Shuyin VS Gilgamesh: Battle #4

[Felix]

Well ladies and gentlemen, the tournament has finally come and according to my list this thread belongs to...

Shuyin VS Gilgamesh

The first to post will be Shuyin and if you need a refresher on the rules they can be found here. I hope you two have a good time knocking each other’s brains out and without further ado...

Let The New Years Tournament Begin!

[exie]

There would be no stopping him.

Those were the exact thoughts that crossed Shuyin's mind as he put pen to paper the day before yesterday, which was when he stood in a room lined with trophies. There were several torches amongst the hardened stone room, as well as the individual who had been in charge of this tournament, a Satyr who insisted that the Unsent take a shield with him to accompany his sword. The blond had denied the offer, and merely walked out the front gates to kill time until his match would start. There was little to do besides observe the many Tournament results upon banners that hung on either side of the thick oak doors that lead away from the Coliseum's sanded waiting area. Shuyin sat for a while, pondering the events he had gone through and the path he had taken to arrive here at this point in time. There was much to think about, such as whoever that inferior Light being had been that disrupted his corruption of Planet-R. While the Kraken saw to it that the interloper was removed from the picture, Shuyin couldn't help but feel that wasn't the last time the two would cross paths. Interestingly enough there was another Dark aura that had been present, though the Unsent never found out the identity of it's master. Now he was beginning to think that it might have been the destruction of the Fire Crystal that had caused it, but he let the idea rest.

He wondered how Lenne would feel about his turn of a single world to the Darkness. Surely she would understand that what he did was for her, that all he sought to accomplish was for their eternal slumber in peace? He shook his head at the thought of her eyes looking down upon him in disappointment, and the attachment of what she would possibly say in regards to his deeds. Would she think him a monster for trying to ensure that his only love would remain undisturbed in the afterlife, while he waged a relentless war against the Light? It was surely something to sit on, but Shuyin would soon have to prove once again to the Light that he was above them.

His silent solitude within his memories was interrupted by the loud sound of a gong erupting from within the Coliseum, which snapped the Unsent back to the moment at hand. He leaned forward, then stood to his full height as he summoned forth The Defender, his longsword, to his right hand in a bright flashing display of pyreflies and light. Once he felt the comfortable weight in his hand, he twirled the blade to the left then to the right in a few practice swings, imagining that whoever he was facing was receiving the blows. Once he had finished this brief set of actions, he set off towards the Coliseum through the room with Phil. As he headed down the darkened tunnel, Shuyin could hear his name being called by someone introducing the combatants for each match. "Introducing our first fighter, ladies and geeeentlemen! He is a fighter not of this world! Hailing all the way froooom Spira! Give it up folks for Shuuuuuuuyin!"

The blond Unsent merely rolled his eyes at how whoever this was said his name, as if his arrival were greatly expected by the masses. Much to his surprise though, Shuyin found himself greeted by thousands upon thousands of screaming fans as he stepped into the Light, revealing a wide open area complete with four pillars at each corner of a stone platform. The sight of all the people here reminded him of his days in Zanarkand, playing Blitzball in the stadium against teams of almost even if not better skill. The same would go for this fight he noticed as he thought about it, that whoever would take up arms against him here and now would surely be someone of equal if not greater skill. Once he was in the center of the stone square, Shuyin raised his blade high to the sky above, and the people erupted in a euphoria of cheer and screams. Some people booed, but of course the Unsent paid no mind to the haters in the crowd. They were the ones watching HIM after all, and were not fighting for power and glory. Once he lowered his blade, Shuyin glanced back towards the entrance with a cold, blue stare, and awaited his unknown, fabled opponent.

[gilgamesh]

The crowd may have had mixed reactions to Shuyin’s arrival, but noise was noise, and whether it be supportive or rebuking it filled the arena all the same. This was a roar in celebration of battle, and when it took hold of the domain there was no turning back. This place - once a mere construct of sand and stone - had become a field where blood and sweat were paid in return for fame as the victor or infamy on the short end. Here there was no right or wrong, no concerns of ethics or philosophy. There was only the fight, as well as the glory one man would find at its cessation.

In other words, this was his kind of place.

When the cheers and jibes of the spectators had declined somewhat, the implausibly well-heard announcer continued. “And his opponent is an odd one folks! Yet another outsider, you may rem- What are you doing you lunatic!? You’re supp-” Silence. At this the watchers dropped to a dull roar, murmuring in puzzled tones. The point near the top of the wall was devoid of life, seeming to have been emptied when nobody was looking. What had become of the commentator? Just who had he addressed before he suddenly vanished? These were not questions that required much of a wait. Within moments a second, altogether different voice passed over the stadium. The box was still without visible occupant, but the speaker was quite clearly located within.

“He is the champion from lands unknown, testing his might far and wide! His name is uttered in awed whisper, and his reputation plays vanguard to his travels! He journeys only to find the next opponent, always in search of that man who can match blade with him! His dashing looks are only bested by his swordsmanship, and there is none to date who can withstand their terrifying combination! And now, he returns to you....”

From the isolated chamber flew a great streak of red. Cloth of primarily crimson billowed against the displaced air, moving as a strand of kelp against an undersea current. The moving figure’s arms could be seen stretched to either side like the wings of a jet plane. The feet instead rested upon some sort of long and narrow object, which could only barely be identified as a spear. It was upon this polearm that he coasted to the ground as though on a skateboard, though in truth riding his own weapon did absolutely nothing for his forward movement. Damned if it wasn’t fun though. He pathed an arc to the dirt floor, whereupon his naginata lodged itself firmly and he skittered off in favor of more solid footing. Taking a hopping step or two he ground himself to a halt, disturbing the loose dust at his feet, and rose his fist skyward. “....The mighty Gilgamesh!!”

There were pockets of spectators who were largely confused by this unorthodox entrance. There were others who had not yet fully considered what they saw though. Or perhaps just people who had seen his fight against the G Slayer not long ago and were simply accustomed to his showboating. In any case those seated exploded into shouts once more, and Gilgamesh milked it for all it was worth. Turning to individual ends of the stands he egged the crowd on with all of his might. He waved, he gestured, and he occasionally extended an enthusiastic finger at particularly lively individuals, as if to say “that’s the stuff!” The main event had yet to start and already the Ancient Man of Mystery was having the time of his life.

The show must go on, however. When the crimson-clad man had gotten his fill of crowd support he turned to face the blond across from him. With a sweeping motion he kicked his spear, dislodging it from the ground and catching it as it spun end-on-end. “Shuyin, right?” he called out, recalling what the announcer had said moments before being ejected from his own workplace. His finger found itself directed at the young man, pointing in challenge as he crosses his spear behind him in readiness. “Sorry you had to face me first, but I’m not going easy! Gimmi a good one!” No more needed to be said. Regardless of whether or not he was actually supposed to wait for some kind of signal Gilgamesh came running.

As he grew closer the nomad brought his lance overhead, twirling it so that it resembled more of a disk than any martial weapon. Then, when he had adequately covered the distance separating himself and his adversary, he brought it down in a vertical swing. The tip would not ordinarily tough Shuyin, making it more a blunt strike than the usual thrust. But that wasn’t all. As soon as the attack was completed he rose his non-planted foot and shot it into a kick for the midsection. If the first attack landed or was blocked this was to be a bit of a follow-up. If it was dodged completely, well, he had bigger problems.

[exie]

Shuyin, like much of the crowd, was baffled by this man's choice of entrance, which in opinion had been way cooler than his own. Though despite his disappointment in this, Shuyin looked upon his foe with interest as he made his charismatic taunts to the crowd. It was enough that even a tug at the corner of Shuyin's lips was present, though not so clearly evident as this man of mystery's liveliness for a fight. The Unsent's blue eyes widened as the man known as Gilgamesh twirled his spear about, and pointed a finger at him. His words radiated confidence, to which Shuyin merely shrugged as the man charged forward with his weapon twirling overhead. As the blunt blow from the spear descended upon him, his sword was brought up with his right hand to parry the attack. There was a brief clang as the steel blade met the spear tip, which was accompanied by the loud cheers of the crowd, and a sudden serenade of trumpets. In this brief second, Shuyin narrowed his eyes to make contact with Gilgamesh's, only to widen from sudden pain as a snapped kick made contact just below his ribs.

The Unsent was thrown backwards, his back briefly skidding along the rough sand as he eventually flipped onto his stomach some several yards away. The deep sound of war drums beating a steady beat began to resonate through the roar of the crowd, which had seemed to have taken a delight in seeing an exchange of blows. As soon as he had landed, Shuyin stabbed his sword into the ground for support to regain his stature with haste, as he expected Gilgamesh to immediately follow that kick rush. However as he looked upon this electrifying man, spitting out sand as he did so, he had remained where he was. Letting out a deep exhale as he stood, Shuyin frowned as he took off in his own charge at the spear toting warrior, dragging the tip of his sword in the sand as he did so. He closed the distance between them pretty quickly, moving left to right in case projectiles were thrown his way.

Once he was within a reasonable distance, Shuyin launched himself into the air, performing a forward flip while rotating three hundred sixty degrees to his right in the process. Attempting a Spinning Cut, Shuyin brought his blade down as it came around to strike Gilgamesh with a precise diagonal slash with a reversed grip on his weapon. Whether it hit or not, Shuyin's momentum propelled him into a crouched roll as he hit the ground. Upon his impact with the sand, he tucked his left shoulder to make a dodged roll to the opponent's left, having attacked from his right. "Don't disappoint me now!" he called out to Gilgamesh, hoping to alert the man to his new position as he stood up into a readied stance.

[gilgamesh]

His ploy had worked! It hadn’t drawn blood or anything, but a body shot of that caliber wasn’t anything to laugh at. If he could just land a few more of those he’d probably shut this guy down completely! He brought his spear down, dragging its point across the sand as the blonde regained his stance. “Thought that was rough? Sorry, but I’m not letting up!” Shuyin did not throw in the towel though, and got right back up at him. Which was good. Even if this was just a first-rounder, Gilgamesh would have gotten bored with a total squash match. It was best if the other guy put up a fight; land a hit of his own, even. Getting to the tough contenders later on wasn’t much fun if the stepping stones weren’t even entertaining.

When Shuyin took a charge at him, the Ancient Man of Mystery followed suit. Where the former darted and weaved in an evasive pattern, Gilgamesh just made a head-on run. The guy was, uh, quite agile really. Bobbing back and forth like a boxer should have looked awkward over that kind of distance, but the motion just looked so natural with his footfalls guiding it. Maybe he was more of a technical fighter then? That could be interesting. Nothing that couldn’t be crushed by the awesome power the nomad held, but it would mean he wasn’t just some no-nothing with a blade in hand. But when the distance closed things....well, they got interesting. Specifically, moments before they should have clashed the young adversary shot into the air for what looked like a quick gymnastics routine. Skidding to a stop in his puzzlement, he only just realized that there was a sword coming down at him like a guillotine.

Spear was hastily raised overhead in defense, mirroring the reaction to his own earlier attack somewhat. The primary difference was that Shuyin had successfully blocked that attack. The force of gravity coupled with the flaws of Gilgamesh’s ill-prepared footing gave it the power to travel onward, pushing the shaft of the spear down and allowing the blade’s edge to sink into the shoulder. His knees bent inward and his eyes widened as about half of the steel instrument of violence cut into him, with the spear feebly shoved against it. He only just stopped himself from falling as he gasped in surprise and pain. What a strike! He had assumed this would be a quick first-rung match, but the first to draw blood was himself!

.....but then, wasn’t that how it should be? The crowd roared in approval as the violence escalated, and deep within the world-hopping warrior realized how this would play out. It was only natural for the great champion to reach a tough spot now and then. So he had been given this wound. But now he would reverse the odds in spite of this turnaround, and conquer this first hurdle in preparation for what was to come! Yeah, that seemed cool enough! With a grunt he pivoted his polearm from its position under the firmly lodged sword, where it might travel alongside and under Shuyin’s arm to smash him in the side. This was another blunt hit, but he was trying to gain distance rather than maim, and hopefully this would untangle the two of them. Assuming he did get some space he would then set up Protect, causing a faint green space to momentarily flare up before fading and granting him some amount of respite from further injury.

Protect - 3 posts

[exie]

Shuyin had not expected his sword to become lodged when his sword had met the man's flesh, so his momentum had only been brutally yanked from underneath him as he was jerked backwards by his left arm. He felt the muscles tense up and strain at the awkward angle he had been unwillingly put in, however as he regained his footing quickly he was met with another blunt blow, this time to the ribs with the spear's shaft from the side. Normally such a blow would have propelled the Zanarkand native away if his grip had not been firm on The Defender's hilt, so his eyes merely widened from the sudden pain as the sharp though of retaliation entered his mind. With a fierce yell, Shuyin yanked the sword free from the wound he had caused on Gilgamesh with his left hand. As the blond drew the sword away, he had turned in towards the Man of Mystery to throw a vicious right hook at the man's jaw and stepped back a foot.

The crowd erupted in the display, as sand became soaked with blood and sweat while the battle raged onward. It had barely started and already the people in the stands were beginning to chant things for the warriors before them. Some men waved flags, others waved their sashes, and one brave man was even so riled up that he even waved his toga. What Shuyin didn't expect when he back away from Gilgamesh, was the sudden green shield to appear around him, which he instinctively stabbed at with his sword. The recoil was so great that it threw the blond backwards onto his back, and his sword flying upwards into the air as he unintentionally let go of it. Higher and higher it sailed, twirling majestically in the sky while travelling away from it's downed owner. Blue eyes watched and widened with horror as his greatest means of combat became lodged by the tip at the top of the nearest stone pillar of the arena floor. Shuyin's eyes narrowed as a loud resonating thud of stone meeting steel rang throughout.

Some people laughed, and many others cheered at the sight of this, and the most recent triumph of Gilgamesh. Perhaps they figured he meant to disarm Shuyin with the Protect spell, and so they cheered louder for the sword hunter. The Unsent merely rolled his eyes as he stood once more; several of his blond locks near the front of his face now soaked with the blood of his opponent. He sighed lightly, then looked over his shoulder up to his weapon before sprinting towards the column. As he neared it he used his momentum to gain a few feet up it's height, then firmly grasped the hilt of his longsword and pulled his whole body into a crouch around it, lasting only for a moment at most. Shuyin then pushed off the pillar while pulling on the sword, causing it to come free and the warrior to sail backwards through the air.

While he soared in the momentary air he gained from his little stunt, Shuyin barrel rolled to his right, swinging the sword along his hip as he did so. Bright blue eyes focused on his target as he came around, and sharply swung the blade upwards to point it at the sky. In this brief swing, the blade of his sword lit up with a bright light, and unleashed non elemental beams of energy as Shuyin unleashed a vertically lined Force Rain towards Gilgamesh. However all this accounting for a really showy, and impromptu variation of his technique left for no room to ponder his landing, and so Shuyin once more crashed into the sand. A large, lingering cloud of sand remaining where he had impacted the earth. As the beams soared towards his opponent, Shuyin winced with pain as he began to rise to his knees.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Force Rain - must wait 1 Post

[gilgamesh]

The crowd was getting into the fight. Like, really into the fight. And that was just fine with Gilgamesh, because he was having a pretty good time himself. He still wasn’t completely convinced that he was up against anything but a ladder rung, but he was a fun ladder rung! He was probably fairly strong wherever he came from, as evidenced by his earlier flip session. That he had to expend actual effort made him feel less bad about beating the blond to a pulp. Way of the warrior and all that. Nothing to it now but to roll up his sleeves and finish this fight once and for all!

His work sorta made itself when, of all things, he managed to disarm Shuyin with his own Protect spell. He saw the sword coming in for a low stab, himself unprepared and relatively vulnerable to the coming attack, when it ended up at the exact center of his protective magic as it surged into place. The swordpoint that had threatened to spill his innards instead flew up and away, buffeted off by the barrier’s arcane flare. In all honesty Gilgamesh had no idea that could even happen, but it was awesome! More to the point the young man had just been disarmed, which spelled certain defeat at this close of quarters. Fueled by the rising symphony of the cheering crowd he charged in, determined to actually draw blood with his next hit.

Unfortunately his de-weaponed foe chose then to flee, making a dash for his blade. Naturally Gilgamesh gave chase in the hopes that he could head him off first. He was damned close to ending this fight, and since everyone seemed to assume his spell was a calculated reaction to the attack this seemed like as good a time as any to capitalize on the situation. His right hand gripped dead-center on the spear’s shaft, with the other closed over his newly opened shoulder. Just once couldn’t he fight a martial artist or something? Somebody who wouldn’t cut him into paper dolls? He was still a little tender after that bout with the redhead Heartless.

Shuyin was fast. Really fast. Greased-lightning-out-of-a-railgun fast. In a direct footrace Gilgamesh was lucky to look at the guy’s back, much less try to stab it. He had no idea how the guy’s stamina was, but in a short-term sprint like this it was his absolute victory. His only chance would be to strike when the lost sword had been reached and when Shuyin would be shifting his momentum to dislodge it from the pillar. He had already proven himself to be quick at changing direction mid-run, but if he wanted to yank that thing loose he would have to pull back, which meant the number of vectors for Gilgamesh to cover was highly limited. This was checkmate. Bending low as the target area was reached, he let loose with everything he had and plowed forward into a single lunge.

The warrior blinked when his spear hit stone, producing that grinding sound of metal on mineral. He blinked, dumbstruck. Shuyin today, gone tomorrow. Retracting his polearm and entering a semi-neutral stance, he looked about curiously for the slippery swordsman. It was only when a shadow passed across him, signifying that something had gotten between him and the sun, that he brought his gaze skyward. He only just caught the man’s swing, as well as the multiple motes of energy that cascaded from it. Magic? That was totally unexpected! He brought up his weapon and twirled it in defense, hoping to bat away the oncoming projectiles.....which instead just landed upon the ground around him. He only stared dully as the points of sand radiated growing energy. “.....uh oh.” Everything around him simply exploded, sending him and several pounds of dirt about eight feet in the air. He crashed face-first, with a light shower of debris following after. The spear too clattered nearby, somewhat out of reach. Some squash match THIS was turning out to be.

[exie]

Shuyin looked to the sky, and chuckled a bit as he let out an exasperated sigh that soon collapsed into a cough. His eyes soon came down to the arena he was fighting in as he slowly rose to a stand, looking at the crowd as they erupted in a rioting cheer. The chase to the pillar had been electrifying, but it was another thing when the sand exploded around Gilgamesh in a geyser of mineral and man. The Unsent's blue eyes surveyed the settling scene as skyward sand came back to the remaining origins of a crater, or rather a small hole which nested the downed body of his opponent. A smirk spread across the face as he realized his unorthodox offense had paid off in a way he didn't expect. Sand crunched beneath his shoes as he walked towards Gilgamesh, however stopped next to the man's spear as he neared it. Glancing down upon the weapon, and then it's fabled owner, Shuyin crouched low enough to take it firmly in his right hand, then continued to Gilgamesh. The crowd seemed to all begin to chant as Shuyin stood over his downed opponent, thirsting for the sight of more blood they cried over and over.

"FINISH HIM!"

"FINISH HIM!"

"FINISH HIM!"

Shuyin looked down upon Gilgamesh as he stood over the Mystic Man of Mystery, his blue spheres locking with those of his opponent. The crowd began to silence itself for the judgement they expected the blond to carry out upon the former servant of Exdeath. Some cried out Gilgamesh's name as if to spur on their favorite combatant, to bring his spirits alive once more in the hope that he would prove victorious. However many began to whisper as Shuyin continued his stare down, wondering what to do. In his mind everything but himself and Gilgamesh faded to black, both illuminated by some unknown light in the darkness. The Unsent began to wonder what the right choice would be for himself. Naturally he would choose to exact vengeance upon a servant of the Light as per his oath to himself, however there was another dilemma. What would Lenne want for him to do in this situation? He could see her now, looking into his confused expression with a plea to spare this man's life; he had done nothing wrong.

His expression softened as he looked down to the ground, then fired up in a rage as he looked to Gilgamesh once more. His decision was final. As Shuyin raised the spear up high above his head, the crowd inhaled in shock and awe as they prepared themselves in fear and anticipation for the final blow. With a fierce yell Shuyin thrust the spear downward until it made a solid thud, piercing the sand right next to Gilgamesh's head as he let go of the shaft. With a cruel smile on his face he laughed at the possible fear he had caused the warrior. "The end is at hand. You have failed." spoke the Unsent as he narrowed his eyes at Gilgamesh before turning to leave. Once he was but a few steps away he stopped, then looked back over his shoulder at the Man of Mystery. "Fear not though Gilgamesh, you'll have another chance at me soon." added the blond before he finally walked away.

[LT:Marty O'Donnell - Winter Contingency]

[gilgamesh]

This.....this was bad. Gilgamesh’s vision swam, clouded as it was by the explosions that had detonated at literally all angles. He stirred amidst the traces of sand that continued to rain down, trying his best to regain his bearings. The audience was shouting something in tandem, but he couldn’t quite kiss what it was. Oh maaaaaaaan, he really hadn’t expected magic. His own Protect, which was built against physical strikes, had softened absolutely none of the hit. And what a hit it had been! Did Shuyin have many more tricks like that, or had he played his trump card? His vision began to clear, and the ringing in his ears lightened up. Now he could sort of hear the crowd. He couldn’t be completely sure, but it sounded like they were saying-

Ahh. Crap.

He only became aware of Shuyin’s presence when his own spear struck the dirt, lodging itself within. His heart skipped at least two beats when he realized how close it had been. And then the blond just.....talked. Well first he let out an unquestionably sinister laugh, but then came the talking. More like gloating, really. It kinda irritated Gilgamesh, who was still too dazed to stand up and fire back. What really got him was when he walked away, but halted for some final parting words. It was so...so.....cool! That should’ve been him doing that, damnit! There was no way he was going to get shrugged off like that, when he had yet to inflict a real injury! With much of the fog cleared from his head he reached up and grabbed his spear, producing a mighty clamor of approval from his supporters in the stands.

“Hold it right there!” He lifted himself up by the shaft of the polearm, shoving off of it only when he was back in a full standing position. He extended a finger at the withdrawing Shuyin’s back, mirroring his arrival somewhat. “I’ll admit you’re better than I had you figured for, but don’t think you’ve won! Feel pride, for the mighty Gilgamesh will now give you a glimpse of his true might!” He tugged the spear from the ground only to toss it aside. Now that the real battle was starting he no longer needed it. Instead he reached behind his back and, from the empty space, pulled forth a curving demonic blade with a showy flourish. Spectators who actually had a view of his back were understandably confused as to where the sword had come from, but just about everyone else cheered at the appearance of Zantetsuken.

Giving his sword a deft twirl he entered what could only be described as a kung-fu stance, with one hand extended and the sword farther back, pointed in the direction of his adversary. “You’ve come this far! Now show me you can handle it!” With a grand cry he charged, weapon poised to swing. Would Shuyin continue his departure, or would he return the challenge?

[Felix]

Shuyin has won this battle and will advance to the next round