were both fireproof, both incredibly strong, and both could regenerate from most wounds in seconds. Phoenix never got physically tired but after a while, she wasn't sure how long, she was finding it a little hard to focus. And, as far as she could tell, he might be starting to lose his focus a bit too.]

[It’s kind of hard for him to pick anything when this twerp is flipping and dipping all over the damn place like a little monkey. Every time Rosen winds up for a swipe, this pest nimbly dodges with minimum effort. It’s a bit maddening, to say the least, especially since he wants nothing else than to wipe that smug smirk off this brat’s face.]

Stand still long enough for me to think, will ya!?

[When Yuri goes in for the leg sweep, Rosen thankfully sees it coming. He jumps over his leg and swings his spear downward in hopes of nicking him. Rosen figures that his sprightly opponent will find some way to dodge that incoming strike but he’s hoping to at least land a scratch on him.]

Bloody monkey!

[He really can’t pick an insult right now. The poor man is honestly a bit overwhelmed.]

For now! It makes no sense to overthink things when nothing else makes a lick of sense.

[Honestly, Rosen doesn’t know what to make of all this nonsense regarding the Seasons and the power holders. He’s still on the fence regarding that whole story.]

I would only stress myself out otherwise.

[That little fire breathing trick managed to blind Rosen momentarily to give Phoenix the upperhand. However, the window of opportunity is quickly closing the moment he dashes away from her. His regenerative abilities are second to none here but even so, he’s getting rather fatigued.

This is truly a battle of attrition. For every little gain either of them make in this battle, it’s instantly snatched away the second one of them manages to gain the high ground. It’s like an ongoing tug of war, one that doesn’t seem to have an ending in sight. At this rate, Rosen will never know which of them is stronger since they seem so evenly matched.

And to be frank, he’s too tired to care anymore.]

ENOUGH!

[He stabs his spear into the concrete with a thunderous boom that echoes throughout the colosseum. Hopefully this will be enough to get Phoenix’s attention. The last thing he wants is another knuckle sandwich like earlier. His jaw still aches a little after taking such a punch.]

You’ve proven yourself beyond worthy.

[Okay... He's interested.]

How's the competition been?

ROUGH! These folks fight like demons out here!

I’m actually getting tired. That’s a first!

Someone told me they weren't human. Demon blood or something like that.

I think there’s some merit to that! Some of these immortals are more demonic than myself.

It’s quite humbling! I didn’t expect to come across this many fantastic fighters.

[ When the sky around her explodes, Saya resigns herself to being caught in the blast. Moving at high speeds causes a fair bit of air displacement which would probably make the fire worse, and it doesn't matter to her if she gets some superficial burns. She catches the edge of it and her wings get singed to the point that they need a second to heal up. So she falls. ]

[ Saya's silvery skin is cracked and blackened as she plummets out of the sky and toward the ground. It looks like an uncontrolled spiraling dive -- far from it, really. She knows what she's doing. She twists as she falls, making it look unintentional, her red eyes closed as though she's unconscious. She can hear Rosen's heartbeat, so he stands out like a beacon. ]

[ As she falls, her skin heals closed and regains its silver sheen, but her wings remain half-folded and her eyes remain shut, her body drifting along with the wind as she falls toward the arena headfirst. Easy pickings, right? ]

[ Not so fast. Just as it seems she's about to strike the ground, Saya's wings snap open in a movement almost to fast to be called movement at all, and she charges straight for Rosen at her top speed, which he might be able to see but also might struggle to react to injured and exhausted as he is. One hand reaches out for his lance arm to hold the weapon away from her, and the other for his neck as she aims to topple him over and knock the wind out of him one final time. ]

[Phoenix HAD been running after him in the hopes of socking him through a wall, but she skidded to a halt when she actually processed what he was saying, coming to a stop a few yards away. She stood there, panting slightly and not saying anything for a moment as she wiped the soot off her face with her forearm.

What SHOULD she say right now? What would Mona say? Well, Mona wouldn't have been doing this in the first place, but maybe something like "You're pretty tough yourself for an old geezer!"

Maybe Phoenix would edit it slightly.]

...You're not so bad yourself. When I realized I was the only Cosmic Will here, I thought that would make me the strongest person here, but I can see this might not be the case.

[Rosen watched with bated breath as Saya tumbled towards the earth in blinding speed. Did he do it? Has he won? Still frozen in shock, it didn’t register to Rosen that this was all just a crafty ploy. He watches for a moment before suddenly tilting his head back lets loose an unrestrained joyous laugh that echoes throughout the arena. It seems that he won! He truly has won, hasn’t he? His laughter is wild and raucous filled with so much joy and excitement. He has NO equals in this world, no one can humble him!

The Arkana of Vainglory strikes again! He has no equals even now halfway across the bloody galaxy.]

Ha! Do I stand among gods—

[His laughter is suddenly cut short once Saya suddenly springs to life.

What is this? What’s happening?! How did she–?

Before he could even react, Saya shoots right towards him like a torpedo. There was nothing he could do. The moment she wraps her hand around his throat, Rosen knew he lost this duel. He lowered his guard thinking that he won only for his luck to run out at the eleventh hour. He falls to the ground with Saya at his throat, his trusty lance knocked right out of his hand from the impact. This is embarrassing, horribly embarrassing. Rosen hasn’t known defeat in decades and yet here we are. He hits the ground with a pained grunt with Saya on top of him. As his body regenerates for the umpteenth time, he stares up at Saya in muted shock. Just how…how?!

Not only did she manage to knock the wind out of him but she honestly left him speechless. Fuck.]

[To his credit Hijikata doesn't stand there with vibrating irises all shaken up. He's been in near-death situations too many times, and he did sign up for this to begin with! He lets out a small sigh as well as they both relax their postures, calmly glancing at the remains of his sword. He got lucky insofar as it broke into just a few big pieces (plus some smaller shards). Perhaps he can get it reforged if he finds a skilled smith.]

Nothing to be sorry for. I shouldn't have tried to block if I'd wanted it to stay whole.

[A tiny smile appears on his face, too.]

I should've impaled you. In a real battle I would've.

[Of course that would have meant impaling each other, and unlike Rosen he wouldn't have gotten back up from that, but he has never been one to pull punches! Part of him really wonders what made him do it now. Even in a friendly duel he wants to give his everything!

But the moment he realised that Rosen wouldn't let him slip away this time and that he could already use both his hands again - nullifying the small advantage Hijikata had won for himself - his thoughts went to the children he met over the last weeks, young kids, civilians who were grateful for mundane little acts of help like getting them to their assigned apartments when they were overwhelmed by the new situation. If he goes out of commission for 3 days, will there be others to lend them a hand if they need it? Surely, a voice in his mind tells him, and in any case it definitely isn't the Shinsengumi's Demon Vice-Commander's job to look out for random kids, yet... yet here he is.

But he shakes that thought out of his head, telling himself that he simply didn't want to deal with the hassle of dying and having to trek back from the Flower Yard in the aftermath, and offers his hand to Rosen for a shake.]

[Thank the stars she didn’t call him an old geezer. That would’ve only further sparked his competitive edge. Rosen typically has a difficult time admitting defeat but lest they want to wreck this beautiful colosseum, they better stop while they’re ahead. He doesn’t have enough gold to pay for repairs and he doubts that Phoenix does either. However, he does have enough gold to offer the young warrior a much needed drink if she so inclines.

The only Cosmic Will here? [He can’t help but arch his brow a little. Is that what she is? The Cosmic Will of the Stars? That certainly wins a look of intrigue from this flamboyant old fellow.] I cannot claim to have ever battled an opponent like you before but I quite enjoyed it.

[Rosen lets out a faint chuckle as he leans forward for a proper handshake. No hard feelings, right?]

You’re far stronger than I ever imagined.

[ Saya removes her hand from his throat, well satisfied that this is a victory. Up close she's simply stunning; though her features are the same as her human-appearing form, her silver-dusted skin and longer, tousled hair shine and make her glowing red eyes all the more standout. ]

[ Her fingertips graze his cheek as she sits up, still on top of him for the moment, and she smiles genuinely. ]

I haven't had a fight that good in a very long time. It takes a lot for me to have to shift in order to win.

[ At this point she does climb off him, though, since she's not trying to be a brat, here. Her hair and skin revert to their normal colors. She holds a hand out to him. ] I'm glad I answered your message.

Surely it would not be so difficult to look into that which does not currently make sense?

It wouldn’t. However, I feel no need to exert such effort yet.

[He’s being quite honest despite the underlying sarcasm in his tone.]

In due time, I will unwrap whatever marvelous wonders and secrets that exist within this strange land. As for now, I settle for seeing what this realm has to offer in terms of strength and valor.

[Rosen pauses for a moment once a question comes to mind.]

And what shall you do, nameless one? Will you dive headlong into research or shall you aimlessly wander for now? There is no wrong answer.

For now, I mean to see that which this world has to offer. Be that the world itself or those who have been likewise drawn here.

Are you saying you're a demon too?

[ Laughter, slightly manic laughter. He loves this. He will only love it more when you land a hit. ]

Not my fault if you think slow.

[ Another backflip, landing lightly on his feet just out of spear-reach, but Yuri brings his sword up — and finally unsheathes it with a flick of his wrist that sends the sheath flying. ]

Come on, old man. Teach me a lesson. Kick my ass.

Well, it certainly wouldn’t be too far from the truth.

Though, what qualifies as a demon around here? Horns and a tail?

Ha! Sounds like you and I are doing the same exact thing! Though, you’re admittedly taking the less violent approach.

[He clicks his tongue once he hears the cheeky remark, his mismatched gaze lingering on that fancy blade. While it looks like a rather well-made sword, he can’t help but feel like it's wasted on this impetuous youth. Instead of blindly attacking like before, Rosen swings his lance behind him as he casually circles his opponent. So far he hasn’t been able to land a single hit on this cheeky bastard and this irritates him to no end. However, rushing forward to strike doesn’t seem like the best strategy.

It’s almost as if the brat can read his every move. The key to victory here doesn’t rely solely on brute strength but also a clear head. That might be a bit difficult since Rosen is so riled up but this seasoned old warrior isn’t about to give up.]

You talk a little too much for my liking. [Rosen boldly states as he keeps circling him.] It’s like you’re holding back or somethin’!

Aren’t you here to fight, lad? Not talk?

[He suddenly comes to a halt before Yuri and points his spear towards him.]

Come at me.

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A Challenge | un: vainglorious (video)

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